Jake was pretty neutral on the trip but once they were back at school everything was the same again. He continued to keep his distance but she always felt that he was watching her, searching for some distant memory that was just waiting to surface.
“I’ll see you Sunday night Natalie,” said Jessica, throwing her bag over her shoulder.
“Okay,” she said, looking slightly upset.
Jessica offered her a smile. “I’m sorry but it’s a family emergency. Next time I go I promise I’ll bring you.”
“Okay that’s cool. See you Sunday.”
Jessica let out a loud sigh but walked out of the room without another word. It sucked to hurt her friend’s feelings but she wasn’t ready to tell her who she was yet. The sorority would keep Natalie busy so she wasn’t really worried about that. She just felt bad that her family had extended the hospitality but she couldn’t do the same yet.
She pulled out of the school parking lot and dialed her Mom’s cell phone number. Her mom answered before the first ring ended. It was like she knew Jessica was calling.
“Hey mom, how are you?”
“Just great,” said Lilly. “Are you on your way?”
“Yup,” she nodded, even though no one could see, “Should be there in a few hours.”
“Oh I miss you so much sweetie. It’ll be great to finally see you!”
“I miss everyone too. Who’s going to be there?” asked Jessica.
Her Mom paused for a second and Jessica could picture her with her thinking face. She usually scrunched up her nose and chewed on the corner of her lip. Her dad said it was something Lilly did since the first time they met.
“Well your brother and sister both went out of town with Kevin so then only person you’ll see is Lizzy.”
“Okay cool and I need you to do me a huge favor,” pleaded Jessica.
“What’s that?” asked Lilly.
“I don’t want any of my friends to know I’m back. I don’t feel like being bombarded with a million questions. This is just a trip to relax and see you and dad.”
Lilly was thrilled. “Sounds perfect Jess. We’ll see you soon.”
“Okay thanks mom.”
She hung up the phone and threw it into the passenger side seat. The real reason she was going back was to get answers that she felt she had a right to know. There were things people were keeping from her and she was going to get to the bottom of it.
It was a quiet drive up there and she was grateful when she finally made it back home. Even before she got out of the car her mom was already running forward.
“Hey Jess! You look just fantastic. Maybe a bit too skinny but still really good.”
She laughed and gave her mom a big hug. “Thanks mom you look good too. Where’s Dad?”
“Oh he’s on the phone with one of his co-workers. Something about a water heart blowing up.”
They walked inside and she was immediately pulled into a one armed hug. Her dad was still on the phone but he wanted to greet her anyway.
“Hey dad,” whispered Jessica.
He gave her a wink and walked back into the office he had built a few years ago. The last thing she heard was him shouting curse words that would make a sailor blush.
“Are you hungry?” asked Lilly.
Jessica smiled. Of course that was the first question her mom asked. “Yeah a little bit. I eat out a lot so a homemade meal would be nice,” said Jessica.
“I made my famous meatloaf, does that sound good?”
Jessica nodded, “Yeah mom.”
She laid her stuff next to the wall and sat down at the kitchen table. Everything was nice and cozy in her parent’s house. They lived about two blocks over from her grandparents who she loved a lot. They were sweet and funny, just like her mom.
“Here you go Jess,” said her mom , setting down a heaping plate of food in front of her.
“Damn I’m not that skinny.”
“Oh just eat!” huffed Lilly.
They sat in silence for a while as Lilly watched her daughter lovingly. All her children were special but this was the first born and she had fought for her. Everything was worth it in the end because Jonathan made a fantastic pack leader.
“So, do you have any friends up there?” asked Lilly. She made sure to wait unti Jessica had finished almost half of her food.
Jessica immediately felt guilty. She had been so tied up in her sorority that she barely had time to call her parents. They didn’t really know much of her college life and it was probably eating her mom alive.
“Well I joined a sorority of all shifter girls. It’s pretty cool since we feel like a small pack.”
“Oh that’s wonderful but don’t party too much,” said Lilly, shaking her finger at her. “Make sure to concentrate on your school work.”
Jessica rolled her eyes and threw a tater tot at her mom. “You know I’m not much of a partier. My grades are almost perfect and I haven’t gotten into any trouble.”
“Well good keep it that way,” she said, throwing the tater tot back.
Lilly ganced down and practically mumled the next sentence. “Do you have any boyfriends?”
“God mom do we have to go over this every time we talk?,” huffed Jessica. “I don’t have any boyfriends but I do have boys that are my friends. My roommate Natalie has an older brother Nate that I’m friends with and a sort-of-brother Jake. His real name is Alexander though.”
She checked her mom’s face for some sort of recognition but nothing showed. All she did was nod her head and smile at Jessica. Maybe being blunt about it would get a better reaction.
“Mom I feel like I know this Jake kid from somewhere but I can’t put my finger on it. He looks at me like he knows something so I was just curious if maybe you could give me some answers.”
