Whenever you are not looking forward to something, it always sneaks up on you.
Jarvis and I didn’t get home until after midnight, even though the game was over by eight. My usual group of boys that I watch the Seahawks on Sundays with joined me at the vampire’s lair, as Yahto called it. Only Steffen, Abigail, Romeo, Sabirella, and eventually Tanis, opted to watch the game with us. Sabirella mainly checked on the loud group of young people in her basement and Tanis pouted the entire time. He hated sports and was only subjecting himself to it because I was one of three girls in a group of fifteen guys, most of which were werewolves who kept growling at him every chance they got, and he was silently staking claim to his property by sitting next to me with a book and MP3 player. Steffen and Abigail were laughing at his expense, surprisingly Romeo and Jarvis hit it off, and after I threaten to cut a few balls off, the rest of the werewolves settled down and enjoyed the game and new company.
I was one of the best Seahawks games I’d ever watched.
But the night ended much too soon. One minute I was kissing Tanis in the parlor out of sight of Jarvis and the other werewolves, before he walked me to the car, and the next my eyes were snapping open when my alarm clock went off at five-thirty so I could get up and go shopping with a vampire…er, vampires, pluralized; Romeo invited himself.
I prayed that Georgiana wasn’t going to join us. She didn’t like me in the slightest, and started in on me as soon as I walked through the door, but her colorfully rude comments were answered by Sabirella which resulted in Georgiana disappearing to her room for the night.
That was a God sent.
Romeo assured me that it wasn’t me per se. It was, but it wasn’t. For whatever reason, the rest of the Ashton clan didn’t like seeing Tanis happy. When I pressed it, Romeo summed it up in two words: d’Artagnan’s mini-me.
Enough said.
I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to wear shopping. Honestly, shopping wasn’t my thing in the least, and most likely I’d just end up in the arcade playing Soul Calibur, but I had still questioned it a few times that morning.
There was a knock at the door which was followed by Jarvis. “Hey, are you up?” he whispered.
“Obviously,” I said and rolled my eyes, then finished tying my shoe. “What’s up?”
He slipped into the room, silently shutting the door behind him. “Are you going to be okay going out with them today? I mean, I know you can handle yourself, which is awesome, but will you be okay?”
“Yeah...well, I might need some pepper spray or a stun gun to keep Romeo from humping my leg like the horny little dog that he is, but other than that I’ll be fine,” I assured him. “They’re cool, as you discovered last night, and wasn’t it Mom who is always bitching that I never have any friends who are girls, and that I never go shopping or do girlie stuff?”
“True, but I don’t think this is what she had in mind,” he pointed out with a chuckle.
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” I reminded him and he laughed. “If anything happens, I’ll run, it’s what I do best. You’ll be home if I need a ride, right?”
He looked away from me and bit his lip.
“Where are you going?” I demanded.
“Out with a friend,” he shot back defensively.
Oh, that isn’t too bad.
“A old broad?” I teased.
“God no, I mean, not ‘god no’ to the old broad part, but ‘god no’ to the…never mind,” he groaned. “I’m going out with a dude. Okay, that sounded just as gay. Either way, call Tanis if something happens, I trust him.”
I nearly fell off of the bed in shock.
What did he just say?
“Oh shut up,” he complained and knocked into me. “You could have done a lot worse, and if you hadn’t noticed, he likes you, a lot! He’d give you the world if you’d only ask for it.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my brother?” I whispered.
“Shut up. Tonight is your birthday.”
“Thanks for the recap.”
“Ignoring you,” he sang. “Why don’t you surprise everyone, more so than just showing up on the arm of a vampire, and dress up?” he suggested.
“Did Mom put you up to this?” Instantly I was suspicious.
“No,” he groaned. “You don’t have to go all balls out with makeup and shit, just dress in something slightly nicer than jeans and a tee shirt, that’s all I’m saying. You’ve never had anyone to impress before, now you do, not that he needs impressing, he’s already crushing on you like a stalker.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled, but couldn’t help but smile.
My brother was right; I had a reason to dress up that night.
Correction, not a reason, but a someone, and that someone was more than worth it.
“A dress?” I whispered.
Jarvis slipped off of the bed and looked at me with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. “Whoa, you seriously have it for this suck head,” he said.
I shrugged but nodded.
“Hmm…I don’t like it,” he mumbled with a mischievous smirk before looking around my room, as if he was looking for something. “Your favorite colors are still red and black, right?” he asked, pulling his attention back to me.
“Why?” I asked suspiciously.
“No reason,” he said and batted his lashes at me innocently.
“Black is a shade, however, I like red and black best. Why, what are you scheming?”
“Nothing,” he gasped as if he were insulted.
I glared at him. “Seriously, Jarvis, I’m not in the mood. I’m tired, crabby, am a year older, got my ass handed to me last night by my annoying brother who felt the need, for whatever reason, to throw my ass in a pool...you seriously have no inside manners,” I scolded.
He smiled wide.
Why do I bother?
“What are you up too?” I groaned and pulled my hair back into a ponytail.
He made a face at me. “I’m going to pick you up something to roam around town in if you must know, but nothing that special because I’m a broke ass college student. Stop being so damn paranoid! You act like I don’t know that you’re going to bitch and complain until Christmas about whatever anyone gets you, and then you’ll start all over again at Christmas about what they got you for Christmas. It’s a vicious cycle with you, Sis. Can’t you just smile pretty and nod like you love it?” he pouted, batting his lashes at me.
I’ll admit, he had a point.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “I don’t mean to be a difficult bitch, but I feel like you aren’t telling me something, and that I should be pissed at you already for it. That’s all.”
“Whatever do you mean?” he teased and cupped his balls.
That should have told me something right there.
“Y’know, that little voice in the back of my head which is yelling ‘Jarvis is going to get his ass kicked hardcore tonight!’” I said with a shrug and he laughed. “It’s hard to ignore. Forgive me?” I pouted and batted my lashes at him as he had done to me and he laughed, then headed for the door.
“Stay out of trouble and call your suckhead if you have any problems. Love ya!” he called out as he headed down the hall.
Weird. Jarvis is totally up to something, I just don’t know what. I don’t think he’s conspiring with Yahto since he’s helping to set up the stage and dance floor with the rest of the pack for the festivities tonight. Plus, Yahto is pissed at me about Tanis and the little shoving match they got into which resulted in both of them getting knocked into the pool last night. Damn it! Who could it be? Jarvis has a lot of friends in the area so it could be any of them, and they don’t particularly care for me so they wouldn’t tell me what he’s up to. Damn, that is going to bug me all day.
I waited on the front porch, munching on a banana and a handful of strawberries, while I enjoyed the quiet morning. The birds were singing, dew was covering the ground and glistened in the early morning sunlight, and the moisture rich breeze blowing through the trees caused them to sway back and forth. The moment was serene.
That is until the unmistakable purr of a five-hundred horse power, six-thousand RPM, eight-cylinder engine purred through the air. I was still shaking my head in resignation when the metallic plum purple Porsche Panamera Turbo pulled up in front of my house.
Sure why not, let’s go shopping in a hundred and sixty thousand dollar car! Isn’t that what everybody does in Lummi on Fridays when there’s no school? I’m getting the feeling that this is going to be the longest day of my very short life.