Disclaimer: I do not own nor profit from these characters.
Beta: Mist
A/N: Thank you guys for the great reviews. This homecoming dance is going to be "deadly". xoxo August
Forks 98331: Chapter 9 Part 2
What is wrong with you? You've been jumpy or simply lost in space all night." Rose snapped at Miranda who was sitting with her on the couch in front of the television.
"Nothing." Miranda mumbled flipping through the channels.
"Is this about Jake? I told you he will come around." Rose sighed.
"No, it's not just about Jake." Miranda rolled her eyes knowing that Rose thought she was so wise with advice when it came to relationships.
"Then what is it?" Rose demanded as she yanked the remote out of her sister's hand.
"Give me that back." Miranda cried out.
"No, not till you tell me what is going on?" Rose laughed as Miranda tried to climb over her to the remote that she had held up high in the air away from her grasp.
"I just…shit…come on Rose. Okay, fine you want to know." Miranda stood up over her sister giving her a hateful look.
Rose did not even flinch. She was not scared of her sister.
"Yes, I want to know." Rose nodded her head as she sat the remote down in her lap.
"You and Lauren already have dates to the dance I'm sure. I on the other hand don't know if Jake and I will even be together in two weeks. I hope like hell I don't win because I will look like a loser without a date." Miranda answered. She was not entirely truthful with her sister about her concerns but it had crossed her mind earlier in the day.
"Come on Miranda, even if your not with Jake there is not one guy in our school who would not die to take you. Your beautiful." Rose hoped her encouragement would help ease her sister's nerves. Although they were fraternal twins there were moments like these that she could almost feel what her sister was feeling.
"That's just it, there is no other guy we go to school with that makes me feel the way Jake does. I don't want second best." Miranda cried out as tears stung her eyes.
"Honey, Jake is hot, granted and he is popular but he doesn't have a dime to his name. He will have to work hard to accomplish anything in his life. You on the other hand will have a trust fund at twenty-one. You will have men lining up down the street to try and win your hand in marriage. This, well, this is temporary. Don't sweat it." Rose stated with conviction.
"I don't want just anyone. I especially don't want someone to want me because I have tons of money either!" Miranda stared at Rose with a painful look.
"I'm telling you, you will find love again. I know you." Rose shrugged her shoulders.
"What about you? Will you EVER know love?" Miranda knew that Rose had a tainted view on the all concept of love.
"I honestly don't know." Rose admitted.
"I want JAKE. " Miranda pouted as a tear trickle down her cheek.
"Well, go get him. Don't give up on him. I still think you could do better." Rose stood up hugging her sister.
"Now, do you feel better?" Rose stared into her sisters face.
"I guess so." Miranda made a half smile.
"Good, cause I hate when you are hurting. So why exactly do you think Jake is not interested in you?" Rose had a feeling she knew the cause of the problem. She listen to gossip just like anyone else at school.
"He says he is mad because I act too much like you, lately." Miranda answered honestly.
Rose just laughed at the insult.
"I guess that would rub him the wrong way since he is repulsed by me. What else did he say?" Rose pushed.
"Nothing, just that he wanted a break from me until he could find it in him to forgive and trust me." Miranda replied with a snort.
"Sounds fair enough." Rose pressed her lips together.
"Yeah, but what if he starts dating someone else?" Miranda ask with a worried frown.
"Trust me sister, you could steal him back easily if you wanted too." Rose shook her head while smiling wickedly at her sister.
How?" Miranda feared that Rose's way would only cause Jake to run faster from her but she was curious to know.
"Simple. Sleep with him. Your both virgins Miranda. He will feel bonded to you. You know as well as I do that Jake is old fashion. He would never use a girl like that and just walk away from her." Rose answered casually as she stepped around her sister.
"That is so…well…underhanded." Miranda gasp.
"It might be but trust me it will work." Rose laughed at her sister's innocence.
She still did not understand why Miranda was not sleeping with Jake at this point in their relationship. They both were hot for one another so it was strange to her to see them acting like they had to wait until marriage to consummate their bond with one another.
"I don't want him like that. I mean sure I want to have sex with him eventually but I don't want him to feel obligated to stay with me just because he took my virginity." Miranda said with sadness in her eyes.
"If you want him as bad as you say you do, then you will do whatever it takes to get him back." Rose stated calmly as she walked out of the room.
Miranda stood there considering what Rose was suggesting. She knew that Jake had been extremely tense lately and each time they made out it was growing harder and harder for him to stop when she said so.
