I was inspired to write this story by a dream I had. The plot line and everything was laid out in the dream and i was compelled to start it. This is not the usual story I write. I guess the big guy upstairs is telling me to write something new. I guess you could call it a different version of twilight, but it has a lot more characters and more than one conflict. This first chapter is long, but very informative. I hope you like it! PLEASE review and tell me if it's any good! And thank you to all my dedicated fans who write and spread my stories!
Chapter 1
"Bella, I think this will help you. You need to be around different people. People who aren't so…" she searched for the right words without offending me. "Protective." Renee was lecturing me how sending me to an expensive boarding school would help improve my behavior and character.
"My friends have a reason for being so 'protective' Mom." I used the air quotations. If it weren't for her, my friends wouldn't be threatening to kill people who fucked with me. I am glad for their watchful eyes. If it weren't for them, I'd be roasting in hell by now. "I don't understand what you have against them mom. They are great friends. They are better friends to me than you are." I said pointedly.
She scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about Bella. I have tried to help you, but you won't let me. And what do I not like about your so called 'friends'?" She put her hands on her hips like a pissed off third grader. "They turned you against your family, took away the good girl in you, and it has tortured Phil and I both." I instinctively tugged at my long sleeved shirt to make sure I was covered.
Oh right. I completely forgot about how Renee and Phil were so heart-broken about my behavior. Oh, how they sobbed for hours thinking their daughter was abusing them and how she hated them. I forgot how mom was so hurt that Phil took her shopping for those pretty diamonds she now wore around her neck. I could also tell by the glares she's been giving me that she loves me too much to keep me here. Bullshit.
I glared back at her. "Oh yes, I have hurt you deeply haven't I?" I threw my hands over my head. "OH the HUMANITY!" I put the back of my hand over my forehead dramatically. "And the only way to cure the pain is to buy the best diamonds Phil's money can buy. Oh, but the Gucci shoes are so comforting! They rid my clouded mind of all negative thoughts about my troubled daughter." I acted like Renee. "Look mom, I like my friends here. They are good friends, the kind that take care of you when you're hurt or in trouble, the kind that will comfort you when you are upset or pissed. You on the other hand," I pointed, "send me to a fucking therapist! You are too fucking lazy to just ask what is wrong and fix the problem yourself. You don't even bother to give me hugs anymore because you are to scared to wrinkle you're silk Pucci dress, or break a freshly manicured nail. How pathetic." I began to walk away. These arguments were just getting too old.
"I'm not going." I ran upstairs and slammed my bedroom door shut.
I heard mom yell back. "Oh yes you are young lady! Phil has already paid for the first semester, uniform, supplies, and plane ticket. You are going even if we have to get a forklift to get you on." I totally zoned out as I blew my iPod stereo as loud as it would go. Flyleaf blasted into my ears and I closed my eyes. I rolled up my sleeves, gazed absent mindedly at my arms, and relived every single fight she ever had with Renee since she married Phil.
Phil this, Phil that. I don't even watch major league baseball. But thankfully, Jake will be here soon to spring me.
I opened my eyes and looked out my window. It's getting dark out. He's still not here. I looked at the clock. It read 6:30. He should be here any minute.
Jake is practically my savior. Yeah, he does a bunch of shit that most people die doing, but he cares for me like a little sister. Jake is part of a crew most people don't want to mess with. After he saw me that day, I was part of his crew and nobody did shit to me anymore. Not even Him. Jake saved me from suicide, a couple of mental breakdowns, and potential murder. Even Jake didn't go as far as murder. Well, almost. The crew did street racing, drugs, parties, drinking, stuff that most goody teenagers like what I used to be didn't get involved with. But when I became one of the crew, I didn't mind doing these things. It actually helped a lot.
I heard the familiar roar of a Ducati crotch rocket. I looked out the window and found my savior waiting across the street.
I quickly threw on a black hat and sweatshirt with my low top All Stars. I threw my hidden sneak ladder out my window and descended all the way to the ground. The cold hit me like an icy wave. I put up the hood on my sweatshirt to protect my ears. I pulled the string that was tied to the window and pulled while watching the ladder crawl back up into my bedroom window. I snuck out our front gate, ran across the street and jumped onto the bike. We raced out of sight.
We rode past all the million dollar homes in my neighborhood and soon reached the main street. We cut off a couple of cars and sped onto the highway. We were probably going eighty, racing toward downtown Dallas, and going to where all the bad action was.
We finally exited the highway about ten minutes later. I saw a couple of the crew's bikes slow down and wait for us up ahead. We raced all the way to a dark alley a couple of miles later.
Jake finally stopped and turned off his bike. When he took off his helmet he turned to look at me. I let go of his back and sat sidesaddle on the bike.
"What's up Iz?" He used my nickname.
"Nothing good Jake. I'm in deep shit unless you can get me out." I admitted.
He looked confused. Everyone else leaned against their bikes and took off their helmets to listen.
"What kind of trouble? Is it the fuzz? Or is it those mother fuckers back at hell's mansion that call themselves your parents?" When he said the last part, the firm line on his mouth sank into a grimace.
"The second one," I held up two fingers and finally looked up at him.
Jake didn't look like the gangster that he really was. He looked more like a popular quarter back on the school football team. He was certainly that hot. His blond hair was styled with a buzz cut, he had steel blue eyes, a sharp jaw, perfectly tanned skin, and perfectly toned muscles. He looked like a bodyguard with the way he was always hovering over me protectively. Not that I minded.
He groaned angrily. "What did that bastard do this time?" He growled.
I shook my head. "It's not Phil. Its his bitch of a wife that's forcing me to attend a boarding school in New York City." I spat out.
It grew very silent. Jake had his lips slightly parted in surprise, though his eyes were balls of fury. I glanced at Jason, Kyle, Jared, Sean, and my best friend Becky. They all shared the same look as Jake.
