It wasn't that I didn't like Forks. I loved Forks, most of the people I loved lived here, but holy crow did I hate the rain. I think the only thing that prevented me from choosing to live with my dad was the stupid weather in Forks, Washington. Well, that and the fact that I was almost entirely certain that Renee couldn't take care of herself without me there. But she has Phil now and I have. . . extremely soggy boots. I hate wearing boots but they're pretty essential in a place as gloomy as Forks.
I missed Charlie though, as well as Jacob. We haven't spent nearly as much time together as we did after his mom died. And now that Rachel and Rebecca are off and living their own lives, I'm basically the only female family member he has left. He used to be somewhat close to Leah, the ex of the current werewolf Alpha, Sam, but their relationship ended when Sam imprinted on her cousin/best friend Emily. No one could blame Leah for being closed off after that. She was always traveling around nowadays and when she was in Forks, it was never for very long. Though, she seems a lot happier and more upright in the new life she's leading. I admire that.
Being in Forks long-term after three years was surreal. It was a complete 180 from my toasty and dry Arizona. There's so much more moisture and green here, it was messing with my vision. Or maybe that's the difference in air quality, it made me want to lay on the gravel roads and list all of the differences, but that's considered impractical.
Charlie was ever silent next to me and if I didn't know any better, I'd think he was uninterested. But no, my father was just as awkward as me and doesn't know how to start conversations. I get a lot more talkative when I'm nervous, but I've learned to enjoy the quiet around Charlie. Out of everyone, ever, I've never felt out of place or overstimulated by his energy. Mostly because he didn't have much outside of sports and fishing.
I knew living with Charlie would be a simple arrangement, which I was looking forward to. I didn't have to do our taxes or pay all of our bill or make sure he had a steady job after quitting the old one. We could simply co-exist, and I could just be responsible for myself. Though I would take control of the kitchen. One thing Renee and Charlie had in common, the only thing they had in common, was that neither of them could cook for shit. I loved cooking though, so it would be nice to have control of a kitchen that wasn't tainted by Renee's failed monstrosities and Phil's flavorless "sport's diet". I have no problem with Phil, it's just his "cooking". No soul, lack of flavor, plus he'd make Renee and I follow it to make sure he stayed committed in the off season.
As we neared the house, Charlie got this secret smile that was wholly foreign on his face, and I noticed the corner of Billy Black's truck in our driveway. I was immediately suspicious and turned in my seat, fixing a wide-eyed stare on Charlie. I sat completely still and slowly leaned forward without blinking. Charlie tensed and leaned away.
"Bella, distracted driving is the number one cause of vehicular deaths," he recited in his police chief voice. I rolled my eyes, noting the roof and window of the car. the green was making me dizzy.
"I'm aware. What's going on?" I widened my eyes further and leaned in closer. I started to breathe obnoxiously loud to irritate him further.
"You'll find out when we get there. Girl, get the hell away from me," he exclaimed. I bet he was wishing he could just get out of the car at this moment.
"I don't like surprises, old man", I grumbled as I sat back in my seat correctly.
"Then don't think of it as one, think of it as a couple of homecoming presents," Charlie retorted sarcastically as he parked on the curb outside of our house. I didn't see Billy or Jacob, but that was clearly their truck in the driveway, which another vehicle was hitched to. It was covered with a tarp so I couldn't see anything but the bottom of the wheels.
"I don't like presents, either. Daaaad", I whined childishly to let him know of my disproval. He very pointedly rolled his eyes at me and turned off the cruiser.
I wrestled with the seatbelt, trying to free myself from the confines of this cage to go argue with my father some more. However, I got distracted by the flash of flushed russet and inky black barreling into my window. Before I could even register why the cruiser was groaning and shaking, I was yanked out of the car and spun around in the air. The combination of the overwhelming amount of green, the fast paced movement of my assailant, and the spinning was getting to be too much and I felt like I was going to hurl my guts out.
When I was finally put down, I immediately crumbled to my knees, closing my eyes and laying my spinning head onto the cool, damp grass. At least it was good for something, dumb green grass.
“Oh crap! Bella! Are you okay?!” Jacob. I was gonna kill him if I ruined this shirt, it was nice despite the fact that it wasn’t one of my summery blouses that I loved and missed dearly. Fucking Forks.
“Isabella Marie Swan! What’re you doing yoga poses on the lawn for?” I heard a shout from the porch. Charlie.
At the same time, someone bellowed, “Jacob Black, you better not have had anything to do with this!” Billy.
Rough hands cupped my armpits and hauled me upright. I shoved my hand in Jacob’s face, not forcefully, and I held it there until I felt better. When I did, I shoved him away by his face.
“Dude, what the hell? I almost threw up,” I said, finding my balance and walking up the porch.
“You okay, Bells?” Charlie asked, laying a hand on my shoulder and helping me inside.
“Yeah, glad to be home”, I muttered as I leaned down to hug Billy and greet him.
“Glad to have you home, sweet girl”, Billy said fatherly. It was like having a second dad, which is surely the way Jake sees Charlie as well.
“So what’s with this surprise y’all had in mind?” I asked diplomatically. I could mouth off to Charlie, because he knows better, but Billy and Jacob took time out of their days and put effort into helping my dad.
“Well, we know you have money saved up for a car, but that’s taken care of. Give or take a few minor repairs you might want”, Jacob explained, jogging over the tarp-covered vehicle.
