Chapter Thirteen #2
“Yeah, now think about how it is for Tru. She didn’t even have me. She didn’t even know me when I was little. She came into my life when I was in seventh grade. And now she has to deal with all my shit because my dad didn’t feel like putting in the effort.”
Tabian thought of how the kids had looked at Bayen outside that school. “Do you play sports?”
“A subject change? Nice.”
“Thanks, I thought so too,” Tabian threw back at him.
“I’m not allowed to play sports. Obviously.”
“Why obviously?”
“A werewolf on a human sports team? The parents would have a conniption, and we would get sued the second one of their fragile little kids twisted an ankle. The most the school would ever let me do is work out with the team in the weight room, but that’s only if I had a chaperone.”
“What team?”
Bayen looked at him, and away, at him, and away. “Football.”
“You like football?”
“It’s fun to watch. Wouldn’t know about playing.”
“So, get a chaperone and work out in the weight room with the team. Get your foot in the door. Be respectful of the coaches, be the hardest worker in the room, spot the guys and keep them safe on those big weights. Prove you belong and then let the coaches push for more.”
Bayen huffed a laugh. “Doesn’t work like that. No one will chaperone me.”
“Why not?”
“Forget it. I’m starving, and tired of this conversation. I forgot to bring my lunch today.”
“Dude, you can’t do that. Your wolf will be harder to manage and you’re around a bunch of humans. You have to feed yourself.”
“I don’t need a lecture, stranger. Thanks. I’ve got this.”
Tabian parked in the spot right up front and turned his truck off, then got out. He tried to hold open the door for Bayen, but the boy looked pissed and waited for him to go inside completely so he could open the door for himself.
Tabian shook his head and barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He hadn’t been around teenagers much. There was a table with a family in the corner. Looked like they were waiting for pizza, but the dad was about Tabian’s age and twitched his chin up in the air in a greeting. “I know you.”
“Donnie,” his wife murmured.
“No, it’s that guy that does the camping,” Donnie said to her.
Tabian looked at Bayen, but the boy was looking at the teenage girl that was sitting across from Donnie. She was watching him too.
Usually he was pretty short when people recognized him, but this time was different.
Tabian smiled and approached the family, hand offered for a shake. “Tabian,” he introduced himself.
“I’m Donnie. This is my wife, Rachel.” Donnie gestured to the kids, a girl and a boy. “Kids,” he said simply.
Tabian nodded and gestured for Bayen to come here. He was hanging back near the door quietly.
“This is Bayen,” Tabian introduced them.
“How is it having a famous dad?” Donnie asked, offering a hand to shake to Bayen.
Tabian expected him to correct Donnie, but Bayen just shook his hand and glanced at the girl and nodded slightly.
“I recognized you before you even came in here just from your truck. Do you live local? Or are you on a camping trip? Wait, are there cameras?” he asked, looking around.
Tabian chuckled and shook his head. “This is home base. I’m heading out tonight to a place called Warner Bluff. Have you heard of it?”
“No, but I’m sure we will be glued to the TV watching that episode when it comes out. How long does it take to get them posted?”
Tabian blew out a breath and thought about it for a couple of seconds. “One to three days depending on how much editing I need to do. Or if my Pack has something going on when I get home and I don’t have as much time to work. I try to get them out quick. At least one episode a week.”
“Do you get to go on any of the trips?” Donnie asked Bayen.
“Dad,” the girl said under her breath. Her cheeks were bright red. She glanced up at Bayen and said, “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Bayen said in the politest pair of words Tabian had ever heard come from his mouth. “Um, I haven’t been on any camping trips. I do solo camping.”
“I’m actually taking him with me to Warner Bluff, but you might not see him on camera. I’m going to pay him to do videography. See if I can’t get him learning the new camera I got.”
“Wait, what?” Bayen said.
“Tru is grocery shopping for the trip right now. That’s why she needed the car.” Tabian shrugged. “It’s up to you if you go.”
Bayen looked at the girl, and then back to Tabian. “Ummm…”
“Son, say yes,” Donnie said excitedly. “Do you know what he just did? He came out wolf on camera. He nearly broke the internet.”
Tabian hid a smile. He knew that. His viewership had exploded over the last couple of days.
“I have school though,” Bayen murmured.
“Tru already called you out for two days.”
Bayen’s gold eyes were so bright right now. “Ummm…” He looked back at the girl. “I guess I can learn the camera then.”
Tabian tried to keep his cool. He didn’t even fist pump or anything. “If you see the camera fall, blame it on him,” Tabian joked to Donnie and walked toward the counter to order.
“I bet you’ll do fine,” the girl said quietly.
Bayen hovered for a few seconds more, and said goodbye to the family, then joined Tabian as he ordered three meat lovers pizzas with stuffed crust, per Bayen’s preference, a couple sodas and cheesy bread.
Beside him, Bayen was distracted and kept glancing at the table.
“She would be cute with you,” Tabian said nonchalantly.
“Don’t be lame,” Bayen gritted out.
“Do you know her? What’s her name?”
“Breah Hamilton.”
“Cool name. I wonder what she’s going to tell the kids at school when you aren’t there the next couple of days.”
Bayen glanced back at her, and Tabian caught it. He wore a slight smile before he hid it.
“I bet some of your classmates will watch this episode,” Tabian lamented. “Probably. Maybe.”
“A lot of people watch your videos. What if I suck at the camera?”
“I won’t let you suck,” Tabian said with a shrug. “I’ll insult you until you’re better at it. I have a new drone you can learn too. I’m trying it out for a review.”
“So, you aren’t making it up?” he asked as Tabian paid with his debit card. “You’re really taking me?”
“If you want to go.”
“And Tru is going too?”
“Yep. I talked to her about it this morning.”
