Chapter 6

I got back to my dorm and slammed the door. I stormed past Will who was sitting on the couch in the living room. "Scarlett, are you okay?"

I ignored him and shut myself up in my room. I slammed my windows closed and threw myself on my bed, inhaling and exhaling deeply, even though I knew it wouldn't help. Evie walked into my room and flipped on the light. "What is going on? Zack's at the door in a tizzy and you're freaking out."

I turned over and sat upright. "Zack just told me he was in love with me."

Evie looked at me knowingly, closed the door behind her and sat on my bed. "It's about damn time," she said matter of factly, pulling her hair to the side and combing her fingers through it.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, frustrated.

"You can't be serious," She said. "It's so obvious."

My jaw dropped. "You knew?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I figured it out about twenty years ago when we got into that fight with the rogues and they almost staked you. I figured it was pretty apparent after he ripped all of their heads off like that. He offered to let you drain him if you didn't wake up."

"I-I thought he was just being a friend." I was so confused. Everything I'd known about my relationship with Zack completely flipped upside down.

"Yeah, I told myself that, too…until he confessed it to me a couple of days later."

I put my head in my hands and started to shake my head back and forth. "That would explain why he hates Cal so much."

"Yeah, that ought to do it. At least you and Cal are still on the whole 'friend basis'. That would just make things so much–" she stopped when she saw the guilty expression on my face. "You're not still on a friend basis, are you?" I shook my head silently while mentally punching myself. "Does Zack know that?"

"Oh yeah," I nodded, "he got to see it in action." I spoke bitterly.

"Ouch. That's kind of harsh, Scar."

I looked at her disbelievingly. "Are you joking? I'm so sorry that I was uninformed that my best friend is in love with me."

"Yeah, even so, he is your best friend."

I sighed, "Yeah, I know."

"Besides," she scooted a little closer to me, "You can't honestly tell me you don't share some of the same feelings."

"With the way he's been acting, hell no."

She shook her head, "Not the Zack he's been lately. I'm talking about Zack in general. You've been best friends for so long, it's only logical that there's something there."

I didn't reply. I'd never thought about my possible feelings for Zack before. It's true, I had a small attraction to Zack, but I think that's just because even vampires can't handle how beautiful we are. I didn't love Zack in that way. I couldn't.

Could I?

As I thought everything over, Evie just sat in front of me, and being the good friend that she is, she waited. Before we knew it, the sun was peeking in from behind the dark curtains hanging over my windows. Evie stood up and said, "Sleep on it. We've all got nothing but time."

All of us but Callum, I thought to myself as I lie down and let my mind slip into unconsciousness.

I was running. I don't know where, everything was dark. All I know is that I wanted to get there more than anything else in the world. I could feel that my fangs were out, but I wasn't hungry, so I wasn't in pursuit of food. I saw a light ahead of me and as I got closer, it slowly dissolved into the center of town. Everything around me was blurry, but I saw the sign of the music store that Cal worked at perfectly clearly. I assumed that was where I was going, because, as if I were on autopilot, I ran straight to the store and went inside.

Cal was standing at the register, just like always. I walked up to the counter and said, "Hey, Cal."

He looked up smiling, but when he saw my teeth, he stumbled backwards, gripping the music drawers and said, "Scarlett, what's wrong with you? What are you?"

I put my hand over my mouth and mumbled, "It's not what you think, Cal. I'm not a monster."

A voice came from behind and said, "Yes you are, Scarlett. You're a monster, just like me."

I didn't turn fast enough, because before I knew it, a blur flew past me and Zack had his hand around Cal's neck. "Zack, no! Please, don't hurt him."

Zack ignored me and sunk his teeth deep into Cal's neck. I screamed in anguish, trying to run to them, but it was like there was an invisible barrier between us. I stood, screaming and watching as Zack sucked him dry. Hot blood dripped from my eyes as I slammed my fists against the barrier. The whole time, Cal was calling to me, "Scarlett, please," and "Help me, Scarlett".

