Fighting for your love (Fire and Ice)
Summary: Some say the world will end in fire; Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire. I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say that, for destruction, ice is also great and would suffice. ~Robert Frost
Chapter Four: Waiting For You
"...I am scared as hell to want you. But here I am, wanting you anyway..."
- Missy Mitch quotes
The next day was better…and worse.
Beau woke up from a really nice dream about Edith with a groan, wishing he hadn't stayed up so late last night. He glanced at his alarm clock, seeing that it was 5:30 AM, then hit the snooze button, planning to go back to sleep. But then he remembered that he had to pick up Julie before school.
Beau got out of bed, hissing at how cold the floor was and walked to his dresser. He grabbed some random clothes and headed to go take a shower. He almost bumped into Charlie on his way downstairs.
"What are you doing up?" Charlie asked, and Beau yawned.
"Got to pick up Julie," he explained, and Charlie nodded.
"Drive safe," Charlie stated, "that's precious cargo,"
Beau rolled his eyes.
"Seriously, Dad." He grumbled, "I'm starting to worry about you two,"
Charlie just saluted him and headed for the bathroom.
"Grab some money out of my wallet before you go," he called, "Pick up some food for dinner on the way home,"
Beau got the money and headed to his truck, thankful that it wasn't raining, wondering if Julie would mind driving while he took a nap.
Beau pulled up in his truck and before he could turn it off and go knock on the door, Julie came out.
"Morning, Beautiful!" she chirped, leaping in the truck and shrugging her book bag off her shoulder to the truck floor.
"Morning Jules, you ready to…go…," Beau trailed off, his eyes traveling over Julie, who was balancing a thermos between her legs, wearing a pair of gray skinny jeans, a tight black camisole top, an unbuttoned, blue plaid shirt, and her boots.
"Hey look, we match," she smiled, pulling her hair back into a ponytail, with a few strands evading her fingers, and framing her face, while her brow brown eyes watched him, sparkling.
He was wearing a white T-shirt with a short sleeved, blue and white plaid shirt on top, dark denim jeans, a pair of converse that matched his shirt, and a plain black jacket.
"You look good." Beau said, trying not to ogle Julie's chest, but... seriously, "Where's your leather jacket?"
Julie's smile got bigger, as she tilted her head, taking her hands out of her hair.
"Thanks! I decided to dress a little differently today." Julie complimented, and Beau shrugged.
"How do you always have so much energy in the morning?" Beau asked, stifling a yawn.
"I rise with the sun and I usually go for a run to perk me up, but don't be cranky, I brought you a pick me up," Julie giggled, unscrewing the cap from her thermos to pour some of it into the cup.
"You remember how I like my coffee?" Beau asked, laying his head on the steering wheel, "Too much sugar makes me jumpy,"
"I know," Julie stated, handing him the cup, "Four creams and two sugars. Just the way you like it, Beaufort!"
Beau was too tired for this.
"Drink up, Beautiful!" she repeated, excited, "It'll wake you right up!"
Beau decided to humor her, and took a sip. Julie watched him with eager brown eyes and Beau smiled.
"It's good," he said, taking another sip, and licking his lips.
"Want me to drive?" Julie asked, and Beau nodded gratefully.
They switched places, Julie singing along loudly to the morning radio, brushing her shoulder against Beau's every time a new song came on, while Beau sipped quietly on his coffee, and rested his head on the window.
"So, I came up with a plan to help you out with Edith," Julie announced, smiling, and Beau frowned, forcing himself to sit up.
"I told you that I don't need your help," Beau groaned, finishing off the rest of his cup.
"I talked to Erica last night and she said that Edith's really smart, like really, really smart."
Of course, she was. Smart, stunning, and perfect.
"And?" Beau asked.
"Well, you're smart too, right?" Julie nodded to herself, "So, all you have to do is outsmart her!"
"Outsmart her?" Beau questioned, confused.
"Yeah, be smarter than her. Answer all the questions, make brilliant deductions, basically just be yourself…in overdrive!" Julie looked at him and Beau couldn't help but chuckle.
"Your plan is for me to be myself?" he repeated, and Julie nodded, excitedly.
"In overdrive!" she repeated, again, like that word made a difference, and Beau wondered what she looked like on Christmas day when she opened presents.
Maybe this time he'd get to see her open the present he brought her.
"If you don't like that one, there's also the secret admirer route," Julie said, and Beau smirked.
"What route is that?" Beau asked, trying not to laugh.
"You can write some of your mushy thoughts about her on notes and stuff them in her locker! Then once she's fallen for in love with your words, you confess that it was you all along!" Julie said, and Beau shook his head.
"I'm a terrible liar. I'd probably end up giving away that I'm her secret admirer before the day was over," Beau admitted, and Julie pouted.
"Oh, well, how about you try making friends with her brothers, to get close to her?" Julie asked, and Beau pictured being crushed by Edith's huge weightlifter brother.
"No, too dangerous," he said, quickly.
"Chicken," Julie teased, sticking out her tongue. "Alright, then how about you stand outside her window Romeo style and say recite some poetry?"
Beau shook his head.
"Not doing it," he said, firmly. "I don't even know where she lives anyway," Julie opened her mouth and Beau held up a hand to stop her, "Don't tell me where she lives. It would be creepy if I knew where she lived before she told me,"
"You're no fun," Julie pouted and Beau took another sip of his coffee.
"What's the point? I'm just going to make a fool of myself again today." Beau said, disparagingly.
"Quit stressing," Julie said, patting his shoulder. "We'll think of something."
Julie tucked the stray strands behind her ear and Beau noticed the braided leather bracelet with stainless steel cylinder and a heart-shaped diamond.
