My fierce longing to push Kyson away started to dissipate as his scent soothed me.
"Come on, Babe, let's beat it," he said, dragging his arm over my shoulder.
"I need blood," I weakly said, lifting my knife.
We got in his car, and he gave me a small fix. Not much but enough to feel better. Once filled with his drug, I let him kiss me for a while since I didn't mind, and then he drove us to the mall. Kyson blabbed on about stuff that I couldn't recall as he paraded with me through the mall. He dragged me into a clothes store and started handing me loads of shirts and dresses.
"Okay, now try these on and come out to show me, so I can approve them."
"But I want more blood."
"This first and that later."
I was feeling pretty good, so I complied. One outfit after another, Kyson waved off and sent me back to try on more clothes endlessly.
Once I hit the perfect dress, Kyson hollered and picked me up for a spin. "Yeah, now that's what I'm talking about. Who's the hottest girl ever!?"
People were looking at us, but neither of us cared. I found myself laughing with him. I wasn't sure why.
After trying on more clothes for another hour or so, Kyson was finally satisfied and bought many sacks full.
"Now, tell me I'm the best boyfriend ever. Who's going to spend this much money on you, Babe?"
Ignoring his question, I followed him out of the store to see Jen and her friends. Upon seeing us, her expression turned into fury. Kyson kept his cool composure as she walked up to us.
"I see how it is now," her eyes almost turned into slits at me. "Pretend to be nice and steal the guy. Well, go ahead and have him, but you should take your own advice."
I could almost see tears in her eyes as she turned away.
"Do I get more blood now?" I asked Kyson when she was gone.
"Soon, Babe. First you are going to get your makeup done. You're already hot enough, but let's go the extra mile."
My feel goods weren't as strong now but still enough to be content, so I let him lead me to the salon to get my hair and makeup done. He google-eyed me the whole time, making sure everyone knew I was his girlfriend. Many people commented on how lucky he was.
Once finished and in one of my new dresses, Kyson looked at me in total awe. "What can I say but stunningly gorgeous." His compliment didn't matter to me as my thirst was growing. He finally gave me more blood as promised.
"Tonight with my parents, you must act perfectly mannered. You can pull that off right?"
I nodded with a smile in my deep daze.
Kyson sang to himself as he drove us to the restaurant. "Oh, Kyson you got the best girl ever, at the top, smoking hot, you got it made dude."
I was feeling on top of the world myself.
Soon, we pulled up to a fancy looking restaurant.
"Okay, now listen," Kyson started his lecture. "I had to pull a lot of strings to make this happen, so you have to make a really good first impression. Just look pretty and smile. Talk about your accomplishments. You do have accomplishments right? Do you get good grades at least? Hey are you listening to me?"
I opened my eyes from their peaceful state.
"What? Oh…I always get A's"
"Hot and smart! What luck!"
Like a gentleman, Kyson opened all the doors for me. For a moment, I thought it reminded me of something, but the memory was too foggy.
Kyson led me to a back private room where his parents were already seated. They didn't smile upon our arrival.
"Mom, Dad, this is Avery," he said with his hand around my waist then helped me get seated.
"Pleased to meet you," his mom said with a forced smile.
His dad simply nodded and took a sip of wine. Their conversation quickly turned to some gibberish words about business. With annoyed eyes, Kyson lightly shook his head.
After a few minutes, he butted into their conversation. "Avery is very talented and smart. She always gets perfect grades."
His dad turned a sharp eye to him. "If only others could follow suit."
"Really Dad? Can't we just have one pleasant dinner for once?"
"Everything could be pleasant if you took life seriously."
"I already told you, I don't care about your fancy college. You can't force me to be a stiff CEO like you."
"We gave you everything, Kyson. We gave you every opportunity in the world, but you just throw your life away. What a sickening waste you make yourself to be."
"Darling, I'm sure this could wait for another time," Kyson's mom interrupted.
"You know what, forget it," Kyson said, standing up. "I'm out of here." He grabbed my arm to get up. "And Mom, if you need models for your clothes line, consider Avery. She clearly is qualified for the job." He then stormed out, pulling me along.
Once in Kyson's car, he kept on venting. "I just can't believe it. He's so unreasonable. And he thinks I don't try. I try, okay. I try… I'm just dumb. But he won't take an idiot for a son."
Still feeling wonderful, I didn't understand why he was so upset.
~*~
Although I wasn't ready for it, my morning alarm blared anyway. Some of the same bitter emotions awoke with the memories, but something new arose as well. I had hated Kyson so much, but now I had pity for him. All this time, there had been another side to him. He had simply been trying so hard to feel important and possibly never had truly loving people in his life as I had.
Trying not too hard to think about Donavon, I brought myself to the bathroom. The leftover makeup had been only slightly smeared, and my clothes left on from the other day. Yuck, what was Kyson making me wear? Quickly, I rid myself of the unfamiliar frills and met my aunt in the living room. She looked worn down, but gave a lively smile.
"Do I have to go to school?" I asked. School only meant having to see Donavon. I wasn't sure if that was something I could stomach.
She gave a sympathetic look before answering. "I know it will be tough. And you really should wait to drink anything till after school if you can help it."