I sighed. "She says she wants me to straighten my attitude and shape up my character," I started. "She basically wants me away from you guys because she thinks you are the ones destroying my future and tearing apart my family. She's too arrogant to realize she's doing that herself."
Jake stood up sharply. "That slut!" He shouted. "She doesn't know what happened to you! She doesn't even care!" I glanced around our little circle. Sean was the next to comment.
"Bitch," he spat. "We won't let her do that to you, Iz. She can't take you away from the good life you have built. She can't take away your sense of safety like that." His voice was low and filled with anger.
"It's not her that can. It's Phil," I crossed my arms over my chest. "She says she is getting my on that plane whether I like it or not. They are basically sending me away so I'm not their problem anymore. She just wants to have the freedom to fuck the bastard without me around to call her a whore. I haven't even spoken to Charlie since…" I couldn't speak it. It was worse than committing sin to talk about it.
Jason was next to have a say. "Maybe that might be your way out Iz," He switched his weight. "I know you don't really get along with him, and you don't like Washington, but would you really rather be in New York than with your dad?" He looked defeated. What the hell was this? Nobody ever gave up this easily. Thankfully someone agreed with me.
"No Jason," Becky spoke out. "It would be better for her to go to New York because there we can bust her out. Remember? Charlie is a cop. He won't let her go so easily. Breaking her out of a boarding school where it's everyone for themselves? Think about it stupid." She glared sarcastically at him.
Becky was the only other girl in the group. She helped me with girly stuff, like wardrobe, feminine bikes, make-up (though I hardly wore any), and educated me on good music. She treated me like I was her daughter or something. All I have to say is watch out for Becky when you fuck with kids. Because when she was a kid, she was thoroughly fucked with.
Becky's dad worked under Bill Gates at Windows. He was a rich bastard. He went to Vegas and knocked up one of the showgirls. She gave birth to Rebecca Diane. Her dad didn't really pay much attention to her growing up until she hit the age of fourteen. Then he started coming into her room at night, presenting her with gifts, giving her massages, touching her…
When she told her mom about it, her mom just screamed that it wasn't true and that she was a lying little brat. The next night her dad came into her room, she bludgeoned him with a bat into unconciousness. She told the cops and he was charged with sexual assault and sentenced to 25 years.
On his way back home from the courthouse, he sped furiously into a red light and got hit with an eighteen-wheeler. Her mom was
But she has been supportive of me since Jake opened his circle to me.
Jason suddenly piped up. Any trouble he can cause, he will agree to it whole-heartedly.
"That's always an option," Jake said. "But we'd have to get a lot of cash to be able to even get there. But for Bella," using my name for the first time in a while, while wrapping an arm around me. "Anything." I leaned into his touch. He kissed the top of my head. He was the best brother any girl could have. When he protected me from shit like this, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
"Anything," everybody agreed. I glanced around, and smiled at all my friends.
"Thanks guys," I said. Tears were thick in my throat.
For the first time I noticed where we were. We were outside our favorite bar. Cheap drinks and no noise limit. Plus, we knew the guy who owned the joint. Jake had the best connections in town. We all got up and started walking toward the bar's back entrance with a sign over it that said, "Bobby's" in fancy green neon lighting. Jake kept an arm over my shoulders and I kept mine wrapped around his lower back. Jason opened up the door for us and warm air that smelled thickly of beer, rushed past me. Jason took Becky's hand (the two were dating) and walked in after us.
Yeah, Becky picked on Jason a lot, but he didn't mind. They say they aren't going to get married, but I think those two were destined.
Bobby stood behind the bar with a towel over his shoulder and was pouring drinks. The place was empty except for us.
"Hey guys!" He greeted when he looked up from wiping the counter. We all took a seat at the bar.
"Hey Bobby. Can we get a couple of rounds? Someone has had a hard night," he glanced down at me from the corner of his eyes.
He laughed. "Anything for my dearest children!" He considered us his children for a good reason. His business was going out, but his drinks and prices were good. So we spread word and he got enough business to keep him going. He's an old man, about sixty, and had owned the pub for thirty years before we walked in. When we met him, he was always kind to us. He provided us with water when we came in from a long trip, brought out his double barrel shot gun when trouble followed us into the bar, and told hilarious stories of when he was in Vietnam and his war buddies. They did the wildest things in their youth.
He poured us all Guinness beer on tap. He knew I wasn't fond of beer, so he slid me a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade.
"Thanks Bobby," I said.
"So," he turned around to face us and leaned against the backside of the bar. "What kind of trouble did you get yourselves into this time?" He glanced at his watch. "Record timing, too. It's only seven." He shrugged and looked at me for an answer.
Awkward silence. I sighed in defeat when everybody else turned to me also.
"My bitch of a mother and ass of a step-dad have decided I need an attitude adjustment and are sending me to a bitchy private boarding school in New York City where it's rich bitches galore." I explained. Bobby actually looked furious.
"Maybe if they found out why you had an attitude problem they would save themselves the trouble of paying for a therapist and boarding school," he grumbled.
"I actually did try to explain to my mom that it was her fault, but then she turned it around and said it was my friends' fault. I've tried to tell her everything but she is still in denial." I rolled my eyes dramatically.
Bobby reached across the counter and put his hand on top of mine while Jake wrapped his arm around my shoulders again. "Is there anything I can do? I know you hate those kinds of people Hon and I don't want to see you suffering through something else. You have enough on your plate," he said solemnly.
I looked to Jake and everybody. Jake-surprise- launched into his master plan of my great escape from the hellish prison.
"She has to go. That's a given. Her father will move heaven and earth to get her there. It's obvious that they want nothing to do with Iz," I winced. "So here's the plan. We want to ride up there and bust her out, but that's going to take a lot of cash. Cash that we don't exactly have. So we need to raise money to ride there and back with her. We don't want her to wait long, so we need to fabricate a plan to get that money. Legally," he added when he saw Jason with his crooked smile. Becky elbowed him to shut up.
