SM owns all
They stood by Mr. Swan's car; their eyes were locked on each others as the engine ran. Neither of them spoke, for too much had happened that day and in that moment. There was a Saturday detention, the five kids had made friends with each other; they had found a way to connect. Two of the others were now lovers, if they could survive Monday. And just now, Bella had given him one of her diamond earrings that she did get for Christmas, and Mason had kissed her. He didn't try to put his tongue in her mouth -- surprisingly -- but he went for a second try; she pulled away.
"You don't want Daddy to see?" Mason asked.
"That's not it," Bella protested. "It's just -"
"Once Monday comes around, we'll be nothing more than a memory," he told her.
Bella shook her head. "I told you guys that I don't like being that way. I really am going to change,"
The window of her father's car rolled down. "Bella, get in the car. We have to go home,"
"In a minute, Dad," she told him.
"I don't think you'll change," Mason said, a smirk was beginning on his face. "I think you'll crack on Monday if anyone other than Sporty tries to talk to you,"
"No," Bella told him. "I wouldn't. And I don't think that any of them would,"
Mason could see Mr. Swan getting impatient, checking his watch. "Why, because they made it through the day without our social circles?"
"I would have no problem talking to you in front of everyone," Bella told him.
The window rolled down. "Bella Swan!"
"Hey, hold on, Pops!" Mason yelled. "Alright, strawberry…if you're so sure that you could talk to me, then hang out with me Tomorrow. If you spend time with me, in public, then I'll leave you alone for the rest of the year,"
"...Okay," Bella could hear her father tapping on the window. "And what happens if I don't show up?"Mason moved his hair from his eyes and glanced elsewhere, thinking of the best way to punish her. "If you ditch out, then you have to partner up with me in biology for the rest of your high school career,"
"We have biology together?" Bella asked, receiving a look disbelief. "Okay, okay. Where are we meeting?"
"Red's Bar, on Spring Avenue," he said as he backed away from her. Bella reached for the door handle and started to open it when he called her again. "Let's raise the stakes…bring one of your mascara wearing Virgin bitch friends with you.
That was when Bella felt her stomach squeeze and she felt the same way the next afternoon when she was in her car, in her friend's driveway. Rosalie Hale was almost as popular as Bella, and her family was just as rich. This girl wasn't as judgmental as their other friends, but she did have standards. "Hi, Bella," Rosalie said as he got in.
Bella was glad to see Rosalie wasn't wearing anything very expensive. "Hi," she said, trying to think of a way to ask her friend to approach the other side of town with her. "Rosalie…I have a favor to ask,"
"What's that?" Rosalie asked.
"…Can you go somewhere with me?"
Rosalie pulled the mirror down from the ceiling and took out her lipstick. "Where are we going?"
Bella sighed and pulled at her hair, then shook it out. "Okay, you know I had detention yesterday, right?" she then shifted the car into R and backed out of the driveway. "Well…there were four other people there. Eric Yorkey, Jasper Whitlock -"
"Jasper Whitlock?" Rosalie repeated. "He better not be in detention. He'll miss a meet and ruin his chances as a scholarship,"
"Yeah, he mentioned that," Bella muttered. "And Alice Cullen and Edward Mason were there too,"
Rosalie closed the mirror and exchanged a look with Bella. "Really? What freaks show that must have been, huh?" she laughed, thinking her comment true and funny, but realized Bella wasn't laughing. "Oh, you didn't have a good time, did you?"
"…I did," Bella admitted. "I mean, it wasn't the best kind of good time. Rosalie, we all connected and it…it was amazing. We're really not so different after all,"
"Well, you better be careful," Rosalie took out a stick of gum, opening it and popped it in her mouth. "If Tanya sees you with any of them, you'll be out of the scene, dead at sixteen. It's social suicide,"
Bella paused. "That's what I'm worried about." She said no more on that topic after that. They persuaded different conversations about shopping, boys, school, whether or not Principle Banner's hair was a wig -- the subjects of usual discussion. And as they were making the final decision of the color of their prom dresses, Bella drove the car to Red's Bar and pulled into a parking space.
"What are we doing here?" Rosalie asked as Bella turned off the engine.
"…Yesterday, I told Edward Mason that I would spend the day with him as proof that I would talk to him outside of detention," Bella admitted, speaking very quickly.
