Warning! This chapter contains talking about drugs.
Ian
I groan in irritation as my alarm wakes me. I rub my eyes and stand on my elbows. I look around my room and sign. Posters are decorating my walls and beside my bed is my nightstand. I stand and walk opposite my bed to my closet. I grab a shirt and pants and head to shower. It's two days since I left school and came here. Fortunately, my dad started working at a school near here and Jensen is always in his room. Well, he asked me to come out with him but I turned him down. I step out, wear my clothes, and seer to the kitchen to eat breakfast. As I walk, I take a look at my phone for any messages from the guys. Eventually, I see many texts from last night and I start reading them.
NOAH: Tristan when I will see you at school, I will beat your fucking ass!
I laugh. So far all the guys have been cool and I had fun. Especially with Monica and Hunter. They glare at each other all the time but sometimes I don't know if they want to kill each other or rip their clothes. I like Monica. She makes us all laugh with her attitude and she's a good person to communicate.
TRISTAN: You will kiss my balls. 😏
PARKER: Can you please keep it down? You just woke a beast opposite my bed. 😩
IAN: I think when we get back Hunter will have you to run ten times the field. I type.
"Who are you texting this early in the morning?" Jensen says from the kitchen table. I put my phone on the table and grab the ingredients for pancakes.
"To the guys. They are fighting and they accidentally wake Hunter." I answer and he shakes his head. "Poor kids. I thought you were texting Monica." The moment he says her name my body shivers. I always make her cheeks blush from my jokes but some of them are true. I know she is getting close with the others and am left behind. Part of me wants to kiss her and cuddle her but not like with the other girls I had gone with. This time is different. But something tells me that she's hiding something important and I want to know. "No, I was talking with the guys." My phone busses and I take it out and read the texts.
BLAKE: It's your fault for waking Hunter so you have to treat us beer for all the runs we have to do when we get back to school.
LUKE: I agree with Blake.
LOGAN: You are not going to drink beer.
MONICA: Yeah, he will ask you if he will drink alcohol. 😏
MONICA: Parker, say happy morning to Hunter for me.
HUNTER: You know I can read the messages, right?
IAN: Fight.
I close my phone and take the fresh pancakes to the table. I grab the syrup and sit next to my brother. "You like her." It's not a question but a statement. I smile.
"Yes, I like her but I don't know if she likes me back." We eat our pancakes while we talk about school and he told me that he will leave to spend Christmas with Maddie and her mates. Dread runs through my veins at the thought of staying here alone with my dad. He's not a bad person but he's very serious and strict.
Finally, Jensen stands and walks to the door but before he walks through, he stops and turns to me. "You are going to a club with me tonight..." I open my mouth to reject his offer but he raises his hand. "I don't want you to say no. I don't take no this time. Before I leave, we are going to have fun. Like other times." He smirks and I nod. He exits the room and I continue eating my pancakes.
•••••••••
"Is that the club?" I ask Jensen as he parks the car in a parking area. He turns the key and the engine stops. "Yes. This is where we will have fun tonight." He gets out of the car and I do the same. The weather is cold but we hadn't seen any snow yet. The meteorologists are useless. "This is my shirt?" Jensen points to my t-shirt as we walk. I chuckle.
"Well, it was yours but you gave it to me. You don't remember?" I ask him and we pass through the door. The place is something that only your fantasy could be. As you walk to your left is a large bar with people drinking and talking. To my right, guys and girls are dancing and at the far end is a stage with musical instruments. No people are playing but I expect soon. Blue, purple, and green lights illuminate the place and people seem relaxed. I follow my brother to the bar and he orders two beers.
He rubs the back of his neck. "Maybe I have forgotten it. I have many things on my mind."
"Yeah. With your girlfriend?" I tease him and he smacks my shoulder.
"Yeah. Problem?" I shake my head. "No." After a time of silence, I ask "How can you love a girl when she has other boyfriends? I mean... you don't get jealous?" He gives me a small smile. "Maddie is great and the same are the guys. They will do anything to protect her and make her happy, including me. We take turns for dates but we always spent time together and have sex. I know they are good to her and royal and also, they love her and she us. It doesn't bother me because they are my teammates and friends. Now I think of them as a family because they are."
"Wow. I didn't expect such a speech, Brother." I laugh and he laughs too. It's really good that he found someone to love and care for. Maybe someday I will find one too. The barman brings our drinks and I take a sip. People have started to gather under the stage and my head turns to the side.
"Hey, can I ask you a question? Why the crowd has gathered there?" I point with my thumb to the barman.
