Rejected, My Jaded Love

Asked Out for my First Date

Chapter 2

At 3:00 pm I approach my bike on the school lot. I didn’t have a lot of money as I only had a part-time job (because I didn’t want my grades to fall behind). I was planning on going to M.I.T. so I saved every dollar I could. I could only afford an old used motorcycle to get back and forth to school. My brother Jeremy refuses to drive me to school, even in bad weather, and my parents don’t see a problem with it, they never have. He has my mom’s old car, a black 2017 Audi R5. Mom gets a new car every 2 years, as she has an appearance to uphold, but she gives her old car to either Dad or Jeremy. Dad has a white 2019 Mercedes C300 that he loves, as mom just got a 2021 grey Ranger Rover Velar. I have never gotten a hand-me-down from her. We live in a beautiful house about a mile from the packhouse, as mom didn’t want a lot of people just wandering around her stuff and didn’t want to stay in the packhouse. She probably didn’t want the others to see how much she shopped & what all that she had all brought into the house.

I heard light footsteps approaching and turned around to see Jessica and Nicole approach me. I had not been spending very much time with them as I had been spending all my extra time with Eric, or at my part-time job at a local diner.

“Hey, guys”, I greeted them.

“What’s up Jade,” Nicole said & Jessica waved and smiled at me.

“We miss you so much, what are your plans this weekend?” Nicole asked me.

“I don’t have any plans yet, but I am hoping I will have one when Eric comes out to talk to me. He is supposed to be here any second, he wanted to ask me something”. I said to them.

“Jade, I really wish you hadn't hung out with him. He is a jerk, and I cannot believe that you would trust him at all”, Jessica said.

Nicole pipes up “He has never defended you and has allowed you to be assaulted at school. He is the soon-to-be Alpha, he is supposed to protect his pack members, not abuse them. He can’t say that he didn’t know, as his girlfriend and his little group of friends are the main people that bully you”.

“Excuse me,” Eric says from right behind us. “I know you bitches weren’t talking about me like that”. His face is angry, and I don’t like how he is looking at me. I didn’t say anything at all. Why is he so mad at me?

I looked towards Eric scared, as he had Jeremy, Kyle & Michael with him. The four of them, towering over us. I know that Jeremy doesn’t really need an excuse to hit me, and mom and dad would not be defending me if he did. I hoped that Eric wouldn’t just walk away because of what my friends said about him. I then go to try to smooth it over by saying “they were just joking, Eric. I know you would never deliberately hurt me. Please don’t be mad at them. They are just worried about me.”

Eric grins at me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Whatever”

“What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked him, trying to change the subject. A smile comes fully across his face, and he gets a twinkle in his eye.

“Would you go to the party at Calvin’s house this coming Friday with me? His parents are out of town, and we are all going”

I was so excited and could not stop the “Yes!” that sprang from my lips. I was finally going out on a date with Eric. My friends looked at each other and back at me with worried expression on their faces. I know that they didn’t want me to go, but I know him better than they do, and he is so sweet to me these days. I know that he won’t hurt me. The guys started walking away after my answer, with Eric calling back to me over his shoulder “I will pick you up at 7 pm for the party. See you tomorrow at school”.

I look at my friends and squeal before asking them if they will help me go to Goodwill to find a dress. For this date I am willing to go into my savings, to find a special dress. Nicole & Jessica look at each other and then nod. I know that they are doubtful, but he has been so sweet and stopped the others from picking on me. I want to trust him so badly. I told them that I would meet them after school tomorrow, as I am scheduled to work tonight at the diner until 8 pm. I will also see if I can get off on Friday night as well. I have worked there 3 to 4 days a week for 3 years, and have never taken a day off, so I know that one of my co-workers will trade Friday night out for Saturday night off. I put my helmet on and drove off the school lot. I am really excited about my first date. I am feeling happy for the upcoming weekend and hope that we end up being mates.

The next day was uneventful at school and went by quickly. I had made about $48 in tips last night, so I didn’t need to go get money from Savings. I was excited about meeting up with Nicole & Jessica at Goodwill. I missed spending time with them. I used to spend all my extra time at their houses when I wasn’t at the diner, and now I was spending my extra time with Eric. I will make it up next weekend when we celebrate my 18th birthday. My family never celebrates my birthday, so I would go to their homes, and we would have a sleepover. I had my 16th birthday at Nicole’s house and my 17th at Jessica’s house. We were going to be at Nicole’s house again on my 18th. They have always asked me why Jeremy got treated so much better than I did, and I always told them that I have no idea. They just value him a lot more than they do me. For some reason, I have no idea why. He always gets a birthday party, with presents and his friends. I am not invited to his parties. I do get a cake, but no presents. I am responsible for buying my school clothes, but they got Jeremy’s for him. Jeremy doesn’t have to work, but mom told me it builds character and that I needed the exercise anyway. That is just how it is around my home. My dad has never said anything to me about my weight, but I can tell he is disappointed in me and my appearance.

My pack has not trained the females in it for the last 100 years. They say that only men need to train, that since we haven’t been attacked for over 150 years, it isn’t necessary for women to train. They just don’t value the women in our pack as more than mothers, or cooks. The Alpha and Luna of the Howling Moon pack, Edmond, and Evelyn Taylor, believe that no woman should be trained to fight, that they need to stay home and take care of things there, as well as work occasionally to help within the Packhouse to make sure it is clean and the pack well fed. So, none of the females in the pack are trained.

I sang the songs rolling through my iPod as I drove to the Goodwill. I saw Nicole’s car and parked next to them on the lot. I smiled at them after I took my helmet off and got off my bike. I put my gloves into my helmet that was currently hanging from my handlebars. “Thanks for coming to help me. I appreciate it. I don’t want to look bad for my date on Friday and I know I can trust you both to be honest with me on how I look”, I told them. I trust them both completely.

Jessica looks over at Nicole and says “Jade, please re-think going out with Eric. You know exactly how mean he is. I remember you telling us how he let Danica cut you with a silver knife when you were 14. She was vicious. I really think that she may try to hurt you again. You still have the scar from it”.

Nicole agrees with her and says “Come to the movies with us on Friday. You will be leaving town as soon as we graduate in 3 months, and you will be leaving the pack at that time. Please don’t go to that party. I don’t have a good feeling about this at all. I don’t trust ANY of them”.

“Guys, I love how protective you are of me. I appreciate it. I am thankful to have you both as my friends and I trust you both completely. You two are the only people that I can depend on to have my back, no matter what. But I really want to go out with Eric. This is my first date, and potentially my first kiss. I really want to go, plus Jeremy will be there, sure he is a jerk, but he won’t let anything bad happen to me while I am at the party, so it will all be OK. I love you both for worrying about me so much. Let’s go shopping girls!” I told them.

We all link arms and go into the store. My mom will probably have a fit about my secondhand clothing and how it embarrasses her, but she doesn’t give me any money and I don’t have the money to be frivolous right now. Nicole is right, I start the next chapter of my life in three months when we graduate, so I need to keep my focus there, and keep my grades high. I am excited about the party tomorrow night and ask my friends to come over to help me with my makeup, as I don’t usually wear any.

They immediately agreed to come and get me ready for tomorrow night. They are both beautiful and great at doing makeup, so I know I am in good hands. Maybe if I look pretty enough Eric will ask me out again, and I might be getting my first kiss if the date goes well. We end up finding a beautiful dress, and in my size. I also got a nice pair of heels to go with it. I am so excited about tomorrow’s date. I go to bed dreaming about Eric’s lips on mine. I can’t wait for tomorrow night.