.
.
Bella frowned to herself as she twisted this way and that in the mirror. It had been a good few months since she'd left the hospital and you could more or less say that she was adjusting nicely to finally being free to do what she wished. Because of the extensive physical therapy and the large but healthy diet, she had gained most of her weight and muscles back. Now, she was in better shape than she thought was possible for someone as mousy and thin as herself. The dip in her waist was definitely nice to look at, and believe it or not, her breasts had grown a cup when she finally went bra shopping. Same for her pants size - hips wider and legs longer. Every morning, she was sure to take a twenty minute jog and the doctors at the hospital had even suggested yoga or some type of therapeutic stretching. Her hair had grown too over the months, and when she left the hospital she was sure to get it cut to get rid of all the dead strands.
When the color and life finally returned to her face, Renee had decided her parenting was finished for now and went back on tour with Phil. Bella didn't blame her - she knew of her mother's distaste for Forks, the dreary weather and not to mention, the obvious tension between her and Charlie. Speaking of Charlie, he had been much more supportive than Bella thought. The first couple weeks after she'd gotten out of the hospital, he had helped her out of bed every morning and cooked her a large breakfast. From what she could tell, he had gotten a little better at cooking, probably just for her to relax when she came home. He also helped with her getting the paperwork for her high school diploma. Because of her condition, she had been excused from the GED and the state even offered to give her a high school diploma if she finished a little schoolwork for her last year before moving onto the test that would determine if she remembered most things. Fortunately for her, the crash hadn't affected her brain much - sure, there were sometimes she forgot certain things but they always came back to her sooner or later.
Lost in thought, Bella soon got dressed. The sun was out today, but that didn't mean she could wear a pair of shorts. It could start raining whenever it pleased, after all. Sighing, she tugged up her jeans, tight around her legs and shrugged on her short sleeve shirt as well. Just like the jeans, it was tight as well. The waitressing job she had usually advised you wore shorts, but she wasn't in the mood to be groped today. When she grabbed her dark jacket off the bed and ventured downstairs, Charlie was already gone. Presumably at work - he'd gotten slowly used to the idea of allowing Bella to get up on her own in the mornings. She didn't want to put anymore burden on him, in the end.
The sun was beaming down on her when she finally managed to leave the house, hair in a high ponytail, Poptart in her mouth, and zipping up her jacket. Over the years, the bus around Forks had grown more useful - it now made stops a few blocks from her house and Bella had no problem boarding it since she knew the schedule. Her red truck, of course, hadn't made it through the wreckage. Well, it more or less died when Bella was trapped in the hospital, so it was just taking up space in Charlie's garage. Her father had asked if she wanted him to purchase her another car, but Bella politely declined. With this job, she would make sure to buy one on her own.
It didn't take long for the bus to pull up towards the Fairmont Pub&Diner. Bella pulled down on the line, waving goodbye to old Ms. Leslie - who rode the bus almost every day just to get out of the house - and got off. Pushing the door out of her way, she unzipped her jacket, glancing over towards the four tables filled with customers. It was pretty slow for noon, but it would be bustling soon enough since the lunch rush coming. Bella headed towards the back, hanging up her things and retying up her ponytail to make sure it was tight.
"Hey, Bells."
Said girl looked over towards the employee entrance way to see Erica. One of her co-workers, around Bella's age. She had long blonde hair that she usually left down since the construction workers that came in typically liked it that way. She had a studded nose piercing that she refused to take out, especially during work hours and light pink lipstick on today. Unlike Bella, she took the time out of her day just to make sure her hair was straight, makeup was done to perfection, and her legs were out - no matter the weather.
"Oh, hey," Bella offered a warm smile, hands falling to her sides. "How was last night?"
The blonde rolled her eyes, reaching up to fluff up her hair, "It was a big fucking fail. Evan obviously doesn't know what a clit is." From behind Erica, Beatrice made herself known by bursting into laughter as she entered the back room. Beatrice was a bit older - around her mid-forties with a bad red dye job and thick makeup as well. Even so, she was loud and always keeping things fresh and new with her stories and sense of humor. She was nice to have around.
Nudging Erica a bit, Beatrice snorted under her breath, "Somethin' is the matter with you. Evan is cute."
