We Only Come Out at Night

Two weeks, two weeks of waiting and already it was killing me. I was beginning to notice what Maddie kept telling me to look out for, he looked at me for longer, he would glance my way every so often as though he was afraid I would disappear out of thin air. I was waiting for a sign though, a proper sign, not just possibilities. He could just be worried that TJ or Chloe would show up like any friend would be. I realised just how much I had fallen for him, how enchanted I was by him. I guess when you've been friends with someone for years and you know everything about them, if you fall in love with them you're already halfway into the relationship, at least that's how I was reacting. I actually had a dream about him last night, before TJ came back into our lives, before everything blew up starting with that fatal night. I refocused on Coraline. I was so into my thoughts that I didn't realise we were halfway into the movie. Maddie was smiling a little and I rolled my eyes at her.
“C'mon, time to go,” Ghost said reluctantly.
We had left the prison known as school to watch a movie. I checked my phone. 5 minutes to go until the bell meaning Maddie and I had to go to French, great. We got there just before the bell, said our half-hearted goodbyes and went to class. Maddie and I endured an hour of French.
“I can't do this, there's more important stuff than this shit!” I exclaimed.
“Agreed,” Maddie muttered dragging me to maths.
“Fucking faggots,” some dick shouted.
We flipped him off and walked away.
“Oh, the intelligent minds of society zombies,” I said, a little loud.
“Quieten down, we don't want them to know how stupid they are,” Ricky whispered in my ear.
“Hey stranger,” I replied. He moved into my sight and walked beside me.
“Hey Rick,” Maddie said.
“Hey. Let me guess, you're in...maths.”
“Yep,” Maddie said glumly.
“You're in art?” I guessed.
“Yeah. Good luck in maths.”
“We'll need it. Have fun in art,” I replied.
He waved at us, smiled and walked away. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to face Maddie. I started to blush.
“You like him so bad,” she muttered.
I rolled my eyes and walked into the classroom.
“If it's not true then why are you blushing?”
I didn't try to argue, it was pointless.
“Well?”
“I'm not discussing it here, you never know who might be listening,” I said glaring at the class, and the head bitch in particular.
“What are you looking at freak?” she sneered.
“Your bake.”
Confusion swept across her face and Maddie laughed behind me.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
I ignored her and took my seat.
“Hey freak, I'm talking to you,” she yelled across the room.
I ignored her again and she marched towards us. The teacher walked in saving me from having to punch her bake (Northern Irish slang for an ugly face) and possibly getting a suspension. The hour dragged on and on. Finally the bell went and Maddie and I quickly packed our stuff and left. Neither of us wanted a confrontation, I did a little but with someone a bit more of a challenge. Not someone who would cry over a broken manicured nail. At least school was finally over.
“Are we meeting up with the guys?” I asked.
“I don't think so. They wanted to go to the studio and start recording. You really were out of it during the movie.”
“I had a lot to think about.”
“Someone whose name begins with 'r' maybe?”
“Piss off.”
“I think it is.”
I was blushing, and Maddie made sure I knew by nudging me every ten seconds. I waited until we were out of earshot from the school.
“What d'ya want to know?”
“Do you like him?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to go out with him?”
“Maybe, later down the line.”
“Get married?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where the hell did that come from?” I had gone high-pitched and squeaky.
“You could be mates, you need to think about this.”
“How about friends that possibly go out and don't think about any of that stuff. Ever.”
“Okay, I'm just asking.”
“What about you and Ange?”
“We- hang on, don't try to change the subject.”
“I'm not, I'm genuinely curious.”
“I can see it in the future,” she said slowly and quietly.
“Aw, my little Mads is all grown up.”
“Cry me a river. Well? You and Ricky?”
“I don't think so. I can barely see us going out never mind that.”
"You never know, he might never find his mate and stay with you."
"You're just saying crap now."
"Thanks."
"You're very welcome."
She rolled her eyes.
"Whatever dude."
I grinned at her and she shook her head.
"No you and Ricky?"
"It depends on him as well, ya know."
"He'd love the idea."
I raised my eyebrows at her.
"Don't go telling him, I have enough trouble trying not to accidentally say something without you doing it instead."
"I won't, but do you want to tell him?"
"Sometimes, other times I think it'd be better if he didn't know."
She patted my arm.
"It'll work out, you'd be a good couple. And if it doesn't I'll knock some sense into him for ya."
I snickered. "I'd like to see you try. You're not violent at all."
"Yeah you're right. I'll get Ange to knock some sense into him."
I laughed. "Tickets to that please."
She laughed with me.
"That would be a sight to see," she agreed.
We reached my street and stopped.
