Bones [Volturi Kings]

0.7

*

A few days after visiting Jacob, Sophie found herself sitting across from her friend Jennifer at the diner in town. The girl had just been released from her inpatient stay and reached out to Sophie immediately. The two had both ordered meals, though Jennifer was eating more than Sophie did.

"You look good." Sophie told her with a genuine grin as she ate a bite of her food.

Jen flashed a tight smile. "I'm going to really try this time. I want to live an exciting life and I'm tired of staring at hospital walls. I want to see the world."

"I'm proud of you." Sophie told her. She wished it was as easy as Jennifer made it sound. Sophie had been admitted to inpatient stays twice before for recovery. The first time lasted longer than the second but Sophie always went into a downward spiral after a few months.

"You look better, too." Jen grinned. Sophie tried not to wince but she couldn't help putting her fork down for a moment. Since Bella had begun seeing Jacob, Sophie had been able to focus on herself again. She had gained nearly five pounds since the beginning of January, which felt like a lot in a little less than a month.

She had also been trying to stay away from the scale, knowing it didn't bring anything good for her. The last time she weighed herself was three days prior. She was making an effort - usually it was every morning.

"I hate seeing what this does to my family." She told her friend as she pushed around a piece of her food with her fork. She swallowed, pushing away thoughts of calories. "I want to be better for them... and myself. And I think I'm doing okay right now."

Jen smiled again, genuinely happy for the girl in front of her. She could see that something else was bothering her friend but she couldn't decide if she wanted to ask or not - Sophie sometimes disappeared into herself whenever she didn't want to answer a question or do something she was asked to do.

Jennifer decided to leave her alone.

The encounter with Jacob still tore at Sophie. She didn't understand what Sam Uley had done to her friend to cause him to push her away. Bella hadn't spoken to Sophie much since that day either, only passing a few words to her every now and then.

Sophie desperately wanted to get through to Jacob but, for the first time ever, she wasn't sure how to reach to her friend. She had practically begged him not to hurt her, not to leave her, and he had done it anyway.

Jennifer and Sophie shared their goodbyes, promising to meet up with each other again soon. Sophie watched her go, feeling her heart ache for a different reason. Jen seemed to be doing genuinely okay.

Sophie wanted to be genuinely okay.

When she got home, she immediately went to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed. It was silent for a few moments before her door slowly creaked open. Sophie looked over to Bella, who smiled softly at her sister. "Can I come in?"