Bex’s mom laid next to her daughter in bed, just brushing Bex’s hair to the side and then rubbing her arm up and down Bex’s. Comforting her daughter. Bex stared blankly at the window.
“Are you sure this is for real and you aren’t overreacting?” Her mom said skeptically.
“I’m sure. We talked it out, it’s over.” Bex said.
“Why? I thought you loved her.”
Bex stared at the window. She couldn’t tell her mom it was because Lyssa wasn’t a normal girl. Lyssa was a vampire and more importantly, she wanted Bex to be a vampire too. Meaning Bex would have to willingly give up her life just to be with Lyssa. She wanted to tell her mom the truth, but instead, she lied and said,
“I don’t feel that same way about her as she feels for me. It was never going to last.”
“I’m sorry baby girl. Love is hard, but you’ll meet someone new. I remember when I got my first heartbreak. They aren’t wrong when they say the first cut is always the deepest.”
“You aren’t helping,” Bex complained.
“Sorry baby,” she sighed.
“I just need space,” Bex said.
“Okay, but you know you can always come to me or your father. We are here for you.”
Bex didn’t say anything. She wanted to point out how they weren’t here for her, how they couldn’t be. She couldn’t go to them and tell them that her girlfriend was the undead and that a pack of undead may come after her, and that the whole reason she and Lyssa even got together was that Lyssa drank her blood and nearly killed her. She just had a feeling that wouldn’t blow over so well.
Bex’s mom sighed before getting up and leaving the room.
All weekend Bex was a shut-in. She never left her room for anything other than to eat and use the restroom. She just stayed locked up and curled in on herself. She knew Lyssa wasn’t fairing much better. She could hear the vampire’s thoughts after all.
Both of them were taking it hard.
At school on Monday Lyssa didn’t show up.
Bex eyed the empty seat next to her before looking across the table to Joan who was preoccupied with her phone. Smiling to herself about whatever it was she was looking at. Bex glared at her.
“Where’s Lyssa?” Darci asked.
Bex once again looked at the empty seat.
“She’s not coming,” Bex said.
“Why?” Mike asked.
Bex could feel the aching inside of her intensify and she felt like crying again. Bex sniffled and wiped a stray tear before looking at her friends.
“Because she needs space.” She said.
“Space?” Jaden said confused.
“We broke up.” Bex finally said.
At that Joan looked up from her phone to Bex.
“What?” Joan said almost as if she didn’t believe it.
“We broke up, for real this time,” Bex said.
“Oh no! Bex! Don’t worry we can help you get her back.” Darci said.
“No.”
“No?”
“We talked it out. I can’t do what she wants so, we broke up. No use in me wasting her time.”
“Wasting her time?” Joan raised an eyebrow.
“She wants to turn me, I said no, So that’s that. It’s over, for good.” Bex looked down and away from her friends.
“Wow, just like that?” Mike said.
Bex nodded.
“So is Lyssa like mad at you?” Jaden asked.
Bex shook her head no.
“She’s not mad?”
“No, we agreed to be just friends. We are still bonded and everything, she just needs some time. She’s still our friend, so you don’t have to worry about trying to avoid her or anything. Just give her time, she’ll come back around again.” Bex forced a smile.
“What about you? How do you feel?” Darci asked in concern.
Broken.
That is what Bex wanted to say. She felt like a part of her had been ripped away. Like a puzzle that was missing only one piece. Like a cracked glass just one touch away from shattering. She felt broken and incomplete. It hurt, she wanted to cry, any little thing triggered her and made her want to cry.
She wanted to tell her friends that, but instead just forced a smile and said,
“I’ll be okay.”
Darci sighed and rubbed Bex’s back. She could easily see through her friend’s lie. She knew Bex was hurting, anyone with eyes could tell.
Joan set her phone down and gave Bex her full undivided attention.
“It’s okay if you’re not okay,” Joan said.
Darci smiled at her, remember when she told Joan that about her dad.
“I will be, I just need some time is all. Besides it’s not like she’s gone or anything, she’s still a friend and we are still bonded. So, she’s sort of stuck with me regardless.” Bex tried to reason out loud.
“When you put it that way,” Darci giggled.
Bex forced a laugh but as she did more tears slid free revealing her true feelings about the whole thing. The table grew silent.
Bex moved her hand to her face and touched her now wet cheek.
“Oh… sorry.” She said before quickly wiping her tears.
Darci frowned and hugged her friend, rubbing Bex on the back. Bex whimpered and buried her head into Darci’s shoulder.
“You’ll be okay, just stay strong,” Darci assured her.
“Thanks Darci,” Bex said into her.
Then the bell rang and they all went to class.
At lunch, Joan was once again preoccupied with her phone. Pretty much ignoring everyone at this point. Bex glared at her. It was selfish of her, she knew it, but losing Lyssa only made her want Joan’s attention that much more. She was used to having her friend’s full undivided attention and now that she didn’t have it, she felt entitled to it.
They were best friends after all.
“So how did the date go?” Bex asked.
“Date! Who? When?” Darci said excitedly.
“Oh, uh, it went well.” Joan smiled but didn’t look up from her phone.
“Well?” Mike pushed.
“Yeah, we have a second date coming up. She’s actually pretty cool, and hilarious.” Joan laughed at a new text as it came in.
“Who?” Jaden asked.
“Rooney,” Bex sneered.
“Who?” Darci said confused.
Joan sighed and put her phone down, once again looking at Bex.
“Are we really going to start this again? Can’t you just be happy for me?” Joan asked.
