Here it is! Your second chapter for the week, as promised!
Thanks so much for your reviews and responses - they really make me smile :)
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except Natalie, Chrissy and Jason. They are MINE LOL
My name is Bella Swan. Today is my 21st birthday. During the lead up to my birthday Renee – my adoptive mother – has been acting all weird. We both knew that this day would come so I couldn't understand for the life of me why she was choosing to be strange in the last few weeks of her custody. I mean, I wasn't planning to run off or anything. I had a decent life here.
Renee and I had lived in Phoenix for as long as could remember. We had a small house with a gorgeous garden and our living room had scattered pictures of us taken in our most recent years together. There were pictures of Renee's husband Charlie as well. I never knew him. He was a cop that was killed in action just after they adopted me, Renee said. That's why I couldn't remember anything. I was with him when he was attacked and we had a car crash. I had a few scars that I guess came from the crash. I didn't really remember anything before moving into this house with Renee – a side-effect of the crash.
The phone rang.
"Bella!" Renee called from the kitchen. I swept my hair up into a messy bun and slid down the banister, smiling because I knew I'd get into trouble for it. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
"At least once more," I answered, taking the phone off her and pressing it to my ear while picking up a piece of toast. I glanced quickly at the caller ID. "Bumhead!" I squealed into the phone. It was my best friend, Natalie.
"Happy Birthday, Bum Bum!" she squealed back. I could hear her boyfriend, Jason in the background. "Happy Birthday, Bells!" he called.
"Thanks guys!" I smiled.
"What you doing?"
"Nothing, just eating breakfast."
"Well!"
"Indeed!"
Renee rolled her eyes at our nonsensical conversation and made a call on her cell. She was probably calling James and Victoria, the people who ran the adoption agency. The papers that gave her legal guardianship expired today. I was officially my own person. Not that I had ever felt anything but like my own person. Renee always encouraged me to be myself and do whatever felt natural to me, no matter how weird it seemed to me or anyone else.
"I have something for you," Natalie informed me.
"Don't tell her!"
"I'm not telling her anything!"
There was a scuffle on the other end of the phone as Jason attempted to wrestle it from Natalie's unrelenting hands.
Natalie was the best friend anyone could ask for. Bubbly and sweet, she had a face that matched her adorable personality. She was fiercely loyal to her loved ones and even though she was stubborn at times it was just not possible to think ill of such a well-meaning person.
"Anyway!" Nat continued, obviously having won the phone back. I smiled into my glass as I drained it of iced tea. Renee peeked in on me while speaking in hushed tones in the other room. "We have to be quick today I'm so sorry bumhead," she apologised. I frowned. They were going to miss my birthday? "Jason has to get to this place so he can finally get those shots for his film," she explained. Jason was making a short film for a competition that would hopefully fund an engagement ring for Natalie. Hopefully. Otherwise she'd have to keep living vicariously through her clients – she was a wedding planner.
"Oh, right. Of course," I said, trying to sound to cheery even though I was majorly disappointed.
"I'm sorry," she repeated. "But we're coming over right now! We've just gotta pick Chrissy up and we'll be right there!" she assured me quickly. I felt a little better knowing I'd have almost the entire day with them – and especially that Chrissy was going to be around, too. She was a newer addition to our circle of friends but she was just as precious to me as everyone else. She was this hilarious, sex-crazed bubble of fun with the most gorgeous smile. My friends were the loves of my life.
"Alright I'll see you soon!" I chirped, wiping crumbs off my shirt and pondering what to wear.
"See you soon! Love you bum bum!"
"Bye bumhead!"
***
EPOV
"Are you freaking' kidding me?"
Kristen's voice rose an octave but it didn't affect me. I just stared and waited for her to just… get it… or get over it or whatever it was she needed to do to leave me the fuck alone.
"After everything? You're just… kicking me out?" she asked incredulously.
"That's what I said," I told her, the boredom I felt coming out in my voice. Normally I wasn't such an ass – well, that is to say that there used to be a time when I wasn't a complete ass – but the thing is… she wasn't even upset. She was angry not upset. She was pissed that she'd have to find a new place to live and a new guy to fuck.
