Bella pulled into the lot by Joy's convenience store as the girls decided what to have for lunch. Bella offered to make one of Seth's favorites, a specific cold sub sandwich with lots of fresh veggies and dip on the side. They hoped it would put him in a good mood since he'd been so snappy with Leah lately.
As they climbed out of the truck, they turned toward the sound of yelling. Each dropped their jaw as they spotted Sam and Paul arguing as they walked toward them. Both young men looked bruised and bloody, barefoot in their cutoffs, and seemingly furious with each other.
As they moved apart, an amused Jared appeared behind them. He looked up, and his gaze met Bella's as he chuckled and said something. Sam and Paul each glanced toward them and then glared at each other. Despite his temper and swollen, busted bottom lip, Paul looked back at Bella and grinned.
Glaring at Sam, Leah slammed the passenger door shut. "I'll see you inside, Swan."
Sam grumbled something at Paul as he crossed the street, jogging toward Bella, and Paul yelled back, "Well, it's a good fucking thing you're not."
Bella could have sworn she heard Sam growl as Paul reached her. She shrieked as he hoisted her, hugging his arms around her hips. Bella tried to be discreet as she nervously peeked toward Sam and Jared's opposite facial expressions, gauging their reactions. Sam still looked pissy, but Jared gaped at them in disbelief.
Bella grinned at Paul as their eyes met, sliding her hands over his shoulders as he slowly lowered her, bringing their lips together. Bella's eyes fluttered shut as she tightened her hold on him, parting her lips for him to slip his tongue inside. His hands moved, one at a time, to her ass as her legs wrapped around his waist.
"Aw, no way, Paul. You dirty dog!"
Her eyes opened as they pulled apart. Without looking toward Jared, Paul raised his hand to flip him the bird. Jared's cackling made Bella bite back a grin, but the hateful scowl on Sam's face made her blush with embarrassment.
Stupid, judgemental prick.
Paul buried his nose against her throat and sighed before whispering, "You smell like last night."
She giggled. "Your shirt must. I showered."
She frowned as she inspected his bruised face and swollen lip. Bella raised her hand to touch his lip. So, there had definitely been a fight. She almost felt guilty about bitching out Nosey Caldwell. Almost.
Suspicious, she asked, "What happened?"
Paul sighed as he patted her butt, a sign she recognized now, for her to unwrap her legs so he could set her on her feet.
When he didn't answer, she asked, "Can't tell me, huh?"
"Don't worry about me, Ducky. I'm fine."
She teased, "Do you want me to take the shirt off and flex my muscles? My hair is pretty wild today. Think I'll scare anybody?"
Bella grinned as he threw his head back and laughed. She waited for him to quiet and whispered, "I guess it's good you left when you did. The neighbor heard fighting behind the house and called Charlie."
His brow furrowed as he looked away guiltily. Bella asked, "Did you get into a fight behind my house this morning?" Bella glanced at Sam's smug expression and asked, "Was it because of me?"
Paul sighed. "You're just part of it, Ducky. Some people think you make poor decisions. And, they think I'm just another one of those. But those same people just want to protect you, and I get that. Everything is… Well, it's not fine, but it will be. Shit happens."
Bella asked, "Was it with…' She tilted her head in Sam's direction.
Paul laughed. "No, actually. He hopped in to help me out." Raising his voice, Paul hollered, "Even if he thinks I'm a dumb, selfish bastard. "
Facing Jared now, Sam yelled, "You are! "
Barely a whisper, Bella asked, "Does he know?"
Paul snorted. "Oh, yeah. But you're a consenting fucking adult. It's fine."
Bella glanced toward the convenience store to show she was talking about Leah.
Paul's eyes widened as he caught on and laughed. "No. Definitely not."
He suddenly leaned down to sniff her neck, then whispered, "I showered at your house."
"I didn't even notice."
It made her giggle as he playfully nipped at her collarbone and growled. "You're lucky, Little Duck. I don't have a shirt to trade you because I'd take that back. Don't wash it."
She cringed, laughing as she asked, "What? Why?"
Paul whispered, "Because it smells like your…"
Sam interrupted him, yelling, "Paul! Let's go!"
