"He said that? Jesus..." Sarah scoffs, shaking her head. It's the next day, and you told Sarah everything. You couldn't keep it to yourself, not anymore. Not after losing all hope. It's sort of dramatic but it's just the way you feel now. You nod at your friend, letting out a deep sigh. You didn't bother crying over Eric, you already grieved the first time he decided not to see you anymore. Or fired you, whatever you want to call it. You just feel sort of irritated. And you won't be finding another job either, you'll just move on. You could stay single for a while, you've been doing it for a few years. You thought that Eric would help you fix that but obviously, that won't be happening anymore.

"Yeah, he was being such a dick, how do I act like everything is normal?" You ask with an exasperated sigh. That's your biggest concern right now, acting like it doesn't bother you. In front of Eric, at least. The two of you are sitting on the couch, a movie is playing on the TV, and neither of you is paying attention. You wish he could've let you down in a less harsh way, that was brutal. It's probably the worst rejection you've ever experienced. And he barely reacted to it, he just said it like it didn't matter. Thinking about it embarrasses you, and you hate feeling that way.

You suppose he doesn't want to be in a relationship with a human, and why would he? There's always Pam, Margot, or some other hot vampire lady. You thought about the possibility of him wanting to keep you safe, but you think that's stupid. If he wanted to keep you safe, he should've done that a long time ago, "Just do your job and try to move on," Sarah says with a shrug, grabbing the remote off the coffee table and muting the TV's volume. You're glad she did, you were starting to get distracted by MTV's Daria, "Want me to talk to him?" Sarah asks with a raised eyebrow, tapping you on the knee.

You look at your friend, wide-eyed, "Jesus Christ, no Sarah please don't do that," You say quickly, grabbing her by the shoulder. You let go after a moment with a sigh, "Sorry, I just— that's mortifying Sarah." Sarah's eyes are wide and she's leaning away from you. You notice she's wearing Jenna's necklace. She didn't wear it every day before it was taken, you suppose she doesn't want that to happen again. What could Russell want from Sarah anyway? You still have no idea, you wish you did.

"No, I get it," She says, raising her hands in defense, "Why don't we do something to take your mind off it?" She suggests, shrugging her shoulders. You nod in reply, watching her stand up and head into the kitchen. You hear the familiar sound of car keys when Sarah re-enters the room. She twirls them around her fingers for a moment, glancing at you expectantly. You smile at her, standing up as well. You're thankful that she's trying to distract you, especially now. But you still have work later tonight, nothing will change that. You would call in but you want some more money. Being rejected by your boss isn't a good reason to call in sick or quit, but it does make you want to avoid him at all costs.

You follow Sarah out the door, watching her lock it, "What did you have in mind?" You ask, leaning against the porch. She locks the door and turns around, glancing at you as she goes down the steps, "Not Fangtasia, right?" You ask, following her to her car. If you go now, you would be there all day and all night. And that sounds horrifying given the circumstances.

Sarah chuckles, "No, don't worry," She unlocks the car and opens the door, "We'll go somewhere else." She says, sliding into the car and starting the engine. You get in as well, buckling your seatbelt after you close the door. With that settled, Sarah pulls out of her driveway and starts to drive down the road. You take a deep breath and lean back against the seat, resting your arm on the door. You're still worried you'll see Eric wherever Sarah's taking you.

Looking out the front window, you notice a large bald man standing next to a stop sign. His arm is outstretched and his thumb is pointed at the sky, he's hitchhiking. A cigarette rests in his mouth and he pushes his sunglasses up his nose with his other hand. He's carrying a large briefcase and wearing thick black gloves. You glance at Sarah, silently asking if she's considering picking the man up. She raises an eyebrow at you, "Do you want to get murdered?" She asks with a scoff, barely stopping as she passes the bright red sign. You look out the side window as the car passes the man, he looks irritated. With a shrug, you stare straight ahead at the white lines on the road. You would be irritated if you had to stand in the heat too.

"Haven't you seen the news lately?" Sarah asks as if you're stupid, "There were four dead bodies staged in the pews at the church while we were gone, I'm not stopping for anyone. Especially not a guy wearing fucking gloves." She says matter-of-factly. You turn to face her, eyebrows furrowed and mouth open slightly in shock. Maybe you should start watching the news. It takes you a few moments to process what's been said to you. You're not the most religious person in Shreveport, but that's messed up. You nod slowly, thankful that Sarah's here to keep you updated on things. For a moment, you wonder if the killer could be a supernatural creature. But if it's on the news, that's unlikely.

"I think you could've handled that guy." You say to Sarah, trying not to focus on the murder victims. The thought of them makes you paranoid. You're sure you'll die at some point, but you don't want to be murdered. That seems like one of the worst ways to die. But you've never died, you don't know what any other way would be like. Drowning seems like the worst if you think about it for a moment. You shake your head to rid yourself of those morbid thoughts. Sarah chuckles and glances over at you, eyebrow raised. She knows you're right, she probably could've taken that guy. Especially as a wolf or something.

