Innocent Devil’s Harem Ch. 128 (Patreon)

July 23, 2023

NOTE: Hope you guys enjoy!

<< Chapter 127 | Ch 1 (Book 1) | Ch 16 (Book 2) | Ch 31 (Book 3) | Ch 46 (Book 4) | Ch 61 (Book 5) | Ch 76 (Book 6) | Ch 91 (Book 7) | Ch 106 (Book 8) | Ch 121 (Book 9)

- CHAPTER 128 -

Having the white-haired muscular elite vampire pledge his allegiance to me was a bit abrupt, even if it was what I had been hoping for, ultimately resulting in me being glad that I’d given both of us the whole day to think the situation over and feel confident this was what I wanted to do. However, I truly didn’t see any reason to be concerned.

The man very clearly had principles and ethics he abided by in the first place, even as a blood-drinking vampire. And it was obvious he had his own regrets regarding his existence, clearly not having wished this fate on his own daughter, who had long since passed away of old age.

Without a doubt, he would view ‘being able to eat normal food again’ as a real miracle.

And he would truly be appreciative of that miracle.

Would truly appreciate being able to walk in the sunlight again.

But then, of course, there was also Rosa.

Like a knight in servitude of royalty, the man truly did seem to prioritize doing what she wanted of him. And furthermore, after I grew out a claw and dug into my wrist to give him some of my blood, followed by him using his one good arm to drink from a blood bag of regular human blood, I asked them both more about his role in her life.

His body was regenerating and fixing itself slowly, with him now answering my questions in between sips after having downed three full blood bags already.

His story made perfect sense, given what Rosa had already told us.

“My duty was to guard all of the princesses from harm, but specifically twelve of them. They were not allowed much interaction with each other to avoid friendships or rivalries from forming, and so all of them only had their handmaids and the guards to keep them company. It was my preference to spend most of my time watching over Serafina, but the twelve were in the same building.”

I knew he meant Rosa, recalling that Rosana was actually her middle name, and that she preferred to be called ‘Rosa’ by most. However, she certainly didn’t seem to mind him calling her by her first name.

“And the attack?” I prompted.

“Was without warning,” he said at first, taking another sip from the blood bag. “The feeding hour is at midnight every day. Fresh blood is brought in for the princesses to share, perhaps the only time they get the chance to see each other. Serafina was the only one who insisted on getting her blood from a package.”

My brow furrowed at that, only for my eyes to widen. “When you say fresh blood…”

“People,” Rosa whispered with a grimace.

Damn.

Dante simply nodded matter-of-factly, taking another sip. He wasn’t surprised by Rosa’s reaction, but also didn’t seem to be overly bothered himself. As if we were just talking about the weather. “Yes, being under the care of the royals means others do the hunting. Also means daily feeding.”

“And so what? A couple of the girls jump on a guy they brought in, and suck him dry?”

Now, he finally grimaced, obvious distaste in his expression. “They were not all male.”

“You don’t drink blood from women?” I assumed.

His tone was firm, blinking a few times as his damaged eye fully recovered. “Not directly. Never. Even in human war there are rules. Atrocities that the humans refuse to commit. Yet my kind has truly fallen into the pit of hell. They are shameless. Completely without honor. In my three-hundred years, never have I met a girl Serafina’s age whose innocence had remained fully intact. Never. They all devolve into beasts when it is time to feed.”

I was a little surprised to learn that Dante was actually younger than Elizabeth.

Partially because he legitimately looked older, having white hair and a ‘seasoned’ appearance, but also because he was so strong, skilled, and capable, that I felt like it must have taken him nearly a millennium to hone such skills.

But perhaps not.

If he had been trained to be an assassin, and if he was trained in magic, then perhaps even one lifetime would be enough to become highly lethal, and two additional lifetimes enough to fully master his craft.

The craft of killing.

