“Thanks,” I said, looking at him closely for the first time. He had blonde hair just a shade lighter than mine. His gray eyes were shockingly vivid, reminding me of a stormy sky. His teeth were white and set between perfectly shaped lips. His oval face was thin, matching his stature. I could tell from the muscles in his forearms that he was decently toned despite the lack of bulk. As I took in his purple Chucks, designer jeans, and Cobra Starship t-shirt, I saw that he was doing the same to me. His eyes started at my blue sequined Chucks and glanced over my basic jeans and Spiderman shirt before coming to rest on my dirty blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and slightly chubby face.
Just then, the professor walked in. An imposing woman, she commanded the class’s attention. “We’re going to go around the circle. State your name and year,” she commanded, pointing at me.
“Julia Talbot. I go by Jules. Freshman.” There were twelve of us total, excluding Dr. Fritz, the professor. Most discussion-based classes were capped at a dozen. I looked at the transfer, waiting for his answer.
“Matthew Christopher Evenwald. I go by Christopher,” he said staring at me. “And, I’m a junior.” I looked away, focusing on the other students’ answers before turning my attention to Dr. Fritz as she started talking about the class. The class consisted of three freshman, one sophomore, five juniors, and three seniors.
“We will have an introductory project due next week. It is a way for me to see your initial ways of thinking before I try to change them.” She smiled. “Groups of four, broken down into pairs.” I frowned, wondering who I would end up with. “You will head a discussion, Socratic style, and turn in a written paper. You will analyze the portrayal of the good and evil within a specific medium. Your groups are posted on the board, along with your medium. Each pair needs to choose a genre within your medium and e-mail it to me today. Pick up a rubric and get started. Today’s class will be entirely devoted to your projects. You can go to the library or stay here, but you need to get working. Have fun.”
“Ugh,” I groaned quietly to Kevin, “This should be fun. I love random partners for projects.” Kevin smirked in response, picking up on my sarcasm.
“Dismissed,” Dr. Fritz said. Everyone jumped up to find their assignments as Dr. Fritz left the room. Looking at the sheet, I found my name. I was right next to Christopher’s. Our assigned medium was movies. Looking further, I saw that Jeremiah and Kevin were the other two in our group. Of course, within the group of four, I get stuck with a complete stranger that knows my darkest secret while Kevin gets put with an old friend.
“Let’s meet at the café. We can grab coffee while working, and then go straight to the movies after,” I told Kevin. We had planned to watch the first James Bond, part of a month long special Sean Connery series starting with the Bonds and ending with the last Indiana Jones. “I’ll get the sheets. You grab Christopher and Jeremiah.” I really didn't want to spend more time alone with him than necessary.
I arrived at the cafe a few minutes later to find Christopher sitting alone at a table for two while Jeremiah and Kevin sat a table over, talking animatedly. Christopher had a coffee waiting for me, a regular latte with a shot of caramel. The caramel added a sweet edge that eliminated the need for sugar. I hated the 'coffee' drinks that consisted of a few drops of coffee and enough cream and sugar to give someone a heart attack. Looking around, I saw that Kevin had his usual cup of tea, Jeremiah has what looked like a hot chocolate, and Christopher was drinking water. Smiling as I sat down, I asked, "So... movies. What genre do you want to do?"
“Horror,” Christopher said quickly, “It will be the easiest, and I like horror movie more than any other genre.”
Nodding in agreement, I told him, “That's what I was going to say." Looking down at the rubric, I added, "The sheet says that we need three specific movie examples. We could do Pet Cemetery, Buffy, and Halloween,” I suggested. “That covers Stephen King, vampires, and slashers."
“Not Buffy,” Christopher said coldly, nose wrinkling. “How about Queen of the Damned?”
"Is there something wrong with Buffy?" I asked, "Scared of cheerleaders?" I laughed but he just glared at me.
“No,” moaned Kevin, breaking the tension from the other table. “I hate both of those. Jules made me watch them almost fifty times, and I don’t want to sit through a presentation about them.” I blushed. I have a slight addiction to vampire movies. Vampires and the supernatural have always fascinated me.
“Well, I'm open to basically anything else except for Interview with a Vampire. Tom Cruise could not have played a whinier, more pathetic vampire." Christopher grinned at me, showing his agreement with my assessment of the box office failure. "How about Underworld?” I suggested. Kate Beckinsdale played an amazing vampire, especially with the glowing blue eyes. It would be worth becoming a vampire if my eyes could do that. Of course, vampires aren’t real, so it didn’t really matter, but I’d had a particularly vivid dream after seeing Underworld the first time where I had kickass fangs and glowing eyes.
“What is it about?” Christopher asked. For someone that liked horror and vampire movies, I was surprised that he had never seen it.
“You’ll love it,” I said. Most people that liked Queen of the Damned did. Catching the skeptical look on his face, I amended, “Probably.”
“What is it about?” he repeated, obviously annoyed.
