So now he thought I was the numbnut. I turned my head slowly. When my eyes met his I almost willed him to stop me.
Who was I kidding? The last person who would ever care about my welfare was Fane Donado. I was nothing to him, and he certainly wasn’t anything to me other than an ill-timed annoyance.
I grabbed the box of condoms. “I’m not looking for a soul mate.”
I pushed through the doors and walked briskly through the parking lot to the bus stop. I opened the box of Trojans and shoved the individually wrapped condoms inside my coat pocket before dumping the box inside a wastebasket cemented to the sidewalk. I jammed my hands inside my pockets and ran a thumb over the foil. My teeth began to chatter.
Fane pulled up alongside the bus stop in his ugly heap of a car. He leaned over and rolled down the passenger window by hand.
“Get in. I’ll give you a lift home.”
What a jerk. He acted like Mr. Nice in Valerie’s absence, then the moment she entered the scene I ceased to exist. I couldn’t believe I ever wanted to kiss those mismatched lips. From what I’d seen he was just as sloppy as Scott and way less pleasing on the eyes.
“I’m not going home!” I snapped. “And I would never get inside a car with you.”
“What’s the matter, Aurora? Afraid I’ll bite?”
That got my attention. Something odd and unsettling fluttered inside my chest. I snapped my head in Fane’s direction. He smiled, and his teeth gleamed. A shudder worked its way down my spine to my toes.
I sucked in a breath. “Thanks for the offer, but my bus will be here any minute.”
Fane’s grin widened. His car inched away, but not before Fane pierced me with one last shaded look. “Suit yourself. Be safe, Aurora Sky.”
Scott lived in a picturesque neighborhood three blocks from the bus stop. Small white lights glowed along fence railings, bushes, and rooftops. Every now and then, I’d pass a household that hadn’t gotten around to removing their Christmas decorations.
I walked in the street because snow covered the sidewalks. Along the way, I slipped a couple condoms from my coat pocket into my jeans.
I didn’t need to check the number on the two-story house with the French windows. Scott’s Dodge Ram was parked in the drive. I marched up to the front steps and pounded on the door.
I believed that once a decision was made it should be carried out without hesitation. And shouldn’t I feel fortunate to share my first time with my number one crush? But that was part of the problem. That crush belonged to the old Aurora Sky.
An image of Fane appeared in my head. I shoved it back out.
When Scott opened the door, he smiled and asked me inside. He was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. I pulled my arms out of my jacket as I walked inside. When Scott didn’t offer to take my coat, I tossed it onto the nearest chair.
Scott nodded at my neck. “Want to take off your scarf?”
“Not right now.”
The living room furniture was all dark wood with burgundy upholstery. I avoided stepping on the brown bear hide pancaked to the floor. The head stuck up off the floorboards facing the TV.
I nodded to the rug. “That’s gross.”
Scott flashed a toothy smile. “Isn’t it great? My dad shot it.”
I passed the head of a mountain goat mounted to the wall. “Can we go someplace else?”
“How about my room?”
“Sure.”
I followed Scott down the hall, but stopped as he led me past the kitchen.
“Do you have anything to drink?” I asked.
He turned and grinned. “You mean like beer?”
“Do you have anything stronger?”
“I can make a rum and Coke.”
“Sure.”
Apparently, Scott’s mom had a thing for roosters. They were on all the kitchen towels and the set of ceramic jars lined on the counter by the stove. There was a rooster on the switch plate cover, kitchen mat, and clock. The only thing missing was a stuffed rooster head coming out of the wall.
“How about vodka? Got any of that?” I sat on a stool at the counter listening to the clink of bottles as Scott rummaged through his parents’ liquor cabinet.
“Yep, lots of vodka.” He set the bottle in front of me, reached for two shot glasses, and filled them to the brim.
I lifted my glass. “To the last semester.”
Scoot grinned. He threw back his shot glass and emptied it in one gulp.
I did the same then coughed and sputtered. “Ick!”
Scott rocked with laughter.
I grinned, too. “That’s awful.”
Scott laughed harder. I pushed my glass toward him. “Give me more.”
“More?”
“More.”
“You’re really cool, you know? I always figured you for a goody two-shoes.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just pour, already.”
The next shot didn’t go down any easier. I coughed and waved a hand in front of my face. “Obviously people don’t drink it for the taste.”
“Usually you mix it with something. We have Kahlua.”
“I’ll take it straight.”
Maybe the third one would do the trick. Wasn’t the guy supposed to be the one getting the girl plastered so she’d sleep with him? Women had to do everything these days.
The fifth shot finally hit me. I don’t think it was the quantity as much as the timing. I was downing them so fast the alcohol hadn’t had a chance to catch up till now. I gripped the counter and grinned.
“So let’s see your room.”
I felt all warm and tingly inside. It was the only way. Otherwise I’d back out.
I’d passed through the hunting lodge and farm house. I could hardly wait to see Scott’s room, but it was like entering the sports zone. The walls were covered in baseball and basketball posters. He’d nailed up blue and white Denali flags and the letters he’d earned playing on the team.
