Part 3: Awkward
"Dad, I can explain."
"Well, I would hope so!" he exclaimed as he took in the disheveled appearance of the two teenagers.
"This is Derek. I told you about him. He's…" Chloe waved her arms at Derek in a dramatic fashion. "And tonight he… you know." She pointed up at the sky and gestured again at Derek. Derek almost outright laughed at the awkward way she was trying to explain to her dad without hurting Derek's feelings.
"Hello, Mr. Saunders. I'm Derek. Chloe was helping me with my change." Chloe's dad, Steve, looked at the two skeptically.
"Hmm… I see. Well, I'll be truthful with you, Derek. I don't know much about…" He waved in Derek's direction. "This… But any friend of Chloe's is welcomed here. I assume you're hungry, so sit down and eat." He waved to the table for them to sit.
"Actually, Dad. I'm going to go upstairs and change real quick." Chloe's cheeks were still red with embarrassment that they had almost been caught in the act of their romantic experience. Derek couldn't help but feel a bit tense and embarrassed himself being left alone with Chloe's dad as she ran upstairs to change.
"So, Derek. You liking the town so far?"
"Uh, yes. Chloe has really helped me feel welcomed here."
"Ah, yes. Chloe can be a bit reserved at first, but once you get to know her she's a sweet girl. I'll be honest, I still don't understand much about her style. But, hey. As long as she's happy." Steve pulled out some plates and put some chicken and rice onto them. Derek was practically salivating at the smell of it. His senses were still sensitive and he couldn't help the drool that began to pool in his mouth. He did his best to hold it back but was eyeing the food with deep hunger. Especially since his other kind of hunger was abruptly disrupted. "I'm glad you both get along. Chloe told me you had some siblings."
"Yes. Simon and I are the same age, but I also have a younger sister named Tori."
"I personally don't have any siblings. Being an only child runs in the family. My wife, though, has a younger sister. I'm sure you will meet her eventually, if you're going to stick around much. She can be… a bit of a handful. Apologies in advance." Derek just nodded and began shoveling the food down instantly. "Oh, wow. You must have quite the appetite. Do you want more?" Derek nodded sheepishly and Steve grabbed the pan to pour more onto Derek's plate.
Chloe came back from upstairs in fluffy pajama pants and a black tank top and her makeup was washed off. Her blonde and red hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and she had a soft smile on her face. "After we eat, you want me to drive you home?"
Derek was about to respond when Steve chimed in. "Why don't I drive? I am sure your family is waiting for you. I can stop by and say thank you to your dad for letting Chloe come over for dinner."
"Dad…" Chloe groaned like a typical teenager that was embarrassed by her dad's actions.
"It won't be so bad. Plus, we are supposed to be having a movie night when I got back, but you weren't here! This'll make up for it." Steve just wanted to be involved in Chloe's life as much as possible. He knew that it was hard for him to be gone so often and for such long periods of time. But, he knew how much it meant to his daughter to take the time to know what was going on in her life and to be around for as many of those moments as possible. And, as much as Chloe was a teenager that didn't want her dad to cramp her style, she loved that he did deep down.
They ate together and then Derek gathered his things and followed Steve and Chloe out to the car. Steve had his own car at home in the garage, while Chloe often kept her car in the driveway or on the street. The garage fit both cars but it was just more convenient for Chloe to keep it outside. Steve usually took a cab of some sort to and from the airport or Chloe would drive him around.
Derek sat in the passenger seat, which felt a little bit weird for him, but he tried not to question when Steve opened the passenger door for him. They listened to some music while Derek gave directions and eventually pulled up to the house.
Kit had been in the living room watching some TV when the car pulled up to his house. Simon and Tori were both in their rooms doing who knows what, and he patiently waited up for his son's return. He jumped up and went to the door so he could wave at Chloe. He had grown fond of her and was glad to see his son making such a wonderful friend. However, when he opened the front door he realized a different car than Chloes had pulled up. Chloe stepped out of the back seat and an older man who had light brown short hair got out of the drivers side.
"Hello! My name is Steve, I'm Chloe's Dad." Kit smiled at the man.
"Hi, my name is Kit." The conversation must have stirred his other children's curiosity because both Tori and Simon began to descend the stairs.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm back in town for a while and thought I would introduce myself." At this point Steve was face to face with Kit. Derek and Chloe standing directly behind him.
"Thanks again, Mr. Saunders."
"Of course. Hope you're okay and it was nice to meet you." Derek slid by Kit so he could head upstairs. Simon and Tori had already been peeking over their dad's shoulder to see who they were talking to. Derek smiled at Chloe and gave a small wave and she blushed and waved back. Simon took notice to the interaction and began to follow his brother upstairs while Kit and Steve continued their cordial conversation.
"Hey, so you let Chloe be there to help you change, but not me? What is your deal lately?" Simon asked in disbelief.
