Not my best, but I hope it wraps up some loose ends for you all!
The rest of the weekend flew by in a blur, and to be honest, my anxiety only gnawed away at me as I nervously awaited what I would face on Monday morning.
Would everyone know about the bloodbath that took place at Tara's house? Would their secret be exposed because of some stupid phase I'm going through? Because I can't get him out of my mind even when the lives of my schoolmates hang in the balance.
I wonder what he might think of all of this, even with my consistent anxiety. He had to know. How could he not know?
The darkness of my knowledge continues to haunt me – there is no fathomable way to find answers to my questions, and so, it's time I made a pact with myself to find contentment in new things.
My heart will always break for him – but I need to embrace finding ways to slowly heal that break – or at least to try and forget that the pain lives there.
By the time Monday morning rolled around – and I still hadn't heard of any bloodshed split – I was a quivering mess to what awaited me. Charlie was gone all weekend working doubles, I heard him come home late, that can't be indictive of good news.
Pulling up to school and into my usual spot, it all hits me. Jess and Angela barrelled over instantly.
"Bella! Where the hell did you go on Friday?", Jess demanded.
"Were you okay? You just ran out the door", Angela pointed toward me with concern filling her eyes.
Before I could answer their questions with my own, a black Audi A4 pulls up beside my orange pick-up. The door opens, Tara and Aneeka step out.
Tara's blonde hair falls in flowing curls, she's wearing a Burberry trenchcoat, dark jeans, and boots. Aneeka is her opposite in every way. Her dark hair is slicked back into a tight ponytail, her tan skin glows under the leather jacket, tight jeans, and combat boots she has on.
"Iz! There you are!", Aneeka smiles and pulls me into a hug – Tara stands off to the side ignoring Angela and Jess, who are staring at her in admiration. "You didn't reply any of my messages, I was so worried".
Before I can get a word in, Tara pipes up.
"Honestly, Isabella, it's so rude of you. We're a team, I need to know if you're okay", her voice is laced with concern, but it never quite reaches her eyes.
"Sorry, I was just –"
"I can't believe you just left my party like that!", Tara complained.
"But Laurent –"
"Ugh!", Tara's face crinkled in repulsion. "Don't even mention that name to me – what a creep! Did you know he put Alex into the hospital? And Matt? And Dave? They're in comas!"
"Yeah, I heard about that", Jess chimes in – only for Tara to silence her with a look.
"I can't believe you brought him to my party, Aneeka! Honestly, what were you thinking?", Tara shot a glare towards Aneeka who ducked her head.
"But I thought you and Laurent –", I swore Tara wanted Laurent as her date – and it's clear this thought is correct as Aneeka shakes her head to silence me.
"You're so right, T, it was such a dumb thing of me to do", Aneeka says; covering me in the process.
The situation doesn't sit right with me.
How did Laurent – a vampire who smelt blood, not kill anyone - and instead have enough restraint to only put them in hospital? I never knew much about him, but I knew enough to know that the majority of the people at that party should have been killed.
Angela glances down at her watch.
"Class is nearly starting, do you want to walk to history with us?", Angela asks Tara, Aneeka, and me.
Before I can agree, Tara answers for me.
"No, I need to speak to Iz before we go to class. Run along, you two", Tara smiles sweetly to Angela and Jess.
"See you at lunch, Bella", Jess tries – Angela waves me, and I smile back.
Once the two of them are out of earshot, Tara turns to me sharply.
"We have exciting news for you, Iz", Aneeka starts.
"Guys, I don't want to be late for class", I try to explain and hurry them along. They don't notice that I'm hopping from one foot to the other, itching with impatience.
"We want to give you a makeover!", Aneeka exclaims.
"A makeover?", I can feel the frown on my face deepen – I try to hide my disparaging look, but it doesn't seem like either of them notice anyway.
"Yes", Tara starts. "We figured the reason you left the party was because you felt a little uncomfortable, so we figured you just need to be taught how to fit in. And now that you're a cheerleader, there's a certain look we need you to have", Tara smiled at me – it was a slow smile, one that was charming at first, but it quickly became disarming as it grew.
Their tones are unusually optimistic. Three of our classmates are in hospital right now, and no one seems to care.
"What really happened with the boys?", I try.
Aneeka takes a deep breath in.
"Isabella, come to my house on Tuesday after school – make sure you're on time; no getting distracted", Tara says in her measured and confident tone.
"But, the boys", I try again.
"And if you ask me about the party again, I can't be held accountable for my actions – do you understand?", Tara gazes straight at me.
Something's not right, but I can tell Tara isn't used to not getting her way – so I decide not to push it. But I do notice Aneeka's palm twitching slightly, if anyone is going to tell me the truth, it's her.
I just need to play the long game, I can do that.
"So, Tuesday after school – your house, right?", I smile to Tara. This seems to make her pleased as her eyes light up once again.
"Perfect! And you're coming to cheer practice tonight, right?", Aneeka asks.
I mull it over, and remember the motorcycles that are still covered up under the tarp in the back of my car.
And I decide it's time to lie.
We all begin walking to class, and I do my best impression of wincing in pain.
"I would but…", I take a breath in to overcome my initial embarrassment, "my period has just starting and", I wince again to really sell the story. "I'm in so much pain", a blush begins to spread across my cheeks.
Tara pulls a face of disgust.
"Oh no! Well you can always watch the routine on the bleachers", Aneeka offers.
"Yeah, I guess I'll do that", I say. Well, I guess I'm skipping after lunch.
Maybe this isn't all bad. I mean, what better time to pay a visit to Billy Black's house? It seems Aneeka isn't the only one I need to have a conversation with.
All will be explained very soon... we're getting to the goods now!