It was the stupidest way to spend spring break. Sometimes, I wished I didn't have to visit my dad. I loved him, but I hated Forks.
Forks was like a cave. There was no sunlight, it was always damp and cold, and rarely was there anything interesting to do.
I had accepted staying with him a few weeks every summer, but spring break too? That was simply unfair! The worst part was, it wasn't even Charlie's decision. For all I knew, I was cramping his style!
Renée. The worst mom a girl could have. Okay, maybe not the worst, but not too far off. She was fun, sure, but I got ditched the minute a cute guy smiled at her. Sometimes they weren't even cute!
The latest one was the man at the post office who sold stamps and weighed your packages. He was okay, better looking than Charlie, but once they broke up-and there was no question they would-we'd have to find another post office to go to!
Why couldn't Renée have just stayed with Charlie? I'm sure she could have talked him into moving somewhere else if she had tried long enough. He still had pictures of her all over the place at his house. It was kind of sad.
This was how I had ended up on First Beach. I took issue with it being named "Beach." You wouldn't go to a coastline in the Arctic Circle and call that a beach! This place was gray, and only gray-the sky, the water, the sand, and all the driftwood. Every shade of gray ever seen by humans were on this beach. I was wearing long pants, two tops, a sweater, and a raincoat, but I was still cold.
Charlie was muttering about some fishing thing. We were waiting for his friend, Billy, so we could go out in a boat. My only hope of salvaging this day was if the boat was large enough to have an enclosed cabin, and if he didn't bring his daughters.
The two dads always tried to get us to play together, but we had nothing in common. It was bad enough when we were kids, but now that I was twelve, it would be worse. They'd probably spend the entire afternoon talking about boys, bras, and getting your period. That's all girls my age seemed to talk about these days.
I saw the boat coming to the pier and smiled. It was dumpy and old, but had a cabin. Then I noticed two figures aboard it. I lost my smile. It wasn't the twins. It was Billy's son. Great. I had forgotten about him. He was nice enough, but he was only ten, and could never stop talking! I hadn't seen him in two years; maybe he had gotten quiet.
No such luck. Before the boat came to a complete stop, he jumped out, tying a rope to some huge metal thing and came straight towards me.
"Hi, Bella! Do you remember me?" He paused for two seconds, barely enough time for anyone to reply. "Jacob, Rach and Becca's brother."
"Yeah, I remember you," I mumbled and walked around to the side, making my way onto the boat.
Of course, I picked that moment to trip on a loose board. I saw everything as though it were in slow motion. My head was headed for something metallic protruding from the side. But there was no impact. I was magically being pulled away with only slight pressure around my waist. I flew in the air, my feet dangling, until I landed on the pier next to Charlie.
"Geez, Bella, you have to watch yourself!" Charlie shouted. "If Jake hadn't acted so quickly, you would have lost your front teeth!"
I looked behind me and there stood the ten-year-old, except he didn't quite look ten. He was slightly taller than I and apparently strong enough to pull me off the ground. His hand still rested on me at the small of my back. I tilted my head so we were eye to eye. I guess he hadn't realized he was doing this because he blushed and shoved his hand into his pocket quickly. I was very happy. Here was someone-at last-who blushed as easily as me, and turned so red, it was close to purple!
"Sorry, I-I didn't mean anything by it. I just forgot," Jacob answered, looking down at his shuffling feet.
I shrugged, smiled, and held out my hand for him to take. He looked surprised but grabbed it and helped me in.
The day turned bright, as though the powers that be were willing me to have a good time. Jacob was great. He did still talk a lot, but he never expected me to participate. I loved listening to his voice and hearing the stories of his friends. It was the best day I had ever had in Forks.
Later that evening, at dinner, Charlie asked me, "So, you seem to get along pretty well with Jake."
"Dad, he's ten!"
"I didn't mean anything by it, just that you have someone around now, you know, next time you visit."
I shrugged, resisting the urge to smile-I didn't want to make promises I couldn't keep.
"He's okay. Forks is okay. I'd like to spend my vacation time somewhere sunnier, but maybe one day I could come here and go to school-you know, if Renée doesn't mind."
Charlie was so shocked that he didn't answer. I wasn't sure I'd actually do it, but the direction her social life was headed, it seemed I'd be witness to a revolving door of men in and out of her bedroom. That, I didn't need.
"Okay. Sure." It was Charlie's turn to suppress a smile.
I wondered what Jacob would look like when he was older, like sixteen. I wondered what kind of boys lived in Forks. I guess I was turning into a normal twelve-year-old after all.