“You’re not people,” he said, his words dripping with disdain. Both men walked back to their patrol cars while bystanders gawked at the commotion, some recording on their smartphones.
I knelt next to Roscoe, who lay on the ground, holding his stomach.
“Are you okay?”
“I think I pissed all over myself.”
“You’re a fucking moron,” I hissed, grabbing his hand to help him into a sitting position. “You could have gotten us both in a lot of trouble.”
He stumbled to his feet, winking at the cop car driving by. “Damn, if I had a dollar for every time I’ve been tasered.”
“Are you a felon or something?”
He shrugged. “The past is the past.”
“Roscoe, let’s get one thing straight,” I growled out, my vision turning red again. “I’m not going to jail because of you!”
“Stop worrying about it. I was just having some fun.”
There was wet fur around Roscoe’s crotch and a damp spot on the sidewalk where he had fallen. “Yeah, that looks like a real good time to me.”
The slightly shaky werewolf picked up the bags and walked with me toward the bus stop. “You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” I said, annoyed by how nonchalant he was. I wasn’t used to being treated like a criminal, especially since my only crime was existing in a place I no longer belonged. “If something happened to you, I’d have to carry all this myself.”
“You really like me.”
“I hate your guts, dude.”
Roscoe put the bags on the ground before sitting on the bench as we waited for our ride. I sat next to him, the adrenaline rush from earlier finally settling.
“I just remembered something,” Roscoe said, his ears lowering into a guilty, airplane position. “I, uh… may not have a job anymore. Kinda forgot to go back.”
“Well, it’s not like you can take four-hour-long bus rides every day. Just get another one at the beach.”
When he slumped his shoulders forward and he let out a dog-like whine, I knew what was coming. “C’mon, Cody. We’ve got enough until yer money comes in.”
“Yeah,mymoney, notourmoney. You’re not going to leech off me and lay around the house doing nothing.”
Roscoe continued with the act, his eyes growing big and watery.
“It didn’t work before. What makes you think it’s going to work now?”
He got on one knee and stared up, his nose nearly touching my face as his ears dropped to the sides of his head again.
“You’re making an idiot of yourself,” I whispered through my teeth.
He leaned back a bit. “Man, I must be losin’ my touch.”
“You never had a touch.”
He made the face again, this time struggling to hold it. It was disturbing how easily he could do that. “Nothing? Really? Nary an ounce of pity?”
I glared at him.
“Eh, fine. I’ll find a way to make some money.”
“Alegalway,” I added.
