Page 24

I try to act disappointed on the outside, but I’m really happy that Natalie is such a good listener. Since I’ve never had any problems with boys before, she’s eating up everything I tell her. It’s almost the end of our shift when I finally get to the part where we fight.
“Wait, I don’t get it. You went to a club with another guy and you’re mad? He was so jealous, you know,” she says in a matter-of-fact way.
“No, he wasn’t,” I say as I keep mixing the ingredients for a customer’s mocha frappuccino. Guys don’t get jealous of me like they do of Natalie.
“He was definitely jealous. He probably went crazy when he found out you were going to a club without him, dressed up sexy with another guy, and ground on each other.”
“Natalie!” I yell, making her stop talking while I quickly give the drink I just finished to the customer. I looked at Natalie again and shook my head in disapproval. “I didn’t even know it was a club until I got there. I thought it was a bar! And I wasn’t just going with Felix; Elise was coming too.”
Natalie shakes her head and says, “It doesn’t matter.” “He was jealous and tried to tell you that he didn’t want you to go out with another guy, but you did. Is that why you two aren’t talking? If so, you two need to have some make-up s*x right away.”
I groan and cover my face with my hands, but I can’t hide from her rude comments. Why do I hang out with friends who say things that are so rude?
Natalie just laughs and puts her arm around my neck. “Don’t worry, Calla. I bet you and Prince Charming will be back together soon.”
I mumble, “We were never together,” and Natalie laughs.
“Sure,” she says, not believing it. “Come on, our shift is over. I have to get ready for a date.”
“Who are you going out with?” I ask as I take off my Steamy Bean Cafe apron and clock out. Natalie has a big smile on her face that would be very hard to get rid of. I need to know more about her because her smile is contagious.
“Well, we were so busy talking about your guy that we didn’t get to talk about mine! But he’s so hot, Calla! He’s got bright blue eyes and silky blonde hair that I just want to grab a fistful of. And don’t even get me started on his body! I haven’t seen it in person, but his Instagram is full of pictures of him working out and he’s so freaking hot…”
I let Natalie’s voice fade into the background of my mind. I let her talk about this guy for a long time while I packed my things and walked out the employee door and outside Steamy Bean Cafe. She keeps talking excitedly, and I’m only half-listening until I look up and see someone I only expected to see when I wanted to.
“We need to talk.”
Felix says, “We need to talk,” with a look of desperation on his face. Natalie stops talking for a second to look up and see Felix staring at me.
“Who’s this?” Natalie whispers loudly. It’s the kind of whispering that makes it sound like she’s asking me to tell her a secret, but everyone can hear what she’s saying. I don’t see the point, and I don’t want to answer any of her questions in too much detail because Felix is right in front of us. I’m still very mad at him for grabbing me at Nectar Noir and then not letting me go to class today. The idea of what would have happened if Skyler hadn’t been there makes me feel sick.
“Felix, I don’t want to talk right now. Are you going to let me go? Or do I have to scream for someone to come and save me again?”
Natalie looks shocked by the way I’m talking. I’ve never been the type to start things with anger, but I’m really sick of Felix bothering me. I thought of him as a friend until he started to push me. I can tell that he feels bad about what he did and wants to be forgiven, but forgiveness isn’t something you can rush.
“Calla, I’m really sorry about that. I just really wanted you to talk to me. I still do. I’m so sorry for how things turned out. If you would just let me explain—”
I don’t let Felix finish what he was saying. Instead, I grab Natalie by the arm and pull her right past Felix, who is begging. Natalie usually drives to work and I usually walk, so I’m making it clear to her that I want a ride home as I walk her to the car. She knows I need to stand together, so as we walk by, she turns her head back to Felix and gives him one of her famous glares.
Felix grabs my elbow just as I’m about to pass. It’s not a hard grip, but it’s tight enough that I can’t walk any further and Natalie’s arm comes out of mine. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, and then he starts to mumble words that are too fast and too quiet for me to hear. When I look at him, I’m about to lose it when his eyes do something strange. For a second, they look like they are flashing electric blue, which is much brighter than his normal eye color. What the heck?
He keeps mumbling words that don’t make sense until he lets go of me. As soon as his hand leaves mine, I feel a wave of dizziness and fall back. Natalie catches my faltering form right away and is ready to pounce on him. “Stay the f**k away from Calla or else I’m calling the cops! Don’t ever touch her again or I’ll call my father, the best f*****g lawyer around, and he’ll make sure you go to jail for assault!”