"Why do you care?" Derek asked dismissively.
"Wow, I can't believe you asked me that. I'm your brother and you have been an asshole to me lately."
"You seriously want to do this? Fine. You've been ditching me for whatever friends you've made at school. You haven't even really talked to me about what's been going on at all since we moved here. It was like, after the first day and some pretty girls started talking to you, you became a different person."
"That's not true. It's not my fault that you don't socialize. People think you look grumpy and scary because you are! I don't have to keep holding back on things in life to make you comfortable."
"I never asked you to! You're the one saying that I'm being an asshole because I let someone who's my friend-FYI I had to socialize to be friends with her-help me out."
"So you're going to let some stupid little girlfriend get in between brothers. That's weak, man. She's not even that cute." Simon was absolutely lying at that point. While he definitely wasn't into goth people in general, seeing Chloe without makeup in those pajamas outside his door made him feel jealous that his brother was closer to her than he was.
"You better watch your mouth." Derek growled. "You start talking about Chloe and I will push you out of this room."
Simon was astounded by his brother. He truly felt like this was out of the blue and that he hadn't done anything to deserve this treatment. Sure, he was hanging out with friends more often, but that didn't mean they weren't brothers, that didn't mean he didn't care about him. It hurt him to see that some pretty girl was giving him attention and now this was happening. Simon couldn't help but feel it must be all her fault.
"Look, you were right in the beginning. She's obviously some bad guy who's trying to split us up! She's probably some evil bitch that-" Simon shut up because he felt a fist make impact with his jaw.
Kit had heard the voices increase in volume as he was wrapping up his conversation with Steve. He suddenly heard a loud bang that made everyone jump. Steve looked worried into the house. "Everything okay?" Tori was about to rush up the stairs to see what was happening when Derek hurtled himself down the stairs.
"Oh, you're still here." He looked frantically at Steve, Chloe, and Kit. "I need to go for a walk."
"Now, hold on. You just got here."
"Fuck you!" Simon's voice yelled out from the top of the stairs.
Steve suddenly nodded in understanding. "Boys." He said. After a moment's pause he suddenly asked. "Why don't you let Derek stay over? I know I just brought him over but… it seems that maybe he needs some time to cool off."
Chloe's eyes widened and so did Dereks. They did not expect that at all. "Well…" Kit looked at Derek questioningly. "Do you promise to be back tomorrow, right after school? We need to figure this out." Derek nodded and did his best to hold back the smile on his face. He wasn't expecting that kind of twist.
Derek ends up hopping back into Steve's car and Chloe is smiling in the back seat. "Hey, I know family can be rough. I had a cousin that I used to live with that would just make me so mad… It's just for the night, but if you ever need to get away, you are welcome. Like I said, a friend of Chloe's is always welcome."
"Thank you. Mr. Saunders. My brother Simon was… saying something that I just couldn't deal with. We got into a fight and I… punched him." Derek said sadly. "I didn't mean to… it just happened."
Chloe reached out and held onto his shoulder. "Hey, it'll be okay. I'm sure you guys will figure it out." Derek just shrugged but he bathed in the warmth that filled his body with Chloe's touch. Suddenly he was thrusted back into the memory of them kissing against her back door and Derek blushed. He hoped they would get to the house soon so he could relax on his own.
When they arrived back at the house Steve said, "Alright, let me show you the guest room. No sneaking around, okay?" Derek nodded as Steve sternly eyed him. Steve was an understanding guy. He knew that teenagers were going to be teenagers, but he didn't have to like it or allow it to happen right in front of his eyes. He wasn't home very often so he couldn't always control who Chloe was bringing home, but he trusted her instincts. She's only ever gotten into small amounts of trouble, nothing major. But even he knew to keep them separated.
Derek washed up in the bathroom and Chloe was sitting in the living room reading a book. "Hey." Derek said, standing behind her.
"Hey. You okay?" Derek leaned over and rested his forehead on her shoulder.
"Yeah. I think so." Chloe's face felt hot and she could feel how his soft hair tickled her shoulder. She wasn't sure if she wanted to turn to look at him, or just embrace how wonderful it felt to have him so close to her. "Thank you… for today." Chloe was reminded of the passionate kiss that they had previously and didn't really know what else to say. "I… enjoyed being with you today."
Chloe knew that admitting this was awkward and embarrassing for both of them. But, they really needed to figure it out… eventually. Chloe lifted her hand and ruffled his hair. "I also enjoyed being with you today." She mumbled, feeling very embarrassed and hoped he didn't see just how red her face had become.
Derek then nuzzled his face into her neck, just like he had when he was a wolf and Chloe could feel the heat pooling in her stomach and making her fidget as she was beginning to realize what being turned on felt like. Derek could smell her arousal and did something he didn't think he would ever do. He opened his mouth and softly bit the side of her neck. Chloe jumped and gripped his hair a bit tighter. He moaned into her neck and then lifted his head to see her face.
