Lost Girl in Transition Ch. 13

"Don't answer it," Claudia said, and as it continued to ring Tristan just ignored it. Within seconds however, the mobile was going off once again, seeming to increase in volume with every ring.

Equally irritated, Tristan reached for the phone and answered it, a pinched expression lining his face as he listened to the caller. Already certain that it was Shauna, Claudia waited impatiently with compressed lips.

"Okay, I'll stop by the market," Tristan said into the receiver. "Just give me fifteen minutes to drive Claudia home."

At the sound of those words Claudia's heart dropped, stomach clenching unpleasantly. Beyond disappointed she put her panties on, then slid on her tights before shimmying up her skirt. She heard Tristan utter a goodbye before ending the call, and as his eyes met with hers, Claudia flashed him a stony look.

"Maggie is sick," he said while releasing the phone. "I need to go to the drugstore and get her some Pedialyte."

"What's wrong with her?" Claudia asked.

"Diarrhea," Tristan said. "And from the way Shauna describes, It's pretty bad."

"I understand," Claudia said while pulling her sweater over her head, and with a tug on the door handle she was exiting the backseat.

When Tristan slid into the driver's seat beside her, he turned his head to look at her. But instead of meeting his gaze, Claudia only stared purposely out the window.

"Are you mad?" He asked in a low voice.

"No Tristan, I'm not," she truthfully responded.

"But you aren't pleased either," he said to her. "And I hate knowing we're saying goodnight this way."

"It's fine." Still looking out of the window, she watched her breath fog the glass. "You have responsibilities now and I understand that."

"It won't be like this forever," he assured. "Shauna will eventually get her own apartment, but in the meantime, you and I will be at university through the week. So It's not like we'll have to deal with this every day."

"I guess," Claudia replied, but as Tristan grabbed her hand, she finally turned her head to look at him.

"You're amazing, you know." His thumb stroked the back of her hand. "Ever since we first met you've always supported me. Made me feel like I was someone special."

"Because you are," she softly replied.

"Well if I'm special, then you're extraordinary."

Though flattered, her face remained slack with disappointment.

"I don't want to leave you," Tristan said. "In fact, I really feel like we should stay together tonight."

"But Maggie is sick," Claudia said. "Which means you need to be there to help comfort her."

"You could come home with me," Tristan suggested. "And once Shauna and Maggie retire to the bedroom, you and I could hang out front and watch a couple of scary movies."

"Why scary ones?" Claudia asked.

"Because It's Halloween dork, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot."

"So how about it?" He asked.

"Well watching movies would be fun, but we wouldn't have privacy to do anything else. I mean with Shauna and Maggie in the bedroom, I wouldn't feel comfortable enough to truly relax. Not to mention, your parents..."

"So then we wouldn't do anything else," Tristan said. "We'd just watch movies and cuddle up."

"Come on, Tristan. When is the last time we cuddled without going further?"

"Good point," Tristan replied. "I guess it is a bad idea."

"Look, why don't you go home and take care of Maggie, and tomorrow we can hang at my house."

"Won't Big John and your mother be there?"

"Nope. They'll be gone the whole day, so we'll get the place to ourselves."

"Awesome," Tristan said. "We'll spend the whole day in bed making love."

"And eating cold cereal," Claudia said. "We've got like five different brands in the house, so we'll have plenty of flavors to choose from."

"Screw the cold cereal," Tristan said. "My favorite flavor is you."

Claudia giggled, then broke into a smile. "You really know how to spoil me, don't you?"

"It's just as enjoyable for me as it is for you," he responded. "Nothing gets my dick harder than sticking my tongue inside your pussy."

"Well it feels amazing," Claudia said.

"And it looks amazing." He slid a palm along one of her thighs. "You have the prettiest pussy, Claudia. So tight and hot and smooth all over."

Suddenly feeling warm, Claudia's eyes glossed over.

"And the way you taste," he said. "You have this beautiful scent and flavor that just drives me crazy."

"Really?"

"Yes," Tristan said. "Your pussy scent is unique in a really good way."

"Wow, I never knew."

Suddenly feeling beautiful and sexy and like some sort of sensual goddess, Claudia lifted her hand to his face, caressing the sharp angle of his jaw. Dark and beautiful, his eyes watched her intently, as if seeing through to her very soul. The look on his face made it clear he adored her, pupils wide and dilated with residual lust. Looking back with just as much love in her eyes, Claudia leaned in to give him a soft, sweet kiss, then pulled back to watch him once again.

