Vamp
Chronicles
DIARY OF A VAMPEEN
Book 1
by
Christin M Lovell
Diary of a Vampeen
Copyright © 2011 by Christin M Lovell
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*Note: Photo on the book cover is owned and provided by: http://free-extras.com/images/green_eyes-1587.htm
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This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This book is dedicated to my daughter, Kali. May your life be as rich as Alexa’s.
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
II Corinthians 3:18 KJV
Preface
I'd always wondered if the myths were true. Who got it right; who didn't? Were most recent Hollywood portrayals correct? Were all vampires gorgeous, pale specimens to be swooned over? Did they all have the same eye color and choice of human or animal blood for survival? Did they sparkle in the sun or were they prohibited from soaking up its rays due to a fire hazard?
Further back, when we relied on books, were the authors more accurate in their details? Did vampires sleep in coffins and wake only at night? Were they forbidden from entering churches, touching crosses and eating garlic? Was I truly safe in my home if I didn't invite them in? If I put a mirror in front of them, would a reflection be visible?
The list went on and on; so many questions I never assumed would be answered. They simply sat in the back of my mind; a slow curiosity that didn't agitate me, but I'd have loved to kill it.
Perhaps that's their appeal though. Because there was no conclusive evidence I could manipulate the image of these immortals (the only consistency in all the books and movies) to be whatever was attractive to me. My imagination was allowed to love an Edward, a Dracula or Lestat because nothing was concrete factually speaking about vampires... until my sixteenth birthday when I learned all but one of the above is inaccurate.
Chapter 1
I
knew he was different from the moment I laid eyes on him. Not
different in a paranormal or supernatural sense; just different. I
could tell he wasn't superficial like the majority of high school
students. He had a better grasp on life than most of us yet I didn't
understand how or why.
He was gorgeous standing there in all his glory. A buff body; strong, angular features that made his beauty harsh; he was hard, dark. He held mystery and intrigue. He was far from approachable yet his eyes, the most beautiful emeralds I'd ever seen, drew me in. His aura called to me yet his body language pushed everyone away. A red i-Pod nano was attached to the bulk of his bicep, a lure to his strength. It was pumping music through his earphones as our eyes locked from opposite sides of the hall.
"Hello?! Earth to Lexi!" Mel frantically waved her hands in front of my zoned out face.
He looked away, breaking eye contact with me. A second later he closed his locker and walked away leaving my heart racing. It took me a good minute to clear my head.
"Hello?! Lex!" Mel practically screamed my name for the entire world to hear and know. She's my best friend; I love her, but patience isn't her strong suit.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
"Yea, yea. Let's go so we're not late for class!"
"I'll see you later babe," Mike said, planting a quick kiss on my cheek. I instantly blushed.
I was still adjusting to the idea that fat, four-eyed, less than perfect skin me had a boyfriend. A wonderfully devoted boyfriend who called me beautiful while others announced my hips down the hall. I was curvy. Ok, so I was extra, extra curvy with a side of cottage cheese. I guess that explained the nickname "hungry hippo."
Cooper River High School is like all others. It has your jocks and preps, the kings and queens of the school who flaunt their perfection daily and make your inferior comparison public knowledge. Jason, the all American dream boy, a.k.a. the quarterback for the Riverdogs, and Jenny, the teen queen, a.k.a. the captain of the cheerleading squad, thought it was appropriate to attach the board game 'Hungry, Hungry Hippos' to my locker with cement glue. I was mortified. I guess you can understand why I decided to forgo the locker this year.
"Babe?" Mike prompted, interrupting my memories, while studying me closely. His brows furrowed in appraisal.
A smile slowly crept on my face as I looked in his eyes. "See you later."
"Oh God. Can we cut the mush and get going?" Mel was tapping her foot expectantly.
"I'm coming," I droned.
"Wow. There is a God," she stated rolling her eyes.
"Oh stop! I thought you were happy for me?" I teased.
"I was... until you started subjecting me to regular p.i.a." We were power walking to class by this point.
"P.i.a.?"
"Yea, p.i.a.: puke inducing actions."
"Ugh, gross." I felt my face wrinkle in response to her twisted acronym.
We raced through the door just as the final bell rang.
As I scurried towards my desk, I froze. There, two desks back from mine, was him. My breath caught and I knew, had I needed to speak, I wouldn't have been able to. As cliché as it sounds, he took my breath away.
Mel came to my rescue tugging me down in the seat behind her. "What has gotten into you today?!" she scolded in a rushed whisper as Mrs. Henderson, our ancient, highly eccentric teacher, approached the front.
I was irritated. I had never been stunned into a statue before. There was something about this new interest that stopped me dead in my tracks. I literally lost all train of thought simply caught up in the glory of him. That alone was highly unusual for me. I was never affected by outward beauty which is all I had to go on at this point. I’d learned the hard way that unless you were equally accepted by society as an ideal model of physical perfection, you never stood a chance. I never stood a chance, and I forced myself to be blind to the beautiful to avoid ever making a fool out of myself.
The rest of the period passed. Regardless of what I did, I couldn't shake Mr. Emerald Eyes from my mind. Fear momentarily reared its nasty head at the somewhat obsessive analyzation my thoughts were doing over him. I'm certainly analytical by nature, perhaps overly at times, but not to the point of insanity which was the steady job my dear head was angling towards over this new boy... no, man? It didn't fit him. I could tell he was an old soul, but I couldn't define him properly.
By the time I packed my stuff, Mike was waiting by the door.
