Rise

Chapter Six

      *I don't own Teen Wolf*

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        "Keep up, Squirt!" hollered Bobby from fifteen feet ahead of me.  He turned around, jogging backwards so he could berate me face-to-face while still outpacing me.  He shook his head, a look of distaste twisting his lips.  "If only you'd gotten some decent rest last night, huh?"

        I mustered the best glare I could, refusing to respond.  I needed every breath to keep my legs moving.  I'd found Bobby asleep sitting up on the couch last night, a lamp still on and a book on his lap titled Economic Facts and Fallacies.  I'd gently awoken him only to immediately regret it when a stream of curses spewed forth from his mouth, and they didn't stop until I guided him to his room down the hall and closed the door behind him.  He had a lot to say about my late night, and seemed especially gleeful when waking me up even earlier than last time for our run.

        I was beginning to think a tree root would make a nice pillow when he announced we'd hit the halfway point and by the time I was stumbling up our porch steps, I thought a week long nap wouldn't even suffice.

        It wasn't just staying out with Scott and Stiles, it was that I tossed and turned all night.  I couldn't stop reviewing everything, replaying the night in my head over and over until I was exhausted and hating my own brain for not having a proper off switch.  When I'd run out of things about Stiles and Scott to analyze, I found myself remembering the house I'd shared with my dad in Sandpoint.  In my mind I imagined everything, moving from one room to the next.  I knew exactly how the carpet would feel on my bare feet in the living room, or the texture of the walls in the hallway.  I longed to battle with the linen closet door again, the one with the doorknob that stuck.  I was homesick, and nothing could cure that.  I had a new home now.

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        I took my time in the shower today.  I shaved my legs and luxuriated in the water until it started to run lukewarm.  When I got out I braided my hair that smelled delightfully of coconut, and dabbed some of the oils Kat had given me on my pulse points.  After dressing in some shorts and a loose tank top, I pulled my laptop out and flopped onto my bed to call Kat.  I'd missed our Buffy marathon last night, after all.

        "Someone owes me a box of chocolates and flowers for standing me up," she said, looking down her nose at the screen.

        I rolled my eyes.  "Yes, my queen," I mocked.  "Sorry.  Believe it or not, I actually got invited to a party."

        "You couldn't throw a text my way?" she berated as she sat back and one of her little brothers, Kale, hopped into her lap.

        "Rory!" he yelled, leaning close to the screen and the camera.  "Rory can you see me?"

        "Yes, she can see you, nerd," Kat said exasperatedly.  She always sounded one hundred percent done with the twins, but she was far more patient than I could ever manage.  They were very energetic, especially Kale.  "Move, you're blocking my view with your big head!"

        "Hi, Kale!" I said, waving at him.

        "Rory guess what?" he asked, big brown eyes wide in excitement.

        "Hmmm... what?"

        "I got a pet frog!"

        "Oh, yes, I heard," I said, smiling.  "Did it by any chance end up in your sister's bed?"