Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1)(48)

I stayed past the late bell in an effort to make up some lost time. When I got back to my room, I had to wake up Jill, who was sound asleep after her exhausting day.

“Good news,” I told her as she blinked at me with sleepy eyes. “It’s feeding day.”

Definitely words I never thought I’d say.

I also didn’t think I’d be excited for it. And sure, I certainly wasn’t thrilled about the idea of Jill biting into Dorothy’s neck. I was, however, feeling pretty bad for Jill and was glad she’d get some nourishment. Being on such a limited supply of blood had to make things doubly hard for her.

We met up with Eddie downstairs when it was time to go. He looked Jill over worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said with a smile. She looked nowhere near as bad as she had earlier. I shuddered to think what Eddie would’ve done if he’d actually been in our class and seen her at her worst.

“Why is this still going on?” he asked me. “Weren’t you going to talk to Keith?”

“We’re a little delayed,” I said evasively, leading them to where Latte was parked in the student lot. “We’ll make it happen.” If the Alchemists didn’t come through with the note, I was going to try to act on Micah’s suggestion and get her switched into morning PE.

“We know you will,” said Jill. I could just barely pick out the sympathy in her voice, reminding me that she knew about my fight with Keith yesterday. I hoped she wouldn’t mention it in front of Eddie and was saved when she switched to a more random and surprising topic. “Do you think we can pick up some pizza along the way? Adrian doesn’t want any more of Dorothy’s cooking.”

“How terrible for him,” remarked Eddie, getting into the backseat and letting Jill ride shotgun. “Having a personal chef on hand to make him whatever he wants. I don’t know how he gets by.”

I laughed, but Jill seemed outraged on Adrian’s behalf. “It’s not the same! She cooks really super-gourmet stuff.”

“Still waiting for the problem,” said Eddie.

“She tries to also make it really healthy. She says it’s better for Clarence. So, there’s never any salt and pepper or butter.” Jeez, how often did she and Adrian talk? “There’s no flavor or anything. It’s driving him crazy.”

“Everything seems to be driving him crazy,” I remarked, remembering his plea for new lodging. “And he can’t have it too bad. Didn’t he go to LA last night?” Jill’s only answer was a frown.

Nonetheless, I had a feeling we’d be hanging out at Clarence’s for a while, and I personally didn’t want to eat anything prepared in that house. So, it was more for selfish reasons that I agreed to stop at a takeout place en route and buy a few pizzas. Adrian’s face was radiant when we entered the sitting room, which—pool games aside—seemed to be his primary hangout at Clarence’s.

“Jailbait,” he declared, leaping up. “You’re a saint. A goddess, even.”

“Hey,” I said, “I’m the one who paid for them.”

Adrian carried off one of the boxes to the couch, much to Dorothy’s dismay. She hurried off muttering about plates and napkins. Adrian gave me a conciliatory nod.

“You’re okay too, Sage,” he said.

“Well, well, what have we here?” Clarence came tottering into the room. I hadn’t noticed before, but he used a cane to get around. It had a crystal snake head on top, which was both impressive and scary. Just the kind of thing you’d picture for an old vampire. “Looks like a party.”

Lee was with him, greeting us with smiles and nods. His eyes lingered briefly on Jill, and he made a point of sitting near her—but not too near. Jill perked up more than she had in days. Everyone was just starting to dive into the pizza when Dorothy appeared in the doorway with a new guest. I felt my eyes widen. It was Keith.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral.

He winked. “Came to check in on everybody and make sure all’s well. That’s my job—to look after everyone.”

Keith was chipper and friendly as he helped himself to the pizza, with no indication of the fight we’d gotten into last time. He smiled and talked to everyone as though they were all best friends, leaving me totally bewildered. No one else seemed to think anything odd about his behavior—but then, why would they? None of them had my history with Keith.

No—that wasn’t quite true. Despite being deep in conversation with Eddie, Adrian paused to give me a curious look, silently asking about yesterday’s fight. He glanced at Keith and then back to me. I shrugged helplessly, letting him know I was just as confused by the change of heart. Maybe Keith regretted his outburst from yesterday. Of course, that would’ve been much easier to accept if it had come with, oh, an apology.

I nibbled on a piece of cheese pizza, but mostly I observed the others. Jill was animatedly recounting her first couple of days to Adrian, noticeably leaving out any of the negative parts. He listened to her indulgently, nodding and interjecting with occasional witty quips. Some of the stuff she told him was pretty basic, and I was surprised it hadn’t come up in their phone conversations. Maybe he just had so much to say at those times that there’d been no chance for her. As it was, he made no mention of his boredom or other grievances.