A/N: Just a reminder that I don't lay claim to any of the Twilight property. For further clarification, please see the disclaimer on my profile.

CHAPTER 4:

JASPER

I wasn't surprised that we had been asked to leave the arena. We were getting a bit rowdy while showing off for the girls working at the snack bar. The last straw had been Edward shoving me into the Christmas scene with the blow up snow globe causing it to deflate. The maintenance guys charged with asking us to leave weren't really physically threatening us, but we decided to not push the issue and just went out front to wait for Emmett.

"I don't understand why we're always meeting Emmett here. Why does he spend so much time at this rink. We don't even play here."

Edward was tossing a tennis ball against the wall with one hand and sighing every couple of minutes. He was obviously impatient to get going. I was pretty sure that Renee's promised lasagna dinner had a lot to do with that. His mom had recently forced them to join her on her "quest for healthier living". Edward and I both harboured a serious carbohydrate addiction. Pasta was his biggest weakness. As soon as the word 'lasagna' had come out of Emmett's mouth, Edward was practically drooling.

"He never misses 'Lil Bird's games unless they conflict with our schedule. Besides, if it's a practice and Renee has to work, he has to help Garrett haul all of the coaching stuff out to the car."

"What are you talking about? What games?"

He was looking at me like I was the one who didn't have a clue what this conversation was about. I shoved his shoulder making him miss the ball, then grabbed it out of the air before it could bounce away.

"Bella's games. All her games are at this rink."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He looked genuinely confused so I decided to spell it out for the poor schmuck.

"Her HOCKEY games, moron. The girl's league is based out of this rink. Emmett comes with his family to watch every game." I laughed at him and chucked the tennis ball at his head.

Ducking to the side he managed to catch it before getting it in the forehead.

"Wait, what? Bella plays hockey? Since when?"

"I don't know, dude, she's not MY sister." I frowned at his accusatory tone of voice and shoved him again.

"How is that even possible? She can barely walk across a stable, flat surface without injury. Why would she strap blades on her feet and venture out on ice? It's like begging for an accident." Edward snickered to himself.

It was true. Just yesterday she fell down the basement stairs after missing the third step. Thank goodness for carpet and thick under-padding. She was sure to be sporting some good bruises from that spill regardless of the amount of padding.

"Apparently, she's pretty good. Emmett's always going on about it."

Edward shot me a disbelieving look and said, "He's never said anything to me about it."

*~ATR~*

EMMETT

My butt was beginning to go numb as we sat on the metal benches waiting for B to exit the change room. I was looking forward to getting home and planting myself on the comfy basement couch when Edward's out of the blue question momentarily stunned me.

"Why doesn't she play in our league?" he asked like he had no clue what the answer is. "She skates circles around most of the other players, and pretty much no one is able to get the puck away from her?"

I stared at him for a second before my anger came rushing back like a freight train. The sheer force of my suddenly raging temper shocked even me a little.

"Are you friggen KIDDING me?" My hands had balled up into fists and I was straining to keep from grabbing the little shit and slamming him against the nearest wall.

Shock and fear immediately registered in his eyes as he quickly stood up and took several steps back away from me.

"What the hell, Emmett?" His hands rose up in a defensive posture and I had to concentrate on controlling my voice and the volume of my response.

"You mean you don't remember?"

"R-remember what, dude? What are you so mad about? Why would I…?" He was slowly turning his head from side to side. I could see the urge to flee clear as day on his face.

"The reason Bella doesn't play in our league ANYMORE. The reason she didn't even touch the ice for almost 2 YEARS?" Was it even possible that he really didn't remember? How could he not remember? It had taken us months of begging to get her to even agree to try to get back on the ice, and even then, she'd only agree if she could join the girl's league. She wouldn't even consider going back to the same league as me, as US.

"What do you mean 'anymore'? What the hell are you so pissed at me for, Em?"

"Holy crap. You seriously don't remember, do you?" I laughed and shook my head as I flexed my hands, which we aching from the tight fists I'd been clenching them in. "Bella started hockey the same year the rest of us, Ed. She was in hockey school with us."

I couldn't help but smirk a little at his obviously confused expression. I was starting to calm down a bit, but I could still feel my anger fizzling under the surface.

"She was always one of the best. One of the fastest, one of the best puck-handlers, you know... like you."

His eyes widened and then his gaze drifted off. I could tell his mind was drifting back to those years. I decided to give him a little more background to jog his memory.

"She loved it. She was so clumsy on any surface, except the ice. It was the ONE place she felt free. She found something she was good at, and she was so HAPPY."

I continued, "She played her first year of house-league with so much joy. She didn't care that she couldn't play any other sports without falling or causing injury to others. Her team meant everything to her. She was a pain in the neck all that summer constantly asking when the next season started. When September finally came around and she started the next season, she was so excited we practically had to peel her off the ceiling. The first few games were great. She did well and there was another player on her team that she worked really well with. Their team was winning almost every game."

I watched his face carefully as I spoke. I wanted to see it…the flicker of recognition. I needed to know what his reaction was. It would make a really big difference in how this conversation went going forward.

"Then things started to change. She was less enthusiastic about game days. She stopped going full tilt during the games. She wouldn't talk to any of us about what had changed. It was the weirdest thing. Finally, during one game where she'd basically just go on the ice and follow along slowly behind the play, Dad decided he was going to tell her that if she wasn't even going to try and help her team, he was going to pull her from the game. He and Renee were discussing what they thought might be going on when I noticed her apparently arguing with the kid next to her on the bench. She stood up and leaned right into his face and began yelling. The kid stood up and yelled right back at her. Next thing I knew, she was throwing punches. The coach pried the two kids apart and Dad ran down the stairs from the bleachers and around the rink over to the bench. Renee held my arm to keep me next to her when I tried to follow him."

Edward's eyes widened as I spoke. His mouth dropped open as I saw the realization dawn on him.

"Izzy. Isabella. Oh, shit..."

If I wasn't still in big brother mode, I may have laughed at the wave of revulsion that swept across his face.

"What did you say to her, Edward? Do you remember?"

His gaze snapped to me and his mouth opened and closed comically. He looked like a large-mouthed bass.

"Em, I was a seven year-old kid! Oh, god. I was such an idiot. I was... I was jealous. She always beat me to the puck. She was faster. I - I..."

I took a sick pleasure in the panic that I saw as he realized that HE was the reason I was so mad. The reason that for YEARS I had given him such a hard time. Why I didn't want him anywhere NEAR her. Why I was always pissed when she was nice to him. He'd taken her love for the game and stomped on it.

"I told her that real girls didn't play hockey. That boys would never like her. Some stupid shit like that."

He swallowed hard as he looked through the glass sliding doors into the rink, then his gaze landed on the change room door. He started to move towards it and I grabbed his arm tightly and spun him so that his attention was forced back to me.

"I have to talk to her. I have to apologize. I was just a kid, a little jealous jerk." He was running his hands through his hair and yanking at it so hard I was sure he was going to give himself a bald spot.

"Look, it's over now. She's