Pack: The Wolf Within

Rebel Harrison "I don't want a freakin' party" I held the party hat like a megaphone, speaking through the pointy end. "I repeat, I do not want a party." Parties and I don't get along. Too many people. And I'm not a people person. Trish smiled and patted me on the head as she passed on the way into the kitchen. She was my confidante, my best friend and well, in this case, my social director. "Of course you do, Rebel. Everyone likes parties. There's cake. There's ice cream. And all your friends will be here to say goodbye." "Uhm..." I rubbed my face in consternation. "I know, I know. You're diabetic" She held up a finger, then a second. "Lactose intolerant. And a bit agoraphobic. Not to mention, you don't like people. But still. The party isn't really for you, silly. It's for everyone else. To say our good-byes." Trish liked to talk with her hands, making exaggerated emotive gestures, as if everything she said was part of some interpretive dance or Broadway musical. "I'm not going to be gone forever." I dropped my face into my hands and shook my head. "It's practically a vacation. Graduate high school, take some time off before teh real world beats you down." "All the more reason to have a party. Say your goodbyes. relive the memories..." I shook my head. Trish really didn't need a reason. "Ugh... There's going to be pictures, aren't there?" I mumbled. "What?" Asked with all innocence and blinking eyelashes. I looked up at Trish. "I said, Pictures? There's going to be pictures, aren't there? Little pictures of me doing stupid things like, the one where I'm trying to drink out of the toilet with the dog." Trish smiled diabolically. "Don't be silly, Rebel. Those little pictures really don't illustrate the tiny nuances of such things. No no," She shook her head, the newly dyed, clearly from a bottle, red curls bouncing. "...that's why I made them into a slideshow, for the big screen. Digitally enhanced for our viewing pleasure. With musical accompaniment." "You're evil. Just plain, concentrated evil. Satan, when he's needing a little pick me, squeezes out your life essence onto crackers and eats it to refortify." "Oh Rebel Rebel. Sweet sweet Rebel poo." She pulled me into an embrace, patting my head again. "You'll thank me one day for all the effort I've gone through." I doubted it; I knew the night ahead was going to be full of revelry and embarrassment. I was not looking forward to it. # "...And this was the time after he had watched Sesame Street and went into the trash can looking for Oscar the Grouch." Laughter filled the living room as I looked up at the slide. I was probably three, at the time, standing inside the metal trashcan, smudges of dirt and grime on my cheeks, a brown banana peel hung from my left ear. Little Rebel had a giant grin on his face as he stared up into the camera. "Aww. How cute." I looked over in the direction of the voice. The guy stood, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest staring back at me. I frowned. It was Dalton, Trish's cousin. A perfectly gorgeous specimen; sophomore at the university studying animal husbandry and agriculture. "What are you doing out here?" Dalton sat down next to me, pulling his knees up to his chest. "The more important question is why are you out here watching a slide show of yourself from the patio while there's a perfectly good party being thrown in your honor, inside?" "I'm not watching the slide show." I whined. "And besides, I didn't want a party." I grumbled. I finished off the beer I was holding, placed the bottle in the arc of bottles in front of me and then worked the lid off another. "Besides the party's not for me; It's for Trish, who hasn't gotten to throw a party in a while." Dalton nodded. "Yeah. She does like to throw her parties." "So why are you out here?" I looked at him sideways, trying not to stare. Dalton was beautiful. He had those puppy dog brown eyes, with perfect eyebrows and lashes, and the most amazing big full red kissable lips. His hair was a dark mess, in that controlled stylish way, hair that made me want to run my hands through it just to feel how soft it was. Propped on his head was a party hat. "That hat looks stupid, by the way." Dalton glanced up unconsciously and then back at me. "Trish sent me out here." He grinned. "She didn't want you to be alone." "Well, I'm fine. You're free to go back in and enjoy the party." I looked back into the living room, through the window. "Wow. Antisocial much?" Dalton leaned over and bumped my shoulder. "Here, I got you something." I turned back to Dalton who was holding a pint bottle of Jack Daniels. "It'll make the party more tolerable." "Thanks but no thanks." I held up my bottle, the bubbly amber liquid sloshing and fizzing from the top. "Beer before liquor, never been sicker." I sucked up the foam and licked the side of the bottle and my fingers. "Oh come on. It's your going away party. You can't have any cake or ice cream. I'm sure a couple of shots won't hurt." Dalton twisted the cap off; I could hear the plastic seal break, and then he offered me the bottle. I reached for it and took a long swig. I gasped as it burned its way down my throat, coughing and fighting the urge to sick it all back up. "That's shit." I took another swig. "Horrible." Dalton grinned. "Yeah. Give it a minute though. It'll be liquid nirvana." "That's a crap gift." "I didn't say it was a gift. I'm just sharing." "But you just said. You had something for me. Meeeee." I went to take another swallow. "Hey." Dalton took the bottle from my grip, our fingers touching. "Slow down. I said share. Not give. Share." He raised the bottle to his lips and took a swallow himself, grimacing slightly at the burn. "That is shit." The liquor left his lips shiny in the glow of the porch light. I smiled. