Author's Note: Hope you enjoy! Thank you for all the favorites and follows.
She was going to puke.
Like seriously, she was going to vomit all over the sexy blonde vampire if he didn't get them safely back on firm ground. She was rethinking the second one dollar margarita at the previous bar, while wondering if she did get sick, did it come out of black silk. He was wearing silk, right? Perhaps it was one of those new blends? Stains came out of those, right?
These were the rambling thoughts racing through Evie's panicked mind as she clung to dear life to a vampire who'd been lapping tequila out of her bellybutton mere minutes ago. But she didn't see the point of thinking of the more obvious issue at hand. The one she should be paying close attention to. The itty bitty issue of being forty feet off the freaking ground, and that vampires could freaking fly.
Bill Compton had left out that little tidbit, just like he'd conveniently left out the small fact that vampires could actually eat and drink. It made Evie wonder what else her sister's douche bag of a boyfriend was keeping from them.
Unlike her siblings, she had flown a handful of times. But she'd used an airplane of course.
Her first time had been during Sophomore year when Thea's parents paid for spring break at Ft. Lauderdale. The excitement far surpassed her fears. Right now, she felt anything but excited and she'd rather consider the distinct possibility of blowing chunks.
Thankfully, her feet hit solid ground. As soon as Eric's arms dropped to his sides, she was hurried to the nearest shrub.
"That's disgusting." His tone was dry, and when her stomach was done revolting, she turned around to see him standing feet away with hands shoved into his front pockets.
"Wasn't expecting . . . . that." It was lame, but she wasn't ready to verbally commit to what had just happened.
"About that." Moving impossibly fast, Eric was in front of her before she could blink. His fingers brushed under her chin, forcing her to tilt her head back to gaze into his eyes. "You left the alley before the police arrived. You walked back to campus, alone."
"Right." Jerking her head back, Evie rubbed at her arms, putting distance between her and the intimidatingly tall vampire. "I walked back to campus, through locked gates, past the new security guards and skipped my way back to the sorority house. Totally believable."
Looking disturbed, he invaded her space again. "My compulsion didn't work." It wasn't a question, and he didn't look overly pleased. "Why didn't it work?"
It only took her a moment to understand. "Did you just try to do some kind of vamp brain scramble on me?"
He ignored her question, as he peered down at her, his face tight in frustration.
"What are you?" He asked again, this time not sounding curious. No, he sounded the opposite of curious. Eric' tone was perturbed.
"Royally screwed." Evie muttered back. Eyeing their surroundings, she was shocked to be find herself on Greek row. Perhaps she wasn't as screwed as she first thought.
"You're not human." Eric insisted.
"My Homosapien parents would've disagree." Turning her attention back to him, Evie shrugged.
Seeing she wasn't going to elaborate any further, nor did she show any sign of discomfort from refuting him, he glared. "How did your sister know about the raid?"
That made her pause, as wide nervous eyes peered up at him. She hated feeling anxious, and briefly wondered if it was time to up her meds. She'd felt more in the last few hours than she had all summer, and that was no way to start a new school year. "No clue."
"Lie." He said displeased. Gone was the smug look he wore from the bar. He appeared now to be very displeased.
"You're right, Sookie is an undercover cop. She waitresses by day and solves crime at night. She really is a diabolical mastermind." Evie regrated the words the moment she spoke. She was pushing her luck, but she was so tired of people asking about Sookie.
Her older sister was a major pain in the butt, who liked to think she had the god given right to boss her around because she was three years older. She took obnoxiously long showers, leaving everyone else with cold water. Never thought twice about eating the last piece of pie and went about life with her head stuck in the clouds. But no matter how much they fought, or that Sookie always ratted her out to Gran, there was no way she'd out her sister like that.
"Cute." He replied dryly. "But again, a lie. You are aware I can hear your increased heartbeat like most humans? Everyone has a tell. Something particular, that signals they aren't being truthful. Besides hearing your heartbeat quicken, your unique scent also increases."
Wondering if that was his way of saying she stunk, Evie felt slightly insulted. "Fine, I'm lying. I plain don't wanna tell you." Her southern was slipping out, and she couldn't bring herself to care.