"That's nice," Beau commented, "Where'd you get it?"
Julie glanced at the bracelet and grinned, "Charlie got it for me for my birthday,"
Beau froze.
Crap, he forgot Julie's birthday.
"Don't worry about it," Julie said, seeing the look on his face.
"I'm sorry," he said, shoulders slumping, "with the move and everything I just…"
"It's fine," Julie said, smiling, "If I really cared I would've reminded you the second you came home. Besides, you coming back was the greatest gift I could receive this year,"
Beau frowned and shook his head.
"You shouldn't have to remind me," he said, "But don't worry, I'm going to make it up to you."
Julie rolled her eyes but didn't argue with him.
She turned back to rattling off plans to help him win Edith, but he wasn't listening.
He and Edith were probably not going to happen anyway.
Julie eventually got really into a song on the radio, letting the Edith topic fade out. She tapped his shoulder, giving him a look until he hesitantly joined in. Julie smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as they sang in harmony, both their voices off-key.
He was glad that they were alone. He wasn't the type of guy who could proudly sing in public. He didn't even like to sing in the shower.
When they pulled into the lot, Beau gave Julie back her thermos and got out. Julie smiled and put it in her bag.
"So, which plan are we going with?" Julie asked, linking their fingers together and swinging their arms, and Beau shrugged.
"We're going with Plan…just be me…" he said and Julie pulled her hand back and crossed her arms, so Beau reluctantly added, "…in overdrive," and Julie clapped, jumping.
"That one was my favorite!" she cheered, and Beau sighed.
"Good," he muttered, turning away from her, and Julie hopped on his back, "Hey!"
Julie giggled.
"Carry me to class?" she asked, and Beau growled.
"Get off!" he complained, and Julie slid off with a sigh.
"You're never let me have any fun," she pouted, and then grinned, grabbing his hand in hers again, "And I wouldn't worry too much about Edith. You just have to get her to look into those irresistible blue eyes and you'll have her eating out the palm of our hand," Julie grinned.
Beau gave her a dry look.
"Please, tell me more about my 'irresistible' blue eyes," he said, sarcastically and lifted their intertwined fingers.
Julie nodded, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Okay, sure." She said, and literally spent the rest of the walk telling him all the things she liked about his eyes.
It was actually kind of flattering.
In English, Mckayla and Erica came to sit with them. Mckayla sat in the desk on the other side of him and Erica sat on the other side of Julie. The girls talked about the project while he drew some random doodles on his notebook.
Mckayla kept trying to get his attention and draw him into the conversation. Beau humored her with a few pointed comments to make her think that he was listening. Erica was talking with Julie and carefully not looking in his direction.
The rest of the day went mostly like that. He found his locker and threw his stuff in there. He sat with Julie's friends again at lunch and tried not to look like he was looking for Edith Cullen.
Julie punched his shoulder when he spaced out too long. It wasn't his fault, though. He hoped that Edith would at least give him a chance to apologize for whatever he did that upset her. She was probably used to guys fawning over her because she was so abnormally attractive.
He didn't want to be just another creep, though.
The rest of the Cullens were there, Edith was the only one missing.
"She's probably in the bathroom," Julie said, snatching a grape off his plate and popping it in her mouth. "Stop fidgeting,"
Beau slid his tray away from her and glared.
"I'm not fidgeting," he mumbled, slapping Julie's hand away when she tried to sneak another grape.
"Sure, you're not," Julie rolled her eyes, before grinning, "So, Mckayla was asking you something,"
Beau looked at the girl sitting across from him and Mckayla smiled.
"I was asking if you wanted to come to my house after school too so we can all work on our projects together?" she asked and Beau shrugged.
Not really, he thought.
Julie raised an eyebrow and Beau forced himself to smile.
"Maybe," he answered, before going back to eating his lunch. "I have a lot of…" he trailed off, unable to think of an excuse.
"Stuff to take care of since the move," Julie finished for him, "He hasn't finished unpacking his things yet."
"Right," Beau nodded, shooting Julie a grateful look.
Julie took the opportunity to steal another grape and Beau smiled. Julie was a really determined food thief.
"You know what?" Taylor blurted, through a mouthful of her sandwich. "You two should come to my Dad's bakery some time,"
"Your dad owns a bakery?" Beau asked, curious.
Taylor swallowed, leaning on Logan's shoulder. "Homemade buttery fudge, hand dipped ice cream, saltwater taffy, gourmet chocolate, jelly beans, imported novelty candy, soups, sandwiches, donuts, bread, pies, and custom cakes,"
Everyone stared at her and Logan smirked.
"Dad paying you to advertise again?" he asked, and Taylor shrugged.
"If I bring in six new customers, he'll buy me those earrings I wanted from the winter catalog," she explained, and Logan nodded.
"Don't worry," he said, shooting a glare at Beau, "I got you covered,"
Taylor smiled and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks, baby," she said, and Julie squealed.
"You guys are so cute," she said, "I can't wait till I have a guy that I can be all mushy with,"
Beau frowned, looking up from his lunch tray and staring at her.
The thought of Julie dating unsettled him.
Julie smiled at him and poked his nose.
"Don't look so worried," she said, "I'm not going anywhere yet,"
"I'm not worried," he said, "I can't wait for someone to take you off my hands,"
Julie just laughed and stuck out her tongue at him, before turning to continue talking to Taylor and Logan. Beau watched her for a moment and tried to picture what things would be like once Julie found a boyfriend. Julie would probably want someone outgoing, someone friendly, optimistic, with a huge family she could bond with, and just as affectionate as her. A handsome, athletic guy, who would want to spend every second with her, until he shoved Beau completely out of the picture.
