Thank you to those that reviewed the last chapter and thanks to my fantastic roommate for helping me writing this:) Enjoy.
Chapter 2
Bella walks outside admiring the constant overcast covering Forks. Then all of a sudden she was tugged from behind. Thomas pulled her towards his car and quickly pushed her into the passenger's seat. Surprised by the kidnapping tactics, her defensive actions were delayed. Bella looked around in confusion and sees Thomas sliding into the driver's seat.
"I don't appreciate being manhandled, Thomas," Bella responded as he drives away. "I'm pretty sure you just kidnapped me!"
"Sorry Bella I know that I'm taking drastic measures, but WE are going shopping!" Thomas says.
"Don't I get a say in this?" she asked incredulously. I really didn't think that this guy was serious.
"Nope. You gave up that right when you agreed to be a part of my operation at lunch."
"Oh." Crap, she thought, maybe I'll just go along with it he seems slightly unstable.
"We need to work on your conversation skills."
She just smiled and nodded before looking out at the scenery.
Thomas turns on the radio. On comes the "Sexy and I Know It" song by LMFAO. He instantly turns it up and sings. "Come on Bella! This is your song!"
"Thomas, both hands on the wheel!" she shouts as he moves to the beat.
"Seriously Bella? Girl look at that body! I work out!" he reverts to head bobbing.
Bella looks over at him wide-eyed and uncomfortable, leaning as close to the door as she can.
"I'm sexy and I know it!" Thomas continues to sing along, trying to get Bella into it. "What….!" he added, bopping to the beat.
"I'm sexy and I know it! Com'on Bella! You know it!" Bella rolled her eyes at his over the top enthusiasm. It's like a man version of Alice, she thought.
Then when he begins wiggling she gets beet red and ducks down. My god, I hope no one see me, she thought.
The rest of the ride doesn't get any better. More songs by Niki Minaji and Pitbull play. She listened in wonder at the odd assortment of voices on the apparently popular radio station. Thankfully he was finally pulling up to the only clothing store in Port Angeles.
Thomas got out of the car and waited for Bella and then realized she is still sitting with her arms crossed in the passenger seat like a petulant child. "Bella, we made it this far, now you are going to get your sorry whiny butt in that store," he says just as stubbornly.
Ok, think Bella. If I pretend like I'm getting out of the car I can make a run for it. I can take him; after all I do run with vampires. She opened the door and started to get out while Thomas stood tapping his foot impatiently. She paused, her eyes darting between him and the car and before she could do anything he blocked her path.
"Girl, don't even think about it. This is for your own good." He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the entrance with her feet dragging across the pavement. "Ok, we can do this the hard way or the easy way."
"Fine," she said petulantly and snatched back her arm. She stalked ahead of him grumbling about something. She stopped when she realized she had no idea where she was going.
"Let's see, where to start…" Thomas mused as he took in what she was wearing. She had on a plain black hoodie and baggy jeans. Her hair was down in a scraggly mess and she wore beat up old Nike shoes. Her nails were bitten down to the stub and she wore no makeup.
Bella was uncomfortable with the way he was staring at her, scrutinizing her appearance. He was circling around her like a predator and its prey, a lion and its lamb.
She looks even worse than Katy Heron before the Plastics give her a makeover, Thomas thought. "Ok, let's start with -. (he comes up with nothing so proceeds to ask) Do you own a skirt? How about skinny jeans?"
She stares at him with glazed over eyes.
"I'll take that as a no. Okay hun, follow me." He leads her over to the women's section when someone calls his name.
"Thomas! Oh my god weren't you just here Saturday?" she said enthusiastically.
"Sheryl! How are you girl?" he leaves Bella among the skirts and dresses looking confused. He gives Sheryl a hug. Then he slowly pulls away leaving his hands on her shoulders and giving her a once over, admiring her ensemble. "I love your scarf!"
"Why thank you Thomas, it's from the winter collection" she said pleased.
"It really brings out your hazel eyes!"
"Oh Thomas, your too kind." Her voice lowers "By the way, who is that girl surreptitiously lurking over there," she says pointing in Bella's direction.
Thomas sighs, "My next project."
"Well, good luck," she says with a smirk. "Holler if you need me hun."
"I will," he says turning to the disheveled young woman standing awkwardly between the girly clothes.
