o0o0o0o - Chapter 5 - Meeting K? - o0o0o0o
- Bella's Point Of View -
When the bell rang, Angela and I quickly made our way to the locker room, to change. I don't think either of us were willing to stay here any longer than absolutely necessary. After we grabbed our things from our lockers, we headed out towards her truck.
"Have plans for today?" She asked, as we climbed in.
I hadn't really thought about what I'd be doing the rest of the day. Sheltering myself into the confines of my bedroom didn't seem all that appealing at the moment. "Not really." I answered. The diner popped into my head. I guess that was a good a place as any to start. "Want to head over to the diner?" I asked.
She nodded. "Sounds good. We can maybe grab something to eat. Then go down to First Beach later or something." She said, as she pulled out of the parking lot and started driving towards the diner.
The events of today plagued my mind. I didn't expect to be welcomed so… openly. "They seem like they changed." I whispered, more to myself.
"Who?" Angela asked, looking over at me.
"The guys." I replied as I started picking at my finger nails. What happened over the last few hours confused the shit out of me.
Angela sighed and then shoved my shoulder slightly, pulling me out of my own mental rambling. "I've never seen them so determined to talk to someone." She snorted. "It's actually kind of funny the way that you kept brushing them off."
"Yea." I said, turning to look out of the window. "I just have a really weird feeling about all of this."
"How so?" She asked.
I thought about it for a few moments. "Ugh… I don't know. It's hard to explain." I said, as I rubbed my eyebrow. I seem to be doing that a lot today.
"Try." She demanded.
"Ugh… well" I started. "When I saw Paul…" I really didn't know how to explain what it was that I felt when I saw him. "I guess it felt like I was being drawn to him…" I smacked myself in the forehead. "God, I must sound so fucking crazy right about now."
"Oh Bella." She whispered. "Don't give in to them. Don't let them do this to you again." She reached over and grabbed my hand; a small but very generous offer of support.
"I don't intend to let them win." I said. "They'll give up after a little while." I hope, I continued silently. We pulled into the diner shortly after, and both climbed out of the truck. When Angela opened the diner door, I was assaulted with the smell of apple pie and coffee. A smell that reminded me of the lighter days, when shit wasn't being thrown in my hair, and little girls weren't tripped on the playground. When things weren't so damn complicated.
"Bella!" I heard from somewhere behind the counter. Locking eyes with mom, I moved slowly to the stools that stood next to the bar.
"Hey, Renee." I smiled.
"I didn't expect you to drop by."
"Yea." I said, glancing over to Angela. "Ange and I wanted to get something to eat quick, and then head down to First Beach."
"Well…come on then." She said, pointing at the stools. "What can I get you?" She asked as we both sat and got comfortable.
I smiled, already knowing what I wanted. "Chefs salad, diet coke and apple pie." Old habits, die hard.
"Angela?" She asked after she wrote down what I wanted.
"The same please." She replied.
Mom, turned to the window behind her, and yelled through. "Leah, can you whip me up two chef salads quick?"
Leah? Fuck, here we go again.
"Yea Renee. It'll be up in a minute." Came another voice from the back.
I turned to Angela and whispered. "Why didn't you tell me that Leah worked here? And, why wasn't she in school?"
I know I sounded harsh, but this was a very unexpected surprise.
"I don't know why she wasn't at school." She replied. "Her and Seth haven't been to school in a couple of days."
"Here you are." A plate was dropped, ungracefully, in front of me. When I looked up from the lettuce sitting on the counter, I was face to face with bitch number six. "Angela, who is this?" She asked, as she tore her eyes from mine and glared at my best friend.
"Um. This is my friend, Bella." She said, looking down at her plate.
"I didn't realize that you had any friends." Leah sneered.
"Oh please!." I said, becoming irritated. "Leave her the hell alone."
Leah's eyes snapped to mine. "I'm sorry? Did I give you the impression that I was talking to you?" She said, snarling.
A voice from behind me stopped her from whatever she was about to say next. "Leave them alone, Leah."
Swiveling quickly on the stool I was face to face with another tall, tan, muscular man. What the fuck is in the water?
