Ugly Memories

I leaned against the wall and covered my face with my hands, shutting the world out for a moment.

The blood oath took a while to set in and Derek would have to be at my side for the duration, otherwise his pledge would be worthless.

He would have to sleep in my apartment, he would have to eat dinner with me and come with me to the Casino… Casino. Ugh.

"Weak stomach," Ben said at my side.

I didn't jump. It was more of a small hop, really.

"You do this on purpose, don't you?"

"What?"

"Never mind."

I rubbed my face, but the fatigue wouldn't go away. Just an adrenaline cooldown. It would be over in a few minutes and then I would be as good as new.

"You're out of your league," Ben said.

No shit. "I really didn't handle this whole thing too well, did I?"

"No," he said.

His voice held no sympathy. I wanted to ask for a do-over. I would be more restrained the second time around. Less mouthy. Unfortunately in real life you rarely got a do-over.