Speak || A Twilight Fanfic

Chapter 30

Midweek quickly turned into the weekend, then into a couple of weeks as the days passed them by. With work and school getting in the way, the Swan trio had not been able to sit down and discuss Bella's sudden disappearance, not that there was much truth they could share. Still, there were questions that needed answering and mistakes to be atoned for.

Outside of the home, things had almost gone back to normal. At least, the normal to Bella before Edward had decided to rip the fabric of their existence with his weaknesses and insecurities. Her friends had welcomed her back after many an apology and a promise not to abandon them without an explanation.

Angela had been the first one to forgive the older Swan. She said there was nothing to forgive. Bella was going through her own journey, and sometimes those roads could stray from the people she knew, but she was grateful she'd found her way back. Mike and Eric had agreed, without all the sentimentality that Angela had displayed.

Jessica, on the other hand, wanted Bella to grovel. She was still angry that Bella had used her a couple of months back when she was still in the spiral of danger-chasing and didn't want to welcome her back with open arms like the rest of the group had. But the second she found herself being the only one who had not forgiven Bella, she begrudgingly did, saying there wouldn't be a third chance.

Not that she would need one after she inevitably turned into an immortal vampire and had to distance herself from them all over again. But for the time being, they were what she had. Until they left for college. Another thing Bella had forgotten to care about during the last six months of her life.

But her sister had not.

Gabriella knew of her sister's potential, and she wouldn't allow her future to be ruined because of a bad time in her life. With her father's help, she had filled out a few applications for nearby colleges, hoping the last few months didn't report too poorly on her sister's scholarly performance.

"I hope you don't have to go to Peninsula Community College," Gabi sighed as they sat at the dining table, a plethora of papers scattered on the top, "but it seems you just might, Bells—not that it would be a bad thing. Unless a miracle happens, and somehow you get into one we've already applied to."

"You didn't have to do that, you know," Bella said. "I'm the one that let things get off track. You've done more for me than I deserve."

"Oh, come on, Bella," she blushed. "I just hope if I ever go through a six-month black hole of sadness that you do the same for me."

"How about you don't do that?"

"I'll try," she chuckled teasingly. "But I won't make any promises."

A sudden creak from the stairs caught the girls' attention, and their father soon came into view. He rubbed sleep off his eyes, yawning as he made his way to his daughters. But it was clear that just because he had slept didn't mean he had rested.

Under Charlie's eyes dark circles had seemed to make a home for themselves. They had been deeper and darker than they had been for years, and there was no mistaking what the cause was—or more like who. Since the arrival of his girls, he'd faced more stress than he had in his entire career as an officer.

"Hungry, dad?" Gabi asked as she made space on the table. "I made some scrambled eggs and bacon on the side."

"Sounds good, Gabs," he smiled tiredly. "Is there any coffee?"

"Yup, made a fresh pot this morning."

"Great," he groaned, stretching out his back as he made his way to a mug. "Been needing a lot more caffeine these past few weeks."

With a steaming mug of black coffee, Charlie sat beside Bella, his eyes trained on the liquid in his hands. Neither of them spoke, too many unsaid things between them fighting their way to the forefront. But their confrontation was inevitable, and it had taken long enough for the conversation to arise.