•| ⊱✿⊰ |•
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

    𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀 lot busier than normal. Bridget had gotten here early in the morning and Martha put her straight to work, no time for small talk. Apparently Linda, one of the closers had gotten an emergency call and had to close early, meaning none of the books were shelved and there were three carts full of returns. Even Heather came in to help out even though Sunday's day shift belonged to Martha.

    But it seemed the day when the library was behind on everything was the day people decided to visit or work on projects or study early. Bridget didn't mind at all because it meant more work to keep her mind busy. She had finished the cart Martha had given her and was now managing the front desk for those who wanted to check out books.

    It quieted down around eleven-thirty and Bridget couldn't help but stare at the time on the clock above the front doors. It was almost noon, the time Sam said they would be meeting at the beach for an hour before heading back to his house for food. The fact that he invited her to that was extremely bizarre and she immediately knew she wasn't going to go. It would just be awkward and send the wrong message. She wasn't supposed to be making friends.

    But still, she couldn't hide the part of herself that really wanted to go. The part of her that wanted to at least pretend to be normal for once and to not isolate herself. Alex always hated when she did that and used to spend so much time trying to convince her to have fun and to stop overthinking so much.

    "Just because life has dealt you a bad hand doesn't mean you have to give into its cruel game. You are allowed to enjoy yourself every once in a while." He told her multiple times. Being fifteen years older than her made Alex think he was the wisest person in the world. And in Bridget's eyes, he was.

    Another ten minutes goes by and Bridget keeps glancing at the clock, conflicted. The library had slowed down to its normal pace and a lot of the people that had come in early only really came to check out books and go back home to enjoy the rest of the day. She was only a volunteer, so she was free to leave whenever she desired.

   But she remained glued to her seat, trying hard to decide if following her brother's advice was worth the risk.

    "That is your sixth time looking at the clock," Martha's voice startled her out of her daze as she looked over to see the older woman coming around to grab stamps and ink from the top drawer. "Got somewhere you need to be?"

    "No, I was just invited to someone's birthday party at noon and I wasn't sure if I should go."

    "Oh, well, if you are worried about this place, don't be. Heather and I got things taken care of now. You should go, enjoy the day. The sun is actually out for once."

    Bridget didn't say anything, just picked at her nails like she does whenever she is nervous or conflicted about something. When she was a child she used to bite her nails constantly and her father used to whack her hands with anything he could get his hands on to break her out of the habit. One time he threatened to hold them over the fire if she didn't stop.

    It was hard but she finally did it out of fear. Her father was not a man to go back on his word and Bridget had feared him more than anything in the world at the time. It's the price you pay for being the bane of your father's existence.

    Martha noticed her reluctance and leaned back on the desk, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is there something wrong with the people who invited you to the party?"

    Bridget shook her head. "No. I barely know them, honestly. The guy who invited me, we've spoken a few times at First Beach but the party is for his fiance who I've only met once very briefly. I just think it would be weird if I showed up." 

    "Well, you are not just showing up if you were invited," Martha pointed out. "Is this guy from the reservation? Maybe I know him."

    Bridget only nodded softly. "Yeah, his name is Sam Uley."

    Martha's eyes brightened and grinned. "Oh Sam! Yes, he is such a sweetheart. So is that sweet fiance of his. They are such good people. You should definitely go."

    Bridget shouldn't really be surprised that she knows who they are, seeing as her husband's side of the family lives on the reservation where everyone knows everyone. And her words for describing Sam made her feel slightly relieved that her instinct of him being a good guy was correct despite his questionable behavior a couple times.

    Martha sighed when she noticed how unsure the young blonde still was and sighed. "Look, I've known you for a little over a year now. And in that time, I have come to the conclusion that you, Miss Bridget Clark, are a very shy and reserved young girl. You don't like people getting too close and though I might not understand why, I do understand that you must have your reasons. But if you want my advice, going to one party and enjoying being a teenager isn't going to kill you. You are too young not to enjoy your life. Take a chance, you might surprise yourself and actually have fun."