"Hi! I'm Seth." He said, holding his hand out for me to shake.
"Bella." I said, reaching my hand out to take his. His large hand engulfed my small one in his, and he was burning up. "Are you feeling okay?" I asked as I pulled back.
"Yes! Great!" He said, cheerfully. "So, you're Renee's niece? It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise." I said, turning back around to eat. Leah had gone back to doing whatever it was that she was doing, and I mentally reminded myself to talk to mom about this later. I had no idea that Leah was working here. And I sure in hell wasn't happy about it.
"Okay." Came the little chipper voice from behind me again. "Well, I'll see you later. I need to go back to work."
"Oh?" I asked. "Where are you working?"
He walked over to one of the tables that was previously occupied. He turned and started laughing as he began picking up the empty dishes from the table and placing them in the empty bucket. "You work here too?" I asked.
"Yea!" He said, smiling. "A lot of the guys do."
Bile started rising in the back of my throat at the mention of the 'guys'. "What do you mean a lot of the guys?" I coughed out.
He looked confused for a moment before answering. "Quil, Embry and Jared work just about every day." He grabbed a plate off of the table and put it in the bucket with the rest. "Sam and Paul work on and off. They mostly help Jake out in his garage."
"You're kidding right?" I yelled. This had to be some sort of joke.
"Why would I be kidding about that?" He asked, seriously. I'm sure he was silently evaluating my mental state.
"RENEE?" I yelled, into the almost empty diner.
She rushed out of the back, breathing heavily. "Yea?" She took in my position and relaxed a little. "You don't have to yell!"
I wasn't hearing any of it. I was livid. "I need to talk to you. Outside. Now." I growled as I stood and walked towards the door.
As soon as I heard her close the door behind us, I spun around to face her. She knew! She knew that I had issues with these people. She asked me to come home because she was shorthanded!
"Why didn't you tell me that they all worked here?" I yelled.
She looked defeated. "Because you wouldn't have come home."
"You're damn right." I started pacing in front of her. I felt like I wanted to punch something… or someone. "I cant be around them. You know what they did!" I continued. "Why would you even hire them?" I was losing it…and fast. "Why would you do this to me?"
She squared her shoulders and spoke evenly. "Because, I needed the help, and they needed the work." She raised her and poked me in the chest. "And don't raise your voice at me. You may not have been around, but you are still my daughter." She whispered out the last word.
"I cant deal with them!" I cried.
"They've changed, Bella." She started. "They've got a lot going on… things I cant talk about. They are a good bunch of boys and you will deal with it." She turned quickly and marched back into the diner. Slamming the door behind her.
I couldn't believe this was happening. Good bunch of boys? How in the hell was I going to avoid them, if they were going to be working here… right under my nose…every fucking second. Sighing, I leaned against the side of the building. I needed to collect myself and come up with a plan. This wasn't fair to me, and I damn sure wasn't going to let this go.
"Starting already?" I heard, as someone came to stand beside me. I didn't hear him approach. I must have been standing here a while.
"Ugh." I groaned. I just couldn't seem to get away. "You guys really cant take a hint, can you Embry?" I said, as I pushed myself off of the wall. Ass number four blocked my direct entrance back into the diner, so I stepped around him to escape.
I was stopped abruptly by a huge hand wrapping around my wrist. Glaring down at it, and then back up into his eyes, I growled. "Do you mind?"
He opened his mouth and closed it, two or three times, before he decided to talk. "Look." He started. "I don't know what Angela has said about us…"
"Leave Angela the fuck out of this." I said, grinding my teeth. "She has nothing to do with this."
"We really do just want to get to know you, Bella." He stood there staring, waiting for me to respond.
And respond I did. I had it with all this shit. "Okay." I said, snapping my eyes to his. "My name is Bella. I'm eighteen. My aunt called me a few weeks ago, asking me to come up and to help her with the diner. I flew in yesterday."
"And?" He pushed.
