Wow, your guys' thoughts on Alice are so harsh! Then again, I totally agree with them. Haha. It's going to be so hard watching the midnight showing of Eclipse tomorrow night, what with knowing how I view Alive and Edward in this fanfic. –sigh- I hope you guys all got your tickets! I can't wait for ECLIPSE!
FYI, no new chapter for a few days. Need to focus on Inevitable Evening! Coming to you July 1st!
And now, for some MUCH NEEDED friend time.
Chapter 41 – Best Friend
Bella's POV
I rolled over in bed, urging my eyes to open. After a moment, they fluttered, then shut again. Why was it so agonizing for humans to wake up in the morning. I rolled over again and realized I was alone. This was more than enough to jolt me awake.
I sat bolt upright in bed and scanned the bed, then Jacob's room. He was nowhere to be found. Had he already gotten up? Breakfast? Or had someone called him and he had found Victoria? Had I slept through it all? My heart raced. I stumbled out of bed and righted myself before making a quick jump to the bedroom door.
"Jake?" I called out down the hall, not really thinking about inside voices.
"Bella? Well, good morning!" Billy said, peering back at me over his wheel chair. Something inside me calmed with his cheery greeting.
"Morning, is Jake here?" I asked, still feeling my heart doing tap dances in my chest. He chuckled and turned back to the tv, lowering the volume.
"He's taken the last few days off to be with you, Bells. Sam finally saw it fit he be outside, running like the rest of the pack," he said. I couldn't help a small smile. I could tell Billy was glad to have Jacob out of the house for a while. Something in the back of my head said it was because he didn't have to knock at our door every five minutes.
I went to the kitchen and peered at the time above the stove. 11:30 already. I leaned against the frame of the kitchen and smiled at the sports channel flashing pictures of dirty men on screen. I looked around and then tapped my foot a little. I already felt awkward, being alone here.
"So... What time do you think Jake will be back?" I asked, walking over to sit on the couch. Billy didn't take his eyes off the tv, and instead, grinned wildly. He was enjoying Jake being gone too much!
"Oh, I dunno. 7? 8? Who knows. That boy can run for days," he said. I laughed and tried to hide the blush in my cheeks. Had we really caused Billy to pull out that much of his hair? He turned his eyes and looked at me. They were warm and comforting.
"Don't you worry, Bella. He'll be back soon enough. In the meantime, why don't you relax? I'm sure beating off a werewolf all day grows tiresome," he said. I smiled and shrugged a little.
"I don't really know what to do. Do you know if Emily's home?" I asked, thinking I might go bug them. But that thought went down the drain as he shook his head, chuckling.
"Sam's not out patrolling. He'll be home with Emily," he said. I caught the underlying statement in his comment and looked away, grinning. Of course. Emily and Sam were just like me and Jacob. I rubbed at the back of my neck a little and leaned back into the couch.
Billy turned to look at me then, with a look that made me feel like a comforted daughter.
"Why don't you call one of your old friends and invite them over? I'm sure there's someone in Forks you miss that can keep you company?" he asked. My mind flittered back to thoughts of Forks. High school, homework. Cold, dreary days, and lunches at the diner. Beating Mike Newton off with a stick.
Edward.
I sat up straight as his name flashed through my head. I swallowed and smiled as Billy watched me.
"Yeah, that sounds great. I'll go call Angela. Maybe she'll make it over here," I said. He looked as if he was going to ask me what was wrong but then gave a short nod as I left the room. I grabbed the phone on my way to Jacob's bedroom.
I leaned against the door and shut my eyes, fighting back a panic attack. After seeing Alice yesterday, talking about Edward, I'd thought I'd gotten over this. I thought his name would no longer hurt me. But with every thought of Forks, with every thought of high school here, Edward clouded the corners of my mind. I swallowed and pulled the phone to my face, recalling Ang's number and dialing it.
"Hello?" she answered. I smiled, already feeling calmer with the sound of her voice. She was so strong, so heart warming.
"Hey, Ang, it's Bella," I said, twirling a piece of hair around my finger.
