9
"Are you sure you're ready?" Carlisle asked, and I sighed. This was at least the fifth time he'd asked me that exact question, and the eighth or ninth since last night. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," I said, walking across the room and tossing my clothes onto the bed before I straddled him. In only a pair of lacy, black boy-cut panties and matching bra, I wasn't surprised when his hands slid over my hips and grabbed my ass. "I know you're worried, but I have to go to school. Graduation is in ten days, and I still have a ton of make-up work, not to mention studying to do."
"I know," he grumbled. "But I've liked having you to myself for the last three days."
I laughed, tangling my fingers in his hair and pulling his head back. "I'm going to take the boys to school, and pick them up afterward. Then, I'll bring them home. I'm coming back to you, Carlisle."
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too," I murmured, leaning down and kissing him. "Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, frowning.
"Just for taking care of me. For wanting me here," I whimpered as my eyes filled up with tears. "I need you so much."
"Isabella," he purred, and the sound of my name rolling off the tip of his tongue sending a shiver down my spine. "You're everything to me. You, Michael, Tyler — you're my lives, and without you . . ." He shook his head. "I don't even want to think about not being with you."
"I'm not going anywhere," I told him.
"Yes, you are," he groused. "You're going to school, leaving me here to wash laundry and make dinner."
I laughed and stood up. "Better have it ready when I get home, too, or else."
"Or else what?" he challenged, amusement filling his eyes.
"Or no sex tonight," I teased, laughing harder when he gasped and his eyes flew open.
"Damn, baby, that's mean," he whined and fell back onto the bed.
"So dramatic," I scoffed, grabbing my jeans and sliding my legs into them. Carlisle watched, staring at me with lust-filled eyes. Once I had my shirt and shoes on, I crawled onto the bed, resting my head on the palm of my hand as I looked down at him. "Promise me that you won't spend the day worrying about me."
"I can't do that," he said, shaking his head and releasing a deep breath. "I know she's your mom, Isabella, but as long as she's out there, I'll worry about you, worry about my sons."
"Me too," I admitted.
Carlisle brought his hand up to my face, pushing my hair behind my ear. "Be careful today, okay? Please?"
"I will," I told him before I leaned down and kissed him.
Climbing off the bed, we made our way downstairs. The boys were sitting on the couch, waiting for me. Carlisle walked us out to the car, helping to make sure they were secured in their seats, but mostly to make sure that my mother wouldn't jump out of the bushes and ambush us. Trust me, the thought had ran rampant in my mind, too. Dozens of scenarios had tortured me, everything from her hiding out in the backseat, to her putting a bomb under the car, to her showing up at school with a machine gun and taking us all out just out of spite. Silly and irrational, but Renee hadn't been seen since she tried to drag me away, causing me to fall and hit my head.
Carlisle had taken my stitches last night, though he was reluctant. I just didn't want to go to school with them in, and I needed to go back. Alice, Rose, and Emmett had sent my work home with Jasper, who had been gracious enough to bring the boys home for us for the last two day.
"Be good, boys," Carlisle said, giving them a look before back at me. "You too, young lady. Better not get any calls from the principal."
"Ha-ha, I make no promises," I grumbled, when the boys laughed.
He snickered as he stepped back and shut the door. I shook my head as I started the car and reversed out of the driveway, down the road, leaving the love of my very young life standing there. I walked both boys to their classrooms, ignoring the look coming from Victoria Biers when I kissed Tyler's cheek and told him I'd pick him up after school. Yes, it was clear she disagreed with my decision to love Carlisle, to let him love me, but I didn't have time for her bullshit. Between Renee and Dr. Gerandy, we'd had our fill of assholes.
