A/N: Hello, again.. Okay, so this came about the same way as AOT. This was written quite a while ago for school, and again I've changd characters and such. It hasn't been Beta'd and I've added a bit so I have no clue if its going to be alright, but I'll just have to deal with that! I hope you enjoy it!
Handing me my paper with a disappointed "I expect better of you, Bella", Mrs Richmond turned briskly on her heel. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
The sting of disapproval.
'C – Not your finest work, Miss Swan.'
People got C's every day, why should mine be condemned?
I read through the essay, searching for the source of the bad grade, but it was like the words weren't registering. I was looking at them, but I couldn't see them. I sighed and looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary. Some people we're laughing, high fiving and whooping while others looked close to tears. Ignoring the reaction of my peers, I sat for the rest of the hour not quite able to pin point my own.
As the bell called for the end of class, chairs scraped and pupils jumped from their seats while Mrs Richmond tried to say something that nobody really cared about. I was seconds away from escaping when an arm shot out, bringing me to a halt.
"Not you, Bella." Brilliant.
She gestured for me to sit but I declined politely. I didn't need this right now.
"So, let's cut to the chase, why don't we? You're so out of this essays league that for a while I didn't believe that you'd written it, what happened?"
"Nothing," I muttered "I mean, I don't know, bad day, I guess?" I'm sure phrasing it as a question didn't help my case. She raised an eyebrow and gave me a look.
"Hmm," her tone doubted me, but she let it slide "just don't do it again. I know what you're capable of, and that's not it. And anyway, we can't have our head girl fall at her final hurdle, can we? Now on your way, Bella."
There was no point in arguing so I stood up and made for the door. I suddenly felt the urge to contemplate who I was. A grade had made me question myself, it was laughable, I knew, but the feeling didn't go away.
On paper I was a grade A student, bar today of course. I was head girl. I was in more teams, clubs and groups than I could remember and I was the perfect student. But who was I? I didn't dwell on it, although I knew, in the back of my mind that that question would be hardest to answer.
As I made my way to my next lesson, the niggling feeling at the back of my mind just grew more pronounced and it wasn't long before I had a raging headache. Luckily enough I entered the class to discover a thirty minute film would take over the first half of the lesson. If I wasn't in such a bad mood, I may have let out an embarrassingly girly squeal.
The lights dimmed, and Mr Banner sat at his desk looking as bored as the rest of the class and more haggard than usual. Not surprising really, it was no secret that his wife had just left him for who was rumoured to either be their gardener, Mr Banner's long lost brother or her Hispanic dance instructor. Highly unlikely, I know for a fact that the gardener is gay.
I dropped my head to the desk, not finding it in me to watch the film on some kind of molecule. I then made what would be my second downfall of the day. The contrast of the bright colours on the screen to the darkness of the room seemed to have a lulling effect and my eyelids became heavy and began to droop a little.
There really was no way I could have prevented it.
The large firm hand on my shoulder woke me up and my heartbeat became frantic from the scare. I quickly glanced at the clock. Thirty minutes?
"Keeping you awake are we, Miss Swan?" I wanted to wipe that smug look off his face. Patronising creep.
"No sir! I mean, I don't know how… it was only a few minutes, there's been a lot going on and-"he cut me off mid rant and bent down slightly, closer to my level.
"I understand, head girl, it's got to be tiring being perfect, right class?" He left no time for them to reply, but I could hear the whispers. "If you can tell me something about the video you only missed a few minutes of, then you won't have detention."
"Err," I gulped "it was something to do with…" there was a long silence where people waited for my answer, but there wasn't one.
"I didn't think so, Miss Swan. Detention today, don't be late." And with that he turned around and began the next half of the lesson.
Great - bad grade, detention. My day was going swimmingly.
Throughout the day the news spread. It wasn't the biggest news out there – no pregnancy scandals today – but Jenna Longley getting a detention for falling asleep in class is apparently almost front page news. It all went by in a blur and before I could blink the bell had gone for the end of the day and hundreds of pupils were piling out of the cage they call education. I lagged behind, knowing fully well that today – I wasn't one of them.
While trying to find the detention classroom, my anger swelled slightly. Why is me getting a detention such a big deal? People thought I was naïve and prissy for never having one, and now I had, they acted as if it was the most shocking thing they'd ever heard.
'Room 303' was scrawled on the glass and I could hear the rowdy noise behind it. Taking a deep breath I opened the door, and meekly walked to the front desk to give in my slip. Coach Clapp, the games teacher, didn't look at all happy about being on detention duty, but sure straightened up when she saw me hand her a slip. I got away before she could ask questions and went to the seat in the far corner, head down. The first mistake is always eye contact.
I grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper from my bag and decided an hour of doodling would be an easy way to pass the time. I kept my head down and ignored the comments from some of the delinquents around me, and for ten minutes it seemed to do the trick. That was until the door swung open loudly and heavy distinctive footsteps entered the class. I kept my head down. The steps quietened and there were no comments, so it couldn't have been as bad as I thought.
The feeling of hot breath down my neck made me jump.
"You're in my seat." I was about to tell him where to go until I noticed who it was. He stood up straight and I took in his form. Tall, lean, dark and broody. Not to mention beautiful. They were all characteristics of the school rebel, Cullen.
I knew for a fact his name was Edward.
"Oh, err… sorry, I-"he cut me off. I was really sick of that, today.
"You're new, I know" I began to panic slightly and wondered what he'd do to me. But what I wasn't expecting was what could only be described as a slight smile and a "Don't worry, keep it."
Most surreal moment of my life.
I couldn't help but stare at him, subtly of course. He was in his last year of school; I'd heard the teachers speak of his wasted potential. His name was Edward Cullen but I'd heard that he'd turned fifteen and rebelled after an 'incident' whatever that meant and was now Cullen. His 'ride' was a Harley – which he probably stole – and he was, if anything, the closest thing to a God on the planet. He had never spoken to me before, it wasn't as if we ran in the same circles, and it crossed my mind how many of my fellow students would claw my face for the chance to be in my position. Guys included.
Soon enough, it was the end of detention and the end of my short lived rebellion. I had no idea what came over me, and as I exited the classroom I knew I had to sort myself out. Making my way into the school car park, I realised I'd missed the bus and would have to walk it. Shit.
It was autumn, so only slightly chilly and the paths were covered in multi-coloured leaves. Autumn had always been my favourite time of year when I was a child. I liked the chill of the air and the colours of the leaves as they fell.
I'd been walking for almost ten minutes when the quiet crunching of the leaves beneath my feet was drowned out by the loud roaring of an engine. My head snapped back in surprise, and I came face to face with a shiny back helmet. It was suddenly pulled off and I was met with a pair of sharp green eyes.
"Isabella, right?" I huffed and mentally shook myself.
"Bella." I corrected with a nod.
"So, Bella, do you wanna..?" I gave him a confused look.
"Do I want to, what?"
"Do you need a ride?" he asked, his tone a little short.
"Oh," I paused, startled "you don't have to; I'm fine walking, thanks anyway." I quickly turned and began to walk but he caught me by the arm before I could leave.
"It's not trouble, really, hop on." He shimmied forward. I looked at the bike, it really was quite beautiful. I must have looked confused because he picked up on it quick enough.
"Hold onto the seat and swing your leg over." I got it, most likely unattractively, on my first try. I hoped he had a spare helmet.
"Here," he passed me the helmet he had in his hands, as if he'd read my mind "I don't keep a spare, so use this." I would have given it back, it being his, but self-preservation kicked in. He helped me get it on and then turned the ignition, the engine roaring to life.
"Hold on." And without any other warning, we lurched forward and my arms involuntarily wrapped themselves tightly around his waist. And then I realised two things. First, I was on bike with Edward Cullen and second: I hadn't told him where I lived.
On every turn, I panicked and would hold on tighter, and a couple of times I could feel his silent laughter beneath my grip. Through the dark lens of the helmet, I could make out the sun slightly falling in the sky, the trees clinging on to their final leaves – things that seemed different with the adrenaline that was pumping its way through my body.
I almost screamed out. Almost.
And then what seems like seconds or hours later, he pulled up outside my house and helped me off the bike.
"How'd you know where I lived?" I asked when we were both ready on land again.
"I know where your brother lives. I was hoping you lived in the same place." It made sense; Emmett was about the same age as him, not that he'd ever mentioned his name. Emmett spent most of his time at his girlfriend's place, anyway.
We stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. I noticed there was nobody home so decided that if today was my only chance to have a life outside of the box, I might as well do it.
"So did you want to come inside?"
And that was how I spent the weekend with Edward Cullen.
It was late Saturday evening when Alice finally called. Edward was, to my amazement, laid out on my sofa half and we were way through Donnie Darko. I slowly lifted myself off the couch at the shrill ringing of the phone, slowly removing myself from Edwards pull.
"Bella?" Alice's voice chimed.
"Yeah, Alice it's me," I peeked into the living room, twirling the phone cord, watching Edward from the corner of my eye.
"Bella, now don't take this the wrong way – I mean, how could you? You'd have told me… I must be seeing things, considering its been there this long and-" she rambled on.
"Alice, breathe, what?" I said, cutting her off.
"I drove past your house, and either my eyes are deceiving me or there is a Harley in your driveway. A very familiar Harley."
I didn't respond fast enough, captivated by the boy in my living room.
"It is him! Cullen is in your house! How could you not tell me? Wait, what about that detention – I heard you fell asleep in class, and now Cullen? Are you okay?" Alice could talk constantly for hours and she certainly wasn't stopping anytime soon.
