"I'm so pumped for this weekend!" Eric exclaimed as he sat down at the lunch table.
Angela and Bella shared amused looks and both he and Tyler started laughing wildly. Even Mike was grinning even wider than usual, if that was even possible. What was going on with these three?
"What's going on this weekend?" She asked, curious to know what all the fuss was about.
Eric flicked his bangs out of his eyes as he said, "It's suppose to be sunny all weekend! We're planning a trip to La Push. Do you wanna come?"
"Does who want to go where?" Jessica asked as she sat down at the table.
"We're planning a trip to La Push," Mike explained. "Eric was asking if Bella wanted to come."
Jessica's eyes flickered towards Bella before landing on Mike. Her shoulders sagged slightly when Mike didn't say anything more.
"I'll go if Jessica and Angela go," Bella said. There was no way she would agree to a trip alone with the three of those guys.
Eric nodded enthusiastically. The more the merrier, he said. Jessica immediately brighter when the others agreed. Even Angela seemed to sit up a little straighter. Bella smiled as she watched her friends.
"But, it'll have to be when I get off work Saturday."
Mike laughed. "Just call in sick. Or tell my mom you want off. I'm sure I could convince her to let you go for the day."
Bella shook her head in response. "Thanks, but money is kinda nice."
Tyler saluted her. "Amen!"
This caused another round of laughter. Bella found herself genuinely grinning along with her friends and welcomed the feeling. She has been feeling so stressed out with the whole Cullen situation lately that she knew she needed some time to relax. Maybe she could even invite Jacob. She hadn't seen him since their fathers fought a couple weeks ago. It would be nice to see him again.
Later that evening, Bella felt her good mood vanish at the sight of Edward Cullen standing in one of the isles at her work. She froze when she saw him chatting with Emmett. Bella quickly turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Maybe they hadn't seen her. Her hopes were quickly dashed she she heard Emmett's booming voice call out,
"Swan! Over here."
Bella winced as she slowly turned around. Emmett was towing a very moody Edward after him. She tried to put on a smile as they came closer She was at work after all.
"What can I help you with?" Her eyes strayed towards Edward as she spoke. They briefly made eye contact before he looked away.
"Well," Emmett said, pulling her attention onto him. "We were looking to get a couple on tents. Eddie and I are going camping this weekend."
He said this with a wide grin. Bella fought off a smile as she watched Edward glare daggers at Emmett. When he caught Bella's eye, he simply huffed and looked away once more. Although she could swear she saw his lips were twitching as well.
"What kind were you thinking on buying?"
Bella led them into a different isle where they sold most of their tents.
"Two of the single persons tents. I'm trying to teach Eddie that he doesn't need to be afraid of the dark and can sleep in his own tent this time. I mean, he's seventeen already."
Bella couldn't hold in her laughter as Edward punched Emmett in the shoulder and then the back as he tried to twist away. Emmett's laughter echoed loudly around them as he disappeared around the corner. Edward continued to glare in that direction before turning towards her. He bore a sheepish expression as he clenched his fist together. She found the sight both surprising and pitiful. She had never seen him look so embarrassed before.
"He's an idiot. Don't listen to him," he hissed.
Bella jumped when she heard Emmett start laughing again somewhere in the store. Edward's scowl deepened at the sound. Bella decided to take pity on him.
"Don't worry about it."
Edward flashed her a smile, causing Bella's heart to skip at the sight. She suddenly remembered he was suppose to be ignoring her. Bella's smile quickly faded and she turned towards the shelves.
She tried to keep her voice as professional as possible when she spoke. "Do you see anything you like?"
"Can we talk?"
Bella tensed slightly. "Well, that depends. Are you going to ignore me for three more weeks afterwards."
Edward's frown deepened. He ran one of his hands through his hair. Sighing deeply, he said,
"I've done it again."
Bella peaked over at him out of the corner of her eye. "Done what?"
"I've acted like a complete ass again."
She choked as he said the words, causing the both of them to start smiling at each other.
"Yeah you have."
"I just...it's been really hard for me and my family. I took out my frustrations on you because I was worried. But that's no excuse for how I acted."
Bella wrung her hands together nervously. She glanced up and down the aisle to make sure no one else was present.
"Worried about your secret?"
His brow furled. "Yes. I was worried about it."
"I didn't tell anyone, if that makes you feel any better."
