Vampires Will Never Hurt You

I remained sitting on the floor against the door in silence, hoping that whoever- or whatever- was knocking would leave. There was a couple of silent moments before another series of gentle knocks followed by a low male voice.

"Jaime, are you okay?" It was Gerard.

I sighed in half relief and half disappointment and stood up to open the door. After taking a deep breath, I opened it just enough to pop my head out of the crack and forced a smile. Gerard was leaning against the door frame with a mug of hot tea in his right hand. He gently smiled.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

I nodded and stepped out of the way so he could come into the room. Shutting the door behind him, he followed me over to the side of the bed where we sat down. I folded my hands in my lap and stared down to the floor. He took a seat next to me and nudged my arm, holding the mug of tea out to me. I looked back towards him and saw he was smiling again.

"I made it for you," he almost whispered. "It's been a tough night for you. I heard the door slam and figured you needed it."

I slowly reached for the mug, putting it to my lips. The smell of cinnamon apple filled my nostrils before I took a very small sip. I smiled at the scent. The two of us remained sitting on the side of bed in silence as I continued to sip the steaming tea. I let out a deep sigh and Gerard put his arm around my shoulders, rubbing my left arm in comfort.

"You saw Frank tonight, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

My heart stopped for a quick moment and I nearly dropped the mug of tea onto the hardwood floor.Did he just say what I think he said? Did he see Frank too? I quickly turned to face him and found him already looking at me, his face serious. I couldn't speak, so I nodded slowly and took another sip of my tea without breaking eye contact.

"I figured as much. He said he was going to tell you tonight," he nodded, turning to the floor.
"Uh- what- what do you mean 'he said'," I asked, barely audible. Gerard continued looking at the floor for a few moments before letting out a small chuckle.
"Oh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you," he chuckled again, this time turning to me. "Jaime, Frank's a vampire," he said with a grin.

I almost spat out my tea all over him and the bed and began to laugh hysterically. Vampires aren't real! Gerard remained sitting on the bed next to me, his face solemn. He wasn't joking? I collected my sanity and took another sip of tea, still giggling to myself.

"He's been staying with me these past couple of months," Gerard said, this time more serious. "This isn't a joke. He's one hundred percent a vampire. Believe me, I was also sceptical at first but he showed me; the fangs, the teleportation, the ability to make himself invisible to the human eye."
"All this time I thought I was the crazy one," I laughed.
"I'm serious, Jaime. We've been best friends for over six years, do I have any reason to lie or joke about this? He was my closest friend, making something like this up just as a joke to get a rise out of you would be an insult to his memory."

It took a moment for those words to sink in. Gerard really didn't have a reason to make any of this bullshit up. Not to mention, how could he rig up such a prank as what happened in the bathroom just minutes ago? I shook my head, not wanting to believe the preposterous idea that Frank was something out of a black and white horror movie.

"Think about it Jaime, there was no body at the crime scene, no body to bury. I know it's really hard to believe, but sooner or later, you'll see for yourself."

The two of us remained sitting on the side of the bed in silence. I could hear the voices of the others scattered through out the house, getting ready for bed and the ticking of the clock on the wall to my left. I was trying to let everything sink in. Let's give Gerard the benefit of the doubt (you're crazy for even doing that, Gerard's obviously lost it!) and let's just say that Frank is some how a vampire, why is he only showing himself to me now? Suddenly, anger began to flow through my veins and I stood up, turning towards Gerard.

"You said he's been staying with you these past couple of months..." I trailed off. Gerard also stood up, throwing his hands out in front of him.
"Now, before you get mad at me for not telling you, let me explain," he said in a low calm voice. I crossed my arms over my chest. "He came to me about seven months ago. I totally lost my shit and started throwing anything I could grab at him," he chuckled. "I even threw one of my Dracula figurines from on top of my dresser at his head. Oh, the irony," He chuckled even harder. "When I left the room, he wrote me a note saying he'd be back in an hour and left it up to me to be there when he shows up or not," he said as he stared at the wall. It almost seemed like he was reliving the moment. "He popped up at the end of my bed with a huge grin on his face- you know the grin I'm talking about," he continued as we both chuckled, "-and I remember my heart stopping. I almost threw the comic book I was reading at him again. After a few moments of staring at him, I poked his shoulder- to you know, make sure he was really there-" Gerard laughed again. "I remember Frank laughed too, the same old laugh I knew. He told me vampires have been living among humans for thousands of years and he began to explain the night of the accident- some freaky dude in a black trench coat came up to his body and bit his neck before he expired. He's been hopping back and forth between all of us this entire time, waiting until he thought we were all ready to be let in on the secret."

I sat in more silence, staring at Gerard with wide eyes and my mouth half open.

"Gee, do you have any idea how crazy you sound?" I asked.
"I know," he chuckled again, "believe me, I know. But please believe me."

I swallowed hard because I did believe him. My eyes started to tear up and I sniffled, walking into Gerard's open arms. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and squeezed me. For the past year, I was doing so well accepting that Frank was no longer here, and then he had to show up as a vampire and stir up all of these emotions. It hurt to see him again.

"Gee?" I asked, sniffling into his shoulder.
"Yes?"
"Does this make me crazy too?" We both laughed loudly together and he squeezed me tightly again.
"Jaime, you were always a little bit crazy."

Notes