When their blood supply is running low, their body physically cools to deliberately limit the waste of resources, and slow down the rapid rate in which a vampire heals and performs using their preternatural senses. A vampire with a “healthy” and regular diet maintains a body temperature of slightly above room-temperature, whilst those who feed more regularly – splurging on their meals rather than simply taking the sustenance they need – will run at fever-levels.
‘Let’s just get this over with,’ I said.
I climbed into the passenger seat. He seemed like he was going to argue, but didn’t. I told him Maybelle’s address, and refused to speak the rest of the drive.
Though I’d been in his car before, sitting in the passenger seat I had to admire that the interior was pretty fine. I half expected this model to have seats that warmed up. The dashboard, instead of cheap plastic, was made of pleather and the console was lit up with varying blue and white lights.
I tried to ignore Emerson as he drove, but his hand kept coming towards me every time he changed gears, making me hate that he couldn’t just be like a normal guy and drive an automatic. The second his hand came close to my leg it felt as though the vamp-glamour was physically brushing against me. I clenched my fingers tight enough that the silver bit into my own flesh.
If Emerson noticed how his being close affected me, he didn’t say anything. He just kept his eyes straight forward, his hands mostly on the steering wheel.
‘Gi wants to go out tomorrow night after school,’ Emerson said after a solid period of silence. I didn’t answer him. ‘It’s the first night me and Robbie don’t have practice when Martha’s not working, and Jen isn’t at debate, so it’d be all of us.’
‘She hasn’t mentioned it to me,’ I said.
‘You don’t exactly try to hide that you don’t really care about me,’ Emerson said. ‘She wants to ask you to come, but she doesn’t want it to be awkward.’
‘Why would it be awkward? We’re practically in the all the same classes. We spend every lunch together. We’ve not killed each other yet.’
‘But I don’t think we’re pleasant company to be around.’
‘Speak for yourself.’
‘Speaking for myself: I’m excellent company. I’ll even admit you have your moments. But let’s not fool ourselves. We can hardly manage a five-minute conversation before you say something snide or stupid.’
I glared at him.
‘Or you just stare at me like you’re thinking about impaling me with a spike.’
I unclenched my hand since my fingers were starting to go numb. Sitting with my hands in fists hardly looked like I was the poster child for calm and collected and a delight to be around. I wiggled my fingers, the silver rings glinting in the sunlight.
‘Yes, or burning me again. I haven’t forgotten.’
Well, shit. I hadn’t meant it to look like a threat. Anti-social and psychotic had been Emerson’s phrase to describe me. I didn’t really do much to negate his assessment of me. But it wasn’t like he was perfect. If anything, these past few days, he’d been the troublesome one. I’d been all good trying to get Gi into the play, whilst he’d been bitching and moaning about me stealing his sketch and being an asshole in class.
‘Oh, get off your high horse, Emerson. You’ve not exactly been a poster boy for civility, have you?’
‘Do you mean the little pranks in class?’ he said it like it was nothing. Like forgetting to hold the door open for me once. Oh, that prick.
‘You’re as much a problem as I am,’ I seethed.
Just because when he was around the AA Team at lunch he acted like a precious prince, I was seen as the bad guy. Typical.
‘I’m hardly the criminal mastermind between us, though, am I?’ Emerson said.
‘You mean a bit of B&E, sleight of hand and the occasional fight,’ I rolled my eyes. ‘Emma and Brett deserved it – total reactionary response. Your car’s fixed, isn’t it?’ I gestured to the perfectly intact windows. ‘And I only took one sketch.’
‘I suppose that begs the question why you only took that one?’ Emerson said.
Did I really have to answer that? It had been of me – a collage of me.
‘What does she want to do?’ I asked, refocusing the topic of conversation away from me.
‘Shopping.’
‘Again? We only went a couple of weeks ago,’ I groaned, remembering the ridiculous trip I’d only gone on because I thought that Emerson would be alone with her otherwise.
