Yes, a short chapter, but I've been really sick for the past few days and it was post this or post nothing. And a short chapter is better than nothing, right?
Chapter 6
My jaw was set tight while I worked to suppress my tears of disappointment. Why did I let my hopes get the best of me?
I should know better by now.
School was an impossibility. I had no clothes, no shoes, no backpack, no nothing.
What was the point again? The point of anything?
I swallowed hard for about the fifth time in a row as I stared unseeingly out the window at the students of Forks High, blithely changing classes, seeming to be without a care in the world.
I mean, I'm sure they had some cares. But would they be anything like mine? Even if I could come to this school, would I make a single friend?
Onefriend, I prayed silently. That's all I asked if I could ever attend this school. Please, God. Just one.
Is that too much to ask?
Somehow it always was too much. God didn't seem to listen to me anymore.
As I sighed, swallowing my sadness again, a cool hand on my shoulder startled me, and I jumped slightly. Turning away from the window, I saw Mrs. Jane at my side.
"Ready to go, Bella?" she asked, her sharp eyes widening as she noted my tight expression. This woman missed nothing.
She was kinda scary that way.
I nodded, following her to the door.
"We'll see you tomorrow, Bella. Come here first thing in the morning, and I'll have your schedule for you, sweetie," called Mrs. Cope behind us.
I tried to smile at her, but I could tell from her uncertain expression that my attempt at cheerfulness was an epic fail.
Silently I followed Mrs. Jane through the now-empty halls; apparently all the students were in class at this time.
Mrs. Jane unlocked the passenger door of her van, and awkwardly I clambered in. No sooner had we buckled our seat belts when those cool eyes were on me.
"Tell me what's wrong, Bella."
I shook my head, looking straight ahead to avoid her too-perceptive gaze which continued to burn against the side of my face. Did she ever blink?
She hadn't started the vehicle yet, and I had a feeling that she would refuse to do so until I spilled.
So I yielded to the inevitable.
"I don't have a backpack. Or anything to wear," I mumbled.
"Is that all?" Mrs. Jane's voice was practically cheerful. "We have a small fund, given via private donations, to get you a few things, enough to hold you over, anyway."
I turned to her, trying to stifle the hope rising in my chest yet again. And failing. "Really?" I asked in disbelief.
"Really," she confirmed, smiling at my astonishment. Glancing at her watch, she frowned. "Hmm, I don't have time to take you into Port Angeles today before I have to pick up my kids from school. But we can make a quick stop at the thrift store here in Forks, and I'll pick you up a backpack in Port Angeles on my way to take you to school tomorrow. Do you have a color preference?"
I looked at her, jaw agape. "What?" I managed to gasp.
Starting the minivan, Mrs. Jane drove through the parking lot and back onto the main highway. "What color backpack, Bella?"
"Umm," I hemmed. I got to choose my own color? Wow. This was new. I was used to just taking whatever hand-me-downs were thrown at me. Now I had a choice? What a concept.
"Purple?" I asked tentatively. I loved purple, and I never saw it anywhere. Leah never gave me any purple clothing, and my room was completely colorless. Purple was cheerful, and I had so little cheer in my life.
"I'll see what I can do," smiled Mrs. Jane as she steered the vehicle into a tiny asphalt parking lot and parked beside a small square building with a crooked wooden sign hanging from the eaves which read: "Forks Thrift." The large window was hand-painted unevenly with red words advertising "Great Deals Every Day!"
Mrs. Jane turned to me, looking me over from head to toe critically. "What clothing do you have that actually fits you?" she asked.
"Uh, I have these jeans and this t-shirt, and two more t-shirts like this. And these shoes, but they don't really fit," I said, pointing to the navy Keds that were two sizes too big.
"Bella, those jeans and that t-shirt certainly do not fit you properly," Mrs. Jane insisted. "Okay then, we're starting from scratch. Let's get to work; I have to hurry to pick up Alec and Renata from school in Port Angeles by three-thirty."
