The next day I woke up at 9:00. Is studied for chemistry until 10:00. Then I actually got dressed. Unlike the wardrobe I was dressed in last night today I was wearing a green tee-shirt that said "I don't do mornings without my coffee". It was my favorite shirt because it was true and my sister bought it for me. That made me sad every time I wore it. then I went on the daily search for jeans. I only owned 3 pairs, one for work and 2 for just day wear. I went searching in my closet and found one pair. They were worn and torn in almost every place. I had no time to shop anymore and no money. My parents paid tuition up until last year, so I am in huge debt. I hold down 2 jobs, one at the design school on campus and the vampire hunter one (this one does not pay much). I had to sell my car, and get another job and take out countless loans to cover it all but, I manage somehow.

George was pretty well off. His parents covered tuition and half the rent along with an allowance that George promptly spent of junk, which would end up all over the apartment. He also got a car last year for his birthday.

After pulling on my jeans I ate breakfast, Ramen of course along with three cups of coffee.(my morning ritual) Then I remembered Abby. "Well," I thought "I do have the night off . I found the paper with her number on it and I dialed.

I got the answering machine, "This is Abby and Liz, and we are not here right now. So leave a message."

"Hey, it's Mikey, I have the day off right now so, if you want to meet up for coffee or something that would be great." I gave her my number and hung up.

Two hours after I had just walked out of chemistry and my phone rang. The caller I.D had Abby's number. I picked up the phone.

"Hey" I said.

"Hey" She replied. "I got your message and I am free tonight"

"Great. Anywhere you want to meet."

"What about the place we met last night" she said, right after I was done talking.

"Sure, is 7:00 fine."

"Actually, 8:00 is better"

"Sure, see ya then."

"See ya" Click.

I walked back to the building It was really cold for November. I didn't have a jacket on. It was warm when I left but, it was much colder now. On cue about 2 blocks from the apartment, George pulls up.

"Hey you need a ride?" George said, while rolling down his window, so you couldn't hear the fist two words.

"Sure. Could you have come any later?"

"Yes" George replied in a sarcastic tone. I got in the car.

"So" George said, in a tone that meant he wanted something. "Do you mind taking my shift tonight?"

"yes, I do. I've made plans."

"Since when do make plans on a Wednesday?"

"Since now"

"Does this plan have to do with that girl you met last night?"

"Maybe" I said. like a first grader that was guilty of doing something.

"Since when do you get girls?"

"Since when do you ask so many questions? And why do you want to skip your shift"

"Well my relationship with Mary has grown and we wanted some more time together"

Mary was George's girlfriend. Girlfriend was a gentle term for Mary; she was a bother half the time. She would drop by and eat all the food we have. My food was apparently more delicious, since she always ate what little food I had at the time. I would walk into the kitchen and she would be sitting on the kitchen table eating my chips or soup or chocolate or occasionally sipping out of my only coffee mug. Then when I would ask her about the food she would giggle and say "sorry mikes, I thought you wouldn't mind". After which, she would throw the bags and packages on the floor and leave them there. Even worse was at night when she and George would become so evolved with each other and they would conveniently make-out on the couch when I was studying in the kitchen in full view of their romance. She also called me shrimpy. I was twice as tall as her and about 1/3 her weight.

"So what's her name" George said in a sing-song voice.

"Abby" I said, not think about my answer

"Hey dude, you really need some new clothes"

"Ya think"

"Yes I do. We are going to the mall"

I tried to think the last time George and I went shopping. Probably three month ago when it was Mary's birthday, and they dragged me along because "I was girly enough to know about fashion". My fashion sense went as far as polyester was not in.

We drove for about 15 minutes, while George played 20 questions about Abby. None of the questions were actually answered.

We pulled into the mall and George dragged me in. It was decorated for Christmas already and as soon as I stepped in I heard the screams of a two year old that wanted to leave.

"I hate this place" I said scowling

"O cheer up. You have a date tonight."

