CHAPTER THREE

I walked over to Eric's desk as I could tell that the other girl were glaring at me. How could they be jealous of me! Not once in my life has this happened! And its his fault he picked me. Oh why me! I didn't think I could do this. I mean now I couldn't stay in the back round like I'd hoped. I would be a subject of gossip. A freak.

"Well hey Hayden what's up with you today?" He said with a big smile on his face.

Okay I know he was annoying but when he smiled like that he looked so cute even if I wouldn't admit it out loud he made me interested in him. Hey wait did he just call me Hayden?

"Um my name Haydence remember?" I said questioningly.

"Well I think I like Hayden better if you don't mind." He added

Oh my god was he flirting with me?

"Well that's okay I guess." I said kind of confused.

"Should we get started?" He asked. Apparently also confused by my reaction to his last question.

"Lets"

"Well what play should we do?"

"I think I like Othello." I said jokingly knowing that the in the play Othello thought Desdemona had cheated and ended up strangling her to death in the end.

"Okay. Othello it is!" he added.

I quickly laughed at the little game we were playing. But knew I had to ask him a question.

"Eric, Why are you really in this class? I mean is it because they way girls will look at you or just for extra credits to graduate. Because this does not seem like your type of thing." I said truthfully. I hoped he wasn't mad, and from the look on his face he had been answering this question a lot lately.

"Well the truth is, is that it's great to have the extra credits and all but it's mostly because of my mother." He said looking depressed

"I'm sorry Eric. Did she pick all you classes for you, because it seems like something my parents would do too. Any extra way to control me they'll find it" I grumbled.

" Well actually my mom died when I was seven. She always used to read stories to me and a lot of them happened to be written by Shakespere. I guess it's my way of being closer to her." He smiled weakly.

"Oh Eric I am so sorry if I would have known I wouldn't have asked. It was rude of me." I said very embarrassed and ashamed.

"It's okay it was a long time ago and it's the past. We can't keep ourselves stuck in it." He interjected.

Turns out he was a lot easier to talk to than I expected. Nice as he was it still did not change the fact that he wasn't like me. He was still a human just like Robby and Alex so I couldn't lead him on. Not someone like him. If he ever found out what I was we would mist likely be exposed or even worse he would be so scared I would never see him again. And I couldn't let that happen.

He saw the expression on my face change and knew something was wrong.

" You know maybe you could use a break. Skip last hour with me and maybe you'll feel better." He said.

" I'm so sorry Eric I can't…I um kinda promised Kaitlin I wouldn't go anywhere today. We're Hanging out in aerobics." I said truthfully. Kaitlin and I barely knew each other but she was still the first person who was nice to me here and I didn't want her to be mad at me. Even if she had known I would be hanging out with Eric, it was still rude.

"Okay well do you want your phone back?" Ha said laughing.

"What? I said awkwardly finding that my phone wasn't in my small purse.

He pulled it from under the desk and said, "Call me!" As he left the room.

"But I don't even have your num-" I said slurring my speech as I saw that he had already programmed it in there.

I started to smile as I looked down at my phone. "Maybe I'll hang out with him just once." I said happily. But not today. I have to go find Kaitlin.

********

In aerobics class Kaitlin came up to me and gave me a bigger hug than anyone had ever given me before.

"Hey!" She screamed as soon as she was done bear hugging me.

I laughed with her as we started doing the exercises planned for the day. By the time it was half way done most people were so tired that they had to sit out. By the look on Kaitlin's face I must have looked like a god doing everything with little effort and without even breaking a sweat. I was strong. It is one of the things that changed about me as I became a vampire.

"How can you do that?" She added obviously curious.

"Um I've been doing this for years." I lied.

But she just smiled . "so how was you lit class? I heard it's a tough course." She added.

"Well it's okay." I giggled. And instantly she knew it had something to do with a guy.

"Okay Spill." She whispered.

"Well its Eric" I smiled.

"McLaine?"

"Yeah he and I are partnered up in that class the whole semester. Not to mention he programmed his number in my cell phone and told me to call him." I said trying to sound careless.

"Oh my god! Did he ask you if you wanted to hang out with him? She asked.

"Um I guess but I more just asking me to skip this hour with him, but I told him I was busy with you." I said sheepishly.

"Why did you say that! He is the hottest guy in school and you stood him up!" she said. "No one even knew you last year and on your first day BAM! Eric's already checking you out! There's got to be something special about you girl! He's crushing on you!"

"I never said anything about him having a cru-

"Haydence could we please talk?" Mrs. McDonald interrupted.

"Um sure I guess." I said

"I must say you techniques and experience are exquisite. If you do not mind me asking I would like you to take an experienced course and not an aerobics class. I would like to refer you to an independent strength course. It would be the same hour so none of your other classes would change."

"I guess that's okay." I said surprised.