Addicted

Chapter Two - The Ugly Truth

Edward

The rain gently began to pelt hard enough to make me go back to school. Not to mention that it soaked my smoke way before I wanted it to. The halls were swarming with the rest of the student body as I walked the first hall to my locker looking for another quick swig of the liquor I had hidden, but my skin crawled with horrible goose bumps as I almost came around the corner to be bombarded by Jessica and her elite clan of abnormal humans. Chicks like that had their way of making my stomach churn. One word out of her mouth made me pause before turning that corner.

"Really … new girl walks in and like every guy here forgets about me? This is not going to happen on my watch."

"Hey, did you check out her brother, though? I could so…" Lauren began, overstepping her credentials.

"Uh, Lauren, if you haven't noticed, as long as that girl is here, you won't be getting close to him, so we have to devise a plan to deal with her quickly before this gets out of hand."

"Um, Jess, whatever you're planning, I highly doubt that it's going to work. Have you not seen how beautiful she is?" Lauren spat, again out of line.

"If I hear you say that one more time, you're officially out of my network." Jess muttered with a guttural tone, pointing her finger in Lauren's chest.

"I was just saying that…" Lauren began, but was quickly shut down by, "Good morning girls. I'd like to introduce myself, I'm Bella…"

"Well, Bella, we really don't need to introduce ourselves to … you," Jessica interrupted with the roll of her eyes. "And furthermore, this group you see here," pointing her finger as she twirled it around to each girl, "…is only for those of us that are at the top of the sexiest chain in this school and you're not allowed, so stay away from us."

I'd had enough of the bashing on the new girl so I turned the corner and knew what I was about to say would land me a slap in the face either by Jessica or Bella. "I'm sorry, but did I just hear you correctly, Jess? Did you say the…sexiest?"

"Yes, you know this…" she said, her stubborn side showing through instantly.

"I know that it's unrealistically true. Your group is nothing but a pack of wolves looking to keep the real sexy women from taking you off of your precious pedestal that you don't deserve…" I was proud of myself but I winced at which direction the slap would come from. Luckily for me neither one did the damage.

"Wait … did you just … put me down?" Jessica said with a screech.

"If the shoe fits…" I shrugged my shoulder as if I cared that I put her down.

Bella just stood there with a smirk that made my heart speed up and I had a hard time not looking at just her with Jessica's bantering going off to my left. I wanted to see if that shoe did fit in her mouth if she didn't stop talking. I really needed a drink quick; it was my calm before the storm, but she kept going on … and on … and on…

"This coming from a guy that can't stop shoving needles in his arms or can't get through one class without running to his locker for his hidden stash of alcohol … yeah we all know you have it. What are you going to do if I accidently tell the principal about that, huh? You best keep out of my business before I…" Jessica took a step back and shut up and I thought it was because of the fire she saw in my eyes, but it was because of the Hulk or … Emmett that made her squirm in fear. He stood towering over her like a bear getting ready to attack his prey.

"I suggest you toddlers get to where you have to go before I make that shoe fit your mouth…"

Oh crap, he heard the whole conversation, but on the plus side, he had the same thought I had towards Jessica. Jessica wanted to say more, but the look in Emmett's eyes was seriously much fiercer than what I could give and Jessica and her little montage walked away with a little less confidence than they had in their step before.

I stood there with my tail between my legs ready, well not so ready or willing, but accepting that I might just get my butt kicked right here and now by Bella's brother for what I said, if he heard that part. I was worried that they would believe the needles part of what Jessica said and by all accounts yes, I did drugs, but I never went that far into it. I felt that I should let them know that what she said was incorrect, I raised my head just enough to see that they were both looking at me and then without hesitation,

"I just want you both to know that what she said about the needle, that isn't true at all. I mean the rest; yeah it's true, but not that." And I waited for what seemed like forever, but nothing was said which made me feel even more uncomfortable and then finally, Emmett spoke, "You're one notch higher than you were earlier today. Keep it up and I might just end up liking you…"

I was going to say something lame I was sure but Bella intervened, "Thanks for what you did, but I could have handled it myself, but thanks anyway. So … You think I'm sexy?"

"What? I don't think I heard that part." Emmett about growled in my direction. Two steps back again. If I kept this back stepping up, I'd forget how to go forward. I raised my hands in defeat quickly before Emmett came an inch closer and said,

"Sorry man, I was just trying to help your sister out with the bubblehead squad that was it."

Emmett glared at me and I swore I saw sparks coming from his ears, but Bella once again saved my hide. "Emmett, honestly, do you always have to be so overbearing? You know that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. You think I would allow anyone even him to hurt me?"

Did she just refer to me as … Him? I was really hoping for more than just a Him status. My ego was protesting that one word. Emmett looked at me while Bella still looked up at him. He gave me a slight snarl of a grin and said,

"Yeah, my sister knows how to take care of herself, but get too close and you will be dealing with me, not her."

