Diary of a Vampeen (36 page)

Guilt consumed me as I realized I
discredited my best friend. I didn’t believe in her, in us, to pull
through. I felt foolish for ever doubting her coping abilities. I
sometimes forget the changes she adapted to with her parents’
divorce.

“Ok, enough cackling. Back to
business,” she commanded though a few chuckles still escaped.
“Wait, I just realized you didn’t get your frap. If you want one
you should do it now, they’ll be closing in fifteen
minutes.”

“Nah. I’m good. New figure, new diet,”
I insisted.

“You’re not anorexic are you Lex?” she
whispered.

“I know I lost a lot of weight, but do
I really look starved?” I pressed with a smirk to ease the sudden
tension.

“Hmm. No, I guess not. I just… wow.
You really do look beautiful Lex,” she beamed. I could tell that
she was genuinely happy for me.

“You’re the best. But don’t discredit
yourself. You know you’ve got it going on. Speaking of which – why
don’t you go with Caleb to my party tomorrow night?”

“Eternal sisters for sure. I already
am!” she shrieked.

“You were holding out on
me!”

“O.M.G. Two weeks isn’t long but long
enough to miss a lot I guess. Ok. So we got to go now, but how
about I come over tomorrow and get ready at your house? I’m
ditching after lunch to get everything ready with your
aunt.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Okay. So I’ll come over around one,
we can get ready and then I’ll leave early to help your
aunt.”

“Oh my gosh I’ve missed you!” I
exclaimed standing just as Sam made the closing
announcement.

“You have
no
idea!” she
agreed.

Kellan was standing by the door. Mel
winked, “Have a good night you two!”

“I’m letting that one slide,” I yelled
out in the parking lot. Mel waved from inside her mom’s fancy
SUV.

“Looks like things went well,” Kellan
commented.

“Oh my gosh. They were perfect. She
was shocked at first but nothing changed but my figure and I love
it! The whole time we were talking, I didn’t even hear the buzz of
sounds that usually overwhelmed me. Well, except the blender. My
God can that thing grind some ice!” I smiled catching Kellan off
guard with a bear hug as he held open my car door. I buried my face
in his chest, inhaling the exact spot where he spritzed his
cologne. “I can’t believe it’s actually going to be okay. And don’t
tell me ‘I told you so’,” I quickly added at the end.

“Well, I did,” he smirked.

“Ugh,” I playfully smacked his chest
and backed away. I couldn’t stop smiling though. I couldn’t believe
I got it all – the perfect figure, perfect guy, and I got to keep
my perfect best friend.

Kellan pulled me back into his arms.
“I’m happy as long as you’re happy, and I definitely have never
seen you this happy.”

“I definitely am,” I
beamed with an eternal sunshine of hope.
One down and one more to go – Mike.

The adrenaline rush of joy surged
through me for hours. Kellan was worried that I hadn’t been getting
enough sleep. He said I needed at least three hours a day not two
hours every other. Around 5 a.m. we laced up and went for a morning
jog in the neighborhood. He pushed for this activity to release the
last of my energy so I would succumb to his sleeping wish. I would
have laughed in anyone’s face who told me I’d be doing this a month
ago.

I mimicked Kellan’s perfect form and
synced our steps ongoing for forty-five minutes. Looking around, I
realized we looked like the epitome of a happy, healthy, young
couple. We appeared to be the picture of perfection in athletic
pairings. Who would have thought me, an athlete? Not one bead of
sweat seeped through my pores, and Kellan stood equally dry
breathing seamlessly beside me as we rounded the final corner back
to my house.

I slowed down a tad to catch a glimpse
of him from behind. “Eyes on the prize,” he interjected
mid-linger.

“Ok,” I smirked and stopped to stare
at him.

“I’m not the prize.”

“You’re my prize,” I tugged him into
my arms.

