Disclaimer: I do not own nor profit from Twilight stories. I just use the characters to create my own stories for fun, no money involved.
Rating: NC-17 (some sexual content/mature language)
BETA: MIST
A/N: Thank you guys for not giving up on this story. This part of the story is almost at an end. I will be writing a sequel to this story. Hope you join me for more fun. Xoxo August
Chapter 19 Part two:
Miranda strolled through the front doors trying to keep herself calm as she darted up the stairs to her room. She was going to take a quick shower and change clothes before she met with her brother and parents in the living room. She knew her mother would be on some kind of narcotic to keep her calm today. They were hoping they would release the body today to start funeral arrangements. Miranda wish it was all over with already.
It was bad enough having to think that her sister was really gone. It just seem strange. How could someone as strong and outgoing as Rose simply not exist anymore? Walking by Rose's room she felt a cold chill slap against her face. Turning to face the closed door she contemplated on going inside. She knew it would look just as Rose left it. Clean. Bed made. Clothes picked up. She was weird like that. She always presented herself and her room as nothing less than perfect.
Swallowing hard she reach out to touch the shiny door knob. Another cold chill crawled up her backside as her hand made contact.
"Don't be stupid. There is nothing to be scared of." Miranda whispered nervously as she turn the knob but before she could open the door she heard the clatter of high heels coming up the stairs. She knew it would be her mother she would see any second. Letting go of the door she fled into her own room and into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, locking the door she knew it would save her from having to talk to her mother for at least another half an hour.
She could not put her finger on it but she felt somehow responsible for Rose's death. She knew it was stupid to think so. After all it was not her fault that she had won the crown. It was not her fault that Edward had dump her. It was not her fault that her sister was clumsy and fell down those stairs. So there was nothing she could have done to prevent any of this.
Slipping out of her clothes she smelled Edward's cologne on her body. Taking a deep sniff of her blouse she smiled sadly. Edward had been so kind to her. He had shown her a world where sex was so good. Much better than her romantic notions. Yeah, sex was just sex. Just like Rose use to always say. Tears filled her eyes as she thought of all the other times that Rose would give her advice and she would snub it. She did not want to think of Rose as being wiser than herself. She did not want to do anything that might lead her down the same path as Rose had chosen. She was better than her twin. She was the nice one.
Looking into the mirror she stared at the craze reflection of herself.
"You are just like her. NO matter how hard you fought it, you are twins in every way." She saw the image say to her with a angry glare.
Shaking her head and closing her eyes shut tightly she stood there listening to the water hit the floor of the tub for several minutes before she open her eyes again. This time she saw a sad face. A sad girl. A girl who had just lost her twin sister. A girl who was only a victim. She was not evil. She was not a trouble maker. She was just a nice girl who had bad things happen to her lately.
Finishing removing her clothes she step into the hot spray of the shower and told herself that although she loved her sister dearly, she got absolutely what she deserved. When you make choices like Rose did, you were bound to end up hurt. Even dead.
"Alice, I know how close you were with the both of them. I also know that you were with Miranda when she left upset. So where did you two go exactly?" Charlie could not explain it but the second that Alice walk into the room with a large bug eyes he had a gut feeling she knew something. She had that look that most suspects had when they were afraid. Afraid cause they knew they had been caught and was not sure just how much to reveal to the police.
Charlie did not like to see this particular girl out of all the students to be the one who looked so guilty. He knew she was a close friend of Bella's. One of the few who had seem genuinely nice to her. He had a job to do however, no matter what her relationship was to his daughter, he had to break her like a boiled egg.
"We went upstairs. She was really upset. She thought Jake would ask her back out if they both won." Alice's voice is so low Charlie has to lean over the desk to hear her better.
"So you were on the second level of the school. Close to the stairs?" Charlie watch as she quietly nodded her head.
"Did you see anything unusual?" Charlie was hoping to give her a little breathing space so she did not know he was onto her guilt.
"No." She mumbled.
"Did you see Rose after the big fight? I know there was a big fight Alice. Everyone has already been here you and Miranda are the last on my list." He hoped he was scaring her a little. He needed her to be honest with him. He had to solve this so he could release the body today. The Rutledge's had been nice enough about waiting but he knew how hard it was to keep up the facade that you were okay when you were truly not.
"Uh…yes I saw her." Alice gulped hard as she lifted her head up looking at Charlie with tears in her eyes.
"What happen to Rose, Alice? I got news earlier that she did not die from a broken neck alone. Something smashed into her skull. It did a lot of damage. Had her neck not been broken she was going to be brain dead. So you want to tell me what you hit her with? Was it the same thing that you used to hit Bella?" Charlie hoped like hell his bluffing broke her silent stare. Moments went by. He watch as she blink her eyes a few times, her pale face began to turn red as she scooted up in her chair.
