𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔

Chapter Seven

After dinner, my moms and I went to our rooms. I decided to put on a movie on my laptop. It was around 10 p.m. when my phone suddenly rang. I checked the screen and saw it was a random number. I was about to deny the call, but something made me pause. I decided to answer it.

"Hello?" I said, a bit unsure.

"Ishkhan, it's Charlie," came the familiar voice on the other end. "Bella left back to Phoenix."

"What happened?" I asked, feeling a surge of worry.

Charlie explained that Bella had come home upset after playing baseball with Edward and his family. She had broken things off with Edward and insisted that she needed to leave, that she didn't want this anymore. Charlie had tried to make her think it over, but she was adamant. He asked me, as her best friend, to talk to her.

"Of course, I'll talk to her," I assured him.

Before ending the call, Charlie asked, "Did Bella ever mention not liking Forks or not enjoying living with me?"

I was confused. "No, she never said anything like that. Why?"

Charlie sighed. "Right before she left, she said, 'Yeah, and you know if I don't get out now, then I'm going to be stuck here like Mom.'"

I reassured him, "That's not it, Charlie. Don't worry about it. I'll talk to Bella."

With that, I ended the call, my mind racing with thoughts of Bella and what could have driven her to leave so suddenly.

I decided to call Bella to figure out what happened, to figure out why she broke up with Edward, was Edward the reason for her wanting to go back, etc. I called Bella repeatedly, but each attempt led straight to voicemail. Frustrated and anxious, I finally decided to leave a message.

"Hey Bella, it's Ishkhan. I just heard what happened from Charlie. Please call me back when you get this. I'm worried about you."

I hung up and started pacing around my room, the worry gnawing at me. My mind raced with thoughts of what could be going wrong. The room felt smaller with each step I took, the walls closing in as my concern grew. I glanced at the clock and realized I couldn't just sit there and wait.

After a few minutes of restless pacing, I made up my mind. I grabbed a small duffel bag from my closet and began packing a few essentials: a change of clothes, my phone charger, some snacks, and a water bottle. I paused for a moment, thinking if I needed anything else, then decided to throw in a book to keep my mind occupied during the drive.

Once I was ready, I took a deep breath and headed out to my car. The cool evening air hit me as I stepped outside, but it did little to calm my nerves. I got into the driver's seat, started the engine, and pulled out of the driveway, the tires crunching on the gravel.

Determined to follow Bella to Phoenix, I set my GPS and merged onto the highway. The road stretched out before me, illuminated by the glow of my headlights. As I drove, I continued to try calling her, hoping she would eventually pick up. Each ring that went unanswered only added to my anxiety.

The miles flew by, but my mind was still back in Forks, trying to piece together what might have happened. I thought about Bella's recent behavior, trying to recall any signs that something was off. The more I thought, the more worried I became.

I glanced at my phone, hoping to see a missed call or a text message from her, but there was nothing. I sighed and tightened my grip on the steering wheel, determined to reach her as soon as possible. The road ahead seemed endless, but I knew I wouldn't stop until I found her and made sure she was safe.