My Sweet Thing

Chapter Fourteen: Simple

It had been a week since Rose's break down, and she had yet to return to school. At first, I was there for her, trying my best to offer help, but it was to no avail. Carlisle noted that I was doing more harm than good and politely asked me to give Rose some space. I accepted his suggestion, not wishing to cause Rose any more pain than she was already in, and I kept my distance.

Having dropped her off at Carlisle's house that night, I wasn't surprised that she stayed over. What did surprise me was that three days later, when Carlisle had asked me to give her space, she was still staying there. My nightly sessions with him were called off, and he was going to let me know when they could start back up again. It didn't take a genius to work out that they were called off because Rose was staying there. She had taken up residence in his guest bedroom, still barely speaking, barely eating, and a complete shell of the person I knew her to be.

At first, I was completely uncomfortable with the idea of her staying with Carlisle. It went against everything he and I had agreed about keeping things professional, but, I knew he really didn't have a choice in the matter. He had been saddled with a girl who was breaking apart at the seams and he had to fix her. His God complex was not lost on me. Granted, he could have taken her to the hospital to get official help, but in doing so that would put everyone in a sticky situation.

Rose was falling apart because of Jake. How was her guilt to be fully explored if she couldn't be open about the circumstances that night? How could she get better if she had to protect those around her? There was just no way, so in order to get the help she required, she had to stay under Carlisle's wing.

It wasn't an ideal situation, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Until she was better, I was just going to keep my mouth shut and let them get on with it. I had to trust Carlisle, he wouldn't do anything stupid, he just wouldn't.

Rose's absence in school was well noticed, which did give me something to focus on. I may not have been able to help her mental state, but I could help calm the rumours running around about her. It seemed that nearly everyone had a theory on where she was. Apparently she was knocked up, she'd run off with a secret lover, she'd transferred out of state, her parents had finally stepped up and sent her off to get reformed, and a load of other crazy lies.

It was ridiculous, completely ridiculous.

To control the wildfire, I set out a lie of my own. It only took a few less than stellar promises here and there before it took off. Rose was in Cancun, soaking up the sun, and blowing off the world, a surprise trip from her parents for her excellent school record so far. I knew Rose wouldn't want people really knowing the real reason why she was gone, and this seemed like the next best thing.

Of course, like I suspected, it got people talking, and before long all the other rumours had been swept under the rug. All the talk was about Cancun and how lucky Rose was. Lucky indeed.

With Rose out of school and my renewed friendship with Alice blossoming, I spent more and more time with her. We would usually spend our mornings in the art department, working on her fashion show pieces, and would also meet up during study periods to chat in the library. I was actually growing more and more comfortable with her each day, and that started to show, as I found out. Apprently, I let my mask slip off when I was around her.

"You're worried about something," she said, pulling me from my thoughts.

We were sitting round a small table at the back of one of the art rooms, fabric strewn all around us, and while she was sewing, I was sorting through beads and sequins.

"What?" I asked, hoping to have heard her wrong.

"You look worried. You are worried, about what, I don't know, but I can tell something's amiss." I refused to say anything, and instead I cocked my eyebrow in question. I needed to know what she knew, or at least what she thought she knew.

Personally, I thought I had kept my worries and fears about Rose at home, and out of view from the prying eyes of everyone at school. There was no way anyone would be able to connect the dots even if they knew I was worried and my behaviour had been off. After all, Rose and I weren't friends, why would I worry about her? Well, we weren't friends as far as they knew.

I wasn't going to retract the offer I had made her when she was freaking out last week. She needed people, and I planned on being there for her. Hell, she'd been there for me after Jake's death, providing me with every distraction possible, even if said distractions were the last things I wanted. She had been there for me, and I was going to be there for her.

"Look, it's not my place to pry, but I can tell you're concerned about something. I know we're not the best of friends, but we are friends, right?" I gave a short nod and waited for Alice to continue. "You can talk to me, Bella. I mean, you can really talk to me. I know about…your past, and I won't judge you for anything you tell me. I'm here for you." She gave me a warm smile and went back to sewing, leaving the ball in my court.

