A Day Late & A Dollar Short
A/N: So, I actually wrote this a few years aback, my first year in college. Funny how I was digging up my old stories and came across this, it actually seemed to fit into an alternate Twilight storyline, and trust – this was way before I even know about the saga.
Disclaimer: I really don't own Twilight. And I'm really sorry for ruining the characters. But dammit, its fun.
Now, a few things to clear up:
1. I am shapely, curvy Black woman who loves her food and her curves. I have enough friends and acquaintances who are petite, slim, lean, average, whatever you want to call it. I have nothing against small-bodied women. Anyone who reads this and finds it offensive, my apologies, but none intended. If you still take it to heart, hush.
2. Language. It's rated M. Hint, hint.
3. Feel free to ask any questions. This was supposed to be a one-shot, but it grew. It still needs to be edited, and it will be time to time.. so bear with me. I have enough fave authors on this site who I respect as writers and any similarities to their work is not intended, my apologies if any are implied.
That being said; I am my own worst critic, so bleh.
Chapter One
Damn Phone Call
*
I tried to ignore the shrill ringing off the phone. It was threatening to wake me and it succeeded. I groaned and got up to answer it.
"Yeah?" I shook my head to clear the grogginess.
"Bella." The male voice on the other end spoke. I cringed. I hoped against all hope I wouldn't have to speak to him for some time.
"Yup." I muttered.
"What's up?" I guess he hadn't figured out I was ignoring him.
"Nothing. What do you want?" I figured I'd be blunt. That normally worked.
"I haven't seen you in a while, I was wondering if you're OK."
"I'm touched. I've been busy." I spoke quickly. I knew my voice had an edge of sarcasm and I didn't care.
"What's wrong? You ok?"
"I'm fine Edward. Listen, I really don't need a babysitter." I hung up. Hopefully, he'd take the hint and leave me alone. My phone rang again. I closed my eyes and sighed deeply.
I knew it was him, so I didn't even bother to answer. I went back to bed and buried myself under the covers. I needed to sleep. I'd been so tired lately, even with the regular eight hours those stupid doctors recommended, I was still yawning on my feet every day.
Five minutes later, there was a knock on my door. I groaned. If it was Edward, I'd … shit, I don't know what I would do. I hadn't spoken to him since three weeks ago. The knock on the door persisted, and ignoring common sense I got up and opened it. Sure enough, Mr. Debonair was standing on the other side. I made to close the door in his face but he stuck his foot in, stopping me.
"What do you want dude?" I asked, placing my body in the doorway, I couldn't push the door any further nor could he come inside.
"What is with the attitude, Bella? You've been acting like a bitch for a while now. What gives?" he asked.
"Kiss my ass Edward, just leave me alone." I tried to push the door closed. Again, he stopped me. I bit my lip and glared at him.
"No. See, I don't know what the fuck is your problem, but you're obviously taking it out on me. If you could just tell me what the hell has your panties in a bunch I'd leave you alone, by quit bitching at me if I didn't do anything wrong." He snapped.
"My problem? Fine, I'll tell you. You. Satisfied?"
"What?"
I shook my head and stepped back, moving to close the door again.
"Listen Edward. I don't need for you to fuck me up any more than I already am. Yeah I like you; we messed around a few times, that's all it was. A good lay. But when your ass turns around and starts messing with Tanya, especially knowing how our relationship is, that's just fuckery."
I watched his reaction. Confusion, anger, frustration, defeat; they all flashed across his face in a matter of seconds. I really wanted to hear what his response would be. Then again, I didn't.
"I have to go to work. Leave." I said to him.
"Bella, how long have you known me?" he asked quietly.
"Oh please, don't even try that. Apparently not long enough. I listened to you bitch about what's-her-face messing with your feelings, didn't I? You know, I almost believed you when you said you wanted us to get together. I let my pussy think for me instead of my head and that almost got me in trouble. Now please, do me a favour, let me live with whatever amount of dignity I have left to deal with my life. I have to go to work. Go away." I pushed him out the doorway and closed my door.
I walked to the bathroom, my legs shaking. I barely made it to the toilet before I threw up. I laid on the floor of the bathroom for a few minutes, before I remembered I had to go to work. Reluctantly, I groaned, got up and showered.
After I got dressed, I grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the freezer, locked my apartment door and walked to my car. I tensed when I saw him standing beside my door. Don't know why I was surprised though, Edward Cullen was one stubborn sonofabitch.
"Are you ever going to listen to me?" he asked as I made my way to the driver's side.
"What for? So you can lie again? I'll save you the trouble." I got in and drove away.
