I technically didn’t know their ages, but I also didn’t want to know.
My mom’s head reeled back a little. “A doctor? Wow, that’s like your dream guy. But how old is he?”
I was pretty sure Maddy had alluded to Brayden being over a hundred years old when he said Lena had reincarnated like eight lifetimes, but I wasn’t even going to go there because it was creepy.
“Twenty-four,” I lied. He looked about twenty-four, so that’s all that mattered.
My mom nodded, seeming okay with that answer.
“What did you guys do on the trip?”
I squirmed under her gaze. I hated lying to my mom. “Bonfire, smores, hiking, all that stuff.”
She seemed pleased with that answer, and I started to back up into my room before this conversation went deeper. “I gotta call Leah before my shift at the Rusty Spoon. Love you, glad to be home.”
My mom smiled. “Love you too,” she said, before she disappeared into the kitchen.
Leah picked up on the first ring. “I’msopissed at you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, get over it, because it was out of my control.”
Truth.
“Whatever that means. How’s the rabies?” she retorted.
I looked down at my fully healed arm. “Rabies free! Want to come to the bar tonight? I’ll slip you a free drink and then you can walk home with me and we can have a sleepover.”
She was silent a moment. “Yes to the bar, no to the sleepover.”
A frown pulled at my lips. “Okay.”
Wow, she really was pissed; she never said no to a sleepover. Even at this age we loved to watchFriendsreruns and gorge candy until we felt sick.
“Because…” She dragged it out. “Jason asked me to sleep over, so we will all hit up the bar but I’ll be going home with him.”
I chuckled. She and Jason were on a break last I checked, so apparently my absence made her run back to him.
They were on and off since sophomore year in high school. This latest break had lasted a grueling three months. When he made her happy it was great, and when he didn’t she dumped him. It was a juvenile relationship of convenience that I hoped they would outgrow soon.
“He’s decent,” I told her, which made her laugh. She knew I didn’t like him much. I mean, as a person he was okay, but they were just so toxic together. I gave this new round of dating two weeks, max. “He puts up with all your sasquatch conspiracy stuff,” I told her. “Good luck finding another man who will do that.”
“Hey, it’s not a conspiracy if it’s proven true,” she shot back.
I nodded even though she couldn’t see it. “And when you bring me the body of a sasquatch I will no longer call it a conspiracy.”
But even as I said it I wondered if maybe it could be true.Hell, werewolves are.
“Gotta shower and eat before work. See you later?”
“See you later!” she piped up.
I hung up the phone, glad to have things with my bestie patched up.
* * *
After eatinga quick dinner and showering, I put on cut-off jean shorts and a black tube top that was screen printed with a skull. Then I shoved my gun inside of my black leather studded handbag and then slipped out of the house. I got about four feet down the driveway when I saw the red truck parked at the end and groaned. The window was rolled down. Brayden hung a well-toned and tattooed arm outside of it. For the first time, I really zeroed in on the tattoos. The most prominent one was a wolf howling at the moon. Inside of the body was a list of names. I couldn’t help but read them as I approached him.
Lena, Tabitha, Maxine, Veronica, Charlene, Naomi, Skylar, Hannah.