"We should probably get going," she said.

With a nod of his head he agreed, and after starting the car and putting it into gear, they were on the way to her house. Ten minutes later they were pulling into her driveway, and as Claudia undid the buckle on her seatbelt, Tristan followed suit so he could walk her to the door.

Hand in hand, they walked toward the porch and then up the steps, halting in front of the door before positioning their bodies so they were face to face. Looping his arms around her waist, Tristan pulled her closer so their lips were nearly flush.

"So I can't wait for tomorrow," he said.

"Neither can I," she softly responded.

"I'll give you a call as soon as I get the chance."

"Okay."

Leaning down he kissed her lips softly, then pulled back to brush noses with her.

"Love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she said, and with one last kiss, watched him pull away from her.

As Tristan walked towards his car she continued watching him, noting the way the silvery moonlight reflected off his inky black hair. Things surely weren't perfect and there were obstacles to overcome, but a feeling of optimism had begun to rise within her. Things will be okay, she told herself. They'll smooth out and everything will be fine.

Little did she know, however, that the next time she saw Tristan things would be different. Because invisible forces were at work, orchestrating a fate that neither could imagine.

* * * *

Claudia had just settled in with a cup of cocoa when her mobile rang. Glancing at the display screen she saw it was Lucas, and that was when it occurred to her that she hadn't called to wish him happy birthday. Feeling guilty she reached for the phone, answering it just before voicemail kicked in.

"Forgive me, Lucas. I forgot to give you a call!"

"So I'm forgettable, huh?" A light chuckle came through the receiver. "Just kidding, It's totally cool."

"Well I didn't forget about the party, but for some reason I didn't call to wish you a happy birthday. Guess I just figured I would tell you in person when I came to your house."

"But you never showed up, so..."

"I was out with Tristan. Just got back half an hour ago."

"Gotcha," Lucas replied. "Well he is your boyfriend, so he's clearly got first priority."

"Yeah. But turns out the baby got sick, so he had to go home and help take care of her."

"So what, you're just hanging at home?"

"Yeah."

"Then come over and party with us."

"I don't know, Lucas. I think I'll just relax here. Not really in the partying mood, know what I mean?"

"It's my birthday, Claude. And plus It's Halloween."

"But I'd feel out of place. I mean, I don't know any of your friends..."

"Bring Kimi with you," Lucas replied. "I know she's always down to party."

"I guess," Claudia said, but the truth of it was she didn't want to go.

"Don't sound so excited." The smile could be heard in his voice. "It's only the day I was born, Claude. Not a big deal or anything."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound so unenthused."

"It's alright. You're probably tired, so I'll give you a call tomorrow."

"No, I wanna talk." And she really did, it wasn't just a fib. "So how does I feel to be nineteen?"

"Uh, the same. Only good thing about it is I'm two years closer to buying alcohol."

"But you already have access to it," Claudia replied. "I mean, I'm willing to bet that there's beer at your party, right?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't easy to score. I had to pay some pretty good cash to get someone older to purchase it for me."

"Alcohol Isn't good for you anyways," Claudia said. "It just makes you do stupid things."

Lucas chuckled. "Still got a bit of that good girl inside you, huh Claudia?"

"More than a bit," she corrected. "I've always been pretty innocent."

"Always?" Mirth laced his tone. "When you and I were together, you did some pretty non-innocent things."

"Because you corrupted me," Claudia teased. "You were quite the influence on me, remember?"

"Is that how it went?" Lucas asked. "Seems like you were the one always tempting me, flirting in the halls and giving me the eye whenever I passed by."

"Shut up!" A grin crossed her face. "It was you who did all those things, not me. And I distinctly remember you waiting by my locker on a regular basis."

"It was twice a week, no more," Lucas replied. "And I know you liked it, so you can stop pretending."

"Never said I didn't like it," Claudia responded. "Just reminding you who pursued who back in high school."

"Alright, so I was a little infatuated," Lucas admitted. "But with that long curly hair and dark brown skin, you really can't blame me for it."

"You always did know how to charm a girl."

"I'm not being charming, but truthful," Lucas said. "You've always been gorgeous, and you know it."

