Chapter 7
"Little Red"
Tyler and I were the platonic Bonnie and Clyde. I flirted with the bartender while he reached around the counter to secure the goods. Once I had slipped the bartender my brother's phone number with the promise of a very filthy picture if he sent me one. Tyler and I then scurried away with our bottle of contraband. We snuck into his father's office because it was one of the few places that people weren't buzzing around locking the door behind us to ensure no one would follow.
"What are you in high school? Why the hell did you grab tequila? No one in their right mind drinks tequila straight." I grouched at my accomplice settling into place on the leather sofa.
" Your drinking with a minor what do you expect." Tyler took a swig of the tequila straight from the bottle and passed it to me.
"I thought the Mayor's son would have a bit more class." I pinched my nose and tilted my head back trying not to gag as soon as I swallowed.
"You know before you left town I would have never pictured you doing shit like this. You always seemed so prim."
"Yeah well, people change." I handed him back the bottle before standing up and looking around. " This is your dad's office right?"
"Yeah," He took another swig from the bottle "Why?"
"My old man always kept the good stuff in his office," I began examining the globe that was near Mr. Lockwood's desk and opened it to find a litany of beverages inside. I grabbed a bottle of vodka and some seltzer water and cradled it in my arm. I plucked two cigars for us to imbue later and returned to my protégé. "You drank before this right, I am not tainting Carol's baby right?"
Tyler got a good chuckle out of this and I knew my answer right away. " No, I have been drinking since I was fourteen."
"What is that like two years ago for you?"
" I am seventeen, you know that."
I waggled a finger at the prat," But I am also very drunk. So why is your mom making me babysit you?"
"I brought a girl to the party," Tyler sighed his shoulders sinking inwards. "Apparently, she wasn't good enough for my parents. I tried to warn her but I didn't want to hurt her feelings and brought her anyways."
"Ahhhh, yeah well if it makes you feel better I hit on a guy who not only has a girlfriend, which I didn't know, but she is your age. She caught us flirting and let's just say I was mortified." A shiver ran through me as I recalled the memory. I decided to chase the memory with alcohol to try to make it disappear.
" Ouch," Tyler held his bottle out to me and it wavered as he did. "To our shitty choices and great drinks."
"Here, here." And with that with clinked our bottles.
"Hey, Belle?"
"Yeah, Ty?"
" Do you," He paused trying to gather thoughts as the alcohol tried to chase them away. "Do you think I am good enough?"
" Yeah, Ty your good enough. You're a pretty cool kid, give yourself a few years and you will be outstanding. Fuck if you were older I would date the shit out of you."
" Remind me not to introduce you to my uncle," Tyler chuckled thinking himself a comedian but a dark look fell over his face. " I don't want you to be my Aunt."
" Man at this point I don't think I could date any founding family members. We are so inbred at this point it would be like dating my cousin." I closed my eyes trying to gather together the thought I wanted. " Maybe if your Uncle is hot though." I winked at Logan and took another chug from the bottle.
"Gross."
I lifted up the cigar to Tyler and held up the cigar lighter in my hand. " Want to go to the window and smoke?"
" Mhmm." Tyler's gave a nod. He had been drinking faster and a lot more than me and I could tell the tequila was hitting him.
" Can you even stand Ty?"
"Mhmm." He wobbled himself into a standing position bottle in hand clutched like a baby's bottle.
" I think we better wrap up tonight kid." I grabbed the bottles and cigars we had gotten out storing them away in Mayor Lockwood's "hidden" cabinet. I grabbed Tyler's forearm trying to lead him to the door of the office when the doorknob jiggled. My eyes bulged out of my head and narrowed on the coat closet near us. I had just enough time to drag Tyler in behind me and shut the door before I heard people enter into the room we had just vacated. Tyler sat down putting his head between his knees and I prayed to God he did not throw up.
" Thank you for staying so late." A voice said from the other side of the door. It sounded like the Mayor and I was immediately set on edge.
" Did you get the Gilbert watch?" A female voice replied. I tried to wrack my brain on who's it was but I was coming up blank.
" She claims it's packed away in her parent's things." I heard Carol's voice chime in. I strained to listen to the conversation interested in why a meeting would be taking place this late at night.
" I can get it." Logan's voice chimed in. I had to place a hand over my mouth to stifle the gasp that threatens to come out. I knew what was happening I was accidentally listening in on a council meeting. I looked down to signal to Tyler but the poor boy was passed out head now pressed against the door.
"Good, we're going to need it." That voice had to be the Sheriffs she was the only female I could think of that would be on the council with my brother and the mayor.
"Are you sure?" Mayor Lockwood asked.
" There were five bodies all drained of blood. I am certain." The sheriff replied back and I felt my body tense. I should not be here, and what bodies were they talking about? The only bodies I could think of were those animal attack victims.
"They've come back," Logan finished. I text Logan from the closet trying to get his help. I heard his phone ding shortly after. "Let's continue this conversation tomorrow when we all have clear heads " I heard Logan call out. He ushered him and the council out of the room and I heard the door close. I waited for ten seconds trying to figure out if I heard any other noises from the room before slowly opening the door to the closet and making sure the coast was clear. I shook Tyler awake and dragged him to a standing position as he looked around with bleary eyes. Tyler was a big boy but I was also naturally a strong girl.
