Living friends

"If you don't have clothes, I can lend you some" she offers.

I look at what I'm wearing, this looks alright for a party.

"Let me call my dad, I will ask for permission and I'll tell you what he says" I take my phone and start calling my dad.

"Permission?" she laughs "Do you still ask your dad for permission?" she's saying it as if that's weird, I'm 17 I'm still underage, I need to ask for permission, but I suppose is different for every family.

"Hi, Allie!" I hear my dad's voice "How was school? Is everything alright? You calling me must mean something happened!" I'm always surprised at how he can be cheerful, cool, dorky, and worried all in a single phrase.

"School was good, and I made an acquaintance, I would like to go to a party with her, can I?" Jos looks at me weirdly, as if I said something wrong.

"You… want to go to a party???" my dad asks incredulously.

"yes" I repeat, I normally don't like to repeat myself but he's my dad, he's an exception.

"Hell yeah!!" he shouts and I have to move the cellphone away from my ear. Why is he celebrating?

"Yes! You can really go! Do you need money? Do you want me to pick you up? Are you going to be out all night or just a couple hours?" he asks everything in a single breath.

I look at Jos "How long are we going to be at the party?" I need to know to answer my dad's last question.

"For as long as we want to!" she laughs and I squint my eyes at her that's not a really specific answer.

"Is the party far?" I ask again.

"Yes, but that's alright! I have a car! I will drive you back and forth!" she says and I nod, I can finally reply to my dad.

"I don't need money, I still have some in my wallet. You don't have to pick me up, Jos will take me and I don't know how long I will stay there" I answer all of my dad's questions to the best of my abilities.

"Alright, Allie! Have fun!!" he says happily and ends the call.

Why is he so happy? Was he that desperate to have me attending a party?

"He says I can go" I tell Jos but she's still looking at me annoyed and sad.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"So… I'm just an acquaintance?" she says sadly.

I tilt my head, was she expecting me to say friend? I just met her today, we've barely spoken for more than 4 hours.

"Yes. Is that bad?" I ask her.

"Well… I mean, I know we just met but…" she sighs and looks at me again, now determination sparkling in her eyes "What do I have to do to become your friend?".

"I don't know, I've never had living friends" I say and then I realize my weird selection of words. I think I'm also feeling way too comfortable around her to be normal, normally I don't have slips like that.

"Living friends?" she giggles "You're so weird but I like it!" she laughs.

I smile, I'm glad she didn't take it seriously "So... If you haven't had" she giggles "'living friends'" she air quotes "then… am I not the first one? I think we already classify as friends!"

I shrug, she's right, I'm not used to speaking with living creatures but around her feels natural, I think I can call her a friend.

"mmm, I see. I didn't know that's how one makes friends, in that case, please call me Allie, I like it better than Alice".

"Gotcha!" she smiles and says "I get the 'preferring the nickname over the name' thing, I'm Josephine but I don't like it! It sounds like a grandma name" she complains.

"I think it's a cute name" I say with a straight face.

"Well, you would be the first one" she rolls her eyes "so, you don't want to change?" I shake my head.

"Then let's head out to the party! I think I look pretty hot today so I don't want to change either" for the first time in the whole day I look at her outfit, she has a red crop top and black baggy pants.

I nod at her statement, she looks good. "isn't it early for a party?"

"That's normal here, we have a lot to do in the pack…" she panics.

'Pack' that word again, first Rose and now her, I make a mental note to remember that word, it seems to be slang in this town. Is this non-human slang or something?

"I mean, we have a lot to do in the property so we start early" she sighs relief once she noticed I'm not asking her about her slip up.

"…I see, then let's go" I say and she starts walking towards the parking lot with me following behind her.

She opens the door of a black jeep and motions me to the passenger door. I open the door, sit and buckle my seatbelt.

She starts driving and we reach a rocky path surrounded by forest, I look around curiously, this looks like the same path of my dream, where I was running from the wolves.

She drives some more, and we reach a huge house, it has seven floors! 7! That's not a house, that already classifies as a mansion.

She parks and we go out of the car. I can't help but freeze once we reach the house. There is a lot of high school and college students outside, some of them have red cups in their hands. Others are making out passionately completely ignoring the crowd and others are swimming in a pool. That doesn't surprise me, since it's a party, what surprises me is that most of them are not humans.

They're playing really loud music and I wince; I like music but not when it blasts through my ears.

"Welcome to my house!" Jos smiles and my eyes almost bulge out of my sockets.

"Your house? Your parents own this place?" I don't mean to pry but I'm curious, did they have to sell their kidneys to get enough money to buy this place?

"Nope!" she giggles "We just live here but the place belongs to the alphhhhhhh" she bites her lip before she finishes what she was saying.

"The place belongs to my dad's boss" she finally says sweating profusely. What is she so nervous about?

"Alright" I shrug my shoulders, I'm curious but my instinct tells me this is going to become really annoying if I ask for details.

We enter the house and the living room is also full of people talking, drinking, dancing, flirting, and making out.

I look at Jos and she seems comfortable around this scenario but I'm already tired. A guy walks toward us and grabs Jos' shoulder while smirking smugly.

"Hey Jos" he says while eyeing her up and down. He bites his lips and Jos smiles at him seductively.

"Hey Lucas" she says sweetly, she also eyes him up and down.

Well, this is uncomfortable, do I introduce myself or do I just leave them to do their thing? Wait… Lucas? Now I get why Rose has something against Jos, she's having intercourse with the guy she likes.

"Allie!" Jos shouts and I look at her.

Were they talking to me? I was focused on my thoughts.

"mmm?" I say "What's wrong?"