Chapter 4: The Quiet Before The Storm
"Good morning Folks! You are tuned into Forks F.M.! Forecast is cloudy weather with a few showers scattered around Forks and La Push, but now lets start the day with a bit of Katy Perry for you Friday Night Partiers!"
There's a stranger in my bed
There's a pounding my head
Glitter all over the room
Pink flamingos in the pool
I smell like a minibar
DJ's passed out in the yard
Barbies on the barbecue
Is this a hickie or a bruise?
Pictures of last night
Ended up online
I'm screwed
Oh well
It's a blacked out blur
But I'm pretty sure
It ruled
Damn
Last Friday night
Yeah, we danced on tabletops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot
Last Friday night
Yeah, we maxed our credit cards
Then got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard
Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a ménage à trois
Last Friday night
Yeah, I think we broke the law
Always say we're gonna stop
But this Friday night
Do it all again
This Friday night
Do it all again
My fist slammed down on my alarm clock, effectively turning off the noise that had woken me up from my sleep. I lay back on my bed and stretched, then leaned up and saw the time;
10:03
I groaned and reluctantly kicked the warm quilt off my body. My feet touched the cold wooden floor and I jumped at the temperature difference. I slowly put my feet down again and then trudged in the bathroom, rubbing my eyes on the way. I hurriedly brushed my teeth and washed my face which woke me up. I walked back into my bedroom and changed into a baggy short-sleeved top and my jogging bottoms. I looked in the mirror and saw that my head was a tangled mess so I through it up in a ponytail where my fringe still hung above my eyes and a few loose strands of hair escaped.
Satisfied with my work, I smiled at my reflection and headed down the stairs. I sauntered into the kitchen and pulled out a box of Cheerio's. I poured some into a bowl and as I went to get some milk, there was a note on the fridge.
Gone fishing with Harry Clearwater. Be back around 5.
Charlie.
I sighed and shook my head, crumbling up the note and throwing it in the trash. I drowned my cereal in milk and grabbed a spoon, scoffing down my first meal of the day. Once I was finished, I washed up the bowl and spoon and put on my trainers. I grabbed my keys and opened the front door. Thick air greeted me and I groaned; it was always harder to run in this weather. I locked the door behind me and started on my morning jog.
xoxox
"Dannazione! Questa è stata la corsa più dura che abbia mai avuto!" I panted, bending over to catch my breath. ("Bloody hell! That was the hardest run I've ever had!") I wiped the sweat away from my forehead and straightened up just as it was starting to rain. I headed back into the house and kicked off my smelly trainers and dragged my feet into the bathroom. I ran myself a warm bath and stripped off, allowing myself to relax in the warm water.
After I was clean, I dried myself off and changed into another pair of comfy cotton jogging bottoms and a clean shirt. I put my dirty clothes in the washing basket and went back into my room. I quickly scanned my shelves of books and picked up Pride & Prejudice. My legs felt heavy and tired so I climbed on my bed, pulling my fluffy bed-socks onto my feet. I curled up onto my side and opened my book, hearing the pitter-patter of rain against my window.
As time passed by, I started to become engrossed in the book. I love how Mr. Darcy was portrayed as mysterious and grumpy, but then Elizabeth was the only one who could bring out his good and happy side. Just as Mr. Bingley had proposed to Jane, my stomach started growling. I sighed and marked my page, glancing at my alarm clock;
15:17
I sat up and realised that my feet were toasty warm. I pulled off my bed-socks and stretched once again as I jumped down the stairs. As I padded into the kitchen, I stopped momentarily as I thought about what I wanted to eat. There was no point doing a big lunch for myself as Charlie would be home in a couple of hours.
Without thinking, I looked through all of Charlie's cupboards and frowned as I only saw the essentials such as milk, cereal and cheese. I looked in the freezer and saw cans of beer with steak and a few unpeeled potatoes. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the potatoes and steak and brought them onto the counter. I started cooking the steak and left it in the oven. As I was peeling the potatoes, I heard my mobile phone ringing. I quickly put the potatoes down and darted upstairs to retrieve my phone. I smiled when it flashed Will on the screen.