" You need to learn how to handle your liquor man." I began to help Tyler walk out of the room and lead him to the stairs. I was halfway up when I heard a voice call out.
" Did you and Tyler have a good time?" Carol's beady eyes drilled in my back and I could feel her judging me. I half turned around balancing Tyler as I looked over my shoulder.
" Yeah, we bonded. I think he will be okay, he is just a little heartbroken." I readjusted his weight as Carol began walking up the stairs.
" It is better to break off a bad relationship sooner rather than later." She looked at Tyler with loving eyes despite her cold exterior. "Thank you for helping him."
"My pleasure," with that I walked Tyler the rest of the way upstairs with Carol guiding me to his room. I placed him into bed and let Carol tucked him in as I exited the room. The house was mostly empty at this point so there was no need to worry about being seen coming out of an underage boys room. I departed from the property and went towards the parking lot when my progress was halted.
"What did you hear" Logan questioned.
"All of it."
"Get in the car. I will explain when we are inside." And with that, we left from the Lockwood state sneaking into the night.
XXX
Vampires are real. They were in my town. Logan knew about them and didn't tell me. My mind was reeling and now Logan was checking in on me constantly. I was over this whole situation. Tyler had texted me the next day telling me he had the worst hangover he had ever had and I couldn't help but laugh at his pain. Tyler and I had seemed to have established a friendship through our night of drunken revelry and I began to feel like he was like a little brother to me.
XXX
Later that week Tyler texted me about a charity his school was holding and seeing how I was bored with being a spinster around the house I decided to go to the event. Tyler had told me it was a fundraiser event and the football players were helping out so I decided to be nice and supportive. I order ten boxes of pizza and strapped those bitches down in my car and drove my way to school. When I got there girls in bikini and gentlemen in swim trunks were wandering about and all I could wonder is what Tyler had gotten me into. When I was a teenager we did charity events fully clothed. I asked one of the scantily clad teens where Tyler was and they pointed me to his direction after I made sure no one would try and touch my car. There was no way in hell these kids would wash it and clean it well.
"Hey kiddo, guess what I got." Tyler automatically scowled at my attempts to set boundaries with his childish nicknames.
" Stop calling me a kid Belle."
I put my hands on my hips glowering at the young man," Be nice or I won't give you your present!"
"I will be nice if you tell me what the present is." Tyler started prostrating for his friends and I wanted to roll my eyes, but I let him have his fun as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively at me.
" Follow me and I will show you, kid." I winked at him and lead him to my stash of pizza in my car. "And here is a check from my father's firm. I explained to them about the charity and they were more than willing to donate."
"Damn Belle, this is awesome! You are the best, let me get some guys to come to grab the pizza and I can give the check to Caroline." Tyler gave me a side hug grabbing the check from my hands.
"I think I should probably apologize to Caroline she was the girl from the other night and I was kind of rude to her. It isn't her fault her boyfriend is a dick." I had felt bad for how I had treated the young girl and wanted to try to atone for my actions against her when I was sober. We searched for the girl but were unable to find her and gave our search just putting the check in the lockbox.
"Weird, Caroline should be around here I wonder where she went." Tyler looked around trying to see if he could locate the blonde.
" Shit," I ducked behind Tyler using his bulky form to hide me.
" What are you doing back there." Tyler looked at me with laughter in his eyes.
" My brother is here for work! We are fighting right now and I really don't want to see him right now. " I peeked out from behind Tyler to see if Logan saw me.
"I got a plan." Tyler threw an arm around my shoulder making my body harder to see from my brother's angle he walked me all the way back to my car opening the door for me in a gentlemanly way.
" Dude you are my life saver see you later kiddo," and with that, I kissed him on the cheek and drove away from the chaotic scene.
XXX
I had gone to the Grill to get take out, feeling too cooped up, I really should get a job to break up some minutia of the day. I had walked to the restaurant to get some fresh air but it had quickly gotten dark on my way over there. By the time I started to walk back night had been set in for at least an hour. The shadows seemed to move on their own and I was on edge at every noise. I pulled up the hood on my oversized red hoodie looking for a source of protection against my growing fear.
"My my my what do we have here."
"Shit Damon," I grabbed my heart feeling it race in my chest.
" Where are you going Little Red." A coy smile formed on Damon's stupid face
Deciding to play along with his stupid game I parroted out, " To my father's house."
"A girl like you should be careful out here, you may meet something that goes bump in the night."
" I think that would be you in this scenario." I continued walking on as he shadow behind me.
" About the other night," Damon sped in front of my path to cut me off. "Caroline was just my date. She got her blonde wires cross somehow and misunderstood the situation."
I tried to step around him trying to scurry home as fast I could "Sure, and does she know that?"
"She does now."
"Did you break that poor girl's heart?" I glared at him in my most threatening way.
"Who cares, it frees me up to do the things I want." Damon took a step trying to draw closer to me. I clutched my take out to my chest wheeling backward.
"I wish you well in your ventures," I sprinted away as he barked with laughter in the background.