In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on. – Robert Frost.
I smelled something in the kitchen, and if Bella was in her room and Charlie was in the house i could think of one thing, Charlie will explode the kitchen cooking something, I processed what she said about Charlie and went to the kitchen the same time as Bella.
Bella shoved a wrinkled paper into her back pocket while running with me Charlie inability of cooking can surpass anything in the world even Bella clumsiness when we didn't lived here he only ate pizza i think, making it downstairs in the nick of time. The jar of spaghetti sauce Charlie stuck in the microwave wasn't looking good when Bella yanked the door open and pulled it out.
"What did I do wrong?" Charlie demanded.
"You're supposed to take the lid off first, Dad. Metal's bad for microwaves." Bella said swiftly removing the lid, poured half the sauce into a bowl, and then put the bowl inside the microwave and the jar back in the fridge. Bella was a genius of the kitchen sometimes I can help but making experiments like mother.
"Did I get the noodles right?" Charlie asked, Bella checked but from her face the answer wasn't so good.
"stirring helps" she said mildly.
"Can I ask why you would try to cook dad?" I asked him after he sighed.
"Don't know what you're talking about," he grumbled I smirked to contain the laugh.
"Since when do you make dinner?" I asked Charlie. The pasta lump bobbed in the boiling water as Bella poked it.
"Or try to make dinner, I should say." Bella said.
Charlie shrugged. "There's no law that says I can't cook in my own house."
"You would know," I replied, me and Bella grinning.
"Ha. Good one." He shrugged out of the jacket as, and hung it on the peg reserved for his gear.
Bella then looked at the clock something that became a tradition at the time of the day, she was double grounded after Jacob in her words betraying her about the motorcycles so she only saw Edward at school or at the time Charlie let him enter not that would stop him entering her room by the window at night. The rest of the time it me who stay by her side when I not reading or doing something that requires to me be alone.
Charlie then sat down at the table and started to read the journal.
"you only get angry when you read the journal dad" I said to him before the effects of bad news got to him.
He ignored me, grumbling at the paper in his hands. "This is why everyone wants to live in a small town! Ridiculous."
"What have big cities done wrong now?"Bella asked.
"Seattle's making a run for murder capital of the country. Five unsolved homicides in the last two weeks. Can you imagine living like that?"
"I think Phoenix is actually higher up the homicide list, Dad. Me and max have lived like." Bella said, we are fine because I had a guardian a lot of times we were in danger and Katharine saved us before somebody noticed.
"Well, you couldn't pay me enough," Charlie said.
Bella gave up on saving dinner and settled for serving it; she had to use the steak knife to cut a portion of spaghetti for Charlie and then myself only then her, while he watched with a sheepish expression. Charlie coated his helping with sauce and dug in. Bella and i disguised the things as well as I could and followed his example without much enthusiasm. We ate in silence for a moment. Charlie was still scanning the news, and Bella picked up my much-abused copy of Wuthering Heights and tried to lose myself in turn-of-the-century England while i looked at the both of then waiting to something happen.
"You're right," Charlie said. "I did have a reason for doing this." He waved his fork at the gluey spread. "I wanted to talk to you Bella."
Bella laid the book aside; the binding of the book was so destroyed that it slumped flat to the table. "You could have just asked." she said.
He nodded, his eyebrows pulling together. "Yeah. I'll remember that next time. I thought taking dinner off your hands would soften you up."
"Clearly softened us and not by a little" I said to him.
"it's about Jacob"
"What about him?" Bella asked through stiff lips.
"Easy, Bells. I know you're still upset that he told on you, but it was the right thing. He was being responsible."
"Responsible," I repeated scathingly, rolling my eyes. "Right. So, what about Jacob?" Bella seemed to have something one her mind for an instant.
"Don't get mad at me, okay?"
"Mad?"
"Well, it's about Edward, too." Bella eyes narrowed and Charlie's voice got gruffer. "I let him in the house, don't I?"
"You do," she admitted. "For brief periods of time. Of course, you might let me out of the house for brief periods now and then, too," she continued "I've been pretty good lately."
"Well, that's kind of where I was heading with this..." And then Charlie's face stretched into an unexpected eye-crinkling grin; for a second he looked twenty years younger this always happened when he smiled we could see clearly the guy Renee got in love and ran together to this town.
"I'm confused, Dad. Are we talking about Jacob, or Edward, or me being grounded?" The grin flashed again. "Sort of all three."
"And how do they relate?" she asked, cautious.
"Okay." He sighed, raising his hands as if in surrender. "So I'm thinking maybe you deserve a parole for good behavior. For a teenager, you're amazingly non-whiney."
