"I saw how quickly you yanked Luna off of me at the Crypt," Trevor said to me in the hallway the following day at school. "The lengths you go to, just to keep girls away from me."
"I was helping out Scarlet, not you. And on second thought, maybe I should have saved Scarlet by letting Luna paw on you instead." He grinned mischievously. His devilish nature couldn't mask his attractiveness. I felt ensnared by his gaze.
He fingered his blond locks and leaned in to me, then whispered, "It's so clear who you'd really prefer to be your real boyfriend, and that's me."
"When will you get over your delusions?" I asked. "I'm not even sure what Scarlet sees in you," I said.
Trevor inched even closer, his green eyes piercing through me. "But I think you do. I think you always have. Do you know why I like Scarlet?"
"Because she breathes?"
He smiled churlishly, his milky white teeth beaming. "Because she reminds me of you. When I am kissing her I imagine that I'm kissing you." I was taken aback. Trevor never knew when to stop. "Don't be cruel! She's my friend."
"Which is worse?" he asked, getting in my face. "That I kiss her and think of you? Or that when I'm on the end of her succulent lips, that I might not be thinking of you?"
Trevor was a tease. Of course I didn't want him to use Scarlet, and I didn't want him to like me, either. But was I being honest with myself when there was a tiny piece of me that got a rise out of Trevor's torment? Or was it just something I'd grown accustomed to all my life?
Trevor drew me in to him. "How about now I'll kiss you and you can see for yourself who I am thinking of?" I pushed against him as hard as I could, my black nails standing out against his yellow polo shirt. I knew he wasn't going to force a kiss on me, but his embrace told me he got a kick out of my trying to squirm away from him.
For a moment, I thought about kissing him back, giving him the biggest shock of his life. But I remembered Alexander. And his lips were the only ones I wanted to be on the end of - regardless of how much I wanted to torment my nemesis.
"I can spit," I told him instead.
Trevor immediately released me and jumped away. "I'd say 'You wouldn't dare,' but I know you would."
"Don't tempt me," I said, adjusting my dress.
"Halloween is coming," he said as if it was a warning. "Jagger is planning to have a spectacular event down at the Crypt. Luna, Scarlet, all the girls will be there." How did Trevor always know more about the vampires' plans than I did?
"I'll be there. With Alexander," I charged back.
"What horrible monster will you come as this year?" he asked. "Yourself?"
I really loathed Trevor. No matter how hard I tried, he always seemed to be one step ahead of me.
"I'll be the one dressed as your psychiatrist," I said, and headed off for class.
I felt extra groggy when I awoke in Alexander's coffin. I lazily rolled over and snuggled up close to him, hoping to doze back to sleep. He caressed my hair and I felt amazingly at peace in his embrace.
"Good morning, Monster Girl!" I heard a familiar voice say.
Then a cell phone was turned on, illuminating the inside of the casket, and I saw green eyes staring back at me. How did I get in a coffin with Trevor Mitchell?
Where was Alexander? What was happening?
I tried to break open the coffin lid, but it wouldn't budge. I pushed against it with my feet as hard as I could.
"Let me out!" I screamed. "Let me out!"
"It's too late," my nemesis said. "We are here together for eternity."
His hand crept across my neck as if it was marking his territory.
I smacked it away. "Let go!" I yelled. "Alexander!"
"Isn't this what you wanted?" Trevor asked.
"Not with you! Never with you!"
"But I thought it was me all along. When you were little, didn't you try to get me to bite you so I could turn you into a vampire? It's what you always wanted, Raven."
"Let me out!"
I screamed and kicked and pleaded. I could feel my nails scraping against the wooden casket lid. I was sure my fingers were dripping with blood.
"Raven!" I heard a girl's voice say.
"Raven!" I heard a girl's voice say.
I awoke with my fingers digging into my school desk. Becky was nudging me in the side.
I tried to hide my embarrassment as all my classmates stared at me. I was used to stares - but this time I felt like an idiot. I glanced around, and one particular student was grinning back at me: Trevor. I felt like somehow he'd just witnessed my whole dream, too. Beads of sweat peppered my brow, and I wiped my perspiring hands on my black tights.
Mr. Simmons glared at me and shook his head.
"Miss Madison," he said in a teacherly voice. "I'd give you a detention, but I'm afraid you'd sleep through that as well." For the first time in high school, I agreed with one of my teachers.
Chapter 3 The Devil Wears Doc Martens
That night at the Crypt, I was anxious to see what information I could get on Jagger's Halloween haunted house plans and how Luna and Romeo's relationship was percolating.
Alexander drove me to the club, and when I entered, the new lovebats were cuddling next to the bar. Luna was stroking Romeo's wavy hair and flashing her butterfly lashes. When he broke away to serve a drink, she blew kisses at him.
I was really impressed with how quickly her affections had turned to Romeo. But I couldn't blame her. He was really cute, and being older made him alluring, too.When Luna caught sight of me, she waved me over. She was sitting at the bar in a tattered black shirt, a coral-colored flirty skirt, and chunky Doc Martens with pink laces.
I was shocked and checked around to make sure I really was the object of her attention. She waved again, as if it were obvious we were old friends; Alexander hung by Sebastian while I headed to the bar.
She spun around on the barstool. "Isn't Romeo dreamy?" Luna stopped and pressed close to me as if she wanted to literally rub her words in my face.
"Uh ... yes," I agreed.
"And he's so mature. Not like these younger guys." I knew who she meant and who that comment was directed toward: Alexander. Funny, these younger guys had been fine with her before as she tried to date most of them.
"Well, I think some guys here are really mature," I said defensively.
She didn't have time for my response and threw her long pink locks behind her. "Romeo loves so many things," she explained. "And I'm one of them!"