Inevitably Yours

QUINN

I managed to drag myself out of bed and shower after a while. I was pulling my hair back into some dutch braids when my dad knocked on the door.

“Hey, Dad, what’s up?” I asked.

“I just wanted to talk to you for a minute,” he said. I nodded, and he came into the room and sat down on the edge of my bed. I was sitting in front of my mirror in the corner, so I turned to face him.

“I may have been a little harsh this morning,” he said. “It’s not like you ran away or anything, and I know how it can be to find a trick to help you fall asleep.”

All I could do was nod my head. I hadn’t told them I did sneak out to be with a boy.

“Maybe you don’t need to be grounded over it,” he said. I perked up. “This time,” he added. “I don’t want to see this turn into a habit. You shouldn’t be sneaking out of here in the middle of the night. What if something happened to you while your mother and I thought you were upstairs in your bed safe?”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” I said.

“I just want you to be careful, Quinny. You’re my quirky girl, and the world isn’t kind to gentle girls like you,” he frowned.

“I’ll be careful, Dad,” I told him. Is that what I was doing with Michael? Was I being careful?

“Michael is careful with you,” Sapphire said in my head.

“Alright then, no more grounding,” he said. I smiled excitedly.

“Thanks, Dad!“ I said, jumping up to hug him. He wrapped his strong arms around me, and for a moment, that familiar feeling of home and safety spread through me but not as strong as it used to.

I felt giddy as my dad left me back to my own devices. I finished braiding my damp hair then snatched my phone to call Michael. After all the stupidity at band today, I wanted to go back to our bubble even just for a few minutes. I didn’t want him to sneak out and come over again, but I knew he would be happy to hear I was ungrounded.

Michael didn’t answer, and worry fluttered in my gut. I hoped he was okay. I went over to my desk and pulled out his shirt that I had tucked into a drawer to avoid any questions about it this morning. I folded it neatly then placed his book on top of it. I knew where he lived now; I realized I could return it to him tomorrow after practice. I smiled at my plan.

–

I kept my head down at practice the next day, spending break time with Sunni and my new friends. They were actually entertaining to be around and didn’t mention the Michael thing at all, although Tommy kept sending me weird looks, and Aaron would stand as far away from me as possible.

I raced home that afternoon and grabbed Michael’s things, stuffing them in my backpack. My mom wasn’t back from work, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to spend too long with him so I could get back to make dinner tonight.

Nervousness crept in when I got to the packhouse driveway. I ascended it slowly, rethinking my plan. I could hear shouting in the distance, and I assumed it was training on the grounds near the packhouse.

“Oh, no, what if he’s busy?” I thought.

“Someone can pass the message along,” Sapphire assured me.

I climbed the porch steps and knocked carefully on the large front doors. The packhouse was suddenly larger and more intimidating than I ever found it before. What if the Luna or Alpha answered? I had never spoken to either of them.

The door swung open, and I recognized Tyler. “It’s you!” he exclaimed.

“Uh, hi,” I said.

“This is awesome,” he smiled. “Come here,” he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside.

“Oh, I just came to give something back to Michael,” I said nervously. Tyler pulled me through the entrance hall and into what looked like some lounge area with TVs, couches, and games.

“My brother is a loser,” he said. “Hang out with me.”

“I don’t think I can,” I said. “Is Michael home?” Tyler flopped down onto one of the couches, pulling me with him. He was strong for a little kid, but I guess that made sense seeing as he had Alpha b***d in him. For a moment, I wondered how it felt to be the younger brother of the next Alpha.

Tyler sat close to me, uncomfortably close. “Somewhere. But who cares? You have really pretty hair. I didn’t want to tell you before because of Kent.”

“Um, thanks,” I said. Tyler reached up and ran his finger along the ridges of my braid. This was turning really weird really fast.

“Tyler,” a lady scolded. I turned to see the Luna standing in the doorway. Quickly I stood and bowed in respect to her. “Who is this girl?” she sighed.

“My friend!” he said excitedly. “Her name is… Quinn,” he remembered.

“Actually,” I tried to say softly.

“She came over to see me,” Tyler smiled confidently.

“You didn’t ask to have company,” she pointed out. For a split second, I thought worry passed through her expression. “She looks a little old to be your friend.”

“She’s not his friend,” I heard Michael say. He appeared behind his mom. While I felt a pang of relief from hoping to be rescued from whatever this awkward exchange was, Michael looked a little sick.

“You’re f*****g kidding me,” his mom growled, turning on him. “Not another one!”

“Not now,” Michael shot at his mom.

“Get her the hell out of here, now, Michael,” she warned her son. Suddenly, I felt like this was the worst plan I ever had. She stormed away.

“Go, Tyler,” Michael commanded. I shrunk a little at his tone. Tyler, to his credit, listened, but his expression was defiant.

“She’s going to be my girlfriend,” I heard Tyler whisper to his brother on the way out. Michael waited until everyone was gone before meeting my gaze.

“I’m sorry!” I blurted out.

He shook his head. “No, I am,” he said, coming into the room. “I didn’t tell you it wasn’t a good idea to come here.”

