HLAG chapter 15

I am in the lunch room at the station, still thinking over whether to ask Bella to paint Jennifer's room or not. It's clear Bella is an amazing artist, second best I have seen. For me the top spot still belongs to the person who painted the picture on the wall at the diner.

I let out a sigh knowing I am still not any closer to making up my mind. There are so many pro's and con's.

"Isabella is here for her appointment," Sasha says making me jump a little out of my inner thoughts.

I pick up my coffee walking out of the lunch room. When I get to the office, Bella is sitting outside reading.

"Bella," I say announcing my arrival since she hadn't looked up.

"Edward," she sighs out in reply, as she stands and follows me into the room.

"Your hour sheet?" I ask as I hold my hand out for it.

"Slow down big boy, you're meant to ask me how my week went and all that shit first." I keep looking at her with my hand out. After a huff, she places the paper in my hand. "You're no fun."

I just smirk at her. "I am loads of fun, Petal." I wink at the end and she raises her eyebrow at me, as if she's challenging me.

I look over her sheet seeing she's done all her time. Even more surprisingly, she has raving reviews from everyone she has worked for.

"Things seem to be going well," I say as I look at her, seeing she now has her bitch brow in place.

"You don't seem to believe in me very much," she snaps out, as if me believing in her made a difference.

"You have given me reasons to doubt you," I remind her and she eye balls me.

"Can we get going? I have loads of homework that's due on Monday!"

I bob my head as I stand. "Why is it not done yet?" I inquire out at her.

"Because I have had a shit ton to do!" The snap to her voice tells me there is no way she is going to tell me anything.

"Let's go," I chip out as I stand.

As I walk down the hallway, I turn my head so I can look over my shoulder. I am hit with some worry and sadness over the fact Bella still appears to be walking with a little limp.

When Bella gets in to the car she goes right into the glove box getting out my iPod and puts the earbuds in her ears.

"Thought every teen-aged child had one of them," I say as I slam my door closed. She didn't even ask to use it, she just assumed I would allow her this privilege.

"Why would I need one? When I'm at home I can play my music as loud as I want, the same goes for the truck. Now if you would just play some good tunes, I wouldn't need it in here."

I let out a hum as I start to drive. I head toward the store to check on Bella's painting. I want to make sure she is really working and not just sitting on her ass daydreaming.

As I pull up, Bella snorts, but I ignore her and get out of the car.

I walk around the car and to the wall. I frown a little not getting what she's drawn, but she does seem to have made a good start on it.

"What are you drawing?" I ask as I pull out of the parking lot.

"Nothing." I give her a side glance and she looks at me as if I am stupid.

"It's a painting, graffiti, whatever you want to call it, and you'll just have to wait," Bella bitches out at me.

"Why do you always have a stick up your ass?" I grit out. This girl has one bad attitude.

"You think I have a stick up my ass because I won't tell you what I am doing?" The bitch tone is even clearer in her voice this time.

"No. Have you ever heard it's not what you say, but how you say it?" I ask her as I turn my head taking a quick look at her.

"Eyes on the freaking road! And yes, I have heard that. You may want to try it!" Bella yells out as she narrows her eyes at me.

"Me? You're saying I am the one with the attitude?!" I yell back at her

"Yeah!"

"You're such a bitch!" The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. Bella just turns her head from me and I let out a groan in frustration. I know I need to stop allowing her to get to me like this, but she gets under my skin and lights a fire in me like no one ever has before.

"I'm sorry," I say after a few minutes of silence. Bella just hums back to me making me swallow.

"Bella," I say softly as I tap her arm hoping to get her to turn and look at me. I tap her arm again making her huff, but she turns her head a little and looks at me from the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry." She nods at me and then shakes her head.

"It's fine, don't worry your pretty head over it."

I let out a soft breath, but I know this still isn't okay, that vibe-the cold distant one, is back again.

I look at the time to see we are only half way through our time together, but I know there's no way I can keep this up for another half hour. I would rather have her attitude than this coldness.

"How about we call it a night," I say and Bella moves her eyes to me. She slowly turns her head as her eyes stay on my face.

"No, I am doing my time," Bella says through her teeth.

"I will note it down, I just want to make up my words to you."

"I told you, its fine. You're not the first to call me a bitch and I don't think you'll be the last. Just so you know, I have been called worse," Bella announces and then looks away from me as she crosses her arms.

"Bella, this isn't working," I say pulling the car onto the side of the road.

"Yeah, don't worry, I know it's my fault." There seems to be something more than hate behind Bella's words.

"Tell me what you feel, what's wrong with us?" I ask needing to hear if she's just going to dump the blame on me.

