“Hey Eric, what’re you doing here?” Ben asked.
It was a little after one when Eric walked onto the football field. Alex was up in the bleachers watching with some of the other juniors. Ben was carrying the bag full of scrimmage vests. He noticed the younger Anderson had a particularly wide grin on his face.
“Just passing through. I was on my way out and your mom asked me if I could take a detour and give you this,” Eric said. He stuck a hand in his backpack and came up with an envelope.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t peek.” Eric said, passing the paper to Ben.
“I wouldn’t expect you to. Where are you off to?”
“Uh, just going over to a friend’s house.” Eric said. As if on cue, his phone vibrates in his pocket. His hand flies to it, and he glances at the screen.
“Julie’s?” Ben guessed at the sight of Eric’s even wider smile. Of course he had no way of knowing the two had decided to “take a break”. They’d only had their “breakup” conversation a few hours ago.
“No, not today. Not any day really…” Eric tried to mutter the last part, but Ben still heard. He didn’t bother to ask what that meant. Some things are personal, and he got the feeling this was one of them.
“Well, thanks. Sure you don’t want to stay and watch us? You’re coming to the game Thursday right? Nate said you were planning on,” Ben asked.
“Ya, definitely. But, uh, not so much for the football, as for the chance to get out of the house.” Eric admitted. He enjoyed solitude as much as the next guy, but spending Thanksgiving morning alone didn’t appeal to him.
“Whatever gets you out here.” Ben said, before running back onto the field. Eric noted the variety of different players. He’d wondered which forms they played in, normal or were? Nate had said something about there being special rules in that regard. Certain species could play in their fursonas, while others were deemed too dangerous (i.e. anything with horns).
Eric waved to Alex before resuming his walk to Spencer’s house. And though the school was in the opposite direction to her house, the trip wasn’t an inconvenience. The text he got while he was talking to Ben was from Spencer, saying her parents finally left.
Her mom went to work, while her dad was going to spend the day with her uncle in Seattle. And he had rather stubbornly stuck an ankle bracelet on Spencer so she couldn’t leave the house without him knowing.
“I told you, he’s like a prison warden when he wants to be.” Spencer had said over the phone earlier in the afternoon. Eric had told her about the unpleasant phone call between him and Julie. And then that he’d caught his father eavesdropping in the hallway, which Spencer found very amusing (mostly because that’s something her own father would have done. Only he wouldn’t have been sorry).
“ON MY WAY NOW” Eric texted back. He slide the phone back into his pocket, and walked to where he’d left his bike. He undid the lock, and swung a leg over and went on his way again.
Meanwhile, Spencer was downstairs, angrily scratching at the shiny new ankle bracelet that kept beeping every other minute. It not only prevented her from leaving, but it also kept her from shifting. No by design, but Evan had clamped it shut so tight there was little room for her skin to breath.
Spencer is currently sprawled out on the couch, having just finished sweeping the house for cameras or bugs. Paranoia? Maybe a little bit. But she thought like her father, due to genetics and her upbringing. Evan had triple locked everything in the house before he left, and once more lectured Spencer about how if she even put so much as a toe out the door, he was going to sent her to live with HIS grandfather. And they all knew how cranky and unbearable Alpha-Grandpa Mike was.
“Does he really not trust me? Okay sure I’ve done some stupid things, really stupid if you count that accident in Virginia with the pool. But I’m not going to invite drug dealers into the house or snort lines of crack on our coffee table.” Spencer thought exasperated.
She starts channel flipping while she waits for Eric to respond to her text. It’s about about five minutes later when her phone, stuffed into her back pocket, buzzes and startles her. She eagerly takes it out, reads the text, and smiles before placing the phone onto the aforementioned coffee table.
Just as he rounds a corner, Eric’s phone starts buzzing again. He stops to see the text Spencer sent back.
“😽”
Eric laughed and quickly puts the phone away. After, he starts pedaling even faster, as his heart raced in anticipation. Thankfully that was the only organ of his getting excited. As getting a boner while riding a bike would be all kinds of uncomfortable.
Elsewhere…
Ben and Alex piled into Ben’s jeep and headed for Alex’s house. They knew they couldn’t fool around there, Alex’s father would blow a fuse if they did, but they’d gotten most of that out of their systems last night and this morning.
Alex’s parents, Peyton and Shelley, weren’t against their son and Ben dating. They just didn’t want their newly remodeled house to be collateral damage in their lust. The boys were welcome to use the basement, but at the moment it was full of all the things the family hadn’t bothered to sort post-remodel (adding a guest room and extending the kitchen).
