Chapter 17: Ironing Out The Wrinkles

I woke up rejoicing at the silence and that the comforter was an ugly purple, because it told me without a doubt that I was still Bella Swan!

After showering, and getting ready for the day, I went downstairs for breakfast skipping in excitement. Mike and I had declared ourselves exclusive! I squealed internally. On top of that spectacular news, the whole date yesterday had gone better than I could have imagined. As a bonus, I was getting better at taking care of this body. My hair was styled in a flattering way and it had only taken me thirty minutes. Sure, it was in a less complicated style than yesterday, but mostly I was gaining confidence in using her products and tools. Although, I still thought she needed a significant upgrade in all things feminine.

Even a fundamental tool like a curling iron was under the sink in the back, buried under bathroom cleaners and toilet paper. Well, essential according to my past best-friend, not to mention that I had watched how she had used it to transform her look. It had looked easy enough watching her, but learning it myself had included a couple of minor burns. It was a cheep price to pay for ensuring Mike and my future.

When I got to the kitchen there was a note letting me know that Chief Swan had left earlier. He worked more than my dad, probably the downside of being the Chief.

After breakfast, I called Leah's house phone from memory.

Miss Sue answered, of course.

"May I speak to Leah, please," I requested holding my breath, and hoping that my fears had been misplaced.

"Bella?" she asked sounding surprised.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

"Everything okay with Charlie?" she enquired, clearly trying to discover why I was calling.

"I have a project at school, and Charlie suggested Leah might be able to help me," I told my lie, hoping she would buy it.

She didn't sound convinced, but got Leah for me anyway.

"Hey Bella," she answered like we were long lost friends. "I heard you were back in Forks."

Internally groaning at her inability to treat me like she would Bella, I asked, "Can you borrow the car and come visit?"

"Nah," she told me, which meant one of her parents were using it.

"Your mom or dad coming towards Forks, so you can come hang out, while they do whatever?" I suggested.

"Nah," she replied, and then asked, as if checking, "Your dad bought the Black's truck?"

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"'K, hold on, let me ask my mom something," she told me.

In the background I could hear her talking to Miss Sue.

A few minutes later she came back to the phone, telling me, "My mom says you're welcome over."

"Okay," I agree nervous about driving that far, but determined. "I'll be there in a bit."

We hung up and I got ready to leave the house.

Sitting behind the wheel parked in the driveway, I reminded myself how much I needed Leah, how I hadn't crashed yet, and other pep talk statements. Nevertheless, it took me a bit to get over my fear, and put it into drive. Then, it required a lot of focus backing out of the drive, even though I was improving every day. On the way to the rez I passed one of the deputy's cars hidden down an old logging road, clearly trying to catch speeders. My heart rate increased and I began to panic, remembering the one time when I was in middle school and ma had been pulled over. The state trooper had treated her horribly. It had been beyond insulting and a little scary. Worse still, she had just sat there and had barely responded. It had been a moment in time that had stuck out to me like a sore thumb and definitely not easily forgotten.

Sure, earlier that year she and pop had sat me down and explained the dangers of encountering police officers, particularly pale skinned ones, as a Black or Native person, but it had seemed like a scare tactic to me. That talk had flashed before my eyes after the officer had let us go. Ma had failed to enact any of the suggestions they had given me. She hadn't even told them her husband worked for the Forks Police Department. Her docile attitude to the trooper's words and behaviours were a total embarrassment, resulting in me being ashamed to be her daughter.

The deputy hiding in the trees noticed me, smiled some, and nodded like I was an exception to the rules. The difference between his reaction to me and the trooper's to ma bothered me. Guess no one wanted to pull over the Chief's daughter. At the same time, I was grateful for all the advantages given to me.

I had been concerned of getting lost on the way to La Push, but I shouldn't have been. The drive to there was easy enough to navigate. It was slightly harder to remember the turns to Leah's house, but after two wrong turns I was there. Taking in a big gulp of air in the hopes of calming my nerves, I got out and knocked on the front door.

