Hidden in the Immortals (Book #1)

Chapter 17

"You're going to the dance with Chad?" Mom asked with a little bit of chastisement in her voice. I didn't say anything. She gave me a sad look. "Do you think that would be fair to Garrett?"

I said yes when he asked me. He knew I would say yes, because he knew I wanted to go with him--desperately; and that kind of bothered me. I don't know why I was so thrilled he asked me either, or why I was so excited to go with him in the first place. We were friends, but the way I had been feeling about him recently had changed. Just another reason that made me want to pull my hair out.

I scoffed. "Mom, he's not going as my date," I informed her. "We're going as friends."

"Have you told Garrett that you plan on going with Chad as friends?" She asked with an eyebrow raise.

I averted my gaze for a moment, but then looked back at her to show that I wasn't ashamed. "No, but I'm going to." I didn't know how I was going to tell him exactly though. Garrett wasn't stupid or blind--I was close to positive that he knew Chad has feelings for me. I just had to word what I said carefully; make it clear that Noelle and Ben were also going to be there.

"Well the dance is tomorrow so you'd better do that." She gave me one last sad, sort of disappointed look, before she turned around and went up the stairs. I stood there by myself, feeling a little almost ashamed. A wave of negative emotions swept over me. Guilt, worry, nervousness. Maybe I should tell Chad to forget it. No matter how badly I wanted to go with him, it was probably for the best.

A loud sigh from behind me, snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned around and saw Jana leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. I groaned and tossed my head back. "I'm guessing you heard all that?"

Her grin widened as she pushed herself away from the wall. "Yes, I did. And I knew you wanted to go to the dance with Chad!"

I crossed my arms. "For your information miss know it all, I've decided not to go with him."

She frowned. "How disappointed are you about that?"

I sighed, defeated. "Very." I admitted quietly.

Her eyes widened in surprised and she blinked a few times. "Jules... a-are you finally coming to terms with your feelings for him?"

I groaned loudly and came closing to stomping my foot. "Jana, I'm really not in the mood for this right now." There was a bite to my voice that surprised me and caused Jana to flinch.

She slowly walked toward me, wearing a genuinely concerned look on her face. "Please, tell me what's going on." I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her everything. I needed to get everything that was weighing me down off my chest. I trusted Jana; she would still love and accept me -- I knew that. But, I wasn't sure how this would effect her opinion on our dad, and ultimately their relationship in general. I had already lost the little remaining respect I had for him last night. Was Jana really ready to deal with all of this? "Jules?" Jana said softly after I hadn't said anything. "Please. Talk to me."

I looked down at the floor and took a deep breath in. "It's a long story." I said in almost a whisper. I met her eyes again. "Like, a really long story."

She shrugged. "Well, let me here it."

I took her by the arm into the living room and sat us both down on the couch. I let out another long sigh. "This is going to sound crazy, but it's all true." I began.

She cracked a smirk. "I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

I returned her smirk and elbowed her. Then I put on a serious look. "So, about a hundred years ago this... virus spread across the world that --" I was cut off by the front door opening. And then it closed. Jana and I both looked over to the entry way, then saw dad walk out and into the area that separated the living room and the kitchen. He looked back at us with a blank expression. I couldn't hold back the scowl that immediately took form on my lips. The events of last night ran through my head. He killed a Vampire child. With no remorse. Then he just comes waltzing in here as if last night was no big deal.