When the morning arrived once more, beginning another gloomy day, I was uncharacteristically ecstatic. I was, like, more excited than I'd ever been since starting my new life in Spoonz. I was finally getting what I wanted; I was finally gonna end up falling into bed with Maverick. Well, that didn't actually end up happening, but hey, I was able to get another step closer, at least, before I died, which is currently, if you'd forgotten about that, reader.

The weather was as depressing and ominous as it normally was. My heart sang; Maverick would be at lunch and in our shared classroom that day, as he didn't have the excuse of the sunlight anymore. I got dressed in my absolutely favorite attire ever; if you don't remember it, too bad. Just skim through the earliest chapters and you'll find it, probably.

Cassius wasn't home; he usually never was, in the morning time. I made a quick breakfast of microwaved turkey bacon and sausage, and drank some strawberry milk, which I made using strawberry syrup stuff inside regular milk. Super yummy when you combine it with chocolate syrup, by the way. Try it sometime; be a weirdo like me. One of us! One of us!

Anyway, after crunching, munching, and chugging, I sprinted out the door with my things for school. It was freezing. Thankfully, I had my favorite jacket of all time on, that time. Yeah, that made sense. I like the cold, sure, but I don't want to be "catch a cold" cold. You know? Yeah, you do.

By the way, I didn't get very far when I stepped outside my home, closing the door behind me. Parked in front of my house was Maverick's Subaru. And leaning against it was Maverick, dressed like a badass; he looked…metal.

Acting as casually as I could, I approached with an indifferent expression. "I'm riding with you." I wasn't gonna give him a choice; I was riding with him (and maybe, eventually, on him, wink wink). I didn't care if he was just planning to follow me so I wouldn't die in a car accident or whatever; I doubt that was why he was there anyway. Truthfully, I just wanted the illusion of being the one in charge for once.

Maverick smirked. "I would hope so; otherwise, this would've been very awkward." I snorted, rolling my eyes playfully at him.

I got into the Subaru. He got into the Subaru. We were both inside the Subaru. Yes, I'm stalling because I need a higher word count, I mean, I'm thinking about what happened exactly because I'm in the middle of dying and I just need a second to recall what happened afterwards, so I'm just repeating the same shit to maybe remember what occurred.

I'm lying. And ignore the word count part; you didn't see that. You didn't.

Surprisingly, Maverick drove at a reasonably human speed but then again, it was foggy as shit in that gloomy weather, so I guess he figured it wasn't worth the risk, as he'd be able to walk away and I, well, fucking wouldn't; I'd be super dead. So, yay, Maverick was being a sweetheart again. I was super happy about that.

Throughout the ride, which was just the first three minutes (at least), I thought about the ride from the previous day, when Maverick answered Chrysanthemum and I's questions about his non-human nature. I wondered if she (Chrysanthemum) was gonna be weird around me because of her being in the know about the secret, too, and because of how I like him despite the red flags. But, then again, maybe she wouldn't be awkward. Time (sometime that day) would tell.

"You're unusually quiet this morning," he suddenly pointed out.

"I was just thinking about things," I answered without hesitation. "Namely if Chrysanthemum is still gonna be, well, Chrysanthemum or if she's gonna behave differently, now that we've got confirmation of you being what you are."

"It'll be fine," he immediately stated. That's right, stated.

"Read her mind, did ya?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"I was curious about possible complications," he answered honestly. "And found none." He glanced at me briefly. "She'll be as she's always been."

I sighed in relief. "Good."

"You're taking all of this very well for someone who flipped her shit after nearly getting crushed by a vehicle months ago," he said.

I scoffed. "Firstly, I nearly died; I had the right to be flipping my shit, as you said. Secondly, it wasn't even the crash itself that made me flip my shit, anyway; it was you gaslighting me, telling me I didn't see what I saw."

"I'm not apologizing for trying to keep my family's secret safe," he declared.

I crossed my arms. "I wasn't expecting an apology from you about it anyway, so." Quietly, as in there was silence between us, he entered the parking lot of our school and parked beside an orange Corvette. "Wait, don't you usually ride with your siblings?"

"Yes, but I felt like ditching them today for the next best thing," he stated.

"I'd glare at you if your family wasn't the first best thing," I said. "So, did you make them walk here or something, then?"

He pointed to the Corvette that he parked beside. "No, Flora was the designated driver today." That was…one of his sisters, I presumed; I honestly couldn't remember their names, it'd been so long since I was introduced to them from a distance and that was months beforehand. So, yeah. She was probably the really, really hot one that also looked like a bitch.

"I hope you told them ahead of time instead of, I don't know, two seconds before you drove to my house," I said, getting out of the Subaru.

"What kind of asshole do you think I am?" He got out of the Subaru, too, and smirked at me. "I told them fifteen seconds before I drove to your house."

I snorted and raised my hands in false surrender. "My bad; a fifteen second head's up, how generous of you, mighty one." I shut the door and began making my way through the parking lot. Maverick was quick to catch up and walk beside me.

