7.
Naylor had heard about a college about two miles from the town boarder and decided to register. He was the more productive sibling. Kevin and Claire decided on not going to college because they weren't going to end up building careers. They all lived on their family's heritage, one their father had developed and one which Kevin would sustain. All the family duties had been handed out.
Naylor, however, felt that he needed something to rely. That was how he came to be sitting in a Communications class in Ilan Salhton University flipping a ball point pen between his fingers. The entire lecture bored him. More than that, it put him on edge. The werewolf nature made one irascible. He was always inclined to anger. He tugged on his grey pants as the Professor's words hit his eardrums, annoying him. He was so close to ticking.
A bubbly blonde girl sat next to him and had been eyeing him throughout. He could tell she was looking for a reason to talk to him. He was not going to make it easier for her, especially in his state. She crossed her legs, causing her dress to rise far too high above her thigh.
"Hey. Are you using a recorder?", she asked. Her high pitched voice made him to snap out of it. He picked up his recording device and showed it to her with a tiny smile.
"Yeah. Can't really focus in here", he said.
"Me neither", she said leaning in. She was about to say something else when the lesson was dismissed. Naylor jumped to his feet and jogged out of the room to get a breath of fresh air. He started down the hall, taking slow paced steps. He looked up and saw two familiar legs standing in front of a notice board. His spirit was immediately elevated. He walked towards her with a boyish smile on his face. He still had many questions for her after their first meeting. She had left him confused but he wanted to know more about her.
"Fancy seeing you here", he said leaning on the notice board. She was unfazed, as if she had seen him coming.
"Yes. Very fancy", she said as she turned to him with a polite smile on her face. Her heart skipped a bit when she saw him. She wanted to run her hand through his brown hair and feel his chest against her hand. Just like he had to resist the urge to kiss her adorable pink lips. She was perfect. She wore beach shorts and a large sweater that read ILU. Her silky auburn hair was done into a long French braid. Everything about her was perfect. He smiled at her for a while without saying anything. They both just gazed at each other.
"Um, hey. I didn't catch your name". Naylor and Audrey's moment was cut short by the desperate blond from Communications class. She eyed Audrey like a distasteful piece of Thanksgiving turkey. Audrey pretended to be looking away while stifling a laugh. Naylor glanced at them both and winced.
"I'm Naylor", he said. She giggled even though he hadn't said anything funny.
"Well, I'm Olive. I was wondering if you'd want to hang out tomorrow", she suggested with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Naylor's eyes shifted from Olive to Audrey and then back to Olive. He put on his most charming smile, "That sounds absolutely amazing. I wish I didn't have anything planned but... "
The excited look on her face dropped immediately. She didn't say a word. She just walked away.
Audrey chuckled a little after she walked away. "You're pretty smooth", she said.
Naylor sighed. "If I was, she wouldn't be upset". Audrey tilted her head, admiring his compassion.
"You have a kind heart", Audrey stated with a pleasant smile etched across her face. They shared yet another moment, just staring at each other. "So do you really have plans for tomorrow?", she asked with a little hope in her eyes.
He beamed at her, "Of course. I'm taking a girl named Audrey to the Fall Ball", he said, gesturing towards the dramatic poster that hung from the notice board. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at his words. How could she possibly turn down such an offer. Just looking at him made her wish tomorrow would come sooner. However, she put on a delighted smile.
"Really? You must be new to town then", she hinted at him as she readjusted her bag strap on her shoulder.
He leaned in, his lips mere inches away from hers. It made it nearly impossible for her to breath. "Why do you say that?"
She glanced at the poster before turning back to him. "The fall ball isn't exactly the spot for a first date. It's extremely grand. I'm talking Cinderella grand. Due to that, something... drastic always happens at the event".
"I fail to see how any of this is remotely bad", he said with a simple face. Her smile grew even wider. "Suit yourself, Naylor", she said to him.
"Ah, I will. If you agree to go with me", he remarked. Her grin was almost reaching her ears. He smirked at her.
"Okay, fine", she groaned with a slightly sarcastic eye roll. "If you're so bent on taking me to the disaster ball then have at it". Naylor smiled cheekily at her. He was completely entranced by her smile, her wit... everything about her was so utterly exquisite.
"What?", she asked, a bit selfconscious. She shifted her weight from one hip to the other.
He shook his head, waving off the matter. "Nothing. When should I pick you up?", he asked. His eyes were wild and giddy, like a child who'd been given a party favour. She suddenly looked cornered. She seemed to be weighing options. She looked up at him.
"No, don't pick me up. I'll meet you there", she proffered. He looked confused for a while but accepted her suggestion by nodding. They were once again captivated by a wild silence. This time, he was the one to break the silence.
"So what do you do here?", he asked.
"Oh, I'm majoring in computer science", she told him. He was enthralled by this.
"You must be really smart then. Why would you settle for this school?", he asked. Her cheeks turned an embarrassing shade.
"I get homesick", she replied. "Speaking of which, I have to be going", she didn't wait for a reply. She turned on her heels.
"See you tomorrow!", he called out.
"Mm-hmm", she mumbled as she disappeared down the hallway.
¤¤¤
She was still on his mind as he walked through the front door of his house. He kept thinking about her, even harboring some very impure thoughts. He couldn't exactly help it. It had been long since he got some. If he did, anytime soon, he wanted to get it from Audrey, but there was no way he was going to rush into that with her. There was a whole new set of tactics with Audrey. She was genteel, yet a bit rough. There was a whole new side of her that she kept at bay. That was the part he wanted to get to know. He also knew that she had a secret, one which he planned to find out that night. There was no mistaking it. Audrey was special.
