Because There Ain't No Party...
Like a Party Going on at My House.
- Orson, Ain't No Party
Jana may have learnt how to deal with humans and social situations, but she's still a wolfblood and she's still wild at heart. It's easier to control her wolf now but it still thrums under her veins when she's angry, and no matter how much make-up and hairspray Shannon puts on her, she doesn't feel pretty or comfortable. The dress they chose for her is way too tight and shows off more than she wants it to show. But it's all in the name of fitting in and being human.
They invited her to a party for the kids of Stoneybridge who aren't kids anymore. In fact, they were adults – students, proper students – at University. The party was to let off steam before various exams and hardcore studying. Jana doesn't really know what University is. Maddy said it was like school but bigger and a lot harder. Jana was glad she was wild at times like this so she doesn't have to deal with the stresses of University. Rhydian and Maddy had a lot of good times though and said they were enjoying it, so it's not all bad. They has asked her to the party as a way of catching up. They tried to have regular meet ups whether it be the pack stops by at Stoneybridge, or Rhydian and Maddy go in the woods for a couple of days.
The khol around her eyes feels heavy, as does the mascara coating her lashes. Eye-shadow is dark and smoky making her look 'alluring' but instead it makes her feel stupid. Wolves don't need make-up to look beautiful, all they need is a magnificent full moon. Her scarlet hair tumbles over her shoulder, styled elegantly and shines with glittery hairspray. It feels sticky and it smells, Jana hates it. She's just glad she's not the only one. Maddy and Shannon are dressed up too and in full war paint. Maddy even looks ... pretty. Shannon looks surprisingly good as well.
"Are we all ready then?" Maddy asks, tugging at her skirt. So she doesn't feel comfortable too, Jana's pleased about that. It puts her a little at ease.
"As we'll ever be," she hisses, scowling at her reflection one last time. Humans are ridiculous with their dress up.
"Right," Maddy nods and leads them outside of her parents house where Tom is waiting for them in his tiny car. He greets them with a grin, glancing at Shannon now and then who sits in the front passenger seat. Jana pities him, pining after Shannon who has zero intrest in him.
"Rhydian says he'll meet us there. Let's go party!" He shouts and drives off whilst Maddy Shannon whoop in agreement. Jana cannot get excited. This is really stupid. She's not nervous. No. She's annoyed. She can see this going the same way the stupid school disco went.
The gears of Tom's old banger grind in their misuse as he pulls up to Jimi's family hotel where the party is well under way. Shannon and Maddy laugh at him for being a bad driver as they climb out. Jana remains quiet since she doesn't know much about cars and driving.
"Come on, Jana. It'll be alright," Shannon smiles, a hand on the wolf's shoulder in support. "You'll have fun, you'll see." Jana looks into her eyes that aren't blocked by thick glasses tonight in disbelief. The girl smiles at her and trots off into the hotel turned club for the night. Maddy follows in the after, smiling at Jana over her shoulder as she goes.
Jana doesn't want to do this. Who said she even had to anyway?! She could just turn around and —
"You coming?" Tom asks, hopping past her before he waits at the door. Jana swallows heavily and wipes her sweaty palms on the skirt of her dress. It's probably best to resign herself to her fate and get this over with.
"I guess so."
Inside is hot, really hot. It's dark with brightly coloured strobe lights and deafeningly loud dance music that hurts her sensitive ears. Everyone is laughing, chatting, dancing and generally enjoying themselves. Everyone except Jana. She spots Maddy and Rhydian in a corner of the 'dance floor' talking with Shannon. She quickly joins them, pushing past people along the way.
"This is horrible! How can anyone possibly have fun?!" It's too crowded but she mustn't panic. She can't wolf out. She can handle this. Rhydian just shrugs and grins in reply. Jana doesn't fail to notice how he's dressed up. He's actually put effort into his outfit. She wonders what Maddy thinks of it.
"Try to enjoy it," Maddy offers. "This whole party is about letting off steam. Try to relax."
Jana wishes she could but she can't, she just can't. She just watches everyone dance with morbid fascination. There is nothing to enjoy about this. She would prefer being dressed up like a K than this!
Tom suddenly appears at her side, a number of plastic cups in his hands before he gives them out. "Here, have this. It'll help you relax."
Jana took it skeptically. She didn't know what was in it but it smelt sweet.
"Don't have a lot though," Maddy warns. "Wolfbloods don't take well to it."
The wild one nodded, still a little unsure and took a small sip. It burned down her throat and into her stomach but it was sugary and fruity. It warmed her up even though she was already quite hot.
