Scarlet - Friend or Foe

Jason's lips curled. "It's stupid, isn't it? An alpha's son wanting to be friends with a vampire. No one gets it. But, it's nice knowing someone shares the same burdens as I do. I don't have to pretend to be tough around these guys. They all know what it means to be next in line to rule. They feel the same fear we do whenever our parents go out to fight. The fear of them not coming home. The fear of being put on the throne too soon. I just don't want to lose that."

My heart squeezed for the kids.

I remembered what those feelings were like. My sole purpose was to learn to be the next in line leader for the vampire community in the High Council. My father was tough. Everyone either feared or respected him. I could never fill his shoes and that was what scared me more than anything. The fact I would let him down somehow. More than that, I wanted him to live forever, to rule forever.

Being a member of the High Council was a tough job. It was more stressful than being the leader of a town or country. He was signified as the head of all vampires. Most days, I never saw him for months, sometimes it dragged on for a year. Sometimes he only spent one or two days with me before he was off again. Before the High Council was developed, life wasn't easier. He was still gone. Father was still a leader.

People expected me, his offspring to be just as powerful. I couldn't let my guard down. It was exhausting. Most of all, I didn't have any friends. They either wanted to kiss up to me or kill me. I guess this was what made me weak. I didn't have anyone to talk to, to share the burden with. I spent my time with my father's mate and her friends. Older folks. They never cared to listen to my childish worries. I had to push all those aside and be the leader they expected me to be. 24/7.

"I think you should tell Ethan the truth," I advised. "He wants to know what's going on. If you don't tell him and he finds out, he'll feel betrayed and that's a far worse feeling than some girl choosing his friend over him."

Bellamy and Jason shared a look.

I sipped my smoothie. "You'll never know, he might just act the opposite of what you expect. In the end, you all are friends. If he chose such a trivial thing to stop being your friend, then he was never truly your friend in the first place."

Jason blew out his cheeks. "I guess you're right. And, if he stops talking to me, I still have two other powerful friends to keep me company."

Bellamy rolled his eyes. Brucie gave his friend a thumbs up.

"I better get going then." Jason shoved the rest of his burger in his mouth. "We should do it in the safety of the bathroom. That way if he gets mad, I can run into the crowd. He'll have no other choice but to back down."

We got out of the seat to allow him to pass.

"I should come too," Bellamy offered, following him. "For moral support."

Jason didn't refuse the help.

Brucie slurped his drink. "We'll wait here. Good luck."

The boys disappeared around the corner. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to find out what happened. It would have been nice if they hashed out things in the open. But, I guess I would have to wait for the outcome. At least, if they started fighting, I was here to stop them.

"Don't worry," Brucie's words crept into my thoughts. "They can handle themselves. Don't underestimate Jason. Ethan may be faster and a better combat fighter but he has a temper. Jason has the strength and patience to make up for the things he lacks. Jason assesses and studies his opponent in battle. Most importantly, he stays calm, something that makes him have an advantage over Ethan's temper. Put the two in a fight and no one will come out victorious. They know that. That's why they respect each other. Besides," his voice got chirpier, " Bellamy won't let it get so far. He has the power to take them both down with a snap of his fingers. Personally, I think that's cool."

I turned to Brucie with a laugh. This boy was just too much.

I went back to eating. "So, are you excited about this school dinner thing? Do you see any girl you'd like to take?"

He was as attractive as the other three boys. His personality was a bonus. I was sure girls were killing themselves to be asked out by him.

Brucie gave me a bright smile. "I don't go to their school. Bellamy, Ethan, and Jason are offspring of the head of their communities association of France in the human world. I live in Fairyland, in the Fay Realm. I've never even been to the human world before."

Odd.

I frowned. "How did you guys even meet?"

Brucie swallowed what he was chewing. "It's all by accident. I was learning how to make portals and made one to this place. It opened in the alley. My tutor closed it but I kept the coordinates and information in my head. Later, when he was gone, I opened it again to explore. By then, the guys were here. We became friends right away."

I chuckled.

I loved how he used the 'became friends right away'. No doubt, he was the one who befriended them first. He was doing the same thing to me. Something about his presence made it easy to like him.

"You see," he went on. "I was delighted to have friends. I don't have a lot of those back home. The fairy prince is required to have subjects. They don't play with me as these guys do. They always let me win in games and act weird around me. Your highness this, Your Highness that. They know everything about me but they don't know me. The royal family has allies, never real friends. We have to keep an eye on everything. Father says friends are just potential enemies and we have to keep an extra eye on them. We have to be ready for when they stab us in the backs."

A sad but truthful philosophy. The ones we were close to were the ones who were more equipped to take us down. They knew us more than our enemies did. But not all friends were backstabbers.

I gulped down the last of my drink. "Do you think your friends here are potential enemies?"

Brucie's happy-go-lucky expression turned serious. His gaze held mine. Those orbs. Rainbow colors that shaped similar to diamonds in his irises were mesmerizing.

He cocked his head to the side. "Yes. I'm a prince. My responsibility is to my people. I don't have the luxury of lowering my guard. I'll cut down anyone that threatens my home and people. Even if they are my friends." The smile returned and his chirpy voice sang, "Besides, it's nice to not be alone. Being a king is lonely. Until I take the crown, I want to be happy with lots of friends. Even if they'll stab me in the back. At least, I'll have great memories."

I wiped my hands and mouth with my napkin.

"And," Brucie raised a finger, "I can't like other girls. I already have a fiancee. Lillian. It's been years since I've seen her but she's there. I'm kind of happy about that. This Amanda girl is pretty but not my type. She seems like a troublemaker. I would rather stay in my arranged marriage than be included in this trivial love squabble. Who knows, she might just be another guy's mate."

I couldn't help my laugh. This boy was unbelievable. He was a handful.

I did agree with him, though. They said Ethan was ill-tempered. It would mean he had no control over his other emotions either. A vam-wolf had extra senses. If she wanted, she would be able to sense his emotions when he was around her.

I thought this girl knew how he felt. Maybe she did like Jason. Maybe she didn't.

"I like how you think, Brucie," I agreed. "Must agree with you on this one."

He ate the last piece of his burger with a nod. Ethan was the first one to emerge from the bathroom. I scanned his features. There wasn't a smile on his face, but there wasn't a scowl either. His heart thudded to a normal rhythm. It was safe to say he was okay.

Still, I asked Brucie for his assessment. "Is he upset?"

The young fairy shook his head. "No, he is not. At all."

Odd. Had the boys chickened out before telling him? I hoped not. He should know. It was up to him to decide if this girl was worth breaking up his friendship for.

Ethan slipped into the booth. He picked up his burger and started eating again. Like everything was normal.

The other boys returned. Jason sulked. Bellamy wore confusion.

Okay, what the heck happened? This was why I wanted them to do this thing in the open.