Each Moment Lost to the Past
Chapter 9
Bella's POV
"Congratulations, Bella, Alice. Excellent work," the teacher compliments, sliding over a thick packet. On the cover page, a large A is circled in red ink, making me smile. "I must ask, whatever made you think about doing that part portion about William Chester Minor and defectors?"
"Oh, that was actually Bella's idea," Alice chirps, leaning closer so that she can look at the corrections on the paper from its place in front of me. I would slide it over to give her easier access, but I don't mind the proximity.
I swallow nervously. "I guess I just read something somewhere about there being a lot of defectors and, since this was such a bloody battle," and why did we have to choose such a bloody battle for my mind to fixate on?, "I figured there would be a lot more and wondered how they dealt with it."
"Well," the teacher says with a pleasant smile. "Excellent work. You both have a good break," he says before moving on to give the table behind us their paper that is covered in red corrections.
"You can have it, if you want," I say, finally sliding it slightly towards my partner as she continues to flip through the pages. She glances up.
"If I took it home, I'd honestly probably just toss it in the trash," she says sheepishly.
"Then we can just toss it on our way out," I grin, stuffing the rest of my books into my bag so that I can leave as soon as the bell ring. "Cause I'd do the same as soon as I got home."
"What are you doing for the holidays?" Alice asks, turning her full attention to me.
"I think we're spending Christmas at the Blacks, but I have no plans other than that. You still want to hang out?" I ask.
She immediately reaches out to clutch my hand between two of hers. "Of course! I do have a few more outfits I'd like you to model for me, if you're willing."
"Sure, no problem. But I was also kind of thinking…" My eyes drop down to her hands clutching mine, before darting nervously around the room. The other students pay us no mind anymore, but this is still probably not the place. I push on anyway, hesitantly meeting my friend's gaze. "I was thinking maybe you'd want to go to a movie with me?"
Alice startles. There are moments where I can see every emotion play across her face, and other times where her expression seems to be etched of stone. This time, I can see the surprise flash in her eyes, followed by recognition, and then nervousness. Her gaze flickers down to my chest and back up again, and I imagine that she can hear how erratic my heartbeat is. I can hear it I my own ears as well.
"You mean…like a date?" she asks hesitantly.
My free hand immediately comes up to rub self-consciously at my neck. "Well…" I hesitate. I could just back out now- laugh it off and call it a friends' outing. I force the anxiety down and to forge on. "Yeah," I say softly. "If you want it to be."
"Oh," she says, staring at me with unblinking eyes like she sometimes does when she gets lost in her thoughts. The bell rings, but she remains unmoving.
"Um," I shift uncomfortably as most of the class makes it out the door without her answering. I doubt it's a good thing when the person you're interested in is completely taken aback when you ask them out. "You know what, it was a stupid idea. I guess I misread-" Her cold fingers tighten around my hand as I try to withdraw in my embarrassment. She finally blinks.
"Wait, I-" she blinks several more times before suddenly looking shy. "Sorry, I'm usually never surprised, but I didn't expect you to ask this. I think… I'd like that, though."
"Really?" I ask, my heart racing even faster in excitement. Jacob had been encouraging me to ask her out, but I didn't really expect to ever get up the courage. Or for her to say yes.
"Yeah," Alice says, her smile growing as her confidence seems to return. "But I get to pick out your outfit," she says, finally releasing my hand so she can shrug her bag onto her shoulder. I laugh, scrambling to follow.
"I don't think that's how first dates work, but sure," I say with a grin. It's one less thing I have to worry about, and I trust Alice enough at this point to not put me into something I'd absolutely hate.
"Excellent," she grins, latching onto my arm like she always does, and I finally completely relax. I hadn't made things weird.
…..
"She said yes?!" Jacob asks, excitement and a bit of surprise coloring his voice. "No way, I don't believe you. I've seen pictures; why would a girl like that agree to go on a date with you?"
I laugh, chucking my empty soda can at the boy's head. "Shut up," I try to scoff, but the grin just won't leave my face.
Jacob dodges my toss with ease and a giggling laughter that he'd never let his other friends hear. "Fine, fine," he says, moving back towards his toolbox where he had been poking around when I told him the news. "But I better come over soon to help you pick out your outfit. You need all the help you can get."
