Two Wolves and A Heart- chapter 1

ok. so this story is a little more raunchy than my other ones. even so, I kind of like it. it was a fun challenge to write this particular scene. if you have the time tell me what you think about it? thnks. =)

Not having a mate wouldn’t be so bad. Dakota quietly contemplated. If it weren’t for the lack of sex, that is. Then he wouldn’t have such a problem with it at all. Dakota leisurely reached over and poured himself a fifth shot of whisky. The alcohol flowed out in one long fluid motion. So far the only thing mesmerizing about tonight was his impressive record count.

"Well, what about her?" Paul’s voice shook Dakota out of his lazy stupor. Dakota watched, vaguely interested, as Paul motioned to the short brunet who confidently walked on past them with determined purpose to the far side of the corner. She wasn’t ugly, he would give her that.

"What? Stacey?" Dakota asked mildly interested in the subject.

Paul shrugged. "Yeah. Why the hell not?"  They were sitting together at the bar counter in the far corner of the room away from everyone else. Thanks to recent events Dakota wasn’t really in the mood to socialize but Paul was the exception. In fact, Paul was the only person that Dakota really talked to on a daily basis. They were more than just business partners. They were friends and Dakota actually liked having Paul around. Although, right about now, Dakota wished that Paul would just let him sulk long enough to enjoy a proper hangover. 

Dakota stared down at the thin brown liquid setting at the bottom of the glass and chugged it down all at once. It was spicy and went down his throat in one smooth stream. He couldn’t get drunk. His metabolism was far too fast. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t try. After all, he had his very own bottle. He couldn’t let that bottle go to waste, now could he? That would be in poor taste. Besides, the way he figured, this was as good a time as any to try and numb his hyperactive senses. 

Dakota fought the urge to laugh at the absurd idea of fucking Stacey. "Hell no." Dakota shook his head defiantly. Paul was his child hood friend and appointed beta, but sometimes he wondered what the hell was going on through that thick skull of his. Once upon a time Stacey was more than just a friend. He hadn’t seen her for a while and truth be told, he wondered if maybe she left for the big city like she always talked about.

"She’s with Brian now. Besides, I’m not getting mixed up in that again." Honestly what was Paul thinking? The last thing Dakota needed right now was Brian on his case. He had enough trouble with the neighboring pack as it was.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "No shit. When did that happen?" Paul asked as he took a long drag from his cheap imported beer.

Dakota shrugged his shoulders in response. Dakota knew his friend meant well, but his mind was beginning to wander. It took him a while before he could come up with a coherent answer. "A while, I guess." Until today he thought the whole thing with her and Brian was just gossip going around the rumor mill. He figures they must have gotten together some time after that incident in the woods when she asked him to run away with her. Dakota liked living on the reservation and he didn’t have any plans on leaving any time soon. 

Paul nodded his head and looked around the room. "What about that one?" Paul asked, motioning to the hard-core blond playing a game of stakes across the room. "She’s your type." he said through a mouthful of salted cashews.

It wasn’t far from the truth. Tory was most definitely his type and matched his criteria perfectly; tall, blond, big breasts. But he already had her and he didn’t feel like rekindling with an old flame tonight. "Nah." Dakota waved dismissively at the thought of just having casual sex with Tory. She had one hell of a mouth that was for sure. Unfortunately, so did her older brother, Jared, who chewed him out the last time Dakota dumped Tory’s tight ass.

Dakota poured himself a sixth shot of whisky while he contemplated the situation that he was in. Maybe he was just in a rut. That would certainly explain why he didn’t feel like himself lately. A healthy lupine in his prime, such as he, should be romping around religiously and having a generous amount of pups by now. Not single and certainly not celibate. It was unheard of. He was an alpha for crying out loud. A dominate male who could have any woman in this bar if he wanted. The problem was he didn’t want any of them. No one in here caught his attention. It certainly didn’t help that he grew up alongside a few of them. Besides, he already had a go at most of the single eligible women here and he didn’t want to open that can of worms again. He knew what they said behind his back. After all, he was a single bachelor who wasn’t currently tied down. He already got out of one relationship. He wasn’t looking for another any time soon. The way he saw it, he was done with relationships. The problem was the women around here weren’t looking for fun. It was mating season and they were all looking to settle down and start a family of their own. That wasn’t something he could offer. At least, not right now.  

