Shifted #Wattys2016

XXXVIII

Maxine

I held the door open for Felix. The place was empty—like it always is. The door is thin, a foot off of the main sidewalk, and completely camouflaged between tourist shops and boutiques. It's great.

I led Felix down the stairs and took my place a few feet away from the ordering counter. "What do you want?" I asked. "Never mind. Here's what you want."

I stepped up to the counter. "Okay, I'd like a Ruby's Special Deep Dish and a Papa's Calzone."

I smiled.

"Is that who I think it is?" The voice came from back in the kitchen and April Foole stepped through the door. "Look what the cat dragged in."

I smiled. "April,"

"Long time no see. Where have you been, sister?" April smiled bright and happy.

"Kansas, of all places."

April leaned over the counter, close to my ear. "Who's That?"

I looked at Felix. "Felix, this is April. She practically raised me. April, this is Felix, my boyfriend."

April smiled at me. Always smiling. "Well, maybe he should come visit more often."

"April," one of the workers called. "Get back to work."

April rolled her eyes. "You sit down honey, this one's on me."

I smiled and took Felix's hand, pulling him to my favorite table.

When Felix and I got back to my house, Bloom pulled into the driveway behind us. She got out of the car just as we did, smiling wide with a hat that said Willis Tower on it and a shirt that said CHICAGO in huge letters.

"I'm a tourist!"

I smiled, walking towards the front door. "Bloom, I could've saved you some money and just given you one of my shirts. I've got dozens."

"Oh well! I'm a tourist!"

I smiled again and walked into the house.

I called Mandy, our neighbor from down the road, and asked her to help keep an eye on my mother. She's in her mid-twenties, single, and helped raised me. She was here now, making my mother lunch.

"So when are you heading back to Kansas?" Mandy asked.

I looked at Bloom. "Probably tomorrow. I can't thank you enough for helping out, Mandy, really."

"It's no probably, Maximus. I'll come over twice a day and make sure that she's still alive and breathing. I have your number so I can call if I need to."

I wrapped my arms around Mandy's waist. "Thanks."

"I'm going to take this to your mother, and then I'll be leaving."

Mandy went to my mom's room. Bloom grabbed her bag with her clothes in it. "I'm going to stay in a hotel tonight, leave you two alone..." Bloom took Felix's hand in her and squeezed. "You can be smart, can't you? Don't do anything I wouldn't do, and stay safe."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Bloom, you're not my mom."

Bloom pinched his hand and Felix let out a small yelp. "I might as well be."

Bloom hugged me and left. Mandy left shortly after. I went into Mom's room to check on her and she was asleep.

I sighed. "What do you want to do tonight, Felix?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea."

I drove us to the beach. Ohio Street. My favorite. We walked along the shoreline for a while, talking. Then we sat down, and I ignored the sand that was making its way into my shorts.

"Tell me about your friend... Uh, what's his name...? Jace?"

"Do you mean Jac?"

"Yeah. Jac."

"First, Jac is a girl. Jac short for Jacqueline. What do you want to know about her?"

I shrugged. "Anything."

"Okay, well. She's a few years younger than me. We were close friends and then I left. There isn't much more to tell." Felix took a deep breath. "Tell me about you. Tell me about your parents, friends, school."

"Okay, so my dad left my mom when she got pregnant with me. My mom raised me mostly alone. I grew up poor, went to a poor school and met poor friends. I have always done well in school, trying to get into a decent college. Hope to go to school for psychology."

The conversation dropped, and it was just us two, watching the moon reflect off the water, reflect off the small ripples. I could feel Felix's eyes on my face, but I didn't turn and look.

Felix kissed me.

And I kissed him.

I laid down on the sand and pulled Felix on me.

Then Felix stopped. "Listen, I really like you, but I can't go any further than just kissing. Anything past... second base." He gave a bashful smile. "There's too many risks."

I sat up. "Like... if I were to get pregnant?" I bit my lip.

"Yeah. As... unlikely as that is, it's still a risk. I mean, half human, half wolf plus full human doesn't really make for an easy equation."

I cracked a smile, and then I laughed. Loud. Obnoxious. Felix joined in too. Then I snorted and we laughed even more.

I checked the time on my phone, the bright screen blinding me. "We should get home, it's getting late."

Felix stood up, wiping sand off of his jeans. He held his hand out to me and I took it. We walked back to the car and I drove home.

And we slept.