Moonrise | Paul Lahote

13

Unfortunately, there were many flaws with that plan. The main one being that Edward was really keeping to his word about staying away.

It shocked Jenna. Honestly, she thought he'd have been back before the first week was even over with some half-assed apology, but it had come and gone with no sign of him. So had the second week, and the third. Now, almost three months had passed and their lives had pretty much adjusted to fill the gap left behind by the Cullens.

Of course, the same couldn't be said for everyone.

Bella was still withdrawn, nothing but a shadow of her former self. She moved through life like a ghost, drifting aimlessly from task to task, never doing more than she was expected to, never smiling, not a single spark in her eyes.

Jenna had tried to bring it back. But as the months drew on it seemed like the more she fought to bring Bella back to life, the more the girl pulled away, leaving her clutching at empty air.

That was the thought playing in her head as she sat beside Bella now. The two of them were sitting on a bench in the parking lot during lunch, soaking up a small bit of winter sunlight that managed to break through the clouds.

Bella had her eyes shut, head tilted back towards the sky. To anyone else it might seem as though she was enjoying the sun, but Jenna knew otherwise.

Her eyes were shut, yes, but not in contentment. Bella was lost in her own thoughts again. She was far, far away, stuck in some empty fantasy, shielding herself from the horrors of the outside world.

And like always, Jenna was the one to pull her back.

"Bells," Jenna whispered. "Bells?"

She reached out to tap Bella on the arm. Finally, her eyes flicked open, darting about blankly before landing on some point behind Jenna's shoulder, not meeting hers. Jenna couldn't remember the last time she'd looked her in the eyes.

"You done?" Jenna gestured towards Bella's lap, where a sandwich and an apple sat. The sandwich was only half eaten, the apple untouched.

"Yeah," Bella muttered. She swept the leftovers into her bag without a word before standing, leaving Jenna to hurry after her as she wandered towards the building. They silently walked to Bella's classroom, where she stepped in without looking back. Jenna didn't bother to wait for a goodbye, instead turning and heading for her own.

Jenna dropped into her seat by the window. Sighing, she propped her head on her hand, glancing out the window at the schoolyard. Her gaze landed on a group of people exiting the cafeteria, chatting happily with each other.

It was her friends. Jessica, Mike, Angela, Eric, Conner... even Lauren. Jenna watched as Angela stopped and said something, causing them to all freeze and check their watches just as the bell rang. This started a mad scramble in different directions, with each of them laughing and shoving at each other to get to where they needed to be.

Four months ago, Jenna would have been there with them. Four months ago, she would have been just as light, just as carefree. She wouldn't be feeling this tightness in her chest, the lump in her throat that had crept up on her.

Things had gotten... weird with her friends. Jenna still spent time with them, of course. She still waved to Angela in the halls, chatted with Tyler in PE, and comforted Jessica when something came up with Lauren.

But somewhere, somehow, a shift had happened. Jenna wasn't sure what the shift was but she could always feel it there, lingering around her like a dark cloud, cutting her off from her surroundings.

The feeling was especially strong now, clinging to her skin like sweat. Desperate to get rid of it, the second class was over she rushed out of the classroom, relieved to see Mike coming out from the one across the hall.