Hailey's POV;
I had a late night, a late wake-up, a late departure from home, a late arrival at college, and now I'm running late to my class. Such a day! As I was rushing to my lesson, the first bell rang, sh*t! I have to get there before the third bell or I'll get held up once more. I unexpectedly ran into someone in the corridor. Saying "I'm sorry." Without even turning to look at them, I apologised and hurried to my class. Thank goodness, the third bell didn't ring when I entered the classroom. I was mocked by Riley, who said, "I thought you wouldn't make it." When I sat beside her. Since I was racing to get my breath, I was unable to react to her."I bet you didn't look at the notice board," she said. "Am I correct?" "This weekend, we're going to Big Bend National Park," she remarked. "Let's have some fun--" she halted and questioned, "Hey, are you listening to me? What exactly are you looking for?" I looked up at her and said, "I think I lost my necklace somewhere." And went through my pockets and backpack."Wasn't that with Dean?" "I took it away from him last night." I stated that I was checking my bag."Last night?" "I think I dropped it when I bumped into that person.""Bumped into who?""Inform Mr Grey that I went to the toilet if he asks," I added as I rose from my seat. "I'll be right back.""What exactly are you-" I walked out of the classroom and came to the hallway. There was nothing on the floor that resembled a necklace. 'Shouldn't it be here? What happened to it?'"Are you looking for this?" When I turned to look, a tall, hunky guy in a black leather jacket was holding my necklace. Wow. He appears to be in good physique, but I don't have time for this right now."Yes, that's mine," I said as I took it from him. "Thank you very much." "Aren't you going to repay me for finding your necklace?" he questioned when I tried to leave."Huh?" "That necklace does appear to be expensive, and your demeanour suggests that it is important to you, so don't I deserve something in return?" "What do you want?" He approached me and said, "I'll ask when we meet again." And gave me a friendly smile. "Aren't you in a hurry to get somewhere?" he questioned while I was still staring at him. After coming so close to him, I completely forgot about it. I nodded my head and went to class.I showed Riley the necklace in class and said, "I found it!" with a big smile on my face. She frowned and asked, "What do you mean you got it from him last night? Did you go to the boy's dorm last night? Don't you know you'll get detention for this?""How dare he keep my necklace even after he cheated on me with another bitch?" I tapped on her shoulder. "And how could he refuse to return it to me? That's why I took it without his permission." And then laughed."I'm getting more and more curious when you do things like this," she murmured, taking the necklace from my grasp. "I'm curious who owns this jewellery. To the point when you jump into a boy's dorm while knowing it may result in detention." And fixed her gaze on mine.I took it from her and questioned, looking down at the necklace in my fingers, "Why are you asking me if you already know that?" "All you said was someone you care about. You didn't even address them by name. How will I recognise them if you don't tell me their name? Furthermore, you didn't date just one guy to find it." And shrugged her shoulders. "By the way, why must you know the name? Wasn't it enough to know why I'm clutching at straws?""I don't want to know anymore," she remarked as she opened her notebook. "You'll rant the same thing over and again no matter how many times I ask. Allow me to finish my homework in solitude.""Then why do you keep asking me?" I jabbed her in the cheek and chuckled. "What happened?" I inquired after noticing her discomfort. "Headache.""Did you get wasted last night?" "I've been doing my assignment all night and didn't get much sleep," she said with a scowl. "So my head has been hurting since this morning.""Do you want me to get you some tablets from the infirmary?""It's okay," she responded, shaking her head. "It will be OK soon." "All right, let me know if you need anything."She nodded and returned to her homework. When I looked over at Austin's desk, it was empty. Was it empty from the start? I noticed that the individuals around his desk didn't seem to care. Why didn't he come to college if he asked me to give him the money today? I sighed and returned my attention to the class. At the cafeteria, While I was enjoying my lunch, I heard something lovely in the air. "Who's playing music in the middle of the cafeteria?" Riley inquires. "Don't they know how..."I looked around to see where the music was coming from and noticed the same person I saw this morning. He