Appel du Loup

"Here's your burger with onion rings, sir, and another iced tea. Is there anything else you need?" I asked.

"No thanks, miss, that'll be all," the man said without a glance in my general direction. Asshole.

I nodded and walked back behind the counter of the diner, planting myself behind the fan. In the summer, Mississppi heat gets really old, really fast. Especially when the diner you work at has no air conditioning. Already, I had most of the upper buttons on my uniform undone, revealing the spaghetti strap shirt underneath. Everyone who worked in the stuffy old diner was covered in a sheen of sweat, and I was no exception.

I checked my watch and sighed, then stood to grab my backpack and books. Classes started in an hour and I needed to get going. Just as I was about to make my escape out the back door, Tom, our manager, called my name.

"We've got a couple guys who just came in sitting at table five," he said gruffly. One of them is the son of the owner."

"What, Angie can't get off of her skinny ass and do some work?" I asked scathingly. Or is she too busy sucking your cock in your office? The only reason Angie had kept her meager position was because she was Tom's whore. My remark didn't go over well.

Tom's usual glare just intensified and he let out a short huff. "Just do it," he said as he walked back to his office.

As I dropped by stuff onto the floor by the door and tied an apron around my waist, I silently cursed this awful place and everyone in it. I hated everything about the damn place. The uniforms especially. They were like a flashback to the 50's. The waitress's uniform was a canary yellow dress with a white collar and short cuffed sleeves. For shoes, we had to wear white tennis shoes with no brand visible and a pair of stupid white gloves. My dress was slightly too short for comfort and the gloves were frustratingly tight.

When I walked out from behind the counter, I put on my best fake smile and prepared to speak in a sugar-sweet southern belle voice. People from this part of town were suspicious of strangers, especially Yankees. Immediately, I saw our group of customers. All of them were guys from the college I went to, including the owner's kid, Cody Greene. Sitting at the head of the table next to Cody was Matt Prange, a kid who I went to high school with and who somehow managed to go the same college as me. So much for the southern accent. The rest of the table was made up of a bunch of their cronies.

"Hello and welcome to the Greene Diner. My name is Haleigh and what can I get you all to drink?" I asked politely, nervously shifting my feet. It was hard not to notice the way a couple of the guys were checking me out, especially Matt.

Not that I wasn't flattered, but it was slightly unnerving. Matt flashed me a roguish grin and the increased speed of my heartbeat made me want to sink through the floor. As if he could hear my thoughts, Matt's grin just got wider. I practically jumped when I felt a little moisture pool in my panties. What the hell?

"Hm, I think I'll have a Coors Light," Cody said. "In fact, I think everyone here wants one, right guys?" Everyone at the table nodded in agreement.

"Alright then." My voice cracked a little. Get it together, Christ. "I'll get those right out." I practically ran back to the kitchen. I came back a few minutes later with at least eight beers on one tray.

"Are you guys ready to order?" I asked, trying to avoid looking at any of their faces. Damn Angie and her sugar daddy.

Everyone ordered a dish that was mostly made up of meat. Burgers, steak, pork, you name it. Thankfully, I didn't need to interact with them any more other than to bring out a new beer. They paid and left without incident. I left the table for Angie to clean up as I headed out the door, cursing the entire way. Now I only had twenty minutes to get to class and almost no time to get dressed. I got into my car and rushed to the lecture hall at Ole Miss, quickly slipping out of the waitress uniform and slipping on a pair of jean shorts.

After the lecture, I drove back to the dorm I shared with a girl named Shelly. Shelly was a sweet little thing from Louisiana and was gone most nights to stay with her boyfriend, Joe. It was fine with me. At least I got some privacy to do homework and wasn't pestered to go to every party on the block. My roommate was a little notorious for getting drop-dead drunk at most parties she went to. I only went to one frat party with her and learned my lesson the hard way.

As I was getting out of my car, I saw someone stop next to me.

