CHAPTER SIX
Charlie Swan visited Chief Quigley bright and early on Tuesday morning after dropping Bella off at school regarding putting an emergency custody order through. He informed the man that he had already taken custody of his daughter and explained the circumstances that led to his taking her with him. Chief Quigley had just hung up the phone after making a call to the judge.
"Judge Gambini is free to meet with us right now. We can go in my cruiser."
A few minutes later, the two police chiefs met with Judge Vincent Gambini in his office. A jovial and garrulous fellow, Gambini greeted Charlie with a firm handshake and an apology.
"I'm sorry about that idiot nephew of mine. I know you feel he got off with a slap on the wrist, but for a boy like Greg, not being able to get his license until he's twenty-one will be like a prison sentence for him. His mother—my sister, Miranda—tried to argue that it was excessively cruel to deny him a license, but I pointed out that he was facing time in a juvenile detention center on top of the inability to get a license, so it was one or both. His parents obviously chose the one. Have they apologized to your family, by the way?"
"Of course not, but I never expected one. I'm sorry, they are your family, but I'm assuming they are hurt more on their son's behalf than on the girls'. I actually agree with the consequence of the boy not being able to get his license until he's twenty-one. He doesn't seem mature enough to be behind the wheel of a car."
"You're correct about that. Greg is arrogant, privileged, and spoiled. His parents have given him everything on a silver platter." Judge Gambini shook his head. "Now, how can I help you? I know you aren't here to listen to my laments about my wayward nephew."
So, Charlie gave the judge a rundown of the events that led to him being in the judge's office. He submitted the records of the bills Bella had paid on her mother's behalf. He also explained how his daughter was frequently left at home alone while her mother went away with Phil. He ended with the encounter he had with Renee and Phil and how his ex-wife had sprung the fact that she had married her new husband on a whim, despite it being written into the custody papers that Charlie needed to be informed seven days in advance of any circumstances involving a major life change.
"Listen. I'm not a perfect man by any means, and I regret that it took Bella's life to be in danger for me to realize that I needed to be more directly involved in my daughter's life instead of by phone. That being said, I would have never allowed basic necessities such as electricity and communication to go unpaid. And you should know that I have never been late on a child support payment, and I've always sent a few hundred dollars extra to make sure Bella had all her needs met."
"I see." The judge leaned back into his chair and considered the situation. "And your daughter. What's her opinion?"
"She asked if she could live with me. I think we each came to the realization that it was time for a change. I've never been a single father year-round, but I can do a better job than Renee. At the very least, I won't leave my daughter behind to raise herself."
The judge nodded. "You said that Bella was alone during a heatwave when the power and her cell phone were shut off for nonpayment. How long was she alone for then?"
"I'm not sure how long she was alone prior to the shut-off, but my daughter mentioned Renee came home a week and a half later. Bella paid for both overdue bills with money she earned from her summer job. Please keep in mind that I wire the mandatory $1600 in child support plus an extra $300 to support my daughter each month. The extra cash was meant to cover any extras like clothes, shoes, activity fees, and the like."
"$1900 monthly for one child is an extremely generous amount. And does Renee work?"
"She does. She's a kindergarten teacher."
"So, her salary combined with your child support should be enough for her to live comfortably."
"Yes. Whenever I get a raise, we rework the support payments, and I get an insight into her salary. Two years ago, she listed her salary at around fifty-three thousand dollars annually, but she has no housing payment. Her parents purchased the home for her when she moved to Arizona with Bella," Charlie explained. "Her parents were concerned that Renee and Bella would wind up living in a car without that security."
"And why does she not have the money to pay for her utilities?"
"Now, that's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" Charlie replied. "Upon further discussion with Bella, I discovered that Renee travels often."
Chief Quigley jumped into the conversation and said, "I can confirm that Bella is left alone often overnight. I learned from Captain Nez over at the fire station that the child is often left on her own. His daughter, Emma, and Bella have been best friends since elementary school, so he knows her well. I would also like to note that my own concerns were raised immediately following the incident with your nephew when I drove Bella back to the high school. Ms Higgenbotham-Swan did not bother showing up to pick Bella up from school. This also caught the attention of the school administration. I don't know about you, but if it were my daughter, I'd be dropping everything and rushing to pick her up."
Judge Gambini shook his head in disbelief. "Well, I believe you've proven your case, Chief Swan." He picked up the receipts and looked through them. "I think a case can be made for parental negligence, and I can grant you full custody of Bella on a permanent basis. Before we finalize everything, I need to speak to your daughter so I can take her opinions into consideration and confirm she wants to live with you. Can you bring her to my office after school today?"
"Absolutely. I'm picking her up at 2:30 this afternoon."
"Great. Then bring her to see me then. Chief Quigley, can you put a call into Bella's school explaining that her father now has provisional custody of her while we handle a few things. She is not to be released to her mother and should be supervised at dismissal this week. She should only be released to Chief Swan or to you." Judge Gambini turned his attention back to Charlie. "You said your ex-wife remarried over the weekend. What is her new husband's name?"
"His name is Phil Dwyer. He's a minor league baseball player."
Judge Gambini's jaw dropped, as did Chief Quigley's. Their eyes met, and they started laughing. Charlie had no idea why they were laughing, and he wanted in on the joke. "Is there something wrong with Phil other than the fact that he's a dolt?"