‘She needs a new phone. And if you remember, I didn’t get to go.’
‘You don’t strike me as a guy who loves to shop.’
‘You also know very little about me, love.’
Emerson pulled up to Maybelle’s house.
‘What are you going to tell them about your car?’
‘What can I tell them about my car? There’s nothing to say. There is no car.’
‘I could help you track it down if you wanted.’
I couldn’t tell if he was serious. ‘I already owe you two favours for saving me from Emma twice today. I’d prefer not to make it a third.’
‘You owe me, love?’
I shouldn’t have phrased it like that.
‘Don’t get any ideas.’
I got out of the car and slammed the door. Emerson rolled down the window.
‘Come shopping with us tomorrow,’ he said. ‘It can be one of the favours. Just leave the attitude at home.’
‘I thought you didn’t want to spend any more time hanging out with me than you had to,’ I said.
Emerson paused for a minute, this thumb resting on his lower lip like he was attempting to figure out a lie or a truth or some excuse in between as to why he was doing a 180.
I turned on my heels to go into the house. Emerson finally said, ‘I told you the animosity between us would eventually get tiring.’
I turned back towards him. One hand on my hip. I knew I probably looked like one of those stereotypical moody women, waiting for an excuse from their man. I immediately let my hand drop.
‘You’ve had a few days antagonising me and already you’re bored? Your stamina’s pathetic.’
‘Contrary to your opinion of me, love, “antagonistic” is not actually a state I usually find myself playing the role of.’
‘You prefer preppy boy-next-door because the wonderful character range?’
Emerson groaned to himself in the car, like he couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with me. I had to smirk at that. Since he’d been the one pissing me off, and I’d been spending my time ignoring him, it was pretty nice to have us back in our normal roles.
‘I just think we can find something a little more entertaining to do with our time together than our little war. Especially since you’ve decided to get us to work together on making sure Gi’s part in the play is smooth sailing,’ Emerson said. He shifted in his seat, running his hands along the steering wheel.
I had to admit, that did work a lot better for me. I mean, his mercurial state was a little worrying considering it meant he could switch emotions so easily that I wouldn’t know when a change of heart was coming, but I had been wondering this morning how I could get back to where Emerson wanted to talk to me so we could maybe bring up the whole lamia thing. This was an opportunity for that.
Emerson continued, seeming to realise I wasn’t going to add anything. ‘Anyway, the more time I know exactly where you are the better, love. Less of a chance for you to get yourself in trouble and more time for me to keep an eye on you.’
‘You haven’t memorised my face enough?’ I said. It was easy to keep bugging him rather than be all: sure, Emerson! I’ll play the friendship game with you! That would be highly suspicious considering my behaviour up until this point.
‘It’s more for the sake of my possessions than a need to see your mug. But I’m always up for it if you want to life model for me.’
Emerson rolled the window up and drove off before I could co
mment. It wasn’t until I was in the house that I remembered life modelling was done nude.
Gi was so happy me and Emerson were “getting along”. He’d informed her about me wanting to come out with them after school tonight.
Apparently, us all auditioning for the school musical together and Emerson giving me a ride home had cemented our friendship. I’d start to worry that my old BFF was going to get jealous – but giving Emerson’s near-immortality, that didn’t seem like much of a worry when it came to him.
‘What exactly are we shopping for again?’ I asked as we walked in through the side entrance to Northgate mall.
Emerson gave me a pointed look that said: be nice. I hardly saw how my question wasn’t nice, but since this classed as one of the favours I owed Emerson I put on an extra saccharine smile. He apparently saw through the sweetness to my bitter sarcastic heart.
‘A girl who doesn’t just kill for the chance to shop? I’m starting to like you more and more, Liv,’ Robbie said.
Jenny hit him in the ribs.
‘We’re browsing,’ Gi said. ‘And getting a new phone. I had to ask my dad whether I could borrow some money and pay him back when it’s Christmas.’
