Love's Psychos

Chapter 18

Caleb felt his blood pumping faster as his skull began to ring. "I promise not to disappoint."

Ryuji bowed to him in a goofy manner. "You're a God among mortals, my friend. I can't wait to hear all about it."

He laughed and turned to leave. "Well, we'll see about stories. I'm not going to...promise...."

She was standing right behind him, the one girl in this whole damn school he could never seem to find. But why now? Why, after all this time, was she suddenly here? A look in her eyes as if she wanted to tell him something?

"Hey, Akane. Need something?"

His voice seemed to startle her. Akane looked unbelievably nervous about something. She had a note in her hand, clutching her chest like a precious treasure.

"What's that you've got there?" he asked curiously, staring at the letter intently.

"I...umm..."

Whatever she wanted to say, she was having the damndest time trying to say it. He decided to dig deeper.

"You okay?" Caleb asked sincerely, placing a hand against her forehead. "Not running a fever, are you?"

She jolted under his touch as if he'd just zapped her with an electric current. He channeled his power, reaching into the untapped vitae within her body. Akane's vascular system lit up in his mind's eye, allowing him to see everything. Her heart was bounding out of her chest. Blood flowing through her veins like a torrential river. Dilated pupils, flushed cheeks...

He'd felt this from various women around the school many times. She was flustered. Was Akane about to confess to him?

"I..." She quickly backed up, her voice quivering. "I wanted to...."

He raised a brow, remaining as stoic as possible despite this strange feeling in his chest. Caleb understood all too well why her heart was beating so fast right now, but why was his? He'd received dozens of confessions before. Why was this any different? He hadn't seen this girl in over a month; what made her so special?

Why was he so nervous right now?

"Wanted to what?" he asked in as steady a voice as he could muster

Slowly, with trembling hands, she outstretched her arms, offering him the letter. His heart beat faster as the world went dead around him.

"I...wanted to...give..."

"Barlow-kuuuuuun!"

The unmistakable sound broke the spell of the Student Council President herself. Moments later, he was nearly knocked flat off his feet as she jumped onto him, clinging to his back like a spider monkey while wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him in such a way that brought unholy fire surging through Caleb's being.

"Oof!" he chuckled at her, gripping his mask for dear life as the ungodly ringing noise drowned out all other sounds, a white-hot fury burning behind his eyes. "Good morning, Nijio-san."

She pouted at him. "I told you to call me Sana-chan." Sana pulled away and crossed her arms. "Or are you saying we're not that close anymore, Barlow-kun?"

Again, he laughed. Now more than ever, he needed to keep his composure. Even as every fiber of his being screamed at Caleb to rip this woman limb from bloody limb.

"Forgive me, Sana-chan. But why the double standard? You still call me Barlow-kun, right?"

She peeped at that and smiled before twirling a strand of hair through her finger, her cheeks glowing. "Well...that's because...Barlow-kun will always be Barlow-kun to me."

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

"Well, if you insist. I'm still fine with you calling me Caleb-kun, or even just Caleb, for that matter."

"D...don't try to change the subject!" Sana insisted, pretending to be flustered before latching onto his arm so brazenly again. "Now come on. You promised we'd walk to homeroom together."

"I did?" He honestly couldn't remember if he agreed to that or not in his state of absolute fury. "I'm not sure I recall ever..."

She giggled in a bubbly falsetto before tugging his arm insistently. "Come on, silly! We're gonna be late for class."

He was tugged away. Just like that, Akane was fading into the background, a despondent look on her face that extinguished his rage almost instantly. He'd finally gotten to see her again. That letter was almost within his grasp. He was so close to finding out what it was she was trying to say to him!

As he watched her fade into the distance, still being tugged away by this massive inconvenience, an unfamiliar sense of worry took up residence in his heart. Akane looked so hurt back there. But why was that bothering him so much? Furthermore, why was it annoying him to no end he didn't get to hear what it was she wanted to say?

As much as it pained him, he had to cast such thoughts to the back of his mind for now. Caleb had a much more serious issue to contend with.