Chapter Six:

I had been staring at the ceiling of my room for the last half hour. The rest of the girls had woken up not too long after Lauren had ran out. After telling them that Lauren had some family emergency, Whitney volunteered to take Jessica and Angela home. She was already leaving early because she had work later.

Once everyone left and I figured Lauren had reached home I called her house a few times (no answer) and left a voicemail before giving up and going to lay back down.

I hadn't realized how close I'd become to Lauren since being back but now it was all I could think about. Don't get me wrong, Lauren was gorgeous and interesting to be around. I was flattered, but I wasn't attracted to her. I considered Lauren a close friend and I worried about what this would mean for that. Was this just a fluke? Some impulse based on curiosity. Or did Lauren… like me? I hadn't given her any hints or flirted with her, Had I?

Finding no peace in my thoughts, I decided to go for a jog. It was lightly drizzling, just enough where I needed to put on a hood. I took my iPod and earphones as well. Dad didn't like me running with music, saying I needed to be aware of my surroundings, but I needed the distraction.

The time went by fast, too fast, and before I knew it I was back home. Out of breath and drenched in a mixture of sweat and rain.

I push the door open, locking it behind me and taking out my earphones. The smell of coffee instantly greets me.

"Helena?" Bella calls from the kitchen. She's leaned over, rummaging through the fridge.

I give a hum of acknowledgment, too out of breath to fully answer, before hopping on the kitchen counter.

I take a few seconds to collect myself before asking, "What'cha doing?"

"Making breakfast," Bella answers, pulling out some ingredients from the fridge and setting them on the counter. Then she pulls out an ice-cold bottle of water and hands it to me.

I immediately chug it down, the coolness soothing me.

"Have I ever told you you're the best sister in the world?" I compliment.

"Not nearly enough" Bella deadpans, "So, what happened to everyone? I thought I heard someone run out of here this morning."

I bit my lip, a nervous tick that I hadn't done in years. "Yeah, that was Lauren. She had a family emergency and had to leave. Whitney took Jessica and Angela home."

Bella nods quietly, starting to cook.

I watch her pull out pans and mix eggs, finding myself enraptured at the calmness of it all. I'd always wished I was good at cooking. The monotony of following a recipe. The sound of pots and pans and sizzling and clanking, all mixing together to form one melody. It just seemed so relaxing.

"Hey," Bella nudged me, "Everything okay?"

I guess I'd been too quiet for too long. "Yea," I sighed. "Everythings fine."

There was an awkward pause. "...You know you can talk to me right?" Bella spoke, eyes trained intensely on the stove

And I did desperately want to talk to Bella about it. To get everything that'd been bothering me off my chest. All the emotions and feelings flittering around my head. But the words got stuck in my throat. Telling her about what happened felt like I'd be betraying Lauren. I didn't even know where to begin talking about my dream. And I'd seen the way her and Jacob had interacted. Telling her about the random butterflies I'd felt when oogling him or about the unpleasant feeling in my stomach when he lit up at her presence felt wrong.

"Of course I do" I smiled, hoping it reached my eyes.

I could tell from the doubtful look in her eyes that it didn't, but she didn't comment on it. That's one of the things I loved about Bella. She always seemed to know how to deal with people. When to be there, when to give them space, how hard to push.

"Well, I'm gonna hop in the shower."

"Good," Bella commented, "You're stinking up the kitchen."

I stuck my tongue out on her before hopping off the counter and heading upstairs.

Charlie and Bella were already halfway done with their plates when I finally reemerge. He has a newspaper in his hand but it's lowered as he chats with her. They give me a small nod and thin smile when I come into the kitchen, and I chuckle at how much alike they can be at times.

I make myself a plate of the food still on the stove before sitting down with them. I listen in but don't make an attempt to join. It's rare to see these two having a full conversation and I don't want to ruin it. You know, like when you make eye contact with a baby deer for a full ten minutes but then you make one move and it takes off.

Bella was apparently thinking about getting a job at Newton's store. I honestly was surprised it had taken her this long. Bella always kept a job back home. She didn't like depending on others. Or rather, she wasn't used to having someone that was dependable (a common side effect of living with Renee).

"So, how's school going? Meet anyone" Charlie asks us.

"A few people… Do you know about the Cullens?"

I raise an eyebrow at Bella, my sister-senses going off. She had mentioned the Cullen boy a few days ago ( Edmund or something). I hadn't paid it much mind but if she cared enough to ask dad about it maybe I should've.

Bella pointedly ignored my glance. She was focusing sheepishly on Charlie, who had looked up sharply at her words.

"Are people talking about them again?"

"No… well, a little" Bella admitted.

"Why are people talking about them?" I butted in, my interest now officially piqued.

"Just 'case they're newcomers. We're lucky to have a surgeon like at our podunk hospital. Lucky his wife wanted to live in a small town. Lucky his kids aren't like a lot of the hell-raisers around here."

"...Okay" Bella obviously hadn't expected such a strong reaction."

"I just don't like narrow-mindedness" Charlie grunted, glancing at his watch. "Look at the time. I better start getting ready" he muttered, raising to clean his now empty plate.

