The Only Exception
You are the only exception~
The Only Exception, Paramore
Bella refused to come or look away from the window of her truck.
It's frame kept her safe from the pelting raindrops falling from the sky, but couldn't stop the ones falling from her eyes.
It hadn't been a terrible day.
In fact, it had started out quite well.
For one, she had been able to finish all of her homework in less than an hour, which left her with plenty of free time.
Then, she decided she was going to go shopping, amazing she knew, for some clothes of her own choosing in Port Angeles.
Bella had started her slightly rusted truck and made her way to the larger city.
She had just gotten into the shopping district when she saw a book store and had immediately pulled over, narrowly missing a passing, blue sedan.
Bella then walked merrily into the shop, forgetting her momentary quest for clothes as soon as the cheery, little bell rang over her head.
There were so many books that she could easily see herself engrossed in the lightly dusted novels for hours.
So, she called her good friend Angela Webber.
She asked Angela if she would like to come on her 'shopping spree' with her.
Because, let's face it, books were alot more important than clothing, well, at the moment they were anyways.
Angela happily agreed, since they both shared the almost obsessing hobby of reading and agreed to meet her in a little less than half an hour.
Little did Bella know that that would be the second last time she would hear from her companion.
While still flipping through the multiple books that had accumulated on the floor after being plucked off of their shelves by the almost possessed girl, Bella's phone rang.
She thought nothing of it and let it ring. Once. Twice. Then she began to pity the caller and picked up her cell phone, momentarily forgetting her safe haven of a fictive world.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Is this Miss Isabella Swan?" The strange voice replied.
"Yes, it is. May I ask who is calling?" Bella responded, fear already lacing her voice.
"We are sorry to inform you that your friend, Miss Angela Webber, has been in a car crash and is currently being held in critical care at a local hospital." The voice continued.
"Wha.. what?" Was Bella's educated reply.
She took a moment to let the startling news sink in.
Angela was in a car crash? But.. but, how? Angela was one of the best teen drivers she knew. She had followed all of the rules and precautions of the road since they had both aced their driving exams five months prior and gotten their permits. Angela was just an innocent girl, why did this have to happen to her?
"We are sorry. We'd give you the name of the hospital but the name is currently being withheld for safety of the patient. Apparantly, some of the other drivers in the accident were very pleased with the damage to their cars." The voice droned on.
"Oh, ok. Th-thank you for, you know, calling." Bella stuttered out.
"Have a good day Miss." The voice said, and then the line went dead. The beep signaling that the police officer that had called her had hung up.
"Miss, Miss? May I help you? This is a bit of a mess." An elderly lady poked her head around one of the nearby bookshelves.
"Thank you, that would be. Lovely. Thank you very much." Bella thanked the older woman profusely as she continued to sit there in a slight daze but then began to pick up the scattered volumes.
"Oh, no thanks needed. There really isn't much of a mess anymore. Why don't you buy the books you wanted and I'll clean up the rest?" The lady smiled gently at Bella's shivering frame.
"Oh. Um. Well, thanks. Again. I'll just, um. Go. Thank you again for helping." Bella's eyes had widened in fear for her hurt friend and her shivering only increased as she slowly got up and walked out of the door.
The ringing of the bell suddenly didn't seem cheerful anymore. It seemed to signal the end of something instead of the beginning of a great time.
Bella thought of driving but instead proceeded to simply get into her truck and sit there. Looking at everything but not focusing with wide eyes full of unshed tears.
"Wh-why Angela? Why?" She sniffled as the tears that had accumulated only moments earlier started to filter out of her eyes and onto her cheeks, which had started to redden from the sobbing that had started as soon as she finished her desperate questions.
She sniffled, whimpered, sobbed, and sometimes simply sat motionless. But the tears never stopped.
As she was having her cry fest the sky decided that it felt the same way she did and the clouds let harsh, pelting rain drops fall down from the sky.
Bella's sniffling quieted as she listed to the slow, continuous, 'tap, tap, tap' coming from the splattering raindrops on her windshield.
She felt a vibrating in her pocket. Surprised, she realized that she had left it on after the depressing call.
The screen showed her that she had indeed, missed fourteen calls and over thirty texts. The people who tried to contact her ranged from an overly dramatic Alice, who was indeed feeling as saddened over Angela's accident as she was, only showing it more freely. To a worried Edward, who had heard from his sister what had happened and wished that she would be alright and that he would run to where ever she may be, in the pouring rain, if he had to, if only to make sure she had only forgotten to charge her phone and therefore couldn't receive his calls. But, of course, this situation was a little more severe.
Bella sighed as she contemplated on whether she should call Edward or not. She decided that she should probably try to get home first. Then, maybe she would call her boyfriend and his sister back. Maybe. Although, if the way she was feeling right now was any sign of how she would feel later, she would probably want to be alone. For at least a month. Or a couple of weeks. But, considering Alice she'd be lucky to get in a few hours before the miniature Nazi stormed into her house and demanded to know why she had refused to call her back. She sighed again. A few hours alone seemed like a wonderful idea right now.