He walks over to her and directs her to the chairs outside the dressing rooms "I'll be back" and Bella begrudgingly plops down on the unwelcomingly Edward-less chairs.
Thomas walks over to the clothing racks and starts snatching clothes left and right. He would pause, shake his head, and grab something else. He walks over to Bella with a mountain of clothes in his arms and says "go".
She sighs before slowly standing up and walking into the nearest dressing room with the clothes. She comes out a few minutes later with a skimpy dress on. She kept pulling on the hem of the dress that was revealing her ridiculously white legs. She slowly looks up at Thomas.
"Whoa. Where did that nice hourglass figure come from? I sure didn't see it in those baggy pants and sweatshirt."
Her face turned cerise as she is deeply embarrassed in the girly attire. "So…., what do you think?"
"I think it works," he says giving her one more glance, and then harshly demanded, "Next."
She was taken aback by his cavalier attitude.
Annoyed by her lack of response Thomas urges her by saying, "chop chop, I haven't got all day."
She goes in and comes back out a few more times with either his dismissal or approval until they go through all of his selections. Eventually the duo proceeds to the jeans and shirts. Thomas repeats his previous way of collecting items for Bella to try on. She comes out of the dressing room fidgeting with the low cut sweater.
"Bella, that fits fine. Stop fidgeting and have some confidence!"
"God Thomas, don't you have anything nice to say," she replied with aggravation.
"I don't need any of your piss poor attitude," Thomas says waggling his finger in a z formation. "I'm just trying to help you."
Bella looks down, recoiling into her shell of self pity.
"Now don't you go back in that shell!" Thomas approaches the retreating Bella. "Please just try on one more thing, you just need to work with me for this week. Then you can go back to your plain and baggy outfits." Like hell you will, Thomas thought, I am going to fix you up nice and good.
She looks at him and says "okay, well we're almost done right?"
"Yeah, we just have to look at jewelry and shoes," he says quickly, shoving her into the dressing room.
Bella then wasted no time in getting approval on the last shirt and jeans pair. Soon enough they left the clothing area with arms full and head toward accessories. Eventually, Thomas found the perfect boots and the right, non-clunky, jewelry that fit well with her newly acquired clothes.
It was nearing dinner time when Thomas pulled up to Bella's house. Slowly they began unloading the large amount of shopping bags. Charlie just pulled up the drive as the duo lugged the last load into the house.
"Hey Bella," Charlie said, exasperated. His daughter still had the remnants of depression about her after that good-for-nothing, abnormally tranquil boyfriend left. Why on earth was she so attracted to him and clung to him like a spider-monkey, he had no idea. Today was the day he was going to do it. He was going to drop the bomb, knock some sense into his zombie of a daughter.
"Hi Charlie," Bella managed. Oh great, she thought, he looks like the bearer of bad news.
"Whose sleek silver car is that in the driveway?" Charlie asked, while thinking, it sure as hell isn't Jake's.
"That'd be mine sir," said Thomas, who just came down the stairs.
Charlie took pause before answering, taking in his new house guest. "Who are you exactly? And secondly why did you just come from my daughter's room?"
"I'm Thomas Snicket, I just started at Bella's high school at the beginning of the semester. Well sir, I took your daughter shopping this afternoon and I was just bringing the last of her bags into her room."
He seems nice enough, Charlie thought. Definitely not in Bella's playing field, but who am I kidding she needs friends. Also, he seems to be radiating energy, kinda like Alice.
"Do I know your folks Thomas? I'm on the Forks' PD," Charlie asks.
"Actually, sir, my father's just joined the force."
"Really? So, your Richie's son?"
"Yep, through and through!"
"That's nice, do you have any siblings?"
"No sir."
"Oh, well that's alright not many of the other kids here do either," and an awkward silence follows.
Bella looks around the kitchen, the conversation wasn't that interesting. It was dark outside, the dishes needed to be cleaned, and there wasn't much on our fridge, she thought. OH, wait! There's a magnet, Bella then begins to scrutinize the magnet. It was green and shaped like an E. Oh e, how dare you taunt me by reminding me of my lost love. Edward related images then flood her mind.
Wow, way to be awkward Charlie, Thomas thinks, and stares intently at the man focused on the floor. Whoa, that is one heck of a mustache. I wonder how he keeps it so finely groomed? He glances at Bella who is keenly fixated on the fridge. Thomas wonders, maybe Bella's really hungry, she didn't eat much at lunch. It's not like you can tell if she does eat because you can't even see her body through that blob of clothing she's wearing.
