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said as soon as he was out of earshot. “Now he thinks I’m some vampire lover.”
    I smirked as I put my bowl in the sink. “You sure you don’t want to be? I could ask Tony if he’s got a cousin.”
    “Funny,” she murmured as she stepped up to the counter and filled her bowl with cereal. “So, do you still plan on proving to me that Tony’s a vampire?”
    “Yep.” I crossed my arms and leaned against the sink. “How much do you want to bet I’m right?”
    “I don’t make stupid bets,” she answered smugly as she poured the milk. “Besides, I don’t need to bet. I know I’m right.”
    “Fine. How about, if I find out Tony’s a vampire—”
    “He’s not.”
    “If I find out he is, then you’ve got to tell Mom and Dad you’re going with Ethan.”
    “What?” She nearly spilled her cereal as she walked over to the kitchen stool.
    “Ooh! Are you worried?” I smiled.
    “No.” She set the bowl down. “Whatever. Then, when you find out I’m right—”
    “Which you’re not.”
    “When you find out I’m right, you’re going to kiss him.”
    I gasped. I was glad my bowl was already in the sink, or it would’ve shattered on the floor when I dropped it. “Are you serious?”
    “Worried?” Cassidy smiled around her spoon.
    I grinned back. “Bring it on!”

Five
    May the Best Man.....no GIRL, Win!
    Tony wasn’t at church. His mom said it was because he was sick—which Cassidy was quick to rub in—but I was positive they were just saying that to make his ploy look good.
    So, I was bummed, more than I should’ve been. I hadn’t realized quite how excited I was to see him again, or how much my day would be affected when he wasn’t there. Maybe it’s love? Hmm. I didn’t know. I wasn’t sure how you were supposed to feel when you were in love. But my heart did beat like crazy every time someone mentioned his name—which wasn’t enough, in my opinion.
    I spent most of the service craning my neck to look behind me. I admit it. It drove Cassidy nuts, too. My mom would’ve probably given me the evil eye, but nobody else seemed to mind. Part of me hoped that once Tony was all alone in the house, he would get bored and tired of pretending to be sick, and he would come to church anyway. If he was a true vampire, he’d be able to run here so fast, no one could see him.
    Oh my gosh! Maybe that’s it! Maybe he’s already here watching me, like when Edward was watching Bella in the woods. I spun around and sat up straighter, my eyes alert.
    “What are you doing?” Cassidy whispered. “Will you pay attention to the sermon, please?”
    Now that I thought about it, I did feel someone watching me. “Hey, look around. Do you see Tony somewhere?” Just in time, I remembered to whisper.
    From the way my sister looked at me, I thought she was going to have a cow. “What? Why would I see Tony?” she asked.
    I picked up the hymnal and covered my mouth with it. “Because I feel like someone’s watching me.”
    “Well, duh! You’re acting like such a dork, fidgeting around like that, you’ve probably got the whole congregation watching you.”
    Yeah, right. I rolled my eyes and banged the hymnal shut. Everyone turned around and looked at me. Dang.
    “I’m gonna die of embarrassment right now,” Cassidy muttered as she scooted farther away from me on the bench. “Could you be a bigger spaz?”
    I slid down next to her and raised the hymnal again. “You know what? I don’t care what you think,” I whispered.
    “Claire. Tony Russo is ill, okay? He did not fly with his super bat powers—”
    “Run.”
    “Whatever! He’s not here. Okay? And he’s definitely not watching you.”
    “How do you know?”
    Sometimes Cassidy can make the weirdest gestures, like she’s having a seizure or something. Really, I’m not kidding. Downright scary, especially at church, with everyone watching.
    She glared at me. “I. Can’t. Believe. I’m. Having. This. Conversation.”
    “Why?”
    She