Chapter 6: It seems like it?
Rosalie threw her head back and laughed full heartedly as Belén continued to tell her the story.
"So I committed to the lie so much I even pretended like my dad had created me in a lab powerpuff girl style, but he accidentally gave me some dog traits instead of human so if I wanted to freak out a classmate I'd start barking at them."
The blond seemed on the verge of tears as they approached the parking lot. Belén could see her friends heading towards the bus; Shonda's eyes kept on scanning the space, so the brunette raised an arm and waved.
"Did it actually work?"
"I'm not sure." She shrugged, turning to the smiling girl. "But they were definitely scared of me, so they didn't question it. My dad thought it was hilarious, and he even gave me tips and encouraged me and all."
Rosalie bursted into more laughter at that.
Belén gave her a full-toothed smile. She remembered her mother not being too thrilled about it, but even Melissa had found some endearing amusement on seeing her husband coaching their daughter in animal behaviour.
"Do I really have to pee to mark my territory? Everyone will see." She had asked one day during tea time. Well, it wasn't really tea; she was drinking café con leche while her parents shared their mate over some biscuits.
"No! Please never do that. I was just telling you about it." Thomas had looked momentarily terrified before his daughter shrugged in acceptance as if it made no difference to her.
She had been a weird kid. If she wasn't trying to convince the other kids at school that she was made in a lab just like the powerpuff girls, with the substance X having been random animal DNA, then she was trying to convince them that she had invisible wings that only a special selected few could see, but even those people didn't have wings themselves because only the princess of the fairies, like her own self, were allowed to.
For that one, her dad snuck a small vial of pink and green glitter into the pockets of her Pikachu backpack that got all over her school's tunic, hands, and even her hair, but it looked pretty anyways, more lively than the plain white dress she had to wear over her everyday clothes.
She also considered telling them of the time she went around telling people she was actually a time traveller, who came from a future where cats and crocodiles ruled the world in harmony, and that she was part of the crocodile emperor's secret service.
She was definitely a weird kid, but at least it made the job of raising her interesting, or so her mom would say.
"What are you two talking about?" Emmet asked as he approached, smiling broadly, the stack of books in his arms looking miniscule. He looked excitedly from one girl to the other, like a child getting what they wanted for christmas.
"Oh, nothing, nothing."
"Belén was telling me about how she convinced half her class that she was part animal."
He raised his dark eyebrows. There was a glimmer in his eyes.
"Oh, really? Like a werewolf? I've heard about those a few times."
Rosalie hit him in the chest lightly and clenched her jaw, while the brunette rolled her eyes.
"Part dog, actually. A siberian husky, to be precise. They're dramatic."
"Nice." he nodded slowly.
Rosalie's shoulders kept on shaking as they descended the stairs, and Belén's smile dropped slightly as she saw her bus leaving.
"Shit." she uttered under her breath.
It looked like she'd have to walk home. Luckily, it wasn't too far and she already knew the way; but she couldn't help looking up at the darkening skies with small amounts of concern. It had been drizzling all day, but these clouds were almost black, warning of something bigger to come.
"What is it?" the amber-eyed girl looked in the direction of the entrance. "Don't worry about it, I can drive you home."
Belén's mismatched eyes widened.
"No, no, really, there's no need. It's not far."
"Nonsense." her friend dismissed gently.
"Yeah, besides, it's gonna get ugly soon." Emmett added, nodding towards the ostentatious red car. That thing stood out like a sore thumb, and the brunette still couldn't get used to it when she saw it in the middle of that modest, metal sea.
"Really, it's not far. I-I wouldn't want to intrude."she stuttered the last part.
"It's not intruding, Bele."Almost tentatively, Rosalie made use of one of the nicknames that people back home used on Belén. She looked like someone testing a new meal for the first time, trying to decide whether she liked it or not. "We'd love to take you home."
Belén was just a little taken aback by the casual line. Something fluttered in her stomach and she clutched her spanish book closer to her chest.
She decided to ignore the feeling, and pushed away the warmth that longed to surround her.
Finally, she moved her head up and down in agreement.
"Okay. Thank you."