Bobby closed his eyes. "That's going to take a lot of work. I might be able to help you, but I barely get by on what I make. I can possibly take a little out of savings, but I will need to retire eventually. I can ask around for favors or sponsors otherwise. I know that you guys have a lot of friends that are willing to help."
I smiled. "Yeah. I may have a mess of a home, but I got my best family and friends right here." Jake squeezed me and I hugged back.
"Aw! We love you too Iz!" Everybody gathered around me to give a hug. Even Bobby walked from around the counter to join the club.
We dispersed from our group embrace and Bobby turned on the Cowboys game. I moved over and sat next to Becky. We weren't really into those kinds of guy things. Drinking, yes. Drugs, not me, but the rest of them did. Sex, them. Street racing, yes. Shopping, yes. But sports? Hell no.
I took a swig from my lemonade and stared down at the wood design on the counter. Becky slipped an arm around me and I looked up at her.
"Things are going to turn out all right," she cooed. Then she smiled. "You know how Jake is when his little sister's in trouble. God forbid anybody get in his way." We both laughed at that. "Seriously. Don't worry about it. We will find some way to get the money. You'll just have to hold out until we do. Get the money that is."
I looked back at my drink. "Yeah. It's going to totally suck without you guys. They are probably all going to stare at me like I'm a freak. They always did until I became friends with you guys. It's going to be hell again. Nobody knows or wants to know the story. They are arrogant ass holes that fan themselves with daddy's money to get some action. They are all rich and shallow. You know why I don't spend Phil's money?" I asked her. Becky just shook her head.
"Phil wants to control me. If I spend his money, then I will probably want more of it and end up like those rich girls. If I'm dependent on the money he gives me, he'll know that he can control me. I don't want him to have that ability. Were you with me and Jake when Phil bought me that Audi R8?"
She looked out from the corners of her eyes to show she was thinking. "I know that he bought you one, but I never see you use it." She finally said.
Jake walked away from the boys and came to sit with us. "You talkin' about that car?" I nodded. He smiled mischievously.
"I'll tell her. Okay, so Phil wanted me to behave, so he tried to buy me up with a nice car. I let him believe that he finally gained control of me by accepting his oh so generous gift. Oh my God you should've seen my mom's face. She looked like an evil, satisfied dictator who had accomplished taking over the world!" Jake and I laughed in synch. "Anyways, I told Jake about how pissed I was about it. He came up with the brilliant plan to express my resistance to Phil's bribery." I turned to him so he could finish the story.
"I told her we should destroy the car." He smiled even wider.
"The only way you convinced me of that was because you told me to imagine the look on Phil and Renee's faces when they saw it." I giggled. "I never knew it would be that satisfying," I admitted.
"Heh, yeah. So we took the car out for a while to make it look legit," he explained. "But when we came back, we stopped at the end of the driveway behind Phil's pretty little Mercedes McClaren. We both got out, but I told her to hide behind the bushes. I left the car running, and grabbed a small boulder and left it on the gas. The car went full speed into his Mclaren and then both cars broke through the garage door." We couldn't hold in a good laugh, so we'd burst into laughter and everyone in the bar (a couple of normal people came in for drinks) turned to stare at us. Becky couldn't even hold it in.
I calmed down a little to tell the funniest part of the story. "So when the Audi was finished plowing through everyone's cars, Phil and Renee finally walked out and saw the destruction zone," a giggle burst through my lips. "The looks on their faces…Phil's was of pure horror and Renee looked like a cornered dog with rabies," I giggled like an idiot. Jake joined in trying to keep the laughter level down. "I remember than Jake and I booked down the street to let out our laughs."
"Wow," Becky gawked. "You two sure know how to raise hell."
"I'll take that as I complement." I told her.
Becky asked, "Didn't he also try to buy you out with nice clothes?" I froze. The bags filled with clothes, the high-heeled pumps. All those girly little trinkets and necklaces. I tugged at my sleeves and pulled them over my hands. A shiver ran down my spine and Jake took hold of me. He shook his head at Becky.
"No. It's okay. Yeah he did try to buy me out with clothes, but I just gave it all to my mom." I gulped down the rest of my lemonade in one swig. I gasped and slammed the bottle down. "Hey Bobby," I yelled down the bar. "Can I get another round?" he nodded. "Thanks."
"Sorry," Becky apologized. "I shouldn't have brought that up."
I shook my head. "Don't worry about it." Bobby slid another lemonade and I caught it. I started drinking fast. Jake knew how tonight was going to end and put down his beer. Someone had to drive home.
"Whoa!" I said as I got onto the bike holding my 10th bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade. "This is a really cool bike you got Jake!" I complemented him.
He sighed. "You're just saying that because you're drunk. Again." He was basically my older brother, so of course he was concerned when my alcohol consumption became an issue.
"I am NOT-" hiccup "drunk!" I slurred. You could always tell when I'm drunk because I hiccup like Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I certainly did look like her with my snow-white skin and curly mahogany hair.
"You are lying and I'm taking you home. My brother would be pissed if I brought home a drunk girl. He'd get the wrong idea." Jake lived with his brother because his parents died in a car accident when he was twelve. He gets good grades in school, but does really stupid shit.
"Nooo! I don't want to go back to the house of hell! Why are you doing this? Can't you just pretend I'm not drunk and take me back to your place?" I begged. I never usually slept at Phil's place. Jake always took me home with him because his brother is a great guy and didn't mind housing messed up teenage girls. His brother was a successful businessman. They lived in a semi-large house in Plano, but only Jake spent large amounts of money on bikes.
"You can't pretend you aren't drunk when you are. And don't worry. I'll stay over tonight. It's a weekend anyway."
