Vampire Kisses (gxg)

Chapter 15

Later that week, at lunch, they sat in the lunchroom at one of the circular tables, which had been pushed into a corner. Victoria sat with her back facing the corner, and Chris and Penelope facing her, almost hiding her from view.

Victoria was crouched down, almost under the table. "Is anyone looking?" She asked.

Chris and Penelope looked around for the twelfth time. "No," Penelope replied.

The sound of tearing plastic, then the smell of rust. A few seconds later, the sound of crinkling plastic.

Victoria didn't drink blood from live humans, but instead from cadavers. That made her much thirstier than most vampires, so she often brought blood on her in order to sate her thirst. Penelope remembered the first day she learned of that. She had been quite shocked, and if she was honest with herself, she still was.

"Thanks, guys," Victoria said.

"No problem," Chris said. "It's no different than a diabetic checking their glucose."

"You mean insulin?" Penelope asked.

"Yea. Insulin," Chris replied.

"We've been running low on blood for the past few days," Victoria complained. "I think I might have to go hunting." She caught a look at Chris' concerned face. "Not people. Hunting in the forest."

"I hunt sometimes. It's probably very different than from what you do. I use a gun," Chris said.

"I use my bare hands," Victoria told him.

"That sounds dangerous," Penelope said.

"For the prey, not me. Vampires are much faster, stronger, and more durable than humans. And also prettier." Victoria did what appeared to be a hair flip.

"I bet you would look very pretty. Even if you weren't a vampire," Penelope said.

Victoria grinned, her cougarlike teeth gleaming, "I was lying about the pretty thing, but thank you."

Suddenly, a storm of footsteps behind him. Victoria's face fell, turning into a sneer. Penelope knew who it would be. Mr Baker said he'd be putting in grades for the project soon. And Aubrey...

"What did you two do?" Aubrey almost shrieked in Penelope's ear.

Penelope almost fell out of her chair. Victoria stood out of her own chair, moving so fast that the chair toppled down behind her to the floor. The entire lunchroom turned to face them.

"I do no-don't know what you're talking about," Penelope stammered.

"The project?" Aubrey said. Penelope slowly blinked. "You lesbians took my name off the damn project!"

"Don't call my girlfriend that!" Chris demanded. He stood up out of his chair and stood to face Aubrey nose-to-nose. Or more like, forehead to nose. Chris was a good five inches taller than her.

"This doesn't involve you," Aubrey said, stepping to the side of him to address Victoria and Penelope. "Why did you take my name off the project?"

"You didn't put any work in," Penelope said.

"You reap what you sow," Victoria said with a grin as she rounded the corner of the table.

"You couldn't cover for another girl? My life is so stressful, I doubt you'd understand, but I thought you would," Aubrey replied. She looked away, tears glimmering at the corners of her eyes. "It was my fault to assume that aliens like you felt empathy."

It almost seemed as though Aubrey believed it herself with the crying. But it was very hard for Penelope to feel any sympathy for the bully. Only, instead, she felt pity.