"Maybe you should tell him, if things are going to happen one of you need to confess how you feel about the other."
I nodded. "I'll think about it."
"Bye chica."
"Bye babes."
I turned and walked up the street, into my house and into my room. I did the pile of homework on my desk and sighed exhausted. Something caught my eye and I turned. My guitar was sitting there. A black and white Standard Stratocaster Fender. I hadn't played it in a year. I tuned it and started playing random notes. I ended up playing the notes to Bananamontana.
"Paralysed by my envy of the night. I am lost without you here, and outside it looks like rain."
I closed my eyes and continued singing. When I finished the last note I heard someone applaud. I looked at the door I was certain I had closed to see Ricky smiling.
"Sorry to intrude."
"No, it's okay. What's up?"
"I just left Ghost's and dropped by to ask if you wanna meet us up at mine tomorrow since we couldn't today."
"Yeah, that's dead on."
He shook his head smiling.
"What about Mads and the rest of the girls?"
"The rest of the guys are on it."
I nodded.
"Who were you singing for?"
"A friend."
"A friend? That song is meant for someone more than a friend."
"There's a friend I like."
Shit. Why did I say that?
"What?"
"Forget I said anything."
"Who?"
"Ricky please don't, I didn't mean to say that."
He opened his mouth to argue but decided not to push it.
"Okay."
I sighed and put my head on the side of the guitar in my lap.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
I looked up to see him giving me a disbelieving look.
"I'm not sure, there's things I've been thinking of lately that are stressing me out."
"Like what?"
He sat down beside me.
"I can't say, not yet at least."
"Why?"
"Trust me, it's not the right time for you and the rest of the gang to find out."
"The rest?"
"Maddie made me aware of it."
He nodded.
"And you can't tell me?"
"Not yet, when I clear my head maybe."
He nodded again and smiled at me.
"I'm right here when you feel you can tell me."
I nodded. He gave me a quick hug and got up.
"See you tomorrow?"
I nodded and he turned away.
"ALYSSA! DINNER!"
I got up and down the stairs. The door closed and I knew Ricky had left. I ate dinner and spent some time with my parents. I trudged up the stairs at midnight almost falling asleep and collapsed into bed.
I was walking down the street when someone covered my mouth from behind and dragged me into a house. I kicked at them and a door was shut behind me. I bit down on their hand and they cried out. TJ stood in front of me holding his hand. I spat at him and my arms were held behind my back. Two men stood beside me holding each arm. I kicked at them and squirmed but they had me in a tight grip. A woman screamed and I looked in front of me. Three people, a man and two woman, were crouched over the woman who screamed. They had their mouths to parts of her body and she constantly cried out in pain. It took me a while to realised they were feeding off her. I looked away and TJ roughly grabbed my chin.
“Look at her!” he yelled forcing my chin up.
I shut my eyes. He slapped me but I barely moved my head. I heard a pained scream then silence. I heard something snap. I opened my eyes to see her lifeless eyes and her broken neck. I shivered.
“Why did you do that?” I said quietly.
“Her 'mate' needed to be taught a lesson. Her 'mate' is a vampire who thought her mate could be human, so we decided to kill her worthless human 'mate', Kate. It'll show Bree not to think such stupid things.”
Kate was really pretty, it was a waste of a good life, probably a good person.
“Why am I here?”
“These three are still quite hungry.”
My eyes widened.
“And you get the honours of feeding them, don't worry, they won't drain you like Kate here.”
There was a blur of words and TJ yelling at me, though I couldn't make out what he was saying.
I kicked in front of me and hit him right in the crotch. He doubled over holding his area.
“Drop her,” he groaned.
They dropped me and stepped away. The three vampires crowded around me. I punched the woman on my left and kicked the other one. The man got me by the throat and I kicked him in the chest. He dropped me and I stood up. TJ grabbed me by the hair and threw me on the floor.
“Have fun being dinner.”
I mumbled something that I couldn't even make out myself. I growled kicking the woman crawling towards me.
The other woman backhanded me and I fell into the wall. I ignored the throb in my head and punched her until someone pulled me away. I turned around and punched the man holding me back splitting my knuckles in the process. I wasn't surprised considering the amount of people I've punched the past few weeks. He flew back and a pale hand wrapped around his throat. I couldn't see who it was, they were hiding behind the man. They punched the man who fell to the side.
I woke up panting and sweating. It was just a dream, more of a nightmare. Who was my saviour? I wrapped my blanket around me to try to stop shivering and fell on my back. The weird part was I spoke during it but most of it was muffled. I shook my head. I didn't want to relive it but I really wanted to know who helped me. I pushed it aside and tried to go back to sleep.