The Facts↠ Edward Cullen

seven

The rain hit the windshield hard as the Port Angeles exit sign was hardly noticeable when they went by. The car ride had seen silent for the most part, Margo would say a fact or two, which never failed to make Owen smile at his younger sister. Every day he learned something new, every day Margo never failed to amaze him.

"I don't understand" Margo said, those words hardly ever leaving her mouth, her voice slightly weak from not talking as she pulled her yellow bookmark out of the back of her book before closing it and setting it on her lap.

"Margo" Owen warned, and though she slightly understood the tone; it didn't stop her.

"He upsets you every time, what's the point?" Margo's words weren't wrong. After an hour of their father talking about all of Owen's poor life choices, which their father was partly responsible for, he then went on to make a comment about Margo; which is where Owen drew the line.

"He walked out on us when life got hard, we have every reason to be upset"

"You mean when I was diagnosed" If anyone else had been in Margo's position, they would have sounded hurt, but Margo's voice sounded monotone; Owen could tell his words hurt her.

"No, you know that there was more going on at that time than just your diagnoses" It was true, the year of her diagnosis was the hardest year the Baker siblings had ever dealt with. With them being 10 years apart, it was the year 17-year-old Owen dropped out of school, it was the year 7-year-old Margo got diagnosed, it was the year their mom went to Jail. It was the year Owen became her sole guardian.

Owen watched from the side as Margo gave a small nod, her fingernails beginning to pick at the skin around her thumbs; it was like she had more to say but either couldn't find the words or had talked herself out of saying it.

"I just hate when you get angry. We are doing great without him" That's where Margo didn't understand. Her father paid for her therapy, and the mortgage bill -money support was still in some way or another- support and nothing made Owen more upset than that; that even after all his promotions there were still bills he couldn't cover. Hopefully one day soon, he'd figure out a way. Then the lunches and dinners would stop. The putting Margo through the pain she didn't even realize she was in; would stop.

"Here we are" Owen muttered as his truck pulled into a spot outside a restaurant in the main part of town. It was the same place every time. Every time it made Owen's toes crawl as he read the price of things on the menu. Out of every restaurant he could have possibly picked, John Baker picked the most expensive; just to show he could.

"Can I bring my book?"Margo asked, her eyes looking up at him for just a second before she looked at his shoulder again. The question making Owen smile as he looked at his sister, who looked awkward as she fiddled with the corner of her book, making sure not to bend the cover.

"Of course you can"

Without another word, Owen watched as Margo got out of the car, her movements were slow and longing. Margo wanted to go into the restaurant as much as he did. If Owen could go alone, he would. He'd suffer all the annoyance and upset so Margo didn't have too.

"Table for two?"The waitress asked, picking up menus as she stood behind a small booth.

"Uh, we are meeting Baker" Owen said, watching as the waitress' eyes scanned the seating chart in front of her.

"Right this way"She nodded, the two siblings following the woman dressed in black as she walked them through the restaurant. Owen hated every minute of it, everything in this restaurant made him feel like he wasn't good enough to even stand in it.

"Mr.Baker, your guests have arrived"

"Thank you, Lucy"The older man winked at the young girl as he took a sip of his drink; Scotch on the rocks. The two siblings took a seat, sitting beside one another as their father sat directly on the other side of them.

"Owen, you look well, still working for that little construction company? What was it you do? Trim work?" John said, setting his glass down, his eyes scanning to Margo who's eyes were locked down at her hands.

"I'm the chief painter"Owen corrected, making Margo smile slightly, remembering the celebration cake she'd made him when he got the promotion.

"Margo, look up for Christ's sakes" The light pounding of his fist on the cloth table made Margo jump.

"Dad!" Owen shouted, making Margo look up, her fingernails digging deeper into the palm of her hand as her head snapped up. Her back went straight against the chair as her legs began to shake.

'Box breathing, remember what Marry taught you' The words repeated over and over again in her head as she stared at the painting at the wall far in front of them.

"So, how's school Margo?"Her father asked, watching as Margo went to open her mouth, but then closed it as the waitress walked back to the table.

"Ready to order?"

"We will have three lobsters" John said, giving her his sickening smile as he handed her their menus.

"Actually, Margo doesn't eat fish" Margo silently thanked her big brother, knowing there was no way she would have told him that herself.

"Would you like more time to look at the menu?" Margo went to nod her head, but the roar of her fathers voice stoped her.

"No, she's fine Lucy" Margo looked at her brother, who let out a sigh in anger.

"So, Margo, school?" Their father's voice held a sense of rudeness even Margo managed to pick up, every second she sat at the table with him her stomach grew with anxiety. It made her uncomfortable, her panic attack was reaching closer and closer to the surface.

"Good. 100 in Bio, English, and Physics and a 98 in Chem"

"Only a 98?" The comment made Margo's heart ping, she'd been upset about the mark herself. She deserves the 99, but her teacher had marked one of her quizzes wrong; and after pointing it out, and her teacher had begun being very rude to her, Margo had changed the mark for herself on her paper and tried to move past it.

"It's the beginning of the semester- it will come up-" Margo tried to explain, her voice shaky as she tried her hardest to keep her head up.

"Are you kidding me? You never pulled off grades like that, how can you judge her?"Owen said, trying not to raise his voice, but anger held onto every word he spoke.

"Now Now, no need to get testy, it was simply a question"John said, raising his hands in surrender as he just smirked at the younger boy. Owen didn't say anything, but Margo watched as his chest rose and fell heavily.

"So, what's new with you kids?"He asked, slipping the last of his first glass.

"I made a new friend"Margo smiled, the idea of Edward sending a calming wave through her body.

"What, did he need help with his homework?"Her father erupted into laughs as Margo scrunched her eyebrows, the largest frown falling onto her lips as this time Owen banged his fist on the white-clothed table.

"What the hell is wrong with you? What is with your obsessive need to rip her down?!"Margo sat shaking beside her brother as he yelled at their father; who only yelled back. Margo felt her breath begin to hitch as tears began to well up in her eyes, jumping every time their words got louder. They were so caught up in fighting with one another, no one noticed that Margo picked up her book and ran outside, the tears running down her face as she escaped into the quiet and fresh air of outside.

Margo pulled her phone out of her pocket, her hands shaking as she pressed the number on the screen, the loud sound of the device ringing in her hears was almost too much, she was beginning to become scenery overloaded.

"Margo? Is everything okay?"

"C-can y-you come g-get me-e?"She sobbed, not being able to contain it as she sucked in another shaky breath.

"I was just coming into town, I'll be there in a few"Edwards voice was soft and soothing, which began to calm her down slightly as stood on the cold sidewalk, the wind blowing right through her light raincoat as she rung up the phone and slipped it into her pocket; the shaking never stopping as she waited for him.