Disclaimer: Anything to do with Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just borrowing the characters for a little fun.
Bella
I couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. Who does he think he is, waltzing his way into my house, into my life and trying to take over? Who cared if Charlie hired him? I wanted him gone, as soon as possible. Sure he might be more experienced or whatever than any of the others were, but hey, he would be out of here soon enough. Just like the rest of them.
I would make sure of that.
"What was that about?" Jess asked glancing between Edward and myself. "What's he doing here?"
"Like I fucking know." I murmured running my hands through my hair, letting out a deep breath. "For whatever fucking reason, he's talking to Greene."
"Weirdo." James muttered as Edward disappeared into the building.
"He's cute, though." Tanya giggled and I rolled my eyes at him. "What? He is. I wonder how old he is."
"Too old for any of you girls." James remarked and we all rolled our eyes at him. Idiot. Since when had he become 'mother hen'? Since when had he cared who we dated? But then again, there wasn't really that much choice in this school.
I did have to agree with Tanya, though. Actually, no. She was wrong. He wasn't 'cute'. He was freakin' beautiful. Yeah, he might be a pain in my ass, but what with his pale skin, obvious muscle tone, strong jaw and perfect nose, there was no denying that he was one of the most beautiful men . . . ever.
The only thing I found odd about him were his eyes. They were obviously contacts. I mean, no one had golden eyes. That was impossible. Right?
"Come on." Tanya stood up, pulling Jess and me with her as she walked into the building, leaving the boys completely bewildered. Hell, I was completely bewildered.
"Where are we going?" Jess asked her, looking as confused as I was.
"Come off it, Jess. I know you want the scoop as much as I do." She stopped by her locker and rounded on me. "So, what's hottie bodyguard like?"
I rolled my eyes, leaning against the locker next to Tanya's. "He's a pain in the ass." The two of them raised their eyebrows as if to say 'no way'. I nodded, and they glanced at each other. "Did I tell you he basically attacked James on Saturday night?"
"What?" The volume coming from the both of them hurt my ears in the nearly empty corridor, whilst gaining the attention of everyone around us. Neither of them seemed to notice or . . . care.
"Yeah." I nodded and they looked at each other again, eyes wide with shock.
"Where? When?" Jess managed to choke out and I had to giggle at her expression. The both of them looked as though he had committed the most heinous crime known to man.
"My backyard on Saturday night after he practically kidnapped me from your house." I folded my arms over my chest as Tanya closed her locker.
"Well, technically James was trespassing." Jess shrugged and I openly gawked at her. "He was just doing his job."
"Yeah." Tanya nodded, agreeing with her. "I mean, what kind of a bodyguard would he be if he couldn't keep people away from you. And if he didn't know who James was, he must have thought he was a threat."
"I can't believe this." I stood up straight, gawking at the two of them. "You're defending him?!"
"Look at it from his point of view." The two of them, shrugged. "I mean, you've been called in to watch this girl, which you're doing and you see someone trespassing. You said he was in your backyard?" I nodded, narrowing my eyes at her. "Isn't that where your bedroom window is?" I nodded again, slowly, seeing what she was meaning now. "It's kinda obvious why he went for James."
"Well, at least you definitely know that no one's going to be able to get to you." Jess shrugged, smiling slightly. She knew that I'd had problems with a certain ex of mine over the last couple of weeks. Maybe Edward could come in handy after all. "And it's good to know that he can do his job."
"Besides . . . he's cute." I had to laugh at Tanya's little add on.
"He drives like a maniac, though, I tell you." I grumbled and they laughed at me. "What?"
"Your truck is still at my house." Jess laughed and I nodded.
"And considering Charlie has my keys, it's going to be there for a while." Her face dropped and I nodded again. "He took my keys from my room this morning."
"Why didn't you call one of us for a ride instead of using the babysitter?" Tanya asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Because Edward," I made sure I said his name in the most sickeningly sweet way I possibly could and they smirked at my obvious dislike of him. "Decided he was going to commandeer my phone this morning. He said that I have to ride in with him and get picked up by him every day."
"Like that'll work." The two of them snorted – ladylike, aren't they – as I shook my head. Edward obviously hadn't been filled in on journeys to and from school.
