My Best Friend was a Werewolf

Chapter 8: Meeting the Parents Wasn't so Bad

Campus was beautiful during the spring. The grass was green across the quadrangle that sat snug between gray sidewalks and brick buildings. There were flowering trees adorning the walkways and freshly planted petunias in plots of brown dirt. I was amongst the sea of people walking on the sidewalk. My philosophy lecture had just ended and I was done with classes for the day. I was checking my messages and emails on my phone as my feet carried me in the direction of the parking garage.

I could tell the crowd was thinning out after drifting farther and farther away from the auditorium exit. I shoved my phone in my back pocket and continued walking on. I had several assignments on my mental to-do list and I was double checking that list in my mind. All my troubles seemed to be revolving around normal college life. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the loud clearing of a throat, the kind that was begging for attention.

Axel was sitting on one of the campus's metal benches. He was all alone, taking up the whole bench with his arm draped over the back. He had a look of amusement on his face that scared me about what I was surely about to get into.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I came to a stop. I crossed my arms and waited for his answer.

"I have as much business here as you do," Axel said as he rose to his feet. "I am a student. I'm just not...currently enrolled in any of the courses this spring. My bachelor's degree is still in progress though."

I nodded my head once. "Then I'll ask again."

"Today is façade day," Axel said.

"Am I supposed to know what that means?" I asked.

"Surely you understand what the word, façade, means after years of college education," Axel said.

"What makes today special?" I questioned.

"Our parents are visiting," Axel finally revealed. "Which means me and Carver are pretending to be normal, boring college students for the day and how ever long they intend to stick around."

"Oh," I said.

I hadn't spoken to Carver since Chase's anger management lesson. Every time I thought about sending a text, I couldn't manage to come up with one that didn't question him about Axel's words. I decided that it was better to leave things as they were, considering I knew he wouldn't want to talk about it.

Axel nodded. "I was thinking we could spice things up this time. When they visited last month, they kept pressing Carver. My mother seems to think he's depressed or has some other magnitude of mental anguish. Maybe he does, but regardless, we don't need her trying to get involved in things now. That's the last thing Carver needs."

I let out a sigh. "I really doubt I could help anything."

"Really?" Axel asked with shock in his voice. "Because I'm pretty sure you could help everything."

"I have lots of assignments," I said quickly, hoping it was a valid enough excuse. I started walking off towards the parking garage again.

"It's a Friday," Axel said. He was walking right alongside me, unrelentingly.

"I can't help you, Axel," I said quickly and quietly.

"I'm not really giving you a choice," Axel said lowly. His tone drug my eyes to look at him and then I felt his hand on my arm, pulling me along.

My eyes widened when I saw Carver walking with two older people. He was nodding along to something that the man was saying and I could tell there was a forced smile plastered on his face. All their attention was captured by Axel as he called out to them. Carver's eyes locked with mine and I swore I saw a look of complete terror in them.