I just had an idea for this chapter like a few nights before I decided to write it. Ahhh! So excited for you to read this. But stay calm cause… Bethan.

Enjoy!

A smile crept on Benny's face when Ethan approached him. Without him realizing it, they had become close friends. Closer than he thought. It had been two weeks since they met, but it was surprising how the two would spend most of their time together. He even spent more time with him than he did with Rory, he best friend since they were kids. Well, maybe it was because Rory only liked to goof around.

"You coming to my house today?" His friends would usually go to his house every Tuesday and Thursday.

"Yeah, of course," he replied.

"Great." Right after he said that, Ethan spotted someone in the crowd of students and waved at them, smiling.

"Uh, I'll see you in the drama club meeting, okay?" Then he was off with a guy, talking to him, laughing, having a good time while Benny just stood there is surprise. He had only said a few words to him, and then walked away.

He recognized the boy as one of the "drama club" members. Benny knew a bit about him. The boy, Zan, was born in China, but grew up here. In middle school, since there were a few racist kids, he got mocked and teased until he reached tenth grade grade. People were still as racist as ever, but it was then that he met Jesse who made him join this little "club" of his. He was a nice vampire, but he'd get angry a lot. Maybe Benny worried about Ethan talking to him, but he had to let him do whatever he wanted.

During the meetings, nothing serious would happen, really. Jesse would tell the little group a few things, like how they shouldn't feed too much or people would start noticing them, or how they should stay calm or else their fangs would pop out. Other than the few short lines that he'd say, the rest of the meeting would be mainly them sitting around and just talking about whatever they can't talk about in public. As usual, he hung out with his friends, but weirdly, Ethan was still with Zan. To forget about this, he looked around. There were couples here and there, holding hands, kissing, or even just talking. Okay, maybe that was a bad idea. He didn't want to look and realize how lonely he was.

"You were staring at him. You like him!" Sarah said, making him look at her.

"No, I don't. We're just friends," Benny denied it.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say," Erica said with a hint of a teasing tone in her voice.

Even though Rory did not say anything, he looked the happiest about this.

"You guys are unbelievable." He rolled his eyes at them and looked back at Ethan.

Immediately, he knew it was a bad idea. Ethan and Zan had locked lips together. If he could, he'd pull Ethan away from him and make sure they never see each other again. But what was wrong with him? He wanted Ethan more than he realized he did. When he turned around, he noticed his friends' exchanged looks.

He knew he shouldn't be surprised. This was Ethan's first year in this high school, so why wouldn't he just want to meet new people and move on with his life? Wasn't he doing this those whole two weeks?

Benny was used to Ethan coming to his house early. They'd have a nice chat before the others would arrive. Though, this time, it was just awkward. Ethan sat on the ground with his knees because he said he "wanted to try it this way", and Benny was on his bed, looking left and right, trying to think of anything to say other than the part about the kiss.

After a minute of silence, Ethan spoke, saying, "Sorry I wasn't hanging out with you guys much. I know I'm just making things worse."

"You can do whatever you want. We're not holding you back."

"I know, but I feel that I should be around you guys more if I want this friendship to work."

"It will work."

"How do you know that?" Benny had no reply for this, so he stayed quiet as Ethan talked. "Do you know how hard it is to be the new kid that's already hanging out with a group that everyone turns to look at?"

"No, but that doesn't mean you should be doubting the fact that we'll stay friends."

"You don't get it! Every time I walk around with you guys, I'm afraid some of you think I'm annoying. Or that I'm trying to take one of you away. Or that I-"

"Listen, they all like you. No need to be worried. Even if they hated you, they'd tell me. And trust me, if Erica is acting nice in front of you, then you've made a good impression of yourself."

He smiled. Sometimes, all it needs is a few words to make a person happy. Yet, Benny wasn't happy with Ethan's kiss with a stranger he just met. Maybe he wasn't a stranger, but he had the right to act this way.

"I need to talk to you about Zan."

Ethan stiffened before he said something. "You saw us kissing, didn't you?"

"Yeah, about that… you sure you can trust him?"

"Wait, you don't want me to hang out with him?" His arms crossed angrily.

"I didn't say that!" he defended himself.

"Still, you're thinking about it, aren't you?" This just made him realize how selfish he was acting. "Look, I don't care about Zan. Actually, he's just my pretend boyfriend."

"What?"

"Listen to me," Ethan said, irritated by the interruption. "It's not about him, it's about you. You're acting like a jerk right now."

"Me? I'm the jerk? What about your ex-boyfriend?"

"His actions make him a douche bag, but yours make you a jerk."

This made the room silent. None of them could think of anything to say since it was beginning to be a bit intense. After a minute or so of avoiding looking at each other, Benny spoke up. "Why do you need a pretend boyfriend?"

Luckily, Ethan looked at him now, his anger gone. "To ward off the demon that is Jesse."

The way he said it made him laugh. At that moment, it was as if no fight had happened, and everything will be fine. Maybe it was a fantasy – dreaming of everything being okay, but he felt that things might go in the right direction after all. Still, that didn't mean bad news wouldn't come.

I know, I know. Each scene was short and fast-forward, but honestly, when I wrote this, I was pressured with homework and all. But I'm happy I'm actually updating.

Well, there's not much to say but…

Until next time…

-TEM :) (You guys deserve a smiley-face.)