Erica just looked annoyed, "Just 'cause a guy is cute, it doesn't mean he knows how to use his dick."
"Oooh! What're we talking about in here?" With a small stack of dirty dishes, Valerie stood in the doorway, eyes bright and excited. She was darker-skinned than the rest of them - you were so used to seeing pale faces, Valerie only stood out even more so. Her hair was dreaded into braids, piled high on her head in a bun. Just like Erica, she was wearing a pair of shorts. Obviously, this had worked out in her favor since Bella could spot a twenty sticking out from one of her pockets.
Beatrice spoke up before anyone else could, "Dick."
Valerie only lit up in reply, "Mm. Sounds interesting."
"Oh, shut up. Both of you." Erica walked right past Valerie to get back to her table, hips swishing back and forth on the way out. Valerie merely followed her out.
Beatrice, however, stayed behind, glancing over at Bella. "So, sweetheart, how's the yoga going?"
Bella wrinkled her nose a bit, smoothing down her shirt, "It's going alright, I guess. I think I'm going to drop out of it soon, though. Jogging is just fine for me." As she spoke, she and Beatrice both followed the other two waitresses out, Bella picking up her notepad and pen on the way. "Plus, it gets cold when it's later so it's probably best to quit soon anyway."
Beatrice was just about to open her mouth to reply, she was cut off. "Bella, when did you get here?" Bella looked up at the voice, only to see Micah peering at her over the bar, wiping down a glass. Once again, that smile made its way on Bella's face as she made her way over to him, hands in her pockets. "I didn't see you come in."
"I just got here. My shift starts at twelve."
Micah raised a brow, "Lenny bumped up your time?"
"Yeah, since Penny quit."
Beatrice took this chance to grab her order off the counter, since it had been sitting under the heating lamp for about four minutes. "Penny quit?"
"Yeah, you didn't hear?" Micah looked amused. He had a right to be, usually everyone in this town knew everything about everyone. It didn't take long for word to travel around either way, especially when no one had anything better to do. "Her boyfriend just got out on bail."
The stouty redhead beside Bella made a face, red-colored lips turning down, "She went back to that asshole?" A kid from one of the tables glanced over at them from the language and the mom beside him glared towards the three. Beatrice paid her no mind, though. "Wasn't he the one beatin' on her?"
Micah frowned in reply and Beatrice merely huffed, walking off to take her food to its table. Bella watched her go, glancing over at the clock on the wall. She had another ten minutes before she had to clock in. Micah cleared his throat behind her, placing down the beer in front of his first customer of the day - Harold, the friendly neighborhood drunk that cozied up onto a bar stool every day. "So you gonna start working on Saturdays now?" Micah was handsome - he allowed his hair to grow out so that it was now just resting above his shoulders in those thick curls he got from one of his parents. Today, he had it tied back into a bun. He'd also hadn't shaved in the last few days, and it was pretty obvious with the stubble growing on his jaw and face.
Bella shrugged, eyes on the window. Clouds were beginning to roll in, just like she thought they would. It would probably rain soon and Erica would have to wipe down the windows again. "I guess. Unless Penny decides to come back. Lenny, I'm sure, would give her the job back."
Micah stared at her for a beat or two, watching how the shitty lighting in the diner lit up the different colors in her hair. It was messily and loosely curled, the ponytail swaying a bit from her little movement. "I like you better on Saturdays. You don't bring unnecessary drama." Bella's brown eyes flickered over towards him, a small smile on her face.
"Penny didn't bring dr - "
"Hey, B." Erica had made her way over to grab another plate of food for her table. "Your favorite customer is here." Almost immediately, Bella's face fell - annoyance setting her mouth into a thin line. She had hoped since it was sunny today, they wouldn't come. They tended to stay away from days like that, she'd noticed awhile ago. Hiking or whatever, it didn't matter. As long as they stayed away. But, alas, Bella was forced to clock in, holding her notepad tight as she made her way over to the table in the far corner.
"Alice."
