Bloodlines

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE BEGINNING

                                                                    OCTOBER 30TH, 2006

                 It was the day before Halloween. I walked into school and the student council had already started decorating the entire school for tomorrow's Halloween dance, which literally no one besides the freshmen. Chloe handed out the last few invitations to her yearly Halloween parties to the sophomores, juniors, and seniors. being one of Chloe's best friends, I of course got one of the first invitations.
                 "Lucy, did you ask your parents if you can come to my party tomorrow night?" Chloe asked.
                 "I'll ask tonight." I said.
                 "You've been saying that for the past month, are you that scared?"
                 "It's just my dad is very strict, i don't know if he'll let me go."
                 "Won't know until you try, Lucinda."
                "I promise, i'll ask tonight."
                "You can ask your mom, i'm sure she'd let you go."
                "Yeah she would."
                "So there you go!"
                "But, I also need my dad's consent. If he says no, then i'm stuck."
                "Well let's hope he says yeah, you don't wanna end up here tomorrow, eating cold pizza and drinking lukewarm water." Chloe fake-gagged.
                "Definitely not."
                 Across the hall, I saw Jacob, Chloe's boyfriend. Unknown to Chloe however, I had a crush on him. I knew I shouldn't, it's not right. I should not have a crush on Chloe's boyfriend, but for some reason, I couldn't resist. Jacob walked over to us. He was tall, towering over both Chloe and me. He was slim, with lean muscles. He had fair skin and shaggy dark-brown hair with green eyes. Of course, his look wasn't complete without his black leather jacket, v-neck shirt, and black slim-fitted jeans.
                "Hey girls." He said. He cupped Chloe's face in his hands and kissed her. I looked around uncomfortably.
                 After what felt like forever, the two of them stopped kissing. Jacob turned to me and poked my nose. "What's up with you?"
              "I was asking Lucy here if she's going to my party tomorrow." Chloe informed.
              "Oh yeah, you should totally go." Jacob said.
              "I want to, but you know my dad, he-" Jacob was looking directly into my eyes, something he usually does when talking to me. It was almost hypnotizing. he hardly does that with Chloe.
               "You should ask him tonight."
               "I will." I blurted out, without thinking. It felt like the words just slipped out without giving me time to react.
               "Good." He smiled. "We're still going to your house after school right?"
               "Yeah, of course."
               "That's right. Hey, Lucy?" Chloe started whispering and motioned her head towards Jacob. "Excuse us?"
               I cleared my throat. "Sure." I turned around and heard them kissing behind me as I walked to my next class. I walked into history class and sat next to Indi. She was brushing her long brown hair.
               "Hey Luce. Can you believe this is like the third time I brushed my hair today? God, it's such a nuisance. I think i'm gonna cut it, then dye it. What do you think?" She asked.
              "I think a bob-cut would look nice on you. Maybe dye it black with blue highlights." I suggested.
              "Now that sounds cool." She said, brushing her hair out of her face. "So are you going to Chloe's Halloween party?"
              "I'm asking my dad tonight, I promise."
              "Got'cha. Alex and Raven are going too."
              I nodded. Jacob walked into the room, fixing his hair. Him and Chloe clearly had a rough make-out session. Some girls in my class were staring at him and smiling. They ere trying their hardest to look as pretty as possible for him.
                "Still eyeing him, I see." Indi said.
                "No I wasn't." I coughed.
                "Lucy, that's Chloe's boyfriend."
                 I sighed. "I know. he's a junior. He's dating the hottest, most popular girl in the whole school. I barely stand a chance against her. Jacob would never pick me."
                "Hey, don't be like that. You're beautiful in your own way."
                 I shook my head. "There's just something about him. He's mysterious, yet charming. he's like...Edward Cullen."
                "Really? No. Vampires are not real. And if they were, I don't think they would be like those little twihards. I think they'd be more like L.J. Smith's vampires."
               "What about Anne Rice?"
               "Nothing beats Bram Stoker." Jacob called from across the room.
                I blushed.
               "Lucy, you're turning red. Your fairness makes it obvious." Indi giggled.
                I rolled my eyes and opened my notebook.