“Vampires and werewolves. At first, the werewolves are portrayed as the evil characters. In reality, they’ve been wronged, and a few of the older vampires are behind all of the trouble. I like the way it makes traditionally evil creatures seem relatable and beautiful.” Trying to start things off right with a joke, I continued, “Plus, the guy that plays Michael is hot.” I looked at Christopher, seeing that he didn’t think it was funny before adding, “Not that you care about that.” A slightly awkward pause followed.
Christopher broke the silence, replying, “That works. I've never seen it, though. I'll have to rent it.”
“I have it. You can borrow it.” I rarely loaned out my favorite movies, but this was for a school project.
“Great, when can we watch it?” he asked. I paused. My offer to loan him the movie had not been an invitation to watch it with me, but I couldn’t exactly turn him down at this point.
“Tomorrow night, I guess,” Explaining what I had intended would suggest that I did not want to spend the two extra hours with him, something that could hurt our academic relationship, prevent a top mark on the project. “Where?”
“I live off campus,” he said. “It’ll have to be in one of your rooms or the library.” I frowned at the thought of having him over. I am not the tidiest person ever. I dislike cleaning and organizing, meaning that my dorm room was almost constantly in a state of disrepair. I would probably clean it before my parents visited next month, but I definitely did not plan on overhauling it before tomorrow. “What’s your room number?”
Before I could think about what I was saying, I told him. “Benson Hall, second floor, room seven. But, I don’t really have enough space. I think my room was a closet in another life. Will the library work for you?” I wasn’t exaggerating, my room in miniscule… and a complete mess, but Christopher did not need to know about this particular bad habit.
“Great. I’ll see you at six.” He stood up, walking away without another glance, without finding out which genre Kevin and Jeremiah had decided to do (historical dramas as I later found out).
Chapter 4
“Kevin,” I pleaded, “Are you sure you can’t come?” It was five forty five the next day, and I was dreading watching Underworld with Christopher.
“Yes. Why?”
“He just seems a bit rude… and impatient.” In truth, I figured he would stay away from the topic of Sharon and Josh if Kevin was present.
“I know. I would stay, but I have class,” he said regretfully. “I really am sorry. You should give him a chance though. He could be a decent guy.”
“It’s fine. Go.” I sighed as I grabbed the
box from the top of my dresser. I took a deep breath before throwing it in the purple bag that housed my stuff for classes.
“You’ll be ok,” Kevin said as he opened the door to leave. He paused as I joined him, asking “I’ll meet you for breakfast before Psych?” We usually got breakfast together, but Kevin always liked to ask just to be sure.
“Yes, at eight,” I replied, locking the door behind us.
I walked to the library, mentally preparing myself for the questions Christopher might ask me. As I pulled open the door, I saw him leaning over the check out counter, talking to the student sitting behind the desk. “Room three. T-H-R-E-E. Again, it’s for Dr. Fritz’s class about the Good versus Evil In Literature and Film.” He turned to see me watching him, annoyed expression on his face. Walking over to me, he said, “In the week that I’ve been here, I have yet to be helped by a student with sufficient knowledge of their jobs.” He grinned at me, and I could tell that he was talking about Josh. I blinked, surprised by his playful tone and demeanor.
Looking up at him, I replied, “Bite your tongue. I have a great faith in the intelligence of the college’s employees.” He looked at me, trying to tell if I was kidding, and I smiled, letting him know that I both agreed with him and appreciated his dig against Josh.
“Well, maybe I’ll have to give them another chance,” he said with a quick grin. This is definitely not what I was expecting, I thought to myself. I thought he would have asked me about them already, or at least maintained the distant exterior he had presented during class. “We’re in room-“
“Three,” I cut in, “I heard you telling her.” I jerked my head in the direction of the desk. He smiled and started walking. I followed him up the stairs and to the back of the building to the semi-private rooms available to groups of students working on assignments. He held the door open for me, and I entered our room to see a bowl of popcorn and a pizza box waiting for us.
“I thought we might get hungry. I hope you like pepperoni,” he said, following my gaze, “Plus, movies are just better with popcorn.” I laughed and nodded in agreement. I leaned across the table and stuck the disc in the DVD player before turning around to see him staring at me with an unrecognizable expression.
“What?” I asked. He shook his head and sat down next to me. Grabbing the remote, he turned on the television. “I love this movie,” I sighed as it started. “It’s right up there with Blade and the Matrix.”
“I love the Blade series,” Christopher said, turning to look at me. “Well, except for the second one. They fulfilled the entire series’ gross quota in just that one.”
“But, other series do that too,” I argued, “Like the second Indiana Jones and Star Wars.” He nodded again, agreeing with me. He turned back to the television as Selene’s partner died onscreen. Shaking his head at the fake shootout, he grabbed a handful of popcorn.
Two hours later, we cleaned up the remnants of the food we had completely demolished. I cleared my throat, unable to speak due to a lack of moisture in my mouth. Realizing the source of my acute discomfort, Christopher said, “I guess I should have brought something to drink too.” He shrugged, glancing at me before returning to the pizza box he was folding to throw away.
“No. I should have thought about it,” I told him, “I get dehydrated easily.”
Once the box was small enough to fit in the trash can, he stood up yawning. “I have to go. I have an early class tomorrow,” he said.
