VIOLENT DELIGHTS | Rosalie Hale

CHAPTER THREE

I'M WITH YOU

WHEN I OPENED MY eyes in the morning, something was different. It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. Still in bed, I dragged the curtain back against the glass — and lit up like a Christmas tree.

A fine layer of snow covered the stretch of grass on the side of the house that led to the backyard, the trees beyond it dusted on top like powdered sugar. But that wasn't the best part. All the rain from the day before had frozen solid — coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns. I'd never seen this before, not even in the movies. It was gorgeous.

I hoped it was cold enough for more snow later in the day. Thrilled by the possibility, I was cheerful that morning, at least until I left the heat of my room and saw the state of the driveway. While the rain froze over grass and pine needles beautifully, it turned concrete into a deadly ice slick. I was terrified about driving on ice, even on something as heavy and sturdy as the truck. I was even more terrified by the thought of my twin on ice. Bella resembled Bambi on ice even when she was on dry land, I didn't want to see what she'd be like on actual ice.

Charlie had already left for work. In a lot of ways, living with Charlie and Bella was like having my own place, and I loved it because it meant I could be out of the house with Adam as much as I wanted. Bella was in a sour mood when she came down, which was to be expected, and I ventured out first, testily, over the driveway, to check if the tires were iced over.

There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them, and I softened at once. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on the truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. I wasn't used to being taken care of, and Charlie's unspoken concern caught me by surprise. I was still a little choked up when I trudged back into the house, but Bella didn't seem to notice, passing me the milk to pour into my cereal.

I felt excited to go to school now. I was still holding out for more snow.

At one point, on our slow trek across the icy driveway, I considered just giving Bella a piggyback ride to get it over with. But I knew she'd never agree to it, my sister was the most stubborn person I'd ever met. And with her luck, she'd tip us both over. Instead I catch her twice, asking if she was sure she could make it into the cab alone before I made my way around to the driver's side. Of course, as soon as I let go and she tugged the door handle harshly to get it to open, she slipped — and she would've smacked it face-first if it wasn't for the side mirror, which she clung to for dear life. I immediately burst into laughter, and she glowered at me. She didn't talk to me for the whole ride to school.

With Charlie's snow chains, the truck had no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. I still drove cautiously. I'd never dealt with snow chains before and they seemed too delicate to stop us from carving a path of destruction through Main Street. I took comfort in the idea that Bella and I probably wouldn't be crushed if we skidded into something. The same wary comfort a soldier might take in a solid iron tank.

We were early to school, which wasn't that surprising in my eagerness. I didn't see Adam's car in the parking lot yet, so I waited in the truck, staying nice and toasty in his worn leather jacket. Bella hopped out, unsteadily, offering me a soft 'bye' to head to class. This was a routine I was used to by now, my sister liked to avoid Adam and I's pre-school greetings. It meant I had the truck to myself for the seminal privacy it offered us to kiss somewhere warm and less constricting than his compact muscle car. Bench seats always win.