He smiles politely. "Oh, today we will have a band to play. The guys who are playing are old friends and they came to sing. I inform you, stay and you won't lose." I turn back to the stage and wait. Some dudes have gone and picked the guitars, microphones, and drums. It's dark there and I can't make their faces. I stand as I feel something drawing me there. They start to play 'Into It' by Chase Atlantic and some lights illuminate the guy who sings and the other two who play the guitars. The lyrics are about addiction I think, but all the people are dancing and singing. I mingle with them and now am standing in the middle of the dance floor. Then a light shines on the person who plays the drums and he starts to sing. I froze and rub my eyes to reassure what I'm seeing. Monica stands there playing them and now she takes the microphone and sings. Her voice is so great and I feel like am floating to the clouds. My body is in calm mode as I watch her and hear her.
She wears black jeans and a black top with her blond hair in a high ponytail. As she sings, her smile widens and her eyes find mine through the crowd. I can't stop looking at her but, in the end, she breaks the eye contact and start to play the drums. Sweat drops between her breasts and forehead. Her hands are playing faster as the song ends. When they finish the song, the crowd bursts into excited shouts and they applaud. "Well, I didn't expect that." Jensen breaks me from the oblivion I had fallen and I turn to him.
"She's a good girl. Maddie told us about her." "I know," I mumble and turn back to her. She chats with the rest of the guys from the band and she leaves from the stage and walks toward us. When she's closer to us she smiles shyly. "Hey. I didn't expect to see someone here."
"You were incredible out there." I blurt out before I can stop myself.
"You mean hot as hell," Jensen adds from beside me. I elbow him in his ribs. Monica rubs the back of her neck. "Thanks. Mmm..." She looks at the bar trying to say something.
"Do you want to drink something?" I ask her and she nods. "Sure."
"If you will excuse me; I have to talk to someone so you can go and drink," Jensen says and winks at me before he turns and leaves into the crowd. I gesture to Monica and we walk to the bar. We take our seats and I turn to her. "What will you drink? Cola? Water?" I ask. She giggles. "I will have a beer." I stare at her confuse and she opens her mouth. "I can drink. The guys know about it." I nod and turn to the barman. "Two beers."
"So, what are you doing here?" she asks me. "I live in this town and my brother thought to take me out before he leaves." She rests her head on her hand. "You will stay here alone?" Warmth spreads through me from her sympathy. I twirl some of her hair to my fingers as I answer her. "He will spend the rest of the holiday with Maddie and the others but I will have my father. Well, we are not close but it's okay." She watches carefully my fingers playing with her hair and she lifts her head.
"Oh. Well, I don't know what to say. Why don't you hang out with some of your friends here?" I wince and drop my hand. The barman places our drinks and I take a sip. "We don't talk anymore," I say but don't explain anything else. I look back at her and my mouth falls open when she takes her beer and drinks it in one sip. She lets out a sign of satisfaction and turns to me. She froze and smiles awkwardly. "Eee what can I say? I like beer." She shrugs and I burst out laughing. Her giggles follow me and I say to her "Ok. I should have taken a picture or a video."
"Maybe you would take soon when I drink more later."
"So, you sing and play the drums," I speak.
"I like to sing and dance. And to your surprise, I play the drums. You see when I was younger my brothers and best friends, including me, had made a small band."
"That's great. Do you have videos?" Her smile falls and guilt erupts in me. "I have but I haven't seen them since." I wrap my arm around her shoulder and she smiles.
"Mmm, do you want to hang out tomorrow?" Her eyes widen in surprise and she stays silent for a small time.
"Sure. I don't have a problem." She glances back to the dance floor and stands. She tugs at my arm and says "Let's go to dance." I stand and we head in the middle. We start dancing and she shakes her hands and hips in the sexiest way. I grab her from her waist and tug her gently to me. She wraps her hands around my neck and comes closer. My dick throbs when her head falls back and her sweet neck is exposed. Her expression is so calm and my hands drip lower to her waist. I want to kiss her as her green eyes stare into my soul. But as a coward, I don't. We dance until our legs give out and we seer back to the bar. Jensen stands there with his hands in his pockets, staring at us with an amused expression.
"I'm happy that you had fun tonight, brother but we have to leave. It's getting late." I turn to Monica. Her cheeks are red from the drinks she had and she's covered with sweat. As well as me. "I will leave too." She speaks.
"Okay. Let's go." Jensen says and we follow him outside. We stop in front of our car and Jensen opens his door. "Monica it was good to see you."
