Chapter 13 Ch. 10
The only thing Ethan could think of was Zara.
His eyes were locked onto the back of her head during class with Miss Penelope wondering what on earth he was going to do with the girl who could not be compelled.
It was logical to tell his father— he would have a suggestion, but how?
Hey dad? I let some crazy ass girl stalk me and now she knows I'm a vampire. Can't wipe her memories.
That was definitely not going to happen without some brutal punishment. Oh how his father loved to torment anyone.
Moreover, this was Zara!
Sure, she was annoying but he liked her enough not to want to get rid of her.
No... he liked her, but she was human and that could not work.
Even if she promised to keep his secret, that promise could crumble the moment someone scared her or tempted her. Humans were unpredictable, fragile, emotional, impulsive.
How could he trust that she wouldn't slip up eventually?
But she hadn’t yet, had she? She’d found out and said nothing so far.
Still, that wasn’t a guarantee. Trusting a human was like walking through fire hoping not to get burned. Moreover, it had not even been a full day.
It also wasn't just about getting rid of her.
That was the method his father was even going to use, and heavens knew he would feel guilty for the rest of eternity.
What if I just come clean? She'll keep it a secret right? He thought to himself.
He sighed and relaxed back into his seat as Mrs. Penelope scolded her for not paying attention. He could not blame her for that. He knew she was still thinking about yesterday.
She hadn’t even looked at him since the day began, even when they bumped into each other she barely glanced at him and for some reason, that unsettled him more than her usual nosy questions and sharp remarks.
Zara was the kind of girl who always had something to say even if it annoyed him. Her silence was too loud for him.
The day went on in a blur and he was only too glad that after lunch, there was no other class for him.
As he left the cafeteria he spotted Zara with Noah, they looked at him and then at each other, Noah giving her a 'don't be ridiculous look'.
There were others staring at him too— unnervingly so. Sure, he was used to the stares and whispers of the girls in the school, but today was different. The whispers were more than before, the gazes lingered more than necessary.
He swallowed hard and picked up his speed, rounding a corner and entering the chemistry laboratory.
The other students filed in after him, chattering and he could swear he heard his name.
"We're picking off from where we stopped last class," the teacher, Mrs. Lawrence said as Zara walked in with Noah. "Castillo, lock the door behind you. No one else comes in, I do not appreciate tardiness. There's a lot to cover in such limited time."
She shrugged and locked the door, her eyes meeting Ethan's briefly and then she walked to the end of the room, perching herself onto a stool.
Ethan stared at her for a while, then zoned out as the teacher began to ramble on.
"Hey," a flirty voice snapped him out of his daze. He looked down to see Yvette— moderately tall, skinny, bleached hair and green contacts staring at him with seductive eyes. He almost laughed at her pathetic attempt.
"We were paired together for this. Weren't you listening?"
"Huh?"
"Practicals," she whispered, batting her lashes.
"Oh?" His gaze drifted towards Zara. She wasn't paired with Noah, but she seemed content with the nerd kid who has glasses on and his face decorated with freckles.
"Yeah, so... You know what we're doing? Or should we just pretend to know and talk about something else?"
He shrugged. "Pretending to know is fine. Just copy what others are doing."
"Yeah, and try not to burn the lab down."
"I don't think we can burn that lab down with these," Ethan chuckled dryly, picking up a pipette.
"Moreau. Why are you two picking up a pipette instead of setting up your retort stand and burrete?"
"Just checking to see ma'am," he mumbled politely, glancing over at Zara. He followed her lead on what she was doing and then set it up.
"So..." Yvette began. "Do you bite?"
Ethan blinked slowly. Was she seriously going there? In broad daylight? In the middle of a chemistry class?
"No way," he muttered under his breath.
He turned to look at her fully, trying to figure out if she was joking or if she somehow knew.
But no, her face wasn’t cautious—it was gleeful, playful and flirtatious. She didn’t know, he was probably just knew thinking everything.
"Do you bite?" She asked again.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm just asking cause I wouldn't mind if you bit me. I'd love for you to do that."
"You high on something?"
"No. But like," she batted her lashes. "It'll be cooler if it's on my neck."
Ethan ignored her and then picked up a liquid labelled A, to pour in the burrete.
"Moreau! It's base against acid, what on earth are you doing?" Mrs. Lawrence yelled, face palming. "And will you two stop flirting or playing love and focus on the goddamn practical. Are you trying to burn the school down or something?"
"Told you we could burn the school down if we don't do it right," Yvette whispered, giggling.
"She's obviously exaggerating," he rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"So what are you doing after school?"
"Are you going to help out or not?" Ethan asked, exasperatedly.
"I'd rather watch," she laughed. "So?"
"Why?"
"We could hookup and make cute vampire babies?"
The conical flask in his hand shattered, the acid burning into his skin— his head whipping around to Zara's direction immediately.