Versus: Destined Rivals
Chapter 3
Vance exited the high school with a smile on his face. Mattie Rowe and Gillian Maldonado were walking in front of him, deliberating on what to do since school was over for the day.
“There isn’t shit to do. It’s a school night,” Mattie said. Mattie was a tall, slender girl, as tall as Vance, who had long curly black hair with dark colored eyes that almost looked fully black. They stood out from her mischievous face, making her already pale skin look milky in contrast with her hair and eyes. She usually wore clothes that clung to her body and shoes that were easy to run in, to سب, سب سے اوپر it off; she wore a leather جیکٹ that she loved very dearly. The other girl, Gillian, seemed to be the opposite. She was short for female. Her hair was short pale blonde and her eyes the palest blue. She dressed preppy, which contradicted her personality severely.
“I really don’t even feel like going anywhere with آپ today,” she کہا in a careless tone, a permanent mild look to her face.
“Why not,” Mattie countered. They were always on the verge of arguing.
“We could go to the Circle,” Vance suggested, who sauntered along behind them. The دائرے, حلقہ was a small clearing in the woods that Vance and his دوستوں hung out when there was nowhere else to be.
“No! I do not want to go to the Circle. Kevin will be there, and if I see him right now, I will rip off his-“
“Okay,” Vance drawled, placing a hand on Mattie’s shoulder. “We aren’t going to finish that sentence are we? Now,” he shouldered the two girls to the side to stand between them, and put his arms around both of them. “We are all going to the دائرے, حلقہ later on tonight, and آپ two better be there.” He kissed both their cheeks, chuckling when they jerked away from him with complaints. Then without saying anymore, he walked ahead of them, leaving them to talk over the arrangements for tonight. He spotted Aubrey headed toward her car and hurried over to the passenger side.
“Bre! I’m riding with you,” he کہا quickly and slid into the passenger نشست before she could object.
“No. No you’re not. Get your happy پچھواڑے, گدا out of my car,” Aubrey also slid into her نشست on the driver side, started the car.
“My پچھواڑے, گدا is only happy because it sees you,” Vance said, trying to keep a straight face, and failing.
“Vance! I told آپ at lunch, I’m not going ہوم right after school.”
“How is it,” Vance کہا to her in a casual tone, “that آپ are so courteous to offer your beloved دوستوں a ride to school on the first day, and then try to abandon them once everything is concluded? How can آپ be so inconsiderate, as to just toss your loved ones to the side like inconsequential pieces of revolting garbage?” He looked at her with a deadpan expression. She narrowed her light brown eyes at him and shook her head.
“I hate when آپ do that,” she muttered, obviously giving into him, and pulling out of her parking spot.
“Do what? Have a plausible reason why آپ are a terrible person?”
“When آپ use big words like آپ actually know what they mean,” she retorted. Vance chuckled and jokingly leaned over into her space with his mouth close to her neck.
“You love when I do that. It turns آپ on,” he laughed. She palmed his face with her hand and shoved him away.
“The only thing آپ can turn on now-a-days is a light switch,” she proclaimed with a smile. Dramatically, Vance feigned a shocked look. “I am utterly baffled سے طرف کی your apocryphal accusation.”
“Shut up,” Aubrey laughed, “before I push آپ out of the car.” Vance joined in her laughter, looking out the window now at the houses going by. Today was a good دن for him, which was saying much, since everyday seemed like it was a good دن for him. Seeing his old دوستوں again, like Reed, made him slightly happier than he had been all summer. Reed was his only friend who wasn’t like him; who wasn’t a vampire, but something entirely different. A werewolf, as he was told سے طرف کی his own friends. They wanted nothing to do with Reed یا any werewolves for that matter, and disapproved greatly of Vance’s friendship with Reed. The forbid Vance to tell Reed the truth about them, and to this day, Reed still didn’t know the truth about him and his friends. They hid themselves well, and covered up their tracks. Sooner یا later though, they’d have to اقدام again, just as they had moved to Hudson Arbor 4 years ago. It was hard for them to live in one place for two long. They didn’t grow old, and people would notice.
“Who was the girl آپ were talking to in 5th period?” Aubrey’s voice broke through to him.
“What girl?” He asked stupidly. He knew exactly what girl she was talking about, and he smiled.
“You know what girl! آپ came in the class, looked straight at her, and made a bee-line for the نشست behind her.”
“I did not,” he کہا defensively, knowing he did. He remembered doing exactly that, without a سیکنڈ thought.
“Who was she?” she asked again. They were at a red light now, and she had time to turn her prying eyes toward him. He stared back at her too, not wanting to answer. He failed, like always when they had there random stare contest, and smiled.
“Her name is Alina,” the name itself made him smile wider. “She is a new student.”
Aubrey nodded, pushing on the gas again as the light returned to green and کہا “She’s pretty.”
Vance’s eyebrows scrunched together at that. He thought Alina was beyond being just pretty. She was beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, enthralling, fascinating; he could go on and on about how Alina looked. He thought back to the moment when he walked in that class. He had just come from lunch, happy to have seen Reed again, disappointed to not find her there. Then, seeing her sitting there in 5th period, he didn’t think twice about going to sit near her. He remembered the way she smiled at him when he walked past, how it warmed him, and how that feeling was so foreign to him but liking how it felt anyway. Vance found that he couldn’t stop thinking about her all دن either. When he had seen her that morning with Dexter, it was like seeing her again for the first time. Her hair, her eyes, her smile all seemed new to his eyes, and those things stayed with him the rest of the day; even now, when he was sitting in this car with Aubrey.
“Yes, she is,” he کہا simply, and reached out to turn up the radio, just as The Black Keys began to play there song Tighten Up.
“This song is stupid,” Aubrey کہا in a childish tone.
“So are you, but I’m still listening to you,” Vance remarked, fiddling with a loose string he found at the hem of his shirt. Suddenly, the car jerked to a halt, and if Vance’s reflexes weren’t as enhanced as they were, his head would have slammed into the dash. His hands shot آگے to brace himself, at the cars abrupt stop.
“What the fuck, Bre?” Vance gave her a stunned look.
“That is it, آپ freaking dick,” Aubrey shouted angrily at him. “Get out right fucking now! آپ can walk home!”
“Bre,” he began to say but she cut him off with a sound that was barely human sounding.
“You get on my nervous so much! I just want to… ARGH! Go away, before I break your face!”
“Aubrey, I was just,” he tried again but no luck.
“Don’t say another damn word, just go,” she کہا in a strained voice, trying to keep her hot temper down. With a roll of his blue eyes, he sighed and opened the door to get out. Before he could even close the door, she sped off, and the door slammed shut on its own.
Standing there, he watched as her car went at over the speed and zip around the corner, leaving him stranded, 4 miles from the apartment they shared. Did he really want to run all the way home? He’d get there in a little over 20 منٹ if he ran at full speed the rest of the way, but then he’d waste some of the energy he was conserving. Then he’d have to go feed again, and it wasn’t time for that just yet. Running his hands through his hair that at the moment was to long for his liking, he looked around at his surroundings. There were houses aligned evenly, all with a drive way, which most were empty. The سٹریٹ, گلی was quiet and seemed vacant. He turned the opposite way of his and Aubrey’s apartment, and head back the way they had come. Maybe he’d bump into someone he knew and they’d take him somewhere with them. Vance was used to this. Not being forced to walk in particular, but Aubrey’s anger problems. She was the only female he knew who could get absolutely furious at the smallest thing and a few منٹ later be total fine. Everyone else was cautious around her. They all tried not to get her to that level, because she was capable of anything when she was angry. Vance was not cautious at all. It actually amused him to see her crack and all that pent up stress flood out, especially when she lashed out at him, and made up for it later.
As Vance strolled down the empty street, he had taken out his iPod touch, put in his earphones and turned the volume up to full blast. This was about the only thing that drowned out all other sound in the world. With his vampire hearing he could hear things from a long distance away and his earphones were the only solution that kept every other sound away. He pulled his ڈاکو, ہڈ up over his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, and let the موسیقی make its self his own person soundtrack. The only problem with doing this is that it, hearing was one of the major things that vampires used to protect themselves. Without hearing and with his ڈاکو, ہڈ pulled up and to block his side vision, he didn’t see the girl who was walking on the side walk parallel to him.
Finally deciding to پار, صلیب the street, without looking both ways he turned to walk into the سٹریٹ, گلی and stopped when he saw her glancing at him from where she was walking. He could see the relief flood her worried face at the sight of him, and he could feel his insides heat up at the sight of her.
“Vance,” Alina huffed out his name with relief. “I thought آپ were some creeper guy stalking me.” She placed her left hand over her heart, and smiled at him. Vance felt his mouth curve up in response.
“How do آپ know I’m not some creeper guy stalking you?” He asked jokingly as he crossed the سٹریٹ, گلی and stood in front of her. Alina’s green eyes narrowed, and she looked him up and down.
“Are آپ stalking me?” she asked. He chuckled at her apprehensive expression and shook his head, letting his ڈاکو, ہڈ fall down to reveal his tousled hair. “Good, because آپ don’t look like the stalker type,” she added with another smile.
“Thanks, I guess I will take that as a compliment.”
