Bad Timing
1: High School
Bella Swan was used to change. Growing up with an alcoholic mother meant she had to be. She was good at adapting- new schools, new apartments, a rotating display of her mother's boyfriends in and out of their lives. Coming home from school she never knew what to expect- cheerful, sappy Renee who hugged her close and made cupcakes for dinner. Or sullen, bitter Renee who spoke poison and had a wicked right hook. So when Renee's drinking hit a breaking point and Bella finally called her father to tell him how bad things had gotten, she was okay with the changes she knew would come. Leaving sunny Arizona for dreary Forks, Washington wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. And neither was being a new kid in a small town starting school mid-semester. Ideal? Nah. But definitely manageable.
Bella walked into her sophomore Biology class and handed the teacher a slip of paper the school secretary had given her.
"Isabella Swan" he read off the sheet, barely glancing at her. "Go ahead and- Mr. Newton put that frog down right this instant!" He turned back to Bella. "Right. Miss Swan. Please take a seat next to Mr. Cullen." He waved his hand vaguely in the direction of the window.
Bella turned and locked eyes with her new lab partner. Holy hottness. He was slouched in his seat, bronze hair artfully mussed, green eyes sparkling, smirking slightly. That smile! She made her way over to him, tripping over a discarded backpack on her way. She felt the blush hit her cheeks as she dropped into the chair at her lab bench.
"Hey. I'm Edward," he said, his smile widening. "You're Chief Swan's daughter, right? Isabella?"
"Bella," she corrected automatically.
"Bella," he repeated, and she thought she'd never hear anything sweeter than her name on his lips.
"Alright class, that's the bell" Mr. Molina intoned dryly. "Today, as you all know, we are continuing our module on anatomy and dissection. If any of you do anything other than dissect the specimen in an appropriate manner so help me god." He shot a significant look in the direction of two boys who were already poking at the frog and laughing. "Let's get started."
"Ladies first," Edward said, holding the scalpel out to her.
Bella blanched. Drunken mothers, handsy boyfriends, distant fathers...all that she could handle. Dissecting the limp, pale frog in front of her? Not so much.
"Umm…" She glanced at the scalpel then back to the frog. "That's okay. Why don't you start?" she suggested hopefully.
Edward chuckled. "Oh, come on." He waved the scalpel at her.
"I really don't-"
"It's a dead frog, Bella. It's not going to bite you," he said, clearly amused by her discomfort.
Bella's eyes narrowed. She knew his type. Gorgeous, cocky, popular. And a total pain in the ass. She reluctantly took the scalpel and brought it toward the frog. It was on it's back, pale underbelly staring up at her, floppy limbs pinned down onto the tray. She felt a little dizzy. Steeling herself she closed her eyes and began to cut.
"Ow!" The sting of the blade brought with it drops of bright red blood.
"Oh shit," Edward said, quickly grabbing the scalpel and picking up her hand.
"Language, Mr. Cullen!" Mr. Molina's voice called from the front of the classroom.
"Bella cut her hand," Edward practically shouted, holding up her bleeding hand for everyone to see.
Asshole. Bella blushed as the entire class turned to stare. She tried not to look at the drops of blood that were pooling in her cupped palm. Do not faint. Do not faint. It became a mantra in her head. Do not fucking faint on the first day of class, Bella.
Mr. Molina sighed loudly and muttered something under his breath.
"It's not that bad," she said quietly, sure her face was the color of a ripe tomato.
"I don't know, looks pretty bad to me," Edward countered.
Bella glared at him. "Shut up," she hissed.
"Mr. Molina? I think Bella should go to the nurse's station. I can take her. Wouldn't want her bleeding all over the biology lab. Or fainting. Or getting tetanus. Or-"
"Fine," barked Mr. Molina. "Miss Swan, go see the nurse. Mr. Cullen, show her where it is please."
Edward immediately grabbed his backpack and headed toward the door, looking over at a few boys and smiling mischievously. They laughed loudly.
Bella hastily stuffed her textbook into her bag and followed him, trying not to drip blood onto the floor as she went.
"Why did you say that?" Bella asked as soon as they were in the empty hallway. "I'm fine! It's just a stupid cut. All I need is a bandaid."
Edward smiled at her. "We got out of biology class! This is excellent news."
"Except now I have to go see the nurse."
Edward shrugged. "Who cares? Ms. Hammond is awesome. She'll clean you up and we can hang out there for a few periods. She doesn't care. She likes me."
Bella scoffed. "I bet she does."
