DC: I don't own it
Thanks to my reviewers!
Chapter 20,
Oriyon hated returning back to school. He looked over at Edward who looked back at him. "Do you want me to walk separately?" he asked.
Oriyon raised an eyebrow.
"Some kids just don't like showing up with their parents, you know, like it cramps their style."
Oriyon raised both eyebrows as if to ask what style? Edward didn't have to worry. Ben showed up and kidnapped Oriyon from his side. He smiled and turned to his building. He heard Ben laughing along the way and knew that they would be safe.
---
Oriyon didn't show up to psychology. Edward gave Ben a look who shrugged innocently. Right, like any McCarty could be innocent. Emmett's genes were way too prominent. Edward shuddered when he remembered the kind of trouble Emmett would get them in. Good thing he and Jasper were smart enough to get out of it before something bad happened. Or worse, before their wives found out.
"Where's Ori?" Edward asked as A. J came in.
"Not sure," A. J answered, watching as Mina stormed in and sat down.
"Mina, do you know..."
"No and I don't care," she huffed.
"All I know is what made him run off," A. J said, "some paparazzi found him and started taking pictures. They kept asking him questions and he ran off."
"How many?" Edward asked. "And from where?"
"Um about three, and I'm not sure from where," A. J answered, "I think one of them was from In Crowd and another from a teen magazine. I don't know exactly what happened..."
"They kept asking Ori if he felt justice had been served by killing Charlie and they kept taking pictures of him so he grabbed one of the camera's and threw it against a tree."
That wouldn't end well. Even he, who was very naive when it came to the press, knew that was one way to get more attention instead of less.
"I don't blame him for reacting that way," Ben said, "it's obvious the last thing he wants to think about right now is what happened."
Edward nodded in agreement. He went to his desk and picked up the phone. It rang a few times and then he got an answer.
"Hello, McCarty's Diner, how may I help you?"
"I need to speak to Emmett."
"Just a moment please."
Edward waited, checking the clock.
"Yo," Emmett answered.
"Em, it's Edward, look I need your help. My son has run off and I need you to find him."
"You rock at parenting," Emmett teased. "What did you do to the little guy?"
"Swarm of paparazzi," Edward sighed, "he just ran off. I have class and I don't want to involve Bella in this. You know how she gets."
"He gets the sniffles and she freaks out," Emmett sighed. "Alright, I'll go find him. See ya."
"Thanks Em, bye."
Edward felt a little better. Emmett was most certainly going to find Oriyon and probably have some fun with him. Edward sighed and stood up to begin his class.
---
Oriyon was kicking a snow bank. Tears were frozen to his cheeks and his arm was itching under the cast. Overall it was a bad day.
"Hey Ori," Emmett said.
Oriyon turned and looked at him. Emmett tossed him a bottle of soda and led him to sit down.
"Still mute?"
Oriyon nodded. Emmett passed him a pad of paper and a pen.
"Spill."
I can't find my voice
"Eh, at least it's a little quieter when you four get together," Emmett teased. Oriyon smiled and shook his head. "Now what brings you out here when you should be in class?"
Mom sent you?
"Nope, your dad."
Oh
Just oh. Emmett wondered about that. "Don't you like Edward?"
He's fine, I guess.
Emmett gave him a look. That wasn't good enough.
I don't know who he is. I mean one minute he's my teacher the next he's my dad.
"Well, he's always been your dad," Emmett reminded him, "ever since he met you, Ori, he's loved you and worried over you and wanted to be there for you when Jacob couldn't be. He loves you very much. When he found out about you he felt so angry, because you were his son and you were being raised by someone he absolutely hated. You must understand how hard it was for him to watch you be happy and know that he was probably going to be doomed to just that short time. What right did he have to want a closer relationship? He was supposed to be just your teacher...who was boinking your mom."
Oriyon snorted a laugh.
"Edward and Bella have a love that I wish I could have. Rosie and I love each other and would die for each other but they have something so much more. They did die for each other, in their own way. Bella gave up the only person in the world that made her feel truly happy so that he could have a chance to live. Edward sacrificed his happiness and his only son in staying away from her just so she could have the chance to have a happy life without him."
Why did mom agree to the marriage then? If she loved Edward so much?
"I don't know all the details," Emmett admitted, "the only one Edward would talk about it with was Jasper. I do know that Charlie sabotaged many aspects of Edward's life and he was going to have him killed. Bella agreed to marry Jacob as was arranged but I think she was too late. He was shot just as she was trying to stop it. I don't know for sure. But Edward survived. Nobody told Bella that he did."
But she knew all along
"Yeah, I think Alice told her."
I would have
"It was too unpredictable to tell her," Emmett said, "if she believed that Edward was dead it would be easier to move on."
But she would have blamed herself for his death
"I suppose you're right," Emmett agreed.
I'm always right
"Oh ho somebody is a little full on himself! Your father is worried about you."
I don't care
"Yes you do," Emmett said softly.
I don't want to be here
"Do you want me to take you home?"
Oriyon nodded. Emmett stood and walked him back to the teachers apartments. Oriyon went up the stairs and walked in. Bella was sitting on the sofa, folding clothes, when he came in.
"Hey honey," she said, "what's wrong?"
Oriyon came and sat down next to her. He lifted her arm and cuddled into her side. Bella laid back and let him cry silently into her shoulder. She rubbed his shoulder gently and kissed his forehead. He cried for almost an hour into her shoulder and she stayed still the entire time, smoothing his hair and rubbing soothing circles on his back.
