The Werewolf Next Door

"Natalia, you have mail!" Mom tossed me a pile of mail, I looked through it and groaned. All invitation to competitions and teams. I threw them on the table and Dad came to look at the envelops. Then turned to look at me, with the 'Disappointed' look. A year ago, I was being recurted by different top schools and teams, even a chance to be in the Olympics as one of the best gymnast in the state, but then I grew careless and had an accident, one in which I broke my leg and hip. I lost my chance to compete in the Olympics and a lot schools withdrew offers, I still wasn't healed all the way I could do flips and stretch but I couldn't do heavy impact things or my hip poped out of place and I'd get swelling and pain. I was the youngest of three girls, and the only one that has failed to get anywhere, my sisters already had their careers on a good roll, the oldest followed our Father's path and became a lawyer, and she was good, she had a nack for arguing, and the second oldest got in kick boxing, our parents weren't happy at first but when they saw she was really good, they moved mountains to get her the tools she needed to be the best, she was up for the champion title in a month. When I got into gymnastics my parents worked hard to get me the best teachers and classes, and it had all paid off when I got the letter from  the Olympic committee, and they had wanted to see me, but the day before I had my accident, and I never qualified.Ever sense then my parents never let me forget what a failure I was. I still went to practice and kept up my fitness for it, but a lot of the big chances were gone. The only real friend I had left was Jasmine, we'd been friends sense high school, she was a dancer and I a gymnast but we got ideas from each other, and had fun doing so. She got me in the volunteer program at the gym with the younger kids, that was the only thing that kept me going. "Oh." I heard Dad say behind me, I looked around and saw he was on the phone, I hadn't even heard the phone ring," thank you." He hung up and just dropped in a chair, I took my air buds out, and went to talk to him. "What happened?" I asked he looked up at me with tears in his eyes. took a breath. "That was Phil." "Grandma's lawyer?" "Yes, and um...Grandma past away." I felt a cold rush, I had just spoken to her a few nights ago, and she sounded just fine. I had been planning to come stay with her. I loved Grandma she was the only one that understood me, and had been the parent my parents never were to me this past year and always. I ran to my room and just cried my eyes out. We traveled to Dad's home town and went to put grandma to rest. A lot of people had come to pay her respects and good byes. My sister had actually come too, but Catherine was always on her phone with the office and  Jo seemed to zone out, everyone else was busy with the mourners. I went up to see Grandma. "Hey, Nana, always looking sharp...and beautiful as always....I'm going to miss you so much, I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to come see you one more time." I said to her as tears ran down my face. I blew her a kiss the way she did whenever I was leaving, and walked out of the church, and sat down on the steps. Just remembering Grandma, I would call her every chance I got, and would come visit her every summer, but not that I was out of school and not really sure if I was going to go to collage, I was coming to stay with her, but I guess I took too long and now she was gone. "Hey, Nat, Dad wants us all in the meeting room." "Coming." she left and I got up to follow. When I walked into the room everyone was sitting around Phil grandma's lawyer. The only other people her was my aunt Julie, Dad's only sister. "Really she's not even in the ground yet, and we're already in a hurry to split everything?!" "I'll be gone for the next few days, Natalia, so I thought it a good chance now." "Sit down." said Dad in a firm voice. I did but wasn't even listening, until Dad slammed his hands on the table. "Thank God!" "This was our Family home, Julie!" "But I don't want it and the only thing you're going to do is sell it, so if the old bat left it to her, she had her reasons." "Yeah, she was out of her mind!" "What just happened?" I asked confused at Dad's reaction. "Grandma, left you everything." I felt like someone slapped me, Grandma had left me.... "Seriously?" "Yes, it says it clearly here, everything goes to Natalia, my son has enough and my daughter never worried if I was living or dying so she doesn't care, I leave everything to my grand daughter Natalia, may she find peace and hope here." I was frozen, this house had been past down to my grandparents by her parents, and it was suppose to go to Dad or Julie, but she gave it to me, Why? "Well, I am off, if you just sign here, Natalia and you can claim everything at the office my assisent will help you with that." I signed, still shocked at what was happening, and once done Phil left and everyone just stared at me. We finished and buried Grandma, I was still not believing any of this, but I guess it was what it was. " Thank you grandma." I finally whispered to the casket and kissed the flower and laid it on top of the others, and followed my family back to the car and we headed home. As days past, I had no idea how or what to do with the house, I was moving there for sure, but I had no idea. Then one day I was watching as the kids did their stretches and warm ups, when Jasmine came over to sit next to me. "What's on your mind?" "What do you thin the biggest problem a small town has?" "For sure bad influences and no where to