She nodded, looked down at the concrete and shuffled her feet awkwardly, then looked at him again. “So why are آپ stalking me again?”
Vance felt another smile coming on. “I was just walking. For all I know, آپ could have been stalking me.”
“If I was, I obviously wouldn’t be good at it, seeing as آپ saw me,” she laughed. Hearing her laugh made his bubble up in his throat, and he bit his lip to keep it down. She was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. The sun that was shining down on them made her eyes sparkle and her hair look shiny and healthy. And her skin, naturally tanned to perfection, look warmed and he suddenly yearned to touch her rosy cheeks.
“You live around here?” he asked curiously.
“Yeah, I do,” she answered happily, “Just a few blocks away.”
“Mind if I walk you? I mean… there are creepier guys out here than me.”
She thought for a moment then answered with a shrug, “Sure, why not.”
Together, that walked side-by-side on the narrow sidewalk, with their shoulders brushing together frequently. The دن was coming to the end; a red-orange sun was setting in the west, and the sky around it different shades of orange, pink, purple, and blue. It was getting ٹھنڈے, کولر too, and a slight breeze was coming through and sending long strands of Alina’s hair around her face. He watched as she freed a strand that had caught on her wet lips.
Those lips, her groaned mentally. He cleared his throat and spoke the first thing that came to mind. “How was your first day?”
She glanced at him, as if she just remembered he was walking اگلے to her, and shrugged. “It was good,” she answered simply. He realized now that she was not one of those girls who talked on and on about things. She was straight-forward, and he admired that. Although, that also meant he had to be the one who continued the conversation.
“Make some new friends?” he continued.
“A few, I guess,” she کہا looking straight ahead as she walked. He suppressed a sigh of indignation. How hard was it for him to talk to this girl? He’d talk to millions of girls with no problem, and they’d all complimented on how he was such a good listener, even when what they were saying could have been the least of his interest. And now he is with this girl, this girl who looked like any other beautiful girl (maybe مزید beautiful), and he couldn’t get مزید than 5 words out of her. Then, before he could think of something else to say, she spoke.
“So, you’ve been living here for a while? It seems like everyone knows آپ so well,” she looked over at him, waiting for his response.
“Only four years. I don’t know that many people,” he کہا humbly.
“I کہا everyone knows you, not آپ know everyone,” she corrected him. She didn’t say it in a demeaning way.
“Well… I guess. My دوستوں are the first ones to know about outrageous parties, so I have a lot of social time. But most of the time, I don’t even remember half the people I meet.”
“You remembered me,” she stated. She was looking at him with those large green eyes that he now loved.
“Of course I did,” he smiled at her. “We met in the weirdest way; of course I would remember meeting someone as gorgeous as آپ in a bathroom.” He saw a small blush collect on her cheeks, and heard her دل jump and speed up. He didn’t know what possessed him to say that, but he regretted it instantly. It was way too early to be throwing out lame پچھواڑے, گدا pick-up lines; he barely knew her. Before he could think of something else to say to break the awkwardness, she beat him to the punch.
“I’m pretty sure آپ know a lot of pretty girls. آپ seem like that guy.”
“What guy?”
“The guy who knows a lot of pretty girls,” she said.
“And why do I seem like that guy?
“Well, because آپ are. یا at least, that’s what I heard some people say. But they used a مزید offensive word. If I remember correctly, I think the word was ‘Man-whore’.”
Vance’s eyebrows rose, and he couldn’t help but let out a surprised laugh. “And آپ believe them?” he asked.
“Well, any other time, no. But I’ve seen you; the way آپ are with other girls. They all love you. آپ have the looks, the clothes, the right words, and the freedom. You’re a natural ladies man.” Alina was looking down at her feet as she کہا this, and he could tell she was trying not to look at him.
“You think I have the looks?” He smiled to himself.
“You know آپ are attractive,” she کہا accusingly.
“Yeah, I do know. I just like to hear people say it.” He was still smiling, and he heard her snort in response.
They walked in silence for a few moments, before she stopped completely. He stopped also and turned to look back at her questionably.
“This is my house,” she gestured to a two-story, brick house with white shutters and a red door. It looked very cozy and welcoming. In the drive-way was a mini-van, with its تنے, ٹرنک wide open, filled with grocery bags, and a short blonde lady struggling to manage the bags in her arms. There were also two younger children, boys, who were both carrying one grocery bag from the تنے, ٹرنک into the house. They looked similar to each other, with large brown eyes and pale blonde hair, and also looked close in age.
“Alina, you’re home,” the woman called over to them, arms full of brown paper bags. “Help us take these groceries in the house.”
Alina sighed and look at Vance. “Thank آپ for walking me home. Glad to know I was protected from creepy stalker guys.”
He grinned at her. “Glad to be of service. I’ll see آپ tomorrow?”
“Yeah, see آپ tomorrow,” she کہا with a final smile and a wave, then turned to go help the woman he could only guess to be her step-mother.
Also turning, Vance walked into the street, too much into his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the black مستونگ, mustang racing down the street. At the last منٹ he turned and saw it coming toward him, and jumped back, putting his arms out protectively as if he could stop the car with his hands. The car itself came to a screeching halt, not even twelve inches from his legs. Inside the car were three girls, three girls he knew very well, and they were laughing uncontrollably. Mattie and Gillian were in the car, the car he now recognized to be Kev’s, and they were acquainted سے طرف کی his other close friend Charlie Tanning. Vance looked back to where he and Alina had کہا there good-bye, and saw her looking at him and the car with a startled expression. Why did her eyes have to be so big and round?
Charlie stuck her مالٹا, نارنگی head out of the moon roof in the mustang, and called to him.
“Hey buddy,” Charlie exclaimed. Her voice was the sound of a small child’s. “Get your sexy پچھواڑے, گدا in this sexy car!”
Vance glanced at Alina again, and saw that her face was no longer scared for him, but confused. He gave her a wary smile, and then made his way around the car and slide into the back نشست اگلے to Charlie.
“Oh my god, best friend, I missed you!” Charlie wrapped her slender arms around his neck and squeezed while places kisses all on his cheek and forehead.
“Charlie you’re back,” he said, matching her enthusiasm and wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing his hardest.
“Yes, I’m back,” she shouted, squeezing his neck just as hard.
“I thought آپ کہا you’d be back yesterday. آپ missed the first دن of school,” he کہا letting go of her and looking into her childish like eyes. Charlie was all enthusiasm and excitement. On most days, she was bouncing off the walls and laughing at everything. She had long wavy, bright مالٹا, نارنگی hair, and eyes like an owl’s that were the most multicolored eyes he’d ever known. Blue, green, gray, brown, and even مالٹا, نارنگی where all there in her large irises. She was small, the smallest out of all of them, but she made up for that with her undying passion for all things.
“I had something to take care of in Ohio. I’m just glad to be back with all of آپ lovely people! I’ve missed آپ guys all summer,” Charlie grinned, her eyes so watery and big.
“I know Jack-Jack will be glad to see آپ when we get to the Circle,” Gillian said, looking in the mirror and fixing her already perfect hair.
“Oh, I’ve missed him the most,” Charlie said, clamping her hands together over her heart. Jack-Jack and Charlie were mates, and unlike Kev and Mattie, they really loved each other. They were the weirdest looking couple, but they made it work, and everyone adored their devotion to each other.
“I can’t wait to see him,” Charlie کہا longingly. “I’m going to kiss his face all over! Mattie, can آپ drive faster please!”
“We will get there when we get there,” Mattie کہا back to Charlie, but pushed harder on the gas anyway.
Vance leaned آگے and flicked Mattie’s ear.
“What was that for,” She yelled at him.
“That’s for almost running me over!”
“Oh, shut up. The car would have been in worst shape than you.”
“I know, but it wouldn’t have been good to run over me in front of a bunch of humans. Don’t آپ think it’ll be a little weird for them to see me get up and walk away after that?”
“Whatever,” she کہا menacingly. Mattie was his least پسندیدہ girl out of the four, although he loved her like he loved the others. It was just that, on most days she was in a bitchy mood.
“It’s okay, Mattie-Pattie, we could have just made the humans forget,” Charlie said, rubbing Mattie’s arm.
“It probably wouldn’t have work. The only ones who can do compulsion correctly are Aubrey and Jack-Jack because they are the oldest,” Gillian added, ever the pessimist. Vance remembered his first time trying compulsion on a human. It didn’t work well, and the human ended up remembering again a few hours later. He was the youngest, so he wasn’t as strong as the others who were older and had مزید experience. He hated to admit that he was the weakest.
Charlie shot a look at Gillian, then put her attention back on Mattie.
“We would have figured something out, I’m sure,” Charlie said, mainly to herself, as she played in Mattie’s hair. Charlie was the optimist of their group. Vance loved her the most. She always made him feel better in his dark moments. But, Charlie was also the most observant.
“So, Fancy-Vancy, who’s the girl?” She turned her wide kaleidoscope eyes to him.
Vance smiled despite his attempts not too. “Alina Brady,” he answered for the سیکنڈ time today.
“Oh… that smile!” she gushed at him. “So, she’s different from other girls, right? Because with other girls, آپ didn’t smile like that.” Charlie reached out and pinched one of his dimpled cheeks, which made him smile even more.