"Oh, yeah. This gets more and more convoluted by the minute," the judge noted. "Phil Dwyer is another of my nephews—the oldest, in fact. His mother is my older sister, Bianca. Phil is spoiled rotten—not because of my sister but because of her ex-husband, his father."
"This isn't going to affect the outcome of the custody case, is it?" Charlie asked worriedly.
"Oh, hell no. Phil Dwyer is exactly what Greg Ronstein will become in about fifteen years—arrogant, entitled, and an idiot to boot. He has no business being a stepfather and why is he married to your ex-wife? How old is she? Phil just turned thirty-two."
"Renee had just turned nineteen when Bella was born, so she's thirty-five now. We met in college, and well, my daughter is the best accident that ever happened—at least to me. Our parents forced us to get married, but it wasn't even a year before Renee took off for California, where her parents lived. We were divorced, and she was given primary custody. I returned to college, and so did Renee. Her parents cared for Bella for the first seven years of her life. I visited when I could, but with working and going to college—the visitations were not as often as I liked. That being said, I made sure to always pay my court-mandated child support on time so that my daughter had everything she needed. And once I graduated from college and had a steady full-time job on the force, I had her over at my house for two weeks every year over the summer. In fact, this past summer was the first one in which she didn't come over because she got a job and wanted to earn money for a car. But I'm rambling on when you only asked about my ex-wife's age. I guess I'm regretting some of my past decisions regarding Bella. I should have been more present in her life, especially considering how flippant her mother is. I never imagined Bella would be so alone."
The judge, his eyes full of sympathy, turned to Charlie and said, "What's important is that you're here now. You knew your daughter needed you, and you rushed to Arizona to be by her side. And when you realized things weren't quite right at home for Bella, you took action. That's a true parent."
"And do you remember what your daughter said after the incident with Greg Ronstein and Officer Kreuger? Bella said you would always keep her safe and that you'd drop everything and run to her if she needed anything. I'd say you've made an impact on your daughter," Chief Quigley added.
"I don't know what I did to deserve her," Charlie replied. "Thank you," he said to the two men.
"Now, let's get back to business. Would you happen to know how long Phil and your ex-wife have been together?"
"About a year. Bella said the only thing she knows about Phil is that he has the personality of a rock. I had words with him yesterday when he raised his voice to my daughter and tried to lord it over, claiming he was her stepfather."
Judge Gambini's eyes nearly popped out of its sockets. "He did that in front of you?"
"Oh, yeah. He walked into the house, dropped his all-important video game console in front of the TV in the living room, and then, during the course of our discussion, aggressively told Bella to shut her mouth. Bella said that before yesterday, Phil never said more than five words at a time to her."
"I see. Well, let me see how I can manage the situation. With Phil involved, the custody case will actually be pretty easy to push through. I'll see you this afternoon with your daughter."
Charlie and Chief Quigley each stood to shake hands with Judge Gambini and thank him. They left the office and headed to the high school to speak with the principal regarding the change in custody and the fact that Bella was not, under any circumstances, to be released to Renee. The judge's instincts proved to be correct because both Phil and Renee made a huge fuss at dismissal time.
XOXO
Bella was a bit stunned when the school resource officer was waiting for her after her last class of the day. "Hi, Officer Garcia," she greeted. "What's going on?"
"Ah, well, we had a visit from Chief Quigley and your father today. You're to wait in my office with me until one or the other picks you up. Do you need to go to your locker?"
"No, I have everything." Bella thought they should have some sort of conversation because the other students were watching them curiously as they walked down the long hallway together. Usually, when a student was walking with the resource officer, it was because they did something bad. She couldn't think of a topic, so she asked, "So, how is Mrs Garcia?"
"There is no Mrs Garcia."
"Oh, well, that was awkward. I was just making conversation," Bella informed him.
"There's a Mr Garcia, though, and he's doing well. So, thank you for asking."
"You're welcome. What does the other Mr Garcia do?"
Officer Garcia laughed. "You're a curious kid. Most kids are afraid of asking me questions because I'm a cop."
"I don't see why. You're still a human being. Besides, my father is a cop."
"Very true. Mr Garcia works at the airport. He's an air traffic controller."
"That's cool! I've never met an air traffic controller. How do you even become one? Is there an air traffic controller school?"
"I believe there is, but in Mr Garcia's case, he learned the skill when he was in the Air Force."
"Ooh! Is that where you met?"
"No, we met at the gym."
"That takes the whole romance out of it." Bella huffed. "I mean, everyone meets at the gym. It's just really cliché, and it happens in the movies all the time."
Officer Garcia let out a full belly laugh. "Who knows, Bella Swan? Someday, you might meet your other half in a gym."
"I suppose it's better than meeting someone in a class," Bella replied, thinking about Edward Cullen. Geez. She was heading back to Forks High School soon. Would she be forced into sitting next to Edward like the last time? Maybe her dad could enroll her in a private school? Was there even a private school in Forks?
Bella realized she didn't know enough about Forks and its surroundings because she had not bothered to immerse herself in life there. She'd focused too much on Edward to the exclusion of her friends and, especially, her father. She was adamant about changing her ways this time around. She would do her best to spend time with her father, and she would do normal teenage things.
When they approached the office, it was to find Renee and Phil arguing with Mr Fish.