I thought about her offer for a moment before nodding absentmindedly to myself. Trust, we needed to trust one another. The biggest failure with Rose and Jasper as my friends was that we never fully trusted one another. We never ever spoke about our feelings in fear the other person would use it against us. It was an unspoken rule. My friendship with Alice just couldn't be like that.

"You're right," I admitted, watching as she paused at my words before going straight back to work. She was giving me the ideal space I needed to talk, without the pressure, and I could have hugged her for it. "I've been worried about Rose."

Alice cocked her head to the side, acknowledging what I'd said and kept sewing away. I desperately wanted to know what she was thinking at that moment. She had surely heard all the rumours flying about, and then the 'truth' about Rose being in Cancun. As if realising I wasn't going to say anything else without a little prompting she licked her lips and looked at me.

"So her parents haven't whisked her away for a few weeks of sun, sea and sand?" I shook my head and chewed my lip, wondering how much I actually could divulge. "Whatever you tell me will stay strictly between us, I promise, Bella," Alice said, so much conviction behind her voice.

"She's still in town, and staying with a friend." That was the only way I could describe Carlisle, given he wasn't actually her doctor. "She's having some trouble. Things have finally caught up with her and she can't deal with it." I frowned at my lap and swallowed nervously, suddenly aware of fucked things were.

She'd kept her guilt buried since Jake's death, and how the hell she had managed that was beyond me. She'd kept up with the drugs, the drinking and the mindless sex, which surely all had to be a coping method. Recalling what Jasper had once said, the three of us all did the same old shit until I saw the light while he and Rose were still running around in the dark. Well, it seemed she'd finally seen the light as well, and it had broken her.

"Are you two still in contact?" Alice asked carefully, as if I was going to immediately retreat from her question.

"Yeah, sort of. I saw her a few days ago, and she just wasn't…coping. But, she's getting the help she needs, I'm just anxious that it won't be enough. It'll sound stupid, and from what you know of her it'll sound crazy, but I miss the old Rose. She always was a bit harsh but there was another side to her, one I haven't seen since before…before Jake died, and I want that Rose back. I'm probably fooling myself by even thinking I might get to see it again, what with her practically comatose now, but I can't help but hope." My rambling came to a stop and shut my eyes before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear about me feeling sorry for Rose. She treated you like crap, worse than that even." Alice shook her head and shrugged.

"While I don't exactly have the best history with her, I don't bear any ill will towards her. You've all gone through something that I cannot even comprehend understanding, but you went through it together so it only makes sense you would want to be there for her. You were once friends, that means something, and it's not foolish to hope, Bella. You know a side to her others don't, and wanting that back certainly isn't foolish."

I tried to accept Alice's kind words for what they were, her being a caring friend, but it was difficult. She could read me, could get up inside my head and it was scary. I felt vulnerable, out of control, and it was unsettling. Granted, I had caused this by opening up, but I wasn't expecting to suddenly feel overwhelmed by it all. By this point in time, old Bella would have run a million miles, but I couldn't do that, not to Alice. I cared for her far too much to do that to her. Plus, I didn't want to run from her, she meant so much to me. I refused to lose a friend because of my sudden insecurity.

Those worries and insecurities stayed with me though for the remainder of the morning. After our conversation, we had turned onto other topics, and Alice tried hard to keep it light, but I could just tell that she knew I was a little uncomfortable with everything. She had made some very valid points though, and I was thankful for them, which I let her know before giving her a hug and heading off to my classes.

My brain was swimming with thoughts by the end of lunch, and I really wished I could just mute myself. If it wasn't Rose, it was Alice, or Bronze, or Dr Tanner, or Carlisle, and they were all drowning me. I wanted a break from overthinking everything, and desperately hoped things would go back to being simple. Though, I couldn't recall a time whenever they were simple. Wishful thinking perhaps.

Heading to my locker, I settled on the fact that there was nothing more I could do for Rose, Alice was looking out for me still and it wasn't too bad that she could read me so well, and as for the rest of them, well they'd just have to wait. I didn't have the time for their drama, yet.

