Anna Begins [Paul Lahote]

Chapter Eighteen

Anna

Wednesday at school, I was expecting Felicity to act normal. We'd successfully moved on after our little heart to heart at game night, and I'd tried to make it clear that what I wanted more than anything was to stop making a big deal out of everything. But she was acting rather...shifty.

At lunch, I tried to smooth it over. "You know I'm not mad at you, right?"

Her eyes were surprised as they finally met mine—glancing up from her sandwich for the first time since we sat down. "Yes. We talked yesterday. Are you okay?"

The weight that had been bearing down on my chest all day shifted. Maybe I was reading her all wrong? "You seem off. I figured it was because..."

She shook her head as my words trailed off. "Oh! No. I'm so sorry. I don't mean to make you feel like you've done anything wrong. I just have a lot on my mind, and it's kind of a heavy situation, and I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it a whole lot yet, so my brain is kind of going in circles. But it is not your fault at all! It has nothing to do with you—well. I guess that's technically not true. But now I'm saying too much. I'm sorry."

I was getting used to Felicity's nervous ramblings, but this one was more confusing than most. "It's not about our misunderstanding?"

"No," she said firmly.

"But it has to do with me?"

She paused. Fidgeted a little. "Indirectly?"

My chest felt heavy again. How had I messed up this time? "Is Paul mad at me?"

Now Felicity blanched, rushing to reassure me, "Of course not! I don't think he even knows how to be angry with you."

My shoulders slumped. With every answer she gave, I only got more unsure. "Just tell me what the problem is, please." My voice was weak. "I don't think whatever it actually is could be as bad as I'm feeling like it is right now."

"Paul's supposed to tell you." She bit her lip. "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind me easing your worry...the pack had a meeting last night. There was some news about...something. And tentative plans about that something were made. Paul is going to explain everything to you when he gets the chance, so I'm supposed to keep mum since I'll likely botch it—which I clearly would if this conversation is any indication."

Her words slowly clicked into place in my brain. A pack meeting. Last night. News...probably about those Cullens they'd been going on about before. And there was a situation Paul needed to explain. I noticed that was very much like Paul—handling things so that I could get through them comfortably. It made sense he would try to soften whatever this blow was for me as well.

And so instead of pressing for more information, I simply nodded. "Are you okay, though? Like I said, you seem off. Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

Felicity smiled. "I'll be alright. I just worry. This kind of stuff makes me nervous. I'm ready for this particular thing to be over."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but I got the point. "Let me know if you need anything from me." I wanted to reciprocate the support she was giving me—I didn't want her to regret choosing me as a friend because she coddled me all the time while I paid no mind to her feelings.

Leaning over, Felicity gave me a light hug. "You're the best."

After that, our interactions for the rest of the day were more normal. Felicity clearly had something on her mind, but she wasn't so stuck in her head that I was worried for her.

And even later, when Alex and I waited in the apartment for our parents to get home for dinner, there was a knock on the door.

Since I'd been expecting some sort of contact from Paul today, I was not surprised when I opened the door to find him on the other side.