I do not understand humans. I have lived in Los Angeles for two years, and I still find myself confused by their customs and attitudes. Back in Romania, I lived in a small community of only vampires. There, nobody cared about how different anybody looked or acted. Humans judge and attack anybody slightly different from them. Ever since I moved to the United States, those around me have judged me for how I act or dress. I simply do not understand.

Although I have been seen as strange, I still managed to meet a few people I actually like. One of whom is Rowan, my best friend. We are practically inseparable. He is very funny and doesn’t judge how I act. He’s the only person that I’ve confessed to about being a vampire.

Besides my other friends, one of the only other people I have met here that I like is Beau. I have found myself utterly infatuated with this boy. My friends do not understand what is special about him, but he is very special to me. He is very funny, and whenever he is in the room, the mood is improved. He is very good looking as well, which is not that important; however, it certainly helps. I wish that I was not so nervous around him because even if I cannot be with him, I would love to be his friend. Whenever I am around him, however, I get so nervous I can barely speak.

I first met him when I moved here and joined the orchestra two years ago since he plays the same instrument as me. We both play the double bass. This allows me more opportunity to speak to him even if I rarely take it. Though I rarely speak to him, I still enjoy being around him.
Even if I spoke to him, would he even be interested in me? I highly doubt it, considering I am not a human. I do not believe a relationship between a human and vampire could work. He would most likely be put off by my diet. I try to stay away from consuming human blood, but I still get urges for it. He would most definitely hate me if he knew. 

I cannot really remember when specifically I started to develop a crush on him, it sort of happened gradually. I used to think of him as just a funny guy I sort of wanted to befriend, but eventually my view of him just changed. Now, I see him as a beacon of light, a pleasant face in a crowd of judgemental, petty people. 

I realize I am staring at him when I hear the band director tell us to play a tune as we sit in the stands. We are both in marching band. He is very musically inclined like me. It is the last game before playoffs, and everyone is excited. I am not a huge fan of sports, though, so I do not particularly get it. As we play our school’s fight song, I continue to watch Beau. He is such a good player, and I love seeing him play. 

At half time, I find myself in the line for concessions with Rowan right behind Beau and a few of his friends. Rowan talks to them with seemingly no issue, yet I cannot even look Beau or any of his friends in the eye.
“Hey, Beau, just curious, are you single?” Rowan asks with a smile on his face. I give him a confused look, and he winks at me.

Beau’s face flushes, looking at the ground for a moment before he speaks.
“Oh! Yes, but I’m kinda interested in someone,” he explains, looking back at my friend.

“Who is it?” I ask, watching his face intensely as he begins to blush even more than before. He seems very nervous, but I do not understand why. One of his friends elbows him, and he shakes his head a little. He goes to speak, but he’s cut off by his friend.

“He likes you, Valentine!”

I look at the friend, stunned. Valentine is me. There is no way Beau actually likes me. He barely seems like he even wants to interact with me. I look back at Beau, who looks insanely nervous. His face is bright red, and he is clearly aggravated with his friend telling me he is interested in me.

“…I like him as well.” I say, smiling a little and looking directly at Valentine. He smiles back at me.

“So…wanna catch a movie sometime?” he asks with a big smile on his face. I nod and hug him. He seems taken aback, but he hugs me back after a moment. 

I guess there was not much of a reason to worry about him after all. Though, there is still the issue of me being a vampire and him being human. I will be satisfied with a date for now. I can worry about the rest later.