Paul's braying laugh left her blushing furiously yet again. "I'll see you around, Ducky." He swiftly kissed her cheek and bolted away from her toward Sam.
Bella shook her head at them as they walked away, almost immediately resuming whatever argument they were having before spotting her. She wondered why Sam let Paul do whatever he wanted when no one else seemed allowed.
Who the hell had Paul gotten into a fight with? Which of the guys had shown up at her house to start it? It had to have been Quil or Jacob, she thought, frowning. Embry was far less antagonistic than they were. And, after refusing to talk to him the night before, Bella could easily see Jacob showing up the following morning.
She sighed in frustration as she headed into the store, wondering when people would stop meddling in her business.
Leah had already gathered everything they needed for lunch and was waiting at the counter. Joy looked down at Bella's shirt and shook her head, remaining silent as she took Bella's debit card.
Bella asked, "Is something wrong?"
Sternly, Joy asked, "You foolin' around with that boy?"
Trying to sound as casual as possible, Bella answered, "Paul is my friend. We're not serious or anything. We're not even dating."
"Yeah, honey. You and every other girl around here. Keep that in mind." Lowering her voice, Joy nodded toward the furthest aisle and said, "We sell condoms here if you need 'em. I already tossed a box in your bags. I won't say shit to your dad. You're a grown-ass woman. But that boy has been inside more holes than a sand crab. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"
Bella nodded despite her aggravation. Joy never reprimanded or discouraged her unless she felt it was necessary. She cringed as she glanced toward Leah, who looked equally reprimanded. Neither of them had insisted on protection, and it was a stupid thing to do. Bella, at least, had started birth control at fifteen. She did not know if Leah used any or not.
Trying to end the lecture, she said, "I've known Paul my whole life, Joy. Believe me. No one is more surprised that he can be charming than I am. I know his reputation, though. I remember who he truly is. I won't let him hurt me. It's not like that."
A hint of a smile crossed her face as Joy teased, "You're wearing his shirt and kissing him outside my store, Little Bird. Looks an awful lot like 'that' to me."
Little Bird. The nickname only existed because Paul had made that childhood summer Bella's personal Hell. Bella asked, "How do you know it's Paul's shirt?"
"Because it used to be Quil's." Joy laughed. "I bought that shirt for Quil two years ago at a festival. Does Charlie know about Paul?"
"He knows we're friends."
"Mmm-hmm. You be careful, now." Joy returned to the register to wait on another customer as Leah and Bella gathered their bags.
On the way to the truck, Leah asked, "Since when does she call you Little Bird, too?"
Bella shook her head. "It isn't often. Maybe three other times in my life. That's how she lets me know she's concerned."
Leah said, "Maybe she should be…"
Bella eyed her friend warily as each climbed into the truck and shut the doors. "Why would you say that?"
"For one, we did incredibly stupid things last night, and she was right. I've done nothing but bitch about what a little slutbag he is and then just… I don't know. I'm dumb. I'm older than both of you, and I feel kind of responsible. Are you on the pill?"
Bella guffawed. "I wondered that about you. I'm good. You are not dumb! And you're not responsible. If anything, I talked you into it."
"Okay. Whatever. Also? Same. But, like… not again. We're not gonna be idiots about that again, right?"
Bella laughed as she nodded. "Right."
Leah frowned again as she said, "I saw his face, Bells. I'm pretty sure I know who was in a fight in your backyard this morning. We just didn't hear it."
"He said as much." Bella started the truck and reached for her seatbelt. "He didn't say who it was with, but I'm assuming Jacob or Quil. I'm not sure it would take Paul and Sam to take Jacob, but Quil is a beast. Then again, Jake's bigger than him now." Bella gave Leah a worried glance and asked, "Shit, what if those two tried to gang up on Paul? You think?"
Leah chuckled, shaking her head. "I don't know, Swan. It's possible. I think Joy would have mentioned it if they had. Are you going to tell Charlie? What if he sees Paul with his face busted like that? Or Jake, or Quil?"
"The truth, I suppose," Bella said as she pulled onto the road. "He and I have this whole honesty thing going on, and I'd rather not fuck that up. He will find out, one way or another."
Bella couldn't help but consider going to see Renee. Maybe some distance would do everyone some good.
