Thank you to all my reviewers, including guests Grim waters, AnneCullen, Hanna 111, and white boy. NaNoWriMo is nearly over, as is the school year, so updates will be longer and more frequent soon, but for now, I hope you all understand. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy.
Angela waved goodbye to her two little brothers who strained against their seat belts as her mother drove away. They were all going out for the day, her father to a friend's house to watch some sort of game on TV and her mother and brothers to the park and out to lunch.
It hadn't been hard to convince them to let her have the house to herself, even though her mother had originally planned to leave the twins with her and run some errands. They'd all been watching TV on Wednesday night when her mother had brought it up. "Would you mind watching the boys Saturday?" She'd asked, turning to her daughter on the opposite sofa where she had been reading a book. The boys were both asleep upstairs, and Angela knew her parents would go to bed soon. Finals were coming up, but she was putting off studying for the moment, instead skimming through her novel.
"Actually…I need to talk to you about Saturday." Angela spoke a little hesitantly, and both of her parents turned to her. "Alice Cullen called me…she was wondering if Bella could spend Saturday here."
"Alice…oh, Doctor and Esme Cullen's daughter." Her father nodded thoughtfully, his face growing solemn. Rumors about young Bella Swan had circulated through the town, and the young and old alike enjoyed an evening gossiping about the 'poor mentally unstable' daughter of the chief, and the questionable activities that went on inside the Cullen home. Angela was grateful that her mother was very fond of Esme Cullen, and that her father had the highest respect for the doctor. When they'd heard that the couple had taken in yet another child, they'd been impressed and approving.
"It's so kind of them." She'd heard her mother say to a not so well meaning gossip who'd brought it up at the pharmacy. "They're very young, but they've opened their home to those children, and they're all very well behaved and kind young men and women. They obviously care a great deal for Bella. We could use more people like Doctor and Mrs. Cullen in Forks." That had put end to whatever the other woman had been about to say, and Angela had felt a wave of affection for her mother.
"Did she say how Bella was doing?" All the parents who had any involvement with the school or knew Mrs. Mallory knew about the rumors…that Bella had been taken from school because she was mentally unstable and dangerous to the other students…or herself. Of course, Angela and her family were having none of that, and her father often came home angry that the people he worked with would 'gossip like that about the poor girl.' He knew Chief Swan pretty well, and had plenty of respect for him as well, and he thought it was a shame that the girl was being treated this way by so many adults who ought to know better.
"She said she's been feeling better, but I think she just wants to get her out of the house for a while." Angela spoke carefully, not wanting to share too much.
"Well, of course she's welcome to come over." Her mother had said firmly. "Would it be better if we were out of the house?"
"I think so…I don't think being around so many strange people would be good for her." Alice had implied that it would be best if Angela and Bella could spend time alone, and Angela was more than willing to comply. So on Saturday morning, her mother had woken the boys early, taking them out for a fun day together that would hopefully include a little grocery shopping, and, after giving Angela some money to order pizza, her father had headed out as well.
Angela stepped up to the movie shelf, wondering if Bella wanted to watch movies, or maybe study together…she knew that her friend was taking her exams at home. She wondered how that was going, and if she needed ay help. Angela had to doubt it…all of the Cullen kids were at the top of the class. She skimmed the movies, running her fingers along the edges, then paused when she heard a familiar loud engine. Grinning in excitement, she hurried out the front door and hurried over to where her friend was climbing out of the truck, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing when Bella did the same. She was a little surprised…Bella rarely seemed comfortable giving hugs or receiving them…she usually just patted her back a little awkwardly and then tried to pull away. She pushed that thought away, releasing the girl. "Hey. Come on in. It's warmer inside." She promised, tugging her smiling friend along.
Bella looked better. She remembered the last day she'd seen her in school. She'd been passing by on her way to Spanish when she'd spotted Bella, looking upset and pale, between a worried looking Edward and a grim looking Jasper. A few football players had been making their way around them, and Jasper had shifted, obviously shielding Bella from them. Angela had been torn between going over and comforting her friend and not wanting to intrude, and had decided that she'd better not bother her. But now, her face didn't seem quite so hollow…her eyes were bright and excited, although she also looked a little worried. Deciding not to pry, Angela locked her front door and took her shoes off, Bella following suit.
"It's so good to see you." Angela confessed softly, smiling at Bella. She'd missed her friend more than she'd realized, and Bella bit her lip, then reached out to touch her arm.
