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Chapter 16: Smooch
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The True Nature Series Chapter 17: Ping Pong
I WOKE UP SATURDAY morning exhausted. Another night of dreaming. But I didn't remember much. Just bits and pieces. Back to the cavemen people. Something about families attacking one another, a woman with seven wolves howling around her, and glowing red eyes. It was just creepy. No wonder I slept poorly.I decided to make Dad breakfast for a change, so I hustled into the kitchen in my PJs and took out some bacon and hash browns. I got those started before mixing up the eggs. The tediousness of my actions was soothing and soon erased the eerie feeling from my dreams. It didn't take long for Dad to smell the food. Waking up to bacon was the best.Dad and I spent the day cleaning and sprucing up the place. It was long overdue and we rewarded ourselves with pizza and a movie that night. It felt nice, normal. No school drama, no boy problems, and no strange wolf appearances. For the first time since Mom died, it seemed that our life would, indeed, get better. This was us moving on. It was
The True Nature Series Chapter 18: New Friends
A BETTER SOLUTION PRESENTED itself when Bobby ran into me on my way to the library. He looked sharp today, just jeans and a t-shirt, but he was still like a different person. For one thing, he looked like he actually cared what he looked like. His hair was neatly styled with gel and his clothes weren't dirty or wrinkled. He also radiated positivity, the kind that made you want to join him wherever he was going. He was plain 'ol confident. Good for him, I thought. After we briefly caught up on his family, he invited me to sit with him and some old friends for lunch. I was so pleased to hear that he was hanging with other people again, and I wanted to support the new him, so I agreed. Plus, it solved my little lunch dilemma. I doubted Ruthie would care. She and Val would be all over each other anyway. I sent her a quick text so she wouldn't wonder and give me crap about it later.Bobby's friends huddled around a table at the far edge of the quad, which was completely opposite my regular
The True Nature Series Chapter 19: Homecoming
AFTER SCHOOL, ISAAC AND Phoebe begged another ride from Ruthie, and once again, I found myself smashed up next to Isaac in the backseat.Ruthie decided to drop me off first. As we pulled into my driveway, I noticed that Dad's truck was missing, and I remembered that he would be working late a lot this week.Phoebe stepped out and helped to extract me from the backseat. With surprising strength, she whisked me out and onto the driveway."Geez," said Ruthie, "you guys are turning my cute car into a sideshow!"I chuckled. "It's like a clown car." We were still cracking clown jokes as I pulled out my backpack and prepared to leave them. Suddenly, Phoebe and Isaac froze and gave each other one of their twin looks."Oh, for pork's sake, what's wrong now?" exclaimed Ruthie impatiently. She glanced at her car clock, obviously worried about getting home on time. I knew she didn't want to risk the sweet deal she had with her parents, who were threatening to take her car away if she didn't
The True Nature Series Chapter 20: Dreamless
SHRUGGING OFF MY UNEASE, I looked around our backyard again. There was just a small patch of grass next to Mom's garden. Dad was barely keeping it alive. I wondered how long it would last. Mom had been raised in the farming belt of California. Even though the coastal town of Scotts Valley was wooded and often covered in fog, she still managed to produce a flourishing garden. Dad had planted one this summer in her memory. By some miracle, the tomatoes were still growing. I walked closer to pick some of the ripe ones. That's when I noticed the footprints from a dog. But, these were huge! I followed them around the dirt. They were all over the backyard. Although it seemed ages ago, I recalled the wolf I'd seen on the way to school. What was going on? Shivering, I hurried into the house and locked the doors.That night I finally dreamed about my mom. Dad and Uncle Ira were in it, too. It had that nostalgic quality, like a filter on a camera lens.**Uncle Ira sat on the couch, in our ol
The True Nature Series Chapter 21: Under the Microscope
"SO, THROW ME A bone, would you?" pleaded Ruthie. She was asking about Isaac, and about what had happened when she'd dropped me off after school yesterday. It was fun making her wait because her impatience made me laugh. But I couldn't keep her in suspense any longer or I'd be breaking the BFF code. The thing was, I just couldn't work up the excitement I had felt yesterday when Isaac asked me to the dance. Today, it was overshadowed by a sense of apprehension I didn't understand. Part of me wondered if I should have said no."Well," I said, dragging it out a little longer. We were driving to school, and cutting it close to bell time. "What if I said nothing happened?" Telling her might make us late.Ruthie looked like a kicked puppy. "Well, I guess I read the situation differently," she mused sadly. "My skills are seriously slacking. I could have sworn I saw some 'situation manipulation' happening there in the backseat of my car. Plus, that whole kissing chase the other day. I mean,
The True Nature Series Chapter 22: Boy Scout
AFTER THAT SCHOOL PASSED pleasantly and before I knew it, I was walking to English. As was the custom in many California schools, the classrooms opened to outdoor, covered sidewalks, which spread like a web to all the other buildings that were scattered across campus. I was rounding the corner in a rush because the bell was about to ring when two girls sideswiped me going different directions. This spun me in a circle, sending my books flying, and I threw out my hands to stop my fall. I looked up to catch the mock surprise from my assailants, who just happened to be Zena's groupies."Oh my gosh! I'm sooo sorry.""You should really look where you're going! You could hurt someone."Then they hurried off giggling, just as the bell sounded. I caught the words "psycho" and "brain damage." Gathering up my stuff, I noticed that my hands were bleeding. When I rubbed them on my pants, I saw a small tear across one knee. A long sigh escaped me and I continued on to class. Maybe Mr. Mac wouldn
The True Nature Series Chapter 23: Minions and Magic
I REALIZED MY HANDS didn't hurt anymore, which was miraculous but impossible."What?" I gasped. We looked at each other in amazement. "I don't get it!" Was I losing it? "You saw them, right?"Zander ran his hands over mine, turning them over and over, once again sending tingles of pleasure across my skin."All right, class. Back to your seats," ordered Mr. Mac. Zander and I slowly pulled apart. He looked warily at me, almost like he didn't trust me or what he had seen. It killed me. I wondered what he was thinking and hoped he didn't think this was all a ruse to get his attention, because that would make me such a loser. And frankly, I was just as mystified. If I didn't have dried blood and dirt smeared all over my hands, I would not have believed that they'd ever been injured. I pulled out my notebook and peeked at him next to me. He was turned forward, rubbing his face with his hands tiredly. He blinked his eyes a few times and then squished his eyebrows together in concentrat
The True Nature Series Chapter 24: Study Buddy
MIRACULOUSLY, I WAS ABLE to get most of my homework done before Zander showed up. It was 4:00 when I heard the doorbell. Nervously, I checked my appearance in the hallway mirror before opening the door. I had switched my torn jeans and Converses for a pair of shorts and flip-flops. Very casual, but it was a warm day and we didn't have air conditioning.Zander wore the same clothes that I'd seen him in at school - a wrecked pair of jeans, a band T-shirt, and Vans. His dark chestnut hair looked a little windblown, but it just made him look like he had stepped off a modeling shoot where they have all the fans blowing to make you look sexier. Yeah, it worked for him."Can I come in?" he asked after I stood there dumbly. After a mental self-smack, I pulled myself together. "Yeah, please." I gestured toward the kitchen area. "You want to study at the kitchen table?""Sure." He swung his backpack off his shoulder as he headed inside. He took in the whole place with a sweeping glance. I
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