Summary: I'm supposed to represent Cinderella, right? Because I sure as hell don't remember Cinderella being accused by her evil stepsisters of being Prince Charming's one-night stand. Rated T for Total Awesomeness…or not. All Human
A/N: I started this one shot months ago and I just never finished it. Figured there was no time like the present.
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. Some person that isn't me owns Cinderella. I own nothing.
MISTELLINGS OF A FAIRYTALE
BPOV
You'd think that after a perfectly fantastic night of dancing and romantic merry-making, I'd be in a state of blissful unawareness because of the Edward-induced haze that had been clouding my head this morning. After all, this was Edward, the only person that could even possibly dazzle me into an evening gown and get me to go to what he called a "ball" while I called it a "perfect opportunity to break my foot in the gym while not even holding a volleyball".
But my blissfulness had been completely shattered.
I cursed the day that I began caring about what other people thought of me, just like I cursed the fact that Edward had me so utterly infatuated with him that my mind was pretty much a glop of mush every time his face came into my mind. Really, it was such an inconvenience to care what others thought. What did I care if people were staring at me so much that with every step I took, my face got hotter and hotter? So what if girls were whispering scandalously every time I passed by? Who cared if guys were giving me appreciative looks as I walked down the hall?
Apparently, I did.
I really could have cared less if random students were staring at me with a mix of admiration, disgust and shock. But what really got me was that some of my trusted friends, friends that I believed were above gossip and petty rumors, were giving me the same looks as people who I could have cared less about. It was like all the time we had spent hanging out during lunch and studying together meant nothing now that this one rumor had gotten spread around. The mutterings of the students revolved around me as I tried to hide the hurt from the people I once saw as my friends.
Did you hear what she did?
They left early, remember? He must have taken her to his house so Chief Swan wouldn't hear her.
What if they didn't even go home? What if they did it his car? There's got to be plenty of leg room in there.
Oh my god, I can't believe Bella actually went down on him! I knew she was offering something to him no one else would. Why else would he have picked her?
My face heated up with every new theory. With my pride pushing me, I found myself running towards the girls' restroom where I would find refuge until the first bell rang. Unfortunately, my descent to the refuge for embarrassed and socially awkward girls was cut off by a strong arm catching me around the waist and dragging me back into a well-toned chest, covered only by a dark blue button-down shirt, a tan leather jacket hung over his free arm. I looked up into a pair of beautiful green eyes, lined with thick black lashes. A smile appeared on his face, crooked and lovely, meant specifically for me. From the way he was looking at me, I could tell that just a second ago he had been under that same blissful haze I wished I could be in. But he didn't look at all troubled now like I felt. In fact, it looked like the haze of happiness had blocked off all derogative comments from his ears.
Suddenly, I realized it was selfish of me to make him leave his little place of happiness. It didn't matter that I felt like running off and hiding under a rock just so I wouldn't be judged by ex-friends and strangers alike. If he hadn't heard anything and continued being unaffected by any misled rumors then I wouldn't ruin that for him. So, with my head held high, I grabbed his hand and tried to fight back the sickening butterflies of unprecedented shame in my stomach.
"Good morning, love," Edward said brightly, leaning down to kiss me good morning. I turned my head and allowed him to kiss my cheek. When he pulled away, he gave me a look of confusion, questioning me. I just smiled as best I could, hoping desperately that he wouldn't see behind my happy mask.
"Morning, Edward," I replied. I didn't give him the normal hug or kiss I gave him every morning. It felt like I was doing something inappropriate while being watched by all the bystanders in the hallway. Edward still seemed unaware of Tyler Crowley and Austin Marks looking at me curiously, conspiratorially whispering as Edward began walking me to my first class of the day. He just gazed at me questioningly again while I smiled a false grin. I could feel their eyes following us down the hall, staying focused solely on me and not Edward.
Really, where was the justice? I didn't see anyone giving Edward perverse sneers as he walked with his fingers linked through mine. I didn't even see girls giving him deadly glares for supposedly shacking up with his girlfriend. But here I was, being glared at by people with nothing better to do than judge people for a huge misunderstanding. But that didn't even seem to matter now.
