This is my first story on Fanfic. Please drop by read and leave a review to let me know what you think!
{BPOV}
I was late. Fuck! Slamming my locker, I rushed as fast as possible to my first class. If my dad hadn't kept me up so fucking late, I wouldn't have been breaking my damn neck to get to school this morning. A three mile walk in the cold was no fun. Trying to keep the anger at bay, I throw my bag over my shoulder and weave through the crowded hall, bumping into any and everybody. With mumbled apologies, I try to calm myself when I thought of dragging Charlie's drunk ass to bed at four this morning, having only caught small bits of sleep, waiting for him to get home. There was no one else to do it and I never could sleep knowing Charlie was out there stumbling around in the dark, or worse being arrested for public intoxification. There was no bail money to be had. I try to tame my long mahogany locks with my hands while, at the same time, using my arms to keep a hold of my bag. Irritated even more now with the memory of dad puking on his bedroom floor, I pull the tie from my wrist and pull my hair up in my fist ready to put it up in a ponytail. The shit got in the way all the time. If I wasn't so attached to it, I would cut it off. Having woken up late, I missed breakfast on top of everything, opting to have a quick shower instead of satisfying my hunger. My stomach growled painfully. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I hated missing a meal, I never knew when I would get one again.
I hit something hard as rock and I stumbled back, slamming into the wall next to my classroom door, my shoulder stinging were it made contact. Forgetting the hunger pains in my stomach, I was now focused on the pain shooting down my left arm. Perfect, just perfect! What was next, catching my hair on fire in Biology? Wouldn't have to worry about cutting it off if that happened, now would I? I had been so wrapped up in my silent rant that I ran into a fucking wall, or rather, a wall ran into me. "Hey, you okay?" a deep voice asked. I was a nice person usually. I kept to myself, did what I was supposed to do without question and always said 'please' and 'thank you', but today I was ready to kick some ass. I would normally ignore people at school being rude to me but little sleep and the anger at my dad I felt, left me with little patience. Ready to give the jerk who ran into me hell, I glance up with my mouth opened to snarl something worthy of an oscar and I completely freeze.
Oh my sweet lord... The most amazing, intense green eyes were staring down at me with amusement. Holy fuck, I wanted to bite his bottom lip. The mouth that I my eyes were transfixed on, turned up in a crooked smile, "Are you sure you're alright? You ran into me pretty hard." I say nothing. My fucking mouth refused to work and it was still gaped open like a dying fish. It was hard to concentrate when staring up at a six foot two god, I don't care what anybody says.
Make your mouth move girl, I berated myself. Just open up and give a normal response so he doesn't think you are a complete moron. The smile slowly leaves his gorgeous face as he looks at me with his brows furrowed, like he was wondering if I was in the special ed program at school. I can feel my face heat up with embarrassment. "I-I'm fine, " I mumble, moving swiftly around him in head to my seat in English. Smooth ding dong, smooth. I kept my head down so my hair, now welcomed, could cover the stain of shame on my face. Of all the days to have the opportunity to talk to the most desirable guy I had ever had the fortune to breathe the same air with, it would be on the same day that Murphy's Law chose to pay attention. Normally, I looked forward to this class, it was one of my favorites, but all I could think about was how I couldn't even talk to Edward Cullen or thank him for not letting me hit the ground. Those damn eyes and lips blew every brain cell I had out of the water.
Edward "I have it all" Cullen. The epitome of the guy who was any and everything at Forks High. Looks, money, smart to boot, and I now knew he was built thanks to the first, and probably only, contact I would ever have with him. I peeked underneath my lashes to see if he was still paying attention to me, having left him in the hallway. Yeah right, Issy girl, he hasn't paid attention to you for four years, why the hell would he do it now? Oh my god, he's still looking! Gasping, I drop my head on my desk and silently pray for death. I had never wanted to be somewhere else more in my entire life.