“Think you’re ready for the game Thursday? Who are you playing anyway?” Alex asked once they were inside the house. They set their bags down and helped themselves to what was in the Ramsey’s fridge. Which wasn’t much. Alex’s parents were currently out grocery shopping to amend the lack of food.
“They’re going old school this year. Carnivores vs herbivores. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous. Have you seen the size of Kyle McAdams? Guy looks like he’s on steroids!” Ben said, popping a can of soda open.
“To be fair he is a Clydesdale. They’re built that way.” Alex pointed out, opening a drink of his own.
“Well even for a werehorse he’s gigantic. I feel like I’ve yet to hit puberty, when I stand next to him during practice.” Ben sighed. He was a modest five foot ten, and still growing. Kyle was six foot seven and still growing.
“Ya, I guess. Wonder why he never went out for basketball instead. Guy’s got the height for it.” Alex mused aloud.
“Who knows, who cares. But if I get crushed to death, promise me you’ll kick him in the nards for me.”
“It would be my pleasure. But have some faith in the team. Who's coaching this year?”
“Joe Bryant and Collin. Boy you should have seen their faces the other day. They looked like they were about to join us on the field. I almost thought Collin was going to take a bite out of Joe.” Ben said.
The two assistant coaches, one a fellow werewolf, the other a werestag, never seemed to see eye to eye. On anything from what kind of plays the team should be running, to what color the sky was today. They grew up in Moon Lake together, and over time a very healthy rivalry was built between them.
“Great. Collin is a sore-winner, if you guys don’t win we’ll be paying for it for months..” Alex said, knowing their pack member would probably go around sulking until Valentines’ Day.
“Don’t worry, just gives us more of an incentive to win.” Ben said, kissing Alex’s cheek. Alex returns the kiss, and the two probably would have started doing more than kissing if Alex’s parents hadn’t opened the front door, causing the boys to jump apart.
“Hi Ben, Alex. Did you two just get here?” Shelley Ramsey asked.
“Ya, came straight from Ben’s practice.” Alex said. The two hurried to the door to help the adults carry their bags inside. Alex caught a whiff of the steaks in one, and licked his lips.
“You boys ready for Thursday?” Peyton asked, shutting the door behind him.
“I think we’re ready. Collin thinks otherwise, but that’s Collin.” Ben said shrugging, then placed the bag of frozen on the kitchen table. Alex and his mother were already busy putting things away.
“How was dinner last night? You ate with the new family right?” Peyton asked.
“Good. Really good.” Alex replied, carefully winking at Ben. They weren’t about to tell Alex’s parents the night ended with everyone splitting off into groups and engaging in various types of pleasure. Though they were both a little unsure what Eric and Spencer did, as they both went their separate ways alone.
“That’s good. I imagine your mom’s glad they’re already weres. She’s got enough on her plate as it is. How is Samantha doing?” Shelley said.
“Things are getting better, I think. She doesn’t talk about it much, the business with the feds. It would go better if they could reach an agreement about boundaries.” Ben said. His mothers hadn’t told him this, he’d caught them talking to each other in the bathroom one night. It was weird, hearing them actually talk instead of… you know. Soaping each other up.
“Boundaries meaning their right to poke around without a warrant?” Peyton almost growled.
“Honey…”
“Well it just bothers me. First they let that guy escape, and now they’re coming around here and all but digging through our trash for clues. Why the heck would he come to Washington anyway, or Moon Lake for that matter? We’re barely on the map!”
“The scenery?” Alex joked.
“Maybe he’s got family around here.”
“In Moon Lake?”
“You never know. Not everyone is bound to Moon Lake. Lots of families branch out, even go to other parts of the country to make lives for themselves.” Shelley reminded her husband. Living in Moon Lake for so long, it was easy to forget that the rest of the world existed. Moon Lake was a bubble in that sense, Very few things ever left, and even fewer entered.
“I just hope they leave soon. Otherwise I might start invoking my second amendment rights next time I see one of those suits poking around our backyard.” Peyton said.
“No need to do that sir. I think they’re leaving soon. At least, from what I’ve heard from my mom’s conversations, they’re working a different lead.” Ben said.
“Well look at that, there is a God, and he does work miracles!” Alex said. That got everyone to laugh, and forget the raincloud that had formed overhead. And outside too. But oddly enough only on half the town. There was almost a straight line going down the street. Half of it wet, the other half dry as a desert.