"I've got that covered," I wave him off. "Alice will be dressing me."
Jacob pauses, wire cutters dangling from his fingers. "Shouldn't she be the one undressing you?"
I wish I still had my soda so I could chuck it at him again. "Gods, Jacob," I sputter, searching for anything I can throw at him that isn't so heavy that it will cause permanent damage. In the end, it's grease towels that are tossed at him, but he once again easily dodges. "Is that all you can think about?"
"Pretty much," he confirms with a wide grin.
"Why am I friends with you," I groan.
"Cause of my charming good looks and fantastic personality?" He suggests, and I roll my eyes.
"Whatever. Let's go do something; I don't feel like hanging out in here all day. Wanna explore?"
"Sure!" Jacob perks up, immediately scrambling to put his tools away. Together, we take the short hike up to the house to find warmer clothes that will withstand the unfairly frosty temperatures of winter.
….
"And this is a Christmas tradition?" I ask doubtfully, glancing around the small boat. It's small enough for two, maybe three people, but only my father sits across from me. A ridiculous fishing hat is perched on his head, and I'm sure the one he slapped onto my head earlier this morning is just as silly looking.
"Dad says that catching your food for supper makes you appreciate it better," Jacob says from the boat floating not too far from our own. The water slaps lazily against the edge of the vessle creating an odd gurgling ring around the surrounding cliffs.
"And it's the only time of year I can force this kid into a boat with me anymore," Billy laughs gravelly from across his son.
"That's cause it's boring," the boy groans as he's handed a fishing pole.
"You used to love fishing," Charlie says, handing me my own pole with a hook already baited. I grimace as the worm goes swinging from the momentum, bumping against my hand as it slows. I tuck my hands farther into my giant coat in disgust.
"I used to love playing with the worms," Jake corrects, lifting one of the long writhing bugs from a container.
"Bet you used to eat them too," I snort, amused despite the slight rocking of the boat that turns my stomach a bit.
"No, that was you," he says casually ripping a poor worm in half and going about fixing it to his hook.
"It was not!" I gasp, horrified, but I can't really be sure. I don't remember fishing as a kid, so I can't be certain that I've never eaten a worm.
"That was only because he dared you to," Charlie assures me, only I don't feel reassured at all. I whip wide eyes around to the man, and he quickly raises his hands in a placating gesture with a smile. "Kidding, kidding! Now get your poles in the water. The sooner you catch us dinner, the sooner we can get back into some heating."
Pouting, I let the line drop the short distance into the water. The little red and white bobber rising and dipping with the tide is slightly hypnotic along with the sound of the lapping water against the side of our boats.
The silence lasts maybe two minutes before Jacob sighs heavily and shifts impatiently on his bench. "It's too cold for this," he complains.
"Nah, that's just extra motivation," Billy laughs. He's the only one actually wearing a life vest, even though Jacob is still technically young enough to where he's supposed to.
Despite the winter cold and the smell of old fish permeating from everything, I find myself grinning down at my lazy bobber. If this was Before Bella's, my, life here, I don't know why I would have ever left.
Charlie is the first to catch a fish. Then Billy catches two, and Charlie reels in another, and even Jake manages to snag one, but it looks more like an overgrown minnow so he has to throw it back. As the hour drags to two and my bobber remains undisturbed, I become slightly disenchanted of fishing. I sigh morosely.
"Try reeling it in," Charlie suggests, setting his pole into one of the holders. "Sometimes the bait gets stolen or falls off."
I quickly pull it up, only to see an empty hook swinging from the end of my line. Jacob, of course, finds this immensely amusing. He has to catch himself on the edge of his boat as he breaks into peals of laughter, sending the vessel rocking precariously.
"Oh, charming," I say as his mirth turns into an unattractive snort. "For that, you can rebait my hook." I dangle my pole the distance over to him, and the hook swings so close to his face that he has to lean away. It still manages to brush his nose, leaving behind a drop of ocean water.
"Easy!" he yelps, catching the string before it can hook him. "I'm pretty sure that I'm not your ideal catch."
"Just hurry up, would you?" I request.
"Hand me your pole; I don't trust you," he demands, and I easily hand it over without a fight.
