Chapter 8 PPOV

Over the last week I learned there was a very angry, spiteful person under the mousy exterior of my Little Sugar. She and Leon were still at odds over her calling vampires creatures, but neither one was willing to back down. She had struck up something like a friendship with Mel, one of the little ankle bitter sized females that tended to flock for my group of friends. It didn't last long, though, and Bella had taken to making that woman's life hell with all the little pranks she pulled with the help of the twins.

And Lord help anyone that so much as mentioned Jasper. Almost every get-together I had involved him in some way, but this time, he knew to stay away. He was on her shit list, so that put him on mine, purely for solidarity reasons. I honestly had nothing against my maker, but who really wants their parents around when you're trying to fuck some shit up?

She had started to feel slightly closed in after so long either indoors or confined by the wall, so I took her to the Strip, gave her a handful of cash, then set her loose in a casino for a few hours. Turned out, gambling was not her forte, but she was clearly enjoying herself. Her losses were covered by my winnings, so it wasn't a huge thing. She did get lucky every so often, but they were always smaller pots.

When she ran out of money, she came and found me, I would give her some chips, then off she went again in the same direction she came from. I followed her to find out what the fuck she was playing. Turned out, she was trying to get the hang of Blackjack, literally the most impossible game to win besides craps. Her biggest issue wasn't the House, it was herself. She was taking hits when the number was too high, and ended up busting. Still, it was nice to know she didn't blow twenty thousand dollars on the slot machines, so there was that.

When she was tired of loosing my money -as she put it- and the sun had set, we walked the street, Bella stopping every so often to watch the performers, forcing me to throw something into their buckets when she ran out of what she had on her after the casino.

Everything up to that point was fine. It was what happened after she told me she was hungry that shit went to hell in a handbasket.

I took her to a bar because I wanted a drink; she ended up joining me in having one herself. It was pretty clear come the second round the girl had never been drunk before, and every last grievance she had came out. I sat there listening mostly, wanting to know exactly what I would be having to deal with on top of everything else, but there were times I would engage and push her to go into more detail. She never failed to do so.

Over an order of cheese sticks and Long Islands, she poured her heart out.

When she reached more recent events, she showed just how little she thought of the Cullens these days, and I couldn't say I blamed her. Her face was scrunched as her eyes narrowed on the table top.

She managed to keep her voice low, but it carried a bite to it. "This is so fucking stupid. It isn't like they ever did anything to deserve it, and they're the reason I'm even in this mess to begin with. Why do I have to die, in any capacity, just so they can all continue to live lives they don't even want? Ya know, had they just let the change happen when James bit me, none of this would even be happening. You haven't lived enough, Bella. You haven't had enough experiences, Love. You don't know what you'll be giving up." She dropped head back against her seat while continuing to glare at the table. "Fucking morons. Like, seriously..." she looked at me, "Alice can see the future and she just... let this shit happen."

I sat back in my chair, beer in hand, with an ankle resting on my knee as I listened to her. She had every right to be angry, and she had every right to decide how things were going to proceed. Since it sounded like she had, I brought the bottle to my lips before spoke into it. "So, ya ain't gonna be savin' 'em them?"

She crossed her arms, her brown eyes hard. "Why should I? They abandoned me. The one that came back only did so because of you. They didn't come back when they knew I was trouble, just to save their own asses. If they were perfectly happy to leave me to die, I don't see why I should I give them the satisfaction of both living and getting what they want."

Swallowing my beer, I licked my lips and cocked my head. "What is it ya think they want?"

Her face leveled out, all emotion draining from her expression. "I know what they want. They want me gone but they don't want my blood on their perfect little hands. They're hoping I'll still be the unselfish little twit and do whatever I have to, to save them. Well, news flash... I'm not interested."

Scratching the underside of my chin, I hummed in the back of my throat. That last part caught my attention, and that was something she was gonna have to expand on a bit. "What is it you ain't interested in, Little Sugar? Changin'? Dyin'? Or either one a those havin' any bearin' on the way them Cullens is handled?"

She threw her hands up in the air, losing her soft spokenness for a moment. "None of it!" Clamping a hand over her mouth when she noticed she was being stared at, she gave a drunken smile to the room before she returned her attention to me. "None of this is fair. I didn't find out on my own, so why am I here facing the consequences on my own? Why is it if I let someone change me, or they just do it for kicks, or I end up dead, that they get off scot fucking free like it never even happened? Is Carlisle that good at sucking dick he can bring Aro to his knees or something?"

It's been a long time since I was caught off guard like that; I regretted taking a mouthful of beer the moment I did. I snorted so hard -and at the worst time- that beer shot out of my nose, causing me to actually choke on what hit the back of my throat. Covering my nose and mouth with the back of my hand, I thanked Bella through hacking coughs when she held out a napkin. Wiping my chin and blowing my nose clear, through a few more coughs, I chuckled. "I wouldn't know." Clearing my throat, I pinched my sinuses, snuffing hard to try and clear them.

She was just sitting there with her little doe brown eyes wide in shock, darting one way then the other because I can bet she hadn't ever seen something quite like that before. After a moment, she lightly cleared her throat to catch my attention. When I gave it to her, she gave me a small smile. "You okay?"

Blowing my nose clear one last time, I nodded. "I'm 'ight. I just... wasn't expectin' that."

Her lips pressed together while her eyes shined. "Sorry."

I just waved it off. "Don't be. Now, you got some decent points, Little Sugar, but that's just the way it works in this world. The human is always easier to deal with, and with them Cullens, it's more difficult than you'd think ta get shit to stick against 'em. On top a that, they got Jasper, and the stories are old are enough a deterrent to stop a lotta others from tryin' ta force 'em to follow the rules."

All amusement from a moment before was gone; she frowned as she looked at me. "So, they can just keep doing this? Keep showing themselves to humans, vanish into thin air, then leave someone else to face punishment for what they did? Just because of Jasper?"

I shook my head. "Not just because a Jasper, but he helps. There aren't many that know how to face off against him and his empathy, and even less that'll try."

Yet again, she took me off guard. Her face pinched and her eyes ignited. "They can't keep getting let off the hook, leaving someone that can't defend themselves behind to deal with whatever they make before that." Then she grunted. "I almost want to tell you to change me so I can kill them myself."

Crossing my arms, I leaned back in my own seat to look her dead in the eyes. "That can certainly be arranged, but it gonna take more than just changin' ta take out the Major. He mighta gone soft over the years, but a brand new baby still ain't gonna do shit against 'im. 'Sides, still don't think you ready for it."

Her head lowered, then she looked at me through her lashes. "Is anyone ever really ready for it?"

I actually took a moment to consider that question, but eventually shook my head. "Good point. You at a disadvantage 'cause you know. You know 'bout us, and you know it comin'. It woulda been easier for ya if ya never found out and it just happened like how that shit supposed ta go down. That ain't the way a it, though, so now ya gotta play the cards you was dealt. You just gotta realize you was given a winnin' hand."

She let out a hard sigh as she crossed her arms. "You didn't pay attention before, did you? I suck at card games."

I grinned at her. "Naw, Sugar. You just gotta learn to play 'em in the right order. It ain't always 'bout that high card. You can win with 2s."

She rolled her eyes. "I never win at cards."

Slowly, I sat up and leaned forward, lowering my voice while smirking. "I always do."