"That doesn't sound like you're keeping our goals in mind..."
"Listen to me, Ryan, I will keep what you want in mind, but I'm also damned well going to go on this date for me too." And if it doesn't feel right, then I definitely won't be using Heath like that. I'm not going to be that kind of person.
"Why do you need to date him at all? Can't you ask him for help?" There's something in Cade's tone that I can't quite put my finger on. It's almost as if he doesn't want me dating at all.
"I have one brother already, thank you. I don't need another one," I respond coolly.
He opens his mouth to respond but shuts it after another stern look from me. I wish my brother was as easy to keep quiet as this. It would make my life a whole lot easier, though I doubt our parents would approve.
"Just don't lose sight of things," Ryan warns as he picks up his jacket and walks towards the door.
"I wouldn't dream of it," I mutter under my breath. Family can be infuriating. Who did he think he was asking me things like that?
"What's up with him?" Mona asks once the two guys had left.
"Maybe he got dumped again?" I shrug. A big part of me doesn't care what Cade's problem is.
"I did hear things went south between him and Shelly."
"Oh?" I thought they were still going strong.
"He walked in on her with one of the third years. At least, that's what I overheard in the bathrooms. I couldn't ask for more, though." She glances away, focusing on the rain falling outside.
I want to tell her it'll be okay, but we both know that's a little bit of a lie. Her magic was in a bad state.
"No wonder he's so moody."
Mona lets out a light-hearted laugh. "I don't think that's his problem."
"You don't?" I turn to her and cock my head to the side. "Did they change the brand of tea in the canteen again?"
"You really don't know, do you?"
"I know a lot of things," I insist. It's a matter of pride for me, though I try to cover up my swottishness by using spells to make my hair pink and wearing clothes that don't look too preppy.
"But not when a guy has a crush on you," she half-sang, finally jumping off the desk.
"Wait...what? No."
She digs through the box under my nightstand and pulls out one of the chocolate bars I stash there. What she doesn't know is that I only put them there because they're her favourites and her parents refuse to buy them. Mona tears open the packet and begins munching on it.
"He doesn't have a crush on me," I insist.
"Are you sure? He's showing all the signs. Sneaky glances, getting annoyed when you talk about other guys, always coming around when Ryan does..."
I snort. There's an irony that she acts almost the same with my twin, but I don't mention that. She has enough stress going on without me adding to it.
"It's pretty obvious. I'm surprised you haven't noticed."
I don't say anything. We both know that she's only focusing on things like this because she can't spend all her time dwelling on her problem.
"What do I even do about that?" I've never had to deal with an unwanted crush before. Would he ask me out?
"What do you want to do about it?" she asks.
"Erm..."
Mona flops down on my bed, not unlike Ryan had been doing before. They might be perfect for one another. Perhaps I should do something to nudge him in her direction. Making Mona part of the family for good might be nice.
"Do you like him?" she asks.
"I don't think so. I mean, he's attractive?" I phrase it as a question, unsure whether or not that's the right answer. Sometimes, it's confusing to have the guys around so much, even if I am related to one of them.
Mona chuckles and pats the bed next to her. Not a bad idea. I go over and sit beside her, then lie down and look up at the ceiling. I really should put something interesting up there for us to look at while we do this.
"He is," she admits. "Not my type, but I can see what others would like him."
"What is your type?" I ask, curious if she'll tell me about Ryan.
"I don't have one. I'll die a spinster with dozens of cats," she jokes.
"That doesn't sound so bad." Especially if Ryan and I do find the spell. Then maybe there'll be at least one cat there that she likes.
"I'm more of a dog person."
"Yet you're here at Grimalkin."
She scoffs. "You think I chose my education based on what animal is on the crest?"
"I can think of worse ways."
"No, I didn't come here because of the cat on the crest. This is one of the best places in the country to study, and you know it."
I sigh. "Yes, I do."
"And that's why I came here too. Fat lot of good it's done me."
I don't know how to respond to that. I know from experience that she'll have tears in her eyes. I wish I could help with the magic thing. It's like something is blocking her powers and not wanting to let her go.
"I'm sorry," I say eventually.
"You don't need to be," she responds. "It's not you doing this to me."
"I know, but maybe there's something we can do? Another book we can try looking in? I refuse to accept that you have to deal with crappy magic for the rest of your life."
"We'll figure it out somehow. But we got distracted. Cade?" she prompts, rolling over so she's lying on her side facing me.
I follow suit so we're face to face, not quite as close as I'm sure non-related guys to us would want though. I hate all the stereotypes about best friends that come into play when it comes to female friends. Mona will never be anything more than a friend to me. Not even an experiment and I'm reasonably sure the same is true for her.
"Cade's nothing but my brother's friend from high school."
"Did he look hot in uniform?" She waggled her eyebrows.
"What does it matter to you?" Though I know she's only teasing and I shouldn't be so obvious about it.
"Just trying to help you figure out how you feel."
"I don't know. I've never thought about Cade that way. But enough about him, I have a date we can talk about instead." That should distract her for a moment.
