February 17 | Monday #12
Maybe that was really it, or maybe Will was just making up a story to explain his friend’s behavior, not wanting to accept reality. He slowed his pace, falling behind, until he finally stopped completely, watching Dan walk away. Oscar appeared at his side a moment later.
“Everything okay?” he asked with concern.
“No. It’s hopeless,” Will answered honestly.
The encounter with Dan threw him off for the rest of the day.
He couldn’t focus. Mr. Johnson, the history teacher, noticed and called on him.
Will blamed it on a stomachache. Honestly, he hadn’t expected it to work.
Johnson was strict and never took excuses like that seriously, but surprisingly, he believed him and sent him to the nurse’s office.
Will walked down the empty hallway, partly glad about how things had turned out, partly still furious about the situation with Dan. As he passed the cafeteria, he noticed the door was ajar. He heard a raised voice:
“I’m about to wipe that smirk right off your face!”
Driven by curiosity, he peeked inside. He’d expected to find some overgrown jocks, and on that front, he wasn’t mistaken—he spotted Kent Bower and Steve Mamet.
They were both a year older, but he recognized them because they were on Liam’s team.
There was a third boy, probably a freshman, whom Will didn’t recognize at all.
He wasn’t the victim in this situation, though.
Surrounded by the three muscleheads, practically backed against the wall, stood Blake.
“Fucking bloodsucker!” Kent snarled.
Will’s eyes widened. For a moment, he’d been sure Blake had just gotten on someone’s bad side with his nasty personality. He had no idea his attackers were paranormal.
“Watch what you say,” Blake replied icily.
“Shut your mouth!”
“Thanks for clarifying my message for your buddies. I’m sure they’ll understand it in that form.”
Steve, the biggest of the group, grabbed Blake by his jacket lapels, pulling him violently forward.
“You’re about to understand! Back the fuck off from Liam, or you’ll regret it!”
Now Will was completely bewildered. He felt like he had just stumbled upon some kind of gay… love pentagon?
“Stay away from him!” Kent echoed his friend.
“That’ll be difficult,” Blake replied with an air of boredom. “He lives right next to me.”
“You know what I mean!”
“No. I have no idea.”
“Don’t pretend to be his friend, because you’re not,” Steve snarled. “No bloodsucker will ever be our friend.”
“Not yours, no,” Blake confirmed. “But his, absolutely. If you have a problem with that, you should take it up with him.”
“We don’t order our own around.”
Oh. Werewolves.
“You just threaten others,” Blake replied in a mocking voice. “The thing is, you picked the wrong person, because I’m not scared.”
“You’re about to be!” Steve snarled, shoving Blake against the wall.
“What’s going on in here?” Will called out then, stepping into the room.
All four of them looked in his direction.
“Scram,” Kent muttered.
Will really wanted to, but against his own instincts, he kept walking toward them.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Steve snapped.
“Go, Morgan,” Blake ordered.
And maybe if the circumstances had been different, Will would have done as he was told, except… Blake had saved his life, dammit. And Will was just supposed to not stand up for him in a situation like this?
“I’ll go, but with you,” he replied, stopping next to the group.
“Who’s this guy?” the freshman mumbled, confused.
“I know him,” Kent muttered. “He hangs with Liam, too. And the witches.”
“A wizard?”
“Probably.”
“Then get the hell out!” Steve snarled.
Will felt a wave of discomfort, but he didn’t budge.
“Three against one, you call that a fair fight?” he asked scornfully. “Is that how brave you are?”
Steve stood right in front of him, looking down at him. Will felt like he was shrinking.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“Leave him alone.” The words, meant to be a firm declaration, came out as a squeak.
“Try and make us.”
And then it happened again. Will felt energy leave his body, and then Steve started to shake violently, as if he were being electrocuted. After a few seconds, he collapsed onto the floor.
“Fuck,” he muttered, looking disoriented but thankfully unharmed.
Once his friends snapped out of their shock, they shot Will a furious glare.
“You’ll regret this!” Kent snarled, swinging a punch at the boy.
Will cringed, expecting the blow, but Blake stopped the attacker’s fist, catching it in his hand.
Without letting go, he stepped in front of Will.
Kent struggled, but he couldn’t pull free.
Kent’s irises glowed gold. His face began to change, taking on different, sharper features.
Less human. He swung with his free hand, but Blake blocked him again, though the vampire visibly staggered.
“You really want to start this here?” Blake hissed. His voice sounded different than usual. It was lower and raspier. When Will peeked out from behind him, he saw that Blake had bared his fangs, and his normally black eyes were now the color of scarlet.
