No Life Kid 14A (Patreon)

School hallways, no matter the state, always smelled the same. Cheap floor cleaner didn’t really have much to change about it. Time or place didn’t do a thing.

Whether it was DC in 2015 or Forks in 2005, it was a scent that Zander Cray had inhaled in two different lifetimes, across two separate generations, and it never really improved. Layers of industrialized lemon scent could only do so much, right?

Leaning against his locker, Zander’s fingers flew over the small keys of his phone as he typed out a response text to Walter. Shipment? Granted, he was sure it had already been secured, or was about to be, but a little double-checking never hurt nobody.

The air pressure changed, wind displaced enough to make him blink.

A scent hit him next, bursting down the hallway like someone had blurred into place just out of sight; all ozone, crushed violets, and something cold and sickeningly sweet with a taste to it that wasn’t mint, but probably occupied the same zip.

Zander didn't look up from his blue clamshell, the corner of his mouth twitching. Hello, Pixie.

"Zander, right?"

The voice was bright, musical, and pitched perfectly to sound casual while carrying enough subtext to sink a battleship.

Zander slid his flip-phone into his pocket and turned away from his open locker, one hand raised to adjust his blue teashades.

Alice Cullen stood right in front of him

A porcelain doll that could snap your neck with its pinky finger, she seemed much more composed than the last time he’d seen her. No headache today, Miss Cleo? Her hair was as spiky as ever, looking like she’d styled it with either electricity or an overdose of hair gel. It shouldn’t have worked for anyone that wasn’t in a band, but just like the clothes that probably cost more than the principal's beat-up sedan, and the golden-eyed smile, vampires had a way of making everything look good.

…kinda want to test the limits of that. Thoughts of trying to get Emmett to wear a Zangief costume were pushed all the way to the back of his mind, Zander glancing down as she extended a small, pale hand.

"Alice Cullen.” She beamed his way with a smile so bright he could almost believe it wasn’t faked. “We haven't been properly introduced."

The lie hung in the air between them, Zander unable to keep his lip from twitching like a caffeinated Michael J Fox. Properly introduced… right? Because the repeated psychic stare-downs across the cafeteria and the "I know what you are" conversation in her living room didn't count.

Zander took the hand.

It was funny how people kept describing these vampires as “ice cold” and “feeling like stone”, because it just wasn’t true. Hell, like a quarter of his confusion when fighting the Cullen boys was the fact that he’d been expecting a completely different sensation. No, they weren’t marble statues left in a freezer… well, they weren’t left in the freezer at least. 

Sure, they were much harder than he was, for sure, but marble was pushing it, and they were room-temperature at best. Unfortunately, when you were running normal human temp, all that body heat got sucked out.

Science, bitch!

His hand, by contrast, was warm; all that stolen blood pumping through his veins kept him at a balmy 96 degrees. Not running hot, but hot enough.

Alice Cullen flinched — a micro-flutter in her eyelid — but he didn’t miss it.

Yeah, that's right. I got a pulse. Jealous?

"Depends on your definition of proper.” He didn't let go of her hand immediately, testing the grip for a second longer than normal, just to get the feel of steel wrapped in silk. "But sure. Nice to finally meet you. Alice, right?”“...right.”

He let go, Alice tucking her hand back into her pocket a little too quickly.

"So, what’s up, Ms Cullen? Ya need somethin’?”

Alice's smile didn't waver. Even still, those eyes hardened anyway, gold sharpening without narrowing. "Well, my family's planning a baseball game this weekend, and we thought you might like to join us."“Baseball?” Zander tilted his head, looking at her over the rim of his sunglasses. “I’ve never played. Not really my vibe.”

She tilted her head as if to mimic him, her own movement bird-like. "Then it should be... educational."

Educational, huh? 

Blue eyes didn’t leave gold, Zander staring her down. Now is that code for ‘we wanna see what you can do’, or am I just being paranoid?

The silence stretched and in the time it took for a human heart to beat once, they had an entire conversation.

You want to test me. 

We want to know if you’re actually reasonable. 

I'm always unreasonable. 

Stop it.

"Sounds like fun.” Zander grinned, the expression lazy and slow as a cat stretching in the noon sun. Not like I’m gonna say no, anyway. 

No, with his guns finally ready — Walter had finished the mods on the Deagles a few nights before the dinner — and what little he remembered of what was set to happen, Zander knew he’d have been there even if they didn’t bother inviting him. "I love a good game.What should I bring? Red Gatorade? A bat? Or just my winning personality?"

"Just yourself," Alice’s voice dropped a bit even as the bubbly mask stayed firmly in place. "We'll handle the rest."

She turned on her heel and flowed away, moving with that frictionless grace that screamed predator to anyone who knew what to look for.

Baseball. Zander watched her go. Cute.

"What did Alice Cullen want?"

Zander’s gaze snapped up from where it had been fixed on Alice’s back. Oh, this looks… this looks weird, doesn’t it? Jessica seemed to agree with the thought as she stood there, arms crossed and lower lip jutting out in a pout that was as adorable as it was aiming annoyed suspicion his way.

"Hey, Jess," Zander leaned back, locker slamming shut behind him as his eyes slid up and down the pink cardigan Jessica had on. Cute as it was, it didn’t fit her current mood. "Nothing much. She was just being neighborly. Invited me to a baseball game this weekend."

Jessica blinked, brain seeming to stutter on the new information. "Baseball? With the Cullens?"

"Yeah.” He clicked his tongue. “Apparently, they're big on America's pastime. Who knew?"

"But... why?" She turned her glare to the spot where Alice had disappeared like she could interrogate it instead. "They never talk to anyone. Like, ever. And suddenly she's inviting you to hang out with her family?"

"I mentioned to Dr. Cullen I was interested in sports medicine," The lie slid out smooth like any good lie should, and it was a good lie. Boring, plausible, and practical. "Guess he thought I'd fit in. Networking, y'know? Rich people gotta stick together. It's like a club."

"Carlisle?" Jessica's eyes went wide. "You're on a first-name basis with Dr. Cullen?"

Zander shrugged. "He stitched up my arm once.” 

Another lie. 

“We bonded." Big lie. 

"It's not a big deal, Jess." Oh, we’re just throwing out these lies today, huh? Buy one get three free.

"Right. Not a big deal." Her voice had an edge now, one he could almost smell if he hadn’t seen it before and known it was coming; pure, green-eyed, high school jealousy. "Just weird how the Cullens suddenly want to be your friend when they treat everyone else like we're invisible."

Zander pushed off the locker. It only took a few steps until he was in her space, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He pulled her tight against him, burying his nose in the nape of her neck.

As always, she smelled like vanilla and electrified sugar, the sweetest citrus and pure life.

"Don't tell me little ol’ Jess…” He murmured the words against her skin, the vibration of his voice humming against her spine. “...is jealous.”

Jessica stiffened, then melted as a breathy giggle escaped her. She leaned back into him, tension already draining out of her shoulders. "N-no? I'm not jealous. I just... I don't get it."

"Sure, Jess-Jess," Zander whispered, kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear. "Whatever you say. How about I make it up to you and fly you to Seattle next weekend?"

“R-really?”“Really.”

Her pulse spiked, a little flutter in the jugular.

Gotcha.