Chapter 16

Okay, I had to admit I was a little nervous about going to this party. On the one hand, it wasn't just any old regular human teen party. It was going to be full of nothing but shifters, and it was at a werewolf—I mean, hound's house. Was everyone going to be busting into their shifter forms? Howling at the moon? Sharing shifter traditions that I had no idea of and would look foolish not being in on the joke?

Secondly, I had only been to one other party in my life, only a few days before, and it had been because of me attending that party that I hadn't been around to protect my mom from the vampire attack. Not that I really could've done anything to fend them off, and I'd most likely have died with her, but it still left me with a whole mess of survivor guilt that I didn't know what to do with. And apparently, a stigma about parties.

But I couldn't just avoid social gatherings forever. And I definitely needed to take advantage of any opportunity to make friends here.

There was also the tiny little fact that it was the hot dragon asshole that invited me to go. With him. Was this a date? I'd definitely never been on a date. Sure, I'd used studying after school as an excuse to fool around with guys a handful of times, but there had never been any sort of protocol outside finding a quiet corner to make out while we did hand stuff.

What was I expected to do on a date? And what if this wasn't a date at all, and he only invited me out of pity? Then again, Tobias wasn't the type to express, much less feel, any type of strong emotions, especially pity.

After a hot shower that relaxed me as much as was humanly possible, I almost jumped out of my skin when someone knocked on my door.

I cracked open the door enough to see that it was Ashlyn.

"Hey, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" I opened the door all the way for her and proceeded to wring my wet hair with my towel.

With a forced casualness, she strolled over to my bed and sat on the edge. "Oh, I just heard that you got invited to go to the party tonight." The way she said it, I gleaned that she herself hadn't been.

"Yeah, by Tobias, of all people," I said. "I'm honestly debating going. I don't even have anything to wear."

The only clothes I had were my uniforms and the clothes I'd gone to the last party in. Seeing as that had been the worst night of my life, I had no interest in wearing them again.

"Oh, come on, you have to go!" Ashlyn encouraged, her short strawberry-blonde hair looking suddenly more orange. "If it's a wardrobe problem, I'd be happy to loan you something cute. We're the same size. I can bring you some options."

"Really?" I asked, taken aback by the offer. "That would be awesome. I really appreciate that." I bit my lip at the offer I was about to make. "Do you want to come with us?"

A smile lit in her amber eyes but didn't reach her lips. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude. It's kind of a big deal that Tobias invited you. He never dates. Well, not really."

I huffed a sigh and sat down beside her with a shrug. "I don't know. I really don't even know if this is a date. I mean, he probably just invited me out of pity or to make up for him being an asshole to me earlier."

Ashlyn finally did crack a smile and laughed. "Uh, Tobias doesn't apologize for anything. And he doesn't do pity. If he asked you to go with him, it's because he wants you to go. Honestly, he's probably hoping to hook up with you. That's more his M.O."

"Oh." Heat flared between my legs, but I didn't know how I felt about that little tidbit. My attraction to him was, well, undeniable. Hooking up with him wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, and that thought brought all kinds of delightfully dirty images to mind.

But I wasn't about to be another notch on his bedpost. Although, I could look at it the other way and let him be a notch on mine. I had a bunch of teen mischief to catch up on, and my bedpost was sadly lacking in notches.

I shook my head. "Well, either way, I'm sure it'll be fine if you go with us. It would be nice to have a friend there who doesn't want to have sex with me."

Ashlyn giggled. "I mean, I wouldn't go that far. You're a babe. Give me a few drinks, and who knows what could happen."

She winked at me, and we both erupted with laughter.

"Okay, let me go grab some cute stuff, and we can get dolled up together," she said before skipping out of my room.

Seeing how much she clearly wanted to go, how could I not invite her? She'd been at the school a little longer than I had, and I was sure no one had ever invited her to any social functions. I knew what that felt like, both at past schools and definitely at this one.

Not only was it the right thing to do, but I truly wanted her there. There was a good chance Shea wouldn't get the okay to come, and I needed a good female ally to provide an out for me if Tobias proved to be as big of a douche as I suspected he was.

After a few minutes passed, Ashlyn returned with an armload full of clothes. We spent quite some time trying on different things before we came to our decisions. She chose a fiery red dress that made her look stunning, and I picked a simple, cute top and skinny jeans. Not standing out was kinda my goal, but I did still look damn good. There was no way Ashlyn wasn't going to stand out, though.

"So, is there a particular person you're hoping will be there?" I asked in a casual tone.

