LL Chapter 17

Chapter 17




When the night falls



After Mom finally got home and we had our supper I retreated to my room. I had an English paper to get started on. A short time later I heard someone come upstairs and enter one of the bedrooms and a shower start. I returned to my essay only to be distracted again. This time it was a knock on my door. I opened the door to find my sister standing there looking upset. She pushed past me and came into my room and sat on the chair at my desk.



"Please come in and make your self at home," I grumbled sarcastically while grabbing my bottle of water and taking a drink.



"Are you sleeping with her?" Yeah, I choked on the water effectively spitting it all over my sister. What the hell kind of question was that?



"No. Why would you even think that? You know me."



"I thought I did. But you did come out of her room at three in the morning and you seem very close to her. You like her though don't you?"



"Look. She reminds me of you and Rose and she needs all the friends that she can get. Besides I thought you liked her too. You invited her to join you and Rose on Saturday."



"Only because Rose likes her. I'm not going to lose another friend like I did Jessica."



"This is not the same thing. Give Bella a chance. I did and you know that I have just as many trust issues as you do."



"Your issues are psychotic. I never really understood why you went so extreme. I'm not ready to be a parent either. But I have a social life. But with her, Edward, she's exactly the kind of girl you have trying to avoid."



"Trust me, she not. Look, it's not my story to tell and besides I don't have all the details. But my original assessment about her was completely wrong. Her and I are trying to be friends. Please give her a chance."



"I hate you sometimes, you know that? Fine. I will give her a chance. But I am not babysitting nor am I changing any diapers."



"Yeah, and you call me a spoiled brat." She reached down and grabbed an extra pillow that had fallen on the floor and hit me with it. We ended up in one hell of a pillow fight until one of us knocked over the lamp and broke it. Bella arrived at the room first and started laughing when she saw us standing there covered in feathers and looking completely guilty. Mom was hot on her heels coming to inspect what the crash was. When she walked in the room and noticed the mess of feathers and papers and broken glass she was angry. We are talking if her hands were free they would be on her hips but the Mom glare that made you shrink back kind of angry was in place on her face. Mom and Dad never hit us. Oh no, they knew how to punish by hitting below the belt by taking away whatever was most important to us at the time.



"He did it!"



"She did it!"



"Did not!" We both yelled out at the same time.



"Did too!" Again we spoke simultaneously. We were practically yelling in each other's face.



Bella started laughing and reached out to take her daughter from Mom, "Okay, that is way to déjà vu for me. I am out of here."



With her hands free Moms hands flew to her hips and she started lecturing us on how we were too old to act so childishly and that we were paying to replace the lamp and the pillows. But Mom being Mom ended the lecture with, "clean this mess up quickly and then come downstairs for dessert."



After Alice and I got the mess under control she took off to get some dessert. I wandered down to the guest room to see if Bella was coming down. I stood in the doorway and watched her as she was hovering over Tanya playing peek-a-boo with her. Tanya was letting out the cutest little giggles every time that Bella would reveal her face and start tickling her.



Finally Bella caught sight of me standing there and looked up at me, "Did you get the mess cleaned up?"



I came into the room and sat down on the bed next to Bella and took Tanya hand, "Yes, we did. We will have to go shopping tomorrow after school for new pillows and a lamp. You want to join us?"



"I'm going home tomorrow. Everyone is healthy and Dad said that the house was doused with Lysol and febreeze so it is safe for us to come back."



"That's good I guess. Are you coming down for dessert?"



"Yeah, let's go."



When we got down stairs Mom had made a tub of vanilla ice cream and a bowl of cut up fresh peaches and strawberries. It was strange that Mom had put the Strawberries in a separate bowl. She usually combined all of the fruit.



Bella sat Tanya in the baby swing in the living room before joining us over in the kitchen to get some dessert. I noticed that she only took the peaches. I teased her like she had me the other day, "What did the strawberries do to offend you?"



I could not fathom where the dark look in her eyes came from in a conversation about strawberries, but it was there. "I'm allergic," was all she said before she retreated from the kitchen leaving her ice cream sitting on the table. I grabbed it with mine and took off to catch up to her. I found her sitting in a chair close to Tanya but the look in her eyes told me that she was here with us but far away, most likely back in Phoenix.