Bella's Little Sister Re-write

Chapter 3

We ate dinner at the Carver Cafe that night. I chose not to say anything to dad about what had transpired at school today, knowing that it would only remind Jess of what had happened, and she would get angry all over again. Not to mention that I didn't want to discuss it with Jess right there to listen while I did so anyway. 

We ordered our meals and waited in near silence for them to arrive. "I just can't get over how grown up you two are," Cora, our waitress, stated as she placed our meals down on the table. "And so gorgeous." 

A man who looked rather familiar joined Cora at the table, smiling widely. "Hey, Bella, Jess. Do you remember me? I played Santa one year." 

"Yeah, Waylon," dad said, looking at us both. "They haven't had a Christmas here since they were three and four." 

The look of hope on Waylon's face made me smile in response. "I'm sure I made an impression, though." 

"Butt-crack Santa," I recalled with a laugh. 

Cora then told Waylon to leave us alone so we could eat our garden burgers. She informed us that once we were done, she would bring Jess and I our favorites- cherry pie and berry cobbler. "Your dad still has it," she said, referring to the berry cobbler. "Every Thursday." 

"Thank you, that'd be great." I glanced at my sister briefly as I reached for the ketchup. Dad pulled his hand back, then reached out again to hand it to me. 

Jess didn't eat much, rather she merely picked at her food. I sighed internally, knowing she probably wasn't too hungry after what had happened today. It had, after all, been a rather trying day for her; with Tyler's kiss on her cheek, and the way Edward Cullen watched her angrily, his eyes full of hate. Jess suddenly sighed and pushed her plate away before leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. 

Dad paused mid-bite to ask her, "You're not going to eat?" 

I hesitated, debating on just how much to tell our father. "She, um..." My eyes landed on Jess for only half a second before flickering back to dad again. "Jess hasn't really been eating much of anything lately." 

Dad watched the two of us silently before he finally spoke. "Why not? Jess," he continued, leaning forward. "That's not healthy. Why hasn't she been eating?" That question was directed to me. "Do I need to call your mother?" 

The panic I suddenly felt was almost too much. "No! She hasn't been hungry, is all. But I've been making her eat something every now and again, just to make sure she doesn't starve. Besides, Jess is just tired. It's been a pretty long day for both of us." 

I could see the questions in dad's eyes before he even spoke them. He focused mainly on Jess, but spoke to me. "Were people nice to you?" 

"Dad," I dropped my tone to a quieter volume. "I know you're curious, but it's better to just let it go. The more you try to question her on it, the angrier she'll get. She's probably homesick, too. You know she doesn't like the cold." When dad tried to ask another question, I gave him a quick shake of my head. 

That ended all further conversation then and there. 

As soon as we got home, Jess disappeared up the stairs into our bedroom. I followed behind her, watching as she immediately crawled into bed and pulled the blankets up over her head. I wish she would just talk to me. With a sigh, I settled onto my bed and started the homework that had been assigned. Before too long, mom was calling, wanting to talk. 

"Hey, baby, so listen. If spring training goes well, we could be moving to Florida." Mom's voice carried through the speaker. At the mention of Florida, Jess lowered the sheets just enough for me to see her eyes peering back at me. 

An automated voice then cut into the conversation, instructing mom to put a dollar twenty-five into the machine for another three minutes. I couldn't hold back the laugh as I questioned mom on where her cell phone was. She sounded almost desperate as she told me not to laugh at the fact that her phone cord had run away screaming. Mom responded in kind when I told her that we missed her. 

I should have known that she would bring up the subject of school eventually. However, I had been hoping for later rather than sooner. She fired off questions quickly, never giving me a chance to actually answer them. A sigh passed through my lips as I mused over her last question. No, they haven't been nice. I wanted to say. Not to Jess anyway. But I knew that answer would make my mother worry more than was necessary. 

Sarcasm laced my tone as I finally responded. "Well, they're all very welcoming." 

"Uh-oh," Mom was instantly cautious. "Tell me all about it." 

Jess suddenly threw back her covers, all but storming out of the room and down the stairs. "Mom, we've got homework to do. Can I call you later?" 

"Okay, baby. I love you."

"Love you too." I hung up the phone and put away my homework before getting ready for bed. Jess returned to the room and started to bury herself under her covers again. "I didn't say anything," I told her. "Mom's already worried about you as it is, and I don't want to make it worse." 

I was surprised to see Jess' mask-this was what I had taken to calling her blank expression-crumble away. The pained and yet grateful look in her eyes had me crossing the room to sit at her side. Jess wrapped her arms firmly around me, and I reciprocated the gesture. That simple act alone allowed me to know just how truly thankful she was for me. She was allowing me this small moment of openness, of letting me see her emotions before ultimately closing herself off again. 

I could sense my sister's reluctance to get out of bed the next morning, even from across the room. A part of me felt angry at Edward, for taking such a hatred to her so quickly, without even having had the chance to get to know her. Though I was not as easily angered as Jess was, I was still overly protective of her. The endless bullying because of her silence was a big part of that protectiveness over her.

But an even bigger part of me wanted to confront Edward about what had occurred yesterday. So at exactly six in the morning, I woke Jess and told her to get ready for school. We had been standing in the parking lot for nearly forty-five minutes before I began to realize that maybe Edward Cullen wasn't even going to show. 

It took me a minute or two to realize that the Cullen's had arrived, save for Edward. Emmett was standing up in a topless silver Jeep that Jasper was driving. He caught my stare as Jasper parked. Alice and Rosalie were situated in a red convertible. "He's not with them," I muttered, more to myself than to Jess, who had joined me shortly after. 

Something hit the back of Jess' neck, startling her. Tyler was obviously the one to have thrown the item, throwing his hands up in a questioning matter. I raised the book I had been holding in my hands, signaling to him that I was reading. Jess was staring at Alice and Jasper, who were gazing right back at her. I took a step forward, taking her hand in mine as I led her to class. 

After a few days had passed with still no sign of Edward, I started to feel a sense of relief at seeing Jess slowly relax. Clearly, Edward Cullen would not be returning to school anytime soon, or so I hoped. But I was quick to realize that my hopes were futile, and I never should have gotten them up in the first place. 

It was raining again on Monday. Dad was parking my truck in the driveway when we walked outside. "Ow," I cried out as I slipped on a patch of ice I hadn't seen. 

"Are you okay?" Dad questioned, helping me to stand. 

I groaned in response. "Yeah, I'm good. Ice doesn't really help the uncoordinated." 

Dad agreed to my words, and told me had put new tires on the truck since the old ones were getting pretty bald. He stated that he would most likely be late for dinner. A security guard had been killed by an animal at Grisham Mill, so he was going to help them out. 

"Animal?" I echoed. 

"You're not in Phoenix anymore, girls." Dad assured us that he would be careful before he started up his cruiser and drove off.