LL Chapter 25

LL Chapter 25

On the Road Again.

Monday morning the whole town was still talking about Lauren and Mr. Stanley. As Lauren was found with cocaine not only in her purse but in her system she was up on drug charges as well as solicitation. Chief Swan had told Bella that her family was working on a deal for her to go to a rehab facility in Seattle instead of jail, where she was still sitting as her family refused to pay her bail. Mr. Stanley was released Sunday night but was currently staying in a hotel in Port Angeles as both his wife and Jessica had come down to the jail and yelled at him. They had brought him a bag of clothes and told him not to come home. Mrs. Stanley had decided to file for a divorce. Jessica was not in school today either.



That afternoon Bella and I were traveling up to Port Angeles together to go to her therapy appointment. I was not about to waste this rare chance to spend time with her alone and have her undivided attention. I used my time wisely to get to know who she is beyond being an overachieving student like me and an amazing mom to Tanya.



“How is it that I have lived in this town all my life and never met you? You had to come visit your dad right?”



“I only saw him two weeks in the summer and alternated Thanksgiving and Christmas with him. The two weeks in the summer we traveled and neither holiday was warm enough for me to want to venture out of the house.”



“Not a fan of cold weather?”



“Not one bit, but I will get used to it, I guess. It’s not like I have much choice in the matter.”



“I didn’t know that the Chief was such an extensive traveler. So where did the two of you go? I know he’s an avid fisherman but I really don’t see and the fishing and camping type.”



“That’s one of the great things about my dad. I know that he doesn’t make much money but he would save every penny that he could so that he could make the two weeks that he got to see me as memorable as possible. I’ve known that I wanted to be an architect ever since was eight. That was the first time that he was able to take me to Europe. He’s taken me to Europe every year since. Well, except for the summer when I was fifteen.”



“Where did he take you that year?”



“He had just married Sue and since he only gets two weeks of vacation time a year he made it a joint honeymoon with Sue and a family vacation for all us of to Jamaica.”



“Charlie seems like an amazing father.”



“Oh he is. He’s the best.”



We talked a little more about our childhoods, but the closer we got to Port Angeles the quieter Bella got, so I stopped asking questions as she seemed to be getting lost in her own head. When I pulled into the parking lot I asked her if she wanted me to come in and wait for her in the waiting room. She told me that she was fine to go in by herself, so I told her that I would be waiting at the diner across the street. She took a deep breath, like she was attempting to calm herself, got out of the car and disappeared into the building.





An hour later she sent me a text saying that she was done. The drive home was a lot different than the ride up had been. She seemed incredibly agitated and annoyed now, “I know you just spent an hour talking to a therapist, but if you do want to talk about it, I’ll listen. I mean you just seem really upset about something.”



“I’m aggravated, but I’ll be fine.”



“Are you sure? I’m always here to listen if you ever need to talk, you know that right?”



“It just completely stupid for me to be frustrated about it, because I really don’t want to remember what happened.”



“Oh, you mean when they…uh…”



“You can say it, Edward, when they raped me. When they decided they had the right to destroy my whole life,” she snapped at me.



“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”



She buried her face in her hands and I could her crying and mumbling, “It’s not fair, it’s just not fair,” so I pulled the car over to the side of the road. I tentatively reached out and touched her head and started stroking her hair in a blind attempt at calming her. I had no experience with this and I had no idea if I was doing the right thing or possibly making things a lot worse.



It must have been the right thing, because after a few minutes of crying she finally started calming down. She reached into her purse and grabbed out some Kleenex and then she totally surprised me by leaning over and lying her head on my shoulder, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to snap at you or lose it like this, you don’t deserve to have to put up me.”



“It’s fine Bella. I really want to be here for you if you need me, anytime that you need me.”



She sat up and I reluctantly let her scoot back to her seat, “I don’t get it, Edward. You were a complete asshole when we first met, I don’t understand what brought on this big change in you.”



“I’m an asshole to most people, Bella. I don’t let too many people get close to me because I don’t want anything tying me to this town. But I wasn’t expecting to meet you. You are so damn strong and smart and amazing and you made me completely reevaluate everything in my life in such a short time.”



She sighed and looked down at her lap, “Part of me hates that I don’t remember the things that were done to me and part of me is so damn happy that I can’t remember and will never be able to remember. Everyone says that I am lucky to not remember and I do agree with them. I mean, there are so many rape victims that I have met in group in Phoenix that couldn’t even shake anyone’s hand. I don’t have that problem. People can touch me and I don’t freak out and I am so grateful for that. I have no business being frustrated about not remember but I just can’t help it. I know I sound psychotic.”



“I don’t think that you sound psychotic. I think that I can understand to an extent and you are entitled to be just as angry and frustrated as you want.”



“My therapist said the exact same thing to me. She suggested I find a way to work out my frustrations physically.”



“Like hitting someone? I think you great and all and I want to be there for you, but, honey, I been on the receiving end of your fist and it’s not something I wish to experience ever again. I will volunteer Emmett though; the boy needs some sense knocked into him most of the time,” which got her to start laughing.



“That’s one of the reasons I like hanging out with you. You make me laugh and not many people can do that these days. But, what she was suggesting was that I try to get into an exercise class like martial arts or boxing. Your dad told me to start considering joining a gym on my last appointment. It would be good for my heart.”



“You know Alice has always wanted to take up Judo but had no one who would go with her; I bet she’d go with you if you asked.”



With the plan in motion that she would ask Alice in the morning about starting Judo together, I pulled back onto the road and we continued on our back home. It was pouring hard when we reached Forks and Bella was rummaging through her bag and swearing because she forgot to pack her umbrella.



“I have one in the back seat.”



“If I take your umbrella then you won’t have one to use. I’ll be fine”



“Well, then, I guess I’ll just have to walk you to the door because we can’t have you catching the flu,” I replied with a smirk.



I grabbed the umbrella off the back seat and braved the monsoon as I ran around the car to the passenger side door. Chief Swan opened the front door of the house just as we made it to the porch, “Hey Dad, you’re home early tonight.”



“Actually you two are a little late. We were getting worried that you two were in a wreck given this weather.”



“Sorry Dad, I got a little emotional after my appointment and Edward pulled over until I was able to calm down.”



“Everything ok now?” he asked looking between us.



“I’ll explain later, Dad,” and then she turned back to me, “Thanks for the ride, Edward. I’ll see you in the morning.”



“Good night Bella. Good night Charlie.”



A/N:



The general consensus is that the Charlie and Leah’s revenge rocked plus it was another record in reviews that made me all shades of giddy this weekend. I’ve had that planned for a while and I had to keep restraining myself from giving it away in the chapters and review replies. I hope that I conveyed Bella’s frustration clearly in this chapter, it not that she wants to know but that she will never know exactly what was done to her. And you get more amazing daddy Charlie in this chapter!