The Vampire Prince graduates High School (Book 3)

Promises

Mom was finishing dinner when Dad and I walked in the front door. A cheesy smell wafted from the kitchen making my stomach growl. I joined Mom in the kitchen such as a timer chimed. Dad went to the bedroom.

"Lunch is ready," Mom announced. "We're having Baked Ziti."

"Does that mean we're having leftovers for dinner?" I asked.

Mom gave me a look. "Why yes we are." Carefully, she placed it on the pan on a trivet on the counter. 

"You have plans for tonight?" I asked. 

Dad walked back in wearing his gardening clothes. "No?" he replied, looking at Mom.

"I'd figure we could watch a movie tonight," Mom replied. "Hence, early dinner and more spending time together."

"Sounds good," I said. 

"How did the meeting go?" Mom asked. She walked to the cupboard and took out some plates.

I grabbed them from her and began setting the table. "Good I supposed," I said. "They don't have any internships right now. I'm taking two intro classes as dual-credit."

"I'm sure more will open up," Dad said. "As the deadline starts getting closer, more business will need interns so, that's when you'll have a good chance of getting picked."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

We ate lunch in silence. Well, I didn't talk but my parents did. I tried not to shovel the food into my month. But when you're starving it was different. I blew on the noodles and cheese before taking a bite. The heat burned my mouth. I chewed quickly and swallowed. 

Dad talked about maybe getting a permit and selling some plants on the side. It wasn't like we needed the income (maybe? my parents didn't really talk about any financial situations) but extra spending money wouldn't hurt. He looked at me when he said that.

"If I don't have an internship," I told them. "I can get a temp job or something. I'll keep applying to internships obviously but if I have to wait until spring semester then I might as well be productive."

My parents looked at each other.

"If that's what you want," Mom said. "It'll look on a resume as well."

I nodded and took another bite. "I was thinking that too."

After lunch, I headed to my room. Tired was an understatement. If I thought about it, I hadn't really had time to relax. Ever since the assassination attempt . . . I shook my head. I didn't want to think about that day. Since then, nothing had been the same. 

I looked at the time on my phone. Maybe I would take a bath. Yeah, that sounded nice at the moment. 

As I got the bath ready, I looked for internships on my phone. I checked the list from the school in case they had missed anything - they hadn't.

By that time, my bubble bath was ready. When I stepped in to the water, my body crumbled. The tension began to melt away. I laid back with my eyes closed. Would it be so bad if I stayed like this forever? 

Maybe I should take a break for one day. One day where I didn't have to worry about anything and be on edge all the time. It was as if I was on a train and it hadn't stopped for anything. 

Sighing, I rubbed the knots out of my shoulders. I hadn't slept well last night. My brain was so wired yet exhausted that I still couldn't get a good night's sleep. A part of me kept thinking Alexander was going to visit and I wanted to be awake when I did. 

I missed him so much. I missed the way he looked at me, the way he held me, and kissed me. With another sigh, I sunk lower into the tub. Soon, I told myself. I'll see him soon. That's what I had to believe.