Erica should be living it up, with her new hot vampire status, but she was confused. She could have practically any guy she wanted, and she was stuck between those two dorks, that she had always insisted would end up dateless. She had always dreamed of ending up with a cute guy who would treat her right, but be a bit of a bad boy, which was something she had never thought possible in her past sweatpants-wearing-Dusker days. When she was transformed into this blonde beauty, she was going to make that wish come true, but now, she wasn't so sure, and worse, the guys that she was thinking of were both nerds, who loved Startrek and Star Wars, who believed in aliens, who played lightsabers, and drank juiceboxes at lunch, but hadn't she once been like that, too? Uncaring of what everyone else thought, not dressing for everyone else, having fun with her close friend Sarah, and being nerdy. She could understand that, and appreciate that, and if she hadn't been bitten, she might be that same old Erica. Still, though, there was that nagging at the back of her head.
Sure, Rory had called her hot and sexy and hotcakes, and a bunch of other compliments, but Benny, he had called her beautiful. Beautiful, like something you would call a model, a dress, or a picture, but not Erica. Never Erica. Until then, when Benny had softly spoken those words under his breath, just loudly enough for Erica's vampire ears to pick up. Guys had hit on her, and asked her out, but not one had ever called her beautiful, not until Benny opened his mouth. They had called her hot, and cute, and pretty, but beautiful, was the only thing she had ever wanted to hear. After years of being pushed around, laughed at, made fun of, cyberbullied, she needed someone to tell her that she was beautiful, and not hot or sexy, just beautiful.
That was when she had a moment of realization. Had Benny honestly liked her all this time? Had he liked her before she became a vampire? No, of course not. No one had, except for Sarah. No guys even looked at her back then, and then she remembered, a moment when Benny had. She was sitting at the table, talking to Sarah, and suddenly this kid, in a brown jacket pulled up a chair and asked if she was babysitting for the Morgans. When she smiled and said yes, he had smiled too, and he wasn't trying to avoid her face, or go away, but seemed sad to go.
No, he couldn't have. Benny likes all those pretty girls, so he couldn't possibly like me. She thought, but then
Are you not pretty, too? He called you beautiful, did he not?
And Rory, he was like every other guy in that high school. In it for her body and not her, not her personality, but Benny...How many times had she made his stomach fill with butterflies? How many times had he stood speechless in his prescence? How many times had she made him speechless, if she had ever done it?
Without another thought, she got up, to go to Benny and find out for sure. She ws there in one minute, and she grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Benny, I have a question for you. Tell the truth." Benny was surprised, but his face softened into a smile.
"H-Hi, Erica. What is it?" Erica sighed and looked down.
"I heard you the other day when you called me beautiful. I need to know. I have just one question? Have I always been beautiful to you?" Benny's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Of course. I always thought it was adorable when you would snort when you laughed and your nose would twitch when you were telling a lie." He laughed. "I loved your personality and your obsession with Dusk, and how you would wear sweats and tie your hair back, and still, you would look beautiful. Whatever happened to those adorable glasses of yours?" Erica smiled, truly happy for once. She released Benny's shoulders and ran a hand through his hair. She leaned forward and kissed him, soft and sweet, on the lips, and pulled away. She shuffled her hand in her pocket, and came to a case.
"They're right here." They both smiled. Benny slowly opened the case and took the glasses out, placing them on Erica as her former self seemed to flash back to life. Erica pulled her hair back, and linked arms with Benny, and they walked down the street that way.
"I love you, Benny. I've..never felt more beautiful."
"I love you too, Erica, and honestly, you've never looked more beautiful to me." Then they kissed, and somehow, Erica felt more beautiful than she had ever felt in her life, and she was content, just looking into Benny's green eyes.