"Bella." The girl removed her sunglasses, legs crossed under the table. Her dark gold eyes were revealed, surrounded by thick, black eyelashes. Her beauty, much like the rest of her family's, was stunning. She was dressed to impress today, just like any other day, in fact. Of course, others in the diner tried to crane their heads just to get a glimpse of Alice Cullen. Ever since Bella had began working here, Alice had stopped by every week during one of her shifts. It was odd - Valerie said she didn't see Alice come by during any other days, only when Bella was here.
And she would always do the same thing. But, Bella offered a friendly smile - the smile she reserved only for customers and held her notepad up, ready for the order, "What can I get you?"
A small smile was playing at the edges of Alice's lips. "The usual."
"Right. Coffee. No cream and no sugar, right?"
"Right."
Bella pretended to write it down, turning and walking away. It wouldn't take long to get that order, but she took her time, as always. It was always unnerving to feel Alice's golden eyes digging into her back. Micah was eyeing Bella as she poured the coffee into a cup. "Cullen again?"
Bella gave a small nod, "Mm. She always comes when I'm here."
"She's a stalker or somethin'?"
It took the brunette a few seconds to reply, "...No. I don't know. Her entire family is weird." Memories might've been something she isn't good with, but Bella was no fool. They did have odd behavior - even Dr. Cullen. The iciness of their touch, the eyes, the weird disappearances when it got even a little pinch of sun outside. Even though Bella had sworn she'd heard Edward's voice in the hospital once, she hadn't seen him since the day of the accident. The town didn't even talk about beautiful Edward Cullen anymore - perhaps he was really gone. Breaking herself from her thoughts, Bella picked up the cup of coffee and made her way back over to Alice's table, sitting it down with another smile.
"There you go."
"Thank you," A pause, "Oh, and Bella?"
Bella had just been about to turn around and walk away, "Yeah?"
"What time do you get off?"
Bella's eyebrows furrowed, "Um - six. Why?"
A knowing look was on Alice's face, "No reason in particular. I just wouldn't want a beautiful girl like you leaving too late, right?" She took a spoon to stir the coffee, even though nothing was in there to mix.
The waitress stared at her for a few seconds, expression still perplexed. From the way Alice said it, it sounded rather patronizing. And Bella wasn't in the mood for compliments anyway. "Alice, did Edward go off to college?"
Alice blinked at the question, looking surprised. "Edward? Oh, yes. He went to Dartmouth." Dartmouth. Now that was an impressive college. She was quiet for a little while longer, waiting for the smaller girl to finish. "I don't think he liked it very much, but we don't talk much since he's so busy. Can I ask why you're asking about my brother?"
Bella tried to keep her answer as nonchalant as possible, "It's just...we were friends." Not even close - she had maybe one or two civilized conversations with him.
Alice smiled again, and this time her teeth were just a bit visible. It made Bella stare. "Friends? That's good." She blew out a small breath of laughter, "Edward isn't that good at making friends so this is a surprise. The next time he calls, I'll be sure to mention you." With that, Bella turned and walked away, making sure to ignore the stares she got from the other customers in the diner. She served a few more tables, making sure to keep her attitude upbeat and casual. When she rounded back towards Alice's table, she found the hundred dollar bill sitting there waiting for her, right next to the untouched coffee.
Just like last time.
.
.
Paul snapped off the top of the beer, watching as it bounced off the counter and onto the floor. Raising the beer to his lips, he took down a few gulps. It was finished before Embry could even make his way over and begin complaining about all the bottle caps everywhere. "Hey! Paul! Don't get drunk already, the party hasn't even started yet."
Paul rolled his eyes, setting down the empty glass, "Uh-huh."
"I'm serious. Every time you get drunk, you go right home."
"With a girl," Jared added in as he stepped inside, carrying a cooler underneath his arm. Sam was right behind him - Emily trailing after him like a lost puppy like usual. She was already in her sundress, bathing suit underneath. That way, her scars stood out even more. Not that Sam ever minded, turning around and kissing her soundly on the lips. Paul resisted the urge to pretend to choke on his beer, just to make an overexaggerated objection to the love-show in front of him.
"Alright, alright," Paul grumbled, throwing the bottle into the trashcan. When he got outside to the cars, Jacob was there, checking under the hood of Embry's Jeep. He slammed it shut once Paul stepped up next to him, "Who did you invite to this shit anyway?"
