Sorry that it took so long! You guys are so amazing for being so patient ^.^ I've been... a little stuck... and busy (summer, ya know?) so I finally forced myself to sit down and write, so it's probably not that good. Hopefully the next one will be better. Enjoy! Love you guys!

Chapter 16:

These days, whenever the front door opened, I feared for my life. It had never been this bad. I was used to the neglect, and the abuse. But ever since my mother left us, it's gotten so much worse. He wakes up in a bad mood, he goes to work in a bad mood, he comes home in a bad mood, and he goes to bed in a bad mood. And when my father's in a bad mood, his temper shortens. He angers easily, and he takes it out—on me.

The lock turned, clicked, opened.

I sucked in a breath.

But there was nothing. No yelling. No screaming. Nothing shattering. There was only grumbling and the groan of the couch.

I stayed frozen, hardly breathing until the soft sounds of snoring drifted up. I sighed, standing up from the bed, gripping the bedpost as the blood rushed down from my head. After the feeling passed, I made my way down the stairs, shaking my head silently as I caught sight of him passed out on the couch, a half empty bottle of beer hanging from his hand.

Tentatively, I made my way over to him, slipping the bottle from his hold. He stirred, snoring louder. "Georgia…" he moaned, turning on his side towards the back of the couch.

Something caught in my throat.

"Did he just…" Destiny choked from behind me. "Did he just say Mom's name?"

I nodded without turning, speechless.

"Well," She scoffed. "At least we know he's capable."

Still in shock, I breathed, "Of what?"

"Of love," she growled, "useless piece of s***!"

I turned as she came up next to me, her right foot behind her. "No, Destiny!" I whispered furiously, stepping in front of her and placing my hands on her shoulders. Her eyes were blazing, darkened with purple rings. The underneath of her jaw was an ugly yellow and the skin around her nose was a fading black. I gasped. "What happened?"

Her eyes met mine, widening slightly as if she just realized I was speaking to her. "While you were gone," she breathed, "Grant was drunk and angry—about Mom, I guess…"

"Oh, so it's Grant now? Not Daddy anymore?" I stepped away from her, holding back a scowl.

She pursed her lips, glancing away. "Look, Danny," she said calmly. "Things are different, alright? Mom's gone. She was, like, Grant's rock, and he's losing it. I get how you feel now, okay? I understand."

"You think you understand?" I snapped, interrupting her. "You think you know what it's like being abused every day? You think you understand walking the halls by yourself, getting laughed at because you don't wear what's 'in style' to cover up your bruises? You think you know what it's like to be made fun of at school and at home? No, Destiny, I don't think you understand me. You don't understand me at all."

Her eyes narrowed. "I've got a reputation to uphold at school, you little b****." Her expression softened. "But, look, Danny… at home, we got to have each other's backs. But at school… I don't know you, alright?"

I rolled my eyes, turning away from her. "Whatever, Destiny." I turned back around. "Just one thing. Don't tell him about me and Josh, okay? I don't care if you're jealous, or mad, or upset or whatever. He cannot know. He'd kill me."

She shrugged. "Whatever," she replied, "but it's not my fault if Josh changes his mind." She whipped around and disappeared outside the front door.

I couldn't be in this house any longer. I turned and fled out of the back door towards the abandoned shed in the yard. Frustrated tears gathered in my eyes as I leaned my forehead on the shed. "You can come out now," I growled, turning and sliding down the wall.

I closed my eyes, clenching my jaw until I felt him fall beside me. His uninjured fingers slid in with mine. I leaned over, laying my head on his shoulder. "I will never change my mind," His breathed as his thumb rubbed soft patterns on my skin.

"Who says you won't?" I breathed, keeping my eyes closed. "Who says you won't get tired of me, or decide I'm not worth the trouble? Or—"

He took my chin in his fingers and turned towards me, forcing me off his shoulder to look him in the eye. As he opened his mouth to speak, a cool liquid seeped into my hair. I gasped, closing my eyes as it dripped down my face. My face heated in embarrassment and I heard Josh growl lowly. As soon as I smelled it, I knew it was beer. Josh pulled me up harshly and pushed me behind him.

