Torn: Chapter 7

When Jacob ignores Bella in New Moon she develops a friendship with Quil. They become close and then he too makes the change into a werewolf. What will happen in this Quil/Bella/Jacob triangle?

Title: Torn

Rating: T

Penname: Katbug86

Characters: Bella & Quil Jr.


Disclaimer: I do not own twilight!


An: The revised version of this chapter is now posted, Buff82 beta’d for me!

Chapter 7: New Feelings

Monday morning I awoke ten minutes before I my alarm was set to go off, my weekend had left me refreshed and nearly excited to return to school; almost excited, because it still meant I had to go to school. However, it also meant that I would get to see Quil that evening, something that I always looked forward to.

Kicking the blankets back that were tangled around my feet, I rolled off the bed with a slight groan. I grabbed the first pair of jeans and long sleeved shirt I saw, my toiletry bag, and stumbled my way to the bathroom.

My hair was knotted up around my head, and my complexion was still as pale as always, despite my weekly trips to the beach; overall, I looked like a mess. I tried to comb my hair until it laid down my back in a more reasonable manner, and then quickly changed out of my pajamas. After brushing my teeth and double checking to make sure I was presentable for the day, I headed down the stairs to find some breakfast.

Charlie had already left for the day; his bowl and mug in the sink and his newspaper on the table as evidence. I smiled a little at the sight, my father’s morning routine a welcome reminder of the time I was getting to spend with him when I chose to move to Forks.

It was just as well that he wasn’t home, he’d probably be giving me a questioning eye due to the perky attitude I’d woken up with. Still smiling, I chose to treat myself to a better breakfast than pop-tarts or cereal, instead making scrambled eggs and toast.

Unfortunately, I’d taken enough time cooking, and then eating my breakfast, that I had to rush to school so that I wouldn’t be late. I grabbed my backpack on my way out the door, locking it behind me, and then hopped into my truck.

Encouraged by my mood, I flipped on the radio. I recognized a couple of the songs and sang along—albeit extremely off key. When I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted Angela walking alongside Ben towards the school. She waved, pausing in her steps to wait for me to climb out and catch up.

Still singing softly to myself, I walked towards her, and when I looked up, Angela was staring at me with a huge grin spread across her face. I stopped singing immediately and eyed her curiously. “You seem rather… happy,” she said hesitantly, making it sound more like question than a statement. I blushed, realizing that my behavior would seem quite odd.

“I had a good weekend,” I answered with a grin of my own and a shrug of my shoulder. My mind wandered to the kiss that Quil and I shared Friday afternoon, and then the amazing day at the beach on Saturday. We had fun cliff diving again, and I had packed us a picnic lunch that we ate on the beach. We didn’t discuss our kiss, and he didn’t try again although part of me wanted him to.

Things were still confusing and undecided between Quil and me, so I thought it would be best not to mention the kiss to Angela or anyone else. Luckily, Angela wasn’t one to pry; she simply raised a questioning eyebrow and changed the conversation drop. A light rain had started, so I picked up my pace to the building for first period.

The first half of my classes passed by rather quickly; I even managed to escape yet another attempt from Mike Newton asking me on a date. Some boys never learned.

When class let out for lunch I grabbed my books and headed for the cafeteria, deciding on just water and an apple. Once I paid for my items I found Angela already sitting at our table, alone, awaiting the arrival of our friends.

“Hey, Bella,” she greeted me as I walked up.

“Hey, Angela.” I settled into the seat next to her, humming to myself as I bit into my apple.

She turned to me, that same quizzical look from earlier lighting her eyes. “I know I don’t usually pry…but what’s with all the smiling… and the humming?” She smiled sheepishly after she asked, but then continued, sounding slightly panicked that she may have offended me in some way. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see you so… happy, but I was just curious about why you’re so happy.”

My cheeks filled with a blush despite my efforts. “Umm… I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about, I’m still figuring things out for myself, but when I am, you’ll be the first to know.” I gave her an encouraging smile before taking another bite of apple, trying to ignore the nerves that were trembling in the pit of my stomach. I truly wasn’t ready to talk about it; I wasn’t even sure what it was.

God bless Angela, because she merely smiled and nodded gently—it was the second time that day I was grateful for her ability to know when not to push tings. “Good enough for me. I’m just glad to see you happy.”

“Thanks Ang. Me too.”

