(I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS)
"And here I go.. Another lovely week rotting away in the confines of Forks High. To quote a movie I happen to love.. If anyone ever hears me call these the best years of my life, man.. Just hand me a loaded gun." Bianca muttered grimly as she slid her skateboard into it's holder on the backside of her bookbag and shoved a stick of peppermint gum into her mouth, staring at the building in front of her with utter disdain.
She loved learning, she loved reading, expanding her mind, don't mistake that. What she didn't love so much were the people who she attended school with. Outside of her few friends, the Misfits they called themselves, she could really give two flying fucks in space less if the remainder of the school's population got taken out in a zombie apocalypse. Shouldering the door, she caught herself standing next to Bella Swan who to her surprise, gave a slight nod in her direction.
She gave her a mock salute and then said quietly, "If assholes could fly.." with Bella finishing, "Let me guess.. This place would be an airport, right?"
"Exactumundo."Bianca said as she made her way down to her locker, grumbling a few obscenities under her breath when she found the word Trash scrawled across her locker once again, in hot pink lipstick. She shot a look at a few of the school's preppier girls and rolled her eyes, flipping them off before setting to work attempting to wipe the damn word off with her black long sleeve thermal t shirt. A tap to her shoulder had her turning, giving Bella a raised brow. "You? Look.. Told ya this weekend.. Not into that whole pity thing." Bianca said as she stared at the tissue in the girls hands with a raised brow.
"Look, just take it. There's no sense in ruining a good shirt on pink crappy lipstick. Besides, at least someone didn't write nutjob on your windshield last week. Now that.. is a bitch to clean off." Bella said as she leaned against the adjoining locker, watching the younger girl intently, her father's suggestion from that morning still bouncing around in her mind.
Warily, Bianca took the tissue and started back to work wiping off the word on her locker as she swore up a storm under her breath, pink cheeked with anger and embarassment. When she finished, she looked up and to her shock, Bella was still standing there, as if she were going to say something, but she wasn't exactly sure what.
"How does all this, everything they do to you not bother you?" Bella asked tentatively as Bianca shrugged and said quietly, "Because I know they're a bunch of small minded fucking retards. Why do you let it get to you? I mean you have what, a year tops left in this hellhole before you get to leave it all behind? Why let what they say about you behind your back get to you? Hell, I'm a sadist, but if I were you? I'd use it to my advantage, make people scared of me." as she looked up at the taller dark haired female with amusement.
Bella considered what the younger girl said for a moment and managed a slight stoic grin as she shrugged and said "I've never thought about it like that. I just.. I've been too wrapped up in the pain? I don't actually know.."
"Fuck these fuckin fucks, Swan. The sooner you realize that? The better off you'll be. We good or..." Bianca said as she looked at Bella who said quietly, "Actually, seeing as how I don't actually have any friends right now.. And you seem to be good at alienating anyone who might even consider liking you.. Wanna go to First Beach with me later?"
"As in La Push?" Bianca asked as she shook her head and said "Nah.. I mean no offense, but there's this one group of guys on the res there, they sorta creep me out? One of 'em's always staring at me if I have to go into the gas station there on my way back from driving my drunk ass mother back from a bar on the other side of it. Or he has been lately.."
"Yeah, that'd be Uley and his friends. Jacob doesn't like them, either." Bella said quietly as she added, "It might seem pathetic, but I was going to go and confront Jacob today. About his leaving that letter in my truck instead of telling me like a man that he didn't want to be friends with me anymore.. I just.."
"You didn't want to go by yourself?" Bianca guessed as she asked, "Are you really that hard up for companionship?" with a curious grin.
"Sort of?" Bella said in a questioning tone as she looked at the shorter brunette and bit her lower lip. Bianca sighed and then thought it over, said quietly, "This time.. But this is NOT charity. I don't want pity or charity friendship. Got it? Fuck fake people."
"I'm not.. I'm actually not being fake?" Bella said as Bianca studied her a moment and then said with a shrug, "I'll believe it when I see it, Swan." before shutting her locker door and turning, walking away down the hallway, her red and black plaid micro mini skirt bouncing a little behind her as she walked away.
Bella stood there, brows raised. The girl was probably the most complicated person on the planet to figure out.. But when her father told her everything she went through, Bella couldn't help but feel bad, she couldn't really help but want to at least keep trying with the girl.
After all, if not for Bianca and her meeting on Saturday, she'd probably not have even seen a glimpse of what she might turn into, given enough time. Not that it'd be an entirely bad thing, and she completely understood, now at least, why Bianca was that way, but still.. For the most part, she most certainly did not want to turn into someone that jaded and angry, she didn't want to become that bitter.
Bianca slid into her chair in class, sat there pretending to listen to the lecture the teacher gave on some equation, but she couldn't stop wondering why Bella kept trying to seek her out since their little chance meeting on Saturday. She had to have an alterior motive right?