Soon, she was in good spirits, laughing along with her friends as they retold stories about their antics at Uni. Shannon then announced that she was going to dance and dragged Maddy to the dance floor with her. Jana still didn't understand dancing. What's the point if there's no moon? Jana was happy to keep her distance and just watch.
"Jana?!" Someone shouted over the music at her. She turned to face someone she really didn't expect to see. Jimi.
Jimi had grown a bit, although he still looked snobbish in his expensive clothes. His hair was under careful but stylish control, just in a slightly different way from a couple of years ago when they were at school. It made him look more laid back and relaxed – he almost looked matured. Humans really can change in just a few years.
"I wasn't expecting to see you. Why are you here?" Jana became defensive. She hadn't seen Jimi since school and she hadn't forgotten what he did to her.
"Came to visit my friends before my family move on." Jana turned away, hoping ignoring him would make him go away. She sipped on the drink getting more irritated at his instant presence.
"When … When are you leaving?" He might've murmured but Jana heard him over the music thanks to her sensitive hearing. She could smell his strong aftershave but found it strangely pleasant. Why was that? Tom always wore horrible aftershave that made her sneeze a lot. But she found herself liking Jimi's aftershave.
"Um... In the morning – first thing." She gulped down more of the strange drink noticing that it made her feel a bit more comfortable.
"Oh..." Jimi sounded sltighly dejected and fidgeted about. Jana kept her eyes firmly on Maddy and Shannon who had dragged the boys into their crazy dancing. More moments of awkward silence passed until suddenly, Jimi grabbed the wild wolf by her wrist and dragged her away from the party and out to the garden.
Stars peaked out from behind the clouds, a cool nightly breeze gently passed by, the smell nature travelling along it. The red-head snatched her wrist from Jimi, almost growling at him.
"What the Hell, Jimi?!"
"Ah, sorry. I just... wanted to talk to you... Somewhere quiet," he stumbled, his hand scratching the back of his head nervously; behaviour that Jana hadn't seen in Jimi before. Jimi was never nervous. Jimi was confident and admittedly arrogant but there wasn't much apart from his Dad that got him into a nervous, stammering mess.
"Um... You see... Er. T-there was — I wanted..." The red-head huffed in irritation at the his stuttering.
"Just spit it out, Jimi! Jesus!" The boy sighed resolutely and turned to face Jana.
"I wanted to apologise for what I said... back then. I never got the chance to." Jana's jaw dropped. Jimi apologising?! Was this real?! Jimi must've really changed or something. This was quite unlike the Jimi she used to know. "You're not really a nutcase," he added, his stance deflating passively like a weight was taken off his shoulders. "You're... really cool, you know? When you helped with Liam, that was amazing!"
Jana looked in favour of the ground, unsure where to look. She didn't know what to do. People used to go on about the Liam incident before and she had kind of gotten used to it. But... It coming from Jimi now felt... different.
"And you know so much about nature! That's so awesome!" Jimi steps closer to her, his voice dropping in volume so it was softer. Jana found herself heating up without the aid of the drink which she had lost somewhere along the way when Jimi dragged her out. She didn't quite know where to look so she opted for looking into Jimi's eyes which glistened in the dim light of night.
"And you're really pretty." Jimi just about whispers, having gotten incredibly closer to Jana, but she didn't mind. She was reeling. A faint blush spread across her painted cheeks. She had never been called pretty before, and not in a deep, heartfelt tone either. She smiled shyly, looking toward the ground again as she tried to find some words.
"T-thank you," she breathed.
If she thought about it, Jimi was actually fairly handsome. He has easy features which fit well with the rest of him. And now he had grown to be quite tall and lean. Despite still being a bit snobby, he grooms himself well. Why didn't she see it before?
"I've always thought that actually," he adds, staring off into the dark hills behind the village. Jana really doesn't know what to say, she doesn't know what to do with this knowledge. All she knows is that she feels warm and good.
"Oh," she breathes and Jimi smiles fondly at her. This is all very strange but... it's wonderful. Jana likes it. Something tells her that should be a bad thing.
"I was gutted when I found out you left."
Her heart was beating away in her chest like she had run for hours on end. Her palms felt sticky again at her side, what is going on with her? Why doe she feel so... Flustered? He's still very close to her, their shoulders almost touching. Jana can't smell the Earth along the wind anymore because all she can smell is Jimijimijimi. She almost feels dizzy.
Jimi used to be a mean, arrogant little boy who annoyed her to no end. But now he had matured. He's somehow strangely appealing to Jana in a way Rhydian never was. She had long since learned that her little thing with Rhydian was nothing more than a silly, little, childish crush. Right now, with Jimi, she felt on fire. Not even running through the wilds as a wolf on a full moon made her feel this aflame.
