"Are you going to the party tonight?" I asked Bailee over the phone.
"What party?" she asked and then I heard her ask again, not into the receiver but to someone in the background. "Ohhhh," I heard her say. "No, I don't really go to cheerleader parties anymore."
"What's a cheerleader party?"
"Well some girl on the cheerleading squad will throw a party for the cheerleaders and varsity football players on a Wednesday because tomorrow is resting day for the team, Friday is the game night, and Saturday usually one of the football players throws a party. First game of the season."
"Oh."
"Did Stella invite you or something?"
"Ryder, actually," I answered and then heard her chatting in the background to someone and it was quiet for a while. "Bailee?"
"I didn't know Ryder got back on the football team," was all she said. I paused.
"No he—" I was interrupted when Ryder's name flashed on my screen. "Hold on, Bailee. I have another call." I switched calls. "Hello?"
"Hey," Ryder greeted. "Are you still not coming to the party?"
"No, I don't think so," I declined.
"Okay, just making sure," he said. "Did Cassandra get mad that it was on a school night? Or...?"
"No, I'm just not up for it tonight," I told him. The fact that it was on a Wednesday did have an effect on my decision though. But I was already feeling the athletic struggle of sore muscles in my legs and sides so I just figured I'd stay in.
"Oh," Ryder said and then I heard noises in the back. I was just going to assume he was already at the party. I wanted to ask him if he joined the team, or if maybe he was included in the party's invitation list because he was such a good player years ago. Maybe Stella invited him. Who knows? "Well I just wanted to check up with you and still call when I could because my phone is either going to die or get lost." Thanks? "Have a good night, babe."
"I wish I could say the same to you, but don't have too much fun," I joked.
"Without you? Not possible," he replied. Then someone had taken his phone from him.
"Sorry, Ash, but we need Ryder to own this beer pong table. Bye," Colin's voice rushed and then the call hung up.
"Bailee?" I asked after I switched the call back.
"Hi. Who was it?"
"Ryder," I answered. "He was calling me to make sure I didn't want to go to the party."
"He went without you?" Yes, I told her. "You're not worried or anything?"
"Why would I be?" I questioned, even though I had about ten reasons pop up in my head. Bailee changed the subject like she usually did when she had overstepped her gossiping boundaries. When I got off the phone with her, I went downstairs and to my surprise, Andrew was putting on a hoodie and exiting the hall from his room. He slowed down when he saw me.
"Where are you going?" I asked. "The football party?" I knew Andrew had never actually been good enough at football to continue to play the sport past age ten, but I didn't know where else he had to go tonight.
"No, unlike your boyfriend, I have more important things to handle," Andrew said and then I saw a glimmer of light when he had adjusted the hoodie. I jumped between him and the door.
"What are you doing with that?" I asked, glancing down to his waist, where he kept the silver dagger that he had swiped from my possession. He looked away from me in vexing guilt, but I took the dagger out of his pocket. "You were going to Preston, weren't you?"
"Do you blame me?" he asked, the same as Zander had.
"Killing Preston has consequences," I told him. He already began to roll his eyes and denounce any desire to hear some speech about morality, but I shut him up. "If he's dead, that means Aaron stays a wolf and so does Stella."
"Doesn't seem too consequential considering Aaron's still alive after being a wolf and Stella has a pack to train her."
"What happens when Stormy refuses to ever help you because you ruined her boyfriend's life? Or the pack figures that you went behind Ryder's back and there's no longer a peace between you and them?" I asked him in perspective, but he scoffed at me.
"You and them," he repeated within a scoff. "I remember when it was us and them, Ash." Before I could explain my words, he was already backing away and retiring back to his room. I didn't care if he'd sneak out to rid himself of the same roof as me because I was the one with the dagger. And I was the one pissed at Preston now. That's why I hopped in my car and drove to the Tyriette Hospital.
***
Looking at Preston Russell in his bed was a sight that couldn't be unseen. Not only did he have bandages on his nose from either Ryder or Colin breaking it, there was a gnarly line of stitches on his cheekbone that I knew Ryder had done in my defense. But other than that, his eyes had dark circles beneath them that could barely be seen beneath the swelling that matched one side of his jaw, his full lips were slightly swollen with a maroon slit in the bottom one, and there were webs of bruises and cuts on all visible parts of his body as if someone ran him through a garbage compressor—like his skin was dyed and cracked marble. I guess that damage was from Stormy.
"Visiting hours are over," a nurse said. I looked over my shoulder and saw a lady with black curly hair that resembled someone. I saw the name "Rosatti" on her badge and understood that she was Bailee's mom.
"Oh," was all I said. She glanced around and nodded for me to enter the room.
"You're the only one that's visited him," she informed. "His parents didn't want to stay and apparently all his 'friends' aren't his friends after all. But go ahead. I'll give you a few minutes."
I said thank you, even though I didn't want anyone to have any thought I was Preston's friend. Now that I saw him, anything I thought of him changed. The Ashlynn I had been raised to be was seeing a broken boy who went through enough pain, but the Ashlynn who he had wronged felt as though he deserved it and needed some more. But my wolf was the one in charge right now. There was no other explanation why I stood over his bed and pulled out the bejeweled dagger. It hovered over his body and his caramel eyes slowly opened. My breath was caught.
