Two Ghosts {Leah Clearwater}

21: Pizza and Crappy TV

Pandora had locked herself in her room. Leah and Bella were outside her door, each trying to coax Pandora out. Pandora assumed that Alice, Jasper, and Edward left a while ago. While she was extremely grateful for their help (she knew they were putting themselves at risk for staging a car accident) she just couldn't bring herself to act like she was okay with what was going on. Not only was her mother gone, but Alice hinted that her sister wasn't going to stay after the funeral for their mother was over. She just kept losing family members, and it was tearing her heart apart. The people who are supposed to stick with you through thick and thin, the people that Pandora always knew she could rely on... they were all leaving her.

"Pandora, please come out." Bella called out as she knocked softly on the door, "Leah's getting pizza. You need to eat something."

Pandora sighed, closing her eyes before getting off her bed. She wrapped the blanket around her body as she made her way to the door. Opening it a bit, Pandora peaked her head out. Leah was nowhere to be seen, and Bella was staring wide-eyed at Pandora.

"It better be pepperoni," Pandora said softly. Bella snorted before pulling Pandora into a hug. Pandora melted into her embrace and allowed Bella to lead her to the living room, where they collapsed onto the couch. Bella sat up as Pandora spread her body across the couch, her head resting in Bella's lap as the girl ran her finger's through Pandora's hair.

They said nothing for a moment, Pandora lost in her mind and Bella unsure of what to say.

"We need to start planning your wedding, Bells." Pandora said softly, turning to lay on her back as she stared up at her cousin, someone who became more of a sister to her than her own sister in the past year.

"You still want to do that?" Bella asked, shock lacing her voice. "Alice can handle it on her own, Dora. And you're going to have to plan the funeral..."

Pandora took a shaky breath, "I need to keep myself busy. And it's not like I'm doing it alone." Pandora licked her lips, blinking away the threat of tears. "I want to help you, Bella."

Bella smiled softly, leaning back into the couch. "Okay, but you have to keep Alice from going overboard. You should see her room; it's like a pinterest board exploded in there."

Before Pandora could reply, the front door opened and Leah walked in with three boxes of pizza. She looked mildly surprised at the scene in front of her, glancing from Bella to Pandora. "You're out."

"And you have pizza." Pandora replied back. Leah frowned, setting the pizza down on the coffee table. Bella and Pandora wasted no time and dove into the pizza.

"What do you want to watch tonight?" Bella asked as she reached for the remote.

"Say Yes to the Dress," Pandora responded. "We need to start looking for your wedding dress and that's the perfect way to start getting ideas."

"Wait a minute," Leah walked in front of the couch, staring at the two with a frustrated expression on her face. "Are we just going to pretend that Pandora didn't lock herself in her room for over an hour because she has some serious family shit she has to deal with?" She turned her gaze to Pandora, "aren't you going to deal with this?"

"Dora doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to," Bella replied as she narrowed her eyes. Putting her piece of pizza back in the box, Bella stood to face Leah. Leah was taller than Bella, but Bella was stubborn, Pandora didn't see either of them backing down.

"So you want her to ignore her problems? Let them boil inside her until she explodes?" Leah shook her head, "you may think that's the best way to handle emotions but it's not."

"Not everyone needs to punch it out," Bella huffed. "Sometimes you just need to be distracted for a little while. Why is that so bad?"

"Because last time she wanted to get away from her problems she ended up drunk and you weren't there to take care of her; I was and I know that's not what she needs."

"She is sitting right here," Pandora snapped, not bothering to stand up. "And she doesn't need you to tell her what to do." Bella and Leah both fell silent as Pandora took a bite out of her pizza. "I get that both of you think you know what's best for me, but I don't need anyone to watch over me like a child. I'll always need support, but how I decided to deal with my emotions is my decision."

"This isn't healthy, Dora." Leah huffed, "you act like you're okay but I know you're not. Babe, I hear you crying when you think I'm asleep. You shouldn't have to hide your feelings from anyone."

"I'm not hiding anything." Pandora snapped, "I was dealt a really shitty hand, so I'm folding before I lose everything. I'm only human, Leah. I don't want to deal with all my emotional baggage at once, that'll drive me insane. If I want to hide away, watch crappy tv, and eat pizza with my favorite people I should be allowed to."

Leah didn't say anything, making the pit in Pandora's stomach tighten. She was mildly surprised when Leah sank into the spot next to her on the couch, reaching forward to grab a slice of pizza before settling in next to her. Pandora glanced over at Bella, noting that she looked just as shocked at Pandora felt.

Sensing the two staring at her, Leah looked up from her pizza. "What? We can't always have huge heart to hearts. I thought you wanted to watch bad tv."

"Okay," Pandora smiled softly at Leah. Letting Bella turn on the tv and grab another piece, Pandora spread herself across the two. Her head leaning against Leah's arm as her legs were resting across Bella's lap.

They were two hours into Say Yes to the Dress when Bella fell asleep, the girl having no interest in dress shopping. Pandora wondered if Alice would let her get away with putting Bella in a jumpsuit, knowing Bella would be more comfortable in pants than a dress.

"I don't mean to push you, Dora." Leah said quietly after the fourth episode ended. Pandora tilted her head to look up at Leah, a small frown on her face. "I just don't want you bottling your feelings up. I know what that can do to a person, and I don't want you to go through that."

"I know," Pandora said softly and glanced at their intertwined hands before looking back up at Leah. "Thank you for looking out for me, Leah."

"That's what we do," Leah smiled. "We take care of each other. Always."