A/N: Here's another One Shot from me to you. Bella goes to the beach with friends from Forks High, at one point she finds herself alone in the middle of the sea, the current had pulled her far from shore and she finds herself in a less than ideal situation. Luckily Edward is there to save the day. Enjoy and review :)
Life Saver
It was Friday afternoon and I was just about to get to lunch when I noticed him. He was in the middle of the cafeteria with his siblings, walking towards their usual seat. He was beautiful, more beautiful than I had ever seen anyone in my life. Somehow I could never manage to look away when he was near. Of course he never spoke to me. We were supposed to be lab partners in Biology but somehow we would always end up working alone, I always felt like he didn't trust my knowledge but since I had already had advanced Biology at my old high school I knew everything there was to learn in that class already.
Edward Cullen. I secretly had a crush on him, something about him made him very appealing and it wasn't just his looks. He was smart and the way he laughed was just breathtaking. But why would he ever be interested in a plain girl like me. Nothing more boring than a klutz with boring brown hair and boring brown eyes. I wasn't special so he would never notice me anyways.
I let out a sigh as I realized once again that the only boy I had ever had a crush on would never want to be my boyfriend and walked towards the line that was forming in front of the counter. I picked up a tray and filled it with sorts of food that I knew I would not eat anyways. Somehow this amazing guy was messing with my appetite as well as my sanity.
"Bella, over here!" Mike yelled at me, always enthusiastic to see me it seemed. I knew that if I had had a crush on him that would have been no problem at all. He seemed to like me more than just friends. But he just wasn't my type. Too bad he couldn't just notice Jessica and the way she was always flirting with him. It would make things a lot easier for all of us.
I rolled my eyes at Mike, it wasn't like we were ever at a different table in the cafeteria so there was really no need for him to wave at me like some moron, signaling me to join them.
"Hi guys," I said when I reached the table all my friends were sitting at.
"Hey Bella," Angela replied enthusiastically. Angela was my best female friend, she was a bit shy and wasn't much of a talker but she was very smart and really sweet and I loved hanging out with her. She is very real. Unlike most girls at Forks High.
"Hi Bella, how are you?" Jessica, one of the more unreal girls of Forks High, gushed as soon as she noticed me.
"Fine Jess, you?" I replied.
"I'm great. We're all going on a trip to the beach tomorrow, it's supposed to be nice weather and it would be nice to get out you know! So are you coming?"
"Where are we going exactly and who's coming?"
"We're going to this new beach, I don't know what it's called exactly but I know the place, it's not La Push beach, we've been there so many times that we wanted something new, further away. And everyone is coming so you should too!" She finished the last sentence with a bit of bitterness as she eyed Mike who was willing me to come along with his eyes.
"Sure, I'll be there," I said with as much enthusiasm as I could manage. I was sure it would be fun but I had no intention of coming in between the love perils of Mike and Jess, I wanted them to be together as badly as she seemed to want him, only for different reasons.
I couldn't help but look back over to Edward every once in a while and this time was no different. The moment I had said I would come along on the trip my eyes moved towards him involuntarily and I was shocked when I noticed he was staring back at me, a small smile around his lips. Somehow it seemed as if he had heard every word of our conversation and something amused him.
I didn't get the chance to find out why he was smiling because my eyes dropped to the floor even quicker than they had moved towards him when I noticed he was staring back at me. I blushed bright red and focused on my food for the rest of the lunch break. Scared to look up and see him staring at me again.
Before I knew it Friday had ended and Saturday began. Today was the day of the trip to the beach and I wasn't very excited about it. Sure the weather was relatively nice for Forks but it still wasn't like it had been when I was still living with my mom in Phoenix. There was no sun and it wasn't hot, it was okay but to run around in a bikini with these temperatures was just not my thing. Not that running around in a bikini at any other temperature was my thing but that was besides the point.
I groaned and reluctantly got dressed and started packing my stuff. I walked downstairs to fix some breakfast and noticed my dad hadn't gone fishing today. That was unusual but I wasn't worried.
"Good morning dad," I said as cheerfully as I could manage.
"Good morning kiddo, did you sleep well?"
"Fine dad," I replied, "I thought you'd be out fishing by now?"
"Yeah, Harry Clearwater and Billy said they had some other stuff that needed their attention so the trip was cancelled. What are your plans today?"
"Well, I was going to go to the beach with some friends from school. Since I thought you'd be out all day anyways. But if you want me to stay home with you that's fine," I said, probably a little more hopeful than I should, for some reason I really wasn't looking forward to this trip.
"No that's fine kid, I'm glad you're having some fun with friends outside of school," he said with a genuine smile on his face. He had always been worried that I didn't spend enough time 'socializing' but since I took after him he of all people should understand.
"Alright, I won't be back too late," I promised before continuing my morning routine.
When I was all set I got in my truck and drove to Newton's store, where we would all meet up and carpool from there. I was the last one to arrive and everyone had already been assigned to a car. Since Mike had undoubtedly done all of the assigning it was no surprise that I was in his car, to Jess' and my dismay.