He's a human.
Jana looks up to find Jimi staring at her, a soft smile on his face. What should she do?! Why does she feel like this? 'I was gutted when you left,' he had said. He... cared about her?! This is crazy! Absolute madness! There is no way on Earth that Jimi cares for her! Popular rich Jimi?! No...
"Jana?" He whispers, stepping just a tiny bit closer.
"Yes?" The wolfblood breathes back, a hot feeling of anticipation burning in her stomach.
"Can I..." He briefly looks around nervously and swallows, like he's building up courage for something. But what for? What's going to happen? What does she want to happen? "Can I kiss you?"
Jana freezes cold despite her body being on fire. Shannon has taught her what a kiss is and how important it is to humans (since she was the only one with any experience back then). Kisses are what mating partners share, they're a big deal apparently. She remembers Shannon's kiss with that guitar boy at the disco. Shannon had said it was amazing. Can lips being pressed together really feel amazing? Cari had also said something like humans and wolfbloods should never kiss (or fall in love).
He's a human.
He's staring at her, waiting for an answer, looking more and more upset as time goes by. She has to say something! She has to do the right thing and say no!
Shannon had said first kisses are very important to girls and Jana's never been kissed before.
But he's still very much human and she very much a wolfblood!
"Y-yeah. You can," she stammers, turning to him fully. The anticipation has turned into a complete inferno raging inside her although she looks calm on the surface, if a little shy.
Jimi grins bashfully and slowly raises his hands to fit at her waist. Her clothed skin sparks at the contact. She's feeling all kinds of tingly that has nothing to do with her wolf. Her breathing quickens a little, she goes just a bit tense as he gradually leans in, his eyes closed. Jana finds herself doing the same, tilting her head up just that teeny bit to bridge the gap. Her head is swimming, emotions swirling around her at one hundred miles per hour. This is happening, right? She's actually going to kiss Jimi. Bossy, pompous, Jimi from school. She's probably breaking a million wolfblood rules.
Then their lips meet. It's sweetly soft, careful and a bit timid but Jana melts. Electricity pumps through her like a storm. Her hands reach up of their an accord to grab the shoulders of his shirt. Jimi leans closer still, filling up the minuscule space between them until they're flush together. They part for a split second and change angles, diving in for a more confident and comfortable kiss. Jana finds herself moving instinctively, working with Jimi deliciously. She learns to breathe through her nose but still feels herself gasping at the contact. Shannon was right. Kissing is amazing!
Soon their kiss comes to an natural end, both of them panting slightly. Jimi rests his forehead against her and lets out a shaky breath through a bright smile. Jana smiles back. She had just kissed Jimi and it felt great!
"You're not a bad kisser," he smirked.
"Thanks," she mumbles, not sure what else to say. "It was my first."
Jimi's face falls into shock.
"No way! No way am I your first kiss!" He leant back away from her, but his hands remainded firmly on her waist. The red-head bit her lip over a sheepish smile and nodded shyly. Jimi breathed an 'oh-my-God-no-way' and shook his head fondly before resting his forehead against hers again. He smiled, proud in the knowledge that he was Jana's first kiss.
Moments of comfortable silence passed where Jana had gotten lost in her thoughts as she looked into Jimi's eyes. This had to be real no matter how unreal it felt.
"Do you really have to go tomorrow?" Jimi hummed, reaching up to delicately brush a scarlet strand away from her face. Jana found herself enjoying this touchy-feely stuff. It was new. It was nice.
"Yeah. Travelers don't stick around. We follow the wind, it's in our blood, you know?" Her heart felt heavy at the knowledge that she would have to leave this new and brilliant feeling and Jimi behind. It was for the best though. He was human.
Jimi nodded sullenly, his fingers tracing along the skin of her cheek absentmindedly. "Well, I'm going to get as many kisses from you as I can then."
Suddenly, he lunged forward, capturing Jana's lips in a searing kiss. The wolf's back arched at the sudden treatment but it wasn't rough or painful. It was... tingly.
He's a human, her conscience reminds her for the last time that night. But Jana has no intention of stopping. She learns a lot about kissing that night.
END
Hello! um... first thing that's Wolfblood... hehheh well um I don't really have the time to polish this turd into something super special and amazing and awesome but it is like 80% edited... still... I didn't want to say at the beginning because I didn't want to cloud peoples judgement. This was way longer and crappier than I intended it to be sadface
Anyway... Jimi/Jana is a complete head canon and I can understand if people don't get it lol because to me, they totally get together ok... yeah... still I hope you enjoyed this(?) and my crappy writing. Thanks for reading ^^ maybe I'll write more?