I was getting so damn tired of everyone pushing. But, I continued anyways. "I can be very nice to people who deserve it, but I have a very short temper, as you've probably realized." His grip loosened, but he still had a firm hold on my wrist. I looked down at his hand and then back up. "I just wanted to get something to eat, in peace, and then go hang out with my friend." I yelled. Moving a step closer, closing the distance a little more between us, I looked up into his eyes and glared. "Now that you know me… I suggest you let go of my fucking hand, and back the fuck up."
He dropped my hand quickly, surprise written all over his face, and I turned and rushed back into the diner. Walking quickly up to Angela, I grabbed my bag off of the floor, and pushed the strap over my shoulder.
"Ange, you ready to go?" I didn't wait for a reply. I was leaving this nightmare diner either way.
"Yea. I'm coming." She yelled, as she fumbled to get herself off of the stool.
I moved to the passenger side of the truck, just as Embry popped his head around the corner. "We're not giving up on you, Bella." He yelled, before turning and walking away.
"Whatever." I grumbled, as I climbed into the truck and slammed the door.
Bending over, I placed my head in my hands and took a few deep breaths. Angela was right behind me. When she climbed in, she didn't speak. She started the truck and drove.
"I'm sorry, Ange." I said, after we pulled into the parking lot of First Beach.
She smiled, sadly. "No, I'm sorry. I should've told you, Bella." She replied as she turned the truck off, and then turned in her seat to face me.
"Stop right there!" I said, putting my hand up to cut off anything else she had to say. "My mother, should have told me." Sighing I turned to look out the window, towards the beach. "This whole situation just got infinitely worse."
We sat there quietly for a few minutes, both of us trying to gain a little bit of strength. I was worn out. I didn't know how much more I could handle.
"Come on, Bella." Angela said, breaking the silence. "There's some clean towels behind your seat, and a few bottles of water in the cooler."
We both climbed out of the truck, and I grabbed the water and towels from the back seat. Shedding my shoes, and throwing them into the truck before closing the door, Angela and I began walking down the beach towards the water.
It had cooled down significantly, and the air held a light mist, but we couldn't be bothered by it. The slight chill felt welcoming against my burning skin. The anger in me dissipated slightly.
Setting the towels out as closely to the water as we could, without getting wet, we sat and gazed out over the vast expanse of grey water. There was no reason to speak and the silence was comforting on my slightly aching head. So much shit happened in one day.
Sighing, I looked down into my lap. "What are we going to do, Ange?" I asked.
Angela shook her head slightly, and then opened her mouth to speak. She was cut off before any words left her lips.
"I'll help you." Came a small, yet firm voice from behind me.
Turning quickly on the now crumpled towel, I looked up to see another Native woman standing a few feet directly behind me. She stood about five foot six. Her black hair, whipped back and forth in the breeze. An odd expression crossed her eyes, and she stepped closer and then crouched down next to me.
"I'm Kenda." She said, smiling.
"Bella." I replied.
"I know."
We sat there for a moment before I continued. "How can you help me?" I asked, raising my brow.
She stood again and brushed the sand off her knees before she responded. "Let's just say, that I've had my run in with those guys. I like you." She stopped for a moment. I'm assuming she was mentally going over how much she was willing to tell me. "I've been waiting for a very long time to get back at them." She smirked.
A quick 'oh' was all I said. I wasn't sure where she was going with this, and why she was bringing this to me.
Kenda gazed down the beach for a moment, before smiling and turning back to Angela and me. "Why don't we go somewhere a little more private. So we can talk."
I silently questioned Angela, and when she nodded, I stood, shaking the sand from my towel.
"Why don't we go back to my place for a while. Renee and Charlie are at work…"
"Sounds good." Kenda replied.
We quietly walked back to the truck and we all climbed in. We seemed to make it back to my place in no time at all. When I opened the door and ushered everyone inside, I directed them into the living room. Turning towards the kitchen myself I asked "Would you like anything to drink?"
"No…thanks. I'm good." Kenda replied, as she dropped onto the end of the sofa.
"Ange?"
"No thanks." She said, sitting across from Kenda.
I grabbed a quick glass of water from the kitchen and then settled into Dad's recliner. Taking a few sips, and then setting it down on the stand, I let my eyes settle onto Kenda. "How can you help me?" I asked, slowly.
