I've always been the type of person to wake up early. Not because I'm a morning person but because it's my pattern. I always woke myself up for school, even as a kid. Then I'd wake mom up for work. But today I woke up extra early, it was so damn cold. I was freezing. I'll admit, when I first woke up, I was a tad confused. This isn't my room. Only... it was. I wrapped my blanket around me tightly and grabbed my phone to check the time. 5:36am.
It was Friday today, and I didn't start school until Monday. So I didn't have a reason to stay up but knew sleep would be impossible right now. My window was closed and I was in my normal PJs- an old t-shirt and thin plaid bottoms. Might be time for thicker clothes and sleeping with the heater on.
I really wanted a shower but didn't know when Charlie got his and I didn't want to ruin his schedule, if he had one. I layed in bed for a little bit, not really knowing what to do. Scrolling through Facebook got a bit boring so I checked my texts. None. My heart fell a bit and I tried to feel better by rationalizing that mom's phone probably died. Maybe she forgot her charger. I should have reminded her.
Finally, at quarter after six, Charlie woke up. I waited until he was out of the shower to go downstairs. I found him in the kitchen, making a pot of coffee. He turned around when he heard me come in.
"Morning, Bells. You're up early."
"I always am." I shrugged.
"Morning person? I'm not in the least bit!" He said with a laugh. "Make yourself at home, really. Coffees there, I'm sure you can find yourself something to eat... Oh, right! There's money in the jar on top of the microwave, it's always been for groceries but honestly it's become pizza money. Get the groceries and anything you need. Doesn't have to be today but it's there."
"Thanks dad, I appreciate it. I promise I'm a decent cook!"
"You better be!" He called out on his way out the door, closing it behind him.
When I heard his car leave, I made my way over to the stairs, reminding myself there's no need to run and get hurt.
I soon found my way over to the tree in the back, having that glorious morning smoke. I sighed softly. It really is the small things in life. I stubbed it out at the base of the trunk and hid it in the overgrown grass, just like I had yesterday. I made my way back into the house, excited to be alone.
First on the list was a shower. I entered the bathroom and stared at the shower knob, thing to remember how this one works. Luckily, it wasn't hard, and I stepped into the warm streams, revelling in the smell of my strawberry body wash and in the way the hot water seemed to get the knots of stress out of my neck and back.
A little while later, I was dressed for the day. Nothing fancy, just light faded skinny jeans and a long sleeved shirt. My hair was carelessly thrown into a messy ponytail. I had a mug of coffee poured and sitting on the table, still hot, as I got up to check the inventory in Charlie's kitchen. I hesitated a little; going through his stuff felt wrong but I needed to make a list.
Upon inspecting, I groaned out loud. He was not joking. All he basically had was a lot of fish, bread, butter, a couple frozen meals and a box of Cheerios with the bag open. I rolled my eyes and threw it into the garbage. I could tell just by looking at them that they were stale.
I was definitely going shopping today.
I sat back down at the table, sipping my hot coffee, as I wrote a list of what I needed.
As far as I know, or at least what I remember, Forks only has a few place to go. The grocery store, Newtons sporting goods, The Lodge, a pizza place and a small cafe. I decided to stop at the cafe for breakfast first, seeing as how stale Cheerios are not my thing.
I left the house and stepped into the light mist. I walked to the truck- my truck, and climbed in thankfully without incident. I froze. What's that smell? Smoke. Cigarette smoke. Billy is- or at least was- a smoker and must have smoked in here. I let out a small giggle; luck was on my side. I took my phone, lighter and smokes and put them in the cup holder. Patting my jeans to make sure I had my wallet, and I was soon off.
I didn't exactly know where the cafe or grocery store was. But I figured Forks was so small, I could find it easily enough. I grit my teeth as the rain picked up. I was determined to enjoy my day of solitude and not let that piss me off. Too much.
The cafe was called "Joe's" which I thought was funny as I assumed it was intentional because coffee is sometimes called Joe. Joe's as the opposite way of school so it was thankfully mostly deserted. I pulled in the empty back parking lot and shut my truck off. With little thought, I glanced around, rolled my window down a bit and lit my smoke, leaning back in contentment.
I would never have done that if I thought someone was around. That would embarrass Charlie.
The grocery store wasn't hard to find either. I was used to big cities so this was a walk in the park. I pulled up as I was finishing my blueberry muffin. Quickly drinking the rest of my coffee, I hopped out of my truck and went into the store, actually excited.
I was back home and putting away grocerues by one o'clock. I didn't go crazy, just what I thought I'd need to cool actual meals. I organized all the cupboards. After everything was all done, I took a step back to admire my work. It felt more at home, while weird, fresh fruit on the counters.
I knew I wanted to cook tonight but I wasn't sure what to make. I ended up going to my room for a bit, watching Romeo And Juliet. Even though there was a modern twist, I still love it. Any kind of classic has a spot in my heart.
When the movie was done, I decided to make a simple dinner: fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and broccoli. I wonder the last time Charlie had fresh vegetables. As I left my room to go downstairs, my phone buzzed.
"My phone died! Can I call you tomorrow? We love and miss you, Bella Bean!"
Hearing from my mom brightened my day. Maybe I was overreacting before. I had a little smile playing on my lips and my heart felt warm.