Josh, I thought harshly towards him. Don't.

Grant swayed on his drunken feet and placed a hand on the corner of the shed. Josh's fist clenched by his side—his left, uninjured hand. Grant cursed at me, pointing the dripping, empty bottle. "You little w****," he growled. He was obviously drunk, but he was sobering. He focused his attention on Josh. "And you sssson of a b—"

Josh hardly moved as Grant's fist caught the underside of his jaw. Please tell me, he growled, that he did not just call me that and punch me.

And I can't even punch 'em back. Josh snarled. "If ya think I'm sleepin' with yer daughter, yer sadly mistaken." Josh said to him, his jaw clenched as tightly as I've ever seen it. From behind him, I could see his shoulders trembling slightly and the vein in his neck popping.

I blushed deeply as Grant laughed, throwing his head back and stumbling backwards. "Ssssso sssshe'sss not worthhhh it?"

Josh paled. "I didn't say that."

"I dddon't care iffff you're ssssleeping withhh hhhher," Grant waved his hand in the air. "I dddon't waaant you ppplanting ideassss into hhher hheaaaad."

Grant leaned forward, reaching out a hand towards me. Josh's hand shot up, grabbing him at the wrist. "Don't touch her." He growled violently, pushing Grant back. He stumbled, falling back.

Josh! I said, trying to push past him.

He held out his arm to stop me, shaking his head. He will not touch ya again. Not while I'm around. I glanced over his shoulder, digging my nails into his skin. He didn't flinch.

Grant lay on his back, staring up at the sky. You didn't hurt him, did you? I asked frantically, but there was no way I would fight him. Even if he was right-handed, his weaker arm was still stronger than me.

Why, Josh asked, glancing at me from the corner of his eye, do you care?

Because… I shot him a glare, if he goes, I go.

Josh paled again. Grant suddenly sat up, rubbing his head, dazed. "Assssault on an offfficerrr…" he mumbled, laying back down on the grass and closing his eyes.

Josh and I stared at him, his chest moving up and down. Both of us jumped when he snored loudly.

"Assault on an officer?" I choked as Josh dropped his arm.

He shook his head. "Nah," he said. "Yer…father's off duty."

"Oh," I breathed. "That makes sense."

He suddenly turned to me with his nose scrunched up. "You stink," he noted, pulling his face away slightly.

I narrowed my eyes and then smiled. "Aw," I said. "You wanna kiss?"

As I leaned in with my lips puckered, he smiled. "Maybe just one…" When his lips were centimeters from mine, he pulled away, shaking his head.

"Ya smell like beer," he said. "You should probably go take a show'r."

I pursed my lips. "Then a kiss?"

The sparkle in his eyes gave me an answer without words. I sighed, pulling away from him. I touched my fingers to the top of my head and scowled. "I'm sorry," I breathed. "That was, um…"

"Embarrassin'? Humiliatin'? Awful?" He suggested, giving me that million dollar smile.

I glared at him. "I'm takin' a shower," I mumbled, beginning towards the house.

"If it 'elps, yer beautiful even with the beer in yer 'air?" He said, but it sounded like a question as he jogged to catch up; both of us ignored Grant sleeping on the lawn.

You're funny. I thought as I pushed open the door.

"Ya know… uh…" Josh stammered as he followed after me. "Ya seem like ya change emotions, uh… very quick-like."

I shot him a look. "Did you just say 'quick-like'?" I asked, laughing as I turned the corner up the stairs.

"What?" Josh scoffed. "Uh, no."

"Oh, so you accuse me of havin' overactive hormones?" I laughed to myself as I pushed open my door.

"No!" He said immediately. "I, uh, um…"

I smiled at him. "You…uh…um." I cleared my throat and retreated to my dresser in search of clothes. "When you grow up like I did, you…uh… learn how to hide your emotions… even from yourself."