“So what happened exactly?” I wondered, being silently prompted by Miriam, who had her own questions but was opting to stay in the bare concrete hallway. “How did you escape?”

“All the princesses had been inflicted with the curse. I do not know how or when, but when they drank blood at the feeding hour, they all began bleeding everywhere. It came from their eyes, their ears, and many began vomiting blood. It caused panic and chaos, and those who brought the fresh blood used the opportunity to attack.”

Rosa gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth, clearly not having been aware of that detail.

He continued. “I was bringing Serafina her meal, delivered in a plastic jug. I heard the screaming, and told her to wait while I rushed back. I saw the slaughter happen before my eyes. It was only about six assailants, but they targeted the other guards first, beheaded most before they even realized they were under attack. The handmaids were next. And…” His voice trailed off.

“And what?” I asked quietly.

He took another sip and then took a shaky breath, finally easing himself up more to fully sit up in the large wooden crate. “And in that moment, all I could think was that I would not allow an innocent like Serafina to be slaughtered. I probably could not have saved anyone else anyway, but that path before me will remain within the shadows, because I did not hesitate to run back to her room, throw her over my shoulder, and flee to the dungeons.”

“I am sorry,” Rosa whispered, as if she felt like a burden.

He didn’t respond, not even seeming surprised that she was apologizing unnecessarily.

I prompted him again. “And your escape? The gate?”

He sighed heavily, his red eyes unfocused now, taking another sip briefly. “It is a secret few know about. Perhaps even the royals are unaware of its existence. A chained stone doorway deep beneath that estate that leads to a massive maze of cavernous tunnels that defies logic, being far too large, the ceiling far too high up, for how far beneath the ground the structure is.” He frowned. “I only came upon it by accident, and still do not understand what I saw with my own eyes.”

“What do you mean?” I wondered.

“A different world,” Rosa whispered. “A different sky. One where there is light, but where the sun never rises.”

My brow furrowed at that.

He continued with a nod. “It took us many days to navigate the enormous cave tunnels, and when we finally found an exit, it was to a different world. A dark wasteland with a sky that was red for half the day, and a dark blue similar to the end of twilight for the other half. There was no obvious sun, and I could not see many stars through the thick haze above, but what stars I did see were not our own.”

“How did you find the gate here? At this mansion?” I wondered, again silently prompted by Miriam.

“By following one of the brightest stars. For truly, even as the color of the sky changed, as if going from crimson day to twilight night, the stars remained in the same spot at all times. As if the planet we were on did not rotate, and the change in light was from a different source orbiting the planet instead. But once the star was above us, we found a cavern glowing orange, as well as the corpse of a demon that appeared simultaneously living and deceased.”

“The archdemon,” I assumed. “The four-armed Vishnu.”

“Yes,” he said simply, taking another sip, pretty much finished with his fourth blood bag.

While he healed slower than I did, it was still way faster than a normal person, and at this point the bones in his legs had slowly repositioned themselves and healed. His arm had also regenerated down to the elbow, looking like a healed maimed limb, as if it were an old injury, while it slowly grew longer.

Interestingly enough, the tattooing that had been on his left arm was gone.

Which actually was a bit of a relief.

It basically told me that the death ray spell was one that required time to prepare, and that the ‘absolute disintegration’ was very much a trump card he could only use one time. It certainly wouldn’t have been a horrible thing if he could use it again right away, but the fact that he used his ace in the hole on that situation really did emphasize how much he prioritized Rosa’s safety.

Especially since using it, and then having me drop him, left him completely vulnerable to attack from all the injuries he endured, especially when he also hadn’t consumed blood in a very long time.

I felt confident he was going to need more blood though.

Thankfully, Gwen had already made preparations to take him to the cottage for the day, already having a cooler full of blood bags on ice ready to go. The sun was already very close to rising, but the tree coverage gave him plenty of time to avoid sunlight exposure.

