Freshmeat
Chapter 2 – Dangerous

.:.

Bella POV

"Bella! Bella, look. He's taking off his shirt. I swear to God, Bella, turn around. He's taking off his shirt for Christ's sake!"

Alice's big blue eyes lit up like Christmas. I couldn't help but groan. Her continued play-by-play of Jerk Face's actions were completely unnecessary, but according to her, he was now the most interesting thing on campus.

"Oh God! His abs. They are just... just... oh, I can't even describe them. He's just so... so... he's getting the cute blonde's shirt! Oh... oh... look at those muscles. I can't... I just can't." Alice's eager eyes darted momentarily to Rosalie. Following this she nudged Rosalie's elbow persistently, keeping her eyes locked on Jerk Face and his strip show. "Rosalie, explain to Bella his beauty. You're good with words."

Rosalie's expression showed me she was just as unimpressed as me. She widened her eyes at me in annoyance before spitting out a line that almost had me choking at its absurdity.

"His body echoes that of a sculptured God, with rippling muscles showing beneath tanned and flawless skin, enough to make any idiotic, naive girl swoon," Rosalie stated in a bland monotone. I had to bite back a laugh. Alice took a while to notice the insult.

She kept nodding like a brainless chicken for a while, continuing to watch Jerk Face. At least ten seconds later she stopped, frowned and then shot a harsh glare at Rosalie. She even gasped that little bit. It was more than humorous.

"Hey!" Alice exclaimed. "That was just rude."

"And your pointless play-by-play is getting old. Quit it," Rosalie answered, not missing a beat.

I grinned. My sentiments exactly.

Alice gaped, and then looked at me in search of support. "Bella! Aren't you going to defend me?"

I winced. "Sorry Ally, but I'm with Rose on this one. The guy's a jerk, and you're a little too obsessed."

Alice huffed. "The blonde's cuter, anyway. I was just pointing it out for you. But, seeing as though you are being an idiot, I'll stop. But I still think you are being stupid. He's totally in to you!"

That sentiment had Rosalie and me doubling over in laughter. Why? It wasn't because of Alice's absurdity. No, it was because of the notion of Alice even showing any interest in a guy. I had known Alice since second grade, and until our first day of college she had always been that happy, book-worm, in-her-own-world sort of girl. Boys were never even a blip on her radar. Her imagination was the source of her undisputable joy. This, however, had changed abruptly with our arrival at college. She discovered, as she put it, "real men", and found a new source for her glee.

"Alice," I sighed through giggles, "he's not into me. He's into Fuck with a Freshman Day, and I'm not going to put up with being treated like a piece of meat. I'm not interested."

"Don't you mean Freshmeat?" Rosalie giggled quietly, reminding me of the name the boys had for new freshmen girls.

Alice ignored her. "But you didn't have to dump your drink on him!" she insisted. "That was just rude."

"He was being an ass, Ally. What was I supposed to do?" I raised an expecting eyebrow at her. Alice stuttered in unknowing before turning to Rosalie.

"Come on, Rose! Don't you agree with me?"

Rosalie smiled apologetically at Alice. "Sorry Ally, but I'm with Bella on this one. He deserved what she gave him." Rosalie then turned to me, smirking. I knew exactly what was coming. "Although..." she began, "just because he's a jerk doesn't mean you have to dismiss him completely. Angry sex is hot."

My eyes widened in horror. She couldn't be serious. Then again, she was Rosalie. Those sorts of sentiments were never rare for her.

"Well how about you fuck him then," I offered.

Rosalie crinkled her nose in disgust. "No way. He's not my type."

I smiled cheekily to her. "Oh, so you have a type now? Raising the standards, are we?" I teased.

Rosalie laughed at that. She didn't take offense to it. She never denied her fondness of the opposite sex. She simply stuck her tongue out at me. I returned the gesture.

Alice decided to interrupt us. "You know he's like staring at you, right?" she squeaked.

"I don't care," I answered simply.

"How can you not?" Alice insisted. "He's like the hottest guy in school!"

I frowned at her. "How do you even know that?"

"I hear things," Alice popped. "In the house." I internally scowled. Alice had convinced Rosalie and me of the apparent need for us to enter a sorority house on our first year of college, so we did. SubDeb wasn't terrible – sure, there were a few divas, but it had to be the most modest of the houses available. But, of course, the girls loved to gossip. Alice had found it very entertaining.

