Bella stopped at Joy Ateara's grocery store to purchase everything she needed for homemade sub sandwiches, multiple bags of chips, and a case of soda.
Keeping step beside her, Leah asked, "Jesus, Swan. Hungry?"
"I planned on making snacks for me and the guys before tutoring," Bella explained. "It's kind of our Friday night thing." Trying to ignore the sadness she felt knowing Embry wouldn't be there, Bella forced herself to smile at her new friend. "You'd be welcome to join us, of course. That is if I can get Jake and Quil to focus on homework after we tell them…"
A gruff female voice interrupted, "What are you telling my boy?"
Bella spun on her heel and instinctively reached to hug Quil's mother, Joy. The short, thin woman hugged her back with surprising strength. The familiar blend of cigarette smoke, camphor, and Chanel No 5 immediately brought back memories of Joy in her youth.
As she pulled away, Joy searched Bella's face worriedly. The older woman's face was prematurely wrinkled, and her steel-gray hair pulled back in a tight chignon. Her sleek black henley and jeans immediately reminded Bella of her similarly simple wardrobe, providing a tiny epiphany for the younger woman. She had never considered Joy's influence on her as a child. As she looked her over now, their similarities were easy to see.
Her voice cracking as if she smoked at least two packs of menthols daily, Joy pressed, "Isabella, is something wrong with Quil?"
"No. Well… not yet, anyway. We just left the beach, and…"
"Oh, lord," Joy interrupted and shook her head. "If you're gonna tell me you saw Embry running around with Sam's boys…" She sighed and began walking toward the checkout counter. "I already know it."
Leah glanced at Bella in confusion and asked, "So, does Quil know Embry's taken up with them?"
"Not yet," Joy said as she punched numbers into the register. Bella began placing her items on the counter, and Joy continued, "Not unless someone told him at school today. I know they had a big fight last weekend, and Quil thinks Embry's just mad at him. I know he and Jake aren't too fond of Sam lately, and…" Joy hesitated and glanced at Leah as if gauging her reaction.
"You haven't had the heart to tell him," Bella finished for her.
Joy shook her head no as she opened a paper grocery sack and began ringing up the items. "I guess you're planning on telling him, huh?"
"Yeah, kinda. I mean…"
"Total is thirty-seven sixteen, kiddo," Joy said and sighed.
Before Bella could insert her debit card, Joy hit a button, and the register opened with a loud pop. The receipt fluttered out of the printer, and she tossed it into the trash.
Bella began, "I didn't…"
"Don't worry about it," Joy said as she lifted the sack and pushed it into Bella's arms. "Don't think I don't know my garbage disposal of a child won't eat more than half of what's in there. Besides… you're about to have a conversation with him that I, quite frankly, didn't want to have. Consider it collateral."
Bella chuckled, unable to help it. "That's one way to bargain, I guess."
"Believe it or not, Bella, Quil respects the hell out of you. He'll take it better coming from you. I've never been fond of Embry's mother, and I don't think Quil would take it the same way from me as from you. He'll know you're telling him to protect his feelings, not to take a stab at him and Embry." Firmly meeting Bella's gaze, Joy added, "You girls keep that to yourself, now, you hear?"
Bella crossed her heart and winked, ignoring the soft smile on Leah's face as she watched them in silence. "I'll call you with a heads up if he goes ballistic."
"You do that," Joy said, motioning for another customer to approach the counter. Bella and Leah hurried back to the truck and drove to Billy's.
The girls were ready and waiting at the kitchen table when Jacob and Quil got home. They had decided to let the guys eat before telling them about seeing Embry. Quil was always calmer with a full stomach. With Jacob, it could go either way. Neither would be very happy, though. Billy was already eating in the living room, and Bella could practically hear Quil's stomach growl when he saw their plates waiting for them.
Jacob pulled Bella into a warm hug in greeting before setting his bookbag on the floor next to the kitchen table. Quil followed suit and hugged Leah as well. Bella handed the boys their plates and watched them immediately dig in as she and Leah sat at the table with them.
When everyone was finished, Bella gathered their plates and Billy's to wash. Leah shooed her away from the sink, nodding toward the boys for Bella to go ahead and talk to them.
Quil's eyes narrowed at them suspiciously as he caught the silent exchange. "What are you two acting all secretive about, huh?"
Jacob looked over at Bella as she sat back down and asked, "Everything okay?"
Bella took a deep breath and asked, "When was the last time you two talked to Embry?"
Quil immediately scowled as Jacob said, "Oh, here we go."
"Whatever, dude. He's still acting like a jerk," Quil said. "Fucker won't talk to me at all ."
Bella asked, "What did you two fight about?"
"Nothing important," Quil said, though his eyes flicked toward Leah and back.
