The Vampire He Is (Vinnie Hacker)

Sarah

"When I finally had one thing to myself," he paused, looking at me. "You took that too." 

 TW: Coarse language and sexual slurs. 

 Vinnie and I had lunch at Wendy's, talking about our lives. I felt the rage hearing him talk about his anger towards Sheila. Talking to him made me feel at ease. It was as if he knew what to say to make me feel better. Vinnie paid for lunch and held my hand as we walked out of Wendy's together; the whole while, fireworks were going off inside me. 

  "Pathetic," a male voice spits from behind us. We turn and see Josh, his fists clenched and a look of hurt on his face. "Josh, what are you talking about?" Vinnie asked. Josh's eyes were glued to me. He didn't acknowledge Vinnie's question until I asked him the same. 

  "You didn't like her. You changed seats with me because you hated her. Now, you're going on a date with her?" Josh asked, his fists shaking. I was confused. I turned to Vinnie, hoping for an explanation, but Vinnie was focused on Josh. "I didn't hate her. We were in a fight," he replied. "And magically, not even a week later, you've patched up with her, and you're going on a date. You said you didn't have a crush on her." Josh was furious for reasons I didn't understand. 

  "Josh, why are you mad?" I asked. His gaze turned from Vinnie to me, and I felt Vinnie's grip on me tighten. "Don't even get me started on you, slut," he spat. I was taken aback by this. Vinnie charged towards Josh, and I was afraid he was going to hurt him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Vinnie demanded, grabbing Josh by the collar. I ran up to them, begging Vinnie to let him go. He caved in, and Josh fell to the ground. Tears were streaming down my face, and as Josh was gasping for air, I reached out and gave him my water. He looked at me with the coldest look I've ever seen, then slapped the water out of my hands. "That's enough, Josh. Why the hell are you acting like such a dick?" 

  He scoffed as he got up. The bitterness in his voice was back. "You led me on. I thought you were into me when you said you didn't miss Vinnie and openly flirted with me in class. You led me to believe I could have a shot with you. But, you've just been screwing my best friend, the guy you didn't want to have anything to do with, like the whore you are," he spat. Vinnie clenched his fists, getting ready to charge at him again, but I held him back. I was so taken aback by Josh's words to the point that I wasn't even hurt by what he'd called me. 

  "Josh, I'm sorry if I led you to think that you had a shot with me. You're a nice guy, and you deserve someone who will treat you better. I only did all that to get back at Vinnie," I admitted. He exhaled sharply, biting his lip in that sarcastic annoyance. "So you've been using me?" He asked. I shook my head, hoping I could convince him that I hadn't used him, but deep down, I knew I had. "Josh, drop it, man," Vinnie started, but Josh cut him off. "No. You have no idea what it's like living in your shadows. Every girl wants you; it has always been you. When I finally had one thing to myself," he paused, looking at me. "You took that too." 

  I felt horrible for what Josh had to go through, but there was nothing I could do. Vinnie and I stood there, not able to say a word. Josh shook his head, exhaling sharply. "Go to hell," he spat, walking off. Vinnie turned to me; there was a rage in his eyes. It wasn't fair for him to be mad at Josh after hearing what Josh felt like, but I saw hurt and sympathy even in the rage. He mouthed 'let's go', and I followed along. It was hard to say anything right now. 

  We made it to Vinnie's old house in the outskirts of the woods in complete silence. The tension surrounding us was suffocating. "I'm going to look around for anything I can find that could be of use," he stated. I nodded, pursing my lips. He went into the house, and I went on my phone. I was scrolling through Instagram when I got a text. It was from my father. "Come home soon. We're having a family dinner, and we have something important to tell you," it read. I was confused but sent him an 'ok' in response. My mind began racing with possibilities about what my parents had wanted to talk about so urgently. They had never done that.