Chapter 5

5

KOVI

I step out of the trunk of the tree, my shifter form phasing out of the bark like a ghost through a wall. A dryad like me loves being surrounded by the flora. I could have lived here in the West Woods, but I didn’t want to miss out on the true college experience. Of course, that would have led to me avoiding the utter humiliation of last night’s party.

I groan and scratch my hip bark, then amble toward campus. The sun is up, and my human form needs a shower and a toothbrushing. I don’t need breakfast―perks of photosynthesis―but I could go for caffeine. But no, I won’t go to Mummy Mocha.

Because Tanner works there. AKA Tan, the little red-haired kid I used to play with. The one I kissed, and the one I nearly impaled. What are the odds I’d see him again and he’d be at CU? Why couldn’t I have graduated before they let humans in?

Once on campus, I shift back down, and enter Karloff Hall. I swiftly get up to my suite and start on my morning bathroom routine. As I shower, I groan inwardly at the events of last night. I’ve never been this embarrassed. This was probably worse than the day I cried to my parents, telling them I spontaneously shifted in public. They, naturally, forbade me from going out to the park anymore, and I was more than happy to comply.

Tanner…Tan. Ugh, why didn’t I realize from the name? He still has the same blazing red hair. And I flirted with him!

I let out a self-deprecating chuckle as I shut off the water. In my memories, Tan is adorable. And that first kiss we shared was nothing short of electrifying. It got me so hot and bothered that not only did I involuntarily shift, but I stayed as my dryad form for hours. The resources at OME would later instruct me to alternate between both my forms regularly to avoid these types of accidents, but I was a kid, I didn’t know any better.

And Tanner paid the price. Shit, I need to apologize to him.

When I walk out in a towel, Blake is already standing there in his boxers holding his toothbrush. “Oh, good, you’re home.”

“Yup,” I mutter.

“Get dressed. We’re going to get breakfast,” he states as he passes by me for the bathroom.

“Huh?”

“Seth told me what happened. He’s headed to work, but he said you needed a night to cool off in the forest. So now I’m here to talk to you.”

I frown. While there are very few secrets shared between Seth, Blake, and I―they know all about my horrifying childhood shifting incident―I still wish no one knew. But I can’t hide much from these two dudes.

“Nothing to talk about,” I mutter.

“Doubt it. And you’re coming with me to the dining hall, end of story.”

I huff. The tough love is sweet, but still annoying. “Pushy lagoon monster,” I mutter.

He chuckles, then shuts the bathroom door. “You know it!” he says in a muffled voice.

Thirty minutes later, the two of us manage to snag a corner booth. Sunday mornings are busy for dining hall brunch. The humans look adorably lost and confused as they attempt to navigate our cafeteria. None of them are as adorable as one human in particular…

I sigh and look down at my plate. I toy with the haunted hashbrowns and scare-rambled eggs, not in the mood for much food.

“You gonna finish that?” Blake asks with a mouth full of phantom cakes.

“Maybe,” I mutter, sipping my coffee. When I look at him, Blake swallows, then studies me.

“Okay, enough sulking.” He wipes his mouth on a napkin. “Tell this lagoon monster what’s up.”

“Didn’t Seth already tell you?” I deadpan.

“Yes, but I want to hear it from you. I’m worried. You disappeared and stayed in the West Woods all night.”

I huff and sit back. “The summary? One of the humans who just started going here is the guy I knew as a kid. The boy I accidentally shifted in front of.”

“Yeah? So?” Blake shrugs, and it bewilders me.

“So?!” I yelp. Leaning forward, I whisper, “I almost killed Tanner when we were little boys.”

“You were kids,” he states. “Who among us hasn’t involuntarily shifted in an embarrassing situation in our youth?”

“But I don’t think you stabbed anyone,” I hiss.

“Maybe not.” Blake goes back to his food. “But like…apologize and move on?”

I sigh and eat two more bites. Blake raises a valid point. I spent years wondering if I could apologize to Tan, and now that I have my chance, I’m freaking out?

“Seth told me this Tanner guy was cool.” Blake shrugs and chomps on another phantom cake drenched in syrup.

“Yeah, but that was before he knew I was a dryad― that dryad. What if he doesn’t want to talk to me?”

“It’s his loss then. He’s missing out on a cool monster friend.” Blake’s words make my heart sink down in my gut. If Tanner doesn’t want to see me again, I’d feel…devastated? The fact that I have his number in my phone only makes me more anxious.

“You know, as your wise bestie, I have to say this…” Blake points at me and I munch on my meal. “I think you like him.”

He smirks, and I frown. I lunge forward to swipe at his head and miss, causing him to giggle. “No seriously,” he says between laughs.

“Shut up,” I grumble.

“You haven’t gotten laid in forever, man. And now you’re freaking out over your first kiss with some human stranger? I’m connecting the obvious dots.”

I scoff. “He wasn’t just some human stranger. He was…” I sigh and think back to the way his lips tasted. I was little, and so much has happened since then. But that first kiss felt like a fairy tale come true. All my memories of afternoons playing with Tan―before I shifted―are golden, locked away in my heart.

I shake my head from my daydreams to notice Blake, once again, smirking at me. I frown. “Just…shut up.”

He giggles and looks away. “From what I saw, Tanner is pretty hot. It’s understandable that he’d make you…sprout some wood.”

This time when I swipe at his head, I make contact with a satisfied thwack . It doesn’t stop either of us from laughing.