Even if Alexander weren't a vampire, the idea of us having boyfriends was still unreal. We'd both been social outcasts for so many years, it was incomprehensible to be accepted by anyone but each other.
"I need you to come on a little trip with me," I told her. "Trip?"
"I'm going to visit my aunt Libby and I need you to come!" I exclaimed excitedly.
"This weekend? I'll have to ask."
"No, I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon."
"Matt asked me to watch his soccer game after school."
"You just started seeing him!" I argued.
"I thought you'd be happy for me. Besides, I was going to ask you to come."
The thought of watching a soccer game made me want to hurl, but Becky's glow made me realize I was being selfish. "I am happy for you, but--"
"Can't you go another time?" she begged. "We have all spring break to hang out with Matt and Alexander."
There was no point arguing. Becky was going to watch Matt's game tomorrow, just as I was going to search for Alexander. No amount of pleading would make us change our minds. Now that Matt had abandoned his best friend, my nemesis, Trevor, the thorn in my side since kindergarten, he would hang out with Becky all the time. And I was jealous of Becky for having a boyfriend who hadn't disappeared into the night.
"Why is this trip so important?" she asked.
"It's top secret."
"What's top secret?" Matt inquired, appearing behind us.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, startled. "This is a private meeting." "Becky and I are going to Ace's Arcade. She told me to meet her here."
It was bad enough I was losing Alexander to the Underworld, but when I needed my best friend the most, I was losing her to 3-D pinball.
"I gotta go," I said, turning away.
"So what was your top secret news?" Matt asked. "It'll be great to hear something other than Trevor's bogus stories for once."
I stared at the happy couple--Cupid's newest bull's-eyes.
"Trevor was right. The Sterlings really are vampires," I said impulsively.
They stared at me like I was crazy. Then they burst into laughter.
I, too, laughed and then walked away.
I packed my suitcase full of black garments, unsure of what I was preparing for. To be safe I also packed a clove of garlic in Tupperware, Ruby's compact, and a can of Mace.
To calm my nerves, I opened my Olivia Outcast journal and made a list of Positives of Dating a Vampire:
1. He'll be around for eternity.
2. He can always fly for free.
3. I'll save hundreds of dollars on wedding photos.
4. No mirrors to Windex. 5. He'll never have garlic breath.
I closed my journal. I had one more thing to pack.
I opened the door to my brother's room. Billy was tapping his skinny fingers on his computer keyboard.
"What do. you want?" he snapped when I peeked in.
"Want? It's not what I want, but rather what I have to give. I picked this up after school today from Software City. They said it was the latest."
I showed him Wrestling Maniacs 3.
"Did you steal it?"
"Of course not--I may be weird, but I'm not a thief!"
He reached for the game, but I held it firm. "I just need one thing in return."
He rolled his eyes. "I knew it!"
"It's just teensy-weensy."
"Answers to a test?" he guessed.
"Not this time."
"Need a paper written?"
"Not yet."
"Then what?"
"I need a fake ID," I whispered. "Aunt Libby is not going to take you to a bar!"
"Of course she's not. But it's really for identification, since I won't have my driver's license for a few months."
"Use your school ID, then."
"I need to be eighteen!" I started to shout. Then I took a deep breath. "There's a library convention, and I need to be eighteen to check out books."
"Whatever! Mom and Dad will kill you! You're too young to drink."
"I'm not going to drink. I just want to hang out."
"What would Alexander say if he found that you were going cruising without him?"
"I'm hoping to meet him there," I whispered.
"I knew it! You couldn't care less about 'my favorite aunt Libby,' " he said in a girlie voice.
"Pretty please?" I asked, dangling the game before his computer-strained eyes.
"Well..."
"You'll make it?"
"No, but I know someone who will."