The hand that was entwined with my own clenched lightly, pulling my attention up to his face. He was frowning at me. He tilted his head to the right, pointing to the door that led outside Building A and into the grassy square between buildings A and B. I sighed and followed along to the too-green square, hoping Edward wouldn't question me right now. I felt uneasy with all the accusing stares on my back.
He pulled me to a wooden table, soaked with the morning's rain, and laid his jacket out, stretching it so that we could sit on it comfortably without the risk of getting wet. I didn't complain to him that it was a leather jacket and ran the risk of getting stained with the water. He would have just said he could buy another one (which was probably true with the way Alice, his sister and my best friend, shopped every weekend). He sat in the center of the jacket's silk lining and pulled me down into his lap, chuckling at my shocked face and nuzzling my neck with his nose as he breathed in deeply. His warm breath sent shivers through my arms.
"What's wrong?" he murmured into my skin. "You've been acting strange. Are you feeling alright?" I nodded and tried to ignore how good the soft vibrations of his voice felt against my neck.
"I'm fine," I lied unconvincingly. He pulled away from my neck so I could see the frustrated look on his face, the look he always gave me when he wanted to know desperately what I was thinking. After all, he had always said that he couldn't quite read me as well as he could others. I was his one unsolvable enigma, the one who intrigued him the most. I felt smug about that.
"You're lying," he accused, giving me a playful glare that told me he wasn't angry, just curious. Unfortunately, I was already exhausted with all the curious stares and the questioning eyes. My natural teenage instincts told me to be defensive and to not give into him.
"I'm fine, Edward," I growled childishly, pushing myself off from his lap only to trip over my foot. Of course, he caught me like he always did.
He looked at me reproachfully. "Bella, tell me what's wrong. Are you angry about something? Is someone bothering you?" he asked in a demanding tone. I just glared back pathetically, trying to hide the fact that I felt a liquid burning behind my eyes. I turned away from him so he wouldn't see the blush making its way up my neck and to my face, exposing my anger and my shame.
"I've got to get to class, Edward," was all I said as I walked away from him for the first time since I had met him.
--
"Gah!" I growled beneath my breath as I rushed out of the classroom. Not only was I probably permanently red, but I also was annoyed beyond belief. It seemed like one of the student office helpers had spread the rumors to the administration. This meant that Ms. Cope, Senior Rumor-Spreader extraordinaire, had gotten to the faculty. Ms. Rodriguez, the Spanish teacher, had stared at me sadly, shaking her head back and forth in a mix of projected shame and disgust. Male teachers like Mr. Barnes and Mr. Varner just glanced away, their faces curious but unwilling to outwardly express that curiosity like the rest of the students.
I had been questioned by people, laughed at when I just spluttered and blushed, and then talked about in loud whispers that I could hear, all in a time span of three hours. I had avoided Edward between class periods even though he had waited for me outside my classroom (like he did everyday) with a concerned look on his face. It broke my heart but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face if I talked to him then. And to make matters worse, people had begun talking about how I must have gotten into a fight with Edward because he had chased me down the hallway after my first class, calling my name while I ignored him as best I could.
I had been totally buzzed this morning, completely stoked from last night's nightly festivities of dancing and laughing with Edward. So why did I feel like crap now, especially when I knew this rumor wasn't even true and that I still had my V-card to prove it?
I mean, I'm supposed to represent Cinderella, right? Because I sure as hell don't remember Cinderella being accused by her evil stepsisters of being Prince Charming's one-night stand.
Because even though I didn't have a couple stepsisters or an evil stepmother (I only had Charlie and he was only incompetent at cooking; that hardly counted as evil or step-motherly), I had been attacked by two evil gossip-spreaders, both of whom had asked me how good Edward was and what else I had done to prove that I was worthy girlfriend material for him. And if that wasn't embarrassing enough, they had asked that in proximity of all the boys and the teacher in my classroom while I just blushed and focused on the class work in front of me. Jessica Stanley in all her curly-haired glory had cornered me in Mr. Varner's classroom, demanding that I tell her what had happened after I left the dance the night before. Question after question she asked, hoping to spark some sort of reaction from me that would reveal the truth while Lauren Mallory (who despised me because of Tyler's strange, creepy, one-sided fascination) shot hateful innuendos that hardly made sense (i.e. I bet you liked that, didn't you? and That's what he said) with the presented context. But I refused to be broken by their sneering faces and just blushed and looked away. Of course, that response just allowed them to make of it what they wanted, leaving me with a worse end than if I had just answered the damn questions myself.