"I have a right to pick my daughter up! I am her mother!" Renee cried. Her back was to Bella, but she had not noticed her yet.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Higgenbotham-Swan…"
"It's Dwyer. I just remarried this past weekend. I am now Mrs. Phillip Dwyer."
"Well, then, Mrs. Dwyer," Mr Fish explained, "There's nothing I can do. The order came directly from Judge Gambini."
"Is that Judge Vincent Gambini?" Phil asked.
"It is."
Phil turned to Renee with a smug expression. "Honey, we'll be fine. Judge Gambini is my uncle—my mother's brother. He won't let this stand."
"You're welcome to discuss it with him, but I'm unable to release Bella to you without written confirmation from Judge Gambini."
"Oh, we'll get you the confirmation," Phil snarled at the principal. He noticed Charlie, who had just entered the office with Chief Quigley and spat, "I don't know what you think you're doing, but you can't take our daughter away from us. We've got her for another two years."
"Oh, for Christ's sake, the only thing you're qualified to be a father to is your damn Xbox." Bella's filter apparently decided now was a good time to do a disappearing act. She rarely spoke up, but she decided that now was as good a time as any because Phil claiming her as his daughter was laughable. He had barely said ten words to her the entire time he was together with her mom.
"Bella, show some respect to your father!" Renee scolded.
Bella rolled her eyes. "Mother, I love you, but I will never recognize Phil as my father."
"Well, we'd love to hear the rest of this conversation, but we have an appointment," Chief Quigley reminded Bella and Charlie.
"Bye Officer Garcia. Say hi to Mr Garcia for me."
"I will, Bella. See you tomorrow."
With that, the group of three left the school. They hopped into Chief Quigley's vehicle. "Bella, have you met Mr Garcia before?" the police chief asked.
"No, but he sounds pretty cool. Apparently, he's an air traffic controller. They met at the gym, though, which is so ordinary."
"I had no idea you knew Officer Garcia so well."
"Oh, I don't really know him. I just asked him questions because all the kids were staring at me like I was a criminal when I was walking down the hallway with Officer Garcia. Usually, when the school resource officer picks a kid up from class, they're wanted for questioning. I figured it would be better if it looked like nothing was the matter."
"Nothing is the matter. We just had Officer Garcia pick you up because we didn't want your mother picking you up from school."
That was something that did not happen the last time around. In fact, none of this had happened the last time. She was in uncharted territory. Taha Aki did say the future was up in the air, but she really had no idea she'd be caught in a custody battle. Maybe she should just apologize to her mother? No, that wasn't a good idea. If her mother retained custody of her, she wouldn't be allowed to go to Forks to fix things, and she needed to fix things, right? But then again, she didn't plan on dating Edward, so what would she need to fix? She felt an urgent need to speak with Taha Aki. Of course, she was stuck in the backseat of a police cruiser with two police chiefs in the front seat. She couldn't just whip out her mirror, could she?
No, she needed to think this through herself. It was her future she was charting, after all. That was it! She was charting her own future! The last time around, she had not spoken up, and she had let others decide her future. Well, no more! And she absolutely did not want to live with Phil.
"Where are we going anyway?" Bella asked. "You mentioned a meeting."
"We're meeting with Judge Gambini. He asked to speak with you," Charlie informed her. "It's about the custody case. In order to grant custody of you to me, he needs to ask you some questions. It's standard procedure in any custody case, especially involving a girl your age," Chief Quigley explained.
"Oh, that's good then. I'm looking forward to it, but first, I need to use the bathroom."
"Of course. As soon as we get to the courthouse, you can use the bathroom."
"Great!"
XOXO
A few minutes later, Bella was in the bathroom located in the courthouse, in the hallway adjacent to the judge's chambers. She peeked underneath the stalls to make sure there were no prying eyes and even checked the ceiling to ensure there were no hidden cameras—not that she was an expert. She quickly locked herself into one of the bathroom stalls, took out her compact, and spoke into it. "Hello! Mr Taha Aki? Yoohoo." There was no answer, so she continued, "Mirror Mirror in the compact. Please send Taha Aki to me, or Thor or Captain America would be fine, too."
In a flash, Taha Aki appeared, his hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing Viking armor with a red cape and twirling a hammer around.
"What are you wearing? Is that hammer real?"
"Hell, if I know. I borrowed it from the costume department at Marvel Studios," Taha Aki replied.
"Oh, I thought you borrowed it from the real Thor," Bella replied.
"Uh, no. But I thought I'd appease you by dressing up like him since you seem to like him so much."
"Thank you, but don't do it again. It's not the same if it isn't Chris Hemsworth."
"Suit yourself." He snapped his fingers and donned a Captain America uniform complete with shield. "Now, what do you want?"
"Well, I'm worried. I don't want to hurt my mother, but I really don't want to live with Phil. And if I go back to Forks, I don't plan on dating Edward, so what is there for me to fix?"
"That I cannot say, but you are on the right track. You are making a concerted effort to be a better person. You're fixing defects in your personality that held you back. And trust me when I say you're needed in Forks and La Push."
"Um, okay, but what should I do about the judge? I have to meet with him, and he's Phil's uncle."
"Just be honest about your feelings, and, uh, don't hold back." Taha Aki added with a wink. He disappeared before Bella could ask another question.
Bella closed the compact and put it away safely in her purse, then she flushed the toilet so anyone standing out in the hallway wouldn't suspect anything, washed her hands, and met her father and Chief Quigley. They escorted her to see Judge Gambini, who looked more like a mobster than a judge, but appearances could be deceiving.
