CHAPTER 04
TROUBLE IN PARADISE
"This isn't fair! You didn't even ask me if I liked either of them, Charlie!" Bella demanded as she stood in the doorway of their kitchen, her hand on her hip. Vivienne laughed and then said calmly, "Oh my god, we forgot to ask Queen Bella if somethings cool with her, let's all just stop what we're doing and kiss her ass..." before staring Bella down, shoulders squared back, fists clenched.
For the better part of the past 30 minutes since her mother and Bella's father announced they were getting married around Thanksgiving, the 4 members of the soon to be blended family had either been screaming at each other, or in the case of Vivienne's mother and Charlie, playing referee. "And by the way, Bella, really don't give a flying fuck in space as to whether you like me or not.. Charlie makes my mother happy. She tries to make him happy, but she kinda can't with you lurking around, fucking up everything she tries to do for him and making her look bad."
"Vivienne, I never said that.." her mother warned as she looked at Vivienne and added, "And your mouth, young lady.. I don't care how mad you are, it's not a reason to swear like a sailor on leave." as Bella spoke up and said "I don't do anything."
Rolling her eyes as she looked at Bella, Vivienne said "Oh really.. So you're not the one who started an argument between them earlier in the week, right? While I was at cheer practice?"
Her mother gave her a silencing look and she sighed, shoulders slumping. The fact that her mother wasn't fighting back was really starting to piss her off.
"Ughh, seriously, Mom, you're defending that stupid little... Even after she's done and said all that mean stuff to you? Mom, really.. I thought you always said to fight back, fight for what you want?.."Vivienne said as she looked at Bella and then said whisper quietly and in a deathly calm voice, "You're done. You've finally done it, Bella, and so help me God, whatever it takes, I will get you back for this shit if we have to move because you force your father to choose between being happy and making you happy."
"She's not going to make me choose anything. This is going to happen, Isabella Marie, whether you like it or not.. And if I find out you have been going behind Ava and trying to make things look bad, trying to make me think she's doing or saying things she's not, you're going back to your mother." Charlie said calmly as he added, "We love you both.. And we love each other. And all of this arguing between you two is making all of us miserable. And Bella's already..."
"Bella, sir, wouldn't be in that predicament, if she'd get her head out of her butt." Vivienne said as she buttered her garlic cheese toast and took a bite, forcefully while glaring at Bella who glared right back.
"Ms. Grant, do you like the fact that you've raised a bully?" Bella asked casually, knowing it'd start another argument, she'd gotten quite good at doing things like that with Vivienne's mother and her own father. It sort of made her falsely happy when everyone else was as miserable as she felt.
"At least she didn't raise a creepy little zombie bitch with dependency issues." Vivienne muttered unheard through a mouth full as Charlie gave Bella a warning glare and Vivienne's mother sighed, looked at Bella and said calmly, "We've figured out what you're doing, Bella, and that's going to stop too. That's why your father and I think that before we do this, merge together as a family fully, we should all go to counselling."
"I'm not doing anything. Why do I have to go to counselling? That's not even fair, seriously." Bella insisted as she looked at Vivienne and gave her a dirty look to which Vivienne responded to by calmly elbowing her in the side beneath the table, out of sight.
"We're all going, numbnuts." Vivienne muttered as she took a few more bites of her food and then asked aloud while not meeting Bella's gaze, "Did Bella here tell you guys she had a motorcycle crash?" while eating her food. Bella tensed and her father gave her a stern look and said calmly, "What's this about?"
"With Jacob. He made me ride one alone, Dad."
"Somehow, I doubt that, Bella." Ava muttered to herself as Charlie turned to look at her and asked, "What'd that mean?" before looking right back at Bella, intently, waiting on an answer. Bella gulped down her soda and then muttered something, went to leave the room, her father told her firmly, "Sit down. Now.. What's this Vivienne's telling me about you crashing a motorcycle, Bella?"
"Well, it was an accident.. Jacob's got two bikes.."
"That she bought for him, sir." Vivienne muttered with a brief look in Bella's direction before continuing, " She's been using those bike lessons to try and kill herself I think. And cliff diving, sir."
"But YOU did it too!" Bella hissed, her calm leaving quickly now, her anger surfacing quickly. Vivienne said with a laugh, "Bella.. I didn't dive off alone.. I dove off with the guys. You, however, sulled up and refused to jump with someone. Said nobody would care what happened to you.. Or were you just being melodramatic again?"
"You're dead, Vivienne." Bella hissed as Vivienne continued, "Anyway, she fell off the bike, after she deliberately ignored everyone screaming at her to slow down."