    Bridget's face revealed nothing, though Martha's words were almost laughable, mainly because of the irony that Bridget is much older than she is. But of course, she couldn't exactly say that. But Martha was right about the other part. Just like Alex was when he would convince her to at least have some fun every once in a while.

    Martha realized she was still struggling and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's totally up to you though, hun. You are free to leave whenever you want. I'll be in the back room if you decide to go. Just let me know."

    Bridget smiled warmly at the older woman and nodded. "I will. Thanks, Martha."

    As the brunette walked back to her job, she left Bridget sitting behind the front desk, back to staring at the clock, not sure what the hell she wanted to do.

><><><

   
    𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑 station wagon, staring out at the group on the beach. It was a surprisingly sunny day, so a lot of people took the opportunity to enjoy the day while they could. She saw the particular group she had been searching for as watching from the parking lot as they played a game of touch football and a few others were tanning and talking, having a couple beers.

    Bridget had decided to throw caution to wind and stop overthinking everything. She left the library ten minutes to noon and had gotten to the beach at twelve-o-five. She has been sitting in her car for a little over twenty minutes, just trying to get the nerve to get out and join them. Everything in her was screaming to get out and enjoy such a beautiful day on the beach, something she deprived herself of for a week because she didn't want to run into Sam.

    They were only going to be here for an hour and the longer she stayed in her car, the less time she got to enjoy the beach. She could just wait for them to leave before going out, but she could just hear Alex's voice in her head, encouraging her to get out of the car, to go have fun. "You'll regret it if you don't." He always said, to which Bridget was starting to hate how right he always was.

    Bridget pressed the back of her head back into the seat and sighed, absolutely hating how much of a coward she was when a knock on the window caused her to let out a loud gasp, only to see a familiar boy looking at her through the window. Realizing she was spotted, she rolled down her window and looked up timidly. "Hello, Paul."

    Paul kept his expression calm and unreadable, just stared at her for a few seconds before finally speaking. "Are you planning on sitting in your car all day or are you going to join us any time soon?"

    Heat crept up on Bridget's cheeks as she realized they had known she was here the whole time, which was very embarrassing. And the fact that it was Paul who came to see if she was coming out made it even more awkward, mainly because she hasn't spoken to the guy since her first day at La Push High where he acted upset and annoyed like someone ran over his cat.

    "I, um- honestly, I don't know." Bridget expresses, brushing a strain of her long blonde hair behind her ear.

    "Why not?" Paul inquired. His face revealed nothing still as he leaned against the door, arms crossed over his chest. Bridget was very aware he was not wearing a shirt, something that she tried very hard not to focus on too much.

    Bridget thought about lying, but thought against it and told him a half-truth. "I'm not very good with people. Socializing... I don't know how to do that. I've been a loner my whole life."

    "You seem to be doing alright talking to me." Paul tells her.

    It took everything in Bridget not to roll her eyes. "Yeah well, the moment you tapped on my window I was tempted to put this car in reverse and drive away as fast as I could."

    To her surprise, a chuckle escaped his lips. It was short and he quickly molded his expression back into a stern look quickly, but Bridget saw it and she couldn't help but relax a little. Paul scratched his chin before asking, "Why didn't you?"

    Now that is something she did not have an answer for and shrugged. "Again, I honestly don't know."

    Paul stared at her for the longest time, as if he was trying so hard to figure her out at this exact moment, but cleared his throat and pushed himself off the door. "Look, leave if you want. But just know if you do, you will miss some pretty amazing food and cake. As well as witnessing Jared attempting to swim but getting his ass knocked down by waves. He's never had the best balance."

    Bridget raised her brows and the corner of her lips tugged upward lightly, huffing out a small chuckle. Paul patted her car and stood up straight. "It's your choice. You don't have to be nervous around us. Take a chance."