Beau felt a pang in his chest, and sighed, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.
He looked around the lunchroom again, eyes connecting with Erica, who was staring at their table like she wanted to come over. She instantly looked down at her tray, sneaking glances occasionally, and Beau went back to staring at the door for Edith.
She never came.
"Maybe she had some homework to finish up before class and decided to spend her lunch period in the library," Julie suggested, and Beau forced himself not to sulk.
If she showed up to lunch, he could have assessed her mood before having to spend a whole hour beside her. Biology was most likely going to be an uncomfortable experience.
"No, it's not," Julie said, responding to thoughts he hadn't even voiced yet and Beau gave her a dirty look.
"That's a little creepy," Beau said, and Julie grinned at Beau, making some of the tension bleed out of his shoulders.
Julie walked with Beau and Mckayla to class before they split to go to their separate classrooms and.
"Remember, just be yourself…" Julie gives him a thumbs ups up, "In Overdrive!" before spinning around and heading to her own classroom.
"What was she talking about?" Mckayla asked, and everything comes rushing back, the nervousness, the dread, and a little hope.
"Nothing," Beau lied, walking around her into class and sitting in his seat, noticing that Edith wasn't in class either.
On the outside, Beau looked composed, cool as a cucumber, but on the inside, he was hyper as a rabbit.
Where was Edith? Had he done something to offend her? Did she drop out of school? Was she picked up by a modeling agency? What?
Mckayla stood by his desk, talking about an upcoming trip to the beach and Beau tried to pay attention to her but his mind kept traveling back to that empty seat beside him.
"So, you're coming, right?" Mckayla asked again, and Beau nodded absentmindedly.
"Sure, sure," he muttered, eyes trained on the door at the few stragglers trailing into the class.
Edith wasn't one of them.
When the bell rang, Mckayla hesitated before going to her own seat and Beau hoped he hadn't hurt her feelings.
He had a feeling that she might like him and that made him a little uncomfortable. He was already terrible at talking to people his own age, especially girls—except for Julie— and he was probably going make a mistake and say something insensitive that would hurt her feelings. Or do something weird that would make her feel ashamed for liking him and embarrass himself.
Besides, he was already really into Edith and he wouldn't want her to think he was into Mckayla. It was misunderstandings like that which ruined relationships before they could even start.
Who was he kidding? The idea of Edith being jealous of him and another girl was a fantasy that had no basis in reality. She wasn't even coming to class because he was so repulsive that one meeting was enough for her to decide that she didn't want to come to school anymore.
He tried to pay attention in class, but his motivation to be the best 'Beau' he could be was gone. He hoped that Mckayla wasn't too offended to share her notes.
He glanced back at her and found her playing on her phone. He shook his head, before forcing himself to pay attention.
He couldn't let his grades drop for a girl…no matter how striking she was, or how much her smile called to him, or…
He groaned, fighting the urge to slap himself.
He needed to focus.
He managed to make it to the end class, then he quickly gathered up his stuff and left before Mckayla could catch up with him.
Julie was waiting for him outside of the gym.
"How did it go?" She asked, bouncing with excitement.
"It didn't," Beau said, watching all the excitement disappear from her face, "She didn't show up,"
She took one look at Beau's face and hugged him, her arms slipping around his waist. Beau let his arms lay limp at his side for few seconds, until she started to pull away, his arms instinctively moving to keep her close. Julie paused, and Beau let his arms fall back to his side, so she could move away.
"You know, her absence has nothing to do with you, right?" Julie asked, putting her hand on his arm, and before Beau could say anything, they heard Mckayla calling their name.
Beau frowned and gently moved away until Julie's hand slipped from his arm,
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," he stated, and Julie nodded.
"Got it," she said, pushing him away from the class, "Go to the library or something, I'll keep the wolves at bay,"
"I can't skip class," Beau said, and Julie smirked.
"You're not skipping, you're resting after a taxing emotional event," Julie corrected and Beau shook his head.
"I'll be fine," he said, walking past her, toward the locker-room, "Just…keep Mckayla away from me for a little while,"
"Aye. Aye, captain!" Julie saluted, marching like a soldier toward Mckayla, who looked confused.
Beau's lips spread into an involuntary smile. Julie may have been goofy, but she was also loyal to a fault. By the time, Beau came back, Mckayla and Julie were gone.
When he got into the gym, Mckayla smiled in his direction before turning away from him without a word.
He shot Julie a questioning look but Julie just smirked.
"I'm very persuasive," she said simply, and Beau decided not to ask about it.
The coach decided to have them run laps today, and Beau cursed under his breath. It wasn't that he was a horrible runner. He had to outrun a lot of bullies back in Phoenix. He was just more of a sprinter, and he'd rather not have to run around in a circle with a bunch of sweaty people.
Beau hadn't been running for long, when Julie ran effortlessly next to him, already on her second lap.
"How…are you … so fast?" he huffed, out of breath, and Julie laughed, her breathing easy and strong.
"I told you, I like running," Julie grinned, "You'd be in better shape if you ran with me, Beautiful,"
Beau gave a breathless chuckle, then Julie sped up, going for her third lap. Julie waved at Mckayla, as she passed her and Mckayla gave her a tired glare. After Julie completed her fourth, and final, lap, she continued running next to him until he finished.
Julie tried to keep him distracted from his unease over what happened to Edith, but Beau has had a very overactive imagination and a really, really, really, high level of self-loathing. That was a bad combination now when he's trying to convince himself that he's not the reason Edith didn't show up.