At the store, I clocked in and went to my desk. Alice hadn't gotten in yet. I cursed as I remembered I was supposed to pick her up. I took out my cell-phone and dialed her number when I saw her walk in, phone in hand.
"You better have a good reason for forgetting me." She snapped. I followed her to the worker's lounge and sat down. She looked at my face and immediately softened.
"You look like you're about to cry. It's ok. I got here fine, just took me longer, but I got here. If they ask me why I'm late I'm blaming it on you though." She raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
How could I tell her why I was crying? She'd just say 'I told you so' and walk off to work. I sighed. "I'm just tired, is all."
"Come on. The earlier we get working, the more hours we get paid for." She grinned and pushed me out the doors.
The next four hours before lunch were hell. Edward kept calling the office, but I was always too busy or not at my counter. Then he came by the store and sat in the waiting area. He'd never approach but he never left. Alice was becoming suspicious. Edward and I were usually alright. Never a dull moment, and two of the most stubborn people she'd ever met. She had warned me not to get close to him, because she knew how he was, but I guess my libido and my mind had other plans in mind.
Shit happens.
At 11:30, he left. I sighed in relief and went to the back room to use the bathroom. Some of my had gone on break and were eating lunch. I caught one whiff of a double-whopper and wanted to hurl. I raced to the restroom, did my business and brushed my teeth. When I came out, Alice was standing at the door, her hands crossed on her chest and that look on her face.
"What the hell is going on?" she asked. She was older than me, a least a foot shorter than my 5' 5" but the little pixie was scary. Plus she kick-boxed. I knew not to piss her off.
"What do you mean?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair.
"Edward has been here all day, but you haven't spoken to him. He's been calling all morning - you haven't spoken to him. Now he's outside standing beside your car, and you're in here throwing up. Run your fingers through your hair one more time and I will knock you over." She said without taking a breath. I put my hands by my side.
I looked out the restroom to the lounge behind her, everyone else ignorant to our argument. Then I looked Alice square in the eyes.
"We had a fight." I said slowly.
"So? Don't you guys always quarrel?" she shrugged.
"This was more than that. I got fed up with the bullshit and confronted him about it."
"See, I knew this would happen. One of you would get too attached to this foolishness and be unable to handle it. How the hell are you going to get yourself out of this now?" she narrowed her eyes at me.
From behind her I saw someone lift a burger and I wanted to throw up again. I turned and went back to the cubicle.
"Bella, did you get your period yet?"
I froze. In my head I tried to calculate the days of the month and realized my period hadn't come when it was supposed to, or three weeks later. I didn't really have a normal cycle but it usually figured itself out alright. And then I wasn't sexually active, at least not until Edward came into the picture.
"Fuck."
"You shouldn't have been doing that, that's what got you into this in the first place. Come on." Alice took my hand and walked outside. Edward got up when we left the store and walked over to us. She felt me tense.
"You, come with us." Alice said. I felt more than saw him staring at me but I ignored him. Now I really didn't want to see him.
"Where are we going?" he asked. I remained silent.
"We are going to the pharmacy." Alice said and shut him up with a look. I thanked her for that silently, and I cursed her too.
At the pharmacy, Alice marched me over to buy a home pregnancy kit. Edward looked at me. I refused to look at him, but I could feel his eyes boring into my back. I bought the kit, walked back to the store and to the restroom, ignoring both Edward and Alice on the way. What was I going to do if I were pregnant?
The few minutes waiting for that test were hell. I sat on a chair, my back straight, and my eyes steady on the window out to where the customers sat waiting to be dealt with.
When Alice came over to me, she was quiet. I looked at her.
"I want to go home." I spoke in a monotone, afraid to even ask. She nodded.
She told our supervisor I was coming down with something - yea, a baby is something!- and she was driving me home. Outside, Edward was still standing beside my car. I groaned as we walked over.
"You know I never realized exactly how stubborn you were. What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you have better things to do than to hang around me all day?" I seethed.
"Bella, we need to talk." Edward looked even more serious than Alice. I cut my eyes at him and went around to open my car door. Alice stopped me and took the keys from me.
"Get in the back. Edward you drive." She threw him the keys. "Why can't I drive?" I insisted.
"How you are right now? A tree never hit a car except in self-defense. Get in the back."
"What's wrong with her?" he asked. Alice got in and made me lay my head in her lap.
"Just drive home Edward, we'll talk when we get there."
At my apartment, my housemate was home. I sat on my beanie chair, pulling off my loafers. Edward sat on the sofa, looking at me.
"Quit staring at me," I snapped at him.
"Then tell me what's wrong."
I laughed harshly. "Didn't you hear what I said this morning?"
