Isabella

360-816-2754: Bella? Can we talk? I feel awful

360-816-2754: Where have you been? Please, just let me apologize

360-816-2754: This is Angela… if you didn't know. I don't blame you, if you deleted my number. I want things to be right between us. I wasn't thinking when I told Mr. Greene

Angela: Please respond

"Are you going to answer that?" Emmett gestured to my phone. It wouldn't stop buzzing. Angela wouldn't leave me alone. I should've blocked her. I swallow a spoonful of cereal and put my phone on silent. It was Sunday morning. Charlie and Sue had decided to go out fishing. Emmett was left on babysitting duty. I told him I wasn't a baby. He didn't listen.

Buzzz.

"What the hell could be so important that she needs you right now?" Emmett grumbled. "Just respond and she'lll drop whatever it is."

"You don't understand." I sigh. "If I respond than that means she wins. It means I forgive her for everything she's done and I'm not going to do that."

I was a stubborn person. Everyone knew I was. People said that my stubbornness would someday get in my way. I think it's done the opposite. Angela treated me like shit so why should I giver her the time of day?

"When are you going to understand that none of this is a game?" Emmett rolled his eyes. "There are no winners or losers. You're just being petty by not responding to her."

My eyebrow quirks up. "Did I ask for your opinion? No, I didn't." my eyes narrow into a glare, daring him to fight me.

"Tell me when you drop this attitude. You are acting like a bitch." He dumps his bowl in the sink and leaves me alone in the kitchen. "We're leaving in ten minutes."

"Dick." I mutter once he's left the room.

Buzzz.

"Fuck this!" I grumble. I turn my phone over to see several more messages. She never stopped. What didn't she get? I hate her for a reason!

Bella: Idc what you have to say

Bella: Learn to keep ur mouth shut

Angela: I was just trying to make things better. I'm sorry.

Bella: I don't accept.

Angela: Bella, please!

Angela: Bella!

I turned my phone off and head upstairs. I had an appointment with Victoria in twenty minutes. It's already been ten minutes.

"Are you getting ready, Bella?" Emmett knocked on my bedroom door. "We're late leaving."

I collapse back in my bed. "I'm not going! We're already late!" I yell from the other side.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He yanks open the door. "We have to pay a sixty dollar fee for canceling last minute. Dad will be pissed!"

I shrug my shoulders and roll onto my stomach. "I'm not going. You can't force me."

His face turns bright red and he mumbles something to himself. "Why are you always so difficult? We're all trying to help you. This is all for you! I'm still stuck in this dead end town because of you!"

"Well I'm not forcing you to stay. Leave for all I care." I smirked. Tears burned in my eyes. "Get out of my room." I get up and force him back until he's standing in the hall. I slam the door shut in his face.

An hour later there was a knock on the front door. I snuck out of my room and listened from the top of the stairs, hiding around the corner.

"No offense, but you are literally the last person she wants to see at the moment." I heard Emmett say. Angela was at the door. Her grey toyota was parked at the end of our driveway.

"You don't think I know that?" her voice raised. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important. I just want to talk to her."

"Bella isn't in the mood to talk to anyone."

Angela wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted. Did she learn anything from the last time she came here? I was supposedly taking a nap or at least that's what Emmett believed. I hadn't left my room in several hours. We were still fighting. I wasn't one to forgive or forget easily. Angela should know this by now.

"I'd leave if I were you-"

"No. I want to explain myself." she pressed. It could have only been about forty degrees outside. She was wearing a crop top and a jean skirt. She looked ridiculous. She was going to get frostbite and I won't care when all her fingers and toes fall off.

"I think you should just leave!" He gritted his teeth together and blocked her from coming in. "Right now is really not the time."

"Well can you at least tell her that I'm sorry… for everything.?" Her voice softens to a whisper. "I only meant to help her. I know I haven't been the best friend."

Emmett hesitates before nodding his head up and down. Angela mumbles a goodbye and the door shuts close.

"I assume you heard everything." Emmett's standing at the bottom the staircase. I come out from behind the corner.

"Thank you."

He nods his head in acknowledgement. He sighs and says, "I'm sorry. I was a jerk before." He runs his hand fingers through his curly hair and grimaces. He could be a big softy when he wanted to.

"I know you are." I said. "I don't want to force you to stay here if you don't want. You can leave whenever you want, I'd understand-"

"I'm not leaving, Bella." he said. He walks up the stairs to me and sits down on the top step. I sit beside him and lean my head on his shoulder. "I was being an idiot before. I'm never going to leave you."

I laugh out loud, unable to help myself. I've heard that so many times now that I'm not sure what to believe anymore. Emmett was too kind for his own good. I don't understand how he's put up with me for so long. I don't know how long we sat there for but it was just what we needed. It was just what I needed.

ooOoo

"I'm… sorry." I gulped. Sue stood at the front door, having just walked inside from the fishing trip. She stared at me wearily. I had seen that look too many times before. "It, uhm, it wasn't fair of me to say that, uhm stuff the other day. I apologize."