“I’m not with her, Charlie,” Vance said, feeling a little weird at how embarrassed he was to say that. “I was just being a gentleman and walking her home.”
“You’re never a gentleman,” Gillian کہا in a flat tone.
“Vance is to a gentleman!” Charlie exclaimed, a pained look on her small face. Vance placed his hands on her shoulders, “It’s okay, Gillian just needs to get laid, that’s all.”
Gillian flipped him the bird with turning around, and sat quietly looking out the window.
He chuckled and sat back, letting Charlie snuggle اگلے to him and put her head on his shoulder.
“We need to make this سال The Best سال Ever,” Charlie کہا to him in a low voice.
“I think it is,” Vance remarked, gazing out the window with lowered lids, and honestly, he believed it.
* * *
Alina watched as the black مستونگ, mustang disappeared around the bend in the road and turn to walk to her step-mother standing near the mini-van.
“Who was that?” asked the Rebecca in her usual shrill voice.
“Just a friend,” Alina کہا simply, and grabbed a few bags, walking swiftly away before Rebecca could ask any مزید questions. Once, inside, Alina slipped on something that was smeared on the floor, almost dropping the bags she was carrying. She hurried in to kitchen, set the bags on the counter and turned to examine the floor. There was a whole carton of eggs smashed and scattered on the floor. Standing a little away, Kyle and Nile, Alina’s seven سال old twin brothers, stood, looking at her with large brown eyes.
“We didn’t mean too,” Nile insisted.
“The bag tore,” Kyle added. Alina sighed and looked back at the mess.
“It’s fine; just don’t drop anything else okay?” They both nodded and hurried off, and Alina knelt down and started to pick up the cracked eggshells. Just as she was doing this, Rebecca came in and spotted her.
“Oh God, Alina; if I knew you’d be this clumsy, I would have passed on your offer to help.” Rebecca looked down her nose at Alina.
“But I didn’t-“ before Alina could finish, her sister Tori came stomping in the door.
“Mom,” she groaned, “I hate walking. It hurts me feet. Why can’t آپ drive me anymore?”
“Because if I drive you, then I’d have to drive Alina too,” Rebecca stroked Tori’s hair and gave a fake smile to Alina. Tori didn’t smile at all.
“Thanks a lot, Cinderella, now I’m going to have to soak my feet every night to prevent calluses.” Tori gave Alina a stingy look and stomped up the stairs in her high heels. Alina rolled her eyes and stood up to go throw away the eggshells. In the kitchen, the گیراج door opened and her dad slipped in.
“Hey, sweet-pea,” He greeted her with a warm smile and came to kiss her on her forehead.
Her father, Ronald, was a very handsome man; the perfect blonde. He reminded her of a Ken doll, with his perfect blonde hair, his perfect smile, and his perfect blue eyes. She could see why her mother fell head over heels for him, but she couldn’t see why she had turned down his marriage proposal. From all the stories her mother had told Alina, Haley and Ronald were very much in love. And when Haley had gotten pregnant with Alina, Ronald had proposed. Alina’s mother never told her why she had turned down her father, and she still didn’t know.
“How was your first day?” He asked her casually, placing packages on the counter in the middle of the kitchen.
“It was fine,” she answered, paying مزید attention مزید to the packages. “What’s all that?”
Ronald smiled his perfect smile, “I have great news!”
“Well what it’s it, Dad?” Before he could answer, Rebecca came in with the last of the groceries.
“Hello, Honey,” she greeted him and places a kiss on his well shaven cheek.
“Hello. How was your day,” he asked her like he always did when he came home. And like every other day; she answered with “Productive, and yours?”
“It was amazing, absolutely wonderful. I got a promotion!” His gleaming grin returned to his face. “I’m going to be getting paid a lot مزید now,” he continued, “So I went out and bought آپ guys some things as a celebration.”
He grabbed a large, black box from the counter, which a very fancy white ribbon tied around it. He handed it to Rebecca, and she looked down at it with pleasurable surprise. Then she turned, and rushed into the living room to open her new gift. With a happy smile, Ronald turned toward Alina and nodded his head toward the garage.
“Come on, yours is still in the car.” A jump of excitement took place in Alina’s abdomen, and she walked with her dad out to his car. Walking around the car, she peaked in the back seat, and was disappointed not to see it. Ronald popped the تنے, ٹرنک and called her over.
“Now, I know when آپ were living with your mother, آپ took گٹار lessons and were pretty good at it, so I thought maybe آپ could continue your lessons here, with your own.”
Alina squealed with joy. In the تنے, ٹرنک laid a shiny black guitar, gleaming with newness and waiting to be played with delicate knowing hands. Bubbling with happiness, Alina threw her arms around her father’s neck and squeezed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she کہا excitedly, and turned back to gaze at her new guitar. With careful hands, she picked the گٹار up from the trunk, and ran her hands over the smooth surface of it. Then, with a rush of eagerness, she held the گٹار with a firm grip and dashed into the house. “I love you, Dad,” she called out before she was out of his sight. Almost slipping on the egg mess still on the floor, she kept her balance and ran up the stairs to her room at the far end of the long upstairs hallway.
Once in her room, she went a sat on the small cushioned bench that was right in front of her window. She loved her window مہر seat, where she could look out in the back yard, and watch the sun as it set. Right now, she had her new گٹار positioned on her lap, testing the tuning, as the مالٹا, نارنگی sun warmed her back. Knowing that the tuning was perfect, she began to play a simple cord, trying remembering all the things her mother had taught her. Like always when she thought of her mother, her chest got tight, and tears threatened to blur her vision.
“A guitar, really? Trying to be the اگلے Kelly Clarkson?”
Alina looked up from the گٹار to find her sister leaning against her door frame with her arms crossed over her small chest. Her brown eyes always held hostility when she looked at Alina, and Alina knew her own eyes held some sort of dislike too. Her mood had switched from grief to annoyance at the site of her superficial, self-righteous, attention seeking sister.
Alina ignored Tori’s تبصرہ about her guitar. Instead, she asked “What did Dad get you?” with the fakest smile she could conjure up.
“The best cosmetics money can buy,” Tori answered smugly.
“Good,” Alina nodded, “you definitely need it.”
Tori’s eyes sparked with anger, but then she reined it in, shrugged and کہا back in her usual snooty voice, “From what I see, I’m not the only one.”
Alina laid her گٹار gentle beside her, and then looked back at Tori. Her very slender body was still leaning casually against the door frame, and her blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun. She looked very much like her mother, Rebecca, which to be honest, wasn’t very bad looking. It was just Tori’s personality is what made her unattractive in Alina’s eyes.
“Maybe آپ should eat some of that make-up; make your inside match the outside.” Alina waited for Tori’s come back, but she didn’t hear it as the twins came scrambling into Alina’s room, while they both struggled to carry a very large box.
“Lina, look what Daddy brought us,” Kyle کہا excitedly. He and Nile placed the large box down on the rug to let Alina observe it. One the box was a picture of a large wrestling rink, with a cage and all sorts of little toy action figures that went with it.
“Can آپ help us put it together?” Nile asked her with large کتے dog eyes. She could never say no to them when they gave her those eyes.
“Yes, I would be honored,” Alina said, sliding down on the floor اگلے to them, helping to get the box open.
“Want to help us too, Tori?” Kyle now gave Tori his own کتے dog eyes, and just like everyone else; she had a soft spot in her دل for these two adorable little boys.
“Sure,” she gave in then added, “But only for a little while. I have stuff to do.” She too came and knelt down to help assemble the wrestling rink.
To Alina’s surprise, it was actually harder than she expected, and she and Tori bickered to each other about which pieces went where. They could have been sitting there all night trying to put that thing together if their father hadn’t come to get them for dinner.
“There آپ guys are, I’ve been searching everywhere for you,” Ronald کہا sticking his head in her door and smiling at them sitting on the floor.
“Daddy, look! We are almost done,” Nile said, pointing excitedly at the semi built wrestling rink.
“Oh, look at that,” Ronald places his hands on his hips, “You guys are getting it done.” He chuckled then gestured for them to come. “Let’s take a break from that and get washed up for dinner. We are having meat loaf.”
He chuckled again at the twins complaints, and continued. “Don’t fear the infamous meat loaf, children. I made it this time.” Then playfully, he came and scooped up Kyle and Nile in his strong arms, throwing them both over each of his shoulders and strolled out with them laughing like maniacs.
Finally, after washing up and running around getting the food to the table, everyone settled down for رات کے کھانے, شام کا کھانا in the dining room. Food was passed around, and the twins very skillfully avoided any vegetables passed their way, until Rebecca noticed and put small piles of mash-potatoes and green beans on their plates. Ignoring their complaints, she sat back down and began to eat her own food. Ronald asked the twins how their first دن of سیکنڈ grade was, and everyone listened to the twin’s story of how a girl peed her pants, and about the boy was eating paper. Then his attention shifted to Tori and Alina, and he asked how Tori’s first دن of high school was.
“It’s all the same. Not much different from junior high. Plus a lot of my دوستوں are there, so it’s like nothing’s changed really,” Tori answered, forking a single green سیم, پھلی into her mouth.
“What about you, Alina? How’s the new school?”
“It’s… new. But it’s okay. The other students are nice enough, and the classes seem easy.”