When class ended, Beau changed back into his regular clothes and headed to his locker to get his stuff. He was stuffing his books in his bag when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder but no one was there.
"Hi!" Julie said, and Beau turned to see her standing on his other side, giggling.
"Aren't you tired after all that running coach made us do?" Beau asked, exhausted.
"Nope," Julie chirped, swaying back and forth, with her hands behind her back, "You want to stop at Taylor's dad's Bakery on the way home?"
Beau shrugged.
"I have to stop at the store and pick up some dinner for Charlie," Beau said, closing his locker, and heading out of the building.
Julie skipped beside him and he wondered why she was so damn cheerful all the time.
"We can do both!" Julie said, grabbing his arm. "We'll stop and get some ice cream and then go get the groceries so you can make dinner. I'll help!"
"No," he stated, leaving no room for argument, "I'm too tired to socialize,"
Julie sighed and tightened her grip on his arm.
"Cheer up, Beautiful," she says, "There's always tomorrow,"
Beau made a face and Julie let go of him, causing him to stumble.
"Klutz," Julie giggled, and Beau shoved her shoulder gently.
"Shut up," he grumbled, making his way to his truck.
Julie hopped in the passenger seat, and Beau closed her door for her, before heading around to the driver's side. He started his truck, cringing at how much noise his truck was making and Julie rolled her eyes.
"Stop being so insecure, loud motors are cool," Julie stated, fiddling with the radio. "It means your truck has character,"
"You know, when you're not in the car, I turn off the radio and enjoy the silence," Beau said, and Julie shot him a look.
"Sure, sure…only you could find silence to enjoy and worry about a loud engine at the same time," Julie said, and Beau smirked, looking across the parking lot, where he noticed Edith's family getting into a shiny Volvo.
He loved his truck. It fit him…but god, what he wouldn't give to have something like that.
"You should try talking to them," Julie suggest, not looking at him, "Hanging with her family would really boost your chances with her,"
Beau didn't reply. He took in their expensive clothes and glanced down at himself. He liked his clothes, no matter how old they were, and he had a feeling he wouldn't really fit in with the Cullens & Hales.
Beau shook his head and drove away.
The Thriftway was not far from the school, a few streets south, off the highway. It was nice to be at the supermarket; it felt normal. Beau did most of the shopping at home, so he fell easily into the pattern of the familiar job, while Julie stood on the front of the cart, grabbing random snacks off the shelves while he pushed.
When they got home, Beau unloaded all the groceries, reorganizing the cupboards till everything was in a place that made sense, while Julie dumped her bag of snacks on the counter; Cheetos, Munchies, Twizzlers, a big bag of mini chocolate bars, and two cartons of Ben and Jerry's chocolate Fudge Brownie and cake batter ice cream.
She passed him the snacks, so he could put those away too, and jumped up on the counter, so she could watch him, with the chocolate fudge brownie ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other.
"You eat too much," Beau commented, once he had organized everything to his satisfaction, and Julie shook her head.
"You can never eat too much ice-cream," Julie said and scooped out an enormous spoonful of ice-cream and stuffed it into her mouth.
"You are so going to give yourself brain freeze," Beau warned, and Julie ate an even bigger scoop. "Seriously?"
Julie swallowed and smirked, "I never get brain freeze. I'm too hot,"
"Or maybe it's because there's nothing to freeze," Beau joked, and Julie stuck out her tongue.
"Shut up, neat freak," she said, as Beau turned away from her to work on the prep for dinner. "What are you making?"
"Steak and potatoes," Beau stated.
"Boring," Julie huffed, resting her head on her fist.
"Simple," Beau corrected, marinating the steaks, "Women always think things need to be extravagant,"
"Just like a man. Always going for simple," Julie hopped down from the counter to help. "I'll make the potatoes,"
"Thank you," Beau smiled, "Hopefully you're better at helping than my mom,"
Julie laughed, and Beau froze, realizing that he'd forgotten to let his mother know he made it home. He put the marinated steaks in the fridge and turned to Julie.
"I'm going to go message my mom and let her know I'm okay," he said, and Julie nodded.
"Go," she said, sticking toothpicks in the potatoes. "I got this,"
Beau ran up the stairs two at a time and fired up the old computer in his room. He had three messages in his inbox.
The first was from yesterday.
"Beau," his mom wrote.
Write me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining? I miss you already. How's Julie? I'm almost finished packing for Florida, but I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it? Phil says hi.
~Mom.
Rene sent the next one only a few hours after the first.
Beau,
Why haven't you e-mailed me yet? What are you waiting for?
~ Mom.
The last was from this morning.
Beaufort Swan,
If I haven't heard from you by 5:30 p.m. today I'm calling Charlie.
Beau chuckled and checked the clock. He still had an hour but he figured that he might as well message her now.
Mom,
Calm down. I'm writing right now. Everything is great. Of course, it's raining. I was waiting for something to write about. The school isn't bad, Julie transferred to the same high school as me so I'm not alone. I kind of forgot about her birthday during the move, so if you could give me some gift ideas, that would be great. I also met some kids who sit by me at lunch.
Your shirt is at the dry cleaners—you were supposed to pick it up Friday.
Charlie bought me a truck, can you believe it? It's awesome. It's old, but really sturdy, which is good, you know, for me.
I miss you, too. I'll write again soon, but I'm not going to check my e-mail every five minutes. Relax, breathe. I love you.
~Beau.
Beau sent the email and decided to straighten up his room a little before he went back downstairs; changing his sheets, throwing his dirty clothes in the hamper, etc. Then he heard the front door bang open, and jumped, glancing at his clock and, seeing that he'd been upstairs for an hour, hurried downstairs to check on the food.