There was a moment of silence. Bella rubbed the back of her neck as she watched him. She couldn't blame him completely for acting this way, but that didn't mean she'd continue to put up with it.
"I guess we can count this as strike two," she said. She almost smiled when she saw the way Edward straighten up. "But don't make it a third one."
He nodded, his whole body seemed to relax all at once. Before she could stop herself, she asked him if he wanted to come to La Push with her this weekend.
"Emmett and I are going camping this weekend, remember?"
Bella was sure her whole face was red. "I-of course."
Idiot! She berated herself. How could she have forgotten that?
"I--" Edward took a deep breath. "I hope you have fun. Stay safe."
Before she could respond, Edward turned and stalked down the aisle. He seemed genuine in his concern for her. Bella felt hope begin to rise up in her chest. Maybe Alice had been right. Although she was disappointed he couldn't come with her to La Push, she was happy they were at least on friendly terms again. Bella fought a smile the rest of the night.
Saturday afternoon came with a blink of an eye. Bella had packed a change of clothes to change into after her shift. Walking outside into the warm sun, she felt as if she was flying. It felt so good to be out in the sun again. Friday had been so nice. Everyone took to eating lunch outdoors. She had even gotten to wear one of her favorite sleeveless shirts. Bella didn't want to think about how this feeling would be gone come Tuesday when the clouds return.
"Bella! Aren't you excited!" Jessica exclaimed, latching onto her arm.
She smiled down at her friend. "Yeah. This is pretty great."
Jessica only squealed happily in response. She was just as excited about the sun as Bella was. Eric soon pulled up in a borrowed van from his father. The boys soon began to pack it up. Bella briefly wondered if she should help, but every time she tried she was rebuffed. Soon, she gave up entirely. She took to glancing towards the parking lot entrance every few minutes. Angela still hadn't arrived yet.
"Earth to Bella? You there?" Eric said, waving a hand in front of her face.
She blinked owlishly. "Oh, yeah. What's up?"
"There's a seat left for one more in the van. You want it?"
Bella opened her mouth to speak, but Mike interrupted her.
"You can sit next to me if you want."
She rolled her eyes. As much as she was looking forward to this trip, if this was how they were going to act the whole time Bella considered not going all together.
"I think Jessica should go in the van. Besides, I'm also driving my car. Angela can ride with me."
Eric nodded and looked towards the parking lot entrance, a slight furrow in his brow. At the sight of Angela's mother pulling in, his face brightened. Bella felt her lips curl upwards as she watched Eric hug Angela. She looked just as flustered as he was. It was cute.
Bella had teased Angela about it the whole way to La Push. Angela didn't think Eric could possibly like her back, but Bella had seen the way he looked at her. He had a crush on her for sure. Bella grinned excitedly as the arrived at the beach. She wasn't surprised to see other people out as well, taking advantage of the good weather. Although, what caught her eye was a group of dark, long haired teens playing soccer. Bella immediately picked out Jacob.
"Jacob!" She shouted, waving her hands in the air excitedly.
His head whipped around. She could see him smiling as he jogged towards her.
"Bella! Long time no see." Jacob said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
"Who's this?" Jessica asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow Bella's way.
Bella rolled her eyes. "This is Jacob Black. A family friend," she said, stressing the words family and friend.
Behind Jessica, Mike visibly relaxed causing Bella to frown. He really needed to learn how to take a hint. She couldn't believe he was still so focused on her when Jessica obviously liked him. Unfortunately, Jacob couldn't stay long as he was hanging out with some of his other friends. Bella felt her heart drop. She had been looking forward to seeing him. When he saw her downtrodden expression, Jacob made a promise to swing by later. Bella smiled and agreed. It would be nice to be able to catch up with him.
The rest of the day she spent goofing off with her friends. Bella had tried getting into the water at Jessica's demand, but found it was way too cold to swim. She and Angela had spent most of the time walking along the shore and looking at tidal pools while the others splashed around. As the sun began to set, Tyler pulled out a couple of six packs from the back of the van, much to Mike's excitement. He said he had convinced his older brother buy them some beer. Mike offered Bella one, but she only laughed in response.
"I'm driving tonight, I can't. Besides I think you forgot who my dad is."
