The Legacy of Kilkenny (18 page)

I sat on my bed looking around the room hoping to find some inspiration.
 
My walls were light gray to slightly blue with a big Japanese cherry blossom tree painted on one wall.
 
I love how the black silk drapes go from ceiling to floor giving it a dramatic effect.
   
For my birthday last year my parents gave me a huge saltwater fish tank, and you can’t have a saltwater tank without having a few Marlins, Clownfish and an assortment of royal tang, my favorite being the powder-blue one.
 
  
We found some white paper lanterns in different sizes to hand around the room.
 
I found some battery operated light kits to put in each one and it had a groovy look to it
 
Mom and I had a good time putting everything together.
 
I didn’t always appreciate the ruthless teasing I endured over being freakishly clean.

I sat there for what seemed hours when I heard Oakley knocking at the door.
 
Another benefit to the heightened senses, we can all smell each other, so I knew it was Oakley as soon as he knocked at the door.

“Come on in Oak”

“Hey you,
whatcha
doing in here?
 
I was
hopin
’ we could have a talk if you aren’t too busy.” Oakley asked as he came in my room.
  
He had on his faded jeans with a black v-neck t-shirt and his signature converse shoes.
 
He smelled freshly showered with Irish Spring soap. I love that smell.

 
“It’s all good.
 
I was just sitting here trying to figure out our dilemma with Allie and how I’m going to complete the assignment without any feelings being hurt.
 
I just don’t know what to do or think anymore.
 
Everything is so complicated.”
 
My voice sounded whiney even to me.

“Okay, Miss Drama Queen, you’re making this harder than it should be.”
 
He sat down on my bed and reached his left hand to my face, slightly caressing my cheek.
 
My skin went all prickly causing my heart to flutter from him being so close to me.

“Really?
 
Drama Queen, you think?
 
This comes from the guy who wigs out if he loses a rabbit chase!”
 
I tossed my pink bunny slipper at him.

He reached out and grabbed it. “When did I lose a rabbit chase?
 
You’re insane, I’ve never
ever
lost.”

“Yeah right.
 
Who was it that smoked you just the other night?
 
I saw you eating my dust.”
 
It was nice talking to him like friends again.
 
Lately everything had been all business and we hadn’t had time to just sit back and enjoy life.

“Smoked me, you’re smoking crack if you think that, I
let
you win.”
 
He stood in one quick move like he just remembered we were business again, ugh men drive me nuts.
 
“Is Josie coming over tonight?”

Josie, of course, I hated being jealous of her but when it came to Oak I was.
 
I even hated the way he said her name, all cute with his ‘Joe Sea’.
 
I don’t even know why he would be interested in me anyway.
 
The daughter of the Alpha, a shaman and all of the fun stuff that goes along with me, yeah I’m a catch, if you don’t get killed trying to be my mate.
 
Blah, blah, blah,
 
I thought to myself.
 
“Yeah, we’re going over some of my diaries.”

ABEL

The Irish guys have finally left, I still haven’t shifted and I’ve got a new room-mate Bryon.
 
My mom is completely cool with him coming to stay with us.
 
I told them he has been homeschooled until his parents died in a car accident last year.
  
It is true about his parents, minus the omission of them being wolves and he was five with it happened.
 
Bryon was homeschooled with Pru so he is new to the whole school experience too.
 
I had always wanted to have a brother, it leveled the testosterone in the house when my sister was around.
  
The one major adjustment I am still coming to realize is the fact being Pack mean you are never truly alone.

I hear the ‘ting clunk’ sound of the dead bolt on the front door.

 
“Mom?”
 
I don’t really need her to answer, I can smell her when she came in the door. “Are you going to be home for dinner tomorrow night?” I run down the stairs two at a time seeing her in her white nurse pants and shirt with the silly nursing hat on.
 
Her boss it totally old-school and it totally pisses her off.
 
She told me on more than one occasion that if she didn’t love the work she does for the Reservation she would tell him to jump off a cliff.
 

“Actually, I am.
 
Do you want to get Bryon and go get some dinner?
 
We can go to that new chain buffet they put in Yukon.” We meet face to face at the bottom of the stairs.
 
“Oh!
 
There you are, I like that green color on you, it makes your eyes stand out,” she said.

“I think going to dinner would be great, my treat.
 
Oh, no offense but I’d rather it just be you and me. Bryon will be cool with it.”
 
I lean over to give her a hug.

“Are you sure?
 
I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”
 
She tilts her head up like she is silently pointing at him.

“It’ll be fine, Pru told me her family wants to have him over for dinner so it won’t look like they pawned him off on us.”

“Well, I guess that means we have a date.
 
Your treat?
 
Wow that is a treat!”
 
She smiled and kissed me on the cheek.
 
“Good night sweetie, I love you.”

“I love you too mom.”
 
I grab my backpack and tennis shoes out of the foyer before I run back up the stairs, two at a time. I leap across my bedroom doing my imaginary pole vault jump into my bed.
 

We pull up to Nino’s Mexican restaurant with the stereo cranked to an 80’s stations she was forcing me to listen to.
 