With my hands now free, I sigh deeply as I lean back into the pile of orange lifejackets stacked behind me. It's not the most comfortable of positions- its lumpy and uneven and the corner of the boat makes my head tilt in an awkward way- but I let my eyes drift for a moment across the grey morning sky. The clouds are so thick that there is no hint of the real sky behind it, but the sunlight still shines brilliant enough through the layer that I have to squint, and then close my eyes against the brightness.
Half frozen and with a crick in my neck, it's the most peaceful I've felt in a while. The gulping gurgle of the tides against the underside of the hull presents a serene atmosphere.
"Jacob," I hear Billy's warning tone from another dimension as my mind drifts.
"I wouldn't do that, son," Charlie cautions in agreement, and I curiously crack an eye open. A long writhing worm dangles over me, black dirt clinging to the brown body and the fingers that hold it. Then, suddenly, it drops.
A surprised shriek escapes me as the cold, slimy, invertebrate lands between my eyes. I instinctively launch myself to my feet, which only proves to be disastrous as the boat rocks harshly.
Charlie gives a warning shout, but it's already too late. My foot tangles with the tackle box when I try to adjust my balance, and I go over the side of the boat, smacking my knee unforgivingly as I go. I'm immediately swallowed by ice, and I suddenly wish that I wore one of the life vests like Billy.
The cold immediately freezes my limbs and the heavy layers I'm wearing to stay warm are only good now for dragging me further into the deep. For a moment, I sink. Then my brain starts working again enough for me to drag my lead limbs through the water and make my head break the surface. I'm a fairly decent swimmer, but I can't seem to get my body to fully cooperate, so I cling to the edge of the still teetering boat.
My teeth are immediately chattering through my gasping breaths. "Damn it, Jacob," I growl through numbs lips. Charlie is already at the edge, hauling me in by the back of my soaked jacket.
My friend wears a sheepish expression, but there is also the underlying tension in his cheeks from suppressed amusement. Even Charlie, the traitor, looks to be resisting a smile.
"Come on kid," he says, helping me to unzip and wrestle my arms out of the clinging coat. My fingers tremble too much to grasp anything.
As I struggle out of the sweatshirt underneath, Charlie shrugs out of his thick jacket and drapes it over me. The instant warmth is a blessing, but it's still not enough to quell the shaking of my entire body. Regardless, I tug the ends together and huddle deeper into it.
"Well then," Billy rumbles, calmly reeling in his fishing line. "I guess we're done for the day, and I suppose we have enough for supper."
Jacob beams, immediately setting about putting his pole away. "Your sacrifice is much appreciated," he tells me.
"Next year, you can make the sacrifice and take an unsolicited dip," I grit out.
Charlie finally lets out a bark of laughter. "Alright you two; you can argue back at the house." He yanks the string to start the motor, and it roars to life, happily belching the stomach turning smell of gasoline. The boat takes off towards shore, sending up an icy sea spray in its wake. I hope it manages to splash my infuriating best friend.
Charlie and I get back to the house first, and I immediately go about getting into a warm shower. It burns my flash frozen skin for a few minutes until my body finally starts to circulate heat. After several minutes of just standing under the spray, I hear the door open.
"I brought you some clothes," Jake calls over the water before closing the door again. Only then do I reach out for the shampoo to start actually washing myself off.
When I finally get out, steam hangs in the air like a thick cloud, curling around my pinked skin. After drying, I leisurely dress into my friend's pile of clothes resting on the edge of the sink. Even though the boy is a few years my junior, he's still tall enough that the sweatshirt almost hangs off my shoulders and I have to roll up the waistband of the sweatpants three times.
The cloud of steam tries to follow me into the Livingroom where Jacob sits on the ground in front of the tv, already playing one of his games.
He glances up when I walk in, a smile stretching his face, before turning his focus back to the racing game which looks like some imitation of Mario Cart. He offers me a controller as I perch on the cushions behind him, and I take it with a sigh.
Even with that unfortunate polar plunge, I can't imagine spending Christmas any other way. This boy had better have gotten me an amazing bribe (gift) for kindly putting up with him.
A/N: I admit, I got distracted. I'm hoping that the promise of a Bellice date will buy me forgiveness. It should be up next Monday, I think.
~Silver~