Don't get me wrong, she was great at what she did but the simple truth was that neither of us felt a goddamn thing for each other and it was about time we stopped pretending that we did. Moving in together was a bad idea from the beginning. I knew that. She knew that. We both knew one of us would be moving out sooner or later and, well, I guess I just beat her to the punch when it came to the whole dumping thing.
"Even after everything?" she asked again. I rolled my eyes.
"What everything? I've been through stuff, Kristen. Not you," I reminded her, a little more harshly then I'd intended. It was me who'd had to deal with my father's suicide. Not her. It'd been me who'd had to eventually give up searching for…
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Look, take your time packing your stuff. I'm not saying you've gotta be gone today or tomorrow or even this week. But you do have to go, alright?" I explained, absently tracing the scar that had shaped my life for the past four years. The tattoo above it was a representation of what I'd lost that day. A butterfly with drops of water on its wings surrounded by bubbles, it was the perfect tribute to her. And today, on her birthday, it meant more to me than ever.
"It's because of her, isn't it?" Kristen asked quietly, shaking her head as she began taking clothes out of the dresser and putting them in a suitcase.
"What?" I asked, unaware that I'd ever told her anything about Bella. Kristen snorted, quickly tying her hair back as she worked and blowing a stray strand out of her eyes.
"The girl in your tattoo," she clarified, jerking her head in the direction of my ribcage. My hand flew there once more and I frowned down at it.
"There is no girl in my tattoo," I pointed out, tracing the outline of the butterfly that looked like it was fluttering towards my heart. Kristen scoffed.
"How did you get that bullet scar?" she queried, nodding slowly when I glared at her in response. I never spoke about it. That was my rule. Don't fucking touch it, and don't fucking ask about it. "What was her name?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Was she the red one or the yellow one?" she asked in her acid tone, referring to my other tattoo – the one on the inside of my arm. The one of a red and yellow gummi bear facing each other and touching noses. I glared up at her – hating myself for letting her get close enough to notice the things I never talked about.
"Get out," I spat, jumping up to empty her dresser onto the floor.
"Hit a sore spot, Edward?"
"Just get the hell out. Today. Right now. Get out."
"What was her name?"
"I swear to god, Kristen…"
"What was her name?" she pressed, standing with her hands on her hips. I stood toe to toe with her, towering over her small frame and scowling at her with all the fury and grief washing through me.
"Bella. Her name is Bella. And she means more to me than you ever have and ever will. So get the fuck out," I growled before turning on my heel and marching out of the room. "If you're here when I get back, I'll call the cops," I called over my shoulder, grabbing my jacket and keys and slamming the door behind me.
***
BPOV
"Happy Birthday!" my friends chorused. Chrissy barrelled at me and lifted me into a tight hug. "May you be pinched on the ass by many hot men."
"Yeah because the selection of men in Phoenix is just amazing," I laughed, rolling my eyes.
"I would know," she winked.
"About that," Jason started, doing his trademark sleazy finger-point at me. I mimicked the gesture, giggling. "But seriously, about that."
"About what?"
"Bum bum we have a proposition for you," Natalie grinned.
"No! No more setups!" I cried, trying to hide behind the front door. Chrissy barged her way in, waving hello to Renee, who was back on the phone.
"Relax, Mother Mary it's not a setup. Christ, you'd think she didn't want to get laid…" she muttered, nudging Nat. Nat grinned at Chrissy's antics and continued.
"How would you like to come on this trip with us?" she asked. I was intrigued. I'd never left Phoenix before.
"With you and Jace?" I queried. As much as I wanted an adventure, I didn't want to be a third-wheel.
"And Chrissy."
"Really?"
"Really.
"Where are you guys going again?"
"Washington."
"Huh. I've always wanted to go there," I replied, frowning. Had I always wanted to go there? It felt like I'd always wanted to go there, I just didn't know why.
