nine.
::drugs::

"you say, you ain't you, when you're like this. this ain't you and you know it"
—eden

.•°* .•°* .•°* .•°*

The Swan house was pretty quiet, besides for the occasional murmuring Charlie Swan let out as he eyeballed his shotgun while cleaning it. Althea sat down across from him at the table doing her homework. Finding it slightly amusing how he cleaned the gun. A few beer cans lined up in a row. Taking a sip of his last can since his youngest had cut him off giving that he had to get up early in the morning for work.

"Hey, got you another one," Bella announced, sliding another beer can over to Charlie. Althea was quick to intercept it and sent her a small glare.

"Don't try buttering him up with beer. He's cut off for the rest of the evening," Althea slightly scowled.

"I have a date with Edward Cullen," Bella told Charlie. Looking between her dad and sister. Althea looked back down at her homework, not wanting to be a part of that little conversation. Charlie paused cleaning the gun, looking at Bella a little unsure. He glanced over to Althea to see the girl not involved in the conversation. It made him feel a little awkward since he was aware that his youngest daughter was seeing the same boy not too long ago.

"He's a little old for you, isn't he?" Charlie wondered.

"No. He's a junior. I'm a junior. I thought you liked the Cullens," Bella said.

"My mind can change. I thought you didn't like any of the boys in town,"Charlie replied back.

"Edward doesn't live in town. Technically. He's right outside," Bella informed, Althea shifting a little uncomfortably in her seat.

"He is?" Charlie questioned.

"Yeah, he wanted to meet you, officially with me," Bella told Charlie, causing him to let out a small sigh. He had met the boy a few times when him and Althea had become friends. But it got him a bit by surprise when it took him a long time to realize they were seeing each other. And now he had to be reintroduced again to the boy that made his daughters act differently all of the sudden.

"All right. Bring him in," He instructed her, closing his shotgun back up. Althea chuckled at his unamused face.

"Real subtle, dad," She snickered.

"Could you be nice? He's important," Bella asked her father before her eyes also traveled to her younger sister. Charlie spun a finger over the top of his head in a halo as a response.

Althea shrugged, "I'm not making any promises."
After all, he was important to Althea and Bella didn't seem to care about that.

Bella brought Edward into the house. The boy's eyes were rather wide when he entered the kitchen. Clearly he seemed a little frightened to meet the man.

"Chief Swan. I want to formally introduce myself. I know it's been a while. I'm Edward Cullen," Edward said in a robotic way that made Althea snort. Her hand fell over her mouth trying to cover it up.

"Hi, Edward," Charlie nodded his head before they shook hands.

"Hey, Althea," Edward greeted, looking towards the girl. The girl just looked at him like she was staring through him. Though seeing him standing there right next to her sister in her house made her stomach cramp up. What a silly thing feelings were.

"Bella won't be out too late tonight. She's just going to play baseball with my family," Edward informed, an amused look fell onto Charlie's face while Althea couldn't help herself but laugh.

"Baseball?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, sir, that's the plan."

"Bella's gonna play baseball. Well, good luck with that," Charlie chuckled before he scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, Bambi is for sure going to win," Althea couldn't help but tease. Edward tried to not laugh at the girl, especially when comparing her sister to a cartoon deer.

"My family was also hoping to extend the invite to Althea. They would really love to see her and have her join in," Edward brought up, causing a scowl to fall onto Althea's face while Bella looked at Edward confused. Not aware that they wanted Althea to go too.

"No thanks. I already have plans. Which speaking of, I need to pack a bag so I can start the drive there," Althea said, gathering her notebook and pen to bring upstairs.

"Where are you going again?" Charlie asked, trying his best to remember.

"Down to the Rez. Jake, Quil, Embry, and I are having our movie night," Althea jogged her father's memory. Edward's seemed to stiffen a bit in his place when Althea informed Charlie of where she was heading. It made the Cullen boy more uneasy. The thought of Althea being there and in his mind unprotected raised the warning flags in his mind.

"That's right."

"So, if you'll excuse me," Althea said, slipping past Edward and her sister to head up to her room.

🐺🐺🐺

"No, you idiots! You have to put water in with the noodles or you're going to catch the microwave on fire!" Althea yelled, intercepting the first bowl she saw of dried uncooked noodles. Quil was about to place it into the microwave without any water. A recipe for disaster.

"Well, you never told us that," Embry tried to put the blame on the girl who had a scowl on her face.

"It's common sense, stupid. And the package also has instructions on it in bold along with pictures. I know you might have difficulty reading, but that's why they make pictures for idiots like you three," Althea told them, filling the first bowl with water before putting it in the microwave. Then she added water to the rest of them before sitting them on the counter.

"4 minutes for each and stir before putting the seasoning in it," She instructed before heading back to the other side of the kitchen to make the sandwiches. The Swan girl had given them the easiest job and they couldn't even do that. They were beyond help at this point. She wondered how they would survive on their own.

