Chương 12: Summer Break Shenanigans

(First Person POV)

"You cheated!"

"Did not!"

"Yes you did! I saw you swap the cards."

Sitting at the dining room table, I looked at the two arguing kids and let out a soft laugh. The three of us; Bella, Jacob, and I, were playing a card game together. Originally, the atmosphere had been one of peace but I underestimated the competitiveness of the two in front of me.

"He's lying, right Alan?"

"Alan, c'mon man, you're my friend! You should trust me!"

As both their eyes turned to look at me, I raised my hands in surrender.

"Don't bring me into this. As far as I could tell, both of you had something fishy going on with your cards."

Their expressions changed to disbelief and I laughed again.

"What's with all the noise guys?"

An inquisitive Charlie walked into the room carrying a glass of water. He was dressed in his uniform ready to go back to work after having come home to get something.

"These two are cheating," I explained with a fake pout.

Bella and Jacob both turned to me and said in unison, "No I'm not!" "No, I'm not!"

Charlie raised an eyebrow at wisely chose not to comment. Instead he simply said, "Well alright then. Have fun." And left immediately after.

"How do we know YOU'RE not the one who's cheating?" Jacob squinted his eyes at me.

Bella nodded and gazed at me with suspicion.

Holding a hand to my chest, I dramatically said, "How can you think of me like that? Do I seem like a person who would cheat?"

Both of them; "Yes!"

Well, ouch.

But they weren't wrong.

I really was cheating.

Heh.

****

It's been around a week since Bella came.

Jacob came over three times already and he would have come every day if it were not for his family commitments. Still, three days was enough for all three of us to form an interesting trio of friends.

If I had to say, I was like the older brother of the group while the other two were my younger siblings.

Not to brag or anything but I was definitely the most responsible one.

Bella was responsible most of the time but she was still a child that enjoyed a bit of messing around. Jacob...well...he was Jacob.

On the days that Jacob couldn't make it, Bella and I got to know each other a bit more. She likes reading, music, board games and is a very curious person. Despite her introverted personality, she is the type to let her curiosity take over her sense of reason. Not really a character trait I'd consider safe but it was nothing too bad right now.

I suppose she gets that quality from both her parents. Although, Charlie is a little more on the subdued side. I've heard about her mother's eccentricity (from the movie mainly) so I wouldn't put it past Bella to have inherited a little bit of that.

"Hey Alan, have you seen my book?"

Sitting on the couch meditating, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"What book?"

I opened my eyes and noticed Bella searching the room. She turned to me and said, "The book I was reading."

"The one with the blue hard cover?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

I jabbed my left thumb behind me, "Didn't you leave it in the kitchen somewhere?"

Bella muttered an 'Oh' before walking to the kitchen.

From the kitchen, she announced, "I found it!" before coming back to the living room and sitting on the next to me on the couch. I went back to meditating and slowed my breathing.

"Why do you do that?" I heard Bella ask.

Without opening my eyes, I replied, "It calms me."

"Oh. But you don't seem to the type that needs calming."

I cocked open an eye to look her, "What do you mean?"

Bella tilted her head slightly, "Nothing. It's just...you already seem pretty mature. Even though we're the same age and you like joking around, I sometimes feel as though you're way older than me."

Huh. Jacob said the same thing.

"I suppose I should be grateful you think of me as such."

Bella pointed at me, "See? It's stuff like that, that makes you sound older than me. Who speaks like that?"

"Like what?" I was baffled. Was my speech weird?

She just huffed in response, "Never mind. I'm too lazy to explain."

She went back to reading while I was left with many questions.

Do I really sound old? Do I speak too formally?

However, I soon realized that I too was too lazy to think about it anymore. Shaking my head, I went back to meditating and the subject was dropped there.

****

On Tuesday, Charlie told us he had taken leave off work for two weeks. He wanted to spend some time with Bella before she went back to Phoenix.

Between the two of them, it was hard to say whether or not they interacted well but I wasn't one to butt in. I gave them space and spent most of the day at the park with Jacob who ended up introducing me to member of the Quileute Tribe; a boy named Seth Clearwater.

I of course was already familiar with the name and person from the movie but naturally, I acted as though I'd never seen him before.

Seth was two years younger than Jacob making him nine.

Jacob had let him tag along because Seth begged to come. His mother allowed it as well so Jacob didn't have an excuse to turn him down.

But I didn't think it was a big issue.

Seth was a happy kid that literally enjoyed anything. But at the same time, he knew how to be obedient and listened well to Jacob. It was clear that Seth looked up to him and probably considered him an older brother.

And with Seth there, Jacob acted a bit more mature than he usually would. I guess having someone to take care of and who looks up to him pushes Jacob to become responsible.

As for me, as long as he didn't cause trouble, I didn't mind Seth playing with us. Plus, I liked the extra company.

The more, the better.

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A/N: Sorry for late update. Was very busy this week with other things. I'll try and update the next part but I can't promise I will before the week ends.