Bloody Little Secrets

by Karly Kirkpatrick

  Chapter 9

  Drake managed to help me find me a cell phone after school. He took me to Wal-Mart to pick up one of those pay-as-you-go phones. No records for my vampire friends to find. Besides, it wasn’t necessarily easy to get a cell phone contract when you’re dead, or rather, dead-ish.

  “Hey, have you thought about your parents at all?” Drake asked as he swung the car into Aunt Sue’s driveway.

  My heart sunk in my chest and pain I had ignored for the last couple of days bubbled up.

  “To be honest, with all the commotion I’d kind of put them at the back of my mind. Why?” I fiddled with the shiny new cell phone in my hand.

  “I’m just thinking, that since I’m able to handle your situation, that maybe they’d be okay with it.” He smiled hopefully.

  “Yeah, but here’s the difference—you never thought I died. I met you like this, and this is the only way you know me. But they think I’m dead. They have to be trying to move on with their lives, you know?” I tried to fight back the tears that were welling up behind my lashes.

  “They’re never going to get over you, Vicky. Don’t you think they’d just be happy to have you back? No matter what?” He turned towards me and put his hand on my arm.

  I stared at the dashboard. My heart ached and the pain radiated through my body. I found myself unable to speak and grabbed onto the door handle to attempt to steady myself.

  “I’m sorry, Vick. I didn’t mean to upset you, I just want you to think about the possibility,” he said quietly, rubbing my arm.

  “It’s okay,” I managed. “I just don’t know what to do about it right now. There are so many things I still have to figure out.”