After another moment or two, the bell signalling first class rang and we separated. I had English first whereas Jess had Bio and Tanya had History. I hated not being in the same class as either of my girls. I was on my own and it bugged me.
About fifteen minutes into the class the door opened and a small – and I mean really small girl – walked in, looking slightly shy and unsure of herself. She had to be no taller than five foot, barely. Her pitch black hair was short, spiking around her shoulders in a style of organised disarray. She cautiously made her way across the classroom towards Mr. Berty's desk, handing him the obligatory 'new kid' slip before waiting for him to sign it.
"And why are you so late Miss Brandon?" He asked her, looking over his glasses in a disapproving manor. Bastard. Sure this might be one of the smaller schools in Seattle, but if you didn't know where you were going, you could still get lost.
"I, um, had to go and see Principle Greene." She explained in a small bell-like voice. "He was talking to someone, already so I had to wait." Stupid Edward. Now he was the cause of the new girl getting in trouble.
"Hmmm." He signed her slip and indicated at the empty desk next to me. She took the paper before turning around, her blue eyes glancing around nervously at the numerous pairs of eyes that were on her. "Miss Swan will explain the syllabus to you."
Alrighty then. Looks like I was helping the new girl out. That was fine by me. Meant I didn't have to listen to him drone on about whatever it was he was trying to get the class engaged in. Whatever it was, at eight thirty on a Monday morning, it's not going to happen.
She smiled at me as she sat down, placing her bag on the floor. We were sat at the back and Mr. Berty had given me permission to talk to her so to speak and as long as we were quiet, I knew that he wouldn't make a fuss. After all, I was just following his instructions.
"Hi." I smiled at her as she glanced around nervously, seeming uncomfortable about being watched. "I'm Bella."
"Alice." She said softly and her voice was even more beautiful up close. Mesmerising. "Is he always like that?"
"Pretty much." I smirked at where he was trying to explain 'The Waste Land' by T.S Eliot. It wasn't working very well. "He hates it when people are late and interrupt his perfectly structured lectures. Not that anyone's listening in the first place, but it makes him feel important. I think the only reason you got away with it today is because you're new."
"I'll remember to be on time from now on, then." She chuckled lightly, biting her lip and looking towards the front again, probably worried we were going to get caught talking. And so what if we did?
"So . . . who was in the office?" I asked, wondering if it was in fact Edward she was waiting for, still wanting to know what he needed to see Greene for.
"I don't know." She shook her head, looking back at me. "He didn't say anything to me."
"What did he look like?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at Mr. Berty who was shooting me a look. I knew that he couldn't hear what we were saying and he had told me to tell her the syllabus, hadn't he?
"Um . . . he was tall, pale . . . but then again that's kind of a given for people around here, isn't it?" She smiled and I nodded, unable to stop the smile that spread across my own lips. But then again, I don't think Edward was from around here. I'd have to ask Charlie about that. "Um . . ."
"What colour was his hair?" I asked, knowing that if she said something generic, it wasn't Edward. His hair was an odd colour. Bronze? Copper? Something like that, anyway.
"It was kind of a brown with like . . . red bits in it. I don't know how to explain it. Um . . ." She thought for a moment before turning to face me. "You know the colour of a penny?" I nodded, feeling the smirk appearing on my face. "That colour."
"I know who you're talking about." I sighed and she tilted her head, clearly interested. "His name's Edward. My dad's enlisted him as my babysitter."
"Babysitter?" She was clearly confused as her eyes regarded me, clearly wondering.
"Well, I guess the term is 'bodyguard'." I rolled my eyes at the sentiment it posed. "Like I need one. He started on Saturday and came in to talk to Greene today."
"Why?"
"I have no idea." I sighed, letting out a small chuckle. "I just want him gone."
"Why?" She leaned on her hand, smiling at me. "He was kinda cute."
"You know, you're the third person to say that to me today." I chuckled and she shrugged.
"Must be true, then." I thought I caught a slight hint of something in her expression. Not something I was sure of and couldn't place, but that slightly off feeling was gone as quickly as it appeared.
The bell rang just then and everyone started packing up their things. As I threw my bag over my shoulder, I turned to Alice. "What have you got now?"
"Um . . ." She took her schedule out of her pocket and scanned it. "Biology with Mr. Banner."
