Defect

Er-Shi-Er

Using Brady’s phone as a mirror, I checked to make sure that I didn’t have anymore ruined eyeliner across my cheeks. Once satisfied with my less disheveled look, I took a deep breath to calm my erratic heart and tried to sneak back into the cook out.

 Key word being tried—I reached out with my right hand but my skin never made contact with the doorknobs smooth metal.

 I couldn’t do it.

 I wanted to cry again, this is why I lock up my emotions. If I don’t, if I let them run rampant like right now, I’m just a big ball of an emotional mess.

 I could hear the boisterous happy laughter on the other side of the door.

 Why couldn’t I just see it like that? That standing in between my happiness was just a door. Why couldn’t I be more optimistic like that?

 I don’t understand.

 I do understand one thing though: I’m not ready to re-introduce myself to them again. I don’t want to be around them, at least not right now.

 I took a step back and walked back across the lawn. Glancing at the Daniels house I saw that Tristan’s car wasn’t there. He hadn’t returned yet.

 I kept walking down the street. Once I was a few blocks away, I pulled out Bradys phone and dialed in a number I knew by memory, confused or not.

 “Hey,” I whispered when the ringing finally stopped, “I need you to pick me up.”

 Ten minutes hadn’t even passed when I heard the familiar sound of an old Honda making its way up the hill. It came to a screeching halt right in front of me. The driver’s window was rolled down manually.

 “Hey girl, get in!” Robin shouted winking at me.

 I smiled at her and ran over to the passenger door and got in.

 She eyed the girls that were walking up the sidewalk into Alpha Henny’s house in disgust. Once seated in I glanced over at the girls as the opened the door to join the rest of the pack. Their clothes made it seem more like party attire than relaxed gathering. I guess they dress to impress.

 The second I buckled my seatbelt in she drove off.

**

FWP!

 Robin expertly let the arrow fly out of her bow missing its intended target. Robin was off her game. Archery requires a lot of focus, something she didn’t quite have now after I told her about the cook out and the incident at the grave.

 Even though it had been a few hours since she picked me up, I ,myself, wasn’t feeling so hot about what had happened.

 “A party huh? Zak never told me anything.” She said muttering the last part. She began walking to take the arrow out of her makeshift target—it was a thick carpet taped up to the wall at the back of her house.

 I could tell that it was bothering her that Zak didn’t mention anything. More specifically that he didn’t invite her to a party.

 I shifted in my seat, “uh- it was just a barbeque. Nothing big.” I said trying to downplay the whole thing.

 “Yeah maybe you should have told that to all the people trashing Henry’s house.” She roughly yanked out the arrow, “those girls looked slutty enough to belong in a whore house.” She said playing with the tip of the arrow as she walked back to her spot.

 My mouth fell open in shock, “Robin!”

 “Well its true.” She muttered.

 What was this nasty emotion rolling off of her in waves?