"Can I have turkey?" Jacob wondered.

"You get what you get," Althea pointed the knife in his direction.

"Please, Thea," the boy begged. He wandered over to stand by her. Trying his best to give his puppy dog eyes resulting in the girl letting out a huff in annoyance.

"Don't fall for it, Thea!" Embry yelled at her, grabbing onto her and pulling her away from Jacob. "He knows you have a soft spot for him like he has one for you, he's using that against you," He accused. Quil laughed at them as he watched Jacob glare at the Call boy.

"You're dead." Jacob declared with a deadly look in his eyes before he chased Embry out of the kitchen.

"What just happened?" Althea asked.

"Oh, you know. They love fighting for your love," Quil shrugged his shoulders. 

"I love you all equally," Althea said, Quil couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Please, how long did you have a crush on Jake?" Quil questioned, raising his eyebrow.

"That was only for a little bit, Quil Ateara. We're just best friends," She told him. The girl didn't realize how obvious her feelings for Jake once were. But they were friends. Their friendship meant more than anything.

"If it makes you feel any better, Jake had a crush on you too," The boy informed her. "But he realizes how much you value your friendship. And he also doesn't want to lose you if things went completely wrong."

Althea nodded her head. Her stomach got in slight knots at the information. Once upon a time, they both had a mutual liking for each other. It was weird hearing that she wasn't crazy for looking too far into things. The only thing the girl didn't know was that he still liked her. While she grew out of her crush, his own grew more. But it didn't stop him from developing a crush on her sister either. And Althea saw how he looked at Bella. Though Althea was unaware that it was the same way Jacob had always looked at her. With Bella it was different though. If things didn't work out, he wouldn't lose everything like he would with Althea.

"Thea help me from this wild animal!" Embry yelled, rushing back into the kitchen, hiding behind the girl for protection.

"Real mature," She commented. Jacob came in with still a hard glare on his face. "Jacob, leave the poor boy alone. Clearly he doesn't have the muscle to protect himself right now," Althea teased, poking Embry's skinny arms that were almost like her own. Jacob's mood changes quickly, now laughing at the butthurt expression on the Call boy's face.

"Hey, that's mean," Embry whined.

"Just telling it like it is," Althea shrugged, Quil high-fiving her with a smile.

"Thea, always keeping it real," Quil commented.
"Alright. Now grab your plates, I'm going to pick out the movie," Althea told the three boys.

"Can we maybe do something other than 10 Things I Hate About You?" Jacob questioned, causing the girl to give him an offended look.

"It's my pick tonight and I will choose what I want, Ephraim. If I want to watch Patrick Verona win over Kat Stratford, then that's what we'll watch," Althea playfully glared before walking out of the room.

"Nice one, Jake. Wake up the beast inside her," Quil snickered.

"Looks like I'm getting Thea cuddles tonight," Embry grinned, knowing that Jacob had gotten his privilege revoked by questioning her usual choice of movie. Jacob frowned bitterly, shoving the boy away from the food so he could get his sandwich first.

🐺🐺🐺

It neared towards the end of the movie, the four of them taking up the two couches. Althea's legs draped over Jacob's lap while her back was to Embry's side and Quil sprawled out across the smaller couch. A phone began to ring and Althea looked towards the table to see it was her own. She shuffled up out of her spot, grabbing the phone and making her way into the other room while the boys glanced confused at her retreating figure.

"Hey, Dad. What's up? Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?" Althea questioned.

"I–I... your sister left," He told her.

"Didn't she leave a few hours ago with Edward?" Althea asked, confused by the man.

"Yeah, she did. But I'm not talking about that. They got into some sort of argument. And she came home yelling and slamming doors. She then told me she had to leave. That I–I needed to let her leave or else she would feel tr–trapped by me like your mom was," Charlie explained, choking up on a few words. Althea felt a wave of sadness wash over her.

"Dad..." Althea let out in barely a whisper.

"Do I make you feel like that too? Is it me?" Charlie couldn't help but wonder.

"No. Dad, I have never felt trapped. You weren't the cause of how mom felt. You two were just opposites when it came to the lifestyle you lived. She didn't like the idea of being tied down. That has nothing to do with you at all. And I don't know what's going on with Bella. Maybe it was the only way she knew you would let her leave? But you know that you have never made anyone feel like they were stuck. There's nothing wrong with you, dad," A few tears ran down her face as she tried her best to ease her father's mind over the phone.

"It's just that this is the second time something like this has happened. You've been the only one to stay. I couldn't help but think that it was because you felt like you had to stay for me even if you wanted to leave," Charlie rambled.

"Dad. I've stayed with you all this time because I love you. I wouldn't trade the time I've spent with you for anything. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not.  I don't plan on going anywhere," Althea told him, he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Picturing her serious look that would be on her face if she was talking to him face to face.

"You would tell me if you ever felt like things were changing right?" Charlie questioned.