I was still giddy over how wonderful
things were panning out. Keira had been m.i.a. since my night of
change, Mike didn’t show up last night, me and Mel stayed best
friends, my perfect guy was in my arms and felt the same towards me
and I was no longer confused about him and us – I hated to keep
declaring such a cynically cliquish phrase, but my life was perfect
right now. That combined with my parents’ money and my new figure
was hate-worthy. I was just happy Mel didn’t feel that
way.

Chapter 23

“What would happen if I drank a coke?”
I asked Kellan as I scanned the fridge. I was anxiously awaiting my
best friend’s arrival in the next twenty minutes. My parents were
at work and we had the house to ourselves for once.

“Do you really want one?” he chuckled,
clearly amused.

“Not really, just curious,” I stated
grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. It was still strange to
not consume three meals a day or snack throughout. I wasn’t lacking
in any way but I suppose old habits die hard. I still found myself
scanning the fridge and cupboards randomly when bored though the
contents were unappealing.

“If you ever meet him, you cannot rat
me out with this story,” he said with serious eyes despite his
crooked smile.

“I swear,” I pledged leaning against
the island anxiously.

He was laughing before he even started
the story, lighting up in a way I hadn’t seen before.

“I’m waiting,” I reminded
him.

“Craig drank one once. We used to dare
each other to do stupid things and that was one of them. Oh God
Lexi, you had to be there. He got the hiccups but each time he
released a growl not a dainty little noise,” Kellan was rolling in
laughter, twisting as he leaned onto the island huffing.

Seeing the way he lit to life when he
spoke of Craig made me feel so guilty. He told me before that Mel
and I were the girl version of him and Craig with dynamics. And all
I could think about now was how elated I was last night with my
best friend. Looking at him, I realized I was his only friend here.
He didn’t hang out with anyone else, and he definitely needed that
companionship. I felt selfish in my tirade of captivity with him;
he left me for nothing more than necessity though I could clearly
see now that his needs were unspoken. I became determined. I was
going to kidnap Craig for a visit. Kellan needed it whether he
admitted to it or not.

“You miss him, don’t you?” I prompted
reflecting the same smile he was penetrating me with.

“Yea, but you make it
easier.”

“Yea, but no offense, you’re no Mel
and I’m definitely no growling, hiccupping Craig.”

“True.”

It was amazing to see Kellan in that
moment. He broke out of his social shell and I caught a sliver of
who he was back in Seattle, the happy-go-lucky party guy he
suppresses within. He’d begun to lie comfortably next to me; he’s
not so serious and withdrawn like before, but I still wanted
happiness for him outside of me. I wanted him to have a friend
outside of me here to share adventures with. I couldn’t remain a
selfish, sullen person capturing his interest all the time. He
needed to break free of my reign, break free of our connection for
some male bonding. I was still bringing Craig for a visit. It’s
going to be difficult to sneak him in with Kellan present 24/7,
but… egh. I’d figure it out. I wanted it to stay a surprise
though.

I pulled him in for a kiss just as I
heard two car doors shut. I was unsure of what came over me, yet
still startled, I jumped back as an unsettling feeling filled the
bottom of my stomach.

Bickering. They were going back and
forth. It was Mel, my best friend I’d been anxiously waiting for,
and Mike, the boyfriend I’d been trying to avoid. He had been
calling me non-stop, and I’d been ignoring his calls. I must have
had a minimum ten voicemails from him that I’d yet to play
back.

Frozen in place, I heard Mel harshly
say, “If she’s not answering your calls then it’s for a reason! I
appreciate the ride but Lex is going to kill me if you come in.
This is girl time and you are not a girl!”

To this Mike replied, “I won’t stay
long. I just want to see her. It’s been so long.”

“I don’t care how long you intend to
stay; it’s a NO! Now go get back in your car and leave before you
regret it!” she yelled.

“You can’t tell me what to
do! She’s
my
girlfriend!”

With that I heard Mike stomp past her.
She truly was my best ally against him despite her one-time
support.

“You can’t avoid him forever. He
clearly won’t let you,” Kellan observed.

“Thanks for the tip,” I sighed on my
way to the door.

