Lemon Water // Paul Lahote

eighty three

Serena

"What the hell has been your problem lately!" Birkley exclaimed, pulling me aside after class. After I came back from 'the well' we spent over an hour trying to figure out where my old parents went and what they wanted me for. The only thing we can think of is that they wanted to be a sick and twisted family again, like before I escaped.

"I'm not supposed to be talking to you" I mumbled, trying to get out of her grasp but she was persistent.

"What do you mean you're not supposed to be talking to me? Is it Paul? Or your brothers? What are they making you do?"

"It's nothing, I just- I can't talk to you guys or hang out with you guys anymore. For your own safety and mine"

"Are they holding you hostage?"

"WHAT? No! Birkley-"

"If they are you can tell me! It's ok! You can come and stay at my house to get away from them, ok? I'll have my mom set up the guest room"

"No! Birkley, I'm not being held hostage. I literally cannot talk to you, otherwise people will get hurt"

"Serena" she whispered, "It's been weeks. I miss my best friends. Bailey's been with Laken all the time and then suddenly you just drop me too? It hurts. It hurts really bad"

"I promise I'll tell you when all of this is done and over with, but I physically cannot do that right now. I can't risk it" I walked away quickly before she could see the tear that started to fall down my face.

Not only did I have to ignore my best friends, but I also now have to ignore my brothers and Paul because Luke thinks we're fighting. This makes the 'Princess Protection Program' as I like to call it very difficult. Instead of being able to go out with the pack and do things, I'm refined to practice and my house and sometimes Leah's place.

Instead of getting to talk to everyone, I'm supposed to ignore them and be mad at them, which is extremely hard to do. Paul and Embry are having major difficulties with it, too. They almost slip up almost every time we meet, which throws this whole plan in danger. 

At practices now, Embry sits and watches while one of the Cullen's waits in the woods as the second line of defense. Today; however, we had a game so both Embry and Sam came to watch with my mother. Leah also joined the, because she was acting as the one who was on my side, which was why I was able to go over to her place to hang out every once in a while.

It's been a little over a week since the last time I was in 'the well' and the plan was to try and get both Bella and I in it today. She was also watching me play, sitting by herself of course, and we would leave together afterwards. She wants to show me her and Edwards meadow.

Ever since this whole issue started I've been on the varsity roster, meaning that I get beat up way more and way more tired. This was going to be a long night and it barely started. I looked over to my family and saw my mom wave, but my brothers remained in character, huge scowls on their faces.

Finally, warmups finished and the National Anthem played, and we were able to finally start our game. We were playing our biggest competitors yet. Some of their girls were over six feet tall with huge builds and it made me die a little on the inside. Yesterdays rain mixed with our beat up field equals huge puddles of mud. I was about to get smushed for sure.

I was right, I got absolutely demolished by the giants on the other team. Despite the rare nice weather, I was still body slammed into the mud on multiple occasions. They won, too which makes it even worse. We didn't even get a chance to score either. Granted they only scored on us one time, but it was still disappointing. 

There was no junior varsity game today because the other school didn't have one, which meant my fate was becoming real. Soon I would be entering 'the well' again, only tis time it would hopefully be with Bella.

Bella

After Serena's lacrosse game we jumped into my truck and took off towards the meadow. Despite not being able to talk about the events that were about to unfold, her actions were basically talking for her. She was a nervous wreck, respectfully so, and would not stop fidgeting around. "Stop" I mumbled, "be normal"

She looked at me and nodded, her fidgeting stopping. "How are things with you and Edward?" She asked

"They're really good. He's definitely the one for me"

"Does it ever weird you out that he's a vampire and like a gazillion years older than you?"

"Well, he's only like a hundred years older than me, but he doesn't age so we're kinda the same age? Like he's lived a hundred more years than me but he's not old and wrinkly so its not disgusting to me. It was weird at first, but I'm his mate so I got over it pretty quickly, kinda like how you and Paul are mates"

"Paul and I haven't talked in over a week. He broke up with me because I'm friends with you. He thinks the Cullen's are going to turn me into a vampire too." I already knew all of this, but I had to act like I didn't. Good thing I can lie to Charlie easily, all that practice is really coming in handy.

"Really? He broke up with you because we're friends?"

"Yeah," she said sadly. She knew it was all an act too, but inside I could tell Paul's words stung, "he doesn't trust me anymore"

"My choices are not your choices. The Cullen's would never turn you into a vampire unless you wanted them to or you were in a situation where you were on the brink of death. That's how almost all of them came to be. Carlisle didn't want an army, he wanted to continue helping people. If Paul can't see that then he's an idiot"

"My brothers are mad at me too. They can't get the idea of me having friends outside of the pack in their heads. It's like I'm not allowed to have a life, which I'm used to, but I don't want to go back to that"

"Well then they're idiots too"