Chapter 10 #2
“You left me hangin’,” Roscoe whispered from behind. It was startling how fast he could run. Even if he was on the porky side, he still had that werewolf speed.
“It’s day one and you’re already humiliating me.”
“Cody, every werewolf in town’s pissed on that tree. I was just adding my name to the roster.”
“How do you know?”
Roscoe pointed to his nose.
“Gross.”
“It’s basically a community message board,” he said, following closely.
I turned right, ambling along the paint aisle while feeling around my jean pockets. “Crap. I left the list at home. Do you remember what color Austin said we needed?”
“It’s not rocket science. The walls are white, so just get white paint.” Roscoe slowed, his ears dropping as he looked at the color swatches. “What the hell is Swiss Coffee? Why are there twenty different shades of white?”
“Maybe it was eggshell,” I said, giving the swatch a closer look. “This looks pretty close, right?”
“You should probably call Austin.”
“I don’t have his number. Or Adam’s.”
Roscoe picked up a can of paint and shrugged. “Eggshell it is.”
A sudden, uneasy sensation rattled me as a woman’s chuckle echoed through the store, the lights dimming. I turned around just in time to see a flowing black dress disappear around the corner. The lights brightened, and Roscoe nudged my arm.
“You okay?”
“Wait, you didn’t see that? Someone was laughing and the lights went out.”
Roscoe looked around and narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t see nothin’.”
“The lights—and there was a woman.” As his expression grew more concerned, I sighed and shook my head. “Never mind. Let’s just buy this and go home.”
“Without groceries? We don’t got nothing to eat.”
“We’ll order a pizza or something.”
“I thought you said—”
“I’ll make Adam pay for it. He still owes me,” I said, quickly making my way to the checkout line. “And he just got his check the other day.”
“Sweeeeet,” Roscoe whispered, licking some of the slobber away from his mouth. “Better yet, I could just go to the store and pick up some stuff to make pizza. I’ve been itching to cook fer a while.”
“Maybe you should make your amazing baked ziti.”
“Shit yeah!”
Other customers turned toward us as Roscoe’s voice echoed through the store.
“Can you lower your voice?” I snatched the can of paint from Roscoe and set it on the counter. “I swear you’re like a toddler.”
“Did you find everything okay?” the cashier said, sliding the paint can in front of the scanner.
“Yes, thanks,” I replied, reaching into my back pocket.
“That’ll be forty-one even.”
My stomach dropped. “Whoa! I thought it was fifteen.”
“Fifteen for the quart-sized cans. That’s the gallon.”
“Uh, I didn’t see nothin’ smaller,” Roscoe said.
“That’s because we only carry the gallon.”
“Then why do you have a price for a size you don’t even carry?” I asked, growing frustrated as the line grew behind us.
“Must have been a mistake,” the cashier said.
“Do you have anything cheaper?”
“Listen. You’re not going to find paint any cheaper than that in this town.”
I put my wallet away, but something inside snapped. Pins and needles pricked me from all over, the light in my vision turning that familiar red hue. Roscoe rested his hands on my shoulders, pushing me toward the door.
“Uh, it’s a little out of our price range right now. We’ll get it online,” Roscoe said, before pulling me the rest of the way outside. “Cody, you need to calm the hell down.”
“Why does this keep happening?”
“I dunno, but that was a dangerous look you gave.” He examined me as we walked along main street. “Get mad at me all you want, that’s fine. I love annoying the shit outta you, but the moment you feel yerself lose it in front of humans, you need to back away.”
“Oh please. Do I look like I’m going to fight someone? The guy was obviously trying to rip us off, and I was about to go all Karen on his ass.”
“No. I know that look well. You were ready to rip the guy to pieces, and I don’t mean with yer words.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’m serious. Yer fur got thicker, and yer teeth and claws were growing. When a half-turn does that, it gets bad.”
“I—that doesn’t make any sense. We’re not dangerous like werewolves.”
“Where the hell’d you hear that?”
“Look at me! What am I going to do to someone? I’m just a glorified fleshlight.”
“Jeez, Cody. The whole Austin and Adam thing ain’t normal—usually. Is that what you think you are to me?”
I folded my arms but didn’t respond.
“I think of you as my buddy. My best buddy,” Roscoe continued, draping his arm over my shoulder. “We just also happen to fuck a lot. That’s normal for us. It keeps you from gettin’ all snarly.”