It was killing me. He was crying. I watched and listened as his face grew paler and his voice got weaker. When Zack let him go, he fell to the floor, and I couldn't hear his heartbeat. I looked at Zack in rage, to see that he was crying too.

I woke up, crying. I flipped on the light and looked around my room. There was a dim light coming from behind the curtains, and my sheets were bloodstained from my tears. I wiped my face with my hands and shut my eyes, trying to erase the image from my head. The look on Cal's face in my dream was unbearable.

It had been three days since Zack confessed his love to me, and I hadn't spoken to him since. I'd gone to see Cal once, but stayed home the rest of the time because I was so confused. I wasn't in the mood to deal with my feelings for Callum at the moment. My brain was overloaded with thoughts and emotions that I needed time and energy to sort through. I called and talked to him for a little while every night, though. His voice was comforting, and I needed comfort.

I also hadn't seen much of Evie or Will. I was avoiding everyone, because I was trying to figure out what was going on inside my own head. I looked at the clock, which read 6:07 P.M.

I stood up and slipped into the hallway. There was still a faint light coming from the windows and I tiptoed around the edge of the shadows. I got to the bathroom and saw that my face was a wreck. Blood was caked down my cheeks and some was stuck in my hair making dark dreads. I splashed cold water on my face and rubbed a towel on my cheeks. I hopped in the shower and turned on the water. Quickly, I shampooed and conditioned my hair, then washed my face with soap to remove the excess blood.

I jumped out, grabbed a towel and skirted back through the shadows to my room. I sat down in my bed and picked up my phone. There were four missed calls, seven text messages and three voicemails from Zack. I groaned and cleared my calling list. It'd been like this for the past three nights. He'd call and leave me messages, most of them angry and pleading. I didn't know what to make of them, so I just deleted them.

I also had a text message from Callum. It read, "Am I going to see you later?"

I replied, "Not tonight. I don't feel so great. I'll call you later."

After a few minutes, he answered with, "Promise?"

I smiled and replied, "Of course."

I called my voicemail to clear the messages.

"Scarlett, I don't see why you have to act this way. You're being kind of a bi-" Deleted.

"Scar, it's me again. Look if you'd just let me explain-" Deleted.

"I know you're mad at me. I get it. Just let me know when you plan to let me back into your life again, okay? I'd appreciate it. I'll stop calling now." I sighed at the sorrowful tone in his voice and deleted the message.

Without reading his texts, I deleted them. I didn't want to feel any guiltier than I already did.

In all seriousness, did he really expect me to just figure it out? And what did he think was going to happen when he told me? Was I supposed to throw my arms around him in glee, say, "Oh, Zack, I love you too!" and forget all about Cal? It was simply ridiculous. Why hadn't he just said something to me? Maybe if he had just said something, it would have turned out that I did have feelings for him too and neither issue would even exist. Callum wouldn't be in the picture, and Zack and I would be happily coupled. The end.

But of course, it couldn't ever been that simple. Our whole relationship had been severely damaged. Now I wouldn't be able to look at Zack without wondering if he was secretly hurting inside, pining for me while I was clinging onto a human.

Then, I had to think about what Evie said. Was it possible that I had hidden similar feelings for him as well? Deep down inside, did I love Zack in the same way?

I didn't even want to consider that. It was hard enough working out my feelings for Callum and debating dating him over keeping him safe. The last thing I needed was to have a stupid love triangle that involved feelings for my best friend of half a century.

I heard a light tapping on my door. "Come in."

I expected it to be Zack, but instead, it was Will. "Hey, I was just checking to make sure you were okay."

How long had I been awake, freaking out about all of this? I looked at my clock, which now read 7:46. "Oh, yeah I'm fine, Will. Thanks for asking."

He nodded and stepped into the room. He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair and said, "So, Evie tells me that Zack finally came out with it."

I looked at him with slight astonishment. "Are you telling me you knew too?"

He nodded again with a sympathetic smile on his face.

I threw my hands up in irritation. "Didn't anyone think to…hmm…I don't know…TELL ME?!"

Evie walked into the room. "What's she yelling about?"

