Please Note: Thank you so much to the reviewer who took the time to comment and to the ones who favorited and followed! I was pleasantly surprised and it warmed my little heart. So much so that I might possibly have been inspired to sit down and write two more parts to this? Hope you enjoy.
03
The curtains were drawn in my sister's room when I peeked in. She hadn't bothered going to school today and somehow, I seriously doubted that she'd bothered getting out of bed, let alone attempt taking a shower.
It was only the fourth day in a row.
I sighed to myself and stepped into the room. Opening the curtains a little. Gathering the dirty clothes and putting away her diary. For a second or two I debated heavily on opening it and reading it but I ultimately decided on just stashing it in the drawer on her desk where she usually kept it.
I don't know how to help her. And parts of me are absolutely thrilled. Overjoyed, even, that Edward Cullen and his family have left town. But then I come home from school and I see her hurting like this and I feel bad for being happy that Edward's gone and he can't pull her in like he's done in the past.
Bella rolled over. Looking at me with eyes red from crying. I sank down to sit on the edge of her bed. "I heard you playing guitar earlier." she muttered.
I shrugged. "Yeah, the choir director wants me to do a song in the Junior's showcase. I'm thinking of doing Rhiannon. That Stevie Nicks song Mom always used to sing us?" I managed a smile. Bella gave an even weaker one in response. I reached out, brushing strands of hair away from her forehead. Nodding to the bed and the tissues and muttering quietly, "Bella, you need to get out of bed. Eat something. C'mon. We'll go in the backyard and I'll show you the stupid routine Jess is forcing me to learn for cheer."
"I'm not feeling like it."
I sighed, my patience fraying just a little more. I could understand if this had been a normal breakup or even a normal relationship to begin with. But it hadn't been. And everyone but my sister seemed to realize it.
"Feel like it or not, you can't just lie up here and waste away." I grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her a little until she finally sat up in bed. "Charlie home yet?"
"In another hour. He's been getting a weird case or two. Mostly outside of town. You know that sketchy dive bar?"
"The one between here and Port Angeles?" Bella asked as she slid on a worn thin black and gray plaid shirt over the tank top she'd been wearing. I grabbed the basket of her dirty laundry and we stepped out into the hallway. "Yeah. That one. I was eavesdropping on the other line and I heard him telling one of the guys from the station that the body they found was missing it's blood?"
I didn't dare tell Bella that this was the second one. Or that I felt like the timing between a body being found at a dive bar outside of Forks and the Cullen family leaving town was definitely suspicious to me.
She was going through it enough and I didn't want to fight with her about Edward being or not being a bad guy.
She sniffed the air and managed another weak and tight smile. "Tomato soup."
"And grilled cheese. I just have to get the laundry going and start making them. If you wanna help…" I trailed off. She stayed quiet and I sighed. Leaning against her a little as we were stopped in the stairwell. "I'm sorry this hurts you so much. It kills me. I know I never really liked the guy but you're my sister, you know?"
Bella nodded. Muttering a quiet "Thanks."
"You'd do the same. Though I have to argue, I'm taking it easier on you, Bells. You'd have shoved me beneath a running shower by now." I teased gently.
Before Edward, she'd have laughed. She'd have at least had some small change in facial expression. She just gave me this blank look and I shook my head. We made our way into the kitchen and I turned on Crystals by Stevie Nicks, humming along as I started to spread butter across pieces of bread and turned on the stovetop so that the skillet would be nice and warm when I got done assembling the sandwiches.
Bella was digging around in the fridge and she held out a diet Pepsi to me. I popped the tab and took a few swallows of the soda, sitting it to the side. Bella reached out and lowered the volume to my music.
"What's up?"
"I just.." she fidgeted her hands a little as if she were debating, weighing the words she was about to say to me very carefully. "Edward didn't do anything… The night Jacob found me in the forest? I went there on my own. Edward left and everything just hurt so much. I just shut down."
I nodded, listening. Adding to myself mentally that the fact that she shut down to a point where she hid in the forest overnight was definitely not a good sign and it was something I might want to mention casually to our father lately.
She must have taken my silence for what it was, a lack of anything to offer as far as advice went and she took a few sips of water from the glass she'd poured herself before attempting to turn the tide of the conversation.
"When did you grow up so much? I remember when Renee and I used to have to really watch out for you, you were always into something. It's good, don't get me wrong. I'm just curious."
"Well, I did stay in Florida a few months longer than you did last year. I kind of had to do it all myself. I could've done it before, it's just kind of hard when you and Mom are always right there, trying to hold my hand."
Bella winced and I shook my head, managing a smile as I took another sip of my soda. "I didn't say it was a bad thing or that I hated it. And I can admit that looking back now, I needed it at least half of the time. I actually appreciated it. Just like I appreciated the chance to kind of be on my own and have to do things for myself. I needed it."
"So that's why you didn't come too. You wanted space."
"Kinda, yeah." I laughed softly. Stepping over to the fridge to grab two bags of shredded cheese and the rest of the bacon from this morning.
"So, it's Friday night. What are you planning on doing?" Bella asked.
