Fire and Ice

Eight: Corey

The bruises never got any better.

Every morning at around the same time - just before I left for school - a new bruise arose on my skin near on my abs or ribs.

I frowned, trying to search desperately through my mind where these bruises came from. I was that lost in thought that I yelped when my phone began ringing.

Lucinda.

I picked it up in a heartbeat and answered it.

"Sup," I said, still poking and prodding at the newly formed bruise on my ribs.

"Hey," she chirped. "Are you um... are you able to get out this afternoon? I want to talk about your bruise situation."

I froze.

"My pack will kill me if they find out I'm with you outside school hours," I hissed down the line.

"You're a werewolf for crying out loud, lie to them and hide your scent," she said with a deadpanned tone.

I swallowed hard. "U-um... where do you propose we meet?" I looked outside to see the sun settling down further into the ground, ready to fall asleep and awaken on the other side of the world.

"I don't know... the corner cafe? Where we have lunch? Or even at the mall, it's late night tonight," Lucinda proposed.

"Mall sounds great. See you in twenty?"

"See you in twenty," she affirmed before hanging up. I let out an uneasy breath before slipping on a shirt and lacing up my Vans before heading out of my room with my keys, wallet and phone.

"Going out?" Dad quizzed. I turned around to see Dad exiting his own room.

"Late night with a few girls from school," I lied promisingly. Dad's nose twitched in disgust.

"I doubt Alpha would like that," he growled lowly.

I shrugged. "He accepted in me going to that school which in turn means he accepts me in making human friends. I won't be home too late, I promise."

Dad hummed a response before he walked the opposite direction to the theater room. I took the opportunity to leave.

I didn't even get to say 'hi'.

"Right, we're going to pretend we're shopping for a dress so I can see these bruises," Lucinda told me.

I rose my eyebrows. "Hi to you too, lovely."

"Oh, yeah, hi," she rushed, giving me one of the quickest hugs ever before grabbing my wrist and dragging me toward Victoria Secret.

"Um, we're shopping for lingerie now?" I asked confused.

"You buy dresses here too, right?"

I burst out laughing. "Unless you want a slutty dress, then sure!"

Her nose twitched in a disgusted manner. "No."

"Let's got to Forever 21, they have some nice things," I suggested. Lucinda took me up on it.

"We need dresses for the summer dance, anyways," I tell her as we head to the opposite side of the mall.

"For the what now?" she asked, frowning.

"The summer dance," I repeated. "It's something only the seniors do, it's really cute. The girls wear really, really pretty summer party dresses and the boys wear they're adorable little khaki shorts and button down shirts, it's great. Really casual, but a dead-set formal."