She knew she loved him with all her heart. Maybe having sex with him was the next step in their relationship. Maybe it would also show him that he was the only man she ever wanted to be with.
Considering it as a back up plan she went upstairs to her room wearing a worried frown all over her face.
Bella walked into the house to find her father laying on the couch with about ten blankets over him.
"What's wrong?" She asked nervously as she sat down next to him.
"I'm sick. They think I might have food poison." Charlie explained.
Bella watched as his body shook, his skin did have a green coloring to it. She wondered how long it would take Brenda to kill him? She knew it was a horrible thing to joke even it was not spoken out loud.
"Oh. Sorry." Bella bit on the tip of her tongue to prevent herself from laughing.
Brenda came swooping in with a can aerosol spraying it so thickly that Bella's eyes burned and her throat nearly lock up.
"Geeezz…ack…ack.' Bella waved her hands in the air trying to block some of it from falling all over them.
"Brenda…it's not the flu." Charlie coughed.
"They are not sure. I'm not taking any chances. I don't know about you Bella but I would prefer to stay healthy." Brenda ignored their protests as she began to continue spraying through out the rest of the rooms in the house.
"So why were they not sure what was wrong with you exactly?" Bella thought it was odd that they were not exactly sure what was wrong with him.
"They ran some tests and took some blood. They will call me tomorrow." Charlie answered with a painful sound as he tried to scoot down more into the couch.
"Do you need anything?" Bella could still hear Brenda spraying away.
"Get me some more Advil will you." Charlie ask.
Bella left, returning with a few pills and a glass of cool water.
Charlie thanked her.
Bella return to the kitchen to find Brenda staring over a open cook book. Bella winced at the thought of Brenda cooking anything further.
"What are you doing?" Bella ask hoping she was wrong with her theory.
"I was thinking about making your father some homemade soup." Brenda answered not bothering to look up at Bella.
Bella wondered how she was going to manage to talk Brenda out doing something so disastrous.
"Did they not restrict his diet until he could keep something down?" Bella hoped she sounded like she was trying to follow doctors orders.
"Oh yeah." Brenda closed the book letting out a long sigh of relief.
Bella's lips curled up into a smile.
"Are you hungry?" Brenda asked as she push her hair behind her ears.
"No, I ate at Jake's house." Bella answered as she leaned against the table .
"Jake, uh? I thought Edward was the one picking you up for school." Brenda stared at her harshly.
"I'm friends with them both." Bella answered.
"Which one do you want?" Brenda ask flashing her a knowing smile.
"I don't know. I mean I like Edward, he is interesting but I have been down that road before. While Jake is definitely hot and sweet but he is still sort of in a relationship with someone else." Bella explained as she fumbled with her hands.
"Sounds like Jake is going to be the one who breaks your heart." Brenda stated simply.
Bella lifted her head up staring straight at Brenda with a surprise look.
"Come on Bella, he is SORT OF in a relationship? If he really liked you as much as it appears you like him then he would not be with that other girl." Brenda answered as she smiled somatically at her.
"Yeah, well Edward is just a player." Bella stated a little more defensively than she had meant too.
"Granted, but it sounds like you already have him figured out and would know how to deal with him. I just don't want you to get hurt again. We both know how that ended last time." Brenda said.
Bella felt the remorse kick in. She knew Brenda was right. Falling in love was not wise for her. She always ended up hurting herself in the long run. Edward, might not be her first choice but at least she knew he was definitely interested in her, only her. She would not fall for him, therefore her heart would never be at risk.
"Your right." Bella admitted even though it was killing her to say the words out loud.
"Who knows, what lies ahead. Just don't do anything that might come back to bite you in the ass." Brenda chuckled.
"I will try my best not too." Bella laugh in return as she left the room.
Heading upstairs she knew she had tons of homework to do but wondered how much of it she would actually do since her head and body were at war with the feelings she felt for Jake and how perfect his kiss had been.
Next day…
Bella persuaded Brenda to let her borrow her father's truck to take to school today, she needed to get to school early to work on her project. Not to mention she did not want to be at her house when Edward showed up.
She had barely slept a wink the night before. She had tossed and turn thinking about her past with James, the similiarities between him and Edward. The way Jake was the complete opposite but yet what they were sharing was so wrong on so many levels.
She knew Brenda was right. She could not afford to hurt Miranda. They were friends. Friends did not make out with other friends boyfriends or recent ex boyfriends. She was just going to have to make it clear to Jake if they spent anymore time alone together that there could not be any physical activities between them.
