M E S S Y
cHaPtEr 8
I told Mike it had been a long day and I was still a little dizzy, so we arranged our little outing for the next day, around nine in the morning. He met with Eric later in the day and I didn't have to meet with Edward, since he was being discharged and sent home. Mr. Banner asked me to give him a day or two to adjust to life back home, and that was exactly what I planned to do. I wasn't sure I'd be able to look at him so soon after.
Thinking of his face—full of hatred, rage, and confusion—made my arm hurt. I clenched the bandages to relieve the pain. All I wanted was sleep, so I went home and did just that, leaving a quick note to Charlie that I felt ill and that I hoped he could fend for himself if he came home hungry. I was till nauseous, so I had no need for food myself. I was out before my head hit the pillow.
I had nightmares. Blood-filled nightmares about Edward. He was killing himself and I was unable to move, stuck in the corner, petrified and useless, forced to watch him die alone. I screamed his name, but he couldn't hear me. And then my voice was gone and so was he.
I woke up sweaty and cold, having kicked my sheets off the bed. Charlie was hovering over me, hands on my shoulders.
"You alright Bella?" My eyes flew around the room, checking my surroundings as if making sure I was really awake. Once I saw the room was clear, I relaxed. I looked up to meet Charlie's gaze.
"Yeah. Just a nightmare." His mouth turned down in a frown, and I could see he blamed it on the program, but I refused to let him say anything, and flopped back down into my pillow, pulling my covers back up. My father straightened up and nodded a good-night before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him.
I turned my head to look at the time, and the clock blinked 2:37 at me in big, red numbers. Hadn't Charlie been wearing his uniform? He'd just gotten in at half-past two in the morning. Just how hard was this case? I decided to ask him in the morning. I rolled onto my side and fell back asleep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My alarm blared in my ear at quarter to eight, rousing me from my dreamless sleep. I lifted my head from my pillow to glare at the source of the noise before slamming a hand down on it—at the wrong angle. The alarm stopped, but I had pain shooting up my arm. I cradled my hand against my chest until it became nothing more than a dull throb, and pulled myself from the comfort of my mattress over to my closet.
I pulled out something to wear—nothing formal, since this was only a coffee-outing between friends (if you could even call us friends, since we'd known each other for only a few days)—just a pair of jeans and a mint-green turtleneck sweater that I hoped still fit me.
After I showered and blow-dried my hair, I found that it did fit, but it was snug. I thought nothing of it at the time, though, and just headed downstairs, grabbed a pop-tart, and turned on the kitchen TV for the morning news. A quick glance at the clock told me I had half an hour before I needed to leave. I got more comfortable, propping my feet up on the counter as I chewed.
In other news, a murder has been committed on the south side of the small town of Forks, Washington. The body of a young girl—whose identity has not yet been confirmed—was found in an alley late Friday night. She was covered in cuts and bruises that suggested rape, but no extensive testing has been done, and therefore it is impossible to determine the cause of death.
I wondered if this was the case Charlie was working on. My eyes flickered to the clock once more and I flipped off the TV and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair.
The bruise I'd gotten yesterday was now huge and purple above my left eye, right along the brow line and descending to my left temple. Gently I put a little pressure on it and winced. It was too tender to touch, so I'd have to skip the makeup. If Charlie hadn't seen it last night, he definitely would today. I sighed and got my toothbrush out.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Fifteen minutes later I was sitting at a table in a little café not far from the hospital. I had my hair pulled up into a simple ponytail and I was looking around for mike Newton. He was nowhere to be found. I sighed.
Maybe he'd stood me up. Maybe he'd only been joking about this entire thing and any minute know one of his friends would come along and take my picture as evidence that I fell for this stupid prank, and then Mike would have it to hold over my head every time he—
"Bella?" I snapped from my daze to see Mike Newton waving a hand in front of my face.
"Oh! Sorry, Mike, I was zoning out." I chuckled apologetically.
"It's fine," he said, and pulled out the chair across from me. "Sorry I was late. I work with my mom at our sporting good store and someone knocked over a display and I had to clean it up." He rolled his eyes, but he was laughing.
A waitress came to take our order, and I took a quick look at the menu for the first time since I'd been there. I ordered the first thing I saw; blueberry muffin and mocha-chino. Mike ordered without glancing at the menu, and then the waitress was gone. Mike never looked away from me. I had a feeling it was the too-tight top I was wearing. I wasn't the curviest of women, but I was a full B-cup, and when a tight sweater was stretched over that, it had to look curvy. I crossed my arms, but quickly uncrossed them when I realized that made my chest look bigger. I hunched my shoulders a bit and that seemed to do the trick.