"Hey Will!" I greeted happily, picking up the potato and carried on with peeling it.
"Hey Iz. I just called to ask you when you wanted your guitar. I guess we kind of forgot to give it to you when you left with your dad." I wanted to smack my hand against my forehead; how could I have forgotten about my guitar?
"Erm, I'll come by and pick it up tomorrow if that's alright with you?" I asked, placing the potatoes in a saucer full of water.
"Sure. Do you want the address?" he suggested.
"Oh! Hold on!" I called, putting the potatoes on the oven. I scrambled to get a piece of paper and a pen.
"Ok; hit me." I told him. He gave me the address and I scribbled it down messily on the paper.
"So, how's everything going?" I asked, checking on the steak.
"Great, apart from the fact that people think that Scott and I are a couple." I laughed out loud as I heard Scott muttering profanities in the background.
"Typical." I muttered.
"What about you? How are you doing with your father?"
"Fine, I guess." I replied honestly, "It's just Monday I'm not looking forward to." Dread flooded my stomach at the thought of school.
"Ah, it'll be fine. Besides, you'll have me and Scott with you which is an extra bonus." He chuckled. I suddenly smelt something burning and saw that there was smoke coming out of the oven.
"Oh merda! La bistecca! La bistecca!" I screamed. ("Oh shit! The steak! The steak!")I dropped my phone and dived for my oven gloves and opened the oven door swiftly. I quickly retrieved the steak and dropped in on the counter. I inspected it and sighed in relief as I saw that I had only burned the outside a little bit. I rinsed out the potatoes and cut up the steak. I grabbed two dishes out of the cupboard and put the food on them; Charlie should be home any minute.
I put the plates on the table and picked up my phone again.
"Izzy! What's happened?" Will was screaming frantically into the phone.
"It's alright." I reassured him, glancing at the steak on my plate, "I burned a bit of the steak, that's all."
"What are we going to do with you?" He sighed dramatically.
"It was your fault!" I accused him.
"My fault?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes; you were distracting me." We continued bickering until Charlie came home which was a few minutes later. I said goodbye to Will and gave my love to Scott and hung up the phone.
"What's that?" Charlie asked, hanging up his gun belt and stepping slowly into the kitchen. I didn't blame him for being wary; Renée wasn't exactly the best cook.
"It's steak and potatoes." I smiled at him. He sat down and picked up his fork carefully, taking a bite of the steak.
"Mmm, this is good." He complimented, taking another bite. I looked down sheepishly and started eating my portion.
"Busy day?" I asked, trying to start conversation. Charlie simply shrugged and grunted in response. I rolled my eyes and we continued to eat in silence. Once we were finished, Charlie stood up, stretched and went over to the fridge.
"Oh, I hope you don't mind but I've invited Billy Black and his son, Jacob to come over tomorrow. You remember them, don't you?" He asked, grabbing a beer and closing the fridge again. A fuzzy memory came to my mind of a young tanned boy making mud pies with me.
"Yeah, I remember them." But then I frowned. "Erm, I might be out tomorrow." I told Charlie, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Where are you going?" He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly and opening his can, taking a sip.
"I need to collect my guitar from Scott and Will's place." I shrugged. I gathered the dishes and cutlery together and walked over to the sink.
"You play guitar?" Charlie spluttered. I turned around and glared slightly at him.
"Yes." I said defensively. Charlie held his hands up in mock surrender and trudged into the lounge. I started cleaning the dishes when I heard the T.V. come on in the other room. I continued to wash the dishes, excited about seeing Scott and Will again tomorrow. Once I was done, I dried my hands and looked at the clock; it was only six.