"Me too, Jensen." He smiles and gets inside. I turn to her and she hugs me. I wrap my arms around her small figure and inhale her lovely smell. When we pull back, I cup her cheek. "I will text you tomorrow the time and place to meet up."
"Okay. I will wait." She says and I open my door as she walks away. "Someone has a crush." Jensen teases.
"Fuck off," I say to him but I laugh. He pulls over and heads to the road. While we drive through the black streets along with some cars, a motorcycle sounds from behind. As it passes us, the driver turns to my window and green familiar eyes shine through the glass of the helmet. And with that, the motorcycle drives faster and I stare at it as it drives down the road. What was that? I shake my head and my brother heads home. When we are finally at the house, I say goodnight to my brother and seer to my room. I close the door and lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about Monica. At some point, I fall asleep.
•••••••••••
I woke from the cold air. I groan and slip out of bed. To my surprise, I don't feel nauseous and walk to the bathroom for a shower. Memories from yesterday come back to me and I find myself smiling in the mirror. After I showered, I walk back to my room to grab clothes from my closet. As I head inside, I realize that the place is illuminated but not like other times. I seer to my window and look out from the curtains. I gasp. The garden, the streets, the trees, and the houses are all covered by a ton of snow. Omg. I'm amused by the view and I grab my phone to take a picture. I snap one, two, three and I see that it's one o'clock in the afternoon. I make my way to the kitchen and froze. My dad sits with Jensen on the kitchen island.
When they see me, they stop talking and I walk inside. "Morning," I say and go to the fridge. "Morning brother. Well, I didn't expect things to turn like this." and points to the window which shows the front of the house.
"Yeah," I answer.
"Did you sleep well?" my father asks me. I take the juice from the fridge and drink from the cup. I wipe my mouth and put it back inside. "Yeah. I fell pretty fast yesterday." My father nods and I turn to Jensen as I sit opposite them. "Will you leave with this snow?" I ask him.
He shakes his head. "I would but Dad said no and Maddie told me the same. When the snow will melt just a little, I will leave." "It's the best option. I don't want you to drive when the road is full of ice." Dad interrupts. "You know, Dad is right. It's dangerous to travel when the snow has fallen." I say and Jensen smiles. "So, what we will do?"
My phone buzzes and I see a text from Monica. A smile spreads to my face and I read it.
MONICA: Hey! Do you want to meet near the park at your house in the afternoon?
I froze. I want to meet her but not here. Especially, where I lived with the whole kids knowing that I did drugs. "Someone is texting his girlfriend." Jensen teases and my dad lifts his eyebrow in question. "None of your business," I say and type an answer.
IAN: Good morning! Well, it's not morning but afternoon but anyways. What do you say to meet at a cafeteria and then we will see where we will go?
MONICA: Ok, I don't have a problem. Which one?
IAN: I will text you the address later. Do you have someone to take you there or do you want me to come and pick you up?
MONICA: Oh, no. I have a ride. Is five o'clock, okay?
IAN: Yeah. See you then.
MONICA: See you!
I place it on the table and exhale the breath I was holding. I lift my head and I see that my dad and brother are watching me. "What?" I snap.
Dad chuckles and Jensen rolls his eyes. "It's a good girl?" My dad asks with serious eyes. "Yeah. Don't worry. She's the most mysterious and cute and badass girl I have ever seen." I say and I immediately regret saying it in front of my dad.
I wait for him to say something bad but instead, he smiles. "Good. I want to meet her sometime." I cough and Jensen laughs. "We will go out later."
"That's wonderful. I will drop you where you will meet up."
"No, Dad it's okay. I will take the car-" he holds his hand. "It is done." I close my mouth and nod.
•••••••••
The car stops outside of the cafeteria and I stare at it. I'm so nervous and before I left, I practice what I will say. It's weird because I haven't felt like this before. A hand on my shoulder interrupts me from my thoughts and I turn to Dad. "Go there and be yourself, son. You got this." I nod and open the door. I step out and turn to Dad. "Thanks, Dad. See you." I say and close the door. He waves and leaves. I take a deep breath and start walking to the front door. I grip my jacket as I shiver from the cold. I wear my black jeans and a blue hoodie, my white sneakers and my black jacket. I believe that I won't freeze from the cold.
The moment I'm inside, all parts of my body get warmer from the heating. I look around until I spot Monica sitting on a table at the far wall. As I seer to her I examine what she's wearing. A grey knitted blouse hugs her upper body with a pastel gabardine. When she sees me, she stands and smiles. Black jeans show her curves and she wears black boots. Her blonde hair is down and she has only her phone on the table. When I'm close to her she opens her arms and hugs me.
