CHAPTER THREE
They take the cruiser to La Push on Saturday.
Charlie drives more carefully than usual, taking his sweet time getting to Billy's house. Bella glances at him from the passenger seat, the afternoon glow of the sun bringing out the slightest bit of auburn in her hair. Normally, she'd worry about him in silence, but they're trying this new communication thing, and she wants to do better. She wants their relationship to be better.
"I bet he's not even mad anymore, Dad," Bella assures him.
Billy and her dad had been friends for what seemed like forever; they'd been best friends since before she was even born! They seemed inseparable, and perhaps they had been until the Cullens had rolled into town. Her dad had supported Carlisle's presence at the hospital, and not without justifiable reason; Carlisle was doing amazing medical work, and, Charlie had noted, was doing said work for half of what he'd get if he'd gone to a bigger city to work. Billy hadn't felt the same. According to her father, Billy and many other residents of La Push stopped going to the hospital the second Carlisle showed up. Billy had been vague about the entire thing, but he'd made it very clear that he'd rather die than go anywhere near the Cullens. Despite Billy never giving a reason for hating the Cullens, Charlie was adamant that he should've taken his friend's concerns seriously instead of brushing them off.
Billy had reported feeling uneasy around the Cullens and not wanting Charlie to let Bella associate with Edward, and Charlie had taken offense to that at first. Now, though, he'd seen first hand how the Cullens operate, such as leaving his daughter in the woods in the middle of the night where anything could have happened to her. However, even with that realization, Charlie didn't know how to apologize to Billy for not believing him.
"Billy can hold a grudge," Charlie grumbled, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. Bella absently registered that she did the same thing when she was nervous. "Both of us said some things...I don't know. I don't know if he'll even want to see me."
"The least you can do is try," Bella said. "Besides, it's not just you he's going to have words for. He told me to stay away from the Cullens, too, remember? We both blew him off. As far as I'm concerned, we're both on his shit list. Which is exactly why I spent the morning slaving away in the kitchen."
Bella glances behind her to look in the backseat, making sure the pans of food hadn't toppled over. She'd spent the morning making lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and chocolate chip cookies. She figured that Billy would feel more inclined to hear her and her father out if they had gifts to accompany their apologies. And Jacob was a bottomless pit; the second the dessert came out, Bella would probably have her best friend back.
"I feel like it's worse in my case, though," Charlie groused, steering neatly around a pothole.
Bella hadn't been in La Push since the beach trip she took when she first arrived in Forks, and before that, it had been years since her last visit to this side of town. There were many people she didn't recognize, but a few people around her age that she vaguely remembered. Maybe she'd played with them when they were kids.
"I've known Billy for decades," Charlie continues quietly. "He wouldn't have had a reason to lie. You've only known the Cullens for a year, and you had just moved to Forks. You needed something new and shiny to keep you from dying of boredom."
They shared a smile.
"You said it yourself, Dad. You've been friends for decades. Neither of you should let this little spat be the end of that friendship. Today's the day to get everything out in the open. You both have to open up."
"I hate it when you're right."
Charlie parks the car outside Billy's house. It's the very last house on the street, far away from the others and right on the edge of the expansive woods. Bella smiles as she gets out of the car, recalling how much trouble she and Jacob would get into for making mud pies and tracking their mess into the house. And there, at the picnic table on the end of the woods, Bella spent time with Rachel and Rebecca, letting them play with her hair and nails. Looking back on it, Rachel and Rebecca never suffocated her with fashion like Alice did.
Shaking her head, Bella grabbed the food from the back seat, Charlie helping her.
Walking up to the front door, Bella takes a deep breath before knocking. Her hearts pounds furiously in her chest.
The door creaks open, and Billy stares up at them, utterly unimpressed.
Bella figures she and her father look downright pitiful; both of them clutching trays of food, faces forlorn, yet hopeful. Just when Bella thinks Billy's going to slam the door in their faces, he wheels himself backwards to allow them inside. Charlie exhales heavily behind her.
"You two got some nerve," Billy grumbles, wheeling himself over to the kitchen table. Angry, but not too angry to turn down a free meal. Bella gently sets the food down on the table, Charlie following her lead. She glances at her father, and he steps forward.
