You And I

Eleven Years Earlier...

"Carter, wait up!" I called, running as fast as my short legs could carry me. But he didn’t stop. If anything, he walked even faster. My chest heaved with exhaustion, but I pressed on. “Carter!”

“Stop following me.” His voice was cold, so unlike the boy I thought was my best friend.

“But you didn’t tell me what’s wrong. Did something happen?”

“It’s none of your business. Go back home, Kerry.” He didn’t even look at me.

“Carter, please! Stop being so mean!” My voice broke into a sob, tears already pooling in my eyes. At this time of day, we would usually be at my house, watching cartoons or playing video games. But for the past two days, he’d been avoiding me, and I didn’t know why.

Hearing my sobs, Carter finally stopped. He turned around, his face softened with a flicker of guilt. “Alright, stop crying. You’ll make your eyes all red.”

“Did I do something wrong? Why don’t you want to play with me anymore?”

He hesitated. “I have... more important things to deal with right now. I can’t spend all my time playing with you, Kerry.”

“But... but I saw you playing with Emily. Why can you play with her but not me?” My voice cracked again, more tears slipping down my cheeks.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“But—”

“Just leave me alone.” His words cut through me like a knife, and then he turned and walked away.

No matter how hard I tried to chase him, Carter was always faster than me. That was the first time I noticed the dark shadow that loomed over the boy I grew up with.

---

Present Day...

I wrapped my arms around myself as I stepped into the living room. The eerie silence was short-lived because, as soon as Silas sensed my presence, he appeared in front of me like a gust of wind.

I barely saw him move. One moment, the room was empty; the next, he was there, his red eyes blazing with anger.

“Where the fuck have you been?”

“I—I’m sorry. I wanted to call, but I didn’t mean to sleep over at—”

“Do you know how worried I was?!” His voice rose, cutting me off. “Just how irresponsible can you be, Kerry? And whose clothes are you wearing?”

“You don’t need to yell, Silas. I—”

“I hope you enjoyed whatever shitty stuff you did last night because, from now on, you’re not taking a single step out of this house.”

“You know what? Fuck you, Silas!” I snapped, shoving past him.

But he caught my wrist. “Let go of me!”

“What the hell is up with you?” His tone was demanding but edged with frustration.

“I should ask you the same thing! Why are you acting like such a prick all of a sudden? Is it because our parents aren’t around?”

“You think they’d be happy with you slutting yourself out?”

“Like you’re fucking innocent!” I yanked my wrist free. “At least I’m not the one screwing girls loud enough for the whole house to hear! The only reason I went to that party in the first place was to avoid hearing you bang some random chick! But I guess I have no right to complain because it’s your house and not mine.”

I stormed upstairs, leaving Silas momentarily frozen by my words. His footsteps followed, but I slammed my bedroom door shut and bolted it before he could catch up.

“Kerry! Kerry, please open the door.” His voice softened on the other side. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I want to leave, Silas.” My voice broke with a sob. “I want to get out of this fricking town.”

“Kerry, please—”

“Leave me alone. Just leave me alone!”

Silence followed. Whether he was still there or not, I didn’t care. Curling up under my blanket, I squeezed my eyes shut, desperate to block out the world. Somehow, I eventually drifted to sleep.

When I woke, there was food and water left by my bedside. The door was still bolted, and there were no other signs of intrusion. I didn’t bother going downstairs for the rest of the day.

---

The Next Morning...

“Dang, you look terrible,” Emily said, her tone light but concerned.

“I feel terrible,” I muttered. My tangled hair was a disaster, and I hadn’t even bothered to change out of Matt’s clothes—or my duckie slippers.

“Are you okay, Kerry?” Her worry was palpable.

I shook my head. “I’d rather not talk about it.” Emily nodded, respecting my space.

“But let’s talk about you.” I forced a weak smile. “I saw you sneak off with David at the party. What happened there?”

Emily’s face turned scarlet. “I—I have to get to class!” She grabbed her books and bolted down the hallway.

“Seriously? The bell hasn’t even rung!” I called after her, laughing softly despite myself. Emily didn’t answer, disappearing into the crowd.

Grabbing the mirror Emily kept in my locker, I grimaced at my reflection. I looked like a witch from a low-budget Halloween movie. Running my fingers through my hair did little to help. With a resigned sigh, I shoved the mirror back.

“Hello, Jones.”

“Jesus Christ!” I yelped, startled. The mirror slipped from my hands and shattered on the floor. “Carter! That was Emily’s favorite mirror!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Whatever. Just leave me alone.”

“Wait, Kerry, I need to talk to you about yesterday.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” I glared at him, shoving past. But he followed.

“Why are you stalking me?”

“I’m not. We have the same class, remember?”

Rolling my eyes, I stormed into the biology classroom. Carter took the seat next to me, ignoring the many others available. I tried to block him out, but he was persistent.

“Kerry,” he whispered midway through the lecture. “You said you knew I was a vampire before? What did you mean?”

“It means I’m not an idiot, Carter.” My voice was low. “You stopped eating, avoided the sun, grew pale, and your eyes turned red when you got emotional. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“How could I? You ignored me for years. I thought I’d done something wrong. What was I supposed to say?”

“The truth, Kerry!” His voice was tight with frustration, his eyes glinting red. “You could’ve told me you knew. It would’ve made everything easier.”

“What difference would it have made?”

“We could’ve been together!” His voice cracked. “I thought if you ever realized the truth, you’d hate me. I clung to Emily because she was my only connection to you.”

I stared at him, stunned. “I... didn’t think it mattered.”

“Well, it does now, Kerry. But it’s complicated, isn’t it? You like someone else.”

“I—”

“Miss Jones,” the teacher interrupted sharply. “Pay attention.”

I sank into my seat, my cheeks burning. Carter’s gaze bore into me, but I couldn’t meet it. He was right—it was complicated now. Too complicated.