"She's totally wasted isn't she?" I heard Becky ask. I couldn't see her because I was pressing my face into Jake's back.
"Yeah. But she had a good excuse anyways. She has too much shit to deal with anyway. If this helps," he shrugged, "I'm not gonna stop her. She deserves a night off anyway." He turned around a put a helmet on my head. He also took my bottle away and threw it into the garbage dumpster. Then he started the engine.
I waved goodbye to all my friends. Not sure if this was the last time I was going to see them. They all smiled and waved back. Jake shot forward on his bike and I wrapped my arms tightly around him.
He kept the speed limit reasonable (we were in no rush to get back to my place) as we weaved around the cars on the highway. I nearly fell asleep on his back. And every time I hiccupped I could feel him shake with laughter. All I did was scowl into his back.
We pulled off the highway and I groaned. That meant that we were close. He patted my hands that were gripping his shirt in the front sympathetically. Though I should probably be thanking him for staying with me. No one should have to deal with the shit I do. Especially not the guy who cares for me. That wasn't fair to him.
The gate to the house opened and I nearly burst into tears. Most likely it was because of the drinking, but I didn't notice at the moment. Jake pulled up in front and stopped behind my mom's cute little M3. He shut off the engine and pulled off his helmet.
"Ready to go inside?" He asked with fake enthusiasm.
HICCUP.
"I'll take that as a no." He unwrapped my arms and took off my helmet for me. He got off the bike and I attempted to, but my foot caught trying to swing it over and would've fallen flat on my face if it weren't for Jake catching me.
"I'm fine," I said waving my hand at him.
"No you're not. You're drunk." He swept my legs out from under me and held me like a baby in his arms. And when you compare our sizes, I'm not that far off.
"Says who?" I scowled. "HICCUP!" My hand flew to my chest. "OW."
"Says your hiccups. They better shut up long enough to get you to your room before your parents notice."
Just as he said that we walked through the front door. I looked into the high ceiling living room and saw my mom and Phil sitting across from each other on the couches. They were probably planning some way to throw me in the baggage storage instead of giving me a seat with the passengers.
"Hey folks!" I giggled. For some odd reason they looked funny at the moment.
Renee stood up to turn around and glare at me. "What did you do to her?" Her question was directed toward Jake who was heading toward the curved staircase.
He returned the glare. "I believe the appropriate question here is what did you do?" He corrected her defiantly.
She scoffed. Then glared at me. "Do you have any idea what time it is Isabella?" Uh oh. She only used my full name when she was super-pissed. "Just so you know, it's two thirty. Your curfew is one. What in Gods name were you doing out at two in the morning?"
I glared at her. "Oh shut your face and quit bitching. You and Phil are busy fucking till at least three. And I actually have to listen to it!" I yelled and watched her jaw drop and her cheeks flush a violent red. "So don't be giving me shit about being out with friends at two in the morning where you can't hear me when whenever I'm here, I'm up till an earliest of three listening to your groaning." I finished proudly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jake smirking.
"Is she drunk?" Phil roared. Of course he would come to Renee's rescue. 'Oh! My hero!'
"Shut the fuck up you bastard!" I screamed at him. "And I am NOT-" HICCUP "-drunk!" I swallowed strongly to ease the pain in my chest.
Jake closed his eyes and sighed. "Here we go."
Phil's face turned red. "What are you doing here? You get her drunk and bring her back here to us so we can deal with it?" He rushed up to Jake and me and got up in our faces.
Jake scowled. "You don't exactly deal with it," he mumbled.
"How DARE you get my daughter drunk-" I interrupted him with screaming.
I shoved my hand in his face. "Don't you DARE call me your daughter!" I screamed. Jake winced at my volume. "I'm not yours I'm Charlie's! He's more of a father than you are, you controlling bastard! Why are you here when you should by frying in hell?!" I started pointing at him while Jake started hauling my ass up the stairs. My mom got all pissy and protective when I spoke the truth about Phil. So I wasn't surprised when she ran to the bottom of the stairs and slapped my face.
"Don't talk to him like that! You ungrateful little witch-" she didn't finish because Jake kicked her and she landed flat on her ass with a squeaked, "oh!"
Jake marched up the stairs, satisfied with his actions. Nobody messed with Jake. He was twice the size and muscle mass of Phil and Renee combined.
We entered my room and Jake kicked the door shut with a SLAM! He put me down and I stumbled stupidly over to my bed.
"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Jake stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips, looking exasperated. He smiled at me. "You are pretty funny when you're drunk," he said with a laugh.
"I'm not funny, I'm honest." I told him. "What do you mean anyways?"
He walked over and sat criss-cross on the bed facing me.
"How you told them you were sick of hearing about their sex life at three in the morning."
"Like I said," I pointed out, "honest."
Fatigue slammed into my head. I yawned loudly. I yanked off my sweatshirt and t-shirt, and then slipped of my jeans. I didn't worry about Jake seeing me in my undies. He was like a brother. He didn't think that way.
I dropped my head onto my pillow and closed my eyes. I felt Jake get off the bed and pull my covers over me.
"Thanks dude," I said sleepily.
He brushed my hair out of my face. "No problem. Love you Bells."
"Back atchya." I heard him let out a silent laugh. I felt him take the free pillow next to me and the big afghan from the end of my bed. I heard him settle onto the floor before I slipped into deep sleep.
I knew I was having a nightmare, but I still couldn't move. My room was black as pitch and Jake was nowhere to be found. I heard a door cock open and saw the monster. His face was contorted with evil intentions. He had a broad smirk and his red eyes were slits. His hair was in wild disarray and his hands were tensed as if to grab. I cringed away, but I was backed into a corner like I always was in these nightmares. He grew closer and he laughed a dark and slow laugh. I felt myself begin to hyperventilate and pulled my legs together in a huddle while pulling my sleeves over my hands. I began to whimper. This made the monster laugh louder. He got a kick out of my fear. I tried to contain it, but I knew what this monster was going to do to me. The monster grinned mischievously and reached for me…
Before the monster could touch me, I woke up screaming. I felt someone grab my wrist. I gasped and tried to cover my arms. I traced the arm to the body it was attatched to, half expecting it to be the monster. Thankfully I found only Jake.
