get in a line—tacos and pizza slices were on today’s menu—or trying to find their friends in the vast bench-filled cavern that was the cafeteria. Plain white walls circled them, livened up (or marred, depending on your perspective) by the occasional poster proclaiming school spirit. The noise level was high today and suddenly scraped at Mary Ann’s nerves.
“Hey, Penny. Wanna come to my house later?” a jock asked as he strutted past their table. The boys around him chuckled. “We can study anatomy.” Penny’s cheeks reddened.
“Jackass,” Mary Ann shouted, her hands fisting. Some of the conversations around her tapered to quiet, and many sets of eyes pinned her in place. Cussing was unlike her, but the word had just sprung from her, unstoppable.
Penny was pregnant. With Mary Ann’s ex-boyfriend’s baby. That had been hard to get over, since the two had cheated on her. And really, she was still dealing with lingering feelings of hurt and distrust, but she loved Penny and was working on forgiveness. Still. That didn’t make her friend a slut, nor did it mean these boys had a right to tease her.
The jocks stopped, facing Mary Ann as one. A frowning Shane Weston stepped to the front, big and strong and clearly angry. “You better shut your mouth, Gray. Tucker isn’t here to protect you anymore.”
Mary Ann opened her mouth to reply, but no words emerged. Coward! Say something. Anything. She remained still, silent. She’d never been any good at confrontation, and now, when she needed the courage Riley had praised, she found none. Shame filled her.
“That’s what I thought,” Shane said with a laugh. “G-get the h-hell out of here,” Shannon suddenly growled.
“What? Are we making you angry, and we won’t like you when you’re angry? Whatever, Stutter.” Laughing again, Shane and his gang wandered off.
“Shall I kill him for you? “ Victoria asked without any inflection in her tone.
“Yes,” Penny snapped as Mary Ann rushed out, “No.” Penny had no idea that Victoria really would do it. Her fangs were hidden right now, but she could drain Shane Weston dry in seconds.
Victoria shrugged. “If you change your mind…”
“We need to change Mary Ann’s mind. I’m all for jockicide.” Penny pushed to her feet as if she hadn’t a care, but hurt lingered in her eyes. “Anyway, I’ve got a paper due next hour, and I haven’t even started it.”
“N-need help?” Shannon asked, standing before she could answer.
He meant to protect her, Mary Ann realized, in case anyone else insulted her. That brought tears to her eyes, because dang it, she missed her own protector.
Penny blinked in surprise, but strode around the table and linked their arms. “Sure. You any good with
Sylvia Plath?” “No.”
“Excellent. You can help me make everything
up.”
They laughed as they walked off, Penny throwing a smile and finger-wave over her shoulder at Mary Ann.
Alone at last.
Mary Ann propped her elbows on the table and leaned toward Victoria. “We’ve got to work on your…humanness.” Was that even a word?
The vampire furrowed her brow. “What do you mean? ”
“You can’t just go around offering to kill people. That’ll get you into all kinds of trouble.”
She raised her chin, and Mary Ann caught a glimpse of her stubborn core. “I welcome trouble.”
“Fine. But Aden doesn’t,” Mary Ann reminded her.
Gradually, Victoria’s chin fell. “You’re right.” She pushed out another sigh. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m the right girl for him. If perhaps…” she twirled her fingertip over the tabletop, tracing some sort of design “you wouldn’t be better suited for him.”
“Are you kidding?” One, Victoria might have phrased the words like a suggestion, but there had been fury in her tone. And two, Mary Ann adored Aden, but she didn’t crave him the way she craved Riley. “That boy worships you.”
Some of the tension left Victoria’s shoulders. “Yes, but sometimes, when we’re all together, you’ll laugh and he’ll watch you, and there will be such…longing on his face. When that happens, I want to rip out your trachea. Sorry, but it’s true.”
Okay. She’d been close to dying before the curse, and had had no idea. Perfect. “I can tell you for sure that he doesn’t like me as a girlfriend. Aden and I…we will only ever be friends. Our different—” She looked around, making sure no one was listening. Everyone seemed to be going about their day, eating and talking, unconcerned about her and her conversation. “Our different abilities make us want to run from each other most of the time. It’s a miracle we’re even friends. Besides, can you imagine wanting to kiss the guy who housed your mom?”
Victoria shook her head, but still didn’t appear completely convinced.
“Maybe that longing shows up because he wants to make you laugh like that. Let’s face it, I’ve known you for weeks and I’ve seen you smile once. Maybe. You might have been grimacing.”
Now Victoria blinked over at her. “Are you saying I’m…depressing?”
“Will you want to rip out my trachea if I am? ”
Crystalline eyes narrowed. “Maybe, but I won’t allow myself the luxury.”
“Thank you. Then, yes. I am. Just…lighten up, maybe. Tell a joke every now and then. Aden’s had a lot of seriousness in his life, you know? A lot of bad. Now he needs good.”
What? You’re a doctor now? Well, she had always wanted to help people.
“I…I—Well, I hate that the boys think it’s okay to leave us behind.” Clearly, the subject of humor was closed. “They treat us like we’re damsels in distress.” Like Mary Ann, Victoria propped her elbows on the table. She rested her chin in her upraised hand.
Mary Ann didn’t know if the girl would take her advice or not. Time would tell. “I agree,” she replied, allowing the change of topic without comment. “And it’s irritating.” But you are a damsel in distress, and that’s the real reason you find it irritating. Proof: she hadn’t punched Shane in the nose like he’d deserved.
Disgusted with herself, Mary Ann pushed her tray aside, even the scent of the pepperoni pizza suddenly hurting her stomach. She should be starving by now, she mused. First she’d skipped breakfast, and now lunch. But she’d been unable to think about taking a bite without wanting to barf.
“I mean, I understand that I can do a lot of good here,” Victoria continued, unaware of her inner turmoil. “I can protect you, of course. And I’ve convinced all of Aden’s teachers that he’s here today so that he won’t get into trouble and be kicked out of the ranch.”
Victoria could make anyone do or believe anything she wished with only her voice. Mary Ann secretly called the ability “Voice Voodoo”
