CHAPTER FOUR

The next morning, I just opened my eyes and automatically groaned. I had three classes, all right after each other, and I’d need to sprint through the very crowded quad to get to all three buildings.

And with my recent bout of being famous—I wasn’t excited.

When we’d returned to the dorm last night, I’d been ecstatic to find the vampire gone, but disappointed to find that Adam had also gone. And that was quickly followed with caution and resignation.

Emily had not been happy to meet our newest roommate. But not Kates. She ate it up since she loved anything that resembled drama.

And I knew that she’d love to torment Emily during her stay with us. So that morning, I woke Kates up and made her promise to play nice, which she did with an added sparkle in her eyes.

Not good. That always meant that she’d find a loophole.

But…on the plus side, my first class went fine. It was Psychology 101 and there were enough seats and not enough students, which meant that I was able to sit in the far back and I didn’t have to talk to anyone.

That class passed with not a word about reporters, jumpers, or ‘that girl.’

I was relieved.

I was a little grossed out when the professor explained Sigmund Freud’s reasoning behind the oral fixation in children, but…not my problem. I was okay.

And then I had Biology 101, which was quickly followed with the lab class.

To be truthful, I only had two problems.

One, I opted to ignore the crowded quad and took the long route around campus. That meant I was twenty minutes late to Biology, but I was a coward and not afraid to prove it. And the second: there were a lot of vampires on campus. And more than normal in my classes.

However, when I let myself in my dorm room, I wasn’t given the chance to ponder the explanations.

No, I found myself jumped by Emily as she crowded me against my closet door and exclaimed, heatedly, “She has to go! Now.”

“What? I don’t—”

That was all I got out before Emily shot up a hand and delivered her ultimatum, “Or I’m calling the cops on her.”

Sadly, I wasn’t surprised. This was just how Kates got her jollies. Tiredly, I asked, “What’d she do?”

“What’d she do? What didn’t she do?!” Emily laughed in outrage. She crossed her arms and I could almost see the cloud of smoke puff out of her ears. She was steamed.

The door opened again and Kates sauntered in with a towel and a thong that dangled from her hand. A coy smile was outlined by ruby red lipstick and I instantly knew my nolstage had not just taken a shower.

“Heya, you’re back.” No matter how casual she sounded, I caught the smirk and knew Kates had a grand time with her loophole.

I was tired and I expressed it as I moved Emily aside and hung up my bag. “I have been avoiding wannabe reporters all day. I skipped lunch because I walked all around campus, just to avoid reporters and now…really. I’m tired. I’m hungry. And,” I looked at Emily, “I’ll deal with her later.”

A look of disgust flashed over her face. I knew it would haunt me forever, but she harrumphed once and left through the door.

I closed my closet door when Kates distracted me, “So…how many vamps did you see? Because I’ve seen a good fourteen. And I haven’t left this building.”

“Uh huh,” I mumbled and sat at my desk. I really didn’t want to deal with the vamps, my roommate, or my nostalge. I really was tired.

Kates dropped into Emily’s chair beside me and drawled, “I want to know what’s going on with the vampire population. I’ve been to colleges before. I’ve been to this college before and I remember seeing four, not fourteen. And I was on fraternity lane at that time.”
“So what?” I sighed as I glanced at the message machine. Twenty three messages blinked that they hadn’t been listened. “What am I supposed to do?”

Kates slumped down in the chair and threw a toned leg on the desk. She spoke, matter of factly, “It’s weird that you’re famous. Most girls, like myself, would love to be famous, but we all know your deal—”

“Emily doesn’t,” I intervened quickly.

“Really?” Kates looked proud, but she continued, “so…anyway…you don’t want to be famous. They’ll find out you think yourself as an empath.”

“I am.”

“They won’t think that.” She waved it off. “And they’ll paint you as some psycho who broke some rule and you were the reason why that girl jumped.”

It was preposterous, but it could happen. With my history, it probably would happen.

“So the question is…how long can you avoid them? And…is that going to make them more hungry?”

I could handle the media. I really could. Everyone in the psychic community had grown up with strict guidelines on how to handle possible exposure. Some followed and some didn’t. The ones that the media reported on, they either didn’t care or they wanted their moment in fame.

Anyway—“Why so many vampires?” I wondered outloud. Kates wasn’t going anywhere. I figured my nap wasn’t going to happen.

Kates shrugged and stood up. She dropped the towel and bent over to look through my closet.

I was very relieved to see that she wasn’t naked. “What are you doing? Those are my clothes.”

“Uh…no. I hung my clothes up. No way am I having wrinkly clothes and two—I know you’re all demure when you’re around me, but you have some rocking clothes. Like this one!” And she produced a pair of black leather pants.

