Only Miss Bella

by LovelyLouise

I always thought that my life was perfect. I had Mike. I had a job. ON rare occasions I could admit to myself that I was larger than I should have been. I should have realized that I needed a change. My choices have led me to today. My choices have led me to be only Miss Bella. New Story. Hoping to post every Sunday.

Just Miss Swan

As I slump carefully into my worn desk chair I let thoughts of summer, Mike and cake wash over me. I truly love my job as a primary school teacher but it can be so exhausting. The marking, planning and meetings are endless. I am looking froward to just being out in the garden reading as many books as possible, especially all the forgotten favorites.

All my thoughts of relaxation slip away as I hear the daunting clack of heels down the hallway. Already sensing my own doom I painted on a smile and carefully tried to extract myself from my chair. A feet easier said than done I must say. I set about carefully pulling the name tags off the little silver pegs that ran across my back wall. 'Bella' I heard the scratchy voice of Miss Stanley screech across the classroom. So with a final deep breath I turned to face the brunette which had been haunting me for so long. 'Jessica' I ask dutifully 'how are you?'. We have never quite seen eye to eye since I started seeing Mike. 'I'm good, thank you Bella, have a good summer'. Without a second thought for how I was feeling she turned away on her nine inch heels. I caught a look on her face which almost felt like she was mocking me with a secret only she knew. I just blew it off no doubt its just some trivial gossip from the staff room. Mike wont be picking me up for an hour yet so I will just carry on cleaning till he messages me.

So I potted around the room tidying papers, fixing labels for next years class, collecting all my belongings which seem to mount over the year. I thought to myself 'why aren't you more organised and got this all done earlier?'. There is no point telling myself that next year will be better I am just lying to myself. I set out with the best intentions but it never quite works out the way i expect it too. Before I knew it two hours has passed and no word from Mike. He's probably just running late at work again. As I glanced around my classroom one last time there wasn't much else I could do now. I will give him another ten minutes while I give the room one last sweep I am sure he will be here by then.

He is an hour and a half late now, work or not, I am going to ring him. 'You have reached Mike Newton. I am not available right now please ring back later'. I looked in dread out at the constant drizzly rain of Forks. I can't remember the last time we had a break in the rain, let alone a clear sky. I might as well give him one last try. This time it picked up but all I heard was mumbling before the line went dead. That is so strange, I am pretty sure I could hear a woman's voice. But I am probably just tired and mistaken. Mike would never do that to me, will he? He loves me. He tells me everyday, well at least he used to. But we have both been so stressed at work I am sure he still does. We are supposed to be getting married next year. Even though I know my thoughts were entirely unjustified I still couldn't stop myself from reaching for another slice of cake. Double chocolate cake as a special treat for finishing school.

I hear a clearing of the throat behind me. A wave of relief washed over me, its Mike I know all my fears were in my head. I slowly turn around prolonging our reunion. Although much to my displeasure it is in fact the school caretaker, an older man whose kind smile and honest eyes always cheer me up on even the worst of days. 'I am locking up now Miss Swan. Have a good summer'. So now I have no choice its time to go home. I resigned myself to walking home with one last glance and off I went.

The closer I got to home the more the sense of dread grew in my chest. Each step waited heavier and heavier on my chest. I searched around in my bag for my keys. 'I am sure they are in here somewhere, they must be'. Finally I found them and not a moment too soon as the rain began to increase.

As I step through the door I felt as if something wasn't quite right. Something was missing only I wasn't quite sure what it was. It felt like a part of me of who I was was gone.

My Mike knows me so well. He knows my daily routine to such an extent he knew the first thing I did when I walked in was head straight to the fridge. Despite his continued requests for me to think about my weight it was a habit I simply could not bring myself to break. In his own way to deter me from such a habit he would pin sweet notes to the fridge telling me how much he loves me. I assumed the note would simply be an apology for running late or a note simply requesting that I meet him for dinner. But this note was different. This one would mean my life will change forever. I will no longer be the future Mrs Newton. I will just be Bella. I will always be Miss Swan.