"Did everyone know but me?" I asked, the volume of my voice steadily rising.

Evie shrugged. "I'm sorry that you were too daft to figure it out."

"Who else knows?!" I was completely bewildered.

"Well…practically the whole campus. I mean, even Dante knows."

"DANTE?! You're joking. Does Alexander know?"

She chuckled slightly. "Yes."

"I'm so happy this is a big joke to everybody." I said sarcastically. "This is so far from humorous. Why the hell didn't anyone tell me?"

"I don't know. I guess we all thought you knew. We figured you were ignoring it." Her tone became a little harsher, almost like she was irritated.

"I'm not completely heartless. I wouldn't do that to someone, especially not my best friend."

"What do you think you're doing to him now?" The jesting had completely left her voice. Evie was looking at me seriously, which was so rare it was almost scary. "You know this is eating away at him."

"What do you expect me to do, Evie? I mean, I just accepted my feelings for Callum. I'm feeling a little vulnerable right now. The last thing I need is for you to get on my case about Zack." I was getting defensive. Why was Evie so pissed off?

"Well, Zack just poured his heart out to you and you're treating it like he insulted you. You know that wasn't easy for him to do and he sure as hell doesn't deserve to be ignored."

I looked at her with my mouth agape. "Whose side are you on here?"

"I'm not on anyone's side. You're both my friends, but I don't want you hurting Zack any more than I would want Zack hurting you."

"I am hurting right now, Evie. I'm losing my best friend to his stupid affection for me. Everything is different now."

"You think things will be different now that he's told you? Do you realize how long he's been keeping this to himself?"

"Uh, hello, they're already different," I said, matter of factly.

"That's your fault." She pointed an angry finger at me. "That's you being too immature to suck it up and deal with it. You're not getting what you want by sitting in your room and selfishly brooding about how unfair the situation is for you. Think about how unfair this is for Zack. Nay, what about Callum? You've been neglecting him as well. Lying to him too. All because you can't sort out what's going on in your head. In my opinion, both of them are too good for your bullshit."

I didn't even know what to say. Evie just stared at me harshly, waiting for a reply. Will stood awkwardly next to her, not taking a side, just watching. I cleared my throat. "Thanks for the support, Genevieve. I appreciate it." I spoke bitterly.

Without another word, she left the room. Will looked at me and shrugged guiltily. I glared at him, and he excused himself. I threw my Calculus textbook at the door in frustration. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew she was right. I knew I was being selfish. No matter what I did, I was hurting Zack, Cal or myself. But they didn't deserve this from me. I stood up and put on some dark clothing. I needed to eat. My brain was extra cloudy with lack of blood and an overload of guilt. I quickly rushed through the front room, avoiding Will's eyes and ran down the stairs, out of the building and through the gate into the dark street. I inhaled deeply, searching for the tangy, metallic smell of blood. My nostrils flared as a swift gust of wind sent what I was looking for into my olfactory senses. I followed the smell to a short, middle-aged woman with light brown hair. She was sitting on a bench about ten yards away reading a book under the streetlight. I checked up and down the streets to find them completely empty.

Why humans stupidly insist on being out alone at night, I will never know, but I greatly appreciate.

I crept behind the tree next to her bench and swiftly grabbed the collar of her coat. Before she had time to scream, she was half drained, lying helpless in my arms. I felt secure as the hot blood flowed down my throat and into my stomach. As I felt her heart beat its last few beats, I pulled my lips from her neck, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

Killing was the only thing I was completely sure of at that moment in time.

I went over to the bench and picked up the book she'd been reading. The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks. Gag me.

I heard a twig snap and whipped around to see Zack standing over my lifeless victim. My stomach gave an unfamiliar lurch. He looked up at me and a slight grin appeared on his face. "You're a messy eater."

I looked at him, confused. He pointed to my mouth and I brought my hand up to touch it. There was still some blood around my mouth and I wiped at it with my already bloody hands making even more of a mess. He ripped off a piece of the woman's shirt and handed it to me with an amused smile playing on his lips.