“Am I dangerous? Is that why there are so many restrictions on half-turns?”
“Well, kinda, but not usually.”
“Can you just tell me, please?”
Roscoe scratched his mane, cocking a grin. “Ever see a toddler throw a temper tantrum?”
“Excuse me? You’re comparing me to a toddler?”
“I’m serious. The kid doesn’t know why he’s angry, and he doesn’t know how to handle it other than crying, throwing things, and pitching a fit.
Maybe break his toys. That’s kinda like how half-turns are.
They get all these new senses, emotions, abilities, and they get them really fast, but nothing’s in sync yet.
If I make you mad, I just work the ol’ werewolf charm.
If a human pisses you off and you don’t know how to handle yerself, you could do some real damage.
Yer probably the most repressed piece of work I’ve ever met, and yeah, that makes you really dangerous. ”
“Repressed?”
“You got all weird and embarrassed when I pissed on that tree. That’s like… our thing. We pee on stuff.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward one of those odd-looking gnarled trees that lined the walkway. “Here. Pee on it.”
“I’m not peeing on a tree in front of the whole damn town,” I hissed through my teeth.
“See? Uptight. Ashamed. Repressed. So worried about what everyone thinks.”
“This is different. You know what they call guys that whip their dicks out in public?”
“You think that tree’s gonna get all offended?” He laughed and patted the trunk. “Hell, look at it. It likes being peed on.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass. There are a lot of other trees in more private places. You don’t have to make a show of it, and I know you do that shit on purpose.”
“It’s great bein’ a werewolf, but it’s also pretty sweet being a half-turn. We can get away with shit humans can’t. If you wanna pee on this tree, no one’s gonna care.”
I began walking along the sidewalk again, with Roscoe following close. “Common decency,” I said. “No one wants to see that shit.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Not everyone wants to be fucked by you, Roscoe.”
“Whoa. That came outta left field.”
“Just drop it. I want to get home so I can listen to Austin bitch at us for not having paint.”
Roscoe and I didn’t speak for a few minutes before he finally spoke up.
“I’m glad I met you.”
At first, I thought he was being sarcastic, but his face was sincere.
“Huh?”
“I just thought you needed to hear that.”
His tail wagged, which was usually an indicator he was going to say or do something that pissed me off. However, as another minute passed and nothing else was said, my annoyance faded away.
“I’m glad I met you, too. Even if you are annoying.”
The two of us walked up the driveway as Austin watched from the front porch. He sat alone on the wooden steps, digging one of his claws into the weathered railing and wearing a frustrated grimace.
“Paint was too expensive,” I said, making my way up the steps, brushing past the werewolf. “We’ll have to get it online.”
“Oh well,” Austin muttered. “This house is gonna be a project, and we’ll need money.”
“You know we’re only renting, right? I don’t want to sink thousands of dollars into a place I don’t even own.”
“And I don’t wanna live in a dump.” Austin said. “Do we even know who the landlord is?”
“Everything is handled through the bureau. If we have complaints, I have to make them there and they’ll work with the owner to make the repairs. I think.”
“Forget it. Don’t get ’em involved,” Austin said, looking over at Roscoe. “That porn idea of yours… it’s good money, right?”
“Uh—” Roscoe swayed nervously. “It can be. Depends on what yer willin’ to do.”
“I’m not doing shit. Not going to risk putting my face out on the internet, but Adam will do just about anything you want. I’ll rent him out to you.”
I was about to walk into the house, but stopped, slamming the door behind me. “You piece of—”
“Wait a minute now,” Roscoe said calmly, putting up his hand. “That wasn’t the deal. I’d only do it if Adam agreed to it.”
“He’ll agree to it.”
“No, he won’t,” I interjected.
“Stay out of our business. What? Do you think you’re better than the rest of us? We need money.”
“Then grind your own ass for it. Adam’s not your meal ticket.”
Austin climbed to his feet and stood over me, but Roscoe pushed his way between us.
“Things are gettin’ a little heated. Both of you need to calm down.” He turned to Austin. “I’ve been trying to keep the peace, but we need to have a talk. Just the two of us.”
The hackles on Austin’s neck rose. “Is that a challenge? Are you challenging me, old man?”
“’Course not.” Roscoe put his hand on the other werewolf’s shoulder and nodded for me to go inside. “Just need to talk.”