"Of course. But I promise you they won't. I'm with you until I move out. And even when I do, you'll be annoyed by how much I visit," Althea assured him that she would always be around. "Do you want me to come home?"

"No. No. You stay at Jacob's. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you, Al," He told her.

"Love you more, dad. Try to get some sleep," Althea said before the phone call ended.

The one thing on her mind was how much she wanted to slap Bella for what she said. It wasn't that she was mad she randomly decided her time in Forks was done. Althea was mad about what Bella decided to say in order to have Charlie let her go. Something that would hit him right where it hurt. But Althea had a gut feeling that there was a lot more behind why Bella made an impromptu exit from the town. And of course the Cullens had to be the cause of the shitshow of the night.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Jacob spoke up. A concerned look on his face while Althea wiped the few stray tears away.

"Yeah. Well, Bella left tonight. She went to go see my mom I think. My dad was hit hard by her sudden departure. And I feel horrible because he's blaming himself for why she left," Althea explained. Jacob pulled the girl into a comforting hug while rubbing her back. The girl was exhausted while stressed and the boy did the only thing he knew would help even if it was just a temporary solution.

"Charlie will be alright. Besides, he's got you anyway. All anyone needs is a little Althea time and their day will be brightened. Let's go put on another movie and get comfortable," He suggested, leading her back into the living room but not before he gave her hand a quick reassuring squeeze.

🐺🐺🐺

It had been about four days with no word from Bella until The Swan household had received a call from Carlisle Cullen. He explained that Bella was emitted into the hospital because she had taken a bad fall and she still wasn't awake yet. Charlie was quick to call Renee to let her know. The woman was quick to book a flight to get to Forks. Charlie hadn't left the place, along with Edward. But Althea had yet to be there. Charlie had told her he would go first to make sure Bella was in a stable enough condition so Althea wouldn't freak out by the sight. And he also wanted her to still go to school and wait until at least the weekend if she decided she wanted to finally visit. Althea had gotten a text from her father in the afternoon on Friday to let her know Bella was awake and talking. Taking that as a good sign, the younger girl finally decided to go see her sister.

When she had gotten to the floor Bella's room was on, her mother was the first to intercept her. Instantly rushing to her youngest daughter to give her a hug. Just being able to see Althea and that at least she was 'ok' was enough to make her feel better. Both her daughters were alive and that's all that mattered.

"She's in there with your dad. Edward is roaming around here somewhere. He's a cutie. And he stayed with her the entire time, refusing to leave her side," Renee informed Althea.

"That was nice of him to do," Althea said.

"She's been asking for you," Renee told her. Althea nodded her head before making her way to the door. She knocked, announcing her arrival. Charlie and Bella had turned to look at her. The oldest girl sent her a sad smile.

"You're a real jerk, you know that?" was the first thing Althea said to Bella as her eyes watered. She didn't like seeing Bella in the hospital bed hooked up to different monitors.

"I know. And I'm sorry, Al. I'm sorry for everything," Bella apologized. She scooted over in the bed slightly before grabbing her sister to pull her onto the bed to lay with her. Althea hugged her gently, being cautious to not hurt her in any way. And the two sisters stayed laying like that for a while. Bella apologizing repeatedly for how she had acted.

Althea had decided it was time to return home so she could shower and get something to eat. She headed out of the hospital room. When she had turned around the corner she saw Edward sitting there in one of the chairs. He looked up from his lap once he heard her. Nervously, Althea ran her hands against her pants before she walked up to him.

"I don't know what happened. Especially because I don't believe the story you're all spinning. But I still don't think I want to know. I just wanted to thank you for saving her," Althea said to the boy.

He nodded his head, "It was nothing. Of course I was going to save her. She's important. To me and she's important to you. I know you two have not necessarily been getting along, but I know how much she means to you. She's your big sister. I would never put you in a position where you'd have to feel the heartbreak of losing her," Edward told Althea. He was being genuine like he always tried to be with the girl. If Bella had died, he was scared to see how it would affect Althea. He refused to have the girl go through that kind of grief. Afraid that the sunshine she radiated as a person would be smothered by the dark clouds of death if she were to lose Bella or Charlie.

"I appreciate that. Thank your family for me too? They must have been a part of helping her out also," Althea asked him to pass on her little message of how she was grateful.

"I'll be sure to tell them. Rosalie definitely missed not being in school this past week to talk with you," Edward informed her, Althea slightly smiled.

"Yeah, it was a little weird without all of you there," She admitted. "I gotta head home to shower. I suppose I'll be stuck seeing you around more again?" Althea brought up with a raised brow. Edward chuckled in response. She realized she had to take a step for herself. Edward was there for Bella, he cared about her enough to save her. If he was going to be around more again, she had to make it work for herself. And the only way for that to work was letting the rest of her feelings for him go.

"It seems that way," He replied. Althea nodded before sending him a small smile before walking away down the hall. It was a start. She would have to get used to seeing the boy and his family around more even though their secret dangled over her head just waiting for the right moment to drop.