Once in a Full Moon Page 0,44

said as if I must have already known. "I've never been in love."

I was floored. My sister had had a guy on her arm since kindergarten. How could she not have fallen in love by now? I felt sad that I may have actually experienced the feelings of true love before she had. With all the guys she dated, not one had penetrated her materialistic heart? Of course, we were still young and she had her whole life ahead of her, but I'd figured she'd been in love countless times. That just reinforced for me that I couldn't ignore the feelings that I had for Brandon - that they were as real as the shirt I had sitting on my nightstand.

"Are we finished with our chat?" she asked, packing up her makeup.

"Almost. I'm doing a research paper on folklore. It's about werewolves."

"You would pick the creepy stuff. Why didn't you pick fairies? I still have my paper somewhere. You could have used mine."

"You know there's a legend here about werewolves?" I asked.

"Yes, I've heard," she said, as if I thought she was an alien.

"Do you think the legend is true?"

"Do I think there really are werewolves lurking in the woods of Legend's Run, showing their scruffy faces under the full moon? Attacking animals and carrying off women, never to return? It does sound romantic in a weird way."

"Yes, it does," I said, thinking.

"We always imagine what we can't understand. Like love."

"But love can be real. So does that mean werewolves can be, too?"

"I'm sure people see things in the dark and then just put a face on it," she surmised.

"But you're not answering my question," I said impatiently. "Do you believe in werewolves?"

"No."

It was that simple. My sister didn't believe in werewolves. And even though I thought I might have seen one, I didn't believe in them either. At the end of the day, we had that much in common.

Chapter Sixteen Moonlit Stroll

I was buzzing when I returned to school after winter break. Hoping to get to English early, I raced to my locker, where I found a single pink rose sticking through the metal handle.

I was so truly touched, I tingled all over.

"Isn't that sweet?" Ivy said. "Nash is saying he's sorry."

"Nash?" I asked, bewildered.

It hadn't occurred to me that it was from Nash.

"Uh... yes, it is, I guess." I was grateful to receive a flower from anyone - but I was disappointed that it wasn't from Brandon.

"You guess?" she asked. "He's apologizing. Maybe you should accept it already."

I held the rose in my hand and leaned against the locker.

It would be so easy and I knew I should consider myself lucky to go out with Nash. He was gorgeous by anyone's standards, and a gifted athlete. It would be so simple for the "six clique" to hang out together. But something happened to me when I saw Brandon that day in English class and our eyes met. The unbelievable heroism that he displayed in the woods was hard to dismiss. And even more so was the most passionate kiss of my life. My life had been pretty easy - or rather ordinary. Go to school, study, hang with my friends, volunteer. Now I was putting everything on the line for a guy who I barely knew - who might indeed have some kind of paranormal powers. But I felt this misunderstood new student filled in so many places that had been empty in my heart.

"Nash could date any cheerleader he wants," Ivy said. "But he likes you because you aren't that typical girl. It's you he keeps coming back to."

"Well, now I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"I don't want to hear it," Ivy said. She liked the status quo - everything as it should be - Abby and Dylan, Ivy and Jake, and Nash and me. Six best friends who would hang out together, go to the same colleges, and eventually get married.

I didn't want to be the one who broke up my best friend's plans. But I wasn't sure if Ivy's dream should come at the expense of my happiness.

After school, I was heading toward the parking lot to meet Ivy, my rose poking out of my backpack.

"Hey, what's up?" Nash asked, catching up to me by the flagpole. He looked handsome and tanned from his holiday break at the beach.

I could see Brandon in the distance, opening his Jeep door. He