I was an idiot.
And as I walked the Hall of Shame down to the cafeteria, I avoided the eyes of everyone around me. Angela Weber didn't even acknowledge me when I passed. I think it was worse than if she had stared at me just like Ms. Rodriguez.
I didn't buy lunch. The lunch ladies' eyes looked disapproving when I neared so I steered clear of them and found an empty table away from the rest of the students while they stared on as if I was some sort of circus act there for their amusement.
"Hey Bella!" I jumped. When I saw who it was, I tried to regulate my heart.
"Oh Alice, it's just you," I said, glad it wasn't Edward. He must have been angry at me for avoiding him. Though the very idea of him being disappointed in me was nearly unbearable, I knew that the time it took for him to calm down would be enough for me to gather the courage to sort out this whole rumor business and then explain to him once it was all over and done with.
"Jeez, I'm so excited to see you too," she rolled her hazel eyes at me. "What's stuck itself up your butt this morning?" I blushed at that. If only she knew the morning I had had and how many times I heard that comment this morning.
"Apparently you haven't heard the latest Forks scandal," I muttered angrily, glaring at the fake wood patterns on the table.
"Oh, I've heard. I just know that you would have told me if you had done anything. Besides, I know everything," she pointed to her head and laughed her tinkling bell-like laugh at my shocked expression. "Really Bella, you aren't the promiscuous type. And Edward is old-fashioned. He would have tried to tie the knot with you before anything actually ever happened."
I sighed and laid my head against the table. "I wish I could just talk to him about it. Everyone seems to think that we did something and they're all treating me different. It's just so…embarrassing! They're all watching me to see if I'll jump him or something in the hall. It's like they think I've changed into this completely different person because they think I've done it with Edward," I growled unimpressively in frustration. "I can't even go to class without the teachers looking at me like I've committed some sort of crime!"
"Well, you and I know nothing happened, and so does Edward," Alice assured comfortingly. "You know, he's worried to death about you. He was asking me all morning if I had talked to you yet and if I knew what was wrong. I swear that boy was going to get a brain hemorrhage if I hadn't told him that I would talk to you about it." I frowned at that.
"He doesn't have to worry about me," I murmured. "I can take care of myself."
Alice scoffed. "He doesn't know that. And then when he overheard Mike talking about it…it wasn't pretty. Ben and Eric had to hold him back from strangling him."
I gasped, "You can't be serious! Did he get hurt, is he alright?" Alice nodded grimly, her mouth set in a thin line.
"Yeah, luckily none of the teachers saw him. But I did have to drag him back to the Volvo to get him to calm down. He's been sulking ever since you ran away from him this morning," she stared at me pointedly. "By the way, any reason why you've been avoiding him? I don't really even know and I'm practically a seer."
"I was being a coward," I sighed. "How are you supposed to tell your boyfriend that everyone in the school thinks you are his bed buddy?" Alice just laughed a dry laugh before focusing on the table, rolling her bottle of lemonade between her small, manicured hands.
"Well, Edward thinks that you think he spread the rumors about you," she stated matter-of-factly. I just gaped at her uncomprehendingly.
"No….no, NO! How can he possibly think that?" I was enraged at this point. How could he possibly think I would blame him for something like this? Edward wasn't the type of guy to do this kind of thing. He was selfless and he would never have hurt anyone that way, ever.
Alice just shrugged. "You ran away from him, Bella. It's was like one of those movies on ABC Family or something. Girl goes on date with guy, gossip queen finds out about date and then spreads rumors, girl thinks guy spread the rumors, girl ignores guy, guy tries to win her back, gossip queen gets pulverized through a horribly dramatic series of events, guy and girl end up happily ever after. It's like a really screwed up version of Cinderella."
