LL Chapter 52
The Morning After
I woke up on the floor, exactly where I had fallen asleep. I could feel that someone had covered me with a blanket and placed a pillow under my head. I my eyes and saw that Bella was still lying right next to me. I sat up and noticed that everyone now has blankets and pillows. I took a good look around and see that Alice and Jessica were no longer in the living room with us, and the baby monitor has been turned off.
I stood up and wandered off to the kitchen where I found Jessica and Alice feeding Tanya her breakfast. As I walk across the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, I caught a glimpse of Charlie and Sue's cars in the driveway. They must have been the ones that covered us with the blankets when they came in early this morning. As soon as I sat down at the table with my coffee and Tanya saw me, she started getting excited and reaching for me. Alice switched spots with me so that I could help feed Tanya.
When I was done feeding her, Jessica offered to Tanya upstairs to get her dressed for the day. Once she was gone I turned to my sister, "Why were you and Jasper upset last night?"
"I got my acceptance letter. I leave for Paris in June, two weeks after graduation. He's upset because he thought we'd still have the summer before I left. I did too, but they put me in the earlier class. I have to go."
"Wow. That's great news. Wow. That still leaves us with six months, right?"
"That is what I told Jasper last night. He's not crazy about the separation."
"I am sure he's not because I am not too crazy about it. But it will all work out. You two will get through it and years from now you will wonder why you were so worried about the separation."
"I know." She sighed. I could tell that she wanted to believe that it would be that easy. At least I knew that Bella and I would be together next year.
We sat in silence until Leah came into the kitchen. She sat in the chair that Jessica had vacated, laying her head on her arms and started crying again. I had never seen Leah act so un-Leah-ish. This was not the same strong woman that took down Lauren because she picked on Bella. But I could understand.
I was still awake with Bella and Leah after everyone had fallen asleep. Unfortunately, I had been right about Sam. He had been cheating on Leah with her cousin for the last few weeks. Last night when she was looking for Sam for the midnight countdown she saw him slip into the woods and followed him. There she saw them together and heard him tell her cousin that he loved her and couldn't wait to marry her. When Emily asked when he was going to tell Leah, he said just as soon as Leah gave him the money he needed for the shop. He and Jacob couldn't get it started without her help. I was ready to wake Jasper, call Emmett and Charlie and go after the asshole. Bella must have realized that I was getting angry because she leaned back against me and pulled my arms around her. I was trapped between her and the couch with no way to easily escape and go after him.
Alice stood up and made Leah a cup of hot tea with honey and clove in it. I was at a real loss as to what to do for her but, she sat up a few minutes later with a sigh and started drinking her tea.
When Jessica returned with Tanya, Leah took her and held her close to her chest with her eyes closed as if just holding the baby close was easing her pain.
By nine everyone was awake and in the kitchen except for Bella, who was still snoring away on the living room floor. "Should we wake her or would she prefer to sleep?"
"Let her sleep." Charlie answered. "She never gets enough sleep."
I didn't want to leave before Bella woke up but, I really needed a shower and a toothbrush plus I felt we were intruding at a time Leah would have preferred not to have an audience to her misery.
I was surprised, though, that Alice did not throw a fit when Jasper suggested that it made more sense if he drove Jessica home and I took Alice with me. It did make sense as Jessica lived close to Jasper and Rose.
We drove in silence the whole way home. It wasn't until I pulled the car into the garage that Alice spoke, "She's not as bad as I wanted to believe she was." And then she got out of my car without another word.
As I walked into the house I passed Alice, who had stopped in the kitchen and was pulling out her bread machine. I smiled as I found Mom and Dad cuddling on the couch, watching a movie. I continued up to my room for a hot shower.
I threw on a pair of sweat after my shower and collapsed on my bed for nap. I was dreaming that I was on a boat with water spraying me in the face until I started to wake up and realized that water really was hitting me in the face. I opened my eyes and found my sister standing over me with a spray bottle of what I hoped was just water. She was trying hard not to laugh as she continued to spray me with the mist from the bottle. I jumped up off the bed and chased her downstairs yelling empty threats at her while she screamed and laughed ahead of me.
Mom and Dad wanted to take us out to Port Angeles to celebrate Alice's good news, just the four of us. We would have a big party when I received my acceptance letters and decided where I was going.
I went upstairs to change my clothes and decided to send Bella a text while I was at it, "Being kidnapped by fam. Call you before bed." It did not surprise me that I did not get a response back before we left. She didn't keep her phone next to her if she was playing with her daughter.
Alice and I continued our sibling games the whole ride to Port Angeles by poking each others arms, making faces at each other, and tattling; which did nothing but make our parents laugh. So we tried harder by alternating asking, "are we there yet?" But that just made them laugh harder. Then Mom sighed and dad grabbed her hand, I knew they were going to miss us next year when we were off in college. I'd be able to come home once in a while, but Alice wouldn't. It would be a long time between visits from her.
As promised, I called Bella when we got home. Sue, Leah, Tanya, and Bella had kicked Charlie and Seth out of the house and spent the day watching chick flicks, eating ice cream and pizza, and doing manicures and pedicures. Sending the boys out on their own without babysitters of their own was quite dangerous. I knew that they would head up to the reservation and would risk running into Sam, possibly on purpose.
I was more certain than ever that this was a no where town and I was not the only one that needed to escape it. Jessica and Leah both need a reason and a way to leave this town or they would be stuck here living in misery. I just needed to figure out a way to help them.
A/N:
Poor Leah. At least she has family and friends that have her back!
I am still stuffed full of turkey! And Sam needs to get beat with a turkey! I have just about all of my Christmas shopping done and the house decorated. Every time I turned around this weekend my family was dragging me out shopping. I saw BD again on Thanksgiving! Still loved it the most.
