Eric’s leaning against his bed frame, which faces the window, when he catches a glimpse of something outside in the trees. At first he thinks it’s just a bird or squirrel. But this being were-country he decides to double check. It’s not sundown yet, if there’s a were running out there, they’re breaking the law.
Eric peers out his window, but doesn’t see the shape he saw before. He mutters to himself that he’s losing it when he sees something below him.
“Oh hey. This is your house?” Spencer asked casually, like nothing about the situation was weird. She was wearing a pair of running black and blue running pants and a tight fitting tank top with the Nike logo on her chest. It was the middle of November and she was dressed like it was May. Eric tried not to stare at the swoosh, but his eyes kept getting drawn to it. Thankfully everything from his naval down was hidden inside his room. Spencer couldn’t see Eric’s growing “excitement”.
“What are you doing here?” Eric asked, opening his window.
“Running.”
“Well ya, I can see that. I mean why are you in my backyard?”
“I prefer running on grass than asphalt or cement. I cut through the woods from my house.” Spencer said, pointing to the small trail that she’s carved out.
Though she knew Moon Lake laws (her father had all but branded them into her skull), she still shifted to cut down some of the branches and bushes in her way. It wasn’t that much of a bother. Her clothes are designed so that she could change in them, and no one saw her. Other than Eric of course, but he knew about weres. His entire family had made the change. Spencer took a moment to wonder if he would to.
“He’d certainly make a nice wolf, like his brother.” she thought.
“I’ll let you get back to your run.” Eric said, pulling his head back inside.
“That’s alright, I was heading home anyway. What’re you up to?” Spencer asked quickly. She didn’t really want to leave. In all honesty, she’d taken this route because she knew she’d end up near Eric’s house. She didn’t think she’d end up in his backyard, but it was nice that things worked out like that. Spencer followed Nate’s scent, which she’d picked up in the woods. Not his usual smell, this one was full of pheromones. His and a females.
“Not much. Texting Julie, but I should get started on my homework. You should too,” Eric added, remembering Spencer took the same classes as his brother. While he’d only ever skimmed over Nate’s assignments, they didn’t look easy.
“Eh, might as well let the teachers know I’m not big on ‘doing homework.’ Why give false hope?” she shrugged.
“Let me get this straight, you’re smart enough to skip two grades, and you don’t bother to do any of the work?” Eric asked.
“Not really. I do the important crap, but that’s it. There’s not much of a point to it is there? All they want you to do is parrot information back, fill in the bubbles, and go through life generally unnoticed.” Spencer said.
Eric doesn’t respond, too busy feeling the weight of Spencer’s words. He hears her say goodbye, and mechanically does the same. He pulls his head inside, not bothering to shut the window. The cold breeze didn’t bother him. What did bother him was what Spencer said.
“Is she right? A lot of what we do is just repeating, and memorizing. What’s the point? Someone as smart as Spencer… maybe she’s just bored. I get that. I’m usually bored in class too. And what’s college? Lectures, seminars? What’s the point?” Eric was lost in his thoughts.
He didn’t hear Nate knocking on his door to ask him who he was talking to. At the moment, Eric was talking to himself. When Eric didn’t reply, Nate opened his brother’s door a crack. Eric was lying on his bed, the window wide open, muttering to himself.
“You okay Eric?” Nate asks, entering the room so he can close the window. The draft sends a chill through his body, and his instincts tell him to change since, in his fursona, he’s more equipped to deal with cold weather.
“Huh? Oh Nate. Ya I’m fine. Just thinking.” Eric said absently.
“Who were you talking to before?” Nate asked.
“No one.”
“Dude I could hear your voice from across the hall. And I don’t think ‘she must be nuts to run around in that’ was directed at your reflection. Was it Julie?”
“No, mind your own business. I was… Spencer was outside.” Eric blushed. Nate raised an eyebrow, but didn’t do his usual smirk or even make any sort of comment.
“Outside? In our backyard? And you two just had a friendly chat, she went on her merry way, and now you’re stilling here looking like you’ve just seen the ghost of Christmas past?”
“Don’t over exaggerate.” Eric grumbled.
“Do you like her?”
“What?!” Eric bolted up after his brother asked his question. Nate and Eric locked eyes, and for a moment both wondered if the other was interested in Spencer. Both already had companions, in Eric’s case an actual girlfriend. But they couldn’t deny there was some part of themselves interested in Spencer. And either she wasn’t interested, or did a damn good job hiding it.
“I have a girlfriend.” Eric managed to say.
“That’s not really an answer.”
“Why does it matter? Do you like Spencer?”
“She’s nice, and you have to admit, pretty hot.”
“And we’ve only known her for what, two days?” Eric adds.
“Fair enough. But you and Julie certainly got things going much faster than anyone else would have thought.” Nate argued.
“And you can’t get anything going.” Eric said sourly. Nate opened his mouth to argue, to tell Eric he had someone. But at the last second he shut his mouth. Nate left Eric alone in a frustrated huff.
Eric went back to lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. As annoyed at his brother as he was, Nate was right. Things with Julie were moving awfully quickly. How did they end up a couple? They didn’t have a single class together, and only shared lunch with each other. Even then, lunch consisted of small talk and eating.
Eric doesn’t remember anything from his first days in Moon Lake. Probably because he was reeling from the existence of weres. Julie had been nice, very friendly but Eric hadn’t initially felt any attraction. Had he ever felt attracted to Julie? Certainly not in the same way she was with him.
“What the hell am I supposed to do?” Eric mused aloud.
Determined not to think too much about the subject, Eric buried his feelings and dove into the small mountain of school work he has. Unlike Spencer, he does see some benefit in homework. Though that s another thing he may reconsider.