⌜ chapter twenty-one ⌟

"What are you doing here?" Lina asks as she looks up at Letty, who just walked into the theater for the play that they're doing at the college.

She shrugs as she sits down next to her. "Alec kicked us all out of the house, and I didn't know what else to do...and I may have heard that Eric's in the play." She admits, staring up at the stage.

"You know you're not doing yourself any favors here, right?"

"I've always been there to support him. I don't...want everything to change." She tells her. "I'm not gonna tell 'im that I'm here. That's why I came in so late, why I'm sitting in the back."

"Can I point out the irony of him playing Romeo?" Lina asks, and she looks at her, not seeing where she's going with this. "What? Oh, come on — lovers forced apart because of the differences in where they came from. It's not that big a stretch."

"Except that our breakup has nothing to do with our parents."

"No, I'd say your dad is pretty heavily involved in what happened." She argues. "And, you know, if Mr. and Mrs. Matthews hadn't raised such a pansy—"

"Lina." She looks at her again, eyebrows furrowed in disapproval.

"What?" She questions. "One new detail about your past, and he lets it completely level your entire relationship."

"It wasn't exactly a small detail."

"Whatever you say, Juliet." She hums, and Letty shakes her head as she looks over at the stage; the play is about to start.

It goes on for awhile, and Eric does really well in his role. Jack's in the play as well, and the boys are both doing a great job. Lina's impressed, and Letty isn't the slightest bit surprised.

Jack's walking off stage with a group of other characters when Eric sneaks on and crosses the stage to push him. Jack turns to face him as Lina leans toward Letty, whispering that she's gonna make fun of them for the tights for the rest of their lives.

"Mercutio slain?" Eric — Romeo — questions as the two start to circle each other. "Fire-eyed fury be my conduct now. Now... Tybalt, take the villain back again, for Mercutio's soul is but a little way above our heads, waiting for thine to keep him company. Either thou or I or both must go with him!"

"Thou wretched boy—" Jack — Tybalt — shakes his head. "—that didst consort him here shalt with him hence." He says as he draws his sword, prompting Eric to do the same.

"This...shall determine that." He says, and then the two boys lunge at each other.

After the play ends, there seems to be a lot of buzz about Eric's performance. The director gives him a bouquet of flowers, and Letty smiles as she watches him up on stage, clapping for him. He starts talking to the actress who played Juliet, holding her hand as they walk to the front of the stage. His smile seems fake, and Letty misses most of the conversation because of the noise, but she catches the part where he calls her Mrs. Eric Matthews right before handing the bouquet of red roses to her.

"You okay?" Lina asks as she looks at her friend, seeing the hurt on her face after hearing Eric's comment.

"Yeah." Letty nods. "He's flirting with other girls. He should move on... This isn't like last time."

The older girl follows after her as she turns around and makes her way out of the theater, and they then start toward Lina's car. Letty walked over, so she's not leaving a car by riding with her friend now.

"So, tell me." Lina starts as she drives down the road toward her house. "Why exactly is this so different from before?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, maybe all he needs is time." She reasons. "He found out that vampires and ghouls are real. I get why he needs to take a beat. Why don't you think you two will ever get back together?"

"He wouldn't let me touch him; he wouldn't let me explain anything to him. He won't talk to me, he won't look at me; he never wants to so much as be in the same room as me." Letty tells her. "I know we worked things out before, but this is different. He looked afraid of me, Lina."

"You really think it's hopeless?" She asks, glancing over at her.

"He avoids Hope, he doesn't talk to Jason, and he only talks to Jack when he has to. Jack said that they're finally making some headway because of the play, but..." She shrugs. "He's avoiding any of us who are hunters. Does it really sound like there's any hope to you?"

"The guy's always been crazy about you. It just seems so...wrong to think that he'll never come to terms with any of this." Lina says, but she doesn't say anything more after that.

—

"Hey, there's our little huntresses. Former, of course." Reggie smiles sarcastically at his younger sister and Letty as they walk into the kitchen.

Lina flips him off as Letty narrows her eyes at him. "What do you want?" The younger girl questions.

"From you? Nothing."

"Good." She says as Lina tosses her a water bottle. "Who's your friend?"

"Am I really that forgettable?" The guy sitting at the island asks, and she turns to look at him. The question is certainly intriguing.

"Mason?" Letty asks, eyebrows furrowed as she looks at her former classmate, and he smiles at the brunette.

"Guess not."

"I didn't..." She scoffs as she looks between him and Reggie. "How do you know this idiot?"

"Words hurt, you little bitch." Reggie says, and she flips him off.

Mason chuckles as his gaze flickers between the two of them. "His dad and mine go way back. I bet yours knew him too, but it's my understanding that Black fell off with most hunters a long time ago." He tells her, and she nods.

"His contacts definitely dwindled... You hunt?" Letty questions. "You're a hunter?"

"Not so much in high school, more now."

"Elkins... As in Daniel?" She asks, and he nods. "Huh... The more you learn."

"He doesn't hunt as broadly as most. He specializes."

"Vampires." The brunette nods.

"Because of that, I didn't get out much." Mason explains. "I hunt a bit more now. I was just hunting with Miller, actually." He tells her, and she looks down, her gaze dropping to the counter.

"Oh, yeah?" Lina asks as she walks up beside Letty, willing to ask the questions that her friend's too proud to. "How's he doing?"

"Not bad. He doesn't stay with his dad so much anymore." He tells them. "I'm not really sure why. He's not exactly the sharing and caring type."

"Are any of us?" She muses, and he smirks.

"Guess not." Mason agrees, and he sees the way Letty's listening and not adding to the conversation anymore.

"He any good?" Lina asks.

"Hell, yeah." He nods. "One of the best I've ever met. I avoid most hunters, but it's not exactly a secret that they don't get much better than a Winchester."

"Clearly you've never seen a Price in action." She smiles, and her brother chuckles as he gets up from his stool and walks around the island counter.

"Who's hungry?" Reggie asks. "You two should be starved. Why the hell do you go on runs?"

"It's called staying in shape." Lina tells him. "You should try it."

"I am in phenomenal shape." He refutes as he holds up his arm, showing off his bicep.

"I don't know. I think Mason might have you beat." Letty muses as she turns to walk out of the kitchen, laughing as she dodges the hand that tries to slap the back of her head.

After dinner, the guys are all talking in the living room, and Emma smiles as she walks over to Letty and Lina in the kitchen. "So, the cute new guy seems to like you." The blonde says, gaining their attention.

"Yes, but she's too stupid to do anything about it."

"Do me a favor?" Letty looks at Lina. "Fall in love, have him dump you, and then tell me how easy it is to just move on."

"I know it's hard, babe, but you're not even trying to move on with your life... Especially your love life." The older girl argues. "If it's really as hopeless as you say it is, then you should be putting in more of an effort at letting go."

"And how do you suggest I do that?" She quirks an eyebrow. "By going out with a guy that you two think is interested in me, that I'm not interested in? Wouldn't that be wrong?"

"Most hunters aren't looking for anything serious." Lina says. "Maybe he's interested in a fling."

"Like a rebound?"

"Yeah."

"No."

"Fine, but Emma's right about one thing." Lina smiles as she looks over at Mason. "He is cute."

"You three disgust me." Tyler says from behind them, and the women all start laughing as they turn to look up at him.