Bella started her truck and slowly made her way back to Forks, ignoring the blaring horns of other drivers that were annoyed with her slow pace. Although, she could care less. One of these people could've been the reason why Angela was in a hospital now, and she didn't want to end up like her friend, even though she would gladly take Angela's pain away if she could. Feeling slightly better at her revelation that she would indeed do anything for her best friend, she picked up her speed a little and was soon back into Forks's boundaries.
Her phone rang, gently waking Bella from the trance she hadn't noticed herself fall into.
"Hello?" Bella said, fatigue clearly showing through her voice from the heavy burden of emotions she was carrying.
"Bella." Angela sighed somewhat sadly, but yet still happily.
"Angie! Oh my gosh. Angela! Just, I'm so happy you're alright!" Bella practically squealed into the phone.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about..." Angela trailed off.
"Wait, what?" Bella blinked in confusion even though Angela couldn't see her.
"That's the thing, Bella. I'm not alright." Angela sighed. "In fact, I'm quite horrible. You see..."
Bella listened intently, focused on not missing a word and thanking her conscious for telling her to drive onto the shoulder of the road.
"See what Angie? I-I-I don't see anything. You're fine! You're talking to me aren't you? You're perfectly fine Ang! I-I-I can't.. I can't stand you being hurt! Please tell me how to make it better! I'll do anything!" Bella barely refrained from full out sobbing as she forced herself to blurt out the sentences as she brought oxygen into her heaving lungs.
"I'm sorry Bella. I'm truely, TRUELY, sorry. But, but well, I'm going to leave this world soon Bella. I'm going to go see my grandparents, and I'm going to live with them. They'll keep me safe. Safe from everything. I really wish you could do that for me Bells but, this, well this is kind of out of your hands now." Angela trailed off softly, as Bella could hear her suffering friend's distinct, silent sound of sobbing coming through the phone.
"Angela! No!" Bella sobbed as loud as her throat and lungs would allow her to. "You-you can't leave me! And Alice! You can't leave her. We-we-we're best friends! We were going to be the three amigos! A-and you can't leave Ben! He loves you! H-he's the best boyfriend you've ever had and ever wanted to have." Bella couldn't stop hiccuping as she tried to plead her case. Although she knew it was impossible, she had to try her best to save Angela, she had to hope. Maybe, maybe if she did hope, hope with all of her heart, body, and mind, then maybe she really would be alright.
"Uhm, Bella? Honey, what are you doing?" Angela's confused voice came over the phone. "I mean I understand that this is a really sadistic moment and all but it sounds like you're constipated or something..." Angela let out a little laugh which made Bella quirk a small smile.
"I was hoping for you to get better. But, I guess I kind of overdid it, eh?" Bella smiled sheepishly as she spoke quietly.
"I'm really a lucky person to have had such a wonderful friend like you. You always made me loved and happy. We would have so much fun and never get tired of doing the same old, same old together. But, Bella, I know this is hard. This comes from the one it's happening to. Trust me, I'm going to know, and it's going to suck. From what I know, it's going to suck a hell of a lot. But I'll always be there for you Bells, and our little pixie friend too, of course. And Ben will always know that I love him too, and I want him to be happy, even if that means finding another. You would do that same for Edward, wouldn't you? Even if it doesn't seem like the best decision with the best outcome you would do it anyway, for a small, sliver of happiness and love for the ones who gave those things to you."
"Y-yes I would. I, oh Angie why do you have to have such a way with words?" Bella bawled out. "I just love you sooo much, as a sister. Don't worry I won't steal Ben's gal pal from him.. even if you two are something more. But, well I guess I can't do much stealing anymore. I'll miss you so much, and I'll remember you every day. And when I do stupid stuff, because you can't deny that I won't, I'll sit there and think, "What would Angela have said or done to me if she was here?" Err, no wait, I probably wouldn't want to know that. But, still it's the fact that I would be thinking of you that matters. I'll love you forever, you know that right? You're my bestest buddy! And I mean that in the dorkiest way possible!" Bella managed to let out a strangled giggle as she and Angela carried on with their cry fest.
"Well, Bella, it's time to go. I love you, and Alice, and Ben, and my parents, and my dog, and well a lot of other people. Except Jessica and Lauren. Blech. I'll see you when I see you Bella, here's some love from Heaven! Well, I really don't want to go to hell anyway.. I know you didn't see that but I just shivered." Both girls laughed. "Love you. Goodbye my sister from another mister!" "By girl from another whirl! Well, that didn't really pertain to the situation.. but it seemed appropriate. Love you." "Love you too now let me go before I decide to go on with my horrifying life filled with overly gushy romantics like you!" Angela laughed and Bella stuck her tongue out at the phone. "By Angie." "By Bella."
