Bitten – Episode 22

 

Chapter 22 ♀

 

We’re going to get in so much trouble! Oh my god! We’re going to be suspended and-”

 

“Will you calm down?” Vincent snapped, cutting me off. “Stop being such a goody-goody.”

 

I glowered at him. “Sorry for not wanting to be in school after I missed two weeks thanks to you!”

 

He rolled his eyes. “If you missed two weeks, what would one day matter?”

 

“Since I was there this morning! I’ll be on the attendance list and you will too! They’ll figure out we ditched.”

 

“Just tell them I kidnapped you.”

 

“I can’t do that, Vincent!”

 

He shrugged. “Okay, then I guess you’ll just have to get over it.”

 

I scowled at him for another minute before letting out an angry puff of air. “Fine.

 

Where are we going?”

 

“Where do you want to go?”

 

“Somewhere we won’t be seen.”

 

A sigh left his lips. “That’s no fun. I don’t want to go to the park.”

 

I grinned, giving him an amused look. “The park? There are other places we can go and not be seen. We’re not limited to the park.” “I know that,” he retorted.

 

“There’s, like, the movies,” I continued, trying to think of places where I wouldn’t be caught. Chances were that anywhere we went we wouldn’t be caught, but there was that slight possibility of my parents driving by.

 

Vincent smirked, his eyes on the road. “The movies? Like a date?”

 

My head snapped toward him. “What? No-”

 

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” he said, cutting me off. “I haven’t been on a date in awhile.”

 

I stared at him, my mouth ajar. “W-wait, Vincent-”

 

 

“The movies it is,” he declared, making an illegal u-turn, heading back toward the school.

 

“I don’t have money for the movies!”

 

“It’s a date. I pay, Stupid.”

 

A date? With Vincent? Excitement bubbled up inside of me, but I quickly popped it.

 

He was probably joking around. Why would he want to go on a date with me? “I

 

don’t wan to,” I stated stubbornly.

 

“Too bad.”

 

“Vincent!”

 

“Can’t hear you.”

 

“I don’t appreciate being teased!”

 

He turned his head, giving me a surprisingly serious look. “I’m not teasing you.”

 

I blinked back at him. “What?”

 

“I’ve never been on a date with a human,” he informed me. “You should feel lucky.”

 

“I’m not going to feel lucky as a test subject.”

 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he responded, sounding frustrated. “You really know how to hurt someone’s ego don’t you?”

 

My look softened. Did he seriously want to consider this a date? “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. You just surprised me.”

 

“No one takes you out on dates?” he asked, sounding far too amused by it than my liking.

 

“No, they do,” I responded, clenching my jaw. “But, you know, they aren’t arrogant vampires. And you have to admit, your ego could use a little harming.” .

 

.

 

He shrugged. “Vampires, humans. We’re almost the same. And I think my ego is fine.”

 

“Not at all.”

 

“You’re lucky I don’t take that offensively.”

 

“About which thing?”

 

A grin flashed across his face. “Both.”

 

“You’re really-”

 

“Tell you what,” he interjected, “since I’m forcing you to skip school, you get to choose the movie.”

 

Taken aback, I stared at him. He was letting me choose? If it wasn’t for all the genres of movies I could pick just to irk him, I would have been slightly creeped out. Vincent was never that nice. Did he feel bad about forcing me to ditch? Or was it

 

 

because he was trying to be a gentleman? Or maybe he was just in a good mood because he didn’t have to go back to school. Whatever the reason, I was going to use it to my advantage.

 

“Okay,” I agreed, smiling widely. It was dramcom time. I wracked my mind for movies as such, but quickly realized I didn’t know what movies were playing. It’d been two weeks since I’d watched any type of movie commercial.

 

Vincent was smirking to himself when I looked back up at him. Immediately I realized what he’d done. “You’re a jerk!” I accused. “You knew I wouldn’t know any of the movies that were out!”

 

“I’m not a jerk,” he protested, mocking hurt. “You’re just stupid.”

 

“I’m not stupid!”

 

“Yes you are.”

 

“I’ll show you my grades!”

 

“You’ve been out for two weeks, I doubt they’ll be up to par.”

 

I glowered at him. Why did he have to have such good comebacks? “Whatever, Vincent.”

 

He chuckled. “Don’t be mad, Emily. I won’t insult you from this moment on.”

 

Was it strange my heart still sped up when he called me by my actual name? I swallowed nervously, glancing out the window at the Walmart we were passing. “You’re acting weird,” I stated.

 

“I’m not going to respond to that because I will insult you,” he replied, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

 

I gave him a dubious look. “You really think you can keep that up all day?”

 

“I can do whatever I want,” he told me smugly. “I’m royalty.”

 

“Not here in the human world, bud.”

 

He ignored my comment. “Turning right.”

 

Even with his warning, I couldn’t stop my head from bashing into the window from the sudden change of motion. I groaned, rubbing my head. Why did that always happen when I drove with him? Couldn’t he turn like a normal person? Where did he learn to drive?

 

Wait. That was a good question.

 

“Vincent, where did you learn to drive?” I inquired, furrowing my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

 

“Like, do you have vampire driving schools? Or a vampire DMV?”

