All day it was nonstop about pizza with Benny, apparently the delivery guy didn't turn up or something?

"That pizza place owes us big time!" Benny groaned

"Give it up already" I begged

"We were stood up! Now I have a gaping, pizza size hole right here!" he pointed to his stomach then proceeded to shove a chocolate bar in his mouth.

"You guys hooked up for the Fly Off To The Moon dance yet?" Rory inquired, "Know any hotties with a hot sister or smoking second cousin?"

"Psh, this guys going stag, gotta keep my options open ya know?" Benny scoffed

"Loser" he insulted, making an L sign to his forehead

"He's kinda right" I added, following Rory along the corridor

"So..." he dragged out

"What? You asking me to the dance or something?"

"No!" he defended, weirdly quickly, "Just wondering if you have someone special to go with?"

"Nope" I exaggerated the pop on p.

"Oh yeah!" Rory shot up, now rumbling through his bag

"What are you doing?"

"I almost forgot," he handed me a wrapped box, "happy birthday!"

Huh, he remembered. "You're like what, mid 900's now?" he mocked

"Whatever" I laughed, "Thanks for remembering though"

"Course, why would I forget?"

What should I say? Do I ask him to the dance, or some sort of birthday hangout? "Oh but Rory"

"Yeah?"

"If you ever buy me a birthday present again, I'm gonna have to punch you in the face"

"Noted," he smiled. A real smile, like the one where his eyes squint slightly and his lips shrink because his teeth are actually showing. Fuck, I need to stop liking him.

//

"Happy birthday!" Mae squealed mid-hug, the second I opened the door. "How was school?"

"I don't know, schooly?"

"Whatever, come on, I baked you a cake!"

"One that won't give me food poisoning?" I mocked

//

We sat there for hours and hours, it felt like forever, but I liked it.

"Soo" Ash began, "Who's taking you to the dance?"

"My feet?"

"Haha, serious!" she insisted

"I am being serious! I'm just going with everyone else as a group, well except Erica. Which I've been meaning to ask you, are you her date?" I questioned Mae

"No? She has a date?" her smile dropped immediately, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it

"Maybe? It's probably just a way to make you jealous, ya know?" I reassured

It went silent for a moment but not an awkward silence, just a bad one. It was stopped by the sound of our front door opening, it's hinges squeaking.

"Was this supposed to be a surprise party?" Mae whispered

"No? I'm not expecting anyone" Ash's voice waivered in fear

"There's no need to be afraid!" A voice called out, "It's just me" Jesse revealed himself from the corner, a wide smile plastered on his pale skin. We all jumped from our seats, staring at him in shock, "Surprise?"

"How- how are you-"

"Alive?" he finished my sentence, "See, I think you should know the answer to this, dear sister" he stepped closer

"Don't come near us" Ash warned

"Calm down! I'm too weak for any of that. Look, somehow the Cubile Animus opened and now I'm here, clearly this was one of those geeks doing so you should really blame them" Jesse coughed

"What, are they to blame for all the innocent teens you murdered as well!?" Ash stepped closer to him

"I'm not here to fight, just for a civil reunion but if you really don't want me here, I'll leave" he turned his back yet didn't move his position away, "Happy birthday by the way"

The door slammed behind him, us all now breathing out heavily.

"Go" Ash demanded

"What?"

"Go to your friends and warn them, we'll tell the council"

"Ok, ok"

"Now!" she insisted

Well, as far as it goes for a birthday, this certainly was the worst one.

//

"Jesse's back!" I heard Sarah and Ethan exclaim to one another

"How'd you know?" Ethan asked

"He just proposed to me"

"First he ruins my birthday and then proposes to my friend, great day" I sighed, approaching the three

"Shit" Benny mumbled

"Yeah! Shit indeed! I told you, you shouldn't have opened it!"

"It was an accident!" he retaliated

"Look, Jesse's weak! We need to take him out now before he gets his strength back!"

"We'll have to go tomorrow night" I suggested

"But, it's the dance!"

"We're coming! Right Benny?"

"He's weak?" Benny checked

"He can barely walk" Sarah said

"Yeah, when he showed at my place, his voice was barely even there" I added

"Ok, let's smoke this broke-down vampire...again!"

"I'll set the meeting, you guys get the gear and Willow just try get as much information as you can if he shows up at your house again"

"Ok, it's Jesse Takedown 2.0!" Ethan exclaimed, "And this time we know what we're doing"

"And we'll still have time to dance our way to the hunny's hearts"

"That's right, we can totally do this"

"Touch wood" I mumbled, holding onto a nearby tree

"Good, cause Jesse wants to meet at the school for nine"

"Perfect" Benny sighed, "We are super physced"

"Come on then, fearless vampire hunters" Sarah mocked

This was not gonna go well.