Fan Fiction ❯ Everything You Want ❯ One Step Forward, Two Steps Back ( Chapter 20 )

Everything You Want

Chapter 20:

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

 

 

 

Bella drew a deep breath and stepped into the noisy cafeteria. `This is never going to get easier, is it?' she questioned herself gloomily as she scanned the area for any sign of Cole. Not spotting him anywhere, she exhaled heavily and headed towards the table she had started occupying with a couple of friends since `that day.'

 

Before, Bella and Cole had always sat together at lunch, but now… Plopping her books down on the table beside her friend Kiley, Bella slid into an empty seat and sighed as the petite brown haired girl stared at her curiously.

 

Kiley gave her obviously depressed friend a sympathetic look, and wrapped a comforting arm around the sad girl's shoulders. “If it makes you feel any better, Cole looks about as miserable as you, if not more.”

 

Shaking her head, Bella glanced at the brown haired girl with tearful eyes. “No, that actually makes me feel ten times worse, thanks…”

 

Kiley winced. “Oops, sorry Bella. You know I'm not really `tact girl.' Maybe if you'd tell me who broke up with who I'd know who to be mad at and who to comfort.”

 

Bella shrugged and mumbled, “It was a mutual thing.”

 

“Uh-huh,” Kiley smiled knowingly, “Then tell me, why are the two of you walking around like you just lost your best friend?”

 

Bella choked back tears and rested her head in her folded arms. “Because we did,” she murmured softly.

 

Kiley clucked her tongue and rubbed comforting circles onto her friend's tense back. Bella was usually so bubbly and happy, it was extremely odd to see her so down and out of sorts. Kiley had known both Bella and Cole since grade school and never had she seen a time where the two weren't attached at the hip.

 

The sounds of loud cursing bringing Kiley out of her reverie, as she looked up and raised an eyebrow at the irate looking girl approaching their table.

 

“Stupid fucking… God I hate men!”

 

Kiley let out an amused chuckle as a startled Bella lifted her head from her arms at the sound of someone slamming something down very close to where she was sulking.

 

“Bad day, Nicole?” Kiley snickered as the still loudly swearing red haired girl sat in the seat across from her.

 

“Evil! They're all evil!” Nicole sputtered angrily as she mercilessly ripped the eraser off one of her pencils.

 

Bella winced in pain for the innocent eraser, and propped her head up in the palm of her hand. “What happened, Nic?”

 

Seeming to calm down a little, the girl simple scrubbed her hands over her freckle covered face and muttered, “Never mind. I don't want to talk about it…” quickly changing the subject, Nicole removed her hands and shot a concerned glance in Bella's direction. “How are you doing, Bell? Feeling any better?”

 

Bella just stared at her with a look that said `are you kidding?'

 

“I'll take that as a no,” Nicole commented sarcastically, noting said look.

 

Trying to find something to remove the listlessness from her friend's eyes, Nicole blurted out the first thing that popped into her mind. “I just saw Cole a few minutes ago, actually.”

 

Perking up a little, Bella lifted her head slightly. “How.. Did he…Was…”

 

“He was… well… have you looked in the mirror lately? Because you two could be twins with the same downtrodden, `God, please kill me because I have nothing to live for' facial expressions you've been sporting as of late.”

 

Kiley observed the look of pure unadulterated pain that flashed across Bella's face at those words and shot Nicole a warning glance.

 

Taking the hint, Nicole cleared her throat loudly and said, “But, I did notice he trimmed his hair. Not a lot, it's still all shaggy in the front, but the back is a little shorter. It looks nice.”

 

Bella smiled tightly. “Oh… That's interesting,” she mumbled as she stood up and gathered her books, “Look, I gotta get going. I'll talk to you guys later.”

 

With that parting statement, Bella fled from the cafeteria, barely restrained sobs threatening to choke her. Tears clouding her vision, Bella didn't even see the tall figure standing in her path until she barreled right into it.

 

Catching the surprised girl against his chest, Cole steadied her and squelched a groan as recognition swept over him. Hastily releasing her, Cole ran a hand through his disheveled ebony colored mane and waited for the girl to regain her bearings.

 

Bella didn't even have to look up into the face of her savior to know who it was. His scent engulfed her senses and the brief touch of his skin on hers made her entire body tingle with his proximity.

 

“How are you, Bella?” Cole asked softly as he shuffled his feet nervously. It seemed like such a long time since he'd talked to her. The yearning to hear her voice was almost overwhelming.

 

Looking up, Bella caught his downcast emerald gaze with her own and bit back the urge to say something like, “I'm lost without you, please hold me”, and instead took a step back from him with a mumbled, “I gotta go.”

 

Catching her hand before she could flee, Cole tugged her around to face him. “I miss you, Bell. When is this going to end? I don't know how much longer I can stand this.”

 

“Please, Cole. Don't ask me something you know I can't answer.”

 

Cole sighed and released his hold on her hand. “I'm sorry.”

 

Reaching up, Bella tenderly brushed a few errant strands of his hair from in front of his eyes with a sad smile. “I like this,” she murmured, referring to his new hair cut, as Cole sucked in his breath at the feel of her fingers on his skin.

