"How many times do I have to apologize?" Rory whines, pouting behind me as we walk into school. I roll my eyes at him and make my way towards my second home. My locker isn't the greatest of sizes and it can often have an odor on Taco Tuesdays, but it's always welcoming to come to after grueling classes.
"Caroollll!" He whines, leaning against the locker beside mine. His lips in a full pout and wide doe eyes to go with them.
"Rory! The whining is not cute and I'm still mad at you." I snap, slamming my books into my locker and sighing in exasperation.
"Or did you forget that you tried to bite my face off?!" I shout, retrieving my books for classes in first period.
"I'm sorry! You know I get fangy when I'm excited." He replies with a disgruntled face. I feel him following me as I make my way through the hallways.
"What can I do to make it up to you?" He asks, coming up beside me.
I try to ignore the stares as I walk past my classmates with bandages on my upper and lower lips. It's bad enough that I'm the new kid, but now I have an obvious physical flaw. All it takes is one person to say something, or brand me with a nickname about this and that's all I'll be known for. I spent all last night worrying about this, adding dark circles to the mix as well. I'm ignoring Rory's pleas as these thoughts bounce around, when I notice everyone ignores me as soon as Benny and Ethan walk through the halls.
"Why is everyone practically jumping away from you guys and hugging the walls?" I ask as we meet up. Sarah and Erica are already there talking to them, looking very unbelieving to whatever they've just told them. The two walk off just as Analis comes up from behind them.
"Wait, do I even want to know?" I ask, my head tilted and Rory leaving my side to place his hands on both Benny and Ethan's shoulders.
"Don't worry, guys. My first time flying, I rear ended a 7-47. I hate airline food, am I right?" He jokes, removing his hands as we all start walking down the hallway. From this comment, I can only gather that something happened with Ethan's driving lesson. I'm questioning yet again if I want to know this information or stay blissfully ignorant to the situation.
"Shaquisha, why is it that once the guys get together, we always get placed on the back burner?" Analis asks with a disgruntled sigh.
"Also, why are wearing two bandages as lip accessories?" I chuckle at her crack at me and shake my head in response. Both answers would take too long to answer before the end of first period.
"You! You tried to run me over!" A thin Caucasian guy yells at Ethan. His hair is shaggy, almost curly as it falls down past his ears. But I'm too busy staring at the crutches he's holding to his body and the bandages on his right forearm and thigh, to notice how attractive he could be.
"I better get my car back by the end of today, or I am calling the police and I'm gonna have your permit revoked. REVOKED!" He shouts at him, his finger pointed at his chest and the anger spewing off of him.
"Your bandages are leaking." Rory says with a sigh. The guys look as concerned as I feel, when the guys walks off and Rory follows after. I'm going to take a wild guess that he was the Malcom they went to go see yesterday and it sounds like it went horrible. But now I have to refrain my boyfriend from making him into an early lunch.
"Latoya, I'm sorry girl, but I have to follow my idiotic boyfriend or he's going to do something ridiculous." I say in a whisper. She widens her mouth in shock and playfully shoves me.
"You know you're secretly dying anyway, because you and Benny have homeroom together now." I point out, just before the bells rings, signaling the start of our day.
"Go get your man, Shaquisha." She says with a smile.
"But just know, I am going to want details later about all of this." She adds, circling her finger round her mouth. I roll my eyes but nod and take off after Rory, chasing him down the hallway and almost knocking him into the lockers. Latoya's curiosity about my lip incident could wait till later.
It's around lunch time when I bring Rory out from the random locker I stuffed him in, and bring him to the parking lot. I didn't lock it and he could've walked out of it at any time he wanted, but he didn't think to try the handle to see if I locked it or not. He grabs a quick snack outside and it eases his hunger from Malcom's bandages. Then notices me leaning against the hood of a random car, and leans against the side of it with me.
"You still mad?" He asks, his whining nonexistent and his tone of voice very normal. I watch him trace his fingertips along my ring and the back of my hand. There's a silence between us as I question that myself. I haven't spoken to him since my locker this morning and our texts have been dead. Right now, there isn't one person I miss more.
"No." I answer softly. He looks to meet my gaze and we smile at each other before he hugs me tight.
"But you're still an idiot and make out sessions are going to be very lax from now on." I retort, resting my forehead against his chest. The bandages around my mouth are still very irritating to me. I've had three teachers today ask me what happened and I've only had one class.
"You're kinda cute with bandages. Did I tell you that this morning?" He teases, poking my side so I'll look up at him. I glare at him and back away as I cover my mouth with my hand.
"Stop, it's not that bad." He says, trying to see.
"Did you ever finish your math homework after I left your house?" I ask, trying to shift the attention off of me. He hits his forehead with the palm of his hand and reaches for his cell phone.
