The Tale of the Brokenhearted

Chapter 8: Cold Shoulder

It had been one week since introducing Leah to my family. One week of nagging questions and weird looks from Alice. What's worse is that she wasn't speaking them out right, the questions just went around and around in her head on repeat. I had no intention of entertaining her thoughts, which were quite high school if you ask me. Leah and I were good friends, anyone who saw anything else was well crazy.

Rosalie and Emmett really didn't care for me hanging out with the shapeshifter kind, but they were glad that I was moping around the house anymore. I really wasn't at the house much at all these days. Leah did exactly as she said she would and got an apartment which I was happy to be a more than occasional piece of furniture in. She also took on a job at a hardware store mixing paint and stocking wallpaper and home decorations. I seemed to follow her around to both places really. Most of her co-workers knew me, it just made since for me to meet her there so that we could continue on our midnight escapades.

But back to my crazy little sister Alice, one of the reason I spent more time at Leah's place is because Alice was too quick to pry. That's how she got a hold of Leah's phone number and convinced her to go out with Jasper, Rosalie, and her. I was adamant that I wanted no parts of it but she could go if she wanted. I sat on her couch as I watched her go back in forth getting ready. I had to admit I kind of liked the silk black jumper on her, it worked well with her long black hair. I was still amazed at how fast her hair grew. She huffed and threw me another aggravated look.

"She's got a point, Edward," Leah toyed with her hair in the mirror. "It makes sense for you to just move in here. I mean, you already have a key and you almost never go home anymore. I makes sense that she wants to see you. I mean, Alice practically had to force you to meet them to hang out. Then she called me, and begged me to plead her case and now I'm I'm coming with you to what I would've considered a family thing." She came and stood in front of her television, between it and me.

I had become something of a couch potato in her apartment or more accurately, I'd become an actual leech. I was acting as if I needed to be with Leah 24-7. I was just lucky that she enjoyed my company almost as much I enjoyed hers. She hadn't told me so in so many words, but one night, in her mind she came to the conclusion that she didn't want me to leave, so I stayed. And she's right I very, very rarely left anymore. I mean what was the point? Leah was my best friend and the one person that I could just be myself with; and yes, she did make fun of me, but I knew deep down she liked me, flaws and all.

"So when should I start moving my stuff?" I teased and she frowned. I made no move to leave the couch. I was quite content and comfortable in her space. She knew very well I didn't want to go and I wasn't going to make things easy. She put on her golden flip flops and thought about what I had said. She was right most of my clothes and personal items had already made its way into the apartment. I'd already started moving in.

"Yeah, that's exactly what the tribe would want to hear. 'Oh hey, have you heard that Leah moved off the reservation and is now sharing a place with a leech.' I would never be able to visit my mom." She sighed and plopped down beside me on the couch. I noticed that she didn't say that she didn't want me here. I mean if there was ever a time to say it this would have been the time.

"I'm sorry, Leah, I think I'm missing your point in all of this," I stated.

"The point is … get out or start paying rent." She shoved me and then hopped up and headed to the door.

"You know very well that money isn't an issue." I commented and she grumbled under her breath. "So what if it's weird, Leah? This, for right now, is our normal. Is my presence making you uncomfortable? If it's not my presence that has you thrown, is it your tribe that has you worried? I'm a mind reader, Leah, I will know when to make myself scarce. " She glared at me. Her mind was blank but I could tell from the look on her face she was annoyed.

"Hurry up, Leech man, before we're late!" She shook her head, turned her back to me, and stormed off towards the door again. I hated the way she liked to change the subject sometimes. I felt like I always had to fight for the information that was given to me, even though I could read the majority of her thoughts. She was most definitely the craftiest person I knew in regard to keeping information from me.

"You're the one wanted to clean up your kitchen before we left," I countered. I was stalling; I didn't really want to go, but I got up and followed her anyway. We were going a club; we'd all decided to meet there at 11:00. I wasn't a fan of clubs, I'd much rather sit here and read a book with Leah. I loved to listen to her mind's voice as she read books with me; her internal commentary turned them into a whole new experience for me.

"You know I don't like coming home to a dirty house. It irks me," she fussed as we exited the apartment.

"A lot of things seem to be irking you tonight," I whispered without thinking. It was something I used to do that all the time when I was with Bella, and she never heard me. Leah, on the other hand, did hear me and punched me hard enough that I could feel it. "Ow!" I rubbed my arm irritated.

"Yeah well, you are being a bit of a jerk right now." We paused, staring at both of our cars. She came to a decision, and went and stood by my car door waiting for me to open it for her. Something was bothering her and she was making sure that she didn't think about it.

As I drove to the club, my curiosity got the best of me. I had to know why I was being given the cold shoulder. "Is it Sam, have you heard from him?" I finally broke our silence. She softly scoffed and shook her head. "What about your mom?" I continued my investigation.

"Just drop it Edward, I just want to have a good time tonight. I don't want to think about the past." I glanced over at her again for a long moment, and nodded. She was most definitely working through something, and pushing her right now would only cause her to become more distant. It was most likely that by the end of the night she would end up confessing,

"I don't know how much fun we're going to have at a nightclub." I changed the subject, voicing my lack of desire to go to a place full of loud music and smutty behavior.

"I like clubs. It will be fun to just let loose and be a little crazy," She chuckled a little and I groaned in disgust.

"You not going to be all perverse are you?" I whined and she giggled harder.

"I don't know, depends on what you consider perverse," she countered as a few raunchy dance moves ran through her head. I couldn't help but cringe. I hoped she was just thinking those thoughts to get under my skin.

"Right," I sighed as I parallel parked a couple blocks away from the club's entrance.

"Hey, I was a little snappy earlier …" Leah started to give one of her infamous attempts at an apology. They were the most awkward things, she always looked so lost for words.

"I know." I interrupted and she rolled her eyes.

"Never mind, forget it." She opened her door. As soon as she did, I was standing in front of her on the sidewalk.

"Of course I forgive you, Leah pooh," I cooed at her as I put my arm around her shoulder. "What are friends for? Actually, can you do me a favor?" I asked.

"And what would that be?" She asked hesitantly.

"Just promise me that you won't be too gross in here okay?" She rolled her eyes and pulled away from me.

"Oh look, there are your people, let's go make nice." She pulled me along by the hand. I saw Alice jumping up and down in the distance, even Rosalie seemed happy to see us. I don't know why my family had such a fondness for this particular brand of night life, but Leah seemed to love it too. It's almost as if she fits in better with them than I do.