    He didn't wait for her to respond before he jogged back to the others. Bridget watched as he went and his words floated around in her head. Take a chance. That has always been her problem... She's been too scared to take chances. She lets the fear of discovery and the fear of losing people hold her back. But how long can she really keep this up? How long can she live being alone before she lets her most vial thoughts finally get the best of her.

    She made a promise to her big brother... one she is planning to keep for as long as she possibly can. She can't do that if she is constantly going in and out of her depressed states. She can't honor her brother's wishes who gave up so much for her if she doesn't do something to fill this horrible void in her chest. She isn't even sure what exactly she needed to fill this void, but she knows she isn't going to figure it out by sitting in this car. So she finally shut off her car and climbed out, making her way towards the rowdy group on the beach.

    Bridget didn't think to change before coming, not really wanting to go back to the Cullens house and risk Edward reading her mind and figure out where she was going. So she was wearing a light pink, layered skirt that went down below her knees as well as a long sleeve, cream knitted sweater that hung off the shoulder. She took her matching light pink pumps off before reaching the sand and walked with them clutched around her fingers.

    Emily was the first to notice her and got up from her spot on the large blanket to greet her. "Bridget! I'm so glad you came."

    Bridget found herself returning the smile but now everyone's eyes were on her and she felt her heart starting to race with nerves. She cleared her throat before responding. "Thanks for having me. Oh, and happy birthday. I'm sorry, I didn't get you a present, I didn't think-"

    Emily cut her off immediately. "Don't worry about that, I don't want anything and I didn't expect anything. I'm just glad you came. Come, let me introduce you to some people."

    The only person she saw on the blanket she knew was Kim, the rest were complete strangers. She looked over to glance and saw Sam's eye catch her and waved with a bright grin. Bridget waved timidly back as she looked over to Paul who was in the middle of throwing the ball, not bothering to acknowledge her at all. She sighed, before turning back to the people sitting on the place, which consisted of four people. Three women and one man.

    "Guys, I'd like you to meet Bridget." Emily tells the small group excitedly. "Okay, so that grumpy looking woman angrily looking through that phone book and zoning everything around her out is my beautiful mother, Clarisse. She will be more friendly when she can find a client's number that she forgot to call to cancel an appointment. She's a hairdresser but this client has a habit of giving her problems."

    Clarisse just waved absentmindedly, not even acknowledging Bridget or her daughter's words. Emily just rolled her eyes and turned to the other girl. "This is my sister, Piper and that girl you see building sand castles closer to the water is her daughter, Claire."

    Piper was almost identical to Emily, just as beautiful and just as kind as she reached out and shook her hand. Bridget smiled in greeting as Emily turned to the male, where she suddenly started to use sign language as she spoke. "That's my brother, Ivan. He is deaf but his speech is very good and if you look at him when you speak, he can read your lips."

    Ivan reached out and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Bridget." Emily was correct, his speech was very good.

    Bridget signed back as she responded. "It's nice to meet you too."

    All of them seemed surprised, mostly Ivan who grinned ear to ear. "You know sign language?"

    Bridget continued to answer with her hands as well as her voice. "Yes, I taught myself a while ago. I used to have a neighbor who was deaf and he liked it when I came by to water his plants and mow his lawn. I wanted him to be more comfortable communicating in his own language without constantly writing things down."

    That was not a lie. She taught herself ACL when she and Alex were living in San Francisco and they lived next to a deaf, older man who was finding it hard to move around. Ivan seemed very impressed. "How old are you?"

    "Um, seventeen?" Bridget answered in confusion.

    "Impressive. You sign very well for someone who was self taught."

    Bridget smiled. "Thank you."

    "Alright, now I think you already know Kim, if I'm not mistaken?" Emily asked, changing the subject and turning to the sweet, quiet girl she met last Monday.

    "Yeah, we met at school the other day." Bridget said, still signing as a way to be respectful towards Emily's brother, which he seemed to appreciate.

