Chapter Eleven: Blame and the Gang
I woke up the next morning, got dressed in some comfy faded jeans and a t-shirt, then went down stairs to make breakfast. When I got to the bottom I saw Jake stretched out on the couch and Embry on the love seat with Uncle Charlie in the recliner. Billy's snores could be heard from the guestroom down the hall.
I walked into the kitchen and started cooking up enough breakfast to feed a small army. With Jake and Embry I would need a lot of food. Add in Uncle Charlie and Billy? Regular portions wouldn't be enough.
I started with the pancake batter in a large mixing bowl and then moved on to the bacon and sausage. By the time I was done I had been standing at the stove for two hours and had three plates stacked high with pancakes. Two plates stacked with sausage and bacon. A large dish of hash browns and four eggs on each of the guy's plates and two on Bella's and my plate. I heard the guys starting to stir so I ran upstairs and took a quick shower and got dressed. When I was done I stopped at Bella's bedroom door and lightly knocked.
"Bella breakfast is ready, you should come down if you want first crack. The guys will devour it if you don't." I said from the door way.
"I'm not hungry." Bella snapped as she slightly shifted in her bed.
"You have to eat something. You haven't eaten since lunch yesterday." I said opening the door a little more.
"It's your fault." She said sitting up in bed and glaring daggers at me.
"Excuse me?" I asked confused.
"He left because he didn't like the treatment he received. You made him leave with your horrible attitude and always avoiding us like you were too good for us. You caused him to leave me. You broke my heart." She sneered with tears starting to fall down her face.
"Bella they moved. Dr. Cullen got a job offer and took it in L.A. Edward had nothing to do with his father's decision. I played no part in his leaving." I said firmly. Walking forward into the room and closing the door to keep from waking the guys. I had to make her see reason and understand my logic.
"Yes you did! You worthless little orphan! You had everything to do with it! You just had to ruin my happiness! Couldn't stand that I was getting all his attention, could you?! Had to make him leave you good for nothing, worthless attention whore!" Bella screamed and I felt the tears start to form.
"If that's how you feel. Don't ever expect anything from me again and I won't even bother to call you family anymore." I said and walked out of her room and down the stairs as the tears began to fall. She had hit a sore spot by calling me an orphan, and she knew it too. As I was about half way down the stairs, Uncle Charlie started up the stairs to check what all the screaming was about.
"What happened?" He asked looking worried about the tears.
"I told her to come down for breakfast and she told me she blames me for Edward's leaving and called me a worthless orphan!" I sobbed as I passed him and walked into the kitchen and grabbed a paper towel to wipe the tears. I felt arms wrap around my waist and I turned into them. I looked up to see Embry was the one who had me and snuggled in more to the crook of his arm.
"It's alright, Anna. She didn't mean any of it. It's just the heartbreak." He whispered.
"No it wasn't. She meant every word." I said as I dried the tears.
"I told her if that was how she felt that she should never expect anything from me again and I won't consider her family." I said and turned to the microwave and pulled out the food and put it on the table and then to the oven and grabbed the rest and called Jake and Billy in to eat. Uncle Charlie had gone upstairs to check on Bella.
Uncle Charlie came down a few minutes later and grabbed a plate for Bella and took it upstairs but didn't stay this time. He walked right back down and grabbed me in a bear hug.
"Under no circumstances are you worthless. You mean so much, to so many people. Your parents may not be here, but they would be if they could, and they would be so proud of you. I'm not making excuses for Bella, but the lack of sleep and the stress in getting to her from yesterday." Uncle Charlie whispered before taking his seat and settling in to eat.
After breakfast Embry and Jake helped get Billy in the car as Uncle Charlie tried to coax Bella out of her bedroom. I dropped Embry at his house as Tiffany came running out.
"Is she alright?" Tiffany asked, referring to Bella.
"She's fine. Just tired and cold." I told her with a fake smile. She nodded and gave me a smile and a warm hug before heading back to the house. Embry gave me a peck from the backseat before hopping out of the car. I pulled out and headed down the road.
Jake and I helped Billy out of the car and into the house. Once Billy was inside I tapped Jake on the shoulder and pointed towards the beach. He nodded and followed as I walked acrossed the yard and down the path that led to the beach.
"What's on your mind?" Jake asked, as if he didn't know.
"You know what's on my mind. Why were you cringing away from Sam and those two other men?" I asked.
"Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron. Last year after Sam dumped Leah, over the summer, they bulked up and went missing for a day and then started hanging out with Sam, except it was more like puppies following their master. It's sickening." He spat.
"The last few weeks they have been watching me. It's like their waiting for me to do something or to join their little gang. I've talked to dad about it but he says they're not part of any wrong doing that their doing good for the tribe. Apparently they ran off some drug dealer during the fall. But the way they seem to follow and watch me, it creeps me out." Jake said while hanging his head, ashamed that he had to admit weakness to a girl.
I wrapped my arms around him and gave a tight bear hug. Jake hugged me back and when we pulled back Jake gave me a stiff nod and we began to walk down the beach, back towards Billy's.
"Speak of the devil." Jake muttered as three men came out of the trees onto the beach.
"Hold on." I said and I walked over to them.
The three men stopped walking and watched as I walked over to them.
"Sam, I would like to thank you again for finding Bella last night. It would have crushed Uncle Charlie to lose her." I said extended my hand for him to shake.
He nodded his head and captured my hand in his."Glad to have been able to help." He said in a deep timber.
I nodded. "And may I ask if it is necessary to watch my friend Jake that you try to be a little more inconspicuous?" I said with a smile and nodded to Jared and Paul before walking back to a waiting Jake.
The two men behind Sam stared a little wide eyed as Sam stood with a smirk.
After a few feet, I heard them chuckle.
"She's spunky!I like her." One of Sam's flunkies laughed, causing the other two to laugh and me to smirk.
I nodded to Jake to start walking that I was right behind him and walked back with him to Billy's in time for me to make lunch.