"Hello, Bella. Thanks for coming to see me. Why don't you have a seat? Chief Quigley, Chief Swan, would you mind waiting in the reception area. I'll call you in when I'm done speaking with Bella."
The two police chiefs stepped out into the reception area where the secretary sat.
As soon as the door closed, Judge Gambini asked, "So, Isabella. How are you?"
"Oh, I'm doing well. We had a substitute teacher in math today, so we didn't really do anything. I hung out with my friends during lunch. Ooh! I know! There was a fight in school today. Two football players were arguing over the same girl. One of the guys slammed the other one up against our lunch table and ruined all of our lunches, so I poured my milk over both of them. I don't think they knew it was me who did it, but I didn't care. I think they deserved it. Anyway, as a result, I'm very hungry because I missed my lunch because of those two idiots. I get cranky when I'm hungry."
Judge Gambini chuckled, reached into his drawer, and pulled out a Tupperware. He opened it up and presented it to Bella, stating, "Well, we can't have you cranky. Have some. My mother made it for me."
"Your mother is still alive?" Bella asked, then slapped a palm over her mouth. "Sorry, it's just that I don't have any grandparents left."
Judge Gambini broke out in hysterics. "She is alive. We Gambinis tend to live long. He opened a bottle of water and handed it to Bella. How do you like the cookies?"
"They're delicious! Can I have another one?"
"Of course. You have to make up for your ruined lunch." Judge Gambini asked for and wrote down the names of the students at Bella's lunch table. He planned to call the high school and order them to make up for the students' destroyed lunches tomorrow. It was unacceptable that students went hungry through no fault of their own.
"So, why am I here?" Bella asked between bites. The cookies were delicious—unlike anything she'd had before. They had a lemony flavor and were soft in texture—not gooey soft like a chocolate chip cookie, but crumbly soft.
"I'm here because I need to ask you a few questions about your life with your mother. Do you enjoy living with her?"
Bella thought about the judge's question. She didn't want to say anything negative about her mother, but for the last year, she hadn't had any sort of relationship with her mother—ever since Renee began seeing Phil. Renee devoted all her time and attention to Phil to the exclusion of everyone and everything else.
And then a thought occurred to her. The apple hadn't fallen too far from the tree because the last time around, she had been just like her mother. Bella had excluded everyone because she wanted a relationship with Edward. Yes, it was true the Cullens did help in alienating her from her friends and family, but Bella could have… No, she should have spoken up. Renee behaved in a similar manner, forsaking everyone, including her daughter, so she could be with Phil. Bella vowed that she would never behave that way going forward.
She turned her attention to Judge Gambini and spoke. "My mom isn't a bad person, but she's misguided. No, that's not the correct way to describe her. Ugh!" She groaned. "This is so hard."
"Take your time, Bella. I know this is difficult."
Bella closed her eyes and then took a deep breath before speaking again. "I love my mother very much, but I can't live with her anymore because… because she's so focused on Phil that I rarely spend time with her anymore. She hasn't done anything bad to me per se, but I feel like I'm her roommate rather than her child. On school days, she's home overnight, but as soon as Friday hits, she's gone the entire weekend."
"I see." Judge Gambini nodded. "And when she leaves you alone, do you feel safe?"
"For the most part."
"What does that mean? You either feel safe or you don't."
"I don't like being alone," Bella replied.
"That's not what I asked. I asked whether or not you felt safe."
Bella looked into the judge's eyes and shook her head. "No. No, I don't feel safe at all. I can't sleep well when I'm left alone overnight because I'm always afraid there will be an intruder or… or a power outage or something."
"Bella, I've heard about the situation. It wasn't a power outage. The power was shut off because your mother had not paid the bill. You should not have been put in the situation—ever. Now, I need you to tell me honestly, do you want to continue living with your mother, or would you like to move in with your father?"
"I want to live with my father. I can't… I can't… I don't want to offend you."
"How would you offend me?"
"Well, Phil is your nephew, right?"
"He is, but I won't be offended. Be honest about how you feel about Phil."
"Oh!" Bella covered her face with her hands. "This is so hard!"
"Tell me what you think of my nephew. Don't hold back."
Don't hold back is also what Taha Aki said. She needed to be honest. She needed to tell the judge exactly what she thought of Phil.
Bella was about to launch into a diatribe about Phil and her mother when she was interrupted by a loud ruckus coming from outside the office door. There was lots of shouting, and Bella recognized one of the voices as belonging to Phil.
"Speak of the devil," Judge Gambini muttered and then spoke into his intercom to his secretary. "You may as well let them in, Laura. Please invite Chief Swan and Chief Quigley, too."
Phil burst into the office with Renee and stood directly facing Judge Gambini. Charlie and Chief Quigley followed as well, but they sat in chairs that were off to the side of the room.
Without greeting his uncle, Phil abruptly said, "Uncle Vincent. My wife and I need your help."
"Now, hold on a minute. You said, wife. What wife?"
"Oh, sorry, Uncle. This is my wife, Renee. Renee, this is my uncle, Judge Vincent Gambini." Phil noticed Bella sitting in the high-backed chair. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Bella rolled her eyes. Phil was such a putz. She didn't think the idiot deserved any sort of response.
