I pulled Tamara over to an alcove next to an abandoned pizza restaurant.My stomach growled again.I guess giving blood twice on top of cross-city cardio had upped my appetite.
"Look, Tamara, I had to do this," I said."I'm dating vampires.I mean.This was going to happen at some point.They need to eat, they need to thrive.Sometimes this stuff happens."
"I'm not worried about that," Tamara said."I don't care about what vampires eat.I do care about you, my best friend.And I care about the fact that you are dangling what has to be their drug of choice in front of them to get them going again."
I tilted my head, confused.
"What?"I asked.
"You're not the only one who knows vampires," she hissed."Stacey, I know undead people.I've known them.You're God, girl.You're too much."
"What is it that's crawled up your ass?"
"You are an addict's choice of drug," Tamara said."I've worked in the medical field for a long, long time.I have seen how addicts act.They all act like you're a walking brick of cocaine whenever you enter a room.You're… I don't know.Their favorite blood type or something.Didn't you say they were religious?"
"They do have a code," I said.
"And what does the code say?"
"It's about ethical hunting," I said."No women or children.Only the sick, or the feeble, or those who are a threat to the ecosystem."
"You are like a blonde that walks into a Sex Addicts anonymous meeting in a tube top and giggles at everyone's jokes," Tamara said.
I felt something in my heart snag.
"Is that really how you feel about me?"
"Sometimes," Tamara said."You can't just offer your blood to every vampire in the world.Is that what we came out here to do?So you could ensnare the last important vampire in the city with your magical lifeblood?"She did air quotes with the last two words, and they were savage looking.Savage enough to hurt.
"Tamara, that's really unfair," I said."And really mean.How did you even hear about the others?"
"I didn't have to.You just told me.Because why wouldn't you give your blood up to vampires?You seem to let every vamp you see in your pants."
Her voice curled out, striking my heart like a thrown dagger, and we both realized what had been said out loud.I could see Tamara's face move from shocked, to 'oh shit,' to belligerent.As if she were daring me to say something back.
"Tamara," I said.My voice was quivering."You'd better stop now.I want an apology.You and I are really good friends, but right now I don't like you."
"Stacey, you're just too much sometimes," she said.
"I'm trying to save the city!"I said."I'm trying to save these people!"
"You're just trying to get over your shitty childhood by letting everyone else prop up your ego," she said."I'm so sick of you, Stacey.You just waltz in to the city and you get everything you want."
"What did I do to make you mad?"I asked.
"EVERYTHING," she snapped."You dismissed me back there.Like I couldn't motivate anyone, like I was some bit player.I'm a nurse.I could have looked at his wounds.You sent me away like a little kid."
"I have blood that helps vampires supercharge," I said."Besides, you yourself said, you couldn't eat in there."
"Yeah, well, sometimes maybe I get mad because I feel like you don't need me anymore."
I blinked.
"What?"
"You heard me, don't act like that.I need you to need me, Stacey.Okay?We're friends, but you've always been the hot mess.You're still a hot mess."
"Tamara, come on."
