a/n blllahhhhh. Okay, sorry for not updating for a bit…except I'm in a bit of a funk when it comes to writing. PLUS it's the week before school and my life starts up again…. Has anyone tried to do grade seven piano all in one week? Yeah, I don't think so. Lol. So. Here's the chapter. Review… PLEASE.

Chapter Seventeen

Aro hadn't decided whether he should send me next, so the next day I planned to head out again. I went to my temporary room to get changed. Soon I was wearing black shorts with a black tank top with strings of black beads crossing the front. On my head I had a black fedora with red roses embroidered on it. I also was wearing high heeled boots that went up to my knees. I took my iPod of the charger and switched it to a new playlist before I left my room, only to be stopped by Jane.

"Where are you going?" Jane asked me, and I instantly was on my guard.

"Out."

"You know that we're not allowed to drink inside the city correct? You could get burned alive for that."

I rolled my eyes, "Duh, I'm not an idiot. I'm going for some human food…I'm craving a burger."

"I'm watching you..."

I snickered, "Right, well…it's sunny. So have fun sticking to the shadows." I then left.

I went to a payphone and called Kyle's cell phone number, "So, you busy today?" I asked with a smile and I heard his laughter.

"No…except I do have school."

"But you have a spare right now. You're in grade twelve; you can skip a day or two."

"Uh, yeah…if my mom doesn't beat me up."

I sighed, "Fine. Your lunch period is in five minutes right?"

"How did you…never mind. Why, you want to go out for lunch with me?" Kyle teased, "Or rather, I'd be the lunch."

"Sure, since you asked." I teased right back, "come on. I'm bored...I'll buy you a burger."

"Fine…I assume you know what school I'm at?" He asked sarcastically and I chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm almost to your front entrance." I replied and he started to panic.

"Don't!"

I raised an eyebrow, hating phones because it meant that I couldn't hear his thoughts, "Why not?"

"Because…there are a lot of guys at my school who are interested in American girls…" He explained and I just chuckled.

"Uh huh…sure." I walked through the entrance and froze, realizing too late that this was the entrance to the cafeteria. Everyone's eyes shot towards me and I felt like I was a new kid…and I didn't even go to this school!

Kyle ran over to me and shrugged sheepishly, "Sorry…" He grabbed on to my arm and tugged me towards the door, "Let's just get going."

We started walking towards the restaurant and I couldn't resist teasing him, "You know that I'll probably be labeled as your girlfriend right? You tugging on my arm like that…"

"Or an annoying family relative." He replied with laughter, before he went serious, "I figured something out."

I looked at him, amused. "What?"

He looked down at his feet, "Well, read my mind…figure it out."

"Uh no, I want you to suffer. What's up?"

"Well, I figure that you can't just get my blood for free…be my girlfriend." He blurted out and I just shook my head.

"Wow, greatest pick up line ever," I said sarcastically, "Want my blood? Only after a date… what's up with that?"

"I'm serious!" He exclaimed, "I like you…and I don't want to be just a meal to you."

I shook my head again, "You really are an idgit! I'm half vampire! I could snap you like a twig, and you wouldn't know if I felt remorse over it or not!"

"You're half human too!" He argued, "Shouldn't you get in touch with that side of you too?"

"By dating you?" I scoffed, "I don't date! I like being alone."

"Then why did you call me today?" Kyle challenged me, and I was stumped.

"That doesn't mean I like you!" I argued and he raised his eyebrows.

"Oh really?" He stopped walking and grabbed my hand. "You sure about that?"

I narrowed my eyes and pulled him into an alleyway. I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground easily, "Watch the cockiness Kyle," I hissed at him, "I don't need this."

He looked down at me, "You know, you look good from this angle too." He joked. I rolled my eyes and dropped him.

"Seriously. You don't want me to be your girlfriend. Being with a vampire, even one that is a half a vampire is just drama, drama, drama. Trust me. My parents were like that, and my mom nearly died at least twice every bookquite a few times during their dating time, including during my birth." I looked at how this was affecting him, and was ready to punch him when he just shrugged.

"But they're happy now right? Well, if it wasn't for the fact you ran away." He replied and I flinched.

"I haven't run away." I snapped back and he gave me a disbelieving look.

"Righhht…you just happen to be in Italy by yourself and you get a look of homesickness every time you mention your family…"

Stupid observant human. "That doesn't mean I ran away. Perhaps I'm on a vacation."

Kyle shrugged, "Whatever. Look, I want to take you out to dinner where you're dressed to the nines and I try to impress you with things you already read in my mind. Even when you were sucking on my neck I thought you were damn cute," He paused, "That sentence sounded really kinky, but you know what I mean."

