The Vampire Prince returns to High School (Book 2)

Cook-Out

News of what had happened was kept under wraps. I was invited to stay longer after school. Cassidy was too which made detention more bearable. I could accept that small victory.

According to Mr. Keys, I couldn't get a restraining order against her. He also said Cassidy hadn't gotten one against me so, nothing had changed. Well, at least this couldn't be swept completely underneath the rug.

The Principal advised me not to spread any rumors. It meant for me to keep my mouth shut. I had no intention of taking any more than I needed to. Sure, I wanted to expose what had happened but I still didn't want all that attention.

Everything would be fine if Miguel and Lisa would stop shooting glares my way during school. Connor would just shake his head and ignore everyone. I didn't know which one was the worst. 

 At least Camellia's invitation wasn't brought. If nothing else, the mafia's representative was tactful. Then again, I was sure they were going to pop up again as the date grew closer. I didn't think Camellia would take 'no' for an answer. They would probably just be kidnapped again. Best to go willingly into a lion's den than dragged there.

If it wasn't for Alexander's messages and support, I don't know what would have kept me going through the week. My parents did their part as well, reassuring me that Mr. Keys had everything handled and that I had done the right thing.

While Alexander couldn't visit every day, he did try which was sweet. We left each other small messages on the window sill. Even if we couldn't see each other often, it was nice just being to communicate with one another. 

When I told him about Ian's cookout, Alexander was oddly excited. It probably had to deal with the fact that I wasn't afraid to socialize with vampires after what happened. Even my parents were surprised when I told them I'd still be attending his cookout. Grown vampires didn't scare me, well, not as much as the younger ones. I'd like to believe they knew how to control themselves better than children. Plus, my parents were attending too. They weren't going to let anyone hurt me.

As the week ended, I was looking forward to Ian's cookout. It was a welcomed distraction from school. Just thinking about Cassidy pissed me off. I needed something else to think about.

My mom got me a dress for the cook-out. She insisted we had to dress decently. She even bought herself one. It wasn't the same color as mine but it was close. Dad cleaned himself up too. The Boreks were going to make an impression. 

Mom had baked brownies. Whether or not Ian would eat them remained to be seen. I couldn't remember asking Alexander if vampires ate. I should've.

The cook-out started at noon and would end at five. It would only take us about twenty minutes to get into Ian's neighborhood. He lived in a co-species neighborhood so the rules and laws weren't as strict. Ian had given our Resident's ID to Security so, we weren't going to be turned away. 

It was only then when I started to remember that Ian was a vampire. Like I knew but, at the same time, I didn't know.  Was he going to serve human food? Did I need to eat before going? I didn't want my stomach to growl and have everyone hear it. Plus, how many people were going to his cook-out? Ten? Five? How about bathrooms? Did Ian have one? Was I supposed to not drink anything? Come to think about it, was he even going to have anything for humans?

Calm down, I scolded myself. You're overreacting.

"It's only going to be a few of us from work," Mom explained on the way. "Of course, that includes their family."

"Will there be any humans apart from us?" I asked.

"Definitely," Dad quickly replied. "Ian invited other humans too. Let's just say he is a social butterfly."

"That's good," I muttered.

Reaching the security checkpoint, Dad showed the officer our resident cards and the permission forms. The officer checked us through a computer.

"Curfew at 11 pm," she said, waving us through.

Dad thanked her and drove into the neighborhood. Honestly, I hadn't known what to expect. There was a park, a library, and a few stores. I spotted houses and even apartments. Families walked down the sidewalk. I didn't see many children, if at all. It was a great day out though. Blue skies. Sunlight. A nice breeze. Today felt like a good day.

Following the directions, Dad pulled up to a green house. Cars parked on the side of the street. This was most likely the place. It was a one-story house with a yard that wrapped around the side into a backyard most likely.

I followed my parents to the front door. I felt so awkward in a dress. Why had I let my mom buy me one? Oh, yeah. I had agreed.

Dad rang the doorbell. I shifted over behind him. My gut twisted. I didn't have a good track record with vampires. But my parents were here, what could go wrong?

The door opened and a tall man greeted us.

"John, Emily, it's no nice you could make it. This must be Rin."

"Thanks for inviting us, Ian," Mom said.

I waved at him. "Hello," I mumbled.

Ian smiled and waved us inside. The house was cozy. It looked inviting. Honestly, I was a bit surprised. They had a huge kitchen, a huge living room, and even their back patio was huge. Sure, I hadn't expected coffins or anything (maybe a little?) but then again, I hadn't been in a vampire's house since well, the first incident. Plus, Ian might have a coffin in his bedroom.

Ian led us out back where there were two other families, a couple, and a gentleman piling food on his plate. There was a grill and a picnic table in the backyard as well. Mom placed the dessert on the picnic table and went to greet her co-workers. Dad followed after her. 

"I didn't think you'd come."

I turned around and saw Ian. "Oh, yeah," I said. "I did want to thank you in person for helping me out with my homework."

"Ah, yes. Well, you're welcome."

I smiled. It was the only thing I could do. What was I supposed to say? This was really awkward. 

"Let me introduce you to my partner," Ian suddenly said.

"Sure."

I followed him to the food table where the gentleman from earlier stood. 

"Rin, I want you to meet my partner, Caleb."

"Hi," I said with a wave. "Nice to meet you."

"Hello," Caleb replied. "Ian has told me a lot about you. Don't worry. It's all good things."

I smiled and nodded. As I continued to stare at Caleb, I noticed that he was human. The eating was a dead giveaway. Ian was dating a human? I hadn't expected that. Sure, it was common but I was still surprised.

What was I supposed to say? Now that I thought about it, I was really bad at social interactions with people.  Luckily, Ian saved me.

"My niece decided to pay me a visit," he said. "I believe you go to school with her."

I frowned. My parents surely would have mentioned something.

"Here she comes."

Frowning, I turned and saw Lisa walking out of the house. Our eyes met. Well, this was going to be interesting.