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Chapter 13
Margo
On Christmas Eve, technically Christmas morning, once Dorian had walked me home, both of my parents were in the living room, drinking hot chocolate and watching Die Hard together.
“Is that the time already?” Mam said when I entered the room, faking a surprised look. “Happy Christmas.”
“Like you weren’t counting the seconds,” I replied, sinking into an armchair to slip off my shoes. “Happy Christmas to you, too. You should have come to the party.”
“I’m too old for Eighteenth’s,” Dad said. “Did you have fun?”
I smiled, exhausted. “Lots. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. There was no trouble. I don’t know why I was even expecting any.”
“Late nights, holidays, and alcohol can do that to people,” Dad said. “I’m glad it went well. Change into your pj’s, and I’ll make you a cup.”
That didn’t sound bad; I was still too hyped up to sleep. I cleaned off my makeup, changed clothes, and then settled back downstairs to watch the rest of the film with my parents. With the lights twinkling, the pair of them making the same jokes they made every year, and the memory of Dorian’s kiss still on my lips, I felt happier than I had been in a long time.
Christmas Day was just as nice, and I relished my time off from school. The threat of upcoming exams still loomed over me, but it was more far off now. The day after Christmas was spent at Dorian’s house while my parents visited family in the countryside, and I was surprised by how similar the vibe was to my own home.
I spent as much time with Dorian as possible for the rest of the week, but I managed to squeeze in time for some rehearsals, as well as some girl time with Chloe and Emma who were suspiciously eager to find a way onto werewolf property.
“You could text your boyfriend and ask if they want to join us for pizza,” Emma said for the fifth time.
“They have plans,” I told her, again. The wolves were on a run together for the entire day. They wouldn’t be back until late, and even at that, Dorian had told me that they were more likely to return in the morning. It was some kind of tradition for them to say goodbye to the old year and be ready to welcome the next one with a fresh slate. Dorian had been embarrassed while he described it, but I thought it was kind of nice. “Why are you suddenly so interested in hanging out over there anyway?”
“It’s a bit exciting,” Emma said. “Always feels like they’re up to something mysterious. I like it.”
“She just wants to be nosy,” Chloe said scornfully.
Emma left our table to flirt with the server at the counter. Chloe watched her go with narrowed eyes before turning to me, lowering her voice. “Adam’s family were home at Christmas, even his dad.”
“Oh,” I said warily. “How did that go?”
“The usual.” Her eyes flashed with anger. “The old man got drunk and took it out on his family. Mam called the police, but yet again, they did nothing.”
“How can he get away with even that?” I wondered aloud.
“Because they’re so scared of him that they won’t admit what happened. They keep blaming themselves to protect him.” She took a ferocious bite of the pizza. “Poor Adam. While we were out partying, he was…” She shook her head. “Sorry.”
“I wish there was something we could do for him.”
“Just be nice to him,” she said with a sigh. “And cut him some slack when he acts up. Because he will when school starts up again. That’s how it always is. He won’t ask for help or admit something is wrong.”
“You really care about him.”
“When we were kids, he was like a little brother to me.” She made a face. “I used to get so annoyed when he’d follow me around, but even then, I knew things weren’t right. I’ve been hoping that once he grows up, he’ll fight back or move out or something. Who knows what will happen?” She frowned. “What’s that look about?”
“I was just thinking how lucky I am,” I admitted. “I know that sounds cringe, but anything could have happened to me. I was lucky it was my parents who took me home from the orphanage, you know?”
She gazed over at Emma. “Yeah. Too many people I know have problems.” She brightened. “It’s kind of a relief that you’re pretty normal.”
I laughed at that. “I’ve never been called normal before.”
“I just mean it’s nice that you don’t need me to take care of you,” she said with a harsh laugh then got up to pull Emma away from some old, creepy-looking man who was telling her to smile more. I wondered what she meant by that exactly, but then I got caught up in Emma’s enthusiastic retelling of the latest celebrity gossip, puzzled by how quickly I got invested in the lives of people I didn’t know or care about.
Later, I left Chloe to manage Emma and stopped in at the local shop to pick up some milk. Walking past the pitch, I spotted a bunch of boys from school playing football together. Adam was among them, looking the same as usual. Gone was the haunted look from the hospital. He shouted and teased along with the rest of them. Maybe Chloe was worrying over nothing.
Adam slid into a nasty tackle with an older boy I didn’t know. They instantly squared up to one another, while the others did their best to separate them. I sighed and moved on. I wasn’t a fan of the aggressive type, and although Chloe cared about his fate, I wasn’t sure Adam was worth the concern. I felt sorry for him, but he obviously wasn’t doing anything to be different from his father. He was constantly starting fights with Dorian’s people at school.
I felt a pang of guilt at that thought. Dorian’s people had started plenty of fights, too, and I didn’t consider them lost causes. Maybe I was too hard on Adam. I hurried home, determined to appreciate my parents more. After all, I was lucky to have them.