"Hey babe," he beamed. "Mel," he spoke her name with disdain clearly on his tongue.
"Don't start," she snapped.
"So. You two going to Barnes and No-bell tonight?" he asked as I walked towards the door.
"Of course. You know we always go on Thursdays."
"Hmm. I'm thinking I could be in the coffee mood tonight," he smirked.
Mel rolled her eyes. It was justified though. Despite him being my boyfriend, when it came to outside social events, Mike was unreliable. I didn't mind though because I never attended social events unless you counted my weekly B&N run with Mel. Every Thursday night, come rain or shine, Mel and I went to B&N. It was a ritualistic gathering we'd been addicted to since our first trip in sixth grade, exactly a year after we'd met.
Apparently I'd left my body again because I returned to Mel and Mike arguing with me in-between.
"You are such a cocky bastard," Mel harrumphed.
"Sounds like you're jealous of my confidence."
"More like majorly turned off!"
"I didn't know you were attracted to me like that."
"I'm not you jerk!" She was steaming pissed. I could tell she was about to explode. Mike knew how to push buttons; not only buttons but boundaries, and for some reason he found Mel the most amusing to push around.
"Mike, please. Don't start," I pleaded, angling my eyes to do the same.
"Yea, Michael, don't start something you can't finish," Mel tossed in.
"Guys," I groaned. They were always fighting. I would have pulled my hair out by now if they each hadn't confided that they enjoyed the banter. They bickered like siblings all the time.
"Sorry babe," Mike pulled me in closer as we breeched the bus lines.
"Mel, is your Mom dropping you off or do you need my dad to pick you up?"
"I think she said she's dropping me off after she picks up Kyle from practice."
"Ok. I'll see you later," I waved.
"Later gator," she grinned as she walked towards her bus. Ironically, she and Mike rode the same one.
It was me who was alone; I was left to be tortured by the neighborhood kids who reinforced the 'hungry hippo' byline. My saving grace was the occasional times that Justin rode it. I was able to get lost in conversation with him rather than be forced to listen to their jeers.
"Want me to ride home with you babe? I can call my mom to get me later," Mike offered, pushing my hair away from my face.
"Thanks, but I'll be ok." I tried to plaster the best smile I could manage, but it was meager at best. He didn't talk about it, but Mike knew the way people taunted me. I was just grateful that he tolerated it while holding my hand proudly.
"'kay. I'll call you," he announced softly kissing my lips before leaving to rejoin Mel. Every time he kissed me, little butterflies fluttered about inside me. It wasn't an overwhelming passion that burst through my soul, but rather a simplistic enjoyment that kindled.
Luck was on my side. Justin was waiting for me.
Chapter 2
“Mom, are you home?” I called walking through the front door.
“In the kitchen!” she yelled back to me. I dropped my book bag and slid off my shoes by the door before skipping through the living room to our large open kitchen.
My mother was already preparing my dinner. We never ate the same meal or shared an evening at the dining table. It was our routine to go our separate ways. I took my plate into my room, usually chatted through my consumption on the phone with Mel, while she ate in the company of my dad downstairs when he returned home. By the time I retreated from my room my parents were typically snuggled together on the couch watching their crime shows.
After school was the official time I interacted with my mom daily. I normally sat at a barstool nestled to the granite covered island while she cooked my dinner. We discussed random topics pertaining to our day; reflected upon the one-offs of our lives. Despite our age difference and her formal approach to most subjects, I could talk with her about almost anything. The one exception to this would be boys.
She’s a part time real estate agent and my dad an engineer. I’d always been close to my mom since my dad tended to work long hours.
“So how was school today honey?” she interrupted my thoughts while stirring the contents in the pot.
“Egh. Same stuff, different day. We reenacted the start of the Civil War today in history. Coach got smacked a few times with our paper bombs which was assumptive with the project.”
“How did you do on your Spanish test?”
“Mom, I speak better Spanish than Mrs. Watson.” She clearly picked up on the twinge of mockery.
“I guess I should know better by now,” she beamed with approval.
“Of course,” I smiled. “Oh, Mel’s mom is dropping her off tonight so Dad doesn’t have to pick her up on his way home.”
“You may want to text him so he doesn’t go out of his way,” she advised. It still sounded strange to hear her mention the word text let alone imply it as an action to or with my dad. Since when did this communication form leak into the adult world anyways?
“Yes Ma’am!” I saluted. I quickly sent the text.
My mom, Sharon, was always a beautiful woman. I’d never met a woman with the same stature and beauty hold her mass appeal. I suppose the closest relation would be the late Princess Diana. She was dignified and classy yet still down to earth and approachable. I assumed that was how she sold so many houses, but her perfect body added to her success as well – most of her clients tended to be rich bachelors.
She carried an exotic aura physically that was muted by her size four, Joan Clever-esk appearance. She wore long dark brown hair that slightly waved as it fell, light skin and dazzling green eyes to match her full pink lips. It was in that moment, observing her beautiful eyes that he popped in my mind. I had to suppress a shiver just at the thought of him. His face, his eyes, so vividly and intensely glared at me within my thoughts. I shook my head returning to study my mother again.
I’d always envied my mother’s looks. Everywhere we’d go people stared at her and complimented her every move. As a result, I harbored body issues over the constant comparison. She’s the epitome of a m.i.l.f. according to Jason Kelly. (I wish he never saw her but couldn’t help that she sold his parents their house.) And I was the definition of a fat blob, or so I felt most of the time.