Getting a new phone had purpose. Browsing… I’d already had enough of that last time we’d went out. It wasn’t like there’d be anything new in the stores.
‘We’ll start with the bookstores,’ Gi said, trying to please me. That I spent most of my time reading was one of the few facts the AA Team knew about me.
‘Really? Can’t we try the new shoe store?’ Martha asked. ‘We always start with books and by the time it gets around to my stores everyone’s tired.’
‘To be honest, Marty,’ Robbie mock whispered. ‘It’s more your choice of stores that put us to sleep, rather than how long the trip’s been.’
‘How are shoes any more boring than books? We all need shoes to live,’ Martha huffed.
‘Books sound good,’ I said.
I pretended to look through the Classics whilst watching Gi browse the romance shelves, Emerson laughing at some of the blurbs she read out to him. Jenny and Robbie were over in the comic section, Martha staring at the magazines since none of the books appeared to interest her.
As much as I’d hated the thought of Emerson hanging out with Gi back at the start of the year, now that Nowak and Ali had checked him out, and I’d read the Grimm files, my opinion had changed dramatically.
Emerson genuinely liked Gi. And they were good friends. If it turned out it was all an act, then it was an amazing one, because it was even going to have me fooled.
Afterwards, Gi took us into a clothes store. It was more to Robbie’s tastes than any of ours. He genuinely perused the aisles with Jenny, whilst the rest of us mocked the clothes in the store. Gi threw a snapback cap at Emerson, some neon sunglasses and an outrageously disgusting top.
‘This?’ he asked.
Gi had picked up an equally disgusting dress. ‘It’ll be fun,’ she said.
I looked at them like they were the weirdest people. Martha looked like she would have ripped Gi’s perfect hair from the roots if she wasn’t gay.
I had to admit from the outside, Gi and Emerson’s ease around each other, how they would hug goodbye and hello, the inside jokes and general closeness looked almost romantic. But maybe that was just my heteronormative brain reading into a friendship with the opposite sex.
It was strange how close they were considering they’d only known each other around a month. But Gi was like that. She made it easy to be your friend. Even me – social outcast and dedicated loner – had gone from living in the shadows to being part of a friendship group because of her. And I was out shopping. Again. It wasn’t even necessarily anything she said or did. It was just a feeling when you were around her that you got that made you want to spend more time with her or make her happy.
We sat outside the changing rooms whilst they changed. Gi – somehow – damn her, managed to even pull the outfit off. Emerson looked like someone who drove a Chevy Monte Carlo complete with Budweiser decals and a pound of weed in the glove compartment.
‘Oh my god,’ I bent over laughing. I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t catch my breath. Even Martha, who worshipped on the ground Emerson walked, cracked a smile. Robbie’s cackling laughter echoed over to us as he spotted them both from further in the store.
‘Hey, preppy boy. Nice look!’ I couldn’t tell whether it was an actual compliment since I was pretty sure I’d seen Robbie wear something similar, if not as obnoxiously coloured.
The annoying thing was, of course his vamp-glamour was working through the hideous façade and he still looked attractive. But it was just seeing Emerson look like one of the kids I’d went to school with when there were metal detectors on all the doors and half of them were in the system…
I took out my phone and snapped a picture of him.
‘Hey!’ he said.
I was too busy laughing.
‘I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you laugh, Liv,’ Gi said.
I stood up right, nearly wiping away a tear I’d laughed that much.
‘Your turn, love,’ Emerson said. He whipped off the top and threw it at me.
When I took the shirt off my face – perfect aim, asshole – Emerson was standing topless in front of me. He’d put the cap back on, but left the glasses off. He leaned up against the changing room door, one leg resting up against the wall, and tapped his wrist.
Like the rest of his skin, it was flawless. The strength of his biceps, which always seemed to pull on the arms of his tees, could be seen in the smooth plains of his stomach; the hint of muscle – not quite a defined six-pack – and the deep v-indentations that dipped below the band of his jeans. It was enough to make me speechless again for a moment, like the first time I had truly studied him right before punching him in the face. The thought of him being god-like returned, unfortunately and unbidden, to my mind.
