5. Cowardice

Juliet

After my freak-out, I went to the closest bathroom. Found an open stall and came out of my vanished state behind a door. I checked the time. It was about half an hour after school. Charlene and Carl would be waiting for me. She had my bag, and I needed to go home. I felt lousy that I didn’t go back to talk to him. Seeing someone else disappear right before you would make an average person go off the deep end. Even if I couldn’t face him, I wanted to make sure he was okay. Standing around a corner from his class, I waited. A few minutes later, he came from where we were earlier. I sighed, glad it was over for the time being.

I made my way to the gate. My friends were with a big group of kids in the parking lot. Everyone was standing around their cars, talking and joking around. We usually bummed a ride from someone. That day, I didn’t feel like sitting in a car with a stranger while they dropped off everyone. I took my bag from Charlene and told them I wanted to take a walk. She and Carl were too curious to hear all that happened and agreed readily. We greeted everyone and made our way out the gate.

“Come on, Jules, I’ll give you a ride home,” Jerry said as we walked past him. He was my biggest mistake in high school so far. I thought he was a good guy when we first got together. Later, he turned into an absolute idiot. It had been over between us for a long time. Come to think about it, we broke up over the summer holidays just before Chris and I started our staring contest. Jerry wouldn’t let it go. He even got a job at the school after he graduated. He was probably just upset because I didn’t put out anymore. And he knew it wasn’t going to happen again. The first time he shouted at me… he also got violent and pushed me on the shoulder. I almost lost it. He should be glad that I didn’t have my vampire strength yet. I would have killed him and buried his body in another state. Or donated him to a werewolf pen.

“That’s never going to happen, you fool!” I said so everyone could hear me. “I hope all the girls know that Jerry is one of those men who hit women.”

Jerry pushed himself off his car to come at me. Carl stepped forward, warning him with that look in his eye. Even if Carl was two years younger, he was taller and muscled.

Pointing at me, Jerry warned, “One day, you will regret leaving me. And one day, your friend isn’t going to be there to protect you.”

“Yeah?” The day I kill you. I wanted to add but didn’t. “I’m not the one that left! If there was a choice between living and dying, Jerry. I would rather die than go back to you… You’re one of those guys that think small-town girls are stupid and easy… Anyway, I only make a mistake once.”

I knew I was goading him, but I needed to vent, and he was the perfect punching bag.

"You’re a bitch!” He yelled. “And a whore!”

I flinched at him, pouting my lips for effect, scrunching my face. “But I’m not stupid….”

I knew I was both easy and stupid… Nevertheless, I wasn’t scared of him and wanted him to know. My reaction had the opposite effect on the rest of the crowd, who burst out laughing at our scrap. Jerry was staring down his nose at me with a big smirk, feeling good that everybody took what I said as a joke. Heaven knows what made me attracted to the guy in the first place.

The rest of our friends stood closer. Older guys who came to pick up girlfriends and could manage him. One of them walked over to Jerry, slapped him on the shoulder, and said something in his ear. They exchanged some more words. The guy wasn’t taking no for an answer and pushed him down into his car and told him to get lost. Jerry was a cool guy until that weird night when his personality did a one-eighty.

***

We were already down the road, leaving them to sort it out. I had to make up some boring tale about Chris on the way home. Showing them the paper of the sponsorship. Convincing that he didn’t even mention anything else. Carl and Charlene were actually disappointed and asked me if my crush was over. As soon as Chris’s hand ran down my arm… The way I felt when he touched me… It was no longer a crush… In an instant, our worlds had collided, and only time would tell what would happen. Chris was attractive even on an off day. Being so near him, seeing his bronze-brown eyes… Just a kiss away… sealed the deal for me.

“No, why would my crush vanish when I finally talked to the guy?”

“Because he is obviously not interested.” Carl jabbed at me. It made me chase him trying to slap him. In turn, he used Charlene as a human shield. He gripped her shoulders and pushed her into me. She got so annoyed… In the end, we had a good laugh. Even if it was at my expense.

A car drove past us. One I was so familiar with. Seeing Chris and his wife together left a sour taste in my mouth. They were never together. Why that day? Would he tell her anything? Or everything? I should have followed him. Make sure he didn’t blab.