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and then only a bowl of cereal. The alcohol was hitting me fast. Of course, the half dozen empty beer bottles standing sentry around me might have had something to do with it too. I leaned my head back against the wall and peered sideways over at Dalton again, looking at him with one eye closed. I reached for the bottle, letting my hand linger on Dalton's. "You're cute." Dalton looked up, surprise filling his face. "Wha?" "Cute. I said you were cute. The girl's must go crazy over you." I took another hit off the bottle. It was a line. I'd heard it so many times, mostly from older guys trying to hit on me but not be obvious about it. I'd just roll my eyes and play coy, with that quick denial on my lips: Not as much as you might think. "Not as much as you might think." Dalton played with the little black plastic lid, rolling it in the palm of his hands. "Liar. Just one look at you and they're probably all ga-ga." "What about you?" Dalton took the bottle back and held it between his knees looking at me more intently. "What? What do you mean, what about me? Nobody goes ga-ga over me. I'm just plain. Plain ol' vanilla ice cream. 'Cept I can't have ice cream. I'm like... like... plain ol' tofu. Just a gelat...gelatin...gelatinous blob of goo." I reached for the bottle, leaning towards Dalton. I felt myself tipping over and rested a hand on one of Dalton's knee to keep my balance. "A blob of goo." "No. I meant..." Dalton looked away; a hint of crimson coloring his cheeks, and shook his head. "Never mind." "What? What? You can tell me. We're friends. Best friends." I laughed and shook my head. Everything was too funny. And we weren't friend. I barely even know him. "I probably shouldn't...shouldn't drink anymore. I think I'm drunk." 
Dalton smiled and reached for the plastic cap at his side. 
"Yoink." I grabbed the bottle from between Dalton's legs. "Just one more sip." I upturned the bottle and let the rest of the whiskey slip down my throat. "It's not so bad. Doesn't burn a' all now." I tossed the bottle into the bushes on the side of the porch. "shhhhhh, don't tell anyone." "Tell anyone what?" "Exactly! See. I told you we were friends. Ohhh." I tried to stand up. The world started to go topsy turvy. "I hafta go pee." I lifted my hand and patted the top of my head. "Where's my hat. Trish made me wear a stupid hat." I turned in a circle, looking all around for it. "My hat, I hafta have my hat." I staggered a little towards the edge of the porch. "Woh." Dalton stood up grabbing me before I tumbled over the side. "It's okay. You don't need a hat." "No. No. No, you don't unnerstand. Trish gave me that hat. She wanted me to have it. She'll be upset..." "Here. Take mine." Dalton pulled the string from under his chin. He placed the hat on top of my head and pulled the string down under my chin "There." "Aww. That's so sweet." I draped my arms over Dalton's shoulder and leaned into him. His cologne was intoxicating. Oh wait, I was already intoxicated. "You gave me your hat." I inhaled deeply burrowing my nose in his neck. "ohhh my gawd, you smell so good." I felt my legs start to give out. "Woh...That's a heavy hat." Dalton wrapped an arm around my waist. My stomach did a little flip flop. "Here. Let me help you." He maneuvered us towards the door. "Come on. Put your arm here." Dalton laced one of my arms around his waist and held it there as we stumbled towards the door. "Now, you have to be quiet." "Shhhhhhhh" I held a finger to his lips and then laughed. "I can't believe you got me drunk at my own party." I whispered. Then I started to sing. "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to...cry if i want to...cry if I want to...you'd cry too if it happened to you." "Shhhh." Dalton put a hand over my mouth. I licked it, not tasting anything. I think my tongue was numb. "You have to be quiet." Dalton pulled open the door and shuffled us in quietly. "Where's the bathroom?" He whispered. I tried to point down the hall but I'm pretty sure the gravity was different for my arm as it seemed to float up and away and I had to steady myself on the doorframe. "Is that way." I laughed into my hand, trying to muffle my laughter as I started to slide down Dalton's side. "Here we go." Dalton pulled me back up, tightening his grip around my waist. "Hold on." I grabbed on to a door knob as we passed. "It's in here." I pulled open the door. The closet was filled with coats and boxes. "Oooops. Thas th' closet. Don't wanna go in there. It took forever to come out the first time. " I slammed the door. "Shhhhhhhh." I held a finger to his lips again. 