"Beau?" Charlie called out when he heard him on the stairs.
"Hey, Dad," Beau greeted, "Welcome home,"
"Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots, just as Julie came running out of the kitchen.
"Welcome home, Charlie," she sang, and Charlie smiled, spreading his arms just in time to catch her.
"There's my favorite girl," he chuckled, as Julie jumped into his arms laughing.
Beau shook his head, ignoring the weirdness that was going on in front of him, and made his way to the kitchen. Julie had already put the potatoes in the oven, so Beau poked them with a Fork, glad to see that they were finished, then pulled them out so he could put the steaks in.
"What's for dinner?" Charlie asked, from behind him and Beau glanced over his shoulder.
"Steak and potatoes," Beau answered, and Charlie looked relieved.
"Great, I could use a steak after the day I had," Charlie said, and Julie shot him a look.
"Boring," she coughed into her fist, trying to cover the word but Beau still heard her.
Beau tilts his head to the side and gives her a pointed look.
"You know, you talk a lot for a girl who burned dinner on my first night here," Beau stated, and Julie glared at him.
"Shut up. I made the cake, didn't I?" Julie said, and Beau raised an eyebrow.
"Store bought," he coughed into his fist and Julie's nostrils flair.
"I'm going to go…see what's on television," Charlie takes a step back, not wanting to get in the middle.
Julie and Beau had a stare down for about ten seconds, then her lips twitched, and Beau smirked.
"So, you admit that I'm the better cook?" Beau said, and Julie grinned.
"You're lucky that I think you're so hot or I'd kick your butt."
Beau couldn't help but laugh, loudly.
"Me? Hot?" Beau choked out and Julie nodded.
"Yeah, with your pretty blue eyes, fit physique, and that smile," Julie actually took a step back, her hand over her heart, as she pretended to swoon.
This time Beau held his side, laughing hard, and Julie stood there smiling. Only Julie knew how to make him laugh like that. Julie slapped his shoulder.
"Come on, let get cooking," she paused, waggling her brows, "Mr. Hot,"
Beau snickered, as he made a salad while the steak cooked, and Julie set the table.
"We should have gotten more ice cream," Julie grumbled, and Beau smiled, behind her back.
"Your sweet tooth is going to get you in trouble one day," Beau commented, and Julie smiled.
"But today is not that day," Julie replied, pulling out a bag of skittles from the cabinet.
Beau finished up dinner, while Julie tossed skittles in the air and caught them in her mouth.
"Dinners ready!" Julie called, and Charlie sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.
"Smells good, Beau." He said, catching a skittle in his hand, that Julie tossed his way.
"Thanks," Beau said, feeling a little proud.
"Nice reflexes," Julie complemented, batting her lashes, and Beau gagged a little.
"Julie, stop flirting with my dad! He's like four times your age!" Beau hissed, punching her shoulder softly.
"Then get a less attractive father," Julie said, bumping him with her hip, taking the seat beside Charlie, across from Beau.
Last night, when Beau made dinner, he and Charlie ate in an easy silence that wasn't awkward. Both of them liked quiet. In some ways, they were good roommates.
Julie didn't believe in quiet dinner.
"So, how was work, dear?" Julie asked, resting her head on her chin and looking at Charlie through hooded lids.
Beau knew she was only doing this because he told her to stop.
"Work was fine." Charlie said, "I finally caught the kid who was stealing those bikes. Had a talk with him and his parents who wanted him to stay the night in jail to stop him from being a criminal."
Julie giggled, tucking a stray strand behind her ear. "You're so good at your job. It's no wonder they made you chief,"
Beau started angrily cutting his steak, as Charlie's neck flushed.
"Thanks. A lot of people take what I do for granted," Charlie smiled, and rustled her hair, "But not you Julie."
Julie beamed, and Beau started cutting harder.
"You two are worse than a married couple," Beau grumbled, making Julie's smile wider. "It's sickening,"
"You know, son, girls like Julie are hard to find and you should always treat them like the jewels they are," Charlie said, and Beau's knife scraped the plate. "As a matter of fact, I'm sure she'll make some lucky boy a fine wife."
"Dad, stop flirting with my friend," he said, firmly making Charlie and Julie snicker like children.
"Relax, Beautiful," Julie said, gently kicking his ankle. "You know I love you too,"
"Love to mess with me," Beau grumbled, and Charlie slapped his shoulder.
"So, how did you like school, son? Make any friends?" Charlie asked once he settled down.
"Well, I have a few classes with this guy named Jeremy. I sit with him and Julie's friends at lunch. And there's this girl, McKayla, who's friendly." Beau shrugged, trying hard not to mention Edith. "Everybody seems pretty nice."
"That must be McKayla Newton. Nice girl—nice family. Her dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here." Charlie commented, and Julie's eyes lit up.
"Hear that Beau," Julie chimed in, smirking, "Kayla might be a pretty solid investment. You should give her a chance,"
"Beau's got a girl interested in him already?" Charlie questioned, looked up with interest and Beau groaned.
"Yeah, our boys finally becoming a man," Julie said, wiping away an invisible tear.
"I'm not your 'boy' and Mckayla's not my type," Beau said, through gritted teeth and glared at her.
"Why not?" Charlie asked, then sent a not so subtle glance in Julie's direction, "Got another girl on your mind,"
Edith sent him a small smile as she passed his table and Beau felt as though he'd been struck by lightning.
"Not really," Beau said, ignoring the look Julie sent him, "Do you know the Cullen family?"
Julie face palmed.
"Dr. Cullen's family?" Charlie looked surprised by the change of subject, "Sure. He's a nice guy. A little distant but okay."