She sat in the library pouring through several books when she heard the tardy bell ring. Grabbing her things she made her way out into the hallway. She glanced nervously up and down, feeling lighter when she saw none of the usual group waiting for her she snuck her way to first period.
Just as she was stepping into first period she had forgotten that she shared it with Miranda. Miranda was leaning against her desk checking her makeup.
"Hey." Miranda stood up smiling from ear to ear at Bella.
"Hey." Bella hoped like hell that Miranda could not see the guilt she was feeling deep in the pit of her stomach.
"Where were you this morning? Edward said he stop by but you were not home?" Miranda ask.
"I took my dad's truck. I was working in the library." Bella answered as she took her seat, opening her notebook she showed Miranda the research she had manage to do without any disturbance of other classmates around.
"Cool. I'm glad we are partners. Usually I get stuck with someone who forces me to do all the work and the presentation." Miranda sighed happily as she sat in the desk next to Bella.
"Are you excited about going shopping tomorrow?" Miranda practically squealed with delight.
"I guess so." Bella wasn't sure if she should go. She was afraid she might slip up and reveal just how close she was growing to Jake.
"Well, you should be. We have to find the most spectacular dresses. I am so excited that you made a nominee. It will be fun to share this experience with someone who isn't at my throat." Miranda explained as she turn her eyes to the corner seat where Lauren sat smiling at several guys with big doe like eyes.
"Haha…don't threat here." Bella understood her agony. She was still not sure how this was all going to pan out. Her nomination would only make Rose more intimidated by her status. She hoped like hell if she showed a lack of enthusiasm in it that Rose would not feel the need to do anything to sabotage her life.
"Did you see Jake this morning?" Miranda whispered as their teacher entered the room.
"No." Bella replied swiftly.
"Oh, well I hope to talk to him today if he will let me." Miranda answered with a sad smile.
Bella return the smile. She was not sure if she was pleased to hear Miranda was trying to fix their problems or disappointed. Either way she needed to stay clear of the couple and let things resolve themselves without any outside interference from her. It was the least she could do for all of Miranda's kindness.
Lunch was the last thing Bella wanted when the bell rang announcing it was that time of the day. She debated on whether to grab something and make an excuse to go to the library or if she should just go directly outside and sit by herself. She knew the others would find it suspicious behavior for her but she was exhausted and not sure if she was capable of listening to their usual garbage at the table today, without losing her cool.
She began to walk past the closed doors when Rose came marching out like a woman on a mission.
She stared at Bella with cold eyes briefly before they soften as her lips curled up into a polite smile.
"So what are your plans for lunch?" Rose asked her in a sugary sweet tone.
"I'm not really hungry." Bella replied just as her stomach prove her a liar, growling loudly.
Rose stared down at her flat stomach before looking back into her eyes.
"Uhuh." Rose smirked.
"What are you doing?" Bella hoped to change the subject off of herself and turn it to Rose's favorite thing in the world, herself.
"Oh, I am going to make some posters with a few of my cheerleaders. You can join if you like?" She offered.
"Um…I'm good." Bella pressed her lips tightly as she nodded her head.
"Okay." Rose shrugged her shoulders as she marched off.
Bella inhaled deeply wondering what she should do now. Should she risk going inside seeing Miranda and Jake together or should she slip away and sulk quietly?
Before she could make up her own mind however, Jake came walking up wearing a big grin on his face as his eyes lock with hers.
"Hey you." Jake had to stop himself from reaching out to hug her. It felt like a natural thing to do but he knew it would stir up some serious gossip. He did not want to expose Bella to the hideous stuff that some kids created because they had no excitement in their own lives.
"Hey." Bella grin back but tried to prevent her smile from being as wide as his.
"How is your dad? I was going to text to you last night but I ended up falling asleep after I helped Quil work on his car." Jake explained for his lack of communication that he had offered when he drop her off.
"That's fine. He might have food poison. They are not sure. Waiting on test results." Bella answered as she push a piece of hair around her ear nervously.
"Food poison, yuck. I got that once when my Dad took us to this cheap restaurant while we were on vacation. I thought I had died." Jake covered his stomach with his hand as the memory of it nearly made him sick again.
"Sounds lovely." Bella laughed softly.
"It was not a pretty picture. Let me tell you. My poor mother nearly choked my dad for being so damn cheap." Jake laughed loudly as he recalled the scene with his mother yelling and threatening to never take the family on another vacation if they could not afford to eat somewhere decent again.
"Your lucky you have those memories. I can't really remember when I went on vacation with both of my parents. Usually I just went with my mom." Bella answered.
"You have not missed out, trust me." Jake replied.