"Tell me what's the matter." He said, getting up to help me to take my jacket off. I shrugged away and glared at him.
"What? You never stopped me from helping you when you were sick before, so why now?"
"What's going on?" Tanya came out of her room.
"Great. Join the party. No, wait. I'll leave. You guys have fun." I got up, and fainted.
Right into Edward's arms.
--
When I came to, Alice was sitting beside me, stroking my hair. I gave myself a minute to adjust to the still spinning room while it quieted then tried to sit up.
"Hell no, don't you dare try to get up." Alice said sternly.
"What happened?" I put my hand to my head and groaned. "My head hurts. Why do I hear a jackhammer?"
"You fainted. Right into Edward's welcoming arms." Tanya sneered. I looked over at her sitting on the armrest on the other side of the sofa, looking smug. I really wanted to smack her.
"Are you pregnant Bella?" she asked bluntly. I stared at her. Was I? I looked at Alice. She nodded. I groaned again.
Now what?
"Whose is it?" she asked.
"I've only been screwing one person for the past year. Guess who?" I rubbed my forehead and willed myself to remain calm.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Edward's voice was barely audible.
"Well, see I only just found out today idiot. Besides, what do you care?" I wanted to hurt him, and I did. He cringed at my remark, and I felt a pang of guilt. I quickly pushed it away.
"That's cold. We've been friends long enough; I thought you knew me by now." He said his voice flat.
He was right. He was a nice guy. And a good friend. But he was also one of those guys Alice's mother warned me about.
"What are you going to do?" Alice asked gently.
I looked outside my window. What was I going to do?
I never really looked at my life with a child in it. I was 21, a junior in university, with a bank account that could barely sustain me, yet alone me and a child. I was working my way through university during the summer and it took all my father had to support me and I really didn't want to bring my older brother into this. Emmett would probably kill Edward first and then ask questions later.
"Are you going to keep it?" Tanya asked. I turned my eyes to her. I wanted to slap the smug smile right off her too-much-make-up-looking-like-a-jacked-up-whore face.
I snorted at the thought.
"Do I have a say in this?" Edward said angrily.
I opened my mouth to retort and Alice silenced me, "It is his child too." I looked at him, his face taut. I looked away and shrugged.
"What will you do about school? Are you crazy? You can't attend pregnant." Tanya said. This slut was acting more like a bitch by the minute and it was pissing me off.
"I have had just about enough of you." I barked at her and stood up. She jumped.
"I've gone through the past few weeks getting the silent treatment from you. Fuck you. You always said you were my friend, yet you are the biggest hypocrite of all. You knew I liked Mike and you just went ahead and played him; screwed him behind my back! I got over that and moved on. Then I told you I had feelings for Edward and what did you do? You screwed him too! I'm gonna need you to hear me loud right about now: get the fuck out of my apartment. I don't give a damn what you want to say, where you going to go, or who you going go to; but I've had enough of your bullshit. Just get the fuck out."
Now I had every right to be mad.
I looked at Edward. He was staring at me, his green eyes hard. But I wasn't done yet.
"You think I didn't know, huh? You're the same one who told me that I should be a detective, remember? Nothing gets past me? How'd it go? Did you seduce her the same way you did me?" I glared at him.
"Or did you just go ahead and throw your jacked up, skinny pussy in his face? Skinny women are evil. Do you really hate me that much?" I turned on Tanya.
"Hey, I'm skinny too." Alice protested. I glared at her. She tried to put a hand on my shoulder and I stopped her.
"I'm tired of people thinking I'm fragile, or dumb or too stupid to realize all the mess in my life. Now I'm pregnant by a man who'd put his dick in any woman that came his way, and dissed by someone who I actually called a friend. Whatever the hell else could go wrong?" My eyes blazed.
"I'm leaving. Y'all have fun." I got up and grabbed the car keys from the table. Alice tried to stop me again and I shoved her hand away. I held up my hands to stop Edward from coming towards me.
"I don't need to hear or see you right about now so get out of my way."
Where I was going I had no idea but I left.
I drove, my head full of thoughts preventing me from thinking clearly.
I parked at the park and sat on the hood. I sat there for a few minutes trying to sift through the mass of thoughts in my head.
I couldn't believe I'd gotten myself into this. I'd been so careful, guarding my heart, and my body, and I really had no idea where I'd slipped.
I was annoyed, angry, tired, scared – mostly tired ... I didn't know what my next move would be, and I was literally too scared to even call my father. I'd let him down, and although I knew he'd forgive me, that was still no excuse for what he'd say or do when I told him.
Yep, I was fucked.
A/N: Yeah, reviews give me butterflies. And yes, dammit, I'm woman enough to take the good with the bad.