"I admire the level of loyalty you show to your sister." The scowl on his face made Evie think he was the one who was lying now. He seemed more peeved she hadn't supplied the answers he was looking for.
"Well thanks for flying me home." This was not the night back to school she'd been expecting, and now all she wanted was to slip into bed and make it all go away.
"I have a feeling we will meet again." Without another word, he was up in the night sky and out of sight, just as a set of headlights turned the corner down the street.
πβΩ
"What. The. Fuck." Pacing back and forth, eyes wide and hair a mess, Kara paused for a moment to send Evie a scathing glare. "You let that . . . that monster take a body shot off you."
"For the record he was a hot monster." Thea added from her spot on the couch, a huge grin on her face when Kara's eyes widened in rage.
"You think this is funny?" Kara sputtered. "Perhaps you haven't noticed, but Carrie never made it out of the bar. Any guess why?"
"Because we ditched her ass like we did Evie's." Thea scowled.
Evie watched as the two girls glared at one another. Thea had apologized, multiple times, for leaving her behind. But Kara had latched onto her arm and refused to let go. Then the cops had started moving in their direction and when Thea saw they were detaining customers she let Kara drag her out. There really wasn't much to forgive, Evie knew Thea always had her back.
"Everyone knows Carrie can't keep her big fat mouth shut." Running her hands through her long hair, Kara stared pacing again. "By morning, the administration will know we were out past midnight, in a vampire bar. They will undoubtfully call that bible loving bitch, who is going to chew my ass off."
"I told you the list was a bad idea." Evie sighed, feeling a headache forming. The magnitude of emotions swirling about the room was a little too much. "As our president you could have done something."
"And jeopardize our senior year by pissing off the most popular fraternity on campus." Kara snorted. "Do you want to have mixers with the AP computer geeks?"
"Do you hear yourself?" Thea asked. "You made a decision because you wanted to impress a bunch of fist-bumping douche bags."
"If you two were so against it why did you even go?" Arms out wide, Kara looked around the room at the other silent girls who were too scared to say anything. "No one had a gun against your head."
"No, but if we hadn't, you would've made our year hell." Evie said standing up, totally over Kara and her mandatory emergency meeting. Thea sent Kara a brittle smile and followed her lead.
"If your little dalliance with that fucking vampire comes back to bite us in the ass, I guarantee to make this year a living hell." Kara's threat hung in the air.
Ωβπ
The mixture of pills she'd taken the night before knocked her out, and if it hadn't been the persistent buzzing of her phone, Evie may have slept until noon. Never a morning person, she usually slept late. Of course, this habit rubbed her Gran wrong, who was always quick with some saying about lay abouts and birds eating worms. Unlike her, Sookie loved mornings. It didn't matter if she worked the late shift and didn't come home until two in the morning, she was always up painfully early.
So, there was no shock that it was her sister calling, when Evie rolled over with a groan and searched her bedside table for the obnoxious device. "What?"
"Don't take that tone with me." Sookie voice was strained. "I've been worried out of my mind. How could you go off with Eric? On second thought, how could you let him touch you like that?"
Dropping her head back against her pillow, Evie squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't awake enough for round two. Not yet. "Sookie, I'm really not in the mood for this."
"Don't care." Her sister's sharp tone was close to seething, meaning she'd been working herself up for this argument. Or she was already mad. "You're supposed to be going to school to get an education, so you can do something with your life. Do you have any idea what Gran has done to make sure you could go to your fancy little college?"
Wanting to point out that LSUS wasn't ivy league, Evie bit her tongue. "Yes, Sook, I know."
"Is that all you do up there?" Sookie went on. "Party at vampire bars?"
And that's where she stopped the little hypocrite. "First of all, you were there too. Second, last night was the first and last time I ever step foot into Fangtasia."
"Eric of all people."
"You never said you knew Eric." Curious, Evie opened one eye.
"I don't." Sookie back peddled. "But Bill said -."