Chloe was red and surprised, but she wasn't mad at his action. She was happy to know that Derek did in fact have some kind of feeling for her, and she was enjoying the attention he was giving her. The moment felt incredibly intimate. Chloe had only ever had one boyfriend before and that was two years ago. She wasn't accustomed to people being interested in her, especially not someone who was attractive as Derek was. Since she had first met him, his acne had almost completely cleared up, his skin was smooth. His hair had lost the oily texture to it and he smelled…. Nice. He smelled like the forest in her backyard mixed with freshly cut grass. His eyes shone like emeralds, but darker and more earthly like bioluminescent moss.
Derek had never had much interest in girls. He found them distracting and more often then not, annoying. Many of the girls he had interacted with were pushy, mean, and judgemental of others they didn't understand. It felt different with Chloe. He felt like he could be himself with no worries, that he could be honest with her about his life, his struggles and she wouldn't turn away from him like others have. His skin bristled as a chill went down his spine, he could smell how delicious she was. She smelled like pine needles, fresh berries and caramel. The caramel smell was new and he wondered if maybe she had changed her soap. He didn't mind it, it blended together into the perfect auroma and suddenly he realized his member was tented in his sweats. He was bending over the couch to look at Chloe, so he knew she couldn't see it, but he felt self conscious and didn't know how to move forward.
Chloe finally broke the stare, took a quick deep breath and leaned in for a kiss. She closed her eyes as their lips made contact and an overwhelming euphoric wave moved from her lips down to her core. Derek leaned into her and reached a hand to caress her cheek and neck before breaking the moment to take a deep breath. It truly felt like he couldn't get enough air in his lungs, like she had taken all of the oxygen from his body for her own. "I don't think your dad would like to walk in on this." Derek hated that he was ending the exchange but he couldn't help the small voice of rational thought that invaded his mind.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Chloe's lips looked swollen and her eyes glossed over as she looked up at Derek. "Are you going to bed?"
Derek shrugged. "Are you?" he asked.
"No, I think I'll stay up for a little bit, finish this chapter." Derek nodded. He moved to the front of the couch to sit next to Chloe in silence. Chloe read her book and decided to try something out and leaned against Derek. Derek opened up his arm and let her lean against his chest and he got comfortable and they just sat there together. It was incredibly relaxing and more comfortable than Derek had ever imagined it would be. They would often sit together in silence doing their own thing in the coffee shop, but never together like this. Even though Chloe was often alone at home, she hadn't really invited him over much. Nate seemed to stay over every once in a while, but Derek assumed it was different since they were best friends and it wasn't like anything was going to happen. This would be the first time outside of his first change that he was in her house for a long period of time.
Chloe finished up what she had been reading and finally declared it was time to head to bed. Chloe's room was upstairs while the guest bedroom was on the main floor. Chloe smiled and waved as she bounded up the stairs. She was still feeling warm and stimulated as she crawled into her bed. She was restless for a while and realized that she was squirming around do to the ache that was between her legs. With a deep breath to steady her breath she reached down with her hand and began to rub outside of her underwear.
Chloe had never really felt the need to masturbate before. She had been turned on by things, but it was never to an extent that it couldn't fade away with some calming thoughts. This feeling that crawled inside of her refused to go away, so she finally decided her body had worn her down. She needed to climax to be able to relax and sleep.
She was surprised at how sensitive she was. After a small amount of rubbing on her clit over her underwear she could feel her body vibrating. Her underwear felt wet as she continued to rub and her breath went heavy. She closed her eyes and thought about the intense make-out session where she had her legs wrapped around Derek and she moaned out, thinking about grinding her hips against his once again. It wasn't much longer before she had reached her peak and her toes curled as her muscles tightened all over her body and then relaxed just as fast.
She took a moment to catch her breath again and groan at the realization of what she had done. She had only kissed Derek twice and it was driving her crazy! Chloe got out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom to wash her hands. She undressed to put on a new pair of underwear, burying the dirty pair in the middle of her laundry basket, slipping back into bed and falling asleep soundly.
What Chloe didn't realize during her heated moment was that Derek was having a similar issue in the guest room downstairs. He had left his door cracked open; being in a new place felt weird and it was a bit hard to relax. Not to mention that he was still somewhat dealing with the tent in his pants. Thankfully Chloe hadn't seemed to notice when they were laying together on the couch, but he was overly aware of how much everything was affecting him. Just her skin touching his sent him into a pleasurable fog.