"Hey, don't laugh at me. I was distracted," I said as I cleaned the blood off my face.

He put his hands up in a surrendering position and said, "I didn't say anything."

I grinned. It was good to see him. Even if things had changed, he was still my best friend, and I had missed him the past few days.

He picked up the woman's body and said, "Why don't we take her back and then go on a walk?"

I nodded in reply and we were off to the campus. Zack threw her body down the chute to the incinerator and then turned to me. "Shall we?" he gestured forward and we began to walk.

For a few minutes, we were silent, just walking at a humanly pace enjoying each other's company. Finally I got up the nerve to say, "I'm sorry. The way I reacted was childish and stupid."

He kept looking ahead and walking, but he replied, "I know, but don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry for dropping a bomb on you like that."

"Well, according to Evie, I was being a selfish bitch by ignoring you," I said, irritatedly, but then sighed and added, "and she's right. You didn't deserve that."

"No, I didn't," he said. "It's okay though. I guess your reaction made sense."

I cracked my knuckles and stopped to look at him. "I just don't want to lose you. I don't want this to turn into an awkward relationship. I care about you too much for that."

"What would make you think that you'd lose me?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't want things to change even though I don't feel the same way about you. I want them to be the same."

"I want that too, Scarlett. I can do it if you can."

"I can do it." I cleared my throat. "But that also means accepting Callum. Zack stopped breathing. Great, now you've done it, Scarlett. I thought to myself. "I'm sorry Zack, but I really do care about him."

He closed his eyes and said, "I really don't like the idea of you being with a human, Scarlett."

"I can't help how I feel about him, Zack." I could feel my temper coming back.

"You're not only endangering yourself, but you're putting him in danger too." He said, opening his eyes and allowing them to bore into mine.

"You act as if I don't know that."

"It's selfish of you."

That was the second time someone had called me "selfish" today. "Well I guess I'm just a terrible, horrible, selfish bitch and no one should waste their time on me." I started to turn away, but Zack pulled me into an embrace. My temper melted away and I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I don't want to fight with you anymore, Scar. I just want things to go back to normal." He placed his chin on my head.

"Then let's let them," I mumbled into his shirt.

"You know that's not going to happen. There's a wall between us now that I've told you…and there's the human too."

"Zack–"

"I accept it, okay?" He sighed into my hair. "I don't like it, but I accept it."

A weight lifted off my shoulders. I smiled into his chest. "Thank you."

"But only because I love you."

"I love you too, Zack." After I said it, I felt terrible. I knew that he meant it differently than I did, and that by reciprocating the phrase, I was hurting him.

When I got back to the dorm, I went in my room and picked up my phone. I'd promised to call Callum, and that's exactly what I was planning on doing.

I found his number and called it. He picked up after two rings.

"Hey, I was beginning to think that you weren't going to call."

"Sorry, I got tied up."

"It's fine. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I finally cleared my head and stuff. I should be able to come see you tomorrow."

I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, "That's great."

"Mhm."

"Hey, I was wondering…would you possibly like to come meet my dad and sister tomorrow night?"

I paused for a minute. Meeting Cal's family? Isn't it kind of soon for that? "Uh, I guess if you really want me to."

"Why wouldn't I want you to?"

I shrugged, and then, remembering he couldn't see me, said, "I don't know. It's kind of soon, isn't it?"

"I guess so. They just want to meet the girl I've been talking about so much."

The bats fluttered. "Sure. I'd love to meet them, Cal."

"Cool. So…what should I tell them?" His voice was hesitant.

"What do you mean?"

"Well like, when I tell them I'm bringing you over…what do I call you? My friend? My acquaintance?"

Without a pause, I replied, "You can tell them I'm your girlfriend."

A/N: Okay, so I'm not terribly happy with this chapter, but I don't really know any other way to write it. This is the end of my pre-written chapters, so my updates might take a little bit longer from here on out. Please, review and tell me what you think, because I'd love to hear your input. Also, give me an idea of what you think should happen. It just might affect the plot line ;).

Thanks!