I was the odd one out in our family. My dad had an athletic build that matched my mother’s. His hair had peppered with grey the last two years but remained as thick and full as the day he married my mom. Add in his brown eyes, nice farmer’s tan and flawlessly balanced profile and they were the picture of perfection as a couple.
Every now and then my mom would try to do a “buddy workout” with me, but it never transferred to a routine. Though she’s concerned about my health, she never pushed me or hurt my feelings with overly ambitious attempts to guilt me into a diet. I loved that about my parents. They loved me but never smothered me with parental nonsense.
I chatted with my mother while eating at the kitchen island. It was a good change in scenery over my room. She mindlessly cleaned as she described her newest client – a former NFL player recently divorced and searching for a waterfront retreat near Folly Beach. She thought it odd he didn’t choose Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, but she never faltered when it came to giving her clients what they wanted.
An hour after I emptied my bowl of veggie pasta, Stewart, my dad, walked through the front door mid conversation with my mom over reality TV.
“Ready to go kiddo?” he asked as he strolled into the kitchen. He greeted my mother with a kiss.
“How did you know I was in here?” I pondered aloud.
“Lucky guess,” he winked.
“Ok, well let me find out where Mel is. She should have been here about ten minutes ago.” I hopped down from the bar stool and dialed her number.
Two rings later Mel answered with, “Open the door.”
“Hey! What took you so long?!” I blurted as soon as I cracked the front door.
“Kyle’s practice ran late.”
“You could have called you know,” I scolded as I dangled my phone towards her.
“Yea, yea. Tell me something new.” She pushed past me into the house but was visibly squirming, ready to escape.
“You ready to make like a banana and split?”
“Ok, really, that line definitely has to go,” she grumbled in mock horror.
“Yea, yea. I’ll work on it, scouts honor,” I goofed. “Now let’s go. Starbucks is calling my name.” I turned back to yell for my dad, but he was already shooing us out the door towards his car.
Naturally, with the money my parents had, they drove nice cars. My mother was partial to her 2006 white Mercedes CLK500 but my father recently upgraded to the new Mercedes GLK SUV. I’ll admit, they were very nice, but they felt overrated. A car was a car to me. If it got me from point A to point B without hesitation, then I was sure to be satisfied. Who needs a built in navigation system when you have a cell phone with GPS these days?
We loaded up and sat quietly as my dad drove us to the store. Routinely he dropped us off and then entertained himself at Best Buy down the road; they came to know his name as every Barnes & Noble employee knew me and Mel. But tonight he opted to go back home for a bit. I sensed something was off, but chose to hold my tongue.
“Call me when you’re ready,” he said as Mel began to exit the SUV.
“I will Dad.” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek across the threshold before we strolled into the store and straight up to the Starbucks counter.
“The usual tonight ladies?” Sam asked. She was the local barista every Thursday evening when we came in. She’s a college student with a punk-rock flair to her. She’s always friendly, melodramatic at times with her shared derision of the prepsters in our town. She tended to spark conversations with us as she prepared our drinks. Mel and I thought of it as the start of our night and our formal “Welcome to Barnes & Noble.”
“Of course,” Mel responded promptly.
“It’s on me tonight, remember?” I said as I swiped the debit card my parents gave me. My dad cautioned it was for emergencies only, but slowly they had placed a generous allowance in the account for me. Sort of sad I suppose since I’d never thought to touch the majority of the funds. I didn’t go out often and only used the money for literature, the occasional meal with Mel and Starbucks.
“Drinks are up! Enjoy!” Sam called.
“Thanks,” we said in unison. We unwrapped our straws and began sipping away.
“O.M.G! This is heaven on earth, I swear,” Mel sang as she swirled the ice around in her cup.
“Definitely,” I agreed. “Should we go books or magazines this week?”
“I’m thinking magazines. We need to get some good ideas on what to do for your birthday next week. Aren’t you excited?! You’re going to be sixteen! I bet your parents are going to give you a car! What do you think?” Mel squealed; she tends to ramble when she gets excited. I don’t mind though. It’s part of her charm.
“Umm… I guess. And I’m not sure what they’re getting me. They’ve been acting sort of weird lately. My dad has been home a lot more and my mom is just, well, I don’t know. Something is off with them.” I had made this observation over the past few days but questioned myself since I had a tendency to overanalyze things. Perhaps they were simply nervous about how fast I was growing up. It must be hard on a parent. And to make matters worse, I would be of the legal age to drive. My mother had always been keyed up to teach me but my dad was scared silly over the whole idea; he looked ready to have a heart attack the first time we mentioned it.
As we continued to walk, browsing the magazines, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of him. I could still picture his face as if he were right in front of me; his eyes piercing me like beautiful green daggers. I could still see the red iPod nano engulfing his buff bicep; the two together depicted his strength and withdrawal perfectly. I felt obsessive almost in the way my mind could so easily and perfectly recall him after only one day. That immediately turned to guilt when I saw the car magazine Mike was addicted to.
“Lex?” Mel had stopped and was openly studying me, a few tiny creases present in her forehead.
“Yea? Sorry,” I mumbled.
She rolled her eyes. “What do you think is up with them? You think they could be planning something?” she repeated, slowing her speech to ensure I caught her questions entirely.
“Um, I don’t know. They haven’t been secretive that I’ve noticed just overbearing in some ways. It’s nothing close to your mom but more than usual.” I shrugged and sighed, “Oh well. I guess I’ll find out soon enough. I only have a week as of tomorrow.”