Suddenly a scent began to fill his nostrils. Something he could easily recognize as Chloe's arousal wafting in from the hallway. He couldn't help but think of what she could be doing in her room to make the scent so strong and travel so far. He groaned and rolled back and forth trying to ignore it, but eventually it became too much. He pulled down his pants revealing his hard member and his took a deep breath, wafting the scent of Chloe into his senses. He began to stroke himself, thinking of pinning her down on the bed, rolling his hips against hers. He imagined what it would be like to rip her shirt off, pulling her breast out of her bra and sucking and biting at her nipple. He began to drool at the thought of her taste. He would nuzzle his nose down into her core and lap at her center like the dog he was.
Suddenly, faintly, his ears picked up the most delectable sound. If he had normal hearing he wouldn't have caught it, but he could hear Chloe moan out, a pleasurable sound that brought him over the edge. He couldn't believe his ears. Was she really doing what he was doing, only a room above him? His mind went foggy as he imagined what she was doing to herself, how she was pleasuring herself, if only she had moaned out his name.
Derek went still on the bed as his muscles relaxed and he took a few deep, steadying breaths. The relaxation of his body came with a heavy thought, he was falling for Chloe Saunders… he was falling hard.
Halloween was only a few weeks away. Chloe and Nate loved Halloween, they planned their costume months in advance. Originally, their families helped buy fun matching halloween costumes. But, ever since their freshman year in high school, Chloe gifted Nate a sewing machine, and they would go through thrift stores finding clothes and Nate would adjust them to create the best costumes. This year, they were going as ragdolls. Their costumes resembled the 'skin' that was worn in My Life As A Teenage Robot. Nate added some dye to make the mouth part of the face mask a little bit bloody. He sewed it on like a hoodie, so it would easily come off the face/head for school and throughout the day. Nate even spent the night at Chloe's house the day before so they could wake up early and spend the morning getting ready. The end result was magnificent. Chloe would love to be a director some day, or even a screenwriter. If she did, she would hire Nate on the spot for makeup and costume design. It was somewhat of a promise they had made when they were first realizing their passions.
Derek was not a fan of Halloween. For him, it was a reminder that he was a freak. People dressed in werewolf costumes, witches, ghosts. How would that not trigger any supernatural? He hadn't dressed up for Halloween since he was 12 years old. Yet, somehow, he was looking in the mirror, observing his zombie costume; an ironic suggestion from Chloe. He couldn't help but want to make her happy. Halloween was obviously a big enough holiday that even her dad made sure to be in town for it. She was actually throwing a big party for all of their friends and family. It was important that they all be dressed up.
"You look fucking ridiculous." Simon muttered as he played a game on his switch. Ever since he last changed, Simon had been extra angry towards Derek. Any chance he had, Simon belittled him or tried to talk shit. He managed to keep Chloe out of the conversation most of the time, realizing that it was wrong, even if he was being a brat.
Simon had been invited to Chloe's party but he refused. He was going to go to a different party for the popular kids. He didn't have much of a costume, either. He had a headband on with small fluffy bear ears. "Like you're any better." Derek muttered back.
Tori and Kit were going to Chloe's party, as they were all invited as well. Derek went downstairs and saw that his dad was dressed up like a wizard, making Derek roll his eyes. "Original."
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with the classics. There's a costume contest at work today, you think I'll win."
"I hope not." Derek said jokingly and Kit laughed in response. Kit had already set down breakfast plates and he sat down and began to eat. Tori came down and was also dressed as a witch. She had more of a sexy witch vibe, with the short skirt and corset. "Geez, no one has any creativity!"
"You're one to talk. Your girlfriend is a necromancer and you are a zombie?" Tori pointed out.
"She's not my girlfriend." Derek mumbled and went back to eating his food.
"Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that. I have a friend who's going to Chloe's party. Apparently it's actually a pretty big deal. They make their house all haunted and everyone who's not trying to get drunk and do drugs stops by at least once."
Derek knew that Chloe went all out for the party. The past two weeks her and her father had been setting everything up. Derek would occasionally help, but the past 3 days he wasn't allowed over so she could surprise him with the finishing details. Nate was still allowed over, but that was mainly because of their matching costume situation.
Derek felt his phone vibrate and saw a text from Chloe, letting him know she was outside. When he came out he was terrified at the two human sized realistic ragdolls that sat in the car, facing him, black open stares from the fake droopy eyes. He shivered.
"You both look terrifying."
They pulled their hood back and Chloe was smiling brightly. "Thank you!" Her and Nate both exclaimed.
School had gone by rather quickly. Derek was surprised to see that almost every single person was dressed up. Some were extreme and perfect, like Chloe's and Nate's. While others were more simple like his own. He had never really lived in a town where older kids or adults actually cared about dressing up, so it was interesting to feel like he was actually fitting in for once. Simon's costume didn't cut it, though. Seems like none of his new friends had let him know.