"Oh my freaking gawd Sook." Rolling over, tired of hearing about Bill, and what Bill had to say, Evie pressed her face into the pillow for a moment before blurting out the first thing that came time mind. "Bill is a lying dick."
"Take that back Everly Lynne."
"Not happening." Evie snapped back. "It says something when other vampires can't stand him. I told you something was off with him, and that it had nothing to do with his diet. Did you know vampires can eat and drink human food?" There was a long pause on the other end. "Apparently they don't need either to survive. Eric was perfectly fine licking salt and swallowing tequila. I can't help but wonder what else Bill left out."
"Well, it doesn't really matter." Sookie said after a minute of silence, her words followed by a sniff. "I won't be seeing Bill anymore."
That was some good news. Curious, Evie sat up. "Why?"
Something deep inside wanted to hear her sister say it was because Bill had no intention to see her to safety. That he'd let a vampire, one he didn't like, get her home. The thought came to her the night before when she'd been getting ready for bed, after she removed herself from the drama and had a moment of quiet.
Sookie's beloved had ditched her with vampires without a second thought. He hadn't even given her, his girlfriend's sister, a second thought. She wasn't peeved he'd shown little disregard for her personally, she didn't give a crap about how he felt towards her. But if he cared at all for Sookie, like he claimed, he wouldn't have been so blatantly cold.
"There was an altercation with a police officer on our way home." Sookie admitted. "I didn't appreciate the way he handled it. I think its best we don't see one another again."
Disappointment blossomed in her chest.
"Wish I could say I was sorry." Flopping back down, Evie pulled the covers back over her. Sookie was saying something, but the door to Evie and Thea's room burst open.
Kara stood in the opening, looking worse than she had the night before. Her hair was wild, and last night's make-up ringed her brown eyes. "Thought you two would like to know I just got off the phone with a very pissed off Sarah Newlin. She informed me that Nationals is disgusted, and that every single one of us, including the sophomore class, now have one strike against us. Our philanthropy hours have doubled for the semester. And I was placed on probation for allowing such heathenistic behavior, her words not mine."
"Ouch." Thea murmured from under her bedding.
"She also wanted me to pass on that Rush week better go off without a hitch, or she'll personally see that each and everyone of us rue the day we made her look bad. Again, her words not mine." Evie watched in shock from her bed, as Kara glared back. "Carrie's parents have pulled her from school, and her father will be here some time today to pack her shit up."
"Is that all?" Evie looked over to where Thea was kicking off the covers before swinging her legs off the bed. Shooting their affronted president, a nasty scowl, she put her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you're shocked?"
"Thea." Evie shook her head in warning, praying Thea would let this fight go. The tension in the room was mounting, and the pressure was bearing down on her.
"No." Thea huffed. "She doesn't get to come in here and dump her bullshit on us. Her only job is to make smart decisions, and to back us when shit hits the fan. But she caved last night, knowing the scavenger hunt could jeopardize the sorority. She rode your ass last night, not because you let some McDreamy vamp lick you like a lollypop, but because she wasn't the one being licked."
"You're out of your mind." Stepping into the room, Kara pointed her finger at Thea. "I would never allow some undead freak to touch me like that."
The headache from the night before was back. Like most of her headaches it started behind her left eye. Sharp, insistent pain.
"You were so pissed. You didn't think twice about leaving Evie behind." Clearly not seeing what her continued arguing was doing, Thea kept going for the jugular. "I believe your words were, 'screw that slut'."
"Seriously Thea." Putting a hand to her head, Evie reached into her nightstand. "Just let it go."
"But I haven't even gotten to the part where she had her tongue shoved down Grady's throat." Thea smirked, before turning her head in Evie's direction. And any sense of victory vanished. "Jesus Evie. Where's your meds?"
Kara, who was in the middle of making excuses, paused. She watched as Thea rushed to the mini-fridge and snatch out a bottle of water. "What meds?"
"She gets migraines." Thea threw out, barely skipping a beat. "I hear yelling doesn't usually help."
Taking the uncapped bottle, Evie tossed the handful of pills into her mouth, before washing them down. Giving herself a second, she looked over at Kara. "Just leave."