Opening my locker door, I shuffled the books I'd need for next class and opened my bag, getting ready to exchange them. That's when I noticed I was no longer alone. Leaning next to me was Bronze, looking spectacular as always in the Hopkins uniform, and immaculately put together. He caught my eye and nodded, looking very serious, before opening his mouth to speak.

"They're coming. The Angels are coming for you, but listen - your life could depend on this - don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you could believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck." Then just like that, he patted me on the arm and strode off.

What the hell?

I turned and looked round the hallway, taking in the other students to see if they knew what was going on. None of them had even seen Bronze by the looks of things. They were all chatting away and rifling through their lockers, unfazed.

Reaching for my books again, I suddenly felt like eyes were on me. The hallway was growing quieter with each passing second, and as my hand lay frozen in mid-air, I could hear the sounds of footsteps coming down the hallway. Too scared to look, I bit my lip and waited.

Bronze's message was cryptic at best, but normally we quoted things that had some significant meaning. It was like code, we told each other our thoughts or feelings without having to say them. Whatever he was trying to tell me was quickly moving closer.

Without a second moment's thought, I shut my locker and turned round to see the cause of the sudden silence. Standing several feet away and rounding on me was Dr. Tanner, Headmaster Williams, and Chief of Police Jenkins.

"Miss Swan, could you please come with us?"

"Am I in some sort of trouble?" I asked, looking directly at Chief Jenkins. I was sure he had let me off the hook regarding Jake, but if someone had found out, if something had been discovered then this was it, I was over. All of it would be over. Our precarious house of cards would come tumbling down.

"No, Miss Swan, we just need to ask you a few questions regarding Miss Hale and her whereabouts," Headmaster Williams explained, smiling softly. I chanced a look to Chief Jenkins and he gave me a small nod, backing up the headmaster's claim.

Relief flooded me instantly and I relaxed back onto my locker, nodding at them as I did so. Without a word, I gestured for them to lead the way and quickly followed. The rest of the students loitering around watched with rapt attention and quickly began to spread the news. It definitely looked like I was guilty of something, so I couldn't blame them. Had I see a student being escorted down the hall like I was then I'd definitely think they'd committed some crime.

Entering Headmaster Williams office, I was ushered into a seat and offered some water. Declining, as I didn't plan on staying that long, I dropped my bag on the floor and took in the three other occupants. Headmaster Williams took a seat behind his desk, opting for the 'I'm sorry about this but it's serious' look on his face as he watched Chief Jenkins. He stood by the bookcase to my left, crossing his arms over his chest and looking completely unimpressed. I would have been too if I was him.

Dr Tanner, the bane of my existence, stood just to the left of Headmaster Williams, and she was watching me like a hawk. At some point in time the two of us were going to have a throw down, it was just going to happen, consequences be damned.

"Miss Swan, as we mentioned in the hall, we need to ask you some questions about Miss Hale's whereabouts," Headmaster Williams explained, giving me an almost sympathetic look. Clearly he thought this was going to be difficult for me. In his mind, Rose was probably already dead and this would likely cause me to have another breakdown, like the one I apparently had after Jake's death.

"Oh?" I feigned interest and glanced round the room, taking each of them in as I did so.

"Yes. Her housekeeper has recently filed a missing persons report, stating Miss Hale has been absent from her home for just over a week. Apparently it wasn't uncommon for her to stay at a friend's house now and then, but it seems no one has seen her since last week."

There wasn't a question, so I wasn't answering.

Dr. Tanner narrowed her eyes at me and moved round the desk, taking a seat on the edge. She knew something was up. She was like a shark smelling blood in the water, and I was powerless to stop the bleeding.

"Did you see Rose last week, Bella?" she asked, trying to be friendly.

"Yes." She cocked her eyebrow and waited, as if I was going to continue of my own volition. What an idiot. I knew how this worked, and I had to be very careful with what I said. The best thing to do was answer their questions with short and simple answers.

"Where did you see her?" Dr Tanner asked, pursing her lips. She probably thought I was being difficult on purpose, just to rile her, and I kind of wished that was the case. Instead, Carlisle and Rose were caught up in this web I had weaved and I needed to make sure they weren't implicated for anything I had done or caused.

