One Week Later
Bella tapped her pencil on her thigh to muffle the noise of her quickly manifesting anxiety. Mr. Molina droned on and on about mitochondria for the millionth time, and the subtle tap of tiny paper balls landing in her hair was infuriating.
All because Good Ole Molina had to single me out. Again. It was an advanced class; any other student could have answered.
Since losing his favorite student, Edward, Molina developed a penchant for drawing attention to Bella alone. The show of favoritism did not sit well. She wondered if he was secretly punishing her for the departure of his most brilliant student.
If only he knew Edward did not know the answers most of the time, opting to read them like a prompter on Molina's massive forehead instead.
It was bad enough that high school seniors were acting infantile. That the culprits were once her friends and co-worker were worse. Every time Molina looked toward the blackboard, a new spit wad struck her. Although they did not hurt, every ping against her hair or skin made her jerk. Each connection straightened her spine as her anger built, filling her like a balloon figure as she slowly inflated.
By the time Bella counted to twenty, she had enough, snapping the pencil between her fingers and letting the broken ends clatter to the floor. Mr. Molina turned around to scan the room for the unexplained noise. When his eyes landed on Bella, he opened his mouth to address her.
"No," she interrupted him firmly.
The room went utterly still as he frowned in confusion. "Pardon?"
"Whatever you were going to ask, I don't have the answer. There are thirty other students you need to pay attention to in this room," Bella snapped.
Jessica Stanley couldn't stifle a laugh but clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle herself.
Tyler leaned over to whisper something in Mike's ear, and the blonde boy snickered. Further incensed, Bella stood and stomped across the room to Mike and Tyler's lab table. Each boy leaned back in his chair, unaccustomed to the anger emanating from her. Bella flipped her hair over their table and shook it with her hands, letting the tiny paper wads fall across the tabletop like hail. Each boy leaned back as their contraband rolled toward them.
Bella tossed her hair back as she stood up straight. "That's the only way any of your goddamn bodily fluids will ever get in my hair, Mike! Save your spit for later. I'm sure you'll need it for your hand during those extra-long bathroom breaks at Newton's tonight."
Laughter erupted among the other students as Mike's face turned beet red, and Mr. Molina cried, "Isabella!"
As she returned to her desk for her belongings, Tyler smirked at Mike and hollered, "What about me, Bella? Do I still stand a chance?"
"Tyler, you never stood a chance. You hoped I'd go on a pity date after you nearly killed me with your van." More laughter followed as she shoved her textbook into her backpack and zipped it shut. "What the hell is it with the enormous van, anyway? Are you compensating for something? Is there a mattress in the back you'll never use?"
Tyler and Molina held identical shocked expressions as even Mike snorted out a laugh. Despite embarrassing him, Mike met her gaze with pride. Bella was unsure whether Mike was proud of her for standing up for herself for once or how thoroughly she had embarrassed Tyler.
It was odd, either way.
Without waiting for Molina to release her, Bella strolled past her classmates toward the door. "See you dickwad's Monday," she hollered, uncaring about the month of detention she would likely receive.
Bella ran through the hall, deciding she was breaking all the rules anyway, and headed for the exit. It was the fourth period, and the attendance count no longer mattered. Bella unlocked her truck and climbed inside. She fired the ignition while shutting the door, determined to leave the lot quickly.
Bella cursed while turning out the parking lot, remembering that Charlie was off work. No doubt Mr. Molina's no-nonsense policy implied he was filling out a detention slip at that very moment. She hoped Charlie wouldn't ground her for her behavior. Keeping Bella from La Push would only hinder his recent attempts to cure her zombie-like behavior. Her boys gave her purpose.
When she walked through the front door at home, Charlie glared at her from his recliner and grumbled, "School called."
Bella smiled at her father as she closed the door and set her backpack down. "Wow. Record time."
"What happened?"
"They didn't tell you?"
"Oh, Molina told me plenty. Said he's not gonna give ya detention because you've been much more attentive this week, and he knows you were having a difficult time. He's concerned about your mental health since you snapped at the entire class."
Bella snorted. "I did not snap at the entire class. I disrupted the entire class, and then I left."
Charlie shrugged and asked, "Because?"
"They pissed me off. Molina constantly singles me out, and everyone else makes snide remarks about it. Mike and Tyler kept shooting spit wads at my hair. I loathe the kids who used to be my friends because they all treated me like crap since I started dating Edward. I'm over it, Dad, and I lost it."
Charlie stifled a laugh, but his crow's feet and the merriment between them gave him away. "Well, I jumpstarted your temper, didn't I? Did you truthfully say the shit Molina didn't want to repeat?" He made quotation marks with his hands as he imitated her painfully awkward science teacher.
"You know, you're as bad as the kids sometimes," she grumbled. Remembering her rude observation about Molina's forehead earlier, she admitted, "Me too, though."