Dalton frowned at me and I pulled my finger away from his lips. 
"S..sorry." "It's okay. You just have to be quiet." I leaned over and breathed into Dalton's ear. "It's the next one." I licked his earlobe. 
Dalton froze. 
"Oh my God." I whispered. "I jus... just licked your ear. I'm so sorry. So sorry." I wiped at Dalton's ear, running my fingers along his jawline. "Bad RebelRebel. Bad. Don't be gay." I admonished myself. "It's okay. It's okay. Here we are." Dalton pushed open the door and felt for the light switch, flipping on the light. He propped me against the bathroom sink and started to leave. "Wait. Wait. You gotta help me." I pleaded. 
"I'll be right out here." 
I pulled on Dalton's hand, pulling him back into the bathroom. I reached behind Dalton and swung the door closed leaving my arm over his shoulder. "You gotta help me." I looked into his eyes, pleading. "I can't. I can't help you with this." 
Dalton's eyes rounded as I started pulling on my belt. I felt myself leaning to my left as I pulled my belt off. "Oh shit." Dalton held me up as I undid my jeans. "Careful." I felt the jeans slip down my legs and puddle at my feet. I suddenly felt a bit vulnerable and laid my head in the crook of Dalton's neck. I stood there breathing in and out slowly, waiting for the world to right itself. I felt his arms go around me, caressing up and down my back. I burrowed into his embrace, pulling my arms in front of me and leaning into the warmth of his chest. After a moment I pulled back and tried to kiss him. "Hold on. I don't think..." I kissed him before he could finish. I could taste the whiskey on his lips. At first he didn't react, but then I felt his tongue slip past my lips. I kissed him harder, reaching up and running my fingers through his hair, pulling it aggressively. He pulled me tighter against him and we stumbled against the wall. The towel rack stabbed me in the back and I groaned. I pulled at his shirt, wanting to feel his skin, the softness, the warmth of it against mine. I pushed and pulled, fumbling with it till it came out of his jeans. My fingers worked slowly on each button, starting from the top and working my way down. After the first three buttons, Dalton undid the rest and his shirt slipped open revealing his chest. I leaned in and kissed his neck and then his chest. I heard him gasp as I bit one of his pebble hard n*****s. He pulled me back up and kissed me again, biting my lip, sucking my tongue into his mouth, our teeth jamming together. At some point my shirt was gone and we were pressed against each other, our hips grinding, my erection tenting my boxers. I ground into his crotch and then fumbled with his jeans, trying to unbutton them. "Lock the door." I don't know if I said it or if it was Dalton. Dalton gasped as I grabbed him. He reached back and slapped at the door handle until he locked it. I jerked down his Calvins and knelt down so that his erection bounced straight into my face. I licked the head and he inhaled with a hiss. He tasted sweet. "You smell like oatmeal cookies." I looked up at him as I took him into my mouth and he bucked his hips forward . I almost gagged. I grabbed his hips and pushed him back against the door. I reached back and grabbed his ass, kneading the cheeks roughly while I licked the shaft. My fingers explored his warm crack and I felt his legs spasm. He pulled me back up, one of his balls popping out of my mouth and then he kissed me again, his slick c**k stabbing into my crotch sliding under my balls. He ground harder into me, pressing me against the wall. We started slipping sideways and we tilted into the tub. We giggled into each other's mouths between kisses. I was lost in him, lost in his scent, in his touch, in his kiss. I looked into his eyes and I knew what he was going to say. "We can't do this." He smiled sadly and kissed me again. "Not now. Not like this." "But... it's my party. I can't have any cake. I can't have any ice cream. And now....you're giving me blue balls. That's the worst going away present ever." I let out a drunken dramatic sigh. I dropped my head onto his chest listening as his heart beat wildly. I kissed his chest again and then tried to sit up, only to slip back down on top of him. "Come on." He had to push me up off of him and I marveled at his strength. I lay on the floor and watched him climb back into his jeans and pull his shirt back on. He kept kicking my hand away as I tried to pull down his jeans. "Stop it." I could only smirk and try again. He lifted me up and wrapped my arm around his waist and I had a sense of deja vu. I snickered to myself. He pulled open the door a crack and peered out. "Which way is your room?" I nudged him to the right and then he opened the door to my room. He unceremoniously dropped me on my unmade bed. I stared up at him, my breathing heavy. There was so much that I wanted to say. All I could do was look at the buttons of his shirt. He had missed a button and his shirt was crooked. He lifted my legs up onto the bed and propped me up on my pillows. "Are you going to be okay?" I nodded, then shook my head. I wasn't sure. He leaned down and kissed my forehead but I pulled his lips to mine and wrapped my arms around his neck and held onto him not wanting to let go. 
