[Blood and Chocolate on my Fangs]: 253.Deadly Desires.Nasty Rumors

Nasty Rumors

Veronica sat in her green '98 Grandam. She looked up at her high school, listening to a stadicky 96.9, smoking her last cigarett before school. She knew they were bad for her but that didn't matter. All she cared about was the fact that it helped her release some of her stress.

As she sat there she thought, thought about herself and how little she had accomplished throughout her life. She looked into her rear view mirror. She could see all her flaws. The dark circles under her eyes, from lack of sleep, were especially prominant in the sunlight breaking over the gym roof top. She touched her black hair, disheveled with split ends. She noticed that it was starting to get lighter and took a mental note to dye it again when she got home. She knew her mom would start in wiht the same old song and dance:

"Your hair is so beautiful, why destroy it with chemicals?"

It bugged her so much that she made sure it was as dark as it would go every time she started in. It wasn't just her hair either, her mother hated the way she always dressed in black. Black make up, gothic looking stuff, you name it, except however the pale skin. No matter how hard she tried she always tanned. Her parents didn't seem to realize that their sweet little girl, who dressed in pink, was gone. All that was left was a lost, confused teenager trying to survive in a cruel, cold world.

A bell rang disturbing her thoughts. A hand rapped hard on her window making her jump. A pale boy with fair hair and a mischevious smile stared at her through the window.



"Come on my devil queen, its time to return to hell?" the boy said opening her door and reaching for her hand in moch chivallry.

"My knight in tarnished armor!" Veronica said as she grabbed her keys and took his hand. He kissed it and pulled her up to him and held her for a moment. She looked into his eyse. This is T.J., her boyfriend since their Sophmore year. He was about an inch and a half taller than her with hair to his ears in a bowl cut. He has strong arms that aren't bulky in the least. He is handsome in his own way, with soft facial features and his eyes blueish grey, almost always glazed over.

He leaned his face toward her, the strong scent of vodca on his breath, and their lips met. His lips tasted like the burning liquid on his breath making her yearn for their comfort. They stayed, iterlocked in eachothers arms and lips until another bell sounded. They reluctantly pulled away from eachother and started across the parking lot toward the school.

"So how was your night?" Veronica asked T.J. as he open the massive glass door of their high school.

"It was dull, I wish you could have went with us. The concert just didn't sound right without you. Without you Evanescence sounded like shit. They worse than--" Veronica covered his mout with her hand and wrapped the other around his neck.

"I know you had a blast so you can drop the act. Besides, I was there in spirit." She said in a low wisper in his ear. He took her had and turned his head. His other hand slid up the small of her back and he pulled her closer to him. Their lips were being drawn together as if by magnet. Oblivious to the world around them they stayed this way until they were tapped on the sholder.

"What have I told you two? You've had three warnings all ready, and I just don't know what else to do. This is the last straw, I'm writing you up for P.D.A." said the sour breath pricipal, Mrs. Prewett.



"There'll be no more of this in my halls or on the schoo premisis. Now go to class before your tardy, one more means suspension for a week understand!"

"Whatever." They said in unison.

They walked down the hall, arms still around eachother. They came to a stop where two corridors crossed eachother.

"I'll see you later kay!" said T.J. giving her one last hug.

"Okay, we'll meet in the cafetiria right?" asked Veronica.

"Of course, and then I have a surprise for you." he said with his mischevious smile again. Before she could say anything more they were separated by a large crowd passing through rushing to their classes. With a final wave they went their separate ways.

Veronica's first class was Advanced Studies in Art. This class was held at the top floor of her three floor, rickety old school building. She knew she would be late like every other day so she chose not to hurry.

As she walked past the familiar, but always strange, faces she began to notice that they were looking at her. Some were pointing, others laughing, but most stood in groups whispering as she walked past. They gave her dirty looks, some were even bad enough that they called her things like slut, skank, and hore.

