Whitney was woken up by the ringing of her cell phone. She unhappily pulled herself out of Riley's arms and stumbled across the room to answer it. She saw that it was Darcy.
"Hello?" she answered in a groggy voice.
"There you are!" Darcy's voice shrieked. "I came home late last night and you still weren't home, but I figured you were just out with Riley. But now you're still not home. That ain't like you. Where are you?"
Darcy was the only one that knew of Whitney's and Riley's secret relationship. She saw no harm in telling her, and so far her roommate had kept the secret as they wished.
"Um...I'm at Riley's."
"Riley's? Ooo, you had a little sleepover, didn't you?"
"Sort of."
"Girl, you can't sort of have a sleepover. You either do or you don't. How was it?"
"Amazing. Everything I ever thought it would be."
"Kick ass! Well, I'm happy for you. You had to lose it sooner or later."
"Yeah...but let's not tell anyone."
"No way. You want me to keep it a secret, I'll keep it a secret."
Riley stirred behind Whitney, so she said, "I better go, he's waking up."
"Round two? Been there. See ya later then!"
Before Whitney could object to "round two", Darcy had hung up.
"Who was that?" Riley asked as he sat up.
"Darcy. She was wondering where I was."
"Did you tell her?"
"I said I was here, and she figured out the rest."
"Well, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out." Riley chuckled as he climbed out of bed and stretched. "Want some breakfast?"
"Sure, but maybe I should do the cooking."
"Well, this is my place, but the food might be safer to eat if you cooked it."
"I'll get it."
"Cool. I'll be right out, just gonna take a shower."
"Okay."
Whitney figured she should probably put her dress back on, just in case wandering eyes saw through Riley's big windows. She didn't need to be seen in her underwear.
So she put her dress back on, fixed her hair to what she hoped looked like less of a mess, and began cooking waffles.
As she cooked, Whitney thought about last night. She never pictured herself in a million years just woohooing at random, but it wasn't like she and Riley were strangers. They'd been going out (unofficially) for the past few months, loved and trusted each other, and Riley was even willing to give up his career for her. Many girls would feel guilty, but Whitney felt happy. She had no regrets.
She was just putting the waffles on the table when Riley came out of the shower, newly dressed.
"I guess you should have brought some extra clothes," he laughed when he saw Whitney in last night's dress.
"I would have, but I guess I didn't think about it. I didn't plan on staying the night, plus I wanted to get away from Simon and Erica as fast as I could."
Riley sat down and they both dug into their waffles.
"So, are you really going to talk to Simon today?" Whitney asked as they ate.
"Damn right. I'm tired of not getting hardly any gigs anymore. He better get his act together, or I'm out the door."
"But what about your dream?"
"Worst case scenario, I live my dream with you and stay on as your drummer."
"I can't ask you to do that."
"You didn't ask, I offered."
"Riley..."
"Whit, seriously. I'm not getting any younger, and music's my life. The only difference would be I wouldn't be the lead singer if I just stuck with you."
Whitney set down her fork. "That's another thing. What if you do get your own record deal, by yourself? What will happen to us?"
"Nothing, why do you ask?"
"I don't know, I guess I'm just worried that if you and I are both solo artists, we'll never see each other. I have to admit, I kind of like having you with me."
"I like it too, which is why I don't give a damn what Simon says, I'll be set either way."
"Well, I do have an idea..."
Just then, Riley's cell phone rang.
"Damn it," he said. "Hold on."
He took one look at the ID and groaned. "It's Sid. This can't be good."
Riley stood up, put the phone to his ear, and barked, "What happened?"
Whitney tried not to eavesdrop, but Riley was right there and his conversation was pretty hard to miss.
"That's it, I've had it. He's gone. I'm tired of dealing with his crap, and I've got a lot on my mind regarding this band anyway, so I think it's time we got rid of him. Yeah, why don't we all head over to Simon's office around 11? Okay, see you later man. Bye."
Riley hung up and stomped his foot. "This is just great."
"What's wrong?" Whitney asked, concerned.