"I did not hit your daughter. I was not there that day. I mean I was there but I left with Miranda. I do not know what was used to hit Bella." Alice replied with such conviction he believed her.
"Really? Interesting because we found the object that hit Rose. I hope for your sake your fingerprints are not on it." Twice now he lied straight through his teeth, hoping like hell she would be gullible enough to believe him.
"Howww…I mean I don't know what your talking about?" Alice exclaim before she pull herself together.
Charlie knew that she had pretty good idea of what was used to put a big gash in Rose's head as she hit the ground.
"You do know. You better tell me Alice. Your parents will be so disappointed to learn that their daughter is aiding a murderer or hell, could be one herself." Charlie glared at her as any parent would, when they had caught their child in a lie.
"I did not do anything!" Alice cries out furiously.
"Really. Would you like to see what your friends head look like after we cleaned her up? Would you like to see the pictures Alice?" Charlie yanks the folder out of his drawer throwing it on his desk as he flips through the pages of the file. He can see her twitching in her seat as he pretends to be looking for the shocking photo that he knows would give her nightmares.
"Stop please." Alice's hands fly up trying to stop Charlie from turning another page. Charlie pauses as he looks up at her with a skeptical eye.
"Are you sure? I mean, hey if you did not do it Alice then I know you know who did. So either way I could arrest you for helping the real murderer." Charlie says a silent prayer that she had enough sense to stop him. He was hoping she would not call his bluff.
"I did not do it." Alice's eyes fill with tears as they creep out of the corner of her eyes, sliding down her cheeks.
"Okay, then where were you when Rose was killed? Who were you with? Does Miranda know?" Charlie cough deeply as he clasps his hands together, leaning his elbows on the desk looking at her with softer eyes than before.
"I …it was alll…..it happen so fast…." Alice covers her face with both of her hands as she begins to tell Chief Swan what she knew. She knew this would cost her a friend. A very dear friend. Not to mention what the kids would do to her at school when they learn her part in all of this.
After Bella and Jake spent the day together, she arrived home to see her father had already beat her. She had a bad feeling when she saw the beer can open in his hand as he sat in his recliner staring at the television set, and it was not even on.
"Dad." Bella step lightly as she entered the living room.
"Hey." Charlie nodded as he gulp down his favorite relaxing beverage.
"Are you okay?" Bella knew it was a loaded question but could not stop herself from asking.
"I guess so. How was your day? Were you with Jake?" Charlie glanced at the couch, giving her the signal to sit and talk to him.
Bella sat down with ease as she smiled happily at her father.
"Yes, I was. I had a good time. I like him. " Bella confided hoping her father would approve of Jake. She knew he was skeptical when it came to guys as it was but now that she was growing up he seem even more cynical of the teenage male species.
"I am glad you have made a friend. You need friends. Good, safe friends." Charlie sighed heavily.
"What's wrong, Dad? You are starting to scare me." Bella chuckled nervously.
"I do not think that Rose fell down those stairs. Not by herself." Charlie could not confide anything else to her. Not yet. He released the body to the funeral home today. He was going to wait until after the services before he sat down Mr. and Mrs. Rutledge to announced to them the possibility that their other daughter, the fraternal twin had accidentally killed her sister.
"Really? Why do you think that?" Bella gulped hard as fear settle in the pit of her stomach.
"She had a injury to the head. She could have been hit or she could have fallen on something. Either way, a girl as graceful as Rose would not have tripped on a set of stairs she had walked down a million times before that night." Charlie revealed a little more to her.
"Oh." Bella exhaled loudly as she covered her hands over her stomach. He knew she was scared now. He had not meant to make her scared but he thought she should be aware that trouble was close to her. Deadly trouble, if Alice was telling him the whole truth about Miranda Rutledge's mental issues.
"Do not say a word to anyone. Not even Jake. I mean it." He growls at her.
"I won't." Bella shook her head.
"Good. Now Brenda said you got some mail today. Go find her. I have no clue where she went off to now." Charlie finished his beer, climbing out of the comfort of his seat to get another.
Bella found Brenda in the basement doing laundry once again. She was starting to think the woman had a fetish with laundry.
"Hey, Dad said I had some mail?" Bella inquires as Brenda huffs as she picks up a load of folded clothes.
"Yeah, in your room. Were you with Jake all day today?" Brenda frowns at her.
"Yeah, is that okay?" Bella asks with a worried smile.
"Sure. Just ….well….Bella remember boys can lead to trouble. Even good ones." Brenda smiles with concern at her as she walks past her up the stairs.
Bella follows her as she heads up to her room. Opening her door she walks to her desk finding a vanilla envelope place next to her closed lap top. Glancing at the package she is curious when she sees no sender but she does see a Arizona address.
