~Moving~
A few weeks ago, around 2004, my mom got married to Phil. He was great, too, nice, kind, and…dad-like. I could see the love and adoration shine in his eyes when he looked at Renee. She had the same sparkling happiness in her eyes. I knew they truly loved each other.
I remembered when my mom told me about her engagement. She had come into the house, screaming her head off, babbling incoherently. That image never failed to make me laugh.
Flashback
Renee rushed into the room, shrieking about how happy she was. I was momentarily startled by her appearance. She looked slightly insane. "Mom, what happened!" I asked over her shouts, placing Pride and Prejudice on the sofa.
Renee threw her arms around me, squeezing the breath out of my body. "Oh, my gosh, Bella! You'll never believe what happened," she babbled.
I laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if Phil proposed to you, judging by your excitement."
My mom looked shocked. "How did you know that?" She asked.
It was my turn to be shocked. "He did?" she nodded. I clapped my hands. "Congratulations, Mom!" I yelled.
She grinned hugely and showed me her left hand. There was a small, golden ring on her ring finger. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, gazing at it in sheer joy.
I looked at it. "It sure is. How did he propose to you?"
"Well, he took me to a restaurant and we just talked and ate," she began. "Then, a waiter brought us breadsticks. I though that was a weird time to bring them in, seeing how we were halfway through our meal and the breadsticks were suppose to be the appetizer. I just assumed that Phil had ordered them. Anyway, while Phil went to the restroom, I took a breadstick and ate it. When I chewed it, my teeth clamped onto something hard. I was so shocked, I nearly swallowed it. Phil came back just as I spit the object out." I giggled. I could see where this was going. "When I looked at the hard object I almost swallowed, I gasped. Phil looked slightly flustered when he saw me holding the ring." She laughed. "At first, I thought somebody accidentally placed the ring around the breadstick, but then Phil suddenly asked me to marry him!"
"Wow," I laughed. "I can't believe you nearly swallowed your engagement ring!"
End of flashback
Then, there was the wedding. It wasn't big or flashy. There were only a few people, my mom and Phil's closest acquaintances. My mom had planned on getting married to Phil on a beach in Mexico, but I managed to talk her out of that crazy idea by explaining to her about how some people didn't have passports or any ways of getting there. Plus, plane tickets to Mexico would be too expensive.
It turned out, they didn't need a lovely sunset to get married under. They were so happy just tying the knot in the backyard. I was the Maid of Honor, with all the perks of planning the wedding. Thank God it wasn't that much work. I did the best I could, making it as perfect as humanly possible.
Phil was a minor league baseball player, so he traveled around a lot. It was during his absence that I noticed the melancholy air hanging around my mother. "What's wrong?" I asked her.
"What do you mean?" she questioned. "Everything's fine."
I shook my head. "No. You seem unhappy."
My mom smiled a terribly fake smile. "No, I'm not, honey."
I began observing her closely after that. I started noticing a pattern. She was always filled with happiness when Phil was with her, but when he left, the light in her eyes seemed to fade ever so slightly.
A few days later, I told her the plan I made. We both sat around the dining table, eating dinner. Phil had gone on a baseball trip and was coming back in a few hours. "Mom," I began. "I've decided to go live with Dad in Forks."
She dropped her fork. The clattering sound reverberated around the kitchen. "What!" she exclaimed.
"Well, I just think I need to spend some more time with Dad," I lied. Hopefully, I sounded convincing, since I practiced in front of a mirror for hours.
"B-but you hate Forks," she said, her brown eyes widening.
I bit my lip. "I don't hate Forks," I replied, lying like a rug. I detested that town. It was just too isolated, and it never stopped raining there. Did those clouds never go dry? "Besides, I think Dad would like it if I stayed with him. After all, I barely spent any time with him."
Renee shook her head. "Well, why can't he just visit here?" She demanded.
"Mom, he wouldn't be able to stay here that long," I said patiently, foreseeing this difficulty. I needed to do this, even though I absolutely hated to, I had to do it. I can't bare to see my mother so unhappy, all because she can't travel with Phil, which was entirely my fault.
"But, sweetie, you always hated the rain and that that's all that happens in that town," mom said. "You can't go!"
I sighed. "Mom, I don't hate the rain." I continued before my mom could cut in. "I think Dad would like it if I lived with him, and you can travel everywhere with Phil."
Understanding dawned in her eyes. "Is that it? You're moving because you think I'm unhappy, being unable to travel with Phil?"
I looked down at my plate, shrugging. "Kind of. I think you should be with him. He makes you happy."
Mom reached across the table and patted my hand. "You're my daughter. You make me happy, too."
"And Charlie's my dad," I said, turning the conversation back to Forks. "He'll be excited about me going there."
She sighed. "Yes…he would be excited." She watched me steadily. "And you're sure you want to do this?"
I nodded quickly. "Yes."
Renee bit her lip. "Okay. I'll call him after dinner." She tilted her head. "You'll also need new clothes. Your old ones won't keep you warm or dry in Forks." She said the name with a hint of distaste. "I swear, somebody could drown in that town without going near a body of water."
Needless to say, my dad was tremendously happy that I was going to live with him. He told me I'd love all the people there, that all those kids I saw before were so grown up. He told me that Billy and Jake would be estactic to see me. I followed his conversation without any excitement. I felt like I was throwing myself into exile. I told myself that it wouldn't be that bad. At least I could drive. I could visit Seattle or something if I wanted to get out of town for a while.
Phil was upset about my decision and, like Renee, tried to talk me out of it. I calmly told him the reasons I had for moving. "Your dad would be very happy," he mused. Finally, he told me he agreed with my decision.
I decided to try my hand at making a Twilight fanfic. I don't think this is my best, and it's pretty short, but I'm planning on making a variety of missing moments from all the books, since Mrs. Meyer left a few gaps to be filled in. I was kind of scared to do this, to tell the truth. I hope you like them. Review please. Tell me your opinions (not too harsh!)