I'm blown away that some people are already following this story. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Now on to meeting Edward.
Anything Twilight-related belongs to Stephanie Meyer.
Over the next few days, dad took me to all the places I tried to avoid on my earlier trips. Like the high school, or the hospital. Although I ended up visiting that a couple of times before. Unfortunately. I had to make a couple of appointments for checkups and such but thankfully didn't need to stay for long. Spending a lot of time in a place like that isn't good for your mental health. At least that's my experience. Dad didn't ask to visit any of his friends or to get dinner at the diner he frequented. I knew he was trying to be thoughtful and I could see how hard he was trying but I couldn't shake the feeling he was trying to hide me. Although I guess everyone knew that I was coming to live with him. Word gets around quickly and he had to enroll me on rather short notice. I'm glad they didn't give him any trouble or I would have had to somehow travel to and from Port Angeles every day because this town only had one high school. He gushed about the principal Mrs. Cope. Apparently, she had been principal since he was in school so they go way back. He even let slip that he caught her smoking a joint once in the school parking lot after finals. I guess all that time dealing with teenagers did that to you. But hey, I get it. As a parent, you only have to go through puberty with your kid once she had to cope with that over and over again. I didn't envy her. Dad didn't bring up the subject of how I would be getting to school until Sunday night.
"I didn't know if you had any ideas on how to do this but...I thought I would drive you to school before my shift and pick you up after and drop you off at home then go back to work for the rest of my shift." After the first few words, the rest came out in a mumbled string. I almost couldn't understand it.
"That'll work if it's ok for you to leave work every afternoon?" He looked instantly relieved.
"That's not a problem. I don't get much to do anyway, so I've got the time. You know I expected you to be a little more...how do I say?...on the fence on being driven to school by your dad in his police cruiser." His mustache twitched and I could see the lines crinkling around his eyes. He took a swig from his beer and continued eating. "Yeah, there are few things that can stop me from having to get in a stranger's car. So I don't mind the extra attention. It's not like they don't know who my dad is." He nodded.
"Trust me. I wouldn't have let any of those kids drive you. Over my dead body." He noticed his poor choice of words even before he stopped talking. The mood in the room changed quickly. I hated this. This tiptoeing around. Not acknowledging the elephant in the room.
"Dad, it's ok. We can't keep mincing our words because we're afraid something is going to make the other uncomfortable." We've always been able to talk. "The subject is going to come up whether we like it or not." I took a deep breath and put my hand over his on the table.
"Emmet is always going to be in the back of our minds and I want him to. I don't want to have to go back to how things were with mom..." I was trembling and trying to keep my voice from breaking. He just looked at me with wide eyes. Like a dear caught in the headlights. His fingers twitched in under mine.
"How are you feeling about this? Can you...do you feel the way she does?" I struggled to get those last words out but I had to ask or the move to come here would have been for nothing. Just switching from tormenting one parent to the other. At my words, his eyes got if possible even larger and he pushed from the table. His chair almost tipping over. He was on his knees beside me in a flash. Tacking my face in his hands.
"I'm not going to speak badly about Renee because she is dealing with a lot but...you are my daughter. And although he wasn't my son he felt like it. I can't change anything, sadly, and I can't tell you things with your mom will get better. But what I can tell you and will every day for you to believe it is that I'm so..." He struggled to continue. His hands shaking at my cheeks and tears leaking from the corner of his eyes.
"Fucking grateful that I didn't lose you too." I threw myself at him then his hands released my face so he could wrap his arms around me. I don't know how but I ended up curled up on his lap sighing into his flannel shirt after the tears finally stopped. He kept stroking my hair and back and whispering I've got yous until I threatened to fall asleep with him on the kitchen floor. Without a word, he put one arm under my knees keeping the other on my back and lifting me into his arms like a small child. I didn't protest. I had no energy left today and I realized that we both needed this. The wood ached under our weight as he carried me up the stairs to my room. For a moment I pretended to be six years old again. Letting him tug me into bed and kiss me on the forehead.
"Sleep tight, baby girl." For once I fell asleep in minutes.
I didn't get much sleep though. Waking up more than once drenched in sweat whimpering from phantom pains. Getting up to make myself somewhat presentable for school I decided to take a shower. I felt icky and my sore muscles would thank me. Seeing that dad was still asleep I breathed a sigh of relief. Trying to hurt this would probably end up in disaster and I didn't want to spend my first day of school in the emergency room. After finishing my morning stretches through clenched teeth I hobbled my way to the bathroom. The first time I tried to take a shower I almost knocked myself out by slipping on the tile floor while getting out of the tub. My bathroom at mom's had a walk-in-shower so stepping over the ledge wasn't a problem. Dad got me a rug to put in front of the tub and spend Saturday afternoon drilling a hole in the wall and attaching a metal pipe I could hold onto while stepping out of the tub. Having your dad help his grown daughter out of the shower wasn't a fun experience so I'm glad he found a quick fix so we didn't have to do that again. Having a nurse help you was one thing but your dad? Let's just say it involved a lot of grumbling, blushing, and sorrys on both sides. After completing my task I took my stuff down the stairs and decided to make him breakfast. Sitting at the counter I looked through my lesson plan again. I dreaded having to make extra trips around the school because I got lost. This would be difficult enough without adding extra strain to my leg. I haven't spent so much time on my feet since before the accident which was almost ten months ago.
