A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.
Chapter 12-
Bella's POV- The calm before the storm
"Wow. I am not at all offended." I sarcastically mumbled, when the chuckles were yet to die down more than five minutes later.
Seriously. It was embarrassing!
So, a girl made a mistake; would you shoot her for it?
"Sorry." Kim coughed, not at all apologetic by the look of it. "It is just….Paul's mom and Sam. Gosh, really?"
"Argh." I hid my face in my hands, groaning audibly. "I am an idiot. Let's all admit that and move on in our interesting lives."
"Nah." She giggled. "I would rather remember this for the rest of eternity!"
I rolled my eyes in realization, sighing dramatically, "I will never get to move past this, will I?"
She shrugged. "You just assumed your mother-in-law was shacking up with the pack alpha; what do you expect?"
"Kim." I chided her; all traces of humor having left my voice long ago. "She is not my mother-in-law. She is just some stranger I am recently- forcibly- acquainted with. That is all she is, and will ever be."
She rolled her eyes at that, far too amused for the situation we had found ourselves in. "Semantics, hon! Her son has imprinted on you. It is a given that you will be marrying him one day, giving Paula those cute little grandbabies that completely take after you, for let's admit it, no one wants little Pauls' roaming the face of this Earth. One is definitely enough for mankind; I heavily doubt even Paula would agree to want more of that variety, and she is his mother!"
"Jeez, Kim." I interrupted her baseless ramblings, shaking my head in part annoyance. "Has the train to reality left the station of your sanity, leaving you there behind?"
She showed me the finger, slowly pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "But, on a serious note,"
I wanted to interrupt.
I really did.
Kim and serious?
Now, that is something I would readily pay to witness.
But honestly, she did look kind of serious at the moment….
It was scary!
"What do you expect is going to happen?" she continued, staring at me in confusion. "You do realize what imprinting is, right? You are going to be together; it is guaranteed!"
"Kim." I firmly cut her off. "I don't know him. I know nothing about him, apart from his name, that is. Heck, I don't even know his last name…."
"Lahote." She was quick to reply. "Paul Lahote."
I nodded my head at that, opening my mouth once again to continue on with my well-prepared speech- easily capable of convincing a person in my favor, but of course, how could Kim Connweller agree to anyone else speaking when they were in her vicinity?
For someone who claimed to be as anti-social as the day, she did speak a lot.
And when I say a lot, I mean a fucking heck lot!
I often wondered where the 'stop' button was….
"Aww." She cheekily smiled. "Bella Lahote! Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
I frowned, throwing the throw pillow that lay beside me at her, growling when she ducked down at the last moment, avoiding the hit, a loud laugh of sheer amusement leaving her mouth, as she shook her head at me.
"Damn, girl!" she smirked. "If that was your best shot, I pity you!
How…dare she?
How fucking dare she?
I picked up another throw pillow- who the hell's bedroom was this? Why on Earth were there so many pillows in here? Who sleeps with these many pillows under and around their head? Certainly not someone considered normal- hitting her with it- hard. She was a growing girl; she could take it!
And take it, she did.
In fact, she did not hesitate a full second before grabbing her own throw pillow and hitting me back with it, not a thought spared to unimportant things like…say… breathing.
Who cared about breathing?
Nope. Not us.
Hitting one another and somehow proving some unclear point was far more important than that!
And so, that is exactly what we did.
We continued to slam the pillow at the other, our hair a tangled mess in the process, loud giggles leaving our mouths at the absolute silliness of the moment.
It was…ridiculous.
But just so much fun.
I mean….who doesn't appreciate a competitive pillow fight between two equal opponents?
And it wasn't like we were actually hitting the other, or causing them some serious injury to worry over.
It was a pillow; how much could it even hurt when slammed into?
"Admit it." Kim attempted to growl, it sounding more like a yelp through all those giggles of hers. "You do like the name 'Bella Lahote'. You can't wait to be Mrs. Lahote!"
"Gross." I made a face of disgust, resisting the heavy urge to puke. "I would much, much rather be Ms. Swan. AND I AM SO NOT MARRYING HIM!"
Yes, it was completely necessary to shout those words out at her.
I heavily doubted it would register in Kim's head otherwise.
Unfortunately, despite of taking all these several efforts, it still did not register in her thick head, bouncing over it like the ultimate bouncy ball ever.
"Paul and Bella sitting on a tree- K- I- S-S-I-N-G…." she began to sing, a flying body out to get her interrupting her from completing that ridiculous lame ass song that I had last heard in middle school, banging into her and hitting her with all the strength that prevailed in it.
Oh. Did I forget to mention that I was the flying body out to get her?
No. But seriously.
She deserved it.
Like totally did.
And it wasn't like she did not give it back as good as she got.
There were scratches. There was hair-pulling. There was name- calling. There was hitting, punching and kicking.
And most importantly, there was uncontrollable laughter.
I could not control myself, so hard that I was laughing, and from the look of it, the same held true for her as well, attempting to speak something but being unable to do so between all those loud laughs of ours.
"Truce. Truce." She finally coughed, with me leaning back to take a breath, sweat forming on my forehead.
It almost felt like I had run a mile or two on the treadmill, so very exhausted that I currently felt!
"Wow." I finally mumbled, breathing heavily, as I attempted to smooth down my hair. "So, do you take back your words? I will never be Mrs. Lahote."
Ever.
She smirked. "Well, time will tell you that."
I waved her off, not having the energy or will to do all of that again.
Gosh. Fighting was tiring.
Like really, really tiring!
"You know, Bella." She hummed, looking down at her toes in sudden shyness. "I don't have any sisters; even in the cousin. Only brothers. Today, it felt like I finally found one. Emily and I…are close." She paused, framing the words in her head before speaking them out loud, "but she is older and more mature… I had missed such girl bonding. After joining the pack, it is rare to hang out with anyone who is not in the knowing. I understand that, but yet it hurts that I don't have any girlfriends' left to just joke around with."
She looked heartbroken by that fact- her voice down to a whisper, and I took a minute to ponder over her words.
Sister…
She had called me her sister.
Huh.
Just like her, I had never had any sisters to laugh with or tease. I was an only child, and apart from Quil, I don't think I had any cousin living….
Oh. Shit.
Quil.
My eyes went wide on their own accord.
In all of this mess, I had totally forgotten about him.
He must be waiting for me.
Joy must be waiting for me.
It was almost ten p.m.!
I had promised to be back by 9!
Shit. Shit
"I have to go." I quickly jumped out of bed, running down the stairs, thinking of probable excuses in my head.
'Aliens attacked Sam's house, kidnapping him and holding us all hostage.'
Nah, that's just wishful thinking.
'Emily burnt down the food and needed someone to cook it again for her; asking a guest to do it for her.'
Like Joy would ever believe that truck of nonsense!
Apart from her name there was absolutely nothing joyful about the woman; the constant frown on her face enough to tell you that.
'I lost my way and took three hours to find it back.'
Yup, that would have to do.
It just would have to.
"What happened? Where are you going?" Kim shouted at my retreating form, several bodies coming by to stand and observe this repeated sight of me catching the first flight out.
I paid not a morsel of attention to them.
I had far more worrying things to ponder over.
"I will see you in a day or two."
If I am still alive, that is.
I wouldn't put it past Joy to commit a cold-blooded murder, mixing rat poison in my morning coffee or something on those lines….
I could hear groans, whispers, growls and questions behind my back, but I ignored them all, simply running ahead in the direction of what had become home.