"You? Miss Sunshine?" Chrissy asked. "It's hardly ever sunny where we're going. That's why Jason wants to go there. Horror movies are much scarier in the rain," she winked.
"I disagree. Horror movies are scarier in happy places. But I really wanna go. I just have to ask-"
"No you don't," Chrissy interrupted. I frowned. Had they already asked her on my behalf? "You're 21, you only need to tell her."
"I don't think-"
"Do it."
"But-"
"Do it!"
"Alright!" I sighed, pouting at Chrissy before heading into the kitchen. I could hear my friends chattering away, Jason's laughter rising above all others' as always. He was such a crack-up. "Hey, Renee?" She looked up from the phone. "I need to tell you something kinda important."
"Oh? Hang on," she mumbled, turning her attention back to the phone. "I'll call you back," she said quickly, hanging up and turning back to me. "What is it?"
"For my birthday, the gang is taking me on a trip to Washington."
"Washington?" she echoed, looking alarmed.
"Yeah, why?"
"You're not going to Washington. No way."
"Why not?" I asked, prickling up with self-righteousness. My friends were silent, listening.
"Because I said so."
"Well you're not my mom, so-"
"You're not going, Isabella."
"Don't call me that!" I growled. I hated when she called me Isabella. It sounded all wrong! "It's Bella!"
"Well Miss Bella that doesn't change anything."
"You're right. I'm still 21 so you can't tell me what to do anymore and if I want to go to…" I trailed off, not knowing exactly where I was going. I turned to Nat.
"Forks," she said delicately. Something about it rang a bell – my heart fluttered.
"If I want to go to Forks then I'll go."
"It's not safe for you in Forks. You're not going."
"I'm going!"
"Wait, wait, wait," Natalie said quickly, breezing in and standing with me. "What's not safe? Is there something wrong with Forks?"
"No… yes," Renee sighed. "Bella… please don't go to Forks."
"I'll consider it if you tell me why."
"I'm not telling you. Just trust me," she pleaded. I almost gave in, but Chrissy's strong presence in the room fuelled my more rebellious side.
"Then I'm not listening. You trust me for once."
***
EPOV
She was gone when I got back. Thank fuck. The only trace of her was the pile of broken CDs on the floor. Spiteful bitch. At least now I could be alone for a while.
I threw my jacket without caring where it landed and flopped onto the couch, ignoring the CDs for the time being. I picked up my guitar and starting plucking at a few random notes, but they started to sound too familiar so I tried again. Over and over, the notes became her song. Our song, I guess. With a sigh, I placed my guitar to the side and went to my bedroom – to the closet that held my most precious commodities. They were pictures that were meant to be burned so that we held no trace of her in case anything went wrong. But I couldn't part with them. Her face smiled up at me and I trailed my fingers down the photograph, smiling back despite the tears welling up in my eyes. I missed her more and more every day, but I had no way of finding her. She'd just vanished. I hoped every minute that she would find me.
"Happy Birthday, Bella," I whispered.
"Edward?" Jacob's familiar husky tone drifted into my room. I hastily hid the box again, clearing my throat and wiping my face before heading out.
"Hey," I greeted. He pulled me into a man-hug. "What's up?"
"Kicked Kristen out, huh?" he asked, noticing the lack of her stuff around the place. And probably the musical carnage.
"Yep."
"'Bout time," he grinned. "I was thinking you weren't going to follow your pattern after all," he joked, but I had no idea what he was talking about.
"What?"
"Oh come on," he laughed. "You always dump your girlfriends at this time of year."
"Summer?" I asked, playing dumb. I knew what he was getting at but this was my polite way of telling him to drop it.
"Yeah. You need to be free because of Summer," he nodded, going along with it. "You know it isn't healthy," he added in his serious tone.
"Yeah, but do I look like I care?"
"No, you don't. As long as you know, though," he grinned. "Come to my place," he suggested. "We can get wasted in celebration of Summer. It's a special Summer this year, isn't it?"
"Yeah she's 21 today, officially," I mumbled, dropping the act. Jacob sighed.
"Come get wasted, Edward," he tried, nudging me. I shook my head.