I sucked on my upper lip and looked away, awkwardly. Usually this was the point where the person would forgive and you'd move on. Sue is silent. Emmett told me to say sorry because I apparently really hurt her. I may not like her but my father does and I don't want to ruin the one happy thing in his life.

"I've tried and tried to be here for you and give you what you want." Sue said. My eyes flash up to her face. "I know that I'll never be that mother figure for you and I've accepted that. My hope was that we could at least try to form some sort of friendship."

"Sue…"

"No, Isabella let me speak." she stopped me. "I understand that you've been through a lot and are dealing with a lot of emotions, but that is no excuse to be disrespectful towards me. I'm not sure that you understand that your words hurt a lot." she held her hand up to her heart and stared at me with the most pained expression. I had to look away.

"I love your father and you and Emmett. I'm a one hundred percent committed to being apart of this family and being your friend if you'd let me. But we can never become friends if you don't at least make an effort."

I scoff and shake my head. "I've been trying-"

"You are not trying." she steps towards me. "I'd like to be your friend but first and foremost, I'm the adult in this household and I demand your respect. I'm not going to ground you or take away your phone but I want you to think about your actions. Think about how much they've hurt your father. Don't apologize until you sincerely mean it."

She leaves me standing at the door, dumbfounded, and goes back outside to help Charlie at the car. I try! I don't know what she's talking about! Of course, I respect her. I allowed her to be with my father. Yes, I was upset at first but I've accepted it. It's not like I'm trying to kick her out of the house! She does her thing and I stay out of her way. That's just how it worked. Maybe I was kind of rude the other day but it's not like I meant anything I said. I respect her.

If my dad thought I wasn't being nice then he for sure would have said something by now. I'd never purposely hurt him so I don't know what she's going off about!

Maybe I should have gone to Victoria today. Why'd I always fuck up?

ooOoo

"I'm sorry about Sunday, that was kind of… unplanned. Thanks for fitting me in now."

"Thank you for the apology. It means a lot." Victoria said. "I'd like to talk about what happened two days ago. Emmett wouldn't give me very many details."

"I've just been having a bad few days" I shrug my shoulders.

"Well let's start from the beginning. Your father told me an incident occurred at school. I'd like to hear more about that from you."

I explain everything in detail, from school to Sue. I've come to realize over the past few days, what a shitty person I actually am. Maybe I was being kind of a bitch to Sue. Maybe she was right.

"And do you want to be homeschooled? It'll be very different than public school."

That was the one thing I was certain on. I eagerly nod my head and look her straight in the eyes. "I'm going to fall apart if I have to go back to that damn school. I got several of the cheerleaders and footballers suspended. Everyone knows that they rule the school. I'm as good as dead if I show up back there." my voice trembled and I tried to keep my composure. Did it make me weak for not going back? Did that mean that they won?

"If you believe that homeschooling is the best option than I'm one hundred percent behind you on this. You are in charge of your future, Bella. Don't ever let anyone tell you different."

She was right. I was in control. I couldn't let anyone tell me different. I had to be strong. I couldn't cry every single time something went wrong. "I've decided to turn over a new leaf."

Victoria raises her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't been trying." I whisper. "I think it's pretty obvious to anyone's who's been watching. Every time something goes right, something else goes wrong and I completely break down. Don't lie to me, Victoria. Can you honestly tell me that I've tried my hardest?"
She purses her lips and slightly smiles. "I was wondering when you were going to figure that out for yourself."

"What…" I shake my head. She wasn't making any sense.

"I can only give you the tools and guidance to help you recover. I can't control how hard you try at recovering. It's up to you to put in the effort." she smiled. "Do you really think you would have listened, if I told you how to behave and what you should do?"

"Maybe-"

No. I wouldn't have listened. Just like I didn't listen to the doctor at the hospital. Just like I haven't been listening to anyone in the past three years.

"You had to see it for yourself. You had to come to this conclusion on your own. I'm proud of you, Isabella. This is a big step in improvement."

Why didn't it feel like an improvement? Why did I feel even more shitty than before?

"I want to make things right with Sue. I need to show her how sorry I really am. Every time I hurt her, I hurt my dad and I never wanted to do that."

"How about we brainstorm some ideas?" she suggests.

"I already know what I want to do." I said. "Did you know she has a son? His name is Seth. He goes to college in California and after his father died, he stopped coming home. Sue hasn't seen him in over a year."

"You want to contact him?"

"Yes." I nod my head. "I want to convince him to come back at least for a little bit. Charlie told me how heartbroken Sue is. I want to do something right for once."

ooOoo

Author's Note:

Hey y'all! Thank you so much everyone for reading and reviewing! Your support means so much! I'm so happy that I actually updated this soon! My school is now closed down until April 6 so I have a lot more time to write and update! It was a struggle to even get my school closed! Four students tested positive for corona and our superintendent still didn't view that as a big enough reason to close! We had to have a big walk out and protest and she was finally forced to close our school. I just hope now that everyone is doing ok and staying safe! I should update again sometime next week (hopefully)!