Rosalie glared at her. "What?"
"Please don't leave!" Bella begged. "I need you here…you might have fun,
"Fun?" Rosalie scoffed. "Bella, if you want to damage your reputation -"
Bella interrupted, pulling down her mirror and fixing her hair. "He's…he's not a bad guy. He's just different," she started to get out of the car.
Rosalie grabbed Bella's arm. "Are you guys fucking, Bella?"
"No!" Bella protested and got out of the car.
Inside Red's Bar, a game of pool was started with the crack of the pool cue against the triangle of striped and numbered balls. Smoke clouds hovered over the tables, where middle aged men sat with beer bellies and trucker hats. A group of teenage boys were at the pool table, smoking, playing, and watching the TV in the corner of the room. "You know, Red, you should give me a beer," one of Mason's friends said to the bartenders.
"Forget it, Emmett," Red said back. "You're not old enough, and it's Sunday. No beer on Sunday."
"Just give me the nozzle to the keg," Emmett said laughing. He grabbed his cue and stood by the table with Mason. "How was old' Banner yesterday?"
Mason tsked. "Would you expect him to act any different than most days? He gave me eight weeks of detention after this weekend. I should just live with the guy," he paused, running a hand through his hair. "It was alright, there were four other people there,"
Red glanced over from the TV. "Detention was alright? How the hell was being stuck in school on a Saturday alright?"
Mason shrugged, a smile played with his lips. "Did you score with one of the girls?" Emmett asked.
As Mason started to reply, the door on the bar opened and two girls came in. The moment he saw her, he was glad that Bella wasn't dressed as she normally did, with so much cost in each item. She looked more average today, in his sense -- a white shirt, jeans, some scarf thing that was white and silk, and a tan and red plaid jacket with lace on the sleeves. She looked cute…and then she was standing in front of him. "Hi, Edward," she said.
"Hey," he said back, leaning on his pool cue. Their eyes remained on the others, and he knew she was thinking 'is he going to kiss me'. Well, he would make her wait for it…and then he knew his friends were wondering who this girl was.
"Hey, Edward my Boy," Red nodded at him. "Why not introduce the ladies and sit 'em at the table?"
He turned around. "Maybe if we had a clean table to sit at,"
Red laughed and threw him a wet rag; he wiped the table. "Well, who are the girls?"
"Aren't you Rosalie Hale?" Emmett pointed at her and she nodded. "I thought so. I hear about you all the time,"
Rosalie looked very uncertain of the scene.
. "Sit down, princess. The table is clean,"
She was looking straight into his eyes, still trying to decide as to whether or not they would kiss. "Will you get me a drink?" she asked quietly, challenging his attitude towards her.
"Yes," he said. Bella sat down with Rosalie, who took out a cigarette as she left. Quickly, Emmett pulled out a lighter and extended his arm across the table. Mason returned and set the glass on the table; Bella thanked him.
"So what brings such fancy ladies like you to a place like my bar?" Red asked. "It wouldn't be the wonderful cooking that takes place behind the bar, or is it these two so called gentlemen?" he gestured to Mason and Emmett.
Emmett acted offended. "Hey, I know how to treat a girl right,"
"Nothing better than a night of chili dogs and getting drunk at the drive-in, Emmett?" a girl stepped up the group, with two girls behind her. They all had short skirts, big poufy hair, and bangle bracelets covering their wrists. Bella thought she recognized them from high school. "Hey, guys," the girl said, and then she noticed Bella, giving her a look of disbelief that a girl like her would be at a bar with these kinds of people. "And who are you?"
Everyone looked at Bella and she felt herself blushing. "I'm Bella…I think we have classes together at Forks High. This is Rosalie,"
The girl pushed a dark brown poufy curl from her brightly made up face. "Great. Who brought the rich kids with BMWs to the bar on a Sunday? Shouldn't they be at the mall?" she sighed and set her purse on the table. "I'm Jessica; this is Lauren and Kate,"
"Hey," Lauren and Kate echoed.
"We just came in to get some pizza and play pool, but maybe we should just hit the mall," Jessica looked from her friends to Bella, giving her a strange look. "You know, since the mall population is down two let's get it back up,"
"Jess, you guys should stay and hit a few balls with us," Mason told her.
