Vampire Princess

Chapter Twelve: Jogging Mayhem

“Well, it was nice hanging out with you,” I said with a polite smile as Garret parked the car in front of my house. I turned to him and waved at him in farewell. “Thanks for driving me home.”

“It was my pleasure,” Garret replied, dipping his head lower. “By the way, are you going to jog tomorrow morning?”

I jog almost everyday and I can’t see why would I not jog tomorrow. “I’d be jogging tomorrow… Why are you asking?” I asked, hoping my voice wasn’t too suspicious.

He just shrugged in return. “I was just asking. Maybe I’ll see you again.”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah… But I think Jerome would be with me. He sometimes joins me – when he’s not sleeping his butt off.”

Garret frowned and turned to me. “He’s going to join you?” he clarified. I nodded firmly and he pursed his lips. “Oh. Okay.”

I frowned slightly, not getting why the sudden change of expression. “Anyway, I’ll see you later.”

“Later,” he said, nodding.

I hopped out of his car and then smiled at him one last time. He smiled back and I closed the car door without another word. I turned around and walked back inside my house.

Inside, I saw Heather lying on the couch, watching TV. Jerome was in the kitchen, cooking dinner while my parents were on the table, reading important papers. When I walked in, everybody looked up and greeted me with a smile.

“Hey Melanie, how’s the drink?” Mom asked, glancing at me before turning back to her papers.

I grinned and then sat down on the armchair. “It was okay. I saw Garret in the club, having a drink too.”

Jerome stopped cooking and looked at me with a frown. “Did I hear you right? Garret was in the club too?”

Dad put down his papers and took off his reading glasses. He frowned at me disapprovingly. “Yes, Melanie. Garret’s was in the club too?”

I mentally rolled my eyes. Seriously? Are they going to make it a big deal? It was just nothing. Garret’s a good friend of mine – nothing more. “He was. After drinking, we had dinner together.”

Even in a distance, I noticed Jerome clench his jaw. “Dinner… Together?”

Heather just chuckled from the couch. “Well what happened after dinner? Did you do something else?”

I gave her a look. “No, I’m sorry to disappoint you but there was nothing we did after dinner. He drove me home, that’s all.”

Mom sighed. “Guys, guys, Melanie’s a grown up now. And I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t want to get back with Garret. She knows that he’s trouble and of course, she’s with Jerome. She wouldn’t do anything else with Garret.” Then she turned to me. “Am I right, dear?”

I nodded firmly. “Yes, Mom.” Then I broke into a smile. “And guess what? Gwyneth, Melissa, Amanda and Jasper were there!”

“Are they now?” Mom asked with a frown on her face. “And so did you talk to them?”

“Of course! Who knows Melissa’s going to marry Jasper? And that Amanda’s getting married?” I gushed and sighed. “I miss them. I miss all of them. Amanda invited me in her wedding, you know.”

“And what did you say?” Dad asked.

“I said yes.”

He just sighed in response. “Melanie, being the Vampire Princess, you should know well that you have to go by the law. And the law says that no vampires should interact with humans. Only the King and Queen must allow that vampire to interact.”