Vampires Will Never Hurt You

I woke up sore, with a throbbing headache. It took me a second to remember what had happened the night before and why I was on the floor. My eyes burned with fresh tears as I stood up. I needed to talk to Gerard. I decided that I needed to get to him as fast as I could, so I reached for my purse off of my vanity. A flash of white caught my eye.
Inside of my purse was an envelope. My stomach tied into a thousand knots as I knew who it was from. My hands shook while I removed it from my bag and opened it. In neat handwriting it read,


"Your mother is beautiful. I see you got your hair from her. I'd hate for something to happen to her. Let's keep out meetings between you and me. And trust me, I'll know if you talk to him."


I let out a strangled cry. He was threatening to hurt my mother. Horror washed through me as I realized I couldn't run to Gerard. Wave after wave of pain consumed me while I lay curled up on my floor, snot and tears running down my face while the realization that I was helpless rolled through me. I wanted to be near Gerard, but the risk of Mikey knowing would be too great. I had to protect my mother. I had to avoid Gerard.


I sat at dinner, my lips pressed together determinedly. I was trying my hardest not to cry while my mother chattered on to my father about her day. See, one of the cons of being is alive is feeling. Nothing really matters when you're dead. Now I was full and pulsing with emotions. Fear for my mother, anger at Mikey, and unimaginable sorrow for Gerard. All of these feelings made me feel more alive than I ever had. I knew that I had to do whatever I could to protect both my mother and Gerard. Myself be damned.

Monday rolled around. I walked by myself to the courtyard, no longer having the luxury of friends to escort me. I knew I must look like I felt. My hair was greasy and unkept. I was too afraid to shower, for fear that he might show up. The bags under my eyes showed that I needed sleep, and I wore the baggiest, most unflattering clothes I could. I wanted to be left alone. I entered the courtyard and saw Mikey had rejoined the group. We made eye contact and he flicked his eyes to the side almost unnoticably. I followed his gaze and saw the cracked door of the janitor's supply closet on one of the brick walls encompassing the courtyard. Suddenly I understood.
Without missing a step, I turned midstride and made my way to the closet, ignoring Gerard when he called my name. I willed myself not to look at him, but became afraid that he might follow after me. I felt my heart break in my chest as I mustered the dirtiest look I could.
"I don't want anything to do with you." I whispered. From across the courtard I saw his face fall. I knew he had heard me. With that I stepped into the darkness of the janitor's closet to await my fate.