"So, I should go and eat." Bella glanced at the doors as she tried to make her way, away from him. She knew that they were not doing anything remotely wrong by chatting in a public hallway but she was not about to risk anyone getting the wrong idea.
"Oh, yeah. I should too." Jake opened the door waiting on her to go in first.
Bella wanted to scream. Instead she walked inside heading straight for the salad bar. She hoped like hell that Miranda did not see anything wrong with them entering at the same time.
She took longer than usual to fix her salad before she joined the others at the table. She was relieved to find a seat next to Alice available.
"What are you talking about? That is so not Angela." Mike snorted as he fought to grab Paul's phone from his hand.
"Who else could it be? Look at those bad boys." Paul whistled as he stared at the small phone screen.
Bella wondered who and what they were talking about.
"What are you doing?" Alice seem to be on the same brain wave as her, as she ask the question that had been on the tip of Bella's tongue.
"We received this text message today, in fact a lot of guys did. Look what it showed when it opened up." Mike snatch the phone from Paul shoving it in Alice's face.
Alice's face turn red instantly and then her eyes widen in disgust.
"That is horrible. Why would you look at that?" Alice grabbed the phone from Mike's hand preparing to delete the horrible picture.
"Hey! That's my phone. Don't you dare." Paul warned her as he stood up, leaning over the table to grab his phone back.
"What was it?" Bella cocked an eye brow as she stared at Alice.
"It's a picture of someone naked. The only thing missing is her head." Alice answered as she gave each of the guys a disappointed look.
"What? I did not take the damn thing. Someone sent it to me." Paul answered defensively.
"Well, it's just rude and offensive to women." Alice cried out.
Miranda took a bite of her salad, as she looked up she saw Lauren on the other side of the room staring a phone. Her face turned pale white. She watched as she stood up, tears bursting out of her eyes as she threw the phone to the ground and stomping it to bits. Bella nearly choked on her food as she watched Lauren run from the room.
"Are you choking?" Mike look concerned as Bella gasped for air.
Mike pounded on Bella's back like she was one of the guys.
"I'm fine. Thanks." Bella was sure she would have a bruise or two after his assistance.
"What was that about?" Alice frown at the table where Laurens friends always sat.
"I think she saw the photo." Bella replied with a worried frown.
"So?" Alice look at Mike and Paul who both instantly flip open their phones to stare at the photo again, suddenly they both had identical evil smiles on their faces.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Alice demanded.
Bella already knew the answer.
"I think it's Lauren." Mike said in awe.
"I think your right." Paul smack Mike's hand in midair like they just had performed a touch down.
Alice gasped as Bella just continue to eat her salad wondering what part Rose played in having that picture taken and or sent to the guys. It reek of her. Bella knew it was time to put her alarms up. She was not going to be blind sided by Rose Rutledge.
Miranda had nearly skipped over to Jake's side when she saw him enter the room right after Bella. Pulling on his arm she led him away from the table so they could share a private chat.
"I am truly sorry Jake. I know you want your space. I get that. But I am dying without you." Miranda's eyes expose the truth in what she was saying to him.
Jake felt lousy. He knew that Miranda was hurting by him putting some distance between them.
"I know. I miss you too." Jake was not entirely lying. He did miss talking to her, hanging out with her, the way she always made him laugh with her blonde moments but he was also felt like he had to put his guard up when he was near her now.
"Could we just hang out, you know just you and me do some homework together or go for a jog?" Miranda suggested as she took his hands in hers.
Jake stared at her small hands in between his. It was strange that he use to adore those hands. It was also weird that he no longer felt that spark that use to ignite passion within him. Now he look at them and saw a friend. A friend whom he shared a relationship with. A friend whom he cared deeply about but the desire was not quite there.
Or maybe he just did not want to feel anything for her. It would make the day before feel less guilty. After all he did kiss Bella while technically still dating Miranda.
"Sure. How about today?" He offered.
Miranda's worried face brighten up as her eyes shined brightly up at him.
"Sounds lovely. How about my house after school?" She replied.
"Sure." Jake agreed as he slip his hands away from hers.
"Thank you Jake." Miranda stood on her tip toes as she placed a tender kiss on his cheek before bouncing back toward the table.
Bella caught a perfect view of the kiss from where she sat. She watched as his eyes followed Miranda to their table. When he looked up she saw he was staring directly at her.
She felt her stomach churning angrily. He was making up with Miranda. He was going to try and give them another shot. Bella did not need to hear the words from his mouth, she saw it in his face when he smiled at her with guilt staring straight at her through his dark brown eyes.