The Vampire Prince goes to High School (Book 1)

Roommate

I chewed on my thumbnail watching the video again. I couldn't remember if this was the fifth or tenth time. Pulling my laptop closer, I settled against my pillows, propping myself up. The more everyone thought the Prince was guilty, the harder it was going to be to prove his innocence. Carlos had given me nothing to work on. Well, not entirely. He believed the video was real. He had also said Pat knew of some witnesses that were there. 

If only the Prince had an alibi, proving his innocence wouldn't be so hard. Where had he been that night? Why did the guy in the video look so much like him? Was he an actor? Maybe it was a stunt double or something like they had for me at that press conference. Yeah, that could be it. Groaning, I massaged my temples. 

Glancing at my alarm clock, it read 11 o'clock. My parents had gone to bed a few minutes ago. The main light was off in my room and the only thing I had on was the lamp by my bed. 

So, if the Prince had been set up by the Purists then, there had to be a bigger agenda, right? They were planning something big. At least, that would be the smart thing to do. Since the King had basically said 'handle it yourself' it meant that . . . it meant . . .

"He is tired of cleaning up the Prince's messes is what," I muttered to myself. "The Prince is vulnerable. Take him down, drag his name through the mud, and turn the public against him."

I nibbled on a loose piece of skin. "Take him out and the royal family is fair game. People will be crying out for stricter regulations and all that sort of stuff. There's going to be tension. Maybe protests on the streets, riots - "

"It sounds like you're behind all of this."

I shot a glare at my window. It seemed like I could train old dog new tricks. 

"I'm trying to put myself in their shoes, so I can figure out what they're planning," I retorted. "I don't see you making this easier so, do me a favor and shut up."

The Prince chuckled. "I take it your plan didn't bear fruit."

"Not yet," I said defensively, "but, I have planted a seed."

"We don't have time to watch it grow."

I sighed. "Do you have any bright ideas?" I asked. "Have you contacted your vampire terrorists? Are they behind all of this? I mean, it makes sense, right? Have a vampire impersonate you and -"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," the Prince interjected. "The radicals are, in some ways, like the Purists. They believe vampires should be in charge. However, they aren't going to resort to trickery. "

Frowning, I paused the video. "Let me get this straight," I began. "They basically want the same thing you do."

The Prince suddenly appeared in my room, his eyes flashing. "They are nothing like me."

I raised an eyebrow. "So, you don't want vampires to be in charge?"

He growled. 

I massaged my temples again. "You know, none of this would have happened if you just stayed in your house and fooled around with everyone's daughters. All of this could have been avoided. You just had to go out and try to feed on me."

"Please," the Prince sneered. "None of this wouldn't have happened if you would just let me -"

"Hold it right there. Me? You could just have left me alone, but no. You had to attack me at school! So, don't blame this on me."

"You started it."

I took a deep breath. Pointing fingers wasn't going to help. Arguing wasn't going to get us anywhere.