After hours of movie-watching and far too many pizza slices eaten, Summer, Maryse, and I finally decided to settle down into our sleeping bags and begin the ritual secret-telling.
Our sleeping bags were set up in an almost-circle, so that our heads were all in one spot, making talking much easier. After so many years of sleepovers, we had the whole thing down pat.
"So who wants to go first?" Maryse asked, grinning deviously. She was lying on her stomach, legs crossed in the air, with her hands under her chin to support her head. This was her typical position. We liked to joke that she had never learned how to hold up her head properly because she constantly had her palm underneath her chin to keep her head up.
"I say I go last," Summer stated, examining her hotpink fingernails. "I have some really good stuff to spill this time."
"Fine, then. I'll go first." I resituated myself so that I was sitting up with my legs crossed, Indian-style. I knew that I didn't really have much to tell, so for the first time- probably ever- I lied to my best friends. It wasn't a big lie, really, but I needed something to say, and the only real secret I had was the wolf-thing which I refused to tell them just yet.
"The other night when Brady, Collin, and I went out for dinner on my birthday," I began, trying to formulate some sort of believable story. "There was this adorable waiter that I kept making eye contact with. Unfortunately, he wasn't our waiter, but he was serving the table next to us, so I kept glancing over at him, and each time he saw me looking, he'd smile."
I had gotten Summer and Maryse's attention, which was good. I just needed to keep them going.
"So when we were walking out of the restaurant, he caught up with us and pulled me aside real quick. He said his name was Jason, and he wanted to my phone number because he thought I was cute." At this point in my story, I gave my friends a small smile. "But I told him that I didn't give my phone number out to just any guy, and so he pulled a pen out of his waiter apron and grabbed my hand, writing his number down. It was so sweet," I sighed, totally imagining my imaginary moment in my head. My friends were both grinning, wondering what was going to happen next. "But you know, stupid me, I was so wrapped up in the whole cute memory of it that I washed my hand without writing down his number somewhere else!" I frowned in frustration with myself.
"Oh my gosh, Catie! That's crazy," Summer sputtered. "I can't believe you washed his number off!"
Maryse shook her head. "C, next time we go to that restaurant, we are so asking for him as a waiter to set things right. You need his number! What if he's like your soulmate or something? And you just messed up fate by washing your hand. God, Catie. If you never get his number, you could be messing up your entire future!"
Summer rolled her eyes at Maryse. Summer didn't believe in fate. But Maryse was a hard-core believer in it. "I know. It was so stupid of me. I was so incredibly angry at myself."
"You really do need to get his number, C. Next time you go to that restaurant, we're coming with you and we are going to hunt down that waiter," Summer said, a determined grin on her face.
I nodded vigorously, knowing full well they'd never "hunt down that waiter". "So, Maryse? Your turn."
"Alright, " she smiled widely. "Well, I have some gossip for you, before I tell you my super story."
"Okay, go on," Summer said, fully attentive now.
"Well, first of all, you know how Jacob always spends his time at the Cullens with that Nessie girl?" Summer and I nodded. It was no secret that Jacob hardly ever left the Cullens' and that Nessie was always by his side. Of course, I knew the reason for this was that Jacob had imprinted on her, but my friends didn't know anything about that, so I played dumb.
"Well, apparently, he and Nessie are like betrothed. Isn't that weird? Because she's so much younger than he is. I thought that she was only a few years old, and that he was just her babysitter, but when I saw her the other day, she looked like she was our age. It was really freaky, because I know she shouldn't be as old as us," Maryse shook her head. "It's just really odd."
"Yeah, that is weird. I thought she was like a toddler or kindergarten age. And what do you mean by betrothed? Did Billy and the Cullens set them up or something? Or are they just really serious all of sudden?" Summer asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I don't know. I can't see Billy setting Jacob up. Billy's just so laid back about things. I mean, for crying out loud, he let Rebecca get married at like 19 to some guy she'd known for only a few weeks. But I don't really understand Jacob's interest in Renesmee. I mean, I know she's pretty and all, but she's really spoiled."
"I don't know. The whole thing is just weird," I said in an effort to sound normal and like I didn't know anymore than they did.
"Oh, and I also have some other news," Maryse said. "Rachelle is pregnant."
I gasped and Summer's jaw dropped open. Rachelle was Maryse's older sister. She was 17, and although she often got into many disputes with their mother, Rachelle had always seemed the picture of perfection.
"Are you serious?" I exclaimed, and Maryse nodded.
"Yeah, my parents aren't happy at all. I mean, they aren't going to kick her out or disown her or anything, but they want her to give the baby up for adoption. Can you believe it? Like, my sister. Straight-A student, cheerleader. It's shocking, and honestly, a little repulsive. Just to think that she and Robby were that serious… I thought she didn't even really like him that much," Maryse shuddered. "I don't know. It's just gonna be weird at home now, you know? I just don't know how to act around her anymore, and my parents have gone all strict. They don't want me to go anywhere with boys anymore, as if I'm going to go and get myself pregnant," she groaned. "As if I'd be that stupid. Really, though, and you guys know this, they don't have to worry about me being like that with a guy for a long time. I mean, for crying out loud, I've never even kissed a guy!"