"Me too." I grinned at her, holding out my arm so she could link hers through. "Come on, I'll show you where it is."
We walked and talked, and as it turned out Alice was a hyperactive little thing. She had moved into town with her older half brother, Jasper, after her parents had been killed in a car crash. It was amazing how she didn't even flinch when talking about it, but I recognised the wall that went up as she explained her sudden arrival at the school in the middle of a semester. It must have been hard for her. Hell, I had had a hard time dealing and I had only lost my mother. I couldn't imagine losing Charlie as well. I'd do anything to stop that from happening.
"And finally, when you give up the attitude and start to consider how every little thing you do affects your father. . . "
Maybe that's what Edward had meant.
I knew that Charlie had been hurt by my mother's death. He had been devastated and at since become extremely protective of me. I knew he felt responsible for my mother's death.
Was I driving Charlie into an early grave as well?
The rest of the day passed in a complete blur. As it turned out, Alice had all of the same classes as me. What a fluke was that? Well, at least I had someone I liked in all of my classes.
Lunch had been lunch. I told Alice that she would be sitting with me at my table and the others absolutely loved her. I think she and James had even started swapping fashion tips by the end of the forty minute break. God, he was such a girl sometimes.
By the end of the day, nothing that sunk in and I knew that I would have to grab notes from someone, because I sure as fuck hadn't taken any. I could see Alice looking at me strangely, wondering if I was okay. I flashed her a brief smile as we sat in History, our last class of the day. I had half an hour or so left of today and I still had yet to figure out how I was going to get past Edward at the end of the day.
I knew that he would be waiting out the front of the school for me and I wouldn't be able to sneak past him if he was. I mean, he had been waiting outside for me yesterday morning. How the hell had he done that? What? Did he have some kind of super human hearing or something? And how had he gotten outside without passing me on the way down?
I would figure it out.
But right now, I had to figure out how I was going to get past him today.
And the answer came to me five minutes later in the form of a text from James.
-B
Woods? Ten minutes?
-J
I looked around quickly, making sure that no one had noticed my phone out. Nobody had, so I texted him back quickly.
-J
On my way.
-B
I waited a couple of minutes before procuring a bathroom pass and sneaking out of the building all Mission Impossible style. I had glanced out of one of the windows that allowed a view of the front of the school and the parking lot, breathing a sigh of relief when I noticed that Edward was not waiting for me, as of yet. Something told me he would be all over my ass if he had been.
I made my way out of the building, and towards the woods out the back of the school. Winding my way through the roots and shit that I knew were specifically designed to make me fall on my ass, I found James, sitting on a little stump he always sat on when we snuck away.
He had already rolled a joint which I knew would be full of his best stuff and was in the process of lighting it as I sat down. He always used the good stuff when it was just the two of us.
"Take your time." He joked and I rolled my eyes at him.
"You got your car with you?" I asked and he nodded, taking a hit before passing the joint and lighter to me. I took a hit, revelling in the scent and the slight burn of the smoke as it travelled down my throat. "Good. I got a feeling Edward's gonna turn up and I'm gonna have to be extra sneaking getting around him."
"Asshole." James sneered, taking the joint back off me as I slid off the stump and settled on the ground. Who gives a fuck about dirty jeans?
A few hits later and I was feeling sufficiently buzzed, laughing at James as he fell off the stump he was sitting on.
"What time is it?" I asked, looking at my own watch, my eyes widening when I sat that it was only five past three. We had only been out here fifteen minutes.
"Time for you to get your ass in the car." Came a voice from behind me and I stood up as quickly as I could, turning to face Edward as he stood there. "Move. Now." Oh, shit. He's pissed. "You got that right?" Did I say that out loud? Oops.
"Hey, dude." James stood up, trying to face off with Edward as he stood there, trying to match his size. Unfortunately for James that was not happening. "She doesn't have to listen to what you want her to do. You don't own her."
"It seems that neither of you understand my place in her life." He looked down at James with an obvious distaste that made me want to hit him. "When her father is not around, what I say goes. The sooner you and your little friends understand that, the simpler everything will be. Now, unless you want to explain to the Chief what you're doing out here with illegal substances, I'd suggest you move, Isabella."
"It's Bella." James shot back and Edward chuckled, his gold eyes glittering in the limited sunlight.
