Fucking Gravity
Chapter 14
I'm working on the transmission of a Forkian resident's car when, with a rattling thunk, a truck pulls up outside the open garage doors.
I straighten up, my ribs and back grateful for the chance to come out of the hunch, and look toward the back office. My dad seems to be completely absorbed in paperwork, so I wipe my greasy hands on my coveralls and come around the rusted shit bucket.
Jared steps out of the truck, and I dart another look to the office. Dad remains aggravatedly flipping through files. He hates paperwork.
"Just the girl I wanted to see," Jared smiles.
"Kim send you?" I ask- because moral support of my job worked out so well last time. Not that she knows the extent I got in trouble last time- never mind me not having anything to do with the visit.
"Would you believe me if I said no?" He rubs the back of his neck, looking awkward- like he was sent to check up on his girlfriend's best friend by said girlfriend.
"No," I say dryly.
"You're smart," he grins, dropping his hand and, with it, the ineptness of the sudden visit falls away too. He waves at his truck. "Kim did something to it."
"What, did the pouting not work?"
"She actually skipped right over pouting and went straight to sabotage."
"Sounds reasonable." I smile. Then check over my shoulder one more time. "Pop the hood for me. It sounded like it could be a loose bolt on the mounting bracket. I don't think she'd damage your truck too terribly. After all, she needs you to tote her around."
I'm right, and I go to get a wrench. It takes only a second to tighten it again, and I don't have to put pressure on my stomach for long as I stretch into the vehicle, feet dangling off the ground.
"There you go," I grunt, arms shaking as I have to wiggle to back out from under the hood.
"Thanks, Fey."
"No problem. Next time she tries to get you to do something you don't want to, tell her that I said, 'Upchuck.'"
"Why, what does that mean?"
I pat his shoulder. "If I told you, it would lose it's effective threat value."
"Oh. Okay. Well, what do I own you for this?" He asks, waving at his truck again.
With another check to make sure my father is still distracted, I shrug. "No charge. Just take Kim dancing sometime. She likes to dance."
He smiles at me. "Will do. You're a good friend, you know."
"I know."
I watch him drive away before returning to my other project with a sigh. This transmission is so old, I don't know if I know how to fix it. I might have to interrupt his paperwork and ask my dad for help.
…..
I swear it's not on purpose. Or, at least, it's not planned. But if Leah happens to be here, alone, looking bored out of her mind, I don't particularly mind finding myself drifting over to her. She doesn't look surprised as I stray over with a cup in my hand, so maybe she did expect to see me- or hoped to see me.
"Hey," I say, offering and ironic 'fancy seeing you here' smile.
"Hey," her teeth flash white in the dark. "Glad you could make it."
"Did we make plans to meet up like this?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Didn't you know? It's tradition by now."
"Oh, is it." I lower myself down onto the nearest log, and Leah follows along without prompting or question. "I'm glad to finally be made aware of the traditions I inadvertently become a part of."
Leah laughs. "Okay, seriously, why do you come to these when it always looks like you'd rather be anywhere else?"
"There are a few places I wouldn't rather be, otherwise I wouldn't be here."
"Fair enough. But still. Why come?"
I shrug uncomfortably. "Just to get out of the house. I guess it's easier to breathe out here." I take a deep breathe, like it's the bonfire and ocean breeze I mean (rather than the lack of kicks to spasm my diaphragm) that make it easier. "What about you?"
"Came here once, when I was bored. Saw an injured angel. Had to come back."
I snort. Leah smiles serenely.
Maybe it's because of the exhausting four hours in the garage, only to find myself here, free, under the stars (I can't believe they're actually out right now), or maybe it's the three beers I had before I spotted Leah, but it's like all the energy seeps out of my body, leaving me feeling relaxed and lazy.
Whatever it is, I can breathe. And it feels so amazing, I want to cry. But crying would just close my throat again, so I search for something to occupy my mind.
Leah seems to have a monopoly job on that, and she just so happens to be inhabiting the spot on the bench next to me.
"What was it like- shifting for the first time?"
I almost regret the question when her peaceful smile fades. She doesn't turn away, though, or try to hide the melancholy that crosses her face. She wears it boldly- unflinchingly letting me see.
"My brother and I shifted the same day. I shifted first. Anger, or really strong emotions, triggers them in the beginning, and I was so angry that day. I shifted in the house, in front of my dad. And he had a heart attack."
"Shit," I murmur, less than eloquently. It puts a wane smile on her face, almost reluctantly, and she turns to face the bonfire at a distance. Her brief amusement fades quickly.
"Seth was there, too, and he was so panicked and distraught that he shifted right after. I could hear his thoughts, feel what he felt, and everything got so scrambled and confusing. Mom was the one to calm us down- until Sam was suddenly in our heads."
"That's insane." I'm an expert at understatements. Changing and giving your father a heart attack- having him die because of it- no wonder she doesn't have positive views of being a Protector. And if being shifter exacerbates your anger, how much of that fury is directed inward?
