Monster ~ Jackson Whittemore [Book 1]

Deadly Dances

Was it okay to be going to a Winter Formal when there were hunters and an Alpha after your best friend? Maya smoothed down the black fabric of her dress as she stared in the mirror contemplating the thought. Life had gotten so messed up so quickly, it was a wonder she was even alive to show up at a dance. But maybe for once it would be a quiet night. No werewolves, hunters, or epic supernatural battles.

"Knock, knock." Maya jumped, and Joe held up his hands reassuringly. "Just coming to check on my beautiful daughter. Who's the lucky guy escorting my baby to the formal?"

"No one...I'm actually going by myself." Maya told him.

Joe looked mildly upset, "But your dad and I had a great speech ready for when you got picked up. How else are we supposed to enjoy being fathers if we don't get to constantly embarrass you and Darren?"

Her face fell a little bit at the mention of her brother, he still wasn't talking to her. She looked back into the mirror, messing with the silver chain dangling around her neck. It hurt that Darren was still mad at her, but she hadn't had time to try and fix things between them. Something both of their dads picked up on.

"You okay sweetie?" Joe walked over, resting a comforting hand on Maya's shoulder. She looked more troubled than usual, all of the supernatural secrets were weighing down on her and it was becoming more and more noticeable that something was wrong. But it wasn't like she could unload those issues on her dad. It would just be a one-way ticket to Eichen House after that.

She let go of the necklace and forced a smile on her face, "Of course! Just worried about Stiles making a fool of himself in front of Lydia tonight. Hopefully he doesn't blow his big chance to impress the girl he's been in love with since the third grade."

Lightly chuckling, Joe pressed a quick kiss to Maya's temple. The simple gesture eased her nerves slightly. Parents had a way of making everything better without even knowing it. "Good for Stiles, though I can't believe that kid actually got a date with Lydia Martin. Miracles really do happen." Joe mused and Maya didn't have the heart to tell him it was all because Allison forced Lydia to take him.

...........................

Loud music was blaring, god awful dance moves were being used on an over crowded dance floor, and sadly no one had spiked the punch. It was another crappy formal planned by the student council, but Maya had hoped that maybe they would make it better than last year. Her eyes wandered the faces of the crowd, not seeing any of her friends yet. A puff of air blew her bangs out of her face in annoyance, the boredom starting to set in. She took another sip of her punch as she tried to keep herself occupied.

Across the room Jackson was sitting with Allison, though his mind was on a completely different brunette. He took a quick swig from his bottle, ignoring the look of disdain Allison gave him. Jackson would have much rather it been Maya sitting next to him, probably cracking jokes about him acting like an alcoholic.

"You should go ask her to dance." Allison said after catching her date staring at Maya for the fifth time.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He took another drink.

Allison rolled her eyes, nodding her head towards her best friend. "I'm not an idiot. Maya may not have said anything, but I can tell there's something going on between the two of you. Plus you've been staring at her since we got here...Just go ask her to dance." He gave her a slightly apologetic look, getting up from the table.

Jackson walked over to Maya's table, the girl in question talking to some random guy. He cleared his throat, putting a hand on Maya's shoulder. "Wanna dance?"

She smiled up at him, completely oblivious to the glares her table companion was sending Jackson. Standing up and grabbing his hand, Maya started dragging him towards the dance floor. "I did promise to save you a dance. That and I really didn't want to talk to that guy anymore, he was a little creepy." He let out a chuckle, pulling her closer to him as Maya snaked her arms around his neck. Her head was resting lightly on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. "Not that I'm not happy to be dancing with you, but I thought you were going to be on Allison duty tonight."