Garrett had called us yesterday morning and told us that Dr. Gerandy and the hospital had been served the papers notifying him that Carlisle was suing. I understood why he was going after the hospital. They'd humiliated him when they forced him out of my room like he was a criminal. Hell, they'd humiliated me, too, but I worried that Carlisle would be the one to suffer. His entire future was on the line. He'd already began sending out his resume to hospitals in San Francisco, but would any of them want him if they saw him as a threat to their own hospitals? And would a city like San Francisco really be any less judgmental when it came to us being together than Forks was? When I asked him if he was sure he wanted to uproot his life for me, he simply kissed me and told me his future was with me. I was so in love with him, and every time he laid lines like that on me, I felt my heart race. He was wooing me.
I parked Carlisle's car next to Emmett's jeep and raced into the building, knowing that I only had a few minutes before the bell rang. Like I knew they would, everyone stopped and stared at me, gawking as if I'd run in naked and chanting to God to make me a bird so I could fly far, far away. It was whatever. I didn't care what they thought about me. Carlisle made me happy. Besides, none of the people gave a fuck about me before I started seeing him. None of them knew how much I missed my father, how unsure I was about my future, but I wasn't anymore. I knew where I was supposed to be and that was with Carlisle, Michael, and Tyler.
Mrs. Cope looked up at me when I walked into the office, her eyes narrowing as they flittered up to the bandage on my forehead. I cleared my throat. "Yes?" she asked.
"I need an absent slip," I said, trying like hell not to be rude as I passed over the note Edward had sent with Jasper to excuse me from school.
Mrs. Cope picked it up and looked it over, snorting as she pulled a blue slip off her desk and filled it out, making a point of checking off the excused box with a bit of attitude. "Here," she snarled, nearly throwing it at me. "For the record, you should be ashamed of yourself."
"Mrs. Cope." At the sound of James Greene's voice, we both jumped and looked over at his office, finding him standing in the doorway. "My office. Now."
"Yes, sir," she muttered before she glared at me and turned and walked into his office.
I expected him to follow her inside, but he didn't. He stepped over so that he stood on the other side of the counter from me. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," I said.
He nodded. "I'm sorry. For bringing you into my office like that. We . . . Well, we were concerned, but we could have handled it better, I guess."
"You think?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"You have to look at it from our point of view," he said, placing a hand on the counter. "He's what? Ten years older than you? Twelve?"
"So?"
"So, that's a lot of life, Bella, a lot of experience," he explained. "You've always been a model student."
"And I'm not now?" I asked. "Has my relationship with Carlisle Cullen caused my grades to drop?"
"No, not that I've noticed," he said. "In fact, at this point, you're first in your class."
"I'm not an idiot, Mr. Greene. Deciding to be with him, to follow my heart, wasn't a decision that I came to lightly. But I love him, and he loves me." Tears filled my eyes as I shook my head. "I don't know why I'm bothering. You're not going to understand."
"You're right. I'm not, but I'm still sorry for the way everything went down," he said.
I nodded before I turned and walked out of the office, knowing that no matter how hard I explained, people like him would never understand. They'd watch and wait for news that Carlisle and I had broken up, that he'd hurt me, used me, tossed me away, but he wouldn't, and I knew it.
The bell rang as I got to my locker. Sighing, I traded out my books and rushed to my class. When I opened the door, everyone, including Mr. Owens, turned and stared at me, Alice being the only one who looked somewhat happy to see me. Pressing my lips together, I walked over to the desk and handed Mr. Owen's my absent slip. He took it without saying a word and signed it.
"Thanks," I said, taking it back from him.
He just nodded so I turned and walked over, taking my seat behind Alice. She turned in her seat and smiled before facing the front. As always, I knew I could count on her. Mr. Owens finally tore himself out of his stupor and returned to his lecture, but kept glancing at me like I was on fire or sitting there naked. I ignored him, but it was irritating and annoying.
Finally, the bell rang and everyone started filing out of the room, Alice and I last.
"Oh, my God, Bella, I've been so worried about you," she fretted, looping her arm in with mine.
"I just talked to you yesterday," I laughed.