was strumming a few strings on his guitar, generating beautiful music. I thought he's from a sports club when I saw his physique. He surprised me with the guitar. Riley stepped up and said, "Hey, the guy with the guitar!" "Riley, what are you doing?" When she called out to him, I asked her. "Let me teach him some manners." And turned to face him, saying, "Hey! Do you believe you're the only one here? If you want to play that little piece of your toy, go to your club or somewhere where no one else has to listen to it..." She charged at him without pausing. Is this a headache side effect? I finally drew her arm and forced her to sit beside me, telling her to remain calm. The guy stopped playing his guitar, and everyone looked at us as though we had done something wrong to them. With his food plate in hand, he took a seat at our table. "What are you doing here?" Riley inquired about him."I'm eating my lunch," he said."Can't you see that this table is already occupied?""Aren't I not allowed to eat here?" he questioned, turning to face me. "Why are you questioning her? I'm speaking to you.""Come find me at the swimming club at 2 p.m.," he said into my ear. "I'll tell you what I expect in exchange." He smiled at me, took his food platter, and walked away from us.Riley, "Do you know who he is?""He's the one who helped me find my necklace," I groaned. "So he wants me to reimburse him." "What exactly did he ask you to do?"I shrugged and answered, "He hasn't said anything yet. He only told me to come to the pool.""All right, be careful with him. He appears to be sus."I nodded and went back to eating.As I came inside the swimming club, I noticed guys in swimming trunks and several girls in the audience cheering, making the scene more vibrant. Why did he invite me here? Is he a part of the swimming club? Is he a swimmer? I recognised him as one of the swimmers. He waved his hand at me, which drew the attention of the girls in the audience. Did he invite me to embarrass me? He stepped down from the platform, put a towel around his waist, and approached me with water dripping all over him. "What exactly do you want me to do?" I asked."I'll be done with my practice in a few minutes. Could you please wait here if you don't mind?" "Be quick."He smiled as he returned to the swimmers' stand. I sat in the audience and watched the swimmers. So, he's a swimmer. The swimmers dove into the water like cannonballs when the trainer whistled. Wow! They swam aggressively, splashing water on each other. Who is this guy? He strums strings so precisely while he plays music, yet when he swims, he appears like a completely different person. "Are you two friends?" a female said as she knocked on my shoulder. I don't even know what his name is. So how am I going to be friends with him? Her friend contacted her before I could respond, and the two spoke. When the swimmers finished their practice, the audience began to leave. He came in with clean clothes and sat near me. "What exactly do you-" "I'm Alex," he said, reaching out his hand to cut me off. "What is your name?" "Hailey." "Hailey," he responded with a nod. "What a sweet name." "What exactly do you want me to do?" "I'm an exchange student. I was transferred here a week ago and have yet to learn anything about the area. Would you mind showing me around the campus?" "Why don't you ask someone from your department?""I didn't get to know them because I was so busy with the swimming club. Furthermore, I find it difficult to strike up a conversation with someone I don't know."Because of his responses, I nodded and looked at him with scepticism. Sudden transfer, introvert, and attractive man. That brings me back to Austin. Nowadays, it's frightening to approach strangers after learning that vampires exist in this world. What if the person in front of me is also a vampire? What does he want from me? "But you're the one who's doing the talking here with me.""Because we've gotten to know each other now."'Why is he acting as though we're friends? He does look and sound like Riley said. Let's show him around campus and then break ties.'I sprang up and said, "Come, let's go see the campus.""Can we do this the next day? I'm exhausted from practising." "Okay, then, let's go tomorrow."When I attempted to leave, he remarked, "Aren't you interested in getting to know me?" "No.""How heartbreaking. Una mujer, you just broke my heart.""What?" "I said you had just broken my heart.""No. You then said something like una...""Oh, it's a lady. In Spanish, it means "woman." My father is Mexican, and my mother is American. I'm mixed." And he laughed at himself. I nodded and began to walk away. He approached me and inquired, "Where are you going now?""Home.""Do you have some time to