"Why don't you take the front seat?" I told Jessica, "I'll go in the back with Angela." Jessica shot me a thankful glance while climbing in the seat next to Mike, who didn't seem too happy about my little arrangement but I couldn't care less, no way I was going to get in the middle of all that.
It was an hour long drive before we finally got to the beach. It was a nice beach, quiet and clean. Everyone got into their swimming gear quickly and ran towards the ocean. Angela and I staid behind to set up everything on the beach. It was nice to be out here, very peaceful for some reason.
All of the guys were already in the water, surfing. I would like to learn how to surf. But I knew it wouldn't be a smart plan for me, I would just end up falling off my board and landing on it with my head, no doubt. So I will never be able to even attempt surfing, like any other sport for that matter.
Luckily I could swim, so when the guys wanted to go into the water again for another round of surfing I asked Angela if she felt like a swim and we headed for the water with the guys. Of course we would stay a safe distance away from the surfers so we were in the water before Mike, Eric and Tyler were. The water was too cold but after a little swimming it felt nice.
"I'm quite cold, I'm going to join the others at the campfire, are you coming?" Angela asked after a while of floating but I wasn't ready to get out of the water just yet. It felt nice and I felt very calm.
"You go ahead, I'll join you guys soon."
I was alone in the sea and I was happy. I was deep in thought, not thinking about anything in particular, just daydreaming. Mostly about Edward, although I knew it was stupid and would only set me up for more disappointment but I couldn't stop myself when I was alone.
I lost track of time and I hadn't been paying attention to my surroundings so when I finally looked up to take a look around I was shocked to see how far I had drifted of the coast. As far as I could see there was only ocean and the beach was just a tiny line on the horizon. I tried with all my power to swim back to shore as quickly as I could but the force of the sea was too great. Apparently it had increased by a lot since I first got into the water. I noticed I was getting cold as well so I tried to fight the current as much as I could but I wasn't getting any closer to the coastline. I started feeling scared and tried screaming to my friends to come and help me or to get someone who could help me but I was too far away.
I gave up swimming after a while because I was exhausted. I knew there was nothing more I could do so I closed my eyes and just floated along with the current, I didn't fight anymore, I couldn't. I closed my eyes and thought only of happy things, somehow everything seemed to involve Edward again and I didn't fight it, if I had to choose, I would always choose to spend my last minutes with him. After all, I loved him more than I had ever loved anyone, even if he didn't feel that way about me and even if things would never ever happen between us, I was happy with the thought of us together.
After a while I opened my eyes again and I noticed that I couldn't even see the shoreline anymore, I was in the middle of nowhere, somewhere alone in the middle of the ocean. I was freezing by now and my body didn't respond to my brain anymore. I couldn't tell myself to move. I tried to look around for any boat or other sign of humans anywhere near but found nothing. I was sure my friends would have gone for help by now, but I didn't detect any choppers or anything looking for me. This is it. I thought to myself.
Then I noticed something more terrifying than I had ever witnessed before. I saw three small triangles above the water, closing their distance to me rapidly. Killed by sharks, never thought it would end that way. Within minutes the sharks were circling around me and I could clearly make out their form. I was no expert on sharks so I didn't know what type of sharks they were but by now I was sure they weren't vegetarians, they were just playing with their food. Me.
I couldn't swim away anymore, there was nothing I could do, even if I wanted to. I would soon be their prey and then it would all be over. I just hoped it would be as quick and painless as these things can be. The thought was too much to bare and I noticed I started slipping into unconsciousness. Maybe it was because I was freezing or maybe it was because my brain was protecting me from what was about to happen but I didn't fight it, I didn't want to know what would happen next. I felt myself slip deeper and deeper into unconsciousness and the last thing I noticed were the sharks swimming away, from what I could tell they were frightened, and I felt two cold arms around me, restraining me. I let go and everything went dark.
Cold lips against mine woke me up and I tried to open my eyes. I couldn't. Then I heard his voice, concerned.
"Bella? Please Bella, just breathe!" he begged me.
I tried to do as he told me but I couldn't. I was unable to remember how to breathe. Then I felt his cold lips against mine again, blowing air into my mouth. His breath was sweet and cold and it felt nicer than anything I had ever experienced before. The taste was delicious and made my head swim. I was dizzy as I tried again, harder this time, to open my eyes. I still wasn't successful.
"Come on Bella!" I heard his pleading voice. It seemed full of pain, I wanted to comfort him, "Please don't let me be too late! I don't want to lose her!" He wasn't talking to me anymore and his words didn't make sense.
This time my body did respond and I was able to open my mouth while letting out a first breath. I wasn't prepared for the amount of water that came with that breath so I started coughing immediately, half choking in the meantime.
"Oh thank God!" he exclaimed, "Bella are you alright? What were you doing out there on your own?"
What had happened? I couldn't really remember anymore. I tried to find my voice but my throat was raw and it hurt to breathe so I figured talking would only make matters worse. So instead I tried to sit up straight. The beautiful boy in front of me noticed my attempt and smoothly helped me up.