I went ahead and told him the basic plan for the day, and he surprisingly didn’t react to my mundane responsibilities. Like, I supposed a part of me almost expected him to laugh about the fact that I had to go to school, but he didn’t even seem slightly amused. Simply accepting that explanation as good as any.

Miriam also made her position clear, making a reappearance in the room to speak for herself. “Rosa is free to come and go as she wants, so if she wishes to stay at the cottage with you, then she is more than welcome to do so. However, I still have reservations about you leaving my domain while you are a danger to humans. Please understand that it is nothing personal.”

His response was matter-of-fact. “Only a fool would run away from freedom. From even the chance at a miracle.”

She smiled at that, inclining her chin. “Well, if Rosa is willing to do a little sunbathing at the cottage when the sun is high enough to break through the trees, then you can see for yourself my beloved’s miracle.”

He agreed that such a thing was something he wished to see.

And Rosa was happy to show him.

For me at least, it definitely didn’t go unnoticed that Miriam casually made it clear that she was ‘taken.’ Being so casual about it, that it was difficult to tell if she did it on purpose or not, even in her thoughts. Either way, I did appreciate it, because Miriam was the embodiment of every man’s desire, her perfect youthful beauty and appeal certainly haven’t gone unnoticed by the old man.

In the meantime, it was time for the rest of us to leave.

We were doing fine on time, but I was planning on driving to school myself today, rather than with Avery. I doubted anyone was watching out for me just yet after my biological father’s disappearance, but the last thing I wanted to do was for my blonde classmate to come into an enemy’s crosshairs, and we could still walk into school together. Thus, Avery and her mom took their car home, Natalie accompanying them, while Rebecca drove me and Serenity to our house.

Normally, I wouldn’t have a problem with Natalie staying at my place, but again, I didn’t want her to be home alone if someone showed up asking about my biological father, or about the cursed meat situation at the funeral.

If someone came by in the middle of the day, then no one should be home, just as they would expect.

And of course, I’d likely smell any new scents if we did have unexpected visitors.

Unfortunately, it seemed there was a car accident on the way back home, nothing major, but it had just happened and slowed down traffic enough that we ended up being more pressed on time when Rebecca dropped me and Serenity off. Resulting in us both wishing her a hasty goodbye, before jumping out and getting into our respective cars, Serenity heading to work while I made my way to school.

Just prior to leaving, Serenity did manage to remember something I had forgotten all about.

The funeral pamphlet.

She pulled it out of her purse and handed it to me.

I’d missed a lot of school the previous week, and while I couldn’t blame all those days on the funeral, it would at least help avoid me getting in trouble. I’d probably go ahead and play the sympathy card a little bit too, by admitting I’d just recently reconnected with my biological family for the first time.

Pretty much all the teachers and administrative staff knew about my situation, so they’d probably make an exception for me without a problem, in the event they were planning on there being some kind of consequence for my absenteeism.

The drive to school was quiet while also being the opposite of lonely.

A simple shift of my focus and I was in Avery and Natalie’s heads. Another simple shift of my focus and I was in Serenity and Gwen’s heads, wishing Ren a good day at work, even though we were miles apart on the road at this point. Yet another simple shift of focus and I was saying ‘hi’ to Gabriella on her way to work, as well as saying ‘hello’ to Michelle as she cooked a more elaborate breakfast for herself and Natalie, both of whom would be home together all day.

And then a final shift of my focus, and I was saying ‘hi’ to Delilah, who was talking Miriam’s ear off through their bond, both of them sincerely thrilled to have my attention, even if for a couple of minutes.

It was actually really nice.

Nice to not feel alone.

Nice to feel at peace.

However, the very end of my trip was a bit less quiet.

I was just pulling onto our school’s street when my phone started vibrating.

Given that I usually didn’t get unsolicited calls, I went ahead and answered it, knowing I wouldn’t get a chance to return the call once school started, in the event it was actually someone important.

However, not recognizing the number, my tone was reserved.