Thoughts flowed quickly. I was unsure
how Mike would react to my change. One thing was certain, he would
ask how. He’s nosy like that and not considerate with my privacy
like Mel.

Angrily, I swung open the door before
he could lift his hand to knock. Mel shot me an apologetic look,
which I quickly acknowledged with a lift of my lips and a quick
nod. I knew she tried her best though she shouldn’t have accepted
his offer for a ride.

“What are you doing here?” I lashed at
Mike.

His jaw dropped as he stood there in
shock, dismay washing away his annoyance with Mel’s previous words.
He stumbled to collect himself. “Lex… uh… oh… Is… Is that you?” he
choked.

“Yes Mike, it’s me,” I answered
regretfully.

“I… Wow! You look… damn! You
look…wow!” he stuttered.

“So I’ve been told,” I answered
robotically with a bit of malice. The anger slowly drained from me.
Seeing his reaction, recalling the purity in his intentions, I felt
the slightest twinge of guilt. It quickly left when he pulled me in
for a kiss. Thank God for my new speed. I diverted his attempt,
swinging past him to alleviate Mel’s arms hidden by at least ten
bags.

“Thanks,” she smiled.

“Kellan, can you help Mel take this
stuff to my room?” I called louder than necessary, playing to the
human role. “I’ll meet you in my room in a sec.”

“Are you sure you’re ok with him Lex?”
Mel whispered.

“I’ll be fine,” I assured as she
shuffled through the door. Mike had already made his way inside. As
I entered behind Mel, I instantly caught the heated glares
exchanging between Kellan and Mike. I knew they hadn’t spoken a
word, yet if looks could kill, they’d both be dead. The red ring of
rage surrounding Kellan’s iris seemed to ignite as Mike’s
retaliating stare bore empty hatred in return.

Mel wasn’t oblivious either. “Here
Kellan,” she prompted handing him a few bags. I piled mine swiftly
atop hers in his now full arms.

“What do you have in here?” he asked
mindlessly.

“Just some stuff for the party,” she
smiled wryly as she leapt up the stairs.

As soon as they disappeared, Mike
pressed for answers. “What happened to you Lex? How did this
happen?”

“I can’t tell you how. I don’t even
understand myself,” I replied placating him with the
truth.

“And him! Don’t think I didn’t notice
his absence from school too. What the hell did you two do?! I know
he’s touched you!”

“Calm down Mike. Kellan and I are just
friends. And he did come with me on vacation but it was my mother,
not me, that invited him,” I explained. I tried to reason with his
logic, sooth his overly jealous exterior bubbling with
anxiety.

I knew this wouldn’t be easy. I knew
he wouldn’t surrender me without a fight, but I was seeing it would
conjure a war with several battles now.

“I don’t care who invited him. You
should have thrown him off the boat. I’m your boyfriend not that
prick! Do you understand me?!” he yelled inching his way towards
me. He appeared ready to hit me at any second with his clenched
fists and snarling breathes. Fury was definitely about to explode
from him physically.

I didn’t care though. I wasn’t weak
anymore; no one could talk to me like that. “No Mike. I don’t
understand you. You can’t disrespect me like that, treat me like a
sinner and expect me to look at you with adoration! I’m done. I’m
breaking up with you. We are no more so you can go boss some other
girl around.” The words flew out of my mouth like an arrow of
attacks with intent to kill.

His hand released from the balls of
rage they were. His face softened to a fault and all the anger left
him to coddle me with charm. “You’re… you’re not serious, right?
You’re kidding, right Lex?” he stuttered taking my hand in his,
unleashing his adoration on me in hopes of my weakness.

It was working. I sighed
looking away.
Stay strong Lexi! You can’t
give in. Remember Kellan.

“No, I’m serious,” I replied
softly.

Within two seconds, his anger returned
with a dangerous vengeance. He threw down my arm violently. “What
the hell does he have that I don’t?! Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
You’re stupid. If you pick that jerk over me, then you’re blind and
dumb!”