"Alright! I'm so glad Halloween is on a Friday. I always prefer having this party on the actual day of." Chloe admitted as they were piling back into the car after school was over. "We just have to stop at the store to grab some snacks and things for the party. Some people show up as early as 6pm with their kids to do the haunted house part that goes through the garage. Then, party people should be there by 8pm. Sadly, my Aunt is already here… but she can only ruin my day if I let her."
Chloe's Aunt Lauren loved her, and she knew that. But they tended to disagree on most things in life, and she was glad her dad was more open to letting her be herself as she grew up. Lauren thought that how she dressed and acted made her look too much like a necromancer to the rest of the world. But, she realized that she wasn't abnormal, that she just had a special gift and decided to embrace it rather than be ashamed of it. She wouldn't have had that confidence if not for her dad, Nate, and Beth. And now, even Derek was helping her find out more, not only about herself but other supernaturals. Nate ended up getting a ride home with his parents, they would show up to the party together.
They stopped at the grocery store and picked up some easy finger foods before driving back to Chloe's house. Derek's jaw dropped as they turned down her street. Other houses around it had casual Halloween decorations, but Chloe's house looks like it was almost rebuilt. The garage had a large black tent-like structure that reached out across the driveway out a foot into the road with orange cones on the side. The front entrance had a constant flashing light directed at it. There were fake spiderwebs all around the structure and it looked to be like pools of blood everywhere along the floor and dripping down the side of the house and the structure. The front lawn was littered with tombstones that had realistic limbs sticking up looking like they were clawing out of their graves. There was one tombstone that had a small speaker behind it so when you walked by it sounded like scratching, as though someone was stuck inside a coffin.
Chloe parked across the street from her house. Derek also noticed a post at the front of the lawn where there was a stone path to the front door.
Take if you dare! Was written on the box structure. It reminded Derek of a neighborhood library. There was a large container of candy that sat at the top. "Oh! Isn't this cool?" Chloe gestured to the box. "When you open in, a handful of candy flows out. So that way no one takes all the candy at once."
"Wow, that's a great idea."
Derek was astonished at the amount of detail and effort that went into the house. "We are also going to keep the haunted house part open all weekend. Since Halloween is on a Friday, it gives everyone time to check it out during the weekend. Once we get the food in, lets walk through the haunted part!"
Derek smiled seeing Chloe so excited. He carried most of the bags, only allowing Chloe to take one as she insisted. She opened the door for him and Derek took in the decorations on the inside. Spiders and bats hung from her ceiling. Webs were all over the fire place and TV. The couch had a fabric cover that looked like it had ants on it. Colorful bowls placed on different tables no doubt for chips or other snacks.
"Chloe…! Oh." A woman with dirty blonde hair rounded the corner from the kitchen, a glass of wine in her hand. "Who are you?" She asked Derek.
"Aunt Lauren, this is Derek." Chloe gestured to Derek. "He's my friend, we gotta set these down." She quickly moved passed her aunt to get to the kitchen. Derek politely nodded towards Chloe's aunt before following behind her. Derek knew that there was somewhat of a tense relationship between Chloe and Aunt Lauren. Chloe made it seem like she wasn't going to approve of him, and that she was quick to judge. He'd like to stay as far away from someone like that as possible. But, he knew he couldn't completely avoid Chloe's family if he planned on sticking around.
"Hey there, Ragdoll!" Steve jumped out at the two of them, making Derek tense and Chloe let out a playful scream and laughed. Steve was dressed up as a vampire, a pretty standard Dracula outfit with fangs and a drop of blood on the side of his cheek. "You like, no?"
Chloe nodded and Derek did the same. "You look great. Why isn't Aunt Lauren dressed?"
"You know her, she wants to be fashionably late even though she's staying here." Steve said and rolled his eyes. "Beth called me. She said that she was going to bring some charms for the house to ward off the ghosts." He murmured to Chloe quietly, but Derek could hear with his sensitive hearing. Chloe just nodded and mumbled a thank you. It was only around 4:30, so there was time to spare before they started to make and set up food. Chloe pulled Derek back outside so they could go through the haunted house part of the decorations.
Derek's heart was going a mile a minute. He wasn't the type to be interested in scary things. He already knew that supernaturals existed, he didn't need this extra stuff. Chloe held onto his arm with her hand and guided him in. They turned and a robot clown head jumped out from the side of the wall and chainsaw noises echoed through the makeshift hallway. Derek jumped, his arm slid up and pulled Chloe's hand into his own, making Chloe giggle. "I thought you were a big scary wolf, not a scaredy cat!" She teased. Derek just grunted and tried his best to calm his fast beating heart.
There must have bin a sensor because a few steps after the clown head, a fog machine burst with fog, filling up the hallway. Another turn and dreadful music began to slowly increase in sound with every step. Derek's hair was on end when a mannequin hand shot out from a compartment low to the ground, touching his foot and leg, making him trip. This time, Derek screamed and squeezed Chloe's hand.