By the entrance of the school, Erica's nosy self was standing, very clearly waiting for Maverick and myself to arrive, together or separately. She probably would've preferred it if we hadn't been together that day. She looked visibly angry when she realized he was still hanging around me; I could almost smell the jealousy in the air. What a slut, honestly; it's not slut shaming if it's fucking true. I'm lying; I'm slut shaming, but only her specifically because I don't like her. Heather, too, even though she's completely irrelevant right now.

"Hey, Erica," I greeted as I passed her, heading for the door.

"Bye, Erica," Maverick said, following me inside the school building.

As soon as I was sure she wasn't in ear shot, nor was anyone else, I groaned. "What the fuck am I gonna do? She's gonna talk my goddamn ear off in class, I just know it."

Maverick seemed unconcerned. "Just tell her we're dating now. That's a better explanation than the truth."

We stopped walking when we were just outside my first classroom. It was, then, that I took the time to notice that absolutely everyone was staring at us as they went on their way to their own classrooms. About goddamn time I got popular in that shitty school. And it was all because of a boy that most girls wanted to get in bed with. Go figure.

"Or we can make it an official declaration, us being together, so that it'll be the truth, technically. Or, at least, not the full truth of everything that occurred without her." Maverick snorted and shook his head, disagreeing. I paused for a second, hiding my disappointment. "We definitely won't have to worry about Chrysanthemum saying the wrong thing; she doesn't like Erica either. She'd sooner tell a massive lie, like you want, than state anything close to the truth."

He nodded. "Good." He patted my shoulder. "I'll be seeing you at lunch, then. Good luck with Erica." He tapped the side of his forehead. "I'll be tuning in." I was surprised he did that shit in front of everyone, who were still openly staring at us. Without another word, he walked away.

I went into my classroom, pretending to not notice the staring of my classmates. Constantine tried to talk to me, even though I don't recall him ever being in that class with me before (I know Magnus was but I like Magnus, so). Was he always in that class? I seriously can't remember; my mind has recently just been focused on revealing to all of you that Maverick's a vampire. Oh well. Anyway, I ignored him, obviously; I don't like the bastard.

Class went on as it normally did. And so did my second class. And so did the class after that, where Erica awaited my arrival. I won't give you the details because there isn't much; I just said that Maverick and I were fucking, he drives like a goddamn lunatic (which is true), and that we were gonna go out together again, without Chrysanthemum, to Oceantis where we'd get a motel room and fuck some more. She tried to hide her anger; she failed, obviously.

She wanted more details; I told her I liked him like how a stalker likes their victims. She took it as a joke; it's actually very true, though, because I literally stalked him since the day I learnt he existed. I told her that there was more to him than just looks but she failed to believe me with that one, as she was a judgemental bitch that thought beauty meant everything. I told her that I liked him more than life itself and would happily die for him if I had to; she said I was being overdramatic. I mean, I am overdramatic, but it also happened to be the truth.

After that, I stopped talking to her and made myself pay attention to our teacher, as much as I didn't want to hear a damn word of… Was it math? I think it was math.

And, then, finally, at long last, it was time for lunch, where I could be with Maverick, my darling bugaboo. However, I didn't have to wait until I got to the cafeteria to see Maverick again; he was waiting outside the classroom door. How sweet of him, right? We were totally actually dating; he can deny it all he wants but it'll always remain the truth.

"Iris." Uh oh, he sounded mad.

I sighed, stepping beside him. "What did I do this time and how do I appease the Maverick wrath?" He didn't answer; instead, he silently led me to the cafeteria, where he ordered food for both of us, which was very sweet, too, and also very boyfriend-y of him. Also, everyone was staring again, which made me happy, secretly, because I was loving the attention. Would the popularity remain? Most likely not. But I was gonna enjoy the staring while I could.

We went to our table. Our center of the universe. A place where no one else could go. I wasn't surprised that Chrysanthemum didn't join us; the previous night, she was a third wheel, so I doubted she wanted to be that again, two times in a row.

Maverick allowed me to have first pickings of the food on our shared tray. I grabbed a handful of cherries, cradling them like a newborn babe; I didn't, actually, but they were, technically, cradled in my palms. "I've never seen you eat before. Actually, I've never seen any of your family eat before. Which makes me feel like you getting all of this for both of us was rather pointless and wasteful." I ate a cherry. "Why do you get food, at all, when you don't even fucking touch it?"

He was silent for a moment. And then, to my surprise, he looked a bit…embarrassed? "Sometimes, we forget that we need to blend in, so we end up not touching our food and drinks." Immediately afterwards, he ate several chicken nuggets, leaving behind only two for me, which I quickly ate myself.

"So," I began seconds later. "Gonna finally tell me why you were mad and briefly gave me the silent treatment?"

He stared at me with an intense stare. Yeah, I just used stare twice. "What you said to Erica-"

I huffed and rolled my eyes. "For fuck's sake, are you always this sensitive to newfound knowledge?" I angrily ate my cherries. "I said we were fucking, instead of dating, because she would've thought that regardless; Erica's a hoe who thinks every other girl is a bigger hoe. You driving like a goddamn lunatic is absolutely true and you can't tell me otherwise, asshole. And, again, I said we were gonna go fuck some more because she was gonna think it anyway. Sorry, not sorry, my guy."

