He Was Mine First

I called Carter again, but just like before, he didn’t answer. My chest tightened as I stared at my phone. Why did this make me so nervous? I knew he was with Emily—maybe something had happened, and she needed his help. But still… there was no reason for him to ignore me.

I told myself, over and over again, that there was a reasonable explanation for everything. Carter wouldn’t just ignore me for no reason, especially not to spend time with Emily behind my back. Emily—my best friend. Carter’s ex.

“Stop overthinking,” I muttered to myself. “It’s nothing.”

But my gut refused to believe it.

---

The cab driver dropped me off at the side of the road, and I had to walk the rest of the way on foot. The path leading to Elthon Hillside was quiet and shaded, weaving through the dense forest. Thankfully, it wasn’t completely dark yet, so I didn’t have to worry about getting lost. Still, I was careful as I moved, avoiding sharp branches and loose rocks along the way.

As I got closer to the spot Carter had taken me to on our date, I heard muffled voices. My pace slowed. The voices became clearer with each step, and when I finally reached the clearing, my heart dropped.

There they were.

Carter and Emily.

They were sitting way too close to each other on a flat rock overlooking the hill. Carter’s arm was draped around Emily’s shoulders, and she was leaning into him, whispering something in that soft, coaxing voice she used when she wanted something.

I froze, staring at them, unable to move. What was I supposed to do? Confront them? Leave? Would they think I was stalking them? I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but there was something so… intimate about the way they were sitting together.

They’re just friends, I tried to tell myself. There’s nothing suspicious about this. Just two friends hanging out.

Except they weren’t just friends. They had history. They’d dated before. And nothing was stopping them from dating again—except for me.

I thought back to how harsh Emily had been with me in school lately, how angry she seemed whenever Carter came up in conversation. She’d refused to tell me why, but now… now I wondered if she still had feelings for him. And Carter—did he want to get back together with her?

Before I could decide whether to approach them, Emily’s voice rose, sharp and angry.

“I already told you—she doesn’t have feelings for you! She’s probably only with you because she feels lonely. Carter, you know how much she hates vampires.”

I ducked behind a tree, my heart pounding in my ears. They were talking about me. Of course, they were.

“You hated vampires too,” Carter said, his voice low and defensive.

“I never hated them!” Emily snapped. “I was intimidated by vampires. But Kerry? She hates them. She even wants to leave town—move to Miami with her dad, where she thinks there are no vampires. Dating you won’t change her mind. The second we graduate high school, she’s gone.”

My breath caught. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Yes, I’d told Emily about my plans to move to Miami with my dad—years ago. And I never said I hated vampires. Sure, I was afraid of them sometimes, but Emily knew that. We’d bonded over it because her mom was married to a vampire, and she was always terrified of her stepbrother.

We’d grown up together. We shared everything. Or so I thought. How could she twist my words like this? How could she talk about me like this to Carter of all people?

I felt anger bubbling in my chest, hot and furious, but I forced myself to stay hidden. Bursting in now wouldn’t help. None of them would appreciate being eavesdropped on, even if I had every right to be angry.

“Anyway, this doesn’t matter,” Emily continued, her tone softening. “Let’s focus on you. Do you want me to teach that a****** a lesson?”

“I don’t care about him, Emily. You know that.”

“Not as much as you care about me.” Emily leaned forward, resting her head on Carter’s shoulder. My blood boiled at the sight.

“Emily…” Carter’s voice was hesitant, uncertain. For a moment, I felt hope flare in my chest. Maybe he would push her away. Maybe he would remind her that he was already in a relationship—with me.

But he didn’t.

Emily leaned up and kissed him.

I stood there, frozen in place, waiting for him to pull away. Waiting for him to say something. But he didn’t. He didn’t push her away. He didn’t stop her.

Emily was kissing my boyfriend. And I just stood there, watching helplessly.

I couldn’t take it anymore. Turning on my heel, I fled. I didn’t confront them. What was the point? What could I even say? Tears blurred my vision as I stumbled back through the forest.

God, I hated this.

