I woke up to a knock at my door. Startled, I sat up quickly and looked at my door. "Yes?" I called, my voice still groggy from sleep. Collin pushed open the door and walked into my room slowly.
"Did you forget to set your alarm?" he asked, an amused smile on his face. I looked at him confused before remembering that today was Monday, the first day back to school after Thanksgiving break. I groaned, and Collin laughed before heading out the door, leaving me to get ready for school. I climbed out of bed and turned on the light. I was so not ready to be going back to school.
I pulled on a simple purple long sleeved shirt and my favorite pair of skinny jeans before going to wash my face and put on make-up. I knew I was probably running a little late so I didn't waste much time doing my make-up. It wasn't like I really cared how people saw me at school anyway. As I pulled on a pair of black boots and my rain jacket, my stomach flipped. I was probably going to get to see Brady later today.
Brady and I had spent our entire patrol time on Saturday night talking about each other, and he had kissed me twice more (not that I was counting or anything...). But we hadn't told anyone about our sort-of relationship yet. Not even the pack knew because neither of us had been in wolf-form since Friday. I planned on telling Summer and Maryse at lunch, and I figured the rest of the pack would find out eventually. I wasn't in a hurry to tell them. I liked the way our relationship was secret; it almost seemed to make it more special.
Once I was finished getting ready, I grabbed a banana and a water bottle for breakfast and headed to Collin's truck, where he was waiting for me. I climbed in, and he put on the radio.
"So," Collin said, breaking the silence between us. It was weird for him to be talking; he was normally really quiet in the morning. "Is there something going on with you and Brady?" he asked, and I wasn't sure what to tell him. It wasn't like I had a problem telling him about us- he was my brother after all- but I didn't honestly know what was going on with me and Brady either. We were just kind of together and had yet to put a label on our relationship.
"Well," I said, choosing my words carefully. "Sort of, I guess. I mean, we aren't like officially together or anything. But we both like each other." One of us way more than the other, but Collin didn't need to know that. "We're just interested in trying a relationship out. Nothing too serious or anything." At least, not yet. "Why?"
"No real reason," Collin replied. "Brady had just mentioned liking you, and I told him if he wanted to, he could go out with you. But at the time, he wasn't sure if he'd pursue a relationship with you or not. And, you know," he looked over at me with a grin on his face, "I am your brother. So I should be informed about these things."
I snickered. "Oh really? You don't exactly share your relationship details with me, why should I share with you?" I teased.
"Because I'm your big brother. And at least I tell you if I'm dating someone."
I rolled my eyes. "True. But it's not like you're ever dating anyone."
Collin shrugged. "I just don't see the need to have a girlfriend all the time. Especially not if there is the possibility of imprinting on someone."
"Yeah, I suppose," I said. "So are you okay with me and Brady?"
He nodded. "Of course. As long as you're happy."
"I am," I told him, and it was the truth. I felt happier with Brady than I'd felt in awhile.
"Good," he grinned as we turned into the school parking lot, and he parked in his usual spot.
"Catie Lauren Westwood, you need to tell us everything!" Summer exclaimed when I met up with her and Maryse for lunch.
"I know, I know," I told her to appease her. "Let's get our lunch first, and then I'll tell all. Promise."
"Alright," Summer said as we grabbed lunch trays and stood in line. While we waited in the lunchline, Maryse told us a quick story about her cousins on Thanksgiving.
"I swear, my cousin Shelly is the most immature thing to ever walk this earth," she said exasperatedly. "I mean, it's common sense that you don't burst out singing 'I Kissed A Girl' around old people, especially not your grandma."
Summer and I laughed. I envisioned Maryse's living room, her entire family sitting there, and her cousin Shelly- who was about as different from Maryse and Rachelle as you could get- bursting into full out Katy Perry 'I Kissed a Girl' mode. Maryse's grandmother would no doubt gasp and mutter something about today's undisciplined youth, and Maryse would just stand there, her face ablaze, not quite sure how to make her cousin behave and just shut up. It was an amusing image.
