Once again, Tiffany polished this and made it beautiful!
Long chapter ahead…
.CHAPTER FOUR.
Bella.
October, 2003.
I felt like a stranger in a strange land. I walked around the foreign town and never recognized anybody, any shop, or any road I saw. According to Charlie, Scottsdale was now my home. What was wrong with Forks? Charlie doesn't even like warm climates! He was offered this job, but he didn't have to accept it! "You'll soon fit in and make new friends" he said, "you'll just have to give it time." he said.
Yeah, and I'm the Queen of fucking England.
0-0
My first week in Scottsdale was just how I had expected it to be - boring. I was still on summer break, so hadn't found the opportunity to meet anyone my age, and when the rumour flew that a new Chief of Police had entered the town, everyone seemed to put up their barricades and hide. Well, okay, maybe that wasn't the complete truth - the little old lady that lived next door a dropped 'round with an apple pie she made for us, said a brief 'hello and welcome' then fucked off. But that was it.
It was too warm to stay inside, and too boring to sit in my yard all day, so I didn't have any option but trek off on my lonesome self and see what I could come across.
On the third day of my Outdoor Adventure, I came across a skate park. In fact, I don't think I could call it a skate park. More like a patch of cement in the middle of a field with a couple half pipes and, what looked like, a deserted swimming pool. However, it did hold the largest number of people I had seen all week. Four! Not including myself!
They all seemed to be guys - well, they all looked like guys - and a couple clearly a lot older than the other two.
I found it oddly entertaining to watch the skaters slide up and down the empty pool, attempt tricks off the corner, and often make a fool of themselves. And because it was the only entertainment I had found since leaving home, I pressed pause on the music playing through my CD player, and took a seat.
"Do you skate?" The low voice that spoke those words appeared almost out of nowhere. After regaining myself, I turned to the direction of his voice. The sun that beamed down on us, had me cover my eyes and squint.
Way to make a first impression! Look like a complete retard. Well done.
"Um, no, not really."
So… why are you are a skate park? Idiot.
"Want me to teach you?"
I wasn't going to give up the opportunity to make friends. "Sure." I said with a smile, and stood from my spot. Thankfully I chose to wear my leggings and plaid shirt that day, and didn't have to worry about keeping a dress enclosed from the wind.
Once standing, I managed to get a better look at the boy - or, guy, I guess you could call him. He was a lot taller than me, in a pair of ripped jean shorts, a white tank and bulky skate shoes on his feet. I couldn't work out the brand. His hair was dark, and cut quite short; black aviators perched on the crown.
"I'm Paul, by the way."
I nodded awkwardly, "Bella."
A smile appeared on Paul's face, "nice to meet you."
He took me to a gentle ramp where I could learn how to set off and stop without injuring myself. Little did he know how limited my balance was. But I surprised myself, and picked up the technique almost instantly. I found Paul to be fun to hang around with - he was a man of little words, but held some humor when he spoke. We conversed back and forth, and it wasn't long before he found out I was new to town.
"So what grade are you going into after the summer?" I envied Paul, how he could glide along without looking where he was going and trust his footwork on the board.
"Um, ninth."
My answer surprised him. "You're only fourteen? I thought you were older than that."
"That happens a lot. My mom always said I was thirteen going on thirty. What about you?"
He grinned a bright set of pearly whites. "Twelfth." We were quiet for a while, before Paul spoke again. "Oh, you'll be in classes with Edward, then."
"Who?"
"Edward. He's…" Paul searched the park with his eyes, "there he is! The small one with a beanie on his head." I soon saw who he meant.
"He wears a beanie in this weather?" I was dying from the heat - how he managed to wear a thick hat, I never understood.
Paul waved it off, "yeah; he's strange like that. But you'll get used to him."
The following day, I arrived at the park again, in hope to maybe see Paul. It was refreshing to talk to someone close to my age for once. My dad isn't the easiest person to talk to, plus he only goes on about the fucking football on TV.
Unfortunately Paul was no-where to be seen, I only saw two other people, and the boy in the beanie… Edward? Was that his name? Yeah, well he was there too.
I sat at the bench and took out my book. The plan was to distract myself until Paul came, or pack up and leave if he didn't show.
"You won't see him today."
Christ almighty. What is it with people scaring the crap out of me at this place?
This time, it was Beanie Boy who scared me. I took a moment to take in his appearance, and noticed the mess of black hair squashed under his hat - probably dyed; it was too dark and shiny to be natural. He wore a Final Tour, Mötley Crüe tee, skinny black jeans and red Chucks on his feet.
"You're waiting on Paul, right?" He asked.
"Not particularly." I replied nonchalantly.
"Well, you won't see him anyway - he has a Saturday job. So, you got a board with you then?"