He sat a couple of rows in front of me in English class, which I enjoyed immensely on any given day. There were days sometimes that I'm surprised I can recall a lecture. I would most of the time spend class gazing at the back of his beautiful bronzed head. He was constantly touching it, running his fingers through the thick strands making my mouth water. He was the one and only player in my day dreams. I couldn't figure out how I kept an A in here spacing out all the time. What if he was making fun of me? Thinking I was retarded and couldn't speak normally? I can feel my heart expand in my chest and my mouth go dry. That's all I needed, more fucking excuses to be made fun of. It was bad enough that my dad and I were dirt poor and me being forced to go to a school that had every fucking rich kid in a fucking fifty mile radius. They had the wore the right clothes, drove the right cars, and apparently born to the right parents. I had none of those things, therefore I was a target on a daily basis. I bravely take another look to see if Edward is still looking at me and I am instantly relieved to see that he's not. His attention now directed toward Mrs. Blakely who just started class.
Relaxing a bit, I settle in and for once, did not fantasize about him. I get through the rest of my morning classes, thankful that I don't have anymore classes with him. Edward never ran into me again, not that I was expecting him to. I was pretty much invisible at Forks High. I didn't fit in with anybody very much. Don't get me wrong, I like company but I am a loner at heart and I accepted that. I didn't hang out with anyone from school, I didn't have the money or influence to do so and the other kids who were low on the totem pole kept to themselves. Like there was some unspoken rule that the poor kids couldn't congregate for fear of rebellion. Shallow people pissed me off anyway so it is a good thing that I don't have to hang around the fakes. The only person I really associated with was Angela Weber who was, in her own right, a loner as well except her parents were loaded. I don't think even the other elitists knew Angela had money. She didn't show it by wearing designer clothing and she drove a Saturn Vue. She was just as shy and socially inept as I was, so we are a nice fit to sit together at lunch. We didn't say much, usually we would just do homework together or read silently. It was the best part of my day. Peace.
"Bella?", Angela stared in awe at me shoveling my lunch down my throat. "Did you eat anything at all today?" I hummed in pleasure at the hot soup that was in front of me. God, I loved soup. "No, I was running late and didn't have time to eat. " I left it there. Angela knew of my circumstances but she didn't know about Charlie's drinking and pissing the little money we had down the drain. Angela had offered plenty of times to help me out, but I always refuse. I was too stubborn, I could make this work on my own. Somehow.
My dad had worked in the lumber industry for as long as I could remember and for the past few years the work had been drying up. Workers had been laid off left and right , and my dad had been lucky enough to be apart of small group that got to stay on. That all changed last summer when Charlie came home and told me the company had to let him go. I knew my dad tried to keep positive, immediately setting out to find work. He even went as far as Seattle to see if he could find something part time until something closer to home turned up. We soon found out that there was nothing my dad was trained for other than driving lumber and the prospects dried up. It was way more competitive in a big city and everyone had more experience. After months of not finding anything, his upbeat attitude quickly turned to despair. It was like he just gave up. I didn't understand how he could give up so quickly and leave me out to dry. Like he didn't even care he had a daughter to take care of.
He stayed at the bar more often, coming home late, drunk off his ass. It pissed me off that he could afford to buy beer but we didn't have a fucking piece of food in the house. Last year, everything changed for me, and I went from being oblivious to the cost of living, to counting change to put food on the table, and making sure the bills got paid on time. I got a job at the local diner downtown to keep myself in clothes and shoes, and I walked to school because Charlie sold the car when just about everything else in the house was pawned. I keep my violin hidden for fear I would come home and find it gone. That was the last thing momma gave me before money became tight. Dad was barely coherent most nights and I had to grow up fast or starve basically. Thinking about it made my embarrassment with Edward fade away into the anger I felt when I woke up with only two fucking hours of sleep after dragging my dad up to his bed after another binge.
"Okay then.. enjoy your lunch." Angela gave me a small smile and adjusted her glasses.
I smiled at her, "Sorry Ang, but I'm hungry, and I still have to read that assignment for Spanish." She nodded and picked up her book continuing where she left off. See, this is what I liked about Angela, she wasn't nosy. You gave her an answer and she let it drop. No questions asked. She had a good heart and from what I could tell, this was not a common thing among rich kids. Her father had his own law firm and her mom was a former school teacher who quit her job to raise Angela's younger twin brothers. Hard to believe Angela didn't think she was better than anyone else with all the things she got to grow up with, but that was her. She adored her brothers and volunteered at a shelter during her free time. If there was an award to be given for an excellent soul, it was Angela.