               After school, Chloe and I went to my house. We did each other's nails while waiting for Jacob to arrive. He mentioned he had a dentist appointment. The only other nail polish color I had other than black was red, so i painted Chloe's nails red.
                "Lucy, when are you gonna get yourself a boyfriend?" Chloe asked.
                "Um, whenever a guy is into me." I said.
                "Oh c'mon Luce, you're beautiful. You just need to put yourself out there. That's what I did."
                "Chloe, look at yourself. You're literally an amazon. You're tall, you have naturally golden blonde hair, evenly tanned skin, and you're like the most popular cheerleader in Woodstake High. Every guy wants you." Hearing that made Chloe smile. "And then there's me: frail, black hair to go with this pale skin, totally the opposite of you."
              "Oh don't beat yourself up. You got a little something back there." Chloe slapped my butt, making me gasp.
              "Chloe!"
              "Look, the perfect guy will find you one day. He'll walk into your life, look at you, and feel like the happiest, most luckiest guy in the world. You just gotta keep your chin up."
               I smiled. "Thanks Chloe."
              "Anytime."
              An hour later, Jacob arrived to my house. The three of us hung out in my room and watched a pretty shitty movie. But the movie wasn't the problem. Chloe and Jacob were making out, making me feel like the third wheel. Sometimes I feel like Chloe turns into another person when Jacob is around. And it always looked like Jacob had this hunger for Chloe in his kisses. I had to be honest, I was jealous. Envious. I liked Jacob, but I knew I didn't stand a chance against Chloe. A few months ago, Chloe and I both had a massive crush on Jacob. But of course, he chose her. Chloe didn't know that, even though the two of us were very close. After they got together, she would always talk about him. She even told us how they both lost their virginity to each other. I don't know why I still have hope.
              "Do you two need the rooms to yourselves?" I coldly asked, not even realizing the words came out my mouth.
              "Oh don't be so sour, Lucy." Chloe said.
               My dad then walked in the room. Chloe and Jacob immediately stopped kissing.
               "It's getting late." He said.
               "The movie's almost over, sir." Jacob said.
               "I wasn't talking to you."
               "Dad, it's okay, the movie is almost over." I said.
                For some reason, my dad always despised Jacob. He seemed to dislike any boy coming to my house, especially my room. That would also explain my lack of boyfriends or experience with love. After the movie ended, I walked Chloe and Jacob to the door. I felt my dad's stare burn holes into the back of my head.
              "See you guys at school." I said. I closed the door and turned around to see that my dad had relaxed his mean, over-protective dad face.
              "Look dad, Jacob is Chloe's boyfriend, not mine."
              "Sweetie, I just have a bad feeling about him, that's all."
               I crossed my arms. "You say that about every guy i'm friends with."
               My dad got up and held my arms. "You know I care about your safety. You can't trust people around here these days."
              "I know how to defend myself dad, i'm not a damsel in distress."
              "I know you're not."
              "Dad, i've been meaning to ask...can i go to Chloe's Halloween party tomorrow?"
              "You know how dangerous it gets on Halloween, no you cannot go. Especially not if that Jacob boy is going."
               "What?! Why not? Chloe's house is not that far from here, and it's not like we're drinking alcohol or anything, it'll be fun."
               "Lucinda, I already made my decision."
                 I got angry now. "Well it's bullcrap! i'm turning sixteen in four months, why do you keep treating me like a baby?"
                "One day, you'll understand." My dad then walked upstairs to him and my mom's room.
                 I angrily marched up to my room and threw myself on my bed. A few hours later, I woke up to tapping sounds coming from my window. I got up to check what it was and to my surprise, I saw Jacob standing outside, waving at me. In order to avoid waking my parents up, I picked up my phone and texted Jacob.
                                  Me: What're you doing here so late?
                                 Jacob: I just wanna talk.
                                 Me: At 3:00 a.m.?
                                Jacob: It's the witching hour lol
                                Me: ...
                               Jacob: No seriously, can we talk?
                               Me: Okay, fine.
               I opened the window, but Jacob waved his hands, telling me to bank away. He then effortlessly climbed up to my window and came inside without even making a sound. It was pretty impressive. It was also the first time a boy sneaked through my window. It was like I was living in a teen drama.