"I have to work in the bar tonight. School's out and the high-school grads are going nuts before college," I explained.
"I still reckon that law change was a bad idea," Jacob muttered.
"Well it proved to be convenient to us when we wanted to open a bar at 18," I pointed out. "And I do agree that if you're old enough to serve your country in war you should be old enough to have a drink before you die."
"Except now college students are flunking out because they're too busy partying."
"They were doing that already," I grinned. Jacob grinned back and he dropped to the lounge, eyeing the CDs.
"She took it a little hard, I'm guessing."
"I was kind of a prick. But she kept pressing me about my fucking tattoo."
"Well if you didn't want people to be curious about it you shouldn't have got one," Jacob shrugged. He wasn't as sensitive to the Bella issue as I was – she wasn't the love of his life.
"How's Leah?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Stressed out and bitchy," he laughed. I laughed along, knowing that they would be fine despite his less than affectionate description of her. They could withstand anything, including her brief affair with his friend, Sam. I wouldn't have forgiven her that but Jacob and Leah…. it was like they had some weird bond. I suppose if Bella had ever…
I shook my head of that thought and set about cleaning the place. Jacob helped, and we were soon in front of The Fifth Element, laughing to ourselves and just enjoying each other's company. A couple of times I saw him glance at the space between us with a forlorn look. Yeah, I wish she was here, too…
***
BPOV
"NO MORE PINK!" Jason cried as the next song started. Nat and I had been playing Pink songs in the car since Port Angeles.
"Seriously, guys, enough with the Pink already," Chrissy agreed, though she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "I sing it better than you guys any day," she teased.
"Well Pink is my wife!" Natalie argued, as if that ended things.
"Chrissy, sing for us!" I demanded. Chrissy made her living by going around to all the local bars and clubs singing in a band. It was completely awesome because we got free entry to all of and sometimes even free drinks. She was amazing to watch on stage – her charisma was electrifying.
"I don't sing for less than twenty-five bucks," she joked.
"You cheap whore!" Jason exclaimed, sending us all into hysterics.
"Oh here it is!" Nat squealed excitedly. It had been a long day of travelling, but we finally reached the sign that welcomed us to Forks after two plane rides and this car trip. "Forks, whoo!"
"FORKS, WHOO!" the rest of us echoed. I wound down my window as far as it would go and stuck my head out, letting the cool air hit my face. It felt great – it felt like freedom and happiness. "Where are we staying again?" Chrissy asked for the millionth time.
"The Butterfly Inn," Nat answered patiently. Chrissy frowned at her phone, obviously having looked it up.
"There's nothing here that mentions a Butterfly Inn."
"It's really new. Only a couple of years old as an inn. It's an estate – a house. People used to live there. I think the owner still does," Jason said. "What was her name again?"
"Umm… Esme," Nat answered with a nod.
"That's right Esme Cullen. Her husband owned the place but she kicked him about five years ago. Then she lived there with her kids but they all moved out. Then her husband killed himself during the divorce proceedings so she just got everything and didn't know what to do with such a huge house."
"Why didn't she just move away?" I asked, disturbed by the story. It was so sad, and it was weighing down on my heart.
"Rumour has it that the Cullen family adopted one more kid before the dad got kicked out. But no one's ever seen the kid," Nat answered. Jason always did such thorough research about his locations. I shuddered – the whole story creeped me out.
"So she stayed in Forks because of ghost baby. Interesting," Chrissy pondered. "Anyway we've had our serious moment – where are the hotspots in Forks, Jace? I need to know where we're partying tonight!"
"Uh… there's really only one place," Jason answered, glancing apologetically at Chrissy.
"Small town. One bar," Natalie giggled.
"Oh, there it is!" Chrissy laughed, pointing out the window. Just in time, we were passing the lone bar in Forks. "The Grizzly."
Dun dun DUUUUUUNNNNN! Will Bella be reunited with her former family? Will she remember them? Will they remember her? Will I ever stop asking these questions?? FIND OUT IN OUR NEXT CHAPTER!!!