The next week at school passed by really quickly, and I spent lots of time talking to my friends about the party. Kaila had gone off sick with the flu for the first half of the week.
Karma is cruel, but fair.
And it certainly made my life easier.
I was excited about the party, but I still felt like I was missing something important in my life.
I missed Jake.
No matter what I did I missed him. Not seeing him for an entire week was taking a toll on me physically, mentally and emotionally.
But I couldn't face him yet.
The girls wanted to go shopping on Wednesday after school for dresses. I was definitely up for it, but I made sure to check in with my parents this time. They okayed it as long as I kept them informed and on that day we all got into my car and drove down to the mall.
I had never been to the mall. Aunt Alice loved shopping, and she would buy everyone's clothes online at shops she had been in business with for a long time. I knew that this was the only time I would get to choose my own clothes without their input.
The girls led me to a boutique and we all picked out dresses we liked. I found a few I thought were okay, but there were so many different styles and colours.
It was extremely overwhelming.
Until the perfect thing caught my eye.
It was an emerald green form fitting dress with a sweetheart neck, thin straps and came just above my knees. I instantly grabbed it and tried it on.
When I looked into the mirror, I blushed at myself. I had never worn something this form fitting. And this definitely made me feel like an adult.
When I walked out in it, I saw the other girls in their outfits and grinned.
"You guys all look so beautiful." I told them.
They all turned to look at me, gawking.
"Momma. Where have you been hiding that figure?" Rhonda teased, eyeing me. I felt very weird about it but knew it was a compliment.
Jessica came out in this cute pink sequined dress, which was her personality in a dress. Rhonda was in a black jumpsuit with a deep V neck, and Kate was wearing a white dress with a side split. It had a bandage strap and it came to the same length as mine.
"We are all smoking hot." Jess stated, as if nothing had ever been more true.
I admired them all and myself in the mirrors around the shop.
She wasn't wrong.
We all bought our outfits and then headed to the food court. I ordered a few slices of pizza because I was craving greasy foods. The others had ordered healthier options.
"Girl, how can you eat like that?" Kate asked me, looking at my pizza.
"I love pizza." I shrugged to her.
She rolled her eyes. "You just bought an extremely form-fitting dress, and now you're gorging on pizza." She was both judging and jealous all at once.
The girls were all nodding in agreement.
I didn't know what to tell them. I liked my food. And in fairness it wasn't like I was going to put much weight on with my hybrid genetics. We all finished our food and climbed back into the car, bags in tow. I dropped the girls home and said my goodbyes.
After the drive home, dropping all the girls off at their houses, I finally arrived back home. I was hoping to see Jake at the door, but he wasn't there. I hadn't seen him for so long, and I missed him.
So much.
It left a pain in my chest that caught me off guard sometimes when I spent too long thinking about him. Like I was choking on my pain.
So I tried to continue as if life was normal.
The next day, school dragged on and on. I enjoyed spending time with my friends, and the fact Kaila was still off school. But I was really looking forward to my first real party.
Driving home I couldn't help but wish it was already Friday, and that the wait was finally over.
When I pulled up, my heart flipped.
Jake was sitting on the steps by the house, waiting.
When I got out of my car his eyes widened and he rushed over to intercept me. I stood frozen, both relieved and worried.
"Jake, what are you… What are you doing here?"
He was shuffling under his feet nervously. "I just wanted to talk."
Did I want to talk? I didn't know, but I found myself letting him speak.
"I was wrong for getting so mad at you, and for calling you childish. You have every right to be angry. And I'm sorry." His apology was so sincere, it made a smile try and creep out over my face.
"I forgive you." I couldn't stay angry at him.
He looked so relieved and a grin spread over his face. "Good."
We both stood for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"I have a party tomorrow." I blurted out.
He looked at me with a shocked expression.
"They're letting you go? Wow." He was just as surprised as me.
"Well I hope you have a nice time." He told me sincerely.
He started to walk towards the woods. "I'll see you around, Ness."
He stopped for a moment and looked back. "For the record, I don't think of you like that."
He smiled at me before shifting into his wolf form.
I watched him go with a confused look on my face.
What did that mean?