ｂｒｅａｔｈｅ．{ʀ. ʜᴀʟᴇ}

23 | adrenaline

⸺ I WAS ALONE IN my room when Bella came in for the first time in months, asking emotionless, "Do you want to go shopping with Jessica this afternoon?"

I shake my head quickly. Girls at school never asked me to go anywhere with them, and if they did they made fun of me. "When we went to Port Angeles she made me sit outside." 

Bella sighs, fidgeting with her hands, "Please? We're just going to see a movie... Charlie just wants us out of the house. When was the last time you went out of the house other than going to school?"

"Going to the diner with Charlie on Thursdays." I respond quickly.

"Andie." She says plainly. "These walls are thin, I can hear you crying at night. I'm not good at putting on a show like you."

My cheeks heat up, embarrassed that she's heard my nightly cry sessions. "Will Charlie be happy?"

"Yes. And you'll save me from Jessica's gossiping chatter." She deadpanned.

I sigh, giving in. "Fine. No rom-coms."

She huffs, "Horror movie?"

"Of course." 

. 

The mental fog of falling asleep during the movie follows me outside as I hear Jessica chatting our ears off. "....Well at first I was worried, and then I was like, 'she's still bumming?', which like I get it 'cause Edward was super hot, and like... I guess Andie and Rosalie had like, a weird gay thing going on which is fine, but like-"

Just as I'm rolling my eyes at her words, I hear a whistle from the alley to the right of us. "Hey, girls!" One of the bikers yells. "Wanna ride?" 

I look down, my cheeks flushing with shame, grab Bella's hand and walk forward, but she doesn't move.

I look back to her in shock. "Bella." I whisper harshly. "Come on."

Bella continues staring. "I... I think I know them..."

"Bella, let's go, don't do anything irrational." I whisper to her, still squeezing her hand out of fear. I pull her arm, but she shakes me off.

"I want to see something." She whispers to me. I don't drop my hand, she has to pull in off her arm as she walks up to the biker. I don't go any closer, just silently screaming, looking as my sister walks towards danger. 

"Bella!" I yell as she gets on the bike, and it lurches forward, going way too fast. And, they speed away.

I turn to Jessica. "What the fuck just happened?" I yell.

"I don't know! I don't know him." She defends. "She's insane."

I roll my eyes, "Don't talk about her like that. You're jealous, because she's the cool new girl and you're just Jessica. Don't fucking talk to me." I huff and walk away from her shocked face, heading down the alleyway and leading my oxygen tank on behind me. I hear a yell of, "Stop! Stop!!" coming from behind me and the roar of an engine. I look back and see Bella hopping off of the bike, a look of bewilderment and curiosity on her face.

I grab her hand, my heart racing, and pulled her to the open street. "What the hell is wrong with you!? You just ran off with a stranger! On a motorcycle! At night!!!!"

She responds, almost to herself. "I... saw something..."

I snap my fingers in front of her face, forcing her to look at me. "This is borderline suicidal. Bella! You can't do this! I can't look after you anymore like you're a child. You need to snap out of it! I feel like shit too, but you can't just run off and ignore your real life!"

She turns to me. "You don't understand."

"I don't understand?! I understand the most! I understand all of it!!" I yell. "I'm going through it all! Everything I do I do for you and Charlie, I can't just become a shell of a person like you!" I huff. "Go, lets go home, just... get in the truck."

.

The next day when I woke up, Bella had already taken the truck and left to go somewhere, and Charlie was at work. It then occurred to me that I didn't have another friend other than Bella. 

I pulled out my phone, pulling up Bella's contact and texting: where are you? 

She replies a few minutes later, I've been at Jacob's down at the reservation.

why are you with jacob? I typed.

I wanted to seem him.

I almost type out 'that's bullshit', but don't. Instead, I say, are you, like, coherent right now?

I'm fine. She types, and then, I'm not being a shell of a person. Isn't this what you wanted?

bella, can't we just talk about this? what are you even doing? why are you an adrenaline junkie all of a sudden? why can't we just talk?

I didn't get a reply. 

.

ROSALIE.

 I tap on Edwards contact again, and listen to my phone ring. I've gone away from the house, away from the enhanced ears of my family. And to my surprise, Edward finally answers.

There's a long pause. "...Hey." I finally say.

"Why are you calling?" He asks harshly. 

"... I just... I wanted to... How did I let you convince me? Convince the family?" I yell into the phone. "Of course I didn't want her to be one of us, but how could you? When you knew she'd get sicker, when you saw Alice's vision, and you still told me the only way to save them was to leave!" I'm screaming at this point, letting him hear it. "And the worst part is I know I can't go back, because how could she have me after I left her so carelessly! I can't believe that I left, and I wish I would've been selfish and stayed because we both know this is hell for everybody."

I wait for a response, but there is none. I look at the screen to see that Edward has hung up. I yell and throw the phone on the ground, badly smashing it and running away, not to the house, not to Andie, just away.

.

that last part was ROUGH.

fun fact about this chapter: i had to google how to spell adrenaline. I'm a writer I'm supposed to be smart.

also sorry for leaving for a week lol. i went on vacation. 

ty for reading!

- lola