Crimson Death (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #25)(51)

But the point was, at my old school, no one would’ve assumed I didn’t have a date to something because of my sexuality.

Well maybe they’d assume I didn’t have a date because I was a super-awkward introvert who spent the whole of eleventh grade with a haircut that made me look like a toddler who’d played with scissors, but that was valid. At least that was, like, equal opportunity rejection.

I was too busy blushing at the table to notice Lara lean forward at first. Then she said, “I asked him,” and I snapped straight back to the present.

Pardon? She asked me? Was I asleep at the time? Because I sure as hell didn’t remember this. Maybe she’d whispered it from outside the door while I was practicing bass in the music room or something.

I was stunned, but not so stunned I missed Matt’s face fall. “Really?”

Lara stabbed at her mac and cheese. “Really. He scrubs up better than most of the guys here, and I’m planning on bringing it. We’ll look great in the pre-dance photos, don’t you think?”

The thing about Lara’s particular brand of irony was that you could never quite tell if she was playing with you or not. The guys seemed to agree; Matt kind of smiled, then half-frowned, then smiled with his eyebrows drawn together. “Well, if you’re planning on bringing it, then I’m gonna have to make sure I drop in to check it out for myself,” he said finally.

Smooth. Safe reply.

Definitely sounded like he’d wanted Lara to ask him, though. Or maybe I was imagining that.

“You wouldn’t want to miss it, Patterson,” she said, and Matt actually bit his lower lip while he held eye contact with her. I got the strangest feeling Matt was going to picture her saying that while making out with his pillow or something later that evening.

“So, anyway,” Will said without looking at me. “That new Marvel movie’s out this weekend. Anyone down?”

“What, you wanna go to the movies?” Matt asked. “Sure you don’t wanna just go with Jess?”

Somewhere inside of me, a dark cloud of wrath, rage, and indignation started twisting my intestines into sailor knots.

“No,” Will said.

“Besides, since when do we pay for movies?” Darnell asked around a mouthful of salad.

“Exactly,” Will said. “My parents just got a new TV, it’s, like, seventy-five inches or something ridiculous. We could stream it.”

“Are we invited?” Niamh asked.

Darnell brightened. “Ye—”

“Sorry,” Will interrupted. “Guys’ night only.”

“So, Ollie’s invited?” Lara asked with a pointed gaze.

Well, from the look on Will’s face, you’d have thought she’d suggested burning the place down in a crazed satanic ritual once the movie was over.

“Seems kind of rude to bring it up in front of us if you’re not going to ask us,” Juliette said mildly.

“Like we’d want to haul ass all the way out to Napier to watch a blurry camcorder copy of another superhero movie,” Lara said. “I’m sure we can find something actually entertaining to do with our Saturday night, girls.”

I wasn’t exactly sure if I counted as a girl in this scenario, but I nodded anyway.



After lunch, I caught up with Lara and walked next to her for a few steps, trying to get up the nerve to ask her.

She got there first. “You come here to dump me?”

“What? As my date, you mean?”

“Well I don’t mean as your girlfriend.”

I paused. “I wanted to know if you were serious.”

“Duh. Do you have anyone better to go with?”

She was walking faster down the hall now and I had to scramble to keep up. “Not really.”

“Yeah, well, neither do I. So let’s coordinate outfits and look better than both of them, all right?”

She stopped her near-sprint and turned to face me, one eyebrow raised in a challenge.

Well, shit. Who would’ve thought Lara would be asking me to a dance? And who would’ve thought I’d ever say yes?

But I was about to, wasn’t I?

I shrugged, and folded my arms. “All right.”

In my pocket, my phone buzzed, and I pulled it out while Lara blatantly peeked.

Friday, 12:32 PM

Meet me in the parking lot after

school?



The parking lot was mostly empty by the time Will sheepishly appeared and shuffled to my car. He offered me a weak smile that I didn’t return. I just leaned against my hood and waited.

“I wanted to tell you,” he said in a low voice as soon as he got close enough.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t.”

“I was going to next time I saw you.”

“You saw me yesterday. You didn’t say a thing. You didn’t have any trouble telling the guys.”

“I didn’t, I swear. Jess told Matt.”

“Why did she tell Matt?”

“I don’t know, Ollie!” he said, flinging his hands up in frustration. “I’m sorry, okay?”

“Sorry you didn’t tell me or sorry you’re going with her?” I asked, my voice hard.

He blinked at me. “It doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “I promise.”