“Hello?”

There was a slight hesitation, followed by a heavy sigh. “Hi,” a woman’s voice said with great relief. “I’m so glad you picked up. It’s me,” she added.

Needless to say…

I had no idea who I was talking to. Her voice sounded kind of familiar, but…

When I didn’t respond, she continued. “From the hospital.”

My eyes flew open in shock, suddenly being able to place her voice with a face.

“Tracey?” I said in disbelief.

It was the nurse I’d sort of ‘charmed’ when Michelle was in the hospital!

Fair skin, rich brown hair, and dark blue eyes, I was pretty certain she was in her late twenties or possibly early thirties. Roughly between the ages of Serenity and Rachel.

I knew I’d given her my number, just in case there were problems, but never thought she’d actually call me!

She sounded even more relieved. “Ohhh, you remember my name! That makes me so happy.”

“Tracey…” I attempted.

I didn’t know what to say, recalling that I’d told her to call me if she had trouble following my instructions. Instructions meant to try to undo the effect of my compulsion! Was she still enthralled, even though my eyes hadn’t been transformed?

Surely not!

“Is everything okay?” I asked seriously.

“Oh, I’m doing wonderful now that I’m on the phone with you,” she said sincerely. “Your voice is like a breath of fresh air, especially after this last week.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay, but what about your fiancé? Did something happen with him?”

She didn’t respond.

Fuck.

My heart sunk.

I suddenly felt miserable about what I’d potentially done to her.

“Tracey, if I’ve somehow messed up your life, I’m really sorry.”

It was probably the most honest thing I could possibly say, probably way more honest than what I should be saying, considering it shouldn’t be normal for some random guy to be responsible for messing up her life when we’d barely interacted.

And yet, the weight of what I’d possibly done to her was suddenly hitting me hard.

This was my fault.

Dammit.

The nurse sighed heavily. “Unless you’re the chick that my fiancé has been cheating on me with, then no. I wouldn’t say you messed up my life.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

So then…maybe it wasn’t my fault? Or at least not entirely?

She continued. “But I really want to do what you asked, and I just can’t bring myself to do it.” She sighed heavily. “Honestly, it gave me kind of a thrill when I went home that Saturday night…gee, it’s been nine days already…but I was really looking forward to doing what you asked. I felt so naughty knowing I was doing it for you.” She sighed again. “I normally stay a little late at work, but the person taking over for me came in early, and I ended up getting to leave before my shift was technically up. Something I never do. I never leave early.” Her tone dropped. “The skank was just leaving our house when I got home. Caught him giving her one last kiss.”

I took a deep breath as I pulled into the school parking lot, just having completely no idea what to do. I couldn’t deal with this right now. Literally.

Didn’t have time.

I tried to let her down gently, partially because I knew how it affected Serenity when she thought that she’d disappointed me. “Umm, can I call you back sometime later? I’ve sort of got class.”

She sounded excited, seeming genuinely interested. “Oh, you’re in college? What are you studying?”

“Umm, actually I’m still in high school. About to graduate in a month.”

She was completely silent.

I thought maybe that little disclosure might have dissuaded her.

No such luck.

Her tone was hopeful. “Umm, can…” She took a sharp breath. “I’ll just be blunt, since I don’t want to waste your time. Can we please date?”

“Umm….”

She quickly continued. “Doesn’t have to be too serious, and you know what? I’ll even be cool if you want to date someone closer to your age too. That only seems fair, since I’m basically a decade older than you and don’t want you to miss out on the normal stuff I got to experience when I was your age. I just…really need you in my life.” Her tone became more urgent. “And I promise you won’t regret it! Oh, are you planning on going to college? Because I can help pay for your tuition. And you can even live with me, if you want. Or if you don’t want to go to college, then I’d even be fine if you just want to stay home and play games all day or something. That’s cool too. And actually, that makes me wonder, what kind of stuff are you into? Err, like sexually. You’re a guy, so you must watch porn, right? I’d be totally into watching porn with you, if you want. Oh shit, duh, you probably want to have a threesome, don’t you? Shit, okay, I’ll have to figure something out, but I can probably make it happen. Might need to hire an escort or something, but I can afford that.” Her voice abruptly became more desperate. “Whatever you want. Just please date me.”