"I know, but it's not the same as seeing you," she giggled before turning serious. "Are you okay?"
"Mostly," I admitted. "I still can't believe she went after me like that."
"Me, either," Alice muttered. As we walked toward our next class, everyone around us stopped and stared. "You know, they think he did this to you. That the only reason you're saying it was your mom is because he's making you."
I stopped and just looked at her. "Are you serious?"
She nodded. "Of course, me, Rose, and Emmett know it's not true, but that's all everyone's been talking about."
"Great," I whispered, closing my eyes and trying to keep my tears from falling.
"Hey, it's okay, B," she said.
"Okay, Al?" I asked, looking at her. "Nothing is okay. I'm about a breath away from saying fuck it all and leaving town with Carlisle and the boys today!"
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," she mumbled.
Sighing, I shook my head and pulled on her arm, encouraging her to walk with me. "I'm not mad at you. It's just . . . people are assholes."
Alice snorted as we walked into trig. "Tell me about it."
Mr. Varner stood up as I walked over to his desk, his eyes drifting down my body. It left me feeling uneasy. He'd never been like this toward me, but suddenly, he was and I wasn't sure what to make of it as I handed him my absent slip. He signed it and held it back out to me, his fingers grazing against mine.
"Hope you're feeling better, Isabella," he said, and I wasn't sure if he was trying to sound smooth or what, but it came out creepy, especially when he called me by my full name.
"Yeah, great," I grumbled, quickly taking it back and stepping away from him.
He watched me as I turned and walked to my seat, his eyes boring into me. Just what I didn't need right now, and I made a mental note to tell Carlisle about it when I got home. Alice gave me a look before Mr. Varner started his lesson.
Trig dragged. His wandering eyes landed on me dozens of times, which didn't help with the uncomfortable aura feeling the room. As soon as the bell rang, I was out of my seat and into the hall, needing to get away from him. Alice grabbed my arm and pulled me into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
"What the hell was that about?" she asked.
"I don't know," I muttered, digging my phone out of my pocket.
"Who are you calling?" she wondered, coming over and standing next to me.
I sighed. "I'm texting Carlisle. He needs to know."
"I think he does, too," Alice said before she left for her next class.
I sent the text before pocketing my phone and heading to history. Jasper was sitting behind his desk when I walked in. He gave me a small smile and a tilt of his head as I walked over to my desk and sat down. Just like my first two classes, as my classmates filed into the room, they stopped and stared at me. It was ridiculous, of course. You'd think I was the first girl in our class to have sex with someone older than me. Hell, Lauren Mallory had gotten caught having sex with two college guys from the community college in Port Angeles over spring break, but nobody stared at her. Of course, Lauren Mallory wasn't exactly innocent. She'd lost her virginity in seventh grade, and who knows how many boys she'd fucked since. But it wasn't my place to judge her. It was her life, and her decision on how she lived it.
"Okay, everyone, today we're going to start our review for the final next week," Jasper stated, drawing the attention of everyone in the class. When they grumbled, he added, "Unless you'd prefer a pop quiz?"
That shut them up. Shaking his head, Jasper turned to the white board and began making notes of everything we were going to need to know for our final. While I was diligently taking notes, others were too busy whispering under their breath. After several minutes of putting up with it, Jasper turned and slammed his hand on his desk, causing everyone to jump.
"Enough!" he snapped. "I'm outlining everything you need to know for your final, making it virtually impossible for you to fail. If you're too lazy to take advantage of my generosity, then you might as well leave my classroom right now."
Nobody moved, not that I thought they would. They weren't stupid enough to actually stand up and walk out of the room. But they still didn't care, still wouldn't listen, and in the end, it wouldn't matter. Jasper pressed his lips in a fine line and turned back to his board. Though they didn't talk, or at least as loudly, they didn't take notes either.