"Are you alright?" He asked. He rubbed my lower arms and gazed at me with panic stricken eyes.
I was trying to slow my hyperventilating. I wiped away the sheet of sweat on my forehead and tried to take a deep breath and failing.
"Yeah. I'm all right now. It was just a bad dream. Don't worry about it." I told him calm faced, though my heart was still beating like a drum roll.
Jake frowned. He climbed onto my bed and pulled me into a hug. This touch didn't frighten me. It took me a year after he found me to get used to it. I hugged him back and slowed my breathing and felt my pulse return to a normal tempo. Jake rubbed small circles on my back to comfort me. It worked. He let go and I pulled away.
I glanced at the clock on my stereo and it read ten thirty. Just as I turned to say something, my mother barged into my room.
She was already fully dressed (Prada pumps) and in full make-up (why would she need make-up at ten thirty in the morning?). She looked normal and as careless as always until she saw Jake sitting across from me. Then she scowled at me. I suddenly looked down and realized that I was wearing nothing but a lacy black bra and bikini underwear. I threw the covers back over me and glared.
"You didn't," she said with a warning.
I gaped. "God no!" I screeched. "Jake would never! Just because you can't be around a guy friend with only underwear on and keep your legs closed at the same time doesn't mean I can't!" I screamed at her. Her face grew red with anger.
Jake accidentally let out a 'HAH!' Renee turned to glare at him.
"Out," she pointed out the door as if she was talking to a dog.
Jake smiled and turned to give me a wink. I stifled a giggle. "Nah, I rather like it here. I think I may stay for a while," He leaned back onto my bed casually.
Renee's lips were in a thin line. "Get out of my house now. Bella needs to pack. She leaves tomorrow." Whoa, I didn't know about this!
"No I'm not," I said simply.
"Yes you are." She pulled folded up paper from her back pocket and threw it at me. "There's your plane ticket. It's a one-way trip to JFK Airport. Your flight leaves at two o' clock tomorrow afternoon." Of course she would know what time I was leaving. That's when she is officially free of me.
I turned to Jake. He kept a straight face.
"You," she pointed to Jake, "out. And you," She pointed to me, "get your slutty ass up and start packing." Stupid of her to say.
I made an '0' shape with my mouth. Jake was about to say something, but I shot out first. "Oh, so I'm the slut. I'm the one that dresses like a hooker at ten thirty in the morning to go hang out with the guy I met at a bar who wants to fuck me this afternoon." She seemed to shrink to the size of a five year old. I kept launching the torpedoes anyway. "And I'm the one who hikes up my skirt to any guy under the age of twenty five? Oh, and did I tell you?" I widen my eyes in fake surprise. "I'm the one who wears shirts that don't cover half of my boobs. Oh yeah, I'm the slut mom." I gave a quick nod.
She stood there like a stunned mosquito.
"Oh," I said making the '0' with my lips again. "You didn't think I knew that did you? Aw, I'm sorry. But you better hurry along to Bob's Chop House so you're not late for your date with Jonathan. Or is it David today? Excuse my thoughtlessness." I said innocently.
She looked like a red-hot devil by the time I was finished.
"You are packing and leaving tomorrow. I don't care if he stays," she glared towards him. He was still holding his torso to keep from bursting out laughing. "Just get it done. And for God's sake put some clothes on."
I took in the silent moment to gather what she was wearing. She wore a super short black leather mini skirt, black Prada pumps (no stockings), and a white cashmere sweater that didn't cover much of her boobs. It was the middle of winter!
"Put some clothes on Mom!" I shouted back at her and smiled. She slammed the door shut and I heard the click-clack of her heals as she stomped down the stairs. Hah.
When she slammed the door, Jake couldn't take it anymore. He burst out laughing and rolled onto his stomach so that the comforter would stifle his hysterics. I threw a pillow at him. Hard. He stopped laughing and yelled, "hey!"
I got out of the bed and threw on my old sweats and a shirt that read: "Practice safe sex" on the front and "Go fuck yourself" on the back. I grabbed my huge army sack that Charlie gave me for traveling and camping. I furiously started throwing and shoving my things into the bag.
Jake grabbed my arm to stop my flailing arms. I acted on impulse and tried to pull my arm away and cover it. He held on tight and gave me a stern look. I put my arm back down.
"The sooner I pack up my shit the sooner we can leave," I explained. "I don't have to leave until tomorrow, but I'd rather stay at your place for the time being. I can't put up with Renee and Phil anymore." I continued to put things into my bag at a much more relaxed pace.
Jake walked into my closet and came back out with a large black suitcase. He stared at me waiting for instruction.
I pointed, "My iPod stereo, all those pictures of us in the frames on my desk, my laptop, the books on the second shelf, and Squishy." I ordered. Jake got to work. He got busy right away.
Squishy was my very light pink Moshi pillow. I've had it since I was ten. Charlie gave it to me for Christmas that year. I haven't slept one night without it since. It's worn and faded, but it still feels and smells the same as the days when we were actually happy.
After I finished packing the clothes that were on my bedroom floor, I walked into my closet and started pulling things off hangars. All my band t-shirts, my expensive Silver jeans, two pairs of shoes for each occasion (2 pairs of athletic shoes, sneakers, sandals, pumps, boots, flats, and slippers), then I moved onto my evening wear that was rarely seen on me.
By the time I was finished with the closet, my bag was ¾ of the way full. I would have to thank Charlie again sometime. I still have room to store snacks and drinks. I saw my special CD case left on my book shelf and threw it in my sack. Jake looked disgruntled.