"I missed you too." She told Angela quietly. "I'm sorry…I never got to tell you…"
"Don't worry about it." Angela told her firmly. "We can talk about that later…if you want. But you have to tell me…how's your dog?" Bella snorted, following her over to the sofa. "I was hoping you'd bring her!" She cried, making her laugh. "I wanted to meet her."
"She's good." Bella told her, sitting on the sofa and leaning back against the arm. "She's pretty easy to housetrain, and she likes to play with the toys Jasper got her. She's always running around and wanting to play." Angela laughed, able to imagine Bella chasing the dog around the house.
"And everyone else likes her?"
"Oh yeah. She likes playing with Jasper…she doesn't like Emmett though." She laughed and Angela could imagine…she couldn't help being intimidated by the large boy. "He's always trying to make up with her though." That, Angela could not imagine. "So…how's school?" Bella wondered, clenching her hands in her lap.
"Fine. I'm just glad it's nearly over. Exams are coming up, and I'm sure I'm going to fail calculus." Bella laughed, nodding.
"Same. I think I get most of it, but when I sit down to take the test, I'm sure I'll forget everything. And history is awful. I hope all those names and dates weren't important."
Angela laughed. "Right? The only one I'm not worried about it English. Maybe Spanish."
"Ugh I hate Spanish. I feel like I know how to say 'hello' and 'do you speak English?'" Angela giggled. "And it's worse because Edward and Emmett are pretty much fluent! So they're writing essays in perfect Spanish while I'm trying to figure out the word for 'kitchen.'"
"Don't they help you?"
"Oh they try. I'm kind of hopeless with Spanish though." She trailed off, looking at the floor, and Angela gestured to the movie shelf.
"So, you wanna watch a movie?" Bella looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.
"Sure." Together they stood, looking through the movies, and ended up watching a mindless comedy, laughing or rolling their eyes through most of it.
Around noon, Angela ordered a pizza, and then began skimming the movies again for something else to watch, or to put on in the background. Glancing over at Bella on the sofa, she realized that her friend was glancing at her phone occasionally. "We can do something else if you want…." Angela spoke a little hesitantly, and immediately her friend looked ashamed.
"No, I'm sorry. Edward and his brothers and Carlisle all went out…I was just wondering if I'd hear from Edward…" Angela nodded, starting to answer when the doorbell rang. She hurried to the door and tipped the pizza man, placing the large, hot box on the table, and, after grabbing plates, they took their food into the living room, sitting in front of the TV once more, a generic mystery movie playing in the background.
"If you want to talk…." Angela paused, looking over to gauge her friend's reaction. Bella swallowed her pizza, staring at the ground for a moment. "If you want to talk about anything, I'm here." She told her softly, picking up the pizza and taking a bite. "During my first year of high school, I suffered pretty badly from depression." She informed her friend softly. "I was on meds for a while…I just…you're not alone, you know. And…if you think it'll help to talk about it, then I'm willing to listen."
Bella pulled her lower lip into her mouth, biting down gently with her teeth, then seemed to consciously stop, instead taking another bite of pizza. When she'd finished swallowing, she looked up at Angela. "Carlisle said I have an anxiety disorder." She told her softly. "I had a panic attack in school…and I scratched my arm….he was worried, so he took me out of school." She held her wrist with her hand, looking almost fearfully up at Angela who was careful to keep her face neutral and understanding. "I…I can't breathe…when I have panic attacks. They started after the shooting, and I still have them...I had one earlier this week when I went to visit Charlie." Angela reached over and touched her shoulder, squeezing a little.
"Do you take any medicine for it?" Angela asked gently. "That helped me."
"Carlisle doesn't want to resort to medicine…he said the side effects from anti anxiety medicine can be pretty bad." Angela nodded, waiting for Bella to take another bite and chew her food slowly. "They all know how to help…Edward and Jasper and Emmett…but…" She seemed to give up on the pizza for the moment. Angela took her hand firmly, squeezing.
"It's okay." She told her friend when she wiped furiously at her eyes. "You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to."
Bella sat in silence for a long minute, her hand still in Angela's, and after a while Angela went back to her pizza, watching the TV absentmindedly. If her friend needed to talk to her, then she would. If she wanted to be quiet for a while, then that was fine too. Alice had warned her that it was possible that Bella could have a panic attack for seemingly no reason, and if that happened, she gave Alice the numbers of herself, Carlisle, and Edward, promising that one of them would come immediately. She also told her how to help Bella through it, making sure she knew someone was with her, talking her through it, encouraging her to breathe. Bella tended to hyperventilate when she suffered from the attacks, and needed to be reminded to breathe deeply.
