Dark Valentine (Monster High; Book 1 of the DV Duology)

Chapter 11: I'll be There for You

Kieran

When Jackson asked me what my first name was, he'd sounded hesitant, as if he were afraid of what my answer might have been. He must have been worried I'd take offense to his question. But Jackson was one of the few people who I didn't mind calling me 'Kieran', because I'd truly begun to consider him a friend.

It didn't take long for Serena to arrive, and the two with her were named Erika and Lucas. They were in fact siblings, and all three of them were vampires who my mother had been friends with for centuries. Both Erika and Lucas had light brown hair, and their eyes were a sort of hazel-green. Serena's hair was dyed an interesting mix of blue and purple, and her eyes were an iridescent blue.

Erika seemed really irritated about something when she came in. She tried real hard not to make it obvious, but since you couldn't get anything past my mother, she caught on pretty quickly. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

Erika shrugged. "Nothing; I'm just really pissed off at my boss."

"What about this time?" asked Mom.

"Do you really want me to get into it now?" asked Erika.

I had to admit, I was pretty curious. "I'd like to hear," I told her.

"Normally I'd agree with you, Kieran, but Lucas and I heard all about it during the drive over here," Serena added, sitting on the couch beside Jackson. "It was rather amusing listening to her ranting, if I'm honest."

"Well, before I explain myself," interjected Erika, "Who's our friend here? I don't recognize him."

"His name is Jackson Jekyll," I introduced him, "He's a friend of mine."

Jackson's eyes seemed to light up at those words. Serena smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you, Jackson," she said to him. "I'm Serena."

"Hi," said Jackson, giving her a shy smile back. "I, um—I've actually heard a little bit about you from Kieran. Mostly your baby name preferences."

"Which ones did he tell you?"

"All the ones I thought were really disturbing," I said, "Like 'Moanis'."

"'Moanis' is pretty!" protested Serena.

"No, it's not," Jackson and I replied simultaneously.

"Okay, you two seriously have no taste," Serena crossed her arms, pretending to be deeply offended. "Oh, and Erika, carry on with your story now. You've sparked all of their curiosity, I'm sure."

"Alright, I may as well," replied Erika, although she was thoroughly less irritated now than she was before. "I'm sure everyone except for Jackson is aware of how my boss likes to change our work schedules around on us all the time. And at the staff meeting we had today, that's what happened. And usually I can deal with it no problem, but today he did the one thing I was hoping he wouldn't. He's making Aidan and I work Saturdays now. I told him from the beginning I couldn't do that, and so did Aidan."

"Where do you work?" asked Jackson. "I think I might know who you're talking about."

"Oh, just this die-ner close to the Normie high school," replied Erika. "You know Aidan Burns?"

"Yeah, he's my dad," Jackson nodded, "But I was also referring to your boss. Believe me—you're not the only one who has complaints about him. My dad voices them quite frequently."

"I'm honestly not surprised; everyone at work complains about the guy," agreed Erika with a light laugh. "But I feel like we should probably change the subject before I get all worked up again."

"Not a bad idea," agreed Lucas.

The afternoon continued in much the same manner, along with the amusing and light-hearted banter. One of the highlights was when Lucas, after warning Jackson to get out of the way (He'd been leaning forward on the couch and Lucas was sitting on the one directly across from me), frisbee'd an iTunes card my way. Luckily, I caught it before it hit me. "Happy birthday," said Lucas.

At some point, the conversation made its way to the subject of classes and Jackson revealed the play his drama class would be performing.

"I'm personally glad he's at least including a disclaimer," said my mother, "Who do you think they'll give the three lead roles to?"

"I have a strong feeling Frankie and Cleo will fight tooth and nail to be able to play Lucy and Lisa, respectively," answered Jackson, "but other than that I have no idea."

Personally, I hoped Jackson would get the role of Dr. Jekyll, but I also knew he wasn't all that comfortable being in the spotlight. That was obviously more Holt's forte.

"Do you think they'll pick you?" asked Serena.

"I honestly don't think so," said Jackson, shaking his head, "They'll probably pick someone like Neighthan or Deuce."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, they're a lot more well-liked among the student body than I am, and—and even if they did pick me, they probably wouldn't actually pick me."

"I'm lost." Lucas' eyebrows were raised in question. "What do you mean, exactly?"

"I, um—I have an alter ego named Holt Hyde," Jackson explained, "and he's kind of what you'd call the resident DJ of our school, so he's pretty popular."

"I'd wondered if you had a Hyde side," Mom said, "given your name and all."

"But why do you feel they'd pick him over you?" asked Serena.

"That's generally what happens," said Jackson, "I've—I've gotten used to it, though, so it's not so bad. And I personally wouldn't mind too much if he got the lead role in the play—he's a lot more comfortable in the spotlight than I am."

"I don't think that's very fair," remarked Erika, "In my opinion, they should accept both of you, and not just one of you. And I also think you have just as much of a shot at that lead role as Holt does."

Jackson smiled at her words. "Thanks," he said.