Chloe did her best not to wince at the tightness of her hand; she was enjoying seeing Derek scared and somewhat vulnerable. Plus, this was one of her favorite parts of Halloween, seeing people scared! Another hand shot out immediately but on her side instead of his. She jumped a little, trying to seem more scared than she was to make Derek feel a little bit better about it.
The lights were dim inside of the structure, and as they continued walking Derek could hear a dripping sound. A few drops landed on his head and he went to wipe it away, worried it was maybe raining and leaking through the tarp that acted as the ceiling. Instead he saw red cover his hand, they had made fake blood drip through the ceiling. Not as bad of a jump scare, but Derek could appreciate the ambiance. By Derek's calculation of the space there were only two more turns to take before it shot you out to the side and you would end up on the lawn. They had entered the inside of the actual garage.
"I'm always watching…." a creepy voice whispered from a hidden speaker. It repeated over and over again melodically. Derek attempted to look around to try and see what was going to jump out at him next, but it was futile. Two fake arm attempted to wrap around him from behind, Derek yelped and jumped into the air and Chloe was launched forward and fell to her knees.
"Oh shit! Are you okay?" Derek knelt down next to her and pulled her up.
"Yeah. Haha. I'm okay. I think I just scraped my knee."
"Lets get out of here."
Chloe followed Derek to the exit. Another flashing light that was flashing in their eyes was inside of the hallway next to the exit and Derek pulled Chloe through it. The whole time she was doing her best not to giggle too loudly.
"Ohmygod, what happened!" Chloe heard from the front door. She looked down and saw her costume tore, a very small tear, at her knee.
"Oh, I just fell-"
"What did he do to you?" Aunt Lauren question, looking pointedly at Derek and back to Chloe.
"Aunt Lauren, nothing happened I-"
"I told your father a werewolf would be no good for you. He's already pushing you around at your own house, who knows what he would do somewhere else."
"Aunt Lauren, you are being dramatic. I fell and my costume tore just a little bit."
Lauren tisked, humphed and walked back towards the house. She didn't even look back. "Sorry about that."
"Everything happened so fast I didn't even realize what was happening." Derek said honestly.
"Well, let's hope she's not like that the entire night. So, how'd you like it?" Chloe asked with a smile.
"Let's never go back there." Derek mumbled, causing Chloe to outright laugh.
Once the sun was starting to set, people began to line up for the haunted house outside and Derek and Chloe were doing the finishing touches for the party. Chloe also went out to refill the candy container as there had been many kids and families taking from it as the night began. Nate and his parents were the first to show up. They all began to take pictures of Chloe and Nate in their costumes and Derek was also in a few of those pictures. Next up was Kit and Tori as well as a couple of Tori's friends. Music was playing at a medium volume in the background. Everyone was talking and eating.
The doorbell rang and Chloe went to open it. There was an elderly woman. She had long black hair that matched her black cane. She looked like a very sweet old lady you'd see in the park feeding birds. Derek couldn't help but chuckle as she was in a Waldo costume, with the matching beanie to go with it. Chloe waved her over to Derek. "Hey, this is Beth. Beth, this is Derek."
"It's nice to finally meet you." Beth reached out her hand and Derek took hold of it. Beth suddenly gripped hard, yanking him closer and put her other hand on top of his.
"Hmmm…" Beth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay." She said with a soft smile and let him go. "You have a good heart in you. Don't be afraid to use it." She smirked. "I'm going to get myself a drink!" She wobbled away, leaving Chloe and Derek. The house was beginning to fill up, and more and more people began showing up. People were talking, eating, just lounging around the house.
"Do you want to sit with me in the back for a bit?" Chloe asked Derek. Derek nodded and began to follow her outside.
They had stolen kisses from each other here and there throughout the past few weeks. Nothing had gotten quite as heated as it did the day he changed, but part of that was because Derek was holding back. Something inside of him was urging to crawl out of his skin and dominate Chloe, take her as his. But, he still felt insecure about whether or not Chloe was falling for him just as deeply as he had already fallen for her.
They exited through the backdoor. Some people Derek didn't really recognize were sitting out there to the left, Chloe grabbed some chairs and had them sitting on the right side of the door, looking out to the sky and forest. "I hope you are having a good time."
"I am." Derek wasn't someone who participated in large social gatherings, but he had found himself comfortable and happy. He enjoyed being around people that cared for one another. He was especially giddy about how much time he was spending with Chloe.
Chloe felt nervous. This was her favorite night of the year, and she loved to go all out. With Derek there, it almost felt like the best Halloween she ever had. Not only was everyone dressed up and enjoying themselves, but someone that she liked was there, sitting with her, dressed as a zombie of all things! She reached her hand out and grabbed Dereks. His hands were rough, no doubt from playing basketball in his free time. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he responded leaning his head against hers.