"We've already had this conversation." He clicked his tongue lightly, staring at me. "Now, move."
I shot James a look that told him not to argue as I walked past him. Edward turned as I approached him and I caught a glimpse of something on his neck, just below his right ear. It was a tattoo. It was tiny though, not really something you'd show off at all. But it intrigued me. It was a tiny 'v' with one of the points looping around to make an 's'. Kind of like the Capricorn sign. How had I not noticed that before?
Did it mean something?
I wordlessly followed him back to his car, not putting up any argument as he opened the door, indicating he wanted me to get inside. He locked the doors as he strode into the school, leaving me wondering what on earth he was doing. When he returned minutes later with my bag, it was clear. He unlocked my door, getting inside and placing my bag on my lap.
"Thank you." I mumbled softly, putting my seatbelt on. I remembered the journey from this morning and knew I did not want to relive the terror I'd felt at his driving.
We made it home in less than ten minutes and complete silence. I didn't know what to think about this forceful, silent Edward. Whereas the cocky asshole that had been living in my house for the last two days annoyed and aggravated me no end, this Edward unnerved me. Now I could see why Charlie had hired him.
He scared me.
"Take a shower before Charlie gets home." He said quietly, forcefully. "You stink of weed."
With that he exited the car and waited for me to do the same before locking it and making his way into the house. He had disappeared by the time I reached the kitchen, which I thought was mere seconds after the door had closed, but clearly I had been wrong, because he was nowhere to be seen. I didn't even hear the door to his apartment close as I had been expecting.
I made my way over to the fridge and grabbed myself something to eat before making my way towards the stairs. I couldn't help but watch Edward's door and listen for any kind of movement behind it as I made my way into my bedroom. I knew that Charlie thought he was being smart and sneaky when he'd had the apartment fitted across the hallway from mine, but I'd known why. It was in case he ever had to go away for any length of time and I would be left on my own. He wanted my current babysitter to always have direct access to me.
Sorry, Charlie. Not as sneaky as you'd thought.
After sitting on my bed for a few minutes, munching on the granola bar I'd swiped, I decided to take Edward's advice and take a shower. I stripped off as I made my way towards my en suite, turning on the shower as I pulled my hair out of the ponytail it was in before stepping underneath the hot spray. The water pressure wasn't as harsh as it normally was, so I surmised that Edward must be taking one as well.
After spending around twenty minutes or so underneath the water, I turned it off and climbed out. The water pressure had increased about half way through, so I guessed Edward had finished his shower. I grabbed one of the fluffy towels off the rail and wrapped it around myself, using another one for my hair. The effects of the weed I'd had not an hour ago had dissipated with Edward's abrupt appearance and I found that was another thing I was pissed at him for. He seemed to have a talent for ruining my fun times. First the party on Saturday and today with James, not to mention yesterday morning.
Maybe Charlie had just hired him to irritate me.
After dressing in some loose sweats and sweater I made my way downstairs to find Edward in the kitchen, looking over something that looked like paperwork.
"What's that?" I asked, moving to stand in front of him.
He glanced up at me, before looking back down at the papers before shaking his head. "Nothing."
"Oh." I looked around for something to do whilst thinking about something to say. I figured that he might be around for a while, considering none of my other babysitters had managed to find my hiding spot with James, and they would never have found me so quickly. It would have taken them hours to track me down to whatever house I'd ended up at and it had taken Edward less than ten minutes.
Guess I underestimated him.
"Would you like something to eat?" I asked, hoping it would be seen as a kind of goodwill gesture. "I mean, I was going to make something for dinner and wanted to know if you wanted something."
"Not planning on poisoning me, are you?" He asked, a tint of humour in his tone.
"Not today." I replied, smiling slightly at the ease that had settled over us in this brief instant.
"Then, yes, thank you." He looked up at me, his golden eyes dancing and I found myself unable to look away, feeling drawn in and powerless to break whatever spell he held over me in that instant. "Charlie's not in this evening. It's just the two of us."
I blinked a couple of times, shaking my head, trying to clear it as he chuckled lightly. "How do you know that?"