"Hey Eric," I said, smiling thinly. Eric had spiked one of my drinks at a frat party his house hosted and had tried to take me up to his room for a little 'private time.' Luckily, one of my other friends, Grace, noticed and intervened. She drove me home and told me what had happened while I nursed a killer hangover in the morning. Ever since, Eric had been trying to get me alone with him.

"Hey Hales." I winced at the nickname. "Wanna come with and grab a drink? I promise I'll behave myself." He already reeked of alcohol and was swaying a little on his feet.

"No thanks Eric. I'm pretty tired. Maybe another time," I said as I skirted around him. I flinched when I heard him chuckle.

"Maybe sooner than you think," he slurred out as he stumbled away. I shuddered at the cryptic remark and hurried up to my room.

I tried to forget the bone-chilling moment by stripping down and locking myself in the bathroom with the intent for a nice, hot bubble bath. When I passed my reflection, I paused to look at myself for a minute.

At 5'6", I was a little shorter than most girls around campus. However, I thought I made up for it with my curves. As a teenager, I had been self-conscious about them and thought that I looked fat and chunky. When I started getting older, I started realizing that I should be proud of them. I was very athletic throughout my life and maintained that currently. My entire body was muscular from being on the swim team in high school and doing all sorts of extracurricular activities. I had grown my hair down to just at my shoulder blades and preferred to let it curl naturally rather than straiten it. My breasts had grown to be a respectable C-cup and my ass had a toned look to it that I was proud of.

Smiling at my reflection, I stepped into the warm water and moaned in appreciation. I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up to banging on the door and lukewarm water around me. I jumped out of the tub and wrapped myself in a towel.

"Coming!" I shouted to the banging. Shelly must have forgotten her key. The banging continued and I rolled my eyes.

"Christ Shelly, Im coming," I shouted, storming out of the bathroom and jerking the door open. The next thing I knew Eric was in front of me, holding a piece of cloth over my mouth. Instantly, the world started to fade.

"That's it, little bitch," I heard a voice say as I blacked out.

******

When I managed to open my heavy eyelids, I saw that I was in a van. A moving van. As I started to wake up more, I realized that my hands and feet were tied together. I started to panic and began to struggle when someone spoke.

"Don't even try it. We've got you safe and secure," a cold voice said from somewhere in front of me.

I whimpered in alarm and pressed myself further against the metal grate door. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I saw Eric driving the truck. Someone else was in the passenger seat and two other guys were in the back with me. I let out another whimper and they all chuckled.

"Don' you worry yourself a lick, darlin'," Eric said, leering back at me. "We're just gonna have a little bit of fun."

As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a loud bang and the van veered to the side. I let out a scream as I was tossed forward. Everything went fuzzy when I hit my head on something hard. All I could register was lots of growling and snarling. The door was ripped off of the side of the van and Cody suddenly stepped inside. He tossed a couple of my tormentors out and jumped after them, a snarl ripping out of his mouth.

Wait, a snarl?

Before I could process this, Matt suddenly leapt in after Cody. His eyes were glowing a yellow-gold color and I could have sworn his canines looked incredibly sharp. He grabbed Eric and tossed him out with the others, then looked down at me. I screamed in alarm and tried to crawl backward, away from this terrifying new Matt.

"Haleigh," he said softly. I shivered at the sound of his voice and was completely shocked to feel arousal pool in my panties. After nearly getting raped by Eric, I wanted to have sex with someone who was practically a complete stranger? Admittedly, a very hot stranger.

Matt had light brown hair that he sometimes styled in a short, mohawk-like style. Usually his eyes were hazel and his teeth strait and white. I had almost memorized the lean muscles in his arms in my high school fantasies and practically drooled whenever he was running shirtless down the street. He had one ear pierced (like Cody and a few of his cronies) and was at least 6'3.

He reached out for me and suddenly I felt overwhelmed. Screaming started outside and I couldn't take it. I passed out.