I'm Half-Doomed and You're Semi-Sweet

“Pete?” a voice came from his doorway. He didn’t feel the need to answer. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m perfectly fine,” he snapped. He had made a point of ignoring Hanna since he returned, and well, since before then as well.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked, disregarding his spiteful manner.

“Anything for you, your highness,” he remarked snidely. She sensed the biting sarcasm in his bitter words.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, crossing her arms and waiting for his reply.

“How about I just call you Queen of the Dandies?” he asked, taunting. “Would that make it any clearer?”

“The Dandies are gone,” she reminded him, through gritted teeth, realizing what he was getting at.

“It doesn’t matter what you call it. Things don’t change. Same story, different characters, Hanna. Nothing’s changed except that Brendon’s the most powerful vampire in the city now. It’s only a matter of time before-”

“Brendon’s not like that!” she exclaimed defensively.

“Bill wasn’t like that either,” he reminded her darkly, glaring.

She glared right back at him to hide her glassy eyes; he had crossed the fine line yet again.

She had no argument for that and instead whipped around and left the room, slamming the door behind her. But he had heard the small sob and saw the tears, and an odd sensation invaded his chest.

Guilt?

He sighed, staring down at his beat-up shoes, wondering why in the world he had a knack for saying the worst things at the most inopportune moments.

His head snapped up at the sound of the door re-opening and he found himself half-hoping that Hanna had returned.

Or course, it was the person he least wanted to see at the moment, excluding Brendon.

Although, he’d love to give Brendon a piece of his mind…

“You’re a real douche, you know?” Kira informed him, shutting the door behind herself. “I hope her boyfriend kicks your ass. I’d love to see that,” she added, smirking.

So she had seen Hanna crying, and of course, Brendon would be at her side, her constant protector.

They were so in love it literally made Pete sick.

The way they looked at each other, the way they held hands, the way they stole kisses when they thought no one was looking, the way they emerged from their bedroom in the night with matching grins that implied they had used their bed for more than sleeping…

It was disgusting, and he shouldn’t have to live with it.

“I think I’m going to like it here,” she remarked, wandering over to his desk and interrupting his dark thoughts.

“Who said you were still welcome?” he retorted, mouth set into a permanent scowl.

“Patrick,” she replied, idly. She turned from where she was shuffling through the papers on his desk. “And as your fake girlfriend, I think it’s nice that you have friends. It’s more than most vampires can say for themselves.”

He said nothing, knowing she was right.

“I wish I still had friends,” she sighed.

He had been ready to snap at the next thing she said, whatever it may be, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it this time and felt a twinge of pity for her.

He kept silent.