"He came home earlier." He informed me, placing a hand on the papers in front of him, shielding them from me. I wondered what he had going on there and if it was something that could get him in trouble with a certain Police Commissioner he happened to be living with at the moment. "Told me he wouldn't be back until later on tonight. He's spending the evening with someone called Billy." He raised an eyebrow at me and I nodded, indicating I knew who that was.
"Billy Black." I looked down at the table, noticing his hand still splayed out over the papers. "He and Charlie have been friends since forever. Billy's son Jake and I grew up together."
He nodded in understanding before going back to whatever he was doing before I walked in. It seemed important, so I couldn't bring myself to be pissed that he was essentially ignoring me. Something told me that he was paying attention to my movements as well.
That was slightly unnerving.
"What did you want to eat?" I asked, moving towards the pantry where I looked for something to eat quickly.
"Whatever you feel like making is fine by me." I heard him say from the kitchen.
"So . . ." I made my way back so I was standing in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the pantry. "If I told you I felt like making hotdogs with paprika and gummi worms, you'd be alright with that."
He chuckled lightly – and I took that moment to marvel in what an amazing sound it actually was – turning on the chair he was sitting in to look at me. "Isabella, I can guarantee you, that whatever you can cook up in that little mind of yours: I've had worse."
He might have been smirking at me, but the hard look in his eyes told me that he wasn't joking. His eyes were cold and guarded as he turned back around and I saw the small tattoo again. It was much more visible now that he had changed into a t-shirt and smart jeans, the deep black of the ink standing out against his pale skin.
I rummaged around in the pantry, grabbing some pasta noodles and ingredients for macaroni cheese, balancing it all and making my way back into the kitchen. I grabbed a few pans out of the cupboards, setting water on to boil before making a cheese sauce.
"I like your tattoo." I said quietly as I measured out ingredients for the sauce. I saw him stiffen lightly as he heard my words before he closed his eyes, his jaw clenched. "Does it mean anything?"
"Nothing for you to be concerned about." The way he said it made it seem like it was something to be concerned about. It must have meant something. And something not so good.
Maybe he'd lost a bet or something and it was a sore spot for him. But Edward didn't seem the type to lose a bet, or even make a bet he knew there was the slightest chance of losing. Was it kind of a brand or something? The placement of it, obvious and in your face, it made it seem like it could be.
But that begged the question: why would he have a brand of some kind on him?
"What are you thinking about over there?" His voice jolted me out of my musing as I turned to face him. "You're quiet."
"Oh, really?" Shit! Think of something. "I was just thinking about a new girl at school today."
"Oh yeah?" Was he actually interested or just keeping me entertained so I wouldn't try and sneak off somewhere? I was feeling quite wiped, so I would be going anywhere tonight anyway. Not that I'd get past Roboguard here.
"Yeah. Her name's Alice. She's just moved here from Mississippi with her half brother." I felt my heart go out to her again as I remembered why she'd moved here. "Her parents were killed in a car crash a couple of weeks ago and she had to move here with him. Jasper, I think his name is." I turned to face him, even though he wasn't facing me. Not really anyway. "You made her late for English."
"Whoops." He muttered sarcastically, but there was something I couldn't place on his face. Just like on Alice's earlier during first period. Man, I was getting shit at reading people these days.
"Don't act like you're sorry." I muttered and he chuckled.
"Who said I was." I rolled my eyes at him as I turned around, finishing up with dinner. I hoped it tasted alright. I hadn't cooked for anyone besides Charlie in a while. All of the others politely refused my cooking, probably thinking that I was going to poison them or something. But then again, that had been Edward's first question. I sighed gently as I drained the noodles. But he didn't run off when you suggested it as the others had done. He stayed.
After finishing up, I picked up the two plates and turned around. I cleared my throat and Edward cleared away the papers in front of him.
"Thank you, Isabella." He said softly as I handed him some cutlery. He stuffed the papers he had been looking at into a manila folder and placed it beside him.
"Can you please call me Bella?" I pleaded, hating my full name.
"You've not earned it, yet." He replied cryptically taking a bite of his dinner. I bit my lip, hoping it tasted alright.
"Is it okay?" I asked, hearing the trepidation in my own voice.
"The best macaroni and cheese I've ever tasted." He replied with a smile and I felt myself relax.
"Sorry, I don't really cook for anyone other than myself or Charlie." I admitted, taking a bite of my own.
