The Vampire Princess

Chapter 9

   If I look like crap no one says anything about it. I'm lucky my outfit even matches. I want to avoid Dexter and so I go to my homeroom. My car is one of the first cars in the parking lot. I'm the first student in the classroom.

  I text Angel and let her know where I'm at. I stare at my phone screen for a few more seconds before laying my head on my desk.

I can know it's him before I see him. He sits at the long table beside me and I inwardly groan. I don't know why his present pisses me off but it does.

  He laughs out loud. I lift my head and stare at him.
 
  "What's funny?" I sound bitchy and I'm not ashamed.

  "If you don't want me sitting here you can ask me to leave," he said.
 
  "Okay then leave." I turn away from him expecting him to actually get up and walk away.
 
  He laughs at me again. I should knock that smirk right off his face. Self-assured ass bastard.
  "Can you please leave?"  I'm begging now. He looks at me like he's amused at how nice I'm hot and cold I'm being.
 
  "I'm not moving. You may leave if you wish Vandei," he says. I stare at him.

  "I was here first." I sound like a little kid arguing with a sibling.

  I turn my body away from him. I take a few peeks out of my peripheral vision at him. He has his eyes closed and seems more relaxed than I am.

    I more aware of him than I realize. He apparently seems to notice me staring at him and turns his head to meet my gaze head on. Our eyes lock and I can feel the familiar buzz of energy come back. The soft hum of it running it's finger up my body leaving trails of fire. His eyes take on a strange glow before he removes his gaze from mine. I'm stunned. Did I imagine it?

  I take my thoughts off him for a moment when I recognize a familiar smell. Angel is late getting to class and she rushes in without even acknowledging my presence. Something is off and I can feel it. I can barely focus on what is going on around me because I'm thinking about last night.
  
  Did one of the security cameras pick me up? Did she see me drinking the blood of an animal on her property and jumping her fence? Will her parents report me or forbid me from ever seeing her again?

  No, she would understand if I explained to her why I did it. It's a wild story and explanation and I would not believe it myself.

  I'm overreacting I tell myself. Something could have happened after I got dropped off at home. I'm terrified about the endless possibilities of my secret getting out.

  I soon as the bell rings I hurry out of the classroom. McKenzie is crying and I can see a whole group of girls huddled together. Dexter is nowhere in the hallway. Almost everyone seems to be talking about the same thing.

   My best friend pulls me to the side. "Last night something very bad happened."

   I pull her by the arm out of the crowded hallway towards the library. She doesn't resist or pull away, but if she's confronting me about last night I don't need a hallway of nosey people.

  I pull her towards the back of the library and to a table in the back corner. "Is it something I did?"

  She shakes her head and I can tell whatever it is she is upset about hit. I take in her appearance she hasn't straightened her hair and it's still wet from a morning shower. She hasn't even applied any makeup making her look years younger.

  "It's nothing you did," she says when she catches her breath. "This morning I went down to the little pond in the forest behind our house. There just lying there was a dead deer. The animal had two holes in the side of its neck. No gunshot wound no blood nothing. Its neck was bent at a terrible angle."

   She collapses in a heap of sobs and I want to reach out and hug her and apologize. I don't do anything but hold both her hands and she cries. The guilt is eating me alive and I can do nothing about it. If I confessed it she wouldn't believe me at all.

  I know she loves animals and this hits a spot in her heart. But is it that serious?

"That's not the only reason I'm upset," she says. "Trixie was found dead in an alley on the other side of town." She burst out in tears and this time I go over and wrap my arms around her shoulder.

She is shaking and is overwhelmed with emotions. How can Trixie be dead?  I hated her but not enough to wish her dead. Trixie is rich so there is no reason why she should be on the other side of town.  That is what is disturbing me.
 
   "How did you find out?" That's why everyone was acting the way they were. 

   "After we dropped Dexter off, Jordan and I drove around town a bit. He had gotten a phone call," she says. She places her hand in her hands. "Her dad was yelling at him and accusing him of killing his daughter. When he calmed down he told Jordan he would pay for it all."

She wraps her arms around herself. She must have cried herself out because she just stared down at her boots.

  "I never said anything good about her," she said. "She's dead and I can not take anything back that I said to her."

"It's not your fault. Trixie gave people plenty of reasons to hate her and don't beat yourself up about it." I barely the emotions I feel and focus on consoling her.
 
   She nods her head, but I can tell she doesn't sound convinced. "What will happen to him?"

  "I don't know. He's probably still grieving; when you lose someone you care about it can be hard. Especially a child," I said.

She shakes her head, "No, Jordan. He believes he had something to do with it. But it's impossible, Jordan was with us the whole night."
 
  "He has a solid alibi and three people to back it up. He can't be put into jail for a crime they can not tie him back to," I said.

  She wipes her eyes and nose. "You're right. It's just that everything is coming all at once."

Oh boy does she only know? "Is Jordan at school?"

  "No Myla. He is the main suspect and Trixie's group of minions are pointing fingers at him," she said. She sounds pissed and I can see how much this is bothering her.

  If Jordan is not at school that would probably explain Dexter's absence. He's probably off comforting his best friend. At least he has someone. I don't like him, but this has to be pretty hard on him. Your ex-girlfriend is dead and now people think you did it.

   But who would hate her enough to murder her? She's healthy and there's no reason she would just drop dead. It's possible but in an Alley. There's no reason for someone like her to be there.

  This day keeps getting crazier and crazier.