Jessica and Frank

Things would probably be kinda weird between Grace and I if I went to talk to her on her own after last night… and with Alicia going off to have a shower, it would just be weird in general for me of all people to follow her.

I guess I’ll just stay here. This way I can interrogate two flatmates at once.

In the end, it wasn’t that hard a decision. Process of elimination matched with my own exhaustion to keep me glued right in the seat I already filled. Still though, it wasn’t like Jessica and Frank really got on. She could get resentful over not receiving her proper fill of attention, or so she saw it, while Frank was mindful of Alicia and didn’t want to talk much with an attractive girl who clearly didn’t have the best intentions.

I guess I’ll have to be the one to start the conversation-

“You’ve been spending a lot of time at the gym lately, huh?”

My thoughts were derailed as Frank spoke up, leaning back in his chair as he eyed up Jessica. She glanced up from scrolling through her Instagram notifications, pausing just for a moment.

“Hmpf, of course. I try and exercise nearly every day. Why, do you like what you see?”

Jessica’s tone turned from spitefully proud to teasingly flirty like a pro, the fire in her eyes flickering dangerously.

What… what’s going on…?

“Clearly. Any man can see you’ve been putting in work. I spend a lot of time working out too, so it’s even more obvious.”

He’s just trying to make conversation, that’s all. Nothing else. Cause Frank works out a lot too, he’s just being polite, filling an awkward silence.

That was what I was hoping anyway, but the way he was looking at Jessica, and increasingly the way she was responding, I could feel my anxiety beginning to get higher and higher.

“Mhmm, yeah, well. You’re not so bad yourself…”

Jessica stood and walked around the table, pushing past me and settling down into the seat Alicia had previously been sitting in. She moved the chair so she was even closer to Frank, having the side effect of blocking me out. It was a calculated little move, bringing her all the closer to the attractive, built guy while simultaneously blocking me out of the conversation.

“We could be gym buddies, you know? Really work up a sweat together.”

Jessica’s voice made her words a straight up proposition, as she leaned in close to Frank.

What the hell?? He’s got to turn her down now, this is insane.

“I’d love that. You know, you really look like you know how to move.”

Frank’s voice was so deep, a totally self-assured smile on his face as he shamelessly flirted back to Jessica. I felt my heart drop watching it unfold, a powerless, queasy feeling sloshing around in my stomach. Frank had always been so reliable, so kind. Like a modern day knight, but without the pretense of the nobility. Above all, he’d been honorable, and he the way he’d always seemed it was like he would never even look at another girl other than Alicia.

And now he was flirting with Jessica. Anyone could see she was hot, but living with her we were all aware she was a total bitch too. A bitch who would sadistically relish the chance to steal Alicia’s man, not just because he was so attractive, but specifically to hurt Frank’s sweet, blonde girlfriend.

The way I felt must have shown on my face, the horrified shock, the helpless fear. Jessica couldn’t see me, her back to me, even though she would no doubt enjoy it. Frank could though. His eyes flicked away from shamelessly roving over Jessica’s toned body and met mine, and there was something smug and alien and cruel in them, a world away from the Frank I knew.

It’s the skinwalker! It must be!

My eyes widened, and Frank’s grin turned sadistic. It knew I knew. And there was something more in his gaze now, a seeming challenge there.

“What are you going to do about it, Alex?”

Fuck!!

My knuckles tightened, going white as I felt a weightless panic in my knees. Of course that monster was going to go on the offensive, of course it wouldn’t have given me the benefit of time to try and work it out. Even hoping for that had been naïve.

So, what am I going to do??

Images flashed unbidden to my mind, horrible scenes of Alicia, freshly showered and so in love, walking in only to find her boyfriend flirting away with the girl who hated her.

“Oh, I do. I’m super flexible, and I mean, wow. When I tell you I have the best stamina of any girl I know, I really mean it…”

Jessica was basking in it, sensing she could say whatever she liked now. Her narcissistic little comments and the gloating way she flirted let me know just how much she expected to win here. If I didn’t do something, it wouldn’t be just flirting Alicia would be walking in on.