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Authors: Jamie Manning
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changed them both.
“Sure. How could I not? He’s been through hell. That would change anybody.” I didn’t say anything, so after a few seconds, she threw in a “good night” and turned out the light. As I lay there in the darkness, I couldn’t help but think about myself and how I, too, had changed.
And how losing Chance was the reason why.
***
The next morning came too soon, and with it, school—which was the last place I wanted to be. I hadn’t slept all that well, my mind packed with thoughts of Chance and Erik and vampires. How was I supposed to kill more vampires to become human again if I couldn’t even keep my nonexistent love life in check? Ugh.
Kayla was already downstairs, inhaling her breakfast, when I came into the kitchen. I plucked a banana from the bowl on the counter and sat down at the table with her.
“You know what today is, right?” she asked around bites of toaster waffles drenched in gooey melted butter and thick syrup. Now that I was half vampire, food wasn’t as appealing to me. But the feast piled on her plate smelled really good.
“Um, Monday,” I muttered, confused about why she asked. I took a bite of banana, washing it down with Diet Coke. Breakfast of Champions.
“Not just Monday, moron. He’s back today.” She stood up from the table and tossed the last bite of waffle into the trash. I couldn’t help but notice yet more files stacked on the end of the kitchen counter, eagerly awaiting Kayla’s one-track brain to pilfer them.
“Oh. Yeah.” I suddenly couldn’t finish my banana.
Chance.
Chance would be back in school today. The first time since that night in the clearing. My stomach lurched at the thought of seeing him again, of finally being able to confront him about ignoring me all these weeks. What would I say? What would I do? Would I even be able to look him in the face? Great, just what I needed, more questions I couldn’t answer.
I decided that ignorance is bliss. “So, um, are you ready?”
“That’s it?” Kayla asked, scooping the files, her purse and car keys off the kitchen counter. “That’s all you have to say? ‘Are you ready?’ Come on, Ava.”
“What? What should I say? ‘OMG, he’s back!’ That’s not me.”
“I know that’s not you. I’m not saying you should go all Super Sweet 16. But I did think you’d at least be happy.” I followed her out to the car, locking the door behind me.
“I am happy, Kayla. I am. It’s just that I’m mad, too, you know? I mean, why hasn’t he called me? Why hasn’t he come to see me? I don’t get it.” We climbed into her mom’s Volvo and Kayla cranked up the heat. The inside of the car was toasty by the time we made it to the highway. “Do you think maybe he’s mad at me?” I absentmindedly fidgeted with the cord on my hoodie.
“I don’t think he’s mad,” she answered, her eyes glued to the road since a light March mix of snow and ice had begun to fall. “I’m sure he’s hurt, and probably scared. But he has no reason to be mad at you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I don’t think he’ll see it that way. I don’t.” I blamed myself for what happened to Chance. How could I expect him to be any different?
“Why don’t you just calm down and not stress over it, okay? You’ll be seeing him in a few, so you can find out for real.” It scared me speechless knowing I would be face-to-face with Chance in a matter of minutes; so much so that I spent the rest of the ride to school in a semi-stressed silence, Kayla focused on driving, me on what I was going to say to Chance once I actually laid eyes on him. As we pulled into the parking lot and Kayla squeezed the Volvo into what I knew wasn’t a legal space, my nerves had given a bit of room in my body for excitement, and I found that I truly was happy about seeing Chance again. I just hoped he felt the same way.
I noticed his beat-up old truck the moment I stepped out of the car, parked at the far end of the
“Sure. How could I not? He’s been through hell. That would change anybody.” I didn’t say anything, so after a few seconds, she threw in a “good night” and turned out the light. As I lay there in the darkness, I couldn’t help but think about myself and how I, too, had changed.
And how losing Chance was the reason why.
***
The next morning came too soon, and with it, school—which was the last place I wanted to be. I hadn’t slept all that well, my mind packed with thoughts of Chance and Erik and vampires. How was I supposed to kill more vampires to become human again if I couldn’t even keep my nonexistent love life in check? Ugh.
Kayla was already downstairs, inhaling her breakfast, when I came into the kitchen. I plucked a banana from the bowl on the counter and sat down at the table with her.
“You know what today is, right?” she asked around bites of toaster waffles drenched in gooey melted butter and thick syrup. Now that I was half vampire, food wasn’t as appealing to me. But the feast piled on her plate smelled really good.
“Um, Monday,” I muttered, confused about why she asked. I took a bite of banana, washing it down with Diet Coke. Breakfast of Champions.
“Not just Monday, moron. He’s back today.” She stood up from the table and tossed the last bite of waffle into the trash. I couldn’t help but notice yet more files stacked on the end of the kitchen counter, eagerly awaiting Kayla’s one-track brain to pilfer them.
“Oh. Yeah.” I suddenly couldn’t finish my banana.
Chance.
Chance would be back in school today. The first time since that night in the clearing. My stomach lurched at the thought of seeing him again, of finally being able to confront him about ignoring me all these weeks. What would I say? What would I do? Would I even be able to look him in the face? Great, just what I needed, more questions I couldn’t answer.
I decided that ignorance is bliss. “So, um, are you ready?”
“That’s it?” Kayla asked, scooping the files, her purse and car keys off the kitchen counter. “That’s all you have to say? ‘Are you ready?’ Come on, Ava.”
“What? What should I say? ‘OMG, he’s back!’ That’s not me.”
“I know that’s not you. I’m not saying you should go all Super Sweet 16. But I did think you’d at least be happy.” I followed her out to the car, locking the door behind me.
“I am happy, Kayla. I am. It’s just that I’m mad, too, you know? I mean, why hasn’t he called me? Why hasn’t he come to see me? I don’t get it.” We climbed into her mom’s Volvo and Kayla cranked up the heat. The inside of the car was toasty by the time we made it to the highway. “Do you think maybe he’s mad at me?” I absentmindedly fidgeted with the cord on my hoodie.
“I don’t think he’s mad,” she answered, her eyes glued to the road since a light March mix of snow and ice had begun to fall. “I’m sure he’s hurt, and probably scared. But he has no reason to be mad at you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I don’t think he’ll see it that way. I don’t.” I blamed myself for what happened to Chance. How could I expect him to be any different?
“Why don’t you just calm down and not stress over it, okay? You’ll be seeing him in a few, so you can find out for real.” It scared me speechless knowing I would be face-to-face with Chance in a matter of minutes; so much so that I spent the rest of the ride to school in a semi-stressed silence, Kayla focused on driving, me on what I was going to say to Chance once I actually laid eyes on him. As we pulled into the parking lot and Kayla squeezed the Volvo into what I knew wasn’t a legal space, my nerves had given a bit of room in my body for excitement, and I found that I truly was happy about seeing Chance again. I just hoped he felt the same way.
I noticed his beat-up old truck the moment I stepped out of the car, parked at the far end of the
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