"Hi." She mumbles to my chest and I hug her too. "Hi, darling," I say and squeeze before I pull back. She gazes into my eyes and says "You look fine from yesterday." I chuckle. "Yeah. I didn't puke like last time." She smiles and I tug her hair behind her ear. She blushes and gestures to the front. "Let's order something warm before we leave." I wrap my arm around her shoulder and walk to the cash desk. "What do you want to drink or eat?" I ask her and she stays quiet for some time to think. I chuckle and she glares at me. "I want hot chocolate."
"Ok." I turn to the woman who sits there and say "I want two cups of hot chocolate." She nods and Monica pulls cash from her pocket. I pull out my wallet and give the cash to the woman. "I will pay. Next time you will treat me." She smiles and nods. "Thanks." The woman comes back with our drinks and we walk outside. "Where we will go?" She asks. "Let's walk just a little and we will see." She nods and we start to walk down the road. "It was great last night," I speak.
"Yeah, I had fun too." I take a sip from my hot chocolate. "Do you often go to clubs?" She turns to me.
"I like to have fun but I go to certain clubs. I don't go where bitches or bastards go. I only go where my friends are."
"So, you knew all the people that were there?" She shakes her head. "Not all of them but yes." "How was school?" I change the subject.
"It's wonderful. My classes were pretty interesting and I liked the vibe that the academy gives me. Also, I met you guys. You are all funny and respectful. If we're others to your place they will have taken advantage of me." I growl and she places her hand on my arm. Fury rises inside me from the thought of someone doing something to Monica against her will.
"Relax. I would have kicked their asses. Please don't be like my brothers and the guys." I calm down instantly and nod. "What do you think of the academy?"
"I think it's great. We can learn about our powers and soon we will go out on missions."
"Ian?" A voice calls from behind and I turn. I froze. My old classmate, Kai stands there. He hasn't changed. Black hair, brown eyes, hoodie, and pants. A cigarette is in his mouth and has dark circles under his eyes. Fuck, nicotine. "When did you come back, man? We could go out. I have some new stuff. Maybe you will be interested." He smiles and I clench my fists.
"Do you know each other?" Monica asks and Kai's eyes land on her for the first time. He whistles and I glare at him.
"Damn Ian. You have to take me where you met this chick." He licks his lips and Monica just stares at him, neither bothered by his behavior.
"Ian, who is he?" She asks me but I can't say. I open my mouth and close it again. Kai gestures to me. "We were classmates and we used to hang out after school at the park. We used to do-" "Kai stop and leave." I finally snap. His gaze slides to me and his face darkens. He turns to Monica and smiles wickedly. "Didn't Ian say that he used to do drugs?" That's it. My breath stops and I don't know what to do.
"He used to go to dark places to buy drugs. He was addicted to them. He took them to school, to his house, to the park, when he used to go with a girl somewhere. You know why." His smile widens and adds "So tell me, why don't you leave him and go for a drink with me? He's not enough for you."
I wait for the shouts, the insults, the laugh but nothing comes. I turn to her. She's still and looks at Kai. Her expression is blank. I don't know what to say. I open my mouth but she starts talking. "Do you believe that I will leave my friend for a shit like you? What world are you living in?" Her green eyes became darker and Kai starts to tremble. The air starts to get colder and colder but it doesn't affect me for some reason. Expect from Kai. Now I can see him breathing heavily. "You know, I don't fucking care what Ian did when he was younger. If he did drugs or fucked girls or killed someone. I. DON'T. FUCKING. CARE. He is a good guy and you don't have the right to judge him."
She takes some steps and grabs Kai by his neck and lifts him. His eyes widen from fear and he starts crying. She gets to his face and says "If I hear that you went near Ian or you said something about him or you just look at him, I will rip your dick out and shove it into your fucking mouth." She growls and Kai faints from fear. Monica drops him and stands above him. "The same shit." She places her palm on his forehead and white light comes out of it. After it fades, she draws it back and stands. She turns to me. The air seems right again and I look around.
"Are you okay?" She asks.
"I-I'm fine. You didn't have to do this but at some point, he deserve it." She smiles, takes my hand, and laces our fingers. She starts walking and I look back to the unconscious Kai.
"What did you do to him?" I ask.
"At first, I frighten him. Then I erased his memory from the time he saw us and I might have helped him with his addiction to drugs." I stop in my tracks.
"How did you erase his memories? You are a tiger shifter."
"It's complicated." She shrugs.
