Loca

Instead of going home right away, Edward took us to the Cullen’s.

He had called his family, telling them to leave a note to Charlie that we were having dinner there. I knew he was stressed and refusing to let Bella out of his sight, but also that he wanted to give the other Cullen’s a run down on what the vamps were up to.

Bella wasn’t speaking although I knew she was curious about what had happened to me with the lawyer, now wasn’t the time.

When I asked Edward, he said that the wolves had gone home early, prior to the Cullen’s informing them that they were no longer necessary.

Hector and Jacob had protested, wanting to see me, but I had told Edward before he talked to Carlisle that I would explain to them later.

As far as they knew, Bella was safe, and so was I and I guess that was all that mattered because they listened and went home like good boys.

I missed Jacob as we drove to the Cullen’s. A bit of my mood prior to the fight was starting to leak back into my head. The feelings where I was betrayed and lied to…

I had never been to the Cullen’s place before, and I didn’t know what I expected to see but it sure as heck wasn’t the huge glass mansion in front of me.

My gaze turned cold at the sound of Edward’s chuckle. I had forgotten he could read my mind, and I didn’t like the way he noticed my ogling. After all, we were both rich, so I don’t understand what I was gawking for anyways.

Im sure I could afford my own place now…

The door shut and Edward was around to open it for Bella before she could move, immediately pulling her into his arms while I followed behind them to the house.

“Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Emmett?” he called lightly, once we were close enough and I only recognized the one name. In a second, the vampires from my house were there, and an older woman with honey colored hair was fondling over Bella, asking her if she was alright nearly a million times.

I bristled, uncomfortable before being embraced by Alice, who I had become good friends with despite her bubbliness, while she scolded me lightly for taking off and scaring her with her loss of vision.

“Sorry Licy,” I said, pulling out her favorite nickname and giving her puppy dog eyes so she had to forgive me.

Meanwhile a huge black haired vampire was punching Edward in the shoulder and teasing him about taking so long to get back.

Edward…didn’t seem to find it funny, and despite the fact that he was making a joke out of a horrifying experience, I liked this vampire already.

He noticed my gaze, and grinned hugely at me, his dimples becoming more pronounced. Bella clung to Edward as he talked in a rapid voice to the three blondes and Alice and Esme, as Bella addressed the woman, watched silently, different concerns on their faces.

“So you’re the wolf,” were the first words out of the dark haired man’s mouth, and I didn’t let myself become offended.

Obviously, the teddy bear of a leech meant no harm.

“That I am,” I replied, and as everyone else gravitated towards the living room, including the blonde girl glaring at me, he stayed behind.

“Question,” he stated, and I raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.

“Why would you become a mutt when you could be a vampire?” he said, seeming to be teasing and causing me to laugh at his bluntness.

“Maybe I didn’t want to stink for all eternity,” I stated, and he rolled his eyes muttering under his breath “Mission not accomplished.”

“Emmett!!!” A whiny girly voice called, clearly the blonde’s. He looked back to where the others disappeared and made a motion that I was welcome to follow him.

“Relax Rose, I was just talking to Troy,” Emmett stated, somehow already knowing my name. Figures Edward and Bella would talk about me to vampires.

Anyways though, Blondie glared at me still, and I returned it as Edward started introducing me to everyone, pausing from the meeting he was involved in.

“Troy, this is my father Carlisle, my mother Esme, my brother Jasper and my sister Rosalie; you already met Emmett it appears.” I nodded politely to everyone, except Rosalie, who didn’t deserve politeness from me.

I took it that the Cullen’s were stumbling over the idea of what to do about the upcoming vampire army, but I didn’t interject into the conversations they held, mostly because I didn’t have to.

Emmett was speaking the same way I would have. Sick of the stalling, he just wanted to go, but everyone was shooting him down.

Jasper volunteered his story to me and Bella, so we both understood why they couldn’t, although it didn’t make me any less irritated with the lack of response.

While Carlisle was telling Jasper that the Cullen’s would need to be taught, I caught Emmett’s eye and saw impatience similar to my own. While I was scared for my sister first though, Emmett was a bit more eager for the actual fight, which was my second concern.

It was almost six p.m. when Edward drove us home.

There was a familiar red Volkswagen in the drive and for once Edward didn’t make a face. We all exited the car and got inside to see the Black’s, as well as Charlie eating pizza and watching the game.

Charlie made no comment about earlier today and I felt that he might not have even if company wasn’t here. He simply asked me how I got home and I lied quickly saying I ran into Alice and she brought me home, before I headed over to Jake’s and then the Cullen’s.

He bought it, and seemed unsurprised I’d stopped at Jacob’s first so he must have said him that I’d told him everything.

He looked at me with concern as I headed to the kitchen to eat alone, and quickly got up to follow me.

I turned to see him hesitating in the door way before he crossed the space to me. We were away from prying eyes so he crushed me to his chest in a bear hug.

“Are you alright?” he whispered, leaning back but not releasing me, and I nodded weakly, the memories from earlier starting to come back now.

He seemed only halfway relieved.

“Good,” he mumbled, and dropped his hold on me somewhat so that he could cradle my face in his big hands.

“You will never, put me through that again,” he said seriously, talking about my chasing after the vampires with Edward. I could only imagine the hell he’d been going through because of that. It made me feel guilty.

I smiled weakly and nodded to try and reassure him. His face melted from that mask of seriousness and his eyes got soft as he looked over every detail of my face.

“I won’t, Im sorry,” I murmured, and for half a second I thought that maybe he looked like he was about to kiss me. Then he suddenly dropped my face and took a semi step back, looking awkward.

“I missed you,” he mumbled gently, not referring to me chasing after vampires now, but towards my absence after our fight. My heart ached as I remembered how I’d betrayed him. “I missed you too,” I whispered.

And then the sound of Charlie, Edward and Billy’s cheers broke through our little private moment and I remembered we weren’t alone.

I grabbed the plate I’d made and headed out to the living room while Jake came too. Billy was in his chair, and Bella, Edward and Charlie were squeezed onto the tiny couch.

I sat on the floor while Jacob took the love seat, and completely ignored the game and everything else. I was starving from all the running and fighting I did today and there wasn’t enough pizza to satisfy me.

I threw my plate away after finishing in seconds before going back to the living room. Before I could sit on the floor again though, Jacob grabbed me and pulled me onto the loveseat with him.

He was being bold considering my dad was here.

Since Jake took up most of the space I turned my body so my feet were in his lap and not suggesting anything by how close we were. His arm was draped over the back of the seat and I rested my head on the side since that was the way I was laying.

The whole time Jake’s eyes didn’t leave the TV, just as they hadn’t when he’d pulled me up here either. I wondered if he was just playing that way, or if he had actually grabbed my absentmindedly.

Billy was staring at me, and I felt my face heating up before I finally met his gaze to see the pity in it. The sight made my stomach twist and I suddenly came to the conclusion that Charlie had told Billy.

It must’ve been Charlie, because I knew Jake hadn’t done it. He kept my secrets better than anyone else. Which was good thing, because I told him more of them than I had anyone else.