"Stay." I pleaded. His sigh with frustration then crawled over me on the bed. I went back to work on the buttons of his shirt, inhaling the scent of him. His chest was broad, the muscles taut as I traced a finger across from n****e to n****e. I kicked at the comforter until my feet were under it and then I reached down and pulled it over us. I pressed my back against his chest. He draped his arm over me, lazily rubbing his fingers up and down my chest and stomach. With drunken hesitation, I reach back and between us and pulled at the button of his jeans. I worked his jeans down and felt him harden. He groaned as I slipped my hand inside his underwear, gripping him tightly while simultaneously pressing against him, rubbing my ass against him, pressing him against the crevice of my covered ass. His hold around my chest tightened and I felt his hips thrusting and I reached up and hooked a thumb inside the waist band of my boxers to pull them down, to let him in me. "Stop." 
I barely heard him, his breathing fast, his voice almost a whisper, his lips pressed against my neck. I felt him reach between us and grab my wrist, pulling his d**k from my grasp. I let out a frustrated breath as he panted against my neck. "I can't." He growled and started kissing my neck, but I shrugged him away with my shoulder. "You're leaving in two weeks Rebel." He tried to pull me back to him, but I struggled and sat up. "So..." "So I don't want a one night stand with you." He averted his gaze. "I thought I did. To say goodbye. But I ..." He whimpered, lost for words. 
He was going to say he was in love me. He was going to ruin everything. And I honestly didn't intend to laugh but I did. I fell back against my pillows, the laughter bringing tears to my eyes. When I tried to stop, I laughed even harder. Six years, with him across the street, a frequent image in my dreams and fantasies. And now, two weeks before I'm off to my mother's for the summer in California and here he is half naked in my bed, his c**k pressing my boxers into the crack of my ass. "...Have a girlfriend." His puppy dog eyes were wild and desperate as he uttered the words. I choked to utter silence. "You've got to be kidding me!" "Rebel. You and me." He shook his head. "It's just a bad idea. If you weren't going away. If you were... older. There's just too much you don't..." He reached to pull me back but I shrugged off his hand and before I knew it I was tumbling out of bed and rushing back to the bathroom "Rebel." I looked back at Dalton as I opened the door and the light from the hallway played with his eyes; they glowed a crimson gold, like burning coals. I heard a deep guttural growl and even stranger; I felt it rumbling in my chest. The world spun and I gripped the wall to stop it. I clapped my free hand over my mouth as saliva filled it. I scrambled along the wall back to the bathroom and vomited. My throat burned, my eyes watered as I heaved up the beer and whiskey, wheezing over the toilet after each gush of bile, until I was left dry heaving, gasping more air. "What's the matter with Rebel." Trish's voice was way too loud. I cringed and shrank against the wall. I shook in my boxers. Everything stank, not just of vomit, but the bathroom smells, urine and feces, bleach and glass cleaner, shampoos and deodorants, and soap, mouthwash and toothpaste; all of it was a thick odorous cloud. I pawed at my nose to get the smells out. It was almost suffocating. "He'll be fine. Just a little too much to drink." I felt Dalton's hand on my back. "I'll stay with him and get him back to bed. I pulled my knees up to my chest and huddled against Dalton. Trish looked down at me, concern in her eyes. She took in my state of undress and shot Dalton an admonishing glare. Dalton leaned in and whispered, though I couldn't understand what he was saying, still his fingers played on the back of my neck and in my hair, his sibilant voice, his lips brushing across my ear, all of it was a soothing balm. Dalton leaned in and whispered, though I couldn't understand what he was saying, still his fingers played on the back of my neck and in my hair, his sibilant voice, his lips brushing across my ear, all of it was a soothing balm