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JONATHAN SWAN was glad to be away from Phoenix, Arizona. God, he really hated the blistering, dry heat of the desert. Unlike his sister who was only going back to selflessly allow their mother some time with her new husband, Phil, Jonathan was willingly going because he liked the small rainy forest-town called Forks, Washington. He liked the rain, the cold, the forests, and the quaint town itself. He liked all of it, especially his dad.
Though he didn't inherit the "Swan Awkwardness," he had inherited the telltale attributes of a Swan, which included the quiet, introspective personality and the noble good-naturedness. Just not the sarcasm, wit, or ability to hold grudges- no, that was all uniquely Jonathan.
Moving back to Forks, Washington was truly a blessing to Jonathan Swan, as the boy had hated California with a passion burningmuch like the state itself, greatly resented Arizona as deeply as the Grand Canyon it was known for, and the mere thought of having to move to Jacksonville, Florida with spacey-but-nosy Renée and good-natured-but-off-point Phil made Jonathan want to bash his head against the wall or any hard surface or solid object, really. Repeatedly.
Trading in dry heat for humid heat? With those two? Yeah, no thanks. If Jonathan heard another god-damned sports metaphor from Phil, or asked where Renée's phone charger was one more time, he was going to lose his shit.
Jonathan would much rather go live with his father, considering he'd been trying to permanently do so from the moment he could speak and make opinions for himself to now. Not to mention, his relationship with his mother wasn't exactly stellar, as if that wasn't already glaringly obvious. Though in retrospect, his insistence to live with his dad probably hadn't helped in creating such a strain.
Jonathan didn't get along with his mom like Bella did. Renée was the cool mom for Bella, the one she could talk to and share things with, the one who always held her and comforted her when people picked on her as a kid or when she inevitably felt particularly out of place, which she basically always did. Renée was the mom that excelled with a daughter like Bella, who was quiet and awkward and easy to tease. Renée talked boys with Bella and gave her alcohol to try sometimes growing up and took her shopping even if Bella actually hated it just as much as Jonathan did. They got their nails and hair done at the salon and talked. For Renée, Bella was easy. But she wasn't equipped for the complicated storm that was Jonathan Rigel Swan.
Whereas Renée was the fun parent for her eldest- that was both simultaneously very scatterbrained and a massive worrywart, all things that Bella somehow found super endearing? (Jonathan would honestly never get it)- things with her youngest was a bit different. It was complicated and estranged and filled with many epic fights. Their relationship didn't exactly start off well as she'd immediately been diagnosed with post-partum depression after having him, but it just continued to spiral into the strained relationship they had today. His teenage self hadn't helped that, he admitted it, but they just got on like a match set and gasoline, and things always, always, ended in explosions.
