I don't Mate with Jerks

Chapter 9 ~ Off the Line

"Because we're your BFFLES. We're here to make your life a living hell then help you through it!" Maggie said way too cheerfully. I glared up at her as she smiled back down so widely I almost laughed. Almost.

"Anyway, continuing with Justin," Danica perked. "Anything you'd like to share?"

"Have I not made it clear to you there is nothing to discuss?" I groaned, letting my head rest against the table again "He and I are meeting up tomorrow to study for a test Wednesday in History. Capishe? That's all," I spat out, letting it hang out there for them to absorb.

"Oh my gawsh! Seriously?" Maggie gasped excitedly. "It was about time you coughed up some deeds," she narrowed her eyes at me before breaking out into her signature smirk.

"Wait, that reminds me," Danica dragged, looking off into the distance as if she was searching for something.

"What?" I asked eagerly, snapping my fingers in front of her eyes in hope to snap her back into reality.

"When are you and your mom moving into the pack house?" she furrowed her eyebrows. I stared at her blankly, having no idea in gawds name what the hell she was talking about. 

"Oh yeah!" Maggie agreed, her face beaming in remembrance. "You guys are supposed to have a room in the pack house. I remember Ben was clearing out a couple rooms for you and your mom just a few days ago," she informed. I continued staring blankly, feeling like I was the only one in this conversation having no clue what was going on.

"Wow, you've been gone for too long, sister," Maggie sassed. “Was there no pack in New York or something?”

                “We needed time alone,” I replied indifferently, an image of my dad flashing quickly behind my eyes.

"Ok, listen up," Danica pulled my attention back to her. "There's a pack house where the entire or most of the pack lives. Ben, our beta, cleared out two vacant rooms for you and your mom. You get the one on the third floor with the other wolves around your age, like us, and your mom gets a room below for the adults. Ok?" she paused, waiting for me to absorb it all in. The idea of a pack house was so vague to me, but I could just barely remember hearing about it.

"That explains why my mom was refusing to unpack all the moving boxes," I murmured more to myself than to my friends. 

"Wait, but that means we're on the same floor as..." I trailed, not wanting to believe it.

"Yup, the boys." Danica somehow was able to finish. "All eight of them," 

"Even Damon?" I snarled at the name, my fists clenching.

"Unfortunately," Maggie shook her head depressingly. I growled, already hating the idea of moving into a pack house. But I wasn't about to just deny my mom who would roast me alive for just saying "No" to her on a demand.

"Oh to joy," I muttered sarcastically.

“But it’s not all bad,” Danica assured. “I mean, it’s in the middle of the forest so there’s plenty of running room and there are so many rooms to just lounge in. Plus, you get a lot more freedom,” she went on excitedly. Maggie simply nodded.

“I mean, it’s like living under one big roof with your extended family,” Maggie added. “Eat together, sleep together, and hunt together!” she paused, thinking about it for a moment. “Scratch that, it’s just hunting together. You can just eat whenever you want and just ignore the whole sleeping together thing. Separate rooms for everyone unless you’re mated.”

“Not bad, I guess,” I shrugged as I grabbed Danica’s lunch box before she could stop me and swiped away her apple, taking a bite out of it. She growled, but I just returned it with a grin, my mouth full of apple meat. “Are there deer?”

“Plenty,” Danica replied, though giving me a glare for the loss of her apple.

“Good. Hunting’s always good at this time of the year,” I said.

“Deer, rabbit, even the rare elk.”

“Sounds like my kind of place,” I affirmed nonchalantly, pulling my legs up into a crisscross-applesauce position on my chair and finishing what was left of the apple, handing the core to Danica and wrapping her fingers around it.

“Trust me, you’ll love it,” Maggie reassured just as the bell rang, summoning us for class.