Elizabeth Rain Swan || A Paul Lahote Love Story

Chapter 14

Over the course of the next several months, Bella and Edward grew attached at the hip. I started to see my sister less and less which made what little headway we'd made in fixing our relationship disappear. It also didn't help any that I started spending more time at the reservation. Sam was waiting on three boys, Jacob Black, Quil Atera, and Embry Call, to phase, which caused everyone to be on edge. Things, well supernatural things, escalated on Bella's birthday.

Dad and I woke her up with a camera and her mother's present, which was a scrapbook. She was livid that we even thought of buying her something because she didn't want presents. Dad convinced her it wasn't a birthday present since it wasn't wrapped.

"Bells, you're getting pretty old," Dad said.

"I'm not that old," she said.

"I don't know, is that a gray hair?" He asked, causing Bella to jump out of bed and scramble to the mirror.

Dad and I both started laughing as Bella freaked out. "It wasn't that funny," she said, glaring at me.

"Yeah, your reaction was," I said. "What do you want for dinner?"

"I'm going out to the Cullen's place," she said.

"Okay, I'll make dinner for Dad and I than," I said.

"Actually, I have to work late again. Training new hires is so fun," he said, rolling his eyes. "Go hang out with Em."

"Yeah, sure," I said, leaving to get ready for school. I got dressed in a pair of jeans and a hoodie that read "I'm the girl your coach warned you about."

School was even less eventful than usual. Bella spent lunch with the Cullen's and I sat with Morgan and some of the other basketball girls.

"What's up with you?" Morgan asked quietly as she caught my glares at the Cullen's table.

"They stole my sister from my dad," I said, risking a glance at the table again. Emmett caught my glares and smirked at me. I rolled my eyes as I turned to look at Morgan.

"I thought you didn't like her," Morgan said, looking over the table.

"I don't."

"She doesn't look very happy," Morgan said softly.

"She doesn't seem very happy around the house anymore either," I said. "She was happier when she hung out with Jake and wasn't dating Edward."

"You don't think he could be like abusing her do you?" She asked. Even though she was whispering, the shock in her voice was evident.

"I don't know. Dad doesn't like him at all. Says his instincts are telling him to avoid Edward at all costs. Bella won't listen, of course. She says she loves him," I explained. I knew enough about Edward that I knew he'd hear this and tell Bella all about it.

That night I was helping Emily cook dinner but I could tell that they all knew something was off.

"Hey, babe," Paul said. I looked up from what I was doing to meet his eyes.

"What?" I asked softly. He grabbed the hand that was holding the paring knife and held it down.

"We need to talk," he said. "Walk with me to that beach?"

"Yeah," I said. "Em, can I go for a walk, or do you need anymore help?"

"No," she said. "Go with him."

I sat the knife down, and wiped my hands on my jeans. I brushed the pieces of hair that had fallen from my messy bun out of my face.

We walked, hand in hand, to the beach in silence, listening to the sounds of the reservation.

"What's going on with you?" Paul asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean you seem so out of it today," he said. We continued walking down the beach.

"Morgan just brought something up at lunch, and I can't shake the feeling that she might be right," I said.

"What?" He asked.

"It's really nothing," I said. He looked at me and his eyes filled with hurt. "Promise me you won't phase."

"I promise, babe," he said.

"Morgan thinks that Edward might be abusing my sister. I can't shake the feeling she might be right," I said, looking at the ground as I repeated myself.

"Did you say anything to your dad?" He asked. I shook my head. He pulled me into his arms and held me.

I felt tears sting my eyes as Paul started whispering to me to calm me down. "I'll gladly kill him if you'll let me."

"I can't," I said. "She says she's happy. If you see anything going on that could count as real proof let me know."

"Of course, babe," he said. Soon enough we returned to Emily's for dinner, and Paul held me the entire time, refusing to let me go.

Bella came home that night, feeding some line of BS to my dad about the stitches in her bicep.

"Dad," I said, as Bella stormed up to her room. "We need to talk."

"What about?" He asked. He was sitting at the table drinking a beer and trying to calm down.

"Dad, I think Edward's abusing Bella," I said. I sat down at the table with him.

"What?" He hissed, looking at me.

"One of my friends pointed it out to me today, and I think she's right," I said. "I've seen the signs everywhere. She gets depressed when they're apart for too long. She spends way too much time with him. She ditches her family for him. And, the stitches weren't from tripping."

He stood up, trying to go talk to her, but I stopped him. "Don't say anything," I pleaded. "Just keep an extra eye on her please."

"Fine, but at the first sign I witness I'm going to kill him," he said.

"Now it's premeditated," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Forget I said that," he said.

"Said what?" I asked, going along with it. He nodded his head before taking his beer into the living room to finish it.

I knew something was up with Bella, and my suspicions were only confirmed when the Cullen's stopped showing up to school.