Surviving High School

Aftermath

A/N: My vacation is finally over and now I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.  *sigh*  I spent a little over 28 hours in the car the past week, dealt with a death in the family, and with an evil sister-in-law.  Now, it's back to the grind.  BTW, this chapter comes with a drama warning.  *snorts* Are you even surprised?  I didn't think so.

....

"Bells?" Charlie asked, shaking my shoulder.

"What?" I snapped from beneath my warm covers.

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm going fishing with Billy this morning."

Seriously? He woke me up at oh-my-God-o'clock to tell me this? I peeked out from under the covers and gave him my best death stare.

"I know, Dad! You always go fishing with Billy at the crack of dawn. No need to wake me up to tell me."

He let out a hmmph, muttered something about ungrateful children, and told me he'd see me later. I snuggled back under my covers and fell quickly back to sleep.

When I woke up again, the sun was shining through my curtains, illuminating my room. I glanced at the clock and noticed it was a little after eleven. It was then that I realized that the sun was out. That was great! Seeing as how the sun rarely made an appearance, I decided that I'd have a picnic by myself and get in some quality reading time in the sun.

Once I'd showered and dressed, I headed to the kitchen where I quickly made a lunch. I threw my lunch, along with a blanket and my book, into an old picnic basket. Just as I was about to head out back, I heard a knocking on the door. I headed to the front door and got the shock of my life when I opened it. There, standing on my front porch, was none other than Renee.

"Bella! Oh honey, it's so good to see you!" she shouted in my ear as she grabbed me up in a huge hug.

I stood there in shock, unable to bring myself to hug her. What the hell was she doing there?

"Well . . . aren't you glad to see me?"

"Uh . . . yeah. Sorry. I'm in a bit of shock. I certainly didn't expect to see you," I told her truthfully.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked, her voice sounding hurt.

"I guess.  Come on in," I said, leading her into the house, trying to disguise the disgust in my voice. I so didn't want her there.

She sat down on the couch and pulled me down next to her.

"Still looks the same," she muttered.

Looking around, I realized that she was right. Charlie wasn't much for change, so the living room had stayed much the same. Although, now that he was dating Sue, there were a few feminine touches throughout the place. There were some candles and flowers on the coffee table, but that was about it. Of course, she zoned right in on those.