𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐄 | 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴

07: Rude Interruption

Life really is ironic.

Just a few days ago, you were the one who needed to be brought to the hospital, but now, Caleb has taken your place. You've swapped from being the patient to being the chaperone, and frankly, you're not sure if you want to laugh or cry.

"Ugh," Caleb groans. He's just stepped out of the doctor's office and is hobbling weakly. There's gauze taped to his nose, and his voice sounds vaguely stuffy when he talks. "That sucked. I sure as hell never want to do it again."

You offer him a sympathetic smile. "I'm guessing it hurt a lot when he set your bone back in place. I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must have been."

"It is what it is," he sighs. "At least I didn't need to have surgery to fix it. It's a good thing it wasn't a really bad fracture."

You bite down on your lip. No part of this situation is good, and it's ridiculous that he was attacked out of nowhere, meanwhile, the guy who injured him gets off scot-free.

Vampires face active discrimination every day. You know that for a fact. There are vampires like Elliot who don't even feel comfortable going to a coffee shop because they worry they'll scare people, and it's true that humans say all sorts of cruel things about them, without even giving them a chance.

Not all vampires are bad. But of course, not all of them are good either.

You used to think Felix was the perfect example of this rule. Up until you met that bastard, Kai. He's even worse than Felix. At least in Felix's case, he's simply an asshole who doesn't know how to hold back. He's greedy and childish, but you could tell that he wasn't trying to cause you any discomfort. He was simply too caught up in the taste of your blood to bother restraining himself.

But in Kai's case, he was very much trying to hurt Caleb. He did it just for the hell of it. Just to blow off some steam.

Vampire or human, it makes no difference.

Pricks like him are the fucking worst.

"If I ever see that douchebag again, I'm going to kick his ass," you grimace, shaking your fist in frustration.

Caleb chuckles weakly. "No offense, but I doubt even I stand a chance against him, and I'm bigger than you. Their bodies are completely different from ours. They're just way stronger."

True. An ordinary human can't possibly put up a fight against a vampire. Perhaps a skilled fighter, like a wrestler or a professional boxer, but between Kai, and you and Caleb, it's obvious who would lose that fight.

That's what sucks the most. The fact that he's got so much strength and chooses to hurt others with it. Worse yet, he's in a position of power thanks to his dad and doesn't hesitate to abuse his authority. He knows he can get away with all kinds of fucked up shit. God, some people are just given the golden ticket in life.

"It's okay, [Name]." He smiles, despite the fact that it probably hurts, and pats your shoulder. "I appreciate you getting angry on my behalf. But I'll be fine. Sometimes unlucky stuff like that just happens. To be safe, I should probably start going to a different arcade, though. I'd rather not get my nose broken a second time."

He laughs good-naturedly, and you briefly wonder if you would've been able to act the same way, had you been in his position.

...no, definitely not.

Perhaps that's the difference between you and Caleb. When life beats you down, you sulk about it and let it damper your spirits. You keep trying to push through day by day, but it eats away at your soul and saps your hope. You become more bitter every time it happens, and in doing so, the joy of life slips further from your grasp.