The dialtone sounded and Bella knew by now that her friend was gone. But, like she said she would always remember her and love her and all that other mushy stuff, because let's all face it. Dire situations call for mush and that situation was more dire than most. It was expected, well by Angela and Bella anyway.
Bella sighed for the hundredth time as she parked her truck back into her driveway, secretly glad that her father went fishing with Billy today and wouldn't be home till tomorrow since would spend the night at the Black's house after he got back from his 'adventure'. She chuckled at her thoughts as she unlocked the front door, walked into the front room, and then relocked the door. She padded her way up the steps after taking her sneakers off at the door and crept into her bedroom. She had no idea why she was being quite, she just felt it was necessary for some unknown reason. She sighed, yet again, and fell face first into her pillows.
The sound of Bella humming was heard through the cotton cushion she decided to face plant on.
"Chu war ze onwe exsepon, wu war ze onwe exsepon" Bella mumbled.
At that moment, her phone made its presence known and the song she was just mumbling came through loud and clear as her ring tone sounded. It was Edward.
"Ewwo" Bella mumbled, her head still cradled in the pillow's hold.
"Er, Bella, are you trying to eat your pillows again? We both agreed that they indeed do NOT taste like marshmallows." Edward chuckled. "In other news, are you ok? You're not stranded in the desert after chasing a U.F.O. or anything along that train of thought?"
"Humph, I'm not that bad. And if you didn't hear I just stuck my tongue out at you, through the phone. See I did it again." Bella said sarcastically.
The smile could be heard in his voice, "Yes, love, I definitely heard your lovely tongue sticking out at me through my phone. Because that is, of course, possible." He couldn't help himself from laughing a little more.
"Well, psssh, be that way Edward." She commented snarkily.
"Oh, believe me love when I say I will." He commented back.
"Well, well, FINE THEN!" She mumbled.
He laughed again, "Will you just come downstairs and let me in already?"
Bella blinked in confusion, "You're downstairs?"
"No Bella, I'm in Scandinavia, riding on the back of a tiger while wearing a turban and somehow managing to get reception." He said in a monotone.
Bella blinked again and Edward sighed as he practically heard the wheels whirring in her brain.
"Oh, uh, heh... heh.. I'll be right down." She giggled nervously. I can't believe I thought he was serious! Ugh.
"Bella you didn't think I was serious, did you?" He guffawed.
"Er, of course not Edward! I'm not that dumb! I know you can get really good reception in Scandinavia!" She said with enthusiasm.
"Sure, sure." Edward mumbled, his shoulders slumping and an anime sweat drop would've been seen in the near future if he was, you know, in an anime, or manga, or another art form that requires sweat drops.
The door was opened and their conversation, of unimaginable brilliance, was forgotten as they saw each other and it took all of Bella's willpower to not pounce on him and sob her heart, and eyes, out.
Edward saw the hurt and Bella's face and mumbled an almost inaudible, "C'mere."
But, Bella definitely heard and was soon cradled in his arms instead of her lovely, marshmallow pillow and was crying in seconds. Edward held Bella carefully and stepped inside the house, making sure to lock the door and then carrying her back up to her room. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her tear-stained face. "You wanna talk about it?" He questioned.
"Well, normally, I would say no. Because, I would personally rather bawl my eyes out than talk about my feelings." She took time to make a dramatic sniffle before continuing. "But for you I'm going to make an exception, the only exception. For this case anyway. Did you know that? That you're the only exception to a lot of things in my life?"
"Should I consider my self infathomably lucky or one sorry son of a bitch?" He questioned honestly.
She poked his chest with her free hand that wasn't wrapped around his back, "A good thing you meaner, when I got home all I wanted to do was be alone, but now that you're here, I just want to be here with you."
She looked into his emerald green eyes, and he looked back into slightly muddy ones whose color change was cause by the tears threatening to overflow her eyes again.
"Well, then come back here missy." He said and then fold his arms back around her and nuzzled his head on top of her head. "I love you, you know that right? I mean I haven't said that in the last five minutes and I was afraid you might have forgotten." She could feel his mouth twitch up in a smile from on her head.
"Yes, Edward", she sighed exaggeratedly, "I seemed to have forgotten of your love. Please do remind me again?" He kissed her softly on the lips. "Remember now?" He breathed out.
"Yup." Bella responded as she popped the p. "I love you too, you big idiot." She giggled softly.
"Hey! Who are you calling the idiot?" He sputtered.
"Well oooobviously not you." She stuck her tongue out at him for effect and scrunched her eyes shut.
"You know you're the only exception to a lot of my things too." He smiled softly at her. "Now sleep, my Bella. I'll be here in the morning. No matter what the big, bad Charlie has to say about it."
Bella yawned. "Love you." Only two seconds passed before she was out cold.
Edward gentled placed her down on the bed and lay next to her, stroking her hair.
A couple a minutes later Bella could be heard mumbling, "You are the only exception, you are my only exception..."