"School," I replied, not even feeling guilty for blatantly omitting where else I had seen her. Though, it's not like I could just say she was at Carlisle's. Hell, with the state she's in it would look nothing short of a kidnapping, she probably wouldn't even be able to explain how she got there.

"Did you talk to her?"

"We spoke."

"What about?"

"Our past."

"What about your past?"

"Did she seem troubled, Bella?" Chief Jenkins asked, saving me from Dr Tanner's intrusive question. It had absolutely nothing to do with the current situation and everyone knew it. Bitch was just trying to push her luck.

"No more than usual." The Chief and Headmaster nodded in understanding, but Dr Tanner sat clueless. She clearly still hadn't had the pleasure of meeting Rose and enduring her special brand of verbal torture. I was actually quite curious as to what Rose would make of our new counsellor. Shame I'd never see the verbal smack down she'd unleash on the lady.

"Did she talk about going somewhere? Meeting anyone new? Going out of town for a few days?"

"Nope, but it's Rose. She'll turn up. She always does."

"What does that mean?" Dr Tanner asked, looking directly at me. No way was I answering that one either.

"Miss Hale has a tendency to vanish for a few weeks at a time and then reappears out of nowhere," the Chief explained, waving his hand dismissively.

"So if this is common then why all the commotion this time?" she asked, rounding on the rest of them.

"Usually Mr Whitlock and Miss Swan accompany Miss Hale on these vanishing acts. Given that they are both here and have been for the last week, it was a little suspicious. Better to be safe than sorry." Dr Tanner nodded and from the looks of it, she mentally tucked that piece of information away for later. No doubt that would be brought up in one of my counselling sessions with her.

"Do you have any information pertaining Miss Hale at all, Bella?" Chief asked, bringing us back to point.

"No. I haven't heard from her, but I have no doubt she's fine." Headmaster Williams looked perturbed by my lack of information, and Dr Tanner still didn't look convinced, but I knew Chief Jenkins was no longer worried. He knew I was lying, but he wouldn't dare bring up why, not that he needed to.

"Alright then, Miss Swan, thank you for speaking with us. You can go back to class," Headmaster Williams said, giving me a soft smile.

I grabbed my bag and nodded at them all. While I wanted to sprint for the door, I could feel Dr Tanner's eyes on me and just knew she was trying to work me out. She wanted me to slip up, to look guilty, to give her a reason to pry into my life, and I had to make sure I didn't do just that.

With each step along the hallway, I tried to control the storm of raging emotions crashing beneath the surface of my mask. That was scary. That was fucking scary. Dr Tanner was like a dog with a bone, and I knew she wouldn't give up on this. I had to talk to Carlisle. Things were getting out of hand. I was going to have to speak to Chief Jenkins as well, maybe explain what I knew and make him call off the search for Rose.

On top of that, with that very public show of presence, everyone would know Rose was actually missing and not in Cancun soaking up the sun. The longer she stayed away, the worse it would get, as if she didn't already have enough to deal with.

Skipping class would have been the best thing to do for my emotions at the point but I knew it would scream guilty conscience like nothing else. Begrudgingly, I headed back to my locker, actually collected my books this time, and then headed off for my afternoon of lessons. I didn't want to, but there was nothing I could do at that moment.

A part of me did want to drive straight to Carlisle's house and warn them, but I wouldn't put it past Dr Tanner not to be watching my every move. It would be just like her to follow me and find exactly where Rose was hiding out. That was just not a risk I could willingly take.

When the bell finally rang and signalled end of the day, I was exceedingly thankful. Sitting in class had allowed me to think a few things over and I decided that it would be better to call Carlisle than head over there. For all I knew, Rose was making progress and might be able to return to school soon, and if I went over there then I could ruin things. I needed to keep my distance; it was for the best.

