Page 51 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
Sure, when the season started, it might get a little harder to hide. But I had months to find a better spot. No fancy alumni donor had come through, and I got discouraged trying to call the student loan place and work through things.
So that’s what I’d do, even if I really didn’t enjoy living there. It’s not like I could ask Clark to keep my ass for free for theentireschool year.
And I still wasn’t desperate enough to ask my family for help. Nope, nope.
When I came out of the bathroom, I didn’t see Tens. I hopped on some hay bales, both because it was fun, and to see if I could spy a giant alpha in Cowboy boots and jeans.
“Gwenifer!” someone bellowed.
I turned and saw Mercy Thorne running toward me.
“You’re back!” I couldn’t help but grin.
“Briefly. My sister’s pack is dragging me to their cabin and I have to go to Rockland and see my other sister and then I’m going to alpha camp. I thought the off-season was going to be restful. But I miss my family.”
Mercy’s long brown hair was loose, under a straw Cowboy hat. She had on shorts, a tank-top, and canvas slip-ons.
“You should see your family,” I told her. Also, alpha camp was exactly as it sounded, a place where young alphas went to learn shit and network. My brothers had all gone to very fancy alpha camps.
I could see the skate smash skate tattoo on her ankle. She’d gotten it when she’d awakened as an alpha. We’d gone together, and she’d gotten me a little ladybug tattoo on my ankle, which had been one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for me.
She’d also had atattoo artistat her excellent eighteenth party and I’d gotten a tattoo of a hockey stick on my other ankle.
“How the fuck are you doing?” Mercy eyed me.
“I’m okay.”
“I’ll kick his ass if you want me to.” She slung an arm around me. “Have you seen the mini cows? Who are you here with?”
“Mini cows?” I perked. “Oooh, I want to see. I’m here with my friend Tens. But I lost him. Why are you here?”
“This is AJ’s sister’s farm.” Mercy kicked a rock, and it skittered across the dirt path.
I’d met him several times. He was in finance and interesting to talk to. Mercy lived with her older sister Verity and her pack–several of which played for the Knights.
We entered the petting zoo. Mercy waved at someone, and before I knew it, I was on a hay bale, with a rabbit on my lap, while petting a mini cow, wearing a bro-tank. Ahhh, much better. I snapped a picture of me and the cow and sent it to Tenzin so he knew where I was.
The fur of the rabbit was so soft. “Hey, so Tens and I made this video for my new fancy professional social media channel. Can you tell me if it’s any good?”
I was second guessing myself, mostly because of the raw emotion in my skating. It was like I was doing the routine naked and posting it would be akin to laying myself bare for all the world to see.
“Um, fuck yeah.” Her eyes sparkled. She was great at going viral. She looked at it. “Shitballs, this is fucking cool. While I knew you could skate, I had no idea you could skate likethat,” Mercy breathed as she watched the video of me skating.
I looked at Mercy. “So you like? I should post?”
“Yes. You should do more. You could totally take skate smash dances and do them with a hockey stick.” Mercy nodded, still petting Clara the mini cow.
“Absolutely,” I replied. “Thanks.”
“Of course, that’s what friends do. I’ll be gone more, but I’m here if you need me. Also, I know how to get rid of bodies,” Mercy added.
I laughed, because I could see that. Southern girls were built differently.
“What do you need?” she added, as we took pictures of us with Clara, the mini cow. “Are you waitressing somewhere else? You know I’m a good tipper.”
That she was.
“I’m worried about tuition. I’m just working at the rink right now, but maybe I should get another waitressing job.” I told her what Austin did. “I didn’t even know you could reverse bank charges like that.”