    Kim nodded towards the blonde. "Jared told me Sam invited you. I'm glad you could make it."

    Bridget sighed. "Yeah, well, time at the beach and good food, he put up a pretty good argument."

    "Bridget!" Speaking of the devil, the blonde turned to see Sam jogging over. "You made it."

     "I didn't have anything better to do," Bridget attempted to joke, which she was grateful for when a couple people laughed and did not take offense. She was very rusty at this.

    "Have you met everyone yet?" Sam questioned.

    "Uh, kind of?"

    "The guys have gotten really competitive, once they are finished arguing about who scored the last touchdown, I'll introduce you."

    Bridget tilted her head up at the male. "I thought you said you would be playing soccer?"

    "Yeah, we were supposed to but Jared brought a football when he was supposed to bring a soccer ball."

    "Do you play, Bridget?" Ivan asked as he signed. The blonde turned her attention to him.

    "No. I'm terrible at sports. I've also never understood football, anyway."

    "Join the club," says Piper.

    A sweaty Jared came over, followed by the rest of the guys. "Hey, Bridget! I see Paul convinced you to come out of your car."

    Paul, who was right by his side, whacked him over the head as Bridget's eyes widened, realizing they all apparently knew she was here for a while. Jared turned to Paul with a sharp look. "What the fuck, man?"

    Feeling slightly humiliated, Bridget combed her fingers through her hair nervously as Sam shook his head in annoyance. "Sorry. Sometimes Jared talks before he thinks."

    A couple people laughed while Jared shot the older male a hurt expression. "I don't even know what I said wrong."

    "It's okay, Jared. You didn't say anything wrong." Bridget tried to reassure him.

    Jared only nodded in appreciation then went to whack Paul the same way he did him, but Paul was too quick and managed to dodge him in time. Jared only rolled his eyes and basically fell down on the blanket next to Kim, kissing her neck to which she bursted into a fit of giggles. Bridget averted her eyes from the public display and didn't know what to do.

    "Sam!" A boy called out. He was very young and so was his friend. Definitely second youngest beside Emily niece who was busy building sand castles. "Are we playing another game or what?"

    "In a minute! Come here, Seth, I want to introduce you to someone." Sam said. The young boy, Seth, obliged and jogged over, sporting a baby face and a grin from ear to ear. Sam put an arm around the kid and pointed to the blonde. "Bridget, this is Emily's cousin, Seth."

    Bridget gave a timid wave as Seth's eyes widened when they landed on her. "Wow, you are so beautiful."

    His comment threw her completely off guard, mainly because of the sincerity and awestruck look on his face as he stared at her in utter amazement. For the first time since she has been here, Bridget couldn't stop the genuine smile that spread on her lips. "You are so sweet."

    "I think she is a little old for you, Seth." Emily comments with a grin.

    Seth shot his cousin a look. "That doesn't change the fact that she's probably the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen."

    Bridget's jaw slacked at the compliment as she placed a hand over her chest. He was probably the first boy to ever call her beautiful in so long without a hidden agenda behind it. But before she could say anything, Paul, who hasn't said anything since coming over, glowered at the boy with a sharp and almost deadly look. "I don't think she dates ten year olds."

    "I'll be fourteen in four months," Seth defended, looking slightly embarrassed. Confusion came over because the way Paul was glaring at the boy, he did not look like he was joking, more like he was pissed off about something.

    Annoyed that he was ganging up on the kid for saying something sweet that basically made her day, Bridget turned to the boy and smiled. "The last time someone called me beautiful, it was followed by something inappropriate. You made my day by saying that without a secret meaning behind it, Seth. Thank you."

    Seth beamed in triumph as the others coughed uncomfortably. Her comment only seemed to piss Paul off more as he shook his head and looked like he was trying not to lose his cool. Whatever happened earlier to make him come over and convince her to come out of her car was long gone and he was back to being the same rude and confusing asshole he was when she first met him.

    "Do you want to play football with us?" Seth asked, holding the football out to her.