What possessed me to say with an attitude next was beyond me. I had that quality that rubbed people wrong often; "Yeah, I got it Hulk…" before I knew it Emmett passed his sister and was in my face, hardly an inch away.

"Trying to be cocky, buddy?"

Another two steps back … I was beginning to get annoyed by his brute rudeness, but to be cautious, I still stepped back as I said, "You know, you don't have to be like this. No one is looking to get into a fight with you." Another two steps back … His posture stood upright with a smile on his face. Was this guy Bi-Polar or what?

"Who said I was looking for a fight? I just want you to watch your step around my sister is all."

"I'm tired already of watching my step around you…"

"Then you're learning…"

This guy was really getting on my nerves … fast. I was about to say something else that I was sure would get me punched, but the tension was running so high so quickly that all I could think about was getting to my locker for a drink, but while those few seconds had passed, Bella was now in front of me. Her eyes boring into mine and it made my legs weak, my chest expanded and I couldn't breathe right when she began to speak,

"Look, all you have to do is stay out of my way and everything will be great. I can keep Emmett from putting you in the hospital and you can save your time to get to your locker before the alcohol you have in there evaporates just by the thought of desperately wanting it. Are we clear?"

Was she actually telling me to stay away from her when she looked so delectable? Those thick pouty rose - colored lips, that tongue barely brushing the fullness leaving a slick coat ready for me to kiss. I really wanted to kiss those lips. So haunting to know that I couldn't… All I could do was nod in her direction like an idiot.

Every fiber in my body had been on full blast all at the same time and there was nothing that I could do about it. I watched as they walked away as my center felt the fire that wanted to trail after her. Bella ignited something in me that I had never known was there before and I had no idea what to do with it. The bell rang, pulling me out of my ecstasy. I rushed to my locker and to class…

I had high hopes that I would have at least a couple of classes with Bella, but as always, luck was not on my side. Instead I had Emmett. I was just happy that he wasn't sitting near me. After school was let out, I walked to the parking lot where Jake was waiting for me and thankfully in his car, not his bike. It rained too much today to be riding that around. I waved in his direction as I bounced, ignoring every couple of steps on the stairs.

"Hey Edward, my place or yours?" he laughed.

"How about ours…?" The friendliness stopped as I came closer. Once at the car, Jake whispered as he looked around to make sure no one was listening, "Hey, we can't go to Sam's anytime soon. They say he's really sick with hellish fever, so how about we go to Jasper's place here in town? He can still get us what we need."

I shoved my hand in my crazy head of hair contemplating what we should do. Jasper was an alright guy, but he had a reputation of cheating people out of their money. I didn't feel like getting into it with the guy. "Hey man, we got enough right now. We can wait it out rather than go to Jasper. You know what happened last time we went there."

Jake leaned against the car and thought, his beady black eyes trying to weigh the pros and cons. He settled his hand on his chin, rubbing in confusion and then said, "Yeah, I guess. I just don't want to get really low. Beach then…?"

"Jake, it's been raining all day. What about the garage?"

"Yeah that'll do. So how was…" Jake's jaw fell to the ground and it didn't take long for me to realize what he saw behind me because I could hear a few of the guys out here chirping about how hot the new girl was. I turned to see her and Emmett walking right passed us. Emmett again glared at me. I wish he would give it a rest already…

He brushed his shoulder into me lightly and said, "Dude, you know that crap clouds your vision of what is right in front of you, don't you?" and he kept walking.

What the hell did that mean? Bella walked by and turned her head to look at me just to say, "You reek…" What was going on here? I focused on my jacket and bent my nose into it and took a good sniff, but I couldn't smell anything that would make her say that. I pulled my jacket towards Jake and asked him, "Dude, do I stink?"

"Uh, no thanks man, I'll take the goddess' word for it."

"Yeah, whatever…"

Jake took one more look at Bella and then turned to me with eyes bulging and his jaw still lingering, "Care to explain why that wasn't your first priority of conversation when you walked out?" his finger pointing where Bella's beautiful and stunning form had once been.

I shook my head back and forth and put my hands in the front pockets of my jeans, "Nah man, I'd rather not. Let's just say that our kind isn't welcome as if that's a big surprise."

"Still dude, it doesn't mean we can't paint our own picture, if you know what I mean." He snickered.

"Hey, don't do that, that's her brother Emmett with her and trust me, you don't want to get him started on you."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go. I'm tired of being around here already. Let's go do what we do best…"Jake stated as we got into the car and sped off.

I rolled my window down enough to allow the smoke from my cigarette to escape. My mind drifted to any possibility that I could form a relationship with Bella, but then the realistic part of me took over. The truth was that I had no chance with her. The ugly truth was that I wasn't good enough for her or any one like her so why try? I decided then to give up even the slightest hope I had. Still, I couldn't get her out of my head. She was so … perfect.