The Dirty Affairs of a Vampire and His Horny Stepmom-Chapter 41: Unexpected confession (1)

As expected, this morning Kimberly didn’t show up at school. How could I blame her?

In class, everyone talks about nothing but the words of that old bastard of a priest and the breakdown she had after his insults, crying in front of the whole world. Only Naomi — by far the most intelligent and sensitive among them — hasn’t said a single word about it.

More than once I was a hair’s breadth away from breaking a few noses, but if I’d done that, I would’ve definitely been expelled, and that’s really not the kind of news Veronica would want to receive while she’s in Japan for work.

Either way, I can’t let Kimberly face all this alone, so as soon as classes end, I head straight to her place.

I’ve only been there once, when she gave me back the money for the dress, but I still remember exactly where it is. I tried calling her several times to let her know I was coming, but she neither answered nor called back. And yeah... in situations like this, it’s normal to start worrying, right?

On the news, stories of people committing drastic acts after public humiliation are an everyday occurrence, and I don’t even want to think that she might’ve done something like that too. If anything had happened to Kimberly... I swear I’d burn that damned church to the ground, everyone inside included!

At last, I reach the building where she lives and hurriedly ring the doorbell.

No answer.

Shit — now I’m really starting to worry!

After a few seconds, I start pressing it again and again. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

I let out a sigh of relief when the front door opens with a buzz — but this relief doesn’t last long. It wasn’t Kimberly who opened it, but another tenant who was heading out, and it’s right at this moment that anxiety really starts to grip me.

I slip inside before the door closes again and run up all twelve flights of stairs, reaching her door in an instant.

Why am I doing all this? Good question... I don’t even believe my own excuse of "it’s just a personal challenge" anymore. If it really were, I wouldn’t be this worried about her.

I always thought she was the one with a crush on me, but... fuck, what if it’s actually the other way around? No, come on, that would be absurd. I think...

I knock hard on the heavy front door.

Knock! Knock!

Once. Twice. Three times — I keep knocking until I hear the light footsteps of bare feet stopping right behind the door. Then comes the sound of a key turning in the lock, and finally the door opens just a crack, just enough for Kimberly to peek her head out.

Seeing that she hasn’t done anything drastic out of despair eases my anxiety quite a bit, even if saying she’s fine would be an understatement. She’s just a shadow of herself — her eyes are red and swollen, with dark circles beneath them, as if she hadn’t slept at all that night.

She stares at me dully, without saying a word. She’s probably expecting me to speak first — maybe to explain why I’m standing in front of her door. And that’s exactly what I do.

«You didn’t come to school today, and you didn’t answer your phone all day,» I murmur. «So, well... after what happened yesterday, I got worried and came here to check how you were feeling. I just wanted to ask if you felt like grabbing a drink — just to distract you a bit and put that ugly business behind you — but I guess it’s not the right moment.»

She gives a faint smile, clearly forced.

«I just had my phone off, that’s all... Thank you for worrying about me — believe it or not, you’re the first person to do so after what happened,» she replies in a barely audible voice. «It’s not surprising, considering that most of the people I know are part of the Church of the God of Light... and obviously now they want nothing to do with me.»

Then Kimberly opens the door all the way. She’s wearing only tight shorts and a white tank top that highlights her enormous chest in an incredible way, probably the outfit she uses when she’s home alone.

It’s a heavenly sight that would normally make me hard instantly, but I barely even register it now, completely eclipsed by the sadness etched on her face.

«...Come in, Jace. To be honest, as you can imagine, today I’m really not in the mood to go out and have fun. Actually, I don’t even feel like seeing anyone, but I can’t exactly kick you out after you came all this way just to check on me,» she murmurs, waiting for me to step inside before locking the front door.

I follow her, and once again we end up in her bedroom — the one that looks more like a national library than a place to sleep.

Judging by the huge book still open on her bed, I must’ve interrupted her during some demanding reading. Kimberly must be one of those people who like to immerse themselves in novels to escape the mess of reality. But when I take a closer look, I realize it’s not a fantasy novel at all — it’s the Liber Luminis, the sacred text of the followers of the God of Light.

At the sight of that tome, a question rises spontaneously.

«Kimberly... I don’t want to pry, but why the hell are you still wasting time with this stuff? Yesterday you saw with your own eyes how cruel the earthly representatives of the God you worship can be.»

Kimberly doesn’t answer right away. With sluggish, half-hearted movements, she closes the Liber Luminis and carefully puts it back on a shelf. Then she sits down on the bed and pats the mattress, clearly inviting me to sit beside her. I don’t need to be told twice.

«God is God, men are men,» she begins gently. «It would be foolish to blame the God of Light for the sins committed by others, wouldn’t it? It would be like accusing you of a crime committed by a distant ancestor. Anyway, it’s not what happened during the fashion show, nor what was said on TV, in the newspapers, or at school that’s troubling me. Sure, in the moment it hurt, but thanks to my mother and father, who stayed by my side until dawn after you walked me home, I realized I have nothing to be ashamed of. My conscience is clean, and the words of an old extremist won’t change who I am.»

«Then if it’s not that... what is it that’s bothering you?» I ask, confused.

«It’s strange that you didn’t ask me anything about what that old priest said,» she comments, a faint smile tugging at her lips. «About the fact that I talked to him a lot about you.»

«Let’s just say that at the time I was pretty nervous and didn’t really pay much attention to what he was saying,» I reply. «But now that you’ve pointed it out, I’m curious. What could you possibly have told him to make him so angry?»

«I told him many things about you,» she says softly. «I told him that you’re kind, caring, and courageous. That you didn’t hesitate for a second to stand up to two frightening delinquents to protect me. But not just that. You also gave me the courage to throw myself into something I never would’ve dared to do. If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t think I ever would’ve stepped onto that runway. And even though the evening was a disaster, I’m proud of having found the courage to fight my shyness and insecurity. All thanks to you, Jace. I told him many other things too. And as you can imagine, I spoke of you only with praise — so much so that a now former friend from the church pointed out that my eyes would light up every time I talked about you. And all of that is terribly wrong...»

«And what would be wrong about speaking well of me?» I retort, irritated.

«It’s not so much about speaking well of you as Jace Lance himself,» she replies quietly, «But about having words of praise... for a vampire.»