“True. So what do you want to do next Friday?” I paused to think a bit as we continued to browse the magazine racks. I took too long apparently because Mel began rambling again. “I still can’t believe you aren’t having a sweet sixteen party! I mean your parents have money. It could be awesome. And not just awesome-awesome but like party of the century awesome! We could always do a belated sweet sixteen party though. What do you think?”
“Are you serious?” I half checked and half scoffed.
“Of course I’m serious! You only turn sixteen once. That and I still have another five months till my birthday. So for now I just have to live vicariously through you,” she smiled and pranced about as she spoke the words with a matter-of-fact sarcasm.
“Mel, when have you ever seen me go to a party in the last five years let alone throw one?”
“See, you’re long overdue. And I’m sure if you agreed to it me and your mom could plan it all out. You wouldn’t have to do anything but show up.”
“Thanks but I think I’ll pass.”
“You’re such a buzz kill sometimes,” she pouted.
“Yea, yea. Talk to me in five months when it’s time for your party. Have you given it any thought yet Miss ‘I always plan ahead’?”
“I’ve tossed a few ideas around, but until my mom nails down the budget I’ve got nothing but air to work with.”
We picked up a few fashion magazines and walked back to the café. We settled into our usual table against the wall closest to the counter. Mel could never keep quiet for long; I was surprised she lasted the entire drive without a peep. So it didn’t shock me when the magazines became the background to our conversation.
“Okay. So back track for me and re-explain why you think your parents are being weird on you.”
“I don’t know. They’re just off,” I shrugged continuing to flip the pages of Teen Vogue on the table in front of me.
“Off like how? Like in a weird-you-out kind of way or in a ‘oh our baby’s growing up’ way?” She tried to clarify, but I was lost on an exact description.
“Sort of both I suppose. My mom has been looking at me with this gleam in her eyes lately as if she’s anticipating something. That could be because I’m turning sixteen and she still wishes I was six though. And my dad, well he’s weird to begin with, but he’s been home a lot more. Oh and last night he gave me a hug before bed but he didn’t let go for like five minutes. I had to practically pry him off of me. Saying it out loud though I guess that could be in line with how old I’m going to be too.” I sighed and stared into space for a moment to rethink their actions over the past few days. They were different versus what was considered normal in our home, but not so far off base that I should have been suspicious of anything drastic to surprise me. They both shared the expectant gleam in their stares though and that slight fear of my impending birthday I’m guessing.
“Come to think of it, they are acting like I am going to turn sixteen and move out or leave them. Or maybe they’re planning to send me away. Oh! I never thought about that. Gran sent my mom away for a year when she turned sixteen; she sent her off to boarding school somewhere. You don’t think they would do that to me too do you?” Suddenly I was choking with alarm. Could it be possible? Would they really send their only daughter away to boarding school? I’d been such a good child in comparison to my classmates. I never whined or asked for anything above a weekly Barnes and Noble visit. I was open regarding my activities and life events. I talked to my mom instead of hiding away in seclusion like most teenage girls.
“Calm down Lex. I’m sure you’re overreacting. Your parents wouldn’t send you away. These are different times than the one your mom grew up in. I don’t even know of any boarding schools that still exist. Plus you’re their only daughter and no offense but you’re so not cut out for the whole Catholic school from afar thing.” She must have seen the worry lines that covered my forehead because she quickly added, “Ok. So maybe they could send you off to boarding school but I really don’t think they will. And if they do then I will personally harass them every single day until they bring you back.” She shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about life here without you!”
“Thanks.” I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of it.
I flipped through a few more pages sipping my coffee frappuccino between glances. It took me a moment of utter silence to recognize the strange feeling that came over me. It felt like someone was watching me. I looked up and scanned the nearby tables but found nothing out of the ordinary. There were no wondering eyes in our direction. I quickly gave up and returned to my fashion guide.
“That new kid is so strange,” Mel interrupted.
“Who are you talking about?” I asked while shaking my head in confusion.
“The new kid. You know the one from Spanish class. He’s sitting over there in the corner.” She tilted her head with a quick nod in his direction.
I turned to look at him and immediately blushed. It was the same guy from the hall and English who, as Mel just pointed out, also shared Spanish class with us. It was the one who’d haunted my mind randomly throughout the day and even moments ago. He was a quiet guy from the little I’d observed; he didn’t interact with any of the other kids, and aside from the whole tortured soul vibe, he was a good-looking guy. He stood at nearly six feet with dark brown hair. His eyes, again, the same bright green as my mother’s, though hers hinted towards hazel and his were more emerald. His jaw was taught and sharp in angle but not offensive or too direct. There was just something about him that drew me to him; something about him that I couldn’t shake or resist.
I started drifting into a daydream while my eyes lay fixated on him. He must have felt my gaze because he lifted his head and peered directly at me. There was no hesitation in his move as if he had a sixth sense. After one second of a locked glance I returned to Mel.
“Yea. He’s definitely weird,” Mel mumbled.
“Maybe he’s just shy. It’s his first week; cut him some slack,” I offered. I couldn’t believe I was defending him. I didn’t even know him, hadn’t even said so much as ‘hi,’ and was already speaking for him. Where was this coming from?
“Whoa. Someone’s a little touchy. Could that be because you have a crush?”
“Um... I don’t think so,” I replied laying the sarcasm on thick to throw her off the trail. Truthfully, he was attractive but I didn’t know him. All I knew was that he was gorgeous; he’s weird yet alluring. Regardless, I had a boyfriend and Mel knew that.
