"Bella!"
Jacob was clearly surprised to find her in his driveway. She wasn't sure what to say to him. He was her best friend but how could she talk to him about them? She couldn't talk about this with anyone.
"Hey Jacob. When did you get so tall?" she asked as she looked up at him towering over her.
He moved as if he was going to hug her, but she stepped back. It made for an awkward moment, but better than losing her shit if he wrapped his arms around her. She just couldn't handle being comforted. Jacob's face had fallen when she'd moved away from him.
"I've missed you," he told her, giving her a look that was just a bit too intense, almost intimate.
She managed to curl the sides of her lips upward slightly.
"Me too," she whispered. She looked up and up at her friend. She cleared her throat and asked, "Seriously Jake, how are you so big?"
He smiled brightly and told her, "It's a Quileute thing."
She waited for him to explain but he just laughed and kept smiling at her. It was almost as if there was an inside joke, but she couldn't remember the punchline. Her brain felt foggy still, like it had when she tried to talk to Charlie earlier.
"I'm not sure I'm going to be good company today, Jake, but I wanted to see you. Did you hear what happened yesterday?" She asked, lowering her head and dreading having to explain it all.
"I heard you got lost in the woods," he told her in a compassionate tone.
She blushed, embarrassed that there had been a search party out to find her, but grateful someone had found her.
"That pretty much sums it up," she replied, her gaze steadily on her own feet.
Wanting to steer the conversation towards anything but herself, she asked, "What were you doing before I interrupted?"
Jake smiled. "Working on my car. Want to see?"
He sounded like a kid at Christmas, despite looking like an overgrown man. She realized she was curious about his joy. It was surprising to feel curious about something.
"I'd love to," she responded, receiving another happy smile before he turned to lead her to the garage.
She managed to nod at appropriate intervals, despite not being able to understand a word he said as he described the work he had done and what he still had left to do. Still, it felt good to concentrate on this distraction. She didn't need to put on a face. She could relax and just listen.
"And I think I'll have it running pretty well in another week or two."
His pride in his work was evident in the sound of his voice as he spoke. She found herself envious of that passion, wishing she had something in her life that made her that happy.
"That's awesome, Jake. You really are good at this stuff."
He gave her another of his signature bright smiles and seemed full to bursting with pride at her appreciation of his work.
"How's the truck running? Mind if I take a look?"
She nodded and gestured towards the door. She followed him back out to the driveway and watched him pop the hood of her truck with ease.
As he checked everything, pulling out long metal sticks and wiping them off and looking from all different angles, he steered the conversation right back where she didn't want it to go.
"How are you feeling? I was worried you'd be sick after I heard about yesterday."
She sighed heavily and leaned against her truck.
"I'm not sure I'm feeling much of anything right now," she admitted.
"Don't let it get you down, Bella. You have no idea how relieved everyone is that you're safe now."
She rolled her eyes at him. Everyone had a different idea of what her safety meant.
"Is she okay?" Bella asked Jake, gently patting her truck.
Jake took another glance down into the engine compartment before nodding and moving to close the hood.
"She's right as rain, but make sure you let me get a look at her every so often to make sure she stays that way."
"Deal," she replied, smiling slightly at how much his voice revealed his love for her old truck. It was nice to know someone, besides herself, who didn't hate on her truck.
Jake continued his inspection, checking the tires and brakes, before climbing in the passenger's side.
"Let's go for a spin. See how she sounds," he suggested.
Bella climbed into the driver's seat and started her up. The engine roared to life and she backed slowly out of Jake's driveway before heading down the road.
"What the hell happened with your stereo, Bella?" Jake asked, his voice worried.
She laughed. It was a good laugh, a loud laugh. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed like that. Her manic laughter did nothing to calm Jake's worry. She could feel him watching her.
"What can I say? It had to go," she finally managed to say, breathless from her attack of the giggles.
Jake picked the stereo up from the floor to inspect it. "Wow! This was an expensive radio, it had everything!" He told her.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Bella mused. "I probably ruined it by prying it out of the dash, but if you can do something with it, you're welcome to it. I don't want it." Her voice left no room for argument.
"Thanks," Jake exclaimed, clearly excited about the piece of junk. "But your dash..." he trailed off, his fingers stroking the rough gouges she had made in the metal.
"Better that way," Bella stated matter-of-factly. "So where are we going?"
"Anywhere. I just wanted to hear how she was running. We can head back, if you want. I'm sure my dad would like to see you."
Bella nodded and turned back towards their house. She wasn't sure if she would like seeing Billy or not. He had warned her. She hadn't listened and she couldn't even regret it either. She was hurting now, but even with the pain and confusion, she couldn't wish away her life experiences. She simply was who she was and she had made the choices she had made.
By the time she was pulling back into their driveway, she felt ready to face Billy and whatever he might have to say to her. Before she even had time to open her door, Jake was speaking softly.
"Maybe this isn't the best time," he hedged.
She looked at him, confused, before following his gaze to the tall, beautiful man standing in front of his house. She didn't know him, but she could feel the tension in the air his presence caused Jacob.
"I don't understand," she confessed.
Jake turned to look at her. "I'm sorry, Bella, but I need to go. You should probably head home."
She was disappointed and a little annoyed. Jake climbed out of the truck and headed towards the man waiting for him. Bella just sat there and watched them as they turned away and headed out back.
She released a heavy sigh. She had gotten herself all worked up, ready to face Billy. She didn't want to head home yet. She wanted this over. Resolved, she turned off her truck and climbed out. She walked up to the little house and knocked sharply on the door. She could hear Billy's chair as he approached the door and opened it.
"Well now isn't this a surprise," Billy said with a smile. "I thought I heard that old truck," he told her, looking around her to see it sitting in the driveway. "How are you, Bella? How's Charlie?" he asked as he moved back from the door to let her inside.
"Charlie is okay. I'm fine," she lied.
Billy arched an eyebrow at her, clearly doubting her quick response. "Well, things sure are brighter today."
"A rare day," she replied conversationally, avoiding eye contact as she dropped down onto his couch. He didn't seem upset with her at all. It felt like nothing had ever been tense between them.
"Did you see Sam? He's around somewhere looking for Jake."
"I saw someone. That was Sam?" she asked, thinking back to having seen the tall, beautiful man who had made Jake so tense.
"That's him. Did Charlie tell you he's your hero?" Billy asked, a mischievous grin on his face.
Bella nodded. "He asked me to thank him, if I saw him, but he and Jake took off behind the house. Jake didn't even introduce me or tell me who Sam was. He actually told me I should go home, but I wanted to see you first."
"Oh really? Well, how can I help you?" He asked, curiosity clear in his voice.
"I guess I thought maybe you might be upset with me," she confessed.
"Nonsense!" he assured her quickly. "You're safe now. It's all good."
She nodded again, her thoughts drifting off to Sam. "I'm glad."
They sat in silence for a moment. Bella wondered if she should press her luck and try talking to Sam today. Even if she hadn't recognized him, he had to have known who she was. Yet he hadn't acknowledged her at all. She found herself curious again. Curiouser and curiouser, the words came to mind. The world was feeling strange today.
She shook herself to clear her head and regarded Billy, silently watching her.
"I suppose I should go," she trailed off, her eyes fixating on her shoes.
"Tell Charlie to come by soon."
She nodded and made her way back outside. Just as she was about to climb back into her truck, she heard shouting from behind the house. Even though she knew she should climb into her truck and leave, she couldn't help the overwhelming curiosity that drove her to slip around the side of the house to see what was happening.