She shook her head. "No, Edward. I'm not going to make nice with the Richie while you put all the right moves on her to get into her panties, I've seen it way too much," she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "When you're ready to get a real woman who knows what to do…call me."
The girls walked out, each sending a dark look to Bella. When the doors shut, Bella turned to Mason. "What was that about?""Forget her man," Emmett interrupted. "She's just pissed because you girls are hanging out here,"
"Maybe that's a sign that we should leave," Rosalie said to Bella.
"Yeah, maybe you should," Mason said to Rosalie. "Maybe Rosalie should leave and Bella can stay. OR maybe Bella will leave too,"
Rosalie looked at Bella, waiting for an answer. All Bella could think of was having Mason be her partner in biology for the rest of the year. He would probably dissect the frog and play with the insides, and she would be so embarrassed. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "I'll stay."
"Bella!" Rosalie whispered.
She looked at Mason, whose head was turned towards the girls walking away from the bar. A smile was forming and she knew she was winning. "So why don't you teach me how to play pool?"
He turned his head back towards her. "Rack up the balls, princess,"
Rosalie grabbed Bella's arm; she was beginning to develop a bruise. "We should be leaving. Not staying to play games with some pool playing junkies,"
"You know what, Rosalie?" Bella pulled away. "Before yesterday, I would agree with you. I wouldn't have shown up and we would be at the mall. But I agreed to be here, and Edward's not the worst guy to be with. He's had it hard, so give him a chance,"
"Yeah, he's had it hard since you walked in here," Rosalie muttered. She stood still as Bella went to the pool table and Mason stood behind her to direct her playing. Rosalie looked away towards Emmett, who was staring at her. "What are you looking at?"
Emmett shrugged. "I was just thinking…maybe you could team up with me."
"For pool?" Rosalie asked; he nodded. "I don't know…"
"Come on," Emmett started over to her. "They're going to be doing their own thing. So it'll just be us, and you're pretty cute…and I'm totally adorable,"
Rosalie didn't want to laugh at his comment, but a small giggle escaped. "If you say so," she told him.
"What did you want to do today?" Bella was asking as she put all the pool balls in the rack. She perched herself on the wooden table ledge. "I don't have anything else to do, and I guess that Rosalie will be busy for awhile, with Emmett,"
Mason sat on the ledge next to her. "I didn't make a schedule with the cruise captain, princess. I didn't expect you to make an appearance," he looked at her then. "I guess I was wrong."
They exchanged a brief smile, and then his hand was on hers between them. She almost felt his name on her lips and she felt him lean towards her -- "So you guys met in detention?" Rosalie and Emmett were standing in front of them. "That's romantic."
"It's more romantic than meeting in a bar," Bella responded. She was given an angry look from Rosalie, while Emmett winked at Mason.
"Are we going to hang around this dump of a place all day, or are we doing something exciting?" Rosalie asked.
Mason spread his arms, looking around the room. "Red's Bar is where anyone can go and have a good time. It's better than any mall -"
"What the hell are you doing here?" a man's voice erupted from behind Rosalie and Emmett. They turned as Mason let out a disgusted groan. An older man with a dirty blue plaid shirt and hairy face was walking towards them. Once she looked at his face, Bella recognized him as Edward Mason's father. "Fuck. Your mom was bitching about how she needs your help at home and here you are with your friends, trying to get your dick wet," he stopped to look at Rosalie, then Bella.
"You should be proud of him, Ed," Red said to him. "Today he's been going through some high class girls. See that car out front?"Mr. Mason looked out the window, then back at the girls. "Good choices, boys. Edward…" he pointed to his son. "You better be home tonight. After that detention bullshit you pulled yesterday, you're gonna be spending a lot of time in your room,"
As he turned away, Mason spoke up. "Fuck off, Dad. I got plans and you're not breaking 'them,"
His father turned back. "Did I hear you right? Did my son just talk back to me, in public, in front of a lady?" he pushed Emmett aside and stood in front of Edward and Bella. He had a foul odor coming from him, and an equally foul look on his face. Before anyone could move, he threw his fist against his son's face. Bella moved aside quickly as Mason's face went as stiff as possible. "You want to talk back again, you piece of shit?"