Dakota chugged the shot and slammed the glass down on the worn out counter top. Maybe the issue wasn’t him. It made sense if you thought about it. It’s not like he had any problem getting it up. It was quite the opposite, actually. Once he got started it took a while before he could seemingly satisfy his primal instincts. Werewolves were by nature a very horny species and could breed like no other. That’s what made them so dominant in the supernatural world.

Dakota was powerful and had great stamina. He had to. He was the alpha of a distinct pack, after all. It’s a good thing no one knew that he got dumped by his girlfriend. He figured it was best to keep that little bit of information to himself. Victoria Kingston was a blond were-cat who knew just what buttons to push him over the edge. He didn’t know if it was the copious amount of alcohol that he recently ingested within the hour, but suddenly, pictures of them lying together drenched in sweat, rolling around naked in between his cotton threaded sheets flicked through his mind like an unconscious reflex.   

They were an on-again off-again pair that lasted for five long years that he would never get back. For a while it was fun. They would have sex during his lunch break whenever she was in town, or sneak off to his cabin right after a meeting and lie in bed for hours talking about their potential business ventures. The problem was, after some time, he got tired of her too. He wasn’t sure why. Or when it happened for that matter. All he knows is, one day, after their usual afternoon romps in his cabin, he found himself lying next to a very sleepy veronica and felt absolutely nothing. For some time it bothered him. Surely having a woman as beautiful as veronica would satisfy even an alpha such as him. The last time they called it off, which was about six months ago, Veronica came over knocking on his door in some type of sexy red lingerie underneath her trench coat, and after a good romp in his king size bed he would remember what sex with her was like, and as she laid in his arms that particular night he thought at the time that he must have been crazy to leave someone as perfect as Veronica in the first place. Life went back to normal soon after that.

But a few months later that empty feeling came back with a nasty vengeance and he figured he might as well end it for good. There was just no point in wasting his time with a woman who obviously wasn’t cutting it for him anymore. So, that same day, after she came out of his bathroom fully clothed in her best traveling suit, he decided it was then or never. But before he could utter one syllable she dropped a bombshell on him. He was happy that she got a new full time job in New York City as a manager in some major company. She’d be a fool not to take it. After she laid the news on him she kissed his cheek with her pink ruby lips and said her goodbyes. After she left his cabin he sat on top of his unmade bed where only minutes earlier they had sex and realized that a long distance relationship would have never worked out anyway. It’s not like they saw each other on a regular basis as it was. Plus, he knew that her job would demand a good amount of her time and it’s not like he was going to run after her. He had his own responsibilities that kept him in Everglenn. Now that he thought about it Dakota could never remembered an instance where love was ever mentioned. Sure, he liked Vanessa but did he love her? Dakota would be the first to admit that their connection was based solely on physical attraction. Who would have ever thought the big bad alpha would be the one to get dumped. But, as Dakota sat on the stool refilling his glass with the remaining contents from the bottle, he wondered if getting dumped was a blessing in disguise.

His ancestors were a very superstitious lot who always said things happened for a greater purpose than our limited understanding. Perhaps the same applied for him.

The more Dakota thought about it the more he became increasingly frustrated by the entire situation. For all of the women that he took home he never received an ill word about his technique in bed. And there were a lot. Of women, that is. So many that he wouldn’t be able to suggest a number. The thing was, he could pleasure a woman for hours and yet never seem to feel satisfied. He did all the work and got nothing in return besides an overactive unapologetic libido. Was that fair? Absolutely not, Dakota surmised.

Nope. The problem was most definitely not him. Dakota thought as gulped down yet another shot of whiskey. By this point he finished the bottle and was starting to get a slight buzz. It must have been the poor choice of women. It’s the only logical explanation that Dakota could think of. Especially since he’s always treated his share of lovers fairly. He never offered more than what he could handle and he always made sure they understood that before he took things any further.

Yes. Of course. It was so obvious. Why didn’t he see it before? He wasn’t the one to blame for his untimely predicament. Too bad he couldn’t find anyone in this bar that intrigued him. In fact, he shouldn’t be here at all. What he should be doing is releasing the weeks’ worth of pent up aggression instead of waiting in a bar like some poor ugly schmuck who just got shot down.  

