Chapter 2
For the second time today, Bella woke feeling very disoriented. She sensed that she had just been in motion, but abruptly felt the movement come to a stop. When she opened her eyes, she remembered where she was.
"Hey, sleeping beauty! Have a good nap?"
She looked at the dashboard and saw that it was 10:07. "Where are we?" she croaked, eyes still squinted.
"Top secret, remember?"
"Oh, right. Why are we stopped?"
"Gas/bathroom/food break. Are you hungry? There's a little restaurant attached to the gas station. Sign says they have the best pancakes in the county. You interested?" Jacob climbed out of the car and stretched his long limbs after hours of being cramped behind the wheel. Bella caught herself staring as he flexed his new muscles, then quickly looked away before she could put a label on the feeling.
"No, I'm still full from the poptarts." She felt a twinge of pain as she remembered how Edward had had to learn to suggest meals for her; he frequently forgot her human need to eat. Jacob never forgot food.
"I'm a growing boy," said Jacob, playfully flexing his biceps. "These guns need ammunition."
"You go ahead. I'll look around a bit, maybe find a bathroom." And some clues to tell me where I am, she thought to herself.
"Suit yourself! Don't go wandering too far, though. You're a magnet for danger, you know."
"I'll be fine."
"Back at the car in 15?" He called, already backing away towards the promise of pancakes.
Bella nodded. She started to question if 15 minutes was enough time, but stopped herself. Knowing Jake, 15 minutes was more than enough time to scarf down some pancakes.
On her way out of the bathroom, Bella spotted a stack of maps on the counter next to the cash register. She flipped open the top map. Washington. Too bad maps didn't have little "You are here" stars like in malls. She looked to the cashier, a kind looking older lady with shoulder length gray hair held back with a hair pin on one side and a smile that reminded her a little of her Gran.
"Um, excuse me miss?" Bella asked shyly.
"Hello! What can I do for you, dearie?" said Rhoda, according to her nametag.
"This might sound kind of strange, but could you tell me where I am? What city?" Bella hoped she sounded like a lost tourist rather than someone who had been living under a rock.
"You're in Tacoma, about 20 miles outside of Seattle. Are you kids lost?" Rhoda smiled while looking a little worried, confirming Bella's assessment of her character. Just like Gran.
"Yes, I mean no. It's kind of a long story. My friend planned this roadtrip, but he won't tell me where we're headed."
Rhoda smiled and picked up the map Bella had just replaced and held it out. "Here, take this. When he doesn't want to stop and ask for directions later, maybe you can help him out."
"Thanks," Bella said with a smile she couldn't quite feel. Once again, she couldn't keep herself from thinking about how different a trip with Edward would have been. There would have been no maps, no worry of getting lost, running out of gas, or getting a speeding ticket. Quite possibly, there would have been no car, only Bella riding securely on Edward's back. But she had to stop thinking about Edward and the past. She would never cling to Edward's back again, never clench the handle of Edward's Volvo as he turned a hairpin curve at a speed that sent her heart racing as Edward chuckled lightly in the background. She had to face it, and she had to at least try to make new memories rather than cling to the old. Jacob was giving her a gift, getting her away from Forks and away from memories of him. It was time to start enjoying it. She looked back at Rhoda and studied her face for a moment; the wrinkled skin creased the most around her cheeks and eyes. Rhoda looks like a woman who has done a lot of smiling in her lifetime. And for a moment, Bella 's cheek forms a wrinkle of its own as she realizes that after everything that's happened, this unwanted change means that she will get the chance to grow old like Rhoda after all.
"You sure you don't want anything to eat, Bells?" Jacob asked as they climbed back into the car.
"I'm fine for now, thanks. Not everyone has to eat six meals a day, Jake," she teased.
When she looked away, he got the feeling she was thinking of someone who never ate anything at all and decided it was time to change the subject. He had to act fast before she had time to mope.
"Hey, let's play 20 questions. I ask you ten, you ask me ten. You game?" Great, he thought to himself. Did he really just suggest 20 questions? 1999 called, idiot. It wants its lame games back.
"Uh, ok I guess. You start." Bella wanted to gauge what kind of questions he would ask before forming her own.
What had he gotten himself into? "Um…" He just couldn't think of anything. "Uh…What's your favorite movie? Wait, no. What was your favorite movie when you were a kid?"
"Easy. It's Casper. I watched it every single day until it broke. Renee threatened not to buy me another copy if I didn't stop watching it every day. She caved and bought it, but I slowed down after that," Bella said with a nostalgic smile.
"Ghosts, of course. I guess you've always been drawn to supernatural stuff. Was your best friend a Zombie?" Oh shit. WHY did I just say that? "Sorry, that was a dumb thing to say. Forget I suggested the game."
Bella had watched as he started to giggle, then promptly looked mortified a split-second later. She knew he didn't intentionally steer the conversation here, but here they were. She had to lighten the mood somehow to show him that she wasn't upset. Or maybe she had to lighten the mood to keep herself from getting upset.
"You're right, I'm older now. Maybe it's time I kick this werewolf habit, hmm?"
They both visibly relaxed. Crisis averted, for now. It was simply impossible to remain lighthearted when everything made Bella think of him.
Jacob laughed, "Now what would you do without me?"
"I don't know, probably be safe at home not worrying Charlie to death. And that was question two, by the way." Dying, Jake. I'd be dying without you, because that hole in my chest would have torn me to pieces by now.
"Charlie loves me, and you know it. He's probably been hoping I'd kidnap you."
"Seriously, though, Jake. I don't know what I'd do without you. You've been…great the last few months. I know I'm not very fun to be around anymore, but you stick by me anyway. You must like being bored."
"You're anything but boring, Bella, and I could never leave you." Not like he could. "So let's face it, you're stuck with me. Better me than Mike Newton, huh?"
"Definitely," she said with a smile. No witty banter, she just left it honest. They were both silent for a while after that, both watching the mountains and the empty road stretched out for miles ahead of them. Both thought of the infinite possibilities that lay ahead and welcomed them.