I woke up the next morning to someone playing the guitar and a soulful voice stringing along some lyrics. Whoever it was had an amazing voice, but the fireball that was up in the sky needed to calm the fuck down.

This is exactly why I don't drink. I squeezed my eyes shut as the voice becomes softer. I didn't want them to stop singing they sounded amazing. Almost like a lullaby.

I groaned as I rolled over and noticed a glass of water, a Gatorade, and some pain reliever sitting on the night stand.

A small note was stuck under the pills.

Take these when you wake up. Then come find me. We need to talk Bambi.

-R

Well no guess there on who it could have been. I wonder why he wants to talk? And at that exact moment all of the memories from last night come rushing in. Walking down the beach together, the laughter, the jokes, the hand holding. Did we kiss? No I would have remembered that.

Oh man - why did I walk off with him? I should have swatted him away. Like an annoying gnat. Yeah he's an annoying gnat. Not a beautiful muscled man that makes me weak in the knees.

No he's an annoying gnat. I can't keep thinking if him and his delicious...fuck my face...I need this to stop.

I do remember his eyes though at the beginning of the night, still no answer on what happened there. But maybe he would tell me today if I found him.

I rolled back over only to be met with the back of my eyelids as I passed back out to sleep.

"Char!! Char!!" My name being screamed on the other side of my door made me shoot straight up from my latest nap.

Trying to nurse this hangover made me want to murder the person on the other side of my door. I ripped open the door to see Nicole bouncing up and down on her heels. Her hyper attitude needed to be brought down about 60 notches.

"You need to get ready!!! We found a bar in town that doesn't card!!! Let's go!" she screamed. I slammed the door in her face and turned to walk into my bathroom.

That bitch would get shanked if she didn't stop her shit. I can only take so much. My cold shower helped my aching body and my headache only slightly. What was a hundred bongos going off in my head was now only a few going off.

I got dressed quickly in yoga pants and an oversized tshirt and walked down the stairs. No one seemed to be inside and it was already dark out. I guess she went out without me. That means Jack went with her. Maybe Ryder was home and I could finally find out what happened. But first food.

The leftover Chinese food in the fridge was calling my name and I couldn't wait to eat more crab rangoon. Fake crab and duck sauce is amazing.

I heated up the food in the microwave and put it all on a plate and made my way outside. I look over next door to see a few lights on and slowly move my gaze to the porch. All I see is a shadow but for some reason I just know it's Ryder.

"Want some Ry?" I ask and place the plate on the ledge of the porch is it was within his reach.

"How did you know?" He asked huskily.

"Call it intuition or I just know because you are still the same damn creeper." I retorted and he just sighed in response.

I sat down staring up at the stars in complete silence. It took my about 15 minutes to gain up the courage to speak again. Not know if my words would make him angry or not but I was beyond caring at this point. I was annoyed and needed answers.

"Ryder. Can I ask you something and you give me the honest truth?" I asked.

He paused for a moment and moved closer to me so I could see his face better.

"Depends on the question." He answered.

I rolled my eyes in response and huffed in annoyance. My brown hair whipping around my face as the sea breeze slowly picked up in speed.

"Fine. What happened to your eyes last night?" I asked blatantly. The mood shifted instantly and I saw his entire body freeze and stare at me.

"What?" He asked breathlessly.

"Your eyes. They went all dark and veiny. Don't tell me I didn't see it Ryder." I said back turning my entire body to him.

"No. Ask another question." He said forcefully.

"Of course." I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Never mind. See you tomorrow." I stood up and grabbed my plate.

"No. Don't leave. We need to talk." He said grabbing my wrist.

"Then fucking talk Ryder." I said ripping my wrist away from him.

"Don't get an attitude with me." He said lowly.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Me get an attitude? Why the hell not? All you do is ignore me, follow me, bully me, yell at me, then try and order me around. Why the hell do you think you can tell me what to do?" My voice raised with every word that came out of my mouth until the end when I was outright screaming at him.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP. YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU ARE ASKING." He screamed.

His eyes. His eyes became black again. My eyes widened in response. It was even scarier now that they were directed at me. I had never seen anything like it before and I couldn't explain it.

"What the actual fff....." I started.

"Fuck." He whispered and clenched his eyes shut and shook his head again.

"You are a damn liar Ryder. I'm sick of this shit. I'm done. I'm done with you. I'm done with your bullshit and your lies. I don't want to talk to you or see you ever again. If you see me at college do us both a fucking favor and turn the fuck around to go somewhere else." I said through gritted teeth.

"No. Please." He said softly. His eyes now back to normal. He could plead all he wanted. It wouldn't work with me. People can only take so much until they walk away.

"No Ryder. You have had multiple chances." I whispered swallowing the lump in my throat.

"I can't tell you because it would put you, me, and my entire family in danger." He said as I turned to walk away.

