Josué tries to comfort me throughout the day. Every time I catch sight of Rafael, Desmond, or Jordy, he distracts me with a question or a dumb joke. Sometimes it works. But most of the time, it doesn’t.
“Hey,” he tilts my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. “You don’t need them. Seven more months and you’re coming home with me.”
I nod. It feels like forever and a day away, but in reality, it’s not that far. Falling out like this with the wolves hurts, but maybe it was for the best.
We eat lunch in the library without incident. Well, Josué does at least. I manage two bites of pizza before throwing my tray away, unable to stomach the food any better than I have been at Brian’s.
Spanish goes by without a hitch. When I get to The Natural History of the Unnatural World, Josué draws a little more attention than he had in my previous classes, but this time, since it’s a class full of guys, Josué doesn’t ignore them.
“This the new beau?” Zheng asks, a smile on his face. It’s a forced smile but it’s a smile nonetheless. I stiffen as he nears but Josué positions himself between us, easing some of the tension before he answers Zheng for me.
“Nah, man. Isa’s like my little sister. I’m a friend from back home.”
His smile morphs to one that’s more genuine as he gives Josué a once-over.
“Sister, huh? You two could have fooled me. All the hand holding, the looks…” He trails off and I know there’s a question in there, but he doesn’t come out and ask it.
Josué and I have been affectionate since he arrived. I’m not entirely sure why. But if I had to guess, it’d be because my wolf needs the contact. And his Bouda senses my need and provides comfort. Josué’s always been the big brother I never had. Back home, we never really held hands, but we’ve cuddled watching movies together and neither of us have ever shied away from physical contact. But it’s always been platonic.
“I’ve known J since grade school. We grew up in the Pack together.” I shrug. “I don’t think either of us realized how people might take things.”
Josué snorts beside me. “We also don’t care.”
Zheng seems to mull that over. “So… how’s Rafael handling this? I saw him earlier with—” He cuts himself off and looks away. Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck he offers me an apologetic look. “Sorry. I know it’s none of my business, but I think you deserve to know.” He pauses. “Rafael was all over Sabrina at lunch today.”
A rock falls to the pit of my stomach. “It didn’t take him long to move on.”
Zheng’s face twists into a grimace. “Did something happen? All the wolves have been acting weird. I know you and he were—”
“Nothing happened. Things ran their course, that’s all.”
Josué’s vibrating with anger beside me. I know he wants to say something. He’s made it clear what he thinks about Rafael, but thankfully he keeps quiet about it all. He’s here as a guest and Natalia had to petition the Southwest Pack to allow him to visit. He won’t do anything else that might jeopardize his ability to be here right now. Punching Rafe was bad enough.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I hope you’re doing okay. Rafael is an asshole. You deserve better.”
Josué whistles and the teacher’s head jerks in our direction with a glare. In a quieter tone he says, “You can say that again. That guy is a grade-A asshole.”
Zheng high fives him and I stifle a groan as the two dive into a heated conversation about just how much of a dick Rafael is. Great.
Just as class ends Zheng’s phone chimes with a message. He pulls out his cell and scowls. “Shit.”
“Something wrong?” I ask.
He ruffles his black hair before shoving his phone in his back pocket and grabbing his skateboard. “One of our dishwashers at Suzy’s just bailed. No notice either. Tonight is going to suck.”
“You work outside the Pack?” Josué asks.
He nods. “Yeah. My aunt runs a diner—Suzy’s. I work there after school sometimes to help her out.” He shrugs. “I don’t really need the money, but it gets me out of my house.”
An idea forms and before I can talk myself out of it I say, “I can help. I mean, if you think she’d want to fill the position. I’m looking for a job.”
His brows furrow. “You are?”
I bob my head enthusiastically.
“Isa, you sure this is a good idea?” Josué whispers beside me. I give him an affirming nod. This is a great idea. Exactly what I need.
“Yeah. I’ve put in a few applications around town, but I haven’t gotten any callbacks.”
“I’ve seen your place and your new ride. You’re not hurting for cash. Why would you want to scrub dishes at a diner?”
“Because I don’t want to have to rely on my bio-dad for everything. I barely know the guy. You know what he’s like. Would you want anything from him?”
He shakes his head with a grimace, probably remembering Brian’s words when he’d last been over.
“If you helped me get this job, you’d be doing me a huge favor.”
His lips twist as he considers it. “You’d be able to work tonight?”
I nod.
“Alright. I’ll talk to her. I can’t make any promises. She’ll have to okay it with our Alpha since you’re not Pack, but
