Antecedent

by Susan Stumpf

That afternoon I went to Game Junction, it was the first time I'd been back since being fired. Sanctum two had just been released and I was hoping that if Brian was working, maybe I could still get my employee discount. Brian was there but unfortunately so was Amanda, the jerk manager who had it in for me. I didn't know why she hated me, but it was her who fired me for being late twice in one month. I guess it didn't matter that I'd worked there for five years. Brian said it was because she was fat and ugly and couldn't compete with my 'rockin body.' He was sure she was just jealous of me.

  "When we gonna have another game night, Em?" he asked as he was ringing up my purchase.

  "How 'bout tonight?" I suggested. Bo said the flower delivery was my only job for the day, so I didn't think he would be calling on me for the rest of the night.

  "I work till close tonight, can I come over after that?"

  "Sure," I said. Brian was one of the few friends I had.

  "Can I bring Kyle, too?"

  "Yeah that's fine," I said. I didn't particularly like Kyle. He was the know it all type, but I knew he was Brian's best friend so I tolerated him. Brian was the cool laid back type. He was covered in tattoos and had blue hair. We got along really well. We hadn't had a game night in awhile. Once every couple months, he would come over and we'd stay up all night playing video games. I wondered what the neighbors thought seeing a blue-haired guy leaving my house early in the morning, but it wasn't like that with me and Brian. We were buddies, and when it came down to it, I guess I really didn't care what the neighbors thought.

  I went home and straightened up the house a little since I'd let it go all week, trying to stay off my foot as much as possible. I'd already cracked open Sanctum to brush up on my skills before Brian came over. He and Kyle got there around ten thirty. We took turns battling zombies in teams.

  "So you find another job yet, Em?" Brian asked. I hadn't prepared myself for questions about my new job. Not like I could say 'yeah, I'm a personal assistant to a vampire'.

  "Ah, yeah, I got a job at an antique shop."

  "Really, that doesn't seem your style."

  "Yeah, but the pay is good." I was hoping he would drop it at that. He did, but of course, Kyle picked it back up again.

  "What kind of stuff do y'all sell? I've been looking to add to my collection of old knives."

  "I work in the back, shipping and receiving; I don't get into the showroom much," I answered.

  "Where's this place at?" Kyle asked. Agh, he was getting too nosey.

  "Hey, are you guys hungry? I think The Hut delivers till midnight."

  "Oh yeah, I'll throw in on that," Brian said handing the controller over to Kyle. "Your turn, dude."

  Good, that killed the subject. We'd just made the eleven thirty cut off when I called the pizza order in. Twenty minutes later there was a knock at the door. I grabbed the cash and opened the door to see Bo holding our pizzas.

  "What are you doing?" I asked in a harsh whisper. "Tell me you didn't eat the pizza man?"

  "No, I met him on the sidewalk. Who are these people in your home?"

  "They're my friends, now go away," I said harshly.

  "I thought you didn't have friends."

  "Brian is pretty much my only friend. Kyle is his friend, not mine. What do you want, Bo?"

  "Tell them nothing of me," he said.

  "I wasn't going to!" I said defensively. "Even if I did, it's not like they would believe me anyway."

  "Everything ok?" I heard Brian ask from the living room.

  "Yeah, fine," I yelled back. I jerked the pizzas from Bo's hands, told him to go away, then slammed the door.

  I carried the pizza into the living room and didn't realize I still had the money for the pizza in my hand until Brian asked, "free pizza?"

  I considered a response quickly, "Oh yeah, umm, the delivery man was totally hitting on me, and gave 'em to me for free."

  We ate and played games for a couple more hours before calling it quits around 2 a.m. because Brian and Kyle both had to work the next day. I went upstairs and got ready for bed but suddenly heard something downstairs. I listened for a moment and realized the TV was still on. I could've sworn I turned it off. I went downstairs and there sat Bo on my couch playing Sanctum.

  "What are you doing?" I asked, tired and annoyed.

  "I wanted to see what the fuss was about. You and your friends played this for hours."

  "Have you been watching us this whole time?" I asked.

  "Yes," he answered.

  "Why?"

  "I was bored." He held the other controller up to me. "Show me," he requested. I just looked at him exasperated.

  "I'll give you tomorrow off," he said with a smile.

  "Oh, alright." I yielded. There was no point in arguing with him. I knew there was no way I could sleep knowing he was downstairs. We played tandem for awhile then he played alone after he got the hang of it. I guess I fell asleep on the couch because I woke up in my bed around noon. I didn't know if it was sweet or creepy that he'd carried me to bed, but either way, I didn't like that he was able to do it without me waking up.

  The next couple weeks involved pretty regular stuff. Dry cleaning, running errands, shipping and receiving packages, eBay, and I helped Wu with inventory one evening. That was the evening I actually convinced Bo and Wu to come to an upcoming Halloween party at Outer Moon. They weren't thrilled when I told them it was a costume party. They moaned and groaned the way men do, but I convinced them it would be a fun time. That Saturday Bo showed up at my house at ten o'clock just as we'd planned. He was dressed as none other than?you guessed it, a vampire.

  "Well that's original," I said as he walked in the door. "Hey, where's Wu? Did he back out?"