It was such a comfortable and beautiful moment. Nothing could bother them, nothing could make it not as wonderful as they experienced it to be. The others outside were as good as gone, because all Derek could think about was how soft Chloe's lips looked. About how her hair was pulled back into a tight braid so it could easily fit into her hood without being seen. He thought about how her laugh vibrated through his body like he was standing next to a church bell. He was content, happy. He reached out with his open hand to turn her head and closed the gap to land a soft, loving kiss. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb and held tightly to her hand in his.
"Chloe?" a desperate Nate came bounding out the back door. "Oh, shit. I am so sorry." Nate was there, next to them. Chloe jumped a bit, having forgotten the rest of the world even existed. She looked up at Nate, her face saying 'this better be important.' "Something happening."
Chloe stood and followed Nate inside, Derek was also trailing them. Everyone had gathered towards the front of the house where they could hear some shouting and laughter. Chloe pushed through the crowd to get out of her front door and Simon as well as a few of his friends were throwing toilet paper into the trees on the sidewalk.
"Hey! What are you doing!?" Chloe yelled and rushed out into the lawn. Nate tried to grab her to stop her but was too slow. Derek saw his brother and couldn't help the red anger filling his blood. "Get the fuck out of here!" Chloe was face to face with one of the guys, someone Derek recognized as the person who often picked Simon for school. She was obviously angry, and it was an anger that Derek had never really seen before. "You better get the fuck off my lawn." She yelled at the guy.
"Oh, yeah? What are you going to do about it?" He smirked at her, teetering over.
"Ugh, you guys are drunk, aren't you? I thought you were better than this, Peter." Derek was surprised, he hadn't realized Chloe knew him.
Derek stood back, but kept an eye on the interaction, when he suddenly heard a crash. Everyone looked over to see Simon and the other friend were kicking at the haunted house display which had been covered in toilet paper. "Fuck Halloween!" They cheered.
Derek jogged over and pushed Simon. "What do you think you're doing? Do you have any idea how hard they worked on this?"
"Oh, c'mon. We are just having some fun."
"Okay, what's going on here?" Steve had made his way through the crowd along with Kit.
"Simon?" Kit questioned, eyeing his son. "What do you think you are doing?"
"I'm trying to make this dumb party a little bit more fun!" He exclaimed. "But, big wolfy boy Derek isn't letting me." Simon pushed Derek back. "Why don't you just let your goth bitch do all the work for you, huh? Seems like she can fight her own battles."
"Yeah, Chloe. Are you gonna just run to your new boyfriend? Or to your rich daddy? Or… do you just miss sucking this-" He didn't get to finish his slurred sentence because Chloe nailed a hook right into Peter's jaw. There was an audible gasp from the crowd of people watching from the house.
"Hey, you can't hit my friend you cu-" Having been fueled with adrenaline, anger, and something possessive deep within him, Derek also hit Simon. He flew back and landed on his ass in the grass. Simons other friend jumped on Derek's back and Derek grabbed his arms, throwing him above him into the yard, next to Simon. He was about to kneel down and land another blow when Kit went behind him and grabbed his arms, pulling him back. He looked around, worried that the Peter guy may have retaliated at Chloe. He almost laughed seeing her being pulled back by her own father and her aunt.
Chloe had seen red when Peter showed up. Peter and Chloe had dated briefly when they had started high school. When Chloe wouldn't go past a small peck on the lips, Peter broke up with her and tried to tell everyone that she sucked his dick, that she was some weird horny goth chick. The rumor didn't stick for very long, most people actually didn't care. Chloe always did her best to just avoid Peter all together, because everytime they crossed paths he wanted to torment her. After punching him in the face, she kicked his leg which got him onto his knees. He groaned in pain and she just kept kicking. "Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me." Each word emphasized with a kick. She suddenly felt comforting arms around her and looked up to see her father pulling her back. Aunt Lauren ran up, helping her father in comforting Chloe and getting her to stop.
"It's not very lady-like to fight."
"Are you fucking serious, Aunt Lauren?" Chloe shouted at her. She pulled herself from her fathers arms and ran inside. Derek watched as she sprinted away from her family and looked back at Kit.
"I'm calm now, but let me just go see if she's okay." Kit nodded and let Derek go.
"Be careful, I'm going to take your brother home." Kit sighed as he pulled up his drunk son from the grass. Steve walked over to him to help. "I'm sorry that Simon ruined the party." Kit admitted.
Steve shook his head. "Don't worry about it. We have this party every year, there was bound to be some excitement at some point. Let me know if you need anything. I'll drive Tori and Derek home later if you want."
Kit nodded. "For a normie, you're not half bad."
