Bella's Accidents

A Tumultuous Trip

The next ten days were among the happiest of Bella's life so far. When not spending hour after enchanted hour with Claire, she drifted about in a kind of euphoric stupor, her heart engorged by an all-consuming adoration. Claire, it seemed, fretted that they might somehow drift apart from one another once school started back up again, in much the same way as Bella did. After confessing as much to Bella one afternoon in early August, the two vowed that no matter how busy they got with classes and homework and new friends and extracurricular obligations, they wouldn't let any of it disrupt what had blossomed between them over the preceding months.

"You promise?" Claire asked earnestly, her voice quavering a mite as she looked into Bella's eyes.

"I promise," swore Bella. "No matter what. You know why?"

"Why?" Claire smiled as the color rose in Bella's cheeks.

"Because..." Bella hesitated, working up the courage to say what she had been wanting to say for weeks and weeks. "I... love you."

Claire's freckles seemed to dance across the bridge of her nose as she smiled and hugged Bella tightly. "Me too. I mean... I... I love you too."

At last, however, the night before Bella's eight day family trip to Arizona had arrived. The previous afternoon she had bid Claire an almost comically melodramatic farewell, and all day she had been gripped by a melancholic listlessness as she contemplated the idea of an entire week apart from one another, followed by a mere two days in which to prepare to begin her freshman year of high school.

Despite having spent most of the afternoon packing, Bella ate lackadaisically as she sat around the table with her mom and dad that evening.

"You think you'll be able to survive one whole week without Claire?" Her mom asked jokingly, as Bella prodded her dinner absently with her fork. "I can't help but notice you've been pretty mopey ever since you got up this morning."

Although her ears turned rather red, Bella tried valiantly to pretend that she was looking forward to their trip. "No, it's just... It's nothing. I can't wait to see Casie and Louise and everyone, and see the Grand Canyon, and hike around, and... yeah, should be great." She attempted a smile but could only manage something like a weary grimace.

"I really think you're going to love the hiking around Flagstaff, Bell," her dad said in a rather transparent attempt to lift her spirits. "And the Grand Canyon is something everyone should visit at least once in their lives. It's nearly thirty years since I was last there, and this will be your mom's first time."

Bella nodded, trying as best she could to affect an attitude of interest and excitement. But in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but regard every week of precious summer freedom not spent in proximity to Claire as a tragic and irrecoverable waste.

As she was getting ready to climb into bed that evening, Bella heard a tap at her door, followed by her mom's voice. "Hey Bell, can I come in for a sec? I just wanted to check in about a couple things before we hit the road tomorrow morning."

With some reluctance, Bella opened the door. She had already changed into her pajamas, underneath which she was wearing her usual nighttime protection, and she hated any type of prolonged interaction with her parents while she was in such a state.

Sitting down next to her on the bed, her mom began hesitantly, "So, honey... I'm sure you did, but... I just wanted to make sure before we left tomorrow – you made sure to pack your protection?"

Bella nodded, her face turning slightly red as she thought of the eight ignominious pairs of disposable Goodnites girls nighttime underwear which lay at the bottom of her duffle bag.