My Girlfriend Bites (Young Adult Paranormal Werewolf Romance)

Chapter 29

Aiden

Monday comes, and I'm not ready. Last night I stayed up all night thinking about Bree. Do I break up with her? Do I tell Bree that her dad wants us to break up? Would she apologize for Friday afternoon? Would I accept her apology? Would things be awkward between us now? Would she kill me if I broke up with her?

I couldn't decide on anything.

I'm glad Issy's driving us to school. I'm so tired I can't keep any part of my eyes open.

"Stop drooling all over my window," Issy says.

Damn. I fell asleep again. I feel saliva pasting my mouth to the glass. I use my shirt to clean it off.

School becomes a maze. I've been stomping down these hallways for two and a half years, but my sleepy brain sees them in a confusing new light. I bump into the water fountain. I bump into the football trophy case. And I bump into Bree.

She waits at my locker. Her long, dark hair is twisted into a ponytail. A hopeful smile on her lips. That smile hopes I forgot about Friday afternoon. I still don't know what I'm going to say to her.

"Hey," she says.

I nod, open my locker, and concentrate on pulling out books for my morning classes.

Bree grips a book to her chest and steps closer, like she wants to say something.

I hesitate.

"How's Issy?" she asks.

"Normal, I guess."

I don't know. Why doesn't she ask Issy?

Bree twitches her lips to the side and rocks back and forth. I fight the urge to lean against my locker and fall asleep.

"You look tired."

"Didn't sleep well," I say.

"We hunted deer last night. I always sleep well on a full stomach." She grins.

"Yeah, I didn't sleep well," I repeat.

Bree loses the grin. "Were you like really tired...or...were you so worried about something you couldn't fall asleep?"

I close my eyes. Do I want to talk about this now? Think I need to wake up first.

"Like really tired."

"Think you'll feel better at lunch?"

I shrug.

"All right," Bree says, taking one awkward step back. She flashes a crooked grin and heads down the hall, glancing back at me before she rounds the corner.

Like I said, I'm not ready for Monday.

The three of us eat lunch like strangers. It's weird. No one wants to bring up anything. But we all know what each person wants to talk about. I mindlessly play with my mashed potatoes like I'm four again. Issy breaks out his phone and plays a game. Bree can't finish her roast beef sandwich that she went off-campus to buy.

I scrape the sides of my new mashed-potato hill.

Issy kills things on his phone.

And Bree simmers like a volcano. She suddenly bangs her hands on the table, and our plastic trays jump. "I can't stand this." She's so loud the other tables stare. Bree lowers her voice. "Does anyone want to talk? Because I sure do."

"Talk about what?" Issy asks.

Bree zeroes in on me. "Anything?"

I sip my grape soda and shrug again.