Bella shakes her head and then looks at me. "You don't know me. Humans are so strange, they complain when someone judges them. But we all do, we judge others and then our eyes seem to support what we believe. So really no one has a chance to show anyone who they really are. You never met me, yet you took that few minutes with me and your mom in the stables and made your mind up about me. Sure you got her side of why I am the devil's spawn, but yet you never asked for mine." I go to jump in, but Bella smiles and shakes her head.

"You're about to say you gave me a chance, but did you? You still never asked me how it felt to have her treat me as if I had the plague, that I was corrupting Alice. You never asked me without judgment what happened the night Alice got drunk. You never questioned the fact that I stole. Factually, I would more than likely not tell you anyway. I know I have an attitude problem, but that attitude has kept my ass safe." Bella stops and close her eyes.

"You never see the beauty of the world if you don't take off those rose colored glasses that you wear when you first look and see nothing..." Bella stops and I am a little surprised when she starts talking again, her speech has changed direction.

"I'm sorry if I was short with you, all I can say is that's not the way I meant it." Bella snorts.

"Just say it -me- that's what's wrong us-this." Bella gives me a weak smile and then looks out the window. Before I can speak, she is humming softly, which I find I am glad. I am not quite sure what I could have said in response to her.

I start the car again and drive, my mind seems to drift as I drive on autopilot. I think about all the times I have been in Bella's presence. The first image is the one she brought up at the stables, with that is also her and Jennifer's first interaction. I am a little stunned as I look back seeing that they clicked from the very first moment they met.

As each new image passes through my brain, I am ashamed as I'm realizing that she's right, more often than not I haven't really given her a chance. I am not sure if it was the whole stealing, which I must admit I am still mad over, or that I just never expected her to be a better person than what my mom painted. The only thing that is clear, is how Jennifer is talking with her, and for some unknown reason, Bella is able to reach her on a level that I can't. For that reason alone, I need to forgive her and give her a fair chance.

"Jennifer wants to know if you can paint her room," I ask hoping I sound sincere in my wording.

"What?" Bella says in an almost stutter.

"Jenny's room, will you paint a Narnia and Aslan for her?" Bella pulls her eyebrows together and I turn my head looking at her.

"Eyes! Road!" she yells and I shake my head and chuckle.

"What is with you and needing me to keep my eyes on the road all the time?"

"You're driving, that's where they are meant to be you jackass! And yeah, I'll do her room. I'll come by tomorrow just to have a feel of her room lay out."

I smile and bob my head at her. "Sounds good, but lets do it when she's at school." Bella looks back at me.

"Okay." I pick up on the sadness in her voice right away.

"Baby steps, Bella. Lets get to know one another, clean slate," I say only turning my eye to her.

"We tried that remember?"

"I know, but I think we both didn't really give the other the chances we should have. Lets just try and come to some sort of friendship." Bella just looks at me with an unreadable look.

"Why? In ten weeks you will be done with me, and you won't have to see me again."

"No, this is a small town and you live just behind me. Besides, my daughter seems very attached to you, so lets do it for her? I would like to be friends with the people that she is closest to."

Bella bites her lip and right away starts to fidget. "You're saying if we become friends, I can spend time with Jenny?"

"No! Well, not like that. We don't need to be friends for that, but I would like to know you and be able to spend time in your company, so lets just take these next ten weeks and build our bridges?"

Bella lets out a small breath and then looks at me nodding her head.

"Okay, agreed."

I give her a smile back and have a giddier feeling inside that just maybe this can work out between us.

The rest of our time is a lot smoother and I find her humming and even her singing doesn't get to me the way it did the time I first arrested her.

~N~

"Judge Aro can see you now," the court clerk says in a monotone.

I walk in to Aro's office seeing he is smiling with his hand out at the seat across from his. I move slowly to it sitting down.

"How has the first three weeks gone?" Aro asks as he pours some coffee in two cups.

"There have been some bumps, but I think we've worked them out," I say telling the truth.

"Good," Aro smiles as he pushes one of the cups toward me.

"Bella is such an amazing artist, don't you think?" I take a deep breath and nod my head at him.

"Yes, I believe she would do well if she applied herself."

Aro chuckles a little at me, but keeps the weird smile on his face.

"How is Alice?" I frown a little over his change of topic.

"She's fine?" I question feeling a little unsettled.

"I had a sister once, I always thought she was, fine." I swallow over the way he says the word fine. "Turned out she was far from it. Sometimes we don't want to see what's staring us in the face because then we have to face it. Sometimes, just maybe, our family is not as fine as we want them to be."

I just keep looking at him. "Just watch her more closely, and see who your sister is. See who's helping whom out."

Aro again switches the topic back to Bella. It's not till after I have left, when I'm going through what he said, and I still feel very uncomfortable. I find I never asked how his sister is now, but from his words, I don't think I would have liked the answer.