"Bella! Gosh, I've been worried about you. Ever since that day Edward came to get you-"
"Angela, I need to talk to you. Do you have some time to hang out today?" I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat that came with the mention of Edward. There was a few seconds of silence on the other line and then Angela's response.
"Of course I can hang out. I'm always here for you, Bella. Where do you want to meet?" she asked. My heart lightened.
"I'm actually in La Push... Would you mind coming down? I'll even spare the gas money," I said, glancing at the window, nervously. I just needed someone to talk to. I needed her to help me take my mind off everything. I needed someone else to know what had happened to me...
"Don't even talk about giving me money, Bella. I'll be there in less than an hour, I just have to get some proper clothes on. Where do I meet you?" she asked. I gave her Jacob's address and then thanked her. We hung up and I dropped the phone on top of a shirt that was crumpled by the door. I slid down the door and let out a deep breath.
I brought my hands up over my eyes and closed them, trying to push thoughts of him out of my head. He was still haunting me. I thought back to yesterday, thought back to Alice. I had left the second she'd disappeared out the diner door. I stepped outside and saw Jake jogging towards me, the same way he had left. He gave me a cocky little smile and put his arm around me, walking me back to the forest.
We hadn't talked. I had still been comprehending my meeting with a member of the species that threatened my life. The ride home on Jake's back, feeling his warm, hard body moving beneath mine, knowing he would protect me with his life, it had calmed me like nothing else could. When we got to the edge of the forest near Sam's and he had become human again, I went into his arms and stayed there. We could have been there for hours, as far as I knew.
I felt him taking all the horrible feelings; all the thoughts, the betrayal and the fear left me in seconds. He was so comforting. He was like the sun, on a cold, winter day. There hadn't been any talking, even once we got back to his room. My dad had already left and Billy had been watching tv. We had said hello and then went straight to his bedroom.
Needless to say, Billy had been so happy this morning to get rid of Jake because he'd stopped us several times yesterday from embarrassing ourselves.
I smiled a little at the thought, feeling a little more warm. Eventually, we had just ended up laying in bed, cuddled together. We couldn't get very far with Billy's constant interruptions. We had talked about the diner, the wolves, the future. I had ended up falling apart about Alice... She was like a sister to me and she had betrayed me. But like family does, I still missed her, I still loved her.
Jake and I both agreed I wouldn't be with her for a while. But in the end, he said, he knew I would want to befriend the Cullens again and he would accept that when it came.
A knock sounded on the door behind my head, jolting me to reality.
"Bella? I just wanted to make sure you were ok. You get a hold of that friend?" Billy asked. I cleared my voice and got away from the door.
"Yeah, she'll be over soon," I replied. He paused for a moment. I felt the silence.
"You want to come out and wait with me? I'll let you have control of the remote," he said, jokingly. But I could hear the worry in his voice. It was sweet how much he cared. How much he cared about Jake, too. I couldn't help a small smile as I opened the door and leaned my head against it.
"Sure, I'll come sit where you can babysit me," I said. He grinned.
"Jake would kill me if you had a breakdown and I acted oblivious," he said. I nodded and followed him out to the living room. He kept me talking, kept my mind from wandering, the whole time I sat with him. I'd never known he'd had that much conversation in him.
"Bella?" Angela's voice asked, accompanied with a knock on the screen door. I flew up from the couch and went to the front door. Her worried features immediately smoothed as I opened the door for her. We fell into each others arms and I felt all the negative feelings fly away. Reminder for the future; the two people who make me feel safe are Jake and Angela.
"Oh, it's so good to see you," she said, still cradling me close to her in a hug. When we pulled away, she still didn't let go of my arm. She looked at Billy, then stepped over to him as I introduced them.
Out of courtesy, we sat down and talked with Billy for nearly two hours. We stayed, even when I could feel Angela itching to get us alone so we could talk. I hadn't realized I'd worried her so much with my phone call. Had I sounded that horrible?
"It was nice meeting you, Billy. Thank you for letting me come see Bella," she said, shaking Billy's hand again. We headed towards the front door.
