The Tormented

Part 38

When the semester started again I was relieved to see Ellie alive and well. Sort of. After the karaoke Ellie tried to find me but when she came up empty she thought I went home. She called for a cab and got out of the party way before anything happened and to her knowledge nothing weird did happen. She had to hear it from the news that the annual Huntsmen and Gaming society's clubhouse had been burnt down due to bad wiring on the tree ornaments causing it to spark and catch fire. Nice cover up.

She was mourning the loss of her lover Carter, which was hard for me to be sympathetic about but my hunch said she didn't even notice as I helped her drown her sorrows by partying till mid semester. The Factory became like a second home, I knew the staff by name and they knew my favourite drink. We lost ourselves in the smoky room, swaying our bodies to the beat of the music and the strobe light was the master of our heartbeat. Sobriety was unwelcome to my senses.

To top it off Desmond fixed me up with a warm meal every week which I did not protest. On occasion he agreed to stay as per my invitation and we would watch movies and just hang. It was liberating to have a friend like him, slightly older and not driven by sex like all the guys at campus. He was like a third big brother to me. And to my relief, he did not mention a word about werewolves or what was happening in any of the packs.

I had decided to avoid going to the pool till my stitches healed. I did crave for some sort of exercise but as the exit examination came crawling closer the only exercise I got was logging books to the library to avoid Ellie and her newest concur. My sex drive however had died down completely. I was certain my pussy had closed shop forever as I did not find the slighted need to find myself a leech to keep my bed warm all spring. Unlike everyone else around me who were getting hot and heavy with each other, including my sister.

I had completely forgotten that springtime was when wolves went in heat and that's when there was a chance, a very high chance, to conceive pups. I was happy for her of course. She told me in a letter that her and Royce had been practising all year. Ick! Too much information. And were one of the first ones to announce the pregnancy in their circle of friends. Knowing my sister she was planning on making her baby shower just as spectacular as her mating ceremony had been.

Having just enough time to graduate before the baby was due I reluctantly agreed to help her out with the baby shower. Helping her meant I would have to go back to Crescent Valley which I was not looking forward to. I had completely blocked out Auryn and not given him a single thought all spring, but now I could not ignore him any more. Memories and emotions came flooding back that had me shivering. Damn it.

The morning of the exam, I rolled out of bed in which I had not slept a wink. Books came off me flying as the alarm buzzed and I rushed to the bathroom for a quick sink bath. My hair was in knots, I was wearing only a towel and panties when I busted into Ellie's room waking up the swamp monster that was occupying her bed. With a brush still in my hand I gave Ellie a minty wake up call.

"Get up you losers, we are going to be late." The guy bounced to life and started to gather his things. His hair was in a similar state as mine and his skin was stamped with love bites. He was holding the bundle of clothes in front of his morning wood eyeing my form up and down. When his eyes met mine I shook my head with a grin. "Ain't nothing there for you, puppy, now scram!"

"Call me." The man whispered as he passed me. He made a phone sign with his fingers and winked at me. Really classy. His latest score was still laying in bed smelling like him and he was already moving on to the next one. Ugh.

"Girl you better stop shouting. I'm dying." The fact that I remembered her coming in only a few hours ago piss-faced drunk was hilarious to me which I would punish her for later. But now I needed to drag my best friend's sorry ass out of bed and into hungover rehab, stat.

"Well, hate me later, but you're gonna be dead. As in drop dead if we don't make it to the exam hall on time." Like the good friend I was, I started to pull fresh clothes out of her closet and laid them on her bed. "I will personally make sure of that."

"Oh shit!"

"Oh shit is right. If you make it out of the shower in five minutes, the coffee is on me." With that she bounced up and stole my towel rushing to the bathroom. I spat my toothpaste in the kitchen sink and got dressed myself. Plaid skirt, knee high socks and tube crop top. Feeling slightly exposed I dropped to my knees and dug deep in my closet for a cover. My hand landed on a hoodie I had tucked away just like I had done to my feelings.

My fingers skimmed over the smooth fabric. Pressing it against my cheek I felt every fibre smoothly tickle my skin. His scent was long gone, but opening my memory prison I could easily recall the smoky smell of smouldering oak. A pang of guilt hit me with the memory of how I had treated him last time I saw him. Auryn was an asshole but he did not deserve my outburst. As I put his hoodie over my shoulders I made a promise to myself to visit him when I went back to Crescent Valley for the baby shower. At least I wanted to apologise and tell him there was no bad blood between us.

"Hey Bea! Wake up! What are you daydreaming about? Let's go!" Ellie's voice chimed in the room. I quickly shoved my feet in my sneakers, grabbed my bag and pulled my hair in a desperate messy bun. Yesterday's smoky eyes would have to do as I got no time for a touch-up. My wallet lighter and tummies full of mocha, both Ellie and I were patiently waiting for the exam to start.

I looked around and saw countless nervous faces. Everyone was shuffling in their seats, fiddling with pencils or saying a prayer to whatever deity they happened to be worshipping. As the final paper was placed on the desk in front of me, I stretched my back, bit my lip and exhaled feeling ready.

"Good luck, bitch."

"See you on the other side."