Chapter 10

SELENA

I'm rounding a corner in the Rock House, looking for the laundry room, when I run straight into Raven. I drop my laundry basket.

“Oh, shoot!” I scramble to get my clothes back in the basket before he has time to see my underwear. Unperturbed, he reaches a hand down to me. I accept it without thinking and he helps me stand. Then he quickly puts all my clothes back and stands, holding the basket.

“Lead the way, pretty girl,” he says, allowing me to go first.

“Oh, you don’t have to carry that…”

“But I want to. Are we headed to the laundry?”

“Yes, I just have this basket to drop off. Do they really do the laundry for us?” I ask, still somewhat skeptical.

“They do. So you won't have to get your pretty hands dirty. We just drop it at the window and it's ready the next day.” We come up to an open office window partition in the hallway. “Hello, Marge,” Raven says to the lady there. “Just dropping off, room 53 in the attic.” He grabs a slip from off the desk and puts my room number on it, then tapes it to the basket.

“Okay Raven, we'll get it done,” the lady says, and takes the basket away.

“We had to do our own laundry at the Lunacy House,” I tell Raven. “It was pretty constant. Guys seem to go through a lot of underwear.”

“Did Nox scam you into doing his laundry?” Raven looks disapproving. “I promise you, men can do laundry, too.”

We start walking, with no real direction other than my room in my head. “I believe you,” I tell him, flustered. It's not that Nox can't do laundry, it's that it's my job, one I have no say in. “I'm just relieved you have this service here. I hate laundry.”

“So does Tristan, which is why we hired housekeeping to do it. No sense not to if you can, and we could.”

“I get the feeling the Black Rose Pack does whatever they want, if they can get away with it.”

He puts his hand on his chest. “We do have a moral code, you know.”

“Does that include hazing the new girl?”

“Well, it shouldn't, and Billie and I saw to it that it stopped. It has, hasn't it? No more trouble?”

“So far, everyone has been a lot nicer to me. I've met some really cool people. I really appreciate that.” I look up at him sincerely.

“I'm glad you're making friends. On that subject, shall we go to dinner? I have a craving for buffalo wings and potato wedges. The kind you can only get on Maple Avenue in town.”

He's asking me out! Even as a friend, I'm still excited. I feel a little thrill run through my stomach.

I look down at myself and take stock. I'm wearing a cream-colored sheer lace top with long sleeves and a silvery gray pair of jeans. My hair is piled into a messy bun. “I haven't really been out anywhere here…is what I have on okay?”

“What you have on is exquisite, just grab a jacket.”

I run into my room and grab the black fake leather peacoat I let Billie talk me into. It's lined with fake fur and has fake fur trimming the sleeves and collar. I put on my blackened red lipstick and run back out. Raven is waiting for me at the staircase. He holds out an arm for me and I take it. We go down to the parking area, where he takes me to a classic black Mustang and opens the passenger door for me, closing me in once I'm settled.

We drive a short distance, Raven asking me general questions about my (uneventful) day, spent doing homework and following makeup tutorials on the internet. He pulls into a public lot and puts money on the parking meter. We're on a street just off-campus, lined on both sides with restaurants, bars, and cute boutiques with Crescent U. merchandise as well as strange and funny things, like a wall clock made up of a black cat whose eyes and tail move with the ticking. There's a huge vintage thrift store with hip-looking clothing in the windows. Next to that is an Indian buffet restaurant, and next to that is an independent coffeehouse. We cross the street, and after passing a comic book shop and a used records store, we reach The Den, a wings and bar food place.

We sit down at a table with names, phone numbers, and little sayings scratched into the wood. Raven orders us two beers.

“I've never had beer before,” I tell him.

“I apologize, I should have asked. It's just that I love this particular beer, and I want to know what your opinion of it is,” he says ruefully.

“Oh I don't mind, I've never done any of this so I trust you to decide what to get.”

“You've never had wings? How do you feel about spicy food?”

“Well…I like what I've had.”

“Let's get a sampler then. We'll get some dry and dusted wings, and some with mild sauce. Don't worry, it will still be hot and spicy.”

“Does the blue cheese help?” I ask, looking at the menu pictures.

“The blue cheese is what makes it perfect. And we'll have fried potato wedges,” he tells the waitress.

“Thank you,” I say to her. Then I take a drink of my beer, a pumpkin ale. “This is amazing,” I tell Raven. Very quickly I feel lightheaded. I haven't had much to eat today.

“So where is our newest member from?” Raven asks.

“Oh, I'm not a member, but I'm from Maine. I'm not a member of anything, I don't think.” It actually takes me a second to latch onto my thoughts. I'm not used to any kind of alcohol. But it tastes really good, and I drink more. “Nox wouldn't like it.”

“He wouldn't, would he?”

I gasp and turn in my seat. Dominic is standing next to our table, looking pissed.

“Uh-oh, Crankypants is back,” I say outloud.

“What did you give her?” Dom asks, sitting on my side of the booth and feeling my forehead.

“Just the beer,” Raven says. “I don't think our friend here is used to alcohol.”

“Never had it,” I say, and they both stare at me. “Does the room always float like this?”

“That can be a side effect,” Raven says in amusement.

“Oh good, food, I'm starving,” I say when the waitress arrives. “But there isn't anything for Crankypants.”

“I can share,” Raven says; while Dominic says, “I'm not hungry” at the same time.

“Wait, why are you here if you aren't hungry?”

He shrugs. “Heard you were here with Raven. Stopped by.”

Raven smiles to himself. I want to throw a chicken bone at him. People are so cryptic.

“Well, you're welcome to eat dinner with us if you promise not to be cranky anymore.”

“I wasn't…I wasn't cranky, I just find it off that Nox wouldn't like it if you joined a group.” He scratches his arm in agitation. “I don't really think it's up to him if you want to spread your wings.”

This is bordering on dangerous territory. I have to rein it in. “Forget Nox. Nox is boring. I mean, you know what I mean. The subject. Not the person.”

It looks like it's taking all they both have to keep a straight face.

“I do want to spread my wings. That sounds nice.” I finish off my beer.

“But Nox doesn't approve, does he?” Dominic asks carefully.

“What about it?” I ask, feeling daring.

“What about the rest of Lunacy?” Dom asks. “Are they of a similar mindset?”

“Oh Lunacy sucks,” I say. “You want dirt, I got it.” I lean forward, feeling drunk and daring. “If you promise to keep being nice, I'll even tell you all about it."