"I'll take that as a no." I retort, lowering my hand and watching him call Ethan. There's suddenly a loud commotion in front of us as a kid is wheeled away into an ambulance.
"Nothing, I was wondering if you did the math homework yet. Also, did you savagely chew Derek Malvern with your car?" He asks, listening to the guy on the stretcher screaming for Ethan's permit to be revoked.
"Really? Cause that's not what everyone thinks." He says, holding out his phone for Ethan to hear the screams.
"THIS IS ALL ETHAN MORGAN'S FAULT! WHERE ARE YOU MORGAN? I'M COMING FOR YOU ETHAN! REVOKE ETHAN MORGAN'S PERMIT! REVOKE HIS PERMIT!" I stare at him in shock and look in the direction that Rory's staring in. There's a red convertible that looks almost brand new sitting in the student parking lot. I'd bet my entire summer's pay that this was the car causing all the mischief.
"Alright, look. I have to get back to class. But please keep me informed okay? I want to be there when you guys figure out what's going on here. Also, tell Benny to stop ignoring his girlfriend. I'm beginning to think the honeymoon phase is dying out." I say, grabbing the side of his head and kissing his cheek. I flinch and put my hand to my mouth in pain. Sighing, I walk off and watch the guys round the corner and meet up with my boyfriend.
All day I receive updates via text about the crash with Ethan and Malcom. Then, almost the same incident happens with Derek Malvern in the school parking lot. Since everyone already knew Ethan was the last one who had that car, everyone blamed him. Lastly, after we all got out of school the car went missing because of a spell gone wrong with Benny and chased after Ronnie Barnstorm. Benny looked it up after they got home and learned all three are part of the Manfred Bruner family tree.
This car has been in nothing but weird accidents with that family since it was made. But there was a mechanic who worked on the car that ties in with this story. Jacob, the mechanic, was a cunning vampire who worked for the Bruner family. But there wasn't a definite way for Manfred Bruner to fire him without knowing he was going to come back. There was an…accident involving a wooden spike with Jacob behind the wheel. According to Ethan, Jacob came back to get the revenge he couldn't get. Now the gang is going to set up the car tonight to think it's chasing Richard Bruner, the last victim.
We're all in the garage as we wait for Rory and Ethan with the car. Why my boyfriend had to be the one that was playing the victim, is beyond me. But these are the sacrifices I have to make for Whitechapel. Benny and Erica are setting up chains that hold three rakes in place for the car to run over. Analis and I are hanging back with Sarah as we look for signs for Ethan and Rory.
"Here it comes!" Benny shouts, him and Erica jumping out of the way and watching each tire pop. Rory turns around and starts walking back toward the car. Ethan climbs out of it, laughing because it actually worked. The group of us gather around the front of the car and Rory takes out a vial full of Richard's blood.
"Ha! Fooled ya! It was me, Rory. Not Richard Bruner, grandson of Manfred Bruner." He says. I ruffle his hair to try and fix it from being flat. Wearing a wig does horrible things to his hair.
The car is instantly pissed that it's been fooled and starts revving it's engine at Rory. The blood is tossed from person to vampire repeatedly, until Ethan grabs it and takes off with it. He stands on a rig, waiting for the car to follow him. But Sarah, Rory and Erica all hold it back from going after him. Benny, Analis and I are all off to the side with Analis holding on tightly to Benny's arm.
Benny insists they let go, explaining Ethan has a plan that can be heard in his voice. As soon as they let go, it flies after him. Ethan jumps off to the side as the car shifts at the last minute, flipping it onto it's roof. Ethan grabs a wooden plank that ends in a point and tries to stab the car through the engine. But Sarah has to take over at the last minute, because Ethan can't pierce it.
E tosses the vial over to Rory,
"Here Rory, you earned it." he says with a smile. As he catches it, Erica makes a fit about how she should be the one getting it. The two begin to quarrel, wrestling over the vial between their hands. Benny smiles as Analis and I back away and holds his hands up.
"Sominom Vis Cathra Arba Sinar!" He shouts, touching both of them and making them pass out instantly. The two of us stare in shock as we just learn he could do this.
"It was nothing." He says with a smug smirk on his face.
"Benny, you use this on me once and we are over, got that?" Analis says in a tone. He nods in understanding and I laugh at the two of them. But Benny then realizes that he'll be left cleaning up the mess with Ethan and Sarah. Analis and I watch as he uses the spell on himself.
"Can you believe him?" Analis asks, kicking his shin and looking to where Sarah and Ethan were standing. But we both see they left us behind with the mess and the three unconscious bodies.
"I hope they don't think we're gonna be the new clean up squad." Analis says, her sass at max level.
"Let's go home, Latoya. I'm tired and my bandages need changing." I say, already walking off. She links arms with me and on the way home I explain how I ended up with these bandages. I'm so glad she's here to keep my head on straight, especially when everything else seems to fall apart around us.