Bella voice and eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? I'm free?" Where was this coming from Charlie got a sudden mercy of Bella or it had a catch.
Charlie held up one finger. "Conditionally" I knew it.
Her enthusiasm clearly vanished. "Fantastic," she groaned. "Bella, this is more of a request than a demand, okay? You're free. But I'm hoping you'll use that freedom... judiciously."
"What does that mean?"
He sighed again.
"I know you're satisfied to spend all of your time with Edward —"
"I spend time with Alice, too," Edward sister soon will live with us, she come and go whatever she wants.
That's true," he said. "But you have other friends besides the Cullens, Bella. Or you used to." We stared at each other for a long moment. "When was the last time you spoke to Angela Weber?" he threw at me.
"Friday at lunch," she answered immediately. Before Edward's return, Bella school friends and mine too had divided into two groups. Bella liked to think of those groups as good vs. evil. Us and them worked, too. The good guys were Angela, her steady boyfriend Ben Cheney, and Mike Newton and me obviously. Lauren Mallory was the evil core of the them side, and almost everyone else, including Bella first friend in Forks, Jessica Stanley, seemed content to go along with her anti-Bella agenda it was a good thing Lauren is envious of everybody, Jessica only wanted to be the friend of the popular guys and never to be her friend.
With Edward back at school, the dividing line had become even more distinct and I guarantee of that.
They continued on and on I liked being left on the sideline like the narrator of a story I don't like talking very much, it was Edward knocking on the door that made the talk stop.
"Coming!" Bella called while Charlie mumbled,"Go away." I chucked but followed Bella letting Edward in.
Bella looked like she would faint like always when she opened the door to let he enter.
"Hey." she smiled
I stayed for a time but Bella and Edward where almost discussing so I went to Bella room the computer was slow like a tortoise I cleaned and made some things to go faster or at least to the adds disappears after that I went to my room to sleep.
In School on the next day everything was boring and always teacher with things easy to understand Lauren murderous glare towards me Mike looking at Bella like a sad puppy like everyday, only Bella and Edward that looked different from everybody like they where on a movie or a romance book.
In the cafeteria Edward, Bella, Alice, Angela, Ben and me where on the allies table, the axis where the rest of the people who think is Bella is crazy and me by being her sister and the ones who where with her just for her popularity like Jessica.
Angela and Bella where talking about the graduation something I didn't really was looking for the time passed so quick not much time ago I was at the start of the year expecting a total boring life on the small forks.
"if I didn't knew I would think you are mute" Edward said looking at me.
"i just don't enjoy talking very much, and I am not good with people" I said to him.
"even Bella talk more than you but you are always on observation and always near her
"Alice? Alice!" i heard Angela say, she was waving her hand in front of Alice eyes who looked like she was daydreaming, she must had a vision vampires just don't turn off like that.
Then Edward laughed, a very natural, relaxed sound. Angela and Ben looked toward him like he was crazy, but my eyes were locked on Alice. She jumped suddenly, as if someone had kicked her under the table.
"Is it nap time already, Alice?" Edward teased.
Alice was herself again suddenly "Sorry, I was daydreaming, I guess."
"Daydreaming's better than facing two more hours of school," Ben said returning to his comic book.
Alice threw herself back into the conversation with Bella and Angela with more animation than before. Once I saw her eyes lock with Edward's, only for a moment, and then she looked back to Angela before anyone else noticed. Edward was quiet, playing absentmindedly with a strand of my hair, and I saw that Bella noticed that too by the way she looked at me.
The entire day Bella tried to take off him what Alice saw in vain.
"he will only tell me at night I bet and is capable of him change the facts" Bella said to me on the way to the last class.
"he is that way but if someone can at least make him tell lies Is you, you have the power over him and he have control over you, is strange now that I think about it"
"no, its not that way!"Bella said.
"Bella you are like a planet and Edward is the sun you move when he moves almost at the same time, believe me I look at everything and you and him are the most strange thing to look at a scene of a movie always" Bella let the talk die and we spoke about more normal thing on the way.
The most funny thing I saw was on the exit, it was the reaction of Mike after Edward offered help to fix his car he left shaking his head in disbelief.
"What was that about?" Bella muttered as Edward held the passenger door for her I was inside the car already with Alice by my side.
"Just being helpful," Edward answered.
And then Alice, waiting in the backseat, was babbling at top speed.
