Chapter 14 #2
Classes were easier with teachers in the room. The lunch room would have been chaos if I’d gone. I hung out in the library instead.
I tried to read, but kept thinking about Mr. Clint.
By the end of the day, my stomach was hurting from skipping lunch, and my mood was sinking fast.
I was irritated and impatient to leave.
I needed to see Sam.
The thought stopped me, and my stomach dipped as I realized Sam was waiting for me again. I wasn’t ready to face him yet.
To give Mom more time, I packed up slowly. The room emptied, and voices faded in the hallway as everyone hurried to leave.
I walked out of the room and saw Len leaning against the wall.
He smiled uncertainly at me. “Wasn’t sure if I should stay away or offer to wait with you again.”
“Stay away?” I asked, confused.
“Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like you’re into Sam and skipped lunch to avoid me.”
“Oh. No, that’s not why I wasn’t there. I couldn’t take any more murder talk.”
“Really?” he said, looking relieved.
“Really.”
“Does that mean you want company again today?
“I’d like that, but I don’t want to lead you on. Two years ago, I would have said yes to dating. I just don’t feel that way now. Friends?”
He straightened away from the wall and came over to take my bag from me.
“I admit I’m disappointed, but not surprised. It’s Sam, right?” he asked as we walked.
I shook my head. “Even if he hadn’t moved here, I don’t think my answer would have changed.”
“Can I ask why?”
“I don’t have a good answer. My mom likes to say, ‘Feelings can’t be forced. If it’s not there, it’s not there.’” I flashed him a crooked smile. “She said that when I was having a hard time making friends. I said it when she tried feeding me okra.”
He chuckled as we walked outside together.
Jealousy hit me hard.
“Your mom sounds like a smart person,” he said. “Hopefully, I get to meet her sometime. Any chance you’ll be coming to the game this Friday?”
I had no interest in sports, but realized how little time was left to spend with the friends I was finally making.
“Maybe,” I said. “I’ll check with my mom.”
The jealousy climbed higher. Did that mean Sam really was here and listening to our conversation? I checked the pickup line for Mom.
“I see my ride,” I said. “Thanks for walking me out.”
“Anytime. See you tomorrow.”
I took my bag and hurried toward Mom’s car without looking across the parking lot.
Mom watched me get in.
“Does Len know you’re not interested?” she asked after I closed the door.
“Yeah. We’re just friends.”
“What about Sam?”
“Just friends, too,” I said, keeping my attention on my bag as we drove past him.
She hummed thoughtfully and didn’t say more until she turned onto the road.
“I need some help understanding where we stand with Sam. We’ve acknowledged he’s a werewolf and that he bit you. And we know the bite means he’s claimed you as his mate. But you think you’re just friends?”
“We kissed at the haunted house, and we kissed yesterday—before the library. After the second kiss, I asked what we were. He said I wasn’t old enough to make any decisions and then told the police he was with a friend.
It hurts, but maybe staying friends is the best choice.
Especially if we move to Grandma’s, you know? ”
She was quiet for a minute. “It’s a smart way to look at it, but you’re not accounting for his bite, Clarity. That’s not a ‘maybe.’ That’s a ‘she’s mine for life.’ Whatever he said about you not being old enough was to give you time to accept him, not a choice.”
“That doesn’t sound very consensual.”
She chuckled. “I guess not, but if you’re honest with yourself, do you want to be friends with Sam, or would you rather be more?”
“Aren’t you team ‘stay away from my daughter’?”
“I am, but not because of him. I have eyes and ears and saw how you two are together. He’s good to you. I just don’t want you hurt in the crossfire of the war his kind is still fighting. If it weren’t for that, you’d have my blessing. To date him.”
Letting out a long breath, I plucked at the waist of my jacket. “I’ve never felt so confused about what I should do before. Even after what I saw yesterday, witnessing the danger firsthand, the idea of moving, of never seeing him again…it hurts.”
She nodded. “Like I said, the bite isn’t a maybe. And I think that’s something we both need to accept.”
She parked in our driveway.
“Go talk to him. Inside. It’s too cold outside, and I’m sure there are things that need to be said that you don’t want anyone overhearing.”
“Wait. What? Why should I—”
She nodded toward Sam’s house. I followed her gaze and saw him getting out of his truck.
“Make smart choices, Clarity.” She reached for her door.
Grateful she hadn’t openly said, “No sex,” when he was close enough that he might hear, I got out of the car, too.
I felt an itch of yearning. Persistent. Inescapable. The need to look at him pulled at me until I gave in.
He waited by his truck, watching me. He looked relaxed, but I could feel his tension and see a hint of doubt in his gaze.
He thought I was going to keep ignoring him.
Part of me wanted to.
Telling Mom that I believed he was a werewolf was one thing. But the idea of having that conversation with him was terrifying.
What if I was wrong?
Taking a deep breath, I walked down the driveway. He didn’t move from his truck. When I reached him, my stomach flipped, and my heart skipped a beat.
I wanted to lean in and hug him but held myself back.
“We need to talk,” I said. “Can I come in?”