When the bell rang, Jasper sat down behind his desk and ignored the way they laughed and giggled as they walked out of the classroom. I grabbed my backpack and walked over to his desk, causing him to look up at me.
"I need you to sign this," I told him offering him my slip.
He smiled and took it, scribbling his name across the third period line. "How are you feeling?"
I took a deep breath and shrugged my shoulders. "A small headache, probably brought on by the constant gossiping about me."
Jasper laughed. "Yeah, I've heard the rumors, too."
"Why didn't you tell us?" I asked.
"Because I don't talk about my friends like that, Bella," he said.
"You think of me as a friend?"
He nodded. "I do."
"I do, too," I whispered, picking my slip off his desk. "Thank you, Mr. Whitlock."
"You're welcome, Miss Swan."
Fourth period was a free period for me, and I had been assigned to an aid in the library, so I headed down there. However, when I walked in, I saw Riley Biers and Mr. Greene sitting inside the small office behind the counter with Carlisle, and dread rose up inside of me. Carlisle looked out the window and saw me, quickly scrambling to his feet and rushing out to me.
"Hey," he murmured, placing his hands on my shoulders and checking me over, like he was afraid someone had cut me and I didn't feel it. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" I asked.
He pressed his lips together as he looked over my shoulder at Bree Greene, wife to James and librarian at Forks High School, before he ushered me into the office and closed the door, gesturing for me to take the chair he'd just been sitting in. James and Riley looked uncomfortable being in the same room as the two of us, like he thought we might strip naked and start fucking right then and there.
"Isabella," Carlisle started, reaching out and grabbing my hand. "Renee was spotted outside the elementary this morning."
"What?" I asked, gasping. "The boys? Are they okay?"
"They're fine," he insisted. "Jacob Black has been sitting outside the school in his patrol car all week as a precaution and he saw her, but before he could get to her, she was gone again."
My eyes fluttered to a close. "She's never going to stop."
"You can't think like that," Carlisle said, quietly.
"How can I not?" I asked, looking over at him. "The boys, Carlisle! She was going after them, and why? Because I defied her? Because I refused to let her dictate who I fell in love with? She's crazy."
"She is," he admitted. "They're adding extra protection to the school, which doesn't really mean much since there are only about five cops on the force here."
"Better safe than sorry, though, right?" I asked.
"Bella," James said, drawing our attention to him. It was clear by the way his shoulders were tense that he was uncomfortable with the affection between me and Carlisle, not that I cared. I was done with the narrow-minded assholes in this town. "Dr. Cullen said something about Mr. Varner."
I shifted my eyes to Carlisle for a moment before I nodded. "I don't know what his problem is, but he's making me uneasy."
As I proceeded to tell them about the looks, the way he let his fingers touch mind, I started to think I was making too much out of it. It wasn't like he had actually made a move on me, but it still made me feel awkward.
"Hmm, it doesn't really sound like he has done anything inappropriate," Riley said, looking at Carlisle before turning his attention back at me.
"I never said he did," I replied. "I simply told you that it made me uncomfortable. I'm a big girl, Mr. Biers, remember? I can handle it."
His jaw tightened as he stood up and walked out of the office, making it clear that he wasn't happy with me, Carlisle, or me being with Carlisle. James opened his mouth to say something, but promptly shut it before he left. I watched as he walked over to his wife, whispered something to her that caused her to look over at us, before he turned and left the library. Sighing, I leaned forward and placed my elbow on the table and rubbed my temple.
"Head hurt?" he asked.
I nodded. "Been a long day already."
"Maybe you should come home," he said, coyly.
Laughing, I looked over at him. "Is that what I should do?"
"Yes," he chuckled. "Are you okay? I've worried about you all morning."
"I'm . . . not okay, but at the same time, I am okay. I know it doesn't make sense," I rambled. "She got too close to the boys, Carlisle. If Jacob hadn't been there . . ." I shuddered, just thinking about what she would have done to Michael and Tyler. "I didn't see her. I looked around, but I didn't see her."