Ashlyn paused the application of her mascara and flashed me a glance in the mirror. "Uh, why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "You've been at this school for a few months, and there is an almost absurd amount of hot guys here. I'm sure at least one of them has caught your attention. Unless you're into girls?"

She laughed. "You know, that comment about sleeping with you…I mean, it would take a lot of alcohol for me to go there. You're hot and all, but I prefer a lot more muscle and a lot less boob. And a dick. And apparently, unavailable asshole is my type."

"Ah, so there is someone," I said excitedly.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I kinda have a thing for Niko."

"Oh." I raised my eyebrows in surprise but nodded. "He's definitely cute. And a phoenix, right?"

"Yep," Ashlyn said, dabbing gloss onto her lips. "But even when I light a wall behind him on fire, I can't get him to look my way."

I came up behind her and hung my arm around her shoulder. "Guys just suck."

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, they do. Honestly, I wish I was into girls. Wouldn't life be so much easier if we could just date each other?"

I pursed my lips against a smile. "It sure would. Who knows, maybe if we both strike out, we could give it a good go."

We laughed again, and her lip gloss applicator slipped to wipe a streak up her cheek.

"Oh shit," she giggled and did her best to wipe it off. "Okay, I think we're as presentable as we're gonna get. Where are you supposed to meet him?"

"The subway entrance," I said, throwing my small purse over my shoulder and heading for the door.

When we got to the subway entrance, Tobias was already waiting there.

So were Niko and Brett.

Okay, so not a date. Embarrassment and disappointment tied my insides into a knot, but I sauntered over like I had all the confidence in the world. Thank fuck I invited Ashlyn. Otherwise, this would've been even more awkward.

"Hey," Tobias said, his eyes repeatedly flickering to Ashlyn. "You brought a friend."

"Yep," I said, awkwardly flapping my arms at my sides like a penguin. "So did you."

Ashlyn waved timidly at all of them, her eyes fixed on Niko.

"Shotgun!" Brett called, hopping onto the train before everyone else.

Tobias rolled his eyes as we followed after him. "There's no front seat on a train. You can't call shotgun."

"Sure I can," Brett said with a hand swipe through his surfer-boy blond hair. "I want the best seat."

Tobias's scowl deepened. "They're all the same."

"Nah, this one has the most cushion," he said, flopping onto what was apparently the most comfortable seat on the train.

I stifled a giggle at their bickering. Brett was certainly a character, and it tickled me how much he got under Tobias's skin.

Tobias took his own seat, apparently deciding not to argue the ridiculous point any further, and tapped the seat next to him for me, leaving Ashlyn to apprehensively sit by Niko.

The guys spent the ten minute ride talking about the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Sharp, letting us weigh in here and there. I had no idea that Mrs. Sharp was human. Brought into the shifter world because she married one. That gave me a whole new respect for her, and it gave me hope that Shea would one day be welcome.

Just before we got off the train, Shea texted me that she was going to meet us there, and a fresh wave of relief washed over me. Now I'd have two confidants to bolster my self-esteem.

Thankfully, the were's house was close by and we could walk to it. I knew we were getting close when the houses began to grow in size.

When we came up to the lakefront mansion, I could hear the music blaring from the street. The large all-white pillars were crowded with students I wasn't so thrilled to see, but I walked up the driveway like I gave no shits. I caught sight of those curvy hips approaching and my heart soared at Shea's arrival.

Immediately, I ran up to her and we embraced each other with the tightest of hugs. The guys stood a foot away in their own conversation.

When Shea pulled away, she looked me up and down. "Dang, girl. You must be a phoenix, because you're on fire!"

I laughed. "Actually, my new friend Ashlyn is a phoenix. Ashlyn, this is my friend, Shea."

Ashlyn extended her hand, but Shea pulled her in for her own hug. Ashlyn's eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the unexpected physical contact, but she warmed up to welcome the embrace.

"Thanks for being there for Arya. It's nice to know she has a friend at the school." Shea's smile was so big that it was contagious.

"No problem. She's there for me, too." Ashlyn gently shoved her elbow into mine.

Shea put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, rocking back on her heels. "So, anyone know what happens at a shifter party?"

And as we both shrugged our shoulders, Shea could only shake her head. Standing in between the two of us, she hooked her arms with ours and straightened her back.

"Three misfit-teers. What better way to make an entrance?" Shea led us inside with the confidence of an Emmy-winning actress, the boys trailing us inside.

"Here goes nothin'," I muttered, hoping this night wouldn't have disastrous consequences like my last party.