Chapter 3 - Hitchhiker's Guide to Friendship

A/N: I wasn't expecting such a positive response from you guys! Each favorite and follow has fueled the fire of motivation underneath my ass, and I want to thank you for all the wonderful reviews you've left me!

A shout-out to Shae Vizla for the spot-on analysis!

To answer one question about my feelings on imprinting: I have a lot of issues with how Meyer decided to portray imprinting in the books. It was essentially glorified brainwashing. Canon imprinting is fundamentally about losing your identity and free will to suit another person's need. My idea of imprinting in this AU is all about the potential between two people, like a nudge from the 'universe' to point out the imprintee to the wolf, like: "Hey, I guarantee that this person is super cool, go talk to them."

As for Paul's reaction, keep in mind that the Wolfpack is still shaken up by the events that followed Sam's imprinting on Emily.

Chapter summary: Bella gets a lesson in gravity while grocery shopping, and later picks up an unexpected hitchhiker in La Push.

The sky was a dreary grey.

Bella sat in the kitchen with a glass of water, feeling heavy-eyed despite having slept like a rock throughout the night. She'd dreamt of sprinting silently through a green forest. It hadn't been an unpleasant dream per se, but the sound of heavy footfall outside her window had roused her. Pale light had greeted her as she struggled between waking and unconsciousness, and prevented her from returning to sleep. Bella wasn't used to having such vivid dreams, much less remembering them after she woke up, so it had taken her a moment to realize that her dream had been void of any sound. There was nothing outside when she looked down into the yard.

Bella was still trying to will the sun to materialize from behind the shroud of clouds when Charlie came down. She welcomed the distraction. He appeared surprised at seeing her awake, and they exchanged quiet 'good mornings'. The bags underneath his eyes were impressive, and he got himself a glass of water and gulped it down like a man dying of thirst. Bella realized that he was nursing a hangover.

"What are you doing up so early?" Charlie asked and had to clear his throat when his voice came out hoarse. He wouldn't meet her eyes, and Bella knew that he was embarrassed, which was understandable but entirely unnecessary since it had been a rare treat to witness him so carefree. Bella had the inkling that it wouldn't happen again. He hadn't harmed her 'delicate sensibilities' and would have told him so if it wasn't more likely to drive him further into his shell.

"I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep," Bella answered vaguely instead. There was no need to worry him about the work of her overactive imagination.

"That's too bad," Charlie muttered, and Bella watched with barely contained horror as he poured some oats and water into a bowl — no salt — and put it into the microwave. It cooked until the two-minute mark, and the ensuing 'ding' was jarring. He took it out and stuck a spoon in it. The porridge behaved like wet cement, and the spoon stayed in place.

"How can you eat that?" Bella asked with thinly veiled disgust.

"What? It tastes just fine to me," Charlie said as he got himself another glass of water. "I can make you some if you want."

Bella shook her head, "No, thanks. I'll stick to toast." It got a small smile from him, which she counted it as a victory.

He checked his watch and wolfed down the rest of his breakfast while Bella fixed her meal.

"I'll be home late," Charlie told her as he rinsed his bowl in the sink. He dried his hands on the dishcloth. "Know what you're going to do today?"

"I'm going grocery shopping," Bella answered through a mouthful of toast. She'd originally intended to stay at home and recharge, but there was no way that she would let Charlie do any more cooking while she was here. "You still like beef stroganoff, right?"

"Yeah, it's my favorite," Charlie said, his features softening.

"Dinner will be waiting for you when you come home." Bella smiled down at her plate and Charlie patted her on the back like he wasn't sure what to do with his hands.

"That sounds good. I'll see you tonight, Bells." He grabbed his holster and was out the door.