Lilly opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. She chewed on the corner of her lip and shifted her eyes nervously. Just then Jonathan walked in and wrapped both of his arms around his Jessica.
“Hey Jess, how are you?”
“Just fine Dad. I was just about to ask mom if she knew this kid that was called Alexander but went by the name Jake. I think I know him from somewhere and it looks like he feels the same.”
He gave Lilly a quick look before taking a seat next to Jessica. “I just don’t think it’s the right time to talk about this. You should just enjoy your stay here and then we’ll talk about it another time. There’s going to be pack run tonight if you’d like to go.”
“No,” exclaimed Jessica. “I mean no thanks,” she said, her voice softening. “I’m going to call it a night since I had to drive four hours. I’ll see you guys in the morning.”
Her mom tried to protest but Jonathan put a hand over hers and shook his head. “We’ll talk to her later. Let her get some sleep first.”
Jessica stormed upstairs and slammed her door for the dramatic effect. Her shifter ears picked up a gasp from her mom but she was too upset right now to feel bad. Everyone kept hiding something from her and it was really irritating.
She slumped down into her bed and looked over at her night stand. Sitting there was a collage of pictures that her and some friends made for a school project. It contained pictures from her childhood all the way up to the eleventh grade.
She scanned each face and slowly felt the anger leaving her body. As much as her followers bothered her she still had a really great friendship with each and every one of them.
Her eyes landed on the picture of a boy that looked to be about ten years old. The both of them were holding hands and smiling at the camera. She stared for another second before tearing the picture down and taking a closer look. The boy had beautiful hazel eyes and light brown hair.
“Alex,” she whispered, searching her memory.
**
“Alex I just don’t think it’s fair that you get all the blue frosting,” protested Jessica.
He nodded, eating another piece of frosting. “Yeah but you hate chocolate so that’s why I’m eating the cupcakes with blue frosting.”
“Oh okay, never mind then. You’re the best,” said Jessica, giving him her biggest smile.
“What are you guys doing?” asked a squeaky voice.
“Eating cupcakes Robert. It’s my birthday tomorrow and Alex’s next week. Do you want one? If you do then you should probably eat one with blue frosting since it’s my favorite color but I hate chocolate.”
Robert bounced over and took the cupcake that Alex handed to him. All three of them ate in silence while the adults talked business in the other room.
Alex’s uncle came about once a month but Jessica could be bothered with him. She loved playing with Alex and they were practically inseparable then entire week he was here. They had known each other since they were two but didn’t become friends until about three years ago.
They walked outside and sat on the cool grass with their tummy’s full of sugar. Jessica leaned into Alex and put her head on his shoulder. He didn’t flinch like he normally did, instead he took her hand in his and stared out at the setting sun.
“I don’t think we’re going to be coming back that much anymore,” he finally whispered.
“Why!” squealed Jessica. “You don’t want to see me anymore?”
“I do but my Uncle said we don’t need to make the trips after this one. Maybe when I’m older I’ll come back and see you.”
“Do…you…promise?” asked Jessica, in between sniffles.
“Yeah I promise. I’ll even bring you a birthday gift next time you come. What do you want?” he asked, continuing to stare at the sky.
Her eyes lit up and she smiled at him through teary eyes. “Oh I want a necklace charm that has a tiger and a wolf on it! Just like my Mom and Dad.”
Alex nodded, giving her hand a squeeze. “Okay, when I come back I’ll have that for you.”
They both smiled at each other and continued to watch the sun set behind the trees. He knew he wasn’t ever going to come back but he would find a way to send the gift no matter what happened.
**
She stroked the picture lovingly and stared at the little boy. Could that be the Alex that she was at school with now? No, impossible, this guy had a scar and was a complete jerk. The Alex she knew was nice and sweet. Plus, it would be too much of a coincidence that he went to the same school. She put the picture into her backpack and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Just like the sorority house, she woke up to the smell of fresh coffee being made. It was too delicious to keep her in bed for another second even if she still was a bit upset with her parents. Before going down she snatched the picture out of her backpack and walked out of the room.
“Hey Mom,” said Jessica, making herself a cup of coffee.
“Hey Jess, did you sleep good?” asked Lilly. She was trying to sound happy but Jessica could sense the tension.
“Yeah, it felt good to be in my old bed again. I feel bad for yesterday so I think we should try this a little differently this time.”
“Try what differently?” asked Jonathan, taking a seat at the table.
“This,” she said, setting the picture down on the table.
Jonathan was about to tell her off when he spotted who was in the photo. He ran his fingers over his shaved hear and let out a loud sigh.
“Who is this?” growled Jessica.
“Who do you think it is?” asked Jonathan.