"Leah?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to go to Florida?"
"What?" Leah scoffed and asked, "Where did that come from?"
"I'm still considering going to see my mom. Will your job let you take a leave of absence?"
For a moment, Leah looked like a deer in headlights. "I… don't know, Bells. Probably not. I haven't been there long enough."
Bella asked, "What if it's for your mental health, and you have a doctor's excuse?"
"Well… Maybe? But, look, Swan. I can't afford a trip to Florida." Leah shook her head. "I only have my car savings and can't touch that money. It's taken too long to save it."
"I understand," Bella said, nodding. "I'll have to replace my rusty beast eventually, too. Especially since my mechanic and I are on the fritz."
"I can't believe you didn't talk to him last night." Leah chuckled. "That took some balls, running off to Paul like that."
"I wasn't ready to talk to him. He wants to clear the air, and that's fine. He wants to be 'cordial,' he says. But I'm not ready yet. Motherfucker broke my heart, and he'll have to deal with it."
"Good for you," Leah said with a firm nod of approval.
As Bella turned into Leah's drive, she asked, "So, if you could go with me and didn't have to pay for anything, would you go?"
Leah reached for her seatbelt and said, "That's a lot of expenses, Swan. Look, I'm not the type to just let someone…"
Bella said, "I know that, Leah. And I won't expect anything back for any of it. The more I think about going, the less I want to go alone, even though a break from certain people might do me some good. You are not one of those people. You or Quil would be my choice."
Leah laughed. "Quil would insist on bringing Embry if Sam would even let them go."
Bella nodded as she shut off the truck and undid her seatbelt. "I mean… I'd take them both if I could afford the food bill." As Leah laughed and opened her door, Bella added, "But it would probably cause more problems with Jake if I did."
Leah asked, "Didn't you four talk about going on a road trip to see your mom this summer that night we drank in the garage?"
Bella climbed out of the truck and reached for one of the grocery bags. "Yeah. Among other plans."
Leah asked, "So, what was the trip plan?" Grocery bags in hand, she shut the passenger door with her hip. "How were you guys planning to afford the trip?"
As Bella followed Leah inside, she explained, "We talked about renting a van or an SUV. We'd be taking camping gear and planning routes where we could save money by using campsites or sleeping in the car when necessary. Lots of towns sell bundles of pre-cut firewood at hardwood stores and shit. We'd take coolers full of food instead of eating fast food because there's no reason we couldn't stop at grocery stores along the way, right? We could slap sandwiches together right there in the fucking car. Truck stops have showers, although I've used them on road trips with Renee. They can be pretty gross. Gotta watch out for truckers who mistake you for a lot lizard or try to follow you in the showers. But I would have had the guys look out for me with that, so none of us were overly concerned about it. Sometimes, campsites have showers, too. Those are usually surprisingly clean if you can ignore a spider or two. Our major expenses would have been gas, vehicle maintenance, and food. Maybe staying in the occasional motel when necessary."
They put the bags on the counter and quickly unpacked them. Leah grabbed platters and a cutting board from the cabinets. As they washed their hands and began making lunch, Leah asked, "How did you plan to afford all of that?"
"Well… we were all supposed to save our spare cash, but the guys kept having to buy clothes. I spent my savings helping feed them. They were just growing like fucking weeds. It was so weird."
Leah said, "It is weird. Seth's doing the same thing. He only has three shirts because in the next week or two, they probably won't fit, and Mom will have to buy more. And he's hot, all the time. Like, always super warm."
Bella frowned. "He's going to end up running around with them, too."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Leah said, nodding. "Anyway, tell me the rest."
"Credit card," Bella admitted. "Splitting the resulting cost four ways and all paying it back."
"That's ludicrous. Those three aren't responsible enough for that." Leah grinned. "You'd ruin your credit for a few weeks on the road with those idiots?"
Bella scoffed. "Yeah. Probably. But," she added bitterly, "that was before I knew I had the mysterious influx of cash in my bank account. I probably could afford to take Quil and Embry, now."
She stopped what she was doing to smile at Leah, sounding slightly more flirtatious than intended as she said, "I'd rather bring you."
Leah teased, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather take Paul?"