"Take it easy," he ordered me. "You must be in some sort of pain, let me get you to a hospital!"
Hospital? Was I that bad? Then I noticed how cold I was and I figured I might be under cooled so it might not be a bad idea to go to a hospital to get it checked. I still hadn't found my voice so I just nodded.
Then I remembered I had been with my friends and I started scanning my surroundings for any sign of them.
"Your friends are a little further down the beach, looking for you, so I'll let them know you're okay and then I'll take you to the hospital, alright?" I nodded again.
He sighed and looked deep into my eyes with an expression I had never seen in his eyes before. He looked caring as well as in pain.
"You had me quite worried for a while Bella, I thought I might have been too late. I don't know what I would have done if you had been eaten by those sharks or if you had drowned." He dropped his eyes to the floor for a bit before gazing back into my eyes. "When I noticed you were missing from the beach and I heard your friends calling your name worriedly I had to find you. I barely got there in time, if I would have been a second later those sharks would have killed you! What were you thinking?!" His voice sounded mad as well as worried.
I was confused. I didn't understand what he was telling me. He had never before talked to me so why would he care if I lived or died? And why did he look ashamed when he said that? I didn't understand any of it.
"Edward…?" I managed to choke out. It burned my throat but I wanted to ask him what was going on and what had happened. I especially wanted to ask him how he had been able to save me from those sharks and dragged me all the way out of the water from where I had been. It must have many miles from shore.
"I'm here, are you okay?"
I nodded. "I'm fine, what happened? I can't… I don't… remember," I stumbled. I wasn't uncomfortable from the cold or the water anymore, this was just the effect he seemed to have on me. The moment I looked back into his eyes I started to blush furiously and I couldn't form sensible thoughts anymore.
He chuckled. "You drifted too far. I found you and I brought you back."
"There were sharks," I said dumbly.
"Yes, they fled."
His answers were short and they confused me but I wasn't in the mood to argue. His arms were still around me and I was exhausted. I rested my head against his chest. I noticed it was very hard, like a rock, and very cold, but somehow it was very comforting to snuggle into him.
He didn't push me away, in fact his arms tightened around me and he held me close. I was happy in that moment. I could pretend that he could actually be interested in me. We sat there for a while, not moving, sometimes I thought I felt his cool breath on my hair and sometimes something pressed softly against the top of my head. Were that his lips? I couldn't tell.
"I should go tell your friends your okay," he mumbled into my hair.
I nodded. I knew it would be the best thing to do but I didn't want him to move so instead of letting him go I threw my arms around his neck unthinkingly and hugged myself closer to him. I waited for him to push me away. He didn't. He just chuckled and continued to hold me.
After a while I realized it wouldn't be fair to keep my friends out there looking for me so I reluctantly let go of Edward and pulled myself back. I tried to get up but I wasn't strong enough yet so I crashed back to the floor. Edward's arms caught me and before I knew it he lifted me up in his arms and cradled me to his chest while he began walking towards the others.
Not long after Edward had convinced my friends, and especially Mike, that he was perfectly capable of taking me to the hospital without any help, I was in a hospital bed and a doctor who looked a little like Edward and his siblings with the color of his eyes and his striking beauty, I assumed it was his father, was examining me.
I was fine, they were going to keep me there for one night to keep an eye on me but after that I would be free to go home as long as I took it slow for the coming days. The bed was very comfortable and I felt really tired. I felt my eyes droop and I was almost asleep when I remembered that Edward was still there.
"Edward?" I asked sleepily.
"I'm right here," he replied.
"Thank you!" I said sincerely. "You're a life saver!"
"Oh Bella," he sighed and before I knew it his cool lips touched mine and he was kissing me, he cradled my face in his hands and was tracing the lines of my face with his fingers. It was magical. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him back.
For an immeasurably long moment we were kissing and I was in heaven. Did he really feel the same way about me as I did about him? Could I really be that lucky? I hoped so.
Too soon he pulled away and he looked into my eyes with a look that sent my heart in overdrive and butterflies racing through my stomach. He smiled a crooked smile and it was breathtaking. I couldn't think straight.
He sat back into his chair and held my hand. He traced the lines of my palm unthinkingly and I couldn't have been more happy.
I was tired and couldn't repress a yawn. I looked at him and blushed deep red. He chuckled. "It's alright love, you should rest now," he said lovingly.
"Will you stay?" I asked him uncertain.
"As long as you want me to," he replied sincerely while gazing into my eyes full of deep emotions, it felt like he was looking straight into my soul.
"Thank you," I mumbled sleepily.
I smiled and before I knew it I was asleep, smile plastered on my face.
A/N: That's it for this story again. I hope you enjoyed it :) Just a fun little fact about me: I actually really like sharks, they are the world's best preditors (aside from vampires of course ;):P) and they are quite fascinating I think :P I used to be very scared of them but I got over that :D Still I wouldn't want to be in the situation Bella was in because I would surely be scared shitless :D Let me know what you thought about the story :)
Until next time!
Xxx,
Thari