“You think you can take all three of us?” the freshman asked as he helped Steve get up.
“With a wizard in tow? Easy.”
Will gave Blake an uncertain look. It was a total bluff. They both knew that in an actual confrontation, he would be useless, unless by some miracle he managed to use his powers, and that was never a sure thing.
The attackers, however, didn’t look eager to act.
“Not here,” Steve grumbled once he was back on his feet. “We’re out.”
Kent calmed down and backed away. The trio gave them one last threatening look, then left the cafeteria. A moment later, Blake did the same. Will hurried after him.
“Hey!” he called out, catching up to the boy. “Are you okay?”
“You shouldn’t have interfered,” Blake said gruffly.
“It looked like you were in trouble.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Really?” Will snorted.
Blake shot him a harsh look.
“I didn’t ask for your help,” he announced haughtily.
“And I didn’t ask for your shitty attitude, but I guess you don’t always have to ask to get it,” Will snapped back.
Alden shot him a venomous look, then quickened his pace, leaving Will behind.
“You’re welcome!” Will shouted after him.
What a rotten day.
January 18 | Saturday
“Are you sure this is the right time?” Will asked.
He was standing in front of Oscar’s house. Oscar was right beside him, holding his hand and looking amused.
“Will. It’s just dinner,” he pointed out, laughing quietly.
“Yeah, dinner with your family,” Will clarified nervously. “I’ve never been introduced to the parents of any guys I’ve dated before.” Probably because he had only dated a couple of them, and not for very long. “Somehow, this makes us… You know. Official.”
“Because it is official,” Oscar assured him, squeezing his hand tighter.
Will smiled broadly, then took a deep breath and decided, “Let’s go.”
They went inside.
“We’re home, Mom!” Oscar called out.
“I’ll be right there, Ozzie!” a woman’s voice called back.
“Ozzie?” Will repeated.
“Please, don’t call me that,” Oscar requested in a low voice.
Will chuckled. He took off his shoes and jacket, and a moment later Oscar’s mom appeared in the hallway.
“Welcome, Will,” she said with a warm smile. She looked a lot like Oscar. Petite, blonde, with beautiful green eyes. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Hello. Thank you,” Will replied, feeling awkward.
“Come in, come in. I’ll be serving dinner in just a moment.”
They went into the small living room, where a wooden table was the centerpiece. They sat down at it. Will looked around shyly. The house was small, but neat and nicely decorated.
A few minutes later, Oscar’s mom brought them their dinner. Will offered to help, but he wasn’t allowed. Oscar took care of the drinks, and soon the three of them were eating.
“I hope you won’t be disappointed,” Oscar’s mom said. “I’m not the best cook.”
“You’re too modest, Mom,” Oscar stated.
“I agree,” Will backed him up. “It’s really delicious.”
“You’re not a vegetarian, are you?” she asked with concern, because although Will’s plate held a well-done steak, he had so far only touched the cheese-covered broccoli. “I should have asked. It didn’t even cross my mind.”
“It’s fine,” Will said with a smile. While it was true he’d been trying to avoid meat for a while now, he didn’t want to make her feel bad. “I’m not.”
“Thank goodness. In that case, enjoy. If you need anything, just say the word.”
It was a little stiff, which Will had expected, but he was probably the one contributing most to the tense atmosphere.
Oscar’s mom was incredibly nice; she didn’t pry, but she guided the conversation in a way that made it easy for him to join in.
They talked a bit about school, grades, and plans for the future.
“I’ll be honest with you, Will, I’m so glad you came,” she said at one point. “That Oscar has finally found someone, because the last few years haven’t been easy for us,” she added, glancing at her son with a sad smile. “And that you’re so… normal.”
“Normal?” Will repeated, shocked, because he had definitely gotten out of the habit of thinking about himself that way.
“Well-mannered and pleasant,” she explained cheerfully. “You know how boys your age can be, especially the ones who get the most attention. But I’m not surprised you caught his eye. You’re very handsome.”
“Mom,” Oscar said pointedly.
Will gave a weak smile. He should have been happy about the compliment, but he couldn’t quite accept it. Oscar was the handsome one; Will, at best, could be considered average. That’s why Oscar was totally out of his league.
He remembered Dan’s words and felt a pang of unease.
Fortunately, the conversation quickly moved on, and his good mood eventually returned.
“Oh, Wade,” Oscar’s mom said at one point. Will looked at her, surprised, for a moment thinking she’d mixed up his name, but then he saw she was looking toward the doorway. “I didn’t know you were up. I’ll get you some dinner, okay?”