Hi all!

Chapter 11 and 12 are on the agenda for the night. I am typing up Chapter 12 right now so it should be up in a couple hours. Without further ado, here is Chapter 11!

Enjoy and I appreciate feedback. I do not have a beta so any mistakes are all mine.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, ideas, plots, music, brands, etc. are owned by their respected owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 11

14 years old

It was late and Bella did not care even though it was a school night. Her parents let her walk out of the house no questions asked. They knew she needed time to herself.

The pond was a couple blocks away from Bella's house so it did not take long for her to get there. Her anger also made her legs move faster. Bella could not remember the last time she had gone to the little pond down the hill. Looking back, it felt a lot bigger than it did now. Little Bella felt like an ant when she would skate with her friends on warm winter days. Now she felt like she would fall through at any moment.

Bella shuffled to the middle of the pond and just stood there. Tears fell in steady streams down her cheeks. Her nose felt hot and her fingertips were stiff. She did not think to grab her gloves on the way out the door. She did just wanted to get away from her parents.

Edward's lungs burned with each step he took. His friends thought he was crazy for running at night in the middle of winter. He liked it though. The air was always quiet. It made it easy for him to get lost in the running and clear his mind. Besides, he needed to stay in top shape. Edward was a freshman on the JV hockey team. He had a lot to prove.

There were not a lot of places to jog around their small town. It being so small and friendly made Elizabeth feel better about letting her 14 year old son run around at night. For Edward, it meant that he passed by the same areas a couple times throughout his route. He was passing the pond for the second time when he saw someone standing in the middle of it.

Edward slowed to a stop and took out his ear buds. Slowly, he made his way down the slope to the edge of the frozen water. He could hear sniffling the closer he got. Bella heard someone step through the hard snow behind her. She furiously wiped away at her cheeks and turned around.

"Bella?"

"Hey," Bella sniffled.

"What are you doing out here? Are you crying?" Edward asked alarmed.

"Sorry. Um… I'm okay."

Edward looked down at Bella with a raised eyebrow not believing her for one bit. He looked around for a second not sure what to do. Bella took a deep breath willing the tears to go away. They did not.

"Obviously, you aren't okay, Bella. Want to tell me what's wrong?"

Bella remained silent. She had no clue as what to say. Her brain was filled with anger and confusion. She also did not want to bother Edward with her problems. Bella opened her mouth to say anything but another wave of sadness crashed over her. Tears started falling harder and she shoulders started to shake. Edward panicked and pulled Bella into his arms.

Bella sagged into Edward's chest. She buried her head further into Edward's thick sweatshirt. It smelled of sweat, laundry detergent, and cold air. His arms were holding her tight against him; anchoring her. Bella tried to take some deep breaths to calm herself down.

"My parents are getting a divorce. They just told me and Riley tonight."

Edward tightened his arms around Bella. Her body seemed to shrink into his. He had no idea what to do; what to say. So, he just held Bella close. Her shoulders slowly stopped shaking as her breathing steadied. Edward's nose was buried into her hair. It smelled of fresh apples. They stood there in silence breathing each other in for who knows how long. Bella lifted her head. Her nose skimmed Edward's neck.

"Jesus! Your nose is freezing!" Edward gasped.

"Sorry," Bella laughed.

Bella stepped away from Edward's embrace. Edward looked down at Bella as she shifted her weight front side to side. Nervous. Her nose was bright red and her eyelashes were wet with tears. She looked beautiful. Edward quickly shoved that thought away. Bella was upset and needed a friend. She most definitely did not need Edward thinking about how her dark eyes sparkled under the streetlamps.

"Let me walk you home."

Edward took off his gloves and gave them to Bella. She tried to refuse but Edward was not having it. He held out his arm and slowly guided them off the pond. Bella did not let go once they got back onto the sidewalk.

The walk back to Bella's house was quiet. Edward could tell Bella was lost in thought. He did not push her to talk. Edward knew Bella would tell him what she was thinking when she was ready.

Bella stayed silent.

She was not sure what to think let alone what to tell Edward. Her parents divorce came out of the blue. The thought of them not being together did not seem real to her. Instead of thinking too much into it, Bella focused on the warmth coming from Edward. It seeped into the left side of her coat as they walked close together back to her house.

"Thanks for walking me home."

"It's no problem," Edward smiled reassuringly.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school?"

"Yeah, let's hope the History test isn't that bad," Edward joked.

"God, I hope not," Bella laughed.

"Night Bella. You'll be okay?"

"I think so," Bella sighed, "good night."

Bella quickly turned and stepped into her house. Edward walked down the front steps shoving his cold hands deep into his pockets. He could feel the cold seep through his layers.

"Edward!"

Edward turned around just as Bella stomped down the front steps.

"I almost forgot," Bella breathed handing back Edward's gloves.

"Thanks," Edward smiled.

Bella quickly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Edward for a hug. Edward did not hesitate and hugged Bella back. The scent of her apple shampoo wafted into his nose. Edward took a deep breath as he gave Bella an extra squeeze before letting go.

"Thanks again."

"It's no problem, Bella. See you tomorrow."

Edward stepped back and put his earbuds in as Bella bounded back up the stairs. His gloves were still a little warm on the inside.

My parents separated when I was 12 so a little bit younger then Bella here but I still remember how all I wanted to do was run out of my house and just be by myself. That didn't happen but the urge was still there. I'm not going to dive into why Renee and Charlie chose to separate if anyone was curious. Other then this chapter, it isn't important to the story. Just know that it was mutual and no hard feelings were made. Bella and Riley are always Renee and Charlie's priority. Some couples just do better when they are apart is all.

Fun fact about the inspo for this fic: a TikTok of two people ice skating together came onto my ForYouPage and I was immediately inspired. This fic was originally going to be about Edward and Bella being synchro partners and hating each other but it quickly changed directions.

What did you think? Do you find inspiration in the oddest of place like I think I do?

Thanks for reading!

~ Cat