I winced lightly. “That’s really considerate, you guys, but I really wish you hadn’t gone through all that trouble just for me.” It wasn’t that I wasn’t appreciative, but I liked earning my possessions. And I always felt guilty when people bought me things. Renee loved to give sob stories about being a single mom to get things out of people and I felt as though I was doing the same thing when people gave me things.
“Don’t worry sweetheart, it’s not anything too special. The damn thing used to be a little father-son project for me and Jacob. Now we’re putting it to good use and saving you a bit of money,” Billy dismissed casually.
It made me feel worse. That must have taken months, if not a couple of years of work and effort and here they were, handing it to me after three years of my absence.
“Don’t start that”, Jacob huffed while untying the tarp. “It was just lying around, unused and uncared for, and it’s easier for all of us not to go car shopping and making sure you ain’t getting a shit deal.”
“Jacob! Language!”
Jacob rolled his eyes and in one very exaggerated move, pulled off the tarp.
My mind was blown.
Sure, it was super fricking old and the paint job was a mess, but something about this behemoth truck reminded me of Arizona more than any of the little knick knacks I packed. And a helluva lot more useful. My eyes welled up a bit, but I ducked my head bashfully to cover it up.
I ran to Jacob and hugged him in gratitude before excitedly opening the door to get a feel of my new baby. God, he was perfect. Warmer than I was expecting. Cool, if not chapped, leather seats, a bit of frostiness on the edges of the window. It was perfect. It was…Bella. I loved it.
“This is perfect! Oh my god, thank you so much!” I hollered out the open window that took me a bit too much effort to roll down.
“We’re glad you like it, Bells. Now come inside for your other surprise”, Charlie said while rubbing his hands together to keep warm.
I hopped out the truck, actually looking forward to this next gift. I never really how well they truly knew me. Renee and Phil always did their best, but I had the feeling that the main motivation behind their gifts to me was to show how much money they spent on me. Or they’d just plain gift me things that they like, rather than what I liked. It was a unique, welcome feeling to receive things that have actual thought put into them.
I ran up to the porch, almost tripping and busting my ass, and Jacob didn’t do a damn thing but laugh at me for almost eating shit on the walkway.
Charlie in particular seemed very animated about this particular gift. He kept glancing at me in anticipation for my reaction when I saw it.
It was beautiful.
He had opened all of the cabinet doors, the pantry, as well as the fridge and freezer. Everything, too to bottom, was absolutely filled with various types of food and spices and herbs. Veggies and fruits that weren’t even in season. Meats, cheeses and so many condiments. I was in heaven. Ever ingredient for every recipe I wanted to try was right there for the taking. This time, a tear did slip down my cheek.
“Oh, Dad”, I whispered, still in awe.
“You like it right? I told your mom to send me ingredients for the recipes you’ve made or wanted to try. Took a couple of months, but I finally got a long enough list and got to work. You like it, right?” Charlie asked once more when I didn’t say a word.
Honestly, I was a bit choked up. “I love it. I love all of this. Being here with you three. The truck. This kitchen. It’s better than I could’ve ever imagined. Thank you so much, Dad.”
He dug his feet into the wooden floor a bit, mumbling a response. His cheeks were bright red and his hands fiddled with the nervous energy from the attention.
“Welp. Me and Jake best get going before the sun sets. Don’t wanna run into any trouble out in the dark”, Billy said ominously. Before I could ask for clarification, he continued. “Glad to have you home, Bella. Take some time to settle in and get ready for school.”
Ugh, school. The one thing that could put a damper on my mood. But I wouldn’t let it ruin my first day. Forks was looking better and better every minute.
I guess the green wasn’t so bad after all.
~*~
End of Chapter One! Any feedback or anything like that? Apologies for any spelling mistakes, I’m like super tired and dealing with a blood disorder.
Hope yall like everything and here’s a small summary of chapter 2:
Bella’s first day at Forks High!
Bella goes to school and hears about the strange family that recently moved in. Later, she meets a couple of them.
She makes some new friends, too. Good for her.
trans boy swan who still wears a lot of his old clothes because he doesn’t really know what other style he’d like
tboy swan wearing his skinny jeans with one of Charlie’s shirts because his dad noticed how the form-fitting Pinterest girl clothes make him uncomfortable. Then later him wearing Edward’s hoodies on a regular basis.
tboy swan who gets along with Jacob because Jacob had a gender crisis a while back before understanding that he’s most comfortable as a man. The two are inseparable, literally “brother from another mother” behavior. Edward is forced to get along with Jacob despite the fact that Jacob behaves like a feral little brother when Edward comes around.
Tboy Swan who gets along the best with his female friends simply because they don’t see him as “the trans classmate” and only see him as their boy swan. Sure, he likes his male friends, but they’re more interested in getting him to join the basketball team and he doesn’t vibe with sports.
Tboy swan who takes a good while to figure out what he wants to be called. Sure he knows the basics: he/him, boy, but he couldn’t for the life of him pick a name so he just goes by “swan” in school. It takes him being in a relationship with Edward for him to finally decide on a name.
Bowen Swan who decides on a name and then nonchalantly brings it up to Charlie that night as if it’s no big deal (like father like son) and then Charlie buys Bo a cake to celebrate (maybe he even invites Edward over with the condition that they keep the door open, the same rule Charlie applies to all of Bo’s friends)
Bo Swan who buys his first binder with Alice’s help (she needs this boy to stop wearing the most middle-aged man clothes ever) and then they go shopping afterwards for new clothes, which, to Alice’s utter dismay, match Charlie’s style still.