I'm sooo incredibly sorry for how long it took me to post this chapter.
Junior year has turned out to be way harder than expected. Add to it that my school happens to be an intense boarding school and you get like double stress. I'm doing my best to get chapters written and posted but you've got to bear with me.
I hope that the story turns out to be worth the wait. I'm trying my hardest and you've got to remember it's my first one.
Thanks for sticking with me!!
Enjoy!
EPOV
Did she almost just say what I think she almost just said? She couldn't have just almost said what I think she might have almost just said. If she did almost say what I think she almost said then that means that she might almost possibly could still love me.
OMG she's gorgeous, clearly that Massachusetts air..
"EDWARD!"
"Huh, what?" Snap out of it Edward. This is Bella, just act normal. What am I doing, I'm having an argument with myself, in my head. What is wrong with me? I'm going INSANE.
"Edward, Edward. What is wrong with you? You look like you're about to go insane."
Insane? Is it really that obvious how much I'm freaking out right now? This can't be good. I just need to calm down. "Insane? No, not insane. Where were we?"
Okay, pause. I just need to calm down and think. I'm pretty sure it's my turn to talk, which means, time to tell Bella my story. Where should I start?
"Okay, so you know everything that happened before you- left. Well after you left I didn't have any idea where you had gone. I thought you had been kidnapped; we all did. I mean I was freaking out and your disappearance wasn't helping me deal with everything else. You were what held me together, you kept me sane. I didn't understand how you could run away from that. I mean I know that I was putting a lot on you but I needed you. I sound really selfish but you were my best friend. I needed my best friend."
I paused. I had almost just said what I think she almost said earlier. Now I understand why she didn't finish that statement earlier. If either of us said that things would get more complicated than they already were. Focus, not so much intensity.
"So the funeral was a few weeks after you left, it was the worst thing I've ever had to go through in my life. The saddest part was, I cried more when I found out that you were gone than I did at the funeral. I spent that whole week and the next couple months focusing on Alice and making sure that she was okay, especially once dad started drinking more and more. About a week after the funeral he would be out every night. Sometimes he wouldn't even come home, and if he did he would pass out on the couch in the first five minutes. It was a couple months after the funeral when it got really bad. He quit his job and started drinking almost 24/7, and that wasn't even the worst part. When he got really drunk he started getting violent. At first it was only directed towards me. But he started yelling at Alice and the first night he hit her was the night that we left and never looked back."
I paused. Before we ran away was the worst part of these past few years. I hadn't looked up the whole time and I figured now was better than ever. I looked over at Bella and her head was resting on her knees. I couldn't see her whole face but I could see the light reflecting of the tears running down her cheeks. I knew first hand how hard this story was to comprehend, but the best part was yet to come. I kept talking, hoping she would see that it wasn't all bad.
"Alice and I didn't exactly know where we were going. We were just kind of wandering. After a little over a week we some how ended up in this small, way too green town of Forks. I had never heard it before. We were planning on leaving again in about a day, but then Alice got sick. I had no idea what to do. I brought her to the nearest hospital, which happened to be here. She was taken in immediately, and the doctor who was treating her, Carlisle, turned out to be an insanely nice guy. He found out that we didn't have any place to stay while we were in town and invited us to stay in his guest room. We accepted knowing that we wouldn't get any better offers and went home with him to meet his family. They were the nicest people I could imagine. His wife Esme is an interior designer and so sweet. She is an amazing cook, and will use any excuse to bake! They have one son and a daughter; Emmett and Rosalie. Technically only Emmett is their son but they're all part of the family. Rosalie is Emmett's girlfriend. In middle school, when Rosalie's parents died in a car accident, she moved in with the Cullens. The Cullen's were like her second family so it wasn't too big of a change."
I paused again, trying to figure out how I should continue. "Alice and I stayed there for a few weeks and were getting a bit too attached. That wasn't a good idea since it was highly unlikely we would be able to stay. I figured it was probably time to leave. We packed all our bags and I went to talk to Carlisle about it. He asked me where we were going to go and I tried to bull shit my way through the conversation but he saw right through me. I ended up telling him our whole story and he asked me if Alice and I would like to stay with him and his family. We accepted, knowing we wouldn't be able to leave."
Now was another hard part. "We were doing really well for a while. Alice got better and we started school here. Life was good. After we were pretty much settled in we heard that dad had been arrested for multiple DUI's and some other charges. Hearing about dad again Carlisle asked me if I wanted to do anything about what dad had done to Alice and me. I decided that it was probably the best thing. Don't get me wrong Bella, I love my dad but he really needed to get over himself. We called the police and charges were pressed for child abuse and child endangerment. He's been in jail since. After that, I thought things were going to go back to normal. But here we are a year later and a girl I never thought I would see again walked into my 8 am chemistry class in Forks, Washington."
I stopped. That was all I could put out there right now. I need to stop and think about all of this. Bringing it all back up is difficult. I thought I put all the stuff with my dad behind me after he was arrested. Plus I should probably give Bella some time to process.
"That's really nice Edward. I mean that you've found some place you belong, not that other stuff." She sighed and we returned to being silent for a few more minutes.
"Clearly…Maybe…uhh." Bella stuttered. I could tell she was struggling. What was she trying to say? What is she trying to say? This is so frustrating. I just wish that I could see inside her head. See what she is thinking.
Maybe even see the reasoning for her leaving, and not telling me. Because there is obviously more to the story, I can see it on her face, more that she isn't telling me. Even if there is more I am not too sure that I can handle it. My brain is running too fast for me to comprehend. It's thinking about all of the possible things that she might not be telling me. I can't focus on that right now. I keep telling myself but my brain won't listen. I need to focus, think about what she just told me, not what she left out. She just spilled the whole past two years, which is what you need to focus on right now. Okay focusing.
Mom died.
Dad threatened Bella.
Bella disappeared (left).
Bella didn't call.
Dad started drinking more.
Dad started getting violent.
Alice and I ran away.
Alice and I ended up in Forks.
Alice got sick.
We met Doctor Cullen.
We became part of a family.
Dad got arrested.
Bella still didn't call.
Bella showed up in Forks.
I'm still missing something.
Before today I knew about almost all of it. What I didn't know before today was why Bella left, and where she ended up. She ended up at boarding school, with her step brother. I didn't even know she had a step brother.
We had been processing for almost fifteen minutes. Maybe I could get an explanation.
I glanced at my watch. It was getting late and people would probably be wondering where I am. We should go back, Bella can meet everyone, see Alice, and then we'll continue this conversation.
"Bella.." I paused, not wanting to startle her out of her thoughts. "We should probably get back to my house. It's almost time for dinner. You can stay if you want. You can see Alice, and meet everybody else. What do you think?" I waited anxiously for her answer.
She seemed a little taken aback. "Umm. Yeah sure, I'll stay. Thanks Edward."
We got up and headed back towards the stream. She seemed to need a little bit more support now that it was darker and we'd been sitting for a while. That was okay with me though. We got back to the edge of the woods and headed towards the house.
I'm hoping the next chapter won't take so long. I've got ideas for the next few. The only problem is finding time to write. I've got a break coming up soon so I'll work on it like insane!
Review please. Any ideas for the story, let me know. I could use some inspiration. Never knew it before but writers block is a bitch.
K & A