"You're really not that good a mechanic, Edward. Maybe you should have Rosalie take a look at it tonight, just so you look good if Mike decides to let you help, you know. Not that it wouldn't be fun to watch his face if Rosalie showed up to help. But since Rosalie is supposed to be across the country attending college, I guess that's not the best idea. Too bad. Though I suppose, for Mike's car, you'll do. It's only within the finer tunings of a good Italian sports car that you're out of your depth. And speaking of Italy and sports cars that I stole there, you still owe me a yellow Porsche. I don't know that I want to wait for Christmas..." I had to listen Alice talk till Edward dropped her off I even talked to her a bit I was always fascinated by Alice she talked with a light on her eyes that made me feel like she was an innocent child and she was just the otherwise how she can live like that with the history she had, make me feel that I feel depressed for nothing, at least she cast a light on my day.
In home I entered first on the house Bella and Edward stayed to talk a little I took my romeo and Juliet and read on the rocking chair on Bella room.
Suddenly Bella and Edward entered he lounged at the bed and she went to the computer.
"i can leave if you all want" I said making Bella jump.
"Max don't scare me like that what are you doing in here?" Bella said looking me going back and fourth on the chair.
"reading, what else" I saw Edward walked silently behind Bella with a smirk on his face.
"Are we a little impatient today?" he murmured.
I saw the scene from a movie born ahead of me Bella was simply at Edward mercy practically mesmerized by Edward beauty.
"breath Bella" I said, she seemed to remember to but was still looking at Edward if was to be someone in the movie I would be the ones who are watching.
They kissed like the world would end like Edward couldn't kill Bella in an instant it was the kiss of pure love I was even envious of then.
He chuckled once when the kiss finished, a low, throaty sound. His eyes were bright with the excitement he so rigidly disciplined even in the dark I could see Bella eye weren't so disciplined.
Bella answered Renee, by her sigh I knew it was our moon Bella look like a mother when its about Renee even her sighs change then she turned to me.
"when do you will fall in love with someone?" she asked from nothing.
"what brought up that question?" if I was drinking something I would have spilled everything.
"don't know it came in my mind? So?" she asked again Edward was only looking in his place on the bed.
"don't know Bella there isn't much people on Fork that would like the fact that I am gay okay?" in reality I don't know what I am I guess I will decide when I fall in love with someone.
"Alice" Edward said calm.
"what about her?" I asked.
"you love her" Edward said, Bella was going to say something but she saw me.
My cheeks was totally red never Bella could have get to my point I could feel my cheeks hot "i finished reading for today, I will go do homework now if you excuse me" I said practically running out of the door.
I went to my room and went to my school things my cheek still red and was hard to make the homework with my mind thinking of other things, Alice probably knows what happened now, I remembered only because of Charlie arriving just when I was sleepy.
I got up and went to eat every time I looked over Bella or Edward I remembered and that made my cheeks red again and again.
"damn you Edward" I said, he only laughed.
"you know that she isn't with Jasper you know, for a time they were something but it didn't work but they are best friends now" a smile crawled over my face making me cover it.
"so that why when Alice talks non stop you are the only one who hear her" Bella said like he discovered something.
"she likes she light in Alice eyes when she talks like that" Edward said.
"so Max likes Alice? Finally I believed Bella would even marry before you find someone" dad said.
"dad!" I said, Charlie was really in a good mood.
"well its true Renee says that any boy who got ear you you said no to their offer even the hot ones, your mother words."
"let's eat okay" I said.
We all ate in silence till the end.
"That was great, Bells."
"I'm glad you liked it. How was work?" He'd been eating with too much concentration for me to make conversation before it was a miracle that he talked to us that time.
"Sort of slow. Well, dead slow really. Mark and I played cards for a good part of the afternoon," he admitted with a grin. "I won, nineteen hands to seven. And then I was on the phone with Billy for a while."
Bella kept her expression the same with some effort I could see in her eyes. "How is he?" she asked.
"Good, good. His joints are bothering him a little."
"Oh. That's too bad."
"Yeah. He invited us down to visit this weekend. He was thinking of having the Clearwaters and the
Uleys over too. Sort of a playoff party..."
"Huh," was Bella response. But what could she say say? She knew she wasn't going, Edward don't let even me visit Jacob, Edward wouldn't have a problem with Charlie hanging out in La Push. Charlie spend most of his time with Billy, who was only a human.
Bella got up and piled the dishes together without looking at Charlie or me, her mother instincts acting again Renee never cleaned the dishes it was dangerous somehow. She dumped them into the sink and started the water. Edward appeared silently behind her and grabbed a dishtowel.
Charlie sighed and gave up for the moment, though I imagined he would revisit the subject when we were alone again. He heaved himself to his feet and headed for the TV, just like every other night.
"Charlie," Edward said in a conversational tone, something was happening and I fell its related –-.
Charlie stopped in the middle of his little kitchen. "Yeah?"
"Did Bella ever tell you that my parents gave her airplane tickets on her last birthday, so that she could
visit Renée?"