I sighed and shuffled into the lounge with Charlie. I saw him sitting on the recliner, sipping his beer whislt watching the screen intently. I sighed quietly and sat down on the sofa, curling my legs underneath me. I glanced up at the screen and watched baseball with Charlie for two hours until I decided to call it a night. I climbed upstairs and got changed into my pyjamas. I crawled under my sheets and turned off my light. I relaxed into the matress and buried myself in my soft sheets, looking forward to tomorrow.
xoxox
My eyes cracked open as I felt the warmth of the sun heat them up. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes, looking at my clock.
08:32
"Haha; I beat you today." I told it sleepily. I yawned and streched until I felt my bones crack. I did my daily routine of brushing my teeth and washing my face. I went back into my room and slipped on a long sleeved blue and white stripy top with dark blue skinny jeans with my purple converse shoes. I tied up my laces, brushed my hair into a plat and grabbed my leather jacket. I creeped down the stairs so I didn't wake Charlie and snuck into the kitchen. Once again, I grabbed a bowl of Cheerio's and downed it quickly. I put the bowl in the sink and checked the time on my phone. It was just past nine in the morning so I wrote a quick note for Charlie:
Gone to Will and Scott's place. Be back around 3.
Izzy.
I stuck it to the fridge and then grabbed my house keys. As I went to the front door, I noticed that an envelope had been pushed through the door. I picked it up and saw that it was addressed to 'Izzy Sinclair'. Shrugging, I opened the envelope and a familiar set of keys dropped into my hand. As soon as I registered them, I gasped and launched myself through the door. Parked in the driveway was my car.
"Oh mio Dio! E 'la mia auto! La mia macchina!" I squealed, not caring if I had woken anybody up. ("Oh my God! It's my car! My car!") I ran towards it at full speed and dived into the driver's seat. I ran my hands along the dashboard and the steering wheel, remembering how it felt. I revved up the engine and sighed closing my eyes; I had missed that sound so much. I pulled out of the driveway and sped towards Port Angeles, singing along to the radio all the way there.
xoxox
"Where the hell is number fifty three?" I muttered as I walked down the long corridor. I had arrived at Will and Scott's hotel but I couldn't find door fifty three. I turned left and saw fifty two and then...fifty three!
"Yes!" I whispered, doing a little happy dance. I cleared my throat dramatically and banged loudly on the door.
"What the hell?" I heard muffled shouts from the other side of the door and sniggered. Suddenly, somebody flung open the door and I came face to face with Will.
"Izzy?" He asked groggily, rubbing his eye.
"Good morning starshine; the earth says hello!" I sang merrily. I skipped passed him and looked aroud at the boxes that filled the apartment. "Where's Scott?" I turned around to face Will.
"He decided not to get up." Will waved over to a locked door.
"But it's eleven in the morning!" I whined. Will simply shrugged and went into another room. I tiptoed over to Scott's door and pressed my ear to the wood, laughing quietly as I heard his loud snores. I stepped back a few paces and kicked the door down.
"DOG PILE!" I shouted and ran over to a sleeping Scott. Before he even had time to wake up I jumped on him.
"ARGH!" Will shouted as he jumped on Scott as well.
"BLOODY HELL!" Scott screamed as he got us both in a headlock. We continued play fighting on the bed for half an hour until Scott decided that he needed to get changed.
"Where's my guitar?" I asked as Scott shut his door, excitement bubbling in my voice. Scott shook his head and laughed as he went over to one of the boxes. I started bouncing in place and then screamed when I saw my guitar case. I speedily grabbed it out of Scott's hands and placed it on the floor, opening it and revealing my beloved guitar.
"Oh, my friend; how much I've missed you." I whispered to it, stroking the wood.
"Oh boy; she's talking to guitars now!" Scott shouted and I heard Will's laughter coming from their kitchen.
"Shut up Scott! I'd rather talk to a guitar than talk to drums!" I told him. He looked down in embarrasment and mumbled something about going to help Will in the kitchen. I took out my guitar and grabbed my pluck and started strumming a few chords.
"Wanna watch a movie?" Will suggested, coming in with two cups of hot chocolate. I put my guitar away carefully and stood up, taking the hot mug off him gently.