Forty-five minutes later, we were leaving the thrift store with a couple of hefty bags of clothing containing three pairs of gently-worn jeans that I had tried on to see that they fit; four t-shirts, one of them a classic "Who" concert shirt and three simple plain t's in green, blue, and brown. One was a v-neck and the rest were plain scoop necks. I also had two pairs of shoes: a pair of Keds in black that fit me perfectly, and a pair of black waterproof boots for rainy days that were a little worn but still looked cool. And I had two hoodies that fit me, one a dark blue-and-green plaid and one a plain purple, plus a rain jacket in black that was only a little bit big on me. Rolling back the sleeves once wouldn't be a big deal.
"I'll pick up some socks and panties for you when I get your backpack tomorrow morning," Mrs. Jane told me as we headed toward La Push. "Do you need bras?" she asked practically.
I blushed bright pink. I only had one of Leah's old bras, and it was ratty and at least one size too big.
"I'll take that blush as a 'yes,'" stated Mrs. Jane.
I nodded gratefully.
"From seeing you in the clothes today, my guess is a 32-B. Does that sound about right?"
I shrugged, not really knowing anything about bra sizes. I didn't have a mom during my early teens, remember?
"And probably a size 4 in panties, right?"
I shrugged again, not really knowing.
"Well, I can return anything that doesn't fit right. Just don't remove the tags until you've tried them on and they fit well, okay?"
I nodded.
As we approached La Push, I felt my stomach begin to twist. I clutched my arms over my middle, trying to quiet the nausea that overwhelmed me as soon as I thought of returning to Billy and Jacob's house. This day had seemed like a dream, but now reality was looming. I couldn't help holding my hand over my mouth, hoping I wouldn't get sick in Mrs. Jane's minivan.
And, of course, Mrs. Jane noticed immediately.
"Bella, what is it?" she asked, her eagle eyes kind while missing nothing.
"I don't want this day to end," I whispered through my fingers, too low for her to hear, I thought.
But of course she heard.
"Why not?" she asked, her eyes softening.
"It's been the best day of my life for the last ten years," I continued to whisper, afraid that I would jinx the day if I said much about it.
We pulled into the Blacks' long driveway, then Mrs. Jane parked in front of the house. The Blacks' truck was parked there, too, so they were home as Billy didn't drive any longer now that Jacob has his license.
I was surprised when Mrs. Jane also opened her door and walked toward the house with me, carrying my large bags of new-to-me clothing; I thought she would just drop me off. I looked at her with wide eyes, wondering what she was up to.
She smiled grimly, assuring me, "Let me walk you in and have a word with Mr. Black and his son."
I couldn't return her smile. Mrs. Jane was walking into a powder keg ready to explode at any minute, but I couldn't help admiring her drive and tenacity.
I opened the front door, feeling rather odd doing so; I very rarely left the house, so returning to it just felt weird. The television was on, and Jacob lay sprawled across the sofa in front of it, Billy seated in his wheelchair at his son's elbow. Neither looked up when we walked into the room.
"I need to speak to you for a moment, Mr. Black," Mrs. Jane spoke with an authority that snapped the eyes of both Blacks immediately to her tiny form. Turning toward me, she handed me the bags she carried. "Take these to your room, Bella. I'll see you at 7:15 tomorrow morning when I pick you up for school."
I nodded, giving her a tentative smile as I slipped down the dark hallway and into my room, waiting for the explosive argument I knew was coming after all that had happened today...
FanFiction(dot)net is being a royal pain in not allowing me to edit the italicized words that they're jamming together without proper spacing. I'm trying to re-upload to change it, but I don't know if it will work...
I apologize again for the short chapter. I've been flat-on-my-back sick since Saturday, and I wanted to at least post something for all of you. Usually my chapters are longer, but something is better than nothing, right? And I have a feeling that this argument might be rather epic...
Thanks so much for reading and for reviewing! Reviews make my day, and I don't get many of them, so please drop me a line! I respond to nearly all reviews!
I hope to be back to posting on my regular schedule soon: Pinned but Fluttering mid-week and Evening Star on weekends.
Thanks again for everything! Love to you all!
-Cassandra:)