"Jordan. This is the last straw. Sid had himself a girlfriend, but that little punk just up and slept with her two nights ago. She felt bad about it so she told Sid, and now there's about to be a war. So he's out. I'm done with him."
"I'm so sorry."
"You didn't do it. But we have to go see Simon at 11 and talk to him about that, not to mention my solo artist thing. Of course, Sid and Kirk probably won't take it too well. They're like my brothers."
"You don't have to leave the band. Just...replace Jordan or something, and tell Simon to get you more gigs."
"I think I will for now. I'll still play for you, but I guess I still have some thinking to do."
"You could always just be the lead singer of the band, plus play the instruments. Or, the idea I had earlier before the phone rang, you could even sing with me I guess. Maybe we could be partners."
"There's a thought. Well listen, I'll talk with the guys first, and let you know, okay?"
"Sure. But I should probably get home before the whole press wakes up. I don't want them to see me leaving here. No offense."
"Don't worry about it. I should get ready anyway. I've got a big list to make."
"Okay, I'll see you later then."
"Later."
Riley kissed Whitney goodbye before she headed out. She'd have to call a cab, but hopefully the cabbie wouldn't make a big deal about her leaving an apartment that wasn't hers. None of the cabbies tended to notice too much about celebrities, at least not to her knowledge. She lucked out when the cabbie said nothing about it.
When Whitney returned home, she saw that Darcy was at work. For lack of anything else to do, she took a shower, changed her clothes, and began painting. She hoped everything would work out okay for Riley.
********************
A month later, things between Whitney and Riley were still going strong. He bought her an electric guitar and had even offered for her to move in with him. But for fear of the press, that idea was put on hold.
Jordan had indeed been kicked out of the band, and Simon had agreed to give the Raging Rebels more gigs, but they'd need a member to replace Jordan. So Riley, Sid, and Kirk were running back and forth holding auditions for someone else that could hopefully play as well as Jordan. The jerk that he was, he had been a good virtuoso.
One night around 8, Whitney was over at Riley's house jamming on her new guitar with him when he got a call from Kirk saying they had a possible new member playing at Eugi's and that he should check it out.
"Sorry about this," he apologized to Whitney as he gave her a kiss.
"Don't worry about it, this guy may be better than Jordan ever was. You go on, and good luck."
"Thanks. But hey, I should be back before long, so if you wanna stick around..."
"I'll do that."
Riley winked at her. They'd been going strong on a physical level as well as an emotional one. It was pretty obvious what they had planned for later that night.
Riley took off a few minutes later and Whitney continued to jam on her new guitar. The sound of an electric one was different than that of an acoustic, and being a country girl, Whitney hadn't thought of playing anything other than an acoustic guitar. But an electric one sounded good as well, and gave a deeper meaning to her songs. She'd gotten her first album released and was rapidly working on her second.
About twenty minutes after Riley's departure, there was a knock at the door. Wondering who that could be, especially since no one had buzzed, she set down the guitar and walked toward the door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"I'm here to see Riley Carter about joining his band," a voice said from behind the door. The voice was unfamiliar, and yet, it was somewhat familiar. How could that be?
Whitney opened the door and said, "Sorry, Riley's not here right now..."
and then she stopped talking when she caught sight of him. Jordan. And yet, it wasn't Jordan. He was different. His eyes seemed to have taken on a yellow tone, and his skin seemed sallow and dead. And then she saw the fangs when he smiled.
"Oh my God," she said, backing up.
"Hello, Whitney," Jordan said with a grin as he walked in and closed the door behind him. "It's been a long time."
"You're not supposed to be here," Whitney said in what she hoped was a brave tone.
"Like I care. So, Riley isn't in, is he?"
"He'll...be back soon."
"Your mind says otherwise."
"What?"
"I guess a country gal like you didn't know that vampires can read minds. I can even make you think about me."
And Jordan proceeded to do so. Whitney's whole vision was of Jordan's face.
"Stop it!" she shrieked, covering her head.
Jordan just laughed.
"Are you nuts? Why would you turn into a vampire?"
"You don't remember that night at Waylon's, when I told you and Riley how much I wished I could get into Plasma 501? I made a vampire friend who happily turned me into one of them. I actually came here to kill Riley. He took my life from me."