He was wasting his time sitting here in the bar lodge. That much was painfully obvious. Even the bar tender- a pack member of his, who kept re-filling his glass every so often, would throw sympathetic looks his way. It certainly wasn’t every day that the alpha got stood up. In fact, he couldn’t remember one instance in which he was ever treated with such blatant disrespect. It made his blood boil with rage. And, to think, all of this trouble just to ease the tension with a neighboring pack. One thing was for sure; if he ever saw them again he would seriously reconsider doing business with them.

By this point Dakota was starting to think that this whole truce act was a complete disaster. Even the council members thought it was a bad idea from the beginning. Being the progressive leader that he was, he wanted to make an alliance and stop the bloodshed between the two feuding packs. They had bigger problems than silly petty disagreements; like the human who wanted to buy their land for some big city development. Dakota wasn’t about to let that happen. He thought the neighboring pack would want to help keep the humans away from their territory but he was wrong. Now he has to come up with a way to save the land all by himself. The last thing he wanted to do was relocate. His family lived here for generations and as result they were a relatively solid pack because of it. There had to be a way out of this. He just needed to come up with a good plan was all.

"Yo! Earth to alpha!" Paul waved a hand in front of Dakotas face.

Dakota shook his head in a blurry daze. He knew consuming alcohol in this current setting was risky. It took took a lot of energy just to keep his mind shut from the other members of his pack. With his defenses down he needed to be careful. He couldn’t risk anyone finding out what his real motives behind making peace were just yet. "What?" Dakota looked at Paul.

The serious expression on Paul’s face immediately caught Dakota’s attention. "I tried linking to you but for some reason I couldn’t reach you." Paul eyed him for a moment and then focused his gaze around the bar.  

The tone of Paul’s voice instantly alerted Dakota that something was not right. "What is it?" Dakota demanded in his alpha tone.

There was a slight moment’s hesitation before Paul spoke up again. "They’re here." he said.

Dakota looked around and sniffed the air. Paul was right. He could detect a couple of unfamiliar werewolves on his territory. He just didn’t know how many because he was still under the effects of the liquor.

A few moments later three men came busting through the joint like they had every right to be there. Dakota stayed on the stool where he was and observed their behavior from afar. He wanted to see what they would do and just how far they would go to create a scene. 

Dakota could sense the once laid back attitude in the bar change. By this point the members in Dakotas pack were all standing up and more than ready for a fight.     

Dakota mind linked for them to stay where they were. The last thing he needed right now was to have a senseless war on his hands. The neighboring pack weren’t their enemies. It was the humans Dakota was more worried about.

The other alpha walked further into the bar with his two betas and sniffed the air until he caught sight of Dakota sitting at the counter. (It wasn’t that hard to tell who the alpha in a pack was- besides their blue eyes, the alpha held a certain aura that carried a particular scent along with it.) The alpha stood before Dakota wearing a smug expression on his face. Dakota had no idea what the alphas name was. It was odd because he knew practically every alpha running along the western hemisphere. Even so, the werewolf in front of him looked no older than a pup. "So. This is the almighty alpha. For some reason I thought you’d be taller."

Dakota could feel the nerve in his jaw tick.

The only thing that kept Dakota from falling into a trap was one particular scent that filled the air. It was faint, but it was enough to distract him. He couldn’t tell what that smell was, exactly, and that irritated him.

Paul stood up with his arms crossed over his chest. "You have some nerve disrespecting my alpha that way."

The rest of Dakotas pack stood in formation just in case something went down. At this point all of that booze was starting to give Dakota a headache. He wanted nothing more than to lie between his sheets and sleep away the effects of a hangover. But he couldn’t do that when the other pack was hell bent on wasting his time.

The pup in front of him laughed. "I see. Should I kneel and let you pet my fur too?"

Dakotas’ omega, Lance, growled at the insult.

Dakota sighed inwardly.

Honestly. At the rate this was going they were getting nowhere. He didn’t understand why the other pack was there in the first place. It was obvious their alpha wasn’t interested in negotiating to anything.    

Dakota stood up from his seat and locked eyes with the alpha pup. "Enough!" Dakota said in his alpha tone.

Dakota knew he could take the pup down with no problem but he wasn’t in the mood to get his hands dirty.

"You came here to talk right? So let’s talk." Dakota growled.

BUMMER SUMMER- chapter 1

ok so this is my new story. (not too sure about the title though.)

 chapter 1:

I could hear the many excited voices around me. I sat at my usual spot to the far side of the room. The place wasn't packed, as expected, and I immediately gained comfort in my surroundings.