"Well look at that. I forgot how nice it was to wake up to the smell of bacon." Dad grinned and took a seat opposite me.
"Get used to it. I plan on spoiling you from now on." I smiled back. He got serious.
"You know you don't have to right?" I sighed.
"I know. But I can. So I will. It's the least I could do." I know he didn't want any kind of repayment but It eased my conscience a little. He don't protest further and changed the subject.
"I saw you showered. Everything go ok?" "Yeah, no problems." It was actually nice to hold onto the pipe while showering too. It alleviated some pressure and help my incompetent balance.
"Dig in." I grinned placing his plate in front of him and turning off the stove.
"Thich ich delichiouch." He moaned through a mouth full of eggs.
"Thanks." I laughed sitting back down to eat myself.
The drive to school was short and I didn't take anything beforehand. Thinking I didn't need it for the few minutes it would take to get me to school. And besides, I didn't want to take something twice a day for the foreseeable future just so I'd be able to sit in a car. So I clung to the seat looking out at the reflecting road and tried to listen to the music on the radio.
"You managing?"
"Mhm." I pressed through clenched teeth. At this rate, my jaw would ache before the day was over. He parked the car right in front of the school so I didn't have to walk far, clearing his throat.
"You got everything you need? Money for lunch? Charged phone? Medication?" I turned to look at his worried face.
"I'm ok dad. We took every precaution." I tried to reassure him. Or myself.
"Ok." He got out and went to my side opening the door and holding his hands out like he always did now, pulling me to my feet.
"Thanks."
"No problem." He handed me my cane and backpack and kissed me on the cheek before rounding the car again. Taking a calming breath I started walking to the school doors. It was still early but a few students were milling around the entrance giving me curious glances. I knew dad was still parked and looked to the ground concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. I would not make a fool of myself before the first bell. When the doors shut behind me I finally heard the car starting. Thankfully the halls lined with grey lockers were almost empty giving me time to find my way around. Making my way through I could make out my locker before going to where hopefully was my first class. The door was open saving me from having to wait standing outside. At the front was a man seated sifting through paper scattered around his desk. He was fairly young had black short hair and glasses. He looked up as he heard the click-clack of my cane and stood.
"You must be Isabella. Come in. Have a seat. You can sit..." He went through papers then smiled at me.
"Here." He came around the desk and pointed at a seat in the second row. "Thank you." I went to sit leaning my cane against the table putting my bag on it.
"I'm supposed to have you sign an attendance sheet Mr..." I started going through my bag in search of said sheet. "Yorkie. Yes, I was told you did a lot of the curriculum already?" I handed him the sheet and a pen.
"Yes, almost everything. We only had one month left before finals." He nodded, signing the sheet and handing it back to me.
"That's good. Your grades were above average so I don't think you should have any problems. But come to me if you do." He went back to his desk while I took out a notebook and hung my backpack over my chair. Taking off my jacket I stretched out my leg under the table my chair squeaking while I shifted.
"I already have your books. Mrs. Cope thought it would be best if I just gave you all the books for your classes so she gave them to me this morning." He came back over with a large stack of books.
"If you show me your locker I can put them in it for you." Honestly, I was a little bit surprised by his offer but I recovered quickly.
"Thank you. That would be great." I smiled gratefully pulling myself off the chair. He led me out of the room then waited for me to catch up.
It didn't take long till the first bell and I was glad I wasn't in the halls because I could hear students running, banging on lockers, laughing and I felt my breath hitch with every loud noise. Threatening to pull me into a memory. The classroom filled fast every new student doing a doing a double take when the saw me before going to their seat. No one talked to me. It was in stark contrast to the welcoming feeling I had with Mrs. Cope and now Mr. Yorkie but what do you expect from teenagers who probably all grew up together and surely had heard a lot about me before my arrival. I suddenly ached for Alice's company. I had talked to her on Friday making plans to Skype later in the week. She had been my only sunshine for so long now I wondered if I would survive without her here. Well, that was a little overdramatic. I would see her on Thanksgiving that was in...five weeks. I could do five weeks. I needed to remind myself why I chose to be here. I couldn't keep hurting her. And Alice would be fine without me. If everything went as planned we would be going to college together in a little over a year. I was so focused on my thoughts I didn't notice someone sitting down next to me.