“What is he doing? Is he really coming over here?” Mel interjected in a rushed whisper.
I returned from my mindless thinking just in time to catch him walking towards our table. It was a Kodak moment for the expression on Mel’s face. I really wish I could have captured the pure divulgence her eyes depicted. She looked upset, cocky, shocked and shaken while retaining a friendly overlay. It would go unnoticed to the eyes of a stranger, but with me, I uncovered every hidden emotion her controlled glare gave.
“I have no idea,” I whispered back. He made his way to the table without hesitation greeting us with his eyes and a restrained smile.
“Hi, I’m Kellan,” he waved slightly as he introduced himself.
Mel was still unconscious, lost in her daze of shock and confusion, so I politely responded on our behalf. “Hi. I’m Lexi and this is Mel,” I spoke quite confidently…too confident. What’s wrong with me? I usually clammed up around boys; I was shy in their presence. I didn’t even speak to Mike until Mel forced me into the conversation two months after our first introduction.
“Nice to meet you,” he replied. He studied us as inconspicuously as possible as he stood before us.
I awkwardly stared at him, and that’s when it happened. I was lost, caught up in his beauty up close. It would only be a matter of time before my throat closed up and my body finally realized that I was talking him, the one dancing in my thoughts.
I guess Mel snapped out of her momentary fart because I heard her say, “Do you like everything so far?”
“It’s not too bad, just different. Weather’s nicer here.”
“Where did you move from?”
“Seattle.”
I couldn’t even begin to fathom the look on my face as their conversation continued. I was waiting in terror for the shaking uncertainty to hit me, yet it didn’t. I only survived non-choked conversations with gay men, Mike, and of course my dad; I was comfortable with them. Could it be possible that I was comfortable with this stranger before me? That’s never happened to me before but what else could it be?
Why was I comfortable with him though? He obviously belonged with the popular crowd based upon his looks, yet he’s much nicer than they were. His eyes, I couldn’t get past his eyes. They were the only thing approachable about him and shined in the same palate as my mom’s. Maybe it’s the relation between the two that controlled my confidence around him.
“Lexi! Lex, snap out of it!” It took me a several long seconds to realize Mel was speaking to me. I really needed to work on this whole over-rationalization of my thoughts in a daydream type manner.
“Sorry,” I offered with a quick shrug. I looked up to see Kellan watching me with interest. I felt myself blush and began running my fingers through my long, dark brown hair to avoid direct contact. Mel shook her head slightly with sarcastic disgust before continuing the conversation I obviously missed the majority of.
“So Lexi can’t seem to decide what she wants to do next weekend. She’s said no to a party.” She was quick to cut me slowly and dramatically with her eyes before resuming. “I personally think a party is an awesome idea, but to each their own.”
“Oh my gosh. You are so not going to let go of this thing are you?”
“Nope,” she taunted with over exaggeration of the ‘p’.
I sighed in defeat. “I’ll consider it.”
“Well good luck with planning everything. It was nice talking to you both. Have a good night.”
With that Kellan gave a quick nod and walked away. As he drifted away from us I couldn’t help but stare again. His form was ideal with each stride as his body emulated a model’s performance. He’s proportioned in a magnificent way. No part of his figure was out of balance like mine, and his voice just melted away every layer of protection surrounding me. It was masculine, slightly husky but still soft and melodic; it’s soothing yet manly. A soothing voice coming from a mouth of pearly white teeth and pouted lips that weren’t too big and weren’t too small.
Snap out of it Lexi! I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Here I was daydreaming of a guy I didn’t even have a chance with not only because he was ten times better than Jason in every way, but because I already had a boyfriend. That’s when it hit me. Maybe he liked Mel. That had to be it; he must have found her attractive. Why else would he have approached us here? I couldn’t blame him. She is beautiful. Long blonde hair, a golden tan and brown eyes upon a petite girly frame. If she wasn’t my best friend I would be jealous with hate towards her.
“Attention Barnes & Noble customers. The store will be closing in approximately thirty minutes,” Sam announced over the intercom.
“I suppose that’s my cue to call my dad.” I reached for my phone prepared to dial but was prompted to answer. “I guess he beat me to it,” I announced. “Hey Dad.”
“I’m outside waiting when you girls are ready,” he answered rhetorically though I hadn’t asked any questions.
“Um, ok. We’ll be out in a minute.” I closed the phone with a confused scrunch on my face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, it’s like I said earlier, they’re just acting weird. My dad is already outside waiting for us. He said we don’t have to rush but…” I trailed off.
“Stop overreacting. Nothing’s up. Let’s just go. We need our beauty sleep anyways.”
“Yea, you’re probably right. Let’s go.”
~~~
“How was your night?” my mother asked as soon as I walked through the garage door.
“It was good. Met a new kid from school,” I shrugged as I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Oh,” she instantly perked up. “What’s his name?”
“How did you know it was a guy?” I asked. My mother was fidgeting slightly. She never fidgeted. She was the epitome of patience and good manners, which fidgeting was not a part of.
“Just a lucky guess,” she replied. Again, the feeling that something was off flared within me. “So what is his name?” she prompted again.
“Kellan.” I studied my mother. She almost appeared nervous which was very unlike her. “Are you ok Mom?”
“Oh, yes,” she waved it off as nothing with her hand.
“Um, ok…” I was confused by her behavior. “Uh, I’m going to bed. Night,” I said before giving each of my parents a hug and retiring to my room.