"How do I know you didn't mess with the brake?" Bella blurted as Charlie said calmly, "Girls, enough. Bella, you get in the den with me, right now. We're about to have a serious discussion.."
He stood and Bella followed him out, Ava high fived her daughter and smiled a little then asked, " How do you really feel about it, I mean? Marrying him.."
Vivienne smiled and said quietly, "Truthfully, Mom, the guy's probably the first guy you've moved us in with that I haven't wanted to murder in his sleep.. I like him.. I mean he's not really my dad, but he does try with me. I'm not just something that's here to be ignored like with the other guys. And he's really helped me adjust to living here a lot, even if he can kinda be a dork sometimes."
Her mother laughed and the argument in the next room started with Bella glaring at her father. "She's not mom.. And she hates me, Dad.. Vivienne's trying to come between us too.. She said one way or another, Charlie, she's not going to stop until I'm in Florida, and she's here, and you are her father."
"Don't you think you're being a little unreasonable, Bella? I mean you do keep popping up when she's out with Jacob.. I don't know what's going on there, but they seem to like one another, and from what Ava tells me, Vivienne doesn't really let many people close to her." as he stared at his daughter a few moments. He'd thought she'd be over this Edward thing by now.. Was there more to it than he realized?
"He was my friend first, Dad." Bella said calmly as Charlie said "Well, apparently, that's all you two are going to be is friends. And Edward wasn't a good guy.. Didn't you get that when he left you in the woods like that? I wasn't impressed with that myself. And as far as I'm concerned, Bella, you should move on. You're only 18, you've got your whole life ahead of you to find the right guy. Edward wasn't it." calmly.
Bella gaped at him and said quietly, "I love him, Charlie.. Like you used to love my mother.. Before this Ava woman butted in."
"No, your mother and I thought we were in love. We obviously weren't, Bella. She left, remember?" Charlie asked quietly as Bella sighed and nodded then said "Edward left too. And now Jacob's got his head so far up Vivienne's ass that I can't even tell where one starts and the other stops. It's not fair, it really isn't.. I mean I've been trying to take all this in stride, Charlie, but I hate them both."
"And I love Ava. She loves me in return. So whether you like this or not, Bella, it's going to happen. Now, you are going to tell me what really happened out there with those bikes, starting with where the hell you got the money. It better not be the money you've gotten from working at Nelson's, that's for college." Charlie said as Bella crossed her arms, remained silent and looked at him in determination.
"If you don't shape up soon, Bella, you will be in Florida with your mother. No excuses, no questions, no explanations." Charlie said calmly as he slid open the door between the den and the kitchen.
Bella stormed out, shoving past Vivienne on her way up the stairs as she whispered calmly, "This means war.. One way or another, Vivienne, this wedding? Not going to happen. That's my father, this is my life and you've messed it up for me enough."
"Bella, why in the hell do I care about messing up your life, really? I mean from where I stand, you're doing a damn good job of it on your own." Vivienne said in amusement as she leaned in, holding Bella's arm and whispered, "A little tip, Bells.. Don't play games with a girl who can play them better. My mother is happy and your father deserves happiness and one way or another, Bella, they will have it.. Just like Jacob.. He's sick of you doing all this. If you had any real dignity, you'd stop."
"I know things about him, Vivienne.. Things you don't know.. And if I were you, I wouldn't get so smug.. There's probably only one real reason he even knows you exist right now." Bella said as she smirked and jogged up the stairs, slamming her door shut on her way into her room.
"God I hate that bunny burning psycho." Vivienne muttered as she shivered and walked back into the kitchen, flopping down into the chair at the table, saying to her mother and Charlie, "I wanted to congratulate you both.. I mean I haven't seen my mother this happy, ever, sir.."
"You're going to help Mom out right? With the wedding?" her mother asked her as Vivienne nodded and said "Definitely, Mom." which made Charlie smile a little and then say "At least one of you isn't as mad as hell at me right now. But I think Bella might come around sooner or later. I hope at least."
"I'm concerned about her, sir.. I mean it's not my place, but.. That thing with the bike kinda freaked me out." Vivienne said as she bit her lower lip and said "And she really, really hates me because of Jacob."
"She's just got to get used to all of this. She's never been good with changes." Charlie explained as Vivienne nodded and said quietly, "Probably the only thing we have in common." before excusing herself. The arguing all afternoon had been exhausting.
Ohmigosh, thanks for all the love and the 8 reviews so far. This story is kinda anti Bella, and it's also addressing the plot bunny "What if Jacob ditched Bella in New Moon? Never imprinted on Renesmee?" because yeah, those are two things in the series that annoyed me..
But anyway, thanks, you guys are truly amazing, and I'm so happy you all liked this so far.