Bella didn't want this to continue, but she didn't want Mr. Mason to turn on her. "Edward," she whispered; they turned at the same time to look at her. "Let's go."
Mason looked at his father, giving him a long, cold stare. "Keep your fucking hands off of me," he then got off the pool table and straightened out his coat, then grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her to the door; Emmett and Rosalie close behind.
"What was that?" Rosalie demanded.
"That was Edward's dad," Emmett warned her.
She rolled her eyes. "I know that. God…Bella, I'm starting to really -"
Bella shushed her. "Rosalie, can't you see this?" she put her hand to Mason's face to look. "Let me see, Edward," she turned his face and looked. There was a bruise forming slowly on his cheekbone and around his eye. "Oh, God," she whispered.
"Don't worry about it," he pushed her hand away, but kept her hand on his. Their eyes locked on each others. "Let's get out of here."
The four left in Emmett's car and arrived at the local diner. Bella sat at a booth and Mason squeezed in next to her, leaving Rosalie to sit with Emmett. "You brought money, right, Bella?" Rosalie asked.
Mason flipped open his menu. "Maybe my dad was right. Maybe I do need to get me a rich girl,"
"We've been looking for them our whole lives," Emmett added, receiving looks of annoyance from everyone. "What?" he asked.
"Hey, Charlotte!" Mason yelled to the older waitress, who was cleaning tables. "Large pizza with everything, and a steak for my face. Add it to my tab,"
Bella cleared her throat. "I have money,"
"And I have a system," Mason told her. "She's an old friend of the family. I clean her yard; she feeds me when my parents don't. Or just whenever…easy dealing," he sat back and took off his jacket. In the process, he slid his arm across the back of the booth. When his hand landed softly on Bella's shoulder, she felt no need to remove it.
They sat and talked until the pizza was placed on their table. A small plate with a rare steak was given to Mason, who slapped the meat against his face. "What made your dad hit you this time?" Charlotte asked.
"I talked back…supposedly," Mason looked at her with his remaining eye, a cheeky grin on his face. "I'll clean your yard next weekend for this food,"
She waved his words away. "Don't worry about it. You have some lovely ladies with you, boy. If you kids need anything, yell for me."
* * * * *
After the pizza had disappeared, Emmett went to play the pinball machines; Rosalie reluctantly followed. "I guess that she'll be on her back for Emmett later," Mason said.
"Is that why you had me bring someone with me?" Bella asked. "To sleep with your friends?"
He paused, and then reached for his Coke. "I didn't think you would, but it worked out, didn't it?"
"You seem to think I won't do a lot of things," Bella said. She watched as he set his glass down and she touched his chin, turning his face to look at the bruise. He kissed her. She almost pulled away, but his arms held tighter to her and he pressed his lips a little harder to hers. They were almost full on making out when Charlotte walked by and tapped on Mason's head. He turned around and Bella looked up, startled.
"You kids might want to take that somewhere else," Charlotte smiled.
Bella blushed. "Sorry," she slid out of Mason's arms and shaded her eyes. Mason shifted back into his seat.
"You want to take this somewhere else?" he asked.
"God, you're such a pervert," Bella rolled her eyes. "Is that all you're interested in? Sex and your high?"
He shrugged. "Those are two things I'm interested in and they get me through the day, one way or another…" he sighed. "Speaking of which, you want to go sit in Emmett's car and smoke?"
Despite her embarrassment of being caught making out with Edward Mason, the look he gave her was too cute to pass up. "Fine. But don't think this is becoming a habit."
Mason got the keys from Emmett and lead Bella outside. The sky was becoming dark from the night as he let her into the front passenger seat before going around to the other side. From his jacket pocket, he took a plastic bag and a lighter. "I've wanted one for awhile," he said, taking a joint from the bag and lighting the end.
"Do you think Jasper and Alice are going to see each other after yesterday?" Bella asked, taking the joint. "They looked like they really cared about each other,"
"Like they love each other?" Mason mocked her. "You can never love someone in a day. That's just lust -- wanting to fuck them,"
"I know what lust means," Bella said. "…What if I said that I loved you?"
He blew out smoke and looked at her; his eyes were beginning to glaze. "I'd say that you just wanted to fuck me," he turned away to smoke. "Why? Do you quote unquote love me?"
