A/N: Introducing a slightly longer chapter 3! Thanks again to all my reviewers and favoriters!
Bella
"Hey Bells! Are you dressed? The Blacks are on the way!" Charlie called up the stairs.
I gave up on detangling my hair and tossed my hair brush on the new purple comforter Charlie had bought with the help of a saleswoman before my arrival. "What?" I called back, hurrying my already relatively fast primping process. "Who are the Blacks?"
"Billy and Jacob? You and Jacob used to—can you just come down here please?"
I obliged Charlie's request immediately. "Yeah, sure Dad."
As I came down the stairs he examined the wood closely and then me before glancing around the downstairs. "Maybe I should install an intercom now that you're living here."
"Don't be ridiculous. I heard you just fine when you shouted up the stairs."
"Yeah, yeah, you're right."
"Anyway, Billy Black is my friend from La Push. You and Jacob used to play together all the time when you were little. You kids loved making those little dirt cake things."
"You mean mud pies?" I scanned my brain quickly for childhood memories of Forks, Washington.
"No, Jake! That's mine!" I was reaching for a dirt-caked shovel that a little dark-haired boy had taken from me.
Charlie looked up from his fishing rod. "You can share, Bells! Be nice to Jacob!" He turned back to a man around his age. "Kids." Charlie shook his head.
The memory was uneventful, but a memory nonetheless. "I remember him," I announced as I heard a loud rumble growing louder as it approached the front of the house. "What the heck?"
I walked into the living room and pulled back the dingy curtains that looked like they had been there since 1995. Knowing Charlie, they probably had. Charlie tugged the curtains further up and peered over my shoulder. "That'll be them now."
I analyzed the two trucks pulling into the driveway. The second was newer and a shiny dark gray color. A man around my father's age, who I guessed to be Billy, gripped the steering wheel and took his hand off briefly to acknowledge our presence with a friendly greeting. Charlie waved back but I was too busy focusing on the first truck.
The truck parked closest to the house had a new red paint job that failed to mask the old age of the vehicle. It was clearly the source of the ruckus that didn't seem to bother the drivers of either of the two trucks. But despite its plainness, it had a certain charm to it. A boy about a year or two younger than me hopped out of the older truck. The boy had flowing shiny dark hair that was undoubtedly prettier than mine and a tan, slender physique that identified him as clearly Native American. Jacob, I realized. Dang, he was much more attractive than I remembered. Then again I also remembered him as a four-year-old kid who stole my shovel.
"I wonder why they are driving separate cars. Maybe they had a fight," I speculated. But I nixed that idea pretty quickly when Jacob lifted a wheelchair out of the truck bed and opened his father's door with a crooked grin.
"Nah," Charlie said, dropping the curtain so I could no longer see out the window. He offered no other speculation for why the pair drove separate vehicles such a long distance.
"Ookay," I said drawing out the word. I guess I wasn't looking out the window anymore. Charlie left my side so I followed him out of the front door.
"Careful, old man," Billy was warning as Charlie threw a couple of fake punches Billy's way. "I'll run you over."
"Are they always like this?" I asked the teenager I guessed to be Jacob.
"It gets worse with old age," he replied smiling. "I'm Jacob." He held out a hand for me to shake and I obliged. "We used to play together when we were little."
"I remember…mud pies. I'm Bella. Well, Isabella. But I go by Bella, and if anyone tells you otherwise ignore them."
Jacob smiled at my nervous chatter. Ugh. Of course I ramble on to the first person my age that I meet, even if it is for the second time. At least Jacob was a good person to practice on; he was obligates to be my friend because our dads were buddies. "How do you like the old clunker?" He patted the side of the red truck.
"She's nice. Is she yours?"
Jacob chuckled. "No, but she is my handiwork." He patted the truck cab's door affectionately again. "Rebuilt the engine myself. Your dad hasn't told you yet?"
"Told me what?" I asked absentmindedly as I too admired the truck, stroking the side like it was a puppy.
"Welcome home, Bella," Charlie said as if gifting me a car was nothing. He was striding past Jacob and I now, having dropped the WWE act to push Billy up the drive. Charlie made the wheelchair pop a wheelie up the front steps and paused at the top with Billy to watch my reaction.
"What?! No way! Are you serious?" I looked from Jacob to Charlie for confirmation. Jacob nodded and grinned again (I had already noticed that that boy did not get tired of doing that happy smiling thing) while Charlie just looked at me with a twinkle in his dark eyes.
"It's a good car for you, Bells. Nothing too special, but it will get you from here to there," Charlie almost apologized. I half glanced at Jacob to see if he was offended by Charlie's lack of pride in his car but he seemed to have shrugged it off.
"No, it's wonderful dad, thank you!" I exclaimed flinging the door open. Of course since it was me, I couldn't just open the door. I had to send it flying into Jacob.
"Uh, ow!" he cried out, doubling over in pain and nearly losing his balance as I sent the newly polished red metal into his left leg.
I was already halfway into the driver's seat of the new Chevy when I realized the door had made physical contact. I stumbled from the cushioned leather and nearly took Jacob out again. "Oh gosh, Jacob, I am so sorry! Are you okay?"
He held up his hand to stop me and I couldn't blame him, I wouldn't want Bella Weapon of Mass Destruction near me either. "I'm good, I'm good. Just get back in." He straightened up but was still breathing heavily as he made his way over to the passenger side. He opened his door a little more cautiously than I had. "I hope you drive better than you walk," he joked. Actually I couldn't be sure if he was completely joking. He was probably still in too much pain to be at ease with me at the wheel of a vehicle.
"I do. The uncoordinated does not extend to the driving skill," I said as I took inventory of the Chevy's controls. It was a stick and I was suddenly grateful that Renee had insisted I learn to drive stick shift. At the time it had seemed like a waste of my extracurricular hours since the likelihood of me ever getting a car, particularly a stick shift, was close to nil. However right now I was so excited I could probably kiss my creepy pedophile Driver's Ed teacher Mr. McAdams. Twice.
"Do you actually know how to drive stick?" Jacob asked. He looked impressed.
"Of course I do," I scoffed, shifting into reverse and nearly jamming Jacob's fingers. "Sorry," I added. "Me and about three other girls in this country."
He chuckled once his appendages were safely out of danger. "I really am not sure I should be trusting you to be a safe and responsible driver right now. I mean it's raining and you just got here. And clearly you are the least coordinated person to ever move on this planet."
"Suit yourself." I shifted the truck back into park. "I'll take her out for a spin tonight then do you want a ride to school? I can pick you up on the way."
"I go to school on the reservation. But thanks."
"Oh." I had forgotten Jacob lived on the reservation for a few minutes there. "That sucks. It would have been nice to know at least one person there."
A/N: Coming soon: Bella and Alice meet!