"Okay, yes, he's here. I did get detention but yes, I am okay. Look, I have to go, I'll see you Monday!" I quickly put the phone down before she could object. I sighed, trying to gain some sort of courage before I re-entered the room. Alice had been my best friend for years, really she was my only true friend, but I couldn't deal with her on top of everything at this second. She wasn't the person I had to focus on, who I had to figure out.
My dad had called to say he wouldn't be home Friday night and it was unlikely he'd be back until Sunday; claiming sleeping at the office would be fine. I'm not even sure what happened Friday night but Cullen ended up sleeping on the sofa. He must have left to get new clothes early in the morning because by the time I had showered and remembered he was down there, he was clean, fresh and as dazzling as ever. We spoke a lot at times, sparsely at others, but he was always there. It was so damn confusing.
"You coming back in?" I jumped, heart racing, as he murmured into my ear.
"Erm," I stuttered, "yes, right behind you."
I blinked slowly, my eyes still tired from sleep, and tried to remember where I was. There was something hard beneath me, and my lips and face were pressed up against something soft. Someone soft. I shifted, pulling myself out of the crook of Edwards neck, realising I must have fallen asleep on top of him. Poor boy. I stared down at his face, it seemed so different to the mysterious boy I'd only just properly met. He looked so innocent.
"It's rude to stare, you know." His sweet breathe fanned across my face as he teased me without opening his eyes. I blushed deeply and made to move but he slowly moved to hold me to him, eyes still closed.
"I didn't say I didn't like it," his mouth lifted in a slight smirk and I let out a breathy laugh. I was in an almost compromising position with somebody I hardly know, but I didn't care.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, not really knowing what I was apologising for. Many things, I guess. For falling asleep on him, for staring, for not wanting to move. His eyes opened and I stared into the brilliant green.
"Don't be, I'm not."
"What is this?" it wasn't the time for questions, I knew, but I asked anyway.
"I don't know, you're – I don't know," his mouth turned down but he never lost eye contact with me.
"I had no idea you knew I existed…" I said this softly, blushing a little.
"Everybody knows who you are Bella, you just don't see it. I guess you could say I've admired you from afar." My heart swelled at his words. Edward Cullen.
"I guess I could say the same for you too, Edward." He smiled up at me crookedly and I brought my hand up to his face, tracing his features.
"Only my mum calls me that, you know, Edward," I laughed loudly in the silence, and lowered my head slightly.
"But," he shifted so our noses were touching, "I think I like it."
We stared at each other for a good few minutes before I slowly moved my head back to his neck and smiled into his skin. I felt his lips press against my forehead softly as I drifted back off to sleep.
Monday morning, I woke up and knew things were normal again. This weekend had been… there were no words to describe these few days but they were an anomaly. School was a glitch on Friday and my weekend with Edward was a complete flook. I got a lift to school and made it in time for my first class. Things we're looking up.
Walking in to the classroom I noticed the staring and the whispering but ignored it and walked to my seat. There must really be a lag in the gossip if they're still talking about my detention. I sat down and got out my books, Mr Owens hadn't arrived yet and so I waited patiently. Suddenly, jean clad legs filled my vision. Somebody had sat on my desk.
"So, you and Cullen, huh?" I looked up to see none other than the queen bee, herself.
What was happening to my life?
"Excuse me?" I didn't know what to say. How did she know?
"Hard to mistake you getting on his bike after detention, Friday. Who'd have thought he'd be in to you?" her snide comments didn't register as I finally listened to the gossip around me.
Did you hear about Bella?
You saw them together this weekend, too?
Rebel and respectable, who'd have thought?
Well she did get that detention…
And that's how the entire school knew I'd spent the weekend with Edward Cullen.
Mr Owens chose this moment to make an appearance and everybody straightened out and got back to formality. He stood with a piece of chalk by the board and began to write the word 'OTHELLO' at the top of it.
We read through certain acts and were set work accordingly. I concentrated on my work and not the remarks from people around me. It was hard, but had to be done.
The next few lessons consisted of the 'who can think of the most out there theory' game, as I like to call it. I heard one person say that Edward was a drug dealer and not just any but mine, and I'd needed a huge fix. Another said we were together on the down low, because our parents wouldn't let us be together – note, we had just finished Romeo and Juliet. One person even said that we were members of a lethal gang who had met up to create some kind of crime.
I know knew how Mr Varner felt.
I wasn't the perfect head girl anymore; I was the drug taking gang member in love.
It wasn't as if people we're just whispering it either, just like their leader, person after person came up and asked me about it. Some of them even presenting their theory's as if I'd reveal the truth. I was beyond annoyed.