Mike flushed and walked away. Eric also turned down the beers, as he was a DD too. Although Bella could tell he wasn't happy about it. At some point, Tyler, Mike, and Jessica wandered off collecting driftwood to build a fire. They even started to dance and jump around the fire pit, much to Bella's amusement. Even Angela started to unwind a little bit and cuddled up against Eric's side. Not that he was complaining.
"Bella!" A familiar voice called out, causing her to turn.
Jacob emerged out of the darkness. His lips were pulled back into a wide grin as he sat down beside her.
"How've you been? It feels like I haven't gotten to talk to you in forever."
She nodded in agreement. "No kidding. But I've been good. How about you?"
They fell into an easy conversation. Jacob talked about random things. He mentioned how he had finally gotten his hands on a Rabbit to fix up. Billy said he had to get a job to earn money for the parts. Bella jolted slightly when Jacob started to talk about his father. It brought back the fight he had with Charlie about the Cullens. Billy must know something about the Cullen's secret. Or he at least suspect something from how hostile he acted from just the hint of being in their presence. Maybe he had mentioned something to Jacob.
"Hey Jacob, why does---"
Bella was cut off by the sounds of cheers. Jessica had tackled Mike and gathered her drunken courage to finally kiss him. Tyler and Eric had started to clap. Jacob shook his head and turned back towards Bella. She could only shrug in response. Although she hoped this would wake Mike up and make him realize what was right in front of him.
"What were you saying?"
Bella took a shaky breath, suddenly nervous. Did she want to know more about the Cullens? She was already on thin ice with Jasper and Rosalie for having an inclination that weren't completely human. Was she willing to risk it to know more?
"What did your dad mean when he called the Cullens dangerous?"
Jacob frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked, confusion coloring his voice.
"When our dads got into that fight, you said Billy thought the Cullens were dangerous. I just wanted to know why."
"Oh," he said, shaking his head. "It's stupid really. He didn't mean anything by it."
"What is it?" She shifted closer to him.
Jacob scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Why does it matter?"
"I guess it doesn't. I was just curious."
She frowned and turned away from him, staring out into the darkness. Jacob sighed heavily before speaking again. His tone was cautious.
"The truth is, I'm not really suppose to tell you anything."
That grabbed her attention. "Why not?"
"It's supposed to be some big family secret apparently. Like my ancient ancestor kind of stuff."
Bella leaned forward, all her attention focused on him. "What's the secret?"
Jacob hesitated, watching Bella closely. Bella tried to flash him a reassuring smile. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. She was so close.
"Just humor me?" She finally asked.
And like that, Jacob's resolve crumbled. "You're going to laugh at me. Promise me you won't laugh."
"How do you know I'm going to laugh?"
"Because I did when my dad finally told me why he hated the Cullens. I thought he had gone around the bend."
"So," Bella nudged his leg with her knee, "what's the story?"
Jacob glanced around the campfire to make sure no one was paying attention to them. Bella's heart hammered in her chest as he leaned forward to whisper quietly into her ear.
"He says the Cullens are vampires."
Bella froze, unable to respond. She felt laughter begin to bubble up in her chest as she stared bewildered at him. Out of all the things she had imagined, vampires was one of the things she expected to come out of his mouth. Bella brought her fist up to her mouth to block the sounds, but Jacob could see her body shaking.
"I knew it! I told you that you were going to laugh at me."
"No, no, no. It just...it sounds so ridiculous."
The two erupted into peals of laughter. Bella felt like her sides were going to bust open. Jacob leaned back towards her to whisper in her ear.
"He didn't even use the word vampire when he told me. He called them the Cold Ones."
Bella struggled to catch her breath. "Oh my god, that's even worse."
"I know!"
They didn't talk about the Cullens for the rest of the night. Around eleven o'clock, the others had started to pack up and Bella coasted a tipsy Angela into her car. She was out like a light the moment her head rested against the window. Alone in her thoughts, Bella couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the Cullens being vampires. It was completely ridiculous...wasn't it? The inklings of doubt began to swirl around her brain the more she thought about it. She had witnessed the impossible with Edward saving her from the van. Wasn't super strength and speed associated with vampires? She guessed the paleness and striking beauty of the Cullen family could also play a factor into that theory, but did that make it true. Bella started to doubt her initial dismissal of Jacob's story. She couldn't help but wonder if Billy was right?
Bella couldn't sleep the rest of the night.