The shrill of a bell rang in the air.

I looked behind me.

It was just a customer probably coming in for supper before it turned dark. (that was the thing about Glendale; everyone did the same thing every day. so, if you ate a piece of apple pie and a slice of cheddar cheese for dessert that’s exactly what you got each time you came here.)

It definitely made things predictable, and lately, that exactly what I needed.

I was at my usual hangout: Sal's Diner.

My best friend, Trixie, sat with perfect posture, directly across from me in her little white sun flower dress that made her boobs look big even though they were running on the small side. Her long candy-apple red hair was framed in a jumbled mess around her face. It looked like she came out of some photo shoot, except for the part where she didn’t have any make-up on. If you asked me, she looked way better without it. I liked a girl who was confident enough to go out of the house without putting a bunch of crap on her face. Plus, it smears off anyways. So, really, what’s the point?

Our knees were touching, just barely, which, I suspect, was her way of getting my attention.

I didn’t move my knee like I usually would have. Instead, I leaned forward and invaded her personal space like some crazy ex-stalker.

She blushed and turned her head away from me. (This was our usual game of chicken. except for the part where I would be the first to fold.) From where I was I could smell her perfume. It was sweet. And smelled like cookies.

I grinned at her. I secretly enjoyed teasing her, but something told me that I should stop. Too bad I never listened to the rational part of my brain.

Before I realized what I was doing, I brushed a strand of her red hair away from her face. She looked shocked, like she didn’t understand what I was doing. I ignored her uncertainty and looked into her eyes; they were a nice deep shade of green with tiny flecks of dark blue just around the iris. She looked more than confused, she looked insecure. I wondered what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.

I watched as she shamelessly looked down at my lips and I couldn’t help but feel a little excited.

I wasn’t blind. I knew she was beautiful. Give me a break. I was a guy, after all. I had needs too. Not that I would ever take advantage of her, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t flirt with her from time to time.

Although, something told me this time was different. Don’t get me wrong, I knew what I was doing was wrong.

She wasn’t my type, and I didn’t want to hurt her.

Trixie bit her bottom lip and blushed a deep shade of pink. It was cute. And, yeah, I’ll admit, it was nice that I had such an effect on her. But I knew when I was getting in too deep. I couldn’t go any further, or else I'd regret it.

So, instead of going all the way, I sat back in my seat instead, and took a long sip of my ice cream soda- it was fuzzy and tasted like an orange-sickle.) What? I was seventeen but I still felt like a kid at heart.

Trixie cleared her throat and distracted herself by messing around with the food on her plate. She didn’t look hungry. That was not a good sign.

I groaned. Good going, Alex. You just made things awkward.

I looked behind me at the round clock on the wall. The black dials indicated it was just past three o' clock. At this point I wanted to anywhere else. Even stacking boxes at the grocery store sounded appealing. I wasn’t a coward; I just didn’t want Trixie to think anything of our little 'moment'. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I was confusing and never thought about anyone else besides myself.

I didn’t know what the hell that was supposed to mean. Most of the girls I dated were so complicated. I never understood them. One moment they wanted your dick inside of them, the next moment they wanted you to respect them like some deity or something. I mean, c'mon, give a guy a break. I’m only human. I wanted sex. not a relationship.

Coincidentally enough, Trixie was the only girl at my school who talked to me. And, from where I sat, it looks like I just ruined our friendship because of my stupidity.

I turned my attention back to my small group. Trixie was staring at me with a thoughtful expression. "How do gay men have sex?" she asked. Trixie was downright straightforward, sometimes a little too straightforward.

I wasn’t ignoring her. I just didn’t know how to answer that particular question. As a matter of fact, I didn’t understand her newfound interest in the subject.

This was a family diner for crying out loud.

God forbid if someone we knew overheard us talking. The last thing I needed was a house call from father Jim. (Having him over for thanksgiving every year was brutal enough.) Plus, I kind of had a good thing going with salt and I didn't want to ruin it just because Trixie was being a prude.

Nobody made my usual order quite like Sal did. (and, sure, we weren’t exactly on speaking terms- mainly because Sal didn’t ever talk to anyone, ever. but, on occasion, he would grunt in my direction; an act which I took as progress. it was kind of a big deal to me because Sal never acknowledged anyone. he wasn’t mean. he just wasn’t very social, is all.)

