Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter eleven of "Into the Shadows." Mike makes his return in this one. I felt it was time to do so. The rape will happen in the next few chapters. Stay tuned for chapter twelve.
XXXXX
Chapter 11: Good Times
Light rain fell on Forks in the early afternoon three days later. Trees dipped and swayed in the wind. A young man drove his truck down the street. He spotted a white sign saying 'Newton's Olympic Outfitters' in large dark red letters coming into view on his right. He pulled into the parking lot. He turned off the engine and put on his hood before getting out.
The man went inside the store, blowing a bubble in his gum. On the outside were kayaks lined up in a row on either side of the door. The interior had a number of sections dedicated to various items it sold. Among them were fishing rods, bait, clothes, cups, and others. The bathrooms were in the back, as was an employee break room.
Bella looked up from putting plastic cups on a middle shelf not far from the man. The cups were all different colors and had eagles, whales, dolphins, and bears printed on them, removable tops, and lifting spouts. A box filled with them was near her.
"Good afternoon, sir," Bella greeted.
"Good afternoon to you, ma'am," the man replied warmly and stopped in his tracks.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Bella asked.
"I'm just here to get a drink," the man answered and cleared his throat. "Thanks for the offer, though."
"You're welcome. Let me know if you need any help," Bella said and smiled.
"Sure," the man said and looked toward the box. "Watch the cups closely. They will run away if you don't."
Bella laughed as the man walked off. She proceeded to put more cups on the shelf. She sighed happily as she thought about the last six months. She recalled meeting Quil, Embry, Seth, and Leah when she visited Jacob at his house a month after the prom. She got along well with all of them. Jacob, Quil, and Embry told her about Sam having a strange influence on some of the Quileute youth in La Push. Leah spoke of the beginning of her and Sam's relationship and its ending after they grew apart following three years together, the emergence of her jealousy when he began dating her cousin, Emily, and getting past it, and her uneasy relationship with her mother, Sue, over her tomboyish ways and desire to hang around Jacob and his friends.
Her thoughts drifted to Edward. She thought falling in love with a vampire was exciting and frightening at the same time. She was happy with how she was close to all the Cullens, except Rosalie. She loved shopping with Alice and joking with Emmett. She occasionally sought out Carlisle and Esme for advice. She took comfort in the fact that Rosalie was nice to her sometimes and even thought she was pretty. She was saddened when she and Edward parted yesterday afternoon. He reassured her he would be back before she knew it. She took that to heart.
She started thinking about Jessica and Angela. She was disappointed to learn they had plans to spend time with their families in Port Angeles when she called and asked if they could come over tonight. Jessica would be riding go-carts while Angela would be going bowling. She knew Eric was out of the question because he had been sick since yesterday with a stomach virus. When she got into work this morning, Bruce told her that he and Karen would be attending a birthday party for Oliver Hartson with family friends, Perry and Piper Peterson, who lived with their son, Brian, and worked as lawyers in Port Angeles. Jacob came to see her a little later. He asked her if she wanted to have pizza with him and his friends. She declined because she did not want it two nights in a row.
Bella finished the shelf and started on the top one. Fifty-four-year-old Bruce approached her. He resembled Mike, except his hair was completely gray and cut in a crew style. He was muscular and was as tall as his son was. His face had wrinkles here and there. He stopped next to her while rubbing the back of his neck with both hands.
"You're doing a fine job, Bella," he said proudly.
"Thanks, Mr. Newton," she replied. "People can't get enough of these cups. They keep flying off the shelves. They might as well grow wings."
"I'm going to have to order a warehouse full of them to keep up with demand," Bruce mumbled annoyingly.
Bella held up a cup. "The best thing about these is they keep your drinks cold for a long time."
"Yeah," Bruce agreed as she placed it on the shelf. "Mike adores his cup. He always takes it with him when he goes for a run."
"I always had to have water nearby in Phoenix during the summer," Bella said.
Bruce looked toward the window. "We're lucky here in Forks. We rarely get hot summers. Unfortunately, we get lots of rain."
"In Phoenix, you're lucky if you get rain three times a year," Bella said, putting a cup on the shelf. "I have to admit that I miss the heat. I was used to it after living in it for so long." She laughed quietly. "Jessica joked that people in Phoenix were supposed to be tan when I first met her. I replied that was may be why they kicked me out."
"Jessica is a good girl, but she has such a big mouth," Bruce said, rolling his eyes as he turned back to her. "She couldn't stop talking for one second while I rang a coke she was getting up."
She gave a shrug. "I can't really blame her for her big mouth. She always finds something new to talk about. Of course, it does get annoying after a while."