Bella stopped him. "I'll take that dad."

She gathered the dishes from the table and walked over to the sink.

"Hey Helena" Charlie spoke, a little lower than usual. Kind of unsure.

"Hmm?"

" You know the college over in Seattle? Well, they have a softball team and I was thinking we could catch a game sometimes. For old times' sake. I know you were bummed about there not being one at your school. And, well…I know it isn't the same but-"

"That sounds great dad" I cut him off, giving him a big smile.

"Yeah?" he asks.

"Yeah. Just let me know when."

"Will do kiddo."

I practically jumped for joy at the sound of a truck pulling into our driveway. I had spent the two hours stewing in my thoughts and their arrival was a welcome distraction.

At the sound of knocks, I raced downstairs, racing past dad who was already on his way downstairs.

"I got it!"

I open the door to find Leah and Harry. I instantly squeal and throw my hands around her.

"Leah!". I rock her side to side and though I can't see her, I can feel her smile.

"Hey, Helena. Long time no see." she laughs.

"See Charlie, that's how you're supposed to greet your friends" Harry comments.

I finally let go, stepping back to get a good look at her. She was a little bit taller than me, coming to just about her dad's shoulder. Gone are her puffy cheeks, her baby fat replaced by sharp, chiseled features. Her long, black hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she wears these pretty, wooden earrings. They look hand-carved.

"Hey Harry," I greet, giving him a warm hug too. "You've barely aged!" I exclaim.

And it's true. Apart from some graying, he looks exactly the same as the last time I saw him when I was just a knock-kneed preteen.

"Aw, don't flatter him kiddo" Charlie calls out from behind me, walking up to give Harry a pat on the back in greeting. He's wearing full fishing gear- complete with overall and flannel and a bucket hat. He looks almost comical.

Harry and Dad only stayed for a little while longer before taking off, saying something about getting there before the sun started to set and telling us to be safe.

Bella drops me and Leah off at the movies and leaves. I had invited her to go but she said she had homework to do.

Me, Bella, and Leah all get into the truck. The ride is quick, filled with me and Leah making casual conversation and Bella chiming in occasionally. She drops us off, declining the offer to go with us. I don't bug her about it. She had already spent the entire night with me and my friends last night so I give her a break.

The theater has a very homely style of glamour. It's not that big, with only a few movie rooms. The walls are wood with red decorations and warm lights.

"Okay, so what do you wanna see? Personally, I'm stuck between Sky High and Mr and Mrs Smith-"

Leah answers quickly before I can barely finish the question.

"Sky High," Leah says.

"Okay…" I answer, unsure of her rushed response. "Not an Angelina fan?"

" No, I'm just not in the mood for a romantic movie. Even ones with hot spies."

I nod.

"So, how have things been? "

" Pretty good. Seth's been annoying," Leah huffs but there's a fondness in her eyes, "He's been like ten times more hyper and energetic since he started highschool. I didn't even think that was possible. And you should see my dad. This fishing trip is all he's been talking about for the past week."

I laugh at that. Charlie had been the exact same way, as giddy as a schoolboy. Not that I could blame him. I had been the same.

"I can't wait to see what they catch. I've been missing your dad's fish fry."

"Same. My mom's been cracking down on Dad's eating so we haven't had it in a while."

Leah excuses herself to the bathroom moments later and I browse through the posters for upcoming movie releases.

I spotted DJ sitting behind the ticket booth. He looked bored, eyes closed, and reclined with his feet up on the desk.

I quietly creep beside him and shake his shoulders "DJ!".

He jumps up, eyes wide and looking around before settling on me.

"I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's bad policy to sleep on the job."

"I wasn't sleeping," he rolls his eyes. "You know, maybe I shouldn't give you these tickets"

I spot Leah coming out the bathroom. Her eyes scan the room quickly but she seems to miss me so I wave her over.

"You get your ticket yet?" Leah asks. Wait, did I forget to tell her we didn't have to pay?

At that DJ buts in. "No!" He says, perhaps louder than he meant to. I turn back to him to find his eyes trained on Leah. He looks around, clearing his throat before continuing at a normal volume.

Leah just stares at him blankly for a second before turning to me and raising her eyebrows, sending me a silent Is he okay?

"I mean, it's on the house. Anything for a dear friend." He types away quickly and two tickets come out. He practically rips them out. "Anything else? Candy? I can-"

"No, we're fine" I pat Leah's bag. It's full of the leftover snacks from last nights sleepover.

'Right" He lets out a nervous laugh, "Well, here you guys go. I mean, not guys-"

I pluck the tickets out of his hand, putting him out of his misery.

"Thanks, DJ" I say. Leah follows me, throwing a polite thank you over her shoulder to him.

I turn back to look at DJ and see him still staring at the back of Leah's head. I send him a teasing smirk and he just flushes more.

The movie is great. Goofy, yes, but still endearing and fun. We laughed the whole time and I made a mental note to add Warren Peace to my list of fictional husbands.

