CHAPTER NINETEEN
everyone knows but you

Violet struggled to hold back a groan. The garage was loud, the sound of summer rain bouncing against the metal roof and the fixed radio playing from the office merging into noise. Her dad stood by the door, tinkering with something in his toolbox, which was resting against his stomach, and Celia was sat in the back of the jeep, hot coffee nursed between two hands. Such a mixture was never good news.

"If you like her, why don't you say something?" Her dad said, tone suggesting it was the most obvious solution. But Robbie Green most certainly didn't understand the problem with confessing her feelings to Rosalie Hale.

"If I did like her, there's no guaranteeing she'll like me back," Violet said, shaking her head. "I'm not going through that embarrassment."

Celia perked up from her spot in the truck, eyes wide and mischievous. Already, Violet didn't like where the conversation was going. How they'd gotten onto the topic of Rosalie, she didn't know, but Violet wanted nothing more than for the interrogation to end.

"What do you say, Mr Green, should we make a bet?"

"20 dollars says she feels the same," Robbie said, speaking straight to his daughter as if to prove a point.

Violet let out a large huff. "How can she feel the same when you don't even know how I feel?"

Her dad strolled over, his face filled with amusement as he bent down to place a kiss on her head. "It's pretty obvious, Vi."

"I'm not betting against that. There's a ninety-nine per cent chance I'd lose," Celia announced, taking too much enjoyment from Violet's suffering.

She glared lightly at her friend, folding her arms in front of her chest. The act made Celia laugh, almost spilling the coffee over her lap.

Violet finally let out the groan. "Both of you need to leave. You're not being here when she comes. Not with that attitude," she said, beginning to push her dad from the workshop before turning back to Celia.

"Our company might actually make this go somewhere," her friend said. Violet stopped still, face deadpanned.

"Celia, I love you, but no," she said, taking the coffee, and placing it on the floor before dragging the girl by her elbow. "Or should I mention your stint with Emmett at the dance?"

"I'll leave you girls to it," Robbie shouted from the doorway, shutting the metal grates as he returned to the office.

The two paid him little attention, glares playfully shared. Violet lifted her chin, daring Celia to respond. Some part of her loved this. Their friendship was going somewhere it never had before, sharing things about other people they liked. Thinking of Rosalie excited her and she wanted to share that with Celia- when the time was right.

Celia gave an exaggerated gasp. "You're cruel."

"Hmmm. Two can play the game."

Celia gave her a massive grin, looking past her shoulder. It was the opposite reaction to what Violet was expecting. But Celia pushed past her, heading toward the back door with a bright face.

"Rosalie, hi!"

Her words made Violet pale. She trusted Celia, but not enough to not let something slip accidentally. With a spin on her heals, Violet turned to the too, spotting Rosalie by the doorway. She seemed unsurprised to see Celia, her face taking the simple, same look it always did. Violet took her friend by the shoulder.

"Celia was just leaving."

"That's alright," Rosalie said, shrugging so slightly that it was almost undetectable. She held out her hand and Celia took it swiftly. "Nice to meet you."

"I was wondering when I'd get to talk to you. Violet seems to keep all her best things hidden."

Rosalie's eyes slid behind Celia and Violet did her best not to blush, but she could feel the burning in her cheeks.

"I guess we've just been busy," Rose said, smiling. "The Jeep is almost finished."

Violet began walking toward the open door, tugging Celia with her. "We'll finish today if we get started soon." Her next words were a whisper. "Bye Ceils."

Her friend stopped, hair frame by the darkness. Their faces bent together, sharing a knowing smile.

"You're talking to me later," Celia hummed, nodding her head, before leaving Violet to the night beyond.

No matter how much she wished to prolong it, the work on her truck only took an hour longer. Violet looked at their work with a newfound pride, Rosalie behind her, arm crossed over her chest. The keys hung from Violet's fingers.

"Ready to try it?" Rosalie said, watching the brightness of her face. There was something electrifying about it.

Violet only nodded and slipped into the driver's seat. For a moment, she paused, and then plugged the key in and turned the ignition.

The engine roared to life with a deep hum.

Violet jumped up from her seat with a screach, hands raised into the air. In the next moment, her arms were rushing around Rosalie's neck, holding her tightly, hair brushing against her chin. Rosalie could feel her heartbeat against her skin, could smell her perfume more strongly than she ever had before. But as quick as it had haooened, the hug finished, and Violet pulled away with a grin.

"I have to tell my dad!"

Rose heard a laugh, another squeal of excitement, and then Violet was returning again, face in a daze. She looked lost, as if she had no clue what to do with herself now that the Jeep was complete.

As the excitement died down, Violet's mask finally seemed to drop. In the absence of her usual smile, the shadows under her eyes seemed to darken into a deep purple, and the pull of her lips was into a standing frown. It was as if something was weighing her down. Nothing was betrayed by her scent or her heartbeat. Rosalie could only furrow her brow and sit down in the back of the truck, knees dangerously close to her thighs.

"You look tired."

Violet still somehow managed to muster the energy to roll her eyes. "Thanks."

Rosalie only ignored her. "Have you been sleeping?"

"I'm fine," Violet said, but she looked anything but.

"Lie down."

Violet shrugged the suggestion off. "I'm fine, Rosalie."

"Lie down and you'll feel better."

She took her by the hand and pulled her backwards until she was sitting beside where Rosalie had leaned herself against the metal bed of the truck. It took a moment for Violet to lower herself, and then a minute more for her to grow comfortable against the flat steel sheets, but finally she sighed in something close to contentment.

"What is it?" Rosalie finally grew the nerve to ask.

She shook her head, as if fighting herself on whether to say anything. "I've just been thinking..." Violet began. She let her eyes flutter closed as she spoke. "I've been thinking about college a lot. Worrying, more like. It just seems like a big step. I don't want to leave everything behind."

With Violet blind to her surrounding, Rosalie took the moment to observe her. She seemed at peace, laying in rest with her eyes closed. Something within Rosalie ached.

"You're not leaving anything behind. They'll go with you, even if it's not physically. Your dad is a phone away, your Jeep can wait in the parking lot outside your building. You'll have photos, CDs, everything you'll have here. You have your thoughts, your memories. You have you."

"Yeah," Violet said, her face masked with a sad smile. Her expression spoke of a disappointment unable to be hidden, with her furrowed brows. She'd missed something in her speech that Violet had been hoping for. "Thank you, Rosalie."

Rosalie smiled and closed her own eyes, letting her other sense take over. She could hear her heart beat, so delicate, the rhythm so familiar as it drifted off into a slower pattern.

It was only as she turned to find Violet asleep, that Rosalie realised their hands were still interlocked.

So short and basically a filler before what's to come but at least it's progress! Thanks for reading <3
Not a fan of it but may rewrite in the future