Becoming the Luna

Chapter 28

I wake up in a daze, again.

But this time to an audible thud and muffled cursing.

Smack!

"Don't throw Dale across the room!" Shana warns.

Virgil just makes a non-committal sound and shrugs.

"W-What's g-going on?"  I stutter sitting up.

"Idiot over here" Shana starts to say, smacking Virgil again upside his head. "..nearly broke down your door trying to get in."

I glance at my broken in door that's just a little off kilter, then look at Virgil who looks mightily proud of his handwork. I look at Dale who's sitting against the far wall, rubbing his sore head and look at the door once more.

"My door was locked??" I ask blankly still trying to process the crazy scene I woke up to.

It's a little shocking because I never lock my room door and that's because Virgil or Shana was almost always around and we were mostly together so there wasn't any need to lock it up.

"That's all you got??" Shana exclaims, throwing her hands up. "Your door is broken." She repeats slowly, leaning forward.

"My mom has always wanted to play handyman." I shrug, going on all fours. "She'd be excited to know something is broken, trust me." I reassure her because she looks a little upset.

Honestly, I'm more concerned about Dale, he hit the wall hard.

"I didn't lock the door though." I blink, sitting cross legged on the bed. "Then who did?"

"Dale." Shana answers, rolling her eyes. "Obviously."

"I-Is th-that why V-Virgil threw h-him across the r-room?" I ask, stepping off the bed.

"No that was for crushing you in his sleep." Virgil says seriously.

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I don't correct his assumptions, if he threw Dale across the room for thinking he mistakenly rolled over me while he was asleep. Little wonder what he would do if he finds out that Dale slept on me on purpose.

"I need to clean up." I announce when Virgil and Shana start eyeing my bed like they plan to get comfortable on it. "Come on shoo!" I chase them physically out of my room.

It seems unnecessary, considering that my door is broken but I hope I can trust them to stay away.

I clean up quickly and wrap a thick bathrobe around me, there was just one tiny issue though. 

I have no idea what to wear on my date with Dale.

'I'm so dumb'  I face palm, I should have asked him where we would be going but I'm so shy that I couldn't even bring the topic up.

Now I'm standing in front of my open closet, just staring at the piles of clothes folded in it.

Were we going to the park? A restaurant? The movies??

I run a list through my head, it could also be all three considering that Dale is taking me out so early this morning so I have to somehow find the perfect combination of clothes that would be perfect for every possible thing that Dale could come up with.

I keep standing in front of the mirror for some sort of inspiration to fall from the sky, discreetly, I eye the door, there was no guarantee that my mom wouldn't come barging in. 

She did threaten to be the one to dress me up for my first date anyway.

But it isn't my first anymore, I think. If you could call going to the woods before the sun came up and getting chased by huge wolves a date.

After spacing out in front of my wardrobe for way too long, I just reach in and grab my favorite pair of black jeans which had pitiful, barely there scratches that I counted as rips and a plain white shirt.

I dress up and blow dry my hair then stand in front of the mirror to appraise myself and I have to say, I'm disappointed.

What was I thinking??!

I place both hands on my face in horror, I look like a server at a walk in eatery, just without the tacky apron.

"Hayden!" Shana's calls me from outside my closed door, it can't really close properly anymore but at least it still covers the doorway, sorta.

"Dale is here with his car to pick you up. Aren't you done yet??"

"W-What??!" I splutter. Dale is already back??

How long have I been in my room?

"H-He's here?!?" I exclaim with wide eyes, my fingers are getting cold against my face with how nervous I'm getting.

"Actually he's been here for a while now." She admits. "What the hell are you doing in there anyway? Heart surgery on yourself?"

I ignore her sassy remark, too busy trying to survive an existential crisis. "But I'm not dressed yet!!" I panic, running back to my wardrobe to start tearing through it.

"Oh for fuck's sake." Shana curses, coming in. "I'm coming in!" She announces, a hand over her eyes. "You better not be naked!"

I roll my eyes, throwing the shorts in my hand on the pile of clothes increasing on the bed. "I'm not."

"Good!" She accepts, taking her hand away. "What the actual fuck!" She exclaims as she takes in the messy, chaotic scene of my clothes scattered everywhere.

I collapse on the bed, sprawling atop the pile of clothes. "I have no idea what to wear!" I wail to her.

She just shakes her head and goes to my open closet. "Get out of that ratty shirt and put this on." She orders me, throwing a cashmere sweater I never knew I had.

"Where did you find this?" I ask shellshocked at the piece of clothing in my hand, it's soft and light, perfect for the cool but sunny weather.

"I don't know Hay." She hums, posing with a hand in her jaw like she's in deep thought. "It just fell from the sky!"

I roll my eyes at her antics and slip the soft gold sweater on, it was simple and classy, I could take a walk in the forest with it or go to a restaurant - this is why I never do things for myself, I'm horrible at most things.

"And please get out of those mom jeans, when it's not like you've got kids." She scoffs, throwing me a pair of ripped, skinny jeans.

"I don't wear mom jeans." I pout, going into the bathroom to change into the pair of jeans.

"There! You look perfect, now get out of this room before Dale passes out in his car, he's slightly nervous." She shoos me out.

I obey her and go down the hallway to start down the stairs, Dale was nervous? Well that made two.

The car ride is quiet, the car filled with soft sounds of music from a random radio station and soon enough my curiosity gets the better of me.

"Where are we going Dale?" I glance at him, not for too long or I'd go blind.

We're almost the same age, it's not fair for him to be looking like a movie star while I'm over here looking like a preschooler that is being toured around by an older cousin.

He glanced at me quickly too because he has to keep his eyes on the road, he's already eighteen so he has his driver's license, I'm not going to be till November.

Shana's is July and Virgil is February so he also has his drivers license, Dale's was January and I know we're all born the same year but why did mine have to be so late??

"A pet shop." He flashes me his goofy smile and I have to take a moment to appreciate it.

Then it hits me. "W-What? A p-pet shop??!" I exclaim, I think I forgot my hearing aids.

"You're allergic to puppies??" He exclaims, flustered.

I blink and make a face. "What? N-No!"

"Phew!" 

I blink again, that's all he's going to say?? 'phew!' 

Why can't I be taken on normal dates?

"I found a lost puppy when I recently moved to Pine Creek and I was directed to the store and ever since I go there once in a while, Suzy is the owner and she'll let me spend some time with the puppies, I wanted to take you there." Another of those goofy smiles then he sobers up.

"Jade used to like puppies." He says, looking forward stoically. "Wanted to be one actually." He laughs at this point, a slight bitterness in his voice. 

My eyes widen, I suddenly feel bad. It must have really meant a lot to him, considering how much he loves and misses his sister. 

"I'm honored you're taking me there." I say truthfully, meaning it.

If he feels like I'm important enough to take to a place that reminds him of his dead sister so much then bring the adorable puppies out!

"What kind of puppies are there?" I ask, wanting to know more.

"Newfoundlands, Siberian hounds, Caucasian shepherds, Irish Wolfhounds"

I watch him rattle off names of dog breeds with wide eyes, who knew he was such a dog enthusiast.

"Sorry" He cuts himself off when he notices I've gone quiet, caught up in watching his face glow as he talks about the puppies. "I get carried away sometimes."

"It's f-fine." I give him a reassuring smile. "None of those dogs gets aggressive do they?" I can't help asking, having a deep rooted fear of large dogs.

"Nope, not all." He replies. "But there's one more thing you might want to know." He adds, parking to the side of a cutesy building, there's a parking lot in place.

"What's that?" I look up at him, frowning slightly.

"They're huge." He gives me a wicked smile.