We stop at the Ice cream place next door while waiting for Bella to come pick us up. Somehow we get on the topic of DJ.

"He was practically eye-fucking me all day."

" Yeah," I sigh, "he means well though. Honestly-"

"No, no, it was fine" she shakes her head. "Kind of endearing actually." Leah's lips twitch into a small smile. "If not for-"

Leah pauses, trailing off. She looks up at the sky, which was now a dark, pretty blue and filled with stars. Just as I was about to speak of something else she continues. "You heard about Sam?"

"Not really" I answer, careful to keep my voice even to not give too much away. "What happened?"

Forks was a small place, La Push even more so. Of course it had reached me. Even if Jacob hadn't told me, I would've found out eventually. But I don't say this to Leah. I want her to tell me more about what happened.

Leah shoots me a look at that. "I know you've heard about what happened. Everyone knows"

There's a bitter bite to her words and her eyes glisten. I look away. At that moment I'm not as curious as I was before. I don't want her to talk about it. I feel bad for making her think about such a sore spot just because of my nosiness.

"I'm sorry," I say after a few beats of silence.

Because that's what people say whenever something bad has happened and they don't know what else to say. But as I say it, it rings true in my ears. I am sorry that this happened to Leah. I'm sorry that she's in pain and that she was betrayed. I'm sorry that Rebecca and Rachel and me moved away, and that she hasn't had anyone to talk to.

Leah doesn't say anything for awhile. I turn to look at her then and the tears have started to slip down her face. I go to give her a hug but instantly reel the moment touches her skin.

It's unusually warm. Even through her clothes. Not enough that it burns or anything, but enough that it takes me by surprise.

I visibly flinch, not that Leah seems to notice. Instead of hugging her, I just give her a small squeeze on the shoulders. It's very light (as much as I can stand to touch her without burning myself) but she seems to take notice anyway. She gives me a small smile but doesn't move to face me.

"Thanks." Leah finally says.

"I just feel so much pain and anger and hurt. All the time. Some days It's like it's all I can feel. And no one wants to talk about it. But you know what the worst part of it is? The confusion… I know Sam loved me. He wasn't faking it. And I know Emily like the back of my hand. She's a great person and an even better cousin. They wouldn't just hurt me." The last sentence comes out in a lower tone, barely audible, "I'm missing something. And it just drives me crazy that I can't figure it out."

I spent the rest of the weekend working on my project and catching up on some other schoolwork. By the time Monday rolls around I feel much lighter.

I had tried calling Lauren a few more times and even considered going to her house, before deciding to just give her a little space. I mean, Forks wasn't that big and we were in the same class. We'd run into eachother eventually. But apparently eventually wouldn't come as fast as I would have expected.

Lauren didn't come to school Monday. Whitney says that Angela told her that Lauren had caught whatever was going around school. The two girls had actually gotten really along well and exchanged numbers when Whitney dropped her off.

The whole lunch table was currently discussing dress-shopping plans for prom. Well, most of the table. Kirk and Nicolas were having their own conversation and DJ wasn't there. He had to stay after class for something.

There weren't exactly a lot of options to choose from, so most people usually shopped at the same places. We'd have to get a headstart before all the good dresses got taken.

"The best one is this little boutique in Port Angelos," Nicole explained, "There's also this one place in town called 'Tremaine's'. But everything there is hand-made so it's pretty expensive."

"Could we try Tremaine's first?" Beth asked, pushing her slipping glass further up her nose. "I don't have time for a trip all the way up to Port Angelos. I have like, three quizzes this week I need to study for."

"See. This is why I told you not to take two AP classes." Whitney replied, to which Beth just rolled her eyes.

Just then, a sudden body dropped into the seat next to me.

DJ turned to me immediately after sitting down.

"Who was that girl with you last night?"

"Who?" I ask, playing dumb.

He sends me a look that says really?

"You know who i'm talking about. You have to introduce me." The words tumble out of his mouth quickly, eyes pleading.

I find myself feeling a pang at his hopeful expression.

"That's probably not a good idea," I sigh "She just got out of a relationship"

"So, she's single." He smiles brighter at that.

"No. I mean, yes she is single, but it was a bad breakup. And it's really recent. I don't think she's ready for a relationship." I reply gently but firmly.

"Oh." He replied, looking dejected. I soften at that.

" Look, I'll tell her you're interested. But I just don't want you to get upset if she's isn't."

He beams at that. " Thank you Helena! I won't."

I actually manage to beat Bella to the car today.

I hop in, spreading out so that my feet lay against the driver's door. My eyes close and I hum to myself.

Minutes pass and I begin to wonder what was taking Bella so long (she wasn't actually taking that long, but patience was never my strong suit). Just then I hear the loud sound of a horn. Everything next happens so fast.

There's the sound of a loud horn beeping, then the shrill sound of metal on metal. A terrifying combination that I don't think I could ever forget. There's a pressure on my lower leg, like something pushing against it. I have only a second to comprehend it before the pressure explodes into searing pain.

I hear the crack. Cracks. The world fades to black and the last thing I can remember was the deafening sound of screams in the air. My screams.