"I've seen his kids around school," Beau tried to keep his face impassive. "They seem a little…different,"
"Yeah, they're something special alright. All those kids are well behaved and polite," Charlie took a bite of his potatoes, "You know I had my doubts when they first moved in, I thought those kids would probably be troublemakers. But they mostly keep to themselves, going on camping trips every other weekend." Charlie paused, looking at Beau and Julie. "We should go camping sometime,"
Julie choked on her glass of water and Charlie patted her on her back.
"Beau? Camping?" Julie said, and Beau agreed.
"No thanks," he said, "I'm more of a..." Beau trailed off.
"Hermit? Recluse?" Julie joked and Beau smirked.
"I was going to say homebody," Beau stated, then turned to Charlie, "But yeah, what she said,"
"I just thought it would be a good way for us to bond," Charlie shrugged, "Fine, but don't say I didn't try,"
"Why don't we bond in front of the TV instead?" Beau suggested.
"Or you could take a father/son cooking class?" Julie jumped in.
"I already know how to cook," Beau said, and Julie made a face.
"Are you sure? Because the steaks a little dry," Julie said, putting more dressing on her salad.
"Be quiet and eat your dinner," Beau ordered, pointing his fork at her.
"Yes, Dad," Julie sassed, before taking a bite of her salad.
"You shouldn't talk to women like that, son," Charlie frowned, and Beau rolled his eyes.
"It's just Jules, dad," Beau muttered and Julie pouted.
"Are you saying that you don't see me as a woman?" Julie asked, offended, kicking him in the leg hard.
"If the boot fits," he said, leaning down to rub his sore shin, and Julie's eyes narrowed.
Julie smirked at him, then turned her face away, shoulders shaking, and then turned to Charlie.
"Do you think I'm not a woman, Charlie?" she asked, her eyes welling up with fake tears, and her bottom lips quivered.
Charlie tensed, looking caught in a trap.
"Of course, you're a woman, Julie," Charlie said, shooting him a look that said If-She-Cries-You're-Grounded-For-A-Month.
"Thanks, Charlie," she said, and shot Beau a wicked look, before resting her hand on his father's shoulder, "I hope one day, I'm lucky enough to find a man as charming as you,"
Beau stabbed his potato with his knife and cut it down the middle.
"I'm sure you will, Jules," Charlie said, patting her hand, "You're a really sweet girl."
"Cut it out," Beau growled, and Charlie went back to eating, while Julie stared at him with flirty eyes.
They spent the rest of dinner in silence, Julie staring at Charlie, Beau glaring at her, and Charlie looking back and forth between them with a bemused expression. When everyone was finished, Charlie cleared their dishes, Beau washed them, taking his time scrubbing everything clean, and Julie dried, passing them to Charlie who put them in the cabinet.
"Thanks for dinner, Charlie," Julie said, before turning to Beau, "We should work a little on our project before I go,"
"You're not staying over?" Charlie questioned, and Julie grinned.
"Nope," Julie said, popping the 'P'. "I can't keep leaving my dad alone. He might get jealous,"
"Come on, Jules," Beau called, grabbing his bag, and heading up the stairs.
"Coming," Julie said, following him.
Once in his bedroom, Beau proceeded to set their books and notes on the desk, while Julie bounced on the bed, swinging her legs back and forth.
"Beau?" Julie called, softly and Beau glanced back.
"Yeah?" he said.
"Do you want to talk about Edith?" Julie asked, laying back and spreading out.
"Not really," Beau said, honestly. "Let's just do our homework, okay?"
"Okay," Julie says, patting the bed next to her and Beau gestures towards his desk. "It's comfier here,"
Beau sighed but brought his stuff over to the bed. Last night, while he was trying not to think about Edith, he made a timeline for hamlet and wrote out all the big differences that the change of gender would bring to the story, looking up names that would work for the sex changed different characters, and recreated a few scenes.
"Wow, you really are a nerd," Julie said, with a wink, "I better step up my game,"
"What did you do?" Beau asked, as Julie lifted up and pulled out her notebook.
"I rewrote chapter 1-3 and I'm halfway finished with chapter 4," Julie state.
"When did you have time to do all this?" Beau asked, impressed, and Julie smirked.
"I did most of it after you went home last night and I did the rest during Spanish and government," Julie said, and Beau gave her a disapproving look.
"You shouldn't work on homework during class," he said, and Julie huffed.
"Fine," Julie mumbled and handed him the notebook.
Beau looked it over and they worked on the rest of chapter 4 and the beginning of chapter 5 together. After a while, Beau started cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders.
"Where's it hurt?" Julie asked, putting her hands on his shoulders and Beau rolled his shoulders again. "Here, it'll be just like old times,"
Julie's hands kneaded into muscle and Beau groaned when Julie rubbed the spot above his left shoulder. Julie kept it up and soon the sounds became less pained, as Beau relaxed.
"You're still the best," Beau sighed, and Julie smiled.
"Thanks, I'm glad I could help," Julie's hands made their way up to his neck and Beau stopped thinking.
After a few minutes, Beau turns around to face Julie, a soft smile on his face.
"Thanks,"
"Your welcome, Beautiful," Julie said, and Beau sighed.
"I really needed that." Beau said, "This thing with Edith is really getting me down,"
Julie's hands fell away and she scooted back a little.
"You're my best friend, you know that?" Beau turns around completely and Julie pats his cheek.
"Please, We're more than best friends." she scoffs, standing up, packing her stuff in her bag, before glancing at him over her shoulder, "We're soul mates,"
"Soulmates?" Beau questioned, getting up.
