Read Online Unrequited by Emily Shaffer - Free Book Online Page A

mother's ability to act like everything was normal. Didn’t she see the sick irony of a vampire celebrating Halloween?
    “If the goal is to dress up as something you aren’t, then I am going to go as an average teenage girl.” Ashton stood and walked out the front door. There was something appealing about a walk right now.
    A breeze hit her the moment she opened the door. The weather was starting to become a little cooler. Ashton had always loved autumn. There was nothing as invigorating as a walk on a slightly chilly day. She pulled a sweatshirt on as she left her porch and smiled up at the overcast sky.
    The signs of fall were dotting the small town of Belle Ridge. Every house was decorated with webs and ghosts and carved pumpkins. Some yards had scarecrows and haystack displays. As she walked, she passed Aimee's house. Even from the sidewalk she could hear music pouring out of her friend's window. For a moment, Ashton thought about stopping in to say “hello,” but kept walking instead.
    As she wandered, her thoughts turned to the same topics that always occupied her mind. Questions about her life, her future, and her family were constantly swirling around in her head. There was one question she tried to stay away from though, because somehow it was the one which scared her the most. How long is forever?
    Ashton walked without any particular destination in mind, and suddenly found herself standing in front of Will Leighton's house.
    “You have got to be kidding me,” Ashton said out loud to no one. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
    Will's yard looked like something out of a nightmare. There were bodies hanging from the trees. A cemetery was placed on one side of the yard. A life-size mummy stood on the front porch, and there were at least fifty black bats stuck on the siding of the house.
    “Beautiful, isn't it?” a voice called out.
    Ashton looked for the source and saw Will was now on the porch, placing a large carved pumpkin on the top step. Once he'd set it down, he walked toward Ashton.
    “I thought I couldn’t top last year's display, but the mummy really adds something special.” He stood next to Ashton now, gazing upon his creation with pride.
    She stared at him in pure astonishment. There had been many moments where Will's behavior didn’t seem to match what she had thought a vampire should be, but this moment topped them all. A large smile was covering his face, and he moved his arm in a way that made Ashton think he was going to place it around her shoulder as they gazed upon the house together. The feeling of excitement she’d felt for him once before ran through her again, but was replaced by one of embarrassment when she realized he was simply shaking his arm to get some fake spider webs off.
    “You like Halloween?” she finally asked, trying to drag her mind away from thoughts of Will's arm, and the fact that she wouldn't exactly have hated feeling it embrace her.
    “Of course I like it. I love it. It's the one time of year where anything goes. When else can you have a bloody dummy hanging from a tree?” He turned to Ashton, his eyes full of mirth. “If I had a bloody dummy hanging from my tree in the middle of summer, people would think I was a serial killer.”
    Ashton understood his point, but the dummy wasn't part of her confusion.
    “No, I mean, how do you celebrate a holiday where people go around dressing like vampires? Doesn't it make you feel uncomfortable?” For once she wanted this guy to acknowledge that being a vampire was difficult and awkward, and not some sort of pleasure cruise.
    “Last time I checked, I don't wear a cape. I also don't have fangs or a pointy hairline. So I don't see how anyone ever dresses up like a real vampire. But most importantly, some things are only as difficult as you choose to make them. I think Halloween is fun. I love handing out candy to all the little kids. I think it’s fun seeing grownups walk around dressed as superheroes and