High Anxiety by EdwardsBloodType (inc. outtakes).pdf

High Anxiety by EdwardsBloodType

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5222490/1/High_Anxiety

Summary: Cute, trendy Bella returns home to escape the heartache of her past.

She immediately befriends neighbors Jasper and Edward, bonding with them in

the treehouse out back. Bella and Edward discover they have more in common

than they ever dreamed of. AH A/U

Chapter 1~ Returning Home

Well I'm going home,

Back to the place where I belong,

And where your love has always been enough for me.

I'm not running from.

No, I think you got me all wrong.

I don't regret this life I chose for me.

But these places and these faces are getting old,

So I'm going home.

Well I'm going home.

Home- Daughtry

~Bella~

We pulled into the driveway, the smoothly repaved blacktop gliding quietly

underneath his truck tires. It looked exactly the same, but entirely different. The

house was identical to how it was when I left five years ago, but it was creamy/

beige now, accented by burgundy shutters and a newly constructed wooden front

porch. The landscaping was new, shrubs and bushes neatly manicured and

arranged in the lush green lawn. Considering he had been a bachelor for so long,

I had expected the house to look like a rundown piece of shit by now. It was a

pleasant surprise to come home to the complete opposite.

"Dad, please don't overexert yourself. I can get the bags," I pleaded, while I

watched my father lift the overstuffed suitcases from his truck.

He eyed me sideways, disdainfully ignoring my concern. Charlie, ever the manly

man, was never one to accept assistance or pity, particularly from a woman. He

had recently retired from the Forks police force when had been injured during a

robbery, and his wounded leg rendered it difficult for him to stand for long

periods of time. As a result he'd decided to open his own private investigation

company based in Seattle. It had been doing rather well, proving to be a lucrative

career, as cheating husbands and wives and their scornful mates were apparently

plentiful.

I noticed that had acquired a minor limp, but only because I was looking for it.

His hair had gotten slightly gray, lightened tufts sprouting out from the sides of

his otherwise dark, wavy hair. His face still held its youthful manliness. When I

was little I used to think he was the most handsome man in the whole world, and

that I would most certainly marry him one day. He was still one of the most

handsome men I had ever seen, but my silly, childish desires to wed my father

were no more.

"Bella are you kidding me with all this luggage?" Charlie scowled as he hauled

suitcase after suitcase from his truck begrudgingly, grunting and muttering under

his breath. I smiled sheepishly at him before cringing. The heaviest suitcase,

completely full of shoes was the last to go.

"Dad, I'm a sixteen year old girl, confused about life and social expectations,

simply attempting to navigate my way in this ever confusing world while

discovering myself and trying to maintain a healthy self image. A large variety of

clothing and shoes helps me search for my true identity while at the same time

providing an outlet for self expression and creativity." I snickered childishly while

slinging a large hot pink duffle bag over my shoulder. "Plus it makes me look

cute."

"That's funny, Bells. What, did you rehearse that on the plane? Don't be such a

smartass," he chided. I rolled my eyes at him as he dumped the last of the bags

in the hallway and threw his arm over my shoulder kissing my head. "I'm glad

you're home, Honey. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Dad. The house looks great. It's about time you made some

improvements." In my five year absence since he and my mother divorced,

Charlie had the entire house redone. The whole kitchen had been replaced and

modernized; two more bedrooms and two bathrooms were added to the upstairs

as well as the addition of a huge den connected to the downstairs living room. It

was still my home, but at the same time…not. I loved that the house was clean

and new, but hated that it was no longer the home I grew up in.

"Yeah well, Esme convinced me that it was time to update. It's a good investment

in the long run."

"Esme?" I asked with an eyebrow quirked, pausing as I started up the stairs.

He jerked his thumb in the direction of the house down the block. The monstrous,

ostentatious, ill fitted for the neighborhood mini- mansion that had been

constructed and moved into a year ago by the Cullen family.

The block Charlie lived on was a long, wooded dead end street with only two tiny

houses on it. Alice Brandon and her mother lived across the street in a style

house identical to this one. But this newly constructed eyesore on the end of the

block, set back a few hundred feet into the woods, made the two existing houses

look like pitiful little shacks compared to it. It was bigger than the home Phil had

us move into and I thought that was huge. It was a beautiful home, but it didn't

fit in Forks…at all.

Along with other town gossip, Charlie had filled me in on the changes to the

neighborhood on the drive home from the airport. However, he neglected to give

me specific details on the residents of the Cullen home.

