AN: Bella has an epiphany. Warning: Underage drinking and swearing.
Recommended music to this chapter: watch?v=6iPDdCJ1lEM
Angela accosts her the moment she's out of her truck, apologies coming a mile a minute.
"It's okay," Bella stammers out, trying to back away from her friend, "I met some family and even made plans with them. So it turned out good, in the end. How's your grandma?"
Her deflection works and Angela continues talking about her family for the remainder of their free time, Bella only humming and nodding along.
"Hey Arizona, they with you?" Mike bounces up to her, pointing at a jeep parked in front of the school. Lilly is sitting on its hood, seemingly arguing with Ichigo about something, He had an exasperated scowl on his face while hers shone with amusement, the needles shoved into her bun glistening in the sunlight with every move of her head.
"Yeah. He's my cousin and his wife." She waves back with a smile when Lilly notices her in the crowd.
"They're married?" He pouts, and Jessica gives him a death-glare.
"Yep," Bella shrugs, parting from the group, "see you guys on Monday!"
There's a spring to her steps she doesn't quite notice, the relieved sighs of her friends barely reaching her ears. Lilly beams at her, elbowing Ichigo to stop his scowling.
"I can't drink yet. I'm just eighteen." Bella stammers out, watching Lilly unload bottle after bottle of both wine and scotch. Ichigo is off, getting take-out and Bella is in charge of deciding what movie they were going to watch.
"We are international here, love." Lilly winks at her, placing the glasses down onto the coffee table and collapsing on the couch in an ungraceful tangle of limbs. "Besides, if you won't tell your dad, neither will we."
"Still... It just feels wrong."
"Bella, if you don't want to drink alcohol, you will not drink alcohol." Lilly deadpanned, waving her hands up enthusiastically when Ichigo walked in, shaking the snow off his coat. "If you only want a sip, that's what you'll get. And if you want a full bottle, you'll have my undying admiration and a clearly marked way to the nearest bathroom."
"We're not forcing you to do anything. And I'm taking your phone if you go with the last option."
"So, lemme get this straight," Ichigo waved his chopsticks around, his other hand moving to take the glass slipping out of Lilly's loose grip before the red wine ended up on the rug, "You were sad because an antique, sentient and diamond-covered, music-box broke up with you?"
Lilly nodded along, mouth full with a spring roll. Bella's first reaction was to protest his assessment, but froze, thinking her response through.
"You forgot to the 'blood-sucking' part," she finally told them, taking a gulp from her glass. The scotch burned going down, but there was already a warm glow settling over her, making everything feel cosier, with Pride and Prejudice droning on in the back.
"And the magic 8-ball girl couldn't predict that disastrous birthday party? Was her connection spotty or did those premonitions come when only convenient?"
"And why did the whole family listen to one person? They knew that Jasper or what the fuck is his name could feel the emotions of the whole family, so why the fuck did they skedaddle?!"
"He most likely counteracted every single point they thought up before they could even vocalize it. He was a mind-reader after all."
"Well, that just sucks balls. Massive, steel-plated balls."
Bella nodded along to Lilly's statement, relieved that finally, someone agreed with her on the weirdness of the whole situation. She gave her empty container to Ichigo, who promised to bring them water back, and sank back into the rug, her head resting against a couch. Staring up at the exposed beams of the ceiling, while Mister Darcy confessed his love to Elizabeth Bennet and Lilly talked about a date she and Kisuke had gone on, her bliss was suddenly overshadowed.
"What if he never loved me?" Slipped out before she could really fully think it through. The cushions shift next to her head, and with a thud and a curse, Lilly was sitting next to her, arm slung across her shoulders. "What if he was fascinated by the fact that he could not read my mind and that drew him in? That he was only seeking the thrill of not touching prey that willingly offered itself up? Was I only a test for his self-control? What if he was trying to control everything I did only because he couldn't hear what was going on inside my head?"
Her vision grew blurry. There were footsteps, the TV got turned off, and Ichigo sat down on her other side. They were boxing Bella in, keeping her grounded while her perfect image of Edward finally broke and reality settled in.
She woke up with her head pounding and hair in her mouth, with a heavy arm slung across her. They were curled up across each other, their hands interlocked over her hip, Bella's head pressed against Lilly's neck, her pulse strong against her forehead. It felt like her mouth was full of cotton, and the Chinese had not done any favours for their breath.
There's a weight off her shoulder and she snuggles in closer, enjoying the warmth. Even if her entire world-view got destroyed last night, it was a lot easier to breathe now. She could move on now. The shadow looming over her life was finally gone.
"What are you smiling about?" Ichigo's voice was heavy from sleep, and she could feel him moving, burying his head into Lilly's hair.
"That Edward Cullen can get fucked. Broody glittering asshole." Both started to shake with laughter, Bella joining them after a while.
"Amen!"
"You're in a good mood," Charlie remarks when she meets him in the kitchen, still-warm dish of homemade pasta in her hands.
"Yeah. I just realized Edward is not worth my tears." Her dad freezes in front of the open fridge, bottle of beer in his hand. He looks at her, searching for something, and she smiles back, expression as open as she can make it. He must find what he's looking for, a smile breaking out on his face, and he raises the bottle to toast her.
"Thank God you finally did!"
"Is the leech back?"
"Can't I be happy without involving that dick?" She asks back, laughing when Jacob hits his head when he looks up too quickly. Sitting on one of the workbenches, she's balancing a screwdriver on her palm, eyeing the other wall critically. If Jacob stayed low, maybe she could hit the beam without much trouble.
"'That dick'?" Jacob repeats, eyes wide. "Who are you and what have you done with Bella?"
"I had a drunken realization." She sticks her tongue out when he gasps, clutching his heart dramatically. "And I've found another way to fulfil all my fantasies of Death."
She tells him about her ability to see spirits and Ichigo and Lilly. About her lineage and the fact that she can become a Grim Reaper. That there are beings out there that can live up to centuries, and still coexist with normal humans without preying on them.
"And joining them wouldn't mean the end of our friendship." She finishes with a smile, tossing him a rag to wipe his hands in. "They have a heartbeat and need food. And unless you are spiritually sensitive, you won't notice the differences. Although I have no idea if you could feel anything."
"Why don't you call one of them over? We could meet at the treaty-line." He suggests, and there's a sudden openness to his expression that she had missed before. Was her relationship with Edward so hard for him to handle?
Ichigo has classes until 8, so she dials Lilly's number and waits, making faces at Jacob.
"Yes, love?" She has to bite back a laugh when Jake mimes sipping tea, his hearing picking up her accent even through the distance.
"Are you free? Jake wants to meet you."
"Sure thing. Where should I meet you guys?"
"I'll text you the address?" He nods at her question, stashing his tools away.
"See you there in a bit!" Bella hands her phone to the wolf, looking around the garage to see if she needs to take anything else with her.
"We should head out. She can be pretty fast."