"What things?" Rosalie pressed.

Alice grinned at her new sense of authority. "He's the school player. Him and his friends are like royalty here."

Rosalie stared blankly at Alice, completely dumbfounded by our friend's sudden change of heart. I simply groaned. Loudly. And lay my head on my folded arms.

"It's like we've walked into an episode of the fucking OC. Can't we just talk about something else?" I mumbled. I wasn't interested in the inner workings of the campus hierarchy. I just wanted to get an education.

"Oh yeah?" Rosalie chirped. "Well it looks like it's just about to get even more interesting."

I sat up and looked at Rosalie in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Rosalie nodded to the left of me. "That girl looks pissed, and she's coming over here."

Another groan escaped me as I followed Rosalie's indication. Sure enough I spotted a fierce looking strawberry blonde girl storming towards me. She reminded me of a lion, with her curly long hair and angry expression. I sighed again. I so did not want to deal with that shit.

Too bad the girl wanted to punch me in the head.

"How dare you pour your fucking drink all over my man, you little slut of a freshman? Who the hell do you think you are?"

You've got to be kidding me.

The lioness stalked up to me, got right into my personal space and put her hands on her hips like a fucking princess. I hated that. She had no idea.

"You're joking, right?" I checked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Lioness huffed and puffed and tried to blow the damn house down. "Who the hell do you think you are? You have the nerve to dump your drink on my man and now you are giving me shit? Do you even know who I am!"

In the corner of my eye I saw Rosalie getting to her feet. That had me jumping up and taking over. This was my fight, not hers. Rosalie was always protective of me. I wouldn't have her getting hurt.

"You're man was being a pig," I told her calmly. "He deserved what he got."

Lioness looked like she was about to blow. "How dare you call my man a pig? You cannot talk to me like that! You're nothing in this school. Nothing. You suck, you little slut."

I smirked. Word vomit was coming. I couldn't stop it. Hell, I didn't even try to. "I suck for no one. You," I dragged my eyes up the length of her body for dramatic effect, "quite clearly, suck for money. Now who's the slut?"

Burning blue eyes bulged. I smirked. She raised her hand to smack me one. I expected to feel an impact. Nothing came.

Well, nothing on my face anyway.

I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a strong arm sling around my shoulder. Lioness drew back her anger and turned into a cuddly kitten. I apprehensively looked towards our visitor. Automatically, I shuddered, and tried to slink out of his hold. Jerk Face was back.

He wouldn't let me go, either.

"Hello, ladies," he greeted, wearing that same shit-eating grin that seemed to be permanently etched into his face. I felt like smacking it. Emerald green eyes gleamed with complete and utter arrogance. I looked down to the stolen cowboy shirt. He had missed a button, so it was uneven in that slightly hot way. The look screamed cocky. Even his bronze haired styled in shaggy disarray screamed an 'I'm-so-hot-I-don't-have-to-give-a-shit' attitude. "Do we have a problem here?"

Chuckles echoed around us. I glanced around to see Alice and Rosalie, as well as Jerk Face's bosom buddies, laughing at our expense. My eyes went back to the Lioness. She was looked up at Jerk Face like he was her God. I felt like dry heaving. She was no lion. She was putty in his hands.

Suddenly, she snapped back at me and glared. I looked at her in surprise. Her clear distaste for me was thoroughly amusing. Jerk Face's eyes landed on me too. I ignored him, instead moving to clenching and unclenching my fist.

"Oh, it's nothing, Eddy," the lion-putty purred, peeling her eyes back to Jerk Face. "It's just this little freshmen bitch acting like she runs the place. I was just setting her straight."

Eddy? Eddy? Naaww... Eddy-kins. How cute.

I couldn't help it. I had to bite my tongue to stop the laughter, but that didn't work. Thus, I dissolved into giggles.

Eddy removed his arm from me in surprise. His arm around Lioness dropped too. Lioness sent me another death glare. I took a step back from the two airheads and tried to control myself.

"What's so funny?" Lioness spat at me. I glanced up at her through laughter, only to fall into another round of giggles after catching her expression.

"N... noth... nothing," I assured her as I pulled myself together. "It's just... oh man. Eddy?" I blurted out. "Seriously? No wonder you have you act like the school jackass. A name like that surely would screw someone up."