Clearly, Judge Gambini disagreed because he stood and glared at his nephew. "Where are your manners, boy? You do not get to speak to my guest in that manner."
"Yeah, but… but Bella is my stepdaughter."
"Not by choice, I assure you," Bella replied.
"Why don't you expand on that, Bella?" Judge Gambini suggested.
This time, Bella was ready to speak, no holds barred because Phil's claim that she was his stepdaughter had annoyed her. "Sure, your honor. The reason why I said Phil is not my stepfather by choice is because my mom and he decided to tie the knot over the long weekend in Las Vegas. They didn't bother to tell me in advance; they just came home and announced they were now married. Prior to that, Phil barely said five words to me in the entire year he and my mother were dating. I'm not so sure he can count to five anyway. As far as I'm concerned, I don't know the guy well enough to consider him my stepfather."
"But Bella, honey, Phil and I are married. He is legally your stepfather," Renee interrupted.
Judge Gambini immediately turned to Renee. "Mrs Dwyer, I asked your daughter to speak, not you. You will have a chance to answer questions, too, but right now, it is Bella's turn.
He offered another cookie to Bella. Phil immediately tried to reach the Tupperware, but the judge slapped his hand away. "Hey! I didn't offer you any, boy. This girl missed lunch due to an incident at school. You ask your grandmother to make cookies for you."
Phil stomped his foot like a petulant child. Renee patted his hand in a calming manner.
"Now, Bella," the judge continued, "You mentioned that your mother and Phil dated for a year. During that time, did they ever include you on any of their outings?"
Phil shook his head and laughed, "They're called dates for a reason. Why the hell would we take the kid along?"
"I'll take that as a no then, and the same rule applies to you, Phillip. You will only speak when spoken to."
"Were you ever left alone overnight while your mother went out with Phil?"
Bella nodded her head. "Yes, frequently. On most weekends and during holidays, especially during summer vacation. My mom liked to travel with Phil to see his games."
"I see. We'll get back to you in a few minutes."
"Mrs Dwyer, there is no rule against leaving a minor alone at home as long as he or she is responsible, which Bella clearly is, and feels safe. Did you make sure Bella had everything she needed before you went on these extended trips?"
Renee stood up straighter and preened. "Of course! I left her a hundred dollars to cover food on the weekends, and if I were gone for longer, I'd leave her a little more—say two hundred dollars."
"And how did you fund these trips? I imagine traveling all over the country with Phil isn't cheap?"
"Oh, well, I work. I'm a kindergarten teacher."
"So, your salary alone funds these trips?"
"Oh, yeah, Renee is really generous, too," Phil interrupted again. "She treats the guys to dinners and whatnot all the time."
"Boy, don't interrupt me again, do you hear me? In fact, go and get two chairs from the reception area for you and your wife to sit in." When Phil didn't move, the judge ordered. "Now, boy!"
Phil immediately followed orders and then came back in carrying two folding aluminum chairs the secretary had given him. He set them up on Bella's left, where the judge indicated, and had them sit.
Judge Gambini turned his attention back to Renee. "So, you treat Phil and his teammates to meals. That's very generous."
"Of course, Phil deserves it. He's so good to me."
"Is he? Well, then, I'm sure since you're so generous, you won't mind paying your daughter back for the cell phone bill she covered twice and for the electricity bill she covered once. All the bills were in arrears, so they were a significant amount. Also, you need to reimburse her for the school activity fees she paid for field trips, softball, and the volunteer club."
Renee's mouth clamped tightly shut. Phil meanwhile raised his hand. "Yes, Phillip, you may speak."
"First of all, Bella lived in the house the entire summer by herself, so she used all the electricity. Second, as far as activity fees are concerned, they were her activities, so her responsibility."
Judge Gambini narrowed his eyes at Phil. "Really? So, when you were in high school, I suppose you paid for all the activity fees for baseball by yourself? And let's not forget all those camps you paid for. Did you handle those yourself? I know well enough that you never paid for a utility bill in high school. Your brain wouldn't even extend to paying for those bills, but you lived with responsible parents." The judge stood in front of Phil, grabbed him by the collar, and looked straight into his eyes. "Why is it okay for Bella to pay for those things when you didn't have to? Answer me, boy."
Phil didn't have an answer. He averted his eyes from his uncle instead.
The judge released him and stepped back behind his desk, seating himself in his leather chair.
"Now, I've reviewed all of the receipts Bella kept, from the utility bills to the school activity fees. I understand from her father that you've worked full-time in the summers and on the weekend during the school year from the time you were fourteen?"
"Yes, but I couldn't work this fall because the owners of the restaurant I worked at retired. They gave me a nice bonus, though."
"Oh, you must have worked at the Reed's place. They're such a nice couple, but I can understand why they retired. That place has been open since before I was born."
"Yeah, they were nice," Bella agreed. She really enjoyed working for the Reeds. The restaurant was always crowded, so the tips were excellent, and they understood when she couldn't work during the softball season. Besides, they always put her and Emma on the same shift so they could commute to work together.
"Mrs. Dwyer, I'm having trouble reconciling the fact that your daughter paid for all these bills and activity fees," the judge pointed to the stack of papers on his desk, "when your ex-husband paid you $1600 per month in mandated child support plus an extra $300 per month to cover any extras like activity fees, clothes, shoes, and other necessities for your daughter while you had her cover those costs herself. Meanwhile, you've traveled extensively and generously treated Phil's teammates to dinners, and you and your husband are both dressed nicely. I can tell that Bella's clothes haven't been replaced in a while. Her sneakers have holes in them. Do you have any explanation for that situation?"