“I’m pretty sure his name is Alex.” she watched both parents nod so she continued her story. “I remember him from my childhood but who was he and where does he live now?”
“Well,” said Jonathan, scratching his chin, “We’re honestly not sure where he lives now. And to answer your first question, I did business with his Uncle. They would bring him because he didn’t have many friends to play with.”
“Is his middle name Jake?” asked Jessica.
Her parent’s answers were very vague and she felt like they were still trying to hide something. Every time she spoke they would quickly glance at each other before answering her. If she didn’t know any better they were probably using that connection to speak with each other through thoughts.
“I’m really not sure what his middle name is. I only knew that his first name was Alexander,” said Jonathan.
“So you’re pretty sure this guy at the University that looks like this little boy is not him,” growled Jessica as she started to become more and more irritated.
“Right,” said Lilly and Jonathan at the same time.
“You’re lying,” she yelled, slamming her fist down on the table.
Jonathan stood up and knocked the chair out from under him. It flew into the cabinets with a loud crash and split in half. The only noise that could be heard after that was the heavy breathing coming from her dad.
“You will not speak to me or your mother like that in my house. I may be your father but I’m still alpha and you do what I say.
“Screw this,” hissed Jessica.
She grabbed what stuff she could and walked out to her car. At least her ooks were in her trunk. Her mother cried after her but she ignored it completely. In less than a minute she was back in her car and out on the open road again.
“Damn,” she yelled, slamming her hands on the steering wheel.
It took over an hour for the phone calls to finally stop. Once the ringing stopped she finally felt herself relax. The guilt and anger flowed through her veins like a toxic disease. It took everything in her power to keep the vomit from coming up. She felt betrayed by her parents but she also felt guilty for keeping a secret of her own.
“When will this all stop!”
**
“Do you think it was right not to tell her?” asked Lilly.
Jonathan ran a hand over his head. “Yeah, he was a good boy but there’s no telling what ideas his mother put in his head.”
“What if it really is him?” whispered Lilly.
“It probably is. Nick told me he could possily be going to that University but it didn’t even cross my mind. He told me this almost five years ago.”
“Oh Jon this just sucks, what do we do?”
“Nothing,” he said, shrugging. “If we hear that he’s causing trouble then we’ll send someone or I’ll call Nick but there’s no point in worrying about it right now. She wanted to be a big girl and go off to college so let her figure it out.”
“I just don’t trust him,” said Lilly, taking a seat at the kitchen table. “His Uncle tried too hard to make him a good boy but when he chose to stay with his Mom for those few years anything could’ve happened.”
“I know,” said Jonathan, rubbing her back soothingly. “Let her cool off and maybe as the semester goes on she’ll start to come around. There’s no reason to push the issue. Everyone can change right?”
“Of course they can,” said Lilly, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “You did so I have no doubt that people can. Let’s just hope that it’s not too late.”
**
Jessica hadn’t expected to come home until Sunday night but it was two o’clock on a Saturday afternoon and she was surprised at what she saw going on at the house. There were tons of people walking in and out while having multiple cups that glistened red in the sun. That was an immediate sign that there was an immense amount of alcohol somewhere on the premise and she needed it now.
She was only out of her car for two seconds when she felt a small frame wrap around her like a spider monkey.
“Good to see you too Natalie,” said Jessica laughing.
“I didn’t expect you back this early but man is it good to see you. The bitch squad was invited since Nicole is trying to make peace with them.”
“And who would be the bitch squad?” asked Jessica, slowly prying herself from Natalie’s grasp.
“Those things over there,” she growled, waving her hand.
She followed Natalie’s finger with her eyes and could spot the girls a mile away. She could immediately sense that all of them were human. They all had dark skin and beautiful dark hair. By the looks of it some were Hispanic, others were African American, and a few were other Latin ethnicities that she didn’t recognize.
“Don’t underestimate them just because they’re not shifters. These girls grew up in some of the worst neighborhoods across the country. They tend to stick together and rarely invite new members.”
“Okay I won’t, they’re all really pretty,” said Jessica, admiring the girl that was standing in the front.
“If you’re looking at the girl in the front then yes, she is, but she’s also Sue’s sister.”
Jessica thought for a second and remembered that Sue, the one who made her coffee in the morning, did mention that she had a little sister. She conveniently left out the part that one of her parents was human and her sister didn’t get the shifting ability.
As if reading her mind Natalie quickly answered, “Her dad is the human and her mom is the shifter.”
“Do Sue and her get along?” asked Jessica.
“No not really. Sue is a bit overprotective, that’s why her little sister joined that sorority. They didn’t grow up in a bad part of town but the other girls don’t seem to mind.”
“Should I say hi?” asked Jessica, still unsure of the situation.
“Well you don’t really have a choice because here she comes.”
Jessica looked up and saw a fury in her eyes that looked like she wanted to beat the living hell out of her.