"Kill him? You messed up your own life! If you hadn't slept with Sid's girlfriend, and weren't such a flirt, you wouldn't even be in this mess!"
Jordan's cold, hard hand struck her across the face. She fell down from the unexpected strength.
"I'm tired of waiting to kick his ass for ruining my life. I guess I'll have to settle for his girl instead."
"What are you...?"
Jordan grabbed Whitney by the arms and pulled her to her feet. His eyes burned with desire. An evil desire.
"Please, don't do this," Whitney pleaded, knowing her efforts were in vain. Jordan was much stronger than her, and his uncontrollable rage mixed with desire was too much for her to overcome.
"I've wanted you since I first saw you at the Sports Zone," he said as he threw her onto Riley's bed (he truly had no shame). "And now, I'll have you. In more ways than one."
"What are you talking about?"
But then she understood. It wasn't just woohoo on Jordan's mind. It was an act of violence, a desire for control and domination. And something far more sinister. A fear made real when he sunk his sharp teeth into her neck.
She was just putting the waffles on the table when Riley came out of the shower, newly dressed.
"I guess you should have brought some extra clothes," he laughed when he saw Whitney in last night's dress.
"I would have, but I guess I didn't think about it. I didn't plan on staying the night, plus I wanted to get away from Simon and Erica as fast as I could."
Riley sat down and they both dug into their waffles.
"So, are you really going to talk to Simon today?" Whitney asked as they ate.
"Damn right. I'm tired of not getting hardly any gigs anymore. He better get his act together, or I'm out the door."
"But what about your dream?"
"Worst case scenario, I live my dream with you and stay on as your drummer."
"I can't ask you to do that."
"You didn't ask, I offered."
"Riley..."
"Whit, seriously. I'm not getting any younger, and music's my life. The only difference would be I wouldn't be the lead singer if I just stuck with you."
Whitney set down her fork. "That's another thing. What if you do get your own record deal, by yourself? What will happen to us?"
"Nothing, why do you ask?"
"I don't know, I guess I'm just worried that if you and I are both solo artists, we'll never see each other. I have to admit, I kind of like having you with me."
"I like it too, which is why I don't give a damn what Simon says, I'll be set either way."
"Well, I do have an idea..."
Just then, Riley's cell phone rang.
"Damn it," he said. "Hold on."
He took one look at the ID and groaned. "It's Sid. This can't be good."
Riley stood up, put the phone to his ear, and barked, "What happened?"
Whitney tried not to eavesdrop, but Riley was right there and his conversation was pretty hard to miss.
"That's it, I've had it. He's gone. I'm tired of dealing with his crap, and I've got a lot on my mind regarding this band anyway, so I think it's time we got rid of him. Yeah, why don't we all head over to Simon's office around 11? Okay, see you later man. Bye."
Riley hung up and stomped his foot. "This is just great."
"What's wrong?" Whitney asked, concerned.
"Jordan. This is the last straw. Sid had himself a girlfriend, but that little punk just up and slept with her two nights ago. She felt bad about it so she told Sid, and now there's about to be a war. So he's out. I'm done with him."
"I'm so sorry."
"You didn't do it. But we have to go see Simon at 11 and talk to him about that, not to mention my solo artist thing. Of course, Sid and Kirk probably won't take it too well. They're like my brothers."
"You don't have to leave the band. Just...replace Jordan or something, and tell Simon to get you more gigs."
"I think I will for now. I'll still play for you, but I guess I still have some thinking to do."
"You could always just be the lead singer of the band, plus play the instruments. Or, the idea I had earlier before the phone rang, you could even sing with me I guess. Maybe we could be partners."
"There's a thought. Well listen, I'll talk with the guys first, and let you know, okay?"
"Sure. But I should probably get home before the whole press wakes up. I don't want them to see me leaving here. No offense."
"Don't worry about it. I should get ready anyway. I've got a big list to make."
"Okay, I'll see you later then."
"Later."