Bella grimaced and huddled deeper into the coat, already feeling the chill despite not having open the front door yet. She'd stolen Charlie's coat again and had her key in hand, an empty tote bag in her pocket, and a determination not to let the three-on-the-tree gear shift intimidate her. She'd made it home last night with Charlie in no state to offer her helpful advice, and she would do it again. Granted, there hadn't been any cars on the road and luck had been with her when it came to the timing of green lights, but she'd done it nonetheless. With that in mind, Bella squared her shoulder and stalked out the door.

With her seatbelt on and her key in the ignition, Bella only hoped that she wouldn't publicly embarrass herself in the grocery parking lot. News traveled fast around these parts, and it would surely reach La Push in no time.

She wondered if Paul ever bought his groceries in Forks.

Blindsided by her desire to catch another glimpse of him, Bella shook the thought away and turned the key. Her metal beast roared to life, and Bella backed onto the street gingerly. Besides, Paul would probably freak out at the sight of her again.

Her ego was still smarting from that.

Bella turned on her radio to shut her traitorous mind off. She did not need to think about rude boys and giant wolves. She shuddered. Were the Quileutes aware of the beast that could be lurking in their woods? Bella desperately wanted to believe that those footprints had been a prank, but doubt continued to nag at her.

The drive to the shop was short since nearly everything in Forks was a five-minute drive away from her house. The parking lot was blissfully uncrowded, and Bella slid into a spot close to the entrance. She put her truck in park and pulled the handbrake for good measure.

The store was decently sized and had a much better selection than she'd anticipated. Bella was pleasantly surprised when she found everything on her list easily. The only thing she had yet to find was a can of beef broth. It took her a few minutes of searching to track them down, and her stomach sank when she realized that they were on top of the highest shelf.

Cursed with her mother's short genes, Bella went onto the tips of her toes and reached up in a futile effort to grab for it. Her fingers didn't even come close. Looking around, Bella would do anything to avoid having to seek help from a stranger. She may be able to hold her own in a conversation with acquaintances but speaking to strangers when not strictly necessary was too stressful for her to deal with right now.

Fortunately, there was a stepping stool resting a little way away down the aisle, and Bella nudged it in place. The workers must use it while they were stocking the shelves, and if Bella had been a little taller, it would have been the perfect height for her. She had to go on the tips of her toes again, which forced her to lean forwards. Her fingers reached the edge of a can, and she slipped it towards her. It spun in a few circles and Bella cursed. She hitched her shoulder and closed her hand around the accursed can.

Of course, just as she was about to announce her victory, she slipped.

"Watch out!" Slim arms wrapped around Bella's stomach and jerked her to a halt. Heart pounding, Bella took a cautious step down and was helped with her descend. They let her go when she was on safe grounds again. Bella turned around.

"I'm so sorry for grabbing you like that! I just saw you slip and reacted." Her savior was a girl who appeared to be her age. She had light brown hair with streaks of honey, and a pair of glasses framed gentle brown eyes.

"No, it's fine." Bella was taken by surprise, clutching the can to her chest. "You have good reflexes."

"Are you new around here? I'm sorry," the girl blurted out, "it's just you look my age, and I haven't seen you around the school — it's a small town." The poor girl looked increasingly embarrassed as she rambled. Bella knew the feeling and smiled when she paused to take a breath before introducing herself, "I'm Angela Weber by the way."

"Hi, Angela. You're right: I'm new," Bella said and stuck her hand out for her to shake. Angela took it shyly. "I'm Bella Swan."

"The Police Chief's daughter?" Angela asked. It didn't feel like she was prying in the way those eager for new town gossip did, not nearly as intense in her questioning.

"That's me," Bella said and held up her can awkwardly. "Thank you for catching me - this was the last thing on my list."

"Think nothing of it! I'm just glad you didn't get hurt," Angela smiled. "Will you be coming to school? Forks High that is."

"Yeah, I'm a senior." Bella was proud of how well she was handling the conversation. Angela seemed like a sweet girl, and Bella hoped that she was in her year.

"Me too! Maybe we'll have some classes together, if not, we could sit together for lunch," Angela said eagerly, blushing when she realized how forward she sounded but didn't retract her offer.

