Bloodlust (The Blood Series #1)

Chapter 32

  For the next month detective Dave is at our place nearly everyday. At first I try to avoid him at all costs, not wanting to start another fight. I stay holed up in my room and catch up on my schoolwork that I've regretfully let slip during the last month or so. But Dandy Dave follows me around the house and keeps telling me what bad people the Bloods are and how I'd be smart to stay away from them, all of them, including my new boyfriend. His words, not mine. Nathan and I haven't exactly had the time to DTR. And then of course there's endless jabbering about his oh-so-rebellious little sister who had it oh-so-rough after getting mixed up with the wrong people. I feel myself getting closer and closer to shoving my pencils up his nostrils.

Due to being grounded I can't leave the house to escape Dave and his annoying lectures. So I end up in exile at my dad's who has joined custody with Mom. Mom is not happy about it because she correctly assumes that Dad won't discipline me like he should but there's nothing she can do because I'm allowed to stay at my father's if that's what I want. Dad is just happy that I've been starting to come around more. To him it doesn't matter why, he only cares that I'm there. Amy likes to have me there as well, she bores me to death with all her pregnancy stories but we have fun too, watching TV series on Netflix and practicing playing guitar which Amy plays professionally.

I ignore all my mom's angry texts demanding me to come home and just enjoy being a refugee from my life. Mom can take her issue up to Dad if she wants to, I'm done arguing with her. I'm not a messenger for either of my parents and am most certainly not coming back home while our home is still kingdom Dave. Even if staying at Dad's isn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be I still miss my mom. We're not crazy close but being in a fight for this long bothers me. I act like I don't care if she's choosing her new boyfriend over me but in reality I do care and it hurts like hell.

While at school I hang out with Nathan and the boys. As can be expected that earns me dirty looks and I know I'm being labeled as the next Blood recruit. But let them think what they want. Their small minds couldn't possibly understand that I can just be friends with them and still want nothing to do with the gang. We are hard at work, trying to figure out a way to get rid of Oliver. He has gotten even more reckless and goes around destroying every Blood asset he can find. I find out now that the people I witnessed him kill were all either members of the Blood family or their associates. Murder is still murder but I feel a little better knowing that they weren't exactly innocents either.

To everyone's surprise Oliver leaves me completely alone. Even in class he ignores my presence like the chair I'm sitting on is empty. It should be relaxing compared to before when I was the center of his attention but I find myself even more worried about the new route he's taking. I keep feeling like he's planning something so evil that he doesn't want to risk getting caught so he avoids me as much as I try to avoid him. It's a worrisome thought, one that keeps me up at night and I'm sure that's part of his plan which frustrates me even more.

Andrea corners me one Thursday afternoon when I'm walking to the bus stop. I'm supposed to go to some gym downtown to meet up with Nathan. It's raining and I've got my umbrella on me so I don't notice her until she's standing right in my path. My feet come to a sudden halt and I stare at her. She hasn't really been talking to me since everything with Callum got sorted out. I knew that she needed space so after assuring her that I was here if she needed to talk I let her be. I'm guessing her distant days are behind us, I think when I face her. Her brown eyes that are very much alike with Troy's are shining with their usual fire.

"Hey", I greet her, not really sure what to say to her. This is the first time in 16 years that I feel uncomfortable around her. Sure, she has put me in a lot of uncomfortable situations before but all those times I wasn't worried because I knew where we stood, I knew that she was by my side. I'm not so sure about that anymore.

"Okay, I've tried to not push you about this because I know that you can rarely be forced to tell anything you don't want to share. But I can't keep quiet any longer, I need to know. What the actual hell is going on with you and Nathan Blood? Are you guys like together now?" she blurts out in a very Drea like manner.

My jaw drops. "What?" I breathe out, my anger about the situation with my mom gaining momentum about Drea's abrupt question. "You don't talk to me in weeks and then all of a sudden you want to know who I'm dating? It doesn't work like that, Andrea."

The day is so cold that the air she blows out of her lungs goes up in a little cloud. "Then tell me how does it work because I sure as hell don't know anymore", she says as the pouring rain glues her blonde hair into her skin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snap.

"It means that you've started a whole new life minus me and plus the Bloods and I don't know how to interact with you anymore", she replies without missing a beat. I guess we're doing the showdown of our friendship right now, right here.

I stare at her in disbelief. If I couldn't see how serious her face looks like I'd swear that she is kidding. "I didn't start a new life, you shut me out, Drea", I remind her.

She doesn't escape my glare; on the contrary it makes her stand taller which isn't much to say since Drea is only 5''. "I was hurt", she says quietly like that would explain everything.