He waved his hand, shaking his head. "No, not any of that. That was fine. I agree with you, to an extent." He linked his fingers together, studying me. "I'm referring to when you said that you liked me more than life itself, that you'd die for me. I don't like that."

I raised an eyebrow. "The thought of me caring that much for you?"

"The thought of you no longer existing," he clarified.

I blushed like a girly girl that's girly. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." He stared at me, intensely (admit it, you thought I'd say menacingly).

Flabbergasted at my feelings being recuperated, I gulped down both of the chocolate milks and the three Dr. Peppers he bought. He didn't seem to mind; he actually kind of looked fascinated with how quickly I went through them. "I…wasn't aware you thought just as highly of me in return, considering our many arguments."

"I could say the same but to you," he whispered, staring at me like I was the last woman on Earth. I wondered if he could smell how wet I was getting; excuse me, sorry, gotta be less vulgar, how turned on I was.

Numbly, I ate a few grapes and part of an orange. We were silent for a little while. Actually, we talked a little bit more but it wasn't anything particularly relevant, so it's unimportant to mention, like, ever. Oh, except the foreshadowing thing he did; "If I must, if having to do the right thing by you, I'll gladly leave if it means keeping you alive and well, even if it hurts me doing so." That right there; foreshadowing. For not this book.

Nothing!

"And I'll gladly leave this place if it means staying with you forever," I stated. He was stuck with me; if that wasn't clear before, it was clear then. Maybe. "Besides, you're never gonna be able to leave me behind; you'd be worried about me the entire time you're gone, about me accidentally tripping on a landmine or something."

He snorted. "You're not wrong."

"We're lucky I'm surviving the school day so far," I continued, smirking. "By this point, I usually would've tripped about fifteen times already."

Again, he snorted, but he also started smiling. He had a very nice smile. "I don't doubt you."

"The day isn't over yet, though," I stated. "So, keep an eye out, in case I need any more saving."

Instead of snorting a third time, he actually chuckled. "I think you can survive a few more tumbles down the hallway." He ate again; the other half of the orange I munched on. An indirect kiss, hehe. "I've been meaning to ask. Were you always gonna head for Oceantis or did you come up with that on the spot to have an excuse on hand?"

I thought about it for a second. "Yes."

He laughed. "To both, I assume?"

I nodded, grinning. "Mhm. I was gonna head that way at some point, mostly out of boredom, but it became more solid when people kept asking me out that day. And I definitely needed a proper excuse for why I was telling people no, so, win-win, I guess." Then, I remembered and grimaced. "Mostly a win-win. I'm still stuck with Scout as a morp date. I was tricked into agreeing, the persistent asshole."

"And if I'd asked, instead of insisting on driving you to Oceantis?" he asked.

"I'd still have said no," I immediately revealed. "I don't like dances. I don't like dancing. It's just not my style. Sorry, not sorry. I don't care how cute you are. My answer would have been a big nope."

His eyes narrowed. "I don't quite believe you." Yeah, I didn't believe myself either; I probably would've said yes and just had dealt with the humiliation of having to dance when I didn't fucking know how to.

"You don't have to believe me." I munched through over half of the food, seeing as Maverick wasn't really eating all that much. "But if you'd rather do something else that day instead of driving to Oceantis and doing fuck all, I'm open to suggestions, as long as it's fun and as long as I'm the one who'll be driving there."

He smirked. "You hate my driving that much, huh?"

I smiled widely. "Absolutely. That and I already told Cassius, my dad, what my plans were. And that I'd be alone, so I guess that means you'll have to be super sneaky."

"Alright," he easily agreed, which was surprising. I really liked the not so aggressive, not so annoying Maverick. I wish he was always like that.

I nodded. "Alright."

Very briefly, he mentioned that the weather would be good on that day in particular, the one where we'd go to…wherever instead of Oceantis; I figured that was his way of saying he'd show me his sparkles, which I totally didn't know about then, despite the dreams of foresight I kept having about it for months-ish. He also tried to scare me into telling Cassius I was going somewhere with Maverick that day, but it didn't work because I just thought the false threat was hot. Ha ha.

Just as briefly, I asked about what he hunted when he went hunting with River. Oh shit, I remembered one of the sibling names. River and Flora. Those two were paired off with each other, I think. Anyway, Maverick mentioned elk, lions, bears, squirrels, beavers, birds, deer, and whatever other kind of animal you'd find inside a forest. I stared at his mouth the entire time he talked about it; I never saw any fangs, so maybe their teeth were just super strong, able to tear through anything at all. So interesting, learning more and more about him and his hotter family. I didn't suggest him showing me that; it sounded like something that needed to wait until I was, too, a vampire. Which, obviously, wasn't gonna happen because I'm currently getting murdered by a crazy vampire man; this is a retelling via flashing back, remember?

The next thing I knew, lunch was over and the cafeteria was empty of everyone but Maverick and I. He got up and threw away what remained on the tray, and put the tray where it needed to go.

Quietly, I stood up from the table and followed him. I couldn't wait for what we discussed next, which, spoilers, was just a continuation of where we left off. You'll see. Next time on Dragonball Z! Teehee.