Being complemented by Lucas was nothing new for Claudia, but it still didn't fail to bring a smile to her lips.

"So if I come to your party, should I wear a costume?"

"Mostly everyone here is in street clothes," Lucas replied. "But if you wanna come dressed as a sexy cat or naughty princess, I definitely wouldn't object."

A laugh came from Claudia's mouth. "Give me half an hour to get changed, and then Kimi and I will be over."

"Awesome. I'll see you then."

"Later," Claudia replied, and after ending the call and tossing the phone aside, she got off her bed and started stripping down.

Once she was down to bra and panties, she shuffled quickly through the hangers in her closet, searching for an outfit that was semi-normal, yet unusual enough to celebrate the spirit of Halloween.

Spotting a black tank top with a silver moon logo, she pulled it down off the shelf and put it on. She then slipped on a pair of black velvet shorts, which fit snugly against her body. Deciding that fishnets would go well with it, she procured some from her dresser, and after slipping them up and over her legs, put on a pair of Mary Jane Creepers.

She then made a call to Kimi, who happily agreed to tag along with Claudia for the night. It would take twenty minutes for Kimi to get ready and drive over with Ethan, but Claudia didn't mind because she wanted to text Tristan. Only an hour had passed since he'd dropped her off, but she missed him already and wanted to hear his voice. Within seconds she had dialed his number, and after only two rings he came onto the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby, what's up?"

"Things are crazy here." Shrill wails came from the background, nearly drowning out Tristan's voice. "Maggie has bad diarrhea and she's pooping all over the place."

"Sorry to hear." Listening to the sounds in the background, Claudia could hear Shauna attempting to soothe the screaming baby. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Tristan replied. "The Pedialyte should kick in pretty soon, and my mom's got this special remedy she's making right now. So things should be better in the next few hours."

"Well I just wanted to hear your voice," she said. "And to let you know I'm going to this Halloween party."

"Oh yeah?" Tristan asked. "Who's throwing it?"

"Lucas."

"Of course, I should have known." He dryly chuckled.

Now almost deafening, the sound of Maggie's cries were blaring through the receiver. In response, Claudia winced.

"Well It's his birthday party too, so It's kinda like two celebrations in one."

"That's cool," he hastily replied. "So what, you called to like rub it in my face?"

"No, of course not. I'm just letting you know where I'll be tonight."

"Which is with Lucas, who has been trying to get in your pants since high school."

"Tristan, come on. It's just a little party, nothing more."

"I just dropped you off an hour ago, and you're already going back out?"

"What's wrong with that?" Claudia asked. "It's Halloween and I wanna have fun."

"With Lucas."

"This Isn't about Lucas, okay? It's just me wanting to get out and unwind. Maybe get my mind off the fact that you're living with your ex-girlfriend."

"She was never my girlfriend," he said. "It was a summer fling, nothing more."

"The point is, you're sharing a house."

"You know the deal, Claude. This Isn't something I wanted."

"I know, but It's really difficult knowing that she's sleeping in the same house."

"If you would just trust me it wouldn't be difficult," he said. "I would never cheat on you, Claude. You know that."

"I can't help my emotions. Just the thought of her there makes me sick to my stomach."

"Well, now you know how I feel about you and Lucas."

"What?"

"You and Lucas," he reiterated. "Ever since high school, there's been this sexual tension between you two. He wants to fuck you, and you want to fuck him, am I right?"

"Whoa, what that hell? Where is this even coming from?"

"You do, Claude. And I know it. So why even lie about something so obvious?"

"For your information, Lucas met a girl and is currently building a relationship with her."

"Lucas doesn't have relationships, he fucks around."

"His business, not mine," she responded.

"Just go to the party, alright Claude? Get drunk, throw up, and socialize with the idiots."

"What?"

"Nothing," he said. "Look, I'm covered in baby shit here so I really don't have time to chat on the phone."

"Then I'll let you go."

"Cool," Tristan snippily replied, and before she could hang up, he did, leaving her with nothing to listen to but silence.

* * * *

Numerous cars crowded the lawn in front of Lucas's house, groups of party-goers scattered on the porch and hanging next to the threshold that led inside. Since the door was wide open, Claudia and Kimi walked right inside, followed by Ethan who casually glanced around the crowded living room.