    "You really don't want me too. Last time I threw a football was in PE and I ended up hitting the teacher in the back of the head."

    "Wait, Mr. Sullivan?" Kim questioned curiously. Right, they do share PE together, Bridget almost forgot.

    "Uh, no. Mr. Lee at Forks High." Bridget said shyly. "First detention I ever received even though it was an accident."

    "I can show you how to throw it, if you want?" Seth offered.

    Paul scoffed in annoyance. "Leave it, Seth. She said she doesn't want to play."

    Bridget narrowed her eyes at the boy and tilted her head. "Actually, Seth. I would love for you to show me."

    Paul met the blonde's eyes and she only put her heels down on the sand along with her purse which she asked Emily to keep an eye on before walking over to Seth who handed her the ball and led her out away from the group, ignoring the eyes watching them that she could feel burning in the back of her head, allowing Seth to teach her something she has no real interest in out of spite for Paul's attitude.

    If he was going to be a bipolar dick for no reason, then fine. But she didn't have to take it. Maybe she'll get lucky and 'accidentally' hit him in the head with the football.

><><><

    𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐓 the beach was more fun than Bridget has had in a long time. Sure she wasn't there for long since her hesitation in the parking lot made time shorter then it would have been if she had joined them when she had arrived. Seth miraculously managed to get Bridget to successfully throw a football about five feet without fail. When asked if she wanted to join them for one last game, she immediately declined and went back to sit with Emily and the other, basically remaining silent as they reminisced about the past and enjoyed the time in the sun.

    Bridget had followed behind Sam's truck as they made their way back to his and Emily's house where they saw a few people already there, a long table out filled with so many different dishes of food that Bridget could smell everything before she even got out of her car. She felt her insecurities creep back as she climbed out of her vehicle, heels back on her feet as she slowly made her way towards the small pit with large pieces of wood piled in the middle.

    "Are you alright?" A voice came from behind her and she noticed Kim quickly moving to join her at her side.

    "Yeah, I'm fine."

    Once they reached the porch, the two girls stopped as Kim turned to her. "I know this can be overwhelming, meeting all these people at once."

    Bridget couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "Am I that obvious?"

    Kim shook her head. "Not at all. You are doing a lot better than I did. Before I started dating Jared, I had no one and a part of me liked it that way because it meant I didn't have to put myself out there. My anxiety would build up and that voice in the back of my mind always discouraged me from making friends. I was always known as the tutor girl, because I was best at torturing people then I was at actually befriending them. My first time meeting Jared's friends, I almost had a panic attack."

    Bridget's heart went out to the girl beside her. "Almost?"

    Kim's entire face turned bright red as she smiled bashfully. "Jared took my hand and whispered in my ear to breathe and that he wasn't going anywhere. He could tell how anxious I was getting and he never let my hand go or left my side until I was ready."

    A hint of jealousy creeped up on the blonde and she couldn't shake it like she normally is able too. All she could think of is how she can never have something like that. She can never have that special someone who is enough to calm down her own fears and anxiety. The last time she even attempted something even close to that ended horribly for her. That was almost three decades ago.

    Still, she found herself returning the kind smile to the sweet girl standing next to her. "You guys are adorable together."

    Kim bit her lip while staring over at her boyfriend who was at the table filled with food, as were most of the guys once they got back. "I had the biggest crush on him for years, but because I was so quiet and would always hide if he ever looked in my direction, he really didn't know who I was. Until six months ago, I accidentally ran into him and then everything just changed. I never cared about the imprint, I just was so happy when he asked me out. Wouldn't take no for an answer until I did."

    Bridget raised her brows at that. "You said no?"

    "Of course, I did." Kim said as if it was obvious. "Well, more like I ran away without giving him an actual answer. I couldn't bring myself to find the right words around him. The price for being a skittish freak, a nickname given to me in the third grade that just stuck."

    "Why would someone call you that?"

