Welcome back adventurers and a very happy Monday to you! A lot sure has happened in the last couple of hours! Well, probably not in your actual life. I imagine all that has happened in the last couple of hours is you woke or and had to go to work. Which are two of the worst/most boring things that could happen to you. BUT in our Choose Your Own Adventure life, things are much more interesting, for better or worse. Your dad is possibly evil or possibly being controlled. Your boyfriend has been hooking up with dudes. You are starting to develop a crush on a necromancer, whose mother may or may not have been killed by a close family friend of yours.
Last week, after hearing a twig snap near you, the overwhelming majority of you chose to: allow Eli to pull you into a hidden part of the yard and watch to see who appears. So let’s see what happens and who shows up!
Chapter 09: Et Tu Everyone?
With one hand over your mouth and another wrapped around your waist, Eli pulls you backward into the nearby trees and bushes. He lowers you to the ground until the two of you are out of sight. Normally you would be upset that your expensive bathing suit is getting damaged from the dirt, but all you can think about is how Eli is practically on top of you right now. His hip is digging into yours, and you can feel his breath warming the side of your cheek. All you have on is this bathing suit and he never ended up putting his shirt back on. It’s a full ten seconds before you gather your wits enough to remember just why you two are hiding down here in the dirt.
You peer through the dense foliage in front of you. You can see the outlines of two bodies, but it’s difficult to make them out in the darkness. Then you hear a set of all too familiar voices.
“Okay, Dace, we’re alone. What on earth did you want to talk to me about?” Drusilla says, sounding a bit exasperated.
“It’s Tabs, Dru. She thinks she saw something, but she didn’t. Or, I should say, she did see something, but it wasn’t what she thought. Anyway Dru, she’s mad at me. Can you talk to her? Calm her down? I don’t want her doing something stupid just because she’s upset.”
You practically snort. You know exactly what you saw. You can’t believe Dace is trying to play this like it was nothing. He’s already doing damage control before you’ve had a chance to tell anyone the truth. And trying to get your best friend to side with him? That is low. But you know Dru will have your back. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Dace. What did you do now? Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to find out from her?” Dru says.
Okay, not exactly the defense you were looking for, but at least she doesn’t seem to be buying Dace’s story. Dace continues, “It was nothing, Dru, no big deal, just a misunderstanding. I’m just worried about her, is all. I’ve seen her talking to that Necromancer freak. She and I are going to work things out, we always do. I’m just trying to make sure she doesn’t do anything to damage her reputation in the mean time.”
“Look, Dace. I’ll talk to her. But because she’s my friend, and not as a favor to you. And because I agree with you on one point. Whatever happens between you two, I don’t’ think she should be getting involved in any necromancer business. She says there isn’t anything going on between her and Eli, but I’m not so sure. Anyway, I’ll go see if I can find her.”
You find yourself flushing red and are grateful that Eli won’t be able to see your embarrassment in the darkness. You have been desperately trying to play it cool around Eli, but it seems like no one, yourself included, is going to let that happen any time soon. Dru stalks off and leaves Dace alone.
Dru warned you earlier about Eli and his history at Gainschwitz, but you didn’t realize she was this against you and Eli being a thing. Does she just not want the social fallout of her best friend dating a Necromancer? Or is all this judgment for Eli in particular?
You begin to ponder this, but are distracted when you notice that somewhere doing that conversation, Eli had moved his hand from over your mouth. Currently it’s curled lightly around the outside of your shoulder. You feel his fingertips touching near your collarbone. Before you can think too much about this new development, you realize that Dace is talking again. Since no one new has entered this part of the yard, you are a bit confused. Then you realize that he’s talking on his phone.
“Don’t worry Dad, I will take care of it! It might be a little more difficult getting into Mr. Whitley’s office now that Tabs is mad at me, but it will get done.”
Dace is on the phone with his dad…and talking about you? Why would his dad care if the two of you had a fight or had broken up? And what the hell does Dace want with your dad’s office?
“Give me a break, Dad, you have no idea what it’s like dating that girl. When isn’t she mad at me? Give me some credit, I’ll work it out. Besides, a girl like that has to date a guy like me. It’s expected. Anyway, I’ve got to go if I’m going to get this done.”
If you thought you were embarrassed before when Dace and Dru were talking, you were wrong. Overhearing Dace discuss you like this is mortifying. Does everyone really think I’m that vain? That I’m just dating Dace as a status symbol? Your stomach feels sick and you can’t help but wonder if that’s partly true. It was bad enough for you to overhear this conversation, but with Eli? When will the embarrassment end?
But more importantly…what the hell were Dace and his father talking about? Phineas Shaw is on the counsel with your father, along with Dru’s mother, Uncle Gus and members of just about every powerful wizarding family out there.
You have GOT to figure out what is going on. Do you:
A. Walk out of the bushes and ask Dace what the hell he’s up to?
B. Take Dace out with a spell and get to your Dad’s office first?
C. Go find Drusilla and see if she knows anything?
D. Try and put the moves on Eli? It’s dark, you’re alone and there is a serious lack of clothes going on here.