"Oh, yes. With a vampire?"
I nod. "He's called Heath, from my politics class."
She laughs lightly. "Only you would go to such a boring class and come back with a vampire boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend yet."
"Yet being the operative word in that sentence," she threw back.
"What can I say, he's smart, attractive, and has a great voice."
"Plus, he can't eat garlic so no smelly kisses." Amusement dances in her eyes, as I'm sure it does on mine.
I spent far too much time at high school studying on my own. This is the first time I've had a best friend, I have a lot of catching up to do, but Mona makes it so easy for me.
"I think vampires can eat garlic, you know."
"Maybe you should take him to a little Italian place on your date and eat some just to check?"
"Not the worst idea. But what if I want to kiss him and he won't because of the garlic." Suddenly, Italian doesn't seem like such a good idea. A little bit of nausea spreads through me. What am I supposed to do? Where should we go?
"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. Just let him plan the date, and then you'll end up somewhere that's vampire friendly."
I nod. She has a point there. I'm sure he'll assume he's in charge of everything anyway.
"Is that anti-feminist, though?" I ask reluctantly.
"Do you care?" she asks. "I'm not saying you should do anything just because he's a guy, but so long as he lets you be your own person and doesn't expect stuff you don't want to give, then I think it's fine. Maybe."
"Why is dating so hard?" I moan.
"No one knows. I'm not even the one doing it, and I'm confused by it all."
"Thanks, such a help," I tease.
"We'll work it out. I don't know much about the dating world either. M
aybe Heath has a handsome vampire friend he can introduce me to. Then we can double?"
"That does sound like fun. I shall work on it."
"I'm glad to hear that," she assures me. "Now, I need to go and find some way of finishing my assignments. And lie through my teeth about having changed the colour of my eyes with magic."
"Didn't it work?"
She shook her head. "Have you tried yet?"
"No, I got distracted by politics and vampires," I admit.
"Then it's probably best if you get some magic in too then."
I nod. "Catch you for breakfast before class tomorrow?"
"Like every day." She shuffles off my bed and heads over to the door and leaves without saying goodbye. She doesn't have to. It's one of the perks of living in the same flat.
4
I swear Friday comes around faster than it should do, only adding to my nerves. What was going on a date with Heath going to be like? Never mind that, what was a date at Grimalkin going to be like? The Academy was a short drive away from the city, so I have no idea if we're going to take a cab there. Or maybe Heath has a car. Or perhaps he doesn't need any of that because I'm a blood bag that can feed him.
A knock on the flat door distracts me, and I head over to it. I know it's him. On time, too. That's a good thing. I smooth down my dark blue skater dress. It's nothing fancy, but it looks good on me. One thing I hadn't thought about the first time I changed the colour of my hair was that it limits the amount of brightly coloured clothes I can wear. Completely worth it though.
I pull the door open, trying to ignore the nerves that flutter away in my stomach with no sign of stopping. Stupid butterflies. Whoever came up with that metaphor hit the nail on the head, but they should include instructions for getting rid of them. The last thing I need when there's a handsome guy at my door is to turn into a ball of nerves.
"Hi," I murmur, giving him a weird half-wave.
"Hey," he responds, a broad grin spreading over his face. "My worries about you giving me the wrong flat number can take a hike then."
"You thought I'd do that?" Maybe that should hurt, but I get it.
"To you, I could just be the weird vampire that got you into trouble in class," he points out.
"Oh, don't worry, you are. But that doesn't mean I don't want to go on a date with you."
"Reassuring, I thought I'd already messed it up." The grin on his face is the whole reason I'm okay with this trade-off in the first place. It's not my usual style.
"Where are we going? Am I dressed okay?" I look down, suddenly wondering if I should have asked this already.
"You look beautiful. I think you're dressed perfectly."
"What do you know? You're a guy." I push past him, shutting the door behind me. I hope I remembered to put my keys in the bag slung over my shoulder. If not, I'll have to text Mona and hope she can let me in.
"I guess that's a yes you're dressed right?" He sounds bewildered, but that's okay, it's kind of cute on him.
"If I'm not, you'll just have to change your plans." I flip my hair over my shoulder in a move I've seen countless times on screen, but still don't think I've perfected.
"It's a good job I just borrowed a friend's car and have reservations at Wings."
"Oh, is that the new Chinese place?" Not the most obvious choice for a date, but I do love a good buffet.
"I thought it'd be informal enough if you didn't want to spend the whole evening being date-like. Maybe it's a stupid idea." He chuckles nervously.
"I'm completely on board with Chinese food. But be warned, I won't pretend to be a delicate little witch who only eats vegetables. I'm planning on loading my plate up with the greasiest fried starters I can find." No way am I going to a buffet and sticking with the boring stuff, even if it is a date.
"I'm glad. I always find it awkward when girls don't eat what they want."
I glance behind me and raise an eyebrow.
"I mean..."
"I know what you meant," I tease. "And don't worry, I'm not going to hold previous dates against you unless you decided to eat the girls as snacks."
"Good to know," he mumbles. "But no snacking. Vampires aren't savages, you know."
