Chapter 11.
It's been three months since I left Dortmund for my new life in Munich. After I left, I tried calling Emmett a few times, left him messages, but I have yet to hear from him.
I miss him.
I miss them.
At least I know that he is okay — that they are okay. I have been able to follow their games on TV and they even qualified to the Champions League semifinals! I'm sure they are all ecstatic about it.
God, I miss them so much.
I miss going to their games, the thrill from sitting in those stands and watching them play, cheering them on while they do the thing that they love the most in the world.
I struggled with not calling Edward about their qualification. I haven't allowed myself time to think about everything he did for me the day I left Dortmund. The way he picked up my pieces and made sure I made it home whole. I need time before I explore that sentiment. I need to make sure Emmett is okay first.
It's simply too soon.
This is a big enough moment in their careers, they need to center their focus on that, and I'm starting a new chapter in my life as well.
Yes, it's definitely too soon — for all three of us.
At least work has done a good job at keeping me busy. I have fully immersed myself in it so, at the end of the day, I don't have the time or the strength to think about anything else. It's actually been quite overwhelming, but a welcomed distraction.
It's pretty late on Tuesday night, and I just finished the dishes when my phone beeps with a text. My stomach churns in expectation that it might be Emmett, or Edward...
The text is not from either of them. It's from Alice, one of the girls from the team, Jasper's girl.
"Bella, I have one broken Jas at home. How is Em doing?"
A cold shiver runs through my spine.
Something's happened.
Something's happened and somehow Alice thinks Emmett is still with me. Instinctively, I dial Emmett's number at once. It rings twice, and then goes into voicemail. I ring again, and it goes straight into voicemail.
Shit...
Emmett is still not only not answering my calls, but also sending me straight to voicemail. With the phone cradled between my ear and shoulder going over his voicemail message, I finally notice the news running on my TV screen.
Transfer Bomb: Jacob Black to Bayern Munich!
I reach for the remote, turning the volume up.
"... the wonder kid has signed with arch rival club Bayern Munich who just activated his release clause of 35 million Euros. Dortmund executives are said to give a press conference first thing tomorrow morning."
Holy shit... what... how...
My brain fails me as I hang up on Emmett's machine's voice. I flop on the couch completely in shock. What has Jake done? How could he do this?
Jacob is one of the most promising talents the city has ever seen, and he goes to join their biggest rivals!
Oh God... Emmett will be devastated.
Everyone will.
They play the first game of semifinals tomorrow against Real Madrid — easily the biggest game in their careers. How could they release this news now? How could he have done this?
Without me even thinking about it, my fingers are dialing a different number.
He picks up first ring.
"Isabella?" He sounds genuinely surprised, almost as if he's making sure that it's actually me.
"Tell me it's not true."
He sighs into the phone. "So you've heard?"
"How could this be, Edward? Why would they release this today? What was Jake thinking?" I'm frantic, failing to grasp the magnitude of this news.
"I honestly don't know." He sounds calm, his voice soft.
"How long have you guys known about this?"
"No one knew," he says matter-of-factly. "I found out today. Just like you. Just like everyone else. I just got off the phone with Coach, Jacob told him two days ago. That's it."
"Oh God... How could he have done this?" I bury my face in my hands. Just a moment ago, I was thinking about how big this game will be for them... life changing even, and now everything is crumbling around them.
This will only end in chaos.
"It's his life, his choice. He wants to go; he can do whatever he wants."
"Yes, but going to Bayern!" I have to restrain myself from shouting.
"Well, of course that's unfortunate... for us, for the league, but that's football - players come and go." There isn't any sign on his tone that tells me this bothers him.
"How can you be so calm... so... unaffected?"
"Of course I'm not unaffected by this. My anger though is not aimed at Jacob, or whatever business deal went on. That is honestly not my problem. My anger..." He pauses, takes a deep breath, before he continues. "My anger is directed at whoever is responsible for leaking this news out tonight. With only one thing in mind: Having us out of that game tomorrow."
I sigh into the phone. He's right. This would be on everyone's heads tomorrow. "I don't even know what to say."
"I won't let that happen, Isabella. They won't win."
It takes me a second to digest his words — the resolve in them. My eyes tear up a bit, and I am completely overwhelmed by the power in his tone, his conviction, his willpower.
Edward is one of the strongest people I know. It is now I understand how he can be so nonchalant about the whole thing: His resolve is built around the fact that he won't let this ruin him.
It's a fact. No doubting. No second guessing. Just a fact.
I wonder how the rest of them are feeling.
Oh God... Emmett...
He's going through this, by himself.
At the realization of the kind of night Emmett is possible having, a little whimper escapes my lips, and my tears start to fall in a sob.
"Hey... hey, it's going to be fine," Edward urges from the other side of the line.
"I'm sorry..." I wipe my tears in annoyance. "I'm such a mess. You need to rest for tomorrow... I-"
"Isabella?"
"Yeah?" I try to hold it a bit longer.
"You can ask me about him, you know?"
A choked laugh escapes through my sobs. How the hell does he know exactly what I needed to hear?
"He's okay," he states simply.
"He is?"
"He has a slightly different position than me when it comes to Jacob, but... um... yeah, he'll be fine."
"He will be or he is?" I'm not convinced it's either.
I know Emmett. This kind of news would have to have affected him. I could just see him. He'd be flipping his shit.
Edward's silence says everything. He's stalling for words. He can't lie. Not about Emmett and definitely not to me.
"Just tell me..."
"Well, of course he was in shock. Luckily, I was with him when we both found out. You know, he has his own past with Bayern, and it just means a lot more to him than to me. That's all. He was also a lot closer to Jacob..."
Was...
"I left him home..." he continues. "He was calm. He's fine."
Oh Emmett...
Tears start streaming down my face again. Calmed Emmett is definitely worse than flipping-his-shit Emmett. Calmed Emmett doesn't deal with things. Calmed Emmett just swallows everything. Calmed Emmett will certainly get absolutely no sleep tonight.
I sigh into the phone, trying to gather myself. "Okay... um... I should let you go sleep now. Good luck tomorrow, okay? I'll be watching the game, from here. And um... thanks... for everything, really."
"No need to thank me..." He sighs too. He sounds tired. I hope I have not completely disrupted his rest. "You can call me, Isabella. You know that, right? Anytime."
His words tug at my heart. I promised him I wouldn't disappear. I just don't know how to deal with whatever he makes me feel without fixing things with Emmett first. It's why I haven't called him before even though I've been dying to. I know he's allowed me the space too, no matter the cost to him.
I can't really think about that now though, so I just swallow everything. "I know. Thank you. I'll let you go now, ok? Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Isabella." Even though he sounds exhausted, he seems reluctant to let go. I can hear his breathing on the other side — he is still there. I can feel the tears prickling in the corners of my eyes and a knot forming in my throat. I don't want Edward to feel he has to comfort me any more than he already has — I want him to get some rest. So holding my breath, I hang up.
I try Emmett's number again a few more times, but like every other time since I left, he does not answer. I can't think of anything healthy he could be doing to cope with this. I wish he would just answer the phone.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
A/N: Aren't we all thankful for Jacob? At least Bella called Edward! ;)