I came in to see Charlie and Billy alongside an old reddish orange truck. It was huge, and looked like it could have plowed through any little sports car of today without a scratch. Charlie looked almost ready to explode with the smile that was on his face. My brow furrowed in confusion. It was an old truck. Why would he be so excited? If the truck was an antique, then it was definitely not in mint condition. I didn't know much about cars, but I know that much at least. Finally, Charlie spoke.
"Bells, I know that you probably don't want me driving you to school, what with me having the cruiser and all, so…I bought this truck from Billy. Jake's worked a lot on the engine, so the truck runs great. Think of it as an early birthday present." I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped. In no way had I ever expected a truck for a birthday present. Especially not almost a month in advance.
"Dad, this is too much…" I found myself at a loss for words. Jacob rolled his eyes and let out a snort as Charlie shook his head and Billy just observed. "I'm serious! It doesn't make any-" I tried to continue but was cut off by Jacob.
"Jeez Bella, it's an ancient truck, and it didn't cost much, believe me. Don't worry, me and Billy will still get you gifts for your actual birthday." He cast a sarcastic smile to my obvious embarrassment to gifts. I returned the smirk with a glare. He laughed at my expression. "Bells, take a joke. Really, the truck wasn't expensive at all, and you need a car. Or would you prefer to be taken around town by Chief Swan?" He raised his eyebrow all-knowingly at the last sentence. Of course, then Charlie decided it was the perfect time to jump in as well.
"Bells, it'll be great! You already have your license, and this way you get a bit of freedom. You can even come out and visit Jake and Billy!" Charlie seemed very excited about this fact. I decided to concede defeat and attempt to graciously accept the truck. I didn't seem to have a choice in the matter.
"Fine, fine, I won't put up a fuss for the truck. Thank you Dad, and thank you Jacob and Billy for fixing it up for me. I really appreciate it." Suddenly an idea popped into my head. "Dad, in return for the truck, I get all cooking duties. No arguments." This seemed to satisfy Charlie.
"Sure thing Bells! You're a much better cook than I am anyways." Billy snorted under his breath and decided to contribute to the conversation.
"You couldn't get much worse than Charlie's cooking…"
"Oh yeah? Well at least I can catch dinner for Bella to cook."
"You challenging me, Chief?"
"Yup Chief." As they playfully exchanged their conversation, I briefly remembered in the back of my mind that there were two chiefs in the room. Charlie was Chief of Forks Police, and Billy was the Chief of the Quileute tribe.
"Well then, Chief Swan. I suppose we'll have to have a contest to see who can catch dinner. Next weekend?"
"Sounds good." I rolled my eyes at their competitive exchange. Sometimes Charlie reminded me so much of the guys at my school, especially when he was with Billy. They were competitive comrades, through and through. Charlie checked his watch. "Bells, why don't you have Jake show you how the truck works? Me and Billy should probably see the game." I nodded. Charlie loved his football games, although I found nothing compelling about throwing a ball and chasing after it or running with it, while trying not to get tackled to the ground. But, then again, I also didn't exactly understand the scoring system or the point of the game. So I was probably not one to talk. As they went into the living room, Jacob and I slowly followed after. Billy glanced backwards, and must have realized I had no interest in actually watching the football game.
"Jake, why don't you and Bells go out? She can take the truck, and you guys can go somewhere in Port Angeles. Me and Charlie are gonna be watching this game for a few hours." Jake looked at me, and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"That sounds…fine by me. What do you think, Bella?" Jacob asked. I thought about it briefly; Jacob was a family friend after all, so I didn't really have anything to worry about. And plus, I did want to get to know him a bit better, he was a funny guy.
"Sure. Sounds good to me, we'll come back around say, eleven?" I estimated that would be the end of the game, and give Billy and Charlie plenty of time to talk about it and overanalyze each little part. Charlie nodded
"Alright! See you later. Here's a bit of money, Bells, just in case you kids decide to get food or something." Charlie handed me $30 and I thanked him quietly. I looked at Jacob, who held the truck's keys in his hand, and started walking towards the garage. He followed silently behind me.