Lioness glared at me. The corner of Eddy-kins' mouth turned up in amusement. Lioness didn't find anything funny.

"His full name is Edward, bitch. I just call him Eddy because he's my man. Idiot."

Lioness smiled smugly and crossed her arms in triumph. It surely was a pathetic sight. I looked away from her and towards Edward, raising an eyebrow. He was sounding more and more pathetic by the minute.

Eddy-kins took the hint. "Tanya, for fuck sake, I'm not your man. I never was. Fuck off."

Tanya's expression dropped. Edward glared at her. It was like you could pinpoint the second when her heart crushed. She even went deathly pale, pleading with Edward for a second chance.

"What?" she stuttered; surprised and embarrassed. "But... but... but Edward!"

"No, Tanya," Edward snarled. "Fuck off."

Wow. Asshole.

Okay, sure, I didn't like Tanya, but that display had me siding with her in an instant. Edward was an asshole. He crushed her heart and embarrassed her in public. He was nothing but a Jerk Face.

"What the hell?" I demanded. Tanya looked at me in surprise. So did Jerk Face. "You can't just treat her like that. What kind of a person are you?"

Edward blanked at me. I thought for a moment Tanya was going to soften on me. I wanted to sympathise with her. That, however, didn't happen.

"I don't need your fucking help," she spat at me before turning on her heels and walking away.

Wow. Okay.

As soon as Tanya had walked away Jerk Face turned to me and smirked. He even stepped forward. I held my ground.

"Edward Cullen," he offered, sticking out his hand to me. "We haven't officially met."

I glanced down at his hand, not moving, and then back up to him. That shit-eating grin he was wearing angered me more than anything else.

"I don't care," I answered sharply.

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Come on. Introduce yourself. Shake my hand. It's only polite."

I smirked at him. "You don't know the first thing about being polite. If you did, you would know how to respect a lady like a real man. You wouldn't treat them like pieces of meat."

Edward grinned and inched forward again, dropping his hand. I kept my eyes locked on his, glaring. I wasn't giving in for shit.

"But that's exactly what you are; Freshmeat," he claimed. He inched forward again, so much so that he was pressing right up against me. I could feel his hot breath on my neck. His bright eyes bore into me, steamy and addictive.

But I held myself steady. He wasn't going to use sexual charm to get to me. I wasn't going to be weak. I wasn't going to let him overpower me. No boy could.

I craned my head to one side and raised an eyebrow. Edward watched me expectantly.

"Freshmeat, huh?" I questioned. "Well, I can assure you one thing. You are not getting one piece of this meat." I smirked at him. Jerk Face's expression dropped. His bosom buddies broke into hysterics. "Oh, and one more thing: deodorant. That's all I'm saying."

With that I spun around on my heels, grabbed my bag and marched out of the cafe. Rosalie and Alice were soon to follow.

.:.

"I still cannot believe you did that!" Alice exclaimed as we sat on the bench outside my lecture hall, waiting for two o'clock to roll around. "The look on Edward's face was priceless!"

I sighed, exasperated. "Alice, don't you have a lecture to go to?" The three of us had been lucky enough to sync our lecture timetables, despite the fact of us doing completely different degrees.

"I have ten minutes," she answered simply before continuing on her rant. "I mean didn't you see him! Even his friends applauded you! He is so obsessed with you!"

"Alice, drop it," I scolded. "I don't give a shit about Edward Cullen. You're going to be late for your lecture."

Alice frowned at me before looking over at Rosalie. "She hasn't left to go to hers yet."

"That's because mine is in the room next door. Yours is on the other side of campus," Rosalie rebutted.

Alice grumbled. Rosalie smiled in triumph. Alice stuck her tongue out at her. "You are such a kill joy," she moaned.

"Ally," Rosalie smiled. "Go to your lecture. We'll see you at three and then we can keep bugging Bella."

"Hey!" I scolded. "Come on, guys. Let's not let our first day of college revolve around the school asshole."

Rosalie grinned at me like I was a naive two year old. "There's more to talk about than just Edward, Bells. I mean didn't you see his friends? Hot stuff right there."

Alice nodded in eager agreement. I couldn't help but laugh at the two of them. "You guys are so boy crazy," I chuckled.

"And proud of it," Alice chirped, standing up. "I'll see you guys after class."