Bruce smiled. He was glad to know that he wasn't the only one who felt the same way about Jessica's constant talking.
"Karen and I are looking forward to going to Oliver's birthday party with Perry and Piper tonight. It's going to be a blast," he said excitedly.
"I have no doubt Mike will enjoy having his house all to himself," she said.
"The same goes for Brian. He loves it when his parents leave him home alone because he can play his music loud. Perry and Piper have told him it will damage his hearing, but he doesn't listen," Bruce pointed out.
"I bet he'll think differently when he finds he's having a hard time understanding people's words," Bella said honestly.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Mike hardly listens to loud music, even when he wears headphones."
She gave a thumbs-up. "Good for him."
Bruce laughed and pretended to punch Bella in the arm. She looked at her watch and let out a long whistle.
"Wow. My shift is already over," Bella said in amazement. "Where did the time go?"
"Time flies when you're kept busy, doesn't it?" Bruce replied with pride.
"Definitely. I'll see you Monday," Bella said.
He pointed his finger at her. "Be prepared. I'm making everyone who comes in Monday dance all over the store."
She laughed. "I'll prepare for that. See you later."
Bella headed toward the back. Bruce watched her until she was gone. He saw the man approach him with a coke. He took him to the cash register and typed in the price.
"That will be one dollar and fifteen cents," Bruce announced.
"Okay," the man said, grabbing his wallet from his pocket. He got a five-dollar bill and handed it to him. "Here you go."
"Okay," Bruce replied and typed in the amount to ring it up. He got his change and gave it to him. "Three dollars and eighty-five cents is your change."
"Thank you," the man said.
"Have a good day, sir," Bruce replied. He watched him and Bella leave. He grabbed a pen and jotted down notes on a notepad as they started up their trucks.
00000
The rain had stopped by the time Bella pulled her truck into the Swan residence's driveway ten minutes later. She turned it off and got out. She pulled her keys out of her pocket as she approached the front door. She searched through them until she found the correct one. She unlocked the door and opened it, its hinges squeaking somewhat. She closed it behind her.
She tossed her purse on the couch and headed for the kitchen. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet next to the sink. She headed for it and turned on the water. She filled it up until it was halfway full. She turned it off. She took a small sip as she returned to the living room to sit on the couch. She picked up the remote sitting on the end table and turned on the TV and VCR. She began watching a recorded episode of Press Your Luck she started on this morning before leaving for work. She set her glass on the end table.
Bella propped her head up with her elbow. She didn't want to spend tonight alone in the house. She began thinking about what she could do. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. She and Mike could spend some quality time together. She knew he'd love that. She rubbed her hands together before taking three deep breaths.
She reached over to grab her purse. She dug through it until she found her cellphone and pulled it out. She searched through her contacts list until she found his number of which happened to be 668-9084. She pressed call and put it to her ear. She ran her tongue all over the inside of her mouth. heard it ring three times before she heard a click.
"Hello?" Mike said.
"Hi, Mike," Bella replied.
"Hey, Bella. What's shaking?" Mike asked happily.
"I'm watching Press Your Luck right now," Bella answered.
"I love that game show! My favorite part is the Whammies," Mike yelled in great delight. "They are hysterical."
"My favorite Whammy is the Cyndi Lauper Whammy," Bella commented in much sweetness.
"Mine too," Mike responded. "Who can resist singing, 'I want money! I want money! I want money! Cash!' when she comes on?"
"I know what you mean. Her hair is absolutely wild," Bella exclaimed.
"People of the 80s could get away with wearing their hair like that," Mike said.
"You want me to style your hair into an afro?" Bella joked.
"No, thanks," Mike replied, making a disgusted noise. "It'd look too weird."
"Aw, man!" Bella whined and pretended to cry. "You always have to ruin my fun!"
"Keep whining," Mike said mockingly. "I love hearing it."
She looked at her cellphone and blew a raspberry at it. She heard one come from him. She pictured him smirking from that in her head. She placed it back on her ear.
"Mike, I want to ask you something," she said.
"What?" he asked.
"Would you like to spend some time together?" Bella replied with much curiosity.
"You really want to do that?" Mike asked, his voice showing hints of excitement.
"Yeah!" Bella responded eagerly. He cheered loudly, causing her to pull the cellphone away from her ear. She put it back on her ear. "You are loud."
"Sorry. The good news is that my parents don't care if I go out with any of my friends tonight," Mike said.
"Great. Would you like to go to the Carver Café for dinner?" Bella wondered.
"That sounds good," Mike answered and made a slurping sound. "How about we hang out at my house after that?"