I could vaguely hear Leah yell "Got it", thus wasn't surprised to be greeted by her.

"Come on," she insisted, while grabbing my arm and dragging me back into her room.

Closing her door behind me, she nearly tackled me in her excitement, wrapping her arms around me, while we jumped up and down together, both working super hard and keeping our squeals behind our lips. She was nearly radiating joy and had the biggest smile I had ever seen on her face. Mine was likely bigger. It was so wonderful to share our accomplishment with each other.

"It worked," I whispered into her ear, wanting to make sure no one heard us, despite my thrill to share my excitement with her.

"It did," she agreed also whispering, stepping back looking pleased, no doubt for what it meant for her future as well as for me. Then, looking at me seriously, she demanded, "Tell me everything."

A few hours later Miss Sue knocked on the door, telling us that food was ready. We put what she had made onto our plates. After Leah got permission for us to eat in her room, I continued my detailed story of everything that had happened.

When I got to the end, Leah beamed and looked dreamy like it was the best novel ever.

"I know, right?!" I agreed. After a moment I told her, "I couldn't have done it without you. You really are the best!"

"You know I got your back," she reminded me.

"Yeah," I stated, as if it were obvious.

"So, things to fix," she vocalised, getting serious. "Passing classes and having Bella fool everyone."

"For sure," I agreed without doubt.

"Bella said she'd do a workload swap," she informed me.

My jaw dropped to my chest and I had no words.

"Yeah, she's cool," Leah told me.

"Good, good," was all that came out.

"If you get to school when your dad drops her off, then you two can talk about it," she suggested.

"Good idea," I praised and then added, "and I'll write up stuff about my house, so she'll know it."

These were minor details in comparison to everything else, so easy to agree to and do.

"And Bella agreed to help with Emily and me swapping," she reported.

Once more my jaw hung wide open.

"She had one condition, though," Leah added.

"'K," I uttered concerned, wanting her to get to the punch line.

"We have to tell Emily and get her to agree," Leah said fast in one breath.

After thinking about it for a few minutes I told her, "That's not so bad."

"No," she agreed, shaking her head, "and without Emily's agreement, my mom is bound to figure it out within a few days, if not sooner, and then the elders might come down on us all. It is a risk to tell Emily, for sure, but I actually think the condition is a good one. It would be better for us all if Emily agreed."

"Good luck," I offered her, sighing and leaning back.

"Emily's a good person," she defended and then frowned, "or at least used to be. I'll talk to her."

"Cool," I told her as a form of support, and then blurted out, "You have any makeup I can have? Bella has eyeliner and gloss. The girl seems to prefer being natural."

Leah chuckled, "And you don't."

"Nope," I replied with a smile. Then thinking more, I added, "but I shouldn't overdue it. She has a good complexion."

"True," Leah pondered and then her face lit up. "Let's try this."

We spent the next few hours messing with makeup and different things to do with Bella's hair. Leah owned a straightener, but not a curling iron, so worked on things like side braids. In the midst of trying to figure out Bella's body, we talked about Mike, how he was reacting thus far, and how to create our happily ever after. Leah confided in me all the things she and Sam had done, and how he had proposed. Her advice was easy enough to follow, not to mention that what she had shared previously had worked.

"I don't want to drive back in the dark," I told her after a few hours, seeing the darkening sky, breaking up our fun.

Her eyes bugged out. "I completely didn't think about that. No crashes?" she checked.

"Nah, but all my driving so far has been during the day," I assured her.

"Call me," she begged.

"Every day?" I wondered.

"No," she answers after some thought. "Wednesday night. My mom has her community event that night."

"Deal," I agreed.

Reluctantly we exited her room and I got ready to leave.

Finding Miss Sue before I left, I thanked her for the food and allowing me to visit.