She laughed. "No, I just met you yesterday. Anyway, you're not a 'one guy, one girl' kind of person. If some dope smoking, rebel girl who blows you can't change your ways, how could I?"
"Maybe you should try," Mason replied. "You know, blowing me,"
She smacked his arm and he laughed. That was when Rosalie and Emmett came out to the car and knocked on the window. "Hey, there's a new movie at the drive-in. We should go,"
Mason looked at Bella. "Do you have the time to see a movie with some rebel guy like me? I'll try not to grope you when I go for the popcorn,"
Bella looked at Rosalie, who surprisingly looked happy and nodded. "Yeah, we'll go."
As everyone situated themselves in the car, they talked about the old drive-in. It was about thirty-five years old and located off of Route 7. After the movie theatre opened in the mall, the drive-in business had been very slow, almost closing on some days. The crowd that Emmett drove the car through was considerably bigger than most nights. "Who's paying?" Rosalie had asked when they got to the ticket stand.
"Me," Emmett told her. "You two lie down and cover up with the blanket. We'll sneak you in,"
"This is exciting," Rosalie whispered to Bella as they laid down in the backseat. "Can you believe we're sneaking into a drive-in?"
After parking, Emmett got out to pull the speakers to the car window. By now, the sky was so dark and the lights were turning on around the parking lot. Emmett opened his door and started to get in, but Bella interrupted. "I don't have very good vision. Can I sit up front?"
Emmett shrugged. "Sure," he opened her door and they switched places. He sat next to Rosalie and winked at her, and she smiled back.
The movie began with opening credits that led to the usual scary house filled with half naked girls being killed. Bella and Rosalie were not as scared as the girls in the other cars, but Rosalie was very convincing that she was scared. When Bella looked in the backseat, Rosalie had Emmett's arm around her and she was snuggled into his armpit. "Slut," Bella whispered, and Rosalie smiled back.
"Are you getting scared, princess?" Mason whispered to Bella, startling her.
"No," she whispered back.
He laughed and slid his arm around her shoulders. "You could sit closer, if you want,"
Bella did move closer, only because he was so warm and he smelt so good. "Is that what you do to all the girls you take out?" she asked.
"There might have been a line or two that I've used on you," he said.
"You pig," Bella pushed him away. "I don't know why I've spent the last two days around you. I should have just ignored you. And who was the girl at Red's earlier?"
"Jessica was an old girlfriend and we've been over for awhile," he reassured Bella, who looked away and in a moment, she could feel his breath on her ear. "It's not like you didn't use a line to sit up here with me. And besides, as I said yesterday, 'kitten' -" Bella turned back to him. "'You couldn't ignore me if you tried'. And see, you're looking at me again."
Mason was right; she really couldn't ignore him. She couldn't and looking into his eyes and she couldn't not push him away when he kissed her. What girl of her social status and popularity would turn down a dirty, rebellious character of his kind? Any of her friends, except Rosalie, and herself, of course. She could hear Rosalie's knee hit the back of her seat as her and Emmett wrestled. Bella's laugh was muffled by Mason's mouth, but she could feel him laugh into hers. Her jacket was pulled off by his hands, which touched her sides to pull her closer. Bella moved onto his lap, neither knowing what was going on, or why she was doing these things with him. His hands were on her body, sliding down to grasp her thighs, his mouth was on her neck…but everything was happening. She could feel him getting hard against her thigh and her arms wrapped around him as he laid her on the seat, pushing up her shirt and grazing his fingers over her stomach and stopping just above her jeans. They reached for the button and popped it out of the hole, then grasped the zipper and pulled it down -- "Stop," she whispered.
He looked into her eyes. "What?"
"Stop," she pushed him away and they sat up. The feeling of tightness in her stomach still gripped her insides. Only a moment ago, she had been so nervous and excited all at once. "I'm not ready for this,"
"With what? Me kissing you where you want to be kissed?" he asked. "Just a second ago, you were on me with an iron grip and now, you're pushing me away like I have a STD. Fuck, princess, make up your mind on what base you're aiming for before you get a guy worked up," he leaned back into his seat and pushed his hair from his face. "Tease."