“That’s good,” he nodded, his eyes on his mash-potatoes.
“A boy walked Alina ہوم from school today,” Rebecca added in randomly. Alina, glances at her from across the table, and saw that she was not even looking at her.
“A boy,” Ronald said, his blonde eyebrows going up, making his forehead wrinkle. “Was it a cute boy?” He asked jokingly, and smiled at Alina. She smiled back awkwardly, and looked down at her plate.
“Yeah, I guess so. He was just being polite,” she responded, stabbing her meat loaf with her fork.
“What’s his name?” He asked curiously.
“Vance. I think his last name is Hutcherson. We have fifth period together.”
“Do آپ like him?” He asked wiggling his eyebrows.
“No Dad, I just met him!”
“I was just asking, calm down,” He smiled then looked back at her, “Could آپ like him?”
“Dad,” she said, giving him a look that meant for him to stop talking. He chuckled and shoved some meat loaf into his mouth.
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Rebecca took the twins to take their baths and tuck them into bed. Ronald went to his office to work on something that Alina didn’t even try to understand when he explained it to her. Tori went into the living, flipping through channels, yapping on the phone to one of her friends. Alina herself went up to her room, passed the unfinished wrestling rink still on her floor, and into the bathroom that was connected to her and Tori’s bedrooms.
After a long shower, Alina finally returned to her bedroom and flopped down on the bed, towel still wrapped securely around her, and her hair up in a wet messy pony-tail.
She felt as if she were too tired to get dressed, so she just crawled under the covers and laid there on her stomach, not caring if her hair got her pillows wet. A few thoughts about school, about her new guitar, about her mom, and she was asleep.
* * *
It had been two hours, and Mattie and Kev had not returned from their retreat into the woods surrounding the clearing.
“I think they are… ‘Making-up’,” کہا Hunter, emphasizing making-up.
“She could be killing him,” Gillian suggested, who was sitting closely اگلے to Hunter on a blanket he had brought. Vance was the only one who thought Gillian and Hunter had some sort of thing going on between them. When he voiced his thoughts to Aubrey, she told him he was a dumbass and that there was nothing with those two.
“No way. If anyone is killing, it would be Kev. آپ should have seen how pissed he was when we got back to his place and he found his car not in the garage.” Chase was pacing back and forth, as restless as ever. Chase was a strange guy. آپ wouldn’t see that if آپ just glanced him, but after a few hours with him, you’d سوال if his mind was in the same universe as yours. Right now, as he was pacing back and forth, searching the ground for small twigs. For what reason, Vance didn’t know, but he was use to Chase’s strange actions.
“Chase, Hun, could آپ stop walking back and forth, you’re making me nervous.” Charlie, sitting اگلے to Jack-Jack, was watching Chase.
“I have to find a very small stick first- Oh, I got one.” He bent down swiftly, pinched a stick as thin as a toothpick between his fingers then sat down right where he’d been standing. The آگ کے, آگ they had going was reflecting off of his mahogany colored messy hair as he bent his head and placed the array of twigs together like a puzzle to create something Vance couldn’t make out.
“It’s getting late guys,” Aubrey spoke from behind Vance. “I think we should head ہوم now.”
“Since when is two in the morning late for us?” Hunter looked at Aubrey with a sort of smirk.
“Since I haven’t slept in three days, and the last time I fed was two weeks ago,” she returned Hunter’s smirk, then when he blow her a kiss she flipped him the middle finger.
“Okay well, let’s get miss bipolar home,” Vance کہا standing up from his spot on the blanket he and Aubrey shared in front of the fire. “Are آپ coming with us, Chase?”
Chase didn’t answer. He was gazing up at the starry sky, deep in thought.
“Hey, Chase! Come back to us man,” Vance called to him, chuckling.
Chase snapped out of it and looked at Vance questionably.
“You’re coming ہوم with us, let’s go,” Aubrey ushered him up.
“Oh good! I don’t want to stay of Kev’s. Especially if he and Mattie are going to be ‘Making- up’,” Chase mimicked Hunter, then turned his back to Aubrey and کہا to her “Hop on, Madame. I will get آپ ہوم safely.”
“Oh, such a gentleman,” Aubrey responded in a bad fake southern accent, then climbed on Chase’s back and they made their way toward Aubrey’s car.
“Oh سے طرف کی the way,” Gillian spoke up. “Liam is coming in a few weeks.”
Charlie and Jack-Jack made sounds of indignation from where they still sat cuddled. Hunter groaned and rolled his eyes. Chase کہا “Ew,” involuntarily, and on his back, Aubrey squealed with happiness. Vance didn’t vocalize what he felt about this news, but he could feel the usual loathing settle in whenever Liam’s name was brought up. Liam was the only person to ever get under Vance’s skin the way he did. Just the sight of him made Vance want to rip his head off. Everyone کہا Vance and Liam were opposites, even though he couldn’t see how.
“Why is he coming?” Charlie sat up and looked at Gillian. “You know how we feel about him. We don’t like him.”
“Hey, I like him,” Aubrey proclaimed.
“We know,” everyone کہا in unison.
“Well, Aubrey doesn’t count. She’s a whore,” Jack-Jack said, the only biological brother Aubrey ever had. Charlie elbowed him, and then before Aubrey could go off on a tyrant, she continued, “I mean most of us don’t like him. He only cases problems.”
“It’s not like I can tell him not to come,” Gillian responded. “He does whatever he wants.”
“Whelp,” Hunter said, “Everyone hide your humans.” He laughed and laid down on his back.
“I’m glad he is coming,” Aubrey announced. “You guys are boring me. We need some shit to happen around here. This is our last سال in this town. Let’s go out with a bang!”
“You guys can expect not to see me when he gets here,” Vance کہا to his friends, and then turned to leave the clearing.
The ride ہوم from the دائرے, حلقہ was quiet, and even as Chase, Aubrey, and Vance made their way up to the very expensive apartment Aubrey and Vance shared, they کہا nothing. They all could admit they were a little tired, and rest would be best for all of them. Once inside, Vance made a bee-line for his بستر room all the way at the end of the long narrow hallway. He closed the door behind him and without removing any clothing, not even his shoes, he flopped down on his huge king size بستر and stared at the glowing stars that he had put all over his ceiling. For the millionth time that day, the brown-haired, green-eyed beauty danced into his mind again. He smiled to himself as his mind reeled through the different possibilities that could have played out with Alina if he’d done things differently.
Maybe tomorrow, he thought pleasantly as he slowly drifted into a pleasurable dream state. But before he was all the way there, his door creaked opened, and a blonde goddess creep into his بستر room, wearing only a very baggy t-shirt that came down to her lower thighs like a dress. She laid اگلے to him, snuggling close and placed small kisses on his jaw line and neck.
“What are آپ doing in here Bre?” Vance asked her sleepily, pulling her closer despite his question.
“I let Chase have my bed. He fell asleep immediately. I’m bored, Vance. Entertain me.” She continued to kiss his neck, and her hand snaked up under his shirt.
“I thought آپ کہا آپ were tired.” His eyes were open to only slits, but he could see the moon light shine in from the window and bleach her hair to platinum. He ran is hand from her shoulder, down the expanse of her back and over her butt. She let out a sigh of content, and then whispered softly, “I am really tired. But I need someone to put me to sleep.”
“You want me to rock آپ to sleep,” he chuckled softly, still running his hand up and down her back side.
“You know that’s not what I mean.” To emphasize, she nibbled his ear playfully, then his neck, harder. He groaned softly, and then rolled over to look at her. Aubrey was a lot of things to him. His creator, his best friend, his rival, but most of all, she was his friend with tremendous benefits.
“Bre,” he drawled, “I’m tired.”
“But I’m bored,” she whined. Then she grabbed his face between her hands and pulled him in for a kiss. He let her kiss him, but he did not kiss her back. She made a sound of annoyance, then with all her strength that آپ would never think she had, she pushed him over on his back and was on سب, سب سے اوپر of him instantly. She kissed him again on the mouth, and again her hands went under his shirt, lifting it to reveal what was underneath. He let her lift the شرٹ, قمیض up over his head, and he let her kiss his chest, but he didn’t اقدام to دکھائیں her that he was into it. She sat up, looking down at him and his naked torso. She thought for a moment, then without preamble, she lifted her own شرٹ, قمیض off, and reveal and black lacy bra.
Vance smiled, but didn’t move. She ran her hands over his torso, “You are going to give me what I want.” As she reached for his hands, behind her in the door way, Chase stumbled in, holding a very colorful, very big bong.
“Hey, guys, does this thing actually work?” Chase looked at them, Aubrey sitting on سب, سب سے اوپر of Vance, and he didn’t even blink.
“Chase! آپ freaking idiot!” Aubrey hopped off the bed, and ran past Chase out of the room, pushing his aside. Chase looked innocently at Vance with his light green eyes, “Oh, Did I interrupt something?”
Vance couldn’t stop the laugh that broke free from him, and he brought his hands up to his face, muffling his laughter. Then he sat up and looked at Chase. “Nah, آپ didn’t.”
Vance stood up and went to take the bong from Chase, and answered his earlier question.
“I don’t know if it works… want to go find out?”
“Hell yeah,” Chase grinned, and then turned to walk into the living. Vance followed him, stilling laughing.