I looked up thinking that maybe I had enough money for an apple when Edward walked through the door and into the lunch room. He had his arm around his girlfriend, Tanya Baker, who was nothing short of perfect with her long blond hair, which probably never saw a splint end, and shapely body. I loose any desire for an apple and the rest of my lunch. Tanya was poured into a pair denim jeans and a blue shirt, that if it lost one more button, it could easily release her perfect breasts to the male population. I self consciously tugged on my dad's old plaid shirt. It was faded and old back from when he had a waist, and I had a white tee shirt underneath. I threw on a pair of jeans and sneakers when I left the house at a dead run. Yeah, I wouldn't walk down any runways anytime soon. I touched my own hair, comparing it to Edward's girlfriend. I thought my hair was a pain in the ass most of the time, always getting in the way during any activity. So I kept it up and tamed, only letting it down right before going to bed. Momma used to tell me that she envied my dark strands while she brushed it at night. I tried to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. Those were some of the best memories I had of my mom. Renee always said that it was the one beauty Charlie had given me, my hair. His own dark brown hair had the same look and feel to it.
I watched Edward and Tanya sit at their usual table across the cafeteria. Give it up Issy girl. Ain't no way you can compete with that. Wait, was I trying to compete with that? I run into Edward once and all of a sudden I'm looking to replace Tanya Baker? I'm an idiot.
Disgusted with myself, I tell Angela a quick goodbye and I head toward the front of the cafeteria to throw away my trash. But as fate would have it, I fucking trip over a crack in the floor and crash into one big blue trash bins they leave out so the students can clean up after themselves. Sending it crashing into the wall with a loud thud, I loose my balance and fall flat on my face. Shit!
I'm sprawled on the cold ass floor with the little remains of my tomato soup in my hair and on my jeans. I drop my forehead, momentarily, on the floor and close my eyes praying that the room had emptied, suddenly, no one witnessing my humiliating dance with the linoleum. I hear a soft deep chuckle next to my ear. I squeeze my eyes closed tighter, praying that the floor would open up and swallow me whole. I turn over and there is ole green eyes giving me the business with his sexiness. Edward has never paid attention to me for four damn years and here we are, meeting in the most embarrassing situation... again. Fuck!
I hear snickers coming from behind him but I don't pay any attention cause those fucking full lips are moving. I lick my own imagining how they would feel against my own. His bottom lip was slightly fuller than his top one and they were moist, like he had just ran his tongue over them. Sweet Mary and Joseph, that Tanya was one lucky bitch. I immediately felt ashamed for calling her a bitch, I mean, she has never done anything to warrant that from me. She ignored me just like the rest of them did. Wait. His mouth was moving right? That means he was talking to me. I notice his luscious mouth has stopped moving, and he is giving me that "Do you know English?" look. Son of a...
"You okay?" He repeated. Damn, I could swim in that voice. Deep and dark like... chocolate. Yes, I think he would taste like chocolate. I loved chocolate. I lick my lips again and his eyes drop to my mouth. I flush and scrabble to my feet, trying to get the soup off of me as best I could. "Y-yes, I'm fine. I'm just super clumsy and I fall all the time. I'm surprised haven't broken something." I look down at the mess I've created. "Well, except maybe that bowel and the glass. That's what I do, I break things." Don't ramble stupid. He laughed, the slight frown leaving his face and looked me over, again, like he was verifying for himself that I didn't break a limb. Satisfied with his inspection, he smiled at me making his eyes crinkle in the corners. Turning away he gave a crooked smile over his shoulder, "Well I'm glad there were no injuries. I would hate to have to spend the day picking you up off the floor, I have classes of my own you know." Still chuckling, Edward headed back to his table. Let me tell you, his back is just as sexy as his front. I silently groan and watch him sit next to Miss Perfect, who looked slightly mortified that her boyfriend had come to my rescue. Well at least he was nice enough to see that I was conscious you bitch. I caught myself, I've cussed more today more than I think I have in my entire life. Has Tanya moved over into the "bitch" column now? Watching her at rub Edward's shoulders and giggle at something he said, looking over at me snidely, I decided yes. She was now officially on my bitch list.