Having parked my car next to Avery, I just sat their dumbfounded at her rambling, stunned that it escalated so quickly.

I again tried to be easy on her. “Umm, those ideas…umm, do sound…interesting. But I really do have to go right now. Have class and all, so can I call you back later?”

“Yeah, of course!” she agreed adamantly. “I just wanted to make sure I got that all off my chest while I had you on the phone. Call me back soon, okay? I don’t have work today, so call or message me anytime.”

“Umm, sure,” I replied, hanging up.

I then climbed out of my car, just having no idea what to think of the situation at this point.

Clearly, this nurse was enthralled, but how much of that was my fault, and how much of it was just her objectively being interested in a hot young guy?

Because if it just so happened that I was her flavor of kink, it was very possible this conversation might have happened even if I wasn’t an incubus. Especially if she was sort of going through an early midlife crisis triggered by her finding out her fiancé was cheating on her. Not that she was old enough to even ‘go’ through an ‘early’ midlife crisis, but still.

She was reevaluating her dating situation at least, and the idea of ‘taking care’ of a hot eighteen-year-old guy might really appeal to her.

Either way, I decided that, for now, I would really just not worry about it.

Honestly, part of me didn’t even want to think about it at all.

But I knew I couldn’t ignore this forever.

I would have to deal with it eventually.

Just not right now.

Even though we hadn’t timed it, Avery and I ended up pulling into the school parking lot almost at the same time, and she parked next to me so we could walk in together. And even with the unexpected phone call, we’d ultimately done fine on time, and I knew I had a few minutes to make a quick trip to the administrative office to show proof of my excuse for not being at school Thursday and Friday at least.

Having access to my thoughts, Avery of course also realized I didn’t want to talk about the nurse Tracey situation right now.

However, we barely made it halfway across the parking lot before we had heads turning, and not because they’d seen us.

It was because they’d sensed us.

Or really me.

Avery had remembered to bottle up the charm she was exuding, since she’d been required to do so last week as well, but I had completely forgotten to worry about it. And the effect of me bottling it up was pretty much immediate.

It went from having girls start looking my way seemingly without reason, only for no one to turn their head in my direction, only a few reacting once they did see us together. Both of us walked into the school without a problem, heading straight for the offices.

Avery waited in the hall while I stepped into see the receptionist, keeping my explanation short.

“I was absent Thursday and Friday because I just got in contact with my biological family for the first time, and I also had a funeral to go to.”

The funeral pamphlet didn’t have any specific details on it, aside from the address of the church, but no phone numbers or anything like that, so I wasn’t worried about me sharing it with them being an issue.

The woman looked alarmed as she accepted the folded paper, her tone extremely concerned. “Oh dear, someone close to you?”

I shrugged. “I mean, I hadn’t met any of them until a few days ago, but it wasn’t like the person who died was my father or anything.”

She nodded, only to get up from her seat. “I suppose I’ll just make a copy of this really fast, so you can show it to your teachers.”

“Sure,” I agreed simply. Technically, it wasn’t the teachers’ job to ensure students had an excuse for being absent, but whether or not a teacher believed a student’s story could determine how ‘easy’ they were on them when it came to helping them catch up. By no means would it be the first time one of my classmates carried around their doctor’s note for the same reason.

Unfortunately, it seemed I couldn’t even get to first period without something happening.

The receptionist was thankfully still turned the other way when I suddenly tensed.

Without warning, my third-eye picked up on something intense.

Similar to the mall, when I picked up on Natalie’s aura, this was also very much like a scent.

