Legend of the Virgin Vampire

Jousting

 I dragged myself through the last half of the day and went straight to my car before I could be interrupted. But just as I was backing out, someone banged on top of my car. Porter appeared in the driver's side window. I stopped and rolled the window down. The back half of the car was hanging out of the space and blocking everyone else. Someone honked.

"Thought you were getting away, huh?" he said. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Home. My mom needs the car for work."

"Good. Zero and I are coming over right now."

I was shaking my head, more from exhaustion than from refusal. I couldn't have company right now. I needed at least a couple of hours alone. The separation from Emily was starting to crawl under my skin, and I knew in a little while I was going to get very hungry. Plus, I hadn't slept since yesterday.

"That's too soon," I said. "I have homework to do first."

"So do it after we leave."

"Come over after dinner," I said. "That'll still be enough time to work on the game."

I could tell that he had no idea how to handle this insubordination. I never did it, and I'm sure I wouldn't have if there wasn't more important stuff at stake.

He studied me for a long time. I could feel him mentally probing for weakness and finding none. I wasn't cool or anything. I was just scared. I needed time and space to process things and figure out what I was going to do next.

More cars honked, which forced Porter to make a decision.

"We're going to be there at six o'clock, sharp," he said, poking my steering wheel. "You'd better be there, and you'd better be ready to work, or we're going to have to find someone else to do the stories for us."

I'm sorry, Mr. Papadakis, but we're taking this company in a different direction.

"I'll be there," I said.

He walked away without another word. I finished backing out and took the car home. My toughest battle was coming up. I hadn't seen my mother since Saturday afternoon, nor had I provided her with the explanation she had been waiting for. The only thing I had going for me was a lack of time. In order for Mom to make it to work before her shift started, she had to leave the minute I got in. Barely enough time for a glare and a hug.

The usual pattern was for Mom to come hurrying out of the house with her purse and stuff the moment I pulled into the garage. But she didn't do it this time. I slammed the car door shut after I got out, hoping this would draw her. Nothing.

I let myself in the house. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, wearing jeans and a sweater instead of her nursing scrubs. She smiled, a look that was both friendly and threatening. I swallowed and closed the door behind me.

"How was your day?" she said.

"Fine."

"Good." She took a sip from her coffee, almost perfectly at ease. Right at the bottom of that peace was the promise of imminent conflict. Something was going to happen, and I wasn't going to like it.