"No, that would be great. I don't know anyone around here so it would be nice to see a familiar face," Bella reassured her.

"Great," Angela said, her smile reappearing, and bounced back on her heels. "I guess I'll see you in school next Friday."

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you and, again, thanks for saving me — not a good look to start term in a cast," Bella joked, and Angela laughed in agreement.

"See you, Bella." They parted ways, Angela resuming her shopping and Bella going to the checkout, heart still beating fast and both wearing small smiles.

Starting at Forks High didn't seem too scary anymore.

There wasn't much for Bella to do in Forks while she waited for school to start. It was Thursday now, and she was beginning to get cabin fever. Term would start tomorrow, and the last thing she needed was to be alone with her thoughts. Being the new girl in such a small town was bound to draw attention from the other students, and Bella was dreading it. Hopefully, Angela would make good on her offer and let Bella blend in by sitting with her. Bella had spent plenty of lunches sitting on her own in Phoenix but thinking about doing it in front of people who were bound to judge her was uncomfortable, to say the least.

Charlie was at work, and it was an odd experience for Bella to have the whole day to herself. She was so used to taking care of the household back in Phoenix because while Renée had a zest for damn near everything, she was a complete disaster when it came to taking care of anyone, much less herself. Charlie was the complete opposite: he remembered to pay the bills and cleaned up after himself. The only thing Bella took over was the cooking. Charlie hadn't protested, especially not after she'd caught him putting a can of beans inside the microwave.

The man was a menace inside the kitchen.

She spoke to her mother daily, both through emails and phone calls. It was amazing how much her mother could prattle on and make the most mundane things seem exciting. Bella should buy a mobile because they were starting to run up Charlie's landline bill with their routine of calling each other in the evenings and spend an hour chatting. Renée did most of the speaking while Bella listened. It eased her mind to hear how happy her mother was. It was sometimes a little disheartened how Renée seemed to be thriving without Bella there to look after her.

Bella dismissed the thought as soon as it reared its ugly head inside her mind. Renée was happy, and that was all that mattered.

Senior year was upon her and Bella should use the time to find out what she wanted to do with herself. She couldn't help but feel adrift during those empty moments sitting at home and waiting for something interesting to happen.

Sick of her train of thought, Bella decided to go for a drive. A change of scenery should help her clear her mind. She grabbed the CD Charlie had given her for her fourteenth birthday. She'd found it while going through the stuff that had collected on her bookshelf throughout the years. It was a good gift. Charlie had found most of her favorite songs from his collection and mixed them onto a CD himself. Bella was ashamed to admit that she didn't remember what songs were on there, but her mood brightened significantly when the first pluck of guitar of 'Here Comes the Sun' by the Beatles started playing. Charlie knew her better than she'd thought.

She had no direction in mind when she pulled out of the drive, but all too soon she was at the intersection of the 101 and 110. Without thinking she took a left onto the La Push Road, but Ben E. King's crooning voice distracted her from any worry. All thoughts of mutant wolves and Paul were absent from her mind as she jiggled shoulders in rhythm with the bass of 'Stand By Me.'

Bella turned on her windshield wipers when it started to rain.

She was nearing the village's border when she saw something strange. Sam was standing by the tree-line, flanked by Jared and Paul. They were all shirtless and wore shorts like they'd been out for a jog when they'd been caught in the rain. Across the road was Leah. She was standing on the sidewalk, her flannel shirt slowly getting drenched in the downpour. Leah didn't seem to notice it though as she glared at Sam. The pure venom on her face was impressive, but it didn't distract Bella from how her shoulder shook and hunched forwards as the rain grew heavier.

Bella was reminded of a standoff between bandits in one of Charlie's old movies about the Wild West.

She was already stepping on the break when Paul's head suddenly snapped up like he'd felt her gaze. Her stomach clenched, and she wanted to sink into the ground when he jolted back with a look of surprise crossing his face.

What the hell was his problem?