"She's pretty, I gather?" I wiggled my eyebrows teasing Charlie about being

immune to a gorgeous woman's seductive wiles.

"Yes, Esme is attractive, and very happily married. She's just exceptionally

persuasive and good at her job, is all." Apparently, Esme Cullen used to own an

interior design company in Chicago before she relocated.

Whatever, Dad. Pretty woman sticks her knockers in your face and you drop a

mound of dough to redecorate.

Typical guy.

I stopped on the landing of the stairs, and went directly into my old/ new room.

The walls had been painted a soft sage green color, very soothing and serene

against the bright white moldings and trim. There was a large picture window

that faced the street and another that faced the side of the yard with a partially

hidden view of the mansion. I dumped the bag on the naked mattress of the

queen sized black wrought iron bed and opened the closet. It was big, but not

nearly large enough to house all the clothing and shoes that I had brought.

It wasn't even my fault, really. I had to place blame on my mother and on my

friends in California. Appearances were key to social status and quite frankly, I

had grown tired of sitting in the background in my ugly, understated apparel with

my nose in book, growing envious of the girls who wore pretty clothes and always

looked like they were having such a good time. And with my mother opening her

second overpriced trendy boutique in L.A. she supplied all the fashion I needed

for free. Plus, I really liked having options. It was like playing dress up every day,

getting to be whomever I felt like when I woke each morning. I liked very much

not having to commit to one specific defining style, so I dressed eclectically, as

my mother labeled it.

I opened the top drawer of the newly purchased black desk to find it empty, as

were all of the other drawers in the room. I wondered what Charlie had done with

my old furniture, and all of the stuff I had left behind in my mother's haste to be

free from the binds of marriage to Charlie Swan..

Truthfully, it was weird being back here, almost as if I was trapped in an

alternate universe. I had lived my whole life in Forks, until my mom finally

couldn't stand being suffocated in this tiny town any longer and decided she

needed to "find" herself. It took five states, five different schools, three different

boyfriends for her and five different groups of friends for me before she finally

settled in California.

That's where she met her husband, Phil. He had recently been signed to the LA

Dodgers and with that promotion came a substantial pay raise, as well as our

final move and my fifth school in as many years. They purchased a tremendous

home in a posh, exclusive neighborhood with a pool in the park like yard, fit for

an episode of MTV Cribs. My mother almost pissed herself when she saw the

master bathroom and walk in closet. Money changed people, but my mother

seemed to remain grounded, choosing to earn her own income with her

boutiques. I was never allowed to be spoiled by Phil's' good fortune, however,

occasionally, he would indulge me with something such as an iPod, or my car.

Across the street from that home resided Bree Fields, my stupid former best

friend turned worst enemy –slash- slut who ultimately ruined my life, forcing me

to move back with my dad. Horrid bitch. Just the thought of her made my skin

crawl. Every morning that I woke up, I wished for her to spend her day on the

toilet experiencing horrific diarrhea. I couldn't even bear to think of her at the

moment, not wanting her to needlessly ruin another second of my life.

The irony of the situation with me moving back was that Forks, the same place

that made my mother feel suffocated, made me feel like I could breathe freely for

the first time in a long while. I hadn't even thought about the anxiety attacks that

plagued my very existence, nor did I once feel like I was edgy or irritable being

here. I thought to myself that moving back to Forks was probably the best thing I

could have done under the circumstances. Maybe it was the gray skies or the

steady thrum of the rain that was so calming. Either way, once I got through yet

another terrifying first day at a new school, I was counting on smooth sailing and

an easy year from that point on.

Charlie cleared his throat as he dragged the last of the bags into the bedroom.

There were plain brown shipping boxes stacked against the far wall, wedged

between the black dresser and matching armoire and I looked at Charlie

questioningly.

"Your mother sent them," he said, rolling his eyes with a shrug. "Let me know if

you need help. Oh by the way," Charlie paused at the door. "Alice is real excited

about you coming home again, Bells. She…squeaked…when I told her." I laughed

at that because Alice was quite possibly the happiest person I had ever been

fortunate enough to call my friend and I could totally hear her squeaking. He

disappeared down the hall leaving me on my own.

