Obsession Starts with a V

Chapter 27

"Where's the birthday girl?" Paul cheered as he walked into Max's home. He plopped down two large boxes on the living room coffee table and looked at Max who was standing near the kitchen. There was an awkward silence as Marko and David trailed in behind him.

"Max?" Paul raised an eyebrow.

"There was...a problem." Max finally answered.

Sam was laying on the couch with his head leaning against a stack of pillows. "I feel horrible. It's all my fault." He murmured.

David squinted his eyes at Sam. "What did you do?"

"It's nobody's fault." Max intercepted before the two boys ended up in an argument. "Veronica just had a bad day at her mother's house. She won't tell us what happened, though."

"Where is she?" David asked.

"Up in the guest room." Sam replied.

David nodded and swiftly climbed the stairs ready to fix the situation.

"I already tried talking to her, it didn't work." Sam called after him.

David ignored him and continued on his quest. He knocked on the bedroom door and waited a few seconds for Veronica to open it slightly and peer at him through the crack. Without saying a word, she opened it wide enough for him to slip inside.

"Fucking David to the rescue." Sam cursed under his breath.

"What was that?" Max sternly looked at the boy. Lucy was out of hearing range for his comment, but Max was not.

"Uh, nothing!" Sam smiled sheepishly.

Inside Veronica's room, David sat on her bed and watched as she closed herself up in the closet across from him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I don't want you to see me like this." She explained from the other side of the door.

"Then why did you let me in?"

"Because," Veronica trailed off trying to think of why she did. "I don't know."

"Want to tell me what happened at your mom's house?"

"Can I have a hug first?"

The request came so quickly and randomly, David had to pause to make sure he heard her right. "What? Why?"

"Nevermind," Veronica sniffed.

"No, why would you want a vampire to hug you?"

"I said nevermind."

"Little V, I swear if you don't come out of that closet and talk to me face to face, then I'll..." he looked around the room for a threat that wasn't overly mean. "Then I'll rip the head off of your Count Chocula."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine then," he said as he picked up the plushie that was sitting next to him. He frowned at the ridiculous looking brown vampire. "I'm really not kidding about this."

There was no response from the closet, so David shrugged. The next thing Veronica knew, she heard a gut wrenching sound of cloth ripping.

"No!" She screamed as she flung the door open so hard it crashed against the wall leaving a dent. David sneered and threw her Count Chocula at her, still fully intact. Veronica looked confused until she noticed the corner of the comforter on her bed had been ripped off.

"You're a jerk." She glared at him and crushed her prized plushie against her chest.

"And you're gullible. My heart may have stopped working and I may be cold, but I wouldn't destroy a pathetic child's toy."