I allowed myself a moment to calm down before heading inside, letting the door rest quietly against the frame. Roscoe looked like he knew what he was doing, but I was a bit worried. I didn’t know what Austin was capable of; in fact, it probably wasn’t wise of me to argue with him.
“Adam?” I called out, noticing the living room furniture neatly arranged, but the half-turn wasn’t there. There wasn’t a response, so I walked into the hall and opened their bedroom door. He wasn’t there either.
As I made my way back, a soft snore reverberated from my bedroom. Adam was sound asleep on my side of the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of navy briefs with a hole in it for his little tail and a black tank top that had been shredded along the back.
It wasn’t exactly a mystery whose claw marks those were.
I made a few creaky paces through the bedroom and sat on the mattress, giving him a light shake.
“Hey.”
Adam groaned and turned away before falling back to sleep.
“Wake up,” I said a little louder.
“Go away. I’m tired.”
“It’s my bed. I’ll do what I want.”
I climbed up and began jumping in an attempt to annoy him, but the cheap mattress was springier than I had anticipated. The force launched Adam about four feet into the air, and he shouted a curse word before coming to a hard rest on the floor.
“Oh my God! Are you okay?”
Adam moaned at first before the fur on his neck stuck straight out.
“Okay, I know you’re pissed, but hear me out,” I said, reaching down to help him off the floor.
Adam slapped my hand away. “Does it look like I’m in the mood to play around?”
“Does it ever?”
He glared at me, now sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“Did he hurt you?”
“He always hurts me,” Adam said. “This is not news, Cody.”
“All right, we need to do something about him, especially if he’s physically abusing you.”
Adam sighed. “He’s not. He may be a monster, but he has his limits.” He rubbed the bump on his head from the hard landing earlier. “It’s weird. He always seems like he’s going to cross that line, but he never does. He just likes to emotionally torment me.”
“What happened?”
“Same shit, just in a new place. If I don’t turn soon, I’m gonna break my kuu.
I don’t care about the future anymore because I can’t keep living like this.
What’s more infuriating is he pretends to be somewhat decent toward me around you guys, but the moment you leave, he starts treating me like his chew toy. ”
“Roscoe’s talking to him now.”
“He’s gonna get creamed if he pisses Austin off.”
I shrugged. “Well, good thing werewolves heal fast then.”
“Is it possible to hate and love someone at the same time?” Adam asked.
“I don’t know. I would think not.”
“Then I guess I’m an anomaly.” He lifted his clawed hands in front of his face. “I want to wrap these around his neck sometimes. Darryl told me something a while ago that stuck with me. It made a lot of sense.”
“What’s that?”
Adam grinned. “Austin took on a role he wasn’t meant for, and it makes him miserable.
He wants to be this alpha male, but he knows he can’t live up to that.
So he overcompensates by picking fights with people for no reason.
Darryl, though. He’s a natural leader, and he makes people feel safe, not intimidated.
That’s what a real alpha is, and it pisses Austin off because he knows he could never be like that.
So he makes me feel smaller so he can keep feeling big. ”
“Would you actually feel comfortable taking up that role?”
Adam climbed to his feet and sat next to me on the bed.
“Right now? No. Darryl told me I’d know my role in werewolf society when I was close to going full-turn.
” His gaze went from sad to intense as he spoke.
“I think it’s gonna happen soon. I’ve never been more ready, but I’ve also never been sadder. ”
“Why’s that?”
“I dunno. There’s just something sad about knowing the person you were might change for good.”
“But it’ll be for good. I thought you wanted to leave Austin when you turned.”
Adam shrugged. “I do, but I still love him. I don’t know why. It’s not like he has many redeeming qualities, but I get sick thinking about life without him. Isn’t that fucked up?”
“I don’t know. I’m not good at relationship stuff, but a lot of people have been in this position. If you’re in love with someone, even if they’re toxic, it’s hard to change that.”
“I’m gonna do something pretty risky the night I turn. I never told you what Darryl and I really fought about that night, but I did apologize… and I got some valuable information.”
“Oh?” I waited for him to elaborate, but he simply smiled and stood up. “What, you’re gonna leave me hanging? Why even bring it up?”
“It’s painful, isn’t it?” he said, rubbing the knot on his forehead. “Maybe next time you won’t launch me off the bed.”
He padded out of the bedroom.
“It was an accident!”