One that slammed into me like a truck barreling down the road, coming completely out of nowhere.

Except, that it wasn’t a scent that was tethered to this spot, or one that even had anything to do with anyone in the office.

It didn’t even have anything to do with anyone in the hallway.

No, it was something outside of the building entirely, and yet it felt like waves of it were directed specifically toward me, as if I was downwind for this aura, an intense familiarity hitting me as I experienced a very unpleasant emotion.

Devastation.

Coming from someone I knew.

Hitting me like a silent cry for help.

‘Kai?!’ Avery thought in alarm, abruptly peeking her head in, not at all sensing what I was sensing.

The receptionist was turning around by the copier, beginning to head back to her desk.

And I tried to think fast, trying to evaluate what I sensed as it wavered in strength very much like a smell on the breeze, trying to assess whether or not there was a threat.

Upset.

She was extremely upset, but not…

Not in danger.

I gave the receptionist a small smile as I accepted the pamphlet. “Thank you.”

She froze solid with an almost shell-shocked expression, suddenly at a loss for words. “Umm…okay,” she managed in a surprisingly adorable tone, looking like a deer in headlights. Visibly almost mesmerized by my smile.

I turned around and walked out of the room.

I was already speaking urgently in my bond with Avery, even as she grabbed my arm to calmly walk down the hallway.

‘It’s Claire. I don’t know what’s wrong. Have no idea why I can sort of smell her aura. But she’s really upset. I don’t think there’s any danger, so…’

‘I’ll go check on her,’ Avery replied confidently, letting go of my arm. ‘It’ll be less weird if she and I are late.’

‘Right,’ I agreed silently, that being my own train of thought. Last thing we needed was rumors of me and Claire being late while Avery was in class. I continued. ‘Mr. Crawford will be cool with it. I’ll just tell him you forgot something in your car.’

‘Thanks,’ she thoughts simply, both of us going our separate ways in the next hallway.

I still hadn’t gone to my locker yet, so I did that first and headed to class, while Avery headed back out to the parking lot, now looking for Claire.

But…she was nowhere in sight.

Avery was trying not to panic now as she urgently looked around, running to the side of the building, only for her sensitive hearing to pick up on sniffling. She looked around urgently, finally focusing on something she normally ignored completely.

A small section of fencing that was just background noise to most, blocking off what might otherwise be seen by some as an unpleasant sight.

The school dumpsters.

I walked into my class just as the bell rang.

Mr. Crawford focused up at me, since I was the last person to walk in.

“Avery is here,” I announced. “She just forgot something in her car. We drove separately today.”

The moment I said Avery’s name, pretty much all chatter in the room died down, as if they were hoping to hear juicy gossip.

“Oh, sure,” he said simply. “What’s that?” he then wondered.

I closed the gap and handed him the funeral pamphlet, only to head to sit down at my seat as I explained it. “The reason I was absent on Thursday and Friday. Had to go to a funeral.”

He responded with concern, but I didn’t catch what he actually said, focused intently on Avery now.

She’d found Claire, leaning behind the wood fencing surrounding the dumpsters, a duffle-bag by her feet, covering her face with both hands as tears silently dripped down her face. Given that she was a cheerleader, I didn’t really think much of her bag choice.

Avery’s voice was both concerned and relieved to have found her. “Claire.”

The platinum-blonde focused up at her in shock, not having heard her approach, only to grimace and quickly try to wipe her face. “I’m…I’m fine,” she managed. “W-Why…H-How did you even…”

Avery decided to be honest. “Kai told me.”

Claire just stared at her blankly. “I…I don’t understand. How…” Her voice trailed off again.

“What’s wrong?” Avery asked seriously, closing the gap between them. “Did something happen?”

Claire grimaced at that, reaching up to wipe her face again, her mossy eyes focusing down…

Only for another wave of obvious devastation to hit her, a whimper escaping her throat as she again covered her face with both hands.