"Jacob said she came a couple minutes after you left," he told me, sliding his hand over mine.
Lifting his hand up to my lips, I placed a kiss on his knuckles.
"I'd better go," Carlisle said, and I frowned as I looked at him. "You want me to meet you at the boys' school? I don't mind."
"That would probably be best. Just take your car. I'll have Rose bring my truck over later," I said, digging his key out of my backpack.
"I've got my spare set," he told me.
I nodded and walked him to the door of the library, ignoring the scowl on Bree's face. "Love you."
"Love you more," he whispered.
I smirked. "Not possible."
Carlisle laughed as he turned and walked out of the library. I stood there and watched him until he walked out of the building, taking a huge part of my heart with him. It wasn't until Bree muttered something about "ruining my life with silly ideals of love" that busied myself with the books on the book cart. She would just be one more person judging me, one more person who could kiss my ass.
When the bell rang, ending fourth period, I gathered my backpack and left her standing in the middle of the library with a scowl on her face and the stick up her ass. I grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water before joining Emmett, Rose, and Alice at our usual table and ignoring the group of freshman girls who called me a slut when I walked by. They weren't worth my time or effort, either.
"Damn, Swan, you look like shit," Emmett grimaced.
"Um, thanks?" I scoffed as I sat down next to Alice.
"Ignore that asshole," she said, throwing a tatter tot at him, hitting him in the forehead. It bounced off his head and landed in the middle of his green beans. Picking it up with his fingers, he popped it into his mouth. "I licked that, by the way."
Emmett shrugged his shoulders. "Not like being a lesbian is contagious, right? Besides, it doesn't matter. I already like pussy."
Alice, Rose, and I laughed, because that was just Emmett. He was crass and rude, but he was loyal and would beat the shit out of anyone who hurt one of us. When Alice came out of the closet, declaring proudly that she was a lesbian, Emmett went out and had a T-shirt made that said, 'I support lesbo-licking.' Then he wore it to school, got two weeks detention, and had to change into an appropriate shirt, but it was the point that mattered. Like Rose and I, he supported Alice and her right to love whomever she wanted, and when she and Esme started seeing each other, he begged them for details.
Or when Rose's ex-boyfriend grabbed her arm and slammed her against a wall and threatened her if she didn't talk to him, he would make her sorry, Royce King came to school the next day with a black eye, a busted lip, and a limp. While Emmett never admitted to being the one who beat that asshole, we knew he had when he dragged the asshole off her and pulled into the alley behind the coffee shop in Port Angeles we were hanging at. He was fiercely protective of us, and if my mother hadn't been a woman, he'd probably already hunted her down and kicked her ass, too.
"You're a dork, Em," I sniggered.
"I know," he boasted proudly.
I rolled my eyes and opened my bottle of water, just as Mike Newton walked up behind me and grabbed my ponytail, gently yanking my head back, and said, "S'up, Swan."
The force of the action, though, had me crying out as the cut on my head pulled, and Emmett was immediately on his feet and around the table, dragging the asshole off of me.
"Dude, what the fuck?" Emmett hissed, pushing Mike against one of the beams located throughout the cafeteria.
"What?" Mike asked. He always came up behind me like that, had since we were in the sixth grade and he'd asked me to go to homecoming with him, but I said I couldn't because I was having my period, though I hadn't even had my first cycle yet. Mike just never let it go. Most of the time, I ignored it. He wasn't doing it to be an ass; that was just Mike for you and overall, he wasn't that bad of a guy.
"She has a head injury, jackass," Rose snarled, grabbing Emmett by the shoulder and pulling him away from Mike.
"Oh, yeah," he mumbled. "Sorry."
"Whatever," Rose scoffed, waving him off with a wiggle of her fingers. Mike scurried away, knowing better than to utter another sound with Rose and Emmett standing guard around me. "You okay, Bella?"
