this town * cullen

chapter five

            

I set for another morning run, getting up earlier than normal to make the run longer. I may have been tired, but it always made me feel more awake. The air was cold, but that was always better when I was huffing my way home. The jacket I had reminded myself to put on helped immensely.

Coming into school on Wednesday felt exhausting, the mid-week slump settling inside of my bones. The car ride was silent, and I was grateful for it. Farley wasn't my favorite person right now, but she still had to live with me, and me her. Again, when we made it to school, she was out of my car faster than a racecar.

"How was your night?" Renesmee asked as I sat down in front of her in our usual library spot. She was reading a book today, the spine against the table where I couldn't see what she was reading.

"Normal, nothing interesting happened," I lied. I wouldn't bother her with sibling problems, not when her family was so perfect. I took out my phone as I spoke, setting it on the table in front of me so I could start playing with it. My mind was too tired to focus on the words of a book, so games would have to occupy my mind. "Did you have a nice night?" I asked.

"I watched Emmett and Jasper fight over a game, so yes," she laughed with a small smile. I wished I could have seen it, or even imagined it. I didn't know her family well enough yet, but I could tell Emmett was a loud and playful type of person. I wished for a family like hers.

"You should video that for me next time," I laughed. She smiled, pulling out her phone. Her phone held no phone case, which seemed quite brave to me.

"I will, give me your number so I can send it to you live." We traded phones and entered our own numbers, and I couldn't help but add a few peach emojis next to my name. When I handed back her phone, she laughed.

"Three peach emojis?" she asked, shaking her head with a playful roll to her eyes.

"Four was too many, but one or two was too small," I explained on improv, a smile on my face. I looked down to notice she had put an emoji for her own name, the simple hand emoji.

"I shouldn't complain, I put the hand emoji next to my own name," she giggled, and I felt like melting. Her laugh had been bringing butterflies to my stomach, and I wondered if it would ever cease. I silently hoped it never would.

The bell rang then, and we headed to first period together. I couldn't help but text Noah immediately.

GOT IT

-

"Do you want to come over after school?" I asked bravely on Friday. We had known each other for a full week, and somehow I felt we had known each other so much longer. She smiled at me, nodding slightly. "Do you need a ride? Your family is quite large, so I assume you ride together," I asked and she giggled lightly and nodded again.

I had noticed Renesmee spoke less and less as the week went on, but she was always smiling and answering my questions as needed. She messaged me often, though, and it was the reason I knew she considered me a friend.

"Don't mind Farley, she might be a bit pissy about sitting in the backseat," I warned, and she nodded with a mockingly serious face. I laughed at her again which made the both of us smile.

Getting home with Renesmee beside me felt right. Farley, as expected, was fuming in the backseat the whole way home as we all sat in a, mostly, comfortable silence. Music played, and that was the only noise in the car. Turning the corner towards home, I noticed Mom's car in the driveway. I didn't know she was off.

Farley was out of the car before I could fully put the car in park. I heard her mumble something under her breath, but I couldn't make out the words. My assumption was something insulting.

"Is she always like that?" Renesmee asked with a bit of sadness to her voice. She seemed more upset by Farley than I had ever been in my entire life. I shouldn't have brought her here, knowing Farley would most likely ruin what we had.

"Mostly, she's gotten worse since we moved here," I shrugged, getting out of the car just as Renesmee did the same. I picked my bag out of the backseat and lead her into my house, rain starting to drizzle down on us.

Entering the house I was greeted with a hello from my mother, who had yelled it from the kitchen. I made sure to give my own greeting back and waited to announce the presence of my guest. I didn't want her to question Renesmee before I got the chance to let her settle in.

"We can set our stuff in my room first," I spoke to Renesmee, and she nodded in answer. We climbed the stairs and I had to keep myself from climbing two at a time as I usually did. Certainly Renesmee's legs were longer than mine, but not that much.

We sat down our stuff, and she stood there silently for a moment taking in my room. I looked around too, noticing the lack of decorations. I hadn't been here long, but the walls lacked the personality I usually liked.

"Is this how you like it, or have you not decorated yet?" Renesmee asked without looking at me, her voice soft.

"Haven't found anything worthy to be put on the walls. I usually have posters and pictures, whatever I'm currently liking," I answered with a small shrug. She turned toward me and smiled lightly, but she followed me out the door when I motioned for us to leave.

"Who's this?" my mom asked as we made our way into the kitchen.

"Renesmee," I answered, a light smile on my face.

"Pleasure to meet you Dr. Kade," she smiled politely, her hands twisted behind her back. She didn't bring them forward to shake her hand, but my mother was never really the person for handshakes.

"Nice to meet you, dear. Though, how did you know I was a doctor?" she asked curiously, still not used to small towns, apparently. Did she not know the whole town knew our lives better than we did?

"Alec told me, but I already knew from Carlisle as he's a family member of mine," she explained and my mom nodded lightly as she dried her hands with a towel. She was making dinner.

"Well, hope you enjoy lasagna, because that's for dinner," my mother smiled lightly, mostly directing it towards me.

"Sounds lovely," Renesmee continued with her politeness, and I couldn't help but smile at her. Maybe Renesmee's politeness would run off on Farley, but I highly doubted it.

"Renesmee is sweet," my mother spoke once Renesmee was gone after dinner. She stayed for a bit after, but she said she needed to get home before her family began to worry. She had one of her family members pick her up, but I didn't get a chance to see who. I was sad to see her go, but I was grateful she had come over at all. "Is she just a friend?" my mother asked curiously, and I hesitated.

"Yeah, she is. What does it matter?" I may have spoke hasher than I intended to. I remembered Farley's words. Mom doesn't like it either. She just hopes you'll realize you like boys.

"Just curious, sweetie, no need to get hostile," she seemed genuine in her words, but I couldn't help but be skittish. Farley was annoying, but she didn't exactly lie.

"Sorry, just tired," I shrugged, trying to make my way out of the room as fast as I could. Surely getting away from my problems was the best way to go.