1A/N : Hi guys :) I know this chapter is kinda short, but I wanted to get Bella and Charlie's blow-up out of the way.
As always, I wanna thank all my faithful reviewers - you know who you are! flamingo 1325 gets special thanks cause I always look forward to your reviews - they are the highlight of my posts!!!
BTW, the song at the end of this chapter is by 'Tantric' :)
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Chapter 06 - Revillusion
I tried to force a look of non-chalance on my face as I heard the foot steps come down the hallway toward the kitchen and living room.
"Bella?"
There was a tone in his voice I had heard only a hand-full of times before and I tried to look positive yet assertive - most of those times had been recently, whenever Edward had been brought since he had left.
"In here dad," I called back after a beat.
He walked into the living and glanced around, clearly looking for someone other than myself, since I was standing in plain sight. The privacy seemed to calm the hardened look on his face and turned back to myself, saying, "we need to have a talk."
"I agree." The underlining tone of my voice caught Charlie's attention and he crossed his arms but remained silent. I took in that relief for a moment then chickened-out some, asking, "how was your fishing trip?"
Charlie's eyes squinted slightly but he replied politely, "decent - Billy caught a truck-load."
I nodded absent-mindly, "that's nice."
"Bella..."
I swallowed and then took in a deep breath, knowing it was now or never. "Cha-Dad..." I looked up into his eyes and started again. "I'm gonna assume you know what this about."
Charlie nodded, keeping quiet for the time being.
"Ok, well, I think you should know that I and Edward have worked through what happened. I care for him still and-" I had started strong, clearly over-confident due to his quiet demeanor when I suddenly shrank back, shocked by his outburst.
"No, I'm not allowing this!"
I stared, watching as he seemed to suddenly explode, his voice hard and waving his hands.
"I had hoped Jacob was wrong in assuming you two had gotten back together," he continued. "I had really thought you would know better Bella - you would say he was back but you two weren't together. I'm disappointed in you!"
"What?" I questioned softly, feeling the tickle in my nose at the word disappointed.
But Charlie was amped up and didn't see the hurt in my eyes. "What were you were ever thinking - taking that punk back is beyond me!"
The tears were now catching in my eyes, brought on quickly by anger and hurt. "Dad, give me a chance to explain."
"No way, not going to happen!" he thunder. He pointed a finger at me and added, "he is not allowed in this house ever again, do you hear me young lady?!"
I reared up at that, taking offense. "So that's it? I don't get a say?!"
"You got that right! That little punk better stay away from you!"
"He isn't a punk dad!" I screamed right back, matching his loud boom. "Edward is-"
"Off limits, that's what he is!" he finished for me. Charlie's face had turned deep red, his cheeks looking almost one fire. I was instantly hit with a thought of Harry Clearwater and my anger subsided.
"Dad," I tried, lowering my tone and seeking a different path to get his permission. "You can't just expect me to give up on him like this."
"But Bella, isn't that exactly what he did to you?"
The words cut me deep and I stilled, biting my lower lip as a few more unwanted tears slid down my cheek. I quickly reached up and brushed them away, looking down. "You don't know what you're talking about dad," I murmured, my voice barely audible.
"I know how you reacted to his leaving - I saw how it hurt you when he didn't even try to get in contact with you. And I heard from Jacob just exactly how deep those scars ran."
"Jacob doesn't know what he's talking about either," I protested softly, not being able to put more force behind the lie. Of course he knew, almost as much as she did, just how much Edward's dissappearance shook me.
"Then who does?" Charlie demanded. "You? Him? Cause I'd take Jacob's side over this any day."
"Jacob," I tossed out, getting louder with my emotions, "isn't exactly 'neutral' to this subject matter, dad."
"Even more better. He cares for you enough to know you need to be protected from people who are going to do nothing but hurt you!"
"Be protected?! Cause it sounds more to me like all you and Jacob have been doing is deciding my life for me!"
"Maybe it's a life you should choose!" Charlie insisted. "Jacob seems to really care about you, Bella."
Before I could stop and edit my words; before I could even think about what I was saying I yelled out, my voice raw with hurt, "I love Edward!"
Charlie froze instantly, all the fight being wound tight and coiled. "You're too young," he stated, a stone voice hinting to just how mad I had made him.