spare?" "Why?""Because I'm new here, I don't know much about the diners. Because it's tough to find with a map, I'm relying on take-out these days. Could you perhaps show me around if you don't mind?""Okay. Come with me." And lead the way. "You don't have any plans, right?""No." "Thank you." Alex and I ate our meal in a diner after showing him around. "Where are you staying?" I asked him once we finished. "I haven't started looking for houses yet, so I'm currently staying at the dorm." "You appear to have been transported here without prior notification. You have no knowledge about the college, or its surroundings. Did you not realise you were being transferred here?" "Yes, it was sudden," he responded, his visage changing from sunny to flat lips. "I had great food," he remarked, changing his face. "Thank you for the suggestion." "I'll get going then," he remarked, looking at his watch. "How will you get to your place?""I'll get a taxi." "I'll accompany you then.""It's alright. I can go by myself.""Let me accompany you, please."I nodded and waited for the taxi. He stopped me as I was ready to get into the taxi and said, "I saw those pictures that were circulating among many departments." So he saw those photographs as well. So why didn't he question me about it like everyone else? What was he waiting for? "So?"He commented, "You looked pretty cute in those pictures." And then he smiled and said, "Have a good night. We'll get together again tomorrow." And went away as I watched him vanish at the corner of the street. I grinned to myself and got into the taxi back home.Hailey's pov;When I returned from college, Charlie handed me the keys and stated, "I'm staying at Jason's place tonight." And dashed out the door without waiting for my response. After he departed, I shut the door and walked straight to my room because I had just eaten dinner with Alex. I wondered why Alex was approaching me. Is it only because he found my jewellery and wants a tour in exchange? No, the way he's acting towards me plainly indicates that he's hitting on me. But why, of all the girls in his department, me?Alex doesn't appear to be a red flag, but after learning that there are a lot of vampires on campus, I became wary of people I don't know. After getting to know Alex a little more, I doubt he'll fall into that category. If I question Austin about ways to separate vampires and humans, he'll start complaining about his laws. So, how am I going to discover Alex's true identity? Should I just ask him outright? While I was thinking about how to find out if Alex is a vam
Hailey's pov;Charlie burst into my room while I was researching vampires on the internet. I instantly closed the tab and stared at him. He put the keys on my study desk and stated, "I'm staying over at Ben's place." And went away without even waiting for my response, as is customary. I grumbled and began researching vampires on the internet. 'Austin remarked that my blood had healing properties. Was he telling the truth or was he stopping me from approaching Jason? Like I do that willingly.' I scoffed and thought, 'If he wasn't lying then why hadn't I realised I had healing skills in my blood all these years? Austin's scars vanished the next morning. Is it something to do with my blood or something else?''Does my blood actually have healing powers?' I wondered as I examined my hand. 'I'm torn between being delighted that my blood has healing abilities and terrified that I live in a world where vampires exist, making me prey.'When I looked up the healing powers of blood on the inte
Hailey's pov;At the library, while looking for a book for an assignment, I noticed Sophie placing books on the shelf from where I was standing, via a gap between the books and the rack. So many questions arose in my mind after seeing her. I couldn't even face her vampire boyfriend, so how could I possibly save her from him? I've never felt so feeble. What if she's also a vampire? Why hadn't I considered this before? I shook my head to clear my mind. After Austin stepped in, I began to doubt that everyone was a vampire. Her vampire boyfriend approached her and spoke with her while I was staring at her. They looked happy. Someone touched my shoulder as I was looking at them. "I didn't do anything. I was simply looking for a book." As I turned to face them, I said. It's Austin. "What are you doing here?" I inquired, sighing. "It's not your house, it's a library, and you're not supposed to question me." "How about you?" he asked, looking at Jason and Sophie. "What exactly are you doing