The rest of the group sat down just as our conversation ended, and I was forced to listen to the various amounts of gossip being spread from one to the other. Most of it was told by Jessica and Lauren who threw a glare my way every few minutes, though I’d just smile in return, causing both of them to huff with annoyance. Occasionally Angela, Ben, and I would talk amongst ourselves, and before we knew it, lunch was over.

I meant what I had said to Angela about telling her first when I could figure out what exactly was going on between Quil and me. It might be nice to get a girl’s perspective. With Edward I had just known that I loved him, that I wanted to be with him. And Alice was there for me every step of the way. I felt a slight pang at the thought of my former love and best girl friend. I had all these feelings starting for Quil that were definitely more than friendship, and I wasn’t ready to tell anyone. Angela would be there for me if I let her, I knew she would.

When school let out I immediately dumped my books at my locker, grabbed my bag, and flew to my truck before half the students had made it out. I was excited to see Quil, and I wanted to make sure I got home and started dinner early.

The truck roared to life as I turned the key, and I drove home as quickly as was possible for my ancient vehicle. I was surprised, however, to see another car parked near the road when I pulled up to the house.

I cautiously parked the truck in the drive and turned the ignition off. It was when I started walking towards the front door that I noticed Quil leaning up against it. A smile immediately broke out across my lips.

“How did you get here so fast? Isn’t your school supposed to get out later than mine?” I questioned.

He stood up, walking to meet me at the stairs and shrugged. “I left a little early.”

“Uh-huh. So now you’re a juvenile delinquent who comes straight over to the Chief of Police’s house. Trying to make it so he doesn’t have to go looking for you?” I teased.

“I just couldn’t wait to see you.” He pulled me into a hug, wrapping his arms around my small frame.

“Well I can’t argue with that. I’m happy to see you too.”

Once inside Quil settled himself at the kitchen table with his school books while I set about gathering ingredients for dinner. We had a routine of homework while dinner was cooking. Sometimes Quil would help me prepare the food, but mostly he just watched me work.

Charlie arrived home an hour later, taking off his gun belt and boots at the door.

“Sure smells good in here,” he said appreciatively while walking into the kitchen. “Quil,” he nodded his head towards him.

“Chief Swan.” I stifled a giggle; no matter how many times my dad asked Quil to call him Charlie, he was still calling him Chief. I figured that he was just intimidated by him, or perhaps it was the gun Charlie had made a point of wearing on his hip during Quil’s first few visits to the house.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” I said from the stove, flipping the fish over in the pan. Charlie had brought enough back home on Saturday to feed us for a week. He grabbed a beer from the fridge, then settled himself into his chair to watch the sports cast.

“So…Chief…” Quil started in once we had all been eating for a few minutes.

“I told you Son, you can call me Charlie.”

“Charlie,” he started again seeming a bit embarrassed and nervous all at once, “I was wondering if I could take Bella out Friday night.” I just looked at him, eyes wide with surprise and puzzlement. Was he asking to take me on a date?

“As long as Bella wants to go, I don’t mind.” Charlie turned to me expectantly.

I shifted my eyes between Quil and my father before answering. “I’d like that,” I finally answered, looking down at my plate with heated cheeks. Quil’s whole face lit up before he reined it in and returned to his food. Charlie was trying to hide his obvious happiness that I can only assume was over me going out with a boy that was not Edward Cullen.

We finished eating after some more small talk. Quil was shooting me side glances every so often, and I couldn’t help the small blush that would appear each and every time. A date wouldn’t be so bad. It might just be what we needed in order to see what was going on between us. I knew I definitely enjoyed both of the kisses he gave me; even if the second one was only two seconds long. My lips twitched instinctively as I remembered. But I needed to understand better what my feelings for Quil were.

Quil helped me with the dishes while Charlie went back to the living room. He brought everything over from the table while I filled the sink with soap and water. Once I had started washing, he grabbed a towel to help dry.

“Would you really like to go out with me on Friday?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, I would,” I answered truthfully, peeking sideways for a moment to notice the smile he wore, and then picked up the next plate to wash.

We continued on in silence until all was cleaned. I walked Quil to the door since he once again had borrowed a car. He didn’t kiss me good night that time but promised to see me when I drove to his house after school the following day.

That night I fell into a deep sleep without nightmares. Just dreams of Quil, and what he had planned for our date that Friday. I smiled and snuggled deeper into my blankets.