Vampire Kisses fanfiction
PLASTIC PROMISES
Claude Sterling/OC: Madeline Torrent

Chapter 11.

For the past week, Maddie hadn't gone a day without thinking about Claude. The weird part was that whenever she thought of him, it wasn't out of fear, it was out of curiosity and confusion. This even surprised herself.

When he finally let her leave the studio, she relayed his words over and over in her mind, listening to them in fear. But the more she relayed the entire conversation, her fear transformed into curiosity. He said he was allured by her eyes. She understood that he longed to stay close to her. Was that really why he wouldn't let her go—because he wanted her in his presence?

And, Maddie knew that he wasn't lying about being a vampire. He wasn't even reflected in the mirror! Maddie knew that was no trick. Still, the thought of vampires actually existing was too surreal for her. She'd read about them, watched movies of them, but meeting one? That wasn't exactly on her agenda. She'd never been one of those vampire-crazed kids who only wished to meet a vampire. She just liked them for the entertainment.

However, she thought it strange that she wasn't all that frightened of him. It was a blow to the gut, for sure. The news was so powerful, she was awestruck. But she wondered why she wasn't more afraid of him. Why was she so curious instead?

Maddie closed her locker and walked down the hall towards her English class. She passed by the gym, and through the crosshatched windows on the double doors, she saw Travis, dressed in navy blue basketball shorts and a grey t-shirt with the sleeves torn off.

They hadn't talked in a while, but, then again, they never really did talk. They argued and fought. Travis teased her to get a rise out and she'd attempt to relay a punch to the gut. But ever since she burst into constant bawling in his car that night of the soccer game, they hadn't come into contact with each other. She remembered him wrapping an arm around her, letting her soak his shirt up with her tears, remaining silent and listening to her cry. It should have been awkward, but it wasn't. Sure, she was embarrassed afterwards, but in the moment, Maddie felt comfortable, and she knew he did too.

Perhaps that was why they stopped teasing each other, stopped calling each other names and arguing. They were both embarrassed. She thought that she should have been thrilled that he'd left her alone. After all, that was what she wanted, ever since he'd made a fool out of her in third grade. She couldn't help but feel a sort of emptiness from the lack of contact with him.

She watched briefly while he laughed with his friends, tossing a basketball around and shooting hoops while they waited for Coach Greers. He looked happy, and completely avoiding focus on her. He probably didn't even care that they weren't. Maddie shouldn't have even cared. She was about to turn away when suddenly Travis glanced her way. Both locked gazes for a few seconds before Travis quickly looked away and continued to communicate with his buddies. Maddie rolled her eyes and left for class.

She really did not need him. She told herself to be thrilled and relieved that she'd gotten him off of her shoulder. She didn't have to put up with his teasing and taunting. She could finally go through school without any stress from him. It was a miracle.

So why didn't it feel like one?

Maddie arrived at her English class and tried to put Travis out of her mind, but suddenly her thoughts drifted back to Claude. She mentally groaned. Couldn't she just escape the thoughts of boys altogether for a little bit? She needed to dance. She needed to listen to her music. She longed for the school day to end so she could escape to her sanctuary.

What if Claude's waiting for me at the studio? she thought as her teacher walked in. Annoying dread sunk in her body. Perhaps she'd have to use the gymnasium again. She'd be avoiding the studio again, not out fear, but out of annoyance.

Maddie made her way to her locker to gather her books do her homework. She'd decided that she'd stay after school to complete her homework, and then use the gym after the weight trainers had left. Lucky for her she carried her uncle's old iPod with her to school, so she'd be able to hook it up to the radio in the gym.

As she began taking books out, she felt a presence linger on the other side of the door of her locker. Involuntarily, her heart began to race and she remembered how Travis would always stick around her locker just to call her names, then he would switch personalities and talk suavely to her.

