“See you tomorrow at Hooligans,” Sebastian called back to Becky.
We met Alexander in his room as he was washing out a brush in a small bucket.
“Did Sebastian let you in?” Alexander asked.
“Well, yes, but…”
“Did you go into town?” he asked Sebastian. “It did me good to get some work done.”
“Yes, I had a great time seeing the sights,” his best friend answered.
Alexander was euphoric from painting. I hated to spoil his mood by telling him where I’d found Sebastian.
“I’m really such a lucky guy,” Alexander said. “My best friend and girlfriend are here and I’m almost finished with my new project.” He pointed to a covered painting resting on the easel. “But this one is for me.”
Sebastian clearly wasn’t going to tell Alexander what he’d been up to. I strongly suspected that if Alexander found out Sebastian had been lurking in Becky’s barn, he might throw Sebastian out of the Mansion. I didn’t want to snitch on him, but I wasn’t about to keep secrets from Alexander.
I had a major dilemma on my hands.
I gazed at Alexander, who was relishing his creation and his friends. Alexander was so peaceful, I couldn’t bear to tell him Sebastian was stalking Becky or that Trevor was saying I was two-timing him. But then
Sebastian surprised me.
“I happened upon Becky today when she and Raven were together,” Sebastian confessed.
“Happened upon?” Alexander inquired.
“Alexander—I’m hooked. I just wanted to see her one more time.”
“He flew into her barn when Becky and I were getting my bike,” I said lightly. “Nothing serious.”
“You can’t be sneaking around her house,” Alexander reprimanded. “That’s immature. And dangerous.”
Sebastian frowned.
I was the queen of sneaking in places. I wasn’t any better than him.
“No more. I’ve washed my hands of love.” Sebastian seemed to sense that this was upsetting his best friend.
“We’ll stay in for the rest of my stay and play Medieval Mayhem. I won’t see her anymore. Not now, not ever.”
“But we are supposed to see her and Matt tomorrow at Hooligans,” I said.
“Well, I suppose one more time won’t hurt, will it?” Alexander said.
Sebastian’s face lit up. “I’ll have on my game face.”
7
Videos and Vampires
The following afternoon, Becky, Matt, and I were hanging out on Dullsville High’s soccer field waiting for practice to begin. Sebastian’s fascination for Becky indelibly stuck in my mind. Matt and Becky were nestled together by the home-side goal—not even the threat of an opponent’s score could break them apart. As my best friend gazed up at her beau adoringly, I realized I’d never imagined Becky with anyone but Matt. He was the first boyfriend she ever had and I never doubted that someday they’d be married, live a quiet life in Dullsville with a couple kids, and have the proverbial white picket fence. Even a handsome and love-struck vampire so far hadn’t turned her head away from her one true love.
Sebastian had fallen for a girl who could make him happy—if only she liked him back. I was hoping that that would never happen. Not only didn’t I want Becky to become a vampire, but I didn’t want her to be with anyone besides Matt. But I felt empathy for Sebastian. He didn’t choose his amorous fate.
As the two lovebirds snuggled, I sat alone thinking about my own relationship with my boyfriend. We had bigger challenges that faced us on a daily basis besides an immortal paramour. It was as simple as the sun and as complicated as immortality.
Alexander was my soul mate. But was our love strong enough to face the inherent struggles of our two different worlds? If he didn’t turn me, would that ultimately come between us? Could we live mortally together while he lived eternally alone?
As I watched Becky and Matt cuddle, I felt my love for Alexander was not a choice. It was otherworldly.
Alexander’s life would surely be easier if he were dating a vampire. He wouldn’t be in a position to make a life-altering decision. Perhaps I was putting too much pressure on him for my own needs. He didn’t want to turn
Luna, so why would he want to turn me?
And would my life be any easier if I were with someone mortal? We could see each other by our lockers, share classes, and hang out at school dances. But I lived in Dullsville, where no mortal was like me. Even if
Alexander hadn’t moved into the Mansion on Benson Hill many months ago, I would never have found anyone here to love. I viewed my lonely, mortal world before I met Alexander as far more difficult than the challenges I faced by falling in love with a vampire. The insecurity of Alexander’s and my future was better than the certainty of my unhappiness without Alexander.
Hooligans was a noisy, technology-driven themed restaurant. The food was normal fare—salads, chicken wings, sandwiches—but the selling point was the jumbo-size, high-decibel, flashing-light video, pinball, and dancing games. Some games spit out tickets to use like cash to purchase prizes like bears, bracelets, and pencil toppers. It was quite easy to spend a hundred dollars just trying to win a twenty-cent prize.
Alexander thrived in his quiet hideaways, like the Mansion, Dullsville’s cemetery, and the Coffin Club, under the guise of Phoenix. I was concerned that Hooligans was going to blast him into sensory overload. However, I knew Sebastian would be in gaming heaven.
Sebastian parked his Mustang in an empty space right next to Becky’s truck. He wore a spectacularly stylish bloodred blazer. Alexander glowed—his hair rich-looking, seductively dangling down, his lean body pressed into black jeans and a white T-shirt and finished with a sparkling oversized skull belt buckle.
We arrived at the hostess stand to find a long line and at least a dozen patrons with pagers.
“We’ll be here all night,” Sebastian said.
“Follow me.” I forged through the sea of people and pushed myself right in front of the main hostess.
“We’re meeting two friends. I’m sure they already have a table,” I said in my most mature voice, as my parents did when we were meeting their friends for dinner.
“You can go ahead and check.”
We squeezed our way through the waiting customers—screaming babies, young couples, and corporate parties. I was counting my blessings. So far no Trevor or a soccer snob in sight. I found Becky and Matt at a round table in the corner of the restaurant.
Before any formal introductions could be made, Matt extended his hand to Alexander’s best friend. “Hey—
you must be Sebastian.”
But Sebastian’s focus was instead on Becky, and Alexander nudged his best friend.
“Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you.”
Sebastian made his way to the empty seat across from Becky, but I snuck in behind him and scooted myself into the chair just as he landed on my lap.
We looked quite the sight—as if a ventriloquist had just sat on the dummy.
“Hey—get off of my girlfriend,” Alexander teased, jabbing Sebastian.
We all laughed as Sebastian rose to find that the only empty chair was between Matt and Alexander.
Matt and Sebastian found a common ground talking about computer games. However, in between breaths, Sebastian continued to be fixated on Becky, as if he was trying to seduce her with his gaze. Any normal guy could be a pest, but a vampire? He could be deadly.
I held my menu out, blocking his line of sight, until the waiter finished taking our orders and the menus.
“We can all use my points,” Matt offered, showing us his Hooligans game card. “Let’s go.”