Edward laughed as he pushed open the door to the nurse's office.
"Edward Cullen is looking at you," Angela said, nudging Bella gently, a smile on her kind face.
Bella's eyes snapped up and looked onto the field. Edward was standing outside the dugout, bat in hand, waiting to be up next. He smiled when their eyes connected and gave her a small wave.
She waved back hesitantly, feeling her cheeks pinken a bit.
"He is so hot," Jessica giggled, stretching her legs out onto the bleacher row in front of them.
"Definitely," Angela agreed.
"I guess," Bella answered, squinting in the rare Forks sun.
Angela rolled her eyes but didn't call Bella's bluff.
Okay, so she knew he was hot. Everyone did. Especially standing down there in his baseball uniform, hair matted down a bit from his helmet but still unruly. And okay, she knew he wasn't the complete jerk she had first thought upon meeting him. But despite her and Edward's friendly bantering that had become routine after that first day in biology, they weren't exactly friends. They didn't hang out with the same crowd and rarely saw each other outside of class. Except for occasions such as these when Angela and Jessica dragged Bella along with them to "show their school spirit." Which really translated to Jessica and Angela ogling the boys while Bella tried to finish her homework.
"Hey, Bella," Mike Newton's chipper voice called out as he made his way down the bleachers toward them.
Bella smiled halfheartedly. It's not that Mike wasn't a nice guy. He was. In a dopey, puppy dog kind of way. And it's not that he wasn't cute. He was. In a boy-next-door, kid brother kind of way. She liked him. But he seriously had no concept of personal space.
"Great game, huh?" he asked, as he squeezed himself into the tiny gap between Bella and Jessica. Jessica giggled. Bella shrugged.
"You should have come to the game last week. It was amazing, they- Wooo!" Mike jumped to his feet. "Nice one, Cullen! Did you see that?"
Bella shielded her eyes against the sun and looked to the field just in time to see the ball Edward had hit sail outside the ballpark. He jogged around the bases to cheers and high fives. She smiled despite herself and reluctantly hit Mike's outstretched hand. Edward emerged from his teammates' ass slaps and hair ruffles and looked into the stands. His smile brightened as his eyes fell on Bella and she felt her heart skip a beat. He waved again. Bella's cheeks burned. She felt Mike sit down heavily and frown as he looked between her and Edward. She didn't wave back.
Edward didn't look at her the rest of the game and Bella didn't know whether she was disappointed or not. She knew how to deal with pompous, sassy Edward who teased her and made her laugh. She had no idea what to do with this flirty, friendly Edward who made her blush. He liked her, she knew that. They had fun together in biology, goofing off and making Mr. Molina rue the day he sat them together. He said hi to her in the halls, joking with her as his friends looked on in amusement. But he didn't show any interest in her beyond that. He didn't have a girlfriend. She knew that from the hours of conversation about Edward she endured from Jessica. But he flirted with other girls in a way he never did with her. Except for the rare occasion like today when he seemed to focus all his attention on Bella, making Jessica give her the side-eye and making his friends catcall and act like fools. She knew he was just having fun, that he couldn't mean anything by it. He probably just liked seeing her get flustered. Jackass.
So she tried to keep her cool on days like today when their eyes kept connecting and he dazzled her with his smile. She tried not to think of how it might feel to have those lips on hers. She tried not to think of what it would feel like to have his hands on her skin, palming her breasts or sliding down her stomach. And she really tried hard not to think about what color his eyes would be as he came apart inside of her.
It's the part of him she loved most. Yeah his smile was provocative and his strong arms were sexy as hell. But his eyes? She blushed just thinking about them. The way they changed color; typically a deep green in the cloudy Washington weather but turning a brighter, lighter green on sunny days like today. How they seemed to get darker when he was mad or frustrated. How they sparkled when he laughed.
Yeah, Bella thought, as she sat in the stands and watched him ignore her for the rest of the game, I need to get a fucking grip.
She was carefully stepping down the bleachers at the end of the game when she heard him call her name. She looked up and tripped, her ass hitting the hard metal and her elbow banging against it sharply.
"Are you okay?" Mike was at her side in an instant, helping her up and looking concerned.
She brushed herself off quickly and glared at Edward who was leaning against the fence laughing loudly. She flicked him off. "I'm fine," she muttered, pulling away from Mike and continuing her decent.