I shrugged. "Well, given that Halloween is literally right around the corner, I thought I'd just stay here with my soup and grilled cheese and binge nightmare fuel." I laughed and then asked, "What about you? I mean, since you're up… Might as well catch up on all the assignments you missed, maybe?"
"It would make Charlie a little less irritated at me."
"Mhm. Not to mention, Jessica went to all the trouble to bring everything over. She kept trying to come up, insisting she was going to drag you out of bed but I kept her out. I put up with her more than enough at cheerleading practice, thank you much." I rolled my eyes, laughing as I said it.
"So you did make Varsity. That's great!" Bella gave me one of her stiff hugs. Hugs that were starting to become more the norm than the hugs she used to give. I sighed to myself and as we pulled away, I smirked. "Mhm. Jessica wasn't thrilled about it, but hey… It's at least letting me stay a little sharp physically. I put in an application to work at the diner, so maybe I'll be able to start doing that."
Outside, a lone howl floated in through the crack in the kitchen window and I found myself watching the treeline again. Searching for that blur of gray that was becoming both a little too familiar and maybe, just a little bit of a comfort too.
Bella peered out over my shoulder. "Was that a wolf?"
"Mhm. I think so. I mean, I'm not exactly wandering out to find out the answer. It's been hanging around out back a lot lately. The weird thing is that I'm almost willing to bet that it's like.. A scheduled thing? Because it's done this for five days in a row now. Just as it's starting to get a little later."
"That's weird."
"A little, yeah. But it's also kind of neat. You know me and my thing about wolves."
"Because Renee never let us get a dog." Bella added, managing another weak smile as I said it at the same time.
"Yeah, I never really grew out of that. Probably the first thing I'll do when I'm out on my own is go to a shelter and adopt one." I admitted, grabbing the spatula so that I could flip the grilled cheese sandwiches and let the other side toast for a minute or two.
"If you're staying home because of me, Veronica, you don't have to. I'll be fine."
" Doesn't really seem like it." I thought to myself, though I shook my head at her. Taking the sandwiches out of the skillet and adding a little non stick spray to the skillet as I put two more in. I paused and answered finally, "I just don't happen to have anything to do tonight. Ha ha. Now tomorrow, you're on your own. I'm going to see a movie with Angela and her cousin. Then we'll probably wind up at First Beach. I told my friend Ariana I'd get her a souvenir or something and mail it to her."
The conversation kind of died and about ten minutes later, our father was coming in the front door from work. Just as the fire alarm let out a high pitched wail because I'd gotten sucked up in a video on my phone and hadn't been watching the last two grilled cheese sandwiches as closely as I had the others.
"Shit! Shit!" I grumbled, going to the kitchen window to open it more. Bella opened the door that lead out to the backyard and went on a search for the broomstick to manually stop the smoke alarm's shrill cries.
My father was chuckling from the doorway. "I hope that wasn't a sign."
"Hey! I'll have you know, sir, the other ones are unharmed."
He eyed Bella. "You're up."
"Yeah, Veronica practically dragged me out of bed." Bella admitted, going quiet again. Staring out the bay window in the dining area. My father stepped in and sat down. Digging in to the stack of grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches on the table as he mused thoughtfully, "It wouldn't hurt you to get out."
"Charlie.." Bella started, going silent at the stern look our father gave her. "Yes sir. I just need a little more time."
As soon as she said it, I couldn't help but roll my eyes a little. Then I felt bad about it. And glad I'd had my back turned. My father produced two bags of candy corn and I hugged him, ripping into my bag right as my father chuckled and nodded to the food I'd cooked. "Real food first, shortcake."
"But daddy, it's candy corn. How can I possibly be expected to resist?"
I pouted when he nodded to the plate of the sandwiches again.
"So.. any ideas what you want to do on your birthday, shortcake?" my father asked as he started on his third sandwich.
I shrugged, chewing the bite I'd taken as I thought about it. "Well, it is the day before Halloween.." I pointed out, hints of a smile coming as my father chuckled. "Horror movies and burgers it is."
After we finished eating, I made my way back up to my room. Digging out my guitar and sitting down on the window seat to try again at learning the song I was thinking about singing in the Showcase at the end of the year.
At some point, my eyes settled on the olive green jacket and I set down my acoustic guitar, wandering over to where I'd draped over the head of my bed. I picked it up and found myself raising it to my nose. The scent of his cologne was fading.
And I couldn't help but wonder why it seemed as if lately, I found myself curious. Wondering what Embry Call was doing. Wanting to get to know him better, but having no clue how to go about doing so.
The howl echoed in through the crack in my bedroom window and I let the jacket settle back where it'd been resting, wandering back over to the window seat and flopping down onto it. Gazing down at the treeline.
The gray blur whizzed away as if it had been standing down below watching. And I laughed at myself and shook my head. Picking back up my guitar and trying to focus on learning the chords to the song I was going to sing again. Trying not to think about the jacket or Embry Call or the fact that I had this burning desire to see him again that it was getting harder and harder to ignore.
He seemed like a nice enough guy. And he definitely had me curious. Hoping I'd run into him again at some point.