"I don't know why they happen." Bella confessed haltingly. "I don't understand it…one minute I'm fine, but if I think of anything bad…" Angela squeezed her friend's hand, the subtle gesture a reminder that she wasn't alone.
"You're not panicking right now." Angela reminded her. "You're fine. And you're talking about being afraid." Bella glanced up at her, a little surprised. "It's okay to be afraid." She told her gently. "We're all afraid sometimes. You're not going to panic every time you worry…you have lots of things you can do to calm down. When I was depressed, I used to read, or listen to music, or go jogging… you'll get through this. You've got Doctor Cullen and Mrs. Cullen, and Edward and his brothers and sisters…you all seem really close. And like you said, they all help…even Emmett…" Bella looked up at her in surprise for a second at her hesitant voice, then smiled a little.
"You're afraid of Emmett." Bella seemed so amused by that that Angela blushed a little.
"He's so…big." Angela whispered, embarrassed as Bella laughed. "And…he looks scary. Him and Jasper both." She knew they were nice people…they obviously loved Bella, but she couldn't help the nervousness she felt around them. Alice was different…she was small and sweet and although there was something a little frightening about her too, she was much more approachable. But the boys in the family…
"He's like a big teddy bear." Bella whispered, and Angela laughed incredulously. "It's true. He's huge and loud sometimes…but he's really nice." Her eyes softened a little and Angela smiled, trying to adjust her feelings about the apparently gentle giant. Bella leaned forward, her voice dropping to a murmur. "Don't tell him I said that. He'd probably have to go kill a grizzly with his bare hands to reassert his masculinity." Angela snorted, laughing aloud at the thought, almost missing the private smile on Bella's face.
They chatted for a little while longer, the solemn mood dissolving in the midst of a mystery movie they tried to figure out the plot of thirty minutes in, rapidly cooling fresh pizza, and a thermostat turned up to keep the house cozy and warm. Bella stopped glancing at her cellphone every five minutes, and told her all about a day she'd spent with Esme, about her greenhouse full of every kind of vegetable and fruits and other plants…about learning to embroider and planning her wedding. She told her how Alice made Emmett sift through a thousand books in order to pick out the right decorations and how Jasper had taken her out to lunch after having her try appetizers. All in all, Bella truly seemed happy with the Cullens. Angela just hoped she'd get to see more of her now that they were reconnecting.
They finished the mystery movie that they never quite figured out and switched to the TV, putting some teen drama on for background noise, and Angela finally got around to giving her a tour of the house. They spent the rest of the day in Angela's bedroom, chatting about Ben and Edward, or about Angela's brothers, until Bella's phone began to buzz in her pocket. Excusing herself, she stepped out into the hallway, and Angela lay back on her bed, smiling at the ceiling. It had been a while since she'd spend the day with a friend. 'Maybe we can go to Port Angeles some time, or just out around here…this summer after we graduate. We can hang out some day…maybe after her wedding…I'll bet her wedding is going to be beautiful.' She sat up when Bella entered the room, looking at her questioningly.
"That was Edward. They're all on their way home…" She seemed strangely relieved, but Angela didn't try to pry.
"Cool. Did you want to go home? You can stay for a little while…my mom should be home soon with the twins."
"I'd actually better get going…thank you for today."
"Of course." Angela stepped up to her, wrapping her arms around the girl. "Anytime. We need to get together soon and go out. Maybe see a movie in Port Angeles?" Bella nodded, but for some reason, Angela thought she looked a little sad.
"That sounds great. Your invitation to the wedding should be in the mail." The two girls walked down the stairs, pausing at the front door. "You've been a really great friend, Angela." She told her softly, and Angela was torn between confusion and worry. "Thank you. For everything."
"Of course…is everything okay?" Bella stepped out onto the porch.
"Yeah. Everything's great. I need to get back to studying though. I have to take my exams next week. I'll see you later."
"Okay. Text me when you get home…be careful." Angela called as she climbed into her truck.
"See you." Angela raised her hand as her friend pulled out of the driveway, lifting a hand to wave goodbye, then disappeared down the road.
Thank you for reading :)