Kissing Coffins

"I loved the way you acted out the movie last night!" Becky complimented me the next day at our lockers. "I had no idea you planned to do that. You totally rocked!"

"Thanks. I just had to wait for the right moment."

"Who would have known Vladimir would only pretend to bite Jenny so the vampires wouldn't covet her as one of their own."

"He does it so the vampires will believe Jenny has bonded eternally to him. They are forced to flee London and return to Romania, never to harm her again."

"Yeah, but you would think Vladimir would want to make her a vampire for himself."

"Well, the lesson is, not all vampires are bad," I said with a smile.

"They aren't?" Matt asked, standing behind us.

"Yes, just like soccer snobs," I teased.

"Well, I thought Alexander really bit you. Can I see your flesh wounds?" he added.

"Isn't that a personal question?" I kidded. "Besides, Alexander only pretended to bite me-- just like Vladimir does to Jenny. He gave an award-winning performance," I said proudly. "I think he actually liked acting in front of all those people."

"Well, the blood looked real, too," he said.

"My brother's nerd-mate, Henry, has all these special effects. That's where I got these vampire teeth," I said, and flashed them.

"Why are you still wearing them?" he asked. "I can't get them off. I think Henry charges extra for glue remover."

Just then two of Dullsville High's junior varsity cheerleaders stopped at our lockers.

"Like, can you tell me where I can get those costumes you wore last night?" one asked.

"You looked like Marilyn Monroe," the other cheerleader said to me. "And you looked like Elvira," she said to Becky. "I want a costume like Elvira."

Costume? I wondered. Hadn't they ever noticed I'd always dressed like that? I considered telling her about Hot Gothics in Hipsterville, or inviting her to come over to my house to borrow from my closet. But the thought of preppy cheerleaders dressing goth just because they thought it was "in" turned my stomach. I'd been an outcast for so long, I might have a hard time being an incast.

"You were awesome last night," her friend complimented. "Where did you get that blood?"

I was thinking of telling her about Henry, but decided to keep him my secret.

"It was real," I said.

"Ooh, gross!" they both exclaimed, and scurried away.

I had to admit, I liked the attention the drive-in performance brought me. Even if I knew it was going to last only as long as a ditzy cheerleader's attention span.

The bell rang.

"The drive-in's going to have another costume night," Matt added. "And people are already talking about acting out the movie." "Maybe Alexander and I should get a cut of the admissions. Where's my agent when I need her?"

"Who was that creepy white-haired kid who came over to you by the movie screen?" Becky asked.

"I guess someone wanting to play one of the vampire gang," I replied, and slammed my locker shut. "But I thought he sucked," I added. "He wasn't convincing as an evil vampire at all."