Chapter 3
Vance exited the high school with a smile on his face. Mattie Rowe and Gillian Maldonado were walking in front of him, deliberating on what to do since school was over for the day.
“There isn’t shit to do. It’s a school night,” Mattie said. Mattie was a tall, slender girl, as tall as Vance, who had long curly black hair with dark colored eyes that almost looked fully black. They stood out from her mischievous face, making her already pale skin look milky in contrast with her hair and eyes. She usually wore clothes that clung to her body and shoes that were easy to run in, to سب, سب سے اوپر it off; she wore a leather جیکٹ that she loved very dearly. The other girl, Gillian, seemed to be the opposite. She was short for female. Her hair was short pale blonde and her eyes the palest blue. She dressed preppy, which contradicted her personality severely.
“I really don’t even feel like going anywhere with آپ today,” she کہا in a careless tone, a permanent mild look to her face.
“Why not,” Mattie countered. They were always on the verge of arguing.
“We could go to the Circle,” Vance suggested, who sauntered along behind them. The دائرے, حلقہ was a small clearing in the woods that Vance and his دوستوں hung out when there was nowhere else to be.
“No! I do not want to go to the Circle. Kevin will be there, and if I see him right now, I will rip off his-“
“Okay,” Vance drawled, placing a hand on Mattie’s shoulder. “We aren’t going to finish that sentence are we? Now,” he shouldered the two girls to the side to stand between them, and put his arms around both of them. “We are all going to the دائرے, حلقہ later on tonight, and آپ two better be there.” He kissed both their cheeks, chuckling when they jerked away from him with complaints. Then without saying anymore, he walked ahead of them, leaving them to talk over the arrangements for tonight. He spotted Aubrey headed toward her car and hurried over to the passenger side.
“Bre! I’m riding with you,” he کہا quickly and slid into the passenger نشست before she could object.
“No. No you’re not. Get your happy پچھواڑے, گدا out of my car,” Aubrey also slid into her نشست on the driver side, started the car.
“My پچھواڑے, گدا is only happy because it sees you,” Vance said, trying to keep a straight face, and failing.
“Vance! I told آپ at lunch, I’m not going ہوم right after school.”
“How is it,” Vance کہا to her in a casual tone, “that آپ are so courteous to offer your beloved دوستوں a ride to school on the first day, and then try to abandon them once everything is concluded? How can آپ be so inconsiderate, as to just toss your loved ones to the side like inconsequential pieces of revolting garbage?” He looked at her with a deadpan expression. She narrowed her light brown eyes at him and shook her head.
“I hate when آپ do that,” she muttered, obviously giving into him, and pulling out of her parking spot.
“Do what? Have a plausible reason why آپ are a terrible person?”
“When آپ use big words like آپ actually know what they mean,” she retorted. Vance chuckled and jokingly leaned over into her space with his mouth close to her neck.
“You love when I do that. It turns آپ on,” he laughed. She palmed his face with her hand and shoved him away.
“The only thing آپ can turn on now-a-days is a light switch,” she proclaimed with a smile. Dramatically, Vance feigned a shocked look. “I am utterly baffled سے طرف کی your apocryphal accusation.”
“Shut up,” Aubrey laughed, “before I push آپ out of the car.” Vance joined in her laughter, looking out the window now at the houses going by. Today was a good دن for him, which was saying much, since everyday seemed like it was a good دن for him. Seeing his old دوستوں again, like Reed, made him slightly happier than he had been all summer. Reed was his only friend who wasn’t like him; who wasn’t a vampire, but something entirely different. A werewolf, as he was told سے طرف کی his own friends. They wanted nothing to do with Reed یا any werewolves for that matter, and disapproved greatly of Vance’s friendship with Reed. The forbid Vance to tell Reed the truth about them, and to this day, Reed still didn’t know the truth about him and his friends. They hid themselves well, and covered up their tracks. Sooner یا later though, they’d have to اقدام again, just as they had moved to Hudson Arbor 4 years ago. It was hard for them to live in one place for two long. They didn’t grow old, and people would notice.
“Who was the girl آپ were talking to in 5th period?” Aubrey’s voice broke through to him.
“What girl?” He asked stupidly. He knew exactly what girl she was talking about, and he smiled.
“You know what girl! آپ came in the class, looked straight at her, and made a bee-line for the نشست behind her.”
“I did not,” he کہا defensively, knowing he did. He remembered doing exactly that, without a سیکنڈ thought.
“Who was she?” she asked again. They were at a red light now, and she had time to turn her prying eyes toward him. He stared back at her too, not wanting to answer. He failed, like always when they had there random stare contest, and smiled.
“Her name is Alina,” the name itself made him smile wider. “She is a new student.”
Aubrey nodded, pushing on the gas again as the light returned to green and کہا “She’s pretty.”
Vance’s eyebrows scrunched together at that. He thought Alina was beyond being just pretty. She was beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, enthralling, fascinating; he could go on and on about how Alina looked. He thought back to the moment when he walked in that class. He had just come from lunch, happy to have seen Reed again, disappointed to not find her there. Then, seeing her sitting there in 5th period, he didn’t think twice about going to sit near her. He remembered the way she smiled at him when he walked past, how it warmed him, and how that feeling was so foreign to him but liking how it felt anyway. Vance found that he couldn’t stop thinking about her all دن either. When he had seen her that morning with Dexter, it was like seeing her again for the first time. Her hair, her eyes, her smile all seemed new to his eyes, and those things stayed with him the rest of the day; even now, when he was sitting in this car with Aubrey.
“Yes, she is,” he کہا simply, and reached out to turn up the radio, just as The Black Keys began to play there song Tighten Up.
“This song is stupid,” Aubrey کہا in a childish tone.
“So are you, but I’m still listening to you,” Vance remarked, fiddling with a loose string he found at the hem of his shirt. Suddenly, the car jerked to a halt, and if Vance’s reflexes weren’t as enhanced as they were, his head would have slammed into the dash. His hands shot آگے to brace himself, at the cars abrupt stop.
“What the fuck, Bre?” Vance gave her a stunned look.
“That is it, آپ freaking dick,” Aubrey shouted angrily at him. “Get out right fucking now! آپ can walk home!”
“Bre,” he began to say but she cut him off with a sound that was barely human sounding.
“You get on my nervous so much! I just want to… ARGH! Go away, before I break your face!”
“Aubrey, I was just,” he tried again but no luck.
“Don’t say another damn word, just go,” she کہا in a strained voice, trying to keep her hot temper down. With a roll of his blue eyes, he sighed and opened the door to get out. Before he could even close the door, she sped off, and the door slammed shut on its own.
Standing there, he watched as her car went at over the speed and zip around the corner, leaving him stranded, 4 miles from the apartment they shared. Did he really want to run all the way home? He’d get there in a little over 20 منٹ if he ran at full speed the rest of the way, but then he’d waste some of the energy he was conserving. Then he’d have to go feed again, and it wasn’t time for that just yet. Running his hands through his hair that at the moment was to long for his liking, he looked around at his surroundings. There were houses aligned evenly, all with a drive way, which most were empty. The سٹریٹ, گلی was quiet and seemed vacant. He turned the opposite way of his and Aubrey’s apartment, and head back the way they had come. Maybe he’d bump into someone he knew and they’d take him somewhere with them. Vance was used to this. Not being forced to walk in particular, but Aubrey’s anger problems. She was the only female he knew who could get absolutely furious at the smallest thing and a few منٹ later be total fine. Everyone else was cautious around her. They all tried not to get her to that level, because she was capable of anything when she was angry. Vance was not cautious at all. It actually amused him to see her crack and all that pent up stress flood out, especially when she lashed out at him, and made up for it later.
As Vance strolled down the empty street, he had taken out his iPod touch, put in his earphones and turned the volume up to full blast. This was about the only thing that drowned out all other sound in the world. With his vampire hearing he could hear things from a long distance away and his earphones were the only solution that kept every other sound away. He pulled his ڈاکو, ہڈ up over his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, and let the موسیقی make its self his own person soundtrack. The only problem with doing this is that it, hearing was one of the major things that vampires used to protect themselves. Without hearing and with his ڈاکو, ہڈ pulled up and to block his side vision, he didn’t see the girl who was walking on the side walk parallel to him.
Finally deciding to پار, صلیب the street, without looking both ways he turned to walk into the سٹریٹ, گلی and stopped when he saw her glancing at him from where she was walking. He could see the relief flood her worried face at the sight of him, and he could feel his insides heat up at the sight of her.
“Vance,” Alina huffed out his name with relief. “I thought آپ were some creeper guy stalking me.” She placed her left hand over her heart, and smiled at him. Vance felt his mouth curve up in response.
“How do آپ know I’m not some creeper guy stalking you?” He asked jokingly as he crossed the سٹریٹ, گلی and stood in front of her. Alina’s green eyes narrowed, and she looked him up and down.
“Are آپ stalking me?” she asked. He chuckled at her apprehensive expression and shook his head, letting his ڈاکو, ہڈ fall down to reveal his tousled hair. “Good, because آپ don’t look like the stalker type,” she added with another smile.
“Thanks, I guess I will take that as a compliment.”
She nodded, looked down at the concrete and shuffled her feet awkwardly, then looked at him again. “So why are آپ stalking me again?”
