At First Sight: A Timber Wolves Companion (10 page)

“Good to know I don’t have to worry then,” Charlie said, never relaxing or taking his eyes off of Jase. For the first time it occurred to me that Charlie may have been in on whatever scheme Toby had conned Jase into.

Charlie repositioned himself so that he was turned towards me. My shoulders felt naked without his arm covering them.

“So, what’s the deal with you and this new guy? Do you like him?”

Like the typical teenager I am, I rolled my eyes. “No, I don’t like him. Good grief. He’s on the newspaper staff, and we have a couple of other classes together. We were just talking. Quite frankly, I think he’s arrogant and rude.”

Charlie chewed this over for a minute. “But he has the hots for you?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Jase interjected. “It’s Scout, for Pete’s sake. He’s obviously playing her to get to me.”

I recoiled as if I had been slapped. It’s not like I actually thought Alex liked me. Guys that looked like him only asked girls like me out to win some sort of stupid bet, and that only happened in cheesy teeny-bopper movies. I knew all those dazzling smiles weren’t really meant for me. And I didn’t care. I didn’t want Alex Cole to like me, but to hear my brother dismiss me like that hurt. A lot. I felt tears welling up.

“Scout, he didn’t mean it like that.” Charlie reached towards me, but the last thing I wanted was pity.

“Get out of my room.” I closed my eyes to keep the tears trapped.

“I’m sorry—”

“Please just leave me alone for a minute,” I managed to get out without my voice breaking.

Charlie, as always, came to my rescue. “Let’s go, man. C’mon.”

As soon as I managed to get the waterworks under control I stomped into the bathroom that connected Jase’s room to mine and began digging through the medicine cabinet. I was being overly emotional and moody. A double dose of Midol was definitely in order.

I must have been making a lot of noise, because there was a tap at the door, and then Charlie’s voice asked, “Can I come in?”

Instead of answering, I reached over and turned the knob. Charlie was leaning against the door frame, looking more tempting than anyone standing two feet from a toilet had a right to.

“Your brother feels like shit.”

“Yeah, well I wouldn’t be surprised if his nose was actually broken.”

“That’s not what I meant, Smarty Pants.”

I closed the medicine cabinet and caught my reflection on the mirrored door. There were big red blotches creating a striking contrast to my fair skin. My eyes were puffy and gave off an eerie glow. There was even a little bit of snot along the edge of my nose.

Nice.

How could I blame Jase for pointing out the truth?

“I’m not mad at him,” I said, getting a tissue for my nose. “It’s okay. No big.”

I hadn’t seen Charlie move from the doorway, so I was startled when I felt his arms pulling me into an embrace. I instantly regretted not being one of those tiny little girls who can snuggle into a guy’s chest when they need to be comforted. Instead, I had to make do with leaning my forehead against his.

Actually, that was pretty awesome too.

“If you want my personal opinion, Jase is wrong.” Charlie’s breath smelled like cinnamon. “I’ll bet you batted those long lashes, gave a rare Scout giggle, and the boy turned to mush.”

Yet another ridiculous tear made the short trek from the corner of my eye to my chin. Charlie pulled back and wiped it from my cheek. It was a very tender and sweet thing to do, which was why I was completely unprepared for what he said next.

“That means it’s even more important for you to stay away from him. He can’t be trusted. It’s not a question of if but when he hurts you. We just want to keep you safe. So, please, don’t encourage him. Okay?”

I stepped back, moving to the other end of the tiny room. “I’m not some mindless ditz that tries to hook up with every cute guy that notices she exists —”

“Scout…”

“And I don’t take orders from you or Jase —”

“We’re not —”

“And I don’t like being the only one in the dark here. Tell me what’s going on, Charlie.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. What’s up between you guys and the Coles? I feel like we’ve suddenly stepped into the middle of
The Outsiders
.”

“It’s complicated.”

I crossed my arms and cocked my head to assume what Jase and Charlie had always called my teacher stance. “Well, Charles, I believe history has proven that of the three of us, I’m the smart one. So, why don’t you go ahead and tell me what is going on. Maybe I can uncomplicate it for you.”

I mentally prepared myself for a fight. After the day I had, I was hungry for it. I wanted to scream and yell and let out all of my pent up frustrations, so I was more than a little disappointed when Charlie didn’t take the bait.

“Sorry, kiddo.” He really did look sorry. Of course, calling me “kiddo” didn’t exactly endear me to his cause. “This isn’t the sort of problem that can be figured out with those complex equations or thick books you like so much.”

“Don’t be so sure. The answers to all of life’s problems are out there. It’s just a question of finding the right book.” My desire to have a throw down was slowly subsiding, but that didn’t mean I was ready to give up. “Lucky for you, I’ve read lots of books. So, if you’ll just explain the ‘sitch...”

“The ‘sitch? Did you watch that
Kim Possible
movie again? You know it only makes you sad that you don’t have a hairless mole-rat of your very own.”

“One, I’ve been watching
Buffy
, not
Kim Possible
. And two, it is so not fair that Dad won’t let me get a Rufus when he lets Angel keep that stupid turtle.”

Charlie came across the room to gather me once again into his arms. He was being uncharacteristically touchy-feely. It was kinda nice.

“God, I’m going to miss you,” he said, giving me a peck on the forehead. For the record, my forehead was very happy. The rest of me, however, was realizing this was goodbye.

Yes, he would be home on the holidays and maybe the summers. We would still text, email, and talk on the phone, but I knew things would never be the same. After seventeen years of growing up together, this was the first giant step towards growing apart.

“I’m going to miss you, too.” I was also going to completely dehydrate if I didn’t stop crying.

Fifteen minutes later, I heard Jase and Charlie pulling out of the driveway as they headed off to a farewell game of pool at Randy’s. I sank onto the bed, left alone with my thoughts and Guido.

Praise for Destiny Binds...

"Really fantastic!"

-Ann Aguirre,
USA Today
Bestselling Author

"Great voice! I loved the spin on the shifter world!"

-Abbi Glines,
New York Times
Bestselling Author

“Well-written, entertaining and somewhat addictive.”

-Samantha Young,
New York Times
Bestselling Author

"Smart, fun and original."

-Letters Inside Out

"Incredibly well written and addicting; action, danger and romance fill every page."

-A Simple Love of Reading

"A little Joss Whedon mixed in with some Libba Bray."

-KidLitFrenzy

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About the Author

Tammy Blackwell is a Young Adult Services Coordinator for a public library system in Kentucky. When she’s not reading, writing, cataloging, or talking about YA books, she’s sleeping. You can follow her on Twitter (@Miss_Tammy), write to her at [email protected] or visit her at www.misstammywrites.com.