With a renewed, shiny smile, Rosalie took a step into Belén's personal space and linked their arms together. With the other one she snatched the latina's backpack out of her hands and effortlessly threw it at Emmett, who caught it with ease. She was impressed at Rose's strength; that thing was full of books, to the brim and even though the blond girl seemed to be in shape, she didn't really look particularly strong. Belén herself had barely been able to lift the backpack off the floor after mysteriously (with a lot of uttered curses and threats) shoving everything inside. There was a holiday coming up, so she was taking the opportunity to catch up with all of her classes.
One week never felt so insufficient in her life.
They headed towards the car, each of them on her sides.
Emmett slung her backpack over his shoulder along with his, seeming as unbothered by the extra weight as Rosalie. He then walked ahead of them and opened the backseat door for her.
"Mina."
One of the corners of Belén's mouth lifted.
"Oh, that's the scout I'm supposed to be? You're sure?"
He shrugged.
"Yeah, I think so."
"I always thought I was more like Usagi, you know. She loves to eat and sleep and gets a new crush every few minutes."
Rosalie tensed just the slightest bit next to her, but only for a moment. Belén thought nothing of it.
"Isn't that your cat?"
"Well yeah, but we could both be her."
"All of them love boys though."
"Touché." she conceded, sliding into the soft, pristine seat. How the hell did a teenager have a car so clean? Belén wasn't really dirty, but her bedroom definitely looked lived in, as did her dad's car. Rosalie's looked like it had just been picked up from the dealership that day.
Emmett leaned down.
"Although, Mina's all about love." he extended the last word and dropped his voice in mock sensuality.
Belén laughed.
"Fine. She's one of my favourites anyway."
Happy with her acceptance, he placed the backpack next to her and gently closed the door. Through the tinted windows, the latina observed as he repeated the process with Rosalie, who got into the driver's seat, before taking the passenger seat for himself. He moved it as far back as it went.
The blond looked at her through the rearview mirror.
"So, where to?"
She gave them the address, and in the next second Rosalie had pulled out of the parking lot with smooth and precise movements. Belén couldn't help but notice how at ease she looked behind the wheel.
Emmett turned on his seat.
"So, got any plans for next week?"
She had only found out the previous day about Thanksgiving. She had only a notion of what it was (mostly from the movies), and despite having had not one but two history teachers in the family, she had never shown interest in the subject. There had to be more to it than a big meal if they were given a free week, although Amy had mentioned that not all schools had an entire week off.
"Sleep."she chuckled awkwardly before clearing her throat. "But maybe I'll help dad to get started his new clinic."
"Cool! He's a doctor?"
"Animal doctor, yeah. The plan is to set up a clinic here or maybe in Port Angeles."
She had already seen a place, just a few days prior, but she had been so busy with school and the house and taking care of Usagi and her dad that it kept on slipping from her mind. If she could get him up his middle-aged ass and working, she'd probably be able to rest a little better.
"I mean, we're not gonna set up the clinic this week, but I've been planning on checking out some new places and getting the equipment and all the papers in orders."
She couldn't help but feel at least some excitement. The idea of helping out some animals again lifted her spirits. She missed doing it. She probably wouldn't be able to do it with frequency, but it was still something to look forward to.
"Do you like animals?" Rose asked as she stepped on the gas to skip over a yellow light and turned right.
"I love them!" Belén sat straight, unconsciously leaning forward. "I'd adopt them all if I could."
"Ah, nice." she and Emmett shared a quick glance.
"You,...you don't like animals?" she asked slowly.
Could it be her crush on the eldest Cullens was finally about to end? It all depended on their answer.
Rosalie hurried to shake her head, golden hair moving softly along.
"No, no, of course we do. I mean, we can't have pets or anything-"
"I love bears." Emmett grinned from ear to ear. "Grizzlies."
Belén's heart almost burst out of her chest like in one of those cartoons she watched as a child.
"Bears are amazing! They're so pretty but then: boom! They can toss you like a rag doll and kill you just like that." she snapped her fingers.
Emmett pressed his lips together.
"Oh, you have no idea."
"Jesus." Rosalie muttered, coming to a stop and also turning on her seat.
Belén realized in that moment that this was the first time she was with both of them at the same time, and alone to top it all.