Vance felt another smile coming on. “I was just walking. For all I know, آپ could have been stalking me.”
“If I was, I obviously wouldn’t be good at it, seeing as آپ saw me,” she laughed. Hearing her laugh made his bubble up in his throat, and he bit his lip to keep it down. She was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. The sun that was shining down on them made her eyes sparkle and her hair look shiny and healthy. And her skin, naturally tanned to perfection, look warmed and he suddenly yearned to touch her rosy cheeks.
“You live around here?” he asked curiously.
“Yeah, I do,” she answered happily, “Just a few blocks away.”
“Mind if I walk you? I mean… there are creepier guys out here than me.”
She thought for a moment then answered with a shrug, “Sure, why not.”
Together, that walked side-by-side on the narrow sidewalk, with their shoulders brushing together frequently. The دن was coming to the end; a red-orange sun was setting in the west, and the sky around it different shades of orange, pink, purple, and blue. It was getting ٹھنڈے, کولر too, and a slight breeze was coming through and sending long strands of Alina’s hair around her face. He watched as she freed a strand that had caught on her wet lips.
Those lips, her groaned mentally. He cleared his throat and spoke the first thing that came to mind. “How was your first day?”
She glanced at him, as if she just remembered he was walking اگلے to her, and shrugged. “It was good,” she answered simply. He realized now that she was not one of those girls who talked on and on about things. She was straight-forward, and he admired that. Although, that also meant he had to be the one who continued the conversation.
“Make some new friends?” he continued.
“A few, I guess,” she کہا looking straight ahead as she walked. He suppressed a sigh of indignation. How hard was it for him to talk to this girl? He’d talk to millions of girls with no problem, and they’d all complimented on how he was such a good listener, even when what they were saying could have been the least of his interest. And now he is with this girl, this girl who looked like any other beautiful girl (maybe مزید beautiful), and he couldn’t get مزید than 5 words out of her. Then, before he could think of something else to say, she spoke.
“So, you’ve been living here for a while? It seems like everyone knows آپ so well,” she looked over at him, waiting for his response.
“Only four years. I don’t know that many people,” he کہا humbly.
“I کہا everyone knows you, not آپ know everyone,” she corrected him. She didn’t say it in a demeaning way.
“Well… I guess. My دوستوں are the first ones to know about outrageous parties, so I have a lot of social time. But most of the time, I don’t even remember half the people I meet.”
“You remembered me,” she stated. She was looking at him with those large green eyes that he now loved.
“Of course I did,” he smiled at her. “We met in the weirdest way; of course I would remember meeting someone as gorgeous as آپ in a bathroom.” He saw a small blush collect on her cheeks, and heard her دل jump and speed up. He didn’t know what possessed him to say that, but he regretted it instantly. It was way too early to be throwing out lame پچھواڑے, گدا pick-up lines; he barely knew her. Before he could think of something else to say to break the awkwardness, she beat him to the punch.
“I’m pretty sure آپ know a lot of pretty girls. آپ seem like that guy.”
“What guy?”
“The guy who knows a lot of pretty girls,” she said.
“And why do I seem like that guy?
“Well, because آپ are. یا at least, that’s what I heard some people say. But they used a مزید offensive word. If I remember correctly, I think the word was ‘Man-whore’.”
Vance’s eyebrows rose, and he couldn’t help but let out a surprised laugh. “And آپ believe them?” he asked.
“Well, any other time, no. But I’ve seen you; the way آپ are with other girls. They all love you. آپ have the looks, the clothes, the right words, and the freedom. You’re a natural ladies man.” Alina was looking down at her feet as she کہا this, and he could tell she was trying not to look at him.
“You think I have the looks?” He smiled to himself.
“You know آپ are attractive,” she کہا accusingly.
“Yeah, I do know. I just like to hear people say it.” He was still smiling, and he heard her snort in response.
They walked in silence for a few moments, before she stopped completely. He stopped also and turned to look back at her questionably.
“This is my house,” she gestured to a two-story, brick house with white shutters and a red door. It looked very cozy and welcoming. In the drive-way was a mini-van, with its تنے, ٹرنک wide open, filled with grocery bags, and a short blonde lady struggling to manage the bags in her arms. There were also two younger children, boys, who were both carrying one grocery bag from the تنے, ٹرنک into the house. They looked similar to each other, with large brown eyes and pale blonde hair, and also looked close in age.
“Alina, you’re home,” the woman called over to them, arms full of brown paper bags. “Help us take these groceries in the house.”
Alina sighed and look at Vance. “Thank آپ for walking me home. Glad to know I was protected from creepy stalker guys.”
He grinned at her. “Glad to be of service. I’ll see آپ tomorrow?”
“Yeah, see آپ tomorrow,” she کہا with a final smile and a wave, then turned to go help the woman he could only guess to be her step-mother.
Also turning, Vance walked into the street, too much into his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the black مستونگ, mustang racing down the street. At the last منٹ he turned and saw it coming toward him, and jumped back, putting his arms out protectively as if he could stop the car with his hands. The car itself came to a screeching halt, not even twelve inches from his legs. Inside the car were three girls, three girls he knew very well, and they were laughing uncontrollably. Mattie and Gillian were in the car, the car he now recognized to be Kev’s, and they were acquainted سے طرف کی his other close friend Charlie Tanning. Vance looked back to where he and Alina had کہا there good-bye, and saw her looking at him and the car with a startled expression. Why did her eyes have to be so big and round?
Charlie stuck her مالٹا, نارنگی head out of the moon roof in the mustang, and called to him.
“Hey buddy,” Charlie exclaimed. Her voice was the sound of a small child’s. “Get your sexy پچھواڑے, گدا in this sexy car!”
Vance glanced at Alina again, and saw that her face was no longer scared for him, but confused. He gave her a wary smile, and then made his way around the car and slide into the back نشست اگلے to Charlie.
“Oh my god, best friend, I missed you!” Charlie wrapped her slender arms around his neck and squeezed while places kisses all on his cheek and forehead.
“Charlie you’re back,” he said, matching her enthusiasm and wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing his hardest.
“Yes, I’m back,” she shouted, squeezing his neck just as hard.
“I thought آپ کہا you’d be back yesterday. آپ missed the first دن of school,” he کہا letting go of her and looking into her childish like eyes. Charlie was all enthusiasm and excitement. On most days, she was bouncing off the walls and laughing at everything. She had long wavy, bright مالٹا, نارنگی hair, and eyes like an owl’s that were the most multicolored eyes he’d ever known. Blue, green, gray, brown, and even مالٹا, نارنگی where all there in her large irises. She was small, the smallest out of all of them, but she made up for that with her undying passion for all things.
“I had something to take care of in Ohio. I’m just glad to be back with all of آپ lovely people! I’ve missed آپ guys all summer,” Charlie grinned, her eyes so watery and big.
“I know Jack-Jack will be glad to see آپ when we get to the Circle,” Gillian said, looking in the mirror and fixing her already perfect hair.
“Oh, I’ve missed him the most,” Charlie said, clamping her hands together over her heart. Jack-Jack and Charlie were mates, and unlike Kev and Mattie, they really loved each other. They were the weirdest looking couple, but they made it work, and everyone adored their devotion to each other.
“I can’t wait to see him,” Charlie کہا longingly. “I’m going to kiss his face all over! Mattie, can آپ drive faster please!”
“We will get there when we get there,” Mattie کہا back to Charlie, but pushed harder on the gas anyway.
Vance leaned آگے and flicked Mattie’s ear.
“What was that for,” She yelled at him.
“That’s for almost running me over!”
“Oh, shut up. The car would have been in worst shape than you.”
“I know, but it wouldn’t have been good to run over me in front of a bunch of humans. Don’t آپ think it’ll be a little weird for them to see me get up and walk away after that?”
“Whatever,” she کہا menacingly. Mattie was his least پسندیدہ girl out of the four, although he loved her like he loved the others. It was just that, on most days she was in a bitchy mood.
“It’s okay, Mattie-Pattie, we could have just made the humans forget,” Charlie said, rubbing Mattie’s arm.
“It probably wouldn’t have work. The only ones who can do compulsion correctly are Aubrey and Jack-Jack because they are the oldest,” Gillian added, ever the pessimist. Vance remembered his first time trying compulsion on a human. It didn’t work well, and the human ended up remembering again a few hours later. He was the youngest, so he wasn’t as strong as the others who were older and had مزید experience. He hated to admit that he was the weakest.
Charlie shot a look at Gillian, then put her attention back on Mattie.
“We would have figured something out, I’m sure,” Charlie said, mainly to herself, as she played in Mattie’s hair. Charlie was the optimist of their group. Vance loved her the most. She always made him feel better in his dark moments. But, Charlie was also the most observant.
“So, Fancy-Vancy, who’s the girl?” She turned her wide kaleidoscope eyes to him.
Vance smiled despite his attempts not too. “Alina Brady,” he answered for the سیکنڈ time today.
“Oh… that smile!” she gushed at him. “So, she’s different from other girls, right? Because with other girls, آپ didn’t smile like that.” Charlie reached out and pinched one of his dimpled cheeks, which made him smile even more.
