Vampire Kisses fanfic

Jagger Maxwell/ OC: Emily Payne

A/N: Sorry this chapter is kind of boring. I'm watching the season premier of LOST!!!!! WOOT! Anywahoozles...this is kind of a lame-o filler chapter, if that's what you wanna call it. Hope you enjoy it. I'll try and make the next one longer and better. I'm kind of at a standstill at where I am in the story. And plus, I'm writing in between comercials, so that doesn't give me much brain power. LOLs. So, um, yeah...again, hope you enjoy. R&R please! -Michele

~x~x~Chapter 26~x~x~

While everybody else was having a great time, dancing and moshing to the music, Rex was sulking at the bar, ordering up a million virgin Bloody Marys. This was bothering me. I couldn't believe that he was jealous of Jagger. If Rex really knew what I hid, he wouldn't like me anymore. In fact, he'd probably call me a Gothic Ho just like the preps at Horace.

The thing was, Jagger knew me now. Even though we had done things we shouldn't had done because we barely knew each other, we knew each other now. Things were different between us. We knew about each other's families, our past, our troubles. We knew each other.

However, I didn't know Rex. Okay well I knew him a little, but I didn't want to become more than friends. Oh God, wasn't this situation familiar. I felt like I was meeting Jagger all over again.

I spotted Rex sitting alone while I was dancing with Jagger. Even Sevvy, the shy girl, was out dancing--with Rafael. I don't know, but it seemed to me that that girl had a thing for the big guy. It was actually kind of cute, really. I'd have to talk to Helena and Ava about that.

"I'm thirsty," I said to Jagger while we danced. We stopped for a brief moment.

"Okay, you wanna get something over at the bar?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back," I promised. I wanted to go talk to Rex alone. If Jagger came with me, Rex would feel intimidated, and I didn't want that. I noticed Helena and Ava dancing and pushed Jagger towards them. "Here, dance with Hel and Ava." They looked over at me and smiled, welcoming Jagger a little too much. I laughed at his bewildered reaction, but he soon got to dancing with my friends shortly after.

I made my way through the crowds of dancing Goths and made it to the bar where I found Rex, his tall, multicolored Mohawk standing out among the crowd.

I climbed up on the barstool next to him. He turned to me, his face neutral.

"Hey Em," he said, monotone.

"Rex, are you okay?" I asked, starting the subject. I was hoping he would build on the conversation. Maybe he'd get straight to the point, but I doubted it.

Rex shrugged and took a gulp of his drink. "I have a bit of a headache," he said.

Lie.

"Then maybe you should be drinking water instead of Bloody Marys," I suggested. I sighed. We both knew I hadn't believed him. "Why don't you really tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing. It's stupid. Forget it. Your boyfriend is waiting for you," Rex said softly.

"This is about Jagger, isn't it?" I asked, my tone equally soft.

"No, it's about nothing. Please, Emily, just..."

"Rex, you can tell me. I won't get mad. I won't tell him anything. This will just stay between us two," I promised. He looked over at me, his face skeptical.

"Are you sure? You promise?" he asked. I placed my hand on top of his and smiled widely.

He sighed. I left my hand on his and squeezed it a bit, just to give him support. He sighed again.

"Well..." he started. I listened intently. "I know you kinda get annoyed when people call you beautiful and sexy and hot, but it's true. You really are beautiful and sexy and hot."

I was so touched, especially because Rex was shy and sincere about it. He wasn't as outgoing as before, like at school. He was different. He was sensitive about this subject, and that made him even more trustworthy.

My cheeks were heating up with embarrassment. I looked away, shyly.

"No, no, I don't get annoyed," I corrected. And it was true. It's just that, it made me feel weird that everybody thought I was so attractive. I mean, I didn't want to sound modest, but I didn't want to sound conceited either. I wasn't really that pretty, was I? I did get attention from the kids at my old school, both good and bad, but mostly bad, since I was pretty much the only one of my kind there, surrounded by preps and jocks (gag).

"Do you really think so?" I asked. Rex nodded.

"Yeah. Jagger is really lucky to have a girl like you as his girlfriend," he said.

I looked down at my black-painted fingernails, my fingertips tapping the counter at some random rhythm. Rex was jealous. Rex was so jealous.

"Really?" I asked nervously. Though I shouldn't be nervous. I had been expecting this, waiting for him to say this. I wanted him to build on to my conversation.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "You know, when you first walked into my pre-cal class, I was shocked. I had never seen a more beautiful girl. And when you sat down between me and Trent, my insides were like, ecstatic, you know? Like, I had this weird jumping feeling."

I bit my lipstick-coated lip. God, how was I going to break it to him that I couldn't date him? Rex was so sweet. He didn't deserve harshness like that.

"So um, you've kinda already figured it out," he said, looking away from me.

"Yeah," I replied.

"This stays between us?" he pleaded.

"Of course."

We met each other's gaze and sighed. It was sort of a sigh of relief, but it was still a bit unsteady.

And then suddenly Rex's eyebrows narrowed and he turned away from me. He grunted something unintelligible. I was bewildered by his expression, but it didn't take long for me to figure out why he made that expression.

"Hey babe. Rex," Jagger said, his hand resting on my shoulder. I swiveled on my stool and smiled.

"Hey Jagger," I said calmly. He smiled back at me and pecked me on the lips very briefly before switching his gaze to Rex.

"What's up, dude? You okay?" he asked with sincerity.

"Yeah, cool," he responded. He turned to me. "Hey Em, I'm sorry but I'm gonna get going. My folks don't even know I'm here," he said with a nervous chuckle. I smiled sadly, knowing that he was only leaving because of Jagger.

"Okay Rex. I'll see you on Monday, then," I said and hugged him goodbye. He hugged me back tightly, not wanting to let go. But we did, and he left.

When Rex was out of earshot, Jagger said, "So the guy likes you a lot, huh?"

I looked up at him. "Is he that obvious or were you listening?"

"Both," he responded with a shrug, shoving his hands into the pockets of his baggy black jeans.

I glared. "Jagger, I told you to dance with Helena and Ava," I said.

"Yeah but you looked like something was wrong. I had to find out. I'm just too curious," he replied.

I sighed with stress. Jagger, Jagger, Jagger. Why, why, why?