“Wow.” She stared at my reflection. “You superlike him.”
I dried off my hands and shook my head. “I do not superlike him.”
She spied my reflection in the mirror. “I know what happened. You slept with Zack, then realized you were madly in love with him. But he doesn’t return your feelings, because he’s in love with his neighbor’s twin sister who just returned from the Amazon after everyone thought she was dead.”
I laughed. “Maya, you’ve been watching too many soap operas.”
She smiled and I realized she’d gone on her weird tangent to distract me. I turned and grasped her shoulders firmly. “I do like Zack. Very much. But, no, we’re not hooking up. He stays on the couch and I sleep in my room. I promise.”
“You’ve kissed him though, right? I don’t see what the problem is.” She searched my face to find the answer.
“Yeah, we’ve kissed but—” I was about to tell Maya the truth, that Zack and I weren’t involved nor did we have plans to remedy that. But Zack’s reasoning came back to me — she wouldn’t believe me in a million years. “He wants to take it slow.”
“Has he brought up exclusivity yet?”
I sighed. “No, and he won’t either. His mom is the only thing keeping him here and she’s not going to live forever. This’ll never be a deep and meaningful relationship, Maya.”
That sounded so depressing when I said it out loud.
† † †
Zack waited right outside my last class, walking with me toward the exit with his arm wrapped around my shoulder.
At the curb, I heard Ashley. “Autumn.”
She appeared at my side as Trevor arrived and talked to Zack, who held my hand firmly — the perfect way for us to have separate conversations and still know where the other was. He gently squeezed every now and then. I couldn’t take it personally. Getting my hopes up would lead to more disappointment.
“I was wondering if you wanted to come by my house Friday night. Just some close friends and a jam session. If you play anything, bring it. It’ll be fun.” She frowned. “Uhm. No one else is having a party that night, right?”
I chuckled. “Not that I know of.”
“He can come too.” Her eyes darted to my boyfriend. “And Trevor and Maya.”
“I’ll ask them and let you know. Thanks for the invite.” I threw her a smile. “It sounds fun.”
She wandered off, but Zack and Trevor were still talking. Cars. Trevor had been saving up and was almost ready to buy.
“What’s your schedule like this week? I rarely see you around anymore except at dinner.” Trevor gave him a knowing look.
“Right. And you’re not always with Maya these days,” Zack said sarcastically.
“Hey, Autumn,” John said.
“Hi.” Beyond John, I spotted Daniel staring at me like a stalker. It gave me the creeps.
John followed my gaze. “What’s up with that guy? I didn’t like him before and he wasn’t nearly this disturbing.”
The last thing I wanted was to involve John, so I lightened my tone. “Who knows?”
“How’re your parents? Still traipsing around the Grand Canyon?” John asked.
“Oh. I didn’t tell you. They came home and left again to Montana for a job. I got an email from them last night saying they’d arrived and all was well. They’ll probably be home in a couple weeks or so.” I giggled at John’s surprised face. “I know. Crazy, huh? I guess they realized how unproductive it was to worry so much.”
“You ready to go?” Zack asked.
“See you tomorrow, John.” I waved to him as Zack dragged me away.
My day had been too deflating to enjoy my Mustang, so I tossed my keys to Zack and went to the passenger side. “So what were you reading last night?”
“Werewolf history.” He opened the door and adjusted the seat to accommodate his longer legs, then started the car.
I waited to hear more, but he didn’t volunteer anything else. Instead, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, hands stiff on the steering wheel. He definitely was not in a good mood. I wondered what the rest of the evening had in store for us, but had an idea it wouldn’t involve having fun.
“Why read it again? What were you looking for?” I asked.
“I thought about what you said and wondered if there might be something about my dad in the history books. Or any mention of SWAAST. Maybe when my mom’s gone, rather than run on my own, it might be safer to search for any who are left.”
“Hanging out with those SWAAST guys would be even more dangerous. They’re probably the most hunted people ever.” My voice rose. “Being with them is not safer.”