Josh fell down on my bed. "That's awful," he mumbled.

"Maybe," I shrugged, pulling the clothes to my chest.

"Are ya alright?" he asked as I started towards the bathroom. "Yer head, I mean. Yer not dizzy or anythin'?"

As I shook my head, the left side began pounding. "Maybe a headache," I replied. "I'll be fine."

"But, Danny…" he began.

I turned, taking the door in my hand. "I've got beer in my hair, remember?" I said, closing myself inside the bathroom.

I heard him grumble something on the other side, but the sound of the running water drowned out the words as I turned it on. After locking the door, I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the shower. The rushing of the hot water over my skin was somehow comforting. But the thought that Josh was just in the next room got under my skin and itched deep underneath. For the first time, I showered and dried off quickly. I put on my clothes and scrubbed my hair, parting it before opening the door.

Josh sat up as I came out, drying my hair with the towel. "Do I smell better?" I smirked, strolling towards him.

"A course," he smiled. "Like vanilla honey."

I raised an eyebrow and then found myself laughing. "That's what it says on the bottle."

"I guess I owe ya that kiss now, don't I?" he stood, wrapping his free arm around my waist.

I stood on my toes to wind my arms around his neck. "What a good little wolf," I cooed as he leaned down to touch our foreheads.

He chortled, shaking his head. "Glad ta know yer gettin' used ta it."

"Just kiss me, wolf boy," I said.

"Oh," he said, his eyes sparkling. "So I get permission now?"

"Yes," I whined, pouting.

Before I could get another word out, his mouth was on mine and his hand came up to tangle in my hair. My arms kept around his neck, standing on my toes just to reach him. "Yer 'air's wet," he murmured against my lips.

"So a werewolf and Captain Obvious," I chuckled. "That's impressive."

He growled lowly before his fingers began dancing across my waist, pulling a delightful scream from my throat. A fit of giggles followed as I tried to twist away from him. "What was that?" he asked. "What'd ya call me?"

I screamed again, laughing as I tried to get away from him. "Stop, Josh!" I screamed.

"Apolagize!" he demanded, continuing to tickle my waist.

"Okay! Okay!" I caved, twisting away from him as he finally let me go. "I'm sorry I'm just smarter than you."

His eyes narrowed playfully. "I know ya didn't just call me stupid."

I shook my head, smirking. "No, I just said I'm smarter than you."

"Oh, no ya didn't," he growled, lunging for me. I screamed again, turning to run as he caught me around the waist. His lips grazed my neck. "Take it back."

I gasped lowly, instinctively tilting my head to give him full access. "Never," I breathed.

He didn't answer, but instead his lips continued to leave a trail of kisses down to my shoulder. The contact made my vision swarm and focus on the sparks lighting my skin.

As soon as I closed them, visions began popping up in front of my eyes. My breath caught and my eyes flew open. My heart rate spiked; I could hear my pulse in my ears. Before I could do or say anything, Josh groaned to himself and stepped away from me. "How 'bout I brush yer hair?" he asked nervously.

I swallowed the feelings bubbling up inside my stomach and turned around with my eyebrow raised. "You want to… brush… my hair?" I asked, giving him a confused look.

"Uh," he blushed and glanced away. "Coffeeblue says that her perfect guy would brush 'er 'air fer 'er, so…"

"Aw!" I chuckled. "You wanna be my perfect guy?"

He pursed his lips and looked away. After a moment he laughed uneasily, looking back at me. "Why not?"

"Sure," I giggled, grabbing my brush off the dresser and handing it to him. "I find it soothing anyways."

"This isn't weird?" he asked lightly, moving to sit on the bed.

I sat in front of him and turned away from him. "Nope," I said. "Coffeeblue's right. A girl has so many things to do, who has time to brush her hair?"

"Right…" he trailed off and I soon felt the brush glide through my hair.

"Ya got any plans tomorrow?" he asked suddenly.

I sighed, leaning back against him. "Do I ever?"

