Carmine stayed with Sharon the whole period. Sharon was in and out of consciousness the entire time. By the time the period was over, Sharon's mom had come and picked her up. Since spending the period at the nurse's office hadn't seemed to help her, there was talk of sending her to the hospital. Carmine followed them out of the room, in shock.
"She any better?" Rudi asked from behind the front desk.
"Not really." Carmine said numbly.
"It was nice of you to stay with her." Rudi told her. She started scribbling something on a little yellow piece of paper.
"I guess." Carmine wasn't really paying attention; she was too busy feeling responsible.
"Here." Rudi handed Carmine two notes. "Give that first one to Ms. Harle tomorrow. And the other one's for next period."
Carmine looked down at the papers - tardy slips.
"You can write these?" she asked, looking back up at Rudi.
"Sure can." She grinned at Carmine. Carmine had never noticed how sharp Rudi's teeth were before.
"Thanks." Carmine said.
It had been pretty nice of Rudi to get Carmine an excused absence in one class and a tardy slip for another. Especially since she was pretty sure Rudi didn't do this kind of thing for most students she thought of as being just human. Then thinking, Carmine asked, "How did you know I had Ms. Harle anyway?"
"Oh." A look of realization passed across Rudi's face. "I almost forgot - Zev brought this for you." She picked up Carmine's backpack from the floor behind the desk and handed it to her.
"Oh. Well that was weirdly nice of him." Carmine said, before she had a chance to realize that might not have been the best thing to say to Rudi.
So far, Carmine's problem with Zev was only known by their little lunch group. She didn't think anyone else needed to know. But when Rudi looked at her questioningly, Carmine folded and added, "I thought he was kinda sick of the sight of me."
"Why's that?" Rudi asked, folding her homework into her math book.
"Oh, so many reasons." Carmine couldn't even be bothered to come up with a lie. There probably wasn't one big enough to cover everything anyway.
"Well, don't pay any attention to him." Rudi told her. "Luke and his lap dogs are always acting weird."
Carmine laughed. It was the first time she'd felt even close to all right since the beginning of the period.
"They really are like that, aren't they?" Carmine grinned. She felt a little bad lumping Conner in like that, but what did it matter? When it came right down to it, he was Luke's friend more than hers.
"Ever since we were little." Rudi confirmed.
"Do they ever have their own opinions? It seems like they pre-agree on everything." Carmine mentally kicked herself as soon as she said it. Of course they agreed on everything - they agreed on whatever their own group decided. She hoped Rudi wouldn't get offended. But Rudi laughed right along with Carmine.
"Isn't it weird?" she said. "Those three have always been like that - I don't know why. It's just gotten worse over the past year or so."
"Last spring?" Carmine found herself asking. That was right about the time the boys had risked their lives to help the girls get rid of the Dullahan - or headless horseman as everyone else kept calling it. Suddenly, Carmine felt kind of bad. Luke, Zev, and Conner had done everything they could to protect what they thought were three humans from something they had no chance against.
YOU ARE READING
Blood Relatives
VampireThat showdown in the woods last year really got to Carmine. She doesn't want to admit it, but she hasn't been the same since. She's been looking over her shoulder, waiting for something to lunge at her from the shadows. But just when she thinks she...