"Yeah, we're going to spend the rest of our lives together. You with Edith, if she ever pulls her head out of her ass," she rolls her eyes, "And me with a Chris Pine, and we'll live across the street from each other and have double dates every Wednesday night and -"
"Whoa! Whoa!" Beau blurted, panicked. "You've really thought this out,"
Julie grinned, "Of course I have and I have to say that, ten years from now, we will be awesome!"
"And you really think that I'm going to be with Edith?" Beau questioned, unsure.
"I'm sure you'll be with someone who loves you and makes you happy," Julie corrected, "If you want that with Edith, I'll support you,"
"You still think I've got a chance with her?" Beau asked, and Julie slapped him on the back.
"Hell yeah!" Julie cheered, "Once you really talk to her, I'm sure you'll win her over."
"I wish I was as optimistic as you," Beau said, and Julie put her bag on her shoulders before hugging him.
"That's what I'm here for. I bring the laughter and hope and you just stand there, bat those pretty blue eyes and be pessimistic, Beautiful," Julie joked, "So you ready to give me a ride home?
Beau hesitated, "Are you sure you don't want to stay? We can do our math homework together,"
Julie gave a small giggle, "You just want me here to keep your mind busy. Sorry, babe, I got to go home. But I'll sleepover tomorrow."
"Fine," Beau says, standing up, "Let me get my keys,"
Julie shakes her head.
"I'll get the original Mr. Hot to give me a ride," she says, and Beau glares.
"Please don't try to seduce my father," he begged, and Julie grinned.
"I make no promises," Julie says, then paused, a predatory look on her face and Beau froze.
"So, Beaufort," Julie called, sauntering over to where he was standing, until there was only a breath of space between them, "You really don't think of me as a woman?" she asked, leaning close so that their lips were barely a centimeter part.
"Um," Beau swallowed heavily and Julie smirked.
"Beaufort," Julie whispered, leaning forward tracing her finger along his jaw line. "My beautiful blue-eyed boy,"
"Julie," Beau took a deep breath, eyes flicking down to her lips, "What are you doing?"
"Don't worry about Edith." Julie leaned back and Beau knew his face was red, "Relax and when the time comes, she'll fall into your arms,"
"Good night, Julie," Beau said, heart pounding, as he stepped back and sat on the bed, pulling his math notebook into his lap.
He didn't know how she could bounce back and forth between being happy, teasing, supportive and a seductress. He'd never figure out women.
"I'll call you when I get home," Julie promised, as she left.
Beau waited until he heard Charlie's cruiser leaving the driveway, before getting up, and moving to his desk to finish his math homework by himself. Beau worked on his homework until he was too tired to keep his eyes open, then he fell asleep, exhausted.
…..
The rest of the week was dull. Beau got used to his classes and was learned the names of most his classmates. He and Julie turned in their assignment and got an A-, which was good, but not exactly good for his be himself in overdrive plan.
Edith Cullen didn't come back to school.
Every day, Beau watched, pretending he wasn't looking, ignoring Julie's teasing, until the rest of the Cullens/Hales entered the cafeteria without her. Then Julie would force him to make conversation, intervening whenever Beau said something awkward or insensitive.
People were hard to understand sometimes. They got offended easily and Beau wasn't trying to be cold, he just didn't like talking that much, so he mostly tried to keep his answers short. Mckayla invited him on the group trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks and Beau except accepted because he loved the beach; even if wasn't hot and sunny like in Phoenix.
By Friday, Beau was totally comfortable entering his Biology class, no longer worried that Edith would show. Julie said she was smart, so she probably hadn't dropped out of school…but what did he know? He decided tried not to think about her but found his mind constantly wondered about her. She was so mysterious and he hoped he hadn't scared her way with his attention.
His first weekend in Forks continued without incident. Charlie worked most of the time. Julie came over a lot or they hung out at her house, or in her garage. She kept him from sinking into his head and pulling away from the rest of the world.
He wrote his mom more e-mails because he didn't really like talking on the phone, talking to Julie on the phone didn't count because she mostly did the talking. She gave him a few gift ideas for Julie and Beau wrote them down, unable to decide which Julie would like more. He got ahead on his homework, despite Julie's attempts to get him to come hang out with his classmates outside of school.
He'd rather stay at home and read. Books were much easier to understand than people.
You couldn't make a book cry.
He also cleaned the house, making Charlie and Julie help. They complained but gave in rather quickly. It took a while, but six hands were better than two.
He drove to the library on Saturday with Julie and Erica, who Julie had invited along without his permission. It was a tight fit in the truck, but they made it work. Julie offered to sit in Erica's lap and Erica turned red as a Christmas tree until Julie explained that she was joking.
Beau didn't want to get a card because there wasn't anything interesting he hadn't read, but Julie said that they would be getting a new shipment of books soon and he'd regret it if he missed out. Erica checked out a few more books and Julie ended up reading to some kids in the children's section. Beau couldn't help but picture how Julie would look with kids of her own. She'd be a good mom. Julie tried to encourage him to join her, but Beau hated kids. They were loud, sticky, and were always picking their noses. It was gross.
The rain stayed soft over the weekend, quiet, so he was able to sleep peacefully, and loosen up a little.
Which is why the next day, it snowed, because…fuck his life.
"I don't understand why you don't like snow," Mckayla said, as Beau glared at his classmates, daring one of them to hit him with a snowball.
He should've just stayed home today.
"What is there to like?" Beau snapped, "It's cold, it's wet, and it makes you sick!"
"Have you ever even seen snow?" Mckayla asked, and Beau nodded.