go with to get away." "Right, but about a place just to learn in peace with exact help?" "Like a after school program?" "Yeah, in grandma's town it's not that bad but, I think a place where they can come do homework or even do this." I pointed toward the kids, I could open up that door for the kids in the town and a lot of people knew me and Grandma so they'd know they could trust me. "You'll need people to do all that?" "I can pay them, not to make them wealthy but enough to keep them interested." "Any you actually trust with this kind of thing?" she pointed with her head to the kids again. I slummed my shoulders, and shook my head. She grinned at me and then looked out at the kids as if to think. "You looking for a room mate?" "Jas, are you serious?!" "Just to see if it happens if not I'm coming back here." "Thanks for having faith in me!" I said sarcastically but we laughed  and got to work. We planned out things and I sent a lay out of a plan to the town council and they thought it was a good idea, so they approved it and I had something changed a bit, and ordered somethings.  By the time I got there with Jasmine, all we had to do was place things in the right areas. The house was at the out skirts of town and on a big property, according to the stories she use to tell me, my great grandparents Parents had gotten this when they first came out here, they were well of, but due to some unforeseeable events they lost a lot of their fortune, but my great grandfather not wanting to quit worked hard and kept his home up and running, so when he gave it to Grandma and her husband, was on his death bed, and it was about the time Dad was about seven years of age. The area was a great place for this program to take place, there was room and it'll be good for the kids to have something to do, if I could get other programs to develop it'll be amazing. We got things put up, and got our things inside the house. We picked our rooms, of the six rooms that were, I got my old room but of course updated the decor and so did, Jas to her room. As I took the curtains, Jas called me to her room, when I walked in she was standing in her window, and just stared. "What are you looking at?" "Come and look for yourself." I rolled my eyes and looked, my jaw dropped, my neighbor was shirtless and moving some bags of what looked like cement off his truck. He was mouth wateringly hot. muscle, along his back flexed as he pulled the bags down, as would his arms, and his jeans riding low on his hip bones. His hair medium length and black, and sweat rippled down him abs. "Damn I'm getting hot just sitting here, watching how he works...so hard." That seemed to bring me back to reality, and I scuffed. Then turned to walk out, then she squeaked loudly, and she had closed the curtains. "He saw you didn't he?" I asked trying not to laugh. "Yeah, I think he did." "Hey, at least you broke the first part of meeting someone." "What part is that?" "Them seeing your face, now he knows who the crazy chick is in this house." She pushed my arm and I laughed as I walked back to my room, I had let a hot body distract me before, but not this time. Later that day I met with the council and they said this was on trial bases, if my idea flopped it was done. I agreed and they gave me some papers to fill.  I took them and was looking through them when I ran into someone, and I had to fight to catch my papers. "Hey!" "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." "well, you better!" I looked up and found myself face to face with Mr. shirtless who was now Mr. Douche bag, I grabbed my last page which was in a corner of the building, and walked away. I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked away, and was glad I chose to wear these jeans that hugged my butt nicely. I shook my head, why did I care, but I got a look at his eyes, and they sent a cold shiver down my back, they were pitch black. Once in the car I looked back and found he was gone. Without thinking too much about it, I turned on my car and drove off. One day I was testing the high bar, but regretted it , the familiar pain shot through, my hip, and slowly let myself drop to the ground. As I moved my hip around, I felt watched but I was pretty sure I was alone. So I finished and headed inside, to ice my hip. Once everything was settled Jasmine and I went grocery shopping, she went looking for the junk food, I looked for actual food, that was one thing I learned from Grandma to cook, and it was one of the few things I enjoyed doing with her. As I looked at some cans, I suddenly felt someone behind, me. "Jas, stop." "Well, look what we got boys fresh meat!" I turned and found three guys standing a little too close to me, the one talking was leaning on the chart, he was the bad boy version of Jesse McCartney when he had long hair, and the others just reminded me of Crab and Goyle from Harry Potter. "Um...excuse me." "Where do you think you're going?" I looked at him, then down to his hand that was holding me tightly in place, I tried to pull it free from his hold but he pulled me even closer. His face was so close he could kiss me if he wanted to. "Let go of me." I said as the strength of his hold started to make my arm go numb. "You obviously have no idea who you're talking to." he half whispered half growled  in my face. "I obviously don't care." I said back, then out of no where Jasmine came, making the guy let me go. "You have a problem punk?!" she squared up, the guy smiled looked at me, and walked away. I hugged Jasmine and we finished getting things we needed and left the store, thanking God, nothing worse happened.