Paul thought about the their exchange a few times throughout the week, but not so much that he wasn't a little surprised to come home from patrol and find a bag on his front porch. Inside, he found a couple boxes of cereal, a gallon of milk, and then a cooler bag with all the makings for ice cream sundaes. There was also the DVD of Season 1 with a note attached to it:
Paul-
These foods are a few necessities to have on hand while watching VM. They eat a lot during the show and it always makes ME hungry, so I can only imagine how you might feel. Here's my number in case you feel a burning need to discuss at any point. Enjoy!
-Bella
xxx-xxx-xxxx
Paul put away the food and hopped in the shower. Wrapping the towel around his waist he went back into the bedroom and tried to decide if he was going to go out again or not. He hadn't been out at all this week and usually by this time he would feel that itch under his skin. The one that only a fight and a lay had been able to soothe lately.
Bella didn't realize how right she was. Except he didn't even usually have to flex. He could just walk into a bar or club and stand there and wait for the women to come to him. It was almost too easy. Lately, he preferred them to not be talkers either. He was sick of the whole "get to know you" thing when he knew he had no intention of ever contacting the women again. It just seemed like a waste of time to talk to them. And when he realized how sleezy that made him sound, he turned and walked out of the bar one night and hadn't gone back.
He sighed and opted for a pair of sweats, then headed back to the kitchen to make a giant sundae and watch at least the first episode of this girl show since Bella had been nice enough to drop it off.
Bella's phone chirped at 1am letting her know there was a text message. She always kept her phone's volume up at night because of her Dad. He tried not to wake her when he got called out in the middle of the night, but she didn't ever not want to be available if there was some type of emergency. Cop families never stop worrying.
She snaked a hand out from under the covers and grabbed the phone to see a message from a number she didn't recognize.
Tell me she's gonna end up with Weevil. -P
Bella smiled and replied.
Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies, vato. ;) -B
What does that even mean? -P
Vato? It's Mexican slang for dude, basically. -B
How do you know that? -P
I lived in Arizona. Plenty of Mexican slang to go around. Got some Navajo slang, too. ;) -B
Any biker gang leaders there? -P
Not really my scene. I was always at the library or at home. If there was an Eli Navarro at my school, he wouldn't have noticed me. -B
Girls can't resist a bad boy. -P
You would know. -B
Damn straight. -P
And yet, you're at home binging on tv instead of with one of those girls who finds you so irresistible.. -B
Hey, I have to give the other guys some chances with the ladies. -P
How noble of you. I'm going back to sleep now. -B
Night, B. -P
Night, Paul. -B
Bella put the phone back on her night stand and giggled before rolling over to fall asleep.
"I heard Paul is going to drop out of school," Jake said to Bella as they were heading over to Sam and Emily's for dinner on Sunday.
"What?" Bella shrieked. "He can't do that! Why would he do that?"
Jacob shrugged. "He said he's sick of it. And it doesn't really matter anymore anyway. We all got behind when we first phased, but he never really caught back up."
"Does he need help? I could help him." She had opted for community college and working for a year or two to get her grades in a better place to apply for a University somewhere.
"Paul doesn't let anybody help him," Jake laughed.
"We'll see," Bella said and marched ahead to Sam's a little faster. Jacob looked after her in confusion, before quickening his own pace to catch up with her.
Paul had run patrol that afternoon and by the time he got to Sam's, everybody else was already there and eating.
Bella stood up from the couch when he walked in and grabbed a plate of food from the microwave and handed it to him.
"Thanks, Bella," Paul said when he took the offered plate. "You're always trying to stick something in my mouth these days," he said while smirking suggestively.
Paul expected the blush that swept over her. What he did not expect was when she replied, "Huh. Sounds like that line would have worked better coming from me, don't you think?"
Sam did a spit-take with his water. Jacob narrowed his eyes. Leah laughed out loud.
"You offering?" Paul leered.
"I don't like to put other people's chew toys in my mouth," she replied with a crinkle of her nose.
Paul's mouth dropped open in surprise. Now THIS Bella he liked!
"What is going on here?" a wide-eyed Seth whispered loudly to Quil who was sitting next to him watching Paul and Bella in confusion.
Paul just smiled nodded his head since his mouth was full. "I'm gonna need Season 2 by tomorrow, I think."
"Season 2 of what?" Quil asked. Everyone was eavesdropping since wolves had such sensitive hearing, but Quil was usually the only one who acknowledged it.
"Veronica Mars."
"Paul's is watching Veronica Mars?" Leah chortled.
Paul felt his hackles rise. Why did she have to tell them? Didn't Bella know that watching such a girl show could ruin his reputation?
"It's one of my favorite shows," Bella explained. "He stopped by the other day while I was watching it and I basically bullied him into it."
Bella turned and winked quickly at Paul who relaxed a little. She was covering for him. Damn. This day was getting more and more interesting. Bella Swan was a lot more than he'd ever given her credit for.
"Bella bullied you?" Embry asked, clearly skeptical.
"There were brownies involved," Bella replied.
"Oh…", came an understanding chorus of wolves. Bella bribing and bullying wolves with food was completely understandable. They were suckers for food and would do all manner of stupid things to get her baked goods.
The subject was dropped as Sam started going over patrol schedules for the week.