"Hey." He must have said it once already because when I looked at him he furrowed his brow his hand hanging in the air probably wanting to tap me on the shoulder.
"You ok?" Only then did my brain put the pieces together so I understood the odd situation. I hadn't interacted much with people who didn't know about my problems so I wasn't used to them trying to speak to me from the left. I was instantly self-conscious.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't hear you." I tapped at my left ear indicating it didn't work. He only looked more confused.
"I'm deaf on my left ear." I clarified blushing. I could see it clicking when his eyebrows shot up his mouth forming an O. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I thought you were ignoring me." He chuckled nervously pulling a hand through his hair. It was an odd color. Not quite brown, more red... copper! That was the name of the color I was looking for.
"I'm Edward by the way. You must be Bella." He held his hand out for me to shake.
"That's right. My reputation seems to precedes me." He laughed shaking my hand giving my skin an odd shock followed by the warmth of his skin.
"Sorry, static." He said, dropping my hand and rubbing his on his jeans.
"Yeah, my mom talked about you, she goes to lunch with Mrs. Cope once a week." I nodded, knowing how the gossip mill in a town like Forks worked.
"How come you start at a new school so late in the year, if you don't mind me asking?" I swallowed debating how to answer this right.
"I almost finished junior year last year so I only have to take a couple of tests and the finals." It was a vague answer but the honest truth was not something I told a stranger in first period. Even if he was nice and admittedly good-looking.
"Oh, so you had to repeat a year." He stated. Even though I knew it wasn't his fault I felt a little stung by the fact that it looked like that.
"No, not really. It's complicated." To say the least. Spending the better part of a year in the hospital or chained to the bed at home wasn't exactly easy to explain.
"I'm sure I can follow." I looked up at him again his brow furrowed again.
"I don't really want to get into it now. Sorry." I tried to keep the frustration out of my voice as much as I could. Now his ears turned red.
"Of course, I didn't want to pry. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable?"
"No, It's ok. It's a valid question." I gave him a small smile because he was the only one who had introduced himself to me. The lesson started then and stopped any further conversation. I didn't follow to closely because I already knew the material. Me. Yorkie was writing on the board a lot taking answers from the class. Edward kept glancing at me through the lesson. As the bell rang I decided to wait a bit before getting up. No need to squeeze through the other student on my way out of the classroom. I knew what was coming. Sitting down you didn't see my disability. Edward had already packed up his stuff and stood up.
"Hey, what's your next class?" There goes my chance for him to leave before... Oh, what the hell. Just get it over with! like a bandaid. I could almost see Emmett winking at me. I quickly packed up my stuff.
"English with...Ms. Thompson I think." I put my backpack on before grabbing my cane and starting to stand. Not looking at him I moved to the aisle. I heard his breath hitch and trained my eyes to the floor feeling my face heat. Without looking up I made my way to the hall trying to ignore the sting behind my eyes. he didn't follow me. It's fine, I told myself. I didn't react to the whispers and not-so-quiet calls I got on my way. At least they gave me space. I didn't have to worry about getting pushed. It wasn't a long walk but it felt like a mile. Ms. Thompson was just as kind as Mr. Yorkie and placed me next to a dark-haired small girl with a shy smile. I smiled back and we got to talking. The day started to look up again. By the fourth period, my leg started to bother me. I hobbled myself to the bathroom sat on a covered toilet seat and began to stretch and massage my aching muscles. Sick of the noise surrounding me threatening to give me a headache I pulled out my hearing aid and relaxed instantly at the silence. I should just leave it out for the rest of the day, I mused. Math shouldn't be a problem but following history without sound would be a challenge. Looking at my watch after a while I realized the bell must have rung. I put the hearing aid back in and got up. I didn't see Edward nor Angela the rest of the day. No one else introduced themself.
Dad was already waiting for me when I walked out of the school. He must have seen the concentration on my face because he jogged up to me took my bag and steadied me for a moment.
"Is it the pain?" He asked lowly. I nodded reluctantly.
"Did you take something?" I sighed and shook my head.
"Bella." He chastised.
"I know I know. Just get me in the car ok." God, I sounded so whiny.
"Of course honey." I was glad he didn't try to carry me, that would make the humiliation complete. I could see dad struggling to bite his tongue at the stuff we heard on our way to the car. I had to hold back a scream when I had to bend my leg fully to get it in the car. Charlie growled.
"I'm going to drive to the hospital." That got me distracted enough to be able to talk.
"No, I'm not spending the afternoon in the emergency room just to have them tell me to take some painkillers and massage the leg. No." He threw me an angry look and I could hear him grumbling stubborn under his breath. That almost got me to smile. I got that from him so he couldn't complain. As we drove away and I rummaged in my bag in search of the pain medication I saw someone standing next to a silver Volvo watching. He was looking over the shoulder of a blond girl in tight jeans. I could tell it was Edward by the now-familiar furrowed brows and his copper hair.