Rosalie and I waved Alice off as she jogged off towards her lecture hall. As soon as she had disappeared into the distance Rosalie turned to me.

"Are you okay, Bella?" she pressed, her expression washing with concern. "You looked a bit shaken after that whole episode with Cullen. He got pretty close."

I brushed her worry off and pushed those thoughts away. Rosalie knew me too well. "I'm fine. I swear."

Rosalie frowned. "You can talk to me, you know," she reminded me. "You don't have to keep it inside."

I chuckled then. It lifted the tension ever-so-slightly. "I know, Rose. We've been friends for a while, remember?"

"Right," she nodded with a laugh. "How could I forget?"

I decided to change the subject then. There was too much tension. That was the problem with knowing people for years; they knew everything about you, including about your painful past.

"Anyway," I sighed. "I heard that on Sunday night there is a tradition of an outdoor movie on campus. We should go."

Rosalie smiled at me in excitement. With that, the few minutes until class were passed with ease. Once inside, I could breathe a sigh of relief.

.:.

By half past four that afternoon Rosalie, Alice and I arrived back at the SubDeb house. Most of the girls were already home and cracking out the alcohol and music to celebrate the ending of our first day of college. As soon as I walked into the room, however, I was taken by surprise. No, actually, that's an understatement. I was nearly mugged by our Sorority Mother, Carmen, a senior.

"Bella!" Carmen exclaimed as she jogged over to me, unannounced, and encased me in a hug. I hugged her back weakly, still not really that use to her. "Bella, Bella, Bella. I've been hearing some gossip about you today."

I sighed. Loudly. I knew what was coming. This school was like one massive fucking grapevine of gossip.

"Tanya Norton was in my lecture this afternoon," she explained. Aw, crap. "She certainly had a lot to say about you."

"Wow. Word travels fast," I sighed.

Carmen grinned. "It sure does."

Hold on...

"But how does she even know who I am?" I asked. "I never told her my name."

Carmen winced. "Her descriptions were good enough for me to deduce it as being you who upset her. It was you, right?" I nodded solemnly. Carmen then did something that amazed me to no end. She dissolved into a round of boisterous laughter. "Oh, Bella," she exclaimed. "I am so glad we let you into this sorority. I can tell we are going to be great friends."

"Huh?" I asked in confusion.

"I admire your courage for standing up to Edward Cullen. That guy deserved what was coming to him," Carmen explained. "I've been in the same school as him for years. It's about time he was put in his place and shown that he's not as irresistible as he thinks he is. The guy is an asshole, Bella. You are a model freshman for what you did."

"Everyone else in this school seems to think he's pretty amazing," I noted dully.

Carmen nodded in agreement. "But you know the reality. Keep that, Bella. That way you won't be hurt by him."

I frowned at Carmen. "Why don't you like him?" I asked.

Carmen smiled solemnly. "Unlike the rest of the girls at this school, I've seen the real Edward Cullen."

"How so?" I asked.

Carmen let out a strained laugh. Suddenly I felt like I had dug too deep. She was coming down from her high and towards seriousness. But, without missing a beat, she answered me. "Edward and I grew up in the same town. I've been in his class since first grade," she explained. "And I'll tell you, there's more to him than you think. Girls around here don't see that danger."

I was taken aback. The joyous celebrations of the party seemed a weird contrast to our suddenly serious conversation.

"Danger?" I asked. "How can he be dangerous?"

Carmen smiled kindly to me. She seemed protective; maternal, even. She was a good pick for Sorority Mother. "Just promise me that you will be cautious around him, Bella."

I nodded, unsure of what else to do. "Sure thing."

"Great," Carmen chirped, suddenly happy again. The smile she let loose frightened me. Her mood swings were giving me whiplash. "Oh, and keep vigilant," she added through laughter. "Tanya wants your head on stick, and Edward doesn't like it when he wants something that he can't have."

With that, Carmen skipped off to join the rest of the girls, while I was left there stunned.

Great...

.:.

Author's Note: There we have it: chapter two. Yay for procrastination that allowed me to finish this chapter instead of study for my final tomorrow! Woooo! I would really like to thank everyone who has favourited, alerted and reviewed this story so far. The response was really great, and way better than I expected. Thank you all so much! Anyway, please let me know your thoughts on this chapter in a review. How do you like the characters so far? What do you think of the illusive advice from Carmen? Leave your thoughts in a review! Thanks so much!