We pull up to Nino’s Mexican restaurant with the stereo cranked to an 80’s stations she was forcing me to listen to. I can almost hear her thoughts the décor is just like a little cantina your dad and I went to on our honeymoon. I beat her to the line and earned a snicker from her. The waitress came over and takes us to a booth that has been patched with my dad’s favorite tool; duct tape. Forgoing the menu we order fajita’s for two.
“Abel? Did you eat lunch today?” She asks as she tries to reach across the table to where I hoarded the basket of chips.
I look down at the table and realized I’ve pulled the salsa, queso and chips into my eating triangle. I slide the food back to the middle of the table. “Sorry. Must be a growth spurt.”
“I hope you can control yourself on prom night and not eat like you’ve never been fed before. We need to pick out a corsage for her, what’s her favorite flower?” I try not to hog the chips and salsa but my stomach has this never ending hunger I can’t ignore. Prom and Pru, her two favorite subjects and her Spanish inquisition began before I have even finished my first basket of chips.
“Mom. Mom. It’s okay. Pru and I have a great time together and yes, we are ‘just friends’. If that happens to change I’m sure you’ll know.” I want us to have a good time so I just played the game with her, trying really hard not to let it get on my last nerve. We aren’t going to have many more of these talks, for all I know my assassinator Pru will assassinate me at prom. Wouldn’t that be my luck to drop dead at prom? I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, it’s Pru. “Tell ur mom u have 2 go 2 the br and meet me outside.” I’m going to kill her if she is planning on killing me right now. Surely she doesn’t expect to kill me while I’m on a date with my mom. Jeez.
By the time I reach the parking lot, Pru is propped up against her car sending a text and looking like a supermodel. For a minute I stand admiring her with the expressway as her backdrop. My skin felt prickly when the cool night air blast me with a gust of wind. I watched her get a chill and wrap her arms around her stomach for warmth.
“Hey Pru, really what is so dire you can’t wait until I get home to talk?” I ask as I walk closer taking in her essence.
“Simmer down, I come in peace.” She lifts her hands up at me and I notice how shiny her hair looks with the evening lights bouncing off of it. “Dad got us a black stretch Hummer for prom! Can you believe it? He told me it’s all tricked out with a killer system!” She puts her hands over her head and does some primitive jungle dance. “I’m so excited!”
“Sweet,” I say, glancing over my shoulder and see that my mom is walking outside.
“Hi Pru. I took care of the bill, Abe. So what brings you all the way here?” She crossed her arms in front of her as her look darts back and forth between us.
It is the first time my mom sounded suspicious of Pru’s and my relationship. “Hey mom, guess what! Pru’s dad rented us a Hummer for prom. I hope you’re off that night, we’ll take you for a spin around the block before we head to dinner.” I’m nervous, not exactly sure why though.
“Oh, wow! That’s pretty cool guys. Pru, I saw you through the window, I’ve already paid for dessert for the three of us so let’s go eat some sopapillas.”
So much for date night, I think to myself. Sometimes it feels like I am being smothered by the Pack. I am excited about the limo and all but it is a bit smothering having someone from the Pack everywhere I turn.
We finish up dessert without one reference to Pru’s and my non-existent relationship “Kids, oh sorry, bad habit calling you guys kids, it’s a mom thing. I need to get home; I have another early morning at the Reservation. Pru, if you and Abe want to hang out a little longer I’m good with that if you’ll bring him home. Toss me your keys Abe, I’ll leave the front door open.”
“You think you can handle that much horse power?” I bump her with my shoulder and put my arms around her.
“Sure, that’s cool with me! I found a cool 80’s station on my Ipod Abe. You’ll have Prince’s Purple Rain stuck in your head all night!” Pru said as she stretched from side to side.
As my mom was driving off, fishtailing my car out onto NW Expressway, I throw my head back and say a little prayer. That made me think, do weres believe in God?
Pru did that cute little giggle of hers and all I can think about is how lucky I am to have such a good friend. I heard the chirp of her car being unlocked.
“Abe, get in my car right now!” She yelled and dropped into a karate battle pose.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you going all ninja on me?” I look around to see why she was in battle mode. “What’s going on? I don’t hear anyone.” I turn, squeezing my hands in and out of a fist, ready to take on the unknown assailant.
“Abel, get in the car! I can’t protect you out in the open like this; just get in the driver’s seat. I’m going around back to check it out, don’t follow me and if I’m not back in a couple of minutes you need to take my car and be sure to call Oak.” She started running to the back of the building and of course I’m not going to go out like a girl, sheesh. I follow her as silently as I can.
“Abe, are you insane?” she mouthed to me.
I shake my head yes, as if it was a question that needed to be asked. I have no other option but being crazy, look at my life!
My head tilts back uncontrollably as I catch a whiff of something on the night breeze. I smelled him before I saw him but he had no idea I was almost at lethal as my counterpart. He tried jumping off the roof onto Pru’s back, I pushed her out of the way, grab him and throw him into the ditch behind the building.
“Oh how sweet, the pup thinks he’s Alpha already protecting the beautiful Prudence. What’s the matter pup, dog got your tongue?” said the stranger.
“Who the hell are you?” I demanded stepping closer to him and ready for combat.
“It’s all good pup, you’ve schooled me.” He held up his hands in the classic surrender pose.
“The injun would be Sean Youngblood, a little wolfy that decided he was too good to be a pack wolf and went off on his own.” Her anger was more than apparent as she turned and faced him. “What’s wrong injun? Dog got your tongue?” She inched closer to me, standing so close I can feel the adrenaline flowing through her. “You know rogue’s aren’t allowed in Pack territory, I’m assuming you came to check on Abe’s training to see what you guys are up against. I’m in no mood for breaking a nail on your ugly, flea-ridden, butt-sniffing snout so before I go all ninja on your butt I suggest you start ‘fessing up.”
“Oh sweet little Pru has grown up to be such a potty-mouthed bad ass.” He sprung up doing a double flip in the air, landing upright in front of me. “Does the General have any idea what his little princess is doing these days?”
“What are you talking about Sean? You’re boring me so hurry up.” With the dagger looks she was shooting at Sean, he should be glad looks don’t kill because he would’ve been dust.
“Well rumor has it… that one of the New Orleans nightwalker clan decided to open up shop in your territory. A few of my buddies and I have been tracking them and what a fascinating sight to see the Alpha’s daughter hanging out with a fledgling.”
“You’re insane. If there were nightwalkers in Oklahoma, we’d know.” Pru said.
I try to hide my surprise until we drive home, I can’t let the rogues believe there is any type of kink in our communication.
“I see.” Sean said. “Just let your little family know Bruce and I send our love. You better watch your back because if he...” He says as he points at me. “Hadn’t been around, who knows what a flea-ridden rogue like me would do to such a sweet potty-mouthed Alpha daughter like you.”
I feel my hackles go up and a small growl came out of me. “Get out of here before my human self kicks your wolf ass.” He was gone before I finished my sentence.
“Don’t even go there Abel, I need to get to the farm, I have t
o talk to my dad.” Pru said as she held her hand up at me, warding me off.
I get in the car, my hands are shaking from the adrenalin rush as I turn to face her.
The car starts.
I look at her as she shakes her head and says, “Abel, I told you we would talk about it later but this is Pack news so I must get to my dad to talk to him.”
I lean back in my seat, instead of giving her the third degree, like I think I should, I try to figure out who Sean was talking about.