Trixie stared at me, completely silent, with one eyebrow raised.

After some time it became quite clear that she wasn’t letting it go any time soon.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Just like a man and woman would, I suppose." was the only thing that came to mind. It felt like I was having the birds and the bees talk all over again. Except this time my mom wasn’t demonstrating in the living room with her sex Ed dummies as guides.

Trixie rolled her eyes. "no. dummy." she reached across the table for a curly fry- I wasn’t in the mood to eat. Not even if it was a bucket of double battered fries.

Trixie was petite, but she had one hell of an appetite. (Playing baseball did help burn all of those calories, I suppose. it’s a good thing, too. no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t picture what a chubby Trixie would look like.)

I wasn’t an avid sports jockey like my friends but I did go to the gym whenever I could. Once I turned pre-pubescent my grandmother got me a gym membership. "where else do ya think yer gonna grow them muscles, boy?", was her way of acknowledging the fact that I would never follow my father’s footsteps- he was a town legend who won state two consecutive years in a row. It was a big deal back then. To this day some people still talk about it.

When I entered high school everyone kind of expected me to join the football team. No one was happier than my mom when I didn’t.

I watched, in horror, as Trixie drenched a big gigantic curly fry in a pool of katsup- which wasn’t even katsup. It was Sal’s version of a condiment that came with almost any item on the menu. It consisted heavily on mayonnaise, garlic, horseradish, and lemon. I didn’t quite care for it. In my opinion, the horseradish was a little over the top.

"I mean, like, how do you know whose turn it is to be bottom? Doesn’t it get, I dunno, confusing?" she asked in between taking small bites of the drenched curly fry.

No matter how modernized the place was, I didn’t think the good people of Glendale would welcome such a heated topic any time soon.

Proposition 8 was very much an issue that no one ever to talked about around here. I knew quite a few people who wouldn’t hesitate to quote the bible. (which was funny because no one in Glendale was very religious in the first place. we had one church that sat on a small hill, right next to the elementary, that was always empty. still, that never stopped father Jim from going to mass every Sunday. according to him, someone had to pray for the damned souls every week.)

"Ugh! Enough already." my other best friend Danny moaned. He was sitting next to the double pained window, right across from me.

He didn’t look so good at the moment. It kind of looked like he was about to puke. (I wasn’t so sure if it was because of the topic our conversation had suddenly turned, or because of the two jumbo burgers he managed to scarf down in less than ten minutes.)

You see, that was the thing about Danny; he always had something in his mouth. He took the meaning 'two stomachs' to a whole other level. It’s a good thing he was a football player. Otherwise, I would have gotten him a gym membership for his birthday instead of a new game controller. (This was the second one I bought for him. conveniently, the last one broke during a mission to rescue earth from the aliens.)

"Give it a rest, already, trix. Leave the poor guy alone." Danny said in a poor attempt to defend me.

We knew each other since elementary, back when I double dared a then freckled Danny to eat a stick of glue. (If you haven’t guessed, Trixie is the one who offered up her glue stick.)

So I knew, more or less, how this was going to end.

Trixie looked at Danny and raised her eyebrow at him. (it was a very classic move that Trixie did whenever she was on a roll. it was a good thing she wasn’t on the debate team. although, I had a sneaky suspicion they rejected her application to become a member. the debate team was a big thing, right up there next to football. so, I guess it would make sense that Trixie would want to join a group of stuck up nerds and argue over topics that nobody really cared about anyway.)

"What? Do you have a problem with gay people?" Trixie demanded.

Danny rolled his eyes upwards. "Enough woman! Of course not. My best friend is gay. Or don’t you remember?" he asked.

Honestly. This was getting out of hand. I couldn’t let this argument go on. Especially if I wanted to keep my good standing with Sal.

Danny burped, quite loud, even for him.

I was impressed and a little disturbed at the same time.

Trixie wrinkled her nose in protest. "Honestly. You’re disgusting."

Danny grinned. "Dude, did you hear that? That was awesome."

Trixie turned her attention from a very accomplished looking Danny to me. "Why can’t I sit next to you, Alex?" Trixie whined.

I must admit, she pulled the puppy dog face quite well. Too bad for her I knew when I was being played.

Danny sobered up real quick after that. It was obvious that his feelings were hurt. You see, Danny had more than just a crush on Trixie. I suspected the reason he never dated was because of his unrequited love.

