Chapter 51: XXIII. Comfortable(ish)-2

I appreciated him really trying to settle me. It was very sweet, and I knew he was speaking truthfully, but that didn't make me any less nervous. Was I being dumb? I mean, the last person to see me naked was when I was young enough to still need bathing by my mother. The thought of being so … exposed … was terrifying. I wasn't even going to start my thoughts on the differences in our, er, experience. Shea drove us to school and parked in his senior spot. His friends had already all arrived, and were casually leaning against their own cars as they waited for Shea. It occurred to me that they were all probably lycans, too. I knew Matt and Lucas, but there were a few other boys, and their girlfriends, or perhaps their mates, hanging around that I wasn't familiar with. I had seen them around, but I didn't know them. Shea cut the engine and we got out of the truck. I was immediately greeted by a collection of "Luna!" cries. Shea took my hand and brought me over to where his friends were convened. No sooner had I corrected them all, instructing them to call me "Sara", I heard my name being called behind me. I turned around to see Josh walking towards us. He was looking between Shea and I with a confused expression on his face. I realised that the last that Josh had seen of me was me screaming at Shea on Friday night at the party, and here I was on Monday morning, holding his hand and seemingly back together with him. Shea noticed where my attention had gone, and he seemed to instinctively hold onto me tighter. I supposed, as humans were so fickle, anyone would seem like a threat to him. "I'll see you at lunch," I told him quietly. Shea released my hand and I walked over to Josh. "I mean, I thought you were hungover. I didn't realise you were getting back with Braverman," Josh said to me, surprised, as I met him in the middle of the parking lot. "I was hungover," I confirmed. Probably the worst hangover anyone has ever had. "But Shea and I sorted things out over the weekend." Josh frowned. "Are you sure you want to be with him?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "At the party you seemed pretty convinced that you wanted him to leave you alone. Sara, seriously, if something's wrong, you can tell me. These guns aren't just for show," he said, flexing his biceps. I rolled my eyes, embarrassed. "I cannot believe you just said that. But I do appreciate the sentiment, no matter how lame you are. I promise, Shea and I sorted everything out. We're okay." Josh seemed to accept that. "Okay," he nodded. "Well, I'm happy for you. At least one of us got laid this weekend," he said, putting his arm around my shoulder as he led me towards the school building. I was watching Shea, who promptly froze as Josh put his arm around me. I knew he heard what Josh had said, and if looks could kill … "Ew, Josh," I scolded. "Feminism, hashtag me too, respect for women," I snapped, shrugging his arm off me. Shea relaxed a little as we walked past. "Hey, I have the utmost respect for women," he said defensively. "They just freaking hate me. Well, one does in particular," he soured. Let me guess. "You're a girl, right?" I raised my eyebrows. "Gee, let me think." "You know what I mean. Seriously, what is with the mood swings?" he asked exasperatedly. "Not long after you left, Zoey freaking attacks me, pulling me into a bedroom and we're full on hooking up." I really thought I didn't want to hear this. "Like, this girl is incredible. I can't even describe what it felt like to be with her." Please don't. "And before I know it, she's rounding on third, and then she slaps me! Like full on bitch slaps me, and storms out." He threw his arms up in the air. "What's with her? Am I crazy to think that it could work for a second before she decides she hates me?" Graphic imagery aside, I understood why he was asking for my advice. I couldn't exactly imagine the football team being very understanding. And I needed to remember that Josh actually likedZoey for some strange reason. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Some strange reason. All of Zoey's threats and jealousy surrounding Josh. Josh's confusion over her. Zoey's glaring daggers at me anytime I spoke to him. Josh was Zoey's mate. And Zoey, I thought, was in denial. "She'll come around," I assured him, knowing that I was certainly right. Zoey wouldn't be able to stay away forever. "Give her some time to get off her high horse. You could always make her jealous. That certainly would get a reaction." I knew from experience. Josh laughed. "That's the thing though. I don't really want to date anyone else. It's weird. Like I don't find other girls attractive anymore. The thought of actually dating or being with anyone else just feels wrong. And yet the one girl I could actually see myself with treats me like a freaking leper. I sure can pick 'em." "If you want, you can use me to make her jealous," I offered. Provoking Zoey into revealing and acting on her true feelings was probably going to be the only thing that worked. "She already hates that you hang out with me. She'll see us at lunch." Josh grinned. "Might just take you up on that. Alright, I'll see you at lunch." Josh then jogged off into the school building. I checked the time on my phone and realised that I needed to get inside as well. I turned and waved to Shea, who was still watching me, disinterestedly listening to his friends. I offered him a reassuring smile, letting him know everything was okay, and he smiled back at me. I quickly made my way to my locker, collected what I needed for my first classes of the day, before making my way to my Spanish classroom. The bell rang just as I crossed the threshold, and I could hear students being collected for tardiness behind me. I breathed a sigh of relief, before I saw what was awaiting me in the classroom. Cece was practically vibrating, she was so excited. Something told me I wasn't going to be learning any Spanish today. I shuffled between the desks and hurried to my seat before Señora Gomez scolded me. "Hi, Cece," I said knowingly as I sat down. Cece grabbed a hold of my hand and pulled me into a tight hug. "Oh, Sara!" she whispered. "I can't tell you how glad I am that you know. I swear, I swear that I wanted to tell you. But you know why I couldn't." "I get it, Cece," I assured her. "It's okay." Cece beamed. "I'm so happy for you and Shea. He's been a total mess. But this is it, now, right? You're one of us!" Before I could respond, Señora Gomez barked our names and demanded our attention. I turned my focus to the whiteboard as Señora Gomez was teaching us our new verbs. One of us. It was hard to imagine myself as one of them. I wasn't one of them. Not really. And yet, as soon as I had got out of the car, Shea's friends had called me "Luna". It was a role that I knew nothing about, and it was a role that felt entirely out of my comfort zone. It wasn't just like trying something new, it was being a part of a close-knit, worlds-apart community that had their own set of rules and hierarchy. Shit. ---- Alrighty, better get to sleep. See you tomorrow guys!