Avery immediately wrapped her arms tightly around her as she sobbed.

“I’m…I’m fine,” Claire repeated in a whimper, her body tense, not fully accepting the hug.

“No, you’re not fine. Tell me what happened. Please. I’m like your best friend.”

“I don’t deserve you as a friend,” she sobbed.

Avery sighed heavily, loosening her grip when Claire pulled away, wiping her face again, clearly trying to collect herself. No doubt being well aware she was already late to class.

Avery tried again. “What’s wrong? Did someone hurt you?”

“N-No,” she stammered, only to grimace again as if that wasn’t entirely true. She then sucked in a shaky breath. “My mom…kicked me out of the house.”

“She did?” Avery said in alarm. “But why?”

Her face contorted in grief again. “Because…of what happened,” she whimpered. “I wasn’t going to tell her the real truth. I lied when I first got home. But I guess…I was…having a bad dream last night. Started talking in my sleep, and…” She grimaced and closed her eyes, covering them with one hand. “I woke up…crying…I ended up telling her what really happened. Not about any of you, but about me getting in the car with some random man.”

“Oh Claire, I’m so sorry,” Avery said sincerely. “But I don’t understand. Why would she kick you out of the house? And when? Last night?”

Claire took a shaky breath. “N-No, she dropped me off just now. But this morning she told me that she had to make, umm…a hard decision. That she had all my brothers and sisters to worry about, and that I was an adult now, and if I was going to make…” Her face contorted in grief again, her voice becoming a whine. “S-Stupid decisions…that were going to endanger the whole family…then it was best if I did it elsewhere. Called it tough love.” She sniffled, trying to wipe her face again.

Avery’s tone was firm. “Claire, it wasn’t your fault. You’re not stupid.”

“How can you even say that?!” she exclaimed, finally focusing on her again. “I’ve been thinking about it nonstop for the last five days, and the only thing that even makes sense is that I’m stupid!”

Avery grabbed her shoulders and stared her directly in the eyes, her tone firm. “You’re not stupid, okay? Can’t you just trust me?”

Claire’s voice was pleading. “I want to know,” she begged. “Please, I need to know. Because I feel like I’m going crazy.” Her face scrunched up again as she looked away. “And I can’t stop having nightmares,” she admitted quietly.

Avery took a deep breath, changing the subject. “We’re late for class. What’s in the bag?”

“Some of my stuff,” Claire managed with a grimace.

“Let’s put it in my car. You can stay at my house.”

Her grimaced deepened as she dropped her gaze, not responding.

Avery bent down and grabbed the strap to the bag, lifting it up with ease to her shoulder and turning to walk.

“H-Hey!” Claire called out, hurrying after her, only to fall silent as they both walked across the parking lot, the platinum-blonde not saying anything else for a long minute. Not speaking up again until they got to Avery’s car. “Are…are you sure?” she managed quietly, watching Avery stick her bag in the backseat.

“Very sure,” she replied as she closed the door and locked it, turning to face her. She then sighed. “We were best friends once. I’m not sure what happened, because I thought we were still best friends. It annoys me that you’ve been talking behind my back all this time, but if you’re really sorry, then I’m willing to forgive you.”

Claire averted her gaze. “Aves…” She took a deep breath. “I’m the problem,” she admitted with a grimace. “You’re like, just completely perfect in every way, without even trying, and it’s like no matter what I do, I can’t measure up to you.” She scoffed. “Whenever you walk into a room, it might as well be like I don’t even exist. Everyone either wants to date you, or be you, and I can’t stand out, no matter how hard I try. It’s either I’m not smart enough, or I’m not pretty enough, or my boobs aren’t big enough, or I’m not fit enough, or I’m not friendly enough, or something. It’s always something. Some reason why everyone looks at you instead of me.”

