Chasing Tails (Original)

30. Ghost Chase Part 1

Julie entered her auto shop class, shaking off the fears that taunted her at the back of her mind. She couldn't help but find herself missing the comforts of Dresden's bedroom as she walked around the school, trying to ignore the glares and snarls - all things that reminded her of war. She avoided looking into anyone's eyes, fearing that her dreams might start confusing her reality. She focused on the conversation she had with Kris, Sheila, Kennedy and Leila - even if most of it was hinting their curiosity at fighting Ollie's pack. Whenever one of them tried to bring it up, they'd change the topic immediately and start discussing something else. She couldn't tell if they were doing that on purpose because they sensed her anxiety or if it was becuase of Jack who was keeping a close eye on them. Either way, she was thankful. It helped keep her mind off of the scary truths and the fears that came with them.

She found that Kennedy and Leila weren't all that bad. They were just very comfortable with their sexuality and weren't afriad to speak their minds. She admired that. She could count on them to be completely honest with her. Sheila was nice too. She wasn't as harsh spoken as the previous two but she was honest and careful. Kris, on the other hand, was by far the kindest. She seemed observant, gently squeezing Julie's hand when she noticed Julie beginning to shake. She was almost motherly, Julie sensed. It reminded her of Rose.

She was just glad that lunch didn't go as badly as she feared it would.

Julie found a bunch of boxes stacked up next to Betsy, all with her name on it. She'd completely forgotten about ordering new parts for the old car and sighed. She set her bag on the table with the others and walked up to the car to start working. She was glad that her class consisted of her family - it gave her a break from the tense atmosphere that was everywhere else in the building. Further more, they didn't seem to be telling any kind of sexist jokes, despite being the only girl in the class.

"So you decided to believe you can actually handle Besty, huh?" Mr. Nickelson spoke, sneaking up on her. He chuckled when she jumped and crossed her arms over his chest, skeptically looking at all of the parts. "Why don't you just call it quits now? I'll let you do whatever and give you a passing grade."

"Nickelson." Julie looked over to see Dresden's dark voice. Her friend glared at the teacher, sending some sort of message with his eyes that Julie knew wasn't good. Mr. Nickelson gulped, giving Julie one last sexist look before walking away. She glanced at Dresden and gave him a smile, thanking him. He nodded back and turned back to his car, working with Jack.

She started installing some of the parts, brushing her hair over her shoulders, revealing her neck. Dresden eyed her while Jack worked on the engine alone. He could just barely see the bruise that was still healing and he felt frustrated that she couldn't just stay home for one more day. Still, he had to admit that she was looking better. Her skin didn't look as pale as it did before. It was now a natural pale tone that suited her quite well. The bags under eyes were still there but only if dared look away from her eyes in the first place. He could see she was stronger at her core, her muscles were more evenly structured. She looked healthy. But he knew she wasn't all the way there yet. Otherwise, his wolf would have him take her as soon as they were alone.

"Why don't you just ask her about it?" Jack suggested, looking up at his Alpha from the engine. He knew what was going through Dresden's mind as he growled, staring at the Alpha mate. He could tell Dresden was starting to wear down on his patience, his own frustration and attraction building up into a dangerous and explosive combination.

"She won't tell me yet." He replied, sighing. "I'm about to force it out."

"What's stopping you?" Dresden raised his eyebrow, looking down at his beta who normally would have scolded him and tell him to be more patient. "What? I want to know just as much as you do." Dresden shook his head, leaning against the open hood.