"Imma take that as a no," he said. "Would ya go ta dinner with me?"

"Are you askin' me on a date, Josh?" I asked, leaning my head back and turning towards him.

His arm wrapped around my waist, the brush forgotten. "Well, ya are my girlfriend."

"Okay," I agreed. "How's that search for a job goin'? Gotta have money to eat."

"Not necessarily," he said lowly, chuckling to himself. "But the General Store is hirin'. I thought I'd check it out."

Suddenly his phone rang before I could respond. He groaned, pulling it out of his pocket and putting it to his ear. "Hello?"

Faintly, I could hear a male voice on the other line, but couldn't make out the words.

"But, Dad, I—" He sighed irritably as the other voice interrupted him.

"Why couldn't you just—" he paused. "Alright. Fine. I'll be there in a minute."

I heard the click and his arm returned around my waist. "Levi's beginnin' ta shift," he sighed.

I turned towards him. "What do you mean?"

"Around his age is the first shift." He explained. I gasped as he picked me up by my waist and stood. He put me down and moved around me.

"It's a very painful process," he flinched. "The whole family's gotta be there."

I grabbed his hand. "Can I come?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Ya wanna watch Levi shift?" he laughed in disbelief. "Really?"

"Sure," I shrugged.

He frowned. "Alright. I just hope Dad'll be alright with ya comin'."

"How could he not? I'm lovable." I smiled up at him innocently, blinking.

"Ain't that the truth," he muttered. "Window or door?"

My smile turned into a glare. "Door, of course!"

"Alright," He shrugged and started downstairs, pulling me along after him. "We gotta get there quick."

"Wait, so…" I began as soon as he opened the door. "If Levi hasn't… shifted… yet… then which one of you did I trip over?"

"That was Levi," he nodded, opening the door to his truck. "It's very complicated."

I furrowed my eyebrows as I buckled in and he got into the driver's seat. "What? I… I don't understand…"

He started the car and began to back out. "Like I said, it's complicated."

"Explain it to me!" I whined.

He sighed and then chuckled. "The alpha has certain… abilities… over his pack members. And one of 'em is that they're able ta make the younger members shift along with the rest a the pack."

"Oh," I said, rolling my lips.

"But now, after this I mean, he'll be able ta shift on his own."

I found myself chewing on my lips as I digested the information. "Huh."

"And it hurts," he said, grimacing to himself. "So the kid's gonna be in a lot a pain."

"Is it worth it?" I asked, glancing at him.

He shot me a knowing smile. "Definitely," he replied, winking.

"Once ya shift," he explained, the smile lingering on his lips. "Yer able ta find yer mate."

"What if your mate's been around you your whole life? Like, you see them every day, ya know?" I asked.

He bit his lip slightly. "Well…" he said. "That's what happened with my parents. They were best friends their whole lives, and on his fourteenth birthday, my dad realized she was his mate. And on her fourteenth birthday, she realized it too. They've been together ever since."

"That's adorable," I said.

He laughed deeply, but didn't say anything. Biting my lip, I asked, "So are you going to, uh, tell me about…uh… why, uh, how this relationship is so different? Other than the whole wolf, thing, a course."

"I will," he flashed me a crocked smile. "At dinner tomorrow. Ya can ask me anything ya want."

"Okay," I smirked, biting the inside of my cheek. "I'll be sure to write 'em down."

He laughed, shaking his head, but as we pulled onto the road where he lived, Josh's eyes got wide and he pressed the gas pedal to the floor. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, but as we pulled into his driveway, I knew. Levi's screams could be heard even from inside the truck, and both of us jumped out of the vehicle. Josh made a dash for the back yard, and I followed him as fast as I could. I stopped at the corner of the house, watching the scene that unfolded.

The family formed a horseshoe around the eight-year-old, where the opening faced the woods. They all stood near the barn, using the fence that kept the horses in as the other side of the hoseshoe. Josh tried to break through the line, but Cormac and Adam held him back. He fought, but the boys pinned him still.