Hailey's pov; On Saturday morning, As i was waiting for Alex in the cafe, I ordered myself an iced Americano and sipped it while looking out onto the street. The sky was dark and heavy with clouds, and a chill hung in the air. A few drops of rain had already begun to fall, leaving tiny glistening trails on the pavement. I nervously watched as more started to come down, feeling anxious about my fear of stormy rain. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of Alex. Or should I head back home quickly after cancelling the plans with Alex. Suddenly, I saw Alex through the raindrops on the window. My heart skipped a beat as he walked into the cafe, his hair slicked back and his clothes drenched from the rain."Hey," he said, flashing me a charming smile."Hey," I replied, feeling my cheeks flush with excitement."Sorry I'm late. The rain caught me off guard," he said, shaking the excess water off his coat and taking a seat in front of me."It's okay. Um, are we still going to look at hou
Hailey's pov;At Alex's new haunted house,When the clock struck six, I peered out the window and said, "I think if I leave now, I'll be able to get home before the rain gets really bad again." "However, the rain hasn't stopped yet. If you go now, you'll get soaked.""What if it rained all night?" "Furthermore, it's drizzling now, so It'll be fine if I go now."He pulled on his coat and remarked, "Then I'll accompany you to your home." "Don't worry. I'll take a taxi." "It'll be quicker if I give you a ride.""Alex, I think I can go by myself." "The house hunt was pretty fun and a little scary," I added as I put on my coat. "But I had a great day," I added, laughing. "the lunch too, and it made me forget where I was for a minute." "I'm excited to see how you turn this place into," I said, looking at the house. "I was simply kidding about being your acquaintance before, you can phone me if you need any assistance." I slipped on my shoes and said, "See ya at college.""What if it rain
Hailey's pov;At the supermarket, Alex exclaimed, "Wow! I didn't expect things to be cheaper. Looks like we can buy half of the list from here."I said, "That's why I brought you here." And placed the tissue rolls in the cart he's holding.As we walked through the aisles, Alex couldn't help but Marvel at the variety of products on display. We bought every essential on the list and made our way to the checkout counter. As we were waiting in the line, Alex excused himself and ran back into the aisle. Did he forget to buy something on the list? I took out my phone from my pocket and cross checked the essentials we bought with the list. When I finished checking, I found out that we didn't miss anything on the list. Then where did he go? While the cashier was scanning the items in the cart, Alex came back with two instant noodles and a box of dumplings and placed it on the counter with other things. He said, "In case we felt hungry." And gave a grin. I pointed at the dumpling and asked, "
Hailey's pov;Alex and I went to the gift shop to get Sophie a present. "Haven't you decided yet?" Alex inquired as I pondered my purchase."I've been thinking about it for a while, but I couldn't come up with anything." "What should I get her?" "Do you have any recommendations?""She's your friend, not mine."I sighed and said, "We've only had four or five meetings. What am I supposed to do if I don't know what she likes? Furthermore, she is always with her... boyfriend." "Why is it so difficult to find a gift for a girl?" "I'll just grab whatever comes to mind," I sighed. And chose a package of cookies from the shelf. "Come on, let's go.""Are you sure about that?" "We still have time," he responded, holding out his phone to show the time. "You can take your time looking for a more appropriate gift.""Are you saying it's not appropriate? What's the problem with cookies? Everyone enjoys cookies. Let's get started."Alex and I arrived at Sophie's birthday celebration twenty minutes l
Hailey's pov;While I was deep in my thoughts, Riley poked me and said, "Hey, you missed your turn." "Huh, what turn?" I asked in confusion. She said pointing at Mr Grey, "The attendance." Mr Grey was screaming out the names that came after me as I looked at him. I groaned and waited until he called out everyone's name before standing up and walking over to him to confirm my attendance. Riley inquired, "What is it?" when I returned to my seat. "What?""You've been acting strangely since you arrived at class.""I don't." As I took my notebook from my backpack, I said. "Are you hiding something from me?" she said as I glanced at her."No. What do I have to hide from you? You know that even if I tried, I couldn't keep anything from you."She nodded and returned to her workbook. It's surprising to see her giving up easily but it's good. I don't want to make her worried too.At the cafeteria, I couldn't stop myself from glancing around during lunch break. When Riley discovered this,