Edward came in and they looked up. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Bella shrugged on shoulder and went back to her son. Edward felt very awkward.
"Ori, are you okay?"
He nodded. Edward tried to mentally beg Bella for a distraction. She seemed to be on the same wave length and she spoke.
"We have the new house," Bella said, "Fish is already there waiting for us. Would you like to come see it?"
Oriyon shrugged. Bella stood up and took his hands.
"Come on sweetheart," she said. He stood and she grabbed her coat. "You too Edward."
"Alright," Edward said, "I'll go warm up the car."
"Okay," Bella said happily.
Edward left to warm up the car. Oriyon came down a little while after with Bella. She poked her head in Edward's window and smiled at him.
"So Alice needs me for something, you two will have to go by yourself."
"What!"
"Sorry honey there was nothing I could do," Bella said. She kissed his cheek. "Be good Ori. Drive safe."
Edward sighed and gave her a look. She kissed him and went back inside. Yeah right she had something. Edward knew that she was just forcing them to have alone time. He wished her well and took off. The ride was silent. Oriyon watched the scenery and he was at a loss for words. They pulled into a nice neighborhood and stopped outside of a white house.
"Bella loves this house," Edward said softly. "Would you like to pick out your room?"
Oriyon shrugged. He got out of the car and they walked up the porch steps and into the beautiful house. It was so wide and open. Oriyon loved it instantly. Beautiful windows showed the snowy forest behind their home. There was a massive staircase that led upstairs. The living room emptied into a large dining room just off of a beautiful kitchen.
Fish came running out of the hall and jumped up to give Oriyon a hello lick. Oriyon smiled and pet his head and then walked down the hall with his dog at his heel. He went up another set of back stairs up to the second floor. He came to a long hallway with pale walls and immediately went to find his room. He chose one on the south side of the house. The large window in his room faced the forest. There was an elevated platform just before the window. The room was covered with golden carpet with dark red designs around the trim. He walked up the step and sat by the window. The snow blanketed the trees like a decorative icing. Fish sat at his feet and Oriyon felt the warmth from the golden fur. He absentmindedly stroked Fish's head and sighed.
"I figured you'd like this one," Edward said. Oriyon looked over at him. "So what do you think?"
Oriyon didn't answer. He looked at Fish who looked up at him with big black eyes.
"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Edward asked, "Ori I know this hasn't been easy."
"What do you know about it?" Oriyon asked. Edward was surprised to get a verbal response when his son had been mute for about a month.
"I know that this kind of thing can be traumatic and..."
"You don't know," Oriyon said angrily, "nobody knows."
He stood up so quickly that he startled the dog.
"Everyone is treating me like I'm made of glass and that I'm going to break at any moment. I just want to be left alone okay!"
"I'm just worried about you," Edward said calmly, "we all are."
"Well stop! I'm not a baby! I'm fifteen and..."
"And you're still young. Ori you haven't spoken in weeks. I've seen this before, Oriyon. You need to talk about this. If you bottle it up it'll make it even harder."
"Stop trying to shrink me!" Oriyon said angrily. "I don't want to talk about it!"
"Ori..." Edward began as Oriyon stormed across the room.
"What do you know about me anyway?!" Oriyon demanded. "You don't know a damn thing about me!"
"I know more than you think."
"You can't just pop in and think that just because you have some of the same damn DNA that I'm going to just think everything is okay!"
"Oriyon please just let me in," Edward pleaded, "I love you and all I want is for you to accept me as your father."
"You don't care about me! You care about mom and that's it! That's all anybody ever cares about! She's the one that everybody loves and I'm her baggage. She's some sort of tragic hero because she stayed around to raise me! She's the golden girl with the miracle fetus who managed to struggle to keep her son alive as well as an unborn child that should have died with the beating she took! As for me?! I'm the kid that shot the crazy old man! I'm the one that everyone pities."
"What do you want, Oriyon?" Edward asked in a calm and quiet voice. "Tell me what you want. I can't help you if I have no idea where to start."
"I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT THE HELL ALONE!" Oriyon screamed. He ran out of the room and Edward ran after him. He ran out into the street to find that Oriyon was gone.
"ORIYON!" He called. "ORIYON!"
He was gone.
"Shit," Edward sighed. He pulled out his phone and called home. "Bella."
"Oh! How did he like the house?"
"Fine," Edward sighed, "up until I somehow provoked the wrath of an angry fifteen year old who has run off."
"He said something to you?"
"Screamed more like," Edward sighed, "he hates me."
"I'm sorry," Bella murmured, "I'll have Jasper and Emmett go look for him."
"No," Edward said, "he needs to get this out."
He hung up and looked up as it started to snow again. Fish barked and Edward looked down at him. "Let's go boy," he said going back inside. He sat on the soft pale carpet and put his head in his hands. He was failing as a parent. He was supposed to help Oriyon and so far all he was doing was making things worse. He grabbed his keys and his coat. "Fish let's go!"
Fish barked and ran to the car. Edward opened the back door and the big dog climbed in. He slid into the drivers seat and started the car. He didn't know where to look first, but Oriyon couldn't have gotten far.
TBC
Yay for break! I get to devote my time to writing! Yay! I'm almost done with the next chapter of paper hearts so that should be up either today or tomorrow. I dunno. Anyway enjoy and review!