Chapter 7

When we got back to the house Pepper threw a fifty dollar note at the cab driver and mumbled that he should keep the change. I got out after her. She was trying to fit her key into the lock, swearing at it profusely and looking at the offending key like it, and not her shaking hands, was the problem. I moved forward to open it with mine but she swatted me away.

'It's fine!' she yelled.

Finally the door swung open and she stalked upstairs, Pepper still hadn't even looked at me. I called Stella to see if she was okay but it went to her voice mail. I was torn between going back to the party and staying here but since Stella wasn't answering I supposed there was no harm in checking on Pepper.

I knocked on her door, and when there was no answer I stepped in.

'What are you doing?' she hissed at me. 'Get out.'

I realised why she had been so elusive, Pepper was crying. She wasn't inhuman after all. Despite her icy look I sat on the bed next to her. 'Nope, you dragged me away from a very entertaining evening, so now we're going to chat.'

'Why? So you can feel like a big strong man who came and saved the damsel?' she snarled.

'Take it easy.' I held up my hands in mock surrender. 'You have a strange way of saying thanks but I guess I accept. Why did you need me to come anyway?'

'It was that asshole's club. I knew he wouldn't let me leave and those fat fuck security guards weren't going to say anything to their boss.' She wiped her eyes and straightened her back. 'I don't even know why I went back, but there were some of these model sluts I met who were amusing and they had some good coke. One thing led to another and we went back there, he thought I was there for him and he started getting all grabby at me. I told him I was going and he got even more pissed. That was when I called prince fucking charming Hunter Michel. I knew you'd come because you couldn't resist.'

I loved how she could make everything seem like -I- was the selfish one with my own motives. In my mind my friend had been in trouble so it was only natural to be there. In hers ... well, I could never work out what was going on in her mind, but I guessed she figured I wanted the chance to lord a sign of weakness on her behalf over her. Maybe when we had first met, sure, but not any more.

'It's not a competition, Pepper.' I said softly. 'Believe it or not, I like you.'

'Don't get all sentimental on me now. This isn't our chance to "get close"' she held up her fingers in the quotation mark way.

'Yeah, yeah. I get it: business as usual you grumpy mole.' I sniffed.

That brought a smile to her face, but it faded quickly.

'Look at me, Pepper.' I said, there was a strange shadow on her cheek, was it the light?

She finally turned to face me fully, an angry bruise marred the perfect skin there. She tried to look away again but I caught her chin. 'Did he do this to you?'

'Don't be a hero, Hunter. It's done. And you have one too, I guess from some jock's fist.' She gently took my hand away. 'Please, if you ever want to do me a favor, just let it be.'

Every instinct was screaming at me to go and bash this guy's head in, but I acquiesced to her request. Besides, she was safe now. 'Okay, trouble. You alright though?'

'I'm alright, charming, God, you know what sucks most about this whole thing?'

My answer would have been getting punched in the face, manhandled and generally terrified. But that was my answer.

Hers was; 'That I had to call you.'

'That would have been my guess, yes.' I agreed. 'Well if it makes you feel any better, when I'm struggling with this calculus bull crap I have to do for finance I'm dreading the moment I have to ask you for help. I didn't do much maths in school and having to learn it all from scratch is a pain in the arse.'

Pepper smiled wryly. 'You're a dick.'

'Yeah, yeah, and you're a bitch, but we're stuck with other.'

Pepper lay back on the pillows, her hair falling around her like a halo. She looked up at me with those eyes. The two different colours were so disarming, it was like two different people were staring into your soul. Her blue eye was piercing and glacier-like, but her green eye was soft and soulful.

I had often wondered which one was the real Pepper. But that was a stupid question; the constant contradiction was what made her who she was. She shuffled to the side a little and gave me room to lie down beside her. I laced my fingers behind my head.

'Why are you so unhappy?' I asked her.

'Why are you always so happy?' she countered.

'I'm not always happy, I just don't like it when the people I care about have to feel burdened with my problems.'

'So you put on a happy go lucky attitude and expect people not to see through it?'

'Did you?' I asked.

'Of course I did. Everyone has a tell, your tell is the fact that even when your face is smiling, your expression is often far away. You think just because other people are envious of you, it doesn't give you the right to feel like you have problems.' She twisted a strand of hair around her finger.

'You are very good at deflecting, Pepper Kerr.' I said.

She chuckled, 'I had to be. As soon as they found out I had a brain, my parents decided it would be good to just drill me all the time, so I could become this mad scientist or something, I don't know. I would always find ways to divert them. I think Dad wised up to that, and he sort of stopped doing it a bit, but at the same time he also lost interest. The only thing we had in common after a while was the car. But when that was done he went too, off with some girl only a few years older than me.

I don't talk to him any more. He sent me money, but after I made my own I started sending it back, and paid him back what I owed him.'

I frowned; her own money?

'Yes, Hunter. My money, you think I would just take what I was given from two people I don't respect? I made a ton on the stock market. It's really just math in the end. If you have a lot to start with, you can make plenty more. That's how people get rich, not from a high wage, but what they do with it afterwards. I have a few houses I get rent from and other bits and pieces.?It was all so easy it made me angry.'

I paused for a moment, not sure how to say it. 'Well done, ' I said in the end.

She blinked. 'Well done?'

'Yes, that's really impressive for someone your age.' I meant it.

She turned to face me, her hair had fallen over her face, and now just her green eye was regarding me. 'You are the first person to ever say that without finishing the sentence with, "but next time I'm sure you can do even better" at the end.'

My phone rang, breaking the moment. It was Stella. 'Heeey, you sexy fucking man.' She was drunk. 'When are you coming back? Ryan is holding court like some sort of king and has everyone so frantic about your... ' she paused to hiccup. ' ... your game on Sunday they are going mad! Also Eve is coming back with me tonight, I think we need to have a sleepover, we've been doing naughty stuff all night and no one here even cares! They think it's hot.'