Jimi Hendrix's guitar solo jolted her into reality, and Bella quickly lowered the volume. Leah's glare was losing it heat and the sorrow in her gaze alarmed Bella. After making sure there was no one driving behind her, Bella slowed to a halt.

Paul was still staring at her and Bella's frustration got the better of her. With a stubborn tick to her chin, she trudged up the nerve to give him a small wave with a sickly sweet smile. He blinked in surprise and Bella was bewildered when his lips quirked up into a toothy grin. He rose to his full height, which was admittedly impressive, and his chest puffed up in that cocky way that seems universal among young men. Jared nudged Paul in the ribs teasingly, and Paul hit him in the shoulder with enough force to make him stumble.

Men, Bella thought disparagingly. Paul didn't seem to hate her as she had initially thought, but she had more pressing matters at hand. Sam didn't have eyes for anyone besides Leah. He appeared just as unhappy at seeing Leah, but there wasn't any of Leah's rage in him. He seemed weary.

Why hadn't Leah left? It was blatant, even to an outsider like Bella, that she wasn't comfortable with Sam's proximity. There was bad blood between the two of them, and while Bella was curious by nature, their history it was none of her business. However, there was no way she could leave Leah in a situation that was causing her such distress.

Bella hoped that she wasn't about to get humiliated in front of these guys. She attempted to roll down her window, but it stuck after an inch, so she opened her door instead with a huff. Rain immediately pelted her hair and shoulder, and cold drops rolled down the back of her collar. She ignored the men and lifted herself to stand on the car door sill and leaned over the wet roof of her truck to call out to Leah.

"Hey, need a ride?" Leah snapped her attention towards Bella in surprise. Bella shivered as she waited for an answer. There was a tense pause where Leah gave Sam one last mutinous glare before stalking silently to Bella and her truck. She got in on the other side, and Bella let out a breath.

"Yeah," Leah snarled as she slammed the door shut. Bella all but tumbled back into the driver's seat and closed her door with more care. The car was cold now that Bella had let out all the warm air and she set to close her window. It gave her a chance to take one last peek at Paul. His eyebrows were approaching his hairline, and even Jared appeared slack-jawed. Bella suppressed the urge to stick her tongue out at them. There was no need to look so surprised, and Sam's apparent gratefulness was also unwarranted because Bella certainly hadn't done it for him.

She settled on a sloppy salute and turned to her passenger.

"Where do you want to go?" Bella asked Leah and cranked up the heat when she noticed Leah was shivering. She started driving.

"Just go wherever it was you were going," Leah dismissed, huddling down into the seat with crossed arms.

"I was just driving around," Bella explained. "Want me to take you home?"

"No, just keep on driving," Leah said and dialed up the volume on Bella's radio. The scent of wet clothes filled the cab, and they stayed silent as Bella drove further into La Push. There wasn't a lot of roads, and she took a circle around the Quileute Tribal Council building and pulled back onto the Ocean Front Drive, heading out of the village.

"Is it okay if we keep going?" Bella asked when they came to the 101.

"Yeah," Leah said. She seemed to relax with every mile they put between them and La Push. She did not indicate being affected by the initial strained silence like Bella, but soon the calm that came with driving eased any tension between them.

Bella was struck by how weird this was but Leah's calm demeanor was also kind of nice. She wasn't inclined to strike up a conversation herself, and she wasn't ready to return to Forks either. Leah seemed to agree with her because she asked her if she had any more music when the CD finished.

"No, but you missed the first a couple of songs," Bella said like she'd always intended to pick her up and Leah's features softened. The first song with the Beatles started to play again.

Neither spoke again until the CD finished for the second time. Bella asked if Leah knew any good radio stations. They were driving past the tiny town of Shuwah, which resided on the other side of Forks when Bella felt the urge of getting to know her passenger a little. She searched for something to say to break the ice.

"So, um. What do you do for fun around here?" Bella asked and winced when Leah raised her eyebrow at her pitiful attempt at small talk. "Yeah, that was pretty bad."