She glanced back at Edward. He was chatting to a tiny, pretty girl with short black hair. Alice, his sister. Bella didn't know her well since Alice was a year ahead. Edward said something to Alice and she looked quizzically at Bella before responding. Bella ducked her head down and was halfway to her car when she heard someone call her name. She turned back to the field and saw Alice running toward her.
"Bella, wait up!"
For a minute Bella thought Alice was going to hug her and momentarily flinched but Alice stopped short and grabbed Bella's hands in her own. "Bella! Hi! I'm Alice." She smiled. "Edward's sister," she added unnecessarily. "We're all headed to the beach this weekend. You'll come, right? Edward said you would."
Bella raised an eyebrow.
Perhaps seeing her hesitation, Alice dropped her hands and added, "Jessica and Angela are welcome to come too, of course."
Bella briefly wondered how Alice knew who her friends were but shrugged it off. It was a small school afterall.
"Umm, sure. That sounds fun, I guess. I'll check with my dad but it should be okay."
Alice clapped her hands together happily. "Great! We'll see you then. First Beach, okay? At La Push. We'll be there around noon." With one more squeeze of Bella's hands she turned to leave. She was a few steps away when she glanced back. "We're going to be great friends, Bella. You'll see."
"I am not going tonight."
"Oh yes you are, Bella. In a few short months I'll be moving halfway across the country for college and you know what you'll be thinking then? Boy, I miss Alice so much. I sure do wish I had gone to that party with her to celebrate her baby brother's almost-win in the state championship."
Bella laughed but didn't move from her spot lounging on her bed.
"Besides," Alice said, turning back to continue rooting through Bella's closet. "You promised Edward you'd be there."
"That was before he kind of blew it and lost the game. I'm not going near him today. Or for a couple weeks honestly. Do you know how pissy he's going to be?" Bella shook her head. "He's going to blame himself, drink too much, hit on every girl in the place, and end up crying in my car while I drive him home. No thanks."
Less than two hours later Bella was sulking in a corner of Lauren's house, shooting daggers at Alice from across the room when she felt two arms grab her from behind.
"Bellaaaa!," he slurred, pulling her close. "My favorite person in the whole wide world."
Bella wiggled out of Edward's tight grasp and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'd like to see that in writing."
Edward perked up. "Sure. Do you have a pen?"
"I was just kidding, Edward."
"Does anyone have a pen?" Edward shouted loudly to the crowded room. "I need...a pen." He turned and wandered off.
One boring hour later Bella was looking at her phone wondering if Alice would be mad if she left early when Eric sidled up next to her. "Hey, Bella."
"Hey, Eric. How's it going?"
"Pretty good. Shame about the game today, huh? If only Cullen hadn't fudged that last-"
"It wasn't his fault," Bella said hotly, feeling inexplicably defensive.
Eric looked taken aback and tried to backpedal. "Oh, right, yeah. I meant-"
"I'll see you around, Eric." Bella didn't give him a second glance as she went to find Alice. She was done with this party, she didn't care how much of a guilt trip Alice would give her.
Not finding Alice anywhere in the house, Bella poked her head outside and saw an Edward-shaped lump sitting on the front steps. She sighed and plopped down next to him. "Hey, Cullen. How you feeling?"
He looked at her and she could see the frustration in his eyes. He always took this kind of stuff hard. In the year and a half since they first met, Bella thought she had gotten to know Edward pretty well. Other people talked about how competitive he was, how he became a sullen loser when things didn't go his way. But Bella knew that wasn't quite right. It wasn't really about winning; it was about not letting people down. His friends, his teammates, his coach, his school, his parents, hell, the whole town of Forks really. Edward could be a pain in the ass, but he was a loyal pain in the ass. He would do anything for the people he cared about. It wasn't the loss itself that bothered him, it was that he thought it was his fault.
"Hey, Bells," he said softly, resting his head on her shoulder.
"You know it wasn't your fault, right?" she said quietly, picking at the peeling paint on the steps. "Or at least know," she continued when he didn't answer, "that even if it was your fault, I like you anyway."
He smiled slightly. "Thanks."
"Want a ride home?"
"Nah, Jessica said she'd take me."
Bella looked down at the top of his head. "The same Jessica who dumped you last week?"
"Yep."
"You sure that's a good idea?"
"Nope."
"Okay." She nudged his head gently and he lifted it off her shoulder. "I'm going to head out."
"Bella?" He looked at her, a crease forming between his brows.
"Yeah?"
