“Mom, I talked to her the day before yesterday and texted her this morning,” he said. “I don’t know what more you want from me; I’m doing the best I can. This is a really busy time for me.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line and he braced himself for what he knew was coming, and in no mood for one of his mother’s tantrums. “I told you that going to college would interfere with our lives. I knew this would happen! I still don’t understand why you couldn’t have taken the job your father offered you,” she said, then took a deep breath, clearly just getting started. “Erin thought it was a good idea; her parents were all for it. Your father was so excited; he’d been dreaming about the day he could make you a part of what he started. I’m still so ashamed of you for turning your back on him. I don’t think he’ll ever recover, and now this. You’re always hurting the people who love you. Ryan, maybe you should think about that instead of being so selfish.”
“Selfish, me…you’ve got to be kidding, that’s a pretty big stretch even for you,” he said. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m sorry if you’re bored with your life and need a little drama, but you’re going to have to find it somewhere else. I’ve got finals next week; I don’t have time for this.”
His mom gasped. “How dare you talk that way to me?” she said. “I’m only trying to help you, I’m your mother, I know what’s best for you.”
“No, Mother, you do not,” he said, his voice hard, his patience gone. “I’ve gone along with just about everything you’ve wanted for my entire life, but not this time. I want to be a teacher, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I’m sorry if you think that’s beneath us, but I’m not going to give up my dream, not for you, not for anyone.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you got engaged. Erin’s happiness should be your first concern,” his mom said. “That’s the way marriage works, Ryan.”
“That’s not the way all marriages work, Mother, just yours,” he said, trying not to lose his temper. “And let me remind you that it was your idea for me to marry Erin; you arranged the whole thing. If she’s not happy with the way I want to live my life, she’s free to break the engagement any time she wants. I won’t fight her, in fact, it would be a relief.”
“Ryan Christopher Bellamy, I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that again,” his mom said, her voice hard and brittle. “Erin is a wonderful girl. I just did what you should have done years ago. Now, I don’t want any more of this crazy talk from you, I expect to see you dressed and ready next Wednesday night. You’re going to do right by Erin and escort her to the charity ball.”
“That’s not happening, I already told you. Next week is finals, when I’m not writing tests, I’ll be studying,” he said. “You’ll just have to find someone else to take her, I won’t be there.”
Before his mother could say another word, he disconnected the call and waited for the phone to ring, as he knew it would. His mother’s number showed up on the screen only a few seconds later, and he let it go to voicemail. Then, he turned off his phone, put it in the drawer next to his bed, and rolled over to go to sleep. He was done playing games with his mother. As a grown man, it was time she showed him a little respectand acknowledged that he was old enough to make his own decisions.
***Paula***
Paula was just finishing the last dregs of her cold coffee the next morning when Connie came stumbling into the kitchen after a late night out with her boyfriend. “It’s Saturday morning, what are you doing up so early?” she asked, heading for the coffee pot. “I thought you were all caught up on your projects for finals.”
She looked up from the computer and saw the mess she’d made on the kitchen table. “I am, I just…well…” She got up and started straightening the papers spread all over the table. “I couldn’t stop thinking about the other night, so I started doing a little digging.”
Connie brought her coffee back over to the table and picked up one of the articles she’d printed out, skimmed it for a second, then looked over at Paula. “Are you really starting to think all this shifter stuff is true?” she asked, holding up the page. “I mean, I know it was published in the newspaper, but this was years ago. Someone else would have seen something since then. There should be more reports of sightings if it was true.”
“Maybe, but what if they were all like me, not sure what they saw, or maybe people don’t want to say anything because they’ll look crazy,” she said. “There are lots of legends about shifters around here. They keep popping up in the chat rooms, although most people don’t take them seriously, it’s just for a bit of fun, but…”
“You can’t help thinking that legends start somewhere,” Connie said, putting the newspaper article back down on the table. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“I’m trying,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s just that…the more research I do, the more questions I have. I know it’s a stupid waste of time…”
“This is why you’re going to be a great journalist,” Connie said, then saw the flyer among the mess. “What’s this? Are you thinking about taking a part-time job?”
She felt her cheeks instantly turning pink, “Oh…that’s nothing…I’m not…” her words trailed off. “Actually, maybe I am.”
“That made absolutely no sense,” Connie said, a look of concern on her face. “Maybe you should go get some more sleep.”
“I’m fine, stop looking at me like that,” she said. “Ryan, the guy who brought me the gas and warned me to get away that night, hung that up in the student center. I don’t know why I grabbed it, I wasn’t really thinking clearly.”
Her friend studied her for a second, then shook her head. “You’ve got a crush on this guy,” she said, a little smile on her face. “That’s why you’re so obsessed.”
“I do not, I don’t even know him. Besides he was mixed up with whatever was going on that night, and I promise you it wasn’t good,” she said, shaking her head. “Getting involved with someone like that is the last thing I want to do, but working there might help me figure out what I saw.”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Connie said, a look of worry on her face. “Think about what you just said. There was something bad going on there that night, and you were lucky to get away, Paula. Now you’re talking about getting right in the middle of it again.”
“I’m just going to take a job making desserts, that’s all,” she defended the idea. “I won’t start digging around or anything, I’m not stupid, I’m just hoping to overhear something…”
“I can tell that you’ve already made up your mind,” Connie said with a sigh. “I just wish you’d think this through some more, give it a couple of days before you do anything.”
“The job will be gone if I wait,” she said, shaking her head. “This is a good gig, lots of people are going to be applying. I was thinking about heading over there today, I might be able to get a jump on everyone else.”
“Just promise me that you’ll be careful,” Connie said with a sigh. “There won’t be anyone to come to your rescue.”
Ryan popped into her mind instantly, and a wave of warmth spread through her. “I’ll be careful,” she said. “Besides, the job only lasts for a few weeks, I can’t get into that much trouble.”
When she pulled up in front of the fraternity house an hour later, she turned off the car and sat staring at the house, her stomach doing flip-flops, wondering if she was making a mistake. Connie’s words popped into her mind, and she reached for the keys to start the car again. It was silly that she was there, even a little dangerous. She didn’t need to know what she’d seen that night, her life would go on just as it was supposed to if she never found out, but something inside her couldn’t let it go.