"You didn't cook for the others?" I shook my head, letting my hair fall down in front of my face. "Why not? I can't really see anyone passing up food tasting like this."
"I guess they were afraid I was going to poison them or something." He let out a chuckle as I spoke. "I wouldn't, even though there were a couple that probably warranted it. None of them ever tried my food."
"Or maybe it's because they weren't around long enough to." He chuckled and I glared at him. "It's true. Your father hired your first bodyguard when you were fifteen, right?" I nodded. "And you're seventeen now. You've had seventeen bodyguards in the last two years, excluding me." He added on as I opened my mouth. Damn. "That's one roughly every month and a half. I know some of them lasted longer than others and there've been a few days in between each where you haven't had one, but most don't have that many in their entire lifetimes."
"Yeah, well most don't have an overbearing father." I muttered and he sighed, shaking his head.
"You would be if you had lost the one you love in such a brutal fashion." He replied softly and I nodded, remembering what it was like when Charlie told me she wasn't coming back. Whenever I thought back to that day, I tried remembering the better things. When Charlie was alive and happy. The way my mom used to make him smile all the time. When she used to wind him up about the silliest little things.
I would treasure those memories.
"You should feel lucky to have the memories you, your mother and your father shared while she was still here. Memories of who she was and what she was like and of who your father was before she died. The man he used to be. Because not all of us are that privileged."
What had Edward meant by that last comment? Some people weren't privileged enough to have memories of their loved ones or something? Like amnesia or something like that?
I glanced over at Edward who seemed to be paying attention to me, but not, as it were. It was like he always had split attention. How could he do that?
Was he talking about himself when he made that comment? He had said 'not all of us' so maybe he had.
"Edward?" I asked, cautiously and his eyes narrowed at me, clearly sensing my tone. "What did you mean the other day when you said that not everyone is privileged enough to hold onto their memories?"
He looked away from me, his expression tight and his lips pursed. It looked as though he was silently berating himself for saying anything like that at all.
"It was nothing. A remark indicating no one in particular." He replied, his tone cold and I knew that he didn't want to discuss the subject any further.
I placed my fork down on my plate, knowing that I wouldn't be able to eat anything more. "I don't believe you." I whispered and his eyes shot up to mine. They were blazing with anger as he glared at me.
"It was nothing of importance." He answered quietly, his voice clipped and harsh in the silence that permeated the house.
"If it wasn't then you wouldn't have said anything." I argued and he closed his eyes slowly, letting breath out through his nose. "It's true, though. If it didn't matter, then you wouldn't have said it." I knew I was right and I was going to get it out of him. "Would you?"
"Do you have no filter at all?" He asked, his voice calm and collected as he opened his eyes. His voice was the biggest contrast to what was going on in his eyes I had ever seen. They were blazing, alight with a fire and anger I hadn't ever seen in anyone before, the colour seemed to shimmer with the emotion coursing through them. "Do you not know when to stop talking?"
I physically moved away from him at his words. What the hell was he talking about?
"I'm sorry." I whispered and he laughed. A dangerous sound emanating from within him and I knew to be scared.
"You're sorry?" He asked me, his tone mocking. "You're sorry because you know you've crossed a line. One you will not cross again. Understand me now, Isabella. Who I am or what I've done before I set foot in this household is no business of yours. Do you understand?" I nodded quickly before sliding out of my chair and running up the stairs.
I slammed my bedroom door shut and clicked the lock in place, knowing that that feeble thing would probably have no effect on Edward if he really wanted to get in here. I was sure that he wouldn't do anything to physically harm me, but hell, he didn't seem too stable right about now. I wasn't sure of what he would do. I just had to hope that he wouldn't hurt me.
I sat on my bed, hoping that I hadn't pissed him off too badly when I heard his slow, deliberate footsteps making their way down the hallway. He stopped outside my door, well, most likely trying to get into his apartment above the garage, rather than my room. I heard his door click closed and lay down on my side.
I had to calm down. Sure he might have scared me downstairs, but wasn't that his job? To keep me out of trouble. He was probably just using scare tactics against me, right? I didn't know what to think about Edward. He was such an enigma. One I didn't think I had the energy to work out properly.
But I was going to try.
Oh hell, was I going to try.
What are you hiding Edward Masen?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*