"It's not a date!" I shouted at him for the hundredth time.

"Sure it isn't"

"You realize I'm broke, right?" I said changing the subject

"No your not, here" He shoved an American Express card in my hands. "Go enjoy yourself"

"Thanks"

First I looked at the map of the mall. I had not been there too many times. Then I made a mental list. Here is what I need: Jacket, jeans, new black tee shirt and dark chocolate. I stopped in a few clothing stores, full of teenagers, bought two pairs of jeans. Then I bought a nice sweater. I went to a men's store and found a jacket. Then I stopped into a specialty candy store and bought some Ghanaian chocolate, that would be hidden upon arriving home.

I was done. I wanted to leave now more than ever. I found George in his favorite goth store. I had about four bags and his credit card.

"Is that all you bought?"

"Yes. and I want to leave"

"Whatever you may never have my card again"

We went to the parking lot. We had stopped as a sub shop on the way out and eaten. I had nowhere to go, so we drove to the apartment. I studied some more. And hid my chocolate under my bed where a tub was.

I pulled it out. this was a tub of all my picture and memories. I took them off my wall after I moved into this apartment. Two years of Christmas card pictures, banners from high school, and a photo album. I leafed through it. Molly had made it for me before I want to college. Pictures of me as a baby, a toddler and a kid all neatly aligned on colored paper. That was all I could handle. I closed it and stuck in back in the tub. Along with the chocolate. Then I pushed it under my bed.

I walked into my closet and grabbed my guitar. I was a basic acoustic. I had had it since I was 14. It was surprisingly in good shape for 9 years of torment it had gone through. I found my guitar case. It was decorated with a few bumper stickers and signatures of basically everyone I had ever known. I was written in silver sharpie. One had been marked through with a black sharpie, but the signature still showed through. It was the signature if the guy who bit me.

I put the guitar in it's case and walked into the living room where George sat with Mary.

"So I hear you have a date tonight" Mary said, pulling down her mini skirt that was obviously purchased out of the junior section, that was meant for someone 7 times smaller than she.

I gave George a dirty look and mumbled "not a date."

"Nothing to be ashamed of. Is she cute?"

"Cuter than you " I said as I walked out the door.

"That wasn't nice" George shouted from inside the room.

I was glad to get out of there. I walked down the street to a seemingly abandoned building. Upon opening the door I was hit with the smell of smoke. There were an abundance of artists and musicians practicing. I walked over to the stage on the right side of the room. Sitting on the stage on the right side of the building was a college aged guy.

His jeans were hanging off is skinny legs, his shirt was off. His skin was so pale that he looked like a ghost. He was looking down at his shoes. His hair was hanging in his face. When he looked up you could tell his hair was combed onto one side of his face. His hair was stark white. His hair came to a point and at the end it was dye black. His covered his right eye. He was wearing glasses over his left eyes and his hair laid over the right lens.

I sat next to him he looked up at me.

"Hey Crisco" I said as I sat down.

He squinted, "Oh, hey" He said.

"What's up" I said.

"The ceiling"

"Smart ass" I said laughing, he laughed too.

"How 'bout 'chu"

"George and his girlfriend are being assholes."

"I can't imagine" he said sarcastically.

Crisco and I could probably write biographies on each other. He knew about George, Mary, my parents basically everything. I knew about this family, his sisters and his love of music. He opened this building to all starving musicians and artists. Some casting agents and people that want talent stop in and watch/listen.

He devised a long annoying application process to make sure that rich bands that want a free place to practice don't come in. I had applied shortly after I was bitten. He excepted. I noticed he was in the same American Literature class and we hit it off.

"So, what's George onto you for?"

"Well yesterday I met this girl and so I asked her to get coffee"

"OooH I see." he interrupted but, sometimes I swear Crisco was psychic.

"Let's get started then" he said.

I started plucking at my guitar strings and he tapped his drumsticks on the stage. We talked, we played until everyone was gone or packing up. It was four o' clock, time for American Literature class.

