Hello! I got a bit of a late start on CampNanowrimo, but here's hoping I catch up! My niece challenged me to write Twilight fanfiction, so here's that. It's going to have a lot from the actual book, but I'm hoping to fix a few plot holes and round out the characters, and adding another character so there's a little bit more to actually... like?
Kennedy woke with a splitting headache. Pale green eyes stared at the blue painted ceiling. A moment passed, and she turned, sitting up and throwing her legs over the side of her bed, blanket kicked to the floor. Her reflection stared at her from the mirror above her dresser, and she winced. Normally barely wavy dyed black hair laid atop her shoulders in large, snarled rats' nests, and dark brown, expressive eyebrows drew attention to her eyes, which sported dark bags underneath. Standing, she glanced at her alarm. Five to six, time to get up anyways. Crossing the room to her dresser, passing the made bed waiting for Bella, she grabbed her pills and the water bottle sitting in her top drawer. She glanced at the bottle. "Almost out..." Sighing, she debated if she really needed them, before putting them back and grabbed that day's clothes. She padded to the bathroom, lost within thought as she hopped into the shower.
We have to pick up Bella after school today. Dad said something about playing nice. She scoffed. Bella was definitely not Kennedy's most favorite person, but she'd put up with her, for Charlie. He owes me, though. Maybe I'll get to visit Rory and TJ for more than a few hours... She hissed as soap landed in her eye. Great start to today.
She leaned against the cruiser, texting Rory and watching Bella. She looked good. Pale, and a little plain, but good. She kicked away from the car, grabbing Bella's bags and sticking them in the trunk. She didn't pack much... She slammed the trunk shut, then slid into the back while Bella rode shot-gun.
"I found a good car for you, really cheap." Kennedy glanced up from her phone before an MMT from Rory drew her attention to her phone.
"What kind of car?" Suspicion laced Bella's voice, and Kennedy didn't blame her. Charlie really needed to work on how he worded things sometimes.
"Well, it's a truck, actually, a Chevy." She'd seen the truck in the driveway, old, red, and reliable.
"Where did you find it?"
"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" At Bella's "No," he prompted her. "He used to go fishing with us during the summer." Kennedy rolled her eyes. Of course, Bella wouldn't remember the old man at all, that was too much to ask of her.
"What year is it?"
"God damn it, Bella, just be grateful for the damn thing!" She scoffed, earning a pointed look from Charlie through the rearview mirror. Bella twisted in her seat to face Kennedy.
"I don't know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong-"
"Bella. If something goes wrong, call me. I'll have it fixed faster than you can say "I don't think that's supposed to do that." 'Kay?" She didn't know where this random bout of niceness came from, but Charlie's smile made it worth it. Bella turned back to Charlie. "How cheap is cheap?"
"Well, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." Kennedy rolled her eyes again, putting on her headphones and looking out the window, hoping to tune out the rest of the ride.
Bella stared out of the window. Kennedy sighed. "Worried about tomorrow?" She sat perched on the bench-like headboard of her bed, now made. Bella shook her head silently, making her way to the bathroom. Kennedy watched her go, then flopped backwards onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. Again. Some time before Bella came back, but after dark, she moved to a better position and fell alseep.
Breakfast with Bella and Charlie was quiet, the silence only broken when Bella offered Kennedy a ride to school. Nodding, Kennedy got up to put her plate in the sink.
"We gotta hurry though, you're going to want to walk around before classes." Bella nodded, clearly in thought as she looked around the kitchen. Charlie left, wishing Bella good luck. Grabbing their jackets, Kennedy handed Bella hers, before grabbing their bags and heading for the truck, leaving Bella to lock up.
Inside the truck, it smelled like tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. Kennedy slouched in her seat, appreciating the dryness. She hated the wet as much as Bella did, but Forks made up for it with the pretty plant life that blurred past as Bella drove.
The drive itself was silent except for the roar of the truck, until Bella spoke.
"I don't want to sound rude, but I don't remember you at all." Kennedy sighed.