‘I’m not putting this godawful thing on,’ I said, regaining speech.
‘Favour two,’ he mouthed.
‘Asshole,’ I mouthed back. But part of me was glad that both favours had been barely noteworthy. Owing him could have been a way bigger deal. But being forced to go on a shopping trip and then try on a top?
I shrugged off my jacket and pulled the top over the t-shirt I was already wearing. Gi then put some ridiculous neon pink glasses on me, along with the same cap as Emerson, only in a fluorescent colour instead of black.
Before I had a chance to scowl, Emerson had taken a picture of me. ‘Delete that,’ I told him.
‘Delete the one you have of me,’ he said in response.
There was no way I was deleting that picture. I needed it for when I was having a down day and wanted a pick me up. Even if my dog died that picture would make me laugh. Of course, I’d need a dog for it to die, but you got the point I was trying to make.
We’d been in the store buying Gi her new phone when Emerson’s phone began to ring. It was Gi’s dad. He passed the phone over to her.
‘Gi’s dad’s calling you?’ Martha asked.
‘I gave him my number so he could contact her if he needed to at school or whilst she was out with us,’ Emerson said.
‘That’s… thoughtful,’ I muttered. Emerson heard me. Obviously.
‘Why do you say “thoughtful” like you’re saying “criminal” or “up to something”?’
I didn’t bother answering him.
‘I’ve gotta go pick the twins up from their friend’s. Dad’s at work late, but the mom of the friend they’re staying at is ill and can’t have them sleepover like they were going to,’ Gi said, once she’d gotten off the phone.
‘No problem,’ Emerson said, taking his phone back from Gi.
‘I’m ready to take off anyway,’ Jenny said. ‘It might mean I won’t have to stay up literally until the crack of dawn revising for my debate tomorrow.’
Jenny, whilst she didn’t look it, was the most academi
c one out of the AA Team. Debate was the club she focused most on, but Gi had mentioned that Jenny’s timetable was so packed with extra curriculars it was almost impossible that she spent every lunch with us. Apparently, she spent every evening in clubs and volunteering just to make sure she had lunch break all to herself.
‘Seriously? The night’s just over because Gi’s leaving?’ Martha huffed.
‘We have been here for a few hours now,’ Jenny said.
‘You know what, fine. Whatever. See you at lunch.’ She walked off in a huff. This wasn’t the first time that Martha had gotten pissy like this. She clearly had a thing against Gi being their undesignated leader.
‘Martha-!’ Jenny called after her. ‘Sorry guys, see you tomorrow,’ she said. Jenny and Robbie followed Martha’s retreating form.
‘I didn’t mean to ruin our night,’ Gi said.
‘It’s not ruined,’ Emerson said. He looked like he was going to say something more, but Gi interrupted him.
‘I’m sorry, but I’ve got to pick up the twins now,’ Gi said. ‘I won’t be able to take you home.’ Gi said the last part to me.
‘I can give her a ride,’ Emerson said.
‘Okay, that’s good,’ Gi said. She didn’t even look at me – as though it were no big deal. Since he’d already given me a ride last night, I suppose it wasn’t – but it wasn’t like I wanted this to become a regular thing.
Gi hugged us both bye and rushed off.
‘Do you want to get something to eat before we head off?’
I stared at him.
‘What?’ he asked.
‘You’re asking me if I want to eat with you?’
‘I’m asking you if you want food, not to be food,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘We’d had plans to eat here, so I thought your foster parents might not have included you into their meal schedule tonight.’
He made it sound all formal and stuff. But he was right – as much as that annoyed me. I’d already told Maybelle and Ken I’d be eating out for dinner.
‘I can grab a burger and some fries,’ I said.
Martha would probably be kicking herself if she realised her moody outburst had robbed her of a chance to almost spend one-on-one time with Emerson.
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