"Why?"
Beanie gave me a look like I had lost my mind. "What else do you do at a skate park?"
"I don't know… sit and watch you fuck up those moves?"
I watched his lips form a pout but spread out in a grin. "I'll have you know, I don't fuck up."
"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret." I winked.
"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you do better. We all know girls are crap when it comes to skateboarding."
Oh no he didn't…
0-0
And that was how Edward and I started off our warped friendship. Most days we met at the park, and most days we kidded around. I met Paul on those days as well and the three of us would hang together, but I found more of a connection with Edward, mostly because we're the same age, but also his taste in music matched mine somewhat, too.
I soon came to realize that Edward had a fondness for the 1980s; including music, style, and movies. So he was like me in a way - I ventured around the '50s era, and that was something my classmates never understood, but Edward did - he knew what it was like to be seen as 'different' or an 'outcast'. We grew a strong friendship, but a strange one. Most of the time I'd want to kill him, or cause some sort of bodily damage, and he felt the same way. But we loved being in each others company. His older sister, Maggie, would tease us and make kissy faces when I'd turn up at the house - she always thought it was a romantic relationship we had, which it wasn't. We never got a long.
Until the one night when we snuck alcohol from Maggie's party, confessed our feelings, and unknowingly became parents.
We fought for weeks when we found out India was on the way. We couldn't work out what to do - we were only 16; we weren't ready to have a child, but when we thought about it, there was no other option. Edward and I stayed together through that, and also when Maddox was born two years later.
If you had told the little fourteen-year-old Bella, and fourteen-year-old Edward that within five years they would have two children and get married, they would have laughed in your face.
Maybe we should have listened to the number of people that told us marriage was a bad decision, because it would only end in disaster. But we thought we knew what we were doing.
Clearly we didn't.
0-0
Present Day
The bed felt very empty when I woke up alone. I thought I wouldn't miss Edward's distant 'good mornings', but it's crazy how the little things leave such a large crack in your daily routine. For the first time in I don't know how many years, I had a double bed all to myself and I didn't have someone pull on the sheets. I thought it would have been amazing to have all the sheets to yourself and all that space to yourself, but it wasn't.
I noticed the biggest change in my children. India cradled both the cats and barely touched her breakfast, and Maddox refused to even look in my direction. He pushed away any food I offered him, and sat with his arms firmly crossed against his chest.
Fuck that, I'm going for a smoke.
A commotion brought me inside before I was done. I came in just as Maddox roughly pushed the stool back from the bar and jumped to the floor. He stomped away to the kitchen door, then turned and pointed at his sister sternly. "It's all your fault!" then he moved to me. "And yours! Because of you Dad has gone! And I hate you! All of you!" Maddox was out the room before I had the chance to stop him. India lowered her head, and chewed on a nail. Something she always does when she cries.
I felt like the worst parent and the biggest bag of shit. But what could I do? Tell Edward I made a mistake, have him come home but have the nagging thought in the back of my mind? We had to do this for a reason - a little separation to shine the light on the matter. That's all.
"India, don't cry, Sweetheart." I helped the cats off her lap, and brought my baby girl into my arms.
"But it is my fault" She whimpered against my shoulder. "I shouldn't have asked Dad to do all that stuff with me. He would still be here if I hadn't."
"That's not true," I stroked her back, "Dad and I had our problems, and it would have happened either way. Don't let Maddox have you believe that it's your fault, okay? Dad doesn't blame you, and neither do I."
"Really?"
"Really. Don't keep this bottled up; if Maddox says something that you don't like, or you feel sad over it, I want you to tell me. I know Dad not being here is going to be hard, but I want to help you, baby."
"Okay, Mama."
I kissed her forehead sweetly. "That's my baby girl."
0-0
Rockabella's also suffered under my sour mood. I had lost the usual spring in my step, I only smiled at the customers when I had to (so they didn't complain and run away) but that smile was lost when my back was turned. Seth and our new chef, Aubrey, were on the receiving end of many of my snaps. Aubrey had only started a couple days prior and that was my first time properly working with her.
I give such good first impressions, don't I?
If there weren't any customers in, I would stand at the counter with a miserable cup of coffee in front and would continuously stir a teaspoon around the milky brown liquid. I smoked my way through half a twenty deck and checked my cell every five minutes. Y'know, incase Edward decided to ring and tell me that he was just as miserable.
Ha! Who am I fucking kidding?
Our saving grace came in the form of little Miss Whitlock. She walked in through the glass doors and tore off the large sun glasses that covered half of her face. She took one look at me, then paid attention to the music playing from the speakers. "Is this Rockabella's Diner, or Rockabella's fucking Funeral Parlour? What is this shit?"
