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SKIN & BONES
ix. WAITING GAME
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LORELAI WAS BEYOND STRESSED. For the past 24 hours, every single second had been devoted to her little sister: her safety, what she'd been through, where she was. All Lorelai knew that Bella was in danger and that it had something to do with rapid vampires—or Nomads, as Jasper had called them. Lorelai just wanted to know if Bella would be okay in the end. The thought that she wouldn't was the most horrifying part of this nightmare she was living in.
"That's not breakfast," pointed out Charlie Swan. He shot a glance at the cup of Coca Cola in Lorelai's small hands.
She shot her father a pointed look. Lying to her father about the situation was tough, especially because all she wanted to do was talk about Bella and these murderous vampires; however, it wasn't anything Lorelai couldn't do. For now, she was doing her best.
"Neither is Beer," argued the brunette.
It didn't matter how informed Charlie Swan was—truth or not. He wasn't taking the situation in its entirety well at all, which was expected. In just 24 hours, he was drinking more than usual, he was twitchy and irritable, and he hadn't slept more than a few hours last night. His condition added to the list of worries compiling in Lorelai's head. It seemed like all she could do was worry—worry about Bella, worry about the Cullens, worry about Charlie. She felt helpless.
She leaned against the kitchen countertop, nibbling on a Lifesaver that had been waiting for her in her pocket. "Maybe you should eat something, Dad," suggested Lorelai.
Charlie scoffed. "I gotta say, Lor, that's—"
"Rory," interrupted Lorelai. She felt timid, shy all of a sudden when Charlie gave her a questioning look. Her tone softened as she added, "It's what I'm going by now. Rory."
Charlie sighed. "Well, whoever you are, that's absolute gold coming from you," he finished.
Rolling her eyes, Lorelai calmly argued, "I'm serious. You need to keep your energy up. You know... in case Bella or Renée or Phil or... I don't know, someone calls."
Charlie was right. Her argument was too ironic, and she knew it. Although Lorelai wanted to eat for the reasons she described, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The thought of eating made her feel nauseated, but she was trying... to an extent.
Retrieving her phone from her pocket, Lorelai tapped in her password while sipping on her soda. She scrolled through her most recent thread of texts, hoping that she'd gotten a response from her sister or Jasper that she missed, hoping that maybe one of them had at least left her on read. Then, at least, maybe Lorelai could have some peace of mind. Coincidentally, they were the only people she had tried to contact.
lor
bella wtf
lor
you can't just LEAVE LIKE
THAT!!!!!
lor
dad and i are freaking the
fuck out, yk. can you call or
text one of us soon???
lor
if you have to kick some
vampire ass, just like.... IDK
lor
throw some holy water on
them???? or garlic????
lor
look jasper didn't actually
tell me how to defeat a vampire,
but i'm sure one of those ideas
should work
lor
btw when you come home,
i'm gonna kick your ass so hard
you'll taste my toes for weeks
lor
yes i stole that from pinterest
lor
ANYWAYS be safe, text me
soon
lor
don't be a little bitch ok?
DESTROY those vampires
lor
btw are those vampires white
lor
bc i told you
lor
white people are crazy.
lor
ok i'm gonna go but i love u
lor
like a little bit
ALL MESSAGES DELIVERED!
Lorelai sighed. No response, no sign that her texts had been read. She opened the messages she had sent to one Jasper Hale, hoping for something to relieve her.
rory :)
jasper wtf dude
rory :)
u gave me a whole
ass heart attack!!!!
rory :)
legit i think i died
rory :)
idk if you know what
that means bc you're
as old as my grandpa
(LOL)
rory :)
but seriously! you can't
just come into my house,
act all crazy, and then
DISAPPEAR, STUPID
rory :)
if i was ur gf, i'd probably
destroy u
rory :)
but yk what? bc we're
friends, i won't
rory :)
i miss you.
rory :)
i'm sorry for getting so mad
at you yesterday. you were just
worried about me
rory :)
and here i am, getting all fired
up because i'm worried about
you
rory :)
all of you
rory :)
come back home soon please
rory :)
be safe
rory :)
idk what the vampire equivalent
is, but i hope you arrest or kill or
WHATEVER those nomads
rory :)
just come back to me in one piece,
okay?
ALL MESSAGES DELIVERED!
Another sigh joined the atmosphere. Same response, which was nothing. She placed her phone onto the counter. She wasn't sure of what to do from there. It wasn't like she had anything to do other than wait for a text or call from Bella or one of the Cullens or... anyone, really.
The sound of a phone ringing sent Lorelai's soul flying out of her body. Jolting, she whipped her head to see Charlie hurriedly answer his phone. He reached for it in an instant and spoke a rather aggressive greeting.
That was how Lorelai Swan was getting on the next flight to Phoenix, Arizona.
Revised: January 5th, 2020