Charlie laughed and then repeated her insults to Mike and Tyler verbatim. He outright cackled as her cheeks reddened, and she nodded. More to herself than him, she muttered, "I really said all that shit, didn't I?"
When Charlie finally calmed, he said, "I don't care, kiddo. I'm glad you stood up for yourself. If he gave you detention, I'd have told him to kiss both of our asses. So, Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley, huh? They're not sexually harassing you, right? Because I can fix that problem."
Bella sighed with relief despite the mild threat in his tone and shook her head no, dislodging a lingering spit wad from the tangles of her long hair. It bounced on the floor at Charlie's feet, and he harrumphed. As Bella bent to retrieve it, he dove for it first, nearly knocking their heads together.
"What are you doing?"
He held it up in triumph before putting it in his shirt pocket. "That's DNA, kid. I'm gonna scare the hell out of those boys."
Bella blushed again as she pleaded, "Dad, no. I just told you they're not sexually harassing me. They both used to ask me out all the time. When I got with Edward, that stopped. After today, I doubt they bother me anymore."
Her stomach rolled as she thought about the repercussions at school. Mike and Tyler were part of the 'it' crowd. Her outburst today was to stop them, not goad them on.
"Don't worry, kiddo," Charlie said as if reading her mind. "It won't come back on you later. I promise."
"How did you…"
He chuckled. "You're just like me, Bells. You look like your mom, but… we have the same temper and worry about the same bullshit. Go find something fun to do. See Jake or Quil or something. I believe you promised your uncle a visit, anyway."
Charlie didn't have to tell her twice. Bella bent down to grab her wallet and truck keys from her backpack, then glanced at the clock on the television and frowned. Jacob, Embry, and Quil would still be at school for a few hours. What the hell would she do in La Push by herself? Perhaps Billy was home, and Bella could make snacks for him and the guys. She wondered if they would prefer a heavier meal as she recalled her friends' gaining appetites. Bella still couldn't fathom how they had eaten so much on spaghetti night.
An idea struck her as she thought about the last large gathering at Billy's. "Ern… Dad, you went fishing with Harry this morning, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Do you know if Leah is home today?"
"Only one way to find out," he answered. "Swing by there and see? Sue's off today. I bet she'd be glad to see ya."
"Ern… okay," Bella said, unsure why Sue would be interested in her company. "Later, Chief."
"Don't worry 'bout supper. I'll order pizza," Charlie said, looking toward the television.
"Sounds like a plan." Bella pulled the door shut behind her and practically skipped to her truck, hoping Leah was home.
The Clearwater house looked dark inside, and Leah's car was the only one there. Bella hesitated before climbing out of her truck, hoping Leah was home and would want to hang out, at least until school was out. Bella usually tutored the guys on Friday evenings, getting homework out of the way before the weekend.
After sitting in her truck for a while, she finally mustered the courage to walk to the front door. Bella tentatively raised her hand to knock, but it swung open before she could do so. Leah stood behind it, smirking as she peeked around it at Bella.
"Bout time you climbed out of the truck," Leah teased, appearing pleased to see her. Bella couldn't help but smile, grateful she hadn't blushed. "I heard you pull up. I was wondering if you were scared to come to the door." She gestured for Bella to come inside.
Bella stepped into the Clearwater living room, surprised to find it much brighter than expected. The kitchen and living room were one wide-open space with light gray walls, white trim, and walnut-stained hardwood floors. The kitchen was small, but an open peninsula provided ample counter space. Top and bottom kitchen cabinets spanned the front left corner of the room, stained to match the floors. The shiny floors reflected bright white appliances and a white table and chairs in a small dining area in the rear left corner. A window over the sink and sliding glass patio doors behind the table and chairs flooded the space with ample lighting.
To the right of the large room sat the living room area. A navy blue couch, loveseat, and matching recliner sat angled around a fireplace with a TV mounted above it. Gray and white throw pillows littered the sofa and loveseat. A wide wooden coffee table sat centered in front of the couch. A massive, soft gray area rug brought all the pieces together, leaving the room with a cozy, comforting ambiance. Even Esme's impeccable taste couldn't compare. It belonged in a magazine. Bella loved the space immediately.
Leah asked, "So, what are you up to, anyway?"
This time, Bella blushed. "Yeah. I sort of cut school today after losing my shit in class. Charlie said you might be home."
Leah's eyes sparkled with interest as she grinned. "You lost your temper, cut class, and Charlie's sent you here?"
Bella's hands slid into her back pockets as she rocked on her heels. "He's not mad at all, actually. He was glad I stood up for myself."
Leah glanced down to take in her visitor's nervous ticks and chuckled. "Well, I need to hear this story, then." She stepped around Bella and pulled a pair of sandals from the small shoe rack by the door. "You wanna go to the beach for a while?"
Bella grinned and nodded. "Sounds great."
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