And yet… deep down, I wasn’t even surprised. Hadn’t I been expecting this to happen? Silas had warned me—he’d said Carter had left me for Emily once before, and he’d do it again if given the chance. I’d defended Carter, clung to the hope that Silas was wrong.

But now? Now I felt like a fool.

Heartbroken, helpless, and angrier than I’d ever been, I wiped at my tears and kept walking.

Screw them. Screw all of this.

---

---

I avoided everyone the next day.

When I got home from Elthon Hill, I locked myself in my room and cried myself to sleep. Silas wasn’t home. Mom and Bill were probably off at some hotel, having the time of their lives. I was alone with my misery.

It was moments like these that made me wish I lived with my dad. He always had my back, always gave me a shoulder to cry on when I needed it. Mom? She was never around. She always had something more important to do.

That night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. How was I supposed to act around Carter and Emily tomorrow? Pretend nothing happened? Confront them? Ignore them? I was exhausted just thinking about it.

---

When I got to school the next day, I was the center of attention—but for reasons I didn’t understand.

Girls whispered behind their hands, boys gave me curious looks, and there was this strange buzz of energy whenever I walked past.

“Hey, Kerry,” Emily said brightly as she slid into the seat next to me. Her face lit up with a smile, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

I stared at her blankly. How bold of her to act like nothing had happened after what I’d seen last night. She’d ignored me for weeks, but now, she was acting like everything was fine.

“Hey,” I said dryly, my voice devoid of emotion.

“You look tired,” she remarked, tilting her head. “And your hair’s kind of messy. Didn’t get enough sleep?”

“I slept fine.” Liar. I’d spent most of the night crying into my pillow, but there was no way I’d let her know that.

Emily sighed, as if trying to seem regretful. “I’m sorry about the misunderstanding between us. I’ve been going through a lot. David and I broke up, and I realized I wasn’t being fair to you. I should’ve told you what was going on, and I didn’t. I hope you can forgive me.”

“What do you want, Emily?”

Her lips curled into a smile—a cruel, satisfied smile. “I’ve found someone else I like. And now, I’ll do whatever it takes to make him mine.”

I snapped. “Enough of this!”

Emily rose to her feet, unbothered by my anger. That smug smile stayed on her lips, and I realized something awful: Emily enjoyed this. She enjoyed my pain.

“You knew Carter and I were together!” I shouted. “Why did you kiss him?”

“You knew Carter and I were together when you decided to steal him from me,” she said coldly.

The classroom fell silent, and I felt all eyes on us. Phones were raised, people recording every second of our argument.

“I didn’t steal him! You told me you didn’t want to be with him anymore!” I yelled. “You said you were afraid of him, Emily! I supported you—I had your back!”

“Don’t give me that b*******! You just wanted him for yourself!”

And with that, she smirked, holding up her phone and showing me photos. Photos of me with Carter. With Matt. With Damon. My heart sank.

“You can’t stick to one guy, can you? You just have to have them all,” Emily sneered.

Laughter rippled through the classroom, vicious and cruel. I couldn’t take it anymore.

Head down, I turned and bolted out of the classroom. I could still hear their laughter, the cruel whispers, calling me a slut.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.

"Kerry?"

I quickened my pace as Carter's voice rang out behind me. I needed to escape—away from him, away from everyone in this school. I only made it as far as the parking lot before Carter caught up with me. He grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. My face was streaked with tears, my eyes swollen and red. I was struggling to breathe, panicking, and the last thing I wanted to see was him right now.

"Kerry, what’s wrong? Please, talk to me."

Seeing the concern on his face only fueled my anger. This cheating bastard had no right to act like he cared.

"You and Emily can fucking burn in hell!"

"Kerry… I—I can explain. I swear I wanted to call you. I wanted to tell you everything… the kiss didn’t mean anything. I… I love you, Kerry."

"I hate you!" The words tore from my throat. "It’s too bad you love me, because all I can do is hate you! You and all your kind—stay the hell away from me!"

I wrenched my arm free from his grip, turned, and ran. My legs carried me faster, faster, until all that mattered was getting away. I needed to leave. I had to get out of here.