Bella felt kind of bad. The only reason she was wearing her holey sneakers was because the other ones were no longer wearable because of the paintball party. But on the other hand, she'd been buying her own clothes for a while now.
"Phil, you claim you're Bella's stepfather. Have you ever contributed to her upkeep?"
"No, sir," Phil replied.
"And what did you do at Mrs Dwyer's house before you were married."
Phil had no response, but Bella's hand shot up.
"Yes, Bella?"
"Phil generally brought his Xbox over and hooked it up to our one TV. I missed several episodes of The Vampire Diaries because of him. He'd sit there all night and play games until he finally went to the bedroom to have sex with my mother. Sometimes, some of Phil's teammates would come over and game with him. Most of them were drunks, but a couple of them were nice and helped me with my batting for softball. That being said, I really, really don't want to live with my mother and Phil. I don't like Phil, and I don't want him to run roughshod over my life. He seems to think he has a right to do that now that he's married to my mother. Besides, I feel safer with my father. This past weekend, my mother informed me that she went away after the homecoming dance. There was no surprise there. It dawned on me that I felt safe because my dad showed up because he was worried about me after the Greg Ronstein incident and afterward with that nasty officer."
"Greg Ronstein? That's my cousin. What did you do to him?" Phil asked.
Bella started laughing. "Greg Ronstein is your cousin? Oh, my God! It all makes sense now. You're like two peas in a pod. Both of you are arrogant, entitled jerks."
"Hey, don't you dare insult my cousin!" Phil yelled.
"And stupid, too!" Bella taunted. She had no idea why she continued, but she'd had it up to her neck with Phil, and if her mother couldn't see why, then so be it.
Phil stood up and got in Bella's face. Charlie, Chief Quigley, and Judge Gambini immediately got to their feet.
"Phil, what are you doing? Bella, apologize to Phil," Renee said worriedly.
"No, mother. I refuse." Bella glared at Phil. "Do it. I dare you to hit me because I can tell you that not only will I hit back, but my father will make sure you never have use of your arms again. There goes your baseball career."
Bella wondered where this assertiveness was coming from. She'd never been this brave.
Suddenly, Judge Gambini grabbed Phil by the shoulders from behind and forced him back into the chair. "You ever threaten that child again, and I'll see you behind bars for five to ten for assault. Do you hear me, boy?" Phil gulped, then nodded, sitting obediently in his chair. "For your information, Bella was kidnapped by your cousin during her driver's ed class because he was in a rage. He nearly got her and another classmate killed. So, now you tell me, how is that her fault?" Judge Gambini turned to Renee. "I understand you were too busy to pick Bella up after her traumatic incident. Why is that, Mrs Dwyer?"
"Uh, that was Thursday, Renee and I were busy," Phil replied.
"Is your name Mrs Dwyer?"
Phil closed his mouth and sat petulantly in his chair with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Bella noted that Greg Ronstein also had the same look. She noticed the familial appearance between Phil and Greg, the same arrogant chin, the same boyish pout. Perhaps they were distantly related to Edward Cullen because he, too, donned the same expression when he didn't get what he wanted.
"Well, it appears I'm not getting an answer, so let me tell you how I feel. Mrs Dwyer, this summer, during the heatwave in July, the electricity to your house was shut off due to nonpayment while you were on an extended trip with Phil to who knows where. The next day, when your daughter tried to pay the bill, she discovered her cell phone services had also been shut off due to arrears. Your daughter took it upon herself to pay those bills using her hard-earned money from a part-time job. This was money she was saving for…" The judge turned his gaze on Bella.
"A car, insurance for the car, and college," Bella replied.
"All responsible items. I imagine you set her back by several months since all these bills and school activity fees total over three thousand dollars. It's not really fair to your daughter or to Chief Swan, who diligently sent money to you to support Bella."
"But.."
"No, buts, Mrs Dwyer. Your behavior was egregious. You are her mother. She should be able to rely on you for support and security as a minor, neither of which you have provided. Phil, you're just as bad because you should have recognized this behavior." Judge Gambini stood up. "I am awarding sole legal custody of Bella to Charles Geoffrey Swan. There will be no required visitations. Should Mrs Dwyer wish to see her daughter while she is in high school, the visits will be alone and without the presence of Mr Phillip Dwyer."
"But that's not fair! I've never abused Bella."
"No, not physically, but you have neglected her. Now, because you are my nephew's wife, I will do you a favor and not have you brought up on charges of child neglect."
"But what about the child support payments? We need that money," Phil insisted.
Judge Gambini slammed his fist down on his desk. "You have no rights to that money, and neither does your wife. That money was to be used to support Bella, but you were both using it to fund your partying! No more!"
"But we're having a baby!" Phil whined. "How are we going to support it?"
"You made the baby, so you must find a way to support it. Mrs Dwyer has an excellent job as a teacher. You have a degree. Why don't you use it instead of fucking around as a minor league baseball player at thirty-two years old."
"Effective November 1st, child support payments to Renee Dwyer will cease. Mrs Dwyer, you can remove Isabella from your insurance plan effective November 1st. Also, please inform your cell phone company that Isabella has permission to transfer her number to her father's account."