"Josh," Peter said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down."

There was something different in his voice. A note of authority hung underneath it, and Josh immediately relaxed and the boys released him. "Dad," Josh said, his voice thick. "It's never been this bad. I could hear 'em from down the street! Ya gotta do somethin'!"

"Calm down, son." Peter said calmly and glanced towards Levi. "I know he's yer younger brother, but he's also my son, Joshua. I know how ya feel. Ya just gotta let it happen."

Levi screamed again, and Josh visibly flinched. I stood on my tip toes, but couldn't see over their heads. "How?" his voice broke on the word.

"Think about the others—their first shifts. Remember yers. That feelin' when you first feel yer paws in the grass. That feelin'—that freedom that you can change whenever you want. It'll help fer when ya have children. When yer mate—" he suddenly cut off and I glanced over to find his blue eyes narrowing in my direction.

"Joshua," he growled, grinding his teeth together. "What is she doing here?"

Josh glanced towards me, his face white. "She wanted ta come. I couldn't tell 'er no."

"I think ya best take 'er home, Joshua." He said, his voice thick with suppressed anger.

To my surprise, Josh shook his head. "I'm not leavin' Levi."

At that moment, Levi screamed loudly, and I heard a gasp. "Peter!" Gail yelled, her voice laced with tears. "Peter!"

Peter glanced at Josh one last time before going to his wife's side, taking her by the waist. Josh gestured for me and I went to him, taking his hand. Up closer, I could see Levi lying on the ground in a ball, broken in the middle of the enclosing the family provided. He lay, shaking as a light slowly enveloped him. Josh's hand tightened on mine to the point where it throbbed. I blinked and suddenly a dark gray wolf lay in his place. A large brown wolf strolled up to him, pressing his muzzle to Levi's coat.

Levi stirred, but didn't make a move to get up. Soon, another wolf joined the brown one, its coat a light bluish gray. I glanced over to see that Gail and Peter were gone. I looked back to the wolves and deemed the brown one Peter and the other, smaller wolf Gail. She pressed her nose underneath Levi and pushed upward. He suddenly jumped up, glancing around. Josh's hand fell from mine and I looked down to see J beside me. One by one the Millers were engulfed in bright lights and left wolves in their place.

In Adam's place stood the dark bluish grey wolf that had attacked me earlier in the year.

In Iya's place stood the light golden brown wolf that had interrupted us in the wood.

In Coffeeblue's place stood a light red wolf that I hadn't seen before.

In Cormac's place stood a light brown wolf that was slightly larger than his twin's.

In Kyler's place stood a smaller dark gray wolf with a coat that had a blue tint.

Two other wolves stood near the twins; one large with a light brown coat, and one slightly smaller and a dark red coat. With a jolt I realized these were Josh's aunt and uncle.

Levi stood and turned towards his parents, his tongue rolling out in a grin. Peter lifted his head back and howled lowly. The rest of the pack did the same, and soon their voices sung a harmony in the night air. Slowly the song died, and Levi took off into the woods. Josh stepped forward, limping on his injured shoulder as the rest of the family ran after him. Peter glanced at him, shaking his head once before disappearing into the foliage. Josh looked at me, turned back into his human form and intertwined our fingers.

"Well?" he asked, pulling me closer.

I blinked at him. "Uh… wow." I said. "Where'd they all go?"

"Fer a run," he nodded towards the trees. "Ta celebrate."

Someone cleared their throat behind me. "Not all of 'em," a female voice said.

"Mom," Josh whined, groaning.

I turned, blushing deeply.

"What?" Gail laughed, fluffing up her hair. "I gotta watch Hanna. I ain't gonna leave 'er, even if she's sleepin'."

"Mom," Josh repeated.

Gail glanced between us. "You better get 'er home, Josh. Before Peter comes back and gets on ya somethin' fierce."

"He'll get me anyways," Josh sighed. "Even if Danny ain't 'ere."

