Chapter 14: Phone Call
BPOV
"Hey guys, I brought pizza!" He doesn't even knock, just yells at the door. He's lucky the movie went on commercial. Or we all would have ignored him. I look over at Alice and smile expectantly at her. She huffs, heaves herself off the couch and sticks her tongue out at me while sauntering off to the door.
"What, Emmett?" Alice says, pressing her ear to the door and crossing her arms. I nudge Edward, who's sitting on the floor in between Alice and I.
"Hand me that," I point to the purple popcorn bowl beside his legs.
"Please?" he prompts, lolling his head back on the couch. His Adam's Apple bobs as he speaks and even though his jaw looks strong and perfect, he kind of looks like a creature.
"I want to be a part of movie night!" Emmett whines from behind the door.
"I thought you had a date with Rosalie," Edward smirks.
"She turned me down. Something about an ex boyfriend named Royce. I dunno, I was too busy staring at her tits – anyway, are you guys gonna let me in? The pizza's getting cold, and me so lonely!"
Alice turns around from the door, facing me. Edward looks up at me too. I purse my lips.
"What kind of pizza is it?" I ask after a while.
{~'~)
"No! Why is he making him drink it?" Alice shrieks at the TV for the thirty thousandth time. Edward and I groan.
"He's supposed to Alice." I grunt.
"Well he obviously doesn't want to," Emmett agrees.
"That's besides the point." I mumble, sitting forward.
"What is the point? Harris Potter is stupid, can we watch something else?" Emmett whines. I throw a handful of popcorn at him despite the fact that I'll have to clean it up later.
"It's Harry Potter, dumb ass!" Edward chuckles, his laughter vibrating the couch.
"Same difference," he mumbles.
It's been about three weeks since I've started work, and in those weeks things have been changing for the better. For starters, my anxiety has been moderately low. Emmett, Edward and Alice are becoming really close friends and we've been hanging out a lot, having movie night every Friday. Having them around makes me feel less alone, which helps because just the thought of being alone sometimes can send me into a frenzy.
I've gotten my camera and equipment delivered as well and I was extremely eager to return to work, only upon finding that, as a member of the Scene Department, I only had to be to work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Even then my shifts were only nine to two. I didn't have much of a problem with that, I enjoyed the time off, but on those off days I was expected to be photographing things, editing things, finding things, previewing things, reading things, talking about things, noticing things and everything else that was required of me, to the point that sometimes off days didn't really feel like off days.
Edward made it easier to handle though. Sometimes.
Within the first real week of work I found out how serious he was about his job. Edward was very dedicated to his work, which was admiring, but his attitude could be very annoying at times. He had no issue with proclaiming his likes and dislikes, if he hated something or if he would potentially hate something. It was irritating. It's not like some of us didn't agree with him, we just didn't agree with his choice of words.
He once told Michael that he'd shove his "cheap two dollar polyester tie" down his throat if he didn't pick a proper layout for the new H&B website layout within the next hour. He found the layout within forty minutes.
The H&B website was our current project. H&B always wanted to be a step ahead of the game in productivity, but with less people buying newspapers and magazines these days, Seth ordered a whole new website to be made within the next two months. Every department had its own website that would link to the home website, and since our department was one of the largest, we had a lot of work to do. A lot of computer work to do, of which I wasn't very good at.
When Edward found out that my internet and wifi hasn't been set up, he almost had a heart attack, no pun intended. Someone from Comcast is coming to my house tomorrow to help set it both my computer and my cable.
We're watching all of the Harry Potter movies on BluRay. Edward set that up.
We're on the sixth one and Dumbledore is just about to die when my phone rings.
"Aw!" everyone groans, shooting me looks.
"Sorry!" I giggle, patting my pockets for my phone.
"What the fuck, Bella, shit was getting good!" Emmett groans.
"Sorry," I mumble, checking the creases of the couch cushions for my phone. It's not there.
"Bella!"
"What?" I chuckle. "Pause it!" the ringing keeps going, but it's muffled. I stop moving for a second and try to follow the sound. . . under the couch. . . under Emmett's butt.
"Move for a second?" I ask him. He tsks, moves and there's my phone, under his jean clad rear.
"Ha. Whoops." he shrugs.
"You didn't feel that?" Alice giggles. I take the phone, wipe it off on Emmett's shirt and take a look at it. The color drains from my face automatically and my stomach flutters nervously.
"BB?" Edward asks, looking up at me with a concerned expression on his face.
"I uh, I have to take this." I mumble, standing to my feet.
"What?" Alice whines. "But - "
"No, just – press play. I'll be right back." I say, walking towards my bedroom with Edward's eyes on my back. The ringing is still going. I stare at my phone, mustering up my courage for a while before pressing the green button.
"Daddy?" I answer.
"Isabella, I haven't heard from you in weeks! What – where have you been?" his gruff voice hurts my eardrums.
"I'm sorry - "
"Sorry? Sorry! Do you know how worried we were? I almost flew out to New York myself to see if you were okay!"
"I didn't get any calls from you, the only person that has called me was Redi," I mutter bitterly.
"So you can talk to Redi, but you can't talk to your own damn parents?" he bites.
"No. Dad, I - "
"You what?"
"I've been busy, with work and - "
"You've been busy? Busy? That's your excuse, busy?"
"It's not an excuse, it's an explanation." I grit my teeth. "And besides, you haven't called me either."
"Excuse me?"
"You haven't called me either, Dad, don't just blame me -"
"Blame you? Who's decision was this to - "
"To what, Dad!" I shout, forgetting that my friends are in the other room. I suddenly don't care anymore. The rage is surging through me too fast. "To experience life? To live on my own, to be my own person? To get out of that fucking house without you and Mother breathing down my neck?"
Atta girl.
"Isabella -"
"No, Dad. I'm not – I won't, fall for this anymore. I won't. I am a grown woman, I make my own damn decisions! I don't need you or Mother to tell me what to do, to dictate my fucking life anymore!"
"Have you forgotten how sick you are? Do you realize how much effort I put into making sure you were healthy and fed and cared for? Do you realize how many days I've taken off work for you? How much your mother and I have sacrificed for you? And you have the nerve to tell me that you don't need me?"
"DAD!"
"I will not tolerate you speaking to me this way! I am your father, you will treat me with respect just like everyone else in this damned world, do you hear me?" he shouts onto the phone. "Don't you forget your place Isabella."
"I'm trying to find it, why can't you just accept that?" I whimper, sitting down on my bed and burying my face in my free hand.
"Accept it? No, Isabella. I will not. So if its recognition you're looking for, you won't get it from me."
"Then why'd you even call!" I shout.
"Because, your mother's had a heart attack. Maybe if you weren't behaving like some selfish brat -"
My world stops for a second.
"Is she okay?"
"She's perfectly fine. I'm taking her home tomorrow. I just assumed you'd like to know. But I know how busy you are, now." he says coldly.
And then he hangs up and my vision starts to do somersaults.
I barely realized that I've been standing up, until I hit the floor and I tumble into the warm familiar darkness.
No Jaws themed ring tone could have prepared me for this.
AN: :o