    "Because apparently whenever the teacher would call on me, I was described to look like a frightened baby deer caught in headlights."

    Bridget shook her head in disbelief. "Kids can be so cruel."

    "Yeah, but it could have been worse. I wasn't bullied, just... ignored. Mostly when I got to high school. I guess I preferred that." Kim explains, brushing her hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, I didn't mean for this to get so depressing. I was just trying to say, it looks like you struggle from anxiety as well and I just wanted you to know that it gets better. They are all good people."

    Bridget thought of her words carefully. She is right. They were similar when it comes to this. Sure, Bridget's has never been as bad as Kim and her anxiety was built over the long years of fear and paranoia. But she was right, Bridget's nerves have not settled since she arrived at the beach and they only grew more now as she was surrounded by more people who she will be introduced to and encouraged to chit chat with.

   "It's just... a lot all at once." Bridget admitted without any further explanation, mainly because she had a feeling Kim didn't need one to understand what she meant. 

    "I get it. Come on, I just saw Harry put out some freshly cooked burgers and if we don't get some now, the guys will eat it all."

    The blonde female followed Kim over to the table where she saw Jared, Sam and Paul already there, stacking their plates with mountains of burgers and hotdogs. Kim walked right up to her boyfriend and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you guys planning on saving some for the rest of the party?"

    "Of course, babe." Jared mumbled with his mouth full of food already, reaching onto his plate and holding out a burger. "I was saving this one for you."

    Kim rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the few left on the plate before turning to Bridget. "Better grab one while you can."

    Bridget didn't need to be told twice and grabbed a plate and started filling it. She stayed silent but something Kim said earlier was making her very curious. "Hey, Kim. What did you mean by imprint?"

    The way everyone froze suddenly startled the blonde. They were all wide eyed and looking slightly panicked. Kim looked surprised and confused at the same time as she asked, "W-What do you mean?"

    "Early, you said you didn't care about the imprint. What does that mean?"

    Kim looked guiltily at the other guys and Bridget couldn't help but look between all of them. Jared continued chewing awkwardly, keeping his head down so he didn't have to respond to this. Sam, well, Sam was more calm but was eyeing Paul like a hawk, who looked more pissed off than she had seen him before. He was staring right at Kim in anger, as if waiting for her to explain what she could possibly have meant.

    Kim became extremely uncomfortable but managed to clear her throat and pull herself together long enough to respond. "I didn't mean anything by that, actually. It's just a saying, like love at first sight? That's kind of what I meant."

    Everyone, including Bridget, stared at the girl like she had five heads, not really knowing what she was talking about before she quickly grabbed Jared's arm and pulled him with her. "I think Sue needs help in the kitchen. Jared, come with me, please."

    The two were gone before anyone could get a word out. If they were trying to pretend not to be suspicious, they were failing miserably. Sam quickly excused him right after, saying he needed to go talk to Billy, leaving Bridget alone with Paul. The two just awkwardly stood there in silence. Bridget stared at him, waiting to see if he would say anything, but when it was clear he wasn't going to, she finished getting some potato salad and some chips before turning around. She barely made it halfway before he finally decided to speak.

    "Why did you transfer to La Push?"

    It was so random and out of the blue, Bridget turned back to him with a frown. "I thought Sam or Jared would have told you."

    "They did," Paul responded immediately. "They said you weren't comfortable at Forks High, that other kids gave you a hard time."

    "That's true." Bridget admitted.

    "Is that the full reason?"

    "Why wouldn't it be?"

    Paul shrugged nonchalantly. "You just don't strike me as someone who runs away when things get hard."

    Bridget scoffed at the audacity and glared up at him. "Well, that just proves that you don't know me at all."

     "I don't need to know you." Paul says, walking over to her until he was only a couple feet in from her. "I'm pretty good at reading people. I just think there is more to your story than you care to let on."