I snorted. "And what are you, the Fairy Godmother?"
She just shrugged again. "If I am the Fairy Godmother, I'm the prettiest Fairy Godmother that I've ever seen." She pouted humorously, accentuating her features jokingly. When she got a laugh in response, she sighed again, sobering me up.
"Bella, you need to talk to him. He's going to think you hate him or something. You know how he is; he's a bigger drama king than John Mayer. Anyway, he's probably still outside, moping around all on his lonesome, just waiting for that bolt of lightning to strike him from above as a sign from God that will in some way mean that he doesn't deserve you."
I nodded. "Edward," we stated together, making it sound like an explanation rather than a name. And with that, I stood from my seat and ignored the eyes that followed me from me across the cafeteria. My trip to Edward's Volvo was short seeing as the distance between the school and the parking lot wasn't that great but it felt much longer. After feigning ignorance to his concern all morning, my daily dose of Edward had been cut off, leaving me with nothing but a huge glop of insecurities and that feeling of betrayal. Intentionally straying from Edward had been the thing that I thought would keep him out of the business. I should have realized that I was transparent enough for him to have taken my attitude that morning as a sign that things weren't quite right. If only I hadn't been so easy to read he would have been able to float through the day without having to carry the burden of my publicly questionable virginity on his shoulder.
He was sitting in the Volvo, windows shut up tight because surely he was listening to some music. Sure enough, as I drew nearer I heard a chord and choppy rhythm that were loud and accented. Beethoven; oh, this wasn't good. He almost never listened to it unless he was in one of his depressions, the ones he got into whenever something was wrong with his car or if we got into an argument and things weren't resolved immediately.
Cautiously, I knocked on his window. His head shot up immediately and I tried to look away, just barely missing his eyes. With one look I could become mesmerized, a lamb caught in the gaze of a majestic, green-eyed lion; I wasn't sure if that was a bad thing.
I stepped to the side as he hurriedly opened his door and murmured my name, his voice like a wisp of wind that had just blown softly across ear. Shame filled me. How could I have caused such guilt?
I squeaked when I was pulled into a tight hug but I didn't struggle. Any touch from Edward had a significant effect on my body if the tingling skin and wooziness were anything to go by. I felt distinctly calmer than I had when I first knocked on his window.
"Please don't hate me, Bella." I stilled. What?
"I know you think I spread those heinous rumors but I swear I didn't. I hadn't even heard them until that vile thing asked me-" My hands, clasped at the sleeves of Edward's jacket, clenched tightly into whitened fists, my eyes tearing up beyond my control. They'd gotten to him. They'd told him and he'd been involved, pulled through the mud just as I had been. My cheeks were red from embarrassment and anger.
He pulled away and I desired to pull him close to me and not release him. However, as his hand lifted my chin and forced me to stare into his eyes, my thoughts revolved around how very beautiful he was and how I didn't deserve him. I would have been lucky if the rumors had been true.
"Why didn't you tell me, Bella?" he asked quietly, his voice a murmur of anguish. "Don't you trust me?" The overwhelming guilt threatened to choke me again; I tried to look away but found that I didn't even want to.
"I'm not an idiot, Edward. I know you didn't spread the rumors. I just didn't want you to be involved," I reasoned but knew it wasn't completely true. "I could handle it alone." Another lie and he knew it. I couldn't fib to save my life; I had hoped I could to save his if ever need be.
"Bella, we're a couple. We've been together for two years. Don't you think that we should start resorting to solve our problems together, no matter who they outwardly affect more? Because despite what's been said," I noted that he didn't dare speak of what exactly was being said, "if you are uncomfortable or distraught over anything, so am I. Anything and everything directed at you is directed at me as well. Every hurtful thing, it wounds me twice as much as it hurts you because I know that you are aching over it."
I sniffled, feeling like a little girl being scolded. "I didn't want you to worry. I was planning on taking care of it; I really was." Edward chuckled tightly and let his hands rest on my waist. His fingers moved in soothing circles against my jean-clad hips.
