The Vampire Prince goes to High School (Book 1)

Trust

It's just another fake video. It has to be. I know the Prince. That couldn't have been him. It couldn't have.

"What on earth is going on?" Dad asked. 

I found myself standing up before I realized that I had done so. "I-I'm going to bed," I stammered out. "It's been a busy day."

Before either of them could say anything, I had already left the room. My heart pounded in my chest and my body kept shaking. When I got to my room, I flip the switch and closed the door behind me. 

This couldn't be happening. No, it wasn't possible. It had to have been planned out. Someone hacked into their program. How else would this have happened? It was a joke. It was . . . 

Pressure built behind my eyes. I took several deep breaths but there didn't seem to be enough air. I paced around the room trying to calm myself down. There wasn't really anything to be concerned about. Just like the first video, this one was fake too. It didn't matter that the Prince had uttered those words before. That didn't matter. It didn't.

"Rin."

At the sound of my name, I flinched. When I turned around, he was suddenly there. His hands were raised in the air in surrender. I took a step back. His brow furrowed. 

"Wh-what are you doing here?" I asked. "You- you should be on screen explaining -" I couldn't finish the sentence. 

"Rin, there's nothing for me to explain," he replied coldly. 

He took a step forward and I took a step back. The Prince's frown deepened. 

"So, you're just like them," he muttered. "You think - you believe that I -" He shook his head. 

"What am I supposed to believe?" I shot back. "I trusted you and then that shows up on screen. It's not a coincidence."

"We both know that someone is trying to frame me. They did this on purpose." He put his hands on his waist. "I don't know how they'd know I was given a statement tonight. We didn't tell anyone until a few hours ago."

As he spoke, I kept shaking my head. He had a way of explaining everything that it almost made me believe him.

"Are you sure you didn't -?" I began.

The Prince suddenly appeared in front of me. "I. did. not. do. this."

His eyes glowed red. I was speechless. His expression suddenly crumbled and his head fell forward. His shoulders hunched. 

"I didn't hurt anyone," he whispered. "I didn't. Please believe me. I know I've done all sorts of things but I would never hurt a human being."

Before I realized what I was doing, I pulled him closer. Even as every fiber of my being was screaming to run and to push him away, I didn't move. I put my arms around him and held him. Alexander leaned against me. I was sure he could hear my erratic heartbeat. He could probably smell my fear too but, unlike the other times before, he didn't say anything. 

"That vampire looked just like you," I whispered. "I know there's prosthetics and make-up but it looked so real. I - I can't help but -"

The Prince took a step back. The obnoxious air was back. 

"Please, that was clearly a fake," he said. "No one could actually capture such perfection like myself."

I shook my head. The vampire prince was back in all his annoying and self-centered self. Why wasn't I surprised? 

"Sure," I muttered. 

I looked at the floor. Could I really trust the Prince? It made sense that someone had set the whole thing up but there was a part of me that rejected the idea that this video was fake. It looked so real. 

"I will find out who did this and make them pay for it," the Prince muttered darkly. "Against my better judgment, I went as far as setting up that conference and someone had the nerve to ruin it. Their punishment will not be swift."

A shiver rolled down my spine. What if they were human? I wanted to ask but I couldn't bring myself to say it. I was scared of his reply. 

Without saying a word, the Prince sat down on my bed. "Someone is clearly keeping tabs on me," he continued. "Someone is keeping a close watch. They have to be someone close. It'll be hard to pin point anyone specifically. There's just too many to count."

"Maybe you shouldn't have pissed people off," I muttered.

The Prince shot me a dark look. I shrugged and sat at my desk. It was hard to ignore the fact that the Prince had come here so quickly. It was as if he wanted to make sure that I was on his side. And yet, could I really think like that? What if this was all a ruse to keep me on his side? 

I shook my head. No. I couldn't think like that. I had already trusted the Prince enough. If that video was all it took to break whatever trust I had in the Prince then, that would make me a hypocrite. 

"You need to prove that those videos are fake," I heard myself say. "I'm sure the public will do it on their own but it's better if you have your people do it too. Show them that it's fake and the rest should be easy."

"You make it sound so easy."

Frowning, I looked at him. "It is," I told him. "Get the vide from online and analyze it."

He shook his head. "We tried to do that with the first one," he said, "but someone had already removed it. We couldn't find it. Sure, the video popped up in random places but it was taken down before we could get to it."

"You would think that would be a good thing," I muttered.

"Yeah, but that video wasn't taken down by my people. Someone else did it. We tried searching for the one responsible but their information was erased. It's like they're a ghost." 

"Someone really wants to frame you," I whispered. "I'm sure the mafia isn't going to be happy about this."

"They won't," the Prince agreed. "They'll want a meeting. And don't worry, I'll go this time. You won't get abducted again."

I opened my mouth and closed it. How did he read my mind? My heart was beating easier. Even if this was a joke on his part, I was glad he was putting such effort into it. I stood and slowly moved over to my head and sat down beside the Prince. Plucking up my courage, I took his hand in mind and squeezed it.

This whole ordeal wasn't easy. He was more than likely having a hard time with it. Before, when he leaned against me, was just a hint of what he was actually feeling. At least, that was what I chose to believe. 

"It'll be alright," I told him. "We - we'll get through it together. I - I trust you."

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against my forehead.

"Thank you."