I opened my mouth to say something, but as soon as Gail's eyes flickered to me, my throat clamped. I'm sorry, I thought to Josh.

He sighed. It ain't yer fault, darlin'.

"I'll take 'er home, Ma." He said, pulling me back towards the truck.

"Alright," Gail called behind us. "See ya later, sweetie!"

Josh rolled his eyes and sighed irritably, walking quickly to his car.

"Are you gonna get in trouble because of me?" I whispered to him as he opened the passenger door.

He smiled weakly. "Probably," he admitted. "But don't worry 'bout it."

"But, Josh—" I said, but he had already shut the door and was walking around the hood of the car.

"Besides," he said as he climbed in. "He'll probably just give me a talkin' to. Nothin' that I haven't faced before."

"Ju—just let me talk to him, or—or blame me—" I stuttered, shaking my head.

"Danny," Josh said, shrugging. "Calm down, okay? It's really not that big a deal."

I gulped. "Are you sure?"

He waved his hand in the air before returning it to the wheel. "A course. I'm the 'alpha-in-trainin' as he calls it. Gotta be ready fer anythin'."

I scrubbed down the last of the dishes and glanced hastily at the clock—again. I dried the plate and put it up, running my hands over the towel. I ran upstairs and threw open my closet. Stepping back, I studied its contents. The morning light from the window floated in, highlighting the clothing.

My stomach knotted when I saw nothing that I could wear. I stepped forward and flipped through the hangers. I glanced in the mirror above the dresser and sighed, wishing that Coffeeblue or Iya were here; I needed help. This wasn't something I had done before. The only date I had ever been on was the picnic with Josh, but that wasn't dinner.

A bad idea suddenly popped into my mind. But it was the only thing I had.`

Reluctantly, I made my way downstairs, stopping outside the door. Slowly, I lifted my fist and knocked once. I bit my lip as I waited, shifting my weight from foot to foot uneasily. The door suddenly flew open. "What?" she asked.

"I, uh, need help…" I admitted, glancing down at my feet.

She raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow and scoffed. "With what?"

"I have a date," I explained, smiling sheepishly.

"Why do you need my help?" she laughed.

I frowned. "I don't know what to wear! My hair is a mess, and I've never been on a date like this before!"

She sighed, flinging her phone onto her bed. "Alright then. First things first; where are you going?"

"I don't really know," I replied. "A restaurant?"

She rolled her eyes and rested against the doorframe. "What kind of restaurant?"

"He didn't tell me," I shrugged.

"Well," she said, slipping past me and heading for my room. "It's better to dress up than down."

"But what if we go somewhere shabby? Like a coffee shop or something?" I asked, following her up the stairs.

She waved her hand in the air. "No. Josh doesn't drink coffee."

"How do you know that?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Uh…" she stuttered. "He told me."

More like turned you down for a date, I thought, but didn't say anything. I sat on my bed as she rummaged through my closet. She pulled something out, studied it and then tossed it aside. She did this rapidly until she gave up and turned to me.

"You have nothing," she scoffed. "How are you even my sister?" she threw her hands up and spun around, leaving the door wide open after she had left. I sighed, running my hands through my hair before falling back onto the bed. I hated to say it, but I couldn't do this without Destiny. She knew about guys, and I… didn't.

"Okay," she said suddenly. "I've got a couple that I think'll look good on you."

I sat up to see Destiny holding three dresses by their hangers. "Personally, I like this one, and I haven't even worn it yet." She held up a short blue dress with ruffles around the chest. It was simple, yet pretty. "Besides, it's more you."

I shrugged. "Okay," I said. "I'll have to wear an undershirt underneath, though."

She tossed it to me. "Go put it on, then."

I caught it and dug in the dresser for a black undershirt before retreating to the bathroom. I put it on and straightened it out. I opened the bathroom door to find my sister standing right outside it. She studied me with a blank face, her arms crossed over her chest. "Nice," she said, smiling. "Now take it off and go shower." She handed me a bundle of garments.