 

He snorted. “No.”

 

“Did you go to the human one?”

 

“No.”

 

 

I thought for a moment. What else could there be? Vincent’s lips twitched, as if he was trying to hold back a smile. I narrowed my eyes at him. What did he find so funny? Was my lack of knowledge about vampires really that entertaining? “I don’t like guessing,” I muttered moodily. “Just tell me.” .

 

.

 

“Okay. I taught myself how to drive.”

 

I blanked. “What?”

 

“I taught myself how to drive-”

 

“No I heard you! Vincent! That’s illegal! How did you even get a license?”

 

He glanced at me. “Sebastian handled it.”

 

“Pull over.”

 

“Oh, come on-”

 

“You didn’t even go to driver’s school!”

 

With a small groan, he pulled to the right, going into a Cumby’s. “Look. I know all the rules of the road. I know the speed limits. I know who gets the right away at an intersection. I know to go in the direction of the skid. I’m not stupid. I can drive.” “But…”

 

“No buts. Now, I’m going to put gas in your car and you’re going to stay seated and not try to slip into the driver’s seat while I’m gone.” I frowned at him. “I don’t have money for gas.”

 

He pushed open the car door. “I’ll pay.”

 

“I’ll pay you back,” I promised him, watching as he climbed out. He waved his hand in dismissal, shutting the door behind him. For a second I watched his back as he headed into the store, my eyes focusing on his slim shoulders. They were much more attractive than the broad ones most of the guys at my school had. Although Sebastian had broad shoulders and he made them look good…

 

I sighed quietly, tapping my finger against the window in a slow beat. At some point I really needed to go visit the Rutherfords. This whole Blue Blood thing was bull. So what if I had blood that could heal vampires? That didn’t mean every vampire would be after me, would it? I paused in my tapping. There was a possibility it would. Wasn’t that why I was sent away? Because it was dangerous? That was also why Vincent had to watch me all the time. Would it be dangerous to go visit Sebastian again? But nobody knew I had Blue Blood…

 

The sound of the door opening pulled me from my thoughts. Vincent slid back in with a sigh, tossing something onto my lap. I looked down, seeing a package of M&Ms. “What are these for?”

 

“Me,” he responded, starting the engine.

 

“Put on your seatbelt,” I demanded, tossing the M&Ms onto his lap.

 

He rolled his eyes, but obeyed. “I was kidding, the M&Ms are for you. Take them.”

 

I waited for him to throw them back at me, but he didn’t. Hesitantly, I reached for

 

the package of candies on his lap.

 

“Emily, you naughty girl.”

 

I automatically ripped my hand back, feeling a blush rise on my cheeks. “I knew you were going to say that! Why are you so perverted?”

 

He laughed; covering his mouth with one of his hands while his other was on the

 

steering wheel. “I’m a guy, I can’t help it,” he commented through his sniggering.

 

“Look at you blush!”

 

“Shut up!”

 

“That’s another thing I like about humans,” he said, sobering up almost completely-there was still a small smirk to his lips. “When you blush, I can tell you’re embarrassed. With vampires, it’s harder.”

 

“I wish I didn’t blush,” I muttered, crossing my arms. “It’s the most annoying thing in the world.”

 

“Or are you just ashamed it shows what naughty things you’re thinking?”

 

“I don’t think naughty things!”

 

Vincent snatched the package of M&Ms off his lap and handed them to me. “Calm

 

down.”

 

.

 

.

 

“I am calm!” I burst, swiping the candy out of his hand. When I realized how much my words contradicted my motions, I ducked my head. After a moment, I started laughing. “Vincent, you’re the only one who can get me so easily riled up.” “Thank you.”

 

“It wasn’t exactly a compliment.”

 

“I’m going to take it as one.”

 

I shook my head, smiling. “Just drive.”

 

He gave me a sarcastic look. “What do you think I’m doing? Rollerblading?”

 

“I…” My response died in my throat when an image of Vincent rollerblading rolled into my head. I quickly covered my mouth to hide my grin, turning to face the window. That was something I had to see.

 

The rest of the drive to the movie theaters was silent. I’d tried listening to the radio, but quickly learned Vincent wasn’t the one for music. At least the music they played on the radio. I couldn’t blame him though- even I got tired with all the rap that played

 

 

nowadays. So we settled for silence. It wasn’t an awkward silence. Quite the opposite. For once, it was a comfortable silence.

 

When we arrived at the cinema, we stuffed our Taco Bell into my backpack, deciding it was the best way to sneak it in. Surprisingly, we managed to agree on a movie. As much as I wanted to drag Vincent into a dramcom, I enjoyed the Fast and Furious series, and apparently so did Vincent.

 

“Umm, two tickets to Fast Five,” I ordered, leaning in to the ticket window.

 

The worker in it smiled handsomely at me, shaking his blonde bangs out of his face. His green eyes narrowed in confusion as he took me in. “Two?”

 

“Yeah…?” Couldn’t he see Vincent? I turned my head slowly, doing a double take when I realized no one was there. Confused, I looked around. Vincent had disappeared. “Uh…” Where was he? He didn’t mention anything about going anywhere! He had the money! He wasn’t ditching me, was he?