Against my better judgement I turned back around to look at him.

"Why?" I asked firmly.

"Because my family and I, we aren't like you. We aren't innocent. We aren't exactly... human." He explained, his voice getting softer by the minute.

Human? Not human? Not exactly human? What the ever loving fucking bullshittery was he spewing from his mouth hole?!

But I didn't yell. I didn't scream. His "explanation" pissed me off even more.

"So it's ok to keep things from me and now lie straight to my face? Like you were never my best friend? Like we never had anything between us?" I demanded. I needed answers and his cryptic shit talk was getting worse. Like I said a person can only take so much.

I scoffed and shook my head.

His eyes met mine and in an instant I couldn't tear myself away. My feet and legs were glued...no locked in place and I could barely move my arms.

Why couldn't I look away from him?

My eyes widened when I fully look at his face. I couldn't believe it was happening again. A couple of times could have been written off especially in an alcoholic stupor.

But here I was. Completely and utterly sober and I was....terrified? Maybe.

His eyes became black, the entire eyeball. Void of any emotion, and locked into my stare. His eyelids, and cheeks became dark and veiny. Black, purple, and red veins trailed up to his eyes. But the thing that really got me were his teeth.

His teeth had elongated like a dog's canines. But he's Ryder. No, my Ryder never turned in to anything. But his teeth didn't stop. They grew long and pointy.

I don't even know when I had stopped breathing, or even if I had. All I could hear was my heartbeat and my blood rushing to my head. My body screaming for oxygen.

And then I felt free. I still saw him in front of me with his face still looking downright evil, but I wasn't scared. I was enthralled. I could move too, my conscience screaming at me to run.

My body told me to reach and touch him. And I did.

Before I could even think about my movements my hand was reaching out to him as if I wasn't in control of my own body movements.

Was he making me do this?

Was he making me feel like this? Like my heart would stop beating if I didn't just touch him.

My hand stopped as I heard a growl. I flinched and slammed my eyes shut.

"No. Not you Bambi." His soft voice came out.

"Wh-wh-what a-a-are you?" I asked tried to calm down my body. My hands were now clenched at my sides.

"Look at me Bambi." His voice sounded tortured and strained.

"Look at me." His voice sounded more commanding this time after I took a couple of moments to answer him.

My eyes shot up to his face.

"What do I look like to you?" He asked. His tongue skimmed his elongated left canine.

I stared at the action and right back up at his eyes. He almost had a smirk to his face like he was enjoying my fear. But I wasn't scared, was I?

"You still look like my Ryder." I whispered out in one breath.

His body tensed at my words and he looked me right in the eyes.

A tense few seconds passed that made it seem like hours.

"I don't terrify you?" He asked lowly.

I shook my head and answered, "Am I supposed to be scared?" My voice came out soft when I wanted it to be strong.

I was stronger then this but his presence made me feel weak and like putty in his hands.

What was he?

I sucked in a breath as he moved in so close I could feel his body heat radiating off of him. My body hummed from his warmth and I let out the breath I had been keeping in slowly.

"You amuse me Bambi." He whispered. His finger tucked under my chin and lifted my face higher to stare further in to his eyes.

Pitch black. Nothing. I felt like I was floating in the air but his eyes looked devoid of emotion, but I could feel every emotion rolling off of him.

Hunger, lust, anger, and fear. Why fear though...shouldn't I fear him?

"Why-why are you scared of what I think about you?" I asked. My voice empty of emotion. The question came out quicker then I thought it would but he immediately let go of my chin.

"Because you are you Bambi." He said. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I stared at his chest. He was breathing evenly but I could tell something was off about him.

"Ryder?" I asked. I felt like my voice was squeaking like a mouse now.

"Yes my love?" He asked. His tongue grazing along his teeth again.

"What are you?" I asked bravely. My emotions were everywhere. But I didn't know how to feel, how I was supposed to react, or why I felt so safe around a thing from my nightmares.

"What do you think I am?" He asked.

"A vam-.....no you can't be." I whispered shaking my head. This has to be a sick fucking dream and I'm still drunk.

"You can say it." His voice was commanding but not demanding. My gaze went to the floor as I stood with my thoughts.

Could he really be one? Could he be the thing from my nightmares? I quickly looked back up at him but he was staring out the window.

I took a long gaze at my face.

"You are my Ryder. My best friend. My childhood crush. You are a creeper, a stalker, and a bully. But you will always be my Ryder." I said, hoping my confidence shown through my words.

"Am I human?" He asked.

I shook my head and he smirked, "Then what am I Bambi? I need to hear the words coming from those sweet lips of yours." He whispered getting closer to me.

I swear his face changed again and I whispered the one word I never thought I would say unless I was talking about a supernatural creature and not the man standing in front of me.

"Vampire."