Quickly, she slammed her door to see who was on the other side. The boy next to her wasn't Travis at all, but instead her locker neighbor, Benny Manila, a skinny black-haired kid with wide brown eyes. Not Travis at all. He was startled by her sudden slamming of her locker and stared at her.

"Sorry," she chuckled nervously. The emptiness returned and she walked away to the library.

She set her things on a round table near the back of the library near the shelves of books. She opened her history text book and took out loose-leaf sheets of paper to answer the margin questions. She stuck the earphones of her iPod into her ears and cranked up OneRepublic. She became enwrapped in her work moments later, forgetting every bit of Claude and Travis. It was the sudden looming shadow over her paper that made her heart jump and return to thoughts of the very males she wanted to forget.

Travis? Claude?

She looked up to a few of her artists friends who had been trying to get her attention. She took one earphone out of her ear.

"Finally," sighed the middle girl, Olivia. "We've been trying to get your attention forever!" Her blonde straight-edge bob shook with her head.

"Do you mind if we sit here?" asked the second girl standing on Olivia's right, Lila. "The other tables are full."

"Yeah, yeah. Of course," said Maddie, hastily moving her things out of the way. Of course. How come she hadn't thought of hanging out with her friends to get her mind off of the two boys?

"You know, if you keep blasting your music, you're going to end up going deaf," the sole male of the trio mentioned. Maddie rolled her eyes.

"Oh please. We all know you blast your music too, Chester," she said. Chester scowled and ran a hand through his shaggy golden hair.

"What's that you're working on?" asked Lila, peering over Maddie's arm at her text book. "World War II? Oh how interesting. We just finished that in AP." She cracked open her own textbook and searched for her notebook in her quilted tote bag.

"Do you have to include the AP bit? We know what courses you're taking because you're so smart," Olivia said. Lila shrugged and combed a lock of orange-red hair behind her ear. "I mean, Chester never mentions his AP classes." Chester and Lila exchanged looks and stared at Olivia, rolling their eyes.

Maddie chuckled. She'd never been so appreciative of her friends until now. She mentally thanked them for distracting her.

"So how's art, guys?" she asked.

"Fabulous. My oil painting of Jessica's boobs are going in the art show!" exclaimed Olivia. Maddie choked on her saliva.

"What?"

"Miss Ryan brought in a nude model for us to paint," Chester explained. "'Course she had to send out permission slips in case any of our parents wanted us seeing a naked woman, let alone drawing one."

"Well, yeah. I bet you liked that," Maddie said. Chester's eyebrows knitted together.

"The permission slips? Not really. My parents almost didn't let do it. The naked model? Hell yeah, I liked that," he said. Maddie rolled her eyes.

"What'd you draw?" she asked. "Or do I not want to know?"

"Let's just say he drew something that we don't normally expose in any circumstances, unless we're ... you know … having … yeah, I'll stop," Lila said. Maddie's face twisted with disgust.

"Okay, yeah, gross. I'm sorry I asked," she said.

"What about you? How's your dancing coming? Are we going to see you on So You Think You Can Dance? any time soon?" asked Olivia. Maddie chuckled.

"Unfortunately not. There're not even coming down here this season," she said.

"You definitely need to audition one day," insisted Chester. "You're incredible." Maddie smiled.

"When do the auditions start?" asked Olivia.

"Not for another four months. The season just started," Maddie informed.

"Wouldn't it be so awesome if you made the auditions and actually competed?" asked Lila excitedly, a wide smile spreading across her freckled face.

"I don't think it would happen," Maddie said with a half-smile. Lila immediately frowned.

"Well, why not?" asked Chester.

"They never come here to audition. And besides, I don't have money to travel to the closest city just to audition. What if I didn't make it?"

"Are you kidding? I'd bet my money that you'd at least make it to the final ten," Olivia said, folding her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair. Maddie rolled her eyes.

"Ollie, please," she said.

"What? I'm serious. Maddie, you're talented. You can dance."

"Oh, you guys," Maddie sighed, shaking her head and smiling at her friends.