 

The bell chiming brought Bella out of her daze as she quickly snatched her hand back and frowned when she realized what she'd been doing.

 

“I really have to…” Bella didn't finish her sentence as she turned away from Cole and hurried off to her next class.

 

Cole slumped back against a row of lockers as he tried to slow his rapidly beating heart. It wasn't easy considering he could still feel the sweep of her fingers on his skin and smell her sweet, flowery fragrance all around him.

 

“Kill me. Kill me now,” he muttered humorlessly as he straightened up and followed the swarm of students pouring from the cafeteria like a mindless drone.

 

`I feel like I'm dying anyway…'

 

 

 

 

 

“Daddy! I'm home!” Bella announced as she kicked off her shoes and threw her books down on the couch.

 

“Dad? Where are you? I…” Bella trailed off as she gazed into the kitchen. Stepping into the room, she blinked rapidly, desperately trying to convince herself that she wasn't seeing her father passed out at the table. There was no bottle of liquor clutched in his hand. Her dad wouldn't do that. He promised.

 

He promised.

 

Raising a hand to her mouth, Bella spun around and fumbled for the phone on the wall behind her. `I'll call Cole; he'll know what to do. He always knows… No.'

 

Slamming the receiver down, Bella squared her shoulders and took a deep, cleansing breath. `No. I can do this. I can take care of this by myself.'

 

With that decided, Bella went around the side of the table and shook her father roughly as she removed the bottle from his hand.

 

“Wake up, Dad,” she commanded sternly as the man stirred and groaned as he shielded his eyes from the bright afternoon light streaming in through the kitchen window.

 

“Ugh, Bella? Wha'? Wha's going on?” he slurred out as Bella stepped back and glared down at him.

 

“I think that's probably what I should be asking you. What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to drive me away?”

 

Shaking his head in attempt to clear the fuzziness from his mind, Mr. Campbell winced as glanced up into the face of his very angry daughter towering over him.

 

“Oh, shit.”

 

Bella snorted. “Oh, shit is right, mister. Now, what the hell is going on? Why are you drinking again?”

 

Sighing, Mr. Campbell gestured for her to sit down as he proceeded to explain what had happened to put him in this state. This morning he'd woken up extremely depressed and lonely, missing Bella's mom. Knowing he wouldn't be able to function at work, he'd called off and spent the day looking at old photos, furthering his unhappiness and driving him to drown his sorrows in the only way he knew how.

 

Finishing his explanation, Bella's father turned his ashamed eyes to the table and muttered, “I'm so sorry, Bell. I know I've let you down again.”

 

Standing up without a sound, Bella wrapped her father into a soothing embrace as she whispered, “It's ok, daddy, I understand. But, this can't keep happening. Maybe you should think about getting out of this house more often, ya know? I bet that would help with your loneliness.”

 

Mr. Campbell nodded hesitantly. “That might be a good idea. Maybe I'll renew my membership at the YMCA tomorrow after work. I always used to like going down there to work out…'

 

Bella smiled brightly. “That sounds like a great idea, daddy! Maybe I'll come with you. It would be nice to spend some together.”

 

“Sounds good, baby,” Mr. Campbell agreed as he attempted to stand only to lose his balance and drop back into his chair.

 

“That's what you get,” Bella lectured unsympathetically as she moved to the counter to start a pot of coffee.

 

The man just groaned and dropped his forehead to the table with a thump.

 

Bella smiled her first real smile in what seemed like ages as she went through the motions of making the coffee.

 

`One step forward,' she thought happily to herself and then turned to scowl slightly at the moaning man slumped over at the table. `Two steps back.'

 

Smile returning, Bella pasted a determined look on her face. `But that's ok because I can handle this.'

 

Finishing with the coffee preparation, Bella leaned on the dishwasher and stared out into the beautiful spring day with a soft light gleaming in her previously dull blue eyes.

 

`Soon, Cole. This will all be over soon…'

 

 

 

 

 

*~~~~A/N~~~~*

 

 

 

Thanks to quirkyslayer and LT Stryffe for all their help with my picture problem. Gold stars for you! lol :o) Turns out that the file was just too big. Media Miner was like, “You wanna load that monstrous thing on here? I don't think so!” But now, (with the help of several people b/c computers hate me) the pic of Bella is up and my muse has the pic of Cole on its way. Alrighty kids, that's all for now. Tchao! :o)

 

 

 

*~~Media Miner Reviewers~~*

 

 

 

quirkyslayer: Yeah, what can I say? I love torturing my characters. :o) lol Thanks for your review.

 

 

 

Darkfire Storm: LOL… You win in the sadness department. :o) Hope you liked the chapter.

 

 

 

*~~Anime Spiral Reviewers~~*

 

 

 

LT Stryffe: *hugz* Thanks bunches. Glad you liked the pic and the chapter. I hope this one was up to par as well. :o)

 

 

 

Xx_tearful_worries_xX: That sucks! Do you want me to beat them up for you? :o( Well, don't worry too much and don't get yourself into anymore trouble on my account, ok? My story will still be here when you get back. I will miss you though! *hugz*

 

 

 

 

 

Next Chapter: Unforeseen Attractions