College Vamp

Converging Point (EDITED)

7:11 pm

The smell of cheese and pepperoni radiated in the air from the open pizza box. Seblia took a chug out of her drink as she sat on Hayley's apartment couch. Nick was on the other cushion while Hayley lounged in the pod chair. Katey was on the ground, holding a pizza slice with a napkin around the crust. Two open boxes sat on the coffee table between them - each missing slices and a few bread sticks. Katey's phone sat in a speaker dock, playing a song about a married woman remembering the music she grew up with. The three humans chatted away while Seblia sat quietly next to the window.

"So, the guy is in the middle of his solo, then out of fuckin' nowhere, this chick tackles him on stage." recounted Nick between bursts of laughter - almost spilling his drink on his sweater.

"Fuck, what happened next?" Katey wondered, leaning into the story.

"Turns out she caught him boinking a groupie before the show. So, the band scrambles off stage and the mosh pit turns into a riot. The manager tried to get their money back, but that wasn't happening."

"A bit harsh, but I guess anything else wouldn't be your style." Hayley chimed in, swirling a straw around in her cup.

Nick turned to her. "Hey, if it had been a freak accident, I'd have gladly given a refund. But if someone causes trouble and it bites them in the ass, no tears from me."

Seblia slowly circled a finger around the lip of her bottle. The conversation slowly morphed into muffled noise. Biting her lower lip, her eyes drifted to the front window. Outside sat downtown shrouded in sunset - the clouds above silhouetted by rays of red and pink. A gust of wind rattled the panes of glass, making her shift off the scenery. Her head pulsed as she greeted the faint, transparent image staring back at her.

The reflection smirked. What a night, hm?

It faded into a haze when something nudged her shoulder. She turned, meeting an assuring look from Nick.

"He'll be here."

Seblia blinked and looked down at her bottle, drumming her finger. "It's just... getting pretty late out there." She gestured to the window.

Very late.

Nick and Katey looked for themselves while Seblia's gaze wound up on Hayley. She fidgeted with her straw until she noticed her friend's stare. She quickly broke eye contact and pulled out her phone.

"Y-you're right. Let me text him real quick, see where he is."

The throbbing worsened. Seblia turned her feet in as the reflection's smirk grew - making her skin crawl.

Nick turned to the barista, perking an eyebrow. "What happened to going during the day?"

"Something came up," Hayley kept her eyes averted. "He had to get a cooler to transport the stuff safely."

Seblia's hands began to shake. That damn smirk grew wider. "Blood can last a while without being refrigerated."

"Well, tell him to hurry up then." prodded Nick, waving for Hayley to hurry.

"Already on that." She muttered, tapping away. She held up her phone, blocking her view of the others. "He hasn't gotten back with-"

The sound of glass shattering cut her off. All heads turned and reeled back at what they saw. Seblia's fists were clenched around broken shards of glass. A pile of remnants sat on the floor by her feet. However, her eyes glared straight at Hayley.

"My brother doesn't have a phone." Her lip trembled as she spoke.

Hayley's face went pale, nearly dropping her phone.