The Painful Truth
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thank you for the kind reviews! I really appreciate it. All hell breaks loose in this chapter!
Part Eight
When Jacob and Billy came back home they nearly choked on the air freshener that Bella was spraying liberally around the house. Jacob had picked his dad up from the tribal meeting so he wouldn't have to make his own way back. They both coughed and spluttered as they entered the front room. It looked like Bella had been on a cleaning spree. Everything was spick and span. There was nothing out of place. As Jacob glanced in the laundry room he noticed that all the washing had been done and ironed. Bella had separated his and Billy's clothing so they were in neat piles by the dryer. The towels were all fluffy and plumped up. Jacob bet if he went into the bathroom that the bath and sink would be gleaming. Bella going on a manic spring clean could mean only one thing, something had happened. Before he could voice his suspicions Bella spoke first.
"Dad called, he'll be home in a few. I have your dinners warming in the oven. Sit yourselves down and make yourselves comfortable while I serve." Bella said over enthusiastically. She sounded like a nineteen fifties housewife.
Jacob knew that something was definitely up with her. He left Billy grinning like a fool as he settled himself happily at the table. Billy had tucked his paper napkin into the collar of his shirt and held in his knife and fork in his hand as he waited. Jacob flashed his father a look of disapproval. Obviously his stomach trumped worrying about why Bella was acting so oddly.
"What's going on?" Jacob asked as he watched Bella bend down and carefully pull out the food.
"Nothing at all." Bella replied with grim determination and a forced smile as she avoided looking directly at him. "Sit down, Jake." She urged him.
"Bella." Jacob said warningly as he took the plates from her and helped her carry them to the table.
"I'm fine." Bella hissed as she frowned. "Sit down and eat." She ordered him.
Jacob scowled as he gave in and dumped the plates on the table. As he did so Charlie arrived. He was soaked to the skin. Jacob and Billy had just escaped a heavy downpour but Charlie hadn't been so lucky. He grumbled as he took off his jacket and shook the water out of it.
"Dad, I've just cleaned that." Bella complained as she watched the dirty water drip all over the clean floor.
"Sorry, kiddo." Charlie looked chagrined as he lifted up his muddy boots.
"Great." Bella muttered as she grabbed the mop and bucket and shooed Charlie into the kitchen. "Your dinner's on the table."
"Leave that, Bells." Charlie tried to snatch the mop off of her but Bella glared at him and he backed off. "What about your dinner?" He asked instead.
"I've already eaten." Bella huffed as she swirled the mop in the bucket of water before she began to vigorously use it to clean up the mud.
Charlie sighed in defeat. Like Jacob, he knew that something must have upset Bella for her to be cleaning maniacally like this. Perhaps being under house arrest was getting her down. He thought she had begun to accept the way things were but maybe that was him just being naïve. Charlie joined Billy and Jacob at the table. Billy was hoovering up his meal and had already nearly finished. Jacob was scowling at his plate as if it had offended him. "Bad day, son." Charlie asked as he placed his napkin across his lap and began to eat the meal Bella had prepared.
"Yes, and it just got a whole lot worse." Jacob muttered as he stabbed at one of his potatoes with his fork, scowling as he glanced in Bella's direction.
Charlie and Billy exchanged a dubious look. It appeared their offspring had fallen out again. With heavy sighs they continued to eat while trying to ignore the frosty atmosphere.
Jacob was in a foul mood. Bella had been deliberately avoiding him ever since dinner. He had tried to talk to her on numerous occasions but she only gave him one word answers and made sure to keep close to Charlie so they couldn't have a proper conversation. It was now obvious to Jacob that she was upset about the intense moment they had shared earlier that day before stupid Seth had interrupted them. Hence Bella's mad cleaning spree. She was probably regretting what had happened and was doing her best to distract herself. Jacob felt like an idiot for thinking anything had changed. But then he had always been a fool as far as Bella Swan was concerned. He had slipped but he wouldn't be doing so again.
He left for his patrol shift in a temper. He was riled up and hoped that Victoria made an appearance. The way he felt right now he was certain he could catch her, he was pumped full of adrenaline. The downside was that Sam had paired him up with Paul. It was bad enough that he had been forced to put up with Lahote all day during the tutoring session, but now he was going to have to endure more of his unwanted company through the night. Life was definitely taking a turn for the worse.
As soon as Jacob left Bella went to bed. She was on edge after feeling Charlie and Billy's eyes on her all night. They knew something was up. So did Jacob. But there was no way she could enlighten any of them about what was really troubling her. The damn cell phone felt like it weighed a ton as she slipped it out from under her pillow. She hadn't known where else to hide it. As soon as she had read Edward's note she had cleaned the house from top to bottom in case there was any residual vampire stench left over from the package. The last thing she needed was for Jacob's sensitive nose to discover what Edward had sent, and then kick off about it. No, she needed time to think about what to do. She flipped it open and the light from the screen illuminated her worried face.