“I have to go too,” I added, “I have to take a shower tonight.” I paused, thinking about his words. “You should eat breakfast with us,” As he looked up at me, I blushed and added, “We can talk about the movie and strategies for the presentation.”
Christopher paused, debating before replying, “Sure. Where?”
“Just meet me at my room at 7:50. I’ll show you. It can be hard to find.” I smiled at him before turning to get my DVD out of the player. I turned back to him, saying, “Goodnight.” But, he was already gone.
Chapter 5
BAM BAM BAM. The harsh pounding on the door reverberated through my dream, integrating itself into the background noise. It took a voice calling my name for me to realize that I was no longer asleep.
“Jules… Julia,” Christopher called. “Are you awake?” Cursing, I pulled open the door. He seemed surprised to see me dressed in the flannel pants and slightly tight camisole that were my pajamas.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, “I forgot to set my alarm. Give me just a minute.” Closing the door, I grabbed my toothbrush and hairbrush. As I splashed cool water onto my face, I started to wake up. I paused before brushing my teeth and hair. Spitting out my favorite minty toothpaste, I grimaced as I remembered that Christopher was standing outside of my door.
I walked back to my room to see Kevin and Christopher standing awkwardly next to each other. I could tell that Kevin was surprised to see Christopher there. Christopher just ignored his questioning looks. Seeing me, he said with obvious relief, “Jules!” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I assumed you forgot to set your alarm. It happens most mornings,” he said to Christopher.
“Thanks Kevin,” I added somewhat awkwardly. Since I’d made such a big deal about my mistrust of Christopher, Kevin must have found this situation odd. He’s the only guy that’s seen me in my pajamas recently, and even he has only glimpsed them a few times. Grinning, I opened my door, walking past both of them.
“I’ll be out in just a sec,” I told them over my shoulder. I tried to shut the door, but Kevin put his foot in the way. Shooting Christopher a look that clearly told him to stay outside, Kevin walked in, closing the door behind him.
“Jules,” he started hesitantly.
“I know, Kevin,” I cut him off. “But he has an early class too and we need to talk more about our project.”
“I don’t like him.” Kevin stated bluntly. “He’s rude and pushy. I’ve been standing out there with him for five minutes, and he basically ignored me the whole time. Yesterday, you expressed your distrust, and he can’t seem to say anything nice to me.” Kevin paused, deciding what to say next. “I don’t like him,” he finished.
“Kevin,” I responded, “He can be nice. Last night, he brought popcorn, and he has good taste in movies.” Remembering my original reaction and Kevin’s suggestion, I added, “Just give him a chance.” I looked up at Kevin to see him staring intently at me, trying to read my face. I took a deep breath before continuing. “Please. I need to get a good grade on this project. My parents expect me to keep my grades up. With Calc this semester, I need all the help I can get.” My pleading expression must have won him over because he gave in.
“Fine,” he sighed pulling my door open, “I’ll meet you guys there. I forgot to lock my room.” Christopher watched him stalk off, watching with a slightly surprised expression.
“Come in,” I sighed, leaning against the door as Christopher walked in. He glanced around the room, smiling for a second before turning his attention the Bond poster next to my desk. My walls were decorated with movie posters. Kill Bill, Underworld, Blade, Star Wars, and Friday the 13th were also present.
“You like the Bonds?” he asked.
“Of course. I really want to see the new one when it comes out,” frowning, I turned to him, “Why? Don’t you?”
“Of course,” he replied. “There just aren’t many girls that do.” He looked intently at my DVD collection for a moment before turning to stare at me. “But, you also like Terminator, Die Hard, and Saw.” He sat down on my bed, watching me. He paused before asking, “Why doesn’t Kevin like me?”
Surprised, I asked, “What makes you think that?” This was another discussion that I wanted to avoid. I really didn’t want to offend Christopher since the two of us were working a the project together.
“I overheard the two of you talking. You weren’t exactly quiet.”
I blushed. “Sorry about that,” I grinned nervously. “Kevin worries about me. I have trust issues, and he was just looking
out for me.” I paused, trying to find the words I wanted to say, “And, you can be kind of… arrogant.” He looked down. “Not that it’s a bad thing,” I finished lamely.
“I understand.” He stood up quickly. “I have to go… class.” He walked out before I could reply.
I jumped up, catching him just outside of my room. “Christopher!” I called. He looked at me as I asked, “Are you ok?”
Turning away from me, he coldly replied, “I’m fine.”
He flinched as I put my hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. I can be too direct sometimes.” He turned to stare at me as I added, “Besides, arrogance isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” I smiled. “You can win Kevin over easily. He has good intentions.” I waited for Christopher to say something. When he didn’t, I said, “We’re going to play pool tonight. Kevin is amazing, and he would enjoy some competition because I suck at it. You should come with us. It’ll give him a chance to get to know you.”
He turned to look at me before responding, “I won’t be interrupting?” I shook my head, and he agreed. I gave him the details about the time and location. I smiled to myself as he walked away.
Blood Delirium (Blood Trance Book 1) Page 2