Bella smiles as Billy's hardened face softens just a little bit, and she excuses herself, giving them some privacy.
She'd been sitting on the porch for maybe ten minutes when Jacob shows up, two other boys flanking him. One of the boys points at her, shaking Jake's shoulder roughly, and Jacob's head swivels in her direction. Bella raises a hand sheepishly.
Jacob says something to his friends and they leer and jostle him a bit before walking off.
Bella stands, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jacket so he couldn't see her fidget. Jacob's long legs have him standing in front of her in seconds, and she gapes up at him. She was pretty sure he wasn't this tall the last time she saw him, which was at the dance last year.
His vertical growth spurt wasn't the only thing different about him. Jake's face was starting to rapidly lose its baby fat, showing a rather chiseled jaw underneath. His hair seemed thicker and longer, too, reaching way past his shoulders. His arms, good lord, his arms; Jacob looked like he bench pressed motorcycles in his free time.
Jake cleared his throat, and Bella flushed, jerking her eyes back up to focus on his face. He smirked.
"First time seeing me in months, and you only want me for my body."
"In your dreams," Bella grinned. "I'm just baffled that you grew so much. I distinctly remember a time where I was taller than you."
"That was never a thing, shrimpy. You've always been vertically challenged, and it's okay, it isn't your fault. Some of us just have superior genes."
It felt just like old times. Bella missed him, and hadn't even realized how much she missed him until just then.
"I'm sorry," Bella said, and the smile drops from Jacob's face. "I haven't been a very good friend to you lately, have I? I've been so caught up in myself and my stupid problems, and you've been there for me, and I don't think I've ever even asked you how your day was. How was your day, Jacob?"
Jacob shrugs, the smile returning to his lips. "I hung out with Quil and Embry today. Embry and I kicked Quil's ass on his playstation. Embry's mom made cake, too, and I shamelessly consumed two huge slices." He pauses, and says slowly, "What about you? How have you been since..."
"Since Edward Cullen left me in the woods?" Bella supplied cheerfully.
Jacob flushed.
"I've actually been pretty good," Bella admitted. "I mean, I'm not okay, but it's okay to not be okay, you know?"
Jacob opens his mouth to respond, but the front door of his house creaks open, and Bella and Jacob both turn to see a red eyed Charlie standing in the doorway. At first, Bella fears that her father had just lost his best friend. But the smile he gives them assures her that Charlie and Billy are back to being thick as thieves.
Charlie tells them to come inside so they can get ready for dinner. Jacob goes in first, nearly bowling Charlie over at the mention of food. Bella lingers in the doorway with her father, raising her eyebrows at him. He nods, and Bella feels like a weight is lifted off her shoulders. Her dad throws an arm around her shoulders and leads her to the kitchen.
The food had gotten a bit cold, so Bella slips it into the oven to warm up while Jacob and Charlie set the table. It's refreshing to see her dad and Billy bickering just like they used to. Bella looks at her father's face, which is practically glowing with his joy. Billy's face mirrors her fathers, and Bella hates herself just a bit for dating Edward Cullen, for making her dad feel like he had to pick sides. The self hatred lasts for all of fifteen minutes before Bella stomps the thought away.
It isn't her fault that Edward turned out to be a shitbag, and it also isn't her fault that the Cullens happen to be vampires. She couldn't keep shouldering the blame for things that had nothing to do with her, it was unhealthy and she refused to go back to the smelly zombie she had been just a few days ago.
Once the food was reheated, Bella, Charlie, Billy, and Jacob squeezed around the table to eat together.
Bella smiles as Jacob piled more salad on his father's plate, taking away the extra piece of garlic bread the older man had grabbed for himself. Billy opened his mouth to protest, and was swiftly silence by Jacob's arched eyebrow. Pouting just a bit, Billy poured the ranch dressing over the lettuce and dug in, grumbling half heartedly under his breath.
Charlie looked at Bella from across the table and smiled.
Things were looking up.
