Cherry Chapstick

Inches Apart

"Come on!" Zendaya says as she runs through a crowd pulling my wrist.

My senses heighten and the scent of blood becomes stronger seeping from their skin. My nails sharpen and I couldn't help but target my first victim. As Zendaya guides me away from the crowds of people, time seems to slow and I target and focus on a vulnerable woman 15 feet ahead of us. My eyesight exceedingly improved, I can see and hear the blood pulse through her veins as we approach her.  I reach my arm out to her and clasp on to her ready to sink my teeth in. In a split second Zendaya snatches my  arm away, causing me to scratch the woman screaming, and takes me into a back alley slamming me into the wall.

"Mmph! Stop it and control yourself!" She says.
I lick the blood dripping down my finger. My eyes roll back, veins squirm under my skin, my teeth fully emerge and my eyes roll forward bloodshot red.
I push her off. She clamps my arms and shoves me back into the wall.
"CONTROL. YOURSELF." She says firmly.

I look into her eyes angered and ready to fight her until something finally reminds me that this is not me.

My body returns back to normal and I emerge scared, heavily breathing.

"I'm so sorry did I hurt anyone? Did I hurt you?"
"No. I'm fine but we need to get out of here before someone sees." She grabs my hand and dials Darnell while we walk back through the crowds. "We need to find you some blood so you can control yourself more."

"Hey I need you to pick us up. She's hungry." She says to Darnell.
"Yes we're fine. But she's tasted human blood now. We have to be quick."
"Times Square."
"Alright." She hangs up.

"Okay, we have to find somewhere secluded till Darnell comes. Now that you've tasted human blood, your thirst for it will be even stronger."

We sat somewhere quiet and alone waiting for Darnell in silence.

"I'm sorry for pushing you back there...I didn't mean-I..I didn't want—''
"It's fine. I understand. I told you we'd get you through it together. " she said as she grasps my hand.

I rest my head on her shoulder.

"Yunno, today was honestly fun, we had two photo shoots, which might I add were kinda more exciting than my professional photo shoots, ate some fire ass food-"
"That food was great. Amazing." I added.
"-right and you had your first taste of blood, which may not have been in the best of circumstances but it's a start." She said
"Ugh I feel so bad. That poor lady" I uttered.

"Hey no worries." She pulled me to face her, "For all we know that lady could've had an eventful day composed of screaming at employees asking for their managers to fire them. She probably begged the universe for an inconvenience to happen to her." She laughed.
I laughed along with her.
We stop laughing and her eyes lock into mine as mine into hers.

"It was fun hanging out with you. I'm glad to be here." I say.

"Same." She smiles looking down to my hand and unwrapping the bandage.
"Looks like you're feeling better already"

I wiggle my fingers, feeling brand new.
"I guess theres some perks to this thing huh?" I chuckled.
Her eyes slowly wander to my lips. I look back up to her and notice. Staring into her eyes, my own slowly make their way down to her lips as well.

Darnell honks the horn as he pulls up, we both snap out of it and stand to greet him.

"Let's gooo." He demands as he comes to a stop.

I hop up running to get in the backseat and peer back to Zendaya walking towards the car, gazing down at her feet as she approached.
Zendaya takes shotgun and we ride in silence.

What just happened?