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Dad argues, but when Gabriel offers him the few dollars he has saved, he grabs the money and goes straight out to the pub. "Make sure you punish that piece of shit good, Gabe. I'm counting on you, boy," my father yells over his shoulder as he slams the door.
"What the fuck, Nate? What the hell were you thinking? Inviting Isabella here? Do you have any idea how stupid that was?! Dad almost killed you! Thank God I was able to drag him away," he yells at me. It's clear from his tone that he’s angry, but there's also a strong hint of fear lacing his words.Would he kill me? Does Gabe honestly believe that?The realization brings tears to my eyes.
"I didn't, Gabe, honestly. I have no idea why she came. She's not due for another two weeks. Besides, wenevermeet here," I mumble, still struggling to catch my breath and speak properly with my split lip and bruised ribs.
"This can'teverhappen again, Nate. Dad almost killed you. I might not be here to stop him next time." he says, a little calmer this time. He reaches down and takes my hand, helping me off the floor.
"I know, I know. I'm so grateful for you, Gabriel. I'll find a way to pay you back, I promise. I know you were trying to save up the money to buy a bike for school," I answer as I feel the tears stream down my face again.I wish I wasn't such a screwup all the time.
"No, it's okay. That's what big brothers are for," he says gently, stroking my hair before guiding me to the bathroom, where he runs a warm bath and demands I get in. I wince at first and attempt to refuse, but he assures me the heat will help the bruising come out, so it heals quicker. "But I'm serious, Nate; this canneverhappen again. I'll cover for you with Dad, so you can visit them tomorrow, but you have to be super quick. I'll tell him you're going to look for work. But you really can't stay too long, or he'll get suspicious."
The next morning, I wake up early and head to mine and Bella’s favorite place, hoping my father didn’t scare her away for good. When I spot her under the tree, my shoulders relax.She’s here. She hasn’t left me yet.I dare to hope that things will go back to normal.
She’s finally here, and we have the whole summer to ourselves. We can make it as long as we're together. Her visits are the only thing that brings light into my life. She’s my only hope now. The thing that gives my life meaning.
A small smile creeps onto my face because of this place and her friendship. It feels like a dream I never thought I would have.
But even the best dreams end, and mine does, when tears fall down her cheeks and her expression turns into mortification. I curse myself in my mind. I forgot how bad I look.
She runs to me and crashes into my body, hugging me tightly. She’s shaking. I don’t know whether it’s the tears or something else, but I hold her anyway. Still, I’m unable to stop the pain, and I wince, causing her to pull away and look at me.
I see she wants to ask, but I speak first, stopping her. "Bella, you’re here." I sigh contently, and despite the pain in my chest, I feel relief.
Something is wrong. So, so wrong. Her eyes are puffy, and tears fall down her cheeks faster now. I get the feeling they’re not because of me and my bruises. Dread fills my body again.
It’s as if the devil himself is looking up at me laughing, because yet again, my happiness is short-lived.
"Isabella, what’s–" She cuts me off, putting her finger over my lips.
"I need to speak; otherwise, I'll never get through this," she admits, her tone laced with sadness.
All I can do is nod slowly as I take a seat on the grass. This is the moment that she finally realizes how worthless and pathetic I am and is finally going to abandon me.
"I'm leaving," she mumbles, not even lifting her head to look at me. It's clear from the pain in her voice that this isn't just anotherI'm leaving, but I'll be back in a few weeks,kind of leaving. Those two words hold so much meaning and sorrow.
"Will I ever see you again?" I whisper, feeling like my heart is being ripped out of my chest.
With that, the floodgates open, and she throws herself onto me, burying her head in my chest and sobbing big, loud, heartbreaking sobs. 'M..m..my dad. He has a new … and we … I tried, but … we have to move away."
"Do you know for how long? Can you still visit?" I ask, praying for something, anything, to hold on to. Praying for a miracle.
She shakes her head once and continues to sob. My heart is breaking into a million pieces, but I have to stay strong.
Bella needs me to be strong; she's already crumbling under the weight of her words. She doesn't need the weight of my sorrow on top of that. She needs a friend. So for her, I'll hold back the tears until I'm alone. I may not be good at much, but holding in my emotions and hiding the pain and suffering is one thing I know how to do.
I've had years of practice, after all.
"It will be okay, Bella; we’ll find a way to make it work. I'll never give up on you," I admit, meaning every word. "I’ll hassle your Nana and Pops as often as I can to check on you and make sure you’re okay."
"Nana," she says, suddenly sitting up, "she's still at the cabin waiting for me."
"I'll write to you if that's still what you want."
"I want that. More than anything," she admits, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small note.
"What's this?" I ask as she places it in my hand.
"It's the code to the mailbox. Nana and Pops said you can have it to leave and receive letters whenever you want."