She glared at him as she zipped up her pants. "I'm not a tease,"
"I forgot. You don't fuck to get respect," Mason rolled his eyes. "Just so you know, I don't respect you because you won't fuck,"
"You never respected me," Bella shot back.
Mason laughed. "I respected you yesterday because you had the balls to kiss me in front of your daddy. I respected you today because you had the balls to associate with me in public, which didn't contain our deranged detention friends,"
"Can you guys take this somewhere else?" Rosalie and Emmett peered over the backseat, both sweaty and almost out of breath.
"Shut up!" Bella and Mason yelled at them. From another car, there were screams as the movie ended and the ending credits began to roll. Bella looked at Mason, who was staring at the screen. He glanced at her and she looked away. "Shit," he muttered. "We're going back to Red's."
The car was quiet as death as Mason drove back to Red's Bar. He parked and turned the key in the ignition with such a jerk that the car shook. They filed out quietly and Rosalie pulled Bella aside. "Is it ok if Emmett gives me a ride home? You won't have -"
"That's fine," Bella replied.
Mason gave Emmett the keys back and put his jacket back on. "I guess I'll start walking back home," he said. "I'll see you later, Emmett,"
Bella fished her keys out of her purse as he began walking down the street, hands in his jacket pockets. "I'll see you in school tomorrow, Bella," Rosalie waved as her and Emmett left in his car moments later, leaving her alone…
A car paused beside Edward Mason as he walked. He looked up to see Bella in her car, the passenger window rolled halfway down. "Can I help you, ma'am?" he asked.
"Let me give you a ride," she said, and he got in the car with her. He directed her along the streets and told her what alley to park in by his house. He reached for his door handle and started out of the car, but he stopped when Bella asked "Can I come in?"
"Do you really want to?" he asked. "I mean, it's late. They'll probably be drunk and fighting. And they'll probably want to meet you,"
"I met your dad earlier," Bella reminded him. "I'm sure your mom isn't bad,"
He sighed. "Alright. But I've warned you already,"
They walked down the alley and down the block to his house. A broken down car was in the driveway and the paint was peeling off the walls. When they got to the door, he turned around and looked at her. "What?" she asked.
"Are you really sure you want to do this?" he questioned, almost pleading with her.
Bella's eyes caught the light shining on the bruise of Mason's face. "Are they really that bad?"
He didn't speak; he only unlocked the door and pushed it open; Bella went inside first. Shoes were left next to the door, coats piled on the wooden chair, and the TV played in the corner. Mr. Mason was sitting in a chair and turned his head when they entered. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked and turned down the TV. "I told you to be home and here you are, coming in late on a school night with some chic!"
"You remember Bella, right?" Edward asked sarcastically. "From Red's?"
"What's your excuse, fucker?" his father demanded. From what Bella could tell daddy Mason was extremely drunk and there could be a huge fight, possibly involving cops. "Huh? Where the hell have you been?"
There was a woman standing in the doorway from the kitchen. "Honey, leave him alone. He's got a girl with him and she doesn't look like the usual sluts he brings home…but I haven't met her yet,"
"Elizabeth, I've got this. I'm trying to disciple the waste that occupies the bedroom upstairs," Edward Sr. told her, now thrown off track with his insults towards his son. "Maybe if you weren't lying on the kitchen floor drinking all day, then he wouldn't have grown up all fucked up like you,"
Elizabeth laughed. "Maybe if I wasn't getting pushed around by some a good son of a bitch, then I wouldn't have to drink so much!"
"You fucking whore!" Edward Sr. replied. Mason looked at Bella and she nodded. They moved towards the stairs and were halfway up when his father yelled after them. "Hey! Get your asses back down here! You better not be fucking her in my house! You should be beaten like a dog after the shit you've pulled around here!"
"People being here has never stopped you before," Mason told him over his shoulder. Ignoring his father's yelling, he led Bella upstairs. The hallway was dark; the walls were lined with family photos from years past. She stopped in front of one of Edward as a child. "I never knew you were so cute," she smiled.
"I've always been adorable," he said smartly. The door next to the picture was his bedroom. Upon entering, Bella was surprised that she couldn't smell the room from down the hall. There were piles of dirty clothes, random papers everywhere, an ashtray on the window sill filled with cigarette butts and joints half smoked. "Don't mind the mess. My maid's on vacation,"
She snorted. "You just need a new maid," she moved a shirt and sat on his bed. He sat next to her and they were quiet. "Are you going to school tomorrow?"