Heading out into the car park, I looked around for my driver and couldn't see him anywhere. Despite having driven Rose to Carlisle's house last week, I couldn't bring myself to get behind the wheel again. I had tried, but it was just not happening. My body would freak out and I'd end up having a panic attack. Until I got that under control, I was sticking with my driver, but it seemed like today he wasn't sticking with me.

Pulling out my phone, I went to call him and noticed a text. Pulling up my messages, I saw it was from my father, and surprise surprise, he had my driver and was hoping I could get a lift from one of my friends. Poor old ignorant, Charlie.

Shaking my head, I looked around, wondering if there was maybe someone I could hitch a lift with, and spotted a giant red truck parked in the lot. It was old school, almost too ancient to run from the looks of things, and it stood out like a sore thumb compared to all the pristine sports cars surrounding it.

I couldn't help but walk towards it and get a better look at the thing. Despite its shoddy paintwork and rusty scrapes, it had character and was awesome. The closer I got, the more I loved it, and when I saw that all too familiar head of hair slouched in the back of it, my heart began to beat a little faster. Trust him to be sitting in this old thing.

"Get in, loser, we're going shopping!" Bronze called, sitting up in the bed of the truck, and grinning at me. I tried to bite back the laugh but was powerless to do so. I made my way over to him and cocked my head to the side, watching his face light up at me.

"Mean Girls, really? You give me Doctor Who and then Mean Girls?" He grinned even wider and nodded.

"What? Both are classics!" he cried, holding his hands out to help me in. I climbed up without a second thought and scooted to the back, noting that Alice was in the passenger seat, giving me a cheery smile. I gave her a wave and looked to the driver, seeing a familiar face grinning back at me. I hadn't seen Tank since that day at the trailer park where I had first met Bronze, and from the looks of things, he hadn't changed at all.

"That's Emmett, I'm sure you remember him," Bronze said, chuckling to himself.

"Yeah, he's hard to forget," I mumbled, smiling back at Emmett.

He turned around and turned the key in the ignition, the truck roaring to life. With that, I turned and chanced a look over to Bronze, who looked far too comfortable sprawled out all over the bed of the truck. He had taken off his blazer and was using it as a cushion to lean against, while his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his tie loosened around his neck, and the top button of his shirt undone.

My insides couldn't help but turn to goo just looking at him. He had been an absolute Prince today, giving me a warning before I was cornered like that, and he did it in his own special way. Our quotes, god I loved our quotes. Biting my lip, I shook my head and watched as we peeled out of the school car park. I had no idea where we were going but really wasn't bothered. Getting home was now completely off the agenda. I was with Bronze, and that's all that mattered.

"How did you know?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me as we stopped at a red light.

"Hmm?" He looked over, his eyebrows raised in question and waited for me to repeat my question.

"How did you know they were coming for me?"

"Oh, that. I may or may not have been sitting outside the headmaster's office, eavesdropping while I waited to see him." He looked almost ashamed to admit it, but there was a cheeky grin forming on his lips. "Who knew punching a guy in the nuts would be the best thing I did today?"

"You? You punched someone in the nuts? Who?" I asked, laughing and shaking my head. No way. Bronze did not seem like the punching type. He was too sweet for that.

"An old friend of yours, Jasper Whitlock." I burst out laughing and started clapping, very pleased to hear Jasper take one to the gonads.

"I applaud you, sir," I said, continuing my slow clap in appreciation. "What did he do to deserve that?"

"Apparently he wants to bend my sister over a desk and break her in," he replied, clenching his fist as he spoke. He was still smiling, but it was a smile of anger, holding back his clear disdain at what he must have heard Jasper say.

"So I'm running him over with my car tomorrow morning," I remarked, immediately feeling my protective streak fly into action. Bronze chuckled and shook his head.

"No, you can't do anything. She's pissed at me for what I did, she can't be pissed at you too," he explained, jerking his thumb behind us towards Alice. "If she thinks we're forcing her hand she'll feel threatened and that's the last thing we need."

"Oh?"