I dropped the plate I was scrubbing. It glanced off the counter and clattered noisily to the floor. It didn't
break, but it spattered the room, and all three of us, Charlie didn't even notice.
"Bella?" he asked in a stunned voice, it was just tickets for airplane how everybody started to act like someone died?
Bella kept my eyes on the plate and I retrieved it. "Yeah, they did."
Charlie swallowed loudly, and then his eyes narrowed as he turned back to Edward. "No, she never
mentioned it."
"Hmm," Edward murmured.
"Was there a reason you brought it up?" Charlie asked in a hard voice.
Edward shrugged. "They're about to expire. I think it might hurt Esme's feelings if Bella doesn't use her gift. Not that she'd say anything."
I stared at Edward in disbelief.
Charlie thought for a minute. "It's probably a good idea for you to visit your mom, Bella. She'd love that. I'm surprised you didn't say anything about this, though."
"I forgot," Bella admitted.
He frowned. "You forgot that someone gave you plane tickets?"
"They gave one for me too in case anyone is thinking," I murmured vaguely.
"I noticed that you said they're about to expire, Edward," Charlie went on. "How many tickets did your parents give Bella?"
"Just one for her... and one for me."
The plate Bella dropped landed in the sink, so it didn't make as much noise. I could easily hear the
sharp huff as my father exhaled. The blood rushed into my face, fueled by irritation and chagrin. Something was going to happen here and Edward is making Bella go far from here.
"That's out of the question!" Charlie was abruptly in a rage, shouting the words.
"Why?" Edward asked, his voice saturated with innocent surprise. "You just said it was a good idea for
her to see her mother."
Charlie ignored him. "You're not going anywhere with him, young lady!" he yelled. I spun around and he
was jabbing a finger at me.
Anger pulsed through Bella, it was probably instinctive reaction to his tone Bella could be scary like me she just need the right emotion to do it.
"i have a ticket too dad I will go with then and will even sleep with Bella if that better for you"
"i still don't like this."
"Charlie Swan, stop acting more immature than Bella"
"i will let her if you go with her and him."
"I need to remind you that we both are legal adults? i will do what I said, don't need to worry" Charlie seemed to let this go, but he changed his opinion.
"This is my house — you follow my rules! And I don't want you to go there"
My glare turned icy. "If that's how you want it. Do you want me to move out tonight? Or can I have a
few days to pack?"
Charlie's face turned bright red.
Bella took a deep breath and tried to make my tone more reasonable. "I'll do my time without complaining
when I've done something wrong, Dad, but I'm not going to put up with your prejudices."
He sputtered, but managed nothing coherent.
"Now, I know that you know that I have every right to see Mom for the weekend. You can't honestly tell me you'd object to the plan if I was going with Alice or Angela." Bella said calming herself.
"Girls," he grunted, with a nod.
"Would it bother you if I took Jacob?"
Edward's teeth clenched together with an audible snap when he heard the name.
My father struggled to compose himself before he answered. "Yes," he said in an unconvincing voice.
"That would bother me."
"You're a rotten liar, Dad." I said to him
"Max —"
"It's not like I'm headed off to Vegas to be a showgirl or anything. We are going to see Mom," I reminded
him. "She's just as much my parental authority as you are." Bella said.
Dad then threw Bella a withering look.
"Are you implying something about Mom's ability to look after me?"
Charlie flinched at the threat implicit in my question and I had to contain a laugh.
"You'd better hope I don't mention this to her, you too Max I see that you are laughing" Bella said, making me stop immediately.
"You'd better not," he warned. "I'm not happy about this, Bella."
"There's no reason for you to be upset."
He rolled his eyes, and we all I could tell the storm was over.
Bella turned to pull the plug out of the sink. "So my homework is done, the dinner is done, the dishes are done, and I'm not grounded. I'm going out. I'll be back before ten-thirty."
"Where are you going?" His face, almost back to normal, flushed light red again.
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I'll keep it within a ten-mile radius, though. Okay?" then she and Edward went somewhere.
Some time passed and I heard Edward car go somewhere, Charlie grunted.
"don't worry dad, like I said I will be there they won't do anything, and you should trust Edward a little" i said.
"you saw what he done to Bella remember she waking up screaming everyday, you slept with her everyday just to calm her, how I will trust him?" he said.
"he only left because he thought he was being a bad influence on Bella life, you saw how they are like a planet and his moon, now good night and those emotions and talk left me tired" I said yawning "and you have to know by now they are serious it would take the apocalypse to separate then."
I went to my room after a good dose of shower, I took my time to go to sleep but when I went it came quick, and I had a dream one that made me wake up, me and Alice kissing, after waking I tried to sleep again and this time was a dreamless sleep just the type I like.