Scented with pot smoke and beer, the air was thick and heavy around them. Music blasted from a large stereo, mingling with the shouts and laughter of the people in the house. Impressed by the large turnout, Claudia guessed that nearly every young person on the rez had shown up, but there were a handful of thirty-something people as well, who surprisingly blended in with the college-aged crowd.

Even with all the people surrounding her, Claudia immediately spotted Lucas, who was chatting up a group of girls that seemed enthralled by whatever he was saying. Wanting to say hello, Claudia excused herself from Kimi and Ethan, then made her way into the living room where Lucas was.

Even before she reached him he had already spotted her, smile curling his lips as he watched her walk. His eyes swept her form quickly, as if not wanting to make it obvious he was checking her out. But of course she already knew he was, and against best efforts, broke out into a smile.

As soon as she reached him, he pulled her into a hug, tightly embracing her with his long arms. Then pulling back so he could gaze at her face, loudly spoke over the music.

"Thanks for coming."

"No problem," she replied. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks." His gaze lowered to her tight, stretchy velvet shorts, then the fishnets which complimented it. "I like your outfit."

"Thank you. I kinda wanted to get into the Halloween spirit so I went with all black. But basically I just look like me."

"Yeah, that's definitely a Claudia style," he said, and with a chuckle he grabbed her hand.

Leading her into the kitchen, Lucas brought her to a table with beer and soda. Deciding on Pepsi she poured herself a cup, then took a gulp of the fizzy drink and leaned against the counter behind her.

"So you're nineteen years old now, huh?"

"Yep. Different age, but same shit, so not a whole lot is different."

"Well you're in college now, so that's something different."

"True." Lucas nodded his head casually, but then a gleam suddenly came into his eyes. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you. I'm an intern now at NARF."

"What's NARF?"

"Native American Rights Fund. They're a non-profit organization that provide legal representation."

"Wow, congratulations. That sounds like an awesome gig."

"Yeah, I'm really stoked about it."

"What will you be doing there?"

"Research, proofreading of documents, and helping attorneys with their projects. I may even get to ride along on some trips to the courtroom, but that's not a definite yet, so we'll see how it all turns out."

"Very cool," Claudia said. "I'm proud of you, Lucas. You're doing so well."

"Yeah, I'm doing alright," he humbly said. "But what about you? How's life at university?

"Going well, but I'm constantly busy. Seems like there's always a test, or a quiz, or a ton of homework to be done, so It's a whole lot different than high school."

"Definitely." Lucas nodded. "I used to think high school was such a pain, but now that I'm in college I see it was actually pretty damn easy."

"No kidding, I sorta wish we could go back. But at the same time I don't, because I really like living away from home."

"That's cool," Lucas said. "Me and my dad are building a guest house out back, so pretty soon I'll no longer be living in my parent's house either."

"Just a few feet behind it, right?" Claudia said with a chuckle, and as Lucas laughed, so did she. "Believe it or not, I'll have a guest house soon too. Big John is building one for me to stay in during my visits here."

"What's wrong with your room?" Lucas asked.

"It's being turned into a nursery."

"For who?"

"The baby that's on the way."

"You're pregnant?" Lucas's eyes went wide and round.

"No, silly. But my mom is. Didn't I tell you she and Big John are expecting a baby?"

"No you did not," Lucas replied. "But that's wonderful. Tell her congratulations."

"I will," Claudia said, and reaching for her cup of soda, prepared to sip it.

She was just lifting it to her lips when someone bumped her from behind, causing the drink to spill down the front of her top. Completely annoyed, Claudia turned her head to look behind her, where a guy in Gothic skeleton face makeup gave her an apologetic look.

"Oh, shit. Sorry about that," he awkwardly blurted out, and with hasty steps, fled the scene.

"I'm getting déjà vu," Claudia said to Lucas while looking down at her wet T-shirt. "The last time I came to a party at your house, I got drenched with a beverage, too."

"Oh, you mean that egg nog Misty threw over your head?"

"Yes," Claudia said. "And you can stop grinning because it wasn't funny."

"Not at the time," Lucas replied. "But thinking back on it now, It's sorta comical."

"Not, it actually Isn't." Claudia furrowed her brows and gave him a serious look, but as his grin went wider, her face relaxed and her lips began to twitch. "Okay, so maybe it is kinda funny now, but at the time I was thoroughly pissed."

"I remember," Lucas said. "And Kimi was ready to pretty much fight Misty."