"He pulled me out of foster care, right after you gave up on Forks. I appreciate it, but I wish he could have asked for Rory and TJ too."
"Who?"
"Foster siblings. Rory's going to be thirteen soon, TJ's fifteen. Real life savers, those two," She grinned at Bella. "I don't know how many times I almost died of boredom, only for them to swoop in and save the day with some dumb prank."
They pulled into the parking lot in front of the office.
"I'll be back."
"Yup." Not even five minutes later, Bella was following the other students, and Kennedy craned her neck looking for a specific car. She saw the shiny Volvo at the same time as Bella.
"The only class we have together is Biology, so I'll see you then. Text me if you have problems, yeah?" Kennedy didn't wait for a response, jumping out of the truck and waving at a few friends as she dashed towards her first class, Government.
Biology was uneventful, but the way Bella irritated the youngest Cullen caught Kennedy's eye. He never acted like that. She spent most of the class period watching the two, occasionally doodling in her notebook. When the bell rang, he was out the door before anyone else was out of their seat, and Mike had already approached Bella. Shrugging, but filing it away for later, she moved on to her last class, Spanish.
Kennedy was at the truck long before Bella, waiting inside. Soon enough, Bella was there and in the cab, but didn't move, just staring out the windshield. Kennedy sat there silently, staring out the passenger window. Eventually, Bella started the ruck, and they were off, with tense silence between them.
The next day was extremely uneventful, although Kennedy noted that Edward wasn't there, and that Bella seemed to be looking for him. She grinned, shaking her head. They passed each other at the cafeteria doors, Kennedy on her way to Trigonometry, Bella on her way to lunch with the neighbor girl, Jessica. She gave Bella a small smile and a wave.
The ride from school to the Thriftway wasn't that bad, they talked about classes and teachers, but Kennedy had a card up her sleeve.
"So, that Cullen boy... You seem to like him." She grinned when Bella turned firetruck red and glared at Kennedy. Aww, kitten's got claws.
"Have you seen him? I think he hates me."
"Why? What did you do?" Kennedy scoffed disbelievingly. "I mean, I know they're all about that solitude, but still." Bella simply shook her head, biting her lip as she turned into the lot.
"You'll gnaw that lip off, you know." They made their way into the store, and Kennedy watched as Bella relaxed as more items were added to the cart. "Did you do the shopping with Renee, too?"
"Yeah." Kennedy nodded at the one-word reply, looking at the list. "We need potatoes too."
Kennedy helped Bella put away the groceries, but then she left Bella alone to cook. Knowing herself, she'd probably set the water on fire. She set to her homework, chewing on her pencil. Bella came up a few minutes later, and sat at the computer, pulling up a web page. A few more moments, and Bella sighed.
"What's up?" Kennedy glanced at the screen. Across the room and without her glasses, which she refused to wear, the page was a giant, fuzzy blob, but the email logo stuck out. "Emails from Renee?"
"Yeah, she can't find something. Again."
"Huh. Tell her I said hi, yeah?"
"Sure." The sound of tapping at a keyboard filled the room, and Kennedy returned to her homework. Maybe having Bella around wouldn't be so bad.
When Charlie got home, Bella left to putter about the kitchen, and once dinner was ready, she called Charlie and Kennedy to the table. The only real conversation was about the Cullens -no surprise there- and Kennedy and Bella did dishes before going upstairs to do homework. Kennedy finished early, and helped Bella with the trig.
The week settled into a pattern. Breakfast, school, home, homework, dinner, more homework, bed. The only event during the weekend was an awkward discussion with Jacob that ended with the two of them breaking up over the phone, but Bella did visit the library. Kennedy spent most of her time online, talking with her new friend Lindsey although she did help Bella clean the house. Monday morning found them in the school parking lot, talking to Mike. Or, rather, Bella was, Kennedy just stood there, reading another MMT from TJ. A wet, whistling sound filled her ears, and her head shot up. "Mike, watch out-" Too late, the snowball collided with his face, sliding down the neck of his jacket. He immediately set to retaliating, and both Kennedy and Bella rushed inside.