"Would I be going on a date with you if I thought that?"
He reaches my side and falls into step beside me, probably so we don't look weird to all the other students about.
I must admit I still find it odd being here. At home, I have a curfew and rules even though I'm almost nineteen. Here, not so much. At least on the curfew front. It's all explained upfront, but it's one thing hearing something compared to living it.
"So..." I prompt. The silence between us isn't uncomfortable, but I want to get to know him better. And not because of Ryan's plan. I don't care about that, even if it is cool to think we'll be able to turn into cats if we're successful. I didn't agree to a date because of that.
"So?"
"What's it like being a vampire?"
"Go in with the big guns, why don't you." He holds a door open for me, and I slip through. Nice manners, that's a good sign. Mum always says I should wait for a guy who knows how to be polite.
"The point of a first date is to get to know one another. I don't waste time with guys who I don't see a future with. If you don't like my questions, I can go back to my room." I turn around, intending to follow through on my quasi-threat even if I don't want to.
Heath catches my wrist. Gently. "Please, don't go. I wasn't expecting you to be so straightforward."
"That's me," I say proudly. "Just spurting out whatever is in my head. I know that's not for everyone..."
"I like it." He pulls me back towards him, not leaving much room between us.
I breathe in the tension. This isn't the kind of thing I expect from our date, but I like it. And we haven't even left school grounds yet.
He leans in, bringing us even closer together, and I lick my lips. There's something delicious about this moment, something I don't want to name for fear of scaring it away.
"We should get going," he says, pulling back and leaving nothing but disappointment behind.
"Alright." I plaster on a fake smile, pretending I'm not bothered by him backing out of our kiss. It's early in the night, I don't want to mess this up by rushing, and clearly, he doesn't either. I can appreciate that. To a point.
We walk in silence, ignoring the rest of the students who were in various states of drunk already. I'm not a big drinker, but even I've been in that state a couple of times. Normally later in the evening though.
"What do you do in summer?" I blurt out.
"You mean when the sun's out?" A smile twists at the corner of his mouth.
I nod. It must suck to have to stay inside all the time when it's glorious outdoors.
"If we want to go out, we just do it later in the evening."
"Does it bother you?"
"I've never known any different. If I don't know what I'm missing, can I actually miss it?"
"Hmm." I have to think about that one. And not just because I don't have a good answer to it. "Do you want to know how it feels?"
"I've never had a reason to," he responds. "My family are vampires, my friends are all vampires..."
"And the girls you've dated?"
"You're the first one who isn't a vampire." A grin spreads over his face. "None of the other non-vampires have said yes."
"More fool them," I answer. "We're not even at the car, and I'm having a wonderful time."
"Maybe I'll make a fool out of myself on the drive into town." He clicks the key in his hands, and the lights flashed on one of the cars in front of me.
"I doubt it." I go to open the door, but am stopped by Heath getting their first. "Who taught you to be such a gentleman?"
"It's pretty normal among vampires." He gestures for me to get in, and I do.
The car is a bit of a mess, but I don't think twice about it. It belongs to one of Heath's friends, and I'm just glad we have access to it at all. He gets in b
eside me and turns the ignition. It's weird being so aware of what's happening with a car. But then, this one is taking me to a date I'm excited about, so maybe that's it. Or am I already on the date? That's hard to tell.
Luckily, the drive doesn't take very long, meaning I don't need to spend all my time obsessing. At least, that's what I'm going to tell myself. No doubt I'll be going over this for days in my head. Not including any time I spend talking about it with Mona.
"I'm just going to park up," Heath says.
We've both been so nervous that we haven't found anything to talk about. I'm hoping things ease off once we're at the restaurant. The last thing we need is for things to start being awkward. Especially when we were having such a good time at the dorms.
He gets out of the car and rushes around to my side. I don't touch the handle. He wants to be the one to open it and who am I to not want to be treated like a lady.
"Thank you." On a whim, I go onto my toes once I'm out of the car and press a kiss against his cheek.
"You're welcome," he mumbles.
I like him, but he's going to have to become a little more confident if he's going to put up with my brother at family dinners.
Oh oops. I shouldn't think like that otherwise I'll end up planning our wedding by accident. From what I've heard, that's only good if you're trying to chase a man away. In this case, I'm most certainly not trying to do that.
He locks the car, before pressing a hand to the small of my back and urging me in the direction of the restaurant. Maybe I shouldn't be giving in to so many touches so early on, but something about this feels right. At least, I don't think he's going to try taking advantage of me, or read too much into what I am and aren't doing.
If he goes too far, I have my wand in my pocket anyway. Vampire or not, a quick zap of that and he'll be backing off. And I don't even have to worry about humans seeing me. They know about witches. Well, about the whole supernatural world. I don't envy my ancestors who had to live in a world where they needed to hide.
Heath slips his hand around mine and gives it a squeeze.
I don't know if I'm supposed to shake this off because it's too soon, but I don't want to. There's something intimate about the hand holding, and I like it.
Paranormal Academy Page 55