On Friday morning I literally drug myself out of bed at the ungodly time of 5:45AM and army crawled to the bathroom, grateful nobody in the house was awake to witness my dramatics. I kept the lights off and showered in the dark with my eyes closed, pretending I was still cozy in my bed. I may or may not have fallen back to sleep standing up -twice- but somehow I managed to trudge back out of the bathroom with my hair dried and mascara applied by 6:30AM. I quickly dressed in jeans, a tank top, a long sleeve t-shirt, and my school hoodie depicting our mascot- a large grey wolf baring its teeth. I slipped into my ankle high rain boots and grabbed the notepad and pen that I had purchased specifically to take notes today off of my desk. I threw those into a small strappy purse I had but never used and then proceeded downstairs for a quick breakfast, sliding down the banister like I have every other day of my life since I was 10. Seth dared me to try it and I was never one to shy from a dare. I immediately fell face first down the stairs and broke my nose. I couldn't accept the failure though and I kept trying, flailing gracelessly to the floor at least 100 more times and earning a sprained wrist before I finally stuck the landing. Now I can't remember the last time I simply walked down our shabby staircase.
I sighed as I poured myself a bowl of cereal. Clearly I've never been one to accept failure of any kind. That's probably why I refuse to give up on Sam even though every single one of my friends thinks I'm crazy. My phone buzzed in the pocket of my hoodie and I rolled my eyes. When you've been dating someone basically your entire life you wind up with a connection that goes beyond understanding. I knew it was him before I even looked at it.
Have a good day. I love you LeLe. Don't give up on me yet.
See? Sometimes I wonder if he can read my mind. But the reality is he knows he is a lost cause too and is terrified of the moment I admit it to myself. What kind of boyfriend disappears for an entire month with no explanation? I told him I wasn't going to talk to him until he explained to me what the hell was going on with him and I meant it. Didn't stop him from trying every single day, but his words still said nothing I was waiting to hear. I snapped the phone shut and dropped my bowl in the sink, my appetite gone.
A very light tap on the front door snapped me out of my thoughts. I flicked off the kitchen light and unlocked the deadbolt, opening the door to see a chipper Charlie Swan smiling in the dark. I reached over and turned on the porch light before slipping out the front door, not bothering to relock it behind me. Seth should be up to get ready for school any time now. I returned Charlie's smile and followed him to the cruiser, climbing easily into the passenger seat.
"Well good morning Leah, hope you're ready for a riveting day of crime fighting. You know how wild things can get in Forks. Might even have to rescue someone's cat out of a tree."
I laughed, appreciating his cheerful mood. At least my efforts weren't in vain. "Isn't that typically a job for the firefighters?"
"We flip a coin." He said, chuckling.
The first half of the day went by smoothly. Charlie brought me to the station and showed me around, introducing me to and explaining the duties of the few other people in the building. I diligently took notes, and questions actually came easily. I didn't spend a lot of time in Forks growing up so I didn't know anyone except Charlie but everyone was very friendly.
Around noon we walked around the corner to The Diner (wow, creative name) and Charlie picked up a box of sandwiches and chips for the whole office for lunch, something he apparently always does on Fridays. After passing them out we sat at his small desk across from one another. Charlie wasn't a man of many words like my dad was but it didn't matter, the silence was comfortable. When we were almost done eating the phone on his desk started to ring.
"Chief Swan, how can I help you?" He answered, wiping a glob of mayonnaise out of his mustache. I stifled my chuckle with a cheeto.
"No problem Dennis, I'll come down and check it out personally." He grinned and then wrapped up the call before returning the phone to the receiver.
"Little Timmy fall down a well?" I asked lamely.
To my surprise he laughed loudly. "Something like that actually, yeah. Let's roll."