Torn between excitement and fear she opens it despite the lack of name from the sender.
Tearing it open she slips her hand inside and to her surprise feels a smooth object inside. Pulling it out she sees that it is pictures. Pictures of her. Pictures of her when she used to think she was the top dog of her school. She was the queen diva of her friends. The limelight was her life.
Looking at the first picture she saw herself being crown as Homecoming Queen. It had been such a glorious victory for her. She had beat out the junior and senior nominees. It was not a usual event at their school to be even nominated until you were a upper class-man. She was not sure if James had anything to do with it or not. She asked her best friend, Victoria, if she knew how it was possible she had won, she had just laughed and told her to relax, just enjoy the win.
It was not like she had not been thrilled by the victory but if she had not earned it then she did not want it. She was a bitch but she was not a lying, cheating bitch.
Slipping the next photo out she saw herself with Victoria, Laney, and Ashley in their cheer-leading uniforms. They had gotten smashed that night. The team had lost but they did not care. They partied until the early hours of the following morning.
She also remembered how pissed her mother had been when she came dragging in that morning. She had several big hickeys on her neck. She had sworn up and down she was not having sex but her mother kept insisting that hickeys were a sign of being She had of course just laughed in her face.
The final photo was of her laying across her bed with just a button up blouse on. Her black silky panties were exposed. She had open her blouse just enough to expose her breast without seeing her nipples. She knew it was risky photo to let James take of her but she had been turned on by him. She had been so fucking turned on with how crazy ass he had been that day when he had found her talking to a Sr who she thought was hot. James took him out with two punches to the face. On one hand she had been embarrassed by his cave man actions but on the other hand she had been so exhilarated by the knowledge that his older guy was so excited by her that he was willing to fight another guy over her. Yeah, James had been a big ego booster back in the day.
Now, however, she knew that he also came with consequences. Consequences that had got her in deep shit. Enough shit that she was forced to live here. Forced to move away from everything she had worked so damn hard for.
Angry at herself for letting things go so far.
Sitting the envelope and pictures down on her desk, she look at the address trying to recall if the address was from one of her friends? Then she thought about the intimate photo and cringed. There was now way it could have been one of her girlfriends. She never showed them the photo. Only she and James had a copy of it.
Her heart starts to pitter patter she wonders if this package was somehow from James? Why now? Why would he hunt her down now after all this time? Did this mean he got out of jail already? Ripping the photo of herself in the shirt on her bed into tiny pieces she threw them in her trash can. Taking the other two photos she grabs a few tacks to stick them in her cork board. Smiling sadly as she recalls how close she had been to her old friends. Well, they were close until she screwed up. They had been furious as hell when she announced she had to move away, quit the team and throw away all of their hard work.
Telling herself that there was nothing she could do to change the past. She could only focus on the present and dream of the future she could have if she played her cards right and kept her nose clean. A quote her father instilled in her brain for as long as she could remember.
Smiling sadly as the memories of some of the better times with her girls began to pop into her head, she changed clothes and climb into the bed. Her phone began to buzz next to her head on the in table.
"Hello." She yawned.
"Hey doll. Glad to know you are easy to find." James deep voice chuckle into the receiver.
Bella's hand began to shake, her chest hurt like hell, as fear filled her veins and every other organ she had in her body.
"James?" Bella gulps hard, pulling herself up in the bed.
"It's the one and only honey. Miss me?" His voice was filled with happiness while Bella's voice shook in fear.
"Sure." Bella knew she was lying straight through her teeth but she could not afford to let him know. She had a bad feeling that he was about to make a surprise visit to her life. A life that was not anything remotely like the one she had left behind her.
"I knew you would. I heard your mom sent you away. She is such a douche bag." James snarled.
"Yeah." Bella replied while running her hand through the top of her hair, trying to think quick how to react to his surprise phone call. She knew it was not wise to piss him off. He seem to think they were still a item, in some twisted world of his. She knew how lethal he would be if he knew she had moved on with her life.
"Washington, uh? Who the fuck do you know there?" James asks with a light laugh.
"Umm….I'm actually from here. My father lives here." Bella explained.
"Oh. The dumb ass that never came to see you." James snorted.
Bella felt guilty as she recalled the way she use to describe her relationship with her father to her friends. She had hated him most of her life. She had hated how he had allowed her mother to walk out on him, taking her half way across the United States without one word. No protest what so ever. It made her feel like he did not care for her. It made her feel like she was a nuisance not someone worth fighting for.
"Yeah." Bella answered as her voice shook again.
"So babe, when do you want me to come and rescue you?" James asks his voice filled with mischief.
"You should not come here." Bella replied quickly. Too quickly.
"Why the hell not?" He demands.
