Chapter Seventeen

Bella

Charlie had given up on his questioning about the party at the beach. He had been surprised to see me home alone and so early but I just mumbled about feeling sick and went to my room. This morning one look at my face told him there was no point in asking anything else so we sat and ate breakfast in silence before he went off fishing with Harry. I cleared up and went to get my books out and do my homework. I kept one ear out for the door, hoping that Jasper would turn up. I put the cell phone on the table beside my books then started on an essay for History but I couldn't concentrate. I kept looking at the phone, willing it to ring but it stayed obstinately silent. I gave up after an hour and went to put the clothes in to wash then dusted the downstairs and put the kettle on for coffee, pulling out a couple of pop tarts for my lunch but I didn't eat them in the end. They sat on a plate by my side for the next two hours as I struggled through Calculus and Geography.

I had given up on him when the door bell went and I walked slowly to open it not expecting to see him standing there on the porch, a parcel in his hand.

"Hello Bella, I wasn't sure I would be welcome but I had to see you"

I stood back so he could enter and shut the door behind him.

He stood in the hall looking awkward and held out the parcel.

"Just something I thought you might like"

I put it on the table and walked through to the kitchen.

He followed me and stood while I sat back down to my books unable to look him in the face.

"I'm sorry Bella for whatever I did that upset you but I've come to tell you that you won't have to see me any longer. Charlotte is coming from Boston to look after you and I'm taking on her duties. Peter will still be here too so he'll be a friendly face for you."

I looked up at that,

"You're leaving? Why? I'm sorry about last night. I don't know what happened, I got scared I guess."

"I'm not doing a very good job of looking after you Bella. I think I need to get away for a while but I wouldn't leave you unprotected. Charlotte is very good and its about time she saw her husband anyway. They've been apart too long"

"Peter is married?"

"Yes, he's been married a long time. She's very nice and I'm sure you'll get on with her."

"And you?"

"Sorry?"

"Are you going to see your wife?"

He laughed,

"No I'm not married."

"Girlfriend?"

"No, no one. Just me."

"Were you and Alice?".

"No. Alice is just a friend, we've known each other a long time is all"

"OK, Well thanks. Quickest relationship in history."

"Oh school? Tell them it was my fault. They'll commiserate with you and you'll have the boys falling over each other to go out with you."

I laughed

"Yeah sure! So how will I know when I'm safe?"

"We won't for sure, you may never be entirely safe but we'll watch out for you as long as it takes."

I couldn't speak so I just pretended to read my text book.

He stood a little longer and I knew his eyes were on my back

"So I guess this is goodbye then. It was nice to know you".

"Yeah you too" I mumbled hearing the door as it closed behind him.

I threw my books back in my bag, grabbed the parcel and ran up to my bedroom falling on the bed and crying. How could he walk out like that? He'd promised to look after me and he left, passing me over like a baton to the next racer. Well this Charlotte could go to hell, I'd look after myself and if I got captured by the Volturi so what? I had no one here any more, Charlie wasn't my Dad, my mum was dead, and the man I thought would stay by me had just walked out the door. Well done Bella! When I couldn't cry any more I got up and washed my face then picked up the parcel Jasper had given me. I couldn't open it, I didn't want anything from him if he could leave me just like that. I threw the parcel in the back of the closet, it could rot in there as far as I was concerned.

When Charlie came home I'd cooked dinner and after that I went upstairs to continue my homework, or gaze at the work without seeing it, my whole body shaking with the pain of being discarded. I wouldn't admit even to myself why his going hurt so much. If I said the words I couldn't deny them in the future. I needed to be angry to stop myself falling apart. I blamed Alice too, she had something to do with his decision but I wouldn't ask her, she could go to hell too.

As I left for school the next morning I half expected to see Jasper standing beside my red truck with that heart stopping smile but of course he wasn't, he'd gone. There was no one there and I drove slowly to school taking deep breaths to smell the faint hint of his scent that still lingered in the cab. I hated myself for this weakness but I couldn't stop myself. Once at school I found a good vantage point to watch the Cullens arrive. Emmett's truck was first but there was only Rosalie and himself. When the Volvo parked up I saw three figures inside and my heart beat faster until I saw the third was Peter who kissed Alice on the cheek and strode away from the Car Park towards town. I made a split second decision and followed, not my class mates, but the solitary figure. Once out of sight of school I speeded up and as I turned a bend in the road I saw he'd been joined by another figure, smaller and more delicate and I knew this was Charlotte, my new Guardian Angel. I turned and walked back to school feeling them following me but not stopping or turning to acknowledge them.

Peter

Things were pretty fucked up here in Forks. It was great to be back with Charlotte although she wasn't going to like my detail with Alice, she had her own reasons for staying away from the Cullens. Now Bella was playing games trying to skip school, I just hoped Char could straighten her out. The last thing we needed was an uncooperative client.

"So that's Bella Swan"

"Yeah Char and she's all yours. The Major had no luck with her and she hates me so you're her last hope. See if you can find out what's eating her."

Char watched the slight figure stride away from us and smiled,

"Oh I already know that, its getting her to acknowledge it that's going to be the struggle"

"Now don't you start with that enigmatic shit. I get enough from the fortune seeker every day. A plain sentence I could understand would be nice"

"Oh Poor Peter" she said, kissing me.

"We have a few hours before school gets out, wanna fool around?" I asked hopefully and to my delight she nodded.