Chapter Text
15th January 2005 saturday
Nothing ever changed in Forks. Not really. The rain still fell like it had a job, the trees still stood there like they were judging you, and people still acted like the biggest news in town was whether the gas station had fresh donuts.
But then Bella Swan was coming back.
Two days. Monday.
The rumor hit Forks first—then it hit the rez like it got launched out of a cannon. Charlie asking Dad about his truck didn’t exactly help. Hard to keep anything quiet when the Chief of Police is basically making purchases that come with a side of gossip.
I remembered Bella. Sort of.
She used to visit Charlie sometimes, years ago—back when we were little. She’d play out on the beach with my sisters more than with me. If she remembered me at all, it was probably as “one of Billy Black’s kids,” which was basically the rez equivalent of being an NPC.
Still… it was kind of weird knowing she was coming back for real.
I stayed in the garage most of the day, because that was easier than thinking about it. I had the truck’s engine spread out like a puzzle on the workbench, hands black with grease, Dad’s old tools clanking every time I reached for something.
Billy had “bribed” me into helping—parts for my own car in exchange for getting his truck running again. Which wasn’t a bad deal, honestly. And it kept my brain busy.
By the time I got the engine back together, the sun had already done its usual Forks disappearing act, and the house smelled like chili and cornbread—Dad’s idea of a warm welcome for Charlie when he showed up for dinner.
Charlie came in looking tired the way he always did, like being Chief wasn’t a job so much as a slow, permanent weather system. He nodded at me, nodded at Dad, and sat down like this was just what Saturdays were.
It mostly was.
We ate for a minute before Charlie cleared his throat, awkward about it in a way that made me look up immediately.
“So, uh… hey, Jake.” He pushed a spoon through his chili like he was building up courage. “You could come by Monday. To… you know. Greet Bella. I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”
I paused with a piece of cornbread halfway to my mouth.
It wasn’t a bad idea. Seeing her again could be… fine. Normal. Maybe even kind of nice.
Then I remembered Embry and Quil.
We’d already made plans—study session that wasn’t really a study session, because Quil was the kind of guy who said “study” and meant “panic loudly while everyone else suffers.” Test coming up, and I wasn’t about to ditch them for a girl I barely knew anymore.
“Sorry, I can’t,” I said, taking a bite. “Got plans with Embry and Quil. Test coming up and Quil’s freaking out.”
Dad’s eyes flicked to mine—watch your language—the look he always gave even when we both knew he wasn’t actually going to do anything about it.
Charlie waved it off. “It’s alright, kiddo.” But I still caught the little flash of disappointment he tried to swallow down with his next spoonful. “Well… I’m glad she isn’t the only one transferring.”
That got Dad’s attention fast.
“Oh yeah?” Dad leaned back a little, like he’d just been handed a new piece of gossip and didn’t want to drop it. “How come you know that, Chief?”
Sometimes I swear Charlie and my dad were just two old ladies in different packaging.
Charlie shrugged, but he had that I know something you don’t look. “Met the girl’s mom today at the grocery store. Joslyn Smith. She started working at the hospital.”
He said it like that explained everything, which… honestly, in Forks, it kind of did.
“Her daughter’s around Bella’s age,” Charlie continued. “Maybe a little younger. Real polite. Doesn’t seem like much trouble.”
I always thought it was kind of impressive—how Charlie could meet someone for five minutes and come away with a full character profile like he’d done a background check.
“So where do they come from?” I asked, mostly just to keep the conversation moving. Also because—seriously—who moved to Forks on purpose?
“Seattle, I think,” Charlie said. His voice went a little careful on the last word, like he didn’t fully trust it yet.
I snorted softly. “That’s… a choice.”
Dad made a sound that might’ve been a laugh.
Charlie just took another bite of chili like he’d seen weirder things. Which, I guess, he probably had.
Dad and Charlie kept talking—hospital stuff, school stuff, Bella stuff—while my thoughts drifted back to engines and exhaust and the feel of a wrench in my hand. The steady things. The stuff that didn’t change.
Dinner stayed peaceful after that.
Outside, the rain kept tapping at the windows like it was trying to get in.