               "So, what's up?" I asked.
               "Did you ask your dad if you can go to Chloe's party tomorrow?" He asked.
               "He said no."
               "That's no good."
               "Yeah? Tell me about it."
               "He shouldn't treat you like a child."
               "Well, that's life Jacob."
               "Well life sucks." He scoffed.
               "You can always sneak out."
               "Oh no, my dad would kill me if I snuck out of the house."
                Jacob looked directly into my eyes. "You won't know unless you try. And besides, it's gonna be a real cool party. Chloe's parties are always the best."
                "Why wouldn't it be? She's Chloe. Plus, she'd spend the whole time making out with you."
                "Is that why you seemed upset earlier?"
                 I shook my head. "No! It's just no matter what, it's always Chloe everyone picks."
                "What would you say if I chose you?"
                 I froze for a second. There was no way in hell Jacob would choose me over Chloe. I mean, it's all i've truly wanted. For someone to choose me for once. To be someone's first choice. "Why would you?"
                "Look at you, you're so beautiful. And real. All I ever wanted was someone real." Jacob leaned forward, held my face and kissed me. Butterflies swarmed through my stomach. He pulled away and smiled.
                 "Chloe's gonna kill me."
                  Jacob looked into my eyes again, while still holding my face. "Not if you don't tell her. this can be our little secret."
                   I nodded. "Okay."
                  "Now, will I see you at the party tomorrow?"
                  "Yes." The way Jacob looked into my eyes was almost hypnotizing. "I should really get back inside."
                 "Fair enough."
                  Jacob let go of my face and I closed my eyes for a second, trying to process what just happened. I opened my eyes, but he already disappeared, no sign of him. Weird. I closed my window and laid back down. I could barely go back to sleep. I couldn't believe Jacob actually kissed me. I didn't know what to feel right now. If Chloe found out, she'd kill me.
                 The next day, I went to school and saw Indi, Alex, and Raven by the lockers.
                 "Guys, we need to talk." I said.
                 "What is it, Lucy?" Alex asked.
                  I looked around and edged closer to the girls. "Jacob kissed me." I whispered.
                 "He kissed you?!" Indi whispered, almost too loudly.
                 "Shh!"
                 "Okay, how'd this happen?" Raven asked.
                 "Last night, he went to my house. I swear his eyes were hypnotizing, but he said i'm more real than Chloe. Whatever that means."
                 "Woah Luce, that is big."
                 "I don't know what to do! It felt good in the moment, but now I can't even face Chloe, or him for that matter."
                   Indi held my arms. "Alright, calm down, breathe."
                "Just make sure you don't tell Chloe." Alex said.
                "Yeah I know, Jacob told me not to."
                  Sahara then came up to me, nearly making my heart drop. She was also one of Chloe's closest friends. "Hey Lucy."
                 "Oh hey Sahara. what's up?" I asked.
                 "Did we get any homework for chemistry?"
                 "No, we didn't"
                 "Oh thank god. Anyway, are you going to Chloe's party tonight?"
                 "Yes. Yes, I will."
                 "Great, i'll see you there." Sahara walked fast to her class, her long black hair trailing behind her.
                "Wait, you're going to the party?" Raven asked.
                 I nodded.
                 "Your dad allowed you to go?" Alex asked.
                 "No, but i'm going to sneak out." I revealed.
                 "You are? That's my girl." Indi put on a smug expression.
                  In the distance, I saw Chloe walking towards our direction. Her blonde head bouncing in the hallway. My heart was racing and I felt myself sweating.
                  "Um, I gotta go to the bathroom." I told the girls and left in the other direction, not waiting for the girls' response.
                   I rushed inside the bathroom. This was about to be a long day. Avoiding Chloe didn't feel right, and obviously neither did kissing her boyfriend. But I couldn't face her. I felt bad for kissing Jacob. I didn't even understand why he did it Since my freshman year, everyone had the hots for Chloe. She always felt beautiful. I never felt or thought I was beautiful.
