"But you don't know that will happen."
"I don't know it won't happen, either." Della reached for the bottle of syrup and added another squirt to her glass. "So now I've spilled my guts. How do things stand with Lucas?"
Kylie stirred her chocolate in her bowl. "It's over."
Della's eyes widened. "Why? Did Monique say they'd fooled around? We should get Miranda to give him a case of mange on his balls!"
"No, Monique sort of said they didn't."
Della picked up her glass. "Then why's it over?"
Kylie clanked her spoon against her bowl. Because if it isn't he'll lose everything.
Della studied her. "But it he didn't cheat-"
Anger stirred in Kylie's chest. "Even if he didn't do anything, it still feels like he did. I mean, he was getting engaged, behind my back." She shook her head. "First Trey. Then my stepdad cheats on my mom.
Then Derek and now Lucas. Why do guys do this?"
Della kind of shrugged. "At least Lucas didn't have sex."
It still feels like a betrayal. A big one. "What's downright infuriating is that I still love him." Love him so much that she couldn't stand by and watch him lose everything because of her. "But I'm still so mad at him I could..."
"Give him a set of blue balls?" Della chuckled.
"No, punch him!"
"Then maybe you should." Della looked down at her glass.
"Should what?" Kylie asked.
"Punch him. Then maybe you wouldn't be so mad and you could move on."
Kylie shook her head. "I wish it was that simple.""Maybe it is. You won't know until you try. Just go up to him all casual like and then go all crazy on his ass. Seriously, then maybe you could put it behind you and forget it."
"Like you're trying to do with Steve?" Kylie pointed the spoon at her again.
"Hey, I'm like a good parent. I don't want you to do as I do, but do as I say!" She chuckled.
Kylie shook her head.
"And besides, now it's..." She shut her mouth, unsure if she wanted to talk about this.
"It's what?" Della asked.
She might as well spill it. "It's not just about what he did." If it was, Kylie suspected she'd be halfway to forgivness. "He gave up everything when he refused to sign that engagement paper. He's not going to get on the Council, his own pack is pissed at him. Monique's dad is threatening to have him killed. Sooner or later he's going to hate me for this."
"I think you're overthinking it."
Kylie ran her spoon around the bowl for the last bit of chocolate. "And I think we gotta change the subject," she said.
Della relented and picked up her glass. They didn't speak for a few minutes, then finally she spoke up.
"Before I went to Lee's place that night, I went and played peeping tom at my house."
"How were things?" Kylie asked, sensing it didn't go well.
"Good. So good it made me mad. They were playing board games like this happy little family. Dad told jokes and they were all laughing. I don't think they even miss me." She stared at the table for a few minutes.
"They miss you, Della. They're just trying to get by."
Della nodded. "Have you ever considered just telling your mom and stepdad? I came so close to just walking in there and laying it out on the table. Look, Dad, I'm not being difficult or lazy. I'm not on drugs.
I'm just a vampire." She shook her head.
Kylie bit down on her lip, unsure what to say, so she didn't say anything.
"I guess I'm scared they'll think the truth is worse than what they already believe."
Kylie wished she could tell Della it wasn't so, but she wasn't sure. "I thought about telling my mom, too. I just don't know if she would handle it."
Della nodded. "So we just hide from the people we love. Sad, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Kylie ran her spoon around her bowl. "At least you don't hide from the supernatural world."
"You don't hide either," Della said.
"Yeah, I do. I'm basically hiding from the FRU. I mean everyone here has seen my pattern, so it's a little late to worry about that, but I know the majority of people here think any day now my brain tumor is going to become apparent."
Della offered her a sad look. "They are actually betting on it."
"Just great." Kylie paused. "When Monique came in the bathroom, I tried to change my pattern. I just wasn't fast enough. She even said something about me having a brain tumor. And I'm like, 'I'm sure that's what it is.'" Kylie dropped her spoon in her bowl and listened to it clatter. "Most of the supernatural world doesn't even know my kind exists." Even Hayden hides what he is, Kylie thought.
"Then maybe it's time you change that." Della sat back in her chair.
"Change what?" Kylie asked."Come out of the closet. You know, like ... 'I'm gay and here to stay.' You'd need a different slogan, but maybe, 'I'm a lizard and if you don't like it, I'll eat out your gizzard.'" Della chuckled. "Okay, it needs some work, but you get what I mean."
"I'm serious," Kylie said.
"I know, and so am I. Besides the silly slogan, I mean. You can't do it with the humans, but you should be able to do it with supernaturals."
Kylie ran her finger around the rim of the bowl to collect the last remnants of chocolate and considered what Della said.
She's right, the voice in her head said. The same voice from earlier. The one that popped up inside her head at the oddest times.
"Who the hell are you?" Kylie muttered.
Della scooted back in her chair. "Okay, I'm rethinking the brain tumor now."
"Not you."
"Oh, shit." Della's eyes grew big. "Do we have a ghost here?"
"No, not a ghost," Kylie muttered. "Just a voice."
Della tilted her head to the side. "I didn't hear anything."
"In here." Kylie pointed to her head.
"Have you ever heard of schizophrenia?" Della asked in a sarcastic voice-which meant she was teasing, but Kylie didn't think it was too funny.
"I'm not crazy," Kylie said.
Della grinned. "If you were, I'd still like you. If for no other reason than for teaching me how good blood and chocolate are together." She drained her cup.
Kylie stared at her empty bowl while her brain raced on how she could come out of the closet. She had made it her quest to save other chameleon teens from living a life of seclusion, but maybe before she could do that, she needed to make sure it was safe for them to come out. Maybe Della and that annoying voice were right. If she could force the supernatural world to accept her-for what she really was-then other chameleons might follow her out in the open.