If you asked me, Danny was a pussy who needed to man up before someone else did.

The problem was Trixie kind of liked someone else at the moment. And unfortunately that someone was me. The only reason I knew was because her older brother, tom, told me during our Christmas holiday. In his defense, he was drunk off his ass. For as big as he is he sure can’t hold his liquor. The funny thing was, he forgot all about it after he sobered up. And it wasn’t like I was about to open that can of worms, ever.

Besides, it would never work out between Trixie and me. Of course, she knew that, too.

"Honestly, guys, can we just forget about it, please?" I didn’t want today to be all about me. Especially since Trixie is the one who set this whole thing up. Speaking of...."what was so important that couldn’t wait?" I asked her.

That immediately got Trixie’s attention. She leaned in- (which caused both me and Danny to lean in as well). By this point we probably looked like three teenagers who were up to no good. And, to be fair, we kind of were.

"So. You remember my cousin I was telling you about?" she whispered.

We had no idea why she was whispering but we went along with it anyway.

We both nodded our heads, eager for her to get on with it already. She’s mentioned him once or twice. I didn’t know her cousin, but I could tell she really cared for him.

Trixie grinned like she just won an ice cream eating contest. "Well, he’s coming here for the summer." she exclaimed.

Danny snorted. "That’s it?"

I had to admit; even I was pretty unimpressed by 'the big news'.

Danny leaned back in his seat and put his arm over the back of Trixie’s chair. "You couldn’t tell us this over the phone? I was in the middle of a tremors marathon!"

You see what I’m talking about? The poor bastard was whipped. And he probably didn’t even realize it.

Trixie narrowed her green eyes at him. "I didn’t tell you to come, now did I?"

"You said it was life or death!"

Trixie looked at him like he was a blubbering idiot who just now learned how to tie his shoes. "Get over it already! I bet you recorded it anyway." she said dismissively.

Danny blushed a nice shade of pink that went all the way to the tips of his ears. His reaction reminded me that of a pre-pubescent getting caught jacking off for the very first time. It was awkward. Tense. And incredibly embarrassing to witness.

Danny was a pretty cocky guy who didn’t get embarrassed easily. All of those years in football camp molded him into a winning team player. Too bad it did nothing to soothe his self-confidence around the object of his wet fantasy.

Danny turned real quiet after that and turned his attention to the blue sedan that passed by the diner.

Trixie smiled for the first time today. Clearly, she was happy that she won that argument. For now. It was only a matter of time before they butted heads again.

Trixie flipped her curly hair to the side and fixed her attention to me. "I need your help." she demanded

I lifted an eyebrow. Oh really now?

Trixie was a lot of things; smart, outgoing, and deceivingly conniving to name a few. She rarely ever asked for help. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time that she ever came to me for advice. These days, it seemed like I was the one with issues that, according to her, were way more important. She was my best friend and I wanted to be there for her. So it was only natural that I gave in.

"What’s up?" I asked.

"My dad wants me to keep my cousin company while he’s here."

"oookkaay." I didn’t understand what the problem was. They were related. How hard could it be to get along with a family member that wasn’t a spoiled potty-training toddler?

"Don’t you think you’re over-reacting a little bit? He’s a guy, trix. We aren’t that different from girls; give him plenty of video games, junk food, and porn flicks. Trust me. He’ll be stuck in the guest room for days."

Trixie lifted her finger like she was about to give a lecture. I snorted at the very idea of getting scolded by a midget. "First of all; there are so many reasons why your idea is terrible, not to mention misguided. Dad wants him to stay out of trouble. Not lock himself inside like some sex-crazed hermit."

Another customer came in through the door with her growing family. I watched as they walked past us to the furthest table near the restroom.

"So, basically, you’re babysitting your legal teenage cousin?" I asked. I felt bad for the guy. Knowing Ms. Booze Kill, she would take her responsibility seriously. Honestly, how do you expect someone to get drunk off of one bottle of beer? It’s never happened. But that’s Trixie for you.

Trixie finished eating the curly fries and was now working her way through my mozzarella sticks.

Her cheeks were sticking out like small balloons. She reminded me of a chipmunk. A really cute chipmunk. "yup." she mumbled through a mouthful of cheese.

