Loca

Bella’s eyes grew wide her expression alternating between shock and anger.

“Troy,” she hissed in warning making me jump. Edward looked disapproving, but not at all guilty. Charlie was in the kitchen, and for once I wished he was out here.

“Let’s talk privately.” I suggested in annoyance, my head flipping to where dad was in the kitchen sulking on what to do about me.

Bella complied and kicked Edward out; it was nearly nine at night and I imagined he’d be sneaking in when I was ‘sleeping.’ I think he knew I was awake, but Bella didn’t, and I was determined to use that to my advantage.

Edward left silently and I stalked up the stairs first, trying not to roll my eyes at Bella’s stomping.

“Night daddy,” she said and I did roll my eyes. “Night dad,” I muttered reaching the room. I turned away from her when she shut the door lightly and stared out our window. It was dark, and my senses weren’t perfect but I knew Edward had left, with his car at least.

She glared at me until I met her eyes, a steady smile breaking out before I blinked innocently. “Yes?” I asked and she pointed to the bed.

“Sit,” she commanded, I shook my head, and said “I’ll stand actually.” I said sweetly, wondering if I was laying it on too thick. She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Edward said you’re going to become a werewolf.” She breathed in a gust I nodded and leaned against the wall with my arms crossed.
“Yeah, so?”

She seemed surprised that I’d admit to it, she had to scramble for a second.

“You didn’t tell me,” She said lamely, I scoffed, which was an appropriate thing for the moment.

”What was I supposed to say? Hey Bells, by the way, since you’re my sister, I think you have the right to know that by this time next month I’ll be part canine?”

She stood there, her arms crossed, silently fuming.

“You should have said something.” She finally hissed and I raised an eyebrow. The ball was in my field now, and I had the upper hand.

“Okay then Bells, are you sure you haven been keeping any secrets from me, since your dating a vampire I assume you aren’t planning on staying human for very long either.”

I hit a nerve, her face cracked, turning from anger to disbelief.

“That’s not…you’re not…how’d you” she stuttered. I flipped my hair back, a trait picked up from Christina or Chris. She was a blonde, and kind of a slut, but she was one of the best manipulators I knew.

“Tel me something Bella,” I said twirling my hair with my finger and not looking at her. I could still hear her angry intakes of breath though.

“Why are you changing? Or vampifying or whatever you call it.” She stared at me and I looked up from the bed with a smirk on my face.
Silence.

“It’s for Edward isn’t it?” she flinched and again there was no sound.

“Right, for Edward, for love,” I hinted and she breathed out in a defeated gust. “Your point here?” she snapped.

I smiled and got off my bed.

“Well, Im doing it for the same reason, for love, only for a different kind of love.” I said and she raised a brow.

“I love my wolves, they’re my family, and I’ve known them for so long I’d be a different person if I hadn’t, and I’m a different person around them than I am with anyone else.”

“I’ve noticed” she muttered bleakly.

I allowed myself a half smile before continuing, “Try to look at it that way before you go yelling at me again, but for now, it’s Friday night, my chores are done, I have no school tomorrow and I’m going out.”

Her brow raised and I knew the fight was over, for now, but a new one may just be starting.
“Where are you going? And with whom?” she said when I walked over to the one bag I hadn’t unpacked.

“If you wanna know, then come with, but otherwise you’ll be left to wonder.” I teased before unzipping my bag and pulling out a skirt with leggings and a tank top to wear beneath my leather jacket that had my wallet stuffed in it.

It was Poker Night, and I am going, even if I have to sneak out. There is no way my father is keeping me down.

“I’ll come,” she said and I eyed her brown sweater and blue jeans.

“Good, you can meet the pack, its poker night and everyone’ll be at Raphael’s place.”

XxX

We got past dad, who seemed to have some kind of a tooth ache when he saw the skirt, but he let me pass.

He was probably going to quiz Bella later.

I pushed those thoughts aside as I pulled up into Raphael’s driveway.

Danni was the first one out to greet us, a smile on her face and her chestnut hair wavy and un-brushed. She’d probably just got off patrol. “There you are,” she breathed, a huge grin stretching over her face, her teeth looked white and sharp, confirming my earlier suspicions.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t miss this, but I brought my sister along.”

Bella was standing awkwardly to the side, her arms crossed over her chest while she eyed Danni up and down.

Danni walked towards her, but stop and wrinkled her nose.

“Ugh, man, Hector wasn’t kidding, she smells just like a leech.” Danni grumbled; I whacked her playfully, “Do not insult my sister. Let’s go before the guys get all the good food.”

Bella walked clumsily, trying to keep up with us and looking awkwardly out of place. “Too late,” Danni muttered before opening the door.

I smelt popcorn, candy, and pizza. If I had a Were’s nose, I would also smelled salt, pepper and meat from the nachos that caught my eye when first walking in.

“Troy’s home!” Katara called in a kind voice to the guys crowded around the living room.
She walked in the front hall while I instructed Bella to remove her boots.

She wrinkled her nose like Danni had but smiled warmly anyways. “Hello, you must be Bella, I’m Katara, Raphael’s wife.”

Bella smiled shyly and nodded to her.

I walked around the corner to the front room, passing through the kitchen and met up with the boys of the pack.

They sat in a loose semi-circle, Jason already in place and Raphael somewhere unknown to me. Hector grinned at me while shuffling the cards like a black jack and I had to smile too.

The poker game consisted of me, Hector, Danni, Jason, Alex, Lafe, Stefan, and Ash.

The rest of the pack usually hung out in the den, or off in their bedrooms doing whatever. Tammy and Chris, who is turning more towards a Tina nowadays, were not here, unsurprisingly.

Chris had been getting more and more distant from me, Danni and Jason. She was hanging out with Tabby more and more and turning more like her, into…dare I say it…a prep.

Makes me sick just thinking about it.

Dante, Lucas, and Noah I could hear playing guitar hero in the den, and Lizzie was off by her loneliness, locked in her room with the lights off. Katara was cooking, and all the other males in the pack had been wolves for over a month.

I wondered if they were living that way now.

Bella and Katara were still talking as far as I could tell, so I made no move to interrupt them when Danni sat down next to me.

“Alright, let’s play.”

XxX

Two hours later, I had five packs of skittles, two reeces cups, a snickers bar, and a few mini Hershey bars.

I wasn’t even starting to get tired yet when Bella said we should be getting home. I sighed but nodded; no need to push my dad to far tonight, I’d wait until school started to do that.

“I fold, see ya guys tomorrow,” I said smiling and grabbing my snacks.

“Bye Troy,” the chorused still wearing poker faces when Hector produced a full house. Then groaned and I laughed.

“Don’t forget to bring your pj’s!” Jason reminded cheerily I rolled my eyes and nodded.

Danni laughed and played with her cards. “Or Bella,” she joked making me stick my tongue out.

Bella giggled and we walked out, me kissing Hector quickly and her waving to Katara.

XxX

We got home and I went straight to sleep.

Dad was pretending to watch ‘Cops’ and Bella went to tell him all about what happened.
She warmed up to the pack surprisingly well, the guys who weren’t playing poker all hit on her, and she helped Katara cook.

I wondered what she’d think if she knew that there were even more pack members running around somewhere.

I sighed at the thought of our friends who had yet to shed their pelts, and were still running around somewhere since old age had left them brittle and weaker in their human bodies.

Tomorrow I’d tell Bella, since we were both sleeping over Katara’s while the boys hunted, but for now, I just wanted to sleep and not think about anything.