My phone buzzed right as I crossed the threshold. I didn’t need to check the caller ID to know it was Mike.
“Hey,” I cheerfully answered, closing my door behind me.
“Hey babe. Have fun with Mel?”
“Always. What did you do?” I asked, sifting through my drawers for a pair of pajamas.
“Laid around and thought of you.”
“Nothing like laying it on thick,” I chuckled lightly.
“I’m only speaking the truth,” he continued. I knew he was exaggerating, but it was flattering nonetheless and gave my wilted ego a tiny boost.
“Give me a sec to change,” I said setting the phone down before he could respond. “Ok, I’m back.”
“Missed you.”
I rolled my eyes despite the smile spreading across my face. “You’re going to spoil me with compliments.”
“I’m trying.”
“I’m going to go to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“’kay. Sweet dreams,” he lulled, his voice taking on a husky quality.
“You too.” I closed my phone and plugged it into the charger.
Mike really was a great boyfriend, but when I closed my eyes, he wasn’t the one I saw, and certainly not the one I dreamed about that night.
Chapter 3
“What a crazy night that was last night, right?” Mel chatted on our way to second period - Spanish.
“Yea.” My thoughts immediately went to Kellan. He’d officially taken over my focus from the moment I woke up. I felt guilty with Mike because another man occupied my mind as we kissed that morning. I couldn’t shake this mysterious stranger. He was taking over my sanity.
“I wonder if Kellan will talk to us today now that the ice has been broken,” I pondered absently. I was silent in my wonder, but loud enough for her to hear.
“Ooh, I’ve got a crush on you,” Mel sang reading between the lines of my comment.
“Oh stop,” I rolled my eyes hoping to discourage her.
I secretly was hoping he would talk to us again though. He had this lure about him that was unavoidable. I longed for his masculine arms to embrace me and never let go, and I desired the touch of his soft supple lips with their faultless pout in a way that was certainly criminal. I hadn’t craved the touch of a male in, well, never to this degree. The alienation of the guys around me had left me sexually dull and lust-less until Mike stepped in, and, regardless of what any adult says or believes, teens have desires that cannot be subdued or redirected with education. Puberty and peer pressure are only part of it. Given my appearance though, and my label as an outcast, I hadn’t acted on anything; I submerged it deep inside. The most Mike and I had done was kiss. We hadn’t even progressed to groping while kissing.
As we walked through the door, I instantly scanned the room for him, but he wasn’t there. Amazing how a night of clambering over a person could make you recall the tiny details overlooked every day. I would be lying if I said my heart didn’t sink slightly at this realization.
Immediately guilt overtook me again. Mike was wonderful with me and treated me like a princess. He didn’t deserve the betrayal I felt I was giving him in some way, though I’d barely spoken to Kellan. I couldn’t help the instinctive attraction I had to him though. I couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. I had yet to decide if this was simply a lust lorded symptom or if there could possibly be more to him, but I knew I couldn’t pursue it without hurting Mike in the process.
Mel resumed the conversation as we sat down. “I kind of hope he doesn’t. I got this weird vibe from him. Something is definitely off about him.”
“I didn’t sense anything off or weird with him. I found him rather nice.”
“O.M.G. You so like him!” Mel yelled way too loud in the confined space of the room. She grinned wide before continuing, “I’m right aren’t I? You like him!”
“Shh! Lower your voice!” I demanded in a low hiss. “Even if I do, which I don’t, but if I did I wouldn’t want the whole world to know about it. Plus, I already have a boyfriend, remember?” I fumbled with my defense. Mel knew me better than anyone and had already clued in on my new interest though.
“Ok,” she smiled smugly. The final bell rang and we settled into our seats.
“Buenos dias class,” Mrs. Watson greeted us.
“Senor Bancroft, how nice of you to join us. Sientate, por favor,” she stated to Kellan as he rushed through the door. He was rushing but didn’t appear winded.
Mrs. Watson immediately began babbling on in Spanish about the proper use of verbs and adverbs in advanced sentence structuring. This lesson was nothing new for me since I lived in Spain for two years as a child.
My parents weren’t expecting me so soon after marriage. They had planned to travel for the first few years. My mother decided that my arrival shouldn’t stop them. So the first three years of my life were spent traveling.
We went everywhere from England to Chile to Russia. Australia was my dad’s favorite but my mother fell in love with the quaint seaside area of Basque, Spain, and that’s where I spent the next two years of my life.
I was three when we settled in and beginning to speak so my mother drowned me in the language and culture. Every two years my parents went back to the little village for two weeks. They had visited just that past summer and I stayed with Mel for those weeks. We’d never had so much fun together; of course, Kyle never wanted to see me again after the fifth day straight of pranking him.
“Senorita Jackson, de donde eres?” Mrs. Watson inquired amidst her lesson.
“De aqui, en Carolina del Sur,” I responded promptly. I was born here in Charleston and therefore was a ‘low country native’ as they called us.
“Muy bien, gracias,” she noted before continuing on to another student in the back.
I settled back in my seat but instantly sat up when I caught sight of Mel. “What’s wrong?” I whispered. I couldn’t tell if she was mad, sad or frightened.
She lifted her finger and pointed towards Sasha beside me. My gaze drifted towards the girl but found nothing out of the ordinary. She was doodling in her binder, but most of us did that at some point in class.