Riley kissed Whitney goodbye before she headed out. She'd have to call a cab, but hopefully the cabbie wouldn't make a big deal about her leaving an apartment that wasn't hers. None of the cabbies tended to notice too much about celebrities, at least not to her knowledge. She lucked out when the cabbie said nothing about it.
When Whitney returned home, she saw that Darcy was at work. For lack of anything else to do, she took a shower, changed her clothes, and began painting. She hoped everything would work out okay for Riley.
********************
A month later, things between Whitney and Riley were still going strong. He bought her an electric guitar and had even offered for her to move in with him. But for fear of the press, that idea was put on hold.
Jordan had indeed been kicked out of the band, and Simon had agreed to give the Raging Rebels more gigs, but they'd need a member to replace Jordan. So Riley, Sid, and Kirk were running back and forth holding auditions for someone else that could hopefully play as well as Jordan. The jerk that he was, he had been a good virtuoso.
One night around 8, Whitney was over at Riley's house jamming on her new guitar with him when he got a call from Kirk saying they had a possible new member playing at Eugi's and that he should check it out.
"Sorry about this," he apologized to Whitney as he gave her a kiss.
"Don't worry about it, this guy may be better than Jordan ever was. You go on, and good luck."
"Thanks. But hey, I should be back before long, so if you wanna stick around..."
"I'll do that."
Riley winked at her. They'd been going strong on a physical level as well as an emotional one. It was pretty obvious what they had planned for later that night.
Riley took off a few minutes later and Whitney continued to jam on her new guitar. The sound of an electric one was different than that of an acoustic, and being a country girl, Whitney hadn't thought of playing anything other than an acoustic guitar. But an electric one sounded good as well, and gave a deeper meaning to her songs. She'd gotten her first album released and was rapidly working on her second.
About twenty minutes after Riley's departure, there was a knock at the door. Wondering who that could be, especially since no one had buzzed, she set down the guitar and walked toward the door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"I'm here to see Riley Carter about joining his band," a voice said from behind the door. The voice was unfamiliar, and yet, it was somewhat familiar. How could that be?
Whitney opened the door and said, "Sorry, Riley's not here right now..."
and then she stopped talking when she caught sight of him. Jordan. And yet, it wasn't Jordan. He was different. His eyes seemed to have taken on a yellow tone, and his skin seemed sallow and dead. And then she saw the fangs when he smiled.
"Oh my God," she said, backing up.
"Hello, Whitney," Jordan said with a grin as he walked in and closed the door behind him. "It's been a long time."
"You're not supposed to be here," Whitney said in what she hoped was a brave tone.
"Like I care. So, Riley isn't in, is he?"
"He'll...be back soon."
"Your mind says otherwise."
"What?"
"I guess a country gal like you didn't know that vampires can read minds. I can even make you think about me."
And Jordan proceeded to do so. Whitney's whole vision was of Jordan's face.
"Stop it!" she shrieked, covering her head.
Jordan just laughed.
"Are you nuts? Why would you turn into a vampire?"
"You don't remember that night at Waylon's, when I told you and Riley how much I wished I could get into Plasma 501? I made a vampire friend who happily turned me into one of them. I actually came here to kill Riley. He took my life from me."
"Kill him? You messed up your own life! If you hadn't slept with Sid's girlfriend, and weren't such a flirt, you wouldn't even be in this mess!"
Jordan's cold, hard hand struck her across the face. She fell down from the unexpected strength.
"I'm tired of waiting to kick his ass for ruining my life. I guess I'll have to settle for his girl instead."
"What are you...?"
Jordan grabbed Whitney by the arms and pulled her to her feet. His eyes burned with desire. An evil desire.
"Please, don't do this," Whitney pleaded, knowing her efforts were in vain. Jordan was much stronger than her, and his uncontrollable rage mixed with desire was too much for her to overcome.
"I've wanted you since I first saw you at the Sports Zone," he said as he threw her onto Riley's bed (he truly had no shame). "And now, I'll have you. In more ways than one."
"What are you talking about?"
But then she understood. It wasn't just woohoo on Jordan's mind. It was an act of violence, a desire for control and domination. And something far more sinister. A fear made real when he sunk his sharp teeth into her neck.
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