MAGNOLIA ❀ P. LAHOTE

7. Whiplash

❀

Magnolia and Jared wake up with their limbs entangled and banging against the bedroom door, "Jared," Magnolia groans, shielding her eyes from the sun. Jared grabs a random t-shirt off the floor, having taken his off in the middle of the night due to the heat and starts to unlock the door. He doesn't even finish turning the lock before the door flies open and a fuming Paul stands in the doorway.

"What the fuck are you doing in there?" Paul snarls.

"Um...sleeping?" Jared tilts his head in confusion, not understanding what the big deal was.

"With her? In the same bed?" Paul inches closer.

"Yes, with her in the same bed," Jared starts to grow annoyed at all the questions because he didn't particularly like getting woken out of his sleep with all this energy.

"Get out."

"No."

"No?" Paul's eye twitches.

"Yeah, no, fuck off," Jared shoves him out of the room, shutting the door and locking it before he can get to it again. The pair ignores the banging and Jared climbs back under the covers, snuggling closer to Magnolia and they fall asleep just like that, once again.

It wasn't until they had woken up again and went to the kitchen for dinner that, Paul started with the bullshit again, "Tell them they can't sleep with each other," he tells Sam aggressively as if he owned the world.

"Oh my god," Magnolia laughs incredulously, looking over at Jared whose eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance, "he's fucking lost it."

"Dude, you need to chill out," Jared huffs, he was sick and tired of Paul's behavior. He barely just got into the kitchen, and he's already lost his appetite over the way he was acting.

"You're my imprint!" Paul yells like a five-year-old, practically throwing a tantrum.

Magnolia doesn't hesitate to get in his face and backs him into the corner of the kitchen counter, "Listen to me and listen to me close," she says as she pokes his chest harshly, "I could give two fucks if I'm your imprint. Just because I'm your imprint doesn't mean all the years of shitty behavior go out the window. You're not my man and you're certainly not my dad and neither is Sam, so no one is going to tell me who the fuck can or can't sleep in my bed. And if any of you try to get in between me and Jared, or anyone one for that matter, I'll make sure to go back to my house and you'll never see me again. It'll be fuck patrol, fuck this pack, and fuck this town so quick you'll feel like you imagined me being here."

Paul winces angrily at the granite digging into his back and Sam pulls Magnolia away from him before getting in between them, "Paul, at the end of the day, she's the imprintee. She chooses if she wants anything to do with you, doesn't matter how much it hurts you. It's what she wants."

Magnolia sticks her tongue at Paul before grabbing the front of Jared's shirt and dragging him back to her bedroom. She all but throws him on the bed, laughing when he makes an 'oof' sound. Jared sits up and opens his arms for Magnolia, signaling for her to snuggle with him.

Magnolia nuzzles into his chest and sighs, "Is this ever gonna end?"

"Maybe he'll come to his senses, who knows? But I'll kick his ass if he doesn't," Jared jokes and Magnolia snorts out a laugh.