                  Chloe then came into the bathroom. my heart was pounding at this point. I could see by her facial expression that she didn't seem vibrant like she usually was.
                 "Are you alright?" I hesitated to ask.
                 "Jacob's avoiding me." She said.
                 "What? Why?"
                 "I don't know! I tried to talk to him twice and both times he's said 'I have to go do something."
                 I immediately felt bad, and selfish. Jacob is avoiding Chloe, and it's my fault. I shouldn't have let him kiss me. "I don't know what to say to that, Chloe."
                 "Have you spoken to him?"
                 I shook my head. "No, I didn't see him today."
                 Chloe groaned and hugged me. I even felt weird hugging her back. "I know you haven't had too much experience with love but, i'll always confide in you."
                  I couldn't take it anymore, I had to tell Chloe the truth. I needed to tell her. i backed away from her. "Chloe...I have something I need to tell you."
                 "What is it?" She asked.
                 "I...I..." For some reason, I couldn't say the words. I tried to say them, but it was like my mouth was forcing itself not to. "I'm coming to your party tonight."
                 Chloe lit up with excitement. "Yes! I knew you could make it! I'll see you tonight." Chloe hugged me and then walked out of the bathroom and went to her class.
                  I let out a groan and felt like I wanted to puke. What the hell was that? Why couldn't I tell Chloe the truth? I just froze. Why? I used to always be able to tell Chloe the truth about anything, so why couldn't I tell her about this? This wasn't even because I kissed Jacob, I just couldn't physically say it. I walked out of the bathroom and headed for class when suddenly I bumped into somebody.
                 "Oh! I'm so sorry." I said. I looked up at the boy. He was very tall, about an inch or two taller than Jacob. He had golden blond hair and sapphire blue eyes. His skin was smoothed and fair. 
                 "Oh no, it's okay, I should've watched where I was going." The two of us stared at each other awkwardly, not saying a word. "I'm Jeremy."
                 "Lucy." I introduced. "Um, I have to get to class. Sorry again."
                 "I'll see you later then." Jeremy said. I smiled and walked to class, sitting next to Alex. Something about Jeremy was different than Jacob. I liked him too, but I never thought he'd see me that way. I've also grown so close to Jacob because of Chloe. Great, now I'm stuck between two boys. Typical.
                 "Are you okay? Chloe noticed you were acting strange." She asked.
                 "I was gonna tell her the truth." I started.
                 "After we told you not to?"
                 "But I couldn't say it."
                 "I mean...who would?"
                 "No. It was like, I wanted to say it. But I couldn't physically say it. Like my mind wasn't allowing me to. It's hard to explain."
                "My advice is, don't tell her. I mean think about it. If she found out, she'd tear you apart with her teeth."
                "Yeah but, I still kissed Jacob, and now he's avoiding her. I don't know how to get this off my chest."
                "Just avoid them. After tonight, you'll feel a lot better, promise."
                "Thanks Alex."
                 Later that night, I made my plan to sneak out to Chloe's party. This plan actually required me simply walking out the door. I put on my witch costume, which consisted of a black blouse, black leggings, my knee-high boots, fishnet gloves, a pentagram necklace, and witch hat. I grabbed my black Halloween and went downstairs and saw that my parents were setting up the bowl of candy by the door to hand out candy to to the trick-or-treaters. My parents do this every year. My dad was dressed as Count Dracula. My mom doesn't like wearing costumes so she just wore regular clothes.
                 "Mom, dad. The girls and I were gonna go trick-or-treating tonight. We won't be out to late, we're just going a few blocks."
                 "That's alright sweetheart." My mom said.
                 "Be careful." My dad sad in his fake Romanian accent, and made a hiss noise.
We then head the doorbell ring.
                 "Our first trick-or-treaters!" My mom said, hurrying to the door. When she opened it, Indi, Alex, and Raven were outside. Indi was dressed as a she-devil, Alex was dressed as a fallen angel with black wings, and Raven was dressed as Wednesday Addams.
                 "Trick or treat." Indi said.
                 "Alright, you girls have fun now." My mom said, tossing a few candy pieces into each of our buckets.
                 "Don't let anyone suck your blood!" My dad dramatically exclaimed, still speaking in his Romanian accent.
