Celeste couldn't stop thinking about how she was going to face Jeremy when he came back. After what had happened that night, she didn't know whether they could act like normal siblings anymore.
Yes, she and Jeremy had managed to talk normally on the phone. But when they talked on the phone, they couldn't see each other's faces. Even so, there were so much awareness and silence. She didn't know how awkward things were going to be when they were finally face to face.
She had never had the gut to think about what was behind Jeremy's action. She couldn't. She cringed whenever she thought about it. Deep down, she sensed something. She had a vague idea of why he ran away like a coward.
The waiting was long and excruciating. But good thing was that she could distract herself by helping with the gathering.
Jeremy had promised to come back, but when the party was about to begin, there was still no sign of him.
Celeste couldn't help but text him, "So, where are you?"
To get his attention, she also sent him a picture of the snacks she made.
She reviewed the messages sent to him and decided she was being too gentle. So she added, "If you stand me up again, I swear, Jeremy Sherwood, you are going to regret it for the rest of your life!" And then she attached a knife emoji.
Jeremy's reply came very soon. "Boohoo! I'm so scared…"
Celeste gritted her teeth. Just as she was about to fight back, she received a road photo shot from his car, showing that he was on the way.
Her lips curled into a smile. Although she hadn't figured out how she was going to face him, she still looked forward to his return. She couldn't help with the smile on her face every time the idea of Jeremy coming back came to her mind. She hadn't seen his face for weeks!
Just as she was wondering what to text back, the high-pitch voice squeezed itself into her ears.
"Well, well. What is so funny, straggler?"
The smile on Celeste's face evaporated instantly. She would recognize the voice even when its owner was drowning! Nancy Wolton, the girl who somehow managed to hate Celeste for basically everything she did.
Celeste had no idea why Nancy was so snarky every time she talked to her. What she knew about Nancy, though, was her monster crush on Jeremy. And that confused Celeste even more. If Nancy liked Jeremy, shouldn't she at least be civilized with his twin sister?
"Straggler?" Celeste asked without a second thought. But before Nancy could answer her, she realized what she was talking about. Fuck… Celeste swore in a low voice. The bitch was laughing at her for not having her first shift yet. And that hurt.
Nancy chuckled. "Very well. Looks like you finally understand what it means. You are a straggler! You live up to that name."
"My name is not straggler, Big Mouth." Celeste sneered.
Celeste hated to be reminded of her hiding wolf. She had been expecting her wolf ever since she was eighteen, but her wolf never showed up. The long waiting had slowly turned the anticipation into disappointment. Celeste knew she would shift someday, but when it was not today, it was disheartening.
Humans became adults when they were eighteen years old. To werewolves, it was when they had the first shift. But the time of the first shift wasn't fixed. It didn't have anything to do with the power of a werewolf. But since werewolves also mated with humans, the later they wolfed out, the more possible that the wolf's blood had been diluted.
Celeste shouldn't have been bothered by Nancy calling her a straggler. She had been fine with her slow progress before Jeremy's first shift. But things were different now. Jeremy had shifted more than two weeks ago, and her wolf was still sleeping.
She didn't know if this was some twisted competition between siblings, but when Jeremy shifted, she felt defeated and abandoned. She had wondered if she was just jealous of him. But she wasn't. She felt like she had been left behind. But by what? She didn't know.
"If you're not a straggler, why have you not shifted yet? I heard your twin brother has wolfed out more than two weeks ago, Straggler." Nancy pouted.
"What does it have to do with you, Big Mouth? Mind your own business." Celeste narrowed her eyes.
"But I'm just trying to know more about you. After all, we're in the same pack. Oh right!" She snapped her fingers and turned her eyes to the snacks on the table. "Maybe your wolf would come out if you eat less sweet food. And that might even help you lose some weight."
Instead of feeling offended, Celeste was indeed impressed by her constant tries to make her feel bad. Celeste looked down at herself and was perfectly satisfied with what she looked like. She loved sweet food, and she also exercised and did gardening to burn away the extra calorie.
Just as Celeste was about to say something back, she heard the Alpha's voice.
"Don't be so mean, Nancy. If you're still mad that your food is less popular than Celeste's, I think more practice or a humble request for advice would do you more good."
Nancy's face turned as red as the cherry tomatoes. She turned to Byron and mumbled something before walking away in annoyance.
Celeste stood where she was in surprise. She had never expected that to be the reason for her snarky comments.
Byron laughed as he watched Nancy walk away. Nancy seemed to have heard him. She gave him a finger even when she couldn't see him.