The Vampire Prince goes to High School (Book 1)

Do's and Don't's

"How did it go?"

I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling. The once inspiring poster of Violet no longer held any appeal to me. Sonia's choked up breathing and sniffing occupied the phone line for most of the time as she worried about Carlos.

There had been no mass of media people around the house. After the police drove me and my family back home, it was all quiet too. Our voicemail was full though and my parents were still trying to calm all their friends down. I didn't have many friends so I didn't have to worry about explaining anything; only to one person.

"It was . . . nothing like I expected," I said truthfully.

"Is the Prince getting punished?"

"I . . . they didn't say anything to me," I hesitantly reply.

"Of course they didn't," Sonia said angrily. "That guy gets away with everything. Meanwhile, Carlos in on probation and can't leave his house. My Aunt is really worried right now. The Career Exams are coming up soon. We were all hoping he would get placed in a good job to support his family."

Ah, the Career Exams. In this fine society of ours, every little piglet had to contribute. It was more of a personality test that, using your answers, tries to get into the depth of your brain to figure out your path. It wasn't something to study for but having a broad knowledge of all subjects did come in handy.

"I'm sure they'll let him take ghosts exams," I said. "They wouldn't break the system over this."

"You sound so sure."

"I'm trying to look at the positive end of the spectrum," I told her.

Sonia was silent for a while. I let her brood for a moment. Meanwhile, I flipped through the "instructions" those lawyers had promised me. Everything about the contract was more or less clear and there was no fine print which I guess was a bonus. There wasn't going to be some nasty surprise in the future. But so far, I had only read the first three pages. And most of it made sense.

-I wasn't allowed to use the Prince's name to my advantage or take advantage of him (like I would waste my time on that).

-Failure to meet the Prince's needs would nullify the contract (I didn't know what this meant because they came to me).

-I wasn't allowed to be interviewed by anyone without permission from the King (I didn't mind at all).

-The contract had to remain a secret from everyone (How? I had no idea).

"This is so frustrating," Sonia said.

"I know how you feel," I told her. "I mean, I was the one attacked in public and the Royal family hasn't even given an apology. That's the least they could do."

"Omg," Sonia gasped. "I have been ranting about Carlos and haven't even taken into consideration about how you must be feeling."

I winced. All I wanted to do was change the subject and not guilt trip my friend into apologizing.

"It's fine," I said. "Listen, why don't we get some ice cream tomorrow? We need a break. What do you say?"

I could almost picture Sonia biting her lip in thought. "I don't know," she finally said. "The media could ambush us at any moment."

"We are superstars," I joked. "Haven't you always wanted to run away from paparazzi?"

Honestly, I doubted the ability of the vampires to keep my identity a secret. My picture and those of Carlos had no doubt been uploaded to the internet. Then again, they had their ways.

Sonia laughed. "No," she said, sighing. "We'll see. I won't make any promises."

"Good," I said. "Send me a message if you do want to meet up. If not, I'll just eat ice cream on my own."

Sonia laughed again. "Good night."

"G'night," I said and hanged up.

##

With permission from my parents, I was taken to the ice cream shop by the sector's police as an extra precaution. My parents didn't trust the vampire's promise that I wasn't going to get harmed. I didn't blame them. Riding in their tall vehicles while people watched was kind of exiting mostly because I wasn't a criminal and because I'd always wanted to know what it would be like to ride in one of these things. It was amazing.

Of course, I didn't miss the part where the sector police was my escort. But I didn't dwell on it too much. Today was going to be a relaxing day - before I had to get back to reality and do my homework and face the imminent job of babysitting the Vampire Prince. Nothing was going to ruin this for me.

We arrived at the shop and I quickly got off. Not once did I glance back while I headed toward the store. No need to look out of place. You had to act like you belonged so people wouldn't approach and ask questions.

The door dinged as I entered; a welcomed sound. Thankfully, there weren't a lot of people out on this beautiful and sunny day. Sure it was ten o'clock in the morning but you get the point. I strutted up to the counter where the obviously bored guy straightened up and tried to look cheerful. It didn't work.

"Give me an Oreo Blizzard," I said. "And . . . that's it."

I placed my money on the counter and I waited for my change. I took that time to glance around the confetti painted store but Sonia wasn't anywhere in sight. My phone hadn't vibrated at all this morning. Granted I didn't tell her what time . . .

I quickly grabbed my phone from my pocket and texted Sonia. She probably wouldn't make it right now. I could go to the park and wait . . . Man, I felt so dumb now. I didn't want to spend today alone. Might as well have stayed home and done some homework.

"Here you go."

I turned around to see my change and my Blizzard waiting.

"Thanks," I said.

I grabbed my money and snack and headed outside. This time I had to wave at the Sector Police, motioning to them that I was going across the street to the park. They seemed to get it because they weren't running toward me saying I couldn't. I crossed the street and stepped onto the grass.

The park was kind of full and it took me a while to find a good picnic table to hog. Half of my Blizzard had melted but I ate that part quickly. What was the point of enjoying the day if you had to eat quickly? Blissfully, I enjoyed the faint breeze grateful that so far, everything was going great. Even my back felt nice – though it was still bruised – and my wrist was okay too. My legs weren't burning due to my shorts and I remembered to put sunblock on before I left the house. Technically, my mom made me but whatever.

Suddenly, a cold arm draped around my shoulder and pulled me close. Panicking, I struggled against the iron grip but I couldn't break loose. Craning my neck, I managed to look up . . . I froze. It was no other than the Vampire Prince hugging me.

"Hello, honey," he said. "Thanks for waiting for me."

He smiled, showing his fangs.

"Get off, you psycho!" I yelled, struggling to free myself but also trying to save my ice-cream.

His grip tightened and I was crushed against his chest. Mortified, I felt his breath on my ear.

"Look," he said. "This is what you agreed to. We pretend I was - am interested in you, the media gets their story and they bug off. Got it?"

"What?" I asked.

The Prince loosened his grip and I managed to straighten up.

"It's in your contract," he said. "But let's get this straight. I have no desire to play nice. I'm here for your blood and your total devotion to me. Got it?"

Speechless, I stared at him. This was not part of the contract!