//Jamiah//
It has been a few hours since Jacob took me back home. I honestly can't decipher how he feels . When his dad died in front of him sure enough he cried, but what had me concerned was the look on his eyes as he drove me home.
He looked empty and emotionless, almost dead. Whenever I tried talking to him he either ignored me or answered with one words responded in a monotone voice.
I didn't press him like I normally would because I know how it feels to lose a father. It was probably worse because he was barely getting to know his father and ended up losing him the day of his birthday. He needed time to alone to pick himself but if he needed me I'll be glad to be There.
Unexpectedly I heard a knock at the front door. I got up to answer it but once I opened the door I was shocked at who stood before me.
"Bella? What are you doing here?" She looked down at her shoes with an ashamed expression. I noticed the bruises on her face and body. Her nose and lip were also bloodie.
She held onto her stomach and tears streamed down her busted face.
"J-Jacob.. he beat me again.. and... I'm... pregnant and..I think I lost the baby." I looked her up and down and could tell she was telling the truth.
I wrap her close in my arm and bring her into my house. I sat her in my bathroom while grabbing the first aid kit.
I began cleaning off her wounds. Once I was done I gave her an ice pack for her eye.
"I'm taking you to the hospital. First you need to get showered. I'll let you borrow some of my clothes."
She followed me to my room as I gave her a pair of jeans and t-shirt. She turned to walk to the door but stopped right in front of the door and turned back to me.
"Uh. Thank you. I honestly came here thinking you would kick me out and slam the door in my face like I did to you."
Before I could respond to her she disappears to the bathroom. I ran my hand over my face and begin looking around the house for the keys to the car that my father bought me. It was supposed to be reserved but this is an emergency.
I finally found them at the top of my mother's closet. Once Bella got out the shower we got into the car and drove to the hospital in silence.
Pretty soon we arrived at the emergency room and we were able to get her into the doctors care.
I sat in the waiting room for almost three hours until I was able to visit her room.
"So you wanna tell me how this happened?"
"Well it was my fault. He came home and I was saying some pretty mean stuff about you to his face. I guess I was still bitter. Then he warned me but I kept going. Next thing I know he's dragging me on the floor and relentlessly beating me. Once I saw the blood in between my legs I knew it was over."
"Did he know you were pregnant? What about Ryan? "
"No he didnt. I told me mom a few months ago and we both suggested that I move with my dad to keep him from knowing. As far as Ryan, he wants nothing to do with me or the baby. Not to mention the whole time he was messing around on me."
"I'm sorry that you have to go through this."
"No it's all just karma and me getting what I deserve. I put someone who didn't even care about me over my best friend, then I overreact by kicking you out and talking shit about you . Now I've lost everything, including my unborn baby. I don't even deserve to have you here now."
"Hey, no matter what we go through I'll always be your best friend. You're like a sister to me. If you call me in need of something, no matter how mad I am at you I'll always have my door open. I love you." With that being said I pulled her into a long lasting hug. I'm glad that I was finally able to get my best friend back.
"Are you still going to move in with your dad?" I ask when we release each other.
"Yeah I think I am. Too much has happened and I need a clean start before I continue with my life. I should be leaving next month."
After our closure I decided to go get us some food. As I walked down the hall I ran into a nervous Jacob.
"Jamiah what the hell! Why am I getting a call that you're in the hospital?" I shush his yelling before explaining why I'm here.
"It's not me. It's your sister."
"Bella?"
"Be honest with me Jacob. Did you beat her?"
"That's why she's in here? She is so extra. Come on let's go get her discharged." He grabs my hand but I swat it away.
"This is serious. She was pregnant and now she's lost the baby. She had a miscarriage." When those words left my lips his entire expression changed.
"She... was pregnant? I killed her baby?" I don't say anything. He steps away from me slowly and begins running away in the opposite direction.
A few days passed and Bella was finally discharged. I bought her some food from Chick-fil-A and dropped her off home.
As I pulled up in my own driveway i noticed Jacob's jeep parked outside. I hadn't heard anything from him since he ran out the hospital. I get he was probably in shock but he could've at least answered the phone.
I walked through my bedroom door and saw him sitting on my bed. He was dressed in a black dress shirt that was buttoned half way, black beans and black Doc Martin's.
"Get dressed we're running late."
"Late for what?" He didn't tell me anything about going somewhere.
