Page 39 of Wolf Cursed
“Are we having our first fight?” he asked, looking back and forth between us. “Because if so, I don’t want to be left out.”
“We’re not fighting,” Idrissa grumbled.
“Well, we should,” he said.
I shot him a questioning look.
“Friendships are stronger after they survive conflict,” he explained. “I read it on Buzzfeed.”
I snorted. “You sound like you’ve never had a friend before.”
“We haven’t,” they said in unison.
I blinked at them, surprised. “Seriously?”
“I know. It’s lame,” Isaac groaned.
I looked at Idrissa.
“You saw what it’s like here,” she said. “Friendships aren’t really a thing in the Falls.”
“Silas and Pres are friends,” I pointed out.
“Presley and Silas are in an alliance,” Idrissa clarified. “It’s different.”
“Yeah, they aren’t exactly painting each other’s nails,” Isaac said.
“I see.”
I studied the twins, trying to make sense of it all. The fighting. The animosity. Some of it seemed to be centered around me but not all of it. That barfight had broken out completely separate from us. Then there was Vinny—the way Idrissa had kicked his ass. Like she’d done it many times before. And Silas. He clearly despised me, but I got the feeling he despised everyone.
I’d been friendless all my life as a result of my dad’s paranoia. They’d been friendless because no one in this town was capable of it.
Despite everything, my heart warmed as I realized, at the end of the day, we were the same. The idea of leaving town suddenly felt a lot lonelier.
“Maybe next time, we’ll just stick to the grocery store and my place,” I said.
Idrissa and Isaac grinned, the tension broken. “Deal,” she said.
“But someone else carries the groceries,” Isaac pouted.
Chapter Nine
The twins and I exchanged numbers, with Isaac insisting I program him into my contacts as “Main Dish” and Idrissa as “Side Piece,” to which Idrissa threatened to punch him like she had Vinny. They were hilarious, and even though Idrissa had pulled a dick move by taking me into that bar completely clueless, I could see the reason for her strategy. And I could respect her no-fluff methods. Idrissa was someone I wanted on my side in a fight, that was for damn sure.
“I’ll text you tomorrow, and maybe we can have dinner after work or something,” she said as she and Isaac climbed back into the Mustang.
“Sure, I’ll have to cook for Oscar first,” I said. “Part of my deal for staying here rent-free. But after that, we can hang.”
“You can cook for me,” Isaac said, eyes gleaming. “I like anything marinated in alcohol or infused with cannabis.”
Idrissa rolled her eyes. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, and listen, no opening the door for anyone tonight except Oscar, okay?”
“You sound just as paranoid as he did,” I said.
“Yeah, well, now you know why.”
“Good point.” I shuddered at the idea of Silas showing up on my doorstep tonight. “Okay, see you later.”
