Once in a Full Moon Page 0,7
alone. He was eating a sandwich and reading a book. The tables around him were filled, crowded with students gabbing and letting loose on their lunch break. This might have been my favorite part of the day, but for him, it must have been the most lonesome. My giggling subsided. I felt a huge ache in the pit of my stomach. It must be horribly lonely and difficult to come to a new school with no real friends - especially a school as cliquey as ours. And I felt ashamed that my two friends had been so unwelcoming.
I thought about going over to him and apologizing for my friends' behavior when two strong arms wrapped around my waist.
Suddenly I was lifted off the ground and swung around. I noticed a familiar class ring.
"Nash! Get off," I cried.
"What are you staring at?" he questioned, letting me down. "You should be staring at me."
He spun me so I faced him and he kissed me. Nash was a great kisser; for a brief moment I forgot where I was. But then it dawned on me. I wasn't in the privacy of a moonlit goodnight kiss, but rather I was in the middle of the lunchroom with two hundred hungry gawkers.
I was never comfortable with Nash's public displays of affection. It always felt as if he was only being demonstrative to prove his bravado to the student body rather than showing the unbridled passion of an amorous boyfriend.
He released me. I was dizzy - not so much from the kiss but from his spinning me. When my double vision returned to normal, I realized I was staring right across the lunchroom at Brandon. I sensed he'd been watching me the whole time.
There was something riveting about him, unusual, and different. I wasn't sure why I felt embarrassed in front of Brandon more so than the other students watching us. All I knew was that I did. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve, sat down at our table with my back toward the new student, and distracted myself with a low-carb lunch and wonderfully inane conversation.
Chapter Four Walking with a Werewolf
Pine Tree Village Retirement Community was a nondescript two-story brown brick building that could have doubled for an apartment building. It included assisted living, independent units, and a full nursing wing and was about ten minutes north from my house.
I enjoyed volunteering at the nursing home. If I had a dismal day at school or was struggling with Nash, I forgot my worries. These seniors were very different from the seniors at my school. Most of the residents were happy to see a fresh, young face. And even though many of them told me the same story over and over, it was interesting to hear the tales of past generations in Legend's Run or cities and countries I'd never visited.
Abby and Ivy, convinced wrinkles were contagious, refused to set foot in the senior community, and Nash was always too busy, practicing, playing, or preparing for sports. I knew it was unlikely he'd come to visit other people's grandparents. That didn't make my friends bad, but it would have been cool if I could have shared the experience with them. It was something I'd always done on my own.
Mr. Worthington was my favorite resident at Pine Tree Village. For a gentleman who was eighty-nine years old, he was quite cute. Mr. Worthington was alert, mobile, and in shape. We walked the hallways or outside commons areas together. He always dressed in khaki pants and a cardigan sweater and kept his fuzzy white hair neatly combed.
Every time I visited Pine Tree Village, I was always greeted by the receptionist, who had me sign in and pointed me to an area where the staff could use an extra hand. Today's visit was extra special. It was Halloween and I'd dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. I wore a red hoodie, the arms loosely tied around my neck and the body as a cape, along with a black bodice, white T-shirt, and red flippy skirt. I finished off my fairy-tale look with white folded socks and a pair of Juliette's black pumps she'd left behind in her closet. It wasn't a good idea to pass out candy to the residents, so I came with "Happy Halloween" pins I'd made instead. I grabbed a small basket my mom used for magazines and stuck a loaf of bread in it.
The normally hospital white lobby was