“She has to work though.”
“She called out.”
Bayen chewed the corner of his lip and made his way to a table a few away from Breah’s table. He slid into the bench seat and rested his elbows on the table. “I have some camping gear I can bring. I have my own tent. I Change in the woods by myself and sometimes I stay the night.”
“I figured. You have to help organize the truck with me though. It’s my least favorite part about all of this.”
Bayen nodded and glanced over his shoulder at the family who was eating pizza now.
“You should ask for her number.”
“She’s human.”
“So is Tru. You know about being around humans. Except honestly, you’re kind of an asshole to them sometimes,” Tabian jabbed.
Bayen made a click sound behind his teeth. “Werewolves aren’t supposed to be with humans. Just because you are doing your weird Rogue stuff with Tru doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.”
“Oh, right, you can just date one of the female werewolves in your school then.”
Bayen angrily grabbed some napkins from the canister at the end of the table. “I already told you I’m the only werewolf there.”
“Sweet, so if you want to date, seems to me it’ll have to be a human. Or maybe just get her number and make a friend. Wouldn’t kill you to befriend someone. Maybe Breah could teach you some manners.”
“I have manners, just not with idiots,” he gritted out. He glanced over his shoulder again. “She wouldn’t give me her number anyway. She’s never even talked to me.”
“She talked to you just now.”
“Yeah, well she’s with her family. It would be weird to ask her.”
“Oh lookey, she’s getting up and heading this way.”
“What?” Bayen turned to see her headed toward them. Or more specifically to the bathroom, which was right just past them.
She gave him a little wave as she passed, and Bayen looked like he wanted to say something, but chickened out, and the girl disappeared into the women’s bathroom.
“You’re a werewolf,” Tabian said low. “Don’t be a wuss. The worst she can say is no.”
“She could also tell me to fuck myself and that I’m ugly and she would rather eat puke than text me, and then I’ll think it for the next eight to ten business days and then I’ll never want to talk to another girl again.”
“Oh my God, you’re an overthinker like Tru.”
“I’m not an overthinker. I’m a realist.”
“And you talk like an old man. Be a kid. You’re sixteen. You will be rejected a hundred times in this lifetime. If you don’t ask, she’ll never give you her number. Shoot your shot, or whatever it is you kids say nowadays.”
“Who sounds like the old man now?” Bayen asked. Rude.
The women’s restroom door opened and Breah came out. Bayen slid to the edge of the bench seat. “Hey,” he said to stop her. “Hi.”
Tabian snorted, and Bayen tossed him a hateful look before he cast his attention back to the girl. “Um, do you have a phone?”
The girl hid a smile. “I think everyone has a phone.”
“Oh. Right.” Bayen cleared his throat and looked frozen.
Tabian kicked him under the table and Bayen jumped. “Do you want to use that phone…on me?”
Breah pursed her lips and looked at her family and back. “Are you asking for my number?”
“I think so.” Bayen was sweating bullets. This was awesome.
Tabian had never been so entertained in all his life. This was like a television show. It was a comedy, for sure.
“Can I see your phone?” she asked.
Bayen’s gold eyes went round, and he scrambled to pull his phone from his back pocket. He handed it to her.
“Um, can you unlock it?” she asked.
He grabbed it back and unlocked it. “Now what?”
She was smiling so much. “I’m going to save my contact. You can text me if you want and then I’ll have your number too. I won’t give it to anyone, I promise. Not even if they ask.”
“No one would ask for my number,” he assured her.
“Right,” she said softly as she typed her contact information into his phone. “Here.” She handed it back to him. She started to walk away but then turned back and said in a nervous voice, “That was the first time a boy asked for my number.”
Bayen’s grin was genuine and surprised. “It’s my first time too. I mean my first time getting a number.”
The girl was backing away, wringing her hands in front of her. “Um, good. Okay, bye.” She gave an awkward little wave and then walked right back to her family.
Bayen turned for Tabian and looked utterly baffled.
Tabian was just grinning. “Pizza is ready. I’ll grab it.”
Bayen still looked just as excited when Tabian returned to the table with the boxes of food.
“This doesn’t mean we are cool,” Bayen said suddenly.
Tabian opened a pizza box and nodded. “Sounds good.”
“I mean it,” Bayen said.
“Fine with me.”
“You still owe me fifty bucks for hanging out with you.”
Tabian pulled out his wallet and threw a hundred-dollar bill on the table. “For today and for the camera work.”
Bayen pocketed the cash and went back to eating. “I’m for real. We aren’t cool.”
But Tabian could feel it—the boy wasn’t so tense and angry around him. He felt lighter.
And as he destroyed an entire pizza, he caught the boy smiling twice.
Tabian’s phone buzzed and he checked it. Tru had texted, How is it going?
Of course she would be curious. She had been worried about Tabian picking Bayen up from school.
Our wolves haven’t killed each other yet, so I’d say it’s going okay. We’re getting pizza. I’m bringing some home for you. See you in an hour. Send.
“Let me guess,” Bayen said around a bite. “You’re texting the woman you’re preparing to drain. Gotta keep Tru on the line. Gotta keep her hooked.”
“Nah, I like her too much to drain her. I’m planning on bringing back the Tru you knew instead. The one with all the smiles? Just give me time, boy.”
Bayen studied him through narrowed glowing gold eyes but didn’t say anything. He went back to eating, and all his senses seemed to turn to what Donnie and his family were talking about behind him.
Whoever Bayen’s dad was, he was missing out. Bayen could be a pain in the ass, but today Tabian had caught a glimpse of the real him—the version of him that Tru probably adored. Tabian didn’t hate it.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Bayen griped.
Tabian shrugged and swallowed a bite of pizza. “No reason.”