                 The girls cringed and the four of us walked out the door. After walking a little farther away from my house, the four of us threw the Halloween baskets into the bushes. But not before we helped ourselves to the candies my mom gave us. We walked a few blocks and waited for Chloe to pick us up, since her house was farther than mine and too much of a walk. She finally arrived in her silver convertible Ford Mustang. She was dressed as Wonder Woman. I got in the passenger seat and the other three girls sat in the backseat. We then drove all the way to Chloe's house.
                 When we finally got there, I was almost overwhelmed by how many people were here. People were dressed as a variety of things. Some players of the football team were dressed as werewolves, some people were dressed as vampires, and some girls dressed up as witches. Others dressed up as ghouls, ghosts, zombies, or superheros. Sahara was in the distance, dressed as Morticia Addams. I looked around and there was no sign of Jacob.
                   After about an hour of standing in a corner, Chloe offered me a beer. "No thanks." I said.
                  "Oh c'mon Lucy, loosen up a little." Chloe insisted.
                  "If I got home drunk, my dad will literally kill me."
                  "Good point. But remember, there's a first time for everything." She continued waving the beer bottle under my nose. "Alright, suit yourself." She placed the bottle on the table.
                   I walked over to the girls. "I didn't think it'd be this crazy."
                  "Are you kidding? This is one of Chloe's parties. Of course it's gonna be a little wild." Indi said.
                   Raven held her arm nervously. "She's right though."
"Oh don't be skeptical Ray, loosen up a little." Alex advised, smacking both mine and Raven's butts with her wings.
                  The girls and I had a little bit of fun until a particular person caught my eye. The tall boy walked into the house and everyone gave their attention to him, even Chloe. It was Jacob. He was dressed as a vampire. He looked at me but I turned around, pretending I didn't see him.
Chloe was the first to walk up to him. She tried looking as sexy as possible in her skimpy Wonder Woman costume. "You made it!"
                  "Sorry I was busy." He apologized.
                  "I'm just glad you made it."
                   Jacob leaned forward and kissed Chloe. I looked at them, not knowing whether to feel happy for them or upset and cheated. But as long as Chloe is happy, I won't have to stress about it, or deal with her fury.
                   A few minutes later, I went to the bathroom and planned to have Chloe take me home right after. Once I got out, I bumped into Jacob. "Sorry." I apologized.
                  "It's alright, it's my fault. Didn't watch where I was going."
                  "Right, well I should get going, it's getting kinda late."
                  "Already? I just got here."
                  "I know, it's just my dad will get worried."
                  "Well before you go, can we talk for a minute?"
                  "Um, sure."
                   Jacob held my hand and pulled me towards Chloe's room. We went inside and he closed the door. The absence of loud music was relieving. I sat down on Chloe's bed.
                   "So, what did you wanna talk about?" I asked Jacob.
                    Jacob sat down on the bed. "My feelings for you."
                   "Okay, i'm confused. Is it me or Chloe? Don't pretend I didn't see you kissing her the moment you walked in. You practically stared at her boobs."
                   "I needed more time. I had to let her think we were still together."
                   "If you want me, it cannot be a secret. I wanna be able to hold your hand in the hallways and show people that I am worthy of being loved."
                   "There's something I need to tell you."
                   "What is it?"
                   "Kiss me."
                   I was conflicted. I didn't wanna do this to Chloe. I felt like such a horrible friend letting Jacob cheat on her with me. But at the same time, I felt hypnotized. As if my only option was to kiss him. He leaned forward and kissed me. It was full of passion, hunger. I wanted it. He wanted it. I couldn't get enough of the feeling of his hands running through my hair and down my neck. I couldn't stop myself. That's when i heard the door open.
                 "What the fuck?!" Chloe screamed. I immediately pulled away. God, why did this happen? This wasn't supposed to happen.
                 "Chloe...this isn't what it looks like. I..." I didn't know what to say. It was exactly what it looked like. Me kissing Jacob, in front of Chloe. The pain in Chloe's face nearly killed me. She was paralyzed in shock.