“I’m not with her, Charlie,” Vance said, feeling a little weird at how embarrassed he was to say that. “I was just being a gentleman and walking her home.”
“You’re never a gentleman,” Gillian کہا in a flat tone.
“Vance is to a gentleman!” Charlie exclaimed, a pained look on her small face. Vance placed his hands on her shoulders, “It’s okay, Gillian just needs to get laid, that’s all.”
Gillian flipped him the bird with turning around, and sat quietly looking out the window.
He chuckled and sat back, letting Charlie snuggle اگلے to him and put her head on his shoulder.
“We need to make this سال The Best سال Ever,” Charlie کہا to him in a low voice.
“I think it is,” Vance remarked, gazing out the window with lowered lids, and honestly, he believed it.
* * *
Alina watched as the black مستونگ, mustang disappeared around the bend in the road and turn to walk to her step-mother standing near the mini-van.
“Who was that?” asked the Rebecca in her usual shrill voice.
“Just a friend,” Alina کہا simply, and grabbed a few bags, walking swiftly away before Rebecca could ask any مزید questions. Once, inside, Alina slipped on something that was smeared on the floor, almost dropping the bags she was carrying. She hurried in to kitchen, set the bags on the counter and turned to examine the floor. There was a whole carton of eggs smashed and scattered on the floor. Standing a little away, Kyle and Nile, Alina’s seven سال old twin brothers, stood, looking at her with large brown eyes.
“We didn’t mean too,” Nile insisted.
“The bag tore,” Kyle added. Alina sighed and looked back at the mess.
“It’s fine; just don’t drop anything else okay?” They both nodded and hurried off, and Alina knelt down and started to pick up the cracked eggshells. Just as she was doing this, Rebecca came in and spotted her.
“Oh God, Alina; if I knew you’d be this clumsy, I would have passed on your offer to help.” Rebecca looked down her nose at Alina.
“But I didn’t-“ before Alina could finish, her sister Tori came stomping in the door.
“Mom,” she groaned, “I hate walking. It hurts me feet. Why can’t آپ drive me anymore?”
“Because if I drive you, then I’d have to drive Alina too,” Rebecca stroked Tori’s hair and gave a fake smile to Alina. Tori didn’t smile at all.
“Thanks a lot, Cinderella, now I’m going to have to soak my feet every night to prevent calluses.” Tori gave Alina a stingy look and stomped up the stairs in her high heels. Alina rolled her eyes and stood up to go throw away the eggshells. In the kitchen, the گیراج door opened and her dad slipped in.
“Hey, sweet-pea,” He greeted her with a warm smile and came to kiss her on her forehead.
Her father, Ronald, was a very handsome man; the perfect blonde. He reminded her of a Ken doll, with his perfect blonde hair, his perfect smile, and his perfect blue eyes. She could see why her mother fell head over heels for him, but she couldn’t see why she had turned down his marriage proposal. From all the stories her mother had told Alina, Haley and Ronald were very much in love. And when Haley had gotten pregnant with Alina, Ronald had proposed. Alina’s mother never told her why she had turned down her father, and she still didn’t know.
“How was your first day?” He asked her casually, placing packages on the counter in the middle of the kitchen.
“It was fine,” she answered, paying مزید attention مزید to the packages. “What’s all that?”
Ronald smiled his perfect smile, “I have great news!”
“Well what it’s it, Dad?” Before he could answer, Rebecca came in with the last of the groceries.
“Hello, Honey,” she greeted him and places a kiss on his well shaven cheek.
“Hello. How was your day,” he asked her like he always did when he came home. And like every other day; she answered with “Productive, and yours?”
“It was amazing, absolutely wonderful. I got a promotion!” His gleaming grin returned to his face. “I’m going to be getting paid a lot مزید now,” he continued, “So I went out and bought آپ guys some things as a celebration.”
He grabbed a large, black box from the counter, which a very fancy white ribbon tied around it. He handed it to Rebecca, and she looked down at it with pleasurable surprise. Then she turned, and rushed into the living room to open her new gift. With a happy smile, Ronald turned toward Alina and nodded his head toward the garage.
“Come on, yours is still in the car.” A jump of excitement took place in Alina’s abdomen, and she walked with her dad out to his car. Walking around the car, she peaked in the back seat, and was disappointed not to see it. Ronald popped the تنے, ٹرنک and called her over.
“Now, I know when آپ were living with your mother, آپ took گٹار lessons and were pretty good at it, so I thought maybe آپ could continue your lessons here, with your own.”
Alina squealed with joy. In the تنے, ٹرنک laid a shiny black guitar, gleaming with newness and waiting to be played with delicate knowing hands. Bubbling with happiness, Alina threw her arms around her father’s neck and squeezed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she کہا excitedly, and turned back to gaze at her new guitar. With careful hands, she picked the گٹار up from the trunk, and ran her hands over the smooth surface of it. Then, with a rush of eagerness, she held the گٹار with a firm grip and dashed into the house. “I love you, Dad,” she called out before she was out of his sight. Almost slipping on the egg mess still on the floor, she kept her balance and ran up the stairs to her room at the far end of the long upstairs hallway.
Once in her room, she went a sat on the small cushioned bench that was right in front of her window. She loved her window مہر seat, where she could look out in the back yard, and watch the sun as it set. Right now, she had her new گٹار positioned on her lap, testing the tuning, as the مالٹا, نارنگی sun warmed her back. Knowing that the tuning was perfect, she began to play a simple cord, trying remembering all the things her mother had taught her. Like always when she thought of her mother, her chest got tight, and tears threatened to blur her vision.
“A guitar, really? Trying to be the اگلے Kelly Clarkson?”
Alina looked up from the گٹار to find her sister leaning against her door frame with her arms crossed over her small chest. Her brown eyes always held hostility when she looked at Alina, and Alina knew her own eyes held some sort of dislike too. Her mood had switched from grief to annoyance at the site of her superficial, self-righteous, attention seeking sister.
Alina ignored Tori’s تبصرہ about her guitar. Instead, she asked “What did Dad get you?” with the fakest smile she could conjure up.
“The best cosmetics money can buy,” Tori answered smugly.
“Good,” Alina nodded, “you definitely need it.”
Tori’s eyes sparked with anger, but then she reined it in, shrugged and کہا back in her usual snooty voice, “From what I see, I’m not the only one.”
Alina laid her گٹار gentle beside her, and then looked back at Tori. Her very slender body was still leaning casually against the door frame, and her blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun. She looked very much like her mother, Rebecca, which to be honest, wasn’t very bad looking. It was just Tori’s personality is what made her unattractive in Alina’s eyes.
“Maybe آپ should eat some of that make-up; make your inside match the outside.” Alina waited for Tori’s come back, but she didn’t hear it as the twins came scrambling into Alina’s room, while they both struggled to carry a very large box.
“Lina, look what Daddy brought us,” Kyle کہا excitedly. He and Nile placed the large box down on the rug to let Alina observe it. One the box was a picture of a large wrestling rink, with a cage and all sorts of little toy action figures that went with it.
“Can آپ help us put it together?” Nile asked her with large کتے dog eyes. She could never say no to them when they gave her those eyes.
“Yes, I would be honored,” Alina said, sliding down on the floor اگلے to them, helping to get the box open.
“Want to help us too, Tori?” Kyle now gave Tori his own کتے dog eyes, and just like everyone else; she had a soft spot in her دل for these two adorable little boys.
“Sure,” she gave in then added, “But only for a little while. I have stuff to do.” She too came and knelt down to help assemble the wrestling rink.
To Alina’s surprise, it was actually harder than she expected, and she and Tori bickered to each other about which pieces went where. They could have been sitting there all night trying to put that thing together if their father hadn’t come to get them for dinner.
“There آپ guys are, I’ve been searching everywhere for you,” Ronald کہا sticking his head in her door and smiling at them sitting on the floor.
“Daddy, look! We are almost done,” Nile said, pointing excitedly at the semi built wrestling rink.
“Oh, look at that,” Ronald places his hands on his hips, “You guys are getting it done.” He chuckled then gestured for them to come. “Let’s take a break from that and get washed up for dinner. We are having meat loaf.”
He chuckled again at the twins complaints, and continued. “Don’t fear the infamous meat loaf, children. I made it this time.” Then playfully, he came and scooped up Kyle and Nile in his strong arms, throwing them both over each of his shoulders and strolled out with them laughing like maniacs.
Finally, after washing up and running around getting the food to the table, everyone settled down for رات کے کھانے, شام کا کھانا in the dining room. Food was passed around, and the twins very skillfully avoided any vegetables passed their way, until Rebecca noticed and put small piles of mash-potatoes and green beans on their plates. Ignoring their complaints, she sat back down and began to eat her own food. Ronald asked the twins how their first دن of سیکنڈ grade was, and everyone listened to the twin’s story of how a girl peed her pants, and about the boy was eating paper. Then his attention shifted to Tori and Alina, and he asked how Tori’s first دن of high school was.
“It’s all the same. Not much different from junior high. Plus a lot of my دوستوں are there, so it’s like nothing’s changed really,” Tori answered, forking a single green سیم, پھلی into her mouth.
“What about you, Alina? How’s the new school?”
“It’s… new. But it’s okay. The other students are nice enough, and the classes seem easy.”
