My Girlfriend Bites (Young Adult Paranormal Werewolf Romance)

Chapter 10

Aiden

Excited, Issy rushes up the stairs and bumps into kids as he moves down the middle of the aisle. My wingman drops next to me, and the bus moans forward with the sulfur-egg scent of diesel.

“Do you know what my dad told me this morning?” Issy asks.

Huh? Damn. It’s like what…eight in the morning? My sleepy brain doesn’t even want to consider questions at this time. I grunt a reply.

“He’s taking me this weekend to pick out a car.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? That’s all you can say? ‘Oh.’ I’m getting a car? Our days of traveling in this yellow motorized box are numbered.”

“That’s awesome news. It really is.”

Issy sags. “Guess you don’t need a ride from your wingman since you already have a girlfriend for a chauffeur.”

I wipe my face. “Bree’s not my girlfriend. I think we need to go on a real date to make that sentence true.”

“So ask her.”

I hesitate. “For a real date?”

“Absolutely.”

“Do you think this weekend’s too soon?” I ask.

“Hell no, you have to seize the day. Go all-in. Play for all the marbles. Go with the flow. Take the hill. Shoot all your bullets…I’ve run out of clichés. But you know what I’m saying.”

The engine coughs and wheezes like an old man. Our bus needs to be retired. It’s going to fall apart one day, and I hope I’m not on it when it does.

“Thinking about taking her out to dinner and maybe a movie or…?”

“Dinner and something else,” Issy says. “Everyone does a movie. You need to do something different. Unexpected. Something that’ll surprise Bree and show her how awesome you are.”

“I could take her to the zoo.”

Issy tilts his head to the side. “The zoo?”

“Yeah, they have HalloZoowen all this week. At night, they put up cool lights all over the place, and people dress up in Halloween costumes. My parents took me to one when I was little, and it was fun. That’ll be something different.”

“Girls like plays and musicals, crap like that,” Issy says. “When I think different, I don’t think zoo.”

“But it would be dark, and we would be alone.”

Issy perks up. “I like where this is going. It’s dark outside and maybe scary. Hold on…when a girl gets scared they want you to hold on to them. Yes! I’m liking this zoo idea now.”

“Yeah?”

“Scary Halloween stuff. A dark night. She’ll be holding on to you. This is good. This is very good. Oh, you know what you should do? Make the zoo a surprise. Ask her out to dinner and tell her the next part of the date is a surprise, somewhere special. Girls eat that up. When are you asking her?”

“At lunch. We’re studying for an algebra quiz,” I say.

“Fantastic. Think of it. This weekend I will have my first car and you will have your first girlfriend.” Issy waits for a fist-bump.

I thump it. This will be an amazing weekend.

Bree and I get lucky and nab a corner table at the tiny fast-food beef place that’s shoved into a large strip mall near school. Bree pays for a triple roast beef sandwich combo and gives me her deliciously-greasy fries. That way I can buy a three-dollar sandwich and a courtesy water to create the poor student combo.

We crack open the algebra books, and go over some problems that might be on the quiz today. We sit close together. Every breath tastes like honeysuckle and reminds me how close she is. We finish our cram session as lunch time disappears, along with my chance to ask Bree out. I take in a deep breath…

“So…what are you doing this weekend?”

Bree finishes her sandwich. “My parents want to go camping.”

Damn. That means she’s busy. No, wait. Better make sure.

“And you’re going with them?” I ask.

“Oh yeah, it’s so fun.” Bree lights up. “The nights are super beautiful. Sleeping under the stars and the moon. It’s the best thing in the world. You feel so alive.”

Guess this date isn’t happening. I slurp up the last of my grape soda to sooth my rejection.

Bree studies my face. “But I don’t have to go. Why?”

“Oh…um…I wanted to…ask you out. Like, on a date?”

Bree tenses up like a skeleton. She only wants to be friends. I knew it. Damn, I knew it. I’m done. Steak-so-burnt-you-feed-it-to-your-dog done. She’s about to freak out.

“Don’t worry about it. Forget I said anything.” I glance at the door with the red EXIT sign glowing above it.

“Aiden, don’t apologize.” Bree softens. “I’m flattered.”

“But you only want to be friends.” The oldest rejection said to losers like me for centuries.

“It’s not like that at all.” Bree hesitates. “You’ll have to meet my parents first before you can ask me out. They have to give their permission.” Bree closes her eyes and sighs. “My dad is super strict about who I can hang with. In fact, I shouldn’t have gone to the mall with you the other day. And I shouldn’t be giving you rides home.” Bree sighs again. “Piss on the sun.”

Piss on the what?

“I’ll have to tell Dad about you,” Bree says.

“How super strict is he? Your dad isn’t, like, serial-killer violent, is he?”

Bree hesitates.

What? Does that mean yes?

“When I drove you home that first day, I should have told my dad. That’s my bad.” Bree leans back and runs her fingers through her hair. “Which means I should tell my parents about you. I need to call Mom first. She’ll be receptive and help me out with Dad. Does five o’clock work for you?”

“What happens at five o’clock?” I ask.

“I’ll pick you up then so you can have dinner with me and my parents tonight.”