                 "Get the hell out of my house." She said to me. Her tone was so cold, I knew she'd never forgive me. I wouldn't even forgive myself. "Now!"
I grabbed my purse and hurried towards the door, ignoring Indi who was calling my name. I walked out the door in shame. I was crying. Hating myself for recklessly kissing Jacob on Chloe's bed. I realized I had no way of getting home. Chloe definitely would not drive me. She'd rather let me walk home.
                    Indi, Alex, and Raven followed me outside. "Lucy, is everything alright?" The latter asked.
                   "I'm fine. I'm gonna call my dad and ask him to pick me up."
                   "Are you sure?" Alex asked.
                   "At this point, I don't care." I admitted.
                   The girls went back inside and I called my dad, asking him to pick me up. The anger in his voice sent chills down my spine. Pretty sure I peed a little bit in my leggings.
                    A little while later, Jacob followed me outside. "Lucy."
                    I turned around, not making any eye contact with him. "I can't do this Jacob. We can't be together. I already fucked everything up, I can't do that to Chloe, i'm sorry."
                    "Lucy...please."
                     I then heard the familiar car horn. I turned around and my dad got out the car, slamming the door so hard, it almost shattered the window. He was not in his Dracula costume either.
                "You stay the hell away from my daughter." He told Jacob as he grabbed my arm and forced me to the car. I turned around one last time and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' to Jacob, who looked utterly defeated.
                 The car ride was silent. I even heard anger in my dad's breath. I clenched my teeth the entire time and tried not to make a sound to avoid provoking him. But this was awkward. I was not about to let him bottle up his anger.
                "Look dad, i'm sorry okay? you knew I wanted to go to this party!" I said, not making my case any better.
                "It doesn't matter Lucinda, you still disobeyed me and went to that party without my permission." My dad said.
                "You were a teenager once, don't tell me you didn't sneak out every once in awhile."
                "That...that's not the point! The point is, you sneaked out. Not only to go to Chloe's party, but to see that boy."
                "Nothing happened dad, like I said he is Chloe's boyfriend."
                "Well that doesn't matter now, does it? You blew it, you're grounded for a month. That means no phone, no computer, no Indi and her little coven-"
                 I huffed. "Okay, whatever."
               "Keep pushing it and i'll ground you 'til you graduate."
                 I kept my mouth shut. Then suddenly, this puff of smoke appeared out of nowhere and formed into a man. "Dad watch out!" I cried. My dad lost control and swerved off the road. The impact of the water almost gave me whiplash.
                  For what felt like forever, I kept trying to unbuckle my seat-belt. I even tried screaming but that obviously didn't help. I knew I was drowning, I felt the pressure of the water, and the tightness in my lungs. I couldn't move. Then I felt my seat-belt release. My dad cut the seat-belt off of me with a blade. He then tried doing the same to his seat-belt, but he passed out.
                  "Dad? Dad! No please, dad!" I shook him.
                   I had no choice. If I stayed here, I would die. But I was afraid. I knew I had to leave my dad so I could live. I swam through the open window and swam back up to the surface. Once I broke through the water and into the oxygen-filled night, I let in a huge breath, then kept swimming until I reached land. My only source of light being the several lampposts coming from the bridge.
                   An hour later, the area was surrounded with police. I avoided questions, all I could do was cry. I wanted to crawl into a hole. All I could say was: "He's dead" or "Please dad, come back". All of this was my fault. I sneaked out to that party. I kissed Jacob. I ruined our friendship. I killed my dad. One of the police officers offered to drive me home. I looked over the bridge one more time and simply said: "I'm sorry."
                   My mom opened the door and looked at me confused. I was soaked and crying.
                  "What happened?" She asked.
                  "Mrs. Ramirez, your husband he..."
                   My mom knew exactly what he was about to say. "No...he can't be."
                   "He's dead mom. It's all my fault, i'm so sorry."
                   My mom hugged me and tried to comfort me. "It's okay. It's not your fault sweetheart."
I didn't go to school for days. I locked myself in my room. Some days I wouldn't even talk. I psychologically punished myself for what happened. After all it was my fault. Everything bad that happened on Halloween was my fault, all because I had a crush on one boy.