I can almost hear her thoughts
the décor is just like a little cantina your dad and I went to on our honeymoon.
 
I beat her to the line and earned a snicker from her.
 
The waitress came over and takes us to a booth that has been patched with my dad’s favorite tool; duct tape.
 
Forgoing the menu we order fajita’s
 
for two.

“Abel?
 
Did you eat lunch today?”
 
She asks as she tries to reach across the table to where I hoarded the basket of chips.

I look down at the table and realized I’ve pulled the salsa,
queso
and chips into my eating triangle.
 
I slide the food back to the middle of the table.
 
“Sorry.
 
Must be a growth spurt.”

“I hope you can control yourself on prom night and not eat like you’ve never been fed before.
 
We need to pick out a corsage for her, what’s her favorite flower?”
 
I try not to hog the chips and salsa but my stomach has this never ending hunger I can’t ignore.
 
Prom and Pru, her two favorite subjects and her Spanish inquisition began before I have even finished my first basket of chips

 
“Mom.
 
Mom.
 
It’s okay. Pru and I have a great time together and yes, we are ‘just friends’. If that happens to change I’m sure you’ll know.”
 
I want us to have a good time so I just played the game with her, trying really hard not to let it get on my last nerve.
 
We aren’t going to have many more of these talks, for all I know my assassinator Pru will assassinate me at prom. Wouldn’t that be my luck to drop dead at prom?
 
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, it’s Pru.
 
“Tell
ur
mom u have 2 go 2 the
br
and meet me outside.”
  
I’m going to kill her if she is planning on killing me right now.
 
Surely she doesn’t expect to kill me while I’m on a date with my mom.
 
Jeez.

By the time I reach the parking lot, Pru is propped up against her car sending a text and looking like a supermodel.
 
For a minute I stand admiring her with the expressway as her backdrop.
  
My skin felt prickly when the cool night air blast me with a gust of wind.
  
I watched her get a chill and wrap her arms around her stomach for warmth

 
“Hey Pru, really what is so dire you can’t wait until I get home to talk?” I ask as I walk closer taking in her essence.

“Simmer down, I come in peace.”
 
She lifts her hands up at me and I notice how shiny her hair looks with the evening lights bouncing off of it.
 
“Dad got us a black stretch Hummer for prom!
 
Can you believe it?
 
He told me it’s all tricked out with a killer system!”
 
She puts her hands over her head and does some primitive jungle dance. “I’m so excited!”

“Sweet,” I say, glancing over my shoulder and see that my mom is walking outside.

“Hi
 
Pru.
 
I took care of the bill, Abe.
 
So what brings you all the way here?”
 
She crossed her arms in front of her as her look darts back and forth between us.

It is the first time my mom sounded suspicious of Pru’s and my relationship. “Hey mom, guess what!
 
 
Pru’s dad rented us a Hummer for prom.
 
I hope you’re off that night, we’ll take you for a spin around the block before we head to dinner.”
 
I’m nervous, not exactly sure why though.

“Oh, wow!
 
That’s pretty cool guys.
 
Pru, I saw you through the window, I’ve already paid for dessert for the three of us so let’s go eat some
sopapillas
.”

So much for date
night
, I think to myself.
 
Sometimes it feels like I am being smothered by the Pack.
 
I am excited about the limo and all but it is a bit smothering having someone from the Pack everywhere I turn.

We finish up dessert without one reference to Pru’s and my non-existent relationship “Kids, oh sorry, bad habit calling you guys kids, it’s a mom thing.
 
I need to get home; I have another early morning at the Reservation.
 
Pru, if you and Abe want to hang out a little longer I’m good with that if you’ll bring him home.
 
Toss me your keys Abe, I’ll leave the front door open.”

“You think you can handle that much horse power?”
 
I bump her with my shoulder and put my arms around her.

“Sure, that’s cool with me!
 
I found a cool 80’s station on my
Ipod
Abe. You’ll have Prince’s
Purple Rain
stuck in your head all night!”
 
Pru said as she stretched from side to side.

As my mom was driving off, fishtailing my car out onto NW Expressway, I throw my head back and say a little prayer.
 
That made me think, do
weres
believe in God?

Pru did that cute little giggle of hers and all I can think about is how lucky I am to have such a good friend.
 
I heard the chirp of her car being unlocked.

“Abe, get in my car right now!”
 
She yelled and dropped into a karate battle pose.

“What’s wrong with you?
 
Why are you going all ninja on me?”
 
I look around to see why she was in battle mode. “What’s going on?
 
I don’t hear anyone.”
 
I turn, squeezing my hands in and out of a fist, ready to take on the unknown assailant.

“Abel, get in the car!
 
I can’t protect you out in the open like this; just get in the driver’s seat.
 
I’m going around back to check it out, don’t follow me and if I’m not back in a couple of minutes you need to take my car and be sure to call Oak.”
 
She started running to the back of the building and of course I’m not going to go out like a girl,
sheesh
.
 
I follow her as silently as I can.