Bloodlust

chapter eleven

-11-

When the reception ends, I head outside into the cool drizzle, letting it soak into me.

“Are you going to come back to my place?” Alex asks me as he sticks his hands in his pockets.

“No,” I say, “I just need to be alone right now,”

Alex sighs. “I figured. I’ll bring your stuff to school on Monday... If you even bother to show up.”

 I can see where he’s coming from; I’ve been a jerk. I can’t tell him where I’ve been and he has every reason to be worried about me.

“Thanks,” I reply. “I’ll go to school,”

“You better,” Alex says and it sounds vaguely like a threat. When I think he’s going to turn away he changes his mind and starts talking. “Do you know how fucking worried we all were? You didn’t tell anyone anything about what’s going on with you and then you go and vanish and suddenly here you are now.” He pauses and takes a breath, “Anthony, I just want to know you’re all right. There’s a serial killer out there and I don’t want something bad to happen to you.” Alex and I both know what he wants to tell me but both of us are too afraid to say it.

“I know,” I say quietly, unable to think of anything else.

“I would tell you to go home or to stay with me, but I know you’re not going to listen, so just stay safe and don’t get killed,” Alex says irritably.

“I will.”

“And for god’s sake, Anthony, come to school. Or at least call me and let me know you’re alive. Something. Believe it or not, we actually worry about you.” Alex walks to his car, leaving me alone in the rain.

“I will,” I repeat, knowing it’s a lie; I doubt I’ll be able to get my phone to keep him updated. I look in the direction of Alex’s car. James did all this.

James comes over to pick me up. Think of the devil and he shall appear.

“Are you coming?” James asks me quietly.

“I need to be alone for awhile,” I say as I start walking towards the center of town.

James looks a little shocked. “Okay,” he says. “I’ll see you later.”

I sigh as I walk into town. I know I’ll see James again. He’ll come find me like he always does. It’s fucking creepy.

Christopher is gone now. I’m still sad about it, but I’ve accepted it. God I miss him though.

I go to a small coffee shop to get away from the cold. It’s warm inside and the smell of coffee instantly makes me feel calmer. I don’t plan on buying anything but want to relax and think.

“Hey,” the girl at the counter says when she sees my suit. “Were you at the funeral?”

“Yeah,” I say quietly.

“Whatever you want is on the house then,” she says. “It must be really tough to handle the loss of someone like that.”

“Yeah,” I say as she moves behind the counter. “I’ll guess have a vanilla latte.” She starts making it continuing the conversation from behind the counter.

“I go to Luxford Academy,” she says as she does something crazy fast with the espresso machine which would get coffee everywhere if I tried to do it. “I didn’t know the guy that died,”

“I did,” I say. Another wave of sadness rushes through me when I have to use the past tense.

“How well did you know him?” she asks me as she hands me my latte. She comes from behind the counter and we sit in the corner booth. Her nametag identifies her as Amy. Her red hair is pulled into a peppy ponytail and she has bright green eyes.