I turned back to Mel, her brows now furrowed deep as if she were concentrating on a strong thought. I didn’t bother asking but rather followed her eyes beyond Sasha to… Oh my! Kellan was staring at me with a smirk on his face. It was a taunting yet inquisitive glare that didn’t settle right with me. Now I knew why Mel was so uneasy. I squirmed in my seat the rest of the period and was grateful for the reprieve of the bell.
“What was that all about?” Mel demanded the second we entered the hall.
“You ask me like I should know.”
“I couldn’t even figure out if he likes you or not. One minute I thought he was mocking you, the next crushing on you and then poof! he was studying you like a math problem he didn’t understand,” she blurted. I shrugged it off though she was pretty accurate in her description.
I felt the buzz in my pocket from my cell phone. I checked the halls for any teachers before slipping it out to check. “It’s my mom,” I announced. She would never call during the day unless something was wrong.
Mel yanked me into the bathroom right as I answered. “Is everything ok? What’s wrong?” I panicked.
“Calm down sweetie. Everything is fine,” her voiced soothed me instantly.
“Oh. Ok. Did you need something?”
“Well, yes. You see we know Kellan and his family so I was hoping I could rely on you to take him out.”
“Out as in…” I was cringing on pins and needles.
“Perhaps you could invite him to the mall or show him the highlights of downtown,” she offered.
“Let me get this straight. You called me in the middle of the day, sent me on red alert for a favor. And that favor happens to be to ask a really cute guy that I barely know out. Did I get it right?” I laid the sarcasm on thick with a bit of dread stitched in.
“Oh sweetie. You make it sound horrible. Kellan is a very nice young man.”
“Mom, he’s going to think I’m asking him out on a date. Do you know how embarrassing that would be? Not to mention I already have a boyfriend.” Ok, maybe I was whining just a bit but her favor was social suicide. What if he said no? What if he didn’t… No. I couldn’t do it.
“Alexa,” she scolded slightly. I sighed. I knew it was coming. “I wouldn’t ask unless it was important. We’ve known Kellan’s family since you were an infant. This request is coming from his mother, not me. And you have a wonderful heart; you’ve always been welcoming to everyone. I know you will do a great job with Kellan. It doesn’t matter where you go with him, just that he gets out of the house for a little while.” Well, there you have it. She went in for the kill and won. How do parents do it? How are they able to perfectly twist the words to guilt you into doing what they want?
“Alright,” I officially surrendered.
“Thank you sweetie. I’ll talk to you later. Love you,” she perked up before hanging up the phone.
“Tell me you did not just agree to what I think you did,” Mel immediately cut in.
“That depends. What do you think I agreed to?”
“To ask some strange guy out on a date as a favor to your parents.”
“Oh, well then you would be right.”
“O.M.G. Wow. I totally feel your pain. That is the worst kind of punishment out there and you didn’t even do anything wrong,” she stated wincing in unison with me.
“Let’s just get this over with. Hopefully Kellan is at lunch,” I said as I turned on my heels to leave the bathroom.
“Wait! It’s him?!” she nearly screamed. I simply nodded my head. “I think we need to skip lunch and pray. Please tell me you carry pepper spray, kung fu moves I don’t know about, anything…”
“Shut up,” I laughed pushing open the door and nearly running straight into him. My eyes popped open in shock as I froze in place. I felt Mel trying to force me forward as she slid around me to see why I’d suddenly become a statue.
“Oh,” was all she said.
I began fiddling with my hands and rocking back and forth from side to side as if I didn’t just use the restroom before coming out. I was already embarrassing myself yet hadn’t spoken a single word to him. His green eyes just stared back at me expectantly. What happened to being comfortable around him?!
“Uh, sorry about that. We really… Um. Let’s get to lunch, Lex,” Mel grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the lunchroom.
“Ugh,” I groaned. “You saved my ass,” I acknowledged with relief.
“You owe me.”
“Yea, yea. I know.” I turned back towards the bathrooms, but he was gone. The hall was empty though we’d walked less length than what remained on his end to leave and I certainly would have heard the bathroom door from where I was. We were the only ones in this part of the building. He couldn’t have gotten to the exit that fast. Could he have?
By the time we got to the cafeteria our table was already filled. Only two seats remained for us. I took my spot next to Mike and Mel sat across from me next to Sara.
“What took you so long?” Mike asked once I settled in.
“Um. I’m sorry. Are you my new dad?” I responded sarcastically, on edge and upset at how I’d handled the situation with Kellan minutes before.
“No, I was just wondering.” He backed off like a scolded child.
“Well, to kill your thirst, my mom called and then me and Mel were chatting. That’s all.” I was always a sucker with my guilt and I instantly felt remorseful given his expression after my sarcastic chide.
“You mean Mel was talking and you were listening like a good friend, right?” he edited with a smirk in Mel’s direction.
“No, I mean we were both talking back and forth. Isn’t that how chatting works?”
“It does online. Not so much with you and Mel though.”
“I hold my own just fine, thank you.”
“Ok. Whatever you say babe,” he chuckled. Luckily he changed the subject. “So what are your plans for the weekend?” he asked.
“Um, well I don’t know. I have to do a favor for my mom,” I replied feeling awkward. I suddenly felt like I was on trial for murder; perhaps my conscience already felt guilty over agreeing to betray Mike in a way as a favor to my mom.
“Her mom is making her commit social suicide by asking Kellan out,” Mel chuckled. I shot her a dirty look. I couldn’t believe she blabbed to Mike of all people. It sounded wrong. It made it sound like I blatantly planned to cheat on him as a favor to my mom.
