Going Nowhere

Chapter 4 - Yowza

Jack walked into the kitchen, and I let my eyes slide over his tall frame, telling myself it was to ensure that there hadn't been any injury inflicted by one of the five angry werewolves who had been growling at him outside. Or the bear. Or the witch.

He looked unharmed. I wasn't sure if that was a relief or a disappointment.

"I apologize for what I did," he said stiffly.

My eyes widened, but then I saw my father standing behind Jack, looking like a thundercloud. I suspected Jackson was close to a tragic wolf-mauling, as soon as he'd finished apologizing.

When the silence stretched out, Dad made an annoyed, huffing growl and nudged Jackson forward.

"Why did you do it?" I heard myself ask and could have slapped myself.

I knew why.

Melissa Moose had been tall, blonde and built, and she might have been called "Loosey Moosey," but she'd been gorgeous. Slutty, but gorgeous. I'd not liked her one bit even before Jack decided to lick her tonsils because she had also been catty and gossipy. She still was, when I thought about it.

"Jackson," Dad rumbled. "I think you owe my girl an explanation."

"You won't like it."

"Spill."

Jack sighed and kept looking at me.

"I was eighteen, alright?"

"I know," I said because I did.

"Eighteen and a boy and stupid. Only had one thing on my mind and I knew you wouldn't..." He trailed off, glanced at Dad and finished lamely, "provide that service."

Oh.

"So, yeah. I was stupid. Melissa called. Said if I ditched you, we would go at it all night. And I blew you off."

I blinked. It hadn't been because Melissa was prettier, or funnier, or that he liked her more. It hadn't been me lacking something.

"You ditched me so you could have sex with her?" I asked for clarification, needing to make sure that I'd heard what I'd heard.

"Eighteen," he retorted. "And a boy. She called and was pretty graphic in what we were going to do, so yeah. I did. And I'm sorry."

Huh. It had been a dumb thing to do, but it wasn't like we'd been a couple back then, so it wasn't as if he'd cheated on me. Exactly. He'd been an ass, but now I at least knew why.

"Okay," I said.

"Okay," he echoed.

"Boy," Dad barked, and Jack winced as he turned slowly. "You not trying to get in my daughter's pants back then is not a thing that makes me unhappy."

Of course, Dad would see it like that.

"Dad," I murmured.

He put his palm in my face with a flourish that was not as much Clint E as it was Beyonce, but he kept his eyes on Jackson. And then he was suddenly grinning in a weirdly smug way.

"We're good for now. Stay out of Kitty's pants, and we'll stay good also in the future."

"Biff –"

"We're leaving," Dad announced cheerfully.

"Jackson," I said as they moved toward the door, and he turned. "Who says I wouldn't have... provided that service?"

Both men froze, and Dad wheezed out something, but my eyes locked with Jack's. His wolf must have been close to the surface because the blue deepened and a yellow glitter started to form.