    Bridget didn't realize how intense his stare was until she felt her heart pick up and a shiver went down her spine from the proximity. She swallowed but never broke his gaze. "I'll tell you what. I'll tell you the truth of why I really transferred schools if you tell me what an imprint really is?"

    Paul stiffened at the word and his features hardened once again, staring intensely down at the blonde before finally being the first to look away. Bridget nodded smugly. "That's what I thought."

    Bridget walked away, completely aware of the eyes on her back.

><><><

    𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐋𝐘 by as Bridget found herself engrossed in so many different conversations it was hard to keep up with. She had been introduced to Emily's father as well as her mother, who was more aware than she was at the beach.

    She met Seth's parents as well, Harry and Sue Clearwater. She even met their daughter, Leah, for a very brief second but the girl basically claimed the hour she said she had to stay was up and asked to go home. She didn't even acknowledge Bridget as she looked like this was the last place she wanted to be. Bridget decided to mind her own business and not question it when Sue apologized for her.

    She found herself sticking with Kim the most, feeling the most comfortable around her besides Sam, but the host was busy going around and helping out on the grill. Seth hung around them, which Bridget did not mind much as she found him to be a very sweet kid with a lot of energy before he decided to head home as well after cake was served.

    Soon, Bridget found herself sitting around the bonfire, the sun was just starting to set and a few people had gone home already. Emily's parents as well as her sister who had to take her daughter home as well and her brother who was a student at the University of Seattle and had a long drive back home.

    Emily sat in front of her fiance, wrapped tightly around his arms as everyone was basically paired together. Kim had left Bridget to be with Jared, forcing the only empty chair to be right near the last person she wanted. She hasn't spoken to Paul since their little interaction earlier, and she tried hard not to give him the time of day, but it was hard when she could feel him glancing over at her every so often.

    As time went on, Bridget started to think she might head back to the house soon. She heard thunder in the distance, bringing the beautiful day to an end and hoped to make it back to the house before it started pouring. It still seemed a bit further away so it will hit Forks before it hits the reservation. Rosalie had texted her a half an hour ago, claiming that they might not be there when she comes home as they decided to use the thunder as an opportunity to play baseball. They have done it only a few times since she has known them and each time they invited her to watch, she always gave an excuse as to why she couldn't go. They got the hint after the third time.

    "So Bridget." The blonde was snapped out of her wandering daze when she heard her name, looking up to see the attention on her and Billy was the one who had spoken her name. "Where are you from?"

    "Uh, I moved here from Alaska, but I was born in Illinois." Just like she rehearsed. Keep close to the truth but move around the lies. She did move here from Alaska and she was born in Illinois, but the fact that she hasn't lived in Illinois since 1942 is something that didn't need to be added. She has never had the heart to return to Chicago since she and Alex fled there in the first place. She also didn't mention all the places she had lived before then.

    "What made you make the move from Alaska to Washington?" Sue is the one to ask curiously.

    Bridget knew the risks of mingling and attempting to form some kind of friendships. It came with questions about one's past and personal details to get to know her better. They still always made her nervous. She shared a look with Sam, seeing as the last time she mentioned the Cullens, he had freaked out, but she decided to take the chance and tell the story they have made up for her to tell people for years.

    "Um, I got emancipated from my parents a couple years ago and I moved in with a family friend who rented out a room to me. They were making the move here and offered for me to come and since I didn't want anything to do with my parents, I decided to go with him and his family."

    "Maybe we know this family?" Sue asked, looking genuinely interested in her story.

    Bridget scratched the back of her head before crossing her arms. "Uh, maybe. Do you know Doctor Carlisle Cullen? He works at the hospital in Forks." Crickets followed her response, and now Sue looked uncomfortable. Billy and Harry, however, looked calmer than the rest.

    "Yes, we know the Cullens. Not personally, but we've heard of them." Billy said, causing the blonde to press her lips into a thin line and nod her head. Silence fell around the fire and Bridget took a sip of her soda before clearing her throat.

    "Yeah, well, they've helped me out a lot when I needed it. They are good people."

