"Ashe," Mrs. Rocklin called on him first thing. Ashe found it difficult not to change in front of the class. He could take the teasing over the tiny bat easier than the shame of being called empty. Nevertheless, he kept the promise he'd made to himself. Sali was asked to transform after Ashe sat down again, his face flushed with the effort not to turn.
"I miss Old Harold's cleaning," Sali toed a black streak left on the cafeteria's tiled floor as they stood in line to get a tray.
"I wouldn't care if he never cleaned again if he were still here," Ashe said. "And James and the others, too."
"Yeah. I think we're getting chocolate cake for dessert." Sali craned his neck from their place in line. "Makes up for the potato soup."
"You always complain about potato soup, but you eat it anyway."
"I'm hungry."
"Goes without saying," Ashe agreed, hunching his shoulders.
"Empty," Chad whispered as he passed Ashe in line.
"Muck for brains," Ashe hurled back, borrowing one of Jason's insults.
"What did you say to me?" Chad twisted in mid-stride. He'd caught the last of Ashe's insult.
"I called you muck for brains," Ashe said clearly, glowering at Chad. "Go ahead, hit me. Mr. Harris is watching." Ashe jerked his head toward the door where Mr. Harris stood, monitoring the cafeteria. Ashe was completely taken off guard when Chad punched him in the face.
* * *
"Ashe, what happened?" his mother bent over him in the tiny teachers' lounge. He'd been stretched out on the sofa, a cloth filled with ice held to his right eye. Ashe had barely seen the punch coming. Feeling embarrassed while three teachers and his mother stared down at him, Ashe attempted to sit up. "No, hon, lie back down," Adele said. "Tell us what happened."
"Chad called me empty, so I called him muck for brains."
"Ashe," his mother sighed.
"I know. Take the high road and all that," Ashe said, trying to nod. Nodding hurt. He stayed still.
"You'll have a nice black eye for a few days," Mr. Harris observed. He, Mrs. Rocklin and Mr. Dodd were the three teachers inside the room. "Chad's been suspended for a week—three people said the same thing you did; that Chad started it and then punched you." Ashe wanted to say that Principal Billings probably wanted it the other way around, but didn't. Billings was a werewolf, just as the three teachers were who stood behind his mother. They thought Ashe completely human. He had no trouble believing that they'd back the werewolf Principal if push came to shove. The comment Chad had made earlier that Principal Billings was on his side still rankled.
"Your father is not going to like this," Adele drove Ashe home as soon as he could sit up without feeling dizzy.
"I know." Ashe hung his head. "I should have kept my mouth shut."
"How long has he been taunting you?"
"Probably three weeks or so. Jeremy, too."
"Those two have no business acting like that," Adele huffed.
"It's just a black eye, Mom. I'll get over it. I should have just let it go."
"We'll put more ice on that when we get home, and we'll postpone the trip into Clinton."
"Mom, my face will get better. My toes hurt all the time." Ashe knew he was whining when the words came out of his mouth.
"Then I won't cancel," Adele said. "We'll get Sali from school this afternoon and go on." Ashe's face hurt when he smiled, but he smiled anyway.
Ashe thought about going through the box of essays he'd stolen from Principal Billings' attic, but his face throbbed so much his mother gave him aspirin and told him to lie down. Ashe fell asleep, waking only when his mother knocked on the bedroom door, telling him it was time to pick up Sali and Denise and head toward Clinton.
Clinton was much larger than Cordell and had two department stores. The variety in number and type of restaurants was also an enticement to Sali, who loved Chinese food. Cordell didn't have a Chinese restaurant.
"Sali, I promise I'll get plenty of egg rolls," Denise said as they climbed out of the SUV. Adele had borrowed Aedan's vehicle for the trip; it was more comfortable and had storage in the back for purchases.
Ashe tried on athletic shoes first. "Dude, I like the blue ones," Sali was pressing his choice.
"I like the brown pair," Ashe turned his foot this way and that in the mirror. He was trying on a men's size eight, a full size larger than his old shoes.
"Try these on," Sali urged, shoving two boxes in Ashe's arms.
"I like these," Ashe said, still looking at the shoes on his feet.
"Honey, those are on sale, so we could get a second pair if you want," Adele said.
"But what if I grow out of these, too?" Ashe blinked at his mother.
"Good point, we'll just take those," she agreed. They went to buy jeans and two pairs of cargo pants after Ashe settled on the shoes he wanted.
"Dude, you'll be taller than your dad if you don't watch out," Sali said as Adele checked the waist and length of the pants Ashe tried on before going to look for more. Denise searched through a nearby sales rack for shirts Marco might wear.
"These are good," Ashe looked in the mirror. "Uh, Sali, I see Principal Billings back there in sporting goods with Georgia Daniels." Ashe had caught a reflection of the two adult werewolves in the mirror.
"What?" Sali swiveled to look quickly. "What is she doing here with him?"
"That explains why Chad and Jeremy were saying that Billings was on their side," Ashe hissed. His mother was coming back so he pulled Sali around again.
"Mom, can I get three pairs of jeans and three pairs of cargo pants?" Adele had said four pairs of jeans and two pairs of cargo pants. Ashe was pleading his case, ignoring the Principal for the moment.
"All right," Adele sighed, giving in.
"Dude, your eye is turning green and purple. Do you need a shirt to match?" Sali teased. Ashe examined his bruised right eye in the mirror.
"I think I'll wear yellow tomorrow," Ashe grinned at his reflection.
"That's quite a shiner there, young man," the man at the register remarked as he rang up Ashe's purchases.
"He got it in the school cafeteria," Sali smiled as the clerk scanned clothing tags.
"I had a difference of opinion with a larger adversary," Ashe shrugged.
"I had a few of those too, when I was in school." The man grinned, bagged up the clothing and passed the bags to Ashe and Sali.