the Vampire and the Assassin

Chapter 14

I walk into the lunchroom just like any other day and sit at our table. I call it ours because we (Bryn and me) claimed it at the beginning of the school year. There I am, patiently waiting for Bryn. I haven't spoken with her since I came clean about what had been going on. There's been no phone call or text from her, so I'm not really sure how she took it. I unwrap my sandwich when I hear Drew's voice.

"Meghan." It sounds like his voice is from the intercom, but he is much closer. I spin around in my seat; he's standing ten feet from me with a microphone in hand. He smiles his winning smile. "Baby, I'm sorry about what happened, but she meant nothing." At that moment, Jen Harper drops her lunch tray and practically runs out of the lunchroom.

"I am so glad I didn't miss this," I hear Bryn say as she sits down beside me. She unpacks her lunch from her brown paper bag. She immediately starts munching on popcorn like she's watching a movie.

My eyes go back to Drew and I mouth, "Stop," but of course, Drew being Drew in the middle of a crowd with all eyes on him, doesn't listen. The lunchroom is his stage. He's just missing the spotlight.

"Please forgive me." I watch as he produces a dozen roses he's hidden behind his back.

Not only did Roselyn teach me how to be wary of everything, and I mean everything around me, she also taught me manners. I do the only thing that I could do. "Thank you, Drew." I grasp the roses from his hand. "This doesn't change anything. We're still not getting back together." He doesn't seem to care about the last part. It's as if he hasn't heard it at all.

"Did you get that, guys?" he asks the crowd of onlookers. "She took the roses; I'm one step closer to resolving this mishap." He does a little bow before noticing Principal Evans. Drew runs in the opposite direction, as if he hasn't already been seen.

I turn back to Bryn. "I don't know why he doesn't just leave me alone." I place my head in my hands as I drop the roses on the table. I can feel a headache coming on.

"You're too nice to him." I can still hear her munching on the popcorn.

"What exactly am I supposed to do?"

In the most Bryn way ever, she replies, "Make him eat the roses, then he'd know it's over." Her non-smile lets me know she's serious. That's what I like about Bryn: she's always willing to say exactly what's on her mind.

I haven't heard what she thinks about our talk yesterday, so curiosity gets the best of me. "You never said anything after I told you what was going on. It's a statement I feel needs to be said. She coughs, and maybe it is the popcorn, but I have my doubts.

She clears her throat before saying, "Whatever is going on with you, I'm here even if you are going crazy."

"So, you don't believe me?"

She coughs again as if trying to drown out my words before whispering, "It's not like it wasn't expected considering Roselyn." She takes a bite of her sandwich like she didn't just say I've lost all my marbles. "Let's just not talk about this here." She rapidly glances around, and I can only assume it is to make sure nobody hears our conversation.

Great, I think. I'm exactly like Roselyn, which I can say without feeling ashamed because I know Roselyn isn't crazy. She's just like me. We're one and the same. I return to eating my sandwich, noticing our lunch's awkward silence before Bryn lifts her head.

"This seat taken?" It's Ian. He's peering at the roses that lay across the table. He doesn't say anything, but I can guess what he's thinking. I push the roses to the side so he has room.

"Bryn, this is Ian," I say, and immediately hear her choke on the coke she's sipping. "The guy I told you about yesterday." Ian's eyes rise to me in question, and I shake my head no. I know what he's asking, but I will never tell anyone his secret. "He's the one training me."

"Hi," Ian directs to Bryn, but she just stares at him, seemingly unable to respond with her mouth wide open, like she's in a state of shock. He looks at me. "We need to talk." He motions me to follow him outside where we'll have some privacy. We walk away from the tables and sit at the edge of the school grounds. Looking up at him, I prepare myself for bad news because there was no way he found me during lunch to tell me something good. "The first recruits are here."

I look up at him. He's never referenced that before. He's definitely leaving much to the imagination on my end, and I'm beginning to think he's doing it on purpose. He has yet to divulge some bigger picture, and I'm starting to think it's much worse than he's previously said. "Recruits?" I play along.

"Yea, that's what they're called— young vampires that get one night of freedom before they have to blend in." His voice is low as if he thinks someone might try to listen. I look around, but don't see anyone. "The main problem is no one can figure out who you are till you're ready." He's trying to get at something, but I'm not picking up on it. "You know what you have to do."