Charlie raised his hand. The judge motioned for him to speak. "I'm going to do Renee a favor; she does not have to make any payments in support of Bella, especially since she is expecting a child. That being said, I would like Mrs Dwyer to reimburse Bella for the utility payments—both cell phone and electricity bills—as well as all the school activity fees. She should have been able to cover those bills with the child support payment plus the extra I sent her. After that, her financial obligations to Bella are complete."
"But that's not fair!" Phil cried. "I told you that Bella used the electricity mostly on her own."
"And that is why you are not equipped to be a stepfather. If you are going to be any sort of parent, you need to be unselfish and make your child, whether he or she is from your blood or not, your first priority. You certainly do not use her for financial purposes like you did with Bella."
"But…"
Suddenly, the door to the room burst open, and a woman with huge hair held together with at least a can of Aqua Net stormed into the room. She was wearing a skin-tight black leather skirt, an extremely low-cut leopard print shirt, and sky-high black pumps. She was sparkling with tons of gaudy jewelry and looked like a mob princess or even one of the Cullens. She'd actually fit in perfectly with that family.
"Vincent, what are you doing to my son? Why are you upsetting him and his beautiful wife." The woman turned to Renee. "Hello, sweetheart. Are you okay? You look upset."
Judge Gambini took on a tired expression. "Bianca, you really have no business here."
"I beg your pardon! If it concerns my son and my new daughter-in-law, it is my business."
"No, it is not! This is a custody discussion between Renee Dwyer and Charlie Swan. You have no place here!"
"Well, if it involves my daughter-in-law, it does."
Bella had just lost her patience. She was hungry and tired. She still had homework to do, and she wanted to punch Phil in the face. Her temper went from zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds, and she stood up and faced down the lady. "Listen to me, lady! I want this meeting over with. I don't want to live with my mother and your son because I fear for my safety. They left me alone for three weeks without paying either the electricity bill or the cell phone bill, and both were shut off. I had to pay for everything using the money I earned at my part-time. Your son got into my face once already because he feels I should have to pay for the phone and electricity instead of my mother and him. At this point, I'm beginning to think it's money well spent just to get away from Phil. He's already gotten into my face today, and he's already acting like a spoiled brat because my father is refusing to support him anymore using MY CHILD SUPPORT. Can you believe it? My mother and your son were taking $1900 per month in support money and spending it on themselves and their friends! Where's the justice in that? Now, please leave this office and let us finalize everything, and then you can continue to ruin your idiotic son!"
Everyone was silent for a moment when Bella finished her rant. And then Bianca, of all people, broke the silence. "Oh, I like this girl. I like her a lot. She reminds me of me." She turned around to face her son and shook her head. "You have disappointed me. How dare you take a minor child's child support money so you can live it up! You should be ashamed of yourself. I blame your father for spoiling you!"
"Mom, you don't know the whole story! Bella spent most of the summer alone, so she used all of the electricity herself. We weren't even home to use the electricity."
Bianca crossed her arms in front of her chest and told Phil to sit down, completely dumbfounded by her son's words. "Sit down, Phillip!"
"Now, why weren't you at your mother's wedding?" Bianca asked Bella.
Bella gave her mother the side eye. "You lied to me," she snarled before replying to Bianca. "I wasn't there because my mother announced that she got hitched on a whim when she came home with Phil on Monday night. It was the same day my father took me away from that miserable household."
And it was truly miserable. Bella just had not realized it until now. She wondered why it didn't occur to her how lonely and sad she had been during the previous go because almost everything—save the custody battle—happened exactly as it did. If she had stayed, it would become worse.
It occurred to her that she wouldn't have relied so much on the Cullens for love had she not been starving for it herself. Alice probably saw that Bella was lonely and zeroed in on her. Typical. She wouldn't fall for that crap again. She was going to be strong and true to herself. She was done being nice—especially to her mother.
"I can't believe you! I really can't. You lied to me. You knew you were getting married and couldn't bother to tell me. Why was that?"
Renee stared at Bella with a frustrated expression. She looked as if she were trying to figure out a good excuse. Finally, she settled on, "Your stepfather and I wanted it to be a surprise. We didn't want to overwhelm you."
"No, no, no. Don't give me that excuse, Mom. You knew well enough that I'd be highly against the marriage, so you didn't bother telling me. And do you know why I'm against Phil?" Bella paused to see if her mother would respond but got no answer from her. "I am against Phil because he's a leech and a sloth."
Slap! Renee reached out and slapped Bella across the face. "Don't you dare insult my husband! You don't even know him."
Bella rubbed her cheek. Charlie rushed to her side and glared at Renee. "You ever lay a hand on my daughter again, and I'll have you behind bars. I don't give a damn that you're her mother. You just crossed the line, Renee!"
"Dad, let me finish," Bella said. "I need to do this."
"Alright, baby girl, but I'm going to stand right here next to you in case."
"My, my, my. You're a handsome hunk of a man. Are you single?" Phil's mother asked, reaching for Charlie's bicep and feeling it up.
"Um… Ma'am, I'm a little young for you," Charlie replied.
"I like my men young," the cougar purred.
Charlie and Bella exchanged horrified glances with each other. Meanwhile, Chief Quigley and Judge Gambini grinned.
