✓ | 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀, j. hale [2]

X. Secrets and Treaties

Evelyn sighed happily as she relaxed into the couch in her living room. The rain was falling at a steady rhythm outside, the drops making a distinct plink sound as they flew against the windows of her house. It was the first free Saturday that she had had in a long time, and she was perfectly content to spend it watching movies and napping as the soothing sound of the rain lulled her to sleep for an afternoon nap.

Life had fallen back into a good routine for Evelyn for the first time since before the Cullens left. She was happy to have Bella back and interacting with their other friends at school. She was doing well in her classes, and looking forward to graduating high school for good in just a few short months. She enjoyed working to pass the time and to save money for school, and although she was slow to admit it, having Will around wasn't so bad, after all. She still was not exactly sure what his motivations were, but she figured having a "good" vampire around with Victoria still potentially lurking nearby wasn't such a bad thing for her. Though it was simple, Evelyn found joy in the life that she had put back together without Jasper and the Cullens in it. Yes, it still hurt sometimes to think of them, but she knew their departure had made her stronger and more capable.

After about an hour into the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, an insistent knock on her front door roused the girl from her dozing state on the sofa. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking and confused, before the knock came again. The sound was sharp and clear above the dull pounding of the the rain outside. With a sigh she threw the blanket that she had off of her legs and adjusted the sweater and leggings she was wearing before padding softly to the door.

Her sleepy expression turned to one of immediate concern when she opened the door to see Bella standing on her front porch. The girl was soaked to the bone from the rain, and Evelyn could see the puffy bags under her eyes. Immediately, she knew that she had been crying.

"Oh my god, Bella, you're soaked. Come in, come in, I'll go get you a towel," Evelyn worried over her friend, pulling her into the house and shutting the door behind her. Bella didn't speak, merely nodding as her teeth chattered from the cold.

Evelyn bounded to the laundry room, suddenly thankful that she hadn't taken her clean clothes back upstairs yet. She grabbed an old sweatshirt and pairs of sweatpants and socks, and she grabbed some towels from the linen closet before jogging back out to the front door to meet Bella.

Bella looked to be in shock. Her eyes were puffy and red, but she stared blankly at the floor while her body shook from the chill she had caught outside. Droplets of water fell from her clothes and hair onto the worn wood floor underneath her. Evelyn placed the towels and clothing on a side table as she moved to carefully remove her friend's jacket.

"Bella, what happened?" She asked, her voice soft. By the way her friend looked, she knew it could not have been good.

"Jacob... I went to see him and then..." she trailed off, her voice cracking as she bit her cheeks to keep from crying. She shook her head, scrunching her eyes shut tightly as her teeth continued to chatter.

Seeing how difficult it was for her to speak about it, Evelyn instead wrapped a towel around the shivering girl in front of her. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me right now. I brought you some clothes to change into and I'll make you some hot chocolate, okay? Then we can talk, if you feel like it."

Bella nodded, looking gratefully into her friend's green eyes. "Okay. Thank you, Ev."

"Of course," Evelyn said, gesturing down the hall as she placed the extra towels and clothes in Bella's hands. "The bathroom is down there to the right. I can meet you in the living room when you're done."

As she waited for Bella to shuffle safely into the bathroom, she couldn't help but feel her annoyance grow at Jacob Black. Obviously, he had said or done something to her that hurt her terribly, even when he had promised that he would never do so. She couldn't help but grumble to herself as she wiped up the water in the hallway and threw the used towels back in the laundry room.