"The boys will be watching for you, Bella. Don't you worry about a thing. You two are safe on La Push grounds," he said to me as I shut the screen door behind me. I turned around and rested my hand on the screen, mouthing 'thank you' to him. He gave a nod and then I turned back to walk with Angela.
"So what in the world is going on? Why are you staying here?" she asked. I smiled a little and glanced around, looking for any sign of the boys. They were doing a great job at staying hidden.
"I guess we'll start from the beginning, huh?" I asked. We walked along the beach, at an agonizingly slow pace. I told her about Edward's abusiveness. I told her how he kept me from coming to see Jake and how I couldn't get away from him. I told her how, when I'd finally gotten the chance, I jumped my window, vaulted out of a car and ran to Jake's. I skipped over the fangs and the confrontation at the line.
"Oh my gosh, Bella, let me see," she said, after I'd finished about Emily taking care of me. Another fifteen minutes of her fussing over my scratches and fading bruises and we found a sort of cave to sit at.
"I can't believe so much has happened since the last time I saw you," she said, smiling at me, weakly. I smiled back and shrugged, looking out at the ocean.
"Just a week in the life of Bella," I said. She laughed at that.
"So... What about Jake?" Angela asked. I felt the blush work over my cheeks and turned to look at her.
"... Jake's amazing. He's shown me more than I'd ever known about love. He's warm, and sweet. Caring and patient and kind," I said, looking down into my hands as I spoke about the man who had imprinted on me. I let out a soft breath. I felt Angela still watching me. I also felt her unspoken question. Something crazy came over me and I felt the need to be utterly open about at least one thing with this amazing woman. I looked up at her and grinned.
"He's amazing in bed, too, since I know you're wondering," I said. She gasped out, her hand popping over her mouth as if I was five and just said a dirty word. We giggled and she pushed me lightly, then leaned closer to me.
"I've only seen him that once, when we came to surf here. You said he's grown more since then?" she asked. I laughed. Oh boy, had he grown more...
"Wait til you see him, Ang... He's... I don't have words to explain him anymore," I said, feeling like I was gushing. I glanced out at the ocean again. Something about the waves crashing on the beach and the clouded, dark, stormy skies made me feel even warmer towards Jake. He would protect me from the cold. I started wondering what he was doing right now.
I pulled away from those thoughts as Angela started talking about Ben and her school. I gave her every bit of my attention, just as she always gave me hers. I found myself loving this girl, this person who I would call my best friend. She was genuine, kind and true. I'd never met any one like her before.
After another hour or so, there was a small lull in the conversation. I didn't really know how to bring up a new subject and it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, so I let it go on. The two of us sat there, just watching the beach. It was comforting. Then I felt something pulling at the bottom of my stomach. I looked over at Angela to see her biting on her lip and watching me. I leaned back a little.
"What's up?" I asked. She glanced out at the water then back to me, leaning closer.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but what about Edward, you know? I know you feel safer here, in La Push. But who's to say he's not just going to come here and take you? I mean, he's capable of it, if he's done what he's done to you, right?" she asked. I looked away from her. Angela wasn't stupid. She'd see the gaps in the story that Charlie hadn't. That he'd chosen to ignore because he trusted Billy and the rest of the tribe.
Angela didn't have that bond with them. She didn't trust them completely. She didn't know their powers. So she'd have questions like this...
"The guys here... They're like one big family. They all watch after each other. Trust me. It's safer for me here than it is anywhere else," I said as I turned back to watch her reaction. She nodded a little, watching me. Unconvinced.
"I just want you to be safe, Bella. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you... And with everything you've told me about Edward, he's not just going to let go of you. I saw him that day, when he came to get you at the park. He looked insane. Insane people don't give up," she said. I let out a breath.
"Well, maybe he'll just see that I'm surrounded by people and take a hike," I said. She was shaking her head before I finished.
"It's probably all in my head. What with all the attacks in Townsend, and the disappearances. I've just been really worried it would come back here again," she said. I blinked. I had almost forgotten all about those disappearances. What with meeting Alice and getting so caught up in Jake, they'd completely slipped my mind. Angela was biting her lip again.