The rest of the day, thankfully, passed with no further incidences and I made it safely out of school. The temperature had dropped some and rain was softly falling. I threw my hood over my head and headed in the direction of the diner. Great, now I have rain to keep me company while I walk in for a couple of miles. I was one of the weird people that loved the rain. Forks, Washington was the ideal place to be for us worshippers of clouds and thunderstorms. I took a short cut through the woods on my way to work during the day after school. If I'm paying attention, these trips do not end in injuries of any kind. That's why I did it during a time when I had no trouble seeing the paths. I was too scared at night to walk through the trees and brusg. My dad, when he was actually a functioning parent, would always warn me of the wildlife that still roamed the woods and forbid me to explore too far from home.
When I arrived at work it went smoothly. I usually get the evening rush with picking up hours after school so the tips were somewhat decent and steady. I still needed an extra shift this Sunday to make sure that the electricity stayed on. Nothing like practicing my violin at night by candlelight. I had already got an extension and I didn't think the electric company would let me have another one. I busted a table where a couple of regulars had just finished their meal, pocketing the three dollar tip they left. Cheap bastards. I picked up the dirty plates and headed toward the kitchen, blowing a stray lock of hair that fell in my eyes. Damn, it was hot in here, I could feel my face flush with the heat coming from the ovens, my thin t-shirt clinging to my back and neck. I needed a long hot shower and sleep. My hair felt like it weighed a fucking ton. I should have done a braid instead of the ponytail, my hair was too heavy to stay in it for too long and it gave me a headache. I had already been at work for five hours and my scalp was protesting.
The Copes had owned the small diner for as far back as I could remember. Mrs. Cope had generously let me start working here a few months ago when I couldn't take eating crackers and ketchup anymore. Momma would be horrified if she saw what has happened to us, her nice comfy home turned into a shell just like the husband she left behind. She would have never let things get this bad, I was sure, because she was the backbone of our little family and when she died, she left a gaping our lives. My parents loved each other and I was happy when I was younger. When she died of ovarian cancer, Charlie became a broken man. That was two years ago and I still haven't found the laughing happy man that I once knew.
"Bells! Come pick up." Placing the dishes that were in my hand on the counter, I turn and quickly wash my hands. Jake's booming voice echoed across the diner. I smiled, he was such a teddy bear. Always with a crazy joke or a hug when you needed it. He was the Copes' nephew who was four years older than me. When he was home from college he would come and help out at the diner when he could. Work was always fun when Jake was home for a bit. He was a tall guy with dark hair and brown eyes. I suppose he was cute, but I never really thought about him in a sexual way. He sure as hell never thought of me in that way either. We quickly became friends soon after I started working here. "Coming, Jake, just let me get the customers that just came in okay?" The bell above the door signaled new arrivals.
Jake gave me a nod showing me that he heard me and went back to preparing the next order up. I took out my pencil and small pad ready to take, yet another, order. I head toward the kids that just sat down in the back booth. They were pretty loud, laughing and talking all at once. Geez, how did they understand each other? It was funny how I served the same people that ignored me in the halls at school. Most of them tipped good so it didn't bother me too much. Looking down at my pad I asked, softly, what I can get them to drink. I was already thinking about how good my pillow will feel. I was so tired and my feet were starting to kill me. I was ready to go home and crash, praying that Charlie was already home. I didn't feel like waiting up for him tonight to make sure he made it home safe. He, for once, would have to fend for himself. A throat cleared bringing me out of my plans, and I look up into a pair of intense green eyes that seemed to be always laughing secretly at me.
In that velvet sex me voice ,Edward Cullen, with his bedroom eyes asked, "So, did you break anything lately?"
I tugged at my sweaty shirt and nervously tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. Well ain't this some shit? Three times in one day, I should buy a lottery ticket.
Taking a deep breath, I give Luscious Lips a barely there smile, and I can feel my face get even hotter from my blush. The sooner this day ends, the better.
So what do you think? Reviews help, I'm not a mind reader. :)