Bella said, "I don't think my emotional state, patience, or vagina could handle that much time with Paul."
Cackling, Leah said, "Amen." She hesitated before asking, "So…did you have fun?"
Bella instantly turned red from her scalp to her hands, sending Leah into another cackling fit as Bella tried not to grin.
"Shut it," she murmured.
"I'm glad you had fun." Leah grinned, her eyes shining with tears of laughter.
Bella took a calming breath and shook her head. The experience hadn't lessened her attraction to Leah in the least. Seeing her let go, laughing so hard, moved Bella somehow. Seeing Leah look that happy the night before, simultaneously looking nothing short of sinful, naked in her bed… It took a moment for Bella to speak.
"Thank you. For everything. I'm not sure any other experience will ever measure up to that."
Leah asked, "Are you sore today?"
"A little. It's not bad, though."
The last thing Bella expected Leah to say was, "Paul's right. He's pretty average, size-wise. A little above in girthiness. He's a little on the shorter end, to my liking. But he knows what he's doing with it."
Bella coughed, choking on her spit as she blushed again and laughed. Leah went to the refrigerator and poured two glasses of tea. She slid Bella's toward her across the countertop, smirking as Bella tried to catch her breath.
"Even after all that, you're still so innocent, Swan."
After a long drink, Bella said, "It was my first time and 'all that."
"First time with both sexes in one night, bitch," Leah teased, flexing her arms. "Paul's right. You're a champ. Good job."
Bella had to hold her stomach as it cramped from laughing. "Okay, quit. That hurts."
"You didn't say that even once last night. Not a single Quack."
"Oh my god," Bella whined, cackling.
"You know," Leah teased as she sat at the table. "I can't decide if Paul calling you 'Ducky' is cute or annoying. It's hard to dislike it when he drops that sexy tone. You know what I mean?"
Bella's laughter was finally calming somewhat as she returned to preparing lunch. "Yeah. I know what you mean precisely."
Leah lowered her voice and mocked, "Get your ass over here, Little Duck!" In her usual tone, she finished, "I thought you were gonna cream yourself right there."
I kind of did! Bella laughed nervously, nodding in agreement, but the memory made her squeeze her thighs together.
Someone pounded on the front door, cutting Leah off before she could say anything else. She gave Bella a curious glance and got up to answer it.
Leah laughed as the door swung open and asked, "Were your fucking ears ringing?"
"All the way here." Bella heard the smack of lips and froze, looking toward the door as Paul stepped past Leah into the house.
Leah rubbed her cheek and said, "Well, hello to you, too."
Paul turned toward Bella and grinned, holding a navy blue t-shirt. Shaking it at her, he said, "Trade me, woman!"
Bella set down the knife she was using and brushed off her hands over the trash can before walking toward him. She took the T-shirt and held it up. It was bigger than the one she wore and had a metallic Rooster on the front that said, 'Stop staring at my cock.'
Bella warned him, "Oh, Charlie will love that. If it disappears, he stole it."
"Not if you tell him it's mine. He'll probably burn it. Don't think I don't know he doesn't like me very much. He's arrested me like four times."
"He told us," Leah said, chuckling. Paul just beamed, not embarrassed in the least.
Bella pulled off Paul's T-shirt and handed it to him before putting the blue one on. She laughed as it reached mid-thigh and tied the lower half in a knot at her waist.
Paul leaned to kiss her cheek before whispering, "Don't wash that one, either." He grinned as he walked straight to the door. "Later, ladies."
A second later, he was gone as the women stared at each other, grinning.
Bella asked, "Did that just happen?"
"I wish I could see Charlie's face when you go home in that shirt. Paul didn't have to bring you one, you know? You could have worn one of mine."
"That's true," Bella said, nodding. Why had he brought a different shirt? "He said his shirt smelled like us. From last night. That's why he wanted it."
Leah's eyes went wide, and she glanced away.
"That's weird, right?"
Leah frowned, staring out the sliding glass doors toward the river behind the house. "I think he's way more into you than you think, Swan. I think you might like him more than you realize, too."
Bella rewashed her hands before finishing lunch, refusing to overthink whether Leah was right or the disappointed look on her face as she'd said it.
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