Today I went to lunch with my best friend Jamison. She told me to meet her at the little café on the corner. As I walked into the building, the chaotic traffic sounds of the street faded and I was plunged into the softer, subtler tones of deep conversations. I noticed Jamison in the far back corner and wove my way through the other lunch-goers.

As I approached, Jamison seemed to bob up and down with expectant eyes. She had something to tell me. The intensity of her excitement made her seem to move despite herself, causing her white ruffled miniskirt to sway in some nonexistent breeze.

When I reached the table, it was already piled with food. In front of Jamison were two extra-large vegeburgers with sides of fries and a small coke. In front of the empty seat across from her was a large black coffee.

“I know that you usually don’t eat lunch, so I just ordered for you!” Jamison exploded happily.

“Um, thanks.” I said while taking a drink, “Ahh, caffeine. Now what was so urgent?”

Jamison had already started eating at a furious speed. Looking at her, in the pink v-line blouse that perfectly accentuated her tiny figure, you would never know she ate so much.

“Oh, I have so much to tell you!” She exclaimed. She continued to eat as she told me of her morning with a food-filled mouth.

“Okay, now don’t freak out or anything, K?” She said excitedly, ”So this morning I was sitting on the quad beneath my fav tree like usual, right? And I was just sitting there doing homework and all, and Garret comes up and just plops down next to me, you know?…”

My heart started pounding against the jail bars of my ribs as I thought with horror, Oh no. What is this kid doing to us?

“…And so I looked up and was like, ‘Hey what’s up?’ and he said, ‘Nothing much’, in that velvet smooth voice he’s got, you know how we always swoon over it and all? Anyways, so then he says, ‘Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go to homecoming with me?’ and I was like thinking, ‘Oh. My. God. Did Garret Dahrk really just ask me out?’ I seriously almost fainted, you know? I wanted to scream and be like, ‘Ahhh, yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!’ but I didn’t! I was so cool about it and just said, ‘Sure, when are you picking me up?’ He said to meet him at Conneley Hall at seven and then he left. But Oh My God! I am sooo excited! And- …why don’t you look happy for me?”

I just stared at her with a dumbfounded face.

“What’s wrong, Mel? Is something wrong?” she squealed.

“No nothing!” I snarled sarcastically, “Except for the fact that now the same guy is supposedly taking us both to homecoming at the same time and at the same place!”

I was furious. She was taken aback.

“Wait a minute,” She said slowly, “He asked you to homecoming too?” Her voice held a slight whimper of disbelief as she finally realized what was going on. I didn’t answer her, but she must have seen the steely look of honesty in my eyes, because she continued, “So what do we do now?”

I sighed. “I guess I’ll take the hit again, as usual. I’ll stand him up and you can take your prize to homecoming.” I grudgingly relinquished.

“Are you sure that’s okay with you?” she asked, but I knew she didn’t really want my opinion, it was just manners. Manners were one of Jamison’s strong suits regardless of her desires.

When I didn’t take back what I had said, she quickly moved on before I could change my mind, “Okay, I guess you won’t go to the dance then?”

“I’ll walk you to Conneley, then I’ll head back to the dorm and study.”
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Hours later, we were walking to Conneley by the light of the full moon. When we reached the building, Jamison went to stand underneath the lone streetlight while I turned back the way we had come.

Once out of Jamison’s sight, I hesitated, not sure if I should go back to my dorm or stay until he came. After a-couple-minutes’ deliberation, I went and stood behind a nearby tree just as Garret came strutting up the sidewalk.

As he approached, he saw Jamison standing alone under the streetlight. His eyes showed a brief hint of confusion as he glanced around as if searching for someone. He must have been searching for me, I realized with a chill. So he did do it on purpose.

“Garret! Finally. I was getting a little worried here all by myself,” Jamison said with a quaver in her voice that proved her words.

Garret recovered quickly from his brief confusion and strode to her side.

“Hey, baby—”

Ouch, that was a stab in the heart.

“—Sorry I was a bit late, but the boys wanted a few last-minute drinks as the sun set.”

“It’s alright, I guess. So how are we getting to the dance? Do you have a car? You do know it started ten minutes ago, right?”

Jamison said this all very quickly as she ran her fingers coyly through her wavy brown hair.

Garret’s eyes lit up as he watched her face with a lustfully hungry stare. Then he guffawed at her questions.

“Actually, I decided I don’t really want to go to the dance,” he said evasively, “I planned something else for tonight. Something very special. You look beautiful in that color by the way. It really compliments your skin.”

“Thanks!” Jamison beamed.

She looked down to examine her figure in the dress she had bought this afternoon. The dress was a blue the color of the sky in the sunset that was currently over the ocean behind Conneley. Against her skin, it looked mysteriously dark and rich. It had a silken halter strap attached in the center of her heavily displayed cleavage, and the rest of the dress reached nearly to the ground, stopping just at her ankles.

As she looked, a sparkle gleamed in Garrett’s eye and he caught her hand quickly and began to lead her down the sidewalk.

While they were walking, Jamison questioned him more, “So what are we going to do if we aren’t going to the dance—I mean, there isn’t much to do around here—especially since everyone else is at the dance, you know?”

Garret just kept leading her on as he said quietly, “You’ll see.”

I wasn’t really sure what to do, so I thought through the situation in my head. If I stay here then I can’t keep an eye on them. Garrett has an unusual demeanor tonight and it gives me the creeps. But if I followed them and they saw me, then- I shuddered at the thought.

As they slowly got farther away, I felt obligated to follow. I skulked silently, hiding myself carefully behind every tree I passed.

I felt horribly like a stalker, but it was for Jamison’s own good. I’m sure she would have done the same thing.

They continued their conversation in soft tones until they reached Garret’s frat house. Then they headed up the walk.

The house was dark and quiet. Not even a flicker of light gleamed from the windows. Jamison and Garrett entered the front door. The lights stayed off.

Now I was even more worried. Through a window, I faintly glimpsed them ascending the stairs, so, unwilling to let them out of my sight, I wandered to the side of the house and carefully scaled the brick wall. I survived the climb with only a scraped forearm. Once on the porch roof, I peered into each window until I found the room they had retired to.

As soon as I had peered in that window, I wished very much that I had not followed them here, but there was no way I was going back now.

The nighttime noises were strangely absent or subdued, so the unfolding scene was as if from an old silent movie.

It was an intimate scene, and I could tell that this would progress quickly.

They started out on a white bed. Jamison sat comfortably on Garret’s lap with her head against his chest. They appeared to be talking quietly about something.

Apparently Jamison could hold back no longer, for her mouth suddenly pushed against Garret’s in a passionate embrace. He pushed back with intensity and he was soon on top of her, snogging her neck.

I lowered my eyes from he window, embarrassed to be witnessing this, when a bloodcurdling scream pierced through the quiet stillness of the night.

I gasped when I realized the scream was Jamison’s.

I peered back into the window and saw Jamison’s body sprawled limply on the bed. The blood dripping from her neck stained the pure white covers a brilliant blood red. Garrett was nowhere to be seen.

As I sat gazing at my friend in shock, a shadow crept over my shoulder. I turned slowly and found myself face-to-face with Garrett. Jamison’s bright blood dripped from those razor-sharp teeth that I had never seemed to notice before.

“Hello, Melody. I thought you had stood me up, and I was very disappointed. But now, I guess I will get my date after all! This will probably be a new experience for you. I bet you’ve never had a date with a vampire.”