I stood and snatched them away, “That’s for a Halloween costume.”

Not really. They were for Adam…the when and where was still up to debate.

Kates just snorted and slipped the pants on anyway. She chose a near-see-through shirt that was sparkly and cream colored.

“I think we should go and ‘interview’ that hottie from last night.”

I held back my involuntary shudder, but I couldn’t stop my teeth from grinding as I wrung out, “No. We won’t.”

Kates heard the emotion and whipped around to face me squarely. And face me squarely she did. Her crystal clear blue eyes pierced straight through me as she crossed her arms and commanded, “Out with it. Now.”

I stared at her in defiance and clipped out, “I don’t like him. That’s all you need to know.”

“Right, because the last time you slammed this wall things were just peachy then too.”

That was Craig.

I glowered and reminded her, “Well, there was a reason I wasn’t feeling so friendly towards you. You were dating the guy that I was daydreaming about. I’d be stupid to have trusted you back then.”

She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and claimed, haughtily, “I only dated him because that bitch told me you were into Chris. I thought you were the backstabbing whore.”

That bitch would never be named. She’d driven a wedge between two best friends and she’d paid for her crimes, but we were still bitter.

I stood slowly from my chair and assured her, “Well…we both know that I wasn’t into Chris.”

“I know…now.”

“Yes…you do.”

Stand still.

And then Kates snorted in disgust, “God…sorry. It’s just…I really hate her for what she did.”

No doubt.

Wearily, now that the battle was done, I looked at the blinking voice messages and suggested, “Food? Or drink?”

Delight flashed over Kate’s features and she snorted again, “Do you have to ask?”

A flood of nostalgic memories rushed through me and I turned to snatch my fake license. For that night, I’d be Silvia Dellawoy and I was a ripe 22 year old from Hillsfield, Illinois.

I just hoped that I wouldn’t meet a bouncer from Hillsfield, Illinois.

“Let’s go, Tammy.”

Kates laughed huskily at the name of her bar name.

“Where to?” I asked this time. I’d bow down to the veteran of fraternity lane.

And Kates flashed her blinding teeth as she reached for the door, “Oh honey. You might not like that vampire, but I know a place where the werewolves hang out. You’ll love them.”

Did Kates know me or what? I loved werewolves. They worked so freaking hard at suppressing their own urges—I didn’t even have to block blocked themselves. Which meant a relaxing and fun evening for me.

I was in.

“But you’re changing clothes,” Kate announced and laughed, evilly eager, as she scoured my closet and pulled out a pair of blue jean tights and a sparkly low cut v-neck top that rested on my hips.

I eyed the clothes, but I knew it was a lost battle. Kates always had her way and it had been a long time since I’d let my hair done. Not literally.

When we left the dorm, I made sure to leave out the back stairway. It was just easier and no one needed to stare from the front television lounge, no one that we wanted to stare. But the bottom door opened and I cringed when I heard a familiar tap of heels on the stairs.

Emily had not chosen the normal stairs. Oh no, she decided to take the back stairway to our room. And she had a steaming bowl of oatmeal in her hands.

Kates reached for the exit door, but paused when Emily rounded the last stairs and blinked in surprise at the sight of us.

I couldn’t blame her. I’d been a jeans and tee shirt girl until Kates came along.

“Hi…” She looked confused.

Kates turned and took her time as she looked both of us up and down and then returned the favor on my roommate.

I saw Emily stiffen. And I couldn’t help it—I stiffened up myself.

We were dressed for a nightclub, a top notch nightclub, and Emily was dressed…for oatmeal. She wore a pair of flannel pajama pants with a baggy sweatshirt and rabbit slippers. Their white ears drooped over and touched the floor, but they were really cute.

“We’re…uh…”

“We’re going out.” Kates smiled, superior, and looped her elbow through mine.

Oh my god. I suddenly felt like we were the popular beautiful girls as we stared down one of the unpopular, dowdy girls.

I hated it.

I removed my elbow and invited warmly, “You want to come with us?”

Kates gasped.

Emily was floored.

And I insisted, “You must. Kates will even do your hair!”

Kates didn’t want Emily to come with. That was obvious and Emily didn’t want to come, but I’d turned everything upside down and now Emily had to come. I’d thrown down my gauntlet. I didn’t want to be one of those snobby girls. Besides, I liked oatmeal.

“Okay…” Emily didn’t sound too sure.

Kates snorted abruptly, but I think she was just trying not to actually growl.

As all three of us slowly traipsed back to the room, I could only hope that Emily wouldn’t realize we were going to a werewolf bar.

If she did…holy crap.

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