"You're not bad of a wizard yourself." They chuckled and laid Simon into the backseat of Kits car. Steve returned to the party, getting everybody to move back inside and continue on with the party. There was still some time to have some fun. Once everyone seemed to be okay with moving on, he directed his attention to the two other boys laying on his lawn.
He was appalled by their behavior. To think that Chloe once dated Peter always made Steve a little angry. He didn't know much about what happened, but knew that Peter had made his daughter feel uncomfortable. He pulled out his phone and called up Peter's father.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Hi Dave, this is Steve Saunders, Chloe's Dad."
"Oh, Steve. I haven't heard from you in a while. Whats up?"
"So, I don't know if you know this. But your son, Peter. He's currently on my front lawn drunk. He came here, TPed the house and insulted my daughter in front of her party. I don't know if your in town, but I have it in my mind I should just call the police to escort him and his friend off my property."
"This fucking kid. I'll come around and pick him up now. I'm sorry he did that Steve, this will never happen again."
"It better not, because this is a courtesy call. There won't be another one." He hung up the phone. "Alright boys, sit on the curb." Both of the were groaning in pain and attempted to stand up. "I called your dad, Peter. He's coming to get you."
"You what?!" Peter yelled. He would have moved towards Steve if he wasn't so sore all over his body from Chloe kicking him. "You're bitch ass daughter is the one who kicked me!"
Steve moved close to the boy's face, gripped his shirt in his fist and said, "If you ever utter my daughters name again, I will personally curb stomp you on this very street, do you understand? You better be grateful I called your father and not the police. Now fucking sit on that curb and wait."
Meanwhile, Chloe had run through the house and out to the woods, tears falling down her face. She could hear the worried murmurs of the usual ghosts in the woods, but tried to ignore them. Suddenly a hand gripped her shoulder, stopping her from running and she turned around to see Derek, looking like a very concerned zombie and she choked out a laugh. Derek grimaced.
Chloe pulled Derek into a hug and he wrapped his arms around her. She cried without saying much at all. Suddenly, Derek stiffened. He hadn't done much besides hugging her at first, but then he began to stroke her hair. "Hey, just calm down for a second." Chloe realized why he had gone tense. Something was scratching at their legs. Chloe look down and another sob was wrenched from her chest as a slightly decomposed squirrel was trying to climb up her leg. Derek tried to stop her from looking or kneeling down but she just shook her head. She knelt down, patted the squirrel on the head and then released its soul. She covered the squirrel with the fallen leaves that scattered the floor and decided to move to another spot. She sat down on the damp earth and he sat next to her, arm around her waist.
"I'm sorry for my brother."
"He's fine. It's Peter that I hate."
"What… happened? How do you even know that guy."
Chloe wiped at her face and let out a big sigh. "He's… the only boyfriend I've ever had. Things ended badly and he spread rumors about me… He does anything he can to try to get on my nerves. Usually it doesn't bother me but we were just having such a good moment and…" Derek nodded in understanding.
"Honestly, I didn't know you could be like that." Derek admitted.
Chloe's shoulders slumped. "I'm usually not… When I was younger I used to be angry and scared all the time because of what I was seeing. It took a long time and a lot of work to be able to be calm or try to tell what's real and what's not." Derek remembered seeing the ghosts when they were at the cemetery. They looked like perfectly normal people. Some of them were showing some wounds or maybe a sign of a disease, but that wouldn't determine whether or not that person was actually alive or not. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like. "The pendant helped for a long time… until it didn't. I had to learn it all over again. Sometimes there's something inside of me that is trying so hard to get out. Something that I feel like I can't control."
Derek swallowed. "I know that feeling." He nuzzled his face into her hair for a moment and took a big whiff, her scent calming him. "When I'm a wolf it feels like I'm the same and different. It feels so good. But… When I'm not, it's like there is a battle inside of me for control, and I worry that the wolf is like a separate… thing. It has wants and needs and it is trying to take over to get those things, and I have to push it down.
"That first time I changed, it was exhilarating. Its so hard to talk about it because, who would even know what that feels like? To have fur all over your body, to have a different way of seeing and smelling and hearing. It can be overwhelming and somewhat embarrassing." Derek was suddenly struck with the memory of him touching himself after being overwhelmed by her smells and he hid his face in Chloe's hair to hide the red tint to his face.
"Thank you for trying to help." Chloe said. "I know its going to be hard with your brother, and I don't want to get in between-"
"You don't have to worry about that. Ever. I can deal with Simon. He's just being an ass because he's not the center of attention all the time. I might give Tori a lot of shit for her attitude, but I'm starting to realize they are kind of the same."
Chloe laughed, and Derek's heart felt warm. Their moment earlier had been interrupted, but somehow this just felt more complete. They sad in the cold for a bit longer, just enjoying each others company before having to head back to the crazy world that was inside of her house. Derek had never felt so happy in his life, and he never wanted this to go away.
"Chloe, will you be my girlfriend?"