"Excuse me, The Penguins are music legends." I replied.
"I'm not denying that, but their songs make you want to slit you wrists, or cry for no apparent reason. Or both. At the same time."
I shrugged, 'cause frankly, I didn't give a fuck what she thought.
"Do I want to know who else you have been playing this morning?" My silence gave her my answer. "Christ Almighty! Right," she wiped her hands of invisible dirt, "let's get this place back to normal, yeah? We'll start with Fats Domino…"
A lady and her husband entered the diner, but Alice grabbed my hand before I could sneak off and welcome them. "Let Jess take them. We are going to get you sorted, and you will tell me what happened." From her giant purse, Alice retrieved a makeup bag that looked as if it were about to burst at the seams. "Have you even primed your face?" A tiny spot of primer was squeezed onto the tip of her finger. She rose it to my face.
"Al', fuck, I don't need that." I pushed her hand away, then covered my face with my own. "I don't need that." I repeated.
Alice's tone had softened to barely a whisper, "then what do you need?"
I didn't want to admit it. Admit that maybe, quite possibly, I was wrong the whole time.
"Bella,…where's your ring gone?"
I peered from behind the shelter of my hands. Tears pulsed around my eyes, which Alice noticed.
She's got the sight of a fucking hawk, I'm telling ya.
"Jess," I heard her order, "take over - we'll be back in a minute. Luke will be in at ten."
She led me out the back where we could talk secretly under the hum over the kitchen fans.
"Edward left last night." I mumbled, staring at the gravel below. "We were arguing, and I said maybe we needed a break… I didn't give him much of an option."
"And now you regret it."
"I… it's not that…" I sighed, "the kids hate me… they know I'm the reason their Dad left."
Alice lit a smoke and passed it over to me, then did the same for herself. It was a roll up, but I didn't care. "They don't hate you - you might not be their favorite person right now, but they won't hate you." We were quiet for a few seconds. "And you know what I think? I think, that if Edward was totally against the idea, he would have fought you off, and would have stayed no matter what you said."
"How is that meant to help me, Al?"
She rose her hands in defence, "I'm just saying! It wasn't completely your fault, 'cause he could have stayed if he really wanted to!"
I guess she was right, but that didn't make me feel any better. The fact that he wanted to leave just as much as I thought I wanted him to.
"I didn't think it would effect me as much as it has." I spoke around the smoke that blew from my lips.
"And you know why that is? Because you love him."
What? Don't be absurd. "I don't love him, Al."
"Really? Because everything is adding up to say that you do, in fact, love him. Helluva lot more than you thought you did."
I shook my head. "That doesn't matter. What does matter is what I should do."
"I don't like the guy," Alice started, "and you know I don't. But I don't like seeing you this way either. You and Edward need to sit down and have a talk - a proper talk. Admit to him how you feel, allow him the chance to say his side of the story. I'm positive everything will work out in the end; you will do what is right."
I wanted to laugh at her cheesy lines, but instead I smiled at her sincerity.
"Thanks, Al."
"Now!" She clapped her hands once, "what's the one thing we turn to when life gets you down?"
"Alcohol?"
"Wel, yes… but apart from that? Manicures! There's a new shop opened up in town, why don't we go with India after school? Jazz can look after Maddox - take him to the skatepark or something. It'll cheer them up, and you."
I inspected the blood red polish, half chipped off my nails. It had been so long since I last had any kind of beauty treatment. and maybe that was what I needed - a bit of relaxation - girl time.
"Okay, sure - let's do that."
We both headed back inside, "yay!" Alice squealed, "I'll see if Rose wants to come too, if she's free."
0-0
Rose did want to come, and because she didn't have any appointments booked until 5:30, she took the afternoon off to join us. Alice rang ahead to book us in. The salon was your normal standard salon with 'Polished to Perfection' printed in pink upon a white boarder. The front was all glass, and that was all I paid attention too. We were greeted by a lady who looked the same age as me, with bright blonde hair that had been perfectly styled into a sleek pony tail.
Too much time and effort for that crap, I think.
She showed us to the foot baths, made us comfortable and mentioned that someone else would be through to help shortly. India swished her feet back and forth through the cleansing water, she hadn't said a word since leaving school.
"How was school?"
India looked up to me, then went back to follow her feet. "Fine."
"Just fine?"
"Yep. Just fine."
School is never 'just fine', to her.
"Do you remember what we talked about this morning?"
"Yep." India peered over at Rose and it looked like she was going to say something, but changed her mind and stayed quiet. Alice, who had taken in my failed conversation with my daughter, squeezed my hand comfortingly. She was there for me.
A door was heard opening towards the back, followed by the 'clipping' of heels on the tiled floor. I looked up to greet the other worker, and was met with fiery red hair and the same green eyes I knew all too well.