She was right; my mind would be useless with Kyson's drug in me.
"But won't the effects last longer with time?"
She slowly nodded. "It will, of course, be different for everyone."
I hated the idea of completely losing my mind, but it would be more peaceful than having the jarring effects of coming out of it at times. If it wasn't for the tired, dull emotions numbing my mind, I could have cried more. Hugging my aunt extra long, I tried to take in as much of the moment as I could.
On the way to school, I sent a text to Kyson even as weird as it felt: Your worth doesn't come from how your parents view you or having a pretty girlfriend.
It sounded like something Donavon would say, but again I tried to push away thoughts of him. This would be very hard to do at school. It would be all too easy to drown in sorrow, but I had to keep going.
Once in the parking lot, I was surprised to see Donavon talking to Kyson. Keeping my distance, I tried to read their expressions. Nothing seemed harsh, just normal chatting. After a bit, the guys finally noticed me, and they both grew silent. What could they have been talking about?
For a moment, my eyes made straight contact with Donavon's, but I quickly fled them away. Donavon soon left, so I walked up to Kyson. It was the most foreign thing in the world, leaving a disconnect in my brain.
"Hey," he said, much calmer than I have ever seen him. His eyes seemed to mindlessly scan the ground.
"Hi," I answered almost in a whisper.
Even though I wasn't thirsty at the moment, I wished I could drink his blood to simply take my cares away. But since my time was limited, I suppose it was better to make the best of it while my brain was still intact. As hard as it was, I simply had to accept my fate.
"Can I put this in your car?" I asked, holding up my knife.
"Yeah, sure," he answered with his head still low.
I wondered if his solemnness was from what happened last night or what Donavon had said to him. I dared not ask. I simply had to focus on getting through the day. Ugh, why did most of my classes have to be with Donavon?
Doing my best, I took the furthest seat from him and didn't look back…at least not too much… I couldn't help but wonder if he was looking at me. If he had felt all the loss I had; then I would scold my wandering mind and focus again.
Lunch time wasn't any easier. I guess I had to sit with Kyson? Slowly, my unsure feet headed to the table where he already was sitting alone. Now I understood why he wasn't in the same classes as I was. His grades had to have been failing.
When life was going horribly wrong, what was one to do? If I had learned one thing from my aunt and Donavon, it was to think of others first. Even if I didn't like Kyson, I could at least be nice to him.
"Where are all your friends?" I asked.
"Just take a look," he said, nodding towards the table where Jen was seated surrounded by the crowds including Donavon. "I'm such a joke. And now I have a girlfriend that doesn't even love me. Yeah, I'm not stupid, I know. I suppose I never truly loved anyone either." He kept ranting to himself as I stood there. "I could have maybe loved Jen. She was the first girl I actually liked. And I can see you should be with him. I know he's a nice guy, and I know I'm not. Donavon told me some stuff. Said you would die without the blood. He asked me to treat you good. Do I even know what that means? Ha no… Sorry you have to be stuck with me." He shook his head in defeat.
In the same lost state, I sat quickly beside him. I was actually sorry for him. If he were to be with me forever, it would mean him being with a girl that never loved him. Hadn't my dad had to have known that about my mom? Did he not care, or did he fool himself into thinking that she actually loved him?
What a mess it all was. This thing was affecting way more than me. And soon, I wouldn't even be aware of it all, leaving the chaos for the others around me.
We sat in silence for a while. My heart sank as I watched another girl trying to talk to Donavon. I couldn't tell if he was interested or not. Kyson was clearly watching Jen as well.
"Do you need help with your homework?" I asked, finally shattering the silence.
"Seriously? You actually want to help me?"
Taking a deep breath, I forced my eyes off of Donavon. "It's the least I can do. You are keeping me alive after all."
Neither of us felt like eating, so we pulled out his homework. I tried walking him through it. From time to time, my eyes wandered to Donavon. Even though it would have been a bad thing, part of me wanted him to look back as well, but he never did. Had he already forced himself to move on? I knew it was something he would have to do, but it hurt all the same.
The day moved on rather slowly, but thankfully there was only one class left. Walking the hallways, I turned the corner to meet Donavon who almost walked right into me. Pausing in shock, I looked right at him. He stared at me, and I let myself stare at him. No words were said, but I could see begging in his eyes. The beating in my chest grew stronger with each moment. There was so much I wanted to say to him, but it simply wasn't fair to.
Finally with stinging pain, I pulled myself away and continued to class without a word. I dearly hoped he would stop me and say something, but he didn't.
Once school finished, I rushed to Kyson's car and waited till he came. His spirits seemed to be a bit higher.
"I think I'm starting to get this stuff a little, but I might need some more help."
I nodded. "I'll try."
We sat in his car doing his homework for at least an hour. My thirst started to increase as my focus declined. I tried to hold on, but the buzzing in my head was too strong.
"I need…" I didn't finish. He knew what I meant as he pulled out my knife.
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Look, I know I'm supposed to be Mr. good boyfriend here, and I know I have never been one before but…I will try."
His words stunned me for a moment, but I soon forgot all else once his blood started to drip out.
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