Van
"Does that work on anyone?" Van demanded, twirling back to face the bar. She told herself the fluttering in her stomach was from spinning and not the clean, woodsy scent emanating from the far too handsome boy on her right.
"Nope," Luca replied, his voice cheerful despite her less than pleasant response. "But my father has always encouraged persistence."
"That's just a nice way of saying you do the same thing repeatedly- which actually has a saying to go with it."
"No one will call me insane for trying to win the affections of a beautiful girl."
Van spied her reflection in the silver surface of a napkin holder. Makeup was smudged beneath her lashes. Her garish hair was a ratted nest, and her oversized hoodie made her look rather round. Once she'd have soaked up his words, confident enough to believe they could be true. Now, she just turned her head, put her chin in her hand, and dragged her finger through a spot of condensation on the countertop hoping he would catch a hint.
"Here you kids go," Wanda said, setting plates in front of them. She followed with the chocolate malts, topped with mounds of whipped cream and a cherry.
The savory scents teased a real appetite to the surface, and Van dug in. Hot grease slipped down her chin and turned her lips shiny. Such fat filled, carb loaded meals were not allowed in the Helsing household. Gabriella saw to that. She had to approve the cook's menu every week, and Van had eaten more green things she couldn't pronounce than she could count since moving in with the two of them. She would eat this and die happy.
"They don't feed you at home?"
She cut her eyes to the side, not amused by the teasing in his tone, but the concern in his gaze caught her off guard. It softened her reply- not by much, but some.
"They feed me, but I prefer to eat a cow sometimes rather than eating like one."
"Vegetarians?" His lips pursed and his nose wrinkled.
"Close enough," Van said, pulling her sweater over her hand and scrubbing it over her mouth to clean the mess from her face. She waited for Luca to recoil, but he winked before slurping on his malt. He seemed just as determined to be friendly as she was to be irritable.
Hailey Francis walked up to them, her heavily painted lips pushed out in a pout. With her straight blonde hair, big blue eyes, and round cheeks, she looked like a cherub. Van suspected that's why the girl wore so much makeup. Heavy contouring gave her a semblance of cheekbones and added a few years to a face that would be carded long after she turned twenty-one. But that's not what made her such a hit with the boys in school
"Luca! You said you couldn't come out tonight," she purred, pressing her hand on his shoulder and leaning forward to give him an excellent view of the cleavage she had on display. Where Hailey's face had retained its childlike features, her body had embraced puberty and never looked back. Van almost felt sorry for her.
"Plans changed," he said, straight white teeth snapping the end off of a fry. "Mom isn't feeling well, so that puts my pops in charge of cooking. I got out of there fast."
Hailey tittered while steadily walking her fingers up his neck. Luca didn't shrug her off, but nothing in his expression indicated he was deriving pleasure from her caress. Not that it matters, Van chided herself.
"And you decided to hang out with the new kid? You never fail to amaze me with your kindness." She turned her limpid blue eyes to Van and took her hands off of Luca. "You're a lucky girl."
Van didn't know if it was better or worse that Hailey spoke without malice. She sounded genuinely amazed by Luca's thoughtfulness, and when she smiled at Van, it was open and welcoming.
"So lucky," Van said through gritted teeth. She needed people to be mean to her.
"I'm Hailey, though I'm sure you already knew that." The girl thrust her hand out. From anyone else's lips such a statement would've been boastful, but from Hailey's it was just a matter of fact. "I really should've said hello to you weeks ago, but things are so busy at the beginning of the school year. So sorry about your loss. Did you know our moms were tight when they were younger. She'd love for you to come over. Said she has lots of pictures from when they were our age."
Van deflated. Every sassy retort she'd sharpened her tongue with fell away when the girl mentioned those pictures. It would seem she had more opportunities in her mother's death to learn about her than she'd ever had in life.
"That would be nice." The words were out of her mouth before she could second guess them. Luca tensed at her side, but she didn't look at him. "Just let me know when you're free. I have plenty of free time."
