Chapter 5- Maggie
A week later, I was hanging with Melissa in my dorm. Zean was out setting up a "secret party." Anyway, Melissa and I had become close friends. I glanced out the window and saw a baby blue ferry approach Timber Isle. I suddenly heard my phone ring.
"Call Zean and put it on speaker. Tell him not to talk," I instructed Melissa. She took out her phone and dialed. I took a breath and picked up.
"Hey Marissa!"
"Hey! I'm about two minutes out. It sucks all the dorms are filled here. I have to be on the island closest to school. I don't remember what it's called. Well, see you soon!" She hung up.
"I'll be on the beach in thirty seconds," Zean promised, then hung up.
"Let's go to the beach!" I muttered with fake enthusiasm. Melissa giggled. We ran down the hallway, stairs, and onto the beach. I ran into Zean, panting. He straightened me up, calmed me down, and had me fine when the ferry pulled up. The rest of the pack materialized from the forest behind us. Of course, they were all in human form. I was waiting to see who imprinted on her first. I was standing in front of Zean, claiming him as mine. Melissa was doing the same with Sean, who fixated the day before. Tamia and Maliki had their fingers entwined, and it looked to me as if the rest of the pack wanted to imprint on her too. I rolled my eyes. Zean wrapped his arm around me as Marissa stepped off the ferry. She glanced at me, confused. Then she glanced at Zean and went into flirt mode. I internally groaned.
"Hey Maggie! Who's this?"
"This is my boyfriend Zean," I emphasized boyfriend.
"Whoa, did you have a growth spurt or what? Then again, I haven't seen you, in well, two and a half yearsish. How old are you?" I tried to think.
"My sixteenth birthday is tomorrow," I suddenly remembered. September seventeenth.
"We're the same age?"
"Yeah," I replied, acting confused.
"Well, my sixteenth birthday was about a month ago," she babbled. Oh, not fifteen. Sixteen.
"Cool! Happy late birthday!" I smiled. I heard a gasp behind me. I guess someone hadn't been looking at her earlier, but was now. I glanced back to see everyone but Zack Roberts gone.
"They saw his 'fixatie' face," Zean whispered.
"I'll be right back," I told her, dragging Zean behind me until we hit bushes. Zean spun me around.
"Watch," he instructed. I heard all of Zack and Marissa's conversation.
"Here, sit with me. My names Zack. What's yours?"
"Marissa," she answered, batting her eyelashes. Zack classily told her about the wolf and fixation things. Marissa flirted full throttle. Then they kissed. I turned away.
"Let's give them some privacy," I suggested. Zean got up silently and motioned for me to follow. He picked up his silver cell phone and called someone.
"Hey, remember to add that to the banner!" Then he hung up. He grabbed me hand. We walked to a beautiful beach. Even though it's always dark, it's usually fairly warm and sunny on the beach. We walked over to a spruce tree with a low branch on the extreme edge of the forest. Zean pulled himself and me up with one hand, placing me on his lap. I sat, staring at the majestic blue-gray waves crawl up the beach and retreat when they got too close. My eyes traced the line of the white sand.
"What'cha thinking about?" Zean whispered as he began gently swaying side to side.
"Life," I answered.
"And the verdict is...?"
"Perfect," I answered. I looked at him. His chocolate eyes were so deep and understanding, I was lost in them. His eyes looking kindly into mine, me sitting on his lap, us being in love, was something I never expected out of life. I never thought someone as good as him would settle for me. His warm fingers caressed under my chin, once again tilting my face toward him. Our lips met once again, just this time, better. He held his hands in the same position, just a little more awkwardly since I was on his lap. I didn't care. I pressed myself into him and tangled my fingers in his hair as he mirrored me. His breath had the same woodsy taste. We disconnected after a minute. He kept my head tilted towards him. I could kiss Zean all day.
"I love you. I will always love you. I've always loved you. Don't forget that," he murmured.
"Never." I whispered.
Zean
Man, that kiss was even better than the first. It left me feeling giddy inside, a feeling I strived to contain until I dropped her off at her dorm, kissing her goodnight. It was only on the forehead though. Damn, I was hoping for an encore. I immediately rushed back outside, stripping of my clothes as I ran. I burst into a wolf in mid-stride, causing me to bolt into the forest. I raced myself and startled some deer just for the heck of it. I was so giddy I started howling at an un-existent moon until someone mind-called, telling me to “shut the hell up.” After that I went to bed, excited as usual for the party tomorrow.