She smiled for a second before replying. "let me tell you a little story, first?" She asked.
"I'm all ears." I said, picking the glass back up. I needed to focus on something, and my hands wrapped around the glass helped.
Kenda sighed, and started picking at the hem of her shirt. "About two years ago, I ran into them." She
rubbed her brow and giggled. "Literally… I was entirely too clumsy at the time, and I tripped one day and landed on Paul." She was smiling, at I'm sure was the memory. Shaking her head, she continued. "Anyways, he was really sweet. He helped me up and we talked for a little while." Her hands were ringing around the end of her shirt. "We went out a few times." She smiled again. "Things got really heavy between us…" She looked up, and into my eyes. "When I ended up waking up in his bed alone one morning, and he was no where to be found, I got up…got dressed, and left."
I sighed, and offered her my sympathy.
She forced a smile, nodded and then continued. "I didn't hear from him for two days. When I went back to school on Monday, everything was different." She rubbed her face. "He was such an asshole. And all the others followed his lead. They treated me like shit. Tripping me. Pushing me." Her hands dropped to her lap and she sighed. "Kind of like how they treated Izzy Swan."
I froze for a moment. Not really sure what to say, I opened my mouth and shut it a few times. Looking over at Angela, I begged her with my eyes to help.
Kenda didn't notice the exchange of looks, as she continued talking. "When I confronted him one day, asking him why he was treating me the way he was…" She shook her head again. "He told me to suck it up and find Izzy Swan, so I could wallow with her." She stood up and walked closer to me. Sliding onto the sofa next to the chair she said, "After a little while, everything just…stopped." She sighed. "They weren't mean to me anymore. In fact, they ignored everyone. The only ones they talk to anymore are each other… but… I cant forget how they treated me." She said, sadness engulfing her. And I felt so bad for her, because I knew what she was going through. That inner battle.
"I'm sorry." I whispered, as I reached out to take her hand for some small amount of comfort.
"It's okay." She smiled. "Anyways, the reason why I'm here." She looked at Angela quickly before turning back to me. "I saw the guys earlier… and they were talking… about… you." She stood and started pacing in front of the chair. "I cant let them do to you what they did to me and Izzy." She stopped for just a second, before continuing her path. "I left a few notes in his locker…and I told him to leave you alone… but they don't seem to be backing off." She stopped directly in front of me. "I wanted to warn you."
Angela coughed, directing my attention towards her. She nodded at me, and then nodded towards Kenda. I felt like I could trust this girl. I saw the same hurt there that I felt for so, so long. With my decision made, I spoke. "Kenda?"
I waited for her acknowledgement. "Yea?" She asked.
I smiled briefly. "I wont let them get that close to me. They cant hurt me."
"But you cant know that!" She said, dropping back down onto the sofa. "I've seen how they are!"
I sighed and stood. Walking over to the window, I leaned against the sill. "I'm going to tell you something." I said. "But, you have to promise me…that it doesn't leave this room. I have my own reasons for keeping this to myself." Looking down at the floor that suddenly became really interesting, I waited for her to agree.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
I grabbed the hem of my shirt, and twisted it between my fingers. "My real name is Isabella Marie Swan." I said. I looked up, and saw nothing but confusion running through her eyes… so I broke it down a little more. "I use to be known as Izzy Swan." I whispered out.
I wasn't sure she heard me, until the 'holy shit' echoed across the silent room. She stood quickly and crossed the room. Pulling me into a loose hug she whispered into my ear. "I didn't even know it was you. You look so different." She finished, as she pulled away from me and looked me up and down.
"I know." I said, chuckling. "You cant tell anyone." I reminded her.
"Oh. Your secrets safe with me." She smiled. She stood there for a moment before clapping her hands. "This is going to be more fun than I thought."
Her laughing was infectious, and I couldn't help but join in.
Angela broke the short laughing fit, as she stood and crossed the room to us.
"How are we going to get these guys back?" She asked as she leaned against the wall next to me.
Kenda smiled mischievously. "I have a few idea."
I smiled back. "Me too."