Oh how fucking perfect. Just what I need when shit hits the fan.
"Maggie."
My sister-in-law (who I hadn't seen since the wedding might I add) scowled at her view of me. "Bella." She spoke like she was bored of saying my name.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, and noted the audience our small conversation had gathered.
Maggie ran off with some man shortly before India was born. She came back for our wedding (alone) and then fucked off once again. Christ knows what brought her back this time.
No doubt her tail will be found sitting between her legs.
A playing smile lined Maggie's face. "I'm guessing my baby brother never mentioned my arrival."
I tried to keep my face as straight as possible, so she couldn't see the hit she just hit. "No… he never said a word to me."
The colleague, who was seeing to Rose's feet, spoke up hesitantly. "Do you two want to… I don't know, maybe take this conversation elsewhere?"
"Sally." Maggie had sincerity and a boss-like tone to her voice. But I never expected anything else - she always had to be one above everyone else. I thought she would have said something else, but clearly her face said it all and told Sally not to say another word. Maggie cleared her throat before addressing me. "I've been back for almost a month now - Eddie was the one who helped me find a place to live. He never told you that?"
That fucker.
Why would he not tell me she was back?!
"Eddie and I… um… haven't said an awful lot to each other recently."
Fortunately, before Maggie could dig any deeper, India raised her quiet voice. "Are you… are you my Auntie Mags?"
"My my my," Maggie sounded genuinely interested, "is that little India?"
"It's funny…" Indie ignored everything her Auntie said, "Mama, you lied."
"Lied? About what?" Help me out here…
"'Cause you said my Auntie Mags looked and acted like a common whore, but all the whores Dad showed me once never looked like this!"
India giggled, and I almost died… of laughter. My girl is too funny.
But if looks could kill, I'd most certainly be dead.
I spotted Sally shaking her head in disbelief. Rose's feet had been forgotten about.
"Oh that's fucking rich." Maggie spat at me.
"Maggie! I really think you should end this, or take it out the back." I didn't know what position Sally was, or how high up she was, but either way, she stomped her foot on that one.
Maggie took one look at Sally, then me, then to my daughter and friends.
"Fine. C'mon; we'll finish this through here."
I stood out the foot bath, tightened the robe cord around my waist, and slipped on my flip flops. "Stay here." I ordered to India.
"No! I'm coming too."
Before I knew it, all three of them had left their seats and were following me like I was the fucking Pied Piper of Hamelin.
"Yeah!" Alice seconded India, "fuck these nails (no offence, Sally,) but I'm not allowing some manic ginger bully my best friend, comprende?"
In the safety of the back office, I spoke up. "It's fucking rich, is it?"
Maggie laughed in sarcasm. "You told your kid that I was a whore? Can I please remind you who it was that got married only because she got knocked up… at age fucking seventeen."
I hate her so much.
Bitch.
"Hey!" Rose stepped forward to defend me.
"I've got this, Ro." I made sure Maggie was looking at me, and me only. My words were laced in seriousness. "What Edward and I do or have done is completely up to us, got it? We both decided to get married, because it was what we both wanted."
Suck on that, bitch.
"Both wanted? Oh, don't make me laugh!" Maggie let out a witch-like cackle. "Edward never wanted this! But you drowned him down with a couple kids and he couldn't leave!"
Really? No… no, he would have mentioned that to me… I think…
"Stop talking out your ass." I dismissed it like it was nothing, but her words were slowly burning a hole.
Maybe its the truth… What if he didn't want this lifestyle, and now I practically threw him out the door he… he won't come back?
Fuck, what have I done?
"I'm talking out my ass? Run home and ask that husband of yours, then say I was speaking out my ass."
"Bella…" Alice also tapped my shoulder, but I was too engrossed in what Mags was saying, I ignored her.
"Edward was going places, and 'cause you couldn't keep your fucking legs shut, he's stuck with you and those damn kids!"
You clearly don't know a thing about parenting, 'cause you'd know never to insult someones kids…
"Bella!" Alice yelled once more.
"What?"
It wasn't 'til I had spun 'round I noticed the office door wide open, and Rose and India were no longer with us. "Where's India?"
Alice sighed, "maybe next time you argue about 'damn kids' and how they've 'drowned you', you make sure they aren't in the room."
Oh, shit…
India already thinks her dad leaving was her fault.
Fuck.
I turned to Maggie. "You bad-mouth my children one more time? I'll stick those false nails so far down your throat, you'll be scratching your ass."
I was out that door, in search of my daughter, before I could hear a reply.
0-0
LOTS to think about that one! next up, Tattward...
I'm going on vacation to Spain in a couple days, so my next update will be a couple weeks.
See you then! X