I laughed, "Yeah, I know what you mean." We got to the restaurant and ordered our food. He looked at me, surprised.

"You can eat human food? Why do you drink uh...you know..." He didn't want our conversation to be overheard.

"Because it's so delicious? Food is good, it keeps me fed…but there's something about the thrill and satisfying taste of blood." I smirked at him, "Yours just happens to really, really, taste good."

"Uh…thanks. But I'm cutting you off." He teased, and I raised my eyebrows at him, "Until you agree to be my girlfriend, you're done."

"And what's stopping me from just taking it?"

"Your conscience?"

I chuckled, "According to my dad, I don't have a soul. So."

He looked at me weirdly, "Your dad told you that you don't have a soul? That's kind of mean…"

"Well, he didn't say it to me to my face."

"Oh right. The whole deal you have…how does that work anyway?" He asked and I shrugged.

"I'll tell you once I know you won't unintentionally tell any vampires who could hold it against me." I said with a smile, and he scoffed at me.

"Seriously…when would I have an opportunity to tell a vampire?"

"On an overcast or rainy day." I joked as the waiter brought our food before disappearing again…but not before checking me out obviously.

"I won't tell anyone. Come on, I'm curious." He pleaded.

"Fine. Music." I said, and he looked at me oddly.

"Music?"

"Music. If you've noticed, I either have an iPod glued to my ear at all times, or I wear a lot of clinky jewelry. If one made it that I couldn't make any type of rhythm or melody….I'd be screwed."

"Huh. I play guitar."

"Almost every guy from Washington to New York between the ages of eleven and thirty-five say that they can play guitar. Do you play well?" I asked and he shrugged.

"My mom says I'm good." He said cheekily before looking at me, "Do you ever just want peace? Just, not know what everyone is thinking?"

I thought about it and shook my head, "no. I'm a curious busybody. I feel naked when I don't have my power." I laughed bitterly, "My dad actually wanted to make it that I couldn't use the power when I was a baby…it was my mom who convinced him it was okay. Little did she know it made me think I was going to die."

"but you love your family?"

"Yes. That's why I won't ever let them know my decision." He looked confused, so I enlightened him, "My family is what we say vegetarians. Except for the occasional slip-up, they try and protect human life so they stick to drinking animal blood." For some reason I felt like I was suffering from déjà vu… except that it's me instead of my father explaining this in a restaurant, and it's not to my mother but to my singer,

"I…I made a mistake and killed someone. I enjoyed it a little too much, the drinking of human blood I mean, and didn't want to go back. The problem is, that I know how disappointed my family was whenever my other family members slipped up, so I didn't want them to know." I explained and wiped hastily at my eyes. Kyle took hold of my hand gently.

"Aren't they worried about you though? Wouldn't they rather know your screw-ups then have you disappear suddenly? Have you called them since you've left?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, "I left…what, like a week ago? I sent a few emails to my twin, and she's invited me to her wedding…I'm guessing she told her fiancé that unless I was there she wouldn't be getting married…so it's not like I won't see them soon."

"So you'll go to the wedding, then what? Just disappear again?"

I chuckled uneasily, "Like they'll let me. I'll need an excuse to escape. . . I can't exactly say I'm rooming with vampires they think are evil."

Kyle grinned, "Let me be your excuse."

I looked at him in disbelief, "Pardon me?"

"Just say you have a boyfriend in Italy who you can't leave because he wants to stick around his family."

"Uh, first off. It's me. Like they'd believe I have a boyfriend. And second off, I wouldn't dare mention Italy, because then someone will be tipped off on what I'm actually doing. Italy is avoided like a plague with my family, due to some experiences they'd rather not redo."

"Then take me with you, and we'll just say I'm a military kid. We won't have to mention Italy at all."

"Except you haven't had practice thinking about other things!" I argued, "My dad can read your thoughts as well. The thoughts you think in his presence he'll know."

"Then I'll practice with you." He pleaded and I looked at him like he really was an idiot.

"so, you apparently want to be my boyfriend so bad that you're willing to go to the home of a family of vampires? You'd be willing to train your thoughts AND you'd be wearing a tux? You're that desperate for a girlfriend?"

He paused, "You didn't say anything about a tux."

"trust me, with my aunt, You'd be lucky to get a tux. Since this is partly a Native American wedding, you might need to wear a headdress if she's in a certain decorating mood."

"Then tux is fine." Kyle replied with a smile. "so, you'll let me go?"

I placed my hand over my eyes and simply just groaned. He laughed, "I'll take that as a yes."