"Because I don't want to hang out with Nessie!" Valerie snapped in the passenger seat.
The entire time she had been going back and forth with Bella and Edward while they drove down to Seattle in order to find a gift for their daughter. Although they wanted to do it alone, Valerie insisted on tagging along because then she'd be alone with Nessie. Valerie refused to hangout with the girl.
"Why?" Bella yelled back.
"She watches Riverdale!" The girl yelled. "No offense to you guys, but y'all really messed her up. If it wasn't for me, she would get bullied in school. You should be thanking me."
"Ness gets bullied?" Bella turned in her seat.
"Not ...exactly." Valerie paused trying to think of what she should say. "She's too nice and weird. People hate her name. They call her... stuff. not to her face.. Well, they're starting to. It's like she doesn't know how to act. My guess is she wants to appear more human than vampire. Which is pretty stupid."
"So what do they, like, call her?" Bella asked curiously.
"Things."
"Like?"
"Rasasquatch." Valerie tried not to laugh for Edwards sake.
"That's it?"
"Rasputin. Resesame. Ravioli. Ratatouille. Ratatata." Valerie went on and on until she saw that they got the idea. Something she never mentioned was that she always had to defend the girl and that something Edward didn't know until now.
"That's why you got into that fight?" Edward was surprised, and for the first time he saw her as more than just annoying.
"I wouldn't call it a fight." Valerie shook her head. "All I did was push them with a finger and they fell."
"Thank you." Was all Edward told the girl, sending her a nod through the rear view mirror. For once, he didn't feel any hate for the girl. Maybe she wasn't as bad as she seems to be. Sure she's still pretty fucking annoying, but she means well. She's proved that.