    "I'm sure they are," Harry says, clearing his throat for a second before adding. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you get emancipated from your parents?"

    The blonde rubbed her hands together awkwardly. "Um, I'm sorry, I really don't like talking about it."

    Harry nodded in understanding as Billy turned to the blonde. "This might seem like a random question, but have you ever visited Ayr before?"

    That was a very random question indeed which caused the blonde to frown. "Ayr? That's in Scotland, isn't it?" Billy nodded and Bridget shook her head. "No, never. Though I wouldn't mind visiting, I've heard Scotland is such a beautiful place. Why do you ask?"

    Billy simply shook his head. "You just remind me of someone who used to live there. Minus the accent, of course."

   Bridget found herself chuckling. "No accent, unfortunately."

    "How long do you plan on living with the Cullens?" Paul killed the laughter by boldly asking, all attention turning towards him as Bridget was just surprised by his question.

    "Paul," Sam warned, but Paul never broke eye contact with the blonde.

    When he made no effort to take back his question, Bridget scoffed in disbelief. "Not that it's any of your business, but I guess until I can afford to find a place on my own." More like if she ever decided to live on her own again.

    Paul did not drop the subject. "So you are just mooching off of their money, then?"

    Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

    "Oh come on, we all know the Cullens are loaded. Why find a place for yourself when you can live in some fancy mansion, right?"

    Bridget's blood went cold. She was now fully facing him in her chair, and if looks could kill, he'd have been dead from the mooching comment. "For your information, I haven't taken a dime from them. I pay for my own groceries, my own car and my own clothes. I work at a restaurant almost every single day and I get upset if any of them try to offer me money. The last thing I want is to own them more than I already do. Staying with them is not a great choice but a choice I made, one that is clearly none of your business so why don't you stay the hell out of my business?"

    Silence fell over the group, the only thing that could be heard was the crackling of the fire. But when she thought Paul might argue, like he might try to get another rise out of her, he leaned back into his chair and smirked smugly, like he achieved what he wanted. And unknowingly to Bridget, he had and he was satisfied with her response.

    Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, her phone started ringing loudly. Fishing threw her purse angrily, she was surprised when she saw Carlisle's name flashing across her screen. He never calls her, not unless he really needed to get ahold of her. She got up and excused herself, answering the phone before walking away. "Carlisle?"

    "Bridget, where are you?" His voice was attempting to stay calm, but she knew something was up just because he called her out of the blue.

    "I'm at the reservation, but I'm about to leave. I should be at the house soon."

    "No!" Carlisle basically ordered. "No, do not come back to the house."

    Bridget halted in her step, hearing the panic in his tone. "Carlisle, what's happening?"

    "Those nomads that have been lurking around and killed that fisherman heard us playing today, one of them was a tracker and Bella was with us."

    Bridget's blood ran cold. "Okay, what does that mean exactly? Is she alright?"

    "It means the tracker is hunting Bella. It's hard to explain, but he is lurking around the house and he has help, so you can't come back here."

    "Where am I supposed to go?"

    "Esme called the Red Lion Hotel in Port Angeles. Everything is set up for you to stay there, but we don't know how long we are going to be gone for. We need to get Bella out of Washington and we have to kill this vampire before we can return."

     Bridget put a hand over her chest, her breathing escalating out of panic. She knew it. She knew bringing Bella into all of this was only going to end up with the girl getting killed. This is insane.

    "Bridget, I'm sorry but you have to trust me." Carlisle said sincerely. She did trust him. She did. Which is why she knew she couldn't argue with him about this, despite the major problems it posed for her.

    "I do trust you, Carlisle. Please call me with updates when you can, alright? And be careful." Bridget ended the call with Carlisle agreeing. She suddenly felt like she was going to be sick.

________________________

Wow, this is the longest chapter in a while and I actually love it! Don't come at me if there are editing errors, I'm very tired but really wanted to get this posted!

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!