Without another word, his lips were on hers and it was surprise and desire and her hands on his back and his fingers in her hair and it was knowing- knowing with complete certainty- that she had never been kissed this way before and never would be exactly in the same way again. They broke apart after a moment, both breathing hard, and she wondered for a minute if he would apologize, or say it was a mistake, or pretend it didn't happen. She didn't expect him to smile. Her mouth quirked up in reply.
She didn't know what to say. "Umm, okay. I'm going to leave. I have work. Well, not right now obviously. But later. In the morning. So, umm, I need to get some sleep."
He didn't reply so she stood up and walked down the sidewalk.
"Bella?" he called.
She turned around. He stood up and walked to her. "Here. I found a pen." He shoved a napkin into her hand before turning around and walking back into the house.
Bella opened her fist and looked down to see Edward's messy scrawl.
You're my favorite person in the whole wide world.
"Are you sure I look alright? I feel like a complete douche." Edward frowned at his reflection in the mirror and messed with his bowtie.
Bella didn't even glance up from the book she was reading, sprawled out on Edward's floor. "For the millionth time this afternoon, Edward, yes, you look fine. Radiant even. Out of this world stunning. The gods are singing your praises, the women are fainting in delight, the kids are- Ow!" She set aside her book and glared up at Edward.
"It was a pillow, Swan. You can't tell me that hurt."
"Your self-conscious worrying is what's really hurting me. It's prom, Edward. Esme will take too many photos, you'll be named prom king, Jessica will cry, and then you'll end up too drunk to remember any of it."
"Alright, Holden Caulfield, damn. Not all of us have to be cynical about every fucking thing. Some of us like to have fun every once in a while." He sat down next to Bella.
"I will have fun," she protested. "I'm going, aren't I?"
"Yeah, only because I had Alice call you and guilt trip you into it."
Bella shrugged and ran her hand though the plush carpet.
Edward sighed. "I kind of wish Jessica wasn't coming with me."
Bella looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You're the one who asked her!"
"Only because you said no."
"Har har." She picked up the pillow and hit him gently on the head. As if his asking a month ago had been for real. She knew it was just to mess with her. Edward and Jessica had broken up and gotten back together more times than Katy Perry and John Mayer. No way he would actually want to take Bella to prom. She stood up. "I'm going to head home. Have to get ready."
"Okay." He stayed seated, staring at the floor in thought.
Prom was in full swing by the time Bella arrived with Angela, Ben, and Tyler.
"Oh, there's Eric and Katie. Let's say hi," Angela said, pulling Bella with her.
Bella was chatting with some friends when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew from the scent that invaded her space that it was him. She turned around and Edward's smile faded as he took her in. She felt herself blush. Her dress wasn't anything crazy, just a simple dark blue column. I mean, sure she knew her boobs looked fantastic in it and yeah, her hair was down in waves instead of up in the usual scraggly ponytail. And maybe she had let Angela do her makeup. But still, it was just her. Bella. So she didn't understand why Edward was looking at her with...what was that in his eyes? Desire? Need? Or is that just what she wanted to see?
"Dance with me." It wasn't a question.
"Okay."
And then she was wrapped up in his arms, swaying only a little offbeat to the mellow song crackling from the speakers. She tried to breath normally, knowing she should say something but all she could think about was the way his hand felt resting on her lower back, the other holding her hand close. The moment was all Edward's smell and touch and a closeness that made her feel both tense with electricity and weak like she might swoon at any moment. His lips gently brushed across her neck, a gesture so light and tender she wasn't even sure it was on purpose.
She hadn't felt his lips on her skin since the party at Lauren's house a year ago. She had thought, after that kiss, that maybe things would be different between them. The kiss had been...amazing. But had it just been a kiss between friends, the result of spending time together and drinking? Or had it been something more? She wasn't sure what she wanted, fluctuating between wanting to rip his clothes off and pretending it never happened so as not to disrupt their already unlikely friendship.
She hadn't felt sure after that kiss. But now, being in his arms like this, it all felt so right. She so often felt like she didn't fit in anywhere, but she fit with Edward.
The song ended and they paused, no longer dancing but still holding each other. "You look fantastic, Bells," he said quietly in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Thanks," she whispered, looking him in the eyes. "You look good, too."
There was pause before Edward cracked a grin and laughed. "Well, obviously." He dropped his arms and Bella felt a chill where his body was no longer pressed against hers. Whatever had just occurred between them was gone, another moment that passed them by.
"I'm going to miss the beach." Edward picked up a stone and threw it into the ocean.
"You're going to be living on an island," Bella replied.
"The Hudson River's a little different than the Pacific Ocean, Swan."
