I sat there for far too long, battling my head and my urges to scream. Molly tossed and turned in her bed. She got up a few times here and there. Her roommate Jen returned after a while and the two chatted back and forth in a mindless conversation about something in popular culture. Stella joined in at some point, where the three giggled and joked, as normal teenagers do. I worried about Kai, all alone in the hallway, probably spending her time worrying about me, checking for this door to open every few seconds. Eventually, one of them said, "You guys ready for dinner?"

They mutually agreed. My whole body uncurled from the relief. Could I go? The girls grabbed their things and all three were out the door. There was nothing but me and the hissing of the air conditioning. Are you going to sit or are you going to escape? I rushed to my feet, went out the door, and down the hall. The sun was setting through the window by the elevators. Kai was on the floor, leaning against the wall and talking on the phone.

"Oh, she's back! She's back!" she said. "I gotta go! Yes, yes sir! I'll do my best. We'll be there soon. Bye." She jumped up and over to me. "I saw them! I saw the three of them! What happened? Tell me everything! Tell me!"

"I have so much to explain...how long was I gone?"

"Huh. Let me see." She rolled up her sleeve, realized she wasn't wearing a watch, then opened her flip phone. "About five hours."

"Lovely. Let's get out of here."

"But what about Molly? Did you give her—" She lowered her voice. "The stuff?"

"Yes, Kai. I gave her the blood." I went over to the elevators and pressed the down button. "Just keep your voice down. I know that's not really possible for you, but try."

"What happened with Molly? Is she coming with us?"

"Did I ever tell you how much I enjoyed your optimism?"

"No." An empty elevator opened in front of us. We stepped in. "Actually, you always used to tell me that you hated it. That I looked on the bright side 'far too much.' But you know what? I think you should, more often. It's what keeps me going."

Third floor. Second floor. Lobby. The tables of sorority girls dissipated. All the eateries were full. The line to the cafeteria stretched past the circular front desk. I put my hood up.

"Here's the problem. We're dealing with not only a confused human, but an idiot." Or perhaps a fool, like yourself. "Molly doesn't know what happened to her?"

"She what?"

Heads turned in the courtyard from Kai's voice. I pulled my hood down as far as possible. They went back to their screens and conversations.

"Again, keep your voice down," I said. "I tried to convince her, but she believes she was drunk, sick, and has a bad hickey." Kai giggled. "Laughable, yes, but highly unfortunate for us. In case you haven't forgotten, we're in a tough spot."

"Trust me, I didn't. What are we gonna do?"

"She drank it. She's going to have urges. I don't know how to stop that, and I don't know how you convince someone who doesn't believe they're a vampire that they actually are? The girl's either a dimwit or so far in denial that...that...I don't know."

"Oh, I've got it!" Kai started leaping and pulled out her phone. "We'll phone a friend. Use a lifeline. Ace convinces me to do stuff all the time."

"Didn't you just get off the phone with him?"

"No, that was Hiatus. I was telling him how things were going," she said.

"Did you tell him how things were really going?" I asked, scanning my fake ID to Tristan's dorm.

"A little," she said, waking through the lobby and to the elevators.

Once we were on the ninth floor, Kai held her phone up to her ear and paced back and forth in the hallway. Tristan was waiting for me. His roommates, being out, weren't an issue. I kissed him first, then things went farther and farther. We had the space. We had the time. Internally, I was dying, as was he. The only issue was Kai.

"She's still in the hallway," I said, backing away. Tristan, hot and heavy, pulled me closer. "I'm sorry. She'll be back any minute."

"Can't you just tell her to...I don't know...stop being a cock block?" he said.

"She has nowhere to go. I'm sorry."

The door opened suddenly, and to my surprise, it wasn't Kai. Drake and Liam strolled in, each holding a basket of chicken fingers with fries. They each went to their own beds, their faces abnormally content.

"So now that we're all here, what are we doing tonight?" Drake asked, shoving a handful of fries in his mouth.

"I thought we were going to the costume party at Richard's?" Tristan said.

"I'm guessing Richard is one of your friends?" I asked.

"No...it's a night club," Liam said. "You don't get out much, do you?"

"If I wanted to see a bunch of dumb drunk people in a crowded space I'd just stand near the ATM before everyone leaves on Friday nights...or go to The Cove. It's closer," I said. "I've journeyed to Seventh Ave quite a few times, thank you. I know what Richard's is."

"This is gonna to be great. You'll love it, Tali," Tristan said. "If you show up in a costume, you get free drinks all night! All of us are going."

"I don't have anything to wear though," I said.

"Yeah, neither do we. That's why we're going shopping when we're done eating," Liam said.

"Take this." Tristan handed his phone to me. "Just pick out one you want. They'll go pick it up for you."

I sat there and tried to work Tristan's strange device. I'd watched so many of the students do it, moving their pointer fingers to scroll and look at everything. I needed help most of the time, but selected a few different items. A princess dress caught my eye, but the witch outfit with the long sleeves seemed like the better choice. The boys bickered and joked with each other. Kai came in eventually and everything became silent. Liam and Drake left their trash on their beds, grabbed their things, and were out the door. I looked back and forth between my lover and my best friend.

"How was your phone call?" I asked her.

"Good...we were actually gonna go eat downtown once the sun sets. He said you could meet us at his hotel whenever. You know, to talk about...things," she said, picking up her backpack.

"You're leaving now?" I asked.

"It's pretty dim. I'm sure it'll be dark once I'm across the river." She went over to my sketchbook on Tristan's desk and scribbled something in it. "This is the hotel and room number. Be there by ten."

"I thought you said I could come whenever I wanted?"

"Ace said you can come whenever. Kai wants you to be there by ten," she said. "I'll see you later."

The door shut. My eye's and Tristan's eyes were meeting. I slid my hand across his chest. Don't do it. Out lips pressed together. I said, don't do it. His hands made their way around my back as he pulled me closer. Just remember, Molly's picture is on that wall. I pulled back.

"What now?" Tristan whined?

"I guess I...I just feel bad about ditching Kai tonight...maybe I should go with them."

"Hey, I think both of us know what you really wanna do."

"I really could use a night out."

"You've had a rough week. You owe it to yourself." He placed a strand of hair behind my ear. "You're so different from all the other girls I've been with. Please, just let yourself have fun. Come with us tonight, and be here, in this moment. Right now."

"I won't bite you."

"Deal."

Don't give in. I held him close to me. It was too much. Just like the night I'd destroyed Molly's life, my body took control of me. Tristan was right. I owed it to myself to have a little enjoyment, even if the boy I was screwing had a sister I'd bitten.