𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 ✓

four ✓ dad jokes

chapter ; four

title ; dad jokes

act one ; twilight

Isla enjoyed her time at home — or her grandparents' house. She could be who she wanted there. She didn't have to hide and force herself to be someone she wasn't. And today (Wednesday) she didn't have work, of course, she didn't have work on weekends (unless she had to work) but right now was her time off. Maybe that's why she had groaned so loudly when Bella Swan had called, asking her if she wanted to hang out. Bella had been in a light frenzy since Edward Cullen had left town. And all she needed was a friend, hence why Isla was called.

Isla needed a friend, Bella needed a friend. Just a perfect pair.

"So you would like to hang out?" Bella asked over the phone. She was having a slightly hard time understanding the girl on the other end. Isla was talking way too fast.

Isla moved the phone away from her face and groaned into her shoulder. Did she want to hang out? Not really. Would her grandparents scold her for not hanging out with someone when she had the chance to? Yes, definitely. Did Isla want to go to this book store in town that had a coffee shop that she worked at yes—was she going to take Bella—it seemed like it.

"Sure. There's this book store that has a coffee shop in it. Do you wanna go there for a while? They have board games." Isla spoke into the phone and she shuffled around the kitchen. She was looking for her wallet that she had left out—with a certain amount of money she could spend, and she knew she would spend some of it on a book this fine day.

"Um, yeah, that sounds fun. Would you like me to pick you up?" Bella mentally scolded herself at how awkward she sounded. She wasn't desperate for a friend, no, but she was really in need of one, and not to mention the fact that her mother hadn't stopped bugging her about it.

Isla didn't know Edward Cullen. She knew his sister who always lent her things, to which Isla never returned. She had never talked to him either, and from what she could tell, he was a little shit, who might wanna cause problems for the world. He seemed like a boy who would play basketball but with his good looks, he would play the girls even more. Not that Isla would ever say any of that to him anytime. Because that's low and mean, then again, she could be mean sometimes.

Bella stayed on the phone with Isla for a few minutes, telling her about her first day — which she would probably go into more detail about when actually with the girl. From what Isla had heard, she wasn't too sure why Edward had left town all of a sudden, or why the Cullen boy had acted so harshly towards Bella.

Maybe Bella did smell that day, but Bella had insisted that she didn't. Who knows, Isla sure didn't.

Bella's lab partner went from here! to bye bitches! and that confused Isla. The only time the Cullens had ever missed school was when the rain stopped and the sun shined down. It wasn't even two days into Edward's absence and Isla could tell that Bella had missed him just as much as she was mad at him. Okay, maybe she was slightly more obsessed than missed. But, again, Isla didn't care if Bella was obsessed with the Cullen boy. Who Bella wanted to fawn over wasn't much of Islas concern, she wasn't her mother.

Isla just wanted to be a nice person and take the girl out for a treat, to help take the brunette swans attention of the Cullen with "perfect" hair. (in Islas words, she would say 'oh! no! Alice has the most perfect hair — or — they all have perfect hair, it makes me think they wear wigs.'

Everyone had their own lives and all that shit so whatever, who cares if he shows up, right? well, Bella sure cared, and if Bella cared then maybe Isla would have to too.

A car horn honked outside her home, and Isla moved around the living room and towards the front door. She knew it was Bella Swan and that's why she wasted no time in pulling on her shoes and running out the front door, making sure to lock it before she left.

Isla opened the truck door and the two sat there in comfortable silence. Bella didn't even ask for directions, she just drove, hoping she would just find the location on her own.

"Hey, Bella?" Isla broke the silence, her voice was louder than the poor excuse of a radio the truck had.

"Yeah? What's up Isla?"

"You missed the shop." Isla threw her thumb in the direction of the coffee/book shop the two just passed.

"Oh." Bella would have looked down to her feet in embarrassment, but she kept her eyes on the road and made a u-turn so she could park right in front of the little shop.

═════════════════

Isla stepped behind the counter of the coffee part of the shop, it was dead empty and it seemed the employees were either having a cup of their coffee or hanging out in the back room.

Isla didn't mind though as she took Bella's order and got to work making the drink. (including her own as well.)

The hot chocolate was handed to Bella in a to-go cup, which she didn't mind. They were going to be wandering around the book section of the combined shop and would have rather not spilled her drink.

"Thank you." Bella nodded looking towards the girl who was just finishing up her drink.

"Of course." Isla smiled as she grabbed ahold of her to-go cup, leaving a mess of coffee and hot chocolate behind.

"So the books are this way," Isla lopped her arm with Bella's as she began to drag her away from the coffee shop.

The two girls wandered around the bookshelves, talking quietly with each other. Bella picked up a book, Lord of the flies. a book Isla had read one too many times.

Isla picked out a book on mythical creatures, one she had also read one too many times. It was a good book and she might even say her favourite in the fiction section.

Maybe it was her favourite too because of the dad jokes she had written down on a piece of paper that she would always place back into the book.

"Hey, Bella," Isla whispered.

Bella lifted her head from the book she was looking at, "Yes?"

"What dad joke is better? 'how many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh? ten tickles.' or 'shout out to my fingers. I can count on all of them."

Isla and Bella laughed together.