Biology was an interesting affair. Kennedy watched as Edward introduced himself to Bella. Unfortunately, she was sitting too far away to listen in on the conversation, but as class wore on, they seemed to work together pretty well. They finished quickly, and Kennedy scrambled to finish her assignment, her partner choosing to sleep through it. After class, Mike swooped upon Bella, grabbing her books. Kennedy frowned. She wasn't going to play match-maker or anything, but she'd rather Bella end up with Edward than Mike, who seemed to crush on a new girl every month. She shook her head. It wasn't any of her business. She gathered her things and walked to her last class.
Once again she beat Bella to the truck by a good five minutes, and when Bella finally threw the truck in reverse, she looked behind them.
"Hey! Toyota on your six, Bella!" The brakes were slammed, and the Toyota lived to see another day. When she managed to pull out properly, she avoided looking at the Cullens as they drove by. Kennedy had no such qualms. She smiled when she saw him laughing.
"He saw that. All of it. He saw it." She teased.
"Shut up." She laughed.
The next morning, she woke early to a text from Tyler. Leaving a note for Bella saying she'd already left, she grabbed her things and booked it out the door. Where she promptly, and spectacularly, wiped out on the ice. Laughing it off, she got to her feet and rushed to the passenger side of Tyler's van. "'Dya see that?"He grinned. "Have to be blind not to. Ten out of ten, would watch again." He laughed when she swatted his shoulder, and they spent the ride bantering back and forth. Until they pulled into the parking lot.
Some people, when in danger, see everything in slow motion. Others see things in what Kennedy called HD 2.0, but time kept it's common pace. Kennedy was one of the few that simply didn't register danger at all, walking into busy streets, antagonizing muggers, and not realizing they shouldn't lean that far over the edge. Tyler made three mistakes when he hit the black ice. First mistake, he hit it too fast. Second mistake, he slammed on his breaks. Third mistake, he jerked the wheel. Kennedy noted that Bella had gotten to school before them. Funny that her mind focused on that, even as they hurtled towards her truck. Until she noticed Bella there, frozen.
"Tyler, hit the gas." They were perpendicular to her. If they could pull even the littlest bit forward, they might not crush her, or, best hope, miss her entirely. Kennedy looked at Tyler, and felt two impacts. The first, which she assumed pinned Bella between the vehicles, hurt the most. She closed her eyes, bringing her arms up to protect her face from glass before the second impact blew out her window. The jolt hurt, but she was more concerned about Bella and Tyler.
"Tyler! Look at me, Tyler." He looked up, and Kennedy could see where his head had hit the window. "Can you breathe alright? Can you move?" He nodded, and she nodded back. "I'm going to check on Bella, hopefully she got out of the way. Will you be alright?" He nodded again, and she clambered to the back of his van, opening the door behind Tyler. She hissed in pain when she put her foot on the ground, but pushed through it, limping her way around the car to find her way blocked. Kennedy turned to the nearest person, who was still across the parking lot.
"Get Tyler out of the van!" She waited anxiously, leaning against another car as six EMTs and two teachers shifted the van away from the truck enough to retrieve Bella, and to Kennedy's surprise, Edward. When they loaded Bella into the ambulance, Kennedy rode next to her, while Edward rode up front. Bella, Kennedy, and Tyler got to wait in the Emergency room, even after it was found that Bella had no injuries. Kennedy herself had three cracked ribs and a dislocated knee, while Tyler had a nasty concussion.
Tyler wouldn't shut up about being sorry, and even though Bella kept telling him it was fine, he wouldn't accept that as an answer. Finally Kennedy had enough.
"Dammit Tyler, clearly it's my fault. If I hadn't asked you to pick me up, you would've gotten there before Bella and this all would have been avoided. So shut. Up." He backed down, but continued mumbling. Bella seemingly fell asleep, and Kennedy was grateful for the almost silence.
What little of it there was.
"Is she sleeping?" Kennedy lurched into an upright position, turning to look at the newest visitor, even as Tyler started apologizing. Edward stopped him. "No blood, no foul." Kennedy looked at him.
