Heather Brewer - Tenth Grade Bleeds

Vlad chewed his bottom lip for a moment. “What if he told me the reason, and now he wants me to do something for him that I don’t want to do? Only… the reason I don’t want to do it is because I’m scared we won’t be friends anymore after that.”

Nelly paused notably before narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “Is whatever he’s asking you to do illegal?”

“Nope. Nothing like that.”

“Just checking.” She smiled, this time more naturally. At least her bloodsucking ward wasn’t a criminal. “Well, I suppose you’ll just have to decide if Henry’s needs, and his happiness, are important enough to you that you can take that risk.”

It seemed simple enough. But applying that logic to actual actions seemed more daunting to Vlad than hang gliding in a blizzard.

Nelly patted his hand. “But the most important thing that you need to do right now, Vladimir, is put this out of your mind and have fun at the dance. Are you ready to go?”

Vlad sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I guess so.”

Nelly gave his hand a squeeze and stood up to leave his room. She stopped at the door just long enough to tell him, “By the way, you look very handsome.”

Alone once again, Vlad adjusted the signet ring on his pinkie, and tried to put his argument with Henry in the back of his mind. He took a deep breath and left his room, heading downstairs. He had a dance to get to.

Nelly had insisted on driving Vlad and Meredith to the dance-partly, Vlad thought, to lessen his and his girlfriend’s alone time. They had just backed out of the driveway on their way to Meredith’s house when Nelly started in. “If you get hungry, just give me a call. I can always stop by with a few blood bags. Better safe than sorry, you know.”

Vlad rolled his eyes. Nelly was seriously blowing things out of proportion. It wasn’t like Vlad had tried to bite Meredith intentionally or anything. Besides, it had only happened once and not recently. Just that one time, after the Halloween party, and that teensy little moment in the broom closet. So, twice. It was no big deal, really. Looking back, Vlad could almost forget the horror of that moment when he realized he’d been poised to snack on the girl of his dreams. Almost.

They came to a stop in front of Meredith’s house. Vlad opened his door and started to get out, but Nelly stopped him. “Hey, you might need this.”

She handed him a clear plastic container. Inside was a wrist corsage of white roses and black feathers. Vlad had completely forgotten about flowers. “You picked this out?”

She nodded.

“Good choice. Thanks, Nelly.”

Nelly smiled, and Vlad closed the door behind him, making his way up the icy sidewalk to the front porch of Meredith’s home. He rang the bell, and a large shadow appeared on the other side of the door. The door opened to reveal Meredith’s father. He had the broadest shoulders that Vlad had ever seen. He glared at Vlad and kept his voice low. “No funny business, and have her home by eleven. You hear me?”

Meredith’s sweet voice lilted from within. “Daddy, let Vlad in. It’s cold out there.”

Meredith’s mother, a thin woman with warm brown eyes and strawberry blonde hair, appeared by Mr. Brookstone’s side. “Really, Harold, let the boy in.”

She smiled at Vlad as her husband retreated back into the house. “Don’t mind him, Vlad. He’s a big teddy bear. Come on in. Oh, what a lovely corsage!”

Vlad was quite certain Mr. Brookstone was a bear of some sort-maybe a grizzly or a Kodiak-but definitely not a teddy. And his diet absolutely consisted of boys that dated his daughter. He moved inside and closed the door, and when Meredith drifted down the stairs, Vlad’s heart choked him into speechlessness.

She wore a long, white satin gown, with embroidered black snowflakes adorning the bodice. In several spots, the snowflakes seemed to cascade down her dress. Her chocolate hair was in ringlets, and pinned up so that the curls barely brushed her shoulders. She looked more beautiful than any girl Vlad had ever seen.

As she left the bottom step, Vlad found his voice. Taking a step forward, he said in hushed awe, “Meredith… you look amazing.”

Behind him, the bear growled.

Mrs. Brookstone smacked her husband gently on the arm and picked up her camera. “Come on, you two; let’s get some pictures so you can be off to the dance.”

Vlad opened the corsage box and slipped the corsage on to Meredith’s wrist. As he did so, he noticed the tiny snowflakes painted on her fingernails. Meredith gasped. “Oh Vlad, it’s perfect!”

Vlad beamed. “I picked it out just for you.”

She leaned forward, like she was going to kiss him on the cheek, and then faltered, as if remembering her boyfriend-eating father was in the room. Vlad smiled gratefully.

After posing for approximately five bajillion pictures, Vlad helped Meredith with her coat, and they moved out the door and down the sidewalk to the car. Vlad held her hand over the icy parts, not wanting her to slip and fall. He was keenly aware of the bear’s eyes on him the entire time. Once they were safely in the car, Nelly gushed over Meredith’s gown. Vlad stayed quiet for most of the drive, allowing Nelly and Meredith their girl-focused conversation while he mused about how lucky he was to be dating a girl like her. But overshadowing his thoughts was tonight’s argument with Henry… and what it would mean if he was no longer Vlad’s drudge.

Their friendship, Vlad wagered, would be a memory. Vlad would be alone, lacking that bond of blood and promises that he’d had since he was eight years old. What would it be like to be without a drudge? Would he make another? No. No, he didn’t think he was even capable of such an act. After all, if Henry weren’t his drudge, what was the sense in creating another?

Vlad bit his lip. The thing was… he wanted Henry to be happy. And if breaking that bond would give him a chance at happiness, then Vlad had no choice. What it came down to was the fact that Vlad would do anything for his best friend-even if that meant losing him forever.

Meredith squeezed his hand, and when he met her eyes, it was clear she was wondering what was wrong. But how could he explain that part of his soul was breaking off, all because of eons of vampire tradition? He couldn’t. So instead he forced a smile and squeezed her hand in return.

At the school, Nelly took pictures of them standing in the snow. She insisted the photographs would be memories they would cherish for a lifetime, but Vlad was pretty sure the memory-retaining part of his brain had been frozen solid by the time she finished snapping pictures.

At last, Vlad led Meredith up the snow-covered steps and into the school. Soft light filled the halls, and silver snowflakes glistened all over the floor, guiding them into the gym. Meredith covered her mouth in awe. Vlad’s eyes went wide. The room had been transformed into a winter palace in honor of the annual Snow Ball. The punch and snack table was disguised to look like a snowbank. Silver, white, and blue snowflakes hung from the large arched ceiling. An ice sculpture of a giant snowflake stood next to the food. And the DJ’s booth had been completely wrapped in silvery paper, giving it a frosty exterior. It was the coolest dance theme that he had ever seen.

Melissa bounded up to Meredith, and they squealed over each other’s dresses. Mike nodded to Vlad like they were old pals. “What’s up, Vlad?”

“Not much.” Vlad beamed. It was hard not to smile on such a magical night. A night, he noted with a quick glance around, that didn’t include Eddie’s stalking or Bill and Tom’s bullying.

A song that Vlad knew by heart pounded from the DJ’s speakers, and the girls dragged him and Mike onto the dance floor. Vlad froze for a moment, because he really had no idea what he was doing. But eventually, he figured out a way of shifting his feet around that almost, sorta, kinda felt like dancing. After two songs, Meredith excused herself, and Vlad took refuge by the punch bowl.