"Yeah," I muttered, bringing my hand up to my forehead and pressing my fingers against the bandage. "Just pretty sure today is 'fuck with Bella day' or something."
"That bad?" Emmett asked as he and Rose took their seats again.
I nodded. "Let's just say that graduation can't come soon enough. I'm so done with this town."
"So it's true, then?" Rose asked. "You and Carlisle are leaving Forks."
"Do we have a choice?" I asked. "In the almost two weeks since we've been together, we've been attacked from every direction. There's nothing keeping us here once I've graduated."
"Guess I can see that," she murmured. "So where are you going?"
"San Francisco," I told her. "I got into Berkeley, and he's looking for a job there. I think the boys will enjoy it there."
Rose smiled. "The sun? The beach? What's not to love?"
"You'll be with me and Esme, Bella!" Alice giggled. "I just got my letter yesterday. I've been accepted. Esme's getting an apartment off campus, and she's asked me to move in with her."
"Al, that's great," I said, smiling. "Is she going to be able to come back for graduation?"
Alice nodded. "She should be here Saturday."
"You two are so lucky," Rose grumbled, leaning up and placing her elbow on the table.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because you're getting to go to school where you want," she explained. "Mother is insisting that I follow in her footsteps and go to Brown. It's a great school, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to go. She just refuses to listen to me."
"That sucks," I said, noticing that Emmett was being unusually quiet. "You okay, Em?"
He looked up at me. "Yeah," he said, but I didn't believe him.
"Em?" I pressed.
He shrugged his shoulders. "You all have these big plans for the future and I don't."
"You haven't heard back from any schools yet?" Alice asked, sadly.
Emmett shook his head. "I didn't my shit sent off until late because I retook my SAT to get a better score, and well, I had to save up for the money to even apply. Not that it matters. Even if I do get into half of the schools on my list, I won't be able to go unless I get a full ride, and that ain't likely."
"Sorry, Em. That sucks," I muttered.
"We're going to figure it out, baby," Rose whispered, leaning her head on Emmett's shoulder. "You just now wised up and staked your claim in me, I'm not about to let you go."
"Good, because I don't plan on letting you go, either," he murmured, turning and kissing the top of her head.
The bell rang ending lunch, so we discarded our trash and made our way down to our lockers, grabbing our books for Biology and Spanish. Dr. Banner was standing behind his counter when we walked in. I tossed my bag on my seat before I walked up to him and handed him my blue slip, which he signed.
"Do you have your make-up work?" he asked.
I nodded before I walked over to my backpack, grabbed my folder, and took it back to him. "Sorry, I almost forgot."
"Don't worry about it," he said, waving me off. "Technically, you had a couple more days before it was due."
"Oh," I murmured.
"We're having a unit quiz today. Are you ready for it? Or do you need another day or two to study?" he asked.
"I'm ready," I told him.
He just nodded and I knew he was done talking with me. While I liked Dr. Banner, he was an odd man. He was fascinated with all things science, and felt like we should all find it just as amazing as he did. Some of the items he presented to us, like the star-fish with six points instead of five, were pretty cool, while other things, like the pictures of the giant squid that washed up on the coast of Ireland, wasn't. Most of the kids in our class didn't give a fuck about anything that didn't directly affect them, which is why our graduating class would be known for being the least success in school history.
I took my seat next to Alice and grabbed a pen. Dr. Banner passed out our test and told us we had forty-five minutes to complete it. I was the first one done and placed it on his desk. Dr. Banner grabbed it, giving me a smile as I turned and walked back over to my table. Slowly, one by one everyone else finished and he gave us the rest of the hour to talk quietly.
When the bell rang, he asked me to hang back, so I did. Alice, Rose, and Emmett said they'd meet me after school by my locker, so I grabbed my backpack and walked up to Dr. Banner's desk.
"Have you thought about what you're going to study in college, Bella?" he asked.