"You got her out of the way, right? I think I saw you next to her." He nodded, and she flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks, it would've been hell explaining to Dad that I got his favorite killed." That got strang looks from Tyler and Edward, but she ignored them in favor of limping over to Bella's bed, courtesy of crutches. Edward sat on Tyler's bed, facing Bella.
"So what's the verdict?"
"There's nothing wrong with me at all, but they won't let me go." Bella complained. "How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?"
"Yeah, what gives?" Kennedy grinned.
"It's all about who you know." He answered. "But don't worry, I came to spring you." A doctor walked around the corner, and Kennedy grinned. "Hi Dr. Cullen!" He looked up from the clip board, and sighed.
"Why is it, that when there's a car involved, you're here?" She shrugged. "Dunno. Total chancer though, I didn't walk in front of a car this time!" He shook his head, smiling wryly before turning to Bella.
"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Doesn't your head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."
"It's fine." Bella scowled at Edward, who just smiled. Kennedy turned her attantion to her phone, frowning when she saw no notifications.
"Well, your father is in the waiting room- you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."
"Can't I go back to school?" Bella almost whined, and Kennedy stared. A chance to get out of school and Bella was going to push their luck?
"Maybe you should take it easy today."
Bella glanced at Edward. "Does he get to go to school?" Kennedy swatted Bella's leg.
"Someone has to spread the good news that we survived." Edward was far too smug for Kennedy's liking.
"Actually," Dr. Cullen corrected, "most of the school seems to be in the waiting room."
"Oh no," Kennedy and Bella both groaned, though Bella went the extra step of covering her face. He raised his eyebrow.
"Do you want to stay?"
"No, no!" Bella insisted, throwing her legs over the side of her bed and hopping down. She staggered, and Dr. Cullen caught her.
"I'm fine." She preemptively sighed.
"Take some tylenol for the pain."
"It doesn't hurt that bad." She insisted, and Kennedy rolled her eyes, standing up. "Race you to the parking lot then." She laughed when Bella paled. She made her way out to the waiting room, where she sat with Charlie to wait for Bella, who had pulled Edward aside.
The car ride home was silent. Bella threw a fit about having to tell her mother she was okay, and Kennedy was sure if she rolled her eyes one more time they'd get stuck. They both went to bed early, although Kennedy managed to ask Lindsey out before she passed out. They agreed on Sunday.
Edward was avoiding Bella again. Kennedy watched as Bella slowly fell back into the shell she'd had when she'd first come to Forks. Her grades fell a little, until Kennedy took it upon herself to do Bella's homework for her.
Sunday rolled around, and Kennedy asked Bella if she could borrow the truck.
"Sure." came the one worded reply that was more common now, though silence seemed to be her favorite pastime when at home. Pulling out of the driveway, she drove to Port Angeles and picked up Lindsey.
"Holy shit, what happened?" She had asked, brushing long faded blue bangs out of her eyes to get a better look.
"Car accident in the school lot. Nothing big." She grinned, swinging her crutch to the other arm so she could open the passenger side door for Lindsey. Hopping into the driver's seat, They visited a book store, where they got kicked out for arguing whether the latest fantasy book, Midnight Sun, was going to be any good. Laughing, they made their way to a secluded little diner, where they had lunch. Kennedy regaled Lindsey with the tale of the car crash, and Lindsey proved quite the audience, paying rapt attention and gasping at the mayhem.
"So, this Edward kid, he saved her?" She asked.
"Yeah, twenty bucks says they end up living happily ever after like some romance book." Kennedy grinned. Lindsey shook her head. "No way, I'm not taking that up, you've got too much good luck." The rest of the day was spent picking out new hair dye for Lindsey, and they talked almost non stop until it came time to take Lindsey home. They said good bye on Lindsey's porch, but before Kennedy could turn to leave, Lindsey darted forward, kissing Kennedy, then dashing inside, giggling to leave Kennedy on the porch, frozen with shock.
She drove home with a stupid grin she'd deny ever existed.