Jacob wiped his hands on his swim trunks, "I only invited Bella. But I think she's bringing some of her co-workers and friends. Only a couple though." Paul surely hoped so, he didn't want to snap at any of these broads for saying something stupid to him. Jacob pointed a finger at him - Paul glared at it, he would bite it off if he could. "Remember. Best behavior, Lahote."
Instead, he smacked his hand out of his face, irritated already. Out of all the werewolves in the pack, Paul was the quickest to anger. "What's with all of you naggin' me today? Jesus fucking Christ..." he groused, opening the door to get into Embry's car. The rest of them filed out, Embry jumping in after putting the rest of the snacks in the back. Paul glanced over at him, "You call Leah yet? She should come visit already."
Embry shrugged his shoulders, putting the Jeep into reverse, careful of not hitting anything. "Not happening any time soon. She didn't sound that interested." He pointedly glanced towards the rearview mirror to look at the car trailing after them, both Emily and Sam inside speaking animatedly. Paul scoffed - it's not like he could really blame her. He could barely stand to see Sam being all lovey-dovey all the damn time. It was just the same with Jared and Kim, though. He could barely keep his hands to himself when he was with her, and Paul was pretty sure she was going to be at the beach. Now, he was going to be surrounded by this shit.
He knew he should've slept in.
When they arrived at the beach, Paul was the one to carry most of the shit. He set it up, mostly because he didn't want to be bothered. While everyone else was running around on the beach holding hands, Paul was checking which cooler had another beer. It was pretty warm today - a nice day and the sun was beaming down, making the sand hot between his toes. When he heard more noise, he glanced over to see another group of people making their way over. They were just getting out of an old dark pickup truck. One was a dark-skinned girl, already in her purple bikini. Another was blonde, in a pair of shorts and her tits nearly spilling out of her top.
A couple others got out - two guys, and one other girl that Paul wasn't that interested in. The blonde was the one who caught his eye first, she looked like she was bored and ready for some action and so was Paul. He hadn't even paid any attention to the brunette that enthusiastically greeted Jacob. When Paul's gaze flickered over to the two, he was unable to see her face. Just her brown hair moving with the wind and a dainty hand reached up to try and push it out of her face. Jacob was smiling at her like a rainbow was shoved up his ass. Paul stayed where he was, though, trailing eyes down the brunette. She had such a nice shape - unlike the other girls, she was wearing a regular two piece black bathing suit. It wasn't too revealing but it did show off her legs and womanly figure. The slight dip between her breasts and hips, the long legs, the little dashes of blonde, auburn, and brown in her hair when it hit the sun just right.
Jacob was gesturing a lot with his hands, and even though Paul had pretty good hearing, he really didn't care what he was saying enough to listen. The girl laughed and Jacob grinned in response, pointing over towards where Paul was standing. He was probably trying to point over to Sam and Emily - who were a few yards behind Paul but in the same general direction. Either way, the brunette turned her head and those brown eyes were on Paul.
Shit.
Paul almost dropped his beer at the pure feeling of light spreading through his body as their gazes locked. Her face was familiar - Bella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter who almost died in that crash. She was still trying to push her hair away from her face from the strong breeze, the hair whipping around everywhere. Paul couldn't get his brain to work for a few seconds, his mouth had fallen open like he was a fucking idiot. Was this what it felt like? Light and the feel of home and all those shitty moments in his life seemed to evaporate. He was staring - fuck, yes, he was staring. Because, whether he liked it or not, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
Imprinting sure was a bitch, wasn't it?
.
.
Sorry for taking so long guys, all these holidays really did get to me. Thank you for all the likes and support and favorites. It really helps me keep going with this story, I mean that. If we could get the reviews up to 30, that would be great. All your opinions, your words, they help me a lot. They're really the only reason I come back and finish this. Please remember, this story isn't about vampires - mostly the werewolves and Bella finding herself. I'm still debating if I even want to put more Cullen's in this story. Including Edward.
Thanks for reading and please remember to review! I hope everyone had a nice break, holidays, and happy New Year! Again, I didn't go through this chapter for typos and such, but I will be sure to do it another time.
-Sonny