"What's up, Angela? You look so nervous," I said. She offered a weak smile.
"I'm probably over reacting... Is Edward still in town?" she asked.
"Not that I know of. Ever since I told my dad, I just figured he'd run, thinking my dad would come after him," I said. Another lie. Edward would never run from my dad. I swallowed the lump in my throat. But he'd run from the wolves. He wouldn't be anywhere near here.
Doubt flittered through me. Were the Cullens housing Edward still? Were they coming up with a plan to get me? Did they really want me in their lives that badly, so as to take away my free will?
"Bella, do you think Edward is capable of murder?" Angela asked. My eyes shot up to look at her. "It's just that I have this really weird feeling, and I don't want to dismiss it... I have this bad feeling about something that has to do with you and I don't want to regret not telling you," she finished. I looked away.
Could Edward kill? Animals, yeah. I knew that. But how much of a difference was there, really, between animals and humans? How much would it take, how much of a push would he need, to switch from one mammal to the other? I ran my hand over my eyes. I couldn't think about this right now.
"Forget about it. I don't want to worry you over something stupid like this," Angela laughed, nervously. I shook my head and put my hand on her arm.
"No, don't say that. I'm glad you told me," I said. She watched me for a moment and then nodded lightly.
"We should get back to the house. It'll be getting dark soon," I said. We both got up and started walking back to Jake's. We talked the whole time and I was glad for it. She kept my mind from wandering to things I didn't need to think about. By the time we reached the house, the conversation was light. She seemed to know that talking about Jake always made my heart soar.
Before I could open the front door, Paul opened it and came out. Both Ang and I stepped back to let him pass.
"Hey, Bella. How'd the walk go?" he asked, closing the screen behind him. I watched him glance over Angela and smiled as she looked him over.
"It went well. Have fun on your run?" I asked. He didn't look away from Angela.
"Loads."
"Paul, this is Angela. Angela, meet Paul. He's one of the guys I was talking to you about earlier, Jake's friend," I said. He stepped forward and shook hands with Angela. He stepped a little... too close. I glanced from Paul to Ang as she looked up at him, seemingly holding her breath.
"I'm glad Bella's been talking about me," he said. Angela blinked and then pulled her hand away, readjusting her glasses.
"Only good things," she said. I saw her blushing. I felt like I was imposing. I was also confused. Why was Paul not acting like a jerk?
"Hey!" Jake said, bounding up the front steps.
"Jake," I said, as he went straight for me. He was rugged, shirtless and delicious. A light layer of sweat glistened his skin. He wrapped his arms around me and I buried my nose into his chest, letting his protection envelope me. I sighed out and he finally pulled away, leaving his arm around my shoulder. He turned to Angela and Paul.
"Hey, I'm Jacob," he said, offering his free hand to Angela. She reached forward and shook it, smiling broadly.
"I know, I remember you from a while back. The surfing trip. I'm Angela. My, you've grown," she said. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. She exchanged a grin with me and then glanced at Paul as he stepped closer to her.
"Yeah, it happens to all us Quileute boys. Don't mind that big thug, he's harmless," Jake said as Angela turned to face Paul again. On the contrary, I don't think Angela was minding Paul at all...
"Bells, I wanted to take a walk with you, are you up for it?" Jake asked, pressing his nose near my ear. I shivered, taking in a deep breath. I pulled away to look up at him and his grin made me breathless. Would it be like this all the time? Every time I saw him after not being around him for two hours, the reunion would make me want to jump him?
"Yes," I replied, looking up at him. He leaned down and kissed me and stole whatever breath I had left. Then he turned back to his conversation.
"Nice seeing you again, Angela. Feel free to stay as long as you'd like. Paul, behave," he said, leading me down the steps. I glanced back at Angela. We both waved and then she turned back to Paul.
Well, this would be interesting...
A/N: Mwahahahahaha, what do you guys think? You obviously know what's going on, hopefully.
Lemme know how you're feeling about the story! Wooooo! I'm so happy about this story. I can't wait for you guys to know how it endssssss!