After dinner, Bella and Jake left their fathers to watch the game on TV while they went for a walk. Bella knew she needed to speak to Billy alone and planned to do so after the game, wanting to let her father have some time with his oldest friend. Jacob led her down to the beach, their shoes sinking into the sand with every step. Bella made a mental note to shake her shoes out before the weekend was over.
"So, any La Push drama I need be caught up on before I inevitably make a fool of myself?"
Jacob laughed, swinging an arm around her shoulders and knocking them together. If not for him holding her up, she would've collapsed face first into the sand. He led her to a fallen tree a few yard up from the shoreline, and they perched themselves upon it, Bella swinging herself up so that she could rest her entire body on the trunk.
"Well," Jacob deliberated. "The biggest scandal on the block right now is the one between Sam, Leah, and Emily. Damn near everyone in La Push is taking sides, and it's making an even bigger mess."
"Leah?" Bella frowned, the name familiar. "Leah Clearwater?"
Bella hadn't seen Leah since they were children. Their last interaction had been before Jacob's mom had passed. Around that time, too, Bella had started coming to Forks less and less per her mother's persuasion.
"Yeah," Jacob sighed, one leg bent other him, the other swinging above the sand, the tip of his toes occasionally bringing up a small cloud of sand. "Leah and Sam were engaged. They were supposed to get married once Leah got done with high school, and Leah was planning on staying in-state for college so they'd be close. Everything was going great...until Sam disappeared for a couple of months."
"Months? Where the hell was he?!"
Jacob shrugged. "He's been pretty tight lipped around it. Apparently only Old Quil, my dad, and Harry and Sue Clearwater know, but they won't talk. Anyways, Sam disappeared for months, and not once did he call or write to Leah. She didn't even know if he was alive or not. Then, all of a sudden, he turns back up in la Push, and, boy, has he changed! Sam was maybe five foot ten when he disappeared. When he comes back, guess how tall he is?"
Bella shrugged.
"Six foot four," Jacob says, leaning forward. "It may not seem like a big deal, but no one in Sam's family has ever been that tall. And, Bells, Sam came back jacked. Dude could hold his own in a fight before, but now he looks like he could pick a person up and skip them like a stone on a river."
"Jesus," Bella murmured, shivering as a cool breeze washed over her, blowing her and Jacob's hair all around her heads, and in sync they raise a hand to push the strands back. "So, what happened with them and Leah?"
"Sam comes back to La Push, and no one except my dad and the others knew that he was back for several days. They kept it real quiet. Leah finds out that he's been back and she goes off, rightfully so in my opinion. They fight, and Leah forgives him, and - "
"You don't sound too happy about that." Bella smirked as Jacob blushed. "You soft on her or something?"
"Let me finish the story!" Jacob snapped instead of answering the question. Bella raised her hands in surrender. "Leah forgives him, and it seems like maybe they're back on track to being married. Well, that lasts for about a week. Leah comes home from work one day, and what does she find? Sam fucking Emily in Leah's bed."
"Okay, so, having sex with another girl in his fiancé's bed? Cold blooded by itself. But who is Emily to Leah? Why is she so important?"
"Emily is Leah's cousin and best friend."
Bella chokes.
"Yeah, exactly!" Jacob looked absolutely disgusted by the entire situation. "Leah and Sam fight again, this time with Emily in the mix trying to make excuses for herself. Sam starts spouting all this bullshit about how he had never wanted to hurt Leah, but he didn't want to marry her anymore because he wanted to be with Emily. Now, here's the real kicker. Leah's parents, Harry and Sue, knew that Sam was interested in Emily since the day he got back from wherever the hell he disappeared too. When Leah found out about that, on top of walking in on Sam and Emily, she was practically foaming at the mouth. Damn near ripped Emily's eyes out.
"The entire thing was months ago. But the reason it's still going strong is because people have been picking sides, and Sam's side seems to be very popular."
"That's bullshit," Bella snarled, incredibly defensive over a childhood friend that she hadn't interacted with in a decade. Maybe it was because she, herself, had been so recently screwed over by a man and knew what it felt like to be so utterly disrespected, but her veins pumped viciously with red hot anger at the thought of Emily living large despite being a home wrecker. "Sam's a piece of shit and anyone who supports him is trash by association."
