Page 6

Rachel

“ O h my God, I’m glad to be home,” Dallas groans. “Fridays are so long. Why do I have to end my week with three classes when you guys only have two? That’s just not fair,” she pouts, flopping dramatically onto the couch.

“That’s what you get for being a science major,” Aubree teases, nudging Dallas with her shoulder.

“We can’t all study history . Besides, I would be bored out of my mind. You know I need a challenge. What bigger challenge is there than understanding how someone’s brain works? What makes them tick? Why they are the way they are.”

“Yeah, yeah. We all know you’re only studying psychology to learn how to hide your crazy better.”

Dallas throws one of the decorative pillows on the couch at Aubree as she giggles, easily dodging the attack.

“You’re the worst.” Dallas scowls at her.

“I learned from you, dear.” She gives Dallas an air kiss. “Now, what’s for dinner? I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” I laugh.

“True.” She shrugs, not even trying to deny it.

“Well, we’ve been here a week and still haven’t gone to the dang store. So it’s either go downstairs to the cafe or order takeout,” Dallas says.

“How about pizza?” Maya suggests. “I just want to stay in tonight. I’m not used to being out of the house so much.”

“Same. Oh my gosh. This week has been exhausting, being around so many people all the time,” I commiserate.

“I’m good with pizza.” Dallas shrugs.

“I’ll order!” Aubree offers, grabbing her phone and quickly tapping until she finds the right app. “What toppings does everyone want?”

“I’m good with pepperoni. No need to order anything special on my account,” Maya says.

“That works for me,” I say as I pull down a glass and fill it with water.

“Got it. It’ll be here in fifteen minutes,” Aubree says, putting her phone on the side table as she sits on the couch.

I join the others in the living room while we wait for the pizza.

“You’re awfully chipper today,” Dallas says, side-eyeing Aubree.

Maya and I share a look as Aubree suddenly freezes at Dallas’s comment. I don’t know what I missed. I think she’s chipper all the time.

“I’m just in a good mood. Is that against the law?” Aubree sasses, flipping her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder.

Dallas’s mouth slowly stretches into an evil-looking grin. The gold flecks in her brown eyes catch the light and the way she stares Aubree down is almost predatory.

That can’t be good.

“So, tell me about the guy.”

I swear she stops breathing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What guy?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Bree. You know it never works out for you.”

Aubree sighs and deflates into herself as she murmurs something under her breath.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that. Say again?” Dallas says, smirking.

“I said,” Aubree sits up and glares at her best friend, “his name is Garth. He’s in the Liberal Arts program with me, he’s a peacock shifter, and we also have English together… Are you happy now?”

“I knew it!” Dallas crows.

Damn. I’m glad no one knows me well enough to pull my secrets out like that.

“Shut up. You don’t know everything ,” Aubree grumbles, crossing her arms.

“About you? Pft. I know more than you’d think.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t take psychology. You’re dangerous enough as is. You don’t need any more advanced knowledge of the shifter psyche.”

“I’ll be unstoppable,” Dallas agrees, playfully tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“How’d you know there was a guy?” Maya asks.

“She has a tell.” Dallas shrugs.

“I do not!” Aubree gasps.

“Do too. You do it every time you meet a guy. That guy in sixth grade with the frosted tips, the guy from the local ice cream shop who always puts extra toppings on your sundae, or how about the surfer cali boy from that summer camp we went to in sophomore year. Shall I go on?” Dallas raises a brow.

“Yes, you should. What exactly is my tell?”

“Oh, I’m not telling. You’ll stop doing it if I do. Or you’d try anyway. Can’t have that.”

I try to hide my chuckle but Aubree must hear it because she snaps her head in my direction.

“Something funny? Maybe you wanna tell Dallas about your guy.” Aubree levels me with a glare.

“What? What guy?” I ask, definitely trying to avoid this conversation.

“You know what guy. The hot one in Math that won’t stop staring at you,” she teases.

“Not just Math. He’s in our English class, too,” Maya chimes in, with a grin.

“ Et tu, Brutus? ” I sigh for dramatic effect.

“Sorry.” She shrugs, clearly not the least bit repentant.

Dallas’s eyes ping-pong around the room, a slow smile creeping across her face.

“Well? Tell me all about it! It’s not fair that everyone knows about this hot guy but me. It’s bad enough I don’t have any classes with any of you. You can’t hold stuff out on me,” she pouts.

“It’s just some guy. He’s in a few of my classes. There’s really nothing to tell.”

“A few? He’s in more than just Math and English?” She keeps digging.

I think Aubree’s right. She doesn’t need a psych degree.

“He’s in my self-defense class too. But that doesn’t mean anything. There are a lot of students who are in multiple classes with me. This one absolute douchebag is in all of my Tuesday and Thursday classes. Thank God he’s not in my English or Math class.”

I might end it all if I had to put up with Trent every freaking day.

“I don’t know who I want to talk about more, the hot guy or the asshole,” Dallas muses.

“How about neither?”

“How about both .”

“Why am I friends with you?” I glare at her.

“Just lucky, I guess.” She smiles back.

“You already know about the asshole,” Maya says. “She’s talking about Trent. That kangaroo creep she had the misfortune of meeting Tuesday in Visual Arts.”

“Oh. Yeah, I know about him. I thought you were holding something else back. Is he giving you more problems?” Dallas asks with a look that clearly says she will murder him in his sleep, “Because I can take care of him for you.”