I pulled my backpack off and pulled out his stuff. “I wanted to return your things,” I said. “And tell you that my dad let me off. I’m not grounded anymore.”

His face softened a bit, a pleased calm coming over it. “You could have kept the shirt,” he smiled.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“Oh, um, that’s okay,” I said, looking away from his heating gaze.

He reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “I missed you,” he said, sounding sad. “The other night was perfect.”

“Yea,” I said. “It was.”

Michael’s whole body stiffened, and his face dropped. “You should go,” he said, harder now.

“Yea,” I said.

“I wish you didn’t have to, but it would just be best,” he grimaced. I just nodded, but something told me there was something he wasn’t telling me. He led me back to his front door and watched as I left.

“You look beautiful with your hair like that,” he linked me as I got to the end of his driveway. I looked back only to find the front door closed.

“Thanks,” I linked back.

“I’ll call you later, promise,” he said.

–

When I got home, Courtney called to see if I wanted to go to the movies in the human city with everyone. I knew everyone also included her and Brandon, and although I didn’t want to see them together, it didn’t bother me too much. I had Michael, even if it wasn’t all the time.

I texted my dad to get permission then let my friends know they could pick me up in an hour. I put some chicken in the crockpot to cook for dinner and got myself ready.

My braids were loose and pulling out now, so I let my hair down and left it wavy. I pulled on a sparkly black top and some white shorts. The contrast of my aqua blue hair against my shirt made it stand out, but I thought it looked pretty.

I found my favorite black sandals that had tiny flowers over the front straps and shoved my l*p balm and wallet into my pocket. After brushing my teeth and grabbing my phone off the charger, I was ready to leave. I grabbed my book from my bed and went to wait on the porch for my friends to arrive.

I was lying in the grass of my front yard with my book above my face when I heard the music. I looked up to see Kyle’s car pulling down the road. When they stopped in the driveway, Brina jumped out and tackled me.

“I missed you!” she squealed.

“Sorry,” I laughed. “Been busy.”

“Yea, hiding,” she rolled her eyes. I looked at the car and realized only John and Kyle were inside.

“Where is everyone else?” I asked.

“The three couples took their own car,” she said, sticking out her tongue. “They have been insufferable lately. You would think they were all fated or something.”

I laughed more at that. “We should get going,” I said. We got off the ground, and Kyle rolled down his window and whistled.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Come on, Q, don’t break a guy’s heart like this,” he joked.

“Missed you too,” I said, climbing in the back seat so Brina could sit up front.

“Do you go anywhere without a book?” John teased, snatching from my hands. “We are going to see a movie; what were you going to do, read in the dark?”

“No,” I said, grabbing it back. “Maybe you shouldn’t make fun of nerdy girls like me. One day, we’ll be signing your paychecks.”

“As if, sweetheart,” he argued back.

Changing the subject, I said, “So, how have things been?”

“Courtney and Brandon are making all of us want to swallow bane,” Kyle snorted. “It’s nauseating. I honestly don’t know why we all still hang out with him.”

Brina looked back at me shaking her head. “Well, damn,” I said.

“See? He sucks,” Sapphire said.

“Why are we going out with them then?” I asked.

Brina broke out into a smile. “Let’s ditch them!”

–

The four of us went bowling instead of the movies. After that, we found a place open late to get burgers and greasy pizza. It was fun to relax with my friends and nothing else being held over my head.

On the drive home, everything came to an abrupt halt, though. “So, rumor has it you slept with the Alpha’s son at the Founder’s Day party,” Brina said casually. All the air seemed to evaporate from my lungs.

“What?” I said, looking between everyone in the car. John avoided eye contact, and Kyle kept his eyes on the road.

“I mean, it’s just a rumor, but…” she trailed off. She wanted me to confirm it. The only saving grace I had was that we turned on my street. I stayed silent until Kyle put the car in park. I threw the door open and climbed out.

“How dare you believe that,” I yelled before slamming the door. I stormed up my driveway and to my front door, fumbling with my key.

“Q!” John called, jogging after me. “Come on. Brina wasn’t exactly tactful, but we were all just surprised to hear it!”

I spun around to face him. “Well, rumors like that suck! People should mind their own business!”

“It’s true. You slept with him,” he said, his eyebrows furrowing. “Or you wouldn’t be pissed.”

“No, I didn’t, but what if I did? Michael isn’t like-”

“Michael? You call him by name. Q, what is going on with you?” John said.

“Nothing. I didn’t sleep with the Alpha’s son, but he is my friend. I would appreciate it if you told whoever you heard the rumor from that it isn’t true,” I said stonily.

“Fine,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’ve changed this summer.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“Nevermind. I had fun tonight. It was nice to hang out like this again,” he said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“Yea,” I said, crossing my arms. He gave me a lingering look before walking back to the car where Brina and Kyle were watching our exchange. I looked at my oldest friends for a minute with disappointment.

I got my front door unlocked and closed it behind me, leaning against it. My house was dark; everyone was already in bed. I pulled my phone from my pocket, realizing I hadn’t so much as checked it all night. I left it on silent, thinking we were going to the movies. I had three missed calls from Michael, and my heart fell.

I dialed his number as I dashed up the stairs to my room, hoping he would answer.