I thanked him and began opening the boxes. Apparently, Renee went ahead and

purchased new bedding, matching curtains, a throw rug, and various decorative

accessories for the room. The bedspread was white with lavender and sage green

flowers scattered all over it, and I assumed she conferred with Charlie about

paint colors prior to him actually painting. She included a framed picture of her

and me, which made me somewhat sad but not necessarily homesick

After I unpacked the boxes, I spent the rest of the afternoon decorating my new

bedroom and setting up my computer.

Once I had successfully stuffed all of my belongings into every crevice I could

find, I made my way to the kitchen and discovered there was practically no food

in the refrigerator. Charlie said we'd order a pizza for dinner but I took it upon

myself to make a trip to the grocery store seeing as how I most certainly would

not be consuming a bachelor's diet of frozen Hot Pockets and Diet Coke for the

next year.

Charlie handed me my keys with a scowl and I smiled down at the pretty little

keychain that held the keys to my pretty little car. I had been elated when we

pulled in from the airport and I saw that my shiny red Audi convertible had

arrived before I did, and was parked in the driveway. I knew it would be salt in

Charlie's wounds though so I barely even acknowledged it.

"It's ridiculous," he said with a half-snort, always one for practicality, not style.

"Gift from Phil?" Charlie practically spat out my stepfather's name. My mother's

remarriage was a definite bone of contention with him.

I shrugged my shoulders. "It was a birthday present- he and mom picked it out. I

wasn't expecting to be living in the wettest place in the country, otherwise I'd

have insisted on something more appropriate…like a jet ski." I chuckled as

Charlie joined me.

I had never had anything but admiration and respect for Phil. Not quite love, but

as much affection as a sixteen year old can have for her thirty two year old step

father. He adored my mom, and he was more a friend to me than a father figure

anyway. But unlike my mother's actions, no one would ever replace Charlie in my

heart.

"You do know that the convertible top is going to get destroyed with all this rain.

You will probably have leaks, and mold and…"

"Thanks, Dad. I plan on getting a job, so I can replace the top, or put gas it in

and take care of my needs on my own." I spoke with a bit more indignation than

necessary. I kind of had the feeling that the new living arrangement was about to

put a cramp in his lifestyle and I could only hope that he wasn't resentful of my

unexpected presence.

Charlie's business was three hours away in Seattle. He also had a girlfriend who

resided there, who he rarely spoke of, but made known to me nonetheless. When

my mom asked him for his permission to allow me to live here again, Charlie was

reluctant, informing her that he was often away from Forks for several days at a

time. She assured him that I was an adult and I could take care of myself.

Truthfully, the arrangement was ideal in my book.

"That isn't what I meant, Bella. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. I

know I can't be here for you a lot of the time, and your mom said you were

independent and mature for your age, but I am still your father and when you

need something you come to me, understand?" I nodded, sort of stunned by the

warm and fuzzy feeling of my father's protectiveness. "I uh… have a friend who

has a job opening if you are interested." He pulled a small yellow business card

from his jeans pocket and handed it to me.

"Big Billy's Party Time Fun? I'm not sure how comfortable I am with doing

underage strip –O-grams," I said with a snicker, while turning the card around in

my fingers. There was a clown holding a colorful bouquet of balloons on the front.

"Bella, please," he chided, with a disapproving glower. "You remember my friend

Billy Black? Well his company supplies characters for kids' birthday parties. You

dress up like a princess, go to the party for an hour and get paid in cash."

"What would I have to do at the party?" I asked, with my eyebrows furrowed at

the thought. I wondered if I was to be expected to sing or something awful along

those lines. I could dance pretty well and thanks to all the gymnastics lessons I

had taken as a kid, I could do a neat backbend and a handstand. But performer I

was not. All those lessons provided structure and the foundation for elegance and

grace; however, I still managed to be a superklutz.

"I don't know, honey. What do princesses do?" he murmured, with a sideways

glance.

"Alright, I'll call him tomorrow and see what it entails," I said, slipping the card

into my purse. He nodded, seeming satisfied with my verbal accord.

~%~

When I returned from shopping, a very familiar voice was chirping excitedly in

the kitchen, immersed in conversation with Charlie.

"Bella…you're here!" Alice screamed, throwing her tiny arms around me. We

hugged excitedly, rocking back and forth.

"Hey Alice! I missed you," I replied warmly, stroking a silky lock of her dark,

waist length hair. She looked exactly the same as she did when she we were

twelve…exactly. Well, except that she had much bigger boobs now.

"Oh, I missed you too!" she said, clapping her hands excitedly.

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