Naylor pushed the door to his little sister's room open to find her sitting up on her bed with her laptop on her lap.
"What are you doing?", he asked. He was still quite concerned about her. It was over a week since the incident, but Claire had been acting stolid, as if nothing had an impact. She lifted her gaze from the bright screen and turned to him. Her pearly green eyes shone brighter. She had a plain face on, but stress was evident in her features.
"Shopping for a dress. Apparently, there's this really grand Fall Ball tomorrow night. Spoiler alert! I'm going", she explained with little or even no enthusiasm.
"How convenient then, that I came to ask if you would be attending", he told her with his charming smile.
She looked up at him again, this time, she wore a surprised smile on her face. She knew her brother well enough to know that he was not the type to attend balls or galas or fanciful events. He was a simple guy, much unlike herself. "Wow! You are going to a ball? Seriously?", she gleaned and closed her laptop. As she set it aside, a very strange elation overcame her.
"Let me guess. It's because of that girl you met, isn't it?". She looked halfway impressed as she attacked him with questions. His smile was immediately exchanged with a scowl. He felt like he was being blamed for something, but he was guilty. He hadn't thought it over before asking Audrey to the ball. He just knew that he wanted to be with her, even if it meant acting royal for a night. He was the well-behaved brother, but he was by no means, a nobleman.
"If I say yes, will you drop it?", Naylor asked her with a very insipid look in his eyes. He didn't care much for the argument.
"No!", came that all-too-familiar voice as Kevin's head popped into the doorway with an evil smirk drawn across it. Everything about him screamed bad boy. And for that, he was proud.
Naylor and Claire scoffed simultaneously as Kevin strode gleefully into the room. He gave Naylor's shoulder a manly pat and said, "You're whipped brother".
Naylor put on a fake smile and turned to Kevin.
"I just can't wait to meet her... whatever her name is", Kevin told them.
"Its Audrey", Naylor intercepted. "And I am not whipped".
"Audrey?", Claire voiced with a dramatic look in her eyes. "What a pretty name". Kevin shook his head, feigning sadness and worry.
"Dont try denying it, brother. When a guy is willing to drop his little pet peeves for a girl, he's whipped", Kevin repeated, pointing his finger in Naylor's face. Naylor grunted loudly.
"Robin!", Naylor called. Robin, who had been heading downstairs, stopped dead in her tracks. "Please knock some common sense into these idiots".
Robin slowly made her way towards the doorway. "This looks like a family quandary", she picked her words slowly and carefully. "I think it's best if I stay out of it". She took a few steps backwards and before anyone could stop her, she was gone.
"Did you just call on Robin to support you?", Claire asked and folded her arms across her chest. "You know Robin always agrees with Kevin", she assured him. Everyone froze.
"What's that supposed to mean?", Kevin asked, his face became stern. Claire rolled her eyes at him.
"Maybe that you take advantage of her friendship and it's upsetting", Claire asserted plainly. It was at times like this that no one appreciated her candor. Naylor was somewhat relieved that the tension had been alleviated from him and unto Kevin. Kevin, however, was not pleased.
"I know it must be hard for you, what with being a loner and not having any friends but I appreciate Robin. I don't take advantage of her. So sister, the next time you have a bitter comment to make, don't", Claire stiffened up and narrowed her eyes at Kevin.
"I think we've gone a bit off course here", Naylor said, trying to calm the fire. He reached out both hands to metaphorically separate them. "I only wanted to know if you were both going to the ball".
"Get out", Claire whispered. Her face was so stern that her voice came out deep and harsh. She didn't have to yell for them to know that she was serious. She had reached her peak, as far as tolerance goes. She was done taking crap from other people in the name of improvement. Now, she was only going to take care of herself. She was going through something terrible and she didn't need her own brothers to make her feel worse about herself. Of course, Naylor hadn't irked her but he was the same as Kevin. He always took Kevin's side.
Naylor looked surprised and confused. He wasn't going to leave her angry. "Claire-"
"I. Said. Get. Out", Claire pronounced each word, her voice was laced with pure disdain. Naylor pursed his lips. He turned to Kevin who shrugged and left the room. Claire walked over to the door and held it open for Naylor, her face unchanging. He sighed heavily and made his way to the door. Before he left, he took one empathetic look at his infuriated sister. Once his entire bodice was outside the room, she slammed the door with all her strength.
~~~~~
IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE READ IT!!!!!!!!!!
Author's Note.
Hi. In the last chapter, I kindly asked for you guys to not be silent readers. You open the chapter and you read it when I update. It wouldn't hurt you to leave a comment, anything right now would be nice. I really NEED motivation to keep writing. I can't force you to like the story so you don't HAVE to vote if you don't want to (even though I would really appreciate it). Pleeeassse I just need some form of feedback. Please.
I also mentioned that I would follow anyone that voted sooo... have at it. If you are a super cooperative and helpful reader, I'll even read one of your books. Plus, any one who feels moved by the spirit can recommend this book to other Wattpaders they know. ❤❤❤
Thankyou to anyone who took the time to read this author's note. You are an awesome individual.
Yours Sincerely (and hopefully),
Mo.