His walls were like a tacky, four-sided collage.
Shorts and balled-up white and gray-edged socks littered the floor. School books were tossed in a corner. A pair of jeans stretched across a chair.
No tidying up for company.
The bed wasn’t made. Big surprise.
“What do you wanna do?” Scott asked.
“It,” I said before bursting into a fit of giggles. “I want to do it.”
I was in hysterics now. Scott was laughing, too.
What a fun guy. He was really fun.
I closed my eyes for a second and felt the world spin circles. The weirdest part was everything stayed in place when I reopened them.
Closed. Spinning.
Opened. Fine.
Scott closed his bedroom door and I doubled over laughing again.
“What?”
I tried to answer and ended up snorting. As soon as I caught my breath I said, “Why did you close your door when nobody’s home?”
Scott’s cheeks dimpled. His shoulders shook when he laughed, but he wasn’t laughing anywhere near as hard as me.
I stopped suddenly and looked at Scott. “I almost died a virgin. Can you think of anything more tragic than that?”
Scott scratched his head. “Yeah, that would have really sucked.”
I can’t believe I ever found Scott intimidating. He was so easy to talk to.
I took a step toward him, wobbling on the second and third.
“Whoa, there,” Scott said, catching me.
I liked his arms. They felt good, especially when he stroked my back.
“I don’t want to take any more chances,” I said.
“Aurora, are you sure?”
“Sure I’m sure,” I said, making myself laugh again.
Scott stopped stroking my back and took my head in his hands. He pulled me forward and put his mouth over mine.
Finally, he was taking charge…if only his wet lips weren’t plastered over mine. I reached down for the fly on his pants.
I was tired of feeling
dead inside. I wanted someone to wake me up.
Scott reached for my zipper. He didn’t fumble, I’d give him that. He got me unbuttoned and unzipped in no time. I had on a pair of black lace underwear. I mean, if a boy was about to see them, black was the way to go. Scott finished where I’d left off, releasing the top button of his jeans.
He maneuvered me onto his bed. I scooted all the way on top and stretched out over the tangled sheets. Scott climbed over me on all fours. His expression was serious. Laughter bubbled up my throat, so I bit my tongue.
“Oh, I’ve got these.” I dug the condoms out of my pocket and held them up.
Scott took one. I dropped the extra somewhere in the sheets and stared at the ceiling while Scott pulled down his briefs and put the condom on. I knew when he was finished because the bed shifted and he loomed over me.
I wasn’t liking that position.
Scott pulled down my panties. I clenched instinctively, which made it difficult for him to shove his way in. The procedure was slow and excruciating. Pain arched over my pelvis. I tried to make my scream sound like one of pleasure rather than agony when Scott made it in.
The rubbing was like acid over a raw wound.
Maybe if I acted like I was enjoying it he’d hurry up and finish. I pushed myself against him a couple times and, thankfully, he blew his load in a matter of seconds. When he pulled out, it felt like a knife being yanked from my body.
I rolled off the bed and pulled my underwear and pants up. “Where’s your bathroom?”
“Down the hall.”
I staggered down the hall and locked myself inside.
I lowered the toilet seat before yanking down my pants and underwear. I sat staring at the bathtub. Slowly, I ripped off several squares of toilet paper and dabbed gingerly between my legs. When I peeked at the tissue, it was stained with blood. I dropped it into the toilet bowl and ripped off more paper, dabbing until there wasn’t a trace of blood. Then I flushed it down, washed my hands, and returned to Scott’s room.
Scott launched an inflatable basketball into a mini wall-mounted basketball hoop. The ball made it into the hoop and landed inside a laundry hamper beneath.
He grinned at me. “Now you don’t have to worry about dying a virgin.”
11
Fight
For the first time since the accident, I could see my reflection clearly. The girl looking back was pale as death. She wore a plaid miniskirt exposing her long, lean, ghost flesh.
I felt like Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas, minus the stiches. My only visible imperfections were hidden under my shirt and scarf.
“Aurora!” Mom hollered up the stairs. “If you don’t leave now you’re going to miss the school bus!”
I made my way down and grabbed my backpack off the living room floor. Mom stared at me in horror. “You’re not going to school dressed like that?”
“Dressed like what?” I challenged.
Mom looked me over from head to foot. I had on a tight white blouse tied in a knot at my midriff. There were no tights beneath my skirt, just a short pair of white socks and black Mary Janes.
“You look like a…like a…”
“School girl,” I offered. I threaded my arms under the straps of my pack and hoisted it on my back.
She grimaced. “I was going to say stripper.”
I laughed. “Wow, really? Maybe secret agent isn’t my only calling in life.”
I headed to the door without looking back.
“Don’t forget your coat!” Mom yelled.
“Got my scarf,” I answered, tightening it around my neck. “That’s all I need.”
“Aurora.”
“Gotta go.”
I was in no hurry to reach my locker, especially when I saw Denise and Erin together. They stuffed textbooks from their backpacks to their lockers. As I neared, they looked my way then leaned together before setting off rapidly down the hall.
An arm looped around mine. The touch was light. I had a good idea whose it was.