"Impossible. As if I could never not worry about you. You are in my every thought, Bella. It would be impossible for me to not take notice." I sighed and willed away the lump in my throat.
"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" I asked feebly, the guilt and shame still there, just muted by Edward's words and his comforting fingers.
"No," he said lightly. "However, I think I might be having a nice chat with Emmett and Mike. Both are morons as far as I'm concerned." His grip on my hips tightened slightly and his eyes hardened a bit.
"What'd they do?" I honestly feared for Mike. I knew Emmett could take care of himself just fine but Mike was no match for Edward's hidden strengths. He wouldn't last five minutes in a "conversation" with Edward.
"Mike's the one who spread the rumors. Luckily, rumors are like weeds. You nip it in the bud and it's gone for good. Emmett, however, will forever be the biggest jackass on the planet," he growled angrily, leaning his forehead against mine. Intimately close, I tried to soothe him by ghosting my lips over his in a way that, I selfishly noticed, soothed me. He grinned his oddly attractive crooked smile, his closed eyes lifting around the corners just slightly.
I didn't really want to bring him out of a semi-good mood but I really was curious and I figured the storm would be shorter if we didn't allow it to dwell over the sea of emotions.
"Emmett did what, exactly?" Edward frowned.
"He put a condom in my wallet and didn't tell me about it. When I paid for our tickets to get into the dance, I accidentally dropped it and Newton must have seen. Then we left early and Newton made an assumption," he concluded tiredly.
I mulled it over for second before giggling quietly. Edward perked up a bit at the sound and raised an eyebrow. I acquiesced.
"I just realized that if Alice hadn't insisted on me wearing stilettos to the dance, we wouldn't have had to leave early because of my feet practically falling off. There really wouldn't have been an opportunity for Mike to say anything if it weren't for the shoes." I giggled more and pushed my face into his shoulder as he chuckled with me. Silly Fairy Godmother was always messing with the natural balance of things.
Arm in arm, Edward and I left the car after spending the remainder of the lunch period comfortably away from the school population. It wasn't long before we both heard the murmurs of the school as students gathered in groups to discuss the re-joined couple. Edward and I looked at each other and then broke out into laughter, Edward holding my waist tightly as I laughed boisterously.
In our U.S. Government class, our final period, we sat next to each other and the teacher looked away, pretending not to notice our close proximity. Mike glared from the other corner of the room, his eyes focused on Edward. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. Quietly, I asked a curious Edward if I could borrow his wallet.
I pushed away the bills that Edward carried (far too much for the average student to carry around on his person, in my opinion) and found exactly what I was looking for. I knew Emmett as well as I thought I did, apparently.
Walking over the Mike, I felt extremely silly but very please when I saw how he wasn't even looking at me but rather at my swaying hips. "Hey Mike?" He looked up, his eyes glazed over. "Yes?" He looked hopeful and I noticed that I didn't feel any guilt. That made me smile.
Placing my palms on his desk, I leaned forward and smiled innocently.
"Look familiar?" Mike looked down to see a condom on his desk and he looked up, shocked and red-faced.
Moments later, I strutted away from Mike Newton's desk, pride and dignity back in place like a perfectly fitting glass slipper that had just been recovered from the clutches of an evil stepmother. Mike Newton wasn't evil though and I definitely wasn't graceful enough to wear a shoe made out of flimsy glass but there was one thing I could take pride in:
Cinderella sure as hell never got the chance to flick a condom in the faces of her evil stepmother and stepsisters, secure in her virginity, grinning a Cheshire grin at her Prince Edward. Beat that, Princess.
A/N: Random, isn't it? I wrote it so long ago, I don't think there was ever a point to it. Still, it made me giggle on occasion so I guess it's all good. Hope you all enjoyed. I didn't really edit so if there are mistakes, tell me so I can fix them. Oh, and if it wasn't clear, Bella pretty much through the truth in Mike's adorable little face...well, a half truth. There was more than one condom in Edward's wallet.
Read and review!