desiderium- Jasper Hale

pt 5: insult

Later that same evening, Bella and I planned on meeting Dad at the diner for dinner. Because school finished an hour before Dad got off work, we organised to go to the Forks library before meeting Dad there.

I noticed that Bella was quieter than usual and as a result, I tried to spark up a conversation about how her last couple of classes went. Unfortunately, my interrogations only managed to put her in a worse mood. I hoped that the time spent at the library would make her feel a bit better. Books tended to do the trick for all of the Swan women.

When we arrived at the quaint wooded library in the center of town, I was surprised to see that it had far fewer books than I was expecting. Nonetheless, I managed to find a few classics which I loved, including Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen & To Kill a Mockingbird. I had them already in my bookcase at home but it made me feel good knowing they had them just in case.

Looking at the clock, I realised that Bella and I had been here for just over half an hour, and I surprisingly hadn't seen her since walking in. I wouldn't be surprised if I had found her huddled in a corner, emersed in another book. With an unread array of books tucked under my arm, I attempted to find Bella before heading off to meet Dad.

"Bella, are you ready to go?" I ask trying to be as quiet as I can. I managed to find her reading a book about the history of Forks and the tribes within the region.

"Yeah, sure. What are you getting?" She asks, getting up from the seat she was curled up in.

"Umm, The Hunger, Dracula and The Count of Monte Cristo."

"Since when have you been interested in fantasy books? They are very different from Little Women or To The Lighthouse..." Bella says teasingly.

"Hey! They are great works of literature. Don't dis." I say in defence, "Either way, these are still classics, but I thought I'd try something different. I kinda felt drawn to them."

"Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy them... You may end up in my bed at night, but you will enjoy them nonetheless."

"Whatever. Let's just go."

The diner was a rustic one, that's for sure. The walls are wooden, the benches are wooden, literally, everything is wooden. As well as that, it had animal heads hung on the walls. I couldn't even look at them- they were freaking me out.

"Hey, Belles. Have you been okay? You've been awfully quiet and when you DO speak, you're sarcastic as heck," I rebuked, "But in all seriousness, what happened after lunch that has gotten you in such a mood?"

"I am not, " Bella says in defence. I give her one look as to say try me. "If I'm being totally honest, it's because of Edward Cullen. I had him in Biology with me and Mr. Banner asked me to sit next to him."

"What is the problem with that? You were totally infatuated with him at lunch," I asked.

With a roll of her eyes, Bella continued, "He acted entirely repulsed by me. I stepped in front of a fan and he cowered away from me as if I smelt horrendous. Then he was totally rude to me when class finished as he rushed past me and out of the room; AND as if that weren't bad enough, when I grabbed our passes to hand back into the office, he was in there demanding to switch classes. I quote "I'll just have to endure it", like what even is that?!"

I could tell that Bella was genuinely offended by his behaviour. I just couldn't understand why someone would act that way.

"Did you ask him what his problem was?" I asked, leaning back in my chair.

"I haven't been given an opportunity yet. I definitely will tomorrow though, " Bella declared.

"Good. You can't let people act like dicks and get away with it. In the meantime though, let's have a nice family dinner, and not let the worries of the day get us down!" I say determinedly. With a smile and a nod from Bella, I know she feels the same way.

"Hey girls!" Charlie exclaimed as he enters the diner.

"Hi, Dad," Bella and I chorus, "How was work?"

"It was busy. We've had a heap of animal attacks in the area, so there's been a lot going on down at the department," Dad shares.

It was pretty obvious how keen he was to be here. He was fiddling with basically anything he could reach, in anticipation.

Bella looked at me knowingly. We get restless too when we are hungry. Unfortunately in my case, I get aggressively hangry, whereas Bella and Charlie are far more reserved and patient than me.

In good timing, Cora makes her way over to us, giving Bella and my burgers to us and Dad his steak.

"I just can't get over how grown-up you both are. And so gorgeous, " Cora says kindly, as a man peers over her shoulder.

"Hey girls," the man says, "Remember me? I played Santa one year."

"Ah, Waylon, they haven't had a Christmas here since Bella was four," Dad butts in.

"No, no. I remember. You had a pillow stuffed in your jacket that kept falling out!" I chuckled.

"That's right! I knew I was worthy of being remembered," cheered Waylon.

"Yeah, of course. I remember you. Mum had to tell me about how Santa isn't real" I say teasingly as we each laugh at Waylon blushing from embarrassment.

"Sorry about that kid."

"No problem at all. I promise it wasn't all too traumatising," I joke, hoping to relieve the poor man of his misery. 

"All right, let the girl eat her garden burger, Waylon," Cora interjects.

"At least I made an impression though," Waylon says as he turns away.

"As soon as you're done, I will bring you your favourites. Berry cobbler and lemon cheesecake, remember? Your dad alternates between the two every Thursday."

"Thank you. That'd be great," Bella says on behalf of us as Cora walks to serve another table.

"So, how was school?" Charlie asked as he bit into his steak.

"Alright," Bella and I say simultaneously, triggering an eyebrow raise from Charlie. When neither of us elaborates, Charlie drops the subject as we all eat quietly.

Normally I found myself to be so aware of things, but at this point of time, I really felt a loss of control. I had no idea how it would be staying in Forks. The one thing I knew for sure though, was that it is gonna be a wild time.