Leah took a moment before answering. "Hiking. The forest is beautiful around here," there was a note of pride in her voice, "then there's fishing of course: our dads still fish together, and then there's hunting if you're into that kind of thing."

"I'm not a big hunter, but hiking sounds nice," Bella said. Then she remembered her disastrous attempt at walking in the forest by Billy's house and snickered, "that is, when I'm not tripping over roots and falling onto my ass."

"There are a couple of good trails by the Second Beach. Should be free of any roots," Leah said dryly. She appeared to deliberate for a moment, "I could show you my favorite one when the weather is better."

"That would be awesome," Bella said, a little surprised at Leah's offer. She tapped her steering wheel with a goofy smile, feeling absurdly proud of the fact that Leah wanted to meet her again.

It wasn't until Leah remarked that it was getting late that Bella turned around to head back. She was startled when she noticed that the sky was already darkening as evening approached. They'd been driving for a little over an hour. Charlie would be home soon, and Bella hadn't intended to let an empty house greet him.

The trip back was somehow quicker, and they were entering La Push before they knew it. Bella remembered the way to the Clearwater's home from her last visit and pulled up in front of their driveway.

"Thanks. I needed to get away for a while," Leah said after a pregnant pause.

"Don't mention it," Bella said with a shake of her head. "This was nice. I've never driven around with a friend before." The words were out of her mouth before she had time to think and she was mortified when she realized that she'd called Leah her friend. Presumptuous much, Bella?

Thankfully, Leah sent her a faint smile before she could start backtracking.

"See you around, Swan." She jumped down and jogged through the rain up to her house.

Bella drove back in a bit of a daze and soon pulled up by her house. She would need to fill her tank tomorrow after school.

Charlie was laying the dinner table when Bella came in.

"I ordered some pizza, hope you don't mind," he said and motioned to the pizza box on the table.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stay out for so long. I just lost track of time, and then I had to drive Leah home," Bella explained as they took their seats and Charlie's brows rose in surprise.

"Leah Clearwater?" he asked and handed her a slice, "I didn't know you were friends. What were you two doing together?"

"Just driving around." Bella shrugged and took a bite. She was starving.

"Have fun?" he asked, and Bella nodded, chewing silently.

"Leah's cool," she said and smiled to herself. "It's intimidating, really."

"Huh," Charlie accepted Bella's newfound friendship readily. The pizza was almost gone when Bella remembered what she'd wanted to ask Charlie.

"Hey, dad. Think you can make me more CD's? It's nice to have something to listen to in the car."

"You still listen to that old thing?" The skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled, "Of course, Bells. Just write down what songs you like, and I'll fix it."

"Thank you." Bella took their plates and put them in the washer.

"Billy called," Charlie said, stretching his back and handed Bella his glass.

"Oh?"

"He invited us to dinner as repayment for 'putting up with his drunk ass' as he put it," Charlie said sheepishly.

"Yours as well, if I recall," Bella said teasingly.

Charlie coughed gruffly, "Yeah, well," he trailed off, cheeks reddening.

"I had fun," Bella reassured him, "tell Billy I'd love to have dinner."

"It's a date."

Next chapter: Something's fishy about the supposedly suave Cullens, and Bella's not impressed. Dinner at Billy's, featuring the hazards of climbing in grocery stores when your name is Bella Swan and more Paul.

A/N: Did I go sightseeing in Washington on Google Maps? You bet I did!

Do you guys have any headcanons for Paul? I'd love to hear them if you do! Like what kind of music do you think he listens to? Is he a morning person or does he like to press the snooze button on his alarm clock? Does he hog the blankets? These are the real questions in life, people, and we shall get to the bottom of them!

If you're craving some Twilight content (or general shitposts), the fandom is very active on Tumblr! Also, if any of you are interested to see Bella/Paul mood boards, I have a few on my Tumblr (forksofwisdom) underneath the tag 'bellapaul'.