"I was so nervous. I thought since I don't live in the 'burbsthat they'd view me as this unkempt farm girl. But they are always happy to see me. I'm still waiting for them to give me my walking papers."
I stopped slurping my malt. I didn't live in a Mansion. And more important, I wasn't a vampire. I'd been so focused on how Alexander said things would change. Maybe he was alluding to more than a few pewter vases. Maybe he meantme.
"What if they don't accept me?" I blurted out.
"Why wouldn't they accept you?"
"I'm not like them."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not..."
"Yes?"
I'm not a vampire! I'm a mortal. I'm not even like Luna Maxwell, who came from a vampire family. InRomania , Alexander had an arranged covenant ceremony with her, but since he wasn't in love with her, he couldn't go through with it.
"You're not what?" Becky asked.
"I'm not fromRomania!"
"Duh," she said. "I think they know that."
"But maybe they want their son to date someone from Romania."
"Why would they want that when they live here?"
Because a girl fromRomania would be like them, instead of like ... us, I wanted to say.
"Listen, his grandmother built a mansion here. IfRomania was so great, why would she move to this town?"
"But his grandmother was a baroness. My grandmother is a retiree."
"Alexander doesn't remind me of the snobby type.In fact, just the opposite. He's an outsider like..."
"Me?"
"Well... us," Becky admitted.
Maybe Becky was right. But I wasn't so easily convinced. I wasn't just from the wrong side of the tracks, I was from a different world.
Becky tapped her fork against my malt.
"Don't worry. Alexander is in love with you. That's all that matters. When Mr. and Mrs. Sterling see how happy lie is, they'll be happy, too."
I smiled at my best friend's words.
"See, this is why we need to hang out together more," I said. "We can't let our boyfriends get in the way of our schedules-as hot as they may be."
"Well, we'll get to see each other every day now that school will be starting."
"Don't remind me. Summer is over."
"Can you believe we'll be juniors?" she asked like she'd won the lottery.
Becky was lucky. She had an interest in school. Her best friend and boyfriend were by her side. I would have been excited to go back to school, too, if I were going to be seeing Alexander instead of my lifelong nuisance, Trevor Mitchell.
Chapter 3 Night Calls