"Um, not really," I told him.
He nodded and passed my quiz over to me. I'd scored a perfect grade. "You have a real aptitude for science, Bella. I think you should really consider following that path."
"I don't know," I fretted.
"Look, I'm not saying that if you choose another path that you won't be successful, just giving you something else to consider," he explained. "You're going to school in California, right? At Berkeley?"
I nodded, unsure how he knew that seeing as I'd only just made my decision.
"I know the head of the acceptance committee, and when they saw your application, he called me and asked me a few questions about you," he explained.
"Oh." I wasn't sure what else to say.
"They were very impressed with you, Bella. I just hope you're taking your future serious." The cryptic tone in his words was clear. He felt that my decision to be with Carlisle was putting my future at risk.
"I am," I gritted out. "And it's really none of your business if I'm not."
Dr. Banner pressed his lips together. "You're right. It's not."
Shaking my head, I dropped my quiz back onto his desk. "Don't worry about me, Dr. Banner. I know exactly what I'm doing."
He simply smiled, making it clear he was done talking to me. Turning, I walked out of his classroom, willing the throbbing pain in my head to go away. Senior Goff didn't utter a word to me as I gave her my slip. And much like she had since my relationship with Carlisle became the topic of conversation with everyone, she ignored me. To be honest, it was a relief not to have to deal with her judgmental attitude, as well.
When the final bell rang, I stopped by the office and placed my absent slip on Mrs. Cope's desk, who didn't even bother looking up at me. Alice, Rose, and Emmett were waiting of me next to my locker. Once we had our books together, we walked outside. They all laughed when they saw Carlisle leaning against his car, his ankles crossed and his arms folded in front of his chest. Yes, he was sexy and all mine.
"I'll see you guys later," I murmured, ignoring the way they laughed at me. Carlisle smirked as he grabbed my hips and pulled me against him, his lips finding mine immediately. "I thought I was meeting you at the boys' school."
"I didn't want you walking over there on your own," he admitted, and I understood that he was afraid my mother would come after me again. "Ready?"
I nodded and allowed him to open the car door for me. He had an obsession with being a gentleman, and I kind of liked it. He made me feel special. A few minutes later, he pulled up in front of the boys' school and I noticed Sam and Jacob parked out front, on opposite ends of the street. While I was glad they were there, I hated that there was a reason for them to be here like this. Why couldn't Renee just leave us alone? Was she really unable to let go of her own prejudices and see that I'm happy?
Michael and Tyler were waiting for us in the elementary office, just inside the doors. They looked upset until they saw me walking in. Then they cheered and threw themselves in my arms.
"I'm hungry," Tyler whined, as he usually did. The kid was always hungry.
"Okay, well, let's go home and get a snack," I suggested. "I'm thinking about making my oyster crackers."
"Yay!" Michael exclaimed, grabbing Carlisle's hand and dragging him out of the office. The elementary secretary, Mrs. Anderson, and principal, Mr. Dalton, laughed as we followed them out. It would appear that they weren't upset about us being together. Maybe they could just tell that the boys were happier now, that they laughed and smiled all the time, they didn't whine as much. I liked to think that my presence was making them happy.
Once we had the boy buckled into their seats, Carlisle and I climbed into the car. He had just started the car when we saw Jacob's lights on top of his patrol car began to flash as he pulled away from the curb, did a U-turn and head in the direction of my house. Behind us, I saw Sam's car do the same, and for a reason that I couldn't explain. I heard myself telling Carlisle to follow them.
We were less than three blocks away when I saw it. The pillowing black smoke filling the air. Carlisle parked and I sprinted out of the car, running up the street. As I passed the neighbor's bushes, I felt my heart clench in my chest. My house, the house I'd grown up in, was on fire.
Thank you for all the reviews. I'm just going to be sitting here in my corner . . . Oh, and I'm strongly considering a sequel, or two, to this one. Just gotta work out the details first.