I caught a glimpse of Edward on my way to lunch, trying to get my attention but I ignored him and scurried off to the library to eat away from the staring eyes. I sat down at a table and put my head in my hands. How on earth did this happen?
There was suddenly a tap on my shoulder and I lost it. In hindsight, I may have gone a little overboard.
"No, I am not in a gang! Nor do I take drugs! And no I do-"I turned around ready to fully let off my steam to my unfortunate victim only to come face to face with Mr Greene.
"I think we need a little chat, don't you, Miss Swan?" I knew his question was rhetorical and I stared miserably as I took in the Principles form.
"Yes sir." I was doomed.
We reached his office in a matter of minutes and he told me to sit while he prepared to talk to me.
"Okay, Bella, you're not a bad pupil. I know that, you know that and yet you're here. Like you we're meant to be Friday after school, for the council meeting." I completely forgot the one thing nobody lets me ever forget.
"Oh, sir! I completely forgot! You see, I got put in d-"
"Detention, yes I know. And I was going to let it slide, Bella, I really was. You know how close the call was to make you head girl instead of Miss Crowe and you knew the score before you agreed to it."
He was right, of course. Victoria Crowe and I were the two candidates and we're evenly matched. Had it not been for Mr Holland's dislike of her, she'd have been placed before me. I'd got it with the condition of impeccable behaviour and well, being a good head girl.
"First it was Mrs Richmond's remark about your grades, then the detention yesterday. I'm also not oblivious to gossip, Miss Swan, and although I'm not one for it, after today's little outburst I can't ignore it. I'm sorry, but you're suspended from your duties for two weeks while you work on whatever it is that's happened. I can promise your role back to you, but not until you're ready to do the work." and with that I was dismissed.
It was a harsh punishment, unfair and biased to my usual behaviour but there was nothing I could do that wouldn't make it worse. I stepped out of his office and sat down on one of the chairs in the empty corridor. This was the worst day of my life. The little reputation I had, had been utterly destroyed. As I sat there, measuring my losses I remembered a line Mr Owens had read from Othello.
"Reputation, reputation, reputation! O! I have lost my reputation. I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputation!"
I feel you, Cassio.
Suddenly a figure appeared in the seat next to mine and I sighed on seeing his face.
"What are you thinking about?" Edward looked ahead, as did I and I sighed again.
I didn't answer him. I had come to realize the gossiping wasn't what bothered me, nor the suspension or detention. It was the fact I wasn't anybody but the person on paper. That's all I had tried to be, never doing something just to do it. It had always been about pleasing everybody on God's given earth but me. But there was one problem with being like that. The reason I couldn't do the essay or pay attention in class or just plain bother.
I just didn't care.
I didn't care about the things I was doing, it didn't make me happy – I wanted to put in no effort. So for once I didn't. I didn't want to be perfect so I stopped trying. I wanted to get on the motorcycle so I did, and I wanted to invite Edward in. I wanted to lay with him in the dark, I wanted to stare into his eyes.
"I think I've become a cliché." I said finally, looking at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"How so?" he turned towards me, curious.
"You know, good girl gone bad." He pondered this for a moment, eyes scrunching as if in deep thought.
"No, that's a bit drastic, don't you think? Nobody wants to be a cliché." He added a smirk at the end and I smiled.
"I think this means I have detention again, the whole suspension of duty." We sat there for a moment in a comfortable silence before he took in a deep breath and pulled himself up. I looked up, confused. He stuck out his hand and gestured to mine.
"I guess that means I can give you a ride, then." I laughed and took his hand. Once he pulled me up he offered me his arm. I put mine through his and we were linked, I'd have laughed at us if this wasn't such an important moment.
"I'll walk you to class then." I smiled and nodded.
We walked through the halls still filled with people, and mocked them in our heads. School rebel and ex-head girl, for a little while at least, linked by the arm like a pair of schoolgirls as he walked her to class.
He walked me inside the classroom and everybody came to a halt. I could feel the stares but I only looked at Edward. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me flush against him. his arm went to my back and he tipped me slightly, ignoring the whispers around us. We moved closer and closer, until finally, my lips met his and my body ignited. Our souls entwined. I could hear my teacher shouting at us to stop, the hollering form the students, the screeching of Victoria Crowe.
But it didn't matter, because I didn't care. I cared about the autumn, the leaves on the ground and my new liking to motorcycles and their riders. Not that I was kissing an insanely beautiful boy in front of my entire class. Not the fall from grace the 'me' on paper had suffered because of stupid accidents. I didn't need to be perfect, Edward didn't need to be mean. We could just be.
It was our way of giving the world the metaphorical bird.
"As I am an honest man, I thought you had received some bodily wound; there is more offence in that than in reputation. Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving: you have lost no reputation at all, unless you repute yourself such a loser."
Hey from the bottom! Review and tell me what you thought, it was just a little story but I hope it wasnt too bad.. #B