My mouth dropped. "What?" I whined. "But I just…"

"Go," she rolled her eyes. "You wanna look good for… him?"

Something struck me about her sentence, but I sighed in defeat and closed the door. I took off the dress neatly and hung it back on its hanger and put it on the hook on the door. Flinging the shower curtain open, I stepped in.

After I was done and dried off, I bundled my hair in the towel and slipped the dress back on. Stepping out, I found that the other dresses were gone and Destiny held a hair drier in her hand and a curling iron lay on the dresser. A chair was positioned in front of the mirror with her standing behind it. She smiled and gestured to it. "Sit."

"You're going to curl my hair?" I asked, strolling towards her.

"Of course," she said. "It looked really good at the dance, so I figured, why not? Add my own little touch to it."

I shrugged. "Alright."

"This might take a while," she said as I sat down. "Your hair is quite thick. And drying it is always a pain."

"He's picking me up at six," I said, biting my lip.

"I can get it done by then," she said before turning on the drier.

It took about half an hour to dry my hair completely, and as soon as she did, she plucked the curling iron from the dresser. She first ran a brush through my hair before taking a piece by my face and wrapping it around the wand. "How did you and Josh get together anyways?" she asked suddenly.

I shrugged lightly. "I'm not really sure," I replied. "It just happened, I guess."

"Well, you two are all everyone can talk about." She said rather bitterly.

I drew my eyebrows together. "Why?"

"Because," she shrugged. "The new kid and well, the 'mute kid'. You know Sunset."

"Am I really known as the 'mute kid'?" I asked, frowning.

"Well," she said. "Yea. Ever since you quit talking."

I scoffed. "I wonder who started that."

"Who else?" Destiny said.

"Jake," we said at the same time.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I should've known. Jake always has it out for me."

"Actually," she said. "I think he's kinda got a thing for you."

"What?" I laughed crossly.

She laughed softly. "You know in elementary school? That saying that when a boy was mean to you, that means he likes you?"

I nodded, raising my eyebrow.

"I don't think Jake ever got over that phase."

"You cannot be serious!" I exclaimed.

She giggled. "He likes to keep up that 'bad boy' image, so he can't be caught crushing on a non-pop, you know? That's why he's suck a jerk to you."

"Non-pop?" I asked cautiously.

"You know," she answered. "The non-populars. Geeks. Nerds. Goths."

"Mutes?" I scoffed.

From the mirror, I saw her press her lips together. It was a while before she answered. "Yea."

I shrugged it off; I knew I wasn't popular. It was no new news to me. "Why do you think Jake… likes me?"

"He always brings you up in our conversations," she shook her head. "But I don't think he really knows how to show it. He's never really liked a girl before."

"But what about you?" I furrowed my eyebrows and rolled my lips.

She shrugged. "We're nothing serious," she admitted. "He's probably only dating me to get closer to you."

"I don't understand," I said, sighing and leaning back in the chair. "Why would Jake have a crush on me?"

"You're actually quite pretty, Danny."

I frowned and glanced down at my feet. As long as Josh thinks so, I thought. Then I guess I do too.

Sorry it's shorter, but I wanted their date to start the next chapter, so I had to end it here because I didn't know what else to write. Anyways, REVIEW s'il vous plaît, por favor, bitte, per favore, PLEASE! The next chapter might be up soon, but I give no promises. I'm stuck basically until the next big event, so... It's gonna take a while. Seriously. Review. Please.

~Anni12

P.S. If I decided to totally rewrite Forgotten, for those of you who read it before, would you guys read it? It might take some time if I do decide to, though, I gotta warn ya. And for those of you who haven't read it, it was pretty popular, but I think it would be a whole lot better know. And it would actually be about VAMPIRES! Gasp. A story of mine in the right category. It's a miracle. They would all have the same names, same characters, maybe a few added. I think I'd probably change the plot a little, but I've already written a little, and so far it's really good and WAY better than the original. Well, anyways, review or message me and give me your two cents worth.