“That’s good,” he nodded, his eyes on his mash-potatoes.
“A boy walked Alina ہوم from school today,” Rebecca added in randomly. Alina, glances at her from across the table, and saw that she was not even looking at her.
“A boy,” Ronald said, his blonde eyebrows going up, making his forehead wrinkle. “Was it a cute boy?” He asked jokingly, and smiled at Alina. She smiled back awkwardly, and looked down at her plate.
“Yeah, I guess so. He was just being polite,” she responded, stabbing her meat loaf with her fork.
“What’s his name?” He asked curiously.
“Vance. I think his last name is Hutcherson. We have fifth period together.”
“Do آپ like him?” He asked wiggling his eyebrows.
“No Dad, I just met him!”
“I was just asking, calm down,” He smiled then looked back at her, “Could آپ like him?”
“Dad,” she said, giving him a look that meant for him to stop talking. He chuckled and shoved some meat loaf into his mouth.
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Rebecca took the twins to take their baths and tuck them into bed. Ronald went to his office to work on something that Alina didn’t even try to understand when he explained it to her. Tori went into the living, flipping through channels, yapping on the phone to one of her friends. Alina herself went up to her room, passed the unfinished wrestling rink still on her floor, and into the bathroom that was connected to her and Tori’s bedrooms.
After a long shower, Alina finally returned to her bedroom and flopped down on the bed, towel still wrapped securely around her, and her hair up in a wet messy pony-tail.
She felt as if she were too tired to get dressed, so she just crawled under the covers and laid there on her stomach, not caring if her hair got her pillows wet. A few thoughts about school, about her new guitar, about her mom, and she was asleep.
* * *
It had been two hours, and Mattie and Kev had not returned from their retreat into the woods surrounding the clearing.
“I think they are… ‘Making-up’,” کہا Hunter, emphasizing making-up.
“She could be killing him,” Gillian suggested, who was sitting closely اگلے to Hunter on a blanket he had brought. Vance was the only one who thought Gillian and Hunter had some sort of thing going on between them. When he voiced his thoughts to Aubrey, she told him he was a dumbass and that there was nothing with those two.
“No way. If anyone is killing, it would be Kev. آپ should have seen how pissed he was when we got back to his place and he found his car not in the garage.” Chase was pacing back and forth, as restless as ever. Chase was a strange guy. آپ wouldn’t see that if آپ just glanced him, but after a few hours with him, you’d سوال if his mind was in the same universe as yours. Right now, as he was pacing back and forth, searching the ground for small twigs. For what reason, Vance didn’t know, but he was use to Chase’s strange actions.
“Chase, Hun, could آپ stop walking back and forth, you’re making me nervous.” Charlie, sitting اگلے to Jack-Jack, was watching Chase.
“I have to find a very small stick first- Oh, I got one.” He bent down swiftly, pinched a stick as thin as a toothpick between his fingers then sat down right where he’d been standing. The آگ کے, آگ they had going was reflecting off of his mahogany colored messy hair as he bent his head and placed the array of twigs together like a puzzle to create something Vance couldn’t make out.
“It’s getting late guys,” Aubrey spoke from behind Vance. “I think we should head ہوم now.”
“Since when is two in the morning late for us?” Hunter looked at Aubrey with a sort of smirk.
“Since I haven’t slept in three days, and the last time I fed was two weeks ago,” she returned Hunter’s smirk, then when he blow her a kiss she flipped him the middle finger.
“Okay well, let’s get miss bipolar home,” Vance کہا standing up from his spot on the blanket he and Aubrey shared in front of the fire. “Are آپ coming with us, Chase?”
Chase didn’t answer. He was gazing up at the starry sky, deep in thought.
“Hey, Chase! Come back to us man,” Vance called to him, chuckling.
Chase snapped out of it and looked at Vance questionably.
“You’re coming ہوم with us, let’s go,” Aubrey ushered him up.
“Oh good! I don’t want to stay of Kev’s. Especially if he and Mattie are going to be ‘Making- up’,” Chase mimicked Hunter, then turned his back to Aubrey and کہا to her “Hop on, Madame. I will get آپ ہوم safely.”
“Oh, such a gentleman,” Aubrey responded in a bad fake southern accent, then climbed on Chase’s back and they made their way toward Aubrey’s car.
“Oh سے طرف کی the way,” Gillian spoke up. “Liam is coming in a few weeks.”
Charlie and Jack-Jack made sounds of indignation from where they still sat cuddled. Hunter groaned and rolled his eyes. Chase کہا “Ew,” involuntarily, and on his back, Aubrey squealed with happiness. Vance didn’t vocalize what he felt about this news, but he could feel the usual loathing settle in whenever Liam’s name was brought up. Liam was the only person to ever get under Vance’s skin the way he did. Just the sight of him made Vance want to rip his head off. Everyone کہا Vance and Liam were opposites, even though he couldn’t see how.
“Why is he coming?” Charlie sat up and looked at Gillian. “You know how we feel about him. We don’t like him.”
“Hey, I like him,” Aubrey proclaimed.
“We know,” everyone کہا in unison.
“Well, Aubrey doesn’t count. She’s a whore,” Jack-Jack said, the only biological brother Aubrey ever had. Charlie elbowed him, and then before Aubrey could go off on a tyrant, she continued, “I mean most of us don’t like him. He only cases problems.”
“It’s not like I can tell him not to come,” Gillian responded. “He does whatever he wants.”
“Whelp,” Hunter said, “Everyone hide your humans.” He laughed and laid down on his back.
“I’m glad he is coming,” Aubrey announced. “You guys are boring me. We need some shit to happen around here. This is our last سال in this town. Let’s go out with a bang!”
“You guys can expect not to see me when he gets here,” Vance کہا to his friends, and then turned to leave the clearing.
The ride ہوم from the دائرے, حلقہ was quiet, and even as Chase, Aubrey, and Vance made their way up to the very expensive apartment Aubrey and Vance shared, they کہا nothing. They all could admit they were a little tired, and rest would be best for all of them. Once inside, Vance made a bee-line for his بستر room all the way at the end of the long narrow hallway. He closed the door behind him and without removing any clothing, not even his shoes, he flopped down on his huge king size بستر and stared at the glowing stars that he had put all over his ceiling. For the millionth time that day, the brown-haired, green-eyed beauty danced into his mind again. He smiled to himself as his mind reeled through the different possibilities that could have played out with Alina if he’d done things differently.
Maybe tomorrow, he thought pleasantly as he slowly drifted into a pleasurable dream state. But before he was all the way there, his door creaked opened, and a blonde goddess creep into his بستر room, wearing only a very baggy t-shirt that came down to her lower thighs like a dress. She laid اگلے to him, snuggling close and placed small kisses on his jaw line and neck.
“What are آپ doing in here Bre?” Vance asked her sleepily, pulling her closer despite his question.
“I let Chase have my bed. He fell asleep immediately. I’m bored, Vance. Entertain me.” She continued to kiss his neck, and her hand snaked up under his shirt.
“I thought آپ کہا آپ were tired.” His eyes were open to only slits, but he could see the moon light shine in from the window and bleach her hair to platinum. He ran is hand from her shoulder, down the expanse of her back and over her butt. She let out a sigh of content, and then whispered softly, “I am really tired. But I need someone to put me to sleep.”
“You want me to rock آپ to sleep,” he chuckled softly, still running his hand up and down her back side.
“You know that’s not what I mean.” To emphasize, she nibbled his ear playfully, then his neck, harder. He groaned softly, and then rolled over to look at her. Aubrey was a lot of things to him. His creator, his best friend, his rival, but most of all, she was his friend with tremendous benefits.
“Bre,” he drawled, “I’m tired.”
“But I’m bored,” she whined. Then she grabbed his face between her hands and pulled him in for a kiss. He let her kiss him, but he did not kiss her back. She made a sound of annoyance, then with all her strength that آپ would never think she had, she pushed him over on his back and was on سب, سب سے اوپر of him instantly. She kissed him again on the mouth, and again her hands went under his shirt, lifting it to reveal what was underneath. He let her lift the شرٹ, قمیض up over his head, and he let her kiss his chest, but he didn’t اقدام to دکھائیں her that he was into it. She sat up, looking down at him and his naked torso. She thought for a moment, then without preamble, she lifted her own شرٹ, قمیض off, and reveal and black lacy bra.
Vance smiled, but didn’t move. She ran her hands over his torso, “You are going to give me what I want.” As she reached for his hands, behind her in the door way, Chase stumbled in, holding a very colorful, very big bong.
“Hey, guys, does this thing actually work?” Chase looked at them, Aubrey sitting on سب, سب سے اوپر of Vance, and he didn’t even blink.
“Chase! آپ freaking idiot!” Aubrey hopped off the bed, and ran past Chase out of the room, pushing his aside. Chase looked innocently at Vance with his light green eyes, “Oh, Did I interrupt something?”
Vance couldn’t stop the laugh that broke free from him, and he brought his hands up to his face, muffling his laughter. Then he sat up and looked at Chase. “Nah, آپ didn’t.”
Vance stood up and went to take the bong from Chase, and answered his earlier question.
“I don’t know if it works… want to go find out?”
“Hell yeah,” Chase grinned, and then turned to walk into the living. Vance followed him, stilling laughing.
