Valor | Marcel Gerard

Chapter 8

Road trips could be fun.

She realized she enjoyed being a 'passenger princess.' Since she couldn't drive, Hayley suggested Jackson and Oliver accompany her.

And these two got along with her very well.

At first, Jackson hadn't been all that warm when it came to her jokes, but Oliver returned them just as quickly as she shot them out, until at last, Jackson couldn't help but laugh.

"So you're telling me you think driving is easy but you've never played Mario Kart?" asked Oliver. "What, have you been living under a rock?"

"Hey, at least it's because rocks are heavy and not because I was a stuck as a lovable stray. What do they call that, a furry?"

Jackson almost swerved off the road when he snorted. "Please stop."

Oliver stared up at the car's roof. "Is this what I've been reduced to? A furry? Well, I guess that's not as bad as a mud puppet."

"That's actually a much sweeter term than golem, honestly."

"So you're telling me that when someone jumps into the tar pit that is your daddy, it's just... poof, everyone forgets them except you?"

"That was how it worked, at least, I don't know if it'll always be the case. Since I was tossed in, I don't know how much of the world forgot me. If my brother did or if he'll still remember me."

Jackson shrugged. "If you could remember everyone else tossed in, I bet he'll remember you. It's hard to forget annoying younger siblings." He ruffled Oliver's hair, and the wolf whined.

"Quit that," said Oliver. "My hair can only be messy on certain occasions." He winked at Andra through the rearview mirror. "Wanna know which ones?"

"Oh, I think I can figure that out myself," said Andra sweetly. "Why do you think I only wear a ponytail on special occasions?"

"Please don't say it," urged Jackson when he saw the malicious glint in Oliver's eyes.

Oliver smirked. "Yeehaw, am I right?"

"See, he gets it!" said Andra happily.

"It's not that I don't get it, it's that you two are ridiculous," said Jackson. "It's almost like you want me to crash into every car we pass by."

Andra grinned. "I've never been in a car crash before." She leaned over Oliver's seat, "Want to help me have my first experience?"

Oliver laughed, shaking his head and reaching out to keep the wheel steady as Jackson put both hands on his face, trying to hide a smile.

"Aw, come on," said Andra, patting his head. "Don't you want to help me cross a few things off my bucket list? One of them may or may not include messing with people's hair..."

Oliver snickered, "No, this one likes one woman and one woman only."

Andra sighed. "Ah, yeah, Hayley's a lucky woman. Genuine question, don't take offense, but isn't it weird that you loved her before you even met her?"

Jackson didn't seem offended, which was good. "I don't know, I guess I just liked the idea of uniting the pack, of having a soulmate. Andrea was everything I wanted because she sounded so perfect, this fantasy I clung to as a kid and some hope I latched onto when we were suffering and I was waiting for the day that we could be free. And then she shows up being everything and more... it just about broke me."

"Okay, so weird it is," said Andra.

"That's what I said," Oliver whispered. "You know I want you to be happy Jack, I really do, but everyone and their mother can see that Elijah Mikaelson is head over heels for her. I think you gotta try to move on. She sees you as a friend, as family. Not as a guy she wants to date."