"So was I. Do you think it just hit you in the face to find out that Callum was a Blood recruit and willing to do just about anything to keep it hidden? He even went as far as threatening me and when I broke the rules someone close to me paid the price", I snap. I'm certain that the person who ratted Nathan out to the rest of the Bloods was Callum. Who else? That little bastard wanted revenge and now he got it.

Drea seems to pick out only one important thing from my rant. "'Someone close to you.' Nathan?" she guesses too easily.

I narrow my eyes at her. "What do you know?" Has Callum gotten to her? Is she on his side now?

Drea shakes her head at me and sighs. "Listen to yourself. A month with the Bloods and you're starting to resemblance them not just by your new need to answer a question with a question. It's simple. I took a chance. I know most of the people you love and they are all fine. But there's one person that I don't know and he could easily be hurt without me ever hearing about it. So I guessed Nathan and I was right, wasn't I?"

"Yes", I mutter feel a little silly for jumping to conclusions. This is Drea we are talking about. She thinks for herself and won't let other people tell her what to do. Maybe I have changed, I briefly wonder. Maybe I'm no longer the same person at all that I was two months ago. But to be fair, a lot has changed since then. I think that if I have become more reserved it's only a good thing in my current life situation.

"So we're back to square one. What is Nathan Blood to you?" she asks again.

Her insistence gives my suspicions a new rise. "What do you care about that?"

"Because I like to think that I'm still your best friend. Someone to whom you tell things about yourself and your life. Someone you can trust. I'm on your side. You and me, we are a gang of our own and I'll always have your back. I know I've been distant but that doesn't mean that I stopped caring. I just... had a lot of stuff on my mind. I needed to clear my head and since you seem to be part of the crazy train I had to take a step back from you too and for that I'm truly sorry. But you need to understand that this whole Callum thing was a lot to take in."

"I do understand and I also understand why you needed your space. What I don't understand is you acting like I abandoned you."

"I don't think you abandoned me. I think you were put in a bad place and you still chose to protect me. I can't tell you how much I value your loyalty. You're a lot better friend than I am", she admits.

Suddenly I feel exhausted and don't want to fight anymore. I can't battle both Drea and my mother. That's how you lose a war. If anything that's what we learned from history. No matter how strong you are, a battle on many fronts will easily drain you and make you weak and vulnerable for enemies to attack. I sigh. "Can we just call it even and get back to being friends?"

Drea shakes her head. "No. I want us to get back to being best friends", she corrects me and I smile.

"Deal", I say and put my arm around her. After we're done having a sappy best friend's reunion hug I walk Drea to her car. She agrees to drive me to the gym even though it's in the opposite direction from her house. I should really buy my own car, this is getting pathetic. I'm the worst bum around here. I make everyone drive me around and never even pay for gas.

Nathan calls me when we're about halfway to the gym. I pick up even though Drea is right next to me and I know that she'll be analyzing my every expression and tone. In some ways Troy and Drea are so much alike although Drea uses her attentiveness in social situations, for example to find gossip from people's body language whereas Troy directs his gift to school and other scholar things.

"I'm coming, I just ran into Drea and --" I start to explain but I'm cut off short.

But it's not Nathan on the end of the line, it's Klaus and he sounds urging. "Haley, you gotta come quick. Nathan's got a plan. For the whole Oliver thing", he announces talking so fast that I have trouble understanding him. His voice sounds weird and distant.

"Okay, good", I say missing the reason for his pressing tone. "So what's the problem?"

"It is a terrible plan", someone else says and I realize that I'm on the speaker phone. That's why their voices crackle so much.Damn you, Nokia.

"It's not even a plan, it's a suicide", Klaus huffs.

The next voice I do recognize. It's Lukas. "That sentence is essentially inadequate. You just implied that people don't plan suicides even though they are the very things that people do plan down to a tee."

"Shut up, Lukas", Klaus groans. "We've got more important things to worry about than my clumsy figures of speech. Like Nathan's self-destructive sad excuse of a plan that will get us all killed. "

"You're just mad that I'm the smarter twin", Lukas jeers.

"Shut up, Lukas." This time the one talking is Nathan. Hearing his voice makes me smile until I hear what he has to say next. "Listen, Haley. I'll meet you later."

I know what he's doing. He's pushing me out of this new crazy plan. Sometimes things would be a heck of a lot easier if he wasn't so damn protective of me. I love knowing that he cares about me but it can also be a serious pain in the ass. "Klaus said that you have a plan. Don't shut me out, Nathan. It'll be more dangerous to not include me."

Nathan does not sound happy but he can't argue with that because he knows that I'm right. "Fine. Come by the gym and we'll talk", he grunts sullenly.

The line goes dead.