Bella nodded her head once, slowly, recalling the hurt in Quil's face Saturday morning. She still didn't understand why it had upset him so much. Maybe it was intuition of some sort? His grandfather was a shaman, after all. Supposedly, many gifts ran in the Ateara bloodline. Did Quil sense a rift coming? Had he felt Embry pulling away from the group somehow?
Tentatively, Bella asked, "Did you know he's part of Sam's group now?"
The notebook Jacob was pulling from his backpack slipped from his usually steady hand and clattered to the floor as Quil asked, "Come again?" Both boys looked positively green as they looked at each other in disbelief.
"No way," Jacob said and shook his head. "Embry hates those guys. He wouldn't ditch all of us for them just because he and Quil got into it."
"He did, though," Leah said as she turned off the faucet and turned to face them, leaning against the counter. "Bella and I saw them together today on the beach. I know we all thought he was sick, but…" Wide-eyed, Leah shook her head. "He's changed, guys. He's not sick."
Bella nodded again and said, "He's huge. Like, grew inches in height overnight, huge. And…" she blushed as she thought of his newly muscular shirtless form. "Buff."
"Buff?" Quil snickered and rolled his eyes. "You're telling me that m- that our Embry is buff and got taller?"
Equally confused, Jacob asked, "Overnight?" The boys looked at each other and chuckled awkwardly.
"He buzzed his hair, too," Bella said. "I didn't recognize him at first glance."
"Neither did I," Leah muttered. "It explains why we hadn't noticed him around. He's ditching school and looks completely different. He's been right under our noses all week."
Quil's brow furrowed in anger, though he kept his stern gaze on Jacob's worried one.
Bella said, "Guys, I'm really sorry, but… He said he wasn't going to be around for a while. Sam was being all Alpha-male-ish, snapping in my face…"
Jacob stood abruptly as his face reddened in anger. "Sam did what?"
Bella leaned away from him. His immediate mood change made her nervous. Jacob rarely got mad, and Bella had never witnessed him slip from calm to furious in less than a second. Nervously, she swallowed as guilt filled her belly. She hated telling him things she knew would upset him. However, Bella would never leave her best friend in the dark. Especially when he'd been her personal sunshine during her darkest moments.
Bella laid her hand on his chest, looking him in the eye, and said, "Jake, Honey, it's fine. I handled it. Okay?"
He took a deep breath and slowly sat back down as he asked, "What did he say to you, Bells?"
Bella described the entire interaction as her boys and Leah fumed. When finished, Leah angrily smacked her hand on the countertop. She, Jacob, and Quil all looked ready to blow. Bella wrapped her arms around herself, uneasy with the rising tension in the room. She stood and moved to the opposite corner of the kitchen.
Leah hissed, "You didn't tell me Sam was so hateful earlier. I shouldn't have left you there by yourself with them. That won't happen again."
Leah's chest rose and fell with her rapid breath, her sharp cheekbones tinged pink. Even when furious, Leah was beautiful. Bella's cheeks filled with heat as she forgot to breathe. Their eyes met, and despite Leah's angry expression, Bella could see the affection for her behind them. Bella's breath released in a sharp gasp, and she turned her back to them as she coughed.
Shit. Breathe, Bella, for fuck's sake!
Somehow, her internal monologue sounded like Embry. It was all too much. As Bella turned back toward her friends, she snapped, "I hate this! I honestly wish we'd never run into them today… or, at least, that Sam's nosy ass would have let me talk to Embry in private for five minutes."
Leah's hands balled into fists as she hissed, "I want to punch Sam in the face right now."
It surprised them all as Jacob laughed and said, " Easy, Killer."
Quil's eyes sparkled with humor despite the scowl on his reddened face as Leah snorted. Bella was relieved to watch them each calm down somewhat, but it didn't stop the onslaught of tears that suddenly poured out of her.
All the anger fled Leah's face, and she rushed over to hug Bella before either boy could blink. Rubbing Bella's back with her hands, she cooed, "Geez, Bella. You sure have had a shit day."
Bella choked out a laugh and rolled her eyes. Each of Leah's affectionate gestures throughout the day had been as unexpected as Embry's appearance, and Bella was unsure how to feel about them.
Ever concerned, Jacob asked, "What else happened today, Bells?"
She spent the next ten minutes describing her outburst in class, leaving the boys in tears of laughter and providing a welcome distraction from the Embry situation.
Afterward, the friends decided homework was out for the evening. They each needed better distractions, but Bella was exhausted. She offered to take Leah home, but the older girl opted to stay for a while. Bella told them all goodnight, hugged Billy before she left, and went straight to bed when she got home.
Sorry, this one was on the shorter side, guys. How do you feel about the developments happening here?
Also, I just want to remind everyone that despite some of what happens in some of the coming chapters - this IS eventually, and ultimately, a Leah/Bella story. Please have patience. We'll get there, I promise. xo.