Jake had already finished packing all my extra little things. At the top of the suitcase next to where I threw my CD case was a framed picture of me planting one on Jake's cheek. I laughed and Jake looked up from what I just tossed into the suitcase.
"I remember when Becky took that picture," I said picking it up. "Do you?" I asked, looking at him.
He nodded smiling. "How could I forget? It was Christmas." He continued on reminiscing while I scanned through the memory in my head.
I was sitting at our usual hangout behind the school gym. I didn't know that Jake had heard I'd gone missing and came looking for me. I was curled up into a ball in the cold when he found me. He took my hand and told me I could join him and his brother for Christmas. I was so happy that his brother was concerned for me and told me I was welcome. I remember crying I was so happy. Becky and Jason came over for Christmas dinner. After dinner we went for a walk and Becky decided to play photographer with her new digital Nikon camera. She told me to act on impulse. I did. I planted a big one on Jake's cheek. He didn't mind one bit. That's why he was smiling in the picture.
"That was probably the best Christmas of my life," I said matter-of-factly. I danced back to the bed and laid my head in Jakes lap while he leaned back on his elbows.
"I'm really going to miss you," I said quietly.
"Don't worry Iz, It shouldn't be long before we get the money and bust you out. At least I hope not. If you have any problems or need someone to talk to, call me. Okay?"
"Okay. Don't get mad if I end up calling you fifteen times a day."
He laughed. "Who else am I going to talk to? Becky and Jason are almost impossible to approach when they're in one of their lovey dovey moods, Sean, Jared, and Kyle are always out getting into deals that they shouldn't. I think I might light to talk to someone who can keep their head."
Hah. "And I suppose last night is what you call 'keeping your head', huh?" I scoffed. I began to twiddle my thumbs.
"Bella," I jumped when he said my name. "Nobody can blame you for what happened. Your parents were taking everything away from you in one blow. I can't say I know what that's like because I've always had Chris, and I may not be a rocket scientist, but I'm not in a coma either. It must really suck animal balls to have that happen. I'm pretty sure I would've done the same thing. And sometimes I do for no particular reason."
"It's probably going to get a lot worse with you gone…" I trailed off and closed my eyes.
Jake sat up and started petting my hair. "No Bella. We're not doing that again. Promise me you won't start again?" He said pleadingly.
I sighed. I won't lie to Jake. "I can't make that promise Jake, because I can't guarantee that I can keep it." I admitted truthfully.
His breath caught. I rolled over to see his face, but he only grabbed me and wrapped me with his long arms.
"Bella, no more. I thought we established this two years ago? When I helped you, you said no more. Promise me, Bella. Promise me you won't go back again. Promise me and keep it. You always keep your promises to me. Promise Bella." He said low and firmly.
I felt the tears well up and slide down my cheeks. Nobody ever cared for me like Jake did. He was my 6 '10 big brother. He was my sword and shield. He was my confidante, my best and most valued friend.
I squeezed my eyes shut and more tears fell. "I promise I will try my very best."
He shook his head. "Not good enough. Promise me you won't go back."
"I can't Jake!" I wailed pulling back. "If you hadn't come along, I wouldn't have bothered. When you're with me, I don't even have the temptation to. But when I'm stuck here in hell's mansion, I know this will sound melodramatic, but the temptation just gnaws at me. And then to save myself I think, he will be here when it gets dark. He will come. But you won't be coming at night for a while. I can only last so long Jake!"
Jake looked torn, but I couldn't lie to him. I might be able to lie like a pro to other people, but with Jake, it's impossible.
He took me in his arms again and I sobbed into his shoulder. He just held me and rocked me back a forth. He whispered, "Shh, Bella. Shh. It's going to be okay."
But how could I believe that? My parents are shifting me off to some boarding school with rich, judgemental kids all over the place. I was sick of being judged. I didn't need that kind of shit on top of what I already have.
I calmed down a little bit. My breath came short and quick, but having Jake hold me helped heaps.
He let me finish crying and then pushed me back to look at me. He looked sad. He wiped my tears away with his thumb and kissed my forehead. I saw from the reflection in his eyes that I looked like shit. My eyes were puffy and red. There were tear stains all down my cheek.
He stood up and threw my army sack over his shoulder. He threw Squishy at me (who I caught reflexively) and grabbed the suitcase handle. He walked over to the bed where I was sitting, hugging Squishy, and took my hand. He pulled me up and walked me out of my room. I took one last glance at it.
I remembered for a moment how many hours I've spent crying in that room. The room was my sanctuary and my personal nightmare. I was torn between being sad and relieved with leaving it all behind.
I shut the door gently and Jake led me down the stairs where we found Renee re-applying her lip-stick with a mirror that was in the foyer. I thought we could sneak by without engaging in World War III, but that was a vain hope.
"Where are you going?" She finished applying and turned to face us with a grimace.
I didn't feel like talking. So I just squeezed Jakes hand tighter and let him do the talking.
"I'm taking Bella with me. I don't think she can take much more of your bullshit. I think she should spend her last 24 hours with people who actually care about her. I'll take her to the airport tomorrow and make sure she gets on the plane. You won't have to deal with her now. Just say thanks and get it over with."
She couldn't do it to save her life. She always gets the last word with everyone but me. "Phil said he wanted to say goodbye. So stop by here tomorrow before you leave." She turned back toward the kitchen.
"I'm not coming back." I said firmly. "I'm never coming back here."
She twirled around on her heel and glared. "What are you talking about?" She snapped. "Don't be so melodramatic. You're being sent home for Easter and for spring break. Phil won't humiliate you," lie, "by making you stay there for spring break. He's strict but he's not cruel." Lie. Wow. They just kept coming.