Bella decided to continue. "Like I said, Mother, I don't like Phil because he's a leech. Anyone who uses someone else's child support money for his own travel expenses and probably for his game collection is a leech. Phil is also a sloth because whenever he's at our house, he sits around on the sofa and plays video games the entire time. I missed the entire season of The Vampire Diaries because of him. I have one show that I enjoy, and you couldn't even tell him to stop gaming for an hour so I could watch it.
"And as for me not knowing him, whose fault is that? It certainly isn't mine. You could have had me get to know him, but you didn't. And do you know why? It's because you were so in love and focused on Phil that you forgot that you had a daughter to raise. I raised myself from the summer before my sophomore year of high school until now. Sure, you did some nice things for me, like getting Emma and me ready for the homecoming dance, but you disappeared after that and sent me a text message to say you were going away for the entire long weekend. I wanted to tell you about the dance, but you weren't there.
"Oh, and you spent your time traveling with Phil to see his baseball games, but you haven't even come to one of mine since I started high school. Do you know how much it hurts that you don't bother coming to watch me play?" Bella pointed to Phil. "You have all the time in the world to devote to him, but not to your own daughter. That hurts more than anything. I love you, Mom. I will always love you, but I can't live with you because I can't trust you.
"I can trust Daddy. He came running after Greg Ronstein almost killed me last week while you did nothing. I needed you then, Mom." Tears filled her eyes as she whimpered, "I really needed you because I was so scared, but you couldn't be bothered to pick me up because, as Phil said earlier, you two were on a date."
Bella wiped the tears from her eyes and buried her face into Charlie's chest. Her father pulled her into his arms and simply held her, and whispered that she was very brave and how proud he was of her.
Bella felt awful, but she also felt as if she could conquer the world after she had aired everything out. She hadn't realized how frustrated with her mother she had been. Taha Aki had been correct about not holding back. It had been cathartic for her. And she was now ready to return to Forks and face the flock of vampires residing there.
The room had gone silent as Charlie led Bella away from the desk and off to the side of the room where he and Chief Quigley had been silently observing.
"Well, I am now firm in my decision that sole custodial rights will be awarded to Chief Swan. You, madam, have no business being a mother. I have prepared the custody agreement. If you choose not to sign it, I suggest you retain a lawyer to take on your case because I will charge you with child neglect and Phil with failure to act."
"But we haven't done anything wrong!" Renee cried.
"Yes, you have! I have sufficient evidence that you have failed to provide adequate shelter, clothing, and especially direct supervision. You left a minor alone in the house for three weeks during a heat wave during which the electricity and communications were shut off. You left said minor to pay for those items herself when you had sufficient funds in the form of child support payments from the child's father."
"Bella is not a child!" Phil argued.
"Phillip, stay out of this!" Bianca ordered. "Renee, sign the paperwork. You've both done enough damage to the poor girl, and I am ashamed, so ashamed, of both of you."
"Don't sign it, Renee," Phil said. "We could still get the child support money; my dad is a lawyer."
"Your father wouldn't be dumb enough to take on this case. It is open and shut. Now, you either settle this in my chambers, or you are both under arrest. And trust me when I say that I'll set bail so high that you'll both wish Renee signed the papers."
Renee nodded her head. "I'll sign. I'll sign right away, but I don't have the money to pay Bella."
"Judge Gambini, I just want this over with. I don't care if she doesn't pay me back. As far as I'm concerned, it's money well spent to get away from them."
"I'm sorry, Bella, but I feel there must be some restitution."
"As do I," Bianca agreed. "I'll write a check for the amount owed plus interest. They can pay me back."
"Bianca, you're not part of this," the judge reminded his sister.
"Yes, I am. It involves my son and daughter-in-law, and you will tell me later what my idiot nephew Greg did to Bella. In any case, because you are Phil's stepdaughter, I am now your grandmother. I like you, Bella, and I think I'll keep you."
"Mom?" Phil questioned, horrified.
"Oh, shush! You have disappointed me because you are not a man. A real man would have stepped up to care for his new wife's daughter. Instead, the girl is running from you like you're a parasite. Your grandfather was my stepfather. He was a real man. When my father died when I was a young girl, and my mother—your grandmother married your grandfather, he treated me like I was his own blood. I never felt unwanted the way the two of you made this girl feel. Now, sign the goddamned forms and let Bella live in peace. I'll be having words with your father, too, in case you get any smart ideas about suing for custody."
Renee, with shaking hands and tears in her eyes, signed the paperwork. "Bella, I never meant to hurt you. I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I'm so, so sorry."
Bella didn't respond. She didn't even look at her mother. She stayed behind with Chief Quigley, who patted her arm reassuringly as Charlie went to sign the paperwork."
"This finalizes everything. If you can come in tomorrow, Chief Swan, I can give you a notarized copy of this paperwork along with a check for Bella."
"That'll be fine."
"Bella, you were very brave today. You said what needed to be said, and you gave me the details I needed to make an informed decision. Remember what my sister said, if she's your grandmother, then I'm your great-uncle. I'll be honored to fill that role. Just knowing you're not an idiot like Greg and Phil is a plus."
Bella giggled. "Why don't you get something to eat now? And don't forget to tell your father and Chief Quigley what happened at lunch."
"Thank you, your honor," Bella said, "It was really nice to meet you."
"And it was an absolute pleasure to meet you."
With that, Bella left with her father and Chief Quigley. It had been an emotionally exhausting ordeal for her, and she was ready to unwind at the hotel.