“Who’s Kellan?” he insisted.
“Just a new guy in a couple of our classes,” I answered. “Apparently our families go way back.”
“Well is this a group thing or are you two exclusive?” Mike’s voice held a bit of anxiety, yet he lifted his eyebrows suggestively.
“Mike, you know it would just be a friend thing. Please don’t make this any worse than it already is.”
“So it’s not a date then, right? I don’t need to go grab my boxing gloves.” He sounded off; add yet another person to the list of odd balls as my birthday approached.
“Not technically,” Mel clarified.
“It’s not a date at all and you both know it,” I corrected.
“Gosh Mel, why do you always have to gossip lies?” Mike jabbed towards her with a quick slap on the table.
“Oh give it a rest Mike,” she shot with clear, unstated frustration in her voice.
Mike turned back to me, “So you wouldn’t mind if me and a few others join you then?”
“Of course not. It’s just a friend thing like I said. I don’t even know if he’ll agree to go but I have to at least ask as a favor for my mom.” I was ready to change the subject immediately. This conversation was only making it seem a million times worse than it already felt.
“So where are you going to ask him to go?” Mike pressed. I glared at both him and Mel.
“You started this,” I scolded her.
“Yea. I’m sort of regretting that now. Mike, be nice,” she ordered.
He rolled his eyes at her. “I’m always nice,” he smirked. To make up for being difficult, he pulled me into his arms and kissed my cheek. I can’t explain why, but it didn’t feel right.
Mike stood a tall six feet and was built something similar to Kellan but not as chiseled. He had a farmer’s tan thanks to many hours in the sun skateboarding, clothing style to match his past time. He had brown eyes, medium brown hair that was grown out long enough for him to do a faux-hawk at times, and uneven lips; his top lip was smaller than his bottom, but still soft and defined.
The rest of lunch was rather uneventful. Sara and Sasha made plans to go to the mall Saturday, Mike talked aimlessly with Jared about something sports related, and Mel chatted with Justin over the fall play coming up at the end of the month. He was playing the lead in ‘Antony and Cleopatra.’ It’s a modernized version without all the nays and shalls though.
History flew by despite my lack of focus. My concentration was torn between Kellan and Mike. Kellan was ahead for the obvious reasons; I was extremely nervous about agreeing to ask him out. I was already wishing I’d never agreed to it, and I hadn’t even suffered through the rejection yet.
Though we sat next to each other in history, Mike didn’t say anything. Each time I snuck a peek his way he was staring at me. It wasn’t offensive, but made me uneasy. In all the time we’d known Mike, he always seemed like a loose cannon. His spontaneity was one of the things I loved about him though.
The bell rang and I rose to gather my blank papers. I was mentally occupied with my life and therefore had neglected the lecture entirely today. I slid my arms into my backpack and turned towards the door. I suddenly jumped back startled to have almost run into Mike.
“What’s up?” I asked, looking up at him.
“Um. Well…” he paused looking to be gathering his thoughts.
“Well?” I prompted cocking my head to the side a bit as I peered up at his seemingly dazed face.
“Well, I guess I’ll talk to you after school. I mean I’ll call you,” he fumbled to piece together.
“Ok. I take it you’re not walking me to my last class?” I chuckled softly. Why was everyone acting so weird?
“Um, did you want me to?” He seemed so unsure of himself. He usually walked me to every class with the exception of second period and that was only because his class was on the other side of the school.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to you later,” I offered as I made my way out the door to catch up with Mel.
“What was that all about?” Mel inquired once I was within range.
“I have no idea. Between my parents and Mike, even Kellan, I don’t know who’s acting more eccentric at the moment. It’s just been a weird day for me. Well, a weird two days if you count last night,” I noted.
“True. They all do seem a tad off when I re-examine the situations.”
“Is there a full moon tonight or something?” Even I was beginning to act strange. I was searching the halls and on the prowl for anyone else out of place or acting out of character.
“Not that I know of. Maybe the birthday gods are in motion right now,” she suggested with a smile. I chose to ignore her.
Moments later we took our seats having carefully avoided eye contact with any part of Kellan. I looked up at the clock to see how long I had before the final bell rang; I had roughly three minutes. Just enough time to ask him yet would be saved by the bell should he refuse.
I stood up and made my way to his desk. I started fidgeting with my hands right away out of nervousness. I’d never asked any guy, friend or not, out.
“Uh, hi Kellan,” I said.
“Hi,” he replied, staring up at me expectantly.
“Um, so I guess your parents know my parents and well my mom called me and I guess your mom wants you to get out more and so I was just wondering if you wanted to do something this weekend…” I slurred everything together in one breath as an extra-long sentence. I couldn’t even look at him. I looked everywhere but into his brilliant green eyes. I felt my cheeks color as I waited for him to answer. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. I was mortified. My mother definitely owed me after this.
A smirk crept up on his face as I continued to wait. He checked the clock and made me stand there and wait until seconds before the bell when he finally said, “Sure.”
I knew he’d done it on purpose. He had to have seen how uncomfortable I was. I cut my eyes at him as the bell rang and I made my way back to my desk. I was definitely ready for school to be over.
“Ok class. Today we are doing something slightly different. No new lessons; I am instead giving you this entire period to get a head start on your monologue due next Thursday. I don’t mind if you bounce ideas around in groups but there is to be no copying or plagiarism,” Mrs. Henderson stated sternly. “You may begin now.”