Yowsa! Charlie thought that was not my best transition. Quick, what's another topic for discussion. Hey, I can talk about the new point .45 gun, no wait, that's not something to talk about with teenagers. Good lord what do I do? I don't do small talk and this is exactly why. I hope Bella will eat the lasagna in the oven. Is it even cooking? I don't smell anything. Geez, I forgot to take my boots off again, now there's gonna be mud everywhere.
Then Charlie asks smiling, "so, how ya liking Forks?"
"Definitely not as sunny as California!" Thomas is concerned with the weird grin coming across Charlie's face and thinks that he should get going, these small town folk are selcouth.
"OH Bella used to live in Arizona, where the sun thrives, it took her a while to get used to it here," Charlie responds and looks meaningfully at Bella.
"Yeah, there's always an overcast, I've noticed," Bella throws out there.
Thomas thinks, oh man, this girl has serious problems. He says, "Yeah, like today."
"Yep," she says.
While Thomas and Bella are having their sad excuse of a conversation, Charlie is thinking about cornering his daughter who has been quickly spiraling out of control. Okay, so how exactly can I bring up Jake in the conversation. I need to do it now because she'll just avoid me after that boy leaves.
Thomas continues by asking Bella, "Are you hungry?"
"What?"
"Well, you're staring intently at the fridge."
"OH," Bella responds and then pauses. Gosh he reads me too well, she thought. "Uh, well, yeah I guess so."
"Good!" Charlie exclaims, "There's lasagna in the oven!"
"I knew I smelled something fantastic Mr. Swan!" what a brown-noser, Charlie thought.
"Don't get yourself too worked up kid, it's from a box."
"Great dad, I can't wait to eat," Bella says in a monotonous voice.
Just go for it you have nothing to lose, Charlie says to himself. "You need to see Jake. He really needs you."
Bella looks up, waiting for her father to continue his spiel. It looked to her as though he has been commiserating on the perfect moment to approach the subject for too long.
"Who is Jake?" Thomas asked, hmmmm, another man for her lonely, broken heart? Or does he have abs? Cuz I sure like'm with a nicely packed torso.
Charlie is the one that answered Thomas' lingering question. "He's a friend of the family that Bella has not contacted recently, even though he really needs the company."
"Dad, he doesn't want to see me," Bella said, thinking of their last encounter.
"Now, I don't want to hear any of that. You need to see him, that's the end of it."
"Dad…" she whines.
"Bella. Jake is your friend. He hasn't left. You have to go to him. If you don't go there this week, I'll take you there myself." Charlie wasn't messing around.
"Um, excuse me, Mr. Swan," Thomas ventured, "I can take her to go see Jake."
Relieved and a bit excited, Charlie responded in disbelief, "Really?"
"Yeah, it wouldn't be a problem. Bella and I are hanging out all week. She can just show me where he lives."
During their exchange, Bella's mind is whirling. Wait hang out the whole week? I believe that is a little bit more than I can handle. I need my alone time. He seems filled with a bit more energy than I can stand for long periods of time.
"That would be wonderful Thomas!" Charlie exclaimed, embracing the boy awkwardly. This show of emotion and {closeness} was a bit unsettling for everyone in the room.
Wait….. WHAT? My dad hugging another dude? He's known him for like five minutes and he accepting Thomas so much more than Edward, who he knew for quite a few months. Bella felt indignant.
Charlie thought that thank goodness that boy found her; she needs some serious human contact. Oh! I should hide that Wuthering Heights book from her. It's not helping her cause.
Thomas looks at the clock, "I'm sorry Mr. Swan, but I have to go. My mom's expecting me for dinner soon."
"Oh, okay. Well then, I guess I'll see you later?" Thomas nods his head while pondering the idea of exiting through the window next time. That conversation was just painful.
The trio awkwardly makes their way towards the front door. Thomas goes to his car leaving Bella and her father at the door, watching his every move. As he pulls away there's a creepy synchronized hand wave.
Thomas smiled and waved back, taking note of their oddly still stances and eerily pale skin. A theory was beginning to form. Oh I'll just google-it later he thought as he sped off.
A/N: Please Review! Btw, did anyone catch the Wicked reference?