It wasn't until later that night as she was finishing up her homework that Bella's phone buzzed with a text.
Thanks for covering for me this afternoon. You saved me from having to beat a lot of people up. -P
I just didn't want anything to happen to your bad boy image. Where would all the girls go if that was ruined? -B
I guess wherever they've been going for the last two weeks. -P
Two weeks with no carousing? Are you okay? ;) -B
I'm more than okay, baby. Want me to prove it? -P
Um. Ew. -B
Your loss. -P
How ever will I manage? -B
I can give you some ideas… -P
No, thanks. I can manage on my own. -B
! Hot! - P
Ugh. -B
Srsly, I need season 2. WHO WAS AT THE DOOR? It was Weevil, wasn't it? -P
I will give you one episode for every night you come over and study and do homework. -B
Are you that desperate to get me in your house? -P
You found me out. -B
Why studying? -P
Because you're smart and dropping out is a colossal waste. Not to mention a bad example for the younger wolves who look up to you. -B
They don't look up to me. -P
Of course they do. They see you as a tough leader, awesome fighter, and good with the ladies. What more does a barely adolescent male wolf want in life? -B
Stop. I'm blushing. -P
Now THAT I would pay to see! -B
It'll cost you an episode. ;) -P
No deal. Bring your books and your current grades over to my place tomorrow night. I'll have dinner here for you. I'm off work at 6:30. -B
I have to patrol. -P
I'll call Sam and deal with it. -B
Sam won't change patrol just because you say so! -P
Wanna bet? ;) -B
He has Emily for brownies and sexual favors! What can you offer him? -P
I can't reveal all my secrets, wolf. -B
Paul was beginning to feel like he'd entered some kind of alternate universe. Since when was Bella Swan funny? And snarky? And mysterious? Then again maybe she'd always been this way and Paul had just never noticed because she was so quiet. It explained while the rest of the pack liked hanging out with her so much. And why Jacob Black had been so infatuated with her for so long. Granted, when Black replayed thoughts of Bella in his head it was always the ones with her being sweet, not sassy.
Bella smiled as she called Sam. If Paul had paid attention, he would know that Sam thought of Bella as a little sister. Ever since finding her in the woods after Edward left, he'd been very protective of her. But he was protective from afar. Still, Bella knew he'd go along with this.
"Hi, Bella, is everything okay?" came Sam's worried voice when he answered the phone.
"I'm fine, Sam, but I need to ask if you can switch the schedule around a little this week so I can tutor Paul."
Sam blinked a few times and tried to process what she'd said.
"You're tutoring Paul? How did that happen?"
"He needs to graduate. I told him he needed to be a good example to the younger wolves who looked up to him."
"What else aren't you telling me Bella?" Sam growled. He'd told that to Paul hundreds of times and it didn't make a damn bit of difference.
"Okay, I also bribed him with promises of nightly dinners and tv viewing on Charlie's big screen."
That made more sense to Sam. Paul lived alone, so spending time at the Swans' made sense.
"Will Charlie be there to supervise?"
"Sam!" Bella gasped. "You can't seriously think that Paul Lahote would try anything with me! I'm the "stupid paleface", "leech lover", "bloodsucker's bitch", and so many other lovely epithets. I think it's safe to say that my virtue is safe in the presence of Paul."
Sam growled. He hated when Paul called her names. She was so fragile and Sam could see that his words hurt. The worst part was that Bella believed some of them. She must because she didn't fight back. She just took the insults, and offered Paul brownies, like she deserved his insults. And Paul having no shame, would take the dessert without thanking her and keep smirking. Granted, she had all the other wolves on her side, so maybe that lessened the sting of what he said.
"Why are you being nice to him, Bella? He's horrible to you," Sam asked.
"Because everybody has given up on Paul. He's smart, and talented, and strong, and loyal, but he's so terrible to everyone, so the world just ignores all of the other things and writes it off as Paul being Paul."
Sam was surprised at the feeling behind Bella's words. "And you're the person who's going to fix him?"
"Only he can fix him. I'm just the person who is going to remind him that he's more than a womanizing jerk," Bella answered.
"Be careful, Bella," Sam warned.
"I will, Sammy. I promise. Thanks for worrying about me, you big marshmallow."
"Hey!" he whined at her.
"So, let's work out a schedule," Bella reminded Sam.
You have patrol from 3pm-6pm every day this week. I'll expect you to my house no later than 7pm. -B
Bossy women make me hot. -P
You are a teenage boy. Linoleum probably makes you hot. -B
So how long do we have to study tomorrow before I get to watch an episode? -P
You have to finish all of your homework. I need you to ask your teachers tomorrow for a list of any missing assignments. -B
Since when are you a teacher? -P
I had to make a lot of stuff up last year after I went through vamp withdrawal/depression. I know how to do this. -B
Fine. But only because I have to know who was at the door at the end of the first season of VM. -P
You'll find out. Many things are revealed in first episode of the second season. -B
You know I could just go rent it, right? -P
Are movie rental places still a thing? -B
It's probably on Netflix. -P
You have no internet at your house. -B
Do you have my place bugged? -P
No need. I just pay attention. -B
Creepy stalker. -P
Yup. That's me. -B
Night, Swan. -P
Night, Paul. -B