I glared at her. "The only reason I would ever come back to this hell hole is to celebrate your death. That or just to put all your precious jewels that Phil bought you in a blender and watch you fall to your knees in tears begging me to stop." I smiled at her threateningly. "When I do come back, I'll be with my family. I'll be with Jake, Chris, Jared, Kyle, Jason, Becky, and Sean. You will be enjoying Christmas dinner with Phil and his family who absolutely loathes you. I'll be with people who love and care for me." Jake and I turned to walk out. "Go rot in hell!" I yelled back as we shut the front door.
I took in a breath of fresh noon air. We walked over to my black Chevy Colorado and loaded it with my stuff. We got in the car and drove off to the one place I felt at home. Jake held my hand the entire time.
We exited highway 75 on Legacy. We drove past the Avalon apartments and the Cinemark movie theater. We passed a huge park that was used for little league baseball. Most days we'd drive back at night and see them practicing. We passed another apartment complex and turned onto Springfield drive. Hoblitzel Park was on the left side of the street while the neighborhood rested silently on our left. We turned into his alley and pulled into his garage.
His house was in a very family oriented neighborhood. It was a five minute walk to the middle school. We got out and Jake carried my stuff in. He carried my things upstairs into the gameroom that was officially his room. There was a huge bed on the west side of the room. Next to the door was a long couch. On the east side of the room was a plasma screen TV. He threw my stuff in the corner near the bed. I stood with my arms folded across my chest and he plopped down on the bed.
"So what do we do now?" He asked the ceiling.
I thought about what I wanted to do with my last twenty-four hours of freedom.
"Let's bake monster cookies," I suggested.
He laughed. "What the hell are monster cookies?" He rested his hands behind his head carelessly.
I walked over and yanked him off the bed (which was very difficult to do when he is a six-foot-ten giant and all muscle) and pulled him towards the door.
"Stupid. They are cookies with just about everything in them." I stopped to turn around and face him in surprise. "You've never made monster cookies before?" I asked doubtedly.
"Nope," he popped the 'P'. "Chris and I haven't baked cookies since mom died." He said very matter-of-factly.
Before I could stop myself before my jaw dropped. I counted the years in my head. Twelve…now eighteen…(I'm really slow in math)
"You haven't had cookies in six years?" my voice going through several octaves. "Holy shit! Come on! You are going to love this," I pulled him down the stairs and into his kitchen.
He just stood in the doorway. Totally clueless.
"Jake! Don't just stand there and drool on the floor! Come help me." I went flying through the cabinets to see if he had what I needed.
"What all are in these 'monster cookies'?" Curiosity was just the beginning.
"Well," I said, thinking of the list of ingredients I memorized from when I was ten and lived with Charlie. "There is M&M's, oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, butter, lots of brown sugar, you can even add almonds in if you like nuts." I had found half the ingredients.
"Wow. Those actually sound good." He pulled out the butter and brown sugar. I found a jar of JIF peanut butter, grabbed the eggs from the fridge, flower, granulated sugar, and all the stuff that makes America obese.
I laid out all the ingredients.
Jake looked a little overwhelmed.
"Okay. You take the dry ingredients while I mix the liquids." I ordered and started cracking the eggs in the mixing bowl.
"Aye aye, captain!" he saluted me and marched to his station. I threw a handful of flour at him for teasing me.
He grinned an evil grin. "You really shouldn't have done that," he warned.
He dived for the flour. "NO-" but it was too late. I had flour all over me. Completely covered in the white powder. I wiped it out of my eyes.
"This means war!" I gave out my war cry.
I started throwing the M&M's at him, but he just caught them with his mouth. Show off (I could never do that). I resulted with pouring the vanilla extract in his hair and he surrendered. Wise of him.
"Uncle! Uncle!" He could hardly breathe he was laughing so hard.
"Uncle isn't here," A familiar voice said. We whipped around and saw Chris with a broad smile in the doorway to the kitchen. We didn't hear him come in.
"Chris!" I shouted. "Oh my God I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make your kitchen a mess! Don't worry. I'll clean it all up when we're finished with the cookies." I assured him quickly. He laughed at me.
"Don't worry about it Bella. Jake will be doing most of the cleaning since he's the host," he gave Jake a warning glance.
"Of course-" Jake started.
"I will help clean it." I answered for him.
Chris walked over and gave me a surprise hug. I hugged him back and felt him shake with silent laughter.
"Oh Bella. I can't believe a girl raised up in a family like yours could end up so pure of heart. I sure will miss you around here." He pulled back. I smiled up at him.
He was a couple of inches taller than Jake. Instead of a buzz cut like Jake, his hair was slightly longer, but pin straight. He had deep blue eyes. Not like Jake's steel blue, more like a deep ocean blue. It was the most amazing color of eyes. He was dressed in on of his nice shoes from Brook Bros. and had left his leather brief case in the doorway.
"I'll miss you too. Without you to watch over me, I'm sure to get into a shit load of trouble."
"I don't doubt it," he smiled again. Did I mention he had a perfect smile? Well, he totally does. It makes you want to melt to the floor and feel very self concious.
"I guess we should get started on those cookies before dinner so we can actually have a place to sit down and eat." I turned back to the huge mess that we made and started actually mixing the ingredients.
"Do you mind if I help?" Chris asked.
I laughed. "Of course. Jake is so clueless. He's going to need all the help he can get," Jake was picking up random ingredients, looking at the labels to make sure he had the right thing. Poor deprived kid.
"I've already measured out everything. He just needs to mix it."
We continued blissfully into our afternoon baking the monster cookies. After we cleaned up the war zone and the cookies were done, we had two sheets full of cookie.
"Wow," Jake and Chris said at the same time. "Those look amazing."
"Jake," I started. "If you hadn't saved me two years ago, these cookies would have. They are heaven in the form of food." I cut out two square pieces for them to try. They shoved the whole slice in their mouth.