I smiled. “Hey, Noel. I was just on my way to see if you guys were in the library.”
“Never mind the library,” Noel said. “Want to tell me what you were doing this weekend that involved me covering for you?”
“Did my mom call?”
“No. Let’s go in here.” Noel pulled me inside the nearest ladies’ room. She had a bun high on each side of her head. Her long bangs were split down the middle, hanging down her face. Every article of Noel’s clothing was black, right down to her top, skirt, nylons, and knee-high combat boots. She wore a stomach cincher over her clothes, tied tight in order to stay in place around her skinny torso.
Noel was studying my apparel as closely as I reviewed hers. “We should really talk about your wardrobe. Are you planning on joining the pep squad?”
I laughed. “Only if I get to cheer for Team Wicked.”
A freshman glanced at us and hurried out.
“I think you scared her away,” Noel said.
“Sure, I scared her.”
“So out with the dirty details already. Did you go vamping without us?”
“Whatever.” I set my backpack on the floor. I made a quick scan under the stalls and seeing them foot-free, turned to Noel. “I hooked up is all.”
Noel’s eyes bugged out. “With a vampire?”
My lip curled back. “No!”
“Let me see your neck.”
I rolled my eyes and pulled down my scarf. “See?”
“Wrists.”
I turned my arms over and held them in front of Noel. “Satisfied?”
She hoisted herself onto the bathroom counter, crossed her legs, and began swinging them. “So who’d you hook up with?”
“Scott Stevens.”
Noel stopped swinging her legs and wrinkled her nose.
“What?”
“Nothing. Interesting choice.”
“Why?”
“It’s just you’re so coffee and he’s so…herbal tea. So, you had sex?” Noel began swinging her legs again.
“Um-hmm.”
“How was he?”
“Horrible,” I said without thinking.
The leg swinging stopped again. Noel stared at me wide-eyed right before bursting into peals of laughter.
I started to smile. “I guess it is kind of funny. What a dope he turned out to be.”
Noel laughed harder.
“And that’s not the worst of it…” I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and looked away. “He was my first.”
Noel instantly stopped laughing. She jumped off the counter. “Oh, fuck,” she said right before throwing her arms around me.
I patted her back even though she was the one trying to comfort me.
“It’s all right, really. I mean, the first time’s supposed to suck, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Noel said, pulling back. “It hurts like hell.”
“I guess I didn’t get drunk enough.”
“You won’t need to next time.”
“Right, like I’d do that again.”
Noel raised her brows. “Famous last words.” She walked to the bathroom door. “Think we can make it to the library without being caught?”
“It beats spending second period in the water closet.”
“Let’s go.”
Noel and I walked down the middle of the hallway toward the library.
Noel nudged my shoulder. “You should come out with Whitney, Hope, and me next time. We’ll show you who to avoid and who knows how to nibble on a girl just right.”
“Eh,” I answered without enthusiasm.
That’s the problem with vampires. They didn’t nibble, they chomped.
A fight broke out inside the cafeteria as I passed at the end of the day.
A month earlier, I would have walked in the opposite direction instead of pushing my way through the double doors to get a closer look.
One quick peek and then I’d catch my school bus.
The expres
sions on surrounding students morphed from resigned boredom to anticipated glee. We surged forward—the sound like a riptide pulling us in.
Students were already cheering. “Get him, Jason! Harder. Knock that pansy to the ground.”
The taller guy, Jason, got the shorter guy into a headlock and pounded his face.
I didn’t recognize either student. They were just two more nameless hooligans going about the motions, which at the moment involved swinging fists.
A month earlier, I would have walked in the opposite direction instead of pushing my way closer until I was at the front of the horde encircling the boys.
“Stop!” the shorter boy yelled.
“Don’t stop! Hit him, Jason! Harder!” the crowd screamed back. This was followed by an obliging smack against the smaller boy’s face.
“Enough!” shorty yelled.
“You sure? You learn your lesson yet?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. You can stop. Stop already!”
Jason pushed the boy forward and lifted his hands over his head in victory. His victim stumbled and nearly fell face first onto the squeaky cafeteria floor. The crowd began to disperse. I was planted to the ground, unable to move.
Something wasn’t right. A warning whispered up my spine.
A look of murder settled deep within the beaten boy’s eye sockets. He staggered upright then walked to the nearest table. Shorty didn’t look dangerous. He was small and moved slowly. But to see his expression…it was unmistakable.
He grabbed a fold-up chair and lifted it above his head. Jason never saw him coming. The smaller boy approached silently from behind and slammed the chair over Jason’s head.
I heard nothing. Sound ceased to exist. Blood sprayed the floor, landing in round droplets. It stained the ground inches from my black Mary Janes. I looked up and saw Fane in the crowd staring at the blood with an expression of enrapture. I should have been disgusted, but when I looked at the blood again I felt something stir inside me.
Jason lay flat on the floor. He wasn’t moving.
The collected student population was momentarily gagged. The boy started toward Jason, chair still in hand. He’d kill Jason. He’d kill him and no one would do a thing to stop him. But I could.
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Page 8