A crash came from downstairs and Bella jumped. "Maybe," Mason shrugged. "I might be there, just not in class,"
"Not even to say hi to the rest of us?" Bella asked.
"Babe, you're lucky to have me tonight," he told her. "I would rather be sleeping, or with my friends,"
Bella put on a pouty lips look that made Mason's crotch twitch. "So you'd rather be with your friends than with me?"
He paused. "Would you rather be with your friends than with me?"
"Are we not friends, Edward?" she asked.
"Are we not friends, princess?" he repeated.
"…Yes," she said. "I think I'll bring you home sometime and meet my parents,"
They exchanged a smile and this time, her hand went to his. "What are your friends going to say when they see us together tomorrow?" he asked.
This time, she moved closer to him. "I really don't know what they'll say. I'm not so concerned with it right now," she breathed slowly and closed her eyes, and this time, she kissed him. It was a long kiss and when it was finished, she was lying on her back with his hand up her shirt. She pulled off her jacket and struggled for a moment to take off her shirt, which landed on a pile with his own dirty clothes. "And for the record," she said as his hands went around her to open her bra. "I told you to stop earlier because I didn't want to have sex in the front seat of a car with my friend blowing some guy in the backseat."
Mason laughed. "Well, that makes sense…I guess then that the argument was a little unnecessary,"
"Just a little bit," Bella said.
"Then I apologize," he reached up her back and in a few seconds, he was throwing her bra over his shoulder. "Everyone can do something, and that's what I can do."
She let him opened her jeans again. Mason cautiously looked up at her, in case she changed her mind again, and Bella nodded. He grasped the waist of her jeans and pulled them down off her legs, and they lay on the floor. He then left the warm bed to turn on his iPod and to make sure his door would hold up in case one of his parents tried to get in. Loud drums and guitar riffs pounded out of the small speakers as she watched him take off his shirt and removed his jeans before getting back into bed with her. "Oh, wow," she muttered.
"Don't let it scare you," he said.
Bella laughed. "No, I wasn't talking about that," she crossed her arms over her stomach nervously. "Well, I kind of was. I just realized that this is the last night I will ever be a virgin. I can't take it back tomorrow,"
I'm going to have the worst case of blue balls after this, Mason thought, starting to become aggravated with her mind changing. "You better stop now before you regret it,"
"No," she shook her head. "I won't regret it."
He kissed her deeply, moving her arms away and pulling her close to him. She put her arms around him and she could feel him getting hard against her leg once again. Her hand reached down to touch his hard, thick member and gave a few strokes. After a few moments, he laid her back and carefully touched her wet center with his long fingers, feeling her shift and moan with every flick. He reached for the drawer of his bedside table and took out a condom, which he ripped the wrapper with his teeth before putting it on, holding her close and kissing her as he pressed into her. Her nails scratched his spine in shock of the pain that erupted through her, and he saw that her eyes were wet. "You're officially not a virgin anymore," he said cautiously, not sure what she wanted.
"I know," she wiped her wet eyes and coughed, trying to retain herself. She smiled then, and it was enough for him to know she was telling him to finish.
* * * * *
When Bella woke up, she was in a dark room that she realized was Edward Mason's bedroom. She glanced at the clock and it read 12:16. "Shit," she muttered and started to sit up, but a weight held her down. Mason was lying next to her, snoring softly into his pillow, with his arm flung over her. Bella smiled and shifted from underneath his arm, searching for her clothes. When she had dressed, she looked down at him sleeping; she had never seen anything more peaceful. She reached for the door - "Bella?"
She turned around and he was watching her from his bed. His hair fell over his eyes and the light from the window shone on his naked body. "I have to go home," she explained. "It's late. I'll talk to you tomorrow,"
"Will you?" he asked. Bella was unsure of what he meant, but then she remembered -- she had kept her part of the deal. He wouldn't talk to her unless she spoke first. "Will you recognize me tomorrow? Will you come and talk to me?"
"I will," she said, then disappeared down the hallway and out the front door. She drove through the streets of Forks, the radio off and her window down. She ached a little between her legs and smiled, knowing that she was now a woman and had given herself to someone who did give a shit.