They were looking at her as if searching for something to say, and she was sure her own face mirrored theirs. They had arrived at her home, but she didn't really want to say goodbye. A week without school didn't sound so nice after all.
She would invite them in, but she still wasn't feeling like introducing anyone to her zombie father.
"I-"
"So-"
"Ca-"
All three of them stopped to laugh nervously.
Belén, not really being able to choose who to look at, lowered her eyes.
"I should go in. Thank you for the ride, guys."
She leaned forward and kissed Rosalie's cheek first, then Emmett's. So far, they were the only people she did that with besides her own dad. They had initiated it during her first week at school, as a greeting and farewell, and Belén was so accustomed to the style of greeting she hadn't realized that they were doing it at all till the end of the second week.
Their consideration made her appreciate them more, which in turn made her want to get over her crushes faster. They were so nice to her, she didn't want to ruin this new friendship.
For a moment, she considered stopping to ask for their phone numbers or twitter, but decided against it. Was it too soon for that? What if they didn't want to do that yet?
"I'll see you at school."
Belén stepped out of the car and closed the door gently. Walking up to the entrance, she was sure they were looking at her. It only made the butterflies harder to ignore, to know that they were waiting for her to go in before leaving.
She heard a 'meow' and turned to see Usagi walking towards her. She stopped to stretch lazily and kept on meowing.
"Hi, girl." she leaned down to scratch her, and the cat leaned back on her hind legs, tail up and frizzled, and hissed. Belén stood up, hands up. She was baffled. "Che, it's just me, it's me."
Usagi slowly returned to her previous position, but didn't approach her owner as usual. Careful not to scare her, Belén got her keys out and unlocked the door, holding it so the cat could go inside first. After a moment of hesitation in front of her, Usagi rushed in.
"Weird."
Turning around, she waved at the car, getting a brief honk back before it sped off, and closed the door.
Locking behind her, the girl sighed, shivering due to the warm interior of her new home. She heard laughing coming from the living room, and intrigued, ventured forward.
She stepped into a scene that only bewildered her slightly. Sitting on the armchair was a man she had never seen before; the other man, who sat on the couch with his back to her Belén recognized as Charlie, due to his police uniform and his grunt voice; but neither really captured her attention as much as the sight of her dad's shoulders shaking in carefree laughter.
The sound provoked a wave of relief to flood over her almost violently in its wake.
She stood there, appreciating the moment, afraid to break it and find out it wasn't real.
The stranger sitting in the armchair noticed her and smiled, his face wrinkling.
"You must be the Belén I've heard so much about." he said.
The girl shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Keeping an eye on her dad as he turned to look at her, she approached the trio. Remembering her misstep from the first day, she only kissed her dad's cheek and nodded at Charlie briefly before nearing the new visitor.
"I don't know if I should feel flattered or scared." she said to him, offering him a hand. Was that a good way to introduce oneself to someone? She had seen it in some movies and on t.v but to her it felt distant and a little detached, like something better left for formal situations, and so far, not a single kid at school had offered her a handshake.
"A little bit of both." he took her hand and shook it. His skin felt warm and rough, his smile was welcoming, and his dark eyes sparkled. "Nah, he's only said great things about you. I'm Billy, an old friend of this one." he said, dropping her cold hand and pointing at Thomas.
"Emphasis on 'old'." Thomas grunted, but Belén could detect the hints of a smile.
"Still look better than you, Williams."
"E-excuse me for a moment."
Belén tried not to run to the kitchen, but she wasn't sure if she succeeded. Setting her things down and all but tearing her jacket off, she washed her hands at lighting speed before going back to the living room, still looking from one man to the other, her gaze always lingering a little bit more on her dad.
He had stopped laughing and smiling, but he looked much more at ease than when they first arrived. Hell, Belén was sure he hadn't been so well since mom died.
Thomas noticed her staring and gifted her with a small, brief but affectionate smile, which she returned thrice as big.
"So, Billy," she began as she sat next to her dad, trying not to look like a weirdo. "Do you have any embarrassing stories about dad?"
He leaned back, intertwining his fingers over his stomach.
"Make yourself comfortable, kid. This is gonna take a while."