 

My heart sunk in my chest a little. Was all this really just a joke? Immediately disappointment washed through me. As much as I hated to admit it, I was actually excited about this being a date. I guessed I should have known better. Biting my lip, I returned my attention back to the worker. “Um, actually…” “I get off in five minutes,” he informed me.

 

My eyes widened a fraction. Was this guy hitting on me? He smiled flirtatiously. I

 

stared back at him, unable to form a coherent response. I wasn’t used to having

 

random guys flirting with me.

 

“Two tickets,” a hard voice ordered.

 

I jumped in shock, twirling to see Vincent behind me again, a bucket of popcorn in his hands. Relief flooded me and I let my shoulders sag. I really needed to break my pessimistic habit.

 

“Coming right up,” the man in the box said, a little bit bitterly.

 

Vincent glanced at me, his lips in a tight line. “Hold the popcorn,” he ordered, pushing it into my arms.

 

“Sure,” I mumbled, taking it from him. I knew that look. It was the same one he got when I called for Sebastian and not him. His jealous look. Once more I found myself hiding a smile from him.

 

“Let’s go,” he demanded when he got the tickets from the worker. “Shit. I was gone five minutes and that idiot tried asking you out?”

 

I quickly followed him. “He probably just felt bad…”

 

“Doubt it.”

 

“Why?”

 

He gave me a flat look. “It’s not like you’re the ugliest girl on the planet.”

 

.

 

.

 

I half-smiled at him. That was probably supposed to be a compliment, but it sounded more like an insult. “Thanks.”

 

“You know what I mean,” he responded unhappily.

 

“You can’t use your excuse of me being your responsibility on this,” I taunted, making sure to keep a few steps away from him in case he lashed out.

 

He turned to give me a mocking look. “If you’re implying that I’m jealous, I am.”

 

“Yes you are- wait, what?”

 

He laughed through his nose. “You should know. Didn’t I say you were my source of entertainment? I’m not letting anyone take you away, silly human.”

 

I gaped at him for a moment. He responded by moving closer to me. So close our noses were almost touching. My breath caught in my throat at his vicinity. “W-what?” I forced out in a shaky breath.

 

“I was just thinking that if you were a vampire we probably wouldn’t be friends,” he said simply, moving away. “It’s a good thing you’re different.”

 

I let out a whoosh of air, suddenly feeling tired. My heart was pounding in my chest. I gritted my teeth in frustration. Why was Vincent having this effect on me? He was a vampire. I used to be terrified of them! Now I couldn’t even keep my composure while he was near? And what was with those comments of his? I wasn’t a plaything! I was a human girl!

 

“Keep up, Emily. You might miss the theater.”

 

I hurried after him, dispelling my thoughts. I could worry about those things later. For the moment, I was going to enjoy my date with Vincent. It probably wouldn’t happen again for a long time.

 

We entered theater seven just as the previews started playing. Thanks to the random timing of the day, we had the dark theater to ourselves. Although I wasn’t sure to be happy or worried about that. I didn’t want Vincent going all vampire on me and trying to suck my blood while I was engaged by the movie… The thought made me gulp. I shot a surreptitious look at the back of his head. He wouldn’t do that… would he?

 

“Want to sit at the top?”

 

“Sure,” I responded quickly, ashamed at my thoughts. It wasn’t like he was some bloodthirsty monster.

 

We climbed the dark steps to the top, scooting through the tiny aisle until we were in the middle seats. Vincent collapsed into one of them, motioning for me to sit in

 

 

the adjacent one. Obeying his gesture, I dropped into the seat, letting my backpack fall to the floor. “Want your food?” I asked. He nodded. “I’m starving.”

 

“Umm, how often do you need to drink… you know,” I mumbled vaguely, handing him the bag from Taco Bell.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Use the bathroom? Just as much as you.”

 

I grimaced. “That’s not what I mean.”

 

“Then what do you mean?” he questioned, a knowing look slipping onto his face. My eyes narrowed. “You know what I mean!” “Drinking-”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Water?” he finished innocently.

 

Heaving out a puff of air in disbelief, I crossed my arms. “Never mind.”

 

“Twice a week,” he notified me. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell you when or what I’m doing.”

 

“Thanks,” I replied, focusing my attention on my knee. Why did I feel bad now? It wasn’t like he disgusted me. Did he think that? “Just so you know, I know you have to do that to survive, so it’s not you that disturbs me.” “I don’t?”

 

“Well you do, but in a different way.”

 

“Jerk.”

 

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. This time I was positive he was joking. There was no way I was going to respond to him mocking me. “The movie’s starting.”

 

“I love car chases,” he said contently.

 

“I love Han.”

 

“You’re such a girl. Going to see a movie for a guy.”

 

I nudged his side with my elbow. “No! I like car chases as much as you. Han was just awesome. Well is I guess. He’s alive in this movie.” “Shh,” he hushed me. “I’m trying to watch a movie.”

 

“But-”

 

“Shh!”

 

I pursed my lips, turning to face the screen. I was never going on another date with

 

vampire.