Lost Twin

Chapter 05: Diner

Elizabeth's POV
I drive us to the diner we we agreed to me Charlie for dinner. I park next to his cruiser and we walk in to a homey looking diner with a few loggers sitting and happily chatting about their day. While Charlie is awkwardly sitting in the back.

We walk over and he shares one side of the table with Bella. The waitress, Cora, who's about mom's age in her 30s walks over and beams at Isabella and I as she sets a plate of cod in front of Isabella and chicken tenders for me. Several loggers at the counter offer Isabella and I welcoming smiles. She perks up in her seat at the attention. Charlie's oblivious.

"Can't get over how grown up you both are. And so gorgeous!" Cora says fawning while side eyeing Charlie with a hopeful, longing look. I glance at Charlie, who keeps his eyes on his steak flustered by Cora and I smirk before averting my gaze back to Cora "Thank you ma'am. You very beautiful as well... isn't that right dad?" I ask innocently making Isabella narrow her eyes and Charlie choke on his beer before stammering out "Y-yeah M-Miss C-co-Cora is very p-pr-pretty" with reddened cheeks.

Flattered, Cora beams at him but before she can say anything else a bearded, hippy logger, Waylon Forge, my father's 50 something older cousin, appears behind Cora, leaning over her shoulder to me completely ignoring Isabella and my dad "'Member me, honey? I was Santa one year..." he asks me hopefully. I'm uncomfortable with his attention and slightly retreat into myself and Charlie, rather angrily, says "Waylon, she hasn't had a Christmas here since she was three!"

Waylon scowls and says "Bet I made an impression, though" I suddenly knew that they weren't really talking about Christmas, but before I could peer inside their heads Cora speaks up and sternly says "Let the girls eat their food, Waylon" Waylon glared at the floor and leaves the diner altogether. Cora turns to me and says "When you're done, I'll bring your favorite, berry cobbler, remember? Your dad still has it. Every Thursday" I smile and perk up at the mention of my favorite treat "That'd be great, thank you!"

Cora nods and walks away. Left alone now, Charlie, Isabella, and I all reach for the ketchup, knock hands. Charlie goes for the salt instead and I let Isabella use the ketchup first before squirting some on my plate. It's silent as we eat.

A burst of laughter from a nearby happy family only serves to emphasize our discomfort. I try  to bridge the gap.

"So... you eat here every night?" I ask Charlie nods with a shrug "Easier than washing dishes" I speak up again and say "I can cook" He looks up at me, as if confused by the concept "I do the cooking back home in Phoenix. Mom's not great in the kitchen, and neither is Isabella" Isabella scowls at the use of her full name but Charlie chuckles and says "I remember.." we both laugh after recalling a few especially bad dinners made by Renee.

"How was school? Meet anyone?" Charlie asks less tense than before "A few people... Do you know the Cullen family?" Isabella asks making Charlie look up sharply "Are people talking about them again?" He demanded and Isabella nervously says "No... well, a little."

"Just 'cause they're newcomers. We're lucky to have a surgeon like Dr. Cullen at our podunk hospital. Lucky his wife wanted to live in a small town. Lucky his kids aren't like a lot of the hell-raisers around here!" Charlie grumbles, I place a hand on his wrist and rub it soothingly until he calms down "I just don't like narrow mindedness....." I can hear guilt in his voice and he returns to his food. Silence blankets us once more.

~~~timeskip~~~
I look outside the window at the fog as I talk on the phone.

Renee is on speakerphone and Isabella's in the shower "We just flew into Florida from a pit stop in Cali, it was so nice seeing Gran's old house being lived in by a nice family" I nodded as I did my homework "Mm-hm that's good..." I say only half listening "If spring training goes well, we could be living in Florida permanently—" she's cut off by a telephone operator saying "Please insert 25 cents to continue."

It catches my attention and I pause from my homework and hold up my phone and amusingly ask "Mom, where's your cell?" Renee talks on a pay phone, her dead cell phone in her hand "Okay, I didn't lose my power cord. It ran away. Screaming. I literally repel technology now" I smile, missing her. Renee feeds the pay phone quarters "Now, tell me more about your school, baby. What are the kids like? Are there any cute guys? Are they being nice to you?"

I sigh and say through gritted teeth "They've all been really....welcoming" Renee easily picks up on my temperament "Uh oh....tell me" "Throughout the entire day everyone stared at us like we were members of a freak show! And when kids did talk to us they treated me like I was some glass doll!" "You are pretty fragile sweetheart...." "I'm not that fragile! If you blow on me I'm not gonna shatter into a million unfixable pieces!" I flop backwards on my mattress with a sigh "I just want to be normal....for people to treat me normally."

Renee frowns and says "I know baby..." she sighs and leans against the phone booth "You didn't answer my question from earlier. Any cute boys? Or girls? I'm cool with either, you know that" I chuckled and said "Nobody for me.....everyone's a brunette and you know that I love my blondes..." Renee chuckles and asks "What about Bella?" I sit up "She's in the shower licking her wounds from her silent rejection from some asshole called Edward Cullen" "Edward Cullen? Sounds regal."

"He's a ginger hair ass hat with a desperate need to be put in his place and maybe a reality check" I scoff making Renee giggle "Well I'll talk to her about it" I nodded and decided to bring it up now "Hey...mom..?" I began and my mom sweetly asked "What baby?" I exhaled before saying nervously "It's a small town and people tend to talk...." "About what?" Renee asked me nervously.

"About us....being ran out of town?" I say questioningly. Renee's silent for a moment before nervously laughing "That's crazy! We weren't run out of town! Haha!" I nodded and forced a laugh "I thought so too..." I said pretending to believe her lie.

"What about Charlie? Is he being nice to you?" Renee asks changing the subject "Yeah....he's really protective too. There was this guy Waylon at the diner giving me the creeps and—" I start only to be cut off by a panicking Renee "Wait-Waylon?! Honey stay away from him, alright?" I panicked and ask "What?! Why?!" Only for her to refuse to answer and say "Please, just stay away, okay?" I hesitantly agreed "Okay..." Renee then ends the conversation "I'm almost out of quarters...I'll call later, okay?" I nod "Okay..." "I love you. So much." Renee says and I reply "Love you too..." "Bye, baby" Renee bids and I respond "Bye mom" then hang up.