"Of course, I've seen snow before…on TV," Beau admitted, and ducked, just in time for a snowball to hit Mckayla instead.
She glared at him and Beau rubbed the back of his neck.
"Sorry," he said, inching away slowly, "Uh…I'm just going to…yeah,"
Beau left before Mckayla could get revenge, making sure to stay away from anyone holding icy white balls of death. He made it all the way to lunch before someone managed to strike him.
"Heads up, Beautiful!" Beau heard before he was hit in the back of the head with something cold and wet, making him fall face first into the snow.
Beau raised his head slowly, eyes blazing with inexplicable rage, and while Julie stood there smiling innocently.
"Um…It was an accident?" Julie said, but it came out more as a question and was discredited as she backed away slowly.
Beau pushed himself up to his feet, and brushed himself off, before bending down to grab a handful of snow. Julie took off running and Beau tossed flung his poorly made snowball in her direction, with an enraged cry, and it hit…just not the person he was aiming for.
Edith was standing there, her hair full of snow from where his snowball had struck, staring at him surprised. Beau stared at her, shocked.
His life sucked.
Forks, Washington, June 25, 1996
Beau was in her house waiting for his dad to get home from work and was in a bad mood about something. He had been moping around her house for the last two hours and Julie was resolved to get him to smile if it was the last thing she did.
"I'll give you my cookie for that PB&J." Julie held out her oatmeal raisin cookie because no one could frown while eating a cookie, it was like the law or something.
Beaufort made a face.
"I do love your mom's cookie's," he mumbled, "But my dad made this for me,"
Julie knew how rare it was for Charlie to attempt to cook something. Beaufort bit his lip and Julie shook her head.
"I got an idea!" she stated, breaking the cookie in half, and gestured for Beaufort to do the same with his sandwich.
Beaufort finally smiled as the traded their lunches, proving that Julie was right, as he happily munched on Julie's mom's cookie.
"Thanks, Jules," he said and Julie beamed, taking a bite of her PB&J.
"This is good!" she chirped, "The only thing missing is some milk,"
Beau nodded and both children stared down at their plates in silence.
"Want to go get some?" Julie asked, breaking the silence, and Beau looked unsure.
"Won't we get in trouble?" Beau asked, and Julie grinned, grabbing his hand.
"No Way! Mom doesn't care if we make a mess in the kitchen!" Julie said, and Beau's hand tightened around hers.
"Okay," he said, and Julie patted his head.
"Good boy," she said, "Now let's get that Milk!"
They snuck into the kitchen and Julie got the milk, while Beau climbed on the counter to reach the glasses.
Crash!
Julie jumped in surprise and looked back at Beau who had managed to drop both glasses to the floor and break them. He stared at her, eyes wide, then clumsily slid off the counter to the floor.
"Do you think anyone heard that?" Beau asked, nervously, and before Julie could say anything, they heard Julie's mom calling for them.
"What am I going to do?" Beau asked, looking around, "Your mom's going to be mad. She's going to yell at me, and tell my dad, and ban me from her house!"
Sarah came into the kitchen and took in the scene in front of her. Two kids staring at her in horror, and two broken glasses on the floor.
"What happened?" she asked, gently and Beau's mouth started opening and closing like a fish.
Julie looked at her friends, who looked three seconds away from a panic attack.
"I broke the glasses!" Julie blurted, "I'm sorry mom,"
Beau looked confused and started to say something, but Julie covered his mouth with her hand.
"I just wanted some milk, so I climbed on the counter and I dropped them," Julie continued, and Sarah smiled.
"It's fine, sweetie," Sarah said, seeing through the lie, but keeping her mouth shut. "Charlie called and said he's going to be late, so I told him that you could sleepover here and he could come get you in the morning,"
"Yay!" Julie cheered, "This is going to be the best sleepover ever," Julie said, quickly, grabbing her friends hand and dragging him from the room.
Later that night, Beau gets out of his sleeping bag and stands next to Julie's bed, where she is sleeping peacefully.
"Julie," Beau whispered, shaking his sleeping friend.
Julie continued snoring softly as lightning flashed and thunder cracked.
Beau yelped in pure terror and buried his face in his friend's neck, his hands trembling where they were balled into her shirt.
"Mm, Beau?" Julie muttered, sleepily, rubbing his eye with her fist. "What's going on?"
"I don't like thunderstorms," Beau sniffed, and Julie lifted her blanket so he could slip in beside her.
"It'll be alright, Beau," Julie comforted him, wrapping her arms around her. "I won't let anything happen to you,"
"I'm sorry you had to lie to your mom for me," Beau said, and Julie smiled.
"It's okay," Julie said, and Beau shook his head.
"I don't know why you'd want to be friends with me," Beau said, quietly, "I don't want to be friends with me,"
"Shh, I'll never stop being your friend," Julie swore, kissing his cheek, "Forever and always, buddy,"
"I love you, Julie," Beau smiled, his words almost drowned out by the storm, "You're my best friend,"
"I love you too, Beau," Julie replied, burying her face deep in the crook of his neck, "More than anyone,"
Author's Note: Hey, guys! I'm sorry about this. My story was unexpectedly taken down by the administrators for some reason. Anyway, I've decided to take this chance to fix some spelling mistakes I may have made, or some P.O.V. I'm going to start reposting my story a chapter every few days until I get back to where I left off. I had a lot of reviews, followers, and favorites, and I'm sad to have lost them.
I had a lot of reviews, followers, and favorites, and I'm sad to have lost them.
So, please review and/or PM your thoughts, feelings, wants, desires, ideas, etc
Beta review by GoogleHawk.
Thank You GoogleHawk for everything :)