"Oh good," Hailey said, clapping her hands together. The bubbly delight on display was at odds with her sex kitten look, and Van found herself liking this girl, grudgingly at least. Someone shouted Hailey's name, and the girl held up a finger. "My mom is out of town this week and next, but you def need to come to the party tomorrow night. Luca will fill you in on the details. Please come."
With that, she sauntered back to the group she'd come in with, leaving Van in a state of confusion. Luca chuckled, drawing her attention back to him. "Hailey Francis is a force of nature."
"She's nice?" Van made a helpless gesture at her own flat chest and makeupless features.
"Breasts make you mean?"
The sip of milkshake she'd just taken threatened to come back up. How the hell had she gone from fighting with her father to talking about boobs with Luca Brooks. "No, not specifically. Just, she wasn't what I expected."
"You have to form opinions after meeting someone. Appearances are often deceiving."
"You sound like a fortune cookie."
"Take you," Luca continued, ignoring her jibe as he leaned off of his stool and invaded her personal space. She held her breath until she saw he was grabbing the ketchup, but his intoxicating scent lingered after he'd retreated. "You work very hard to put off a particular image, but it's not who you are."
"Excuse me?"
"Not that there'd be anything wrong if this is who you really are. Well, except for the attempts at self-destruction. I'd prefer to see that go away."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Van snapped, dropping money on the counter and hopping off of her stool. Memories of a girl who loved smiling from ear to ear, wearing dainty pink things, and being the center of attention flooded her. He couldn't possibly know about that girl. "What you see is what you get with me."
Luca followed Van out of the diner. The temperature had dropped again, and she shivered. For a moment she wished he'd offer to drive her home. She thought he was going to when his eyes drifted to his fancy car and back to her trembling form.
"You heading home?"
"Yes."
A moment of silence. His jaw tightened; his eyes hardened. "You should be careful. It's not safe to wander around at night by yourself."
"I'm fine."
Luca looked at her, his expression relaxing. "Go to that party with me tomorrow night?"
Van's mouth fell open. "Why would I do that?"
"Because your other option is sitting at home on a Saturday night. With the parents."
He emphasized the last word, twisting it with venom as if he knew how affected she'd be by it. Looking down, she considered her options. Any reason to be out of the house was a good reason. Not to mention, a party was filled with ample opportunities for mischief, and Father was on the edge. She was certain of it. He'd been so vulnerable tonight. Not for a minute did she think it was to draw closer to her. It was a tool of manipulation.
"Fine."
"Fine?" Luca repeated, eyes wide. "Wait, forget I said that. You might change your mind. Can I pick you up here, say maybe eight?"
Van thought it strange he wasn't going to pick her up at the house, but she held her tongue. Her father had a reputation in the community. Perhaps Luca didn't want to chance running into him and getting the entire speech Father would feel pressed upon to deliver.
"Fine."
"See you tomorrow," Luca said, sliding into his sleek car with a boyish grin.
With a wave, he left, leaving her to turn into the darkness and start her walk home. She'd intended to stay out later, but it felt odd going back into the diner after leaving it. Hailey would likely pounce, and despite Van's interest in developing a relationship with the girl, she didn't have the energy for it tonight. No, her only choice was to go home or freeze.
She stopped outside the wrought-iron gate around Helsing House. Arrogant assholes, she thought staring at the towering structure. Men with more pride than sense had built this house generations ago, and from her father's egotistical behavior, the Helsings hadn't improved in the many years since.
Funny, Van felt more trepidation heading back inside those walls than she did remaining on the streets- the dangerous dark Luca had warned her about. Not once had she felt unsafe walking home; instead, feeling almost peaceful until the house came into view. She looked over her shoulder but saw nothing, but she hadn't expected to.
Despite the looming shadows and darkness, there was nothing outside that scared her. To most, the Helsing House would look homey. Fresh paint and large windows filled cheerful light. Holiday decor on the red door. But Luca had been right. Appearances were deceiving. The real monsters were inside.