Bella scrolled through the numbers Edward had programmed into the expensive cell until she came to his. Her finger hesitated over his name as she warred with herself whether to call or not. Her hand began to shake and she immediately switched off the phone and put it back under her pillow. Bella felt utterly conflicted and miserable. Edward had put her in an impossible position by sending her the damn thing. She was anxious in case he carried out his threat and tried to stage a rescue attempt, which would mean breaking the treaty and pitting the Cullen's against the wolf pack. Or if she gave up the cell to Charlie then that would cause another whole heap of trouble. She couldn't win either way. The cell beeped a couple of times making Bella jump. She put her hand over her racing heart as she tried to calm her frazzled nerves. She pulled the phone out again and flipped it open. The beep had been an incoming message. It was Edward begging her to call.
"Oh god, what am I supposed to do." Bella lamented as she held the phone tightly in her hands. She sucked her lower lip into her mouth as she tried to work out a way to fix her quandary.
Jacob was left with a large clump of Paul's fur in his mouth as he watched Lahote hightail it down First beach. They had only been patrolling for an hour and Paul had already gotten on his last nerve. His inability to learn when to keep his mouth shut had earned him a nasty bite and a bald spot on his right flank, courtesy of Jacob. Jacob spat the fur out of his mouth and howled his annoyance up at the heavens. He felt so pissed off and full of anger. What had happened with Bella had really gotten under his skin and he couldn't shake the tension. He was glad when he felt Paul phase out. The tool was probably on his way home nursing his hurt pride. Good! Jacob didn't care if he patrolled alone. It was better than having Paul winding him up. At least now he had no others sharing the space in his head which gave him time to think.
It was midnight when Bella finally made her decision. Charlie and Billy had retired to bed. She could hear her father's snores reverberating down the hall. The cell phone was now back in its wrappings. She had scrawled sorry, now is not the right time on the back of Edward's note and stuffed it back in the package along with the phone. It was taped up so tight it would take a professional locksmith or a vampire to get inside it. In thick red pen Bella had written return to sender on the front of the package. Now she had to get it to the post box without anyone seeing her. She knew her best shot would be under cover of darkness. Jacob was still out patrolling, and Charlie and Billy were fast asleep. Bella glanced at the twin's bedroom window. With her father in the front room she couldn't use the front door. So she was going to have to sneak out of the window instead.
Bella pushed up the window and winced as it squeaked. She held her breath as she waited to hear if the noise had disturbed the two men. But no, Charlie was still snoring and there were no sounds from Billy's room. Bella exhaled slowly in relief and began to climb out of the window. Gravity always seemed to elude her. She more fell out of the window then climbed. Her butt landed on the hard ground outside and she let out a pained yelp. So much for being quiet! Bella scrambled back onto her feet and hurriedly leaned inside the window to retrieve the package. The wood from the sill dug into her stomach as she teetered on the ledge, one arm extended to grab the package. Why, oh why hadn't she chucked the package out first? After groping around wildly in the dark her fingers made contact with it, and she hastily pulled it toward her. But her efforts were in vain. A hand suddenly grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her out of the window and back outside. She cried out in fright as the package fell from her limp fingers and fell to the ground with a dull thud, right at the feet of Paul Lahote.
"Well, well. Trying to send an SOS to the vamps are we." Paul sneered as he ducked down and retrieved the package. He shook it and the cell phone rattled inside. Bella tried to make a lunge for it, but Lahote held it out of her reach before ripping the package open easily.
"Give it back to me." Bella cried desperately as she tried to reach for the package again. She couldn't understand what Lahote was even doing there. She had no idea he had come to do some damage to Jacob's car in revenge for attacking him and making him feel inferior earlier that night. It was only coincidence that he had caught Bella hanging out of her window.
Paul grabbed her hands with one of his while he used the other to tip the package upside down. The cell phone clattered onto the ground followed by Edward's note. Paul looked at Bella in disgust as he released her hands and picked up the incriminating items. He didn't bother looking at the wrappings. He screwed up the package and threw it to one side before scanning the contents of Edward's note and the cell phone.
"Caught red handed." Paul crowed as he waved Edward's note in her face. "You really are a vampire girl through and through."
"You've got it wrong." Anguished tears began to fall down Bella's face as she stared miserably at Paul.
"The evidence speaks for itself, darlin.'" Paul spat sarcastically. He grabbed the top of her arm and led her around to the front of the house. Bella fought him all the way but his grip was too strong. He marched inside, flipping on all the lights, which instantly disturbed Charlie.
"What the hell is going on here?" Charlie blustered as he rolled off the camp bed and glared at Paul.
"This, Chief Swan." Paul stated triumphantly as he dropped the cell phone and the note in the older man's lap.
Bella stared at her father in horror as Charlie picked up the note and read what Edward had written. His jaw tightened and his eyes became hard. He didn't see the message his daughter had scrawled on the back or the package that Paul had screwed up outside. "You can go now, Paul." Charlie said coldly.
Paul just shrugged as he smirked at Bella. "Night vampire girl." He drawled before leaving.
"Dad, it's not what you think." Bella pleaded.
Billy had been alerted by all the noise. He was just easing himself into his chair when suddenly he heard Charlie raising his voice as he berated Bella for her supposed betrayal. "Shit." He cursed as he hurriedly rolled his chair out of his room so that he could find out what the hell was going on.
A/N-thanks for reading!