Every week we went to classes together. We actually took turns driving. It was my week. He threw the keys at me.

"Hey, pull the car up while I lock up."

"Sure"

I walked out and went to parking lot. I found a blue 1970's jeep. I started the engine and pulled up in front of the building. Crisco locked up and jumped into the car. He turned up the radio. Loud music blasted trough the stereo it was a familiar song that I couldn't remember the name of, something by KoRn I know that. I blared until we reached the big lecture building. We were almost late. But we ran in. It was a boring 2 hours.

After it ended we went to our favorite fast food joint. We flipped a coin to see who would pay. Crisco paid, for the fourth week in a row.

He dropped me off at my apartment. I walked up the stairs. I didn't intend to meet a new person with an old pair of jeans and a coffee stained shirt.

I opened the door and George and Mary were miraculously still there. I placed my guitar in my closet and I was about to change when I remembered I had left my new shoes in the living room. I walked in tried not to disturb the two lovers. I walked around the kitchen to the other end of the room where the shoes were. I looked up from the floor to see George holding a familiar black box. It was the fancy chocolates that I bought that afternoon. He was feeding them to her.

"What the hell!!"

George sat on his butt staring at me as if there was something wrong with my face.

"You went through my stuff you fat ass" I said grabbing the chocolates.

"We thought you wouldn't mind if we ate a few." Mary said weakly

"I hid them from you pigs! Do you think I wanted you to eat them if I hid them!" I was turning red and my veins were popping out

"Calm down, you paid for them with my credit card"

"No I didn't, if you had read the receipt you would know that" as I said this I picked up the bag the chocolates were in a took the receipt out and waved it at him.

I grabbed the box. "A few? There are only two chocolates left in here."

I threw the remaining chocolates at him. "Here take them get fat I don't care".

I stormed into my room and slammed the door. The living room remained silent as I changed. It was half an hour before I had to be at the coffee shop. I looked over at my bed. The tub was rolled out it had been rummaged through and everything was strewn all over the floor. My albums not only were out, they were opened and some of the pictures had been removed.

I walked over and fell onto the floor. I was so angry that I opened the door and shouted "OH NICE ONE GUYS!" They were still on the couch staring at me.

I stated the task of putting all the pictures back. There was a pattern of pictures. One from when I was a baby, my preschool graduation certificate, an array of school pictures, high school lacrosse pictures and prom and high school graduation.

Then I saw something that was set aside from the pictures, it was folder. I had forgotten about it. It was professional and it was full hospital records and a legal document separating me from my sister. It had been hastily put back in the folder. This wasn't George, George knew better. he also knew better than to eat my chocolates. It was Mary. Mary was incredibly daft for being in college. Everything was everywhere; anybody in their right mind would at least put it back in. Not Mary. I pushed the tub under my bed.

I walked straight through the living room. Then I stopped, George was in the bathroom this was my chance. I bent down to Mary's eye level.

"You may have looked at all my personal crap but, can't choke the story out of me." I was so close to her lips I smelled the chocolate on her breath. She, moved closer, I was right she was trying to get closer to me. She tried to kiss me. I grabbed her cheeks and squeezed them. And force them to the opposite way of my lips.

I stared down at her with a twist of my head. I made an eerie smile "No, love no chance." I used a sly way with my words. I would have been romantic, if it wasn't for the situation.

I heard the door opened. George walked out. I let go of her. I walked out. It was cold still. It was dark and I was just as alert as I am when I'm on duty. The street lights were fully on. I walked to the coffee shop.

I walked in and felt a rush of warm air. There were probably five more couples. I heard a soft voice, "You're early".

About two tables from where I was standing there was Abby. She was wearing a pair of skinny gray jeans and a warm sweater, her scarf and jacket were hanging on the back of her chair.

"Oh yeah," I replied

"Well take a seat"

The chair was noisy as I pulled it up. She already had coffee.

"Wow, I hardly recognized you with glasses."