"Do you recognize any of these?" the brunette asked, looking from the aisle to her dad, whose mouth hung slightly agape as his eyes moved from one brand to the other.
"No."
"Mm."
She took a step forward and took a random pot of dulce de leche. She twisted it in her hands, as if reading the information on the back would give her a clue as to its flavour.
She sighed.
"We could just take this one and try it." she suggested. "We'll push it to the back of the fridge and pretend it's not there until it gets all sugary and disgusting if we don't like it."
Thomas almost smiled.
"Alright."
Belén gingerly put the product on the cart and tried not to skip instead of walking like a regular person.
She almost couldn't believe it when her dad agreed to go to the grocery store with her. Maybe it had been Charlie And Billy's visit that cheered him up. She vaguely remembered the cop mentioning Billy and some others on their first day at Forks, when he mentioned a reunion with him and other men who Belén assumed were her dad's childhood friends. A little bit after the pair had left, Thomas had also mentioned that she had actually spoken to Billy on the phone a few times as a child herself, before he and his friends finally got a hang of the internet and emails.
She remembered talking to him once, yes, but that was it. She didn't remember what they could've talked about or what his voice sounded like, just that they did talk for a few minutes before her mom took over with an excited grin.
If his friends had cheered him up so, then Belén would have to be insistent on going over to the Black residence soon, like Billy suggested before leaving them. She still wanted to thank everyone personally for getting the house ready, and the longer they took, the more the shame for not doing so grew on her and threatened to eat her. Soon, she'd feel enough embarrassment to try and jump off a cliff for being so rude.
A small jap tried to ruin her happiness, and a vicious whisper made its way across the fields of her mind, telling her that Thomas wasn't getting better because of her, that she wasn't enough of a motivation on her own. He'd rather try for friends he hadn't seen in twenty years than for his only child.
She pushed the voice away with matching sharpness and ignored the hurt, forcing herself to feel happy. At least he was walking around and talking to her, and she'd be damned if she didn't seize the opportunity. Maybe, if she tried hard enough, she could keep him up until he was truly better.
"So, you know this new friend I told you about? Shonda?"
"The one who lives down our street?"
She nodded, far too pleased to find he remembered such basic detail. It wasn't pathetic to be glad for something like that. It wasn't.
"Yeah. So, we went for a walk a few days ago and we saw this place for sale." they came to a stop and she reached up for the toilet paper. "I don't know how much it's for, but it's on a great spot, so I thought maybe you'd want to see it."
They couldn't, naturally, live off the air, and Thomas' plan had always been to open up a clinic in the small town, or maybe even try on Port Angeles. He seemed to have forgotten about that though, in the three weeks they had been there. She couldn't count on him going all the way to Port Angeles to check out possible places, but she'd annoy him to death with buying that place she and Shonda had seen. She was gonna make him get back to work or she was gonna make him get back to work.
Besides, setting his mind into something he loved would surely distract him from the self-pity parade.
"I shouldn't be so mean."
"Uh." was all he said.
She pursed her lips.
"I can show you the place once we leave."
"Yeah, or we can go tomorrow."
"I will show you today." she said firmly, thightly, silently daring him to refuse again. She would throw the mother of all telenovela scenes if he did.
"Soraya Montenegro's got nothing on me."
He sighed and closed his eyes, clearly defeated.
"Alright. Alright." he then gave her a sideways glance. "You know, you can be scary."
"Bullshit."
He smiled at her and she leaned against his side, taking hold of his arm.
A small flicker of hope quivered inside of her, fragile like butterfly wings.
A/N: Hope you guys liked this one
The next chapter isn't ready yet, but it's turning out a bit long and I didn't want to leave you hanging.
What did you think of the Rose/Emmett content? This is the first time they're all together at the same time :) yayyy!
I know there was barely anything with Billy, but if you like him don't worry cause you'll see some more of him.
BTW, the word 'che' is used in a similar manner as 'hey'. Some definitions suggest it can be used as 'dude' or 'pal' and other diminutives of the sort, but in this context it's just 'hey'.
So, I think that's all. Once more, thank you so much for all the support, and let me know what you think :)
Have a nice week, people!