"Oh, Maryse," Summer said. "Live a little, okay? Shelly was just trying to have a good time. Though, I wouldn't say making your grandmother mad was the best idea, but hey, if it makes Shelly happy..."
I laughed again. Maryse's grandmother was this uptight little thing from the South. She didn't condone any sort of foolishness and was so conservative, it could make a person sick.
"It was just frustrating. I wish Shel would just grow up, sometimes. She's older than me, but she acts like she's five. It's ridiculous."
"Yeah," I said, ending our conversation about Maryse and her cousin. I was ready to tell my friends everything about Brady and me, and we were finally out of the cafeteria and headed to our bench outside where we ate lunch every day, no matter the weather.
"Okay, Catie. Spill," Summer demanded as soon as we sat down.
"Well, on Friday, Collin and I were having a Star Wars movie marathon, when Brady showed up," I began and continued on to tell them every detail that passed between Brady and me that day. "And then, well, he kissed me, and everything just felt so right. Until, of course, Collin walked back in the room. But then it was like we had this little secret between us that no one else knew."
"Aw," Summer cooed. "You two are so much better together than Brady and I were. We clashed worse than stripes and polka-dots."
Maryse rolled her eyes. "You and Brady were only together because you ran out of guys to be with and he was willing and available. Catie, you and Brady just click. You always have."
I nodded, glad to have their reassurance. "So then we had patrol together on Saturday night, and we just talked. About everything. Which we've done before, but this time it was different. It wasn't like we were just friends goofing off, but something more than that. I swear, I wanted to remember every word that came out of his mouth that night. It just all seemed monumental," I sighed, remembering the way we decided to stay in human form during patrol instead of phasing. The way we sat up against our tree, the rough bark scratching my arms and back every time I shifted, but I didn't mind because Brady was next to me. The way his arm felt around my shoulders and how his dark eyes focused on me right before he kissed me...
"Look at her. She's totally smitten with him. Catie and Brady...who would've thought," Summer grinned as she took a bite of her hamburger. "Anyway, I have some good gossip for you guys."
"Yippee," Maryse giggled. Summer always had the best gossip about what was going on around school and town. Her father was the principal of our school, and her mother was the editor in chief of the local newspaper, both of which gave her access to all sorts of information.
"Well, there's going to be two new kids here after Christmas. My daddy says they're from New York City. Awesome, right?" Summer said, her voice giddy with excitement.
"Boys? Girls?" Maryse asked her, both of us curious to hear more.
"They're brother and sister. Their mom is apparently a well-known news anchor over in New York, but their dad lives here, and he just gained custody of them or something, so they're coming to live here for awhile," Summer informed us. "And they're twins and they're both sophomores, like us. Which is uber-exciting."
"Who's their dad?" I asked Summer. I was pretty sure I knew just about everyone in town, and I couldn't think of any middle-aged men who had children living in New York.
Summer shrugged. "I don't know. My dad told me his name, but I didn't recognize it. It was like John something." She shrugged again. This was obviously not a detail she found important. "I forget. But I'm sure the guy has to be gorgeous. I'm pretty sure every guy from New York is."
That, I was sure, was false. Summer was just thinking of all the movie stars that played characters who lived in New York, but whatever. It looked like Summer was going to have a new beau soon, whether he liked it or not.
"Well, that's exciting. Once they get here, we'll have to invite them to hang out with us," Maryse said as she scarfed down a brownie.
"Yeah, we definitely will," I said. Even though I already had best friends and an almost boyfriend, I was excited to meet these new kids and get to know them. It was a rare occurrance that anyone new moved to town; I absolutely could not wait to meet them.
A/N: So it's been quite awhile since I've been on fanfiction, but I think the break from it was good for me because now I'm all excited for this story again and filled with new ideas for the coming chapters! My goal is to post at least two more chapters in the next week, so more updates will definitely be coming soon. Hope you're enjoying it so far. :)