AN: Thank you to Wolf Born Woman, guest, teamjacob0729, anon, write more soon, and CaliNative76 for reviewing, I know it's been a while since I last updated so your reviews really keep me going.
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Song suggestion: Drunk, Ed Sheeran.
Chapter Ten: Warming.
I rubbed my eyes tiredly as the bus rumbled down the road after school. Dealing with the teachers' continuously sympathetic gazes and my peers' curious looks had drained me. Some tactless classmates had asked me what had happened, as if they were that oblivious. Forks was a very small town, news travelled fast, surely they knew about the accident. Maybe they had and wanted a first-hand account to confirm it, or they really didn't know, either way I wanted to cry as my mind automatically revisited the past week.
As the bus drew up at the La Push stop, I piped a quiet 'thank you' and hopped off. Sam stood with a brown paper bag and a small smile. I looked in the grocery sack curiously as we began walking home. The usual staples; bread, milk, cereal, soup, butter, beans, and eggs. It looked like, while he was waiting, he'd bought the groceries.
"How was school?" He asked as we ambled along.
"Fine." I shrugged, "You?"
"It was good. Have you got homework?"
"Yeah, you?" Small talk was usually awkward and pointless but Sam seemed to be genuinely interested.
"A bit. While I make us some soup, you can do your homework then, yeah? And you can just ask if you need any help…were the kids okay with you today?" His sudden concern made me glanced up at him.
"They were…alright, I guess." Even before the accident, I hadn't many friends. My preferred company was that of a book. But now I was back, people were either too tactless or too hesitant for fear of upsetting me.
"If any of them bother you, tell me straight away." I smiled up at Sam. Whenever I was asked the typical single child question, whether I wanted siblings, I only wanted older siblings. Preferably a big brother and Sam seemed to fit the role perfectly.
"Sure, sure." Nodding none committedly, I was reminded of Jake. How he'd say the same to his dad to avoid an issue. I missed the Black family, their familiar presence, especially Jacob's sunshine personality. Hopefully I'd see them soon again.
"I mean it Bella, any trouble and you tell me." Sam warned as we reached the driveway. Keeping my gaze averted, I nodded hesitantly, "Good." He definitely took this protective big brother role seriously, "Jacob Black was asking after you today."
"Yeah?" I smiled. Apparently I had two protectors now concerned with my wellbeing.
"Yeah." He nodded, "Billy's taking him, Rebecca, and Rachel to the beach on Saturday and invited us."
"Really? Can we?" Looking up at him hopefully, I was ecstatic. This was the one thing I needed to cheer me up through the week.
"Sure." Grinning at me, we hopped onto the porch, spirits raised.
Just in time for a man to come hurrying out the door, running his hands through his rumbled hair. I recognised his jacket and boots from this morning and surmised it was Mrs Uley's guest from last night, the one that stayed in her room. Sam pushed me behind him and glared at the guy, disgust marring his previously happy expression. But the man barely noticed as he marched up the drive to the taxi that had just pulled up.
"Who was that?" I asked as Sam ushered me in and closed the door firmly behind us.
"No one." He brushed my question off, "You get on with your homework while I make the soup, yeah?"
"Yeah, okay." Sitting on the stools around the kitchen island, I pulled out my books and pens, turning to the page with my worksheet pasted in. But I didn't start on the science worksheet, instead I watched Sam.
He worked agitatedly around the little kitchen, snatching a saucepan from the cupboard, twisting the can opener jerkily, dumping the soup in the pan with three, harsh flicks of his wrist. Evidently, coming face to face with the man had affected him negatively, despite my assumption that it was a regular occurrence. I wanted to say something, anything to make him feel better, but I didn't know what.
"How's the work going?" He asked stirring the soup slowly, and I blushed dark red guiltily. Even with his back turned to me, he knew I wasn't doing my homework, and that I was really spying on him making the food.
"Um…fine." I scrambled for a pen and scribbled the first answer. Sam seemed like the kind of person who didn't appreciate other's watching and prying, so I kept my head ducked and read the next question as he stirred.
"I'm going to see if mom's awake." He announced suddenly, setting down the wooden spoon, "Shout if the soup bubbles." With a glass of water and pills in hand, he jogged off upstairs, and I glanced over my shoulder at him. Listening to the muffled voices, "Mom, get up, you've got work…mom!"
"Right…" Mrs Uley groaned loudly.
Then the sound of the soup bubbling caught my attention, and I ran over to turn down the heat and stir the chicken and vegetables. Hunting up some bowls, I poured out three even servings, and chopped some bread into little pieces and put it in, bulking up the meagre dish. Sam came down then, sighing.
"Here." I smiled, placing the bowls on the island. Filling three glasses with tap water, I put them on too, as Sam found the spoons.
"Thanks." Sam nodded as we sat to eat. The silence was only broken by Mrs Uley's stumbling around upstairs and quiet cursing occasionally. I tried to ignore the disturbances while Sam scowled into his soup. His disapproval engraved in the harsh set of his jaw and narrowed eyes. It made me wondered how different our childhoods were from each other. I grew up in a house with my dad, who took care of me. While he seemed to take care of his mom, dealing with her late nights and mysterious visitors. Sympathy filled my gut at the thought of him having to go through that.