Everyone had one, it seemed like.
She just had to stay a step ahead of Bella, that was all. She bit her lower lip, scowled as she heard some of the snobby girls behind her laughing and making comments about her mother's latest 'drunken behavior', she'd walked into a gas station in town drunk, promptly been thrown in the drunk tank in jail and at least 3 of the 'golden kids' at Forks High had seen it..
The bell was ringing before she knew it and she sighed as she stood and got ready to walk out and to her next class. By the end of the day, she was more than ready to just get home and clean the damn house, and she'd forgotten all about promising Swan she'd go to La Push with her until Bella caught up to her in the parking lot as she stood near the road, thumb out.
"Hey.. I thought you were going with me?"
"Oh, shit.. My bad. I just.. It's been a day, alright? Are you sure you want me going? And why me? I mean why not Stanley or one of those girls?" Bianca asked in curiousity as Bella sat with her truck idling in front of her.
"Because, Bianca, those girls are the ones telling everyone here that I'm losing it. And frankly? I'm a little bit tired of looking pathetic. Besides.. I think we both know you don't actually want to go back to your place." Bella said as Bianca glared a moment then muttered "Good point." before warily opening the door to the truck, getting into the passenger side.
The ride to La Push was quiet, Bianca and Bella spent most of it thinking about whatever was on their minds or staring out the window. Finally, just as the reservation came into sight, Bianca caught sight of the boy with the dark brown hair who kept staring at her and she ducked down, biting her lip as she said "Damn it.. Shittttt..."
"That was just Embry Call.. Jacob knows him.. Or he knew him until Embry ditched him to start chasing Uley and the other two guys around all the time. They're never apart, it's sort of creepy." Bella admitted as Bianca grumbled and then said "How the hell does he do that though? I mean he just sort of shows up like he knows I'm there. It's fuckin unnerving."
"He's not a bad guy, Bianca.. Maybe it's just coincidence." Bella said as she pulled to a stop next to Embry who was kicking at a motorcycle, swearing a little. "Did it die?"
"Hell yes. And in the rain at that." Embry muttered as his warm brown eyes flickered to the passenger, the girl he'd imprinted on a few nights ago. "Who's she?"
"I met her in detention? Her name's Bianca." Bella said as she poked at Bianca, who was making a studious effort in staring out the window on her side of the truck, body turned completely away. "He gone?" Bianca asked aloud as Bella groaned and said "She's not really a people person."
"Fuck you, Swan, in the ass with a spoon. It's not all people.. Just that one, cause he keeps starin at me." Bianca mumbled as Embry bit his lower lip and mentally kicked himself. Okay, so he'd stared at her the past few times he'd managed to 'bump into her' in the past few days.
"Right, because you're something to look at." he remarked bitterly as she turned to look at him, bit her lower lip. For a split second, it looked as if his words might have hurt her. But she snickered and then said "Whatever man." while rubbing her hands together for warmth. She hadn't exactly grabbed her jacket from her locker back at the school when she left. She'd more or less been in a hurry just to get the hell away from everyone she had the misfortune of attending Forks High with.
"Sorry, dude.. I just.. People aren't my strong suit." Bianca muttered as Bella asked Embry, "So, I'm heading over to Jacobs.. Do you want a ride to your house?"
Embry looked around.. Neither Sam nor Paul or Jared were lurking, watching him, and he just couldn't resist the temptation that was getting a little closer to his imprint in his actual human form..
"Are you sure you want to do that, Bella? I mean he's been sick.. " Embry said weakly, as Bella snorted and said "Not sick enough apparently to leave a note ending our friendship. Get in Embry."
Embry squeezed in beside Bianca who made a concentrated effort not to blush or brush against him. His eyes caught on her arms and he felt himself getting angry, wondering who did that to her and why she put up with it. But he managed to calm down and sat rigidly in his side of the truck, staring out the window while a Metallica song, Of Wolf And Man played from Bianca's earbuds.
His driveway came into view and he swore to himself as he saw his mother standing on the porch angry. "Well great.. There goes my afternoon." he muttered as Bianca gave him a slight concerned look and then said "You're gonna be cool, right?" not even sure why she cared to be honest. She didn't know the guy, and the past 3 times she'd managed to bump into him over the weekend, all he'd done was stare at her in this weird way.. Then again, if she really thought about it, she'd been staring at him right back.. Hell, he'd even distracted her to the point that she'd walked into the door at the gas station over the weekend.. There was this unexplainable tension there, for some reason, she felt compelled to him, drawn to him or something...
"Yeah, not a big deal.. We fight a lot but she's not a bad person." Embry muttered as he told Bella goodbye and got out, hoisting his motorcycle down from the back. Bianca rolled down the window and said casually, "The starter on those things are usually hell."