"Cause, I am doing good James. I mean, if everything goes well then I can return home at the end of the school year. Right now, if I were to try and go back I would not be able to attend school. I got kicked out, remember." Bella throws it in his face, that thanks to his prank she was sent here in the first place.
"Oh. I thought you did not want to see me there for a second." James replies with a smug laugh.
"You should stay there. My dad would throw a fit if he knew you were near me again." Bella prayed like hell he was still far away and not half away here already. It was just the sort of thing he would do.
"I get the picture Bella. Dad does not want the bad boy messing with his squeaky clean daughter. Did you tell your old man how you use to get wasted and high with me when you were only fourteen?" Did you?" James grew angry. Bella could tell she had made him mad.
"I never claimed to be perfect James." Bella rolls her eyes knowing where this fight is going to lead. James hated how he was often depicted as a villain to the parents of the girls he dated. The truth was, he was not exactly gentleman material. He did bring out the bad side of people. She knew. She was already on the edge of naughty but when he showed up in her life, pushing her, challenging her to break the rules, she had lost the will to resist him. He had a charm about him that could make even a nun lift up her skirt.
"No you just act like you were the victim in our prank. There is no way you could have been gullible enough to believe that our prank would not create such chaos with the principal. Come on Bella. I was not born yesterday. You knew we were up to no good and yet you went along with it." James roared.
"James, I do not have time to discuss this. I was in bed, trying to go to sleep. I have school tomorrow." Bella's voice was stern and held a confidence that she had recently learned to use again.
"Fine. Go to sleep. I will be there Bella. I will prove to your old man that his Bella is a party girl. She isn't some straight A honor student who acts like sunshine comes out of her ass each time she farts." James warns her as he hangs up the phone.
Bella sat the phone down. Looking around the dark room she lay back on the bed, knowing that this was going to be one of those nights that she would toss and turn, with little to no sleep.
The next day…
At school during lunch the announcement was made that Rosalie Rutledge's showing would be later that evening at Bakers Brothers Funeral Home. The following day they would be burying her at 2pm. School would be let out early for those who wish to attend the service.
The rest of the day went by with a sad sober atmosphere as everyone contemplated about how it would feel to see Rose dead in a casket? Some were feeling guilty for not voting for her. Some were feeling guilty for some of the unkind things they had spoken about her. Some were a little relieved to know she was finally being buried six feet under. She had not been so kind to those people.
"You have been quiet all day. Are you worried about seeing her tonight?" Jake asks as he squeezes Bella's hand while they walk to his truck.
"Sorta." Bella was not ready to tell Jake what was all going on in her head.
"I am too. I mean, I dated her. I broke up with her and then later dated her sister. I use to argue with Miranda all the time about what a bitch her sister was. Now she is dead. Gone. I can't take back what I said." Jake sighed.
"I'm sorry Jake. I know how awful this is for you. I wonder how Miranda is?" Bella rub her arms, waiting on Jake to unlock and open her door.
"She seemed okay the other day. She worries me. She does not take death well. When her cat died she nearly had a mental break down. I had to comfort her for hours. Then came the week of constant ice cream that followed it. " Jake laughs lightly as Bella slips into the truck.
She waits until he gets in the cab of the truck with her.
"I think losing a sister will be far worse than a family pet." Bella rolls her eyes playfully at him.
"I know. I just….well….I do not want to give her the wrong impression. She is too weak right now. She will want comfort in away I can not give her." Jake turn the truck on as he glanced at her.
Bella could see the conflict he was fighting in his eyes. On one hand he wanted to be the guy she needed through a ordeal like this but he also knew in order to do that it would break them up. He was not Miranda's guy anymore. He was hers. Bella's. So she closed the door on the subject. There was no way she would allow him over to see Miranda alone, if he feared she might want to have comfort sex with him.
"I will call Edward." Bella mumbles as he turns up the radio.
"What?" Jake frowns at her.
"I will call Edward. I will see if they are still together or whatever it was they were to one another." Bella prepares herself for a burst of anger directed at her.
She knew it had crushed his ego that Edward had managed to get in Miranda's pants when he had failed.
"You should. He would be perfect for her." Jake nods his head in agreement surprising himself and Bella.
"Really?" Bella smiles proudly at him.
"Yeah. I think they both need the same comfort. You know like they said misery likes company or some sort of crap like that." Jake laughs as he tries to sound so mature about the matter.
Bella burst out in a heartfelt laugh as she scoots up close to him, laying her hand down on his upper thigh, smiling from ear to ear at her boyfriend.
"I love you." She declares.
"I love you more." Jake vows.
The two of them so blissful that neither of them spotted the dark red motorcycle parked at the diner where James sat inside sipping on his second cup of coffee, wondering how he was going to introduce himself back into Bella Swan's life.