GIRLS BREATHE FIRE - Paul Lahote

Chapter 12

Song: Le Vie En Rose (Edith Piaf)

BELLA'S POV

Upon Reaching the Black residence, I couldn't believe my eyes. The boy I had been worried sick about for weeks. The boy who hadn't been picking up my calls, answering my messages, or even reaching out, was standing there in all his glory. The rain hitting his bare chest as he stood proud, and clearly not sick.

"Jake!" I caught his attention making his eyes turn to me in shock. He mumbled my name as his eyes met mine before his face changed to one of disappointment. But more to himself than me. "You cut your hair?... And got a tattoo? I thought you were too sick to come outside. Or pick up the phone when I'd call." I ranted as I began to approach him. He was about to get an ear of scolding until finally, he looked back up at me. And with a single word, crushed me.

"Go away."

"What?" I stuttered in shock after a moment.

"Go. away."

"What happened to you? What's wrong?  Hey, what happened?  Did Sam get to you? Is that what's happening?" I was not about to let my best friend push me away. So I began to interrogate him. Going through everything he had told me since we started hanging out. Especially the point of Sam. I remembered him pointing out the Sam had been acting weird around him lately and was going around to all of Jacob's friends to recruit them into his little cult. My suspicions were even proven when I caught a glimpse of Sam calling Jacob over. What I didn't expect was for Jacob to defend him.

"Sam's trying to help me, don't blame him..." He glared at me. "But if you want somebody to blame,  How about those filthy bloodsuckers, you love?  The Cullens."

He knew...

But how. How did he know what they were? It was impossible. So I tried denying it. But he wouldn't have any of it. He just shut me down every time I tried to tell him I didn't know what he was talking about. Then finally he looked at me with this Blatant final glare.

"Look, Bella. We can't be friends anymore."

But I couldn't lose him. I tried apologizing, I tried telling him I just needed some time. I tried stopping him from leaving me but all he did was say the same thing Edward did. that apparently, It wasn't me. It was him.

"You promised me." I finally cried. Looking at him with desperation.

"I know.  I promised that I won't hurt you, Bella.  And this is me keeping that promise.  Go home.  And don't come back." He responded with this final goodbye dancing through his eyes. He then closed them I warned me one last time before running off.

"or you're gonna get hurt."

***

RORY'S POV

I was right.

as expected, I was right.

Bella had just run in a sobbing mess because guess what. Jacob left her first.

Frankly, the minute he started ignoring her calls, I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't just an illness but a change of heart, not that I would tell Bella that. After our fight, I decided that she needed to figure this out for herself so I decided that I leave her alone.

Entirely Alone.

At least until she apologized for the last comment she had made, I refused to involve myself with her problems and if she wanted my help she would need to right her own wrongs. Because too many people were letting her antics fly and if I needed to be the bad guy, so be it. I didn't care whether she chose to like me or not.

"Aurora?"

I was shocked to see her come back down the stairs after an hour-long pity party but alas I looked up expectantly.

"I'm sorry."

Hearing her apology didn't really clear much up fo me but I was glad to see her looking help, though I knew she wouldn't admit to me being right.

"Come here." I sighed as she ran over to the spot beside me. And for the next 30 minutes, we just sat there with her wetting my shirt with her tears, and me humming softly to her like my father used to do for me.

"Hold me close and hold me fast.

This magic spell you cast.

This is le vie en rose.

When you kiss me heaven sighs.

and though I close my eyes.

I see la vie en rose.

When you hold me to your heart.

I'm in a world apart.

A world where roses bloom.

And when You speak angels sing from above.

Everyday words seem to turn into love songs.

Give your heart and soul to me.

And life will always be.

La vie en rose."

***

"You're terrifying when you're mad," Bella mumbled from my shoulder.

"I know."

"Then why don't you ever seem apologetic about having an episode?"

I looked down at her as she met my gaze.

"Bella you need to understand, when I get mad like that, there is a reason. Even if it's small." I stopped to think of a fitting analogy for it. "Put it this way. Have you ever been in a situation where someone did something and you subconsciously wished that something bad would happen to them?" She nodded in understanding, urging me to continue. "Ok well I have that voice too, but I don't have a filter that will stop me from physically reacting. So when someone Provokes me in any way, even if I don't mean to, my body will instinctually react to it. Some call it blind rage, I call it Sensitive Reaction. For the most part, because I'm not going to go around just hurting anyone. My anger is usually very targeted towards a singular person for a singular reason."

"Oh." Bella sounded in understanding before sitting up and turning me so that we were sitting face to face. "Then... what about me. I mean, clearly, we don't agree with my situation but I doubt either of us are willing to change our perspective."

I took a minute before deciding to be honest. "I usually have a pretty good filter with family but Isabella, I don't agree with a lot of things you're doing right now. So I think it would be best if I stayed out of it. All I ask is that Maxi and Chief are not put in harms way and You don't die trying to cope. Can you do that?" She nodded slightly. "I don't mean to be rude I just... I just don't think I can promise you anything. And if I'm not certain I won't have an episode because of something you do or say, then I can't be around you."

"It's ok, I get it. But I'd like it if we could still be civil." She awkwardly gestures between us before walking away to her room. Turning back to me quickly she whispered a soft "thanks" and with that she was gone.

It was nice that things were finally back to the usual awkwardness.

Because no matter how awkward things got, It was always better than being mad at each other.