She took a bite of the last mozzarella stick, causing a huge chunk of the mozzarella cheese to ooze out in one long string. I watched, fascinated, as she tilted her head backward and stuffed the whole thing in her mouth. I knew I was being rude by staring but I couldn’t help myself. It was kind of erotic.

I coughed in my fist and scolded myself for my wandering thoughts. Honestly, what was wrong with me lately?

"So what do you think?" Trixie asked me out of nowhere.

"What do I think about what?" I asked, confused by her comment.

"Seriously? What, did you get amnesia during the last twenty seconds or something? Are you gonna help me with my cousin or not?" she asked.

"Why do you want my help? I don’t even know the guy!"

Trixie smiled causing a dimple to show. "Because you’re a good guy who helps his friends when they’re in trouble." she said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

I groaned.

Honestly. Out of everyone she could have asked why did she come to me? Oh, yeah. I forgot. Because I was the 'good guy'. Trixie obviously didn’t know me very well, now did she?

A bell rang clear in the air, alerting Sal that yet another customer had entered the diner. I didn’t turn around this time. I had better things to do. Like fight with my winning conscience.

Danny whistled. "Damn, look at that babe."

I happily turned my attention from Trixie to the window, glad that I was momentarily distracted from answering her. If I was lucky she would forget about the whole thing.

The sun was starting to set, giving off a faint orange tint in the sky. The clouds were a red-ish color. If I had my camera I would’ve taken a picture of the natural landscape. (I was the photo club president every year. I wasn’t really that good. But, then again, there weren't a lot of club members to go around in the first place.) The parking lot wasn’t that packed. It was a Tuesday, after all. For some unknown reason Tuesdays were always slow.

From where I sat, I could see at the shiny black motorcycle that was parked right next to the handicapped space. It was no secret that Danny loved anything with wheels. So I wasn’t that surprised to see what could grab his short attention span.

I didn’t know much about motorcycles, but I could tell that was a bike to be proud of. Even I was a little envious. I couldn’t wait until I got my own set of wheels. That would be the day I got out of Glendale for good.

Trixie rolled her eyes in irritation. "boys." she muttered under her breath. I detected a hint of a smile forming on her lips. Clearly she was just as impressed as we were.

I took a sip of my soda to distract myself from the silence. Trixie was busy texting someone on her cell phone. And Danny was, well, being Danny. He was lost in his own world, staring out the window like a kid watching cartoons for the very first time.

I didn’t mind the silence. It was nice to have some alone time where my thoughts could just wander off to nowhere in particular. But then, all of a sudden, my mind wandered in a different direction. Suddenly, I wasn’t in the diner. I was naked, lying in someone else’s bed, having sex with a complete stranger.

Okay. So maybe a little alone time is exactly what I didn’t need. I didn’t regret it. At least, not totally. But my double life was starting to meld into this one. It was getting dangerous. Once my family learned all of the things I have done they will look at me differently. I didn’t know what to do. Or how to stop it, for that matter. One thing was for sure; I needed to get out of my head.

All I knew was, we had one more year until we graduated. Personally, I couldn’t wait. Then again, I didn’t know anyone who was hell bent on staying in Glendale after graduation.

It was summer break and that only meant one thing.

I was going to be slaving for next two and a half months at the grocery store. It would definitely keep me busy and that’s exactly what I needed. It was the family business. And my dad was damn proud of it, too. For the last 11 months or so I had a plausible excuse that compromised heavily on homework, studying, and going to the gym.

The only way I could get out of it now was if I joined the football team. And we all knew that was never going to happen. Sure, I was athletic, but I didn’t have the passion for it like Danny did. I figured if I was going to dedicate myself in anything it would be for something that I actually enjoyed doing.

I looked around the diner at the familiar blue and white checkered decor. Everything was in different shades of blue, and white. (I figured Sal must have really liked the color blue.) I didn’t mind it, myself. It reminded me of the ocean. The closest thing Glendale had to an ocean was the lake just off of Bixby Street. I used to go their every summer as a child. Not many people went their anymore. I wasn’t sure why, but I suspected it was just another side effect of growing up.

A lot has changed ever since Sal inherited the diner from his parents. You see, Sal was this talented chef who traveled all over the world to places like New York, Mexico, and even Hawaii on one occasion. (In this small town, that made him an accomplished celebrity in our eyes.)

