White Horse
Chapter Three
Thankfulness was the first emotion I had felt in the morning. There was no more school. I didn't have to go to class and face Jessica.
Charlie wasn't home; he had gone down to see Billy. He still didn't know about Jacob. I dressed in a blur and hopped into the truck. I was just driving around town, not wanting to stay in the house. The town road led to the highway and a side road with a trail that led into the woods. Charlie had shown it to me when I had first moved here and I kept returning.
My serene meadow was perfect. Early summer wild flowers blossomed all around. I had come here for a chance to clear my head, think properly, but it wasn't coming along too well. The image of her on his arm was stuck in my mind, permanently etched there.
In my pocket, a sudden vibration made me jump. I pulled the phone out, glancing at the caller ID and recognized his number immediately. The image was blurry; I hadn't realized that salty tears were stinging on my cheeks as they made their way down.
"Hello?" I choked, taking a deep breath.
"What's the matter? Are you crying?" Jacob's voice was instantly worried.
"No, I'm fine." It was a lie from the very beginning.
"Listen, I know what you saw but it's not what you think."
"Then what is it?" I practically shouted. There was an awkward silence. I stood under the shade, leaning on a tree.
"All I want is you," Jacob started again. "Do you love me?"
"Yea," I answered after thinking for second. I always would no matter what he had done.
"Can you give me another chance?" I could picture his face perfectly. Every happy memory we had together flashed in my mind. The images settled on that horrific day on the beach. There was no hesitation in my response.
"No." I slammed the phone shut and slid down the tree, sobbing. Jacob had definitely changed; there was no doubt about that. He had made me feel like the princess that I wasn't in a fairy tale that didn't exist. It all felt like a game of charades.
There was someone out there in the giant world that would treat me right, treat me better. All Forks was, was a small town and someday I planned to see it disappear in my rear view mirror.
Time would heal all wounds, it always did before. I would move on, I was sure to cry, that much was expected. I felt like I couldn't breathe. My whole world had been turned upside down and shaken until every thing fell out of place.
It wasn't long after I had hung up that a heart shattering howl pierced the air. The wolf's heart broken cry continued all after noon; an outspoken cry of the way I felt inside. Rain drops tapped my head while I sat there, crying my heart out.
Wiping the salt away, I decided it was time to go home and face reality.
Charlie was watching the game when I pulled in.
"Bella! What's wrong?" Charlie asked when I walked through the door.
"Jacob," I muttered. "I broke up with him." My words were choked back by tears that refused to relent.