Summer and I just let Maryse rant for a little while. We both knew she'd never really been with a boy. She was our sweet, innocent friend. Summer and I had talked about it before and we decided that boys were just kind of intimidated by Maryse. She could be really quiet around people besides us, and when she would talk, it was to talk about some new theory or crazy dream she'd had, or to discuss something serious. Maryse knew how to have fun, but she was never really silly or funny, in a crazy way that a lot of boys our age liked. But because of that, boys didn't ever really want to be close to her. Summer and I knew though that in a few years, once we were in college, the guys there would probably love her. But for now, she was just our "free bird."
After Maryse had gotten her anger out over her sister's unplanned pregnancy and her parents' new rules, she was quiet for a moment. "Sorry, guys. I just needed to get all that out. I do have some rather good news, that I can share now."
"Okay, let's hear it," Summer grinned, giving our friend a little bit of support.
"Well, I was at the beach earlier today, just walking up and down, you know, like I always do. And I decided to climb the rocks and find a good spot to sit and just read or something. But the rocks were especially slippery today, and as I was climbing, my hand slipped and I started to fall. I was really, really scared that I would end up breaking a bone or something, but just as I was getting closer to the ground, someone caught me. And it wasn't just any someone. It was this guy, probably about 18 or so, and he was gorgeous, in an old-fashioned sort of way," Maryse smiled slightly. "He was exactly the type of guy that I like, you know? It was kinda bizarre. Once he caught me, he put me down. I told him thanks for saving me, and he grinned and told me that it was no problem, that he didn't want a pretty girl like me to hurt myself by falling," she blushed, and brushed her bangs from her face. "And so then, I asked him what his name was, and all he said was his name was Landon. And then, God you're going to think I'm crazy, but he like literally disappeared. It was beyond weird. He was there, smiling at me one moment, and the next, he took off running and was gone. And oh, he was so good-looking. I searched for him, for awhile, because I really wanted to talk to him some more, but I couldn't find him anywhere. It was crazy. But it got me thinking."
"You didn't even get his whole name?!" Summer cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "Oh my god, you and Catie both are hopeless!"Summer was no doubt the most dramatic one in our group.
"Wow, that's kind of cool though. It's like something out of a book."
"Yeah, it really was. Like something out of a fantasy novel or something. I don't know. I keep coming up with theories and whatnot, but I kind of don't ever want to know why he saved me or who he was. Makes it more dreamy that way," she sighed happily, and I had to stifle a giggle. Maryse and her crazy romantic antics…
"So, now that you two are finished, I have some stories…" Summer grinned wickedly.
"Okay, let's hear 'em then," Maryse said.
"Well, first of all, you know how Brady and I broke up last weekend?" Maryse and I nodded simultaneously. "Yeah, on Friday night, we were at my house, just watching movies and doing the normal sort of things we always did…" Summer trailed off suggestively, a gleam in her eye, "when we started to making out, like really making out."
Oh God, I wasn't sure if I could handle this…
"One thing sort of just led to another, and the next thing we knew we were, you know, almost about to do it." Maryse, in all her naïveté, gasped, and I clasped my hands together, digging my nails into my palms, willing myself not to lose control.
"I wasn't scared, at all. I was ready, finally. I was glad Brady had finally gotten my hints," Summer continued, and I could feel my temper rising, my body shaking. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap.
"So there we were, about to…" Summer thought for a moment, trying to choose her words carefully, "completely ravish each other when…."
This was when I lost it. Tumultuously shaking, I bolted for the door, leaving my two best friends confused in my wake. When I got outside, the shaking and my irrational anger completely took hold of me, making me phase before I'd even time to catch my breath.
Just as fur was erupting from my skin, my clothes were ripping into millions of shreds, my entire normal being transforming into that of a beast, Maryse and Summer came storming out of the shed, no doubt to see what the hell was up with me.
"Oh my God," Maryse whispered, whereas Summer let out a string of unlady-like curses.
In my wolf-form, I couldn't speak to them, so I simply closed my eyes and bowed my large head.
"Catie, is that… is that really you?" Maryse murmured, bravely taking a step closer. I nodded my wolf-head, and she let out a small gasp. She touched her small hand to my shoulder, before sort of shuddering away.
Summer just stood where she was, a few feet away, staring at me, terror in her brown eyes.
"Well, Catie," Maryse said, leveling her voice, and looking at me straight in the eyes. I was amazed that she wasn't completely flinching away from me. "You have some serious explaining to do, my dear."