Once in a Full Moon Page 0,27
" Nash began. "I'm... uh..." He cleared his throat. "About the glove comment..."
Brandon rose.
Nash looked back at me. I nodded.
Then he turned to Brandon. "I'm sorry."
Brandon was as surprised as the rest of the lunchroom. The staff even breathed sighs of relief, knowing that they wouldn't have to break up a fight.
"No problem," Brandon finally said.
"And I'm having a party this weekend," Nash continued painfully. "You can bring some friends."
"Uh... Okay - "
Nash pulled a face as he walked over to us.
Brandon gazed at me, and I couldn't help but smile in return.
I sat at my computer and attempted to work on my essay on folklore and distract myself from my Brandon Maddox obsession. The bite of a wolf. The full moon. A howl on a dark and dreary night. Everything wolf-related only reminded me of him more.
As if that wasn't enough, I'd been clinging to my cell phone, the very same one he possessed. I'd never felt this guy-crazy before.
"Why don't you put that down?" my mom said that evening at dinner. I had my fork in one hand and my phone in the other.
"I'm afraid I may lose it," I said.
"I think you might be a little overprotective of it. I'm glad you found it, but it's not necessary to hold it twenty-four/seven," my mom said.
I tried my best to eat, but my stomach was in knots. Ever since we'd gone to Penny for Your Thoughts, I felt like my life was out of control. First the wolves in the snowstorm, Brandon Maddox rescuing me, his wound, and now my ridiculous obsession with him. I couldn't help but blame Dr. Meadows and her strange fortune for getting me into this situation in the first place. What exactly had she said? Beware of the woods... of the sounds of howling. There could be outsiders who will turn... underneath the glow of the full moon. And then, when she'd grabbed me on the way out the door, she'd added, Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.
The snow. The woods. Howling. A full moon. Could she have really seen the strange events before they unfolded? Maybe not. It was November, so it wasn't that unforeseen that it might snow. Legend's Run had a wolf population, so seeing one wouldn't be as shocking as coming upon a zebra. And the moon? It was full twelve times a year. But a kiss? Brandon Maddox was the outsider, but I could only dream of kissing him. What did that part of the prediction mean?
I imagined the party Nash was going to host. This time, since he'd lost the dare, he'd have to be as kind to his Riverside guests as he was to his own players on the field. This could be a big step for Nash, opening his home to someone outside his comfort zone. Nash usually only thought about himself. Maybe this would be an opportunity for him to expand his tightly knit social circle. An opportunity for him to grow. If Nash could get along with Brandon, maybe at last the Westside and Eastside could be Oneside.
Chapter Eleven Dare to Party
A few days later, the fire alarm rang during U.S. History class. I loved a good fire drill - it disrupted class for the time being, gave us a chance for some fresh air, and allowed Ivy, Abby, and me the freedom to gossip.
The only problem was when the high school performed the drills in a season with plummeting temperatures. It was always on a day when I chose not to drag my coat with me all day and kept it in my locker. The guys didn't seem bothered by not wearing their coats, but I was freezing. Our class lined up outside where the asphalt met the grass. Nash, Dylan, and Jake used the opportunity to throw snowballs.
"Here, you're shivering." Brandon was holding out his coat to me.
I was taken aback at his kind gesture. Nash hadn't even offered to stand next to me. I think I was too cold to answer.
I wanted so badly to be wrapped in Brandon's coat, but I knew if I took it, my friends would freak out - especially Nash. But what my friends and Nash didn't know was that I wanted to use Brandon's coat - not because I was cold, but because it was his coat. It was close to his skin and cloaked him all day long.