When they had passed us, Carl stroked my hair and said, “It will be okay… He is going to leave his wife for you. Don’t worry.” I stuck out my tongue at him. Chased him again and gave him a few good swats.

***

Chris Earlier

Without a doubt, I was grasping onto something. It was flesh, and seeing that Juliet had just disappeared… It had to be her, right? She was trying to free her arm. I held on tighter until she relaxed. I wanted to take her hand to reassure her that I was there for her. However, I made the same mistake again, thinking she wouldn’t bolt. Juliet did disappear, and I think even I would’ve run. She jumped back and was gone. Reaching out… there was nothing. “I don’t know if you can hear me, Juliet. I have no clue what just happened. You need to come and talk to me… Soon, okay.”

She seemed just as surprised as I was that I could touch her. The whole experience seemed familiar to the feeling I sometimes had when I was alone… That one specific day… I had thought I was going crazy. It was so long ago and never happened again. I didn’t stick around. Juliet and my moment were over. I walked back to my class, my head in a muddle.

***

I was sitting down behind my desk, staring out into space. There was a shrill voice from the door… Droned out by Juliet’s blushing features... Biting her lip… I chose to ignore Sita at that moment. Juliet’s panicked look made me want to find her at all costs and hold her. Had she heard what I said?

“Chris!”

The shrill voice finally broke through. My head jerked to the door. I was irritated because I knew I would see Sita standing there. “What?” I snapped.

“We have to get going.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t have my car here today. Remember I took it in for repairs.”

“Well, now I do. Go ahead, I’ll be right there.” I picked up the car keys and tossed them at her. I was done being the nice guy… Surprised when she grabbed it without any effort. I frowned… good reflexes for a bookish teacher.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing!”

“Then let’s go. I want to get home.”

“Really? Go home? We have no home! And to what, anyway? You drinking and passing out in front of the tv?” I had barked the words out rougher than I should have. She tilted, spun around, and stormed off. I was tense all over. Sita had a way of passively driving me insane… My fist hit my desk. “What a freaking day!”

***

Driving out of the school, we passed some students, and even from afar, I could see that it was Juliet and her two friends. She was chasing Carl around and smiling. I exhaled. She was okay! Thank heavens… And she was visible! I was really contemplating if I was losing my mind. Did what happened really happen?

They were on the road. Charlene heard the car first. She yelled at them or something. Carl grabbed Juliet and pushed her onto the sidewalk. For how long will she stun me every time I see her? All three stared at the car. They lifted their hands, apologizing for being on the road and greeting two teachers from the school.

Sita nor I waved back. For two very different reasons… I just kept driving. In my rear-view mirror, I saw them gawking at the car. They disappeared as we went around a bend in the road. It didn’t feel good… My knuckles were white around the steering wheel.

***

Sita

“What happened?” Nick asked.

“I don’t know. Chris was doing something weird.”

“Weird how?”

“He was, looking for something.”

“What’s weird about that?”

“He was searching… the air.” I tried to demonstrate, getting up and mimicking his actions. “Feeling around him in a circle. Like this…” I stretched out my arm as Chris had done.

“He probably saw her disappear?”

“He might have. It doesn’t explain why he was trying to find her… I was too far anyway and just got there.”

“What happened after that?”

“She heard me.”

Nick’s anger rose, and he growled at me. “How can you be so careless. We need information about the vampires, and you cannot perform a simple surveillance task.”

“The only reason we know about her is that the man you told me to marry… had taken a fancy to her. If he finds out about her… What then?”

“I am tired of this….” Nicholas said and sat down on the chair behind him. I was being an ass. He didn’t deserve it. I felt terrible lowering my gaze.

“Our race is dying out. The vampires are populating like rabbits. Soon there will be none of us left. Your job was to marry Chris and have a baby?” I didn’t have anything to say because I knew he was right. The man in front of me was old, grey, and dying. Nicholas was trying to save me. Leave me with some kind of future.

Nicholas is my grandfather, but I’ve never been attached to him. Or any of my family. I probably would’ve had kids already… If only I could get over myself and sleep with my husband… I’ve just never been really attached to him either.