here,” he said.
“He’s right,” I agreed. “It would be crazy to let him leave in this condition, much less force him to.”
Lucas threw up his hands in surrender. “I guess there’s really no choice when the two of you put it like that!” He opened the heavy wooden door. “Come inside,” he started to say to Tad. But Tad wasn’t there. “Well this is just fantastic. Your drunk friend – who could barely stand up a couple of minutes ago, I might add – has somehow found the energy to stumble off to God knows where.”
I squinted into the night. It was pitch black outside and was near impossible to see anything without a light. “You two stay here,” Lucas said. “Lock the door. I’ll be back as soon as I can find Tad. Sit down and don’t touch anything .” I knew what that last sentence meant. Don’t go nosing around his house or messing things up even more than we already had.
Henry and I dutifully did as instructed. After a couple of minutes, Henry turned to me. “If he wasn’t going to kill us before, he probably is now,” he said sheepishly.
“Hmm,” I said noncommittally. I got up and walked the perimeter of the room.
“What are you doing?” Henry demanded. “He told us not to mess with anything.”
“I’m not,” I assured him. “I promise you I won’t touch a thing.”
I was really thinking what a sad existence this was. And more to the point: was this what I had to look forward to as a monster? As whatever the hell I am, which is obviously not human?
A life where I didn’t age, where everyone I cared about grew old without me, where eventually I forgot the significance – or just quit caring – about owning anything personal or sentimental? It s eemed so empty and depressing.
I was still mulling over my all-but-sealed fate when Lucas and Tad burst through the door. Lucas had Tad’s arm in a strong-hold and was effortlessly dragging Tad behind him. Henry had told me that Tad was a big guy, with a football player-type build, but next to Lucas he practically looked scrawny.
I had to slam my hand over my mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. The stress of everything was getting to me and I could tell I was about to get hit with a major case of the giggles; this whole scene was way more co mical than it should have been.
Henry jumped up from the co uch. “You okay, Tad?” he asked.
“Henry!” Tad screeched. Lucas released Tad from his grasp, and Tad half-stumbled, half-walked over to Henry and wrapped him in a bear hug. “Dude, you saved me!”
“Why don’t you come sit down?” Henry led Tad over to the couch.
“This isn’t a very big party,” Tad commented. “You only have one hot chick here.”
I snorted. “You just missed the others.” I know I shouldn’t mess with him but he’s acting like a total idiot.
“Why don’t you sit down next to me on the couch and tell the Tad-ster your name?”
Eww!
Luckily, Lucas saved me from having to come up with a response to Tad’s suggestion, tempting as it was.
“Julie is my ex girlfriend. Although I don’t share well with others, if you get my drift.”
Tad looked at Lucas dumbly. “I’m telling you, Tad,” Lucas said patiently, “that while Julie here might be my ex, I wouldn’t recommend that you try to hook up with her anytime soon.”
Tad nodded sagely. “I follow, man, and I respect. Always.” He pounded his chest once for emphasis.
But I was still stuck on Lucas’ story. Julie?! How could anyone who agreed that the name Tad was pretty much the worst name in the universe think that I could ever in a million years be named Julie ? Julie was one of those names reserved for snippy blond cheerleaders with pointy noses and big doe eyes. The kind of girls who flat ironed their bleached-blond locks and talked about people behind their backs. Julie was the name for girls that were the polar opposite of me.
I was thoroughly offended. For all of his gazillion years on this planet, Lucas k new
“He’s right,” I agreed. “It would be crazy to let him leave in this condition, much less force him to.”
Lucas threw up his hands in surrender. “I guess there’s really no choice when the two of you put it like that!” He opened the heavy wooden door. “Come inside,” he started to say to Tad. But Tad wasn’t there. “Well this is just fantastic. Your drunk friend – who could barely stand up a couple of minutes ago, I might add – has somehow found the energy to stumble off to God knows where.”
I squinted into the night. It was pitch black outside and was near impossible to see anything without a light. “You two stay here,” Lucas said. “Lock the door. I’ll be back as soon as I can find Tad. Sit down and don’t touch anything .” I knew what that last sentence meant. Don’t go nosing around his house or messing things up even more than we already had.
Henry and I dutifully did as instructed. After a couple of minutes, Henry turned to me. “If he wasn’t going to kill us before, he probably is now,” he said sheepishly.
“Hmm,” I said noncommittally. I got up and walked the perimeter of the room.
“What are you doing?” Henry demanded. “He told us not to mess with anything.”
“I’m not,” I assured him. “I promise you I won’t touch a thing.”
I was really thinking what a sad existence this was. And more to the point: was this what I had to look forward to as a monster? As whatever the hell I am, which is obviously not human?
A life where I didn’t age, where everyone I cared about grew old without me, where eventually I forgot the significance – or just quit caring – about owning anything personal or sentimental? It s eemed so empty and depressing.
I was still mulling over my all-but-sealed fate when Lucas and Tad burst through the door. Lucas had Tad’s arm in a strong-hold and was effortlessly dragging Tad behind him. Henry had told me that Tad was a big guy, with a football player-type build, but next to Lucas he practically looked scrawny.
I had to slam my hand over my mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. The stress of everything was getting to me and I could tell I was about to get hit with a major case of the giggles; this whole scene was way more co mical than it should have been.
Henry jumped up from the co uch. “You okay, Tad?” he asked.
“Henry!” Tad screeched. Lucas released Tad from his grasp, and Tad half-stumbled, half-walked over to Henry and wrapped him in a bear hug. “Dude, you saved me!”
“Why don’t you come sit down?” Henry led Tad over to the couch.
“This isn’t a very big party,” Tad commented. “You only have one hot chick here.”
I snorted. “You just missed the others.” I know I shouldn’t mess with him but he’s acting like a total idiot.
“Why don’t you sit down next to me on the couch and tell the Tad-ster your name?”
Eww!
Luckily, Lucas saved me from having to come up with a response to Tad’s suggestion, tempting as it was.
“Julie is my ex girlfriend. Although I don’t share well with others, if you get my drift.”
Tad looked at Lucas dumbly. “I’m telling you, Tad,” Lucas said patiently, “that while Julie here might be my ex, I wouldn’t recommend that you try to hook up with her anytime soon.”
Tad nodded sagely. “I follow, man, and I respect. Always.” He pounded his chest once for emphasis.
But I was still stuck on Lucas’ story. Julie?! How could anyone who agreed that the name Tad was pretty much the worst name in the universe think that I could ever in a million years be named Julie ? Julie was one of those names reserved for snippy blond cheerleaders with pointy noses and big doe eyes. The kind of girls who flat ironed their bleached-blond locks and talked about people behind their backs. Julie was the name for girls that were the polar opposite of me.
I was thoroughly offended. For all of his gazillion years on this planet, Lucas k new
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