"Thanks, and I'm up for a movie." I nodded my head. "Which one were you thinking about?" I asked, taking a sip of the heavenly drink.
"SAW!" Scott exclaimed as he ran to the DVD player with SAW I in his hands. Will and I looked at each other. We rolled our eyes.
"Saw." We both stated and grinned.
For the next two hours, we ate popcorn and laughed at the horror movie. Because we were in the mood, we decided to watch SAW II just for laughs and got a good kick out of that one as well. Once the movie was over, I glanced at my phone and saw it was quarter to three.
"Sorry guys, this is the part where I say bye." I sighed and stood up. I grabbed my guitar case as Will and Scott followed me to the door.
"School tomorrow." Scott grinned.
"Ugh, don't remind me." I muttered. I kissed them both on the cheek and said my goodbyes.
"Don't forget we're picking you up at eight fifteen sharp!" Will called out.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" I laughed and turned right to the stairs.
xoxox
As I parked in the drive, I noticed that there was another car parked in front of the house; it looked like a Rabbit. I smacked my palm against my head as I remembered that Billy and Jacob Black were here. I got out of the car and fetched my guitar from my trunk. I locked the car and unlocked the house. Once I was in, I set down my guitar and locked the door, heading into the lounge.
With Charlie was a man with tan skin and long black hair, situated in a wheelchair. His face looked old but wise. Sitting on the sofa was a boy of about sixteen. He too had tan skin and long black hair. It then clicked in my head that this must be Billy and Jacob.
"Izzy!" Charlie greeted. "You remember Billy Black?" He gestured over to the man in the wheelchair.
"Of course." I smiled and waved at him.
"Izzy?" Billy asked in a confused voice, glancing at Charlie for an explanation.
"She changed her name to Izzy Sinclair." Charlie shrugged.
"And you must be Jacob." I said, turning to the younger boy.
"That's me." He grinned, his voice husky and deep. We talked for a while about our embarrasing childhood until the grown-ups decided to put the football on. I sighed and decided to make dinner. I headed into the kitchen and started cooking pasta which I had found yesterday in the back of one of the cupboards.
"You play?" Jacob asked. I turned around and saw him looking at my guitar case.
"Yeah, I do." I smiled. He looked up at me and grinned, walking over to me.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced." He stated. He stuck his hand out. "I'm Jacob Black, but please, call me Jake." I smiled and placed my hand in his.
"I'm Izzy Sinclair." I smiled. After that we chatted for a bit while I made pasta, keeping an extra close eye on it as I didn't want a repeat of the steak incident. We discussed cars and things to do around Forks and La Push. But then we moved onto a subject that I didn't want to talk about.
"So, why did you change your name to Izzy?" Jake asked curiously. I stopped stiring the pasta and felt my muscles lock into place. I coughed slightly.
"It's complicated." I choked and Jake patted my back.
"That bad, huh?" He asked teasingly.
"Non avete idea." I whispered darkly. ("You have no idea.") He cocked his head to the side slightly but I smiled at him. I finished the pasta and dished it up, giving sizable portions to everyone. After being complimented on my cooking, Jake helped me clean up by splashing me occasionally and of course, I splashed back.
All too soon, it was reaching nine in the evening and Billy and Jake had to go.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked hopefully; I really enjoyed tonight with Jake. He shook his head sadly.
"Unfortunately, no. I go to school off the reservation." He said.
"Oh." I felt my spirits drop a little. "Maybe some other time." I smiled at him. He grinned back, hugged me and headed out to the Rabbit.
"It was nice to see you again Izzy." Billy smiled. I hugged him too and watched as they both drove away.
"That was a nice evening." Charlie commented.
"Mmm." I trailed. I turned around and picked up my guitar. I carried it upstairs and placed it by my desk. I got changed into my pyjamas and brushed my teeth. After shouting good night to Charlie, I got under the bedsheets and felt my body tremble slightly, knowing that tomorrow, I would be going back to school.