Courtney's POV: It's finally Summer!!! NO MORE SCHOOL!!! School is an ass, I'm glad it's finally over. And I'm a senior, so I'm FREE!!! I'm finally free to go to college and live my life.

It's been clear for a while now that Duncan and I have a slight thing for each other but we're not getting serious or anything. I care for him, he cares for me, and that's it. The only thing I don't like about him?

His smoking habit.

Yes, he smokes cigarettes, and I worry a lot for him. I asked him recently if he knew what cigarettes to do him and he said yes and who cares? I'm like WTF! I surely don't want to lose him; I mean, we're good friends and I don't want to lose my best friend to drugs.

What do I LIKE about him?

Everything else, I suppose. My stepdad who I life with, doesn't like him much; being an ass, he hates Duncan and is always on his case. I guess it's because my stepfather is a police recruit and he's been neck-to-neck with Duncan before. I always have bad thoughts that something really bad is going to happen. To me, to stepdad, to Duncan, whatever.

I had persuaded my stepdad to let me sleep over Duncan's house (not in the sexual way, thank you) because Duncan lives alone with his Aunt Mary and I felt he might need some company, since he's always alone.

My stepdad wasn't into it one bit; he kept lecturing me about teenage sex and pregnancy and whatnot and im like DAD WTF !!! God, can't he see that me and Duncan are only boyfriend and girlfriend? Geez, my message to my stepdad? GET OFF MY CASE U ASSHOLE. I mean seriously, Duncan's a really nice guy when he's not being perverted and all, staring at my ass all day in school. O.O Did I say that out loud? I don't care, it's true. My stepdad just flatly hates Duncan because he's a criminal.

Well, I can understand that. Police recruit versus juvenile delinquent... who's gonna win? Haha I don't know who I'd side with. Duncan is a strong badass motherfucker, and my stepdad was in the military as a teenager for fifteen years.

The good thing that still remained...

Nobody but me and Tiannah knew about Duncan's secret.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I scoured through the contacts in my phone's address book, and dialed Duncan's number. The phone rang four times, then I heard a click.

"'Sup princess?" Duncan answered.

"Did your aunt say if it was OK for me to sleep over?"

"Yeah, she's out shopping getting soda and pretzels and shit, I'm like wtf, it's a sleepover, not a slumber party."

I giggled. "I do the same things that you do. Drink soda, play video games, and talk back."

"Haha, niiiice."

"So, does anybody in your family suspect you're a vampire?"

"Nope." He snickered. "Nobody even notices my eating habits."

"Eating habits?" I shivered, unknown why.

"Yeah." He started to explain. "Being a vampire, I barely eat any cooked meat, only red mainly, I don't drink milk or water or any of that crap, I drink wine and soda and stuff, and occasionally my aunt will go to a blood bank and smuggle bags of blood for me."

"That's not all that bad. I barely drink any milk or water, mainly soda and juice."

"I basically eat like a normal teenager." His voice was crackly a bit but it was early, 7 AM actually, and if I know Duncan, he likes to sleep in.

"I thought you said you're not bloodthirsty. You just said you drink blood."

"Right. Bloodthirsty means having a strong craving for blood, I just drink it."

"Ah, ok. Well, I gotta go get ready. See you in an hour."

"Later."

I heard a click and hung up, going to get dressed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A half hour later, I was dressed in a light red tank top and a blood red knee-length skirt with a cream sash on the waist. I click-clacked my way to the bathroom in cream high heels. I messed with my hair for a bit, before deciding just to leave it down like it usually is.

I heard an engine rev outside, and my stepdad yelled my name and I bolted out the door. I locked the door behind me, and as soon as I looked at Duncan on his black 247 Harvey, I smiled widely.

I ran and climbed on the back behind him and he handed me a helmet. "You'll need this."

"I think I know that already." I said, sliding the helmet cover down over my face. "And you better not smoke while I'm here."

"Relax, I only smoke when I'm stressed out."

He started driving away, and once we were at his house, I got the urge to bug him about his drug habits until he stopped them.

"You should go to rehab."

"WTF! No!" He took off his helmet and put it down on the curb. "Being a vampire, drugs don't do shit to me."

"Duncan, there's something called secondhand smoke, and I'm not sure if you know what it is."

He cocked his head to the side a bit and gazed at me wonderously. I growled a bit.

"Secondhand smoke means if you smoke and I'm around, I can inhale the smoke and get poisoned."

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of that." He shifted and put his hand on his hip like a typical teenager.

"So stop smoking!"

He whined. "You're not in charge of me, Princess."

"Maybe I am." I said, lurking closer, threatening to kick him and he knew where.

He finally sighed after a moment of complete silence.

"Fine."

I smirked victoriously.

"But only for you."