“ Take care of him ? What are you in the mob?” I chuckle as I shake my head.

“I honestly wouldn’t put her past her,” Aubree says.

“Thank you. I would make a great mob boss, wouldn’t I?” Dallas preens.

I don’t think she should be taking that as a compliment.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. I plan on using my powers for good, remember? My future is social work, not the mob. I’m going to help people, not kill them.” She rolls her eyes. “But I would if I had to. Just saying.”

“No one doubts that, Killer,” I chuckle.

“Good.” She nods once. “Now tell me about the secret hot guy everyone but me knows about.”

The doorbell rings as she glares at each of us and I jump up to answer, thanking God for the interruption.

“This isn’t over!” She calls to my back.

I smile, thankful she can’t see it, and open the door. The delivery boy passes over two large pizza boxes and disappears down the stairs before I can even thank him.

Someone’s in a hurry.

Maya sets the table as I bring the pizza over, passing a toe-tapping Dallas as she watches me with her arms crossed. I completely ignore her as I set down the pizzas and open the first box. I recoil as I stare at the pizza in disgust.

“Girl, what is that ? And why would anyone put it on pizza?” I stare at the offending topping covering half of the pizza before finally looking at each of my roommates.

Aubree’s entire body is flushed and I know instantly she’s the culprit.

“What? It’s just anchovies. Don’t judge me. I’m a penguin. We eat fish,” she grumbles.

“Umm. I know I’m new to the whole shifter thing… but I’m pretty sure our animals don’t dictate our diets,” Maya drawls. “I know I’ve never had the hankering for some hay.”

I sputter, trying to hold my laugh in, but it’s no use. Now I’m picturing Maya eating grass with a fork and knife.

“She always tries to blame her penguin for her weird tastes,” Dallas chuckles. “Told you they wouldn’t buy it.”

“Whatever. It’s not that weird. Besides, it’s not like everyone doesn’t eat it.”

“Umm. I’ve never had anchovies, thank you very much.” I scrunch my nose up at her.

That’s disgusting. Look at them. They just look gross. And they smell. I can’t imagine they would taste good.

“Wanna bet?” She crosses her arms over her chest and raises a brow at me. “Ever had Caesar salad? What about Worcestershire sauce?”

Okay, that’s a random question.

“Yeah. I love Caesar salad. So what?”

“Soooo there are anchovies in Caesar dressing. So you love anchovies.” She tips her chin up, super freaking proud of herself for possibly ruining one of my favorite foods.

“I… I don’t even know how to respond to that.”

“That’s what I thought. Now hand over the pizza and no one gets hurt.”

“You can have your disgusting pizza,” I say as I pass her the box, thankful I only see pepperoni when I open the second box.

We gather around the table and dig into the pizza. It’s nice and peaceful and I think the whole anchovy discussion distracted everyone, namely Dallas, from hounding me about Bastian. I learned his name in English where I spent the majority of the time hiding behind my hair and avoiding making eye contact with him. Mistakenly I think they’ve dropped it until I take my first bite of my second piece of pizza.

“So everyone’s coming to the game with me tomorrow, right? I got us all seats in my favorite section and I’m going to be writing an article for the school newspaper about the opening game. I’m going to be a published author! Eek, I’m so excited!” Maya squeals, bouncing in her seat as she claps her hands.

Damn it. Why’d she have to remind me about that?

“Hot guys in tight pants? Count me in!” Dallas cheers.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Aubree agrees then all eyes turn to me.

Sighing, I drop my pizza on my plate. “You know I have to go for that stupid project,” I grumble.

Maya grins. “Yeah, and it won’t hurt that Bastian is on the team, right?”

I’m gonna kill her.

“ Bastian ? Who’s that?” Dallas’s eyes light up. “Oh my God is that the hot guy Rach is supposed to be telling me about?”

“He’s captain of the baseball team,” Maya helpfully supplies.

I narrow my eyes at her before turning to Dallas. “He’s no one. I’ve never even spoken to him.”

“Not for lack of trying on his part, I saw those googly eyes he made at you from across the room. Then you dashed out before he could come talk to you after class. Both times,” Aubree snickers.

“That’s cold, Rach. You won’t even talk to him?”

“I’m not here for guys. I’m here to get my degree so I can get a good job and get out from under my father’s thumb. Guys are nothing but a distraction.”

“But what if he’s your mate?” Aubree asks, because of course that would matter to her.

“That’d be even worse, Aubree. I can’t… I don’t want mates,” I correct myself. I can’t let myself want mates is more like it, but they don’t need to know that. “Can we just drop it? Please?”

“Yeah. Sorry,” she grimaces.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, Rach. I was insensitive. You told us your feelings about mates. I shouldn’t have pushed you,” Dallas adds.

“Me too. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry,” Maya says.

Damnit. Now I feel like a dick.

“Don’t worry about it. I know it’s unusual for a girl to not want mates.”

“Still. We’re your friends. And as your friends, we’ll make sure you get what you want. If that means keeping guys away from you instead of pushing them toward you like I do with Aub, so be it. I may be short, but I make a good bouncer. No one’s getting through me.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“It’s why you love me.” She shrugs.

“It really is,” I agree, leaning back in my seat. I can’t help but smile like a dope about all of my new friends.