"Course," she replied, but her face wasn't as warm and welcoming as it usually was with me.

It was odd how differently she acted.

"Let us know that you got home safely," she added, as I put on my coat.

"Will do," I answered.

The drive back was easy enough, although it was twilight by the time I parked in the driveway.

Chief Swan asked where I had been as soon as the door closed behind me.

"Leah's," I answered.

"Leave a note next time," he insisted. "Doug saw you on the road and said that your taillight might need a replacement."

"Yes, I passed a deputy on the way to Leah's," I admitted, unsure of what else to say.

"I got you a new light before I got home," he informed me.

"Thanks," I stated caught off guard that the deputy had told the Chief, rather than pulling me over and giving me a lecture. Being the Chief's daughter really did come with lots of perks. At the same time, him finding out where I was from his deputy caused me to feel worse about the lack of a note. "I'm sorry about not leaving a note," I stated, "I'll make sure to do so next time."

He grunted, but said no more.

One thing that was definitely different between Chief Swan and my pop, was that Chief Swan didn't say much. In a way, I missed Pop's encouraging words and lectures.

Lifting the bag in my hand, I told him, "Mrs. Clearwater sent me back with some fish fry," hoping that was the name Bella would have used for Miss Sue.

"Great," he stated with a smile that indicated excitement, which was a huge relief for me that I had guessed correctly.

Then, he took the bag, and pulled out a smaller bag that contained fries, placing them on a tray.

After calling the Clearwaters to let them know I had arrived back safely, I set the table and put together a little salad. Shortly after, we sat down.

"Didn't think you remembered Leah," Chief Swan said with a tone similar to what my father got when he was fishing for information.

"Didn't you mention her?" I replied, hoping he would buy the fib I had told Miss Sue. His features didn't give anything away, so I tacked on, "Jessica and Angela are nice, but I thought it would be worthwhile to get to know a girl on the rez. That way if you go, I'll have someone to talk to."

Chief Swan frowned slightly and his cheeks pinkened a little, but he said nothing more. The fact that he didn't say much or even ask much was an extra bonus in my book.

When my food was done, I told him about needing to complete my homework.

"Go, ahead," he instructed.

"Thanks," I told him with a smile as I left.

The work was hard, so I was doubly glad that Bella was willing to help me out. When my brain could no longer function I got ready for bed, falling asleep easily.

In the morning I woke up almost as if it was my home, and got ready with relative ease. I took the time to add some of the makeup Leah had lent me, especially her mascara and eye shadow. The finished product was the look Leah and I had come to. It really made Bella's eyes pop and it created an even greater appearance of doe-eyed innocence.

As usual, Chief Swan had already left for work. Wanting to arrive to school early in order to talk to Bella, I grabbed some poptarts.

The talk with her went alright. She was clearly a goody two shoes who cared about grades more than boys and her appearance. She had dressed me appallingly, although I bet my parents were happy about it. It was irritating. I was angry at the idea that they might like her more than me. Maybe she would make them a better daughter than I would have. I was certainly making the most of hers. It's not like there were take-backs. Letting go of my annoyance, I told myself that it was good in a way that she cared about school, because it meant less effort on my part, and made it easier to make this work.

As soon as we had found an agreement, I rushed to find Mike and the gang, and went over to them. Unfortunately, they were already walking to their classes, even though the early bell hadn't rung. To make it worse, Mike was occupied with Tyler, so didn't see me. Rather, it was Jessica who had seen me coming.

"How was your date?" Jessica asked, failing to hide her sneer.

"Lovely," I answered with a smile. "We agreed to be an item."

"Good for you," she voiced, but her face and tone suggested jealousy and distain.

"I'm happy for you," Angela added, sounding truly sincere.

"Thanks, Ang," I told her. "How's things at home?"

She then told silly stories about her twin brothers. I laughed at the right places, while my chest hurt. To combat the pain, I reminded myself how annoying little brothers were and how relieved I was to be rid of mine. My last thought before the tightness had all but disappeared was how it was beyond me that Angela liked to take care of her brothers.