When his dad suffered a massive heart attack Sal took over the family diner. That was seven years ago. Ever since then Sal’s diner has kind of become the popular hot spot for kids like us. Although, right now, it looked a little bit deserted despite the light incoming traffic of hungry customers.

I took my phone out of my pocket and turned on the screen. Just as I suspected, I got another text. This time it was from my mom.

Sweetie, don’t be l8te 4 work. I hope u brought a jacket. It’s going to be cold la8r on. I’d h8te 4 u to get sick.

Love,

Mom. Xoxo

Ever since we got that new cell phone plan mom has been texting me every day. I can tell she’s getting the hang of it.

"Who are you texting?" Trixie asked out of nowhere.

I looked up from my phone and noticed Trixie staring at me with a comical expression.

"No one." I mumbled.

To my surprise she shrugged and let the conversation go. I quickly texted my mom back and let her know that I did, indeed, have a jacket. My mom was a lot of things, but she never failed to show that she loved me. I’ll admit, I didn’t mind her checking up on me even though it got annoying sometimes.

I put my phone back in my pocket.

Trixie looked behind me and smiled from ear to ear. She quickly hopped out of her seat and motioned to the person standing behind me.

I turned around in my seat.

A guy I didn’t recognize walked over to the group and introduced himself as Liam.

I could tell he was out of his element just by the way he dressed. It looked like he was from the big city and conveniatnly got his car stuck in a ditch in the middle of some small hick town.

"Guys, this is my cousin." Trixie happily announced.

Danny was the first to introduce himself. "Sup, man. The names Danny" I wasn’t really surprised. That was Danny for you. He was nice to everyone.

I felt someone’s eyes on me and I looked up. It was Liam staring right at me. I think he was trying to get my attention for a while judging from the looks I was getting.

I looked in his eyes. They were almost the same color as Trixie’s but lighter. I always liked the color of Trixie’s eyes. They weren’t like anyone else’s around here, that was for sure. I knew he was trixies cousin and all but I wasn’t exactly in the mood to entertain a gupie. I mumbled 'hi' and continued finishing my soda. I was disappointed that the ice cream was melting and the soda was getting warm.

Trixie narrowed her eyes at me. I already knew I would get an earful from her later on. I figured I might as well finish my four dollars and twenty-five cents worth.

Liam motioned at the chair next to me. "Is that seat taken?" he asked

I shrugged. "Go ahead."

He maneuvered around Trixie and pulled the chair from under the table. His cologne was overpowering. Honestly. Who did this guy think he was? This was Glendale for crying out loud. No self-respecting man would choose to smell like some exotic fragrance willingly.

I scraped my chair to side, as far away from liam as I could get- too bad it screeched and caused a few heads to turn in the process. I didn’t mind that people were staring at me. I liked my personal space. Well, that, and the fact that I felt nausus form liam’s perfume. I figured I was doing the busboy a favor.

"so.", Trixie began. I think she was pissed off at me but I couldn’t really tell. "Are you hungry?" she asked Liam.

"I could eat." To my surprise liam took up half of our side of the table. Honestly, What did he parents feed him as a young boy?

Trixie beamed and got up from her seat. "I’ll be right back." I watched as she skipped to the cash register at the other side of the room. I knew it was gonna be a while because there was a small line ahead of her.

If you asked me, I thought it was a bad idea to leave the three of us alone. Nobody said anything for a while. But, as expected, Danny was the one to break the silence. "What do you think of Glendale?" he asked. That was typical of Danny. Friendly to a fault.

Liam shrugged. "Honestly? It’s smaller than I remember."

That interested me because I didn’t remember him around. "You’ve been here before?" I asked.

Liam focused his steady gaze on me. "Once or twice."

From the tone of his voice I could tell that he didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t say anything after that. I figured it was better to let it go. Besides, it wasn’t any of my business anyway.

Danny whistled at liams comment. Clearly Danny was a dense moron who didn’t know when to shut up. Even I would admit that Liam could probably kick my ass without much effort. That’s how in shape he was. To be honest, I was envious of the guy. It took me four years to get a six pack. What was this guy made of, steel?

Thankfully Trixie interrupted us just in time.

"Here you go." Trixie handed Liam a bucket completed with a bacon hamburger and curly fries.

"Thanks." Liam drenched a curly fry in the katsup and ate it. I was surprised that he actually liked the katsup. But, then again, he was Trixie’s cousin. So I guess it kind of made sense.