"So," I said, trying to break through his daze. "How's everything with Eric?"
"Pretty good," he smiled. "He's a cool guy. He was just depressed. He took his mother's pills—for her depression—and tried to take the whole—" I tuned him out after that, nodding my head when appropriate, but not really listening. I was thinking more about Edward, trying not to see him as he had been when I'd last laid eyes on him.
The waitress came with our order and I was thankful to have something else to distract me. I wouldn't have to look at Mike the entire time. I took a few bites of the muffin, and thought it was good, I had no real appetite. I'd eaten at home, but I was still a little nauseous from the incident yesterday.
"So how are things with Edward Cullen?" He asked. I was jolted back to reality as I thought of that to say. I took a sip of my coffee to stall and tucked my hair behind my ear—a big mistake. "Oh, Bella! What happened to your eye?"
My bruise! I quickly raised a hand to cover it, but the damage was done. Mike had seen it all, and he was going berserk.
"Did someone hit you? It wasn't Edward, was it? Your dad doesn't beat you, right? You can come stay with me if he ever tries anything, okay?"
"Mike, Mike, calm down. I ran into a door the other day when I wasn't looking forward while walking. It's not a big deal."
He eyed me. "It looks like it hurts."
"It's a little sore, but it'll be gone in a day." I waved my hand. "Nothing to worry about." I could tell he didn't believe me, but he let it go and instead repeated his question.
"Edward is…quiet. He's not very open, doesn't like to talk at all. He's actually…" I searched for the right word. "He's actually quite bratty. And he says he's a monster. He…" I shuddered as I remembered. "He tried to kill himself again in my presence. Yesterday." I quickly thought of a way to relate the bruise so that Mike would believe me. "That's how I got this. I was running to get the nurse to stop him and I hit the doorjamb."
"He seriously tried to kill himself?" Mike seemed distant, and I could tell he was thinking of his past with Edward when they were friends. I gave him a moment.
"I don't think he was himself, Mike. He's under emotional stress and he's unstable. I mean, that doesn't exactly mean it's okay to try and kill yourself, but if he was…normal, I don't think he would have."
We'd finished our coffee so Mike paid—despite my protests that I'd pay for my half—and we went for a walk. We were silent for most of it, Mike was still thinking, and I was as well, possibly both of us on the same subject—Edward Cullen.
I couldn't stand to see him hurting. I knew absolutely nothing about him and yet I felt like we were close friends. We never were, not like Mike. I wondered how this was affecting him.
"Hey," I said softly, nudging his hand with mine. "How ya holding up?"
"Hm," he hummed. Not really an answer…
"Look, I know it's hard. And I know I've never had a close friend do that…but my mother did. So I know what you're going through. But there is a bright side to this." His eyes flickered to mine, silently asking what that could be. "At least he's not dead. He didn't actually finish the job. My mother did, and she didn't even give warning like an attempt. It just…happened." He looked at me sympathetically. "No, it's okay. I'm over it, really. I just don't want anyone else to lose hope like that. That's why I joined."
We were turning around and heading back to our cars. "Thanks, Bella. You really cheered me up."
My brow furrowed. 'Then why can't I do the same for Edward?' I thought, and then scolded myself. I was here to be a friend for Mike, not to constantly think of someone else. How rude, even if he didn't know what I was doing.
"I'm glad I could help." I said cheerily. Just as we arrived at the parking lot, Mike stopped me.
"Hey, listen…" I tensed. He was going to ask me out again. "This was…fun. I was wondering if you'd like to hang out more often? Just as friends, of course." He added the last bit after seeing my face. My shoulders relaxed and my features softened.
"Sure, Mike. That sounds fun.
We said goodbye and I got in my truck and headed off to the Center. Mr. Banner had promised me Edward's address, and I was going to go tomorrow. I wanted to make sure I could map-quest directions, though.
And I prayed things would be better since he was in his home and not the hospital.
A/N: Sorry this took a little longer than I thought. Family issues, holiday plans, and the end of vacation are a little overwhelming. I'll be returning to school on Monday, so updating might be a little less frequent. Please stay faithful. I won't abandon this story! Reviews make me happy!