The warning bell rang and I hustled towards Mike, as I wanted to greet him before class.

Coming behind Mike, I went onto my tippy toes and whispered, "You haven't given me a morning kiss, boyfriend."

He jerked around with a huge grin.

The kiss was brief, but rewarding. His eyes shined, looking slightly glazed as we walked into the class. We didn't get much time together until lunch. He saved me a spot, which I thought was sweet and told him so, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He asked what I did on Sunday, so I shared a little about hanging at the rez. He told me that he had worked at the store, detailing to me some of the jobs he did. While his tone was annoyed and exasperated, I found him learning how to take over from his parents definitely sexy, so I acted jealous that he got a chance to do that.

"Maybe I could get mom to hire you," he mused.

"Really?" I asked excited at the chance to have more time with him.

"We usually hire someone in the summer," he explained. "Leave it with me."

"Thanks, Mike," I told him, trying to sound sultry. "You really are the best."

Adding to my words, I put my hand on his thigh and moved it from his knee up, until it was a few inches from his torso. Being able to touch him in such a way filled my body with a warm glow and a sense that I was powerful. It was a feeling I would want to keep forever.

"Sure," he slightly stuttered.

The guys had already been talking about surfing at First Beach during the upcoming weekend, so after about thirty seconds, Mike joined in. By that time, Lauren had indicated an interest, which then, of course, was copied by Jessica. There were so few things to do around Forks that them saying they would go wasn't surprising. I liked First Beach for my own reasons, and being on the rez would be cool. Maybe Leah could join us, and my Forks world and rez world could intertwine for a few hours. Doing so in this body held a special appeal, as the rez guys were likely to express interest, rather than not even notice me, since I was treated as one of the tribe. The idea of watching Mike get jealous pleased me slightly.

By the time that the bell rang to end lunch no firm plans had been made yet, but without doubt they would be by the end of lunch tomorrow.

Edward was rude in Biology, but at least he stopped trying to actively ensure my failure.

Gym was great, as Mike was in the class, and I got to use Bella's clumsiness as an excuse to touch him more. Each time my body lit up. I couldn't wait to have more.

He even swatted my butt, which was a fun surprise, and I laughed all the way into the changing rooms. We met up briefly and he walked me to the truck before he headed off. By the time I got into the cab Bella had already placed her notes and the assigned homework in the passenger's seat.

Driving home, I decided that more of today was on my horizon. Mike was becoming more comfortable touching me and had given me more attention, even if he still spent a good amount of time chatting with the guys. I made a note to talk to Leah about the best way to make sure I was Mike's priority.

Homework was much easier, since it was from my old classes, but I was still at it when Chief Swan got home.

"You made dinner?" he asked when he came to my room.

"No, I've been doing my homework since I got home," I replied with trepidation that I was in trouble.

"I'll be back with something from the diner," he informed me, and then left.

His tone about dinner made it seem like he expected me to have made something, so once he returned and we were eating together, I told him, "My homework has gotten a lot heavier recently. I don't think I can cook. Sorry."

"It's fine, Bells," he assured me. "Schoolwork is more important. I only gave cooking over to you, since you had insisted, and you're a good cook, going by what you had made already. Let me know when schoolwork calms down again. In the meantime, I'll pick up something on my way home."

"That would be great," I told him relieved.

"No problem," he spoke gruffly, but seemed content.

He asked about my day, and I told him a little about the group's plans for First Beach. He didn't say much, which I took to mean that he wasn't opposed to me going.

When we were done he told me, "I've got it."

"Thanks," I told him, and went back to the grind.

Even though it was a lot of effort to get the work done for classes I hadn't attended, it was better than completing the homework for Bella's classes. Despite the heavy workload, it was worth it.

I fell asleep quickly with a smile on my face imagining Mike and our future together.