I pushed the door shut behind me grinning wider than I had in I couldn't remember how long, leaning back against it as I replayed the brief conversation with Jerry in my mind. I could see his grin in my mind those blue eyes and teeth so white and straight, both grinning at me, when he had asked the question. I had of course said yes the moment he asked me out, after all I had been waiting for the question for well as long as I could remember. Though it also didn't hurt that he had never questioned the injuries I couldn't explain which well were just that unexplained. I mean I guess I could have tried to explain, but well humans tended not to take things like that well. Werewolves may have never had a Salem exactly, but they had been hunted for years and they sometimes got it right rather than just being the crazy ramblings of a person in need of mental help.
Still none of that mattered right now, after all Jerry had asked and I had said yes! I had a date weekend after next. I did wish it was sooner, but well he was busy this weekend at his part time job and with it being the school year still I knew better than to think that either of my parents would have let me go anywhere on a week night. Especially not as late as we would be out and with a boy. They really were too over protective most days even if I did sort of understand with all the stores on the news, but well I needed to get out I couldn't just stay here forever!
"Adriena is that you!?"
I blinked at the sudden sound of my name trying to focus and realize what else had been said. After a brief pause I responded with an automatic "Ya mom!" once her words did finally catch up to my brain.
"Your home late." She offered coming out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel.
She had clearly been working on dinner and a quick sniff of the air told me she hadn't gotten too far because there wasn't anything yet to really smell. Still I offered her my continued grin, unable to help it when I was still feeling so giddy. "I stopped to talk to Jerry." I explained ignoring the way she frowned at me, I was too happy to care about her disapproval right now. There was a dull throbbing in my chest though that was a bit harder to ignore though, but I pushed it away. "He asked me on a date mom! A real date!" I added trying to get her to see reason, but doubting it would happen. She and dad were super traditional and had been disapproving of my crush on Jerry for years now, but well how could I hold out for someone I didn't know and may not ever know? I agreed with most of my generation, I would rather just find someone else than hold out for that. I mean look what it had done to them, they hadn't met until they were nearly thirty! Dad had been 29 and mom had been 27 when they met and I was still convinced to this day that that was what had made my dad go grey so early.
"Would you rather we all just stop trying?" She questioned me with a sharp frown, but didn't wait for my answer before continuing "Does you generation not understand how few of us are born each year and that the number is going down because you refuse to just wait?"
"Well maybe its better that way!" I slapped my hands over my mouth and could feel my eyes go wide at my outburst. It was one of those things that I knew better than to try and bring up, but well I was just so tired of both of them trying to get me to wait like they had. I didn't have any obligation to wait for some unknown person and I had never been sure that I would want any children I had to suffer like I had. They may have been willing to suffer though the injuries and things without knowing where they came from, but I hated it!
I could easily remember when he had broken his hand last year and I had issues writing for days. I had tried to use their advise and help him heal, I don't think it worked because my hand had hurt for a week which is how long it took without help for most of us to heal. And don't even get me started on how he must have felt three winters back when I broke my ankles falling on the ice trying to ice skate. It had been a moment of insanity, I will admit that now and have promised myself to never try it again.
Still all that said I hadn't mentioned that to her or dad before, I couldn't even pretend I had known how to start that conversation. Apparently I was starting it now weather I liked it or not. I opened my mouth after a pause when she said nothing only to be cut off.
"No. I don't want to hear it. I want you to go to your room and finish your home work. You will not be going anywhere today and we will have a talk this weekend about this before we go to the meeting next weekend." she informed me.
Next weekend? No! "Next weekend is when I am supposed to meet Jerry. I can't go to the meeting." I wasn't going to miss a real date for some fake one.
"You will be going if we have to drag you. Now up stairs."
I wanted to argue that they couldn't make me, but I knew even if my dad did look oddly old, he was a werewolf and that made his far stronger far longer. If they wanted me to go they would actually drag me if they had too. Still I couldn't just give up "But mom..."
"No. You are going and that is final."
She didn't even pretend to listen to me or allow me to talk. Instead she just cut me off and I was left shoulder slumped to retreat upstairs, tail between my legs, to lick my wounds and come up with an excuse for Jerry. With that my best day had quickly become my worst.