"I'm surprised Ryder has you doing his dirty work," he commented. Even though his voice was broken like his body, his dark humor hadn't failed him quite yet.
"He doesn't know I'm here," I informed, even though it wasn't his business. Even though his eye lids were half closed, he still rolled his eyes.
"Figures," was all he said and I pulled away the weapon. "So where is he then? Planning a funeral?"
"The funeral was yesterday," I said and I heard him gulp slightly.
"Well, whatever distraction he has must be enthralling enough for you to come here without his permission," he said pretentiously.
"I don't need his permission."
"Is that why you didn't tell him you were coming here?" he asked. "Because I'm willing to bet he hates me more than he loves you, so you might as well kill me so there's at least some payout for coming here."
"What makes you think I came to kill you?" I asked him.
"Why wouldn't you?" he asked. "You tried fighting me when you first phased and you tried fighting me before I even carried out my plans, so now that I know you know for sure I'm an ass, I see no other outcome."
It was amazing how he could lay there, looking me straight in the eyes and still speak to me with a monotonous tone that proved he wasn't humbled in the slightest bit...yet he welcomed his punishment. And I wanted to give it to him. Ryder had said our animal's instinct was to further the pain in the injured because that's what wolves did to their prey, but my humanity was the only thing saving Preston.
"I'm probably the only one that's not going to kill you," I found myself saying and that's when his eyes widened ever so slightly in shock.
"Maybe you're smart for knowing me being alive is worse than dying," he reasoned. "Because at this point, I'd reach up and stab myself in the heart if I could."
"If you knew you'd be this miserable would you rethink your plan?" I asked him. He managed to force a hoarse laugh.
"I'm only miserable because of what Stormy did," he admitted. "I can live with killing Marc and betraying my best friend and I can definitely ignore the fact that I Bit Stella...but hating myself because my parents can't afford my medical bills is just..." he trailed off in a laugh and I figured out that maybe Preston did have a heart about someone other than himself. I never assumed he would've come from an underprivileged family because he always acted mightier than everyone but Ryder. But they were still best friends. Best friends who shared the quality of never wanting to be seen as lesser. "So the pack wants to kill me, right?"
"I wouldn't say that," I said, not knowing if he said it as a statement or a question. "They want nothing to do with you."
"And Ryder?"
"He only wants to kill you so people stop coming up to him asking if they can do it themselves," I announced.
"People being...?" he hummed while closing his eyes as if he was listening to a symphony instead of his list of assassins.
"Stella, Zander, my brother," I listed. "Aaron and Stormy. Probably more—"
"Aaron?" his eyes shot open. "He's—"
"Not dead," I assured.
"That stupid witch—"
"Stormy didn't have anything to do with it."
"She did," he insisted. "Putting a werewolf in the hospital—alone or in a pack—takes extreme magic. I was so close to death that it probably temporarily gave Aaron an Escape somehow." I hadn't thought of it in that way. Stormy probably triggered Aaron to phase down. "Whatever. He's not going to harm a fly. Neither is Stella."
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," I recited in Stella's defense.
"She wasn't scorned; she was Bitten," he corrected.
"All the more reason to fear her," I figured.
"In the time it takes me to think of worst case scenarios to make me even attempt at fearing her, Zander will have already killed me—I'm not even surprised he's back," he predicted. I remembered the conviction in Zander's voice when he arrived and the stern look on his face at the funeral. Preston could be right. The silence proved my agreement with him. "Why'd you even come here?"
"Because my brother was on his way to kill you."
"I don't think we've ever met, so I must be pretty infamous considering I didn't do anything to him," Preston said with an impressed tone.
"You killed the guy who murdered our dad." Normally, one would think Andrew should be thankful for that, but Andrew wanted his own revenge.
"Well I'm still flattered," Preston said immediately. "Considering you still saved me from him."
Truthfully, I was doing more of a favor to Andrew, but now I understood what Ryder meant when he said he was protecting Preston. Ryder banishing the pack from associating with Preston was like me stopping Andrew from coming here. Not allowing anything to happen to Preston made it look as though we were protecting him for fear of the ends not justifying the means.
I opened my mouth to say something in response, but there were two raps on the door before Mrs. Rosatti came in and told me I had to go.
I had originally gone to Preston because I was pissed at all he had done, but I didn't even feel that anger anymore. He was more of a lost cause, lower than dirt. But it only made me understand how Ryder was so passive about this whole thing. When I sat in the car trying to decide what exactly to do, my phone rang.
"What do you want, Colin?" I used as a greeting.
"Ashlynn?" To my surprise, it was a different male's voice that took a moment to recognize, not because of the background noise, but because I hadn't known it for long.
"Zander?"
"Colin called me to pick up Ryder from whatever party they were having and he's..."
"He's what? Is he okay?" I asked, concerned and already turning on the car. I heard more chaos in the background.
"Not currently," he said. "I'll try to get him home, but can you meet us there?"
"Uh yeah, sure," I said and then drove the ten miles to the Ramon mansion.