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CHAPTER SEVEN ғᴀsᴛ ᴄᴀʀs
Nothing had shocked me more than seeing Bella in school on the first Tuesday back after Christmas break. Though dull faced, she was there, in person, sitting down at the lunch table with an uneasy smile. It had been weeks since she'd participated with us, let alone anyone else in our year. She walked around, lifeless, without sharing a word. It was so similar to a year ago when it had been our first days in Forks high school. A whole year.
Not even Jess could miss the glances she threw toward the empty end of the long table, to where they would have been sitting. Her face paled significantly as if all she could see were the shapes of Alice, Jasper and Edward, like ghosts haunting her memory.
I didn't speak to her until the end of lunch. It was wrong, but something within me made my anger boil. After all, I spent months outside her door, trying to get her to come out, and there she was, walking around as if she hadn't been absent for weeks. There was a part of me too- a part that I was ashamed of- that was jealous of the fact that she got closure, a reason, even if it was fake, as to why they left.
"I'm glad to see you're out again," I said, coming up to her side on the way to fifth lesson.
Bella didn't try to hide the cringe on her face as she quickened her pace to walk by my side. Her hands gripped the strap of her bag as if she was worried. "Elide, hey. Charlie told me about how much you did for him. I wanted to say thanks- you didn't have to,"
"I didn't want to leave you both completely alone," I said, the bitterness seeping out on my tongue without it meaning to.
"Yeah..."
I sighed. "Look, I've got to get to class." Bella nodded, glancing to the end of the hall where her next lesson was. "Have fun with Jessica tonight."
I began to walk away, hating myself for it. I couldn't be angry at Bella. It was unfair, given all she'd been through. And yet I was.
Bella skipped over, catching me by the elbow. "Elide, come on. I'm sorry okay," she said, face distressed. She glanced to the people by the lockers only a few feet away, who had stopped to look. "Why don't we go for a drive at the weekend? I'll pick you up."
I paused, biting my lip. "I'll be at yours for ten."
"Great."
I got to Bella's at ten on the dot. Charlie was out thankfully. I could imagine how ecstatic he would be to see Bella going out, especially with me and especially on a weekend. At least this way, we could leave straight away, piling into Bella's old, trusted truck and driving down a random road to wherever the universe decided to take us.
"Have you seen about the bear sightings?" Bella's strained voice cut through the silence that suffocated the inside of her truck.
I was almost tempted to roll down the rusty window, just to be able to feel the coolness of the wind against my frosty skin, to hear it wail as it whipped in and out. But I didn't. Instead, I shuffled in the seat, pulling a leg beneath me as I turned to talk to her. I couldn't be bitter forever. She was my closest friend after all, and none of this was her fault.