The next morning, Bella dressed a jean mini skirt and a blue t shirt... When she walked into Forks High, she began searching for The Breakfast Club. No one was in sight yet, and she racked her brains for classes that she had with them. Turning the corner of the hallway her locker was on, she saw Eric with one of his friends. As they got closer, his eyes glanced to her -- and she smiled. "Hi, Eric,"
"Hi, Bella," he said cheerfully, while his friend sent glances between them, confused by the interaction. They continued on, and she spun the dial of her locker combination. When the door popped open, she grabbed her history book and she could hear her friends coming up to her.
"Oh my God, so how was detention, Bella?" Jane asked. "I bet it was hell,"
Tanya pushed her way forward. "Where have you and Rosalie been? You were supposed to call me yesterday, and I called her house, and her mom said she was out. What did you guys do?"Bella started to respond, but she saw Rosalie and Emmett standing at the end of the hall by the stairs. They were talking, having a normal conversation that was better than the way they treated each other this time yesterday. And from where Bella was standing, she could see a golf ball sized hickey on Rosalie's neck. "Ewe," Jane groaned. It looks like Rosalie is screwing one of those losers now. I hope you weren't out sucking dick with her yesterday,"
No one saw Bella's cheeks turn pink. She went back to her locker to distract herself from their conversation, trying to think of things to say when she saw Mason. Let's start it off with thanks for the sex, she thought, smiling to herself. She closed her locker and turned around, and that's when she saw him. He was walking down the hallway next to Alice, whose hair was pulled away from her face but she still wore that baggy black sweater. Bella pressed herself closer to her locker, hugging her books to her body, trying to choose one of the thousands of things rushing through her mind to say. She could feel their eyes on her as they passed and she tried to keep her eyes on them, but it looked more as if she were staring them down. "Bella?" Tanya saw who her friend was looking at. "Did they do something to you? Do we need to tell Banner that they did something to you?"
"Why would you assume that they did something to me?" Bella asked.
"…What?" her friends were confused, but the bell rang and scattered all the students in the hallway. Bella stood alone, ashamed of herself. She did stick to the agreement she had made with Mason, but not the pact she made with The Breakfast Club. She quickly wiped the tears in her eyes and headed to her first hour biology, where she sat through them and thought about her weekend. Both days had changed her life completely, and she had promises to keep in order to make those days last. When she left biology, she then figured that Edward Mason had not been called during role call and she realized that they didn't have that class together, but he used it to raise the stakes. She felt pathetic, for even if she had lost, they still wouldn't have to be together for the class.
After her classes, she went down the stairs to her locker, where she dumped her books and took out her purse for lunch money. As she walked back to the cafeteria, someone brushed past her and knocked her purse out of her hand. "Hey, watch it!" she looked up, into the eyes of none other than Edward Mason. Neither of them spoke, they only allowed their eyes to lock on the others. Only so much could happen in this moment…
"Sorry, princess," Mason bent down and grabbed her purse. When he extended his arm, their fingers brushed and she could almost feel an electrical current through his skin. The blood pumping from her heart suddenly turned cold and she almost died right there.
"Bella?" Jane and Tanya were behind her, waiting to go to the cafeteria. "Are you coming?"
She stood as still as a deer in the woods, eyes just as wide as she watched Mason go over to his locker, where Eric was still waiting. They were talking and joined by Jasper and Alice, who were hand in hand. They stood talking and for some reason, they all looked so right together. It was now or never…"I'll be there in a minute," she told them. Taking a deep breath, she was gliding across the floor towards them and all their eyes landed on her. "Hi, Edward,"
He turned to face her and he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "…What took you so long, Strawberry?"
Bella smiled. "I don't know. I was waiting for the right moment,"
"…Let's go eat lunch," Eric said, interrupting the silence, and all five of them walked towards the cafeteria. "I hear that today it's macaroni surprise and mashed potatoes,"
"Anything with the word surprise is the worst," Jasper told him, still hand in hand with Alice.
As their friends conversations continued on, Bella smiled at Rosalie and Emmett as they passed by. She then realized that her tiny hand was encircled by Mason's larger hand. "Are we now friends, Edward?" she asked.
"I think we're more than friends," he said. "By the way, thanks for the sex yesterday."