"She's always treated like the baby, and it's not something that can really be helped. I mean, she's hardly even five foot tall, and I'm pretty sure a light breeze could knock her over. As her brother it's my duty to protect her from guys like Jasper, but if she thinks I'm taking away her choices and making her decisions for her then she'll flip out. Getting her to see my point of view on things will be impossible, and the last thing I want is her running straight into the waiting arms of that ass." Bronze shrugged and gave me a lopsided grin. "I appreciate the thought you, m'lady. Next time, I'll let you run him down."

Laughing I held out my hand for him to shake, fully intending to stick to that. A light knock from my bumper would hardly do Jasper any real damage, surely.

"Shake on it?" His eyes lit up at the offer and he reached out, taking his hand in mind.

"You've got yourself a deal." Raising our hands to his mouth, he kissed the back of mine and held my gaze. It was as if the boy knew how to charm the pants off a girl, and I had I been the old Bella I would have jumped him. Damn my new self-control.

Instead, I ended up blushing under his stare and looking around frantically for something else to focus on. I could feel my heart pounding wildly in my chest, my breathing coming out in laboured breaths, and the heat was still in my cheeks. Bronze certainly knew how to get me flustered.

Focusing on the buildings passing us by as we started to head out of town, I finally remembered that I still had no clue where we were going. Turning back to Bronze, I saw him looking between us, at our joint hands, and couldn't help but smile at him. He was too cute sometimes. As if feeling my eyes on him, he glanced up and mouthed 'what?', looking at little anxious as he did so.

"Where are we going?" I asked, scooting closer so I didn't have to yell over the engine and the sound of the wind whipping past us.

"Home, we're having a barbeque," he explained, smirking at me.

"We're going to your home?" Those sneaky buggers.

"Yeah. That a problem?" From the smirk still toying on his lips, I knew he had planned this. Chuckling I shook my head and snatched back my hand, smacking him none too gently on the arm.

"They all hate me there!" I cried out, unable to keep the smile off my face. "You know I'm scared!"

"You, scared? Not possible, Princess." He grinned and grabbed my hand again, giving it a squeeze. "If you wish, I can be your valiant knight and protect you. How does that sound?"

"You better!"

"I will, I will!" As if seeing the genuine worry I had, he scooted closer and dropped my hand, instead opting to wrap his arm around my shoulder and pull me into his chest. "Relax, Princess, they'll love you. I just figured after the time you've had recently, you'd want to get out and enjoy yourself."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding. "And I may have also wanted to spend a little time with you. It's been quite a while since we've seen each other."

"It has."

"And that has been my fault entirely. Turns out I really didn't understand the fact that I could talk to you when I wasn't trying to pursue you." He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "So, do you forgive me for pretty much ignoring you these last few weeks?"

"Of course, though I really wasn't all that bothered," I joked. "It was actually a relief not having to put up with you." Chuckling, Bronze shook his head and turned to me, smirking cockily.

"You love me, Princess, and you miss me when I'm not around to harass you, don't lie." He kissed my temple and leant in to whisper in my ear. "I missed you, Princess. Please don't hurt my feelings and say you didn't miss me; that just wouldn't be nice." I squirmed in his arms as he spoke, his lips making contact with my ear in the process.

"Fine," I admitted, catching his pouty look. "I missed you." Bronze grinned as if I had just told him I'd go out with him. It was sweet to see.

"I knew you'd warm up to me eventually, Princess. All it took was a little time." His smile was infectious, and I returned it shyly, tucking myself in closer to him. Warm up to him I most certainly had, and as we continued to drive towards his home, I finally felt the many voices and worries in my head go mute.

At that point in time, it was just him and me in the bed of a truck, wind whipping round us, as we headed for what felt like freedom. My problems could wait, I was going to enjoy myself for a change. I needed it, because the last thing I wanted was to get bogged down in all of life's heavy that I ended up cracking up like Rose. No, I needed the break from normality, and Bronze was the perfect person to do that with.

Leaning over, I kissed his cheek and gave him a thankful smile. He watched me carefully, as if trying to decipher what that was for and just smiled crookedly at me. Giving my arm a squeeze we settled, my head on his chest, his arm around me, and just watched the scenery fly by. It felt simple, and that thought had me feeling all warm inside.

Happiness, all I felt was happiness.

Finally.