He gave her a thumbs up and smiled to himself a little then muttered "And now I go into the lions den." as he mentally prepared himself for an argument with his mother. They'd been fighting a lot lately, because he was a shifter now and he was sworn to secrecy, the only person he could tell eventually, was his imprint.
And given how his first meeting went with her, he wasn't entirely thrilled with the prospect of having to tell her.
Bella stopped the truck in Jacob's driveway, staring at his porch in determination, biting her lower lip. Bianca looked at her and then said simply, "Just get out and go in there, tell him how pissed you are.. Seriously, do you need someone to hold your damn hand, woman? It's not that hard to do."
"It's not, but.. I'm just.. It's like Edward leaving all over again." Bella muttered as Bianca grumbled and got out of the truck, went around and pulled Bella's door open. "Go in now or I'm going to kick your ass all the way in there." Bianca said firmly, a scowl on her face.
To be honest, she wasn't even sure why she was here with Bella, why she'd initially said yes. The girl both fascinated and infuriated her. She wanted to hate her, but she couldn't help but feel bad for her also. She was one of the lucky ones, the ones with a damn good life, the one with emotions that hadn't all been fucked up over time. She knew how it felt to love and be loved.
And now, apparently, she was finding out how much of a double edged sword love truly was.
Bella gaped at her and then rolling her eyes she said calmly, "Okay, alright, damn it.. I'm going it's just.. Now that I'm here I don't know what to say.."
Bianca laid on the horn in Bella's truck then smirking said "Well you damn sure better start figuring shit out, huh?" while shrugging and walking back down the driveway.
Bella called out, "Where the hell are you going?"
"Away.. I said I'd come with you.. Didn't say I'd stay and watch this shit." Bianca said as she stopped in the driveway, her hand in her hair, looking back at Bella.
Jacob stepped out, watching the two females with a raised brow as he called out, "You should leave, Bella. Now."
From the direction of the woods opposite Jacob's house, Paul and Jared and Sam Uley all said calmly, "He's right, Bella. It's for your own good."
"You jerks have him afraid to leave his own house. That's what this is. It has to be, I mean he was fine until.." Bella started as Paul stared her down, smirk on his face, shaking his head. "We have him afraid of us?"
"You have no idea what you're talking about." Jared echoed as Bianca watched with a raised brow and crossed arms from the hood of Bella's truck, swearing like a sailor on leave about being cold and not having a jacket.
"Who's she?" Sam asked, eyeing Bianca intently.
"She's a girl I go to school with. She came with me.. It was either that or she hitch hiked home and wound up on the night news when a serial killer picked her up. Stop changing the damn subject. He's afraid of you and you all need to leave him alone. Whatever you're doing, he doesn't want in it." Bella said as Paul laughed and Jared nudged him and whispered something, Sam speaking up calmly as he said "Frankly, Bella, what he wants, doesn't matter. Not thanks to certain people.. "
Bella clenched her fists, glaring at Paul who added "And your little boyfriend, Bella.. He's not such a good guy. If it weren't for that prick, this wouldn't be happening." which made Bella mad before she even realized it'd happened and she landed a good firm slap across Paul's cheek.
Bianca whooped from the hood of the truck then called out, "Bella, seriously.. Those dudes are like.. Amazons.. Let's not piss 'em off.."
Bella turned back to look at Bianca, and out of nowhere, she saw Jacob running.. Then he turned into a giant werewolf. She gaped at him a moment and then bit her lower lip, backing away in fear, running to the truck and getting in. Bianca got in, gaping at the fight between the two massive wolves.
"That shit's not supposed to happen.. What the literal fucking hell was that? What did we just see?" Bianca mumbled in stunned shock as Bella said calmly, "There are things, Bianca.. They're real and they happen right under our noses.."
"But that dude just turned into a.. Fuck this.. Get me the fuck outta here, now or I swear to Christ.." Bianca blurted as Bella nodded and said "Good idea. Just gonna go now." to herself, shocked too. But she really should have known it, if she really thought back.. All those stories Jacob told her about the protectors of the tribe and the Cold Ones?
She sighed as she palmed her forehead and then said quietly, "He knew this was going to happen all along.. And what Paul said out there.. Edward's family triggered it.."
"Huh? What the hell does Cullen have to do with that guy turning into a.. A wolf?" Bianca muttered as Bella drove back towards Forks and then said quietly, "Now that you've seen that.. We should probably talk.. I mean you can't unsee it, and the last thing I need is all this getting out."
"Oh no.. I'm gonna get outta this truck and then you and I just are not gonna talk.. We don't mention what we saw." Bianca insisted, not wanting to be dragged into whatever it was she was apparently right in the middle of now, like it or not. Bella shook her head and said quietly, "Trust me.. You want to know what I'm going to tell you. It explains a lot of the weirdness surrounding the Cullen family."
