Page 13 of Shifting Forms For Clumsy Felines

"And it's illegal to be shifted on the street," Cyprus adds.

His words are all it takes to cut through the drunken haze and I force myself back into my human form.

"Whoa, a little warning would be nice," Cyprus mutters. "I don't want to accidentally see you naked or anything."

"That's not going to happen." I pull at the fabric of my dress. "Magic clothes. They're great. Especially when you don't want to end up naked in front of guys you...people."

Michaela raises an eyebrow and shoots a look past me to where Jeremy has also returned to human form.

"You really are clumsy as a leopard, aren't you?" he asks.

I chuckle nervously, feeling a little less drunk after my shift. My logic is sound, it's my actions that are a bit more questionable. "Would you believe me if I said it was the booze?"

"Do you want me to?"

"All right, you two, quit the flirting and let's not linger in case anyone saw you being all big catty," Michaela says, reaching out and hooking her arm through mine.

"We're not flirting," I protest loudly. "We're not."

"Mmhmm. And if you keep telling yourself while actually flirting like it's going out of fashion, then you're going to end up in bed with him by the end of the month."

A blush rises to my cheeks. "Will not."

Michaela sighs and draws me further away from the others who seem to have started a conversation about how awesome Jeremy looks shifted. I wish I hadn't been too busy falling over to see it.

"Do you really want me to go all truth bomb on you?" she asks.

"That depends, are you making it? Cause I've heard you're bad at that stuff." Oops, maybe I'm still drunker than I think I am.

To my surprise, Michaela laughs. "It's not a potion."

"In which case, bring it on."

"If you like him, you should stop messing around and do something about it. I'm not saying you have to marry the guy or anything, just go on a date with him or something. It's mean to lead him on."

My mouth falls open and I struggle to find the words I need. "I'm not leading him on," I murmur eventually.

"Maybe not on purpose, but anyone with eyes can see the two of you are into each other. The only person who doesn't seem to know is you."

"And Jeremy..."

"Oh no, he definitely knows." She tries to wink at me, but does a terrible job of it. "Drunk Michaela is here for the next few hours to drop all the truth bombs you needs," she promises.

"So if I want you to ever talk sense into me, all I need to do is buy you a few drinks?" I ask.

"Talking sense is something I'll do for free," she promises.

I shake my head in bemusement.

"Look, I like you, I like Jeremy, I don't want to see either of you get hurt, but you're heading that way if you're not careful."

"I'm not looking for anything serious."

"Famous last words," she sing-songs. "But you know it's not bad to be in a relationship."

"But it is if I want to focus on classes and cheering and..."

"Krissi," she says firmly, cutting off my rambling. "Aren't you here to have fun?"