𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 ☾ 𝒑𝒂𝒖𝒍 𝒍𝒂𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒆

[13]

First thing the next morning, Bella was knocking on Lizzie's door. The girl opened it with bleary eyes, her hair mussed with sleep and her pyjamas slightly rumpled.

"Bella?" Lizzie mumbled, rubbing her eyes at the bright light of the sunrise. Bella nodded, biting her lip as she fiddled with the sleeve of her coat.

"Hi. I know we're not on the best of terms right now, but I need to talk to you. Alone. In private." Bella stated. Lizzie raised an eyebrow but opened the door wider, stepping aside so Bella could come in.

"My mom's not home, so go ahead." Lizzie stated. Bella almost laughed nervously.

"Uh, you might want to sit down." Bella advised. Lizzie frowned with how cryptic and suspicious Bella was acting. She would prefer her to just spit it out. Lizzie led the two into the kitchen, pouring them both a large mug of coffee before sitting down at the table. "I don't know how to tell you this." Bella mumbled. Lizzie's gaze softened.

"Bells, I know we're having issues right now, but if it's really important, you know you can always talk to me." Lizzie said gently, placing her hand on her friend's arm. Bella felt a plume of guilt expand in her lungs. Lizzie had always been a better friend to her than she was. She was always there, always helpful, always ready to make someone smile. It made what Bella had to tell her ten times more difficult.

"I'm so sorry." Bella blurted, covering her face with her hands as she felt the tears begin to fall.

"Bella, what is it?" Lizzie asked. Her frown had deepened, and she was growing more nervous by the minute. If it was enough to make Bella cry, then-

"You're in danger." Bella blurted frustratedly, trying her best not to let her emotions take over completely. "Someone- A vampire broke into my house. They were looking for me, but... they took your jacket. They-they have your scent. They're going to kill you." Bella sobbed.

Lizzie's eyes went wide. It was a lot of information to take in after waking up five minutes ago. She took a deep breath before gulping down the rest of her coffee, ignoring the scalding liquid burn her throat. She almost wished it was whiskey. It would make the next few hours much easier. Bella peeked through her fingers, seeing her friend sitting numbly across from her, staring into space.

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry." Bella whispered, barely enough confidence to look her in the eyes. Lizzie shook her head, both at the apology and to get herself into gear.

"It's okay, Bella. It's not your fault. I gave you that jacket because I care about you, and I don't regret it. We'll just... find a way to deal with it." Lizzie replied. She tapped a finger against her empty coffee mug. "I'm assuming the leeches already know?"

"What?" Bella asked, narrowing her eyes. Lizzie shook her head.

"I mean- the Cullens. Sorry. I spent a lot of time with Embry yesterday." She corrected. Bella made a face but nodded in affirmation.

"Yeah. I wanted to call Jacob to see if we can plan a meeting, since I guess this now involves all of us." Bella explained. "I wanted to wait for you, of course. Your decision." Lizzie gave her friend a small smile of appreciation, now realizing her next imminent course of action.

"I need to tell Paul." Lizzie mumbled. Bella grimaced, nodding.

"Can I not be here when you tell him?" She asked. Lizzie gave her friend a pleading look and she sighed. "Fine."

Lizzie took the grace-period-like opportunity to gather her own thoughts. She ran upstairs, switching her pyjamas for a pair of black shorts and a long-sleeve t-shirt. The shirt was actually Paul's, and Lizzie chose to wear it because it made her feel safe. It smelled like him, and one of the only shirts he'd worn that hadn't yet been torn to shreds. In the back of her mind, there was a small part of her hoping that seeing her in the shirt would keep Paul relatively calm. She hoped.