“Do you have a picture of her?” Darci asked.
“Oh yeah, I do. She just sent me this.” Joan showed Darci a selfie of Rooney making a silly face.
Darci giggled.
“So you really like her?” Mike asked.
“Yeah… I think I do. She’s grown on me.” Joan smiled to herself.
Bex scoffed.
Joan glared at her.
“Well, I’m glad you found someone. Looks like your year is looking up already.” Jaden smiled.
“Thanks guys.” Joan smiled at her friends.
Bex rolled her eyes and got up and left the table. Joan glared after her.
“Uh, did we miss something?” Mike asked.
“She’s just being Bex. I swear she’s so ugh!” Joan clenched her phone in her hand.
“She’s just hurting, give her time. I’m sure she’ll come around and be happy for you, just like we are.” Darci assured her.
“I won’t hold my breath.” Joan shook her head.
“What’s up with you two?” Jaden pushed.
“Me! What’s up with her!? Ever since she got with Lyssa we’ve just been drifting apart. I try and connect with her but she’s so stuck in her ways. That’s why I don’t even bother anymore. If she wants to talk to me she can, but I am not going to go out of my way for her if she’s just going to act like that. She needs to grow up already.”
“Joan, you shouldn’t be that way. You know this has all been hard for her.” Darci frowned.
“Stop making excuses for her! Like it hasn’t been hard for me!? I lost my dad! My mom and brother won’t even talk to me anymore and my uncle is sick. Any time I try and talk to her we always end up talking about Lyssa and I just can’t take it anymore. So screw her and screw you for defending her!”
“Okay, okay, calm down. No need to shout.” Mike said.
“I’m just saying, no one has had it easy. You shouldn’t push her out. She was there for you when you needed her, can’t you be there for her?” Darci asked.
“I’m sorry but I can’t and you all know why. Someone else can deal with her baggage but I’m done.” Joan got up just as the bell rang.
The table gave a collected sigh.
After school Bex rode home with her brother and sister when she got home she went straight to her room and slammed the door.
Bex’s mom sighed as she herself had just gotten home from work and that was the first thing she heard.
“Any progress?” she asked Nathan and Abby.
“If by progress you mean she has moved from sad to angry, then yes!” Abby said.
“I don’t think that counts.” Nathan shook his head.
Their mom sighed.
Bex plopped on her bed and stared out the window. She focused in on Lyssa’s thoughts to see what the vampire was up to, but she only found that Lyssa was focusing on her thoughts. That made her smile a bit.
‘If you need to feed, just tell me.’ Bex said through their bond.
‘I am good for now. Maybe in a few more days.’ Lyssa said.
‘Okay, just checking on you. I don’t want you starving yourself you stupid vampire.’
‘I’ll have you know vampires are very intelligent beings.’
Bex smiled and giggled out loud.
‘Really? I can’t tell.’ Bex teased.
She could feel Lyssa smiling, Lyssa’s warmth and happiness. That cheered her up a lot.
‘How was school?’ Lyssa asked.
‘Don’t act like you weren’t spying on me through our bond.’
‘Fine, I’ve been caught. By the way, the answer to the 3rd question on your math quiz was wrong. It was 34.’
‘Oh, now you tell me!?’
Lyssa giggled out loud and put her book down. She was in her basement surrounded by books on vampire bonds. She needed a distraction.
‘I thought we agreed on no coddling.’
‘Not when it comes to math!’
‘That’s just not fair Rebecca.’
‘You know what isn’t fair, pop quizzes!’
Lyssa giggled.
Bex smiled to herself.
For a moment there was a pause in their thoughts. A pause that was long enough for both the smiles on their faces to fade away. A pause that reminded them that they were not together anymore and playful banter only added salt to that wound.
‘Get some rest, my love, I have to resume my research.’
Bex felt pain at the words, My love.
‘I mean, Rebecca, my apologies.’ Lyssa corrected herself.
‘I don’t mind.’ Bex added.
‘But I do.’ At that, Lyssa once again silenced her thoughts and resumed reading.
Bex whimpered in bed and pulled the covers over her head. Eventually, Bex was able to get herself to sleep. But her sleep was restless. She tossed and turned in bed, having flashes of Lyssa’s memories pop in and out of her head.
Then it changed completely. She felt relaxed, calm even.
“Rebecca…” she could hear whispering, almost teasing her in a sexual way.
Bex turned in her sleep, a fire of desire awakening inside of her.
“Lyssa…” she moaned in her sleep.
Bex felt so hot that her body started to wake up. She blinked her eyes groggily in the darkness of her room, only the moon as a light source. Her curtains blew lightly in the wind. She was out of it, completely lost in a groggy dream haze. She could see a shadow figure come towards her, her dream haze made it difficult to navigate, but she was sure it was Lyssa. She was deeply missing the girl after all.
She closed her eyes, nearly falling back asleep when she felt Lyssa get on top of her.
“Lyssa… please… Drink my blood.” Bex begged.
Bex moaned softly as a familiar haze of euphoria engulfed her. She smiled dumbly in her sleepy state and let Lyssa drink away.
She liked that even though they were broken up, she could still experience this with Lyssa. They would always be able to share these feelings with each other.
Afterward, Bex felt heavy and extra tired, more tired than she usually felt after Lyssa’s feedings. But that was probably because of all the restless nights she has been having. It wasn’t long before she let the darkness consume her once more and fell back into a deep sleep.
Things may be broken between the two, but at least she could still have this.
And for the first time since their bond became stronger, Bex was able to get a peaceful night’s rest.
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