"That's what I said!" Jacob exclaimed, shooting up from his seat on the tree and pounding his fist into his palm. "If Sam didn't want to be with Leah, all he had to do, literally all he had to do, was just say so. Instead, he strings her along and fucks her cousin. And he doesn't just fuck her cousin, no, he fucks her in Leah's bed! And now he's walking around here, him and Emily both, demanding Leah's forgiveness as if they haven't publicly humiliated her, as if they haven't betrayed her, as if they did nothing wrong!"
"I can't believe her own parents aren't on her side," Bella said with a scowl. "They're her parents! It's their job to be on her side in situations like this! Charlie would've rammed Edward off the road if he did something like that to me."
Jacob scowled as well, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Well, apart from his little disappearing act, I guess people feel bad for Sam because he's been doing his best to clean up the Uley name is entire life. His dad was a deadbeat, see, a drunk and abusive to Sam and his mom, so he's bee doing a lot of volunteer work. Helping old ladies, doing good in school, helping the younger kids out, that kind of thing. I heard he even ran a drug dealer out of town. I guess they figured he's earned one fuck up for all his hard work."
Jacob's snide tone and scrunched up face tells Bella exactly where Jake thought Sam could shove all his hard wor.
"Something else is bothering you," Bella guessed, standing too. "What's up, Jake?"
He's silent for a few minutes, and Bella waits patiently for him to gather his thoughts. Finally, he sits back down and Bella follows.
"Sam's been...looking at me weird."
"W-What?" Bella stammered. "Weird how?"
"He," the noise that emits from Jacob's chest can only be described as a growl. "He keeps looking at me as if he's waiting for something! And it's not just him, it's his creepy ass friends, Paul and Jared, too. They just stand and watch me. The other day, when we were looking for you, after Sam gave you to Charlie, he just stood there staring at me expectantly. I've told me dad about it, and what did he have to say? Nothing helpful, just told me to ignore it.
"Hey," Bella whispered, frowning at the violent way Jacob's arms and shoulders shake, as if he's vibrating. "Hey, listen to me. Are you listening?" Jacob's head jerks up and down in a nod. "I know I haven't been a very good friend lately, but all that changes today. I was planning on bringing brownies to Sam on Sunday to thank him for finding me in the woods, but if you want me to, I can poison them.
Jacob's shaking comes from laughter now.
"You'd really poison them?"
"Of course! Bella Swan is a bringer of justice."
"My hero!"
Bella knocks her shoulder against his.
"I'm serious, Jake. If Sam's making you uncomfortable..."
"I'll deal with it," Jake sighs, kicking his right leg back and forth. "Somehow."
"Gotta admit, I was real surprised to see you and your dad on this side of town," Billy says as Bella finishes washing the last of the dishes and packing up the remaining food in Tupperware for Billy and Jake to eat later.
"Yeah, well, we had some ass kissing to do," Bella smiled. "He did his part already, and now it's time for me to do mine."
After placing the last container in the fridge, Bella turns to face Billy head on.
"And what would you be apologizing for?" Billy says, as if he already doesn't know what mess she got herself into.
"For not listening to you when you tried to warn me. You were right, Billy, when you said they were dangerous. That they'd hurt me. And, yeah, maybe they didn't personally hurt me physically, but emotional scars are scars all the same. You gave me a heads up, went out of your way to do so, and I still didn't take you seriously. And for that, I apologize."
"Hm," Billy sniffed. "I suppose you've learned your lesson now?"
"Big time." Bella laughed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'd like to limit my time spent with the - "
Bella and Billy both turn their heads to look out the window where Charlie and Jacob were outside talking, wanting them to be out of earshot for what she was about to say next.
"The supernatural," Bella finished.
"Good. I'm glad you've seen the error of your ways. I trust we won't have a repeat incident?"
"No repeat incidents," Bella swore. "Scouts honor."
Soon after, Bella and Charlie are on their way home, Jacob and Billy disappearing from sight as they drive down the road. They're both exhausted, ready to crash into their beds and get ready for the next day.
As they cross the border separating La Push from Forks, Bella reaches over and grabs her father's free hand and squeezes. He smiles down at her.
They were going to be okay.