Avery sighed heavily, because Claire had said she was the problem without actually admitting why that was the case, instead emphasizing why Avery was actually the problem. Except rather than pointing out that Claire was obviously jealous, she took a different approach.

“So, then would it make you happy if I just stopped existing?” she asked seriously

Claire focused on her in alarm. “W-What? N-No,” she said seriously. “W-Why would you even say that?”

“Because it sounds like I’m the real problem. I’m the one person who has single-handedly ruined your high school life. Something you’re not even going to care about in a couple of years,” she added.

Claire grimaced at that. “I’m…I’m sorry. I’m just…” Her grimaced deepened. “I’m just jealous, okay? I wish it was easy for me too. I wish people liked me like they like you.”

Avery sighed. “Claire, they don’t like me because I’m pretty, or because I have big boobs. They like me because I’m nice to them, and I’m actually friendly with them. With everyone. Even people you look down on as being beneath you.”

Claire scoffed at that. “Don’t fool yourself, Aves. No one would be your friend if you were ugly.”

Avery frowned. “Maybe that’s at least partially true. But you’re never going to be happy if you’re constantly trying to compete with someone else. Do you really think I’m the prettiest girl in Kai’s life?”

Claire froze solid at that, her green eyes suddenly widening into saucers. “W-What…what do you mean by that?”

Avery decided to tell her exactly what she meant. “I share him.”

Her expression was even more shell-shocked. “W-With who?” she said in complete disbelief.

Avery scoffed, her tone a bit sarcastic. “Well, I don’t know, Claire. Can I even trust you anymore? Is anything I tell you really a secret? Or are you going to turn right around and gossip about this?”

She grimaced at that. “N-No,” she managed quietly.

“No, I can’t trust you, or no you won’t repeat what I just said?”

Claire’s green eyes pained at that. “N-No, I won’t repeat it. But…is it really true?”

“It’s what I want,” she said simply.

Claire focused up at her in shock. “How could that possibly be what you want?”

Avery shrugged. “I get a few girlfriends out of it too.”

Claire’s green eyes widened in disbelief, only for her face to abruptly flush.

Only for her entire body to visibly flush, even the whites of her eyes starting to look reddish, just absolutely overwhelmed with intense embarrassment.

With how tan her skin already was, she looked almost like the literal color of a boiled lobster.

“G-Girlfriends? L-Like, just friends, or…” she barely managed.

Avery just raised her eyebrows at her. “Going to judge me?”

“W-Who?” she finally repeated in disbelief. “With who?”

“Claire, give me one good reason why I should tell you.”

She grimaced at that, averting her gaze, still extremely red.

Avery sighed. “We should probably get to class.”

Claire could only nod.

Avery continued. “But just so you know, I’d be fine with sharing him with you too, if that’s what Kai wanted.”

Her entire body turned bright red again, her platinum-blonde hair now hiding her face as she ducked her head. Needless to say, she led the way back to the school entrance, not saying anything else as they both got inside and headed down different halls to their respective first classes. Avery decided to skip her locker since she was already nearly fifteen minutes late, and especially since it didn’t matter as much for our very first period.

Neither of us had any idea what Claire did immediately after that, but I knew we’d probably see her again before long.

After all, while I personally didn’t have any classes with her…

We technically were in the same lunch session.

Claire just usually skipped, staying late in her fourth period art class to work on a ‘big project’ that never seemed finished.

However, something told me…

She’d probably be at lunch today.

And not because she had any desire to be around other people…

FEEDBACK: Okay, so I'm planning on taking this in a direction you guys probably (hopefully) aren't expecting (or even how Kai is expecting -- for one, Claire won't be at lunch like he's thinking and not because she's in danger and needs saving).

1) But thoughts so far?

What would you 'like' to see happen? (with Tracey and/or with Claire -- doesn't have to be relationship related)

2) And what do you think about the whole Dante/Rosa situation?

Chapter 129 >>

LIST OF STORIES >>

LIST OF ARTWORK >>