Not looking pleased that she was being excused, Kara looked ready to argue, but the dark scowl Thea sent her made her change her mind. "Fine."
"Oh, and Kara." Lifting her head, Evie waited until Kara spun back around. "You can keep Grady. Have fun with my sloppy seconds."
πβΩ
It took a few hours before Evie felt relief. Where she appreciated, she no longer felt like someone was stabbing her brain with an icepick, she was starting to get concerned how she was needing more and more pills to fight it off. Wanting to be optimistic, something she had little practice with, Evie tried to reason that the last twenty-four hours had been slightly turbulent. Coming back to school, Sarah Newlin's appearance, seeing Grady and last night's fiasco and subsequent fallout were all highly emotional circumstances.
While practicing her optimism she blatantly ignored the tiny little fact that since the start of summer she'd doubled up. That the headaches were more persistent. The overwhelming, nearly suffocating emotions were becoming more intense. She was also going to ignore the blaring red flag that she was starting to relive her early high school years.
Nope, she was going to file that away, along with the strange encounter from the night before, and do what she'd always done when life became unbearably overwhelming.
She escaped to the library.
Back when she was younger, when she and her siblings were all still residing under Grans roof, it had been too much. Even when she, Sookie and Jason weren't at one another's throats it felt like the weight of the world was pushing down on her.
So, she'd slip off and walk to town. Bon Temp's library hadn't been overly impressive. The building itself wasn't all that impressive. It didn't have the most impressive collection. But it had air condition, and even with that commodity most of the town hardly stepped foot into the hundred year old brick structure. That's why she'd fallen in love with it. It was relatively empty, and a quiet sanctuary.
But no matter how much she enjoyed the solitude, boredom soon reared its ugly head. And with little occupy her, she started to sift through the dusty tomes. Unlike her sister, the romance section held little appeal for her. But the history books, those pulled her in every single time. It was probably why she ended up majoring in it. The people, the far away locations, the struggle they went through, it captivated Evie. Making the outside world fade away.
When she arrived to LSUS her freshman year, Evie spent more time in the campus library than she had her dorm room. It had been Grady, then Thea who pulled her out of her safe cocoon and into the real world.
What she needed that exact moment, was to escape the real world. Needed the thoughts of Grady's predictable but still hurtful betrayal to go away. She needed a reprieve from Kara and Greek life drama. Even Thea's concern was becoming too much.
Bypassing the empty tables, Evie made her way up to the second level. Her feet moved without thought, as she maneuvered the dimly lit stacks and to the secluded corner tucked away. She'd long ago claimed the spot as her special place.
For a special place, it was rather unremarkable.
No desk, the lighting sucked, and the cheap carpet did little in the way of comfort. But the rows of books were like a fortress and provided her privacy and silence.
Grabbing a few books from her favorite section, she sat down on the ground, resting her back against the cool bricks.
"Thought I'd find you here." A voice interrupted before she could even open the cover. Guilt poured off him in waves.
"Seriously Grady?" With a sigh, Evie lifted her gaze to where Grady shuffled uncomfortably. "Not really in the mood to talk right now.
"We met here."
"I know, I was here when it happened."
"About last night."
"What about last night?" Evie sighed. "The part when you and Jack led us all into a heap of trouble, or when you flirted shamelessly with the president of my sorority before playing a game of tonsil hockey?"
Making a face, Grady rubbed the back of his neck. "You heard about that." At least he had the decency to look sheepish. "I was pretty smashed last night."
Tossing the book from her lap, Evie glared up at him. "That's not good enough."
"Excuse me?"
"That was the same excuse you used last year." Evie reminded him. "If you're going to lie to my face, you could at least be a little more creative."
"Excuses?" His face reddened. "I'm curious what your excuse is."
"For what?"
"What was that last night?"
"Oh, dear sweet baby Jesus, not this again." With a dramatic roll of her eyes, Evie stood up. "I swear if you say vampire, I won't be held responsible for what happens."
"You liked it!" Grady snapped.
"Are you kidding me?" Evie cried out. "It was the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me."