"His funeral." Oh...
"You sure you want me to go?" He simply nods his head and points to a black dress on the bed next to him. I give him a weird look before grabbing the dress and going into the bathroom.
Since I already showered this morning I just put the dress on and fixed my hair in its normal bun. I walked back into the room to find some shoes.
I usually don't wear dresses but the look on Jacob's face when he saw me made me want to consider it.
"Uh.. uh. Shoes." He said pointing to some black heels in the corner.
I nod and slip them on. He stood up and grabbed my hand, leading me to his car.
As we rode down the street the dead silence killed me . Jacob has that same expressionless face that he has the day his father died.
"How are you feeling?" I cautiously ask. He looked over to me briefly with that dead look in his eyes and then looked back at the rode.
"Same."
I wanted to say something else but I didn't know what. He was depressed and broken.
We finally arrived at the sanctuary and walked in together. Since Jacob was family and I was his plus one we had to sit in the first row.
We sat down in our seats and waited for the program to start. I noticed Jacob tensingup and when I looked over I noticed Jordyn was sitting next to him. As usual she was being her normal flirty self.
"Switch with me." I whisper in his ear and he gladly does so. I send a sly smirk her way before resting my head on his shoulder.
The service then started. A few poems were read, some people had came up and talked about Joseph and their relationship with him.
A few songs were sung from the choir and finally the eulogy. Mike stood at the podium, fully dressed in his suit and tie.
He cleared his throat before speaking into the microphone.
"How y'all doing today?" He earned a few responses making him giggle.
"Well I wanna start off by saying that Joseph was a great man." He plastered a smile on his face that quickly faded away. He turned his attention directly to Jacob.
"Even though he wasn't my biological father he was still my blood. When he married my mother and took me and my sister in 18 years ago, he completed our family. He claimed us, called us his own." He Continues staring Jacob down with a smug look. I could feel him getting angrier by the second. I grab his hand in comfort.
"He loved us and we loved him back, especially my mother, even though he left such a... distasteful past behind him. He wasn't perfect, nobody is. But he made sure to the best of his ability that we knew we were loved and that he wanted to be in our lives. Nobody could take that from us. Not even the people who come along later in his life causing trouble just for his money. His love was unbreakable. Now he'll be loving us from heaven."
The church erupted with clapping and cheering from Mike's speech. He walked out of the spotlight with a smirk as he stared Jacob down.
"Let's go." He began to stand up but I pulled him back down.
"Baby, you can't let him get in your head like that." I caress his arm. He takes a deep breath before saying 'Fine'.
The service continues and soon people start going by rows to pass by his coffin for the last viewing.
"Are you gonna go see him."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I can't look at him like that." I nod understanding where he's coming from. I gently kiss his hand.
Once service is over people begin greeting each other. Joann makes it her duty to go up to everyone, thanking them for coming.
She soon approaches us carefully dabbing the tears from her eyes. "Thank you guys for coming. Hopefully you won't let this be the reason we never see you again, Jacob."
"It won't be. I've actually gotten to know Skylar really well."
"You were all your father talked about for a whole year, you know? Even though I don't know you that well, I know that he loves you and is proud of the man you have become." The exchange hugs and she turns to me.
"I hope to see you too. You seem to make him very happy, I don't think he'll be letting you go anytime at all." She hugs and moves on to the next guest.
"She's really sweet."
"Yeah I guess she is." He says with a smirk. He grabs my hand and we begin walking out the sanctuary.
Someone bumps into Jacob causing us to stop.
"I'm really tired of you Mike."
"Why'd you even show up? Everybody knows Joseph didn't really care about you. He only went looking for you because my mom told him to."
"At least my real father actually came back for me." The amount of malice in his voice shouldn't even be allowed in a church.
"You know what, fuck you Perez. You won't ever see the last of me." Wow, did he really just curse in a church? May God have mercy on his soul.
The car ride is once again silent. This time I font try to make conversation.
He didnt have that same dead look on his eyes. Instead it seemed he was letting himself feel. And what he was feeling was sadness, depression, anger, hopelessness.
I caught a tear slipping from his eye and I slowly wiped it away.
"Are you coming inside?" I ask once we arrive in front of my house.
"No I need to be alone. I just couldn't be in the same room as him without you." I nod in understanding then give him a few pecks before exiting his car and returning home.