Sarah's eyes widen slightly, "Oh, Henry's meeting us later by the way." She informs you, glancing at you again. You make eye contact with her for a moment and nod, silently letting her know that you're okay with it. You still don't know where you're going, but you're assuming vampires are welcome. The public doesn't know of their existence, but if you do, there must be others. Usually, when you're with vampires anywhere you're extra careful, you need to be aware of your surroundings. You never know what could happen. Someone could leap out of nowhere with a stake and kill one of your friends, that would suck. Pun intended.

The rest of the car ride is spent in comfortable silence, you enjoy it. You like that both of you can sit in silence without it becoming awkward. You can't say the same for Eric or most of your other friends. But you've known Sarah for a very long time, you're practically sisters. It isn't too hot outside so you didn't have to roll the windows down, but you'd hate to be under the sun right now. You like tanning but you prefer cold weather, most of your shirts are long-sleeved. Eric's rejection continues to linger in the back of your mind, and you know it probably won't stop. You won't be able to stop thinking about him at all.

There's something so alluring about him, you were almost instantly attracted to him. It would've been instant if you hadn't seen Pam eat someone moments before. That distracted you for a moment. You don't know why you're so attracted to him, you can't even figure it out. Attempting it will lead you down a rabbit hole you don't want to go down. You'll just start obsessing over him even more, that's not healthy. You shake your head for the second time to rid yourself of those thoughts, unsuccessfully. It worked the first time.

You notice that you're driving through a random neighborhood, one you've never seen before. American flags are sticking out of poles on houses, and everyone's lawn is perfectly cut. You shiver in disgust, you've entered Suburbia. A woman jogs down the sidewalk, walkman in her back pocket connected to headphones. You wonder what your life would be like if you were her. Probably would have no idea vampires exist, that sounds nice. But you'd be married by 19 and pregnant by 20, that's not ideal. You have nothing against having children or getting married, but that's just not what you want in life. The white picket fence life is not yours and you would never choose that. That's obvious though, you've never been that way. You pretend not to enjoy this chaotic mess that is your life, but secretly you love it. It took you a while to realize, you were thinking about this a few days ago.

Fearing for your life is an interesting feeling, like the adrenaline that comes with it, and meeting vampires was also interesting. But meeting Eric might be one of the negative sides of enjoying the chaos. It's not entirely negative, just sort of, after everything that's happened. It seems like you've spent too much time thinking about this, the car has stopped and Sarah is unbuckling her seatbelt and staring at you expectantly. She raises a brow at you, turning her car off without looking away from you. You take a breath and unbuckle your seatbelt, offering Sarah a faint smile.

She returns the gesture and opens the car door, stepping out and stretching her arms above her head. You do the same, stepping onto the concrete and slamming the door behind you. You turn to look at the building Sarah parked in front of. It looks like a coffee shop of some sort, the windows in front are large and you can't see anyone sitting inside. Sarah locks her car and makes her way over to the front door, pushing one open. She puts her keys in her purse and looks at you over her shoulder. You take the hint and follow her into the cafe, feeling a little out of place. There's no reason to feel this way, but you do anyway. Maybe it's because nobody here is a vampire, but that doesn't make any sense. That should comfort you if anything. You wonder why she took you to a cafe at almost 7 pm, but realize it's normal because you've been nocturnal for a while. Drinking coffee now would make sense for someone like you, someone with your sleep schedule.

"Sit down," Sarah says, reaching into her back pocket for her wallet, "I'll get us something." She says, nodding over at an empty table behind you. You nod your head and turn around, making eye contact with the circular table near the window. When you sit down, you let out a breath and lean against the chair. You take a glance around the coffee shop, noticing how empty the place is. There's only one other person inside, he's sitting near the register, writing or something. You can't tell from back here. You wonder where Henry will be meeting you, certainly not here. Establishments like these aren't open past 6 pm. Nobody wants coffee after 6.

Sarah returns after a few minutes with two cups of hot coffee. She sets them on the table, one in front of you and the other in front of her. When she sits down she grabs a packet of sugar from off the table, tearing it open. You watch her with a raised eyebrow, noticing that she grabbed another packet.

"You want any coffee with that sugar?" You ask sarcastically, taking a sip of your coffee and wincing. You slide your burnt tongue against your teeth with furrowed brows, staring down at the offending liquid hatefully. Sarah glares at you, but a smile tugs at the corners of her lips. You hardly notice, you're focused on your tongue.

"They didn't put enough sugar in." She says with a shrug, grabbing another packet and ripping it open unceremoniously. You raise your eyebrows and try to take another sip of your coffee, burning yourself in the process. You purse your lips and set the coffee back on the table, sliding it away from you, "Anyway, I was thinking we could go out tonight, wanna call in sick?" Sarah asks, tossing the empty pink packet aside and reaching for another one.

