The Bonds Between Us • E.Cullen x Fem oc x B. Swan

Chapter 55°

The two girls sat, quiet and uncomfortable on the floor as Bella snuck glances of the house around her, peering out of the side of her eye at her girlfriend. She hadn't seen the redhead in almost three months, and to be honest, she looked worse than Bella felt.

Cordelia's once beautiful vibrant locks looked brittle and broken, losing the shine it once had. Her eyes were dark and sunken in as if the pain, just as raw as the moment it happened, was eating away at her from the inside. Her skin was sickly pale, her freckles almost looking painted on due to the contrast.

Bella didn't know this Cori. She didn't know what had transpired, what the trigger was for the meltdown, let alone when she had tried to comfort her, Cori had moved away as if her touch had burnt.

"Lia-" "Don't." The red head whispered, effectively quieting the brunette. "Don't come in here, thinking you can fix everything Isabella. I can't be fixed. I'm broken, and if anybody's gonna try, it damn sure isn't going to be you." Bella was stunned, flinching away from her full name and the fierce words, as tears gathered in her eyes.

"Lia, it's not-" "My name is Cori. I think it's time you used it. Your dad's probably worried about you." Cori said as she went to stand, her legs wobbly. "Cori-" "Go home, Bella." The red head said, but the brunette stood her ground.

"No, talk to me. What happened? What changed?" "Everything!" Cori snapped back as she spun around, "Everything has changed. The people that I thought loved me, left, my parents divorced, my boyfriend of three years toyed with me the whole time we were together, my girlfriend knew and she didn't tell me, my mom just fucking left, and I'm some supernatural monster that's gonna kill everyone!" Cori shouted as Bella's eyes went wide as she flickered in and out of reality.

"I didn't know." Bella said as she looked at Cori. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe you." Cori told her but Bella interjected. "He told me it was gonna be like he never existed. Like the supernatural wasn't real, but I reminded him of you. Cori we're bonded. I told him I would always know he was real because of you. He turned you against me. I would never hurt you like that." Bella pleaded with the redhead and Cori stopped, looking at her.

"You don't have to believe me. I wouldn't believe me, but you know him better than I do. You said so yourself. You were with him for three years, is it something he would do?" Bella asked her as she walked towards the door. "Come find me when you come up with an answer." The brunette told her, not waiting for an answer where she knew she wasn't welcome.

That night, both girls laid awake, one in a swinging chair with her father checking in on her every few hours, and one with a dream catcher that seemed to be full, that was hung directly above her pillows.

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Though the night was long and tedious, it seemed to finally ease into morning as the sun rose, filling the red heads room with light.

Cordelia had made up her mind. She may regret it, but she was going to try to save what little relationship she had left, but it would take time. She didn't know if she truly trusted the brunette, her trust in everyone, lost, but it was worth it. If it meant she got to kept Bella in her life, she knew she had to try.

Getting up and moving slowly to the bathroom, the faucet for the tub turned on, steam from the water rising almost immediately. A bath was due, really any type of soap and water was due, but she didn't think she could bare to stand for the amount of time needed.

Grabbing a change of clothes and a towel from the linen closet, she shut herself into the bathroom, not emerging until two hours later. She had been washed and dried, her hair had product in it for the first time in months, and in general she looked healthier, the hot water giving her a peachy look.

"Wow. Carrot, you look good." Her father said as her socked feet hit the bottom stair. "Thanks." She whispered, her eyes not meeting her father's. She hadn't told him what happened. What her mother had said, anything.

Jonas knew his ex wife had been back, hand he knew she doesn't do anything without getting in the last word. He knew because her things were gone. He knew because the neighbors told him that Margery had come back and it hadn't been a pretty sight between the two red heads.

That's why he was surprised when Cori left her chair, and was dressed in something other than an old shirt and sweats. Any progress was good, but at what price did it come?

"Where are you going?" He asked as she shrugged on a jacket and a pair of loafers. "Just down the street." She told him. "To Bella?" "We need to talk." She said confirming his suspicions. Charlie had explained what had happened when the Cullen's had first left, what Cori had told him. He never felt the brunette could do such a thing, though what would he know, he was freshly divorced.

"Are we looking for a good outcome?" He asked his daughter and she stiffened. "I don't know. We'll see how it goes." She told him, her voice giving nothing away and he nodded. "Be back by sundown." He told her and she nodded slipping out the door.

Walking to the white house, it gave her time to think, reflect, over think. Her hands started to shake as she got closer, the red truck she hated so much coming into view.

Pacing in front of the house, she finally made her way up to the front door, pausing before lifting her hand to knock on the door, but someone had beat her to it. In front of her stood Bella, her hands nervously wringing together. "We need to talk."

A/N: What do you think is gonna happen? Let me know in the comments!