"Okay. I'll pick you up at six o'clock. I'd like to get a shower," Bella said, jerking her thumb in the direction of the stairs.
"That's fine with me. I'll see you later," Mike commented with a delighted squeak.
"You too," Bella said and hung up. She slipped her cellphone in her pocket. She grabbed the remote to turn off the TV and VCR. She threw it on the couch before getting up. She grabbed her purse and headed upstairs. She hummed to herself as she snapped her fingers. She was looking forward to spending time with Mike.
00000
Mike drank water from a glass in front of the Newton residence's sink window in the early evening. The kitchen happened to be rather large. The walls had tan paint on them. A sliding glass door let out to the backyard. The square-shaped dining table had four matching chairs around it. A painting of a running tiger hung above it. The top of the doorway had scratches along it.
Mike placed the glass in the sink. He headed into the living room and sat on the couch to resume watching a recorded episode of Scrabble. The room was medium-sized. White paint covered the walls. An oak coffee table sat in front of the couch. A TV was on a wooden stand that had a compartment below it in the corner. A VCR was on the second of two shelves.
He propped his head up with his elbow. He was looking forward to spending time with Bella. He enjoyed her company greatly and never passed up an opportunity to hang out with her unless he had plans with his parents. He wondered what she wanted for dinner at the Carver Café. He wasn't sure what he wanted himself yet.
Honking snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked toward the window and saw her truck in the driveway. He laughed in delight and grabbed the remote off the coffee table to turn off the TV and VCR. He tossed it on the couch. He stood up and walked out the door, locking it with his key. He came to the truck's passenger side.
"Hey there, Arizona!" Mike greeted.
"Hey yourself, California. You ready to eat?" Bella asked and gave the horn another honk.
"You bet! I'm starving," Mike said while getting in.
"Don't think of eating the walls after dinner. They're not for dessert," Bella joked.
"Okay. I'll eat your hair for dessert," Mike said and moved his eyebrows up and down.
She shook her head rapidly. "I don't think so."
He smirked widely as he put on his seatbelt. "I think so."
Bella blew a raspberry at Mike, which made him laugh aloud. She pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street.
"Have your parents gotten to Port Angeles yet?" Bella wondered.
"Not yet. They left about thirty minutes ago," Mike responded and scratched his neck.
"They must enjoy spending time with Mr. and Mrs. Peterson a lot whenever they get together," Bella said.
"They sure do," Mike said with much pride. "They did it all the time when my parents and I were living in Sacramento. Brian and I were close friends. When I told him my family was moving, he was very sad. I promised we'd visit as much as we could. He said the same." He let out a small sigh. "Once every four months, our families alternated visits between our cities. When I learned from Dad that the Petersons would be moving to Port Angeles at thirteen years old, I was very happy. Just like before, we alternate visits between our cities every two weeks."
"Wow," Bella whispered and smiled as she remembered her summer arrangement with her father.
"Brian's parents met Mr. Hartson at a café not long after moving to the area and became good friends with him," Mike pointed out softly. "Mom, Dad, and I met him soon after during our first visit at their new house."
"I have no doubt that house is big and expensive," Bella commented with a soft snort.
"Oh, it's both and very beautiful. It has a nice-sized indoor swimming pool. I've gone swimming there a few times. Brian threw me into the pool every time," Mike said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Bella giggled quietly and pressed her lips together. Mike winked at her and put his hands behind his head. They bounced in their seats when she hit a bump. He laughed cheerfully.
"What a bounce!" Mike shouted in excitement.
"No kidding! I thought I was about to hit my head on the ceiling!" Bella exclaimed.
"You want a sunroof?" Mike asked as he touched the ceiling and acted as if he were going to push on it.
"No, but I'd love one installed in the truck," Bella admitted.
"Cool," Mike said and turned on the radio. Phil Collins's Something Happened On the Way to Heaven started to play. "I love this song. It's got such a great beat."
"Yeah. Phil Collins is one of the best singers in the world," Bella said.
He started moving in his seat as if he were dancing. "Not to mention he's wonderful at playing guitar and drums."
"Can anyone in your family sing?" Bella asked.
"Nobody in my family can sing worth a crap," Mike responded truthfully. "Brian has a good singing voice. So does his mother. His father's voice is only okay. What about your family?"
"Mom has a great singing voice. She got it from Gran. Dad and I can't sing at all," Bella said.
"It seems the singing gene decided to skip a generation," Mike said.
She shrugged. "Maybe it did. Maybe it didn't. Who knows?"
Mike winked at Bella and became still. She slowed down when she went through a puddle. She sped up as she passed a deer grazing on grass.