"Why you did do this?"
"I didn't like him talking shit about you. That's it." This girl.
"Thank you."
"It was nothing." She says and we start to walk. "Where are we going?" I ask her.
"We will go to the beach."
"But we don't have a car to go." She lifts her eyebrows and giggles. "We have a ride." I look around but all I see is snow and no cars or buses. She signs and we come to a stop. Then a motorcycle appears from nowhere and I stand there, gawking. How? I turn to her and she hands me a helmet. "Don't ask questions. We will talk when we are at our destination." She gets on and I follow. My chest and her back collide and I swallow hard. We wear our helmets and she starts the engine. 'One Dance' by Drake plays from the speakers and I wrap my arms around her middle. "Hold tight." She says into my mind.
"How?" I ask and she chuckles. We start to move and when we get to the road she speeds. Now I can see the snow and the ice and I hold her tightly.
"Are you sure that we should run with this speed when the road is full of ice?" I ask her into my mind.
"Don't worry. My motorcycle isn't just a normal motorcycle. It's made by my power. So, relax and enjoy the ride." I stop asking questions and do what she said. The ride is amazing. We turn left and then again left and now we are on the main road and right to us is the ocean. She turns right and we stop before the sand starts. She stops the engine and I get off. I pull my helmet and immediately I smell the ocean. She gets off and takes my hand and together we walk closer to the water. We sit down and stare at the horizon.
The only thing that we hear is the sound of the waves. Monica shivers and I realize that here with the water closer, is getting colder. I use my fire element and create a barrier so we are separate from the cold and heat inside. She signs. "Thank you." We gaze in silence and until now she hasn't said anything.
"All the things Kai said are true." I blurt out. "After my mother died, I lost myself. It all started when I tasted the first drugs at the park. I like it. From then I started drugs. Every day at school, in the bathrooms, at my home when my dad and Jensen weren't there. Everywhere. With them, it was like I stopped caring and thinking about everything." She places her hand on top of mine and I hold it tight against my lap. I take a breath and continue. "Yes, I liked hanging out with my friends and girls too. When they were high, we took advantage to fuck around." I stop for some point and she squeezes my hand.
"What happened?" She asks softly.
"Many people I knew were doing drugs had died and I remembered what my mother had said to me. 'Live your life'. From there I stopped the drugs. It was painful because I had become addicted. My family knows nothing about it and neither the guys." I wait for her judgment and my eyes start to blink from the tears I hold. She turns my head to her and I look away. I can't look at her after she heard the truth about me.
"For fucks sake, Ian look at me." She says and I look at her. She doesn't look at me with disgust or pity. She cups my cheeks and stares into my eyes.
"I don't care. You were fragile back there and you turned yourself to drugs. You did some things that weren't right but it's okay. We all did something wrong in our life. What matters is that you find yourself again." She brushes a tear that had fallen and I relax to her touch. "You are not the only one who hung out with the wrong people. You are alright now. Don't listen to the others. You are a great guy. A flirty one, the funny one. So, don't worry about it, okay? This doesn't change anything between us." Something changes inside me and I sigh in relief. I nod, she stands and kisses my forehead.
"Thank you, Monica." I smile at her and she smiles back. She stands and I watch her confused. "What are you doing?"
"Catch me." She says and starts to run. I chuckle and stand. I run after her and she looks behind her. "I will," I say. I speed and come closer to her. When I'm enough closer she turns and I catch her by the waist and lift her.
The time stops. The chilly air brushes her hair back and a genuine smile takes her face. My smile falls from the site of her. I'm left there, lifting her and enjoying the moment. She gazes down at me and looks into my eyes. I slowly put her down but I don't take my hands around her waist. She takes a few steps and hugs my middle. I kiss her head and rest my chin on her head. We stay like that for a few minutes and then we part.
"Let's go back." She says and I nod. We head back to the motorcycle. I don't know where we are going and I don't care, as I long she's with me. We stop and I take my helmet. We are at my house.
She gets off and I say "How do you know I live here?"
She winks and I get off. "It's a secret." I laugh and hug her goodbye. "We will text."
"Yeah, and we will meet again at school."
She gets on and waves to someone behind me. I turn to see Jensen standing at the doorway with his mouth open. I chuckle. She waves to me again and with that, she leaves. I head to the door and pat Jensen on his shoulder. "Pancakes?"
He nods and I seer to the kitchen. Dad sits next to the window with a glass of wine in his hand. "She seems nice."
"She is," I speak.
"So, when she will come for dinner?"
Oh God, help me.