"You know that Sam and I dated?" She asks, and even though we've been talking this entire time, the question feels abrupt. The gold-flecks in her eyes are fixed on my face- and it unnerves me a bit.
"I- might have been aware of that."
"Do you know why we broke up?"
I don't. I wondered, but all I know is that, soon after, he started dating Leah's cousin. Emily.
Oh.
"He imprinted, didn't he."
She gives a jerky, dispassionate, nod. "Yup. I didn't understand why he suddenly broke up with me until after I shifted. We were good- happy- and then it was over so he could chase after my cousin. Emily- she resisted at first, for me, but she fell in love him. Didn't stop me from hating them both for a while."
I swallow, the peace from earlier fleeing me. But even though it's gone… I still feel comfortable (despite the freezing temperature chasing most reasonable people indoors).
"Her scars…" I venture. "Aren't from a bear, are they?"
Leah's face becomes so morose, so grim, that it stills my heart. "That never should have happened. It's shouldn't have happened. It was an accident."
For a terrible moment, I think that Leah's the one who did it. "What happened?" I ask with numb lips.
"He was standing too close." With the 'he,' all I can think is 'thank god it wasn't her.' "When we shift, we don't really have control of our limbs for a fraction of a second. He was standing too close when he was upset, and when he shifted, she got caught under his claws."
I swallow again, despite my throat being so dry. "Is that why you back up when you get upset?"
"I don't ever want to hurt someone on accident." I decide to ignore all the caveats the 'on accident' opens up.
"And, even after he hurt her, she forgave him?"
"She loves him," she shrugs, and I resist shouting at her that 'that's not enough! That shouldn't be enough!' I practically choke on the protest.
"It sounds like everyone keeps trying to tell me that- this imprint thing- it's inevitable."
"It's not, you know," she says. Her eyes are soulful- not like she's only saying what she thinks I want to hear, but like she believes it. Maybe she has to, because of her own rotten experiences with imprinting. "They only think that because that's what it's been so far, but no one really knows how it works. I swear I'm not expecting anything of you, Fay. I'm just glad you're talking to me at all- that you don't hate me anymore."
"Again, I never hated you," I shove her before I realize what I'm doing, and it's odd, because the only person I shove and talk to like this is Kim. It's… a weird feeling.
"If you say so." Leah, for her part, seems delighted by my abuse, and she happily returns it by bumping me back.
….
"This is not a date."
"Uh huh."
"I'm serious."
"Totally."
"Kim."
"What, I'm agreeing with you!" She laughs holding up her hands in a false surrender.
"Yeah, but you don't mean it."
"Then I guess we're both saying things we don't actually mean."
I groan, letting my head fall into my hands as my best friend, across from me, happily sips her drink from a straw. "I swear to god. Why do I love you again?"
"Because sometimes you like to think about me naked."
"Fuck me," I mutter, which, luckily, goes entirely ignored (it's only after I said it that I realized I could be giving her more ammunition).
"-Which is cool, cause, I mean, your gay best friend having the hots for you is a major ego boost."
"Just shut the fuck up." People are starting to looking over. That might have to do with me starting to bang my forehead against the table.
"But you loooove me."
"Unfortunately, I do," I admit with a sigh, lifting my head and propping my chin against my hand. I offer an exasperated smile. "I adore you."
I delight in the rare blush I manage to get out of her. Sincere professions of my affection usually do it.
The bell above the café door rings, and I instinctively look toward it. "Speaking of people you adore," Kim recovers quicker than I'd like, and I lash out under the table with my foot. "Ouch," she hisses as I smile.
"Hey, sorry, are we late?" Leah frets, hurrying over. Jared follows close behind with an apologetic smile.
"Patrol ran a little long," he excuses.
"It's cool. Hey, you guys remember in seventh grade- that girl who threw up all over-"
A foot collides with an already existing bruise on my shin, and I yelp- probably louder than I should have. It draws the attention of the rest of the patrons who weren't already looking over.
Okay, I should have expected that. I blink back tears, and Kim shoots me a concerned, confused, look. She really didn't kick me as hard as that reaction warranted.
With my yelp, Leah had immediately leapt from her chair again and rounded the table with wide eyes.
"Are you okay?! What happened?"
I slowly let go of my leg, letting it fall back to the ground. "Uh, stubbed my toe." It's not my best excuse, but I can hardly be faulted for that. I usually I think about them ahead of time.
"But you're sitting down."
"You're sitting down."
"But… I'm not…" Leah looks helplessly confused, and Kim bursts out laughing.
"Never mind; don't worry about it," I wave her away. "Why don't you guys order?" It's an effective distraction for two wolf shifters, as their attention immediately switches over to food.
A/N: Here's a little bit of a filler. I hope you guys like it! The next chapter is going to be a little longer than usual, and the one after that... is going to be quite intense. Or at least that's the plan, haha.
Please review; let me know what you think.
~Silver~