"That's not what it looked like from where I was standing." Now angry, any sign previous sign of remorse gone, Grady nearly shook. "You were practically panting for him."
"Panting?" Evie couldn't help but laugh. "Were my bosoms heaving? Was I ready to faint?"
"God you can be such a bitch." Not finding her words funny, Grady lifted his arm out. "And talking about being a bitch, I'm going to have to go through life with the symbol of vagina on my arm. A freaking vagina."
Okay, perhaps she'd gone a tad bit overboard with the tattoo. But he'd been such a pain in the butt and was unrelenting. To be fair, the rune also meant so many other things, but to explain that would take too long, and she didn't care to exert that much energy.
"But we won, right?" Evie sighed.
"Right." Scratching the side of his head, Grady's face turned to stone. "The administration is pissed. My parents are threatening to cut me off. My girlfriend let a freaking vampire pretty much molest her, and her whack job sister is most likely fucking one. To top it all off, Nationals put me on probation."
"First off, you ever talk about my sister like that again you'll be walking funny for a week." Anger washed over her, as she took a step toward him.
"You say your sister is crazy all the time."
"I get to, dumbass." Evie snapped. "Because she's my sister. You don't get to say squat about her."
"Fine." Grady growled. "Do I get to say anything about how weird you've been?"
"What do you mean?"
Running his fingers through his short hair, Grady looked ready to explode. "Are you kidding me? We barely talked this summer, and when we did you always had some lame excuse why you couldn't come visit."
Yeah, having one's brother questioned for multiple murders did that to a girl, Evie thought dryly. But Grady wouldn't have known this because she hadn't told him. He wouldn't have understood, not that she blamed him, it was hard enough for her to. His life was opposite of hers.
He'd grown up with wealthy, highly respected parents. Went to the best private schools, took piano lessons from highly trained teachers, and played sports in new gear year after year. He grew up with housekeepers who picked up after him. And a large pool in the backyard, that was always cleaned by someone else.
Never in his life had he worn hand-me down clothing. Or had a town speaking behind his back. The most tragic thing to ever happen to him was losing his new iPhone a week after getting it. He'd never felt the pain of loss like she had.
His cluelessness had been what had endeared her to him in the first place. It wasn't because he was rich or wore the latest fashions. It was his clean slate. His generous heart. But mostly because he made her feel like she was important.
Now the best parts of him had changed. And that was okay. People changed. They grew up. She had. She wasn't the same girl she'd been her freshman year. Hell, she wasn't the same person she'd been at the beginning of summer. Life did that.
But in that very moment, in her most cherished spot in the library it suddenly dawned on her. She was no longer important to him. He could grovel, he could plead his point, he stopped thinking she was important to him sometime last year. Probably even before he fell in bed with some random girl.
"I can't do this." The words were hard to say, but once out there, she was in it for the long haul. Licking at her dry lips, she sighed. "No, that's not right. I won't do this anymore."
Grady looked panicked briefly, before frowning. "You don't mean that. You're just pissed about last night."
"No." Shaking her head, Evie looked up at him beneath her lashes. "I do mean it. But you're right, it isn't just because of last night. We're not good together anymore, and there's no reason we should keep acting like it is."
"Is this about last year?" Grady demanded to know. "You said you forgave me for that."
"It should be about last year." Blinking, Evie wondered what would've happened if she'd just listened to her gut feeling. If she hadn't of caved. "But it's more than that."
"Care to share with me?" Clearly getting pissed, Grady took a step toward her. "It's the least you could do."
"You don't care about me like you used to."
"That's not true."
"You may not see it now, but you will." She could see the resistance on his face and felt slightly bad for him. Maybe because he'd led such a sheltered life, he was programed to avoid pain at any cost. Even if it meant lying to himself.
But she was done with this part of her life. Tired of the constant lies she told herself, or the excuses she made for his bad behavior. In a way she wasn't much better than Sookie. In fact, she'd been a such a righteous little hypocrite, each time she'd told her sister she was being stupid, and for not seeing Bill Compton for the man he was.
It was time to stop lying to herself, and to stop trying to hold onto a relationship that wasn't doing her any good.