They swooned. "Oh. My. God. You better leave the recipe with us or else I will have to break into whatever bogus school you're going to and strangle the recipe out of you." Chris said.
"That won't be necessary," I giggled. I grabbed a note card from over where the phone was and jotted down the recipe. On the back I wrote down the instructions. I taped it to the side of the fridge so they wouldn't forget it…or me.
That night we ordered out Chinese food. The authentic kind you get from all the way out in Richardson. We had pork buns, dumplings, and my personal favorite, Chinese pancakes. It was basically fried dough with chives, but they were second best to the cookies.
Jake and I settled down in his room around midnight after watching movies with Chris and after he'd gone to bed. I was curled up into Jake's side while we watched True Blood. It was a total vampire cliché, but Sookie and Bill were totally irresistible together. Sookie was a human girl who could read the thoughts of people around her. Bill was an old vampire who was in love with Sookie. But Sookie's brother Jackson was getting addicting to "V" (a.k.a vampire blood mixed in with aspirin). It was really good.
"I guess you should probably go to bed. We should probably start heading towards the airport around noon. We need time to check you and sign in your luggage."
I sighed. "I don't exactly have much. I just have my bag of clothes and my suitcase of pictures. Did I ever mention that I really don't want to go?" I asked.
"Actually, yes. About twenty times in the pass hour." He smiled down at me.
"Why can't I just stay here with you? Chris wouldn't seem to mind. What he would pay me to bake those cookies again."
He thought about it for a moment. Then he frowned. "Yeah. I thought about that. But then again, I would kind of prefer I wasn't on Phil's hitlist. I bet he has a hit-man on speed-dial." Huh. I never really thought about that. Very valid point.
Phil did have a lot of people he hated. Some nights I can't stand being in the same house because all he can talk about is how he's going to kill one of his team mates who he claims can't throw a baseball. Renee keeps trying to convince him that meditation classes could be beneficial to his health. He said no to that. And when she mentioned anger management, it became a 'HELL NO'.
Not what we were talking about. But as I begin to wonder about Phil's nine secret agendas, I drifted into sleep in Jakes arms.
I woke up and found Jake sleeping next to me. I looked at the clock next to the TV and found out it was ten thirty.
I shook Jake. "Dude. Wake up. It's ten thirty and I want to get Jamba Juice at least twice before I leave." I got up and turned to make sure he was getting up. He just grumbled something unintelligible and waved his hand up in the air with his face in the pillow.
"Get up you lazy ass. I'm going to take a shower and you better be up and dressed by the time I'm out." I through a pair of jeans and a t-shirt at him and he moaned.
The warm water felt nice. I hadn't taken one in a while. So it felt refreshing. After I cleaned up and got dressed, I walked downstairs and found Jake with a box.
I raised my eyebrows. "What is this?" I asked cautiously.
He pushed the box across the breakfast table towards me. "Something I need you to have. I need you to keep it with you at all times."
I curiously opened the white box and found a new cell phone. It was a 3g iPhone. Those things cost over a hundred dollars.
"What the fuck-" I started, but Jake interrupted.
"I better hear from you at least twice a day. If I don't, there will be hell to pay. I will be calling now and then. I also don't want you using a phone your mom paid for. It really just rubs me the wrong way." He grimaced.
I turned on the phone and found it was already stocked with my phone book. I glanced at the countertop and found my old cell phone. I eyed Jake. He held up his hands innocently.
"I just wanted to make sure you had everything. Your music and shit is all on there. Now there should be no problem with communicating with me." Sometimes (actually always), Jake is the most considerate, sweetest person I know.
"Okay. What's the catch?" There always was one when he bought me something out of the norm.
His jaw tightened ever so slightly. He was totally busted. "You have to tell me how you are doing. Every day. I don't want you to get too upset or angry. I don't want your old self to resurface." GOD . The lengths he goes through to make sure it never happens again. Jesus. He was more sensitive about it than I was.
I glared at him. He glared back. I totally suck at stare downs. "Fine. I'll call and tell you. But otherwise," I shook my head. "No promises. I refuse to lie to you Jake. I'm not going to make you a promise I'm not a hundred percent sure I can keep."
His face was grim, but he lightened it up again. "Well I suppose that you would like to get some Jamba Juice for breakfast and lunch before you leave for the Big Apple?" He raised his eyebrows.
"You suppose correctly. And it's not in the Big Apple. The school itself is actually about a two hour drive from there in Ithaca." The carribean passion was my weakness. Long live Jamba Juice!
Jake kept good to his promise and bought me Jamba Juice for breakfast and lunch. Then I had to board my flight and I started the crying jag again.
He hugged me close to him. I cried into his black cotton t-shirt.
"Call me when you get there. Then call me again when you get to Ithaca. Don't forget your promise to me, okay? Keep in touch."
He was always concerned for my well being. "I won't forget," I said wiping my tears. The lady over the intercom said my flight was leaving. Just as she said that, my pocket started buzzing.
I quickly pulled it out and immediately turned it off.
"Oh, that's right. Your mom wanted you to stop by before you left," he scoffed.
I don't give a flying fuck about what they want. "Whatever." I hugged him tightly one last time. "I miss you already." I whispered.
"We'll be there as soon as we can. I'll call you." With that, we said goodbye.
I boarded the plane with the first class passengers. I sat down in my leather seat and gazed out the window. Thinking there was nothing ahead of me but impending doom.
This chapter has been a bitch to finish. But i'm quite proud of it. Just in case you didn't catch it, Bella is on her way to Ithaca, where a boarding school filled with preppy judgemental rich kids. I am looking forward to writting the next chapter, where she meets a whole new set of characters. She experiences new ways of thinking and old thoughts resurface. Her nightmarish past comes back to haunt her as she fights her way through this hellish time people call high school.
PLEASE, i can't stress it enough, PLEASE review. I need to know how my style developing story is coming together. Yay? Boo? Tell me what you think!