"Yeah, but think of everything you'll see there. Everything you'll be able to do."
"There's lots to do in Seattle, too. You'll like it there."
"And you'll like New York." Bella stretched out her legs, her heels digging into the damp sand.
"This summer went by so fast."
"That's because you spent the whole thing running away from Jessica." Bella snickered.
"Very funny." He threw another rock into the water.
"It was a good summer," Bella said.
"Even when Charlie grounded you for staying out all night?"
"Your fault."
"Or when you tripped and sprained your ankle playing volleyball at this very beach?"
"Your fault. I said I didn't want to play!"
"Or when you got caught breaking into the school?"
"Hmm. Also your fault."
"That one was all you, Swan."
"Hardly. Like I'd ever be able to hop that fence by myself."
Edward laughed, tossing a stone between his hands.
She smiled begrudgingly and lay her head on his shoulder. They sat like that in silence for a while, watching the waves roll in as the sky darkened and the stars came out.
Finally, Edward spoke. "Remember your first day in biology when you cut your hand trying to dissect a frog?" He chuckled.
"Yeah, and you made out like I was going to die or something. All so you could sit in the nurse's office with me all day and miss class. You were such an ass then."
"And I'm not now?"
"Well," Bella looked up at him and smiled. "Less of an ass, anyway."
Edward kissed the top of her head and sighed, suddenly serious. "What if I hate it? What if I miss home?"
Bella knew how hard it was for Edward to admit to doubt and uncertainty. They'd spent the entire summer together. "Thick as thieves" Esme said. And it had been a great summer. But he'd been moodier than normal lately, a little more snippy and quiet.
"It's hard to start over, Edward. I know that better than anyone. But it can be good too. There are things I miss about Arizona. The sun, my friends, really good spicy salsa, the way the desert would blossom every spring if we got enough rain. But I'm glad I came to Forks. It was hard sometimes. Getting to know Charlie. Having to make new friends. Leaving my mom. It's different. But different isn't always bad."
They sat in silence, the sound of the waves filling in where there were no words.
"Besides," Bella added, a few minutes later. "Nothing's permanent, Edward. If you really hate NYU that much you can always come home."
"I'm going to miss you."
She nuzzled into his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her. "I'm going to miss you too."
"Well, kiddo. I think that's everything," Charlie said, setting down one last box into the crowded dorm room.
"Thanks, Charlie." She knew he was anxious to get back on the road. So even though a part of her wanted him to stay, to meet her roommate who hadn't yet arrived, to help her settle in, she knew she should let him get back. She gave him a hug and smiled as he kissed her on the top of her head and said a gruff "Love you, Bells."
"Love you too, Charlie."
Esme popped her head into the room. "We heading out, Charlie?"
"Yeah, we should get going."
"Okay. Mind if I have a moment with Bella before we go?"
"Sure. I'll be in the car." He gave Bella one last hug. "Be safe, kiddo. Call and check in, okay?"
"I will."
He stepped out into the hall and Esme entered. She opened one of the many boxes and pulled out a new set of sheets she had helped Bella pick out a week earlier. "It's going to be wonderful Bella," she said, starting to make the bed.
Bella silently helped Esme, not trusting herself to speak for fear that the lump in her throat would turn into tears.
"Seattle is going to be so good for you. You'll meet new people, experience new things, fall in love, find passion and interests you didn't know you had."
The dam didn't hold and fat, hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Esme was at her side in a moment wrapping her into a tight hug.
"I'm scared," Bella admitted. It was something she hadn't admitted to anyone, not even Alice or Edward. It was the kind of thing you shared with your mother. Bella had been missing Renee more than usual these past few weeks. Wondering where she was, how she was doing. Wondering how different it would be to get dropped off at college with both parents, her mom making a fuss over the size of the room and getting overly excited about meeting her roommate. In this moment she was glad Esme had insisted on coming to Seattle with Charlie to send Bella off.
"I know, sweetheart," Esme said softly, rubbing her hand in soothing circles over Bella's back.
Bella opened her mouth to say "I'm going to miss home" but what came out instead was "I'm going to miss him."
Esme didn't need to ask who Bella was talking about.
"Oh, sweetie. He'll miss you too. But you'll see each other soon. Edward will be home for Christmas in a few months. That's not so far away."
Bella sniffled and pulled away, wiping her nose and eyes on her t-shirt.
"I love you, Bella. And I'm so proud of you."
Until Esme said the words, Bella hadn't realized they were the words she had been waiting her whole life to hear.