  "He said he was running late and would meet us there," Bo said as he looked me up and down. I was in a full black cat woman outfit, complete with black stilettos. Bo ran his hand down the fabric on my back.

  "I like this!" he said enthusiastically.

  "Hey, hands off," I smacked his hand away. "?or I'll claw your eyes out." I held up my hands to show him my extra-long, fake black nails.

  "Might be worth it," he said. Oh boy, I guess this plastic latex type material is on his little fetish list also. He was wearing a white satin shirt of course, his usual black slacks, and a black and red velvet cape, all his favorite fabrics.

  Outer Moon was packed, but we were early enough that we got in with no problem. We headed to the bar to get me a drink and I got a, "well, well, well," from the bartender. She remembered me and Bo.

  "What can I get for you two lovebirds?" she asked.

  "Oh, we're not lovebirds," I corrected. I didn't want her to think that a relationship with me was bought just by paying my tab one night. I don't know why I cared what she thought, but I asked for a rum and coke. Bo, of course, didn't have anything. I didn't know how I would ever loosen him up enough to dance if he didn't drink. I may just have to hold out until Wu arrived.

  An hour passed, and I'd given up on Wu joining us. I asked Bo if he wanted to dance and he declined. Fine, I'll just dance by myself. I turned to Bo to tell him I was headed for the dance floor when my mouth dropped open mid-sentence. Bo turned around and scanned the crowd to see what had thrown me off.

  "What? he asked.

  "Charlie," I said, disheartened. "He's here?with a date." My ex-boyfriend made his way through the mingling bodies of the club, looking sexy as ever in his pirate costume. He had on tall boots and a long Galleon coat. His face was shadowed with the perfect amount of sandy-brown stubble that gave him a virile edgy appearance. His date was dressed as a playboy bunny, wearing what was pretty much just a pink bathing suit with a big puffy tail and bunny ears atop her blonde wavy curls.

  I slumped against the wall. "Why did he have to be here?" I asked, sulking. "Why did he have to be here with a date when I'm here without one? Why does she have to be pretty and skinny and look amazing? Eggh." Maybe with his eye patch, he won't see me, I thought. They were coming closer t
o the bar and yep, there it is, he spotted me, crap! Just as his eyes fixed on me Bo slid his hand down my arm and intertwined his fingers with mine. Charlie noticed Bo's subtle gesture, and his eyes flickered back and forth between Bo and me. Bo lifted my hand and pressed his lips against my knuckles, his eyes never leaving mine.

  "What are you doing?" I whispered. I pretty much already knew so I wasn't even sure why I asked.

  "Just go with it," he said.

  After getting a couple drinks Charlie led his date over to us. Why? Why would you walk over to talk to your ex with your new girlfriend? To show her off I guess? I don't know, but I thought it was just uncouth. I squeezed Bo's hand a little tighter as Charlie stopped in front of us. I'd dated Charlie for a little over a year, and we'd only been broken up about a month now. Seeing him still carried a sting, especially since he was with this blonde bimbo.

  "Hi Em, how are you?" he said.

  "Great, thanks," I said, trying to seem as aloof and distracted as possible. "This is Bianca," he added, clearly trying to get at me.

  "Hi," I said and forced the most convincing smile that I could. Bo squeezed my hand.

  "Oh," I said. "This is Bo, Bo this is Charlie and?Bianca?" I said her name questioningly making sure I heard it right. She nodded.

  "So how do you know Charlie?" She asked wrapping her arm around the crook of his elbow. Awkward! She didn't know who I was.

  "Umm, Charlie and I use to date," I said. You could feel the tension rising.

  "Oh," she said. "We've only been dating a couple of months."

  A couple of months? They've only been dating a couple of months? Charlie and I had only broken up a month ago! I wanted to kill him, and Bo must have known it because he pulled me away from them.

  "If you'll excuse us," he said, "we were just about to go dance. Nice meeting you both." He pulled me close to him, and we walked across the club to the dance floor.

  "He was cheating on me!" I said, maybe a little too loud because a couple people turned to look at me as we approached the dance floor.

  "Let it go," Bo said. "He's her problem now." But I couldn't let it go; I was mad, really mad. We were on the dance floor now and had been dancing for a minute before I even realized that we were. Bo wasn't bad. Better than I thought he would be. We were dancing up close and personal keeping up the fa?ade of a couple.

  "If it makes you feel any better, she has an STD," he whispered in my ear.

  "How do you know that?!" I asked- again, a little too loud.

  "I can smell it," he said.

  "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard!" I said.

  "I can smell it in her blood," he elaborated. "Vampires can smell blood that has been tainted by disease, it's an evolutionary adaptation."

  "No, that doesn't make me feel any better! He started seeing her while he was still with me, what if I have it now?"

  "You don't," he said flatly.

  "How do you know?" He just tapped the side of his nose.

  "I need a drink!" I said, "?or twenty."

  After the song ended, we pushed our way through the crowd and over to the bar. I ordered a couple shots of tequila and noticed Charlie and Bianca sitting in the corner still staring at us. Bo must have noticed also, because no sooner than I downed my last shot and placed the glass on the bar, Bo grabbed me?

  And kissed me.