You tilt your head and consider this for a moment. Earlier, you decided you wouldn't do that. And you work at a club, why would you want to go to another one on your night off? But now that you're here, you're not sure. For a second, you glance out the window. The sun is just starting to go down. Eric or Pam might be awake. If you don't get an answer, you'll just leave a message. It's not ideal and it's unprofessional, but you don't care. You like to be lazy sometimes, and this is an opportunity to do it, "Sure, why not." You say to your friend with a shrug, abruptly standing and making your way over to the register. When you ask the woman if you can use the phone, she raises an eyebrow but allows you to do it, sliding the phone across the counter. You step aside in case a customer comes in, pulling the phone with you. It's plugged in, so you can't go too far. But you'll be out of the way at least.

And you're glad you did, cause someone just came in. It's the woman you saw earlier, jogging. You're too busy watching this person to pick up the phone. Or maybe the idea of Eric answering your call is too much for you to handle. You hope it isn't the latter. You look away from the woman after she catches you staring and raises a curious eyebrow at you. Finally, you pick up the phone and dial the number, one you know now by heart. You do it quickly, noticing your hand shaking as you dial.

It rings twice, "What?" Pam barks into the phone, clearly not a morning person. Thank God Eric didn't answer the phone, that would've been awkward and horrible. You let out a deep relieved sigh, leaning against the countertop, "Oh, it's you. What do you want?" The vampire asks, softening her tone slightly. Not by much, but it's nicer than before. The way she spoke to you isn't shocking whatsoever, she can be very mean when she wants to. You look down at your hand, it's no longer shaking.

"I just wanted to call and say I can't come in tonight, but I'll be in tomorrow. And sorry." You say, cringing at yourself. You added the sorry because this felt so wrong, you rarely do this. Usually, you're working, even when you're sick. Pam lets out a deep breath and mumbles something unintelligible. You roll your eyes. You're sure someone else can do your job, she should be doing your job in the first place. She's closer to Eric than you are.

"Alright, have a good night," She replies, a little too cheerfully, "Sorry about Eric, by the way." She says softly before she hangs up. You put the phone down and stare at it for a moment, eyebrow raised. That was weird, but it doesn't matter anymore. You push the phone across the counter lightly, smiling at the barista. Her eyes are narrowed and she hardly pays you any attention when she grabs the phone and tucks it away under the counter. You marvel at how long the phone cord is before turning around and walking over to Sarah. She's sipping her coffee and reading a book you didn't realize she had. Maybe you should be paying more attention, you've been lost in thought lately. Most of the time, actually. You've been attacked because of this once before.

Sarah didn't read much in high school, but you've seen her read 5 books since you started living with her. It makes you want to do the same, you sit down across from her and take a sip of coffee, "Where are we going later?" You ask her after swallowing, setting the glass cup down on the table. You always feel weird about glass in cafes or other places like this, where do you put the glass when you finish? Do you leave it on the table or put it on the counter? Or do you toss it in a bin? So much for paying attention to your surroundings and not getting lost in thought.

"It's a surprise," Sarah says with a sly grin, smiling over the rim of her cup, "But I think you'll like it." She promises, taking a sip of coffee. You nod, intrigued by her vague response. If she says you'll like it, she's right. You trust her. She glances back down at her book, sipping her coffee every so often. You do the same, not saying anything else. The only entertainment you have is the man across the cafe struggling to open a packet of sugar. And when he's able to, it's not entertaining anymore. You sigh and take another sip of your coffee.

While you take a sip, you notice the woman from earlier out of the corner of your eye. She's approaching your table casually yet purposefully, face revealing nothing. She looks quite serious actually. You exchange a glance with Sarah and turn to face the woman. She sits down in the chair next to you without a word, setting her coffee down on the table.

"Uh, what the fuck do you want?" You ask rudely, putting your cup down. She raises an eyebrow at you, silently questioning your tone. After a few moments she sighs and reaches into her purse for something. You tense up, eyes focused on the arm deep in her bag. You have no idea what she could pull out of this, could be a knife, a gun, or anything really. She pulls a large piece of wood out of her bag, sharpened at the end. A stake. Your eyes widen and you lean away from the woman as she sets it on the table in front of her.

Abruptly, she takes her coffee and leaves the cafe. You exchange a glance with Sarah and stand up as well, not waiting for her to follow you. You follow the woman outside and onto the street, and you watch as a car drives past. Stupidly, you run out into the road and stare at her license plate. 725 TX9. Luckily, it's a quiet street so you don't get hit by any cars. After you head back to the sidewalk, Sarah comes outside with a stake in her hand and her purse in the other.

"We can't stay here." Sarah says firmly, shoving the stake inside her purse and swapping it for her car keys.