more than life / jared cameron

01

Veronica

Police sirens. Red and blue flashing lights against the white siding of the Swan residence. Wet black hair and jacket clinging to my shivering, russet skin. Pain coursing through my every vein.

He left me, on the side of the road, with a throbbing hand and a broken heart.

He was leaving, going to god knows where, with the rest of his pale faced family.

He didn't love me, he only used me. That's about as much as he told me - that I was nothing but a fling to satisfy his needs. That he didn't want me. That he didn't love me the way I loved him.

He left me, on the side of the road. Leaving me on my own to drag myself home.

But I didn't. I dragged myself to the home of my best friend, Bella Swan, who no doubt would be going through the same as me.

But when my feet finally carried me to the Swans' driveway, I was met with the flashing lights of police cars and half of Forks male population. Leaned against a cop car was my uncle, Harry Clearwater, and Chief Swan as well as Billy and Jacob Black.

My eyes were trained on my uncle, who was staring at the map spread across the hood of the car. With my hood up and my useless hand clutched against my chest, I inched myself closer to the scene. I passed by unnoticed, opening my mouth to speak to my clearly worried uncle when the crowd gasped.

I turned around, my eyes widening when they landed on disoriented Bella being carried over by my cousin's ex-fiancé, Sam Uley.

"Bella!" I gasped, my feet rocketing my body towards the pair. All the sadness I held within me melted away into something harder. Something hotter. Something stronger.

Anger.

"Give me her," I muttered to Sam, my arms wrapping around the pale girl's small and shivering frame - similar to my own. I struggled to hold Bella up, hissing as her weight strained my wrist.

"Ronnie, stop." Sam said, reaching to take Bella back. He and I could both see how much I was shaking - shivering. My whole body burned as I held Bella to my chest tightly.

"Let go of her!" I screamed at Sam, jerking myself and my best friend away from the large man who I knew far too much about.

Sam retreated, his gaze focusing behind me as he held his hands up in defeat and took a step back.

I scooted away from him, looking down at the half-conscious girl in my arms. I slapped her cheek gently. "Bells, wake up. Its Ronnie. Please wake up."

Bella stirred, thrashing her head side to side. "Edward," she whimpered.

"Veronica," voices behind me called as I dragged myself towards my best friend's house. Bella was freezing against my already cool body, her skin almost as cold as the Cullens.

"Ron, give me her." Bella's dad, Charlie, demanded, pulling his daughter from my wobbly grasp.

Once her weight was lifted away, I collapsed onto the ground, the throbbing pain in my wrist morphing into a searing hot pain.

"No!" I cried, reaching out to Bella when I felt warm arms wrap around myself. I inwardly turned, digging myself into the chest of my father figure.

"Ron, stand up," my uncle Harry said, slowly helping my legs lift my body weight up. His arms wrapped around my shoulders, holding me tight and close to his chest.

"But Bella!" I cry, desperately trying to get a good look at my best friend. She was in a far worse condition than myself and that sent another wave of sadness through my body.

"Charlie's got her, Ron. Let's get you to the car before you get pneumonia." Harry says, beginning to drag my towards our old truck - one younger than Bella's.

I feel his head turn, his chin swiveling on the top of my head. "Sam, go." He said, commanding the Quileute boy away.

Harry, with the help of Jacob Black, got me up and into the truck - seatbelt and all. Shivers shook my body as my uncle turned the heat up, wrapping a cotton blanket around my shoulders.

I held my hands in front of my face, watching them shake with blurry eyes. My left wrist was significantly larger than my right - and I wasn't the only one that noticed.

"Veronica, what happened?" My uncle demanded, his calloused hands gently grabbing my wounded arm. His fingers gently poked and prodded the disfigured body part.

"I punched him."

•••

sorry for the shortness, i was just so excited to get this out to everyone!! let me know what you all think!

-M