Page 7 of First Kiss with a Mothman
“I could hang out with you while we’re there? Introduce you to my friends. It’s a mix of monsters and humans.”
“You’re not offering because you feel sorry for me being blind, right?”
“Wha…wha…n-no,” he sputters.
I titter and grin. “Just messing with you, Tanner.”
“Ah, you ass!” We laugh, and he taps my shoulder.
“But yeah, I could really use friends, so―”
“There you are!”
I turn to a familiar voice. “Selena.”
“Arie! I’ve been worried sick!” She seems to catch her breath and turns to Tanner. “Hello.”
“Nice to meet you. Welcome to Mummy Mocha.”
“I’m good with coffee, thanks,” Selena says.
I frown; my cousin is going to chase away my one friend. “This is my cousin,” I say quickly. “She’s a bit of a worrywart.”
Tanner snickers, and I can almost hear Selena’s glower. “I’m not a worrywart. As your best friend, I wanted to be with you when you came to the library to orient you.”
“But you had major unpacking to do. And I found my way.” I rub Reginald and smile. “Thanks to my little buddy.”
“Squawk!” Reginald replies.
“I’d do a better job than your weird bird,” Selena replies.
“But I can’t count on you all the time. For example, Tanner offered to show me the bonfire party tonight.”
“Happy to help!” Tanner chirps. “Wanna meet up somewhere, Arie?”
“I’ll take him there,” Selena interjects. I bite back a frown; she’s just like my mom. I know they both mean well, but I’ll never make friends or a boyfriend if they keep hovering around me.
“Selena,” I quietly say in warning.
“Others in my dorm are all going together, and I’ll happily escort you,” she announces.
“Alright. But I’ll come say hi to you tonight, man,” Tanner says.
“Awesome! I’m looking forward to meeting your monster friends!”
I beam at him while Selena murmurs, “Really?”
“I know what it’s like to be the new human on the block. But we’re all really chill. Talk to you both later.” He taps my shoulder, and I can’t help but revel in the fuzzy feeling of contentment in my chest.
My bird buddy is accepted on campus, and a cool gay dude might want to be my friend. After a lifetime of getting the short end of the stick, things are already looking up here at the infamous Creepin U.
Chapter
Three
MORT
“Say the thing!” The human dude in front of me giggles with another guy and a girl. I’m trapped in this, my least favorite conversation, in the crowded foresty area not far from campus. “Say your catchphrase!” The worst part about this is that they’re not even the first to recognize me tonight. Two harpy girls keep sauntering by the bonfire, looking at me up and down in reverence, then rushing off. These new students are doing double-takes, and they’re certainly not frightened by my black fuzz, antennae, or red eyes. No, I can feel when they notice I’m the famous mothboy all grown up.