She still had no idea why they were doing this. It started about three weeks ago. It wasn't the first time they had done this so she was used to it. Even so she still wanted to know what she was being accused of.

When she first stopped being social people whispered that she was pregnant and that she slept around. When she never showed they said she killed the baby. Acctually these kinds of rumors are why she stopped being social. A week after she started dating T.J. people said that she was a slut and was sleeping with all his friends. None of this was true but there was always something to say about her.

To tell the truth, Beronica was once an extremely popular girl. She had all the latest clothes, electronics, music, everything. She had a large group of "friends", life was perfect. At least that's what she always thought.

It all came crashing down one spring, after her best friend's boyfriend was driving her home from a party. She was to smashed tro drive herself so he volunteered to take her. Nothing happened until they were almost to her house. She lived on a dirt road and he took a wrong turn. She thought it was a mistake so she told him to turn around and take a left. He just looked over at her with a smile. He pulled the car over and turned off the engine.

"I figure we'll sit a while and let you get a little more clear headed." he said looking straight ahead. "If your parents are up and see you in this state you'll never be able to leave the house again."

With that he looked at her. He had a mad look in his eyes, a look that scared her into the reality of the situation.

"I'll be fine, I'm good at hiding things like this." she said trying to keep her voice steady. Her heart was pounding and she crossed her arms hoping that her wouldn't be able to tell that she was freaked. He set his hand on her knee and said:

"Nonsense, I don't want to chance it. Just the thought of your pretty self locked up for the rest of her high school life makes me sad."

His hand started to slide up her leg as he moved closer to her. She tried to scoot away but the car was small and he had her pinned. He leaned his face in closer. His body was hot against her skin. She put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him away.

"What about Gena? I could never hurt her." she said holding him at arms length, his hands still traveling up the side of her thighs.

"What she doesn't know wont hurt her." he said in a low growl of a voice.

It was then that his hands found their way to her waist. He started pulling her in closer. She tried to get away but she wasn't coordinated enough. He had her in his arms kissing her forcefuly in a matter of seconds. He slid his hand toward her chest and she moved her leg between her and him and pushed him away as hard as she could. One of his hands that had been running through her hair had strands of her hair caught on it.

"I said I wont hurt Gena! I wont do anything to make her mad! Now take me home!" Veronica was back to her senses and was extremely mad.

"You are really immature you know that! I thought you were cool but this is ridiculous! Could you just relax and let nature take its course! Stop being such a tight ass!" he said trying to get his hold back on her.

"Fine, if you wont take me home I'll walk!" said Veronica and she opened the door and started to step out. He grapped her arm and tried to pull her back.

"Stay in the car I'll take you home." he said still trying to pull her. She slid back into her seat, not closing the door and looked straingt ahead. He leand over her to close the door placing his hand on her upper thigh.

"Now just relax, I promise I wont hurt you. That is unless you beg me to!" he said with a cruel laugh.

In one swift movement she hit him in the head with her knee and pushed him away.

"Don't ever tough me again!" she yelled as she got out of the car and started runnign home.

Not long after she heard the engine sputter to life. Just to be on the safe side she got off the road and hid in the woods. She made sure she couldn't be seen from the road and stayed still. The sound of the car steadily grew louder. It sounded like he was driving really slow.

She crouched as lowly as she could without losing sight of the road. She was like this watching the road, how long she couldn't tell but it seemed like forever. Finally she saw the road light up as the headlights came into view. As he passed he looked right at her and she stopped breathing afraid to move a muscle. The car slowed to almost a crawl the boy never taking his eyes off the spot were she was hiding.

Suddenly he stopped completely and jumped out of the car.

"I see you Veronica? You can't hide from me! I always get what I want, and what I want is you!" he said as he rolled over the hood of the car with a clunk.

Veronica stood up with a broken off branch in her hand. She hid it behing her leg being careful not to move to quickly as to alert him. He steadily grew closer stumbing occasionally. He didn't rush. He knew she wouldn't run, she would give him what he wanted. Even if she didn't he would take it anyway.