"They're fucking weird. Enough said." Bianca muttered as she lit a cigarette with shaking hands making Bella roll down the windows and glare at her. "Seriously, do you have to smoke?"
"You're not? I'd be downing a bottle of whiskey right now if I got that close to that shit like you did back there." Bianca mused as she sat there, truck idling.
"Look.. There's a lot you don't understand." Bella said as Bianca shrugged and said "Obviously.. And if it's all the same to you, Swan, it's gonna stay that way." as she started to get out of the truck. Bella's next words stopped her though and she turned around slowly, her hand in her hair.
"Weren't you like, running that Haunted Forks blog at one time or another last year? The one with all the supernatural lore on it? This would interest you.. And what you know might help me." Bella tried again. She didn't want this whole thing getting out, for Jacob's sake. Not until she figured out what the hell was going on.
"I was, yeah.. But how'd you know?"
"Because.. I had to look into something and I found the page." Bella said calmly as she got out and then said "Just come up to my room. When I'm done, you can go. Just listen to me, okay? I need to tell someone this or I'm going to keep feeling like I'm walking around with this giant cosmic secret."
"Okay then." Bianca muttered as the two girls walked into the house and up the stairs, into Bella's room. Bianca slid off her combat boots and flopped across the bed, looking at Bella intently, almost impatiently. When she'd told her she'd go with her today, she hadn't counted on being dragged into the middle of a supernatural shit storm of epic proportions, and now that she was, she wasn't entirely thrilled.
But she wasn't entirely hating it, either..
Bella explained everything to her and Bianca asked quietly at the end of it all, "So basically.. You think that Cullen's moving here triggered their shifter gene?"
"Yeah." Bella said as Bianca bit her short black polished thumb nail and then said aloud, "Okay, so suppose this theory is right.. Why are they still doing it now? I mean the Cullens were the Cold ones and they moved.. Right?"
Bella shrugged and then said quietly, "There's more than just the Cullens.. I mean they're the good kind." as Bianca looked at her, brow raised, while fumbling with the sleeves of her long sleeve shirt. "Huh?"
"Those attacks.."
"Yeah, they're being done by wild animals.. Like wolves maybe?" Bianca asked as Bella shook her head and said calmly, "Vampires actually."
"What the fuck? But your dad's a cop and you haven't told him this why?" Bianca asked with a raised brow, wide eyes.
"Because, Bianca.. He's not exactly open minded.. I mean I wasn't either until Edward.." Bella trailed off as Bianca stood and smacked her in the forehead. Bella grimaced and scowling asked "What the hell?"
"That was because you're a damn idiot.. The guy drinks animal blood. And you still love him? He could go off the animal blood wagon one day, Swan.. Then he'll eat you like a flipping cheeseburger. And you still want him back? God.. You are insane." Bianca said as she eyed the older girl in concern.
Bella sighed and said "What we have is special.." as Bianca gaped at her then waved her hands dismissively while shaking her head. "No, Bella, what you two had was weird. Take it from someone who's seen you two around school together. This guy, if he caused all that to happen to you in a little less than two years.. Do you really wanna stick around and find out what immortality might hold? Because that's the only way this thing works.. If you give up your mortality for the guy."
Bella kept quiet about her wish to become what Edward was, her willingness to give up her life to be with him. Bianca was having a hard enough time clearly, grasping what little she did know.
"Question.. If you're torn between that creep with hair and the wolf guy.. Why not pick the one who you'll get to live to be with? I mean you're essentially saying you want to commit suicide to keep on loving this guy, if he were to come back." Bianca asked a little while later as Bella sighed and said "It's not that easy, Bianca."
Bianca coughed and then said "Explain how it's not easy.. I mean the Cullens can't have all chosen that way of life freely.." while looking at Bella. Bella shrugged and said "I don't actually know. I just know that there are different kinds of love and the love I feel for Jacob, while good, is not the kind of love I feel for Edward. It's not as fulfilling. You wouldn't get it."
"Yeah, obviously. Look.. I've had enough insanity for a night.. Gonna go home and try to get the place cleaned while my mom's out. You.. Look.. We're not besties or anything.. But I just think that you need to sit down and really re evaluate your life right now. Because I thought mine was fucked.. Oh man, yours Swan.. It takes the cake." Bianca said as she climbed out Bella's window and down the drain pipe, out of habit. She usually did this at her friends homes, she hardly ever used any of their front doors because like her own family, their families were all a bit dysfunctional.
"Why did she not just go out the door?" Bella mused to herself as she sat in her chair, trying to get the shock of what she'd seen out of her system, not sure what to do now that she knew her best guy friend turned into a giant wolf. Now his distancing himself made sense.