Natalie, always the protective friend, waits until Felix backs up before moving her evil glare away from him and giving me a softer look. Felix looks at me again, this time with tears in his eyes. I shouldn’t let his tears get to me, but they do, and I start to question my choice not to listen to him. He sighs as a tear falls. “Remember, it didn’t have to be this way.” He leaves a few minutes later, and I’m left to think about what he said. What is he talking about? I get what he’s saying, but I think there’s a deeper meaning to it that I’m missing.
The blue flash in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by me. But I’m not going to ignore it as I would have a few days ago. Now that I know about the supernatural, I won’t take anything for granted. I need to remember to talk to Skyler about it. A wolf’s eyes turn black, and a vampire’s eyes turn red. What kind of animal has blue eyes?
***********
On the way home, I think about how one of my friends is a supernatural being again. I start to wonder if Natalie is a person or not when I look at her. I’ve known her all my life, but how well do I really know her? I have a headache from all of these new thoughts going through my head, and as bad as it sounds, the person I want the most is Jaxon. I haven’t seen or talked to him since I woke up in the pack house, and I know it sounds cheesy, but I feel like a part of my heart is missing.
I thank Natalie for giving me a ride home, and she says it’s no big deal. In return for the ride home, she wants me to go to the mall with her this weekend. I don’t even try to fight her. I’m happy to spend time with her because she was such a good friend to me. Maisie almost knocks me down when I walk in the door. She always finds a way to surprise me and jump on me, and I’m thankful that most of the time I can keep us both standing.
“Calla! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” she screams into my ear, and I have to fight the urge to cringe back. My ears are ringing, but I can’t help but smile and kiss Maisie’s face all over as I hug her tightly. I haven’t been giving her the attention she needs. I blame college, work, and the supernatural, but that’s no reason to ignore her. She only has me and my mom, and I want so badly to be enough for her.
“I’ve missed you. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy. I promise we’ll spend more time together, okay?”
She smiles when I say something, and then she goes on to tell me about her day at school. I nod and say a few things here and there as she excitedly tells me about her art projects and her time on the playground. While I set the table, she lies on my hip. My mom is finishing up dinner for us, and I can hear the dishes banging together in the kitchen. I feel a wave of nostalgia wash over me as I realize that it’s been a long time since the three of us had dinner together. My mom is always busy with Maisie, and when she’s not, she’s flying around the world for work.
I also haven’t made it home in time for dinner every night, so I usually just eat leftovers. I usually work at Steamy Bean Cafe or do my homework, which is a lot of it. Calculus and biology are NOT fun. I like ethics and psychology a little more than other subjects. When I think about ethics, I think about Felix, so I choose to focus on the cute 6-year-old instead.
Maisie says, “And then Ivy found a sparkly butterfly necklace in the sand! Ivy said it was a magic necklace and she wanted to keep it.” Then she leans in and whispers something else in my ear. “I know it wasn’t really magic, but I acted like it was because Ivy was so happy about it.” She looks up at me like she just told me the biggest secret. I laughed a little, then put Maisie in her usual seat at the table.
“That was very nice of you,” I say, making sure to praise her for being nice to her friend. I know she will appreciate her big sister’s praise. She laughs at what I say, and her cheeks turn a bright pink. I guess I know that blushing runs in the family now…
My mom comes into the room with the Crock Pot and big oven mitts on. I smile as I remember the last time Maisie and my mom used it to cook dinner. She called it a “C**k Pot.”
My mom went back to the kitchen and brought back some side dishes: potatoes, vegetables, and pasta. “Thanks, Mom! This looks great!”
Maisie claps her hands and makes grabby hands for the pasta. “Yeah, thanks, Mommy!” Before I get food for myself, I put a lot on her plate.
“You’re welcome, guys. I just thought it would be nice for us to have a home-cooked dinner with all three of us.” We all dig in, and I enjoy the seasoned flavors of the chicken dish along with the savory tastes of the side dishes. A few minutes into the meal, my phone makes a noise, and when I unlock the screen, I see that I have about a hundred texts. I forgot that I hadn’t looked at my phone since the weekend when I ignored everyone. I can see all of Natalie’s, Skyler’s, and Felix’s messages, but I stop scrolling when I see 34 texts from Jaxon. As I read the messages, I started to cry a little. Every text I read makes me more and more upset.
Broody: Please answer, baby
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I’m still the same person. I still love you so much.
Broody: I’m falling apart here.
Broody: Please don’t hate me
Broody: Calla, answer the phone right now!
Broody: Sorry for the last text. I just miss you.
Calla?
This morning was the last text. My eyes let go of the tears that were forming, like a dam letting go of its water.