"It's the truth dad," I pushed past my heavy lips. "And he loves me too."
"You don't know anything about love, Isabella."
"Why?" I question as more tears shed out of my blurry eyes. "Because you don't want me to?"
"Are you sleeping with him?" Charlie demanded suddenly, his voice rising again.
Wide-eyed and shocked, I stared up at him. "What?! Dad-"
"I swear to god Bella, if he laid a hand on you he-he's..." he trailed off, too mad to even threatened Edward.
I groaned then, feeling like pulling my hair out. I didn't want to have this conversation with my dad period, much less right now, when Edward was probably within hearing range. Not like anything else we said would offend him, I thought sarcastically.
"I'm not having sex with Edward, dad? Ok!" I will admit I had yelled this so my sincerity level was low but when my dad just scoffed I felt a blow to the chest.
"Like you would tell me the truth right now," he muttered.
"Great, that's great Dad," I flung out, crying harder now. "Fine, don't believe me. But hear this : you can't keep us apart."
I guess Charlie had pretty much gotten used to me not talking back cause his eyes nearly burst from his head before he sucked in a deep breath of air. "You wanna bet? My house, my rules!"
"Then maybe I won't live in your house anymore!" It was a knee-jerk reaction to his words; I didn't even think before screaming them. But suddenly they were out there, hanging between us like a break-able piece of glass, twitching from my outburst.
Charlie seemed to calm down some after that, sealing his lips and looking slightly away, like he was intently reading something over my shoulder. "Fine," he told me after a long beat of silence. "I'll call your mother."
"No..." I whispered, the thought of leaving Edward instantly making it feel like a fist had grabbed up my heart, squeezing it.
Charlie looked at my horrorified expression before adding, his voice gruff, "it's probably better this way..."
I knew what he meant; It would better cause then he would be keeping me from Edward. I shook my head, the pressure on my heart getting tighter and tighter as the seconds past. "No..."
"You can leave this weekend," he speculated. "Give your mom some time to get things ready."
I could see the gears moving inside his head and took in a deep breath, feeling the hand in my chest finally give one last squeeze as my heart desenigrated.
"No!" I forcefully cried out, eyeing my dad angrily. "I'm not leaving Forks!" The glass that seemed to be hanging between us suddenly burst, our eyes meeting over the imagined shards of glass.
"Bella, you're going. I'm still in charge here and-"
"No, dad, no!" I stormed past him, racing for the stairs, taking them two at a time. I threw my door opened and charged in the room, heading for my closet. The small over-night bag I kept was hanging in there and I grabbed it, throwing the first things I saw into it.
"Bella, this is-" Charlie was behind me, his voice stopping. "What happened to your desk?" he asked.
I ignored him and stooped down, pulling my savings out from under my bed. I shoved the little bit of money I had into my pockets and turned, running past him with no warning and back down the steps. My ankle slipped on the last step and I faltered slightly, grabbing the banister to keep myself upright.
"Stop this right now!" Charlie told me, his boots thumping behind me as he tried to keep up.
I bit my lip and kept going, ignoring the pain in my ankle. "I'm 18 Charlie - you can't stop me!" My eyes blurred even more as I got closer to the door.
"Don't do this Bella."
The hurt tone in his voice made me pause with my hand on the door. I stood there, staring at the wood, trying to control the flow of tears so I could make out the patterns in the grain. "I'm not staying here without him, Dad."
When he didn't answer, didn't give his permission for me to still see Edward I finally tossed over my shoulder, "I'll be back for my stuff."
And walked out the door.
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Watch the time Passing by
Seeing strangers in the sky
Rusty eyes Stare and bleed
Hope the hell that you do not see
Something in this world needs to change
Yeah
Hear the lies See their eyes
Morally how we compromise
Stained again By a friend
Cut yourself back down to size
Something this world needs to change
Another slap in the face
I know this time of the year Is a Revillusion
Still I fall out of place
Open your mind to the change
Of evolution
Look around There's a change
Try to find The end of pain
People who cause are just partly to blame
Try to find the reason why we all stay the same
Something in this world needs a change
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Again, that was 'Revillusion' by Tantric!