He stopped about four feet away fro her and looked her up and down. He noticed that she was trembling and smirked. Then he saw her right hand partly obscured by her leg. She wouldn't look at him, she just watched the ground. He looked at her slender legs, bare except for her pink skirt. All this made him want her more, her fear empowered him. He made a move toward her and saw her right arm tense. That's when he realized that she had the branch. He pretended not to notice and stepped forward a few more steps.

Veronica gripped the stick tighter as he stepped toward her. The way he looked her up and down made her sick. She wasn't a piece of meat for him to test with his eyes to see if it was worthy of him. Her hair obscured her eyes so he couldn't tell that her head, though tilted down, still let her observe him.

After a moments pause he came closer. "Just a few more steps," she thought, "just a few more and then I'll make my move.

The anticipation made her forget to breath. She got momentarily light headed. That's all it took to foil her plan though. She wobbled and he took the chance to rush her and grab the stick with one hand as he slipped the other around her waist.

She cursed herself for her stupidity. She struggled against the searing heat of his body, hitting and kicking at him with all her strength.

"Ho, ho, ho are we feeling fussy now?" he said with a hoarse laugh.

To this day she still doesn't know how she managed to get away. He spun her around and held her hands behinder her back with one hand and tilted her chin back with the other. He started to kiss and bite her neck. He bit her like he was punishing her for making him wait. She began to cry with frustration.

She rocked backwards as hard as she could making him lose his balance. He loosened his grip for only a second but, like him, that's all she needed.

She turned to find him lying on the ground with a look of confusion mixed with fury on his face. She kicked him in the croch with all her might. Then she took off to her house as fast as she could. His groans of pain were steadily fading behind her. She kept running until she reached her driveway. She didn't know how far she had run but her legs were throbbing in protest of ever moving again.

She bent forward, clutching the stich that had formed in her side, catching her reflection in a puddle of water at her feet. The street light showed that her hair was a mess and she was covered in dirt. Thinking quickly she decided to go wash up in a creek near her house.

She undressed and sat her clothes on a pile of rocks on the bank. She walked slowly into the water until she was waist deep. Cupping the water in her hand she began to wash away the dirt and sweat. The water was cold but it felt good against her skin.

The moon peeked through the clouds casting her in a pearly whit light. She held out her arms turning them in the light. Her problems faded some as she thought, not for the first time, how her skin looked inhuman in this light. She always thought how it had a fairie like quality, almost translucent. When she was little she used to pretend she had the most extravegant wings. That all seemed very distant now.

She smiled and looked down at her moonlit reflection. Above her she saw the moon, one night away from being full to bursting point. Then she saw it, a movement right behind her. She turned quickly around. There was nothing there. She turned back to her reflection. There was nothing there now either. She shook her head and looked up.

"Come on now, don't lose your head, it couldn't have been," She said this out loud as if the sound would scare away the butter flies that had arose in her stomach. She saw, well, she thought she saw a man, blonde hair almost like silver, behind her. Also behind her, though more connected to her was a pair of wings fluttering. That was ridiculous though. She dissmissed it as a lack of sleep mixed with shock induced hallucination.

She looked down at her reflection once more. Nope, no wings, no guy, just.....normal me. She could make out the start of a bruise on her cheek, a token no doubt from her struggle. She let her body slip under the surface. She had to think of something to tell her parents. They would have no problem spotting the bruise.

She resurfaced and floated around thinking of her story. She climbed out of her cool water haven with the perfect story. She had considered telling the them the truth but decided she didn't want them making a fuss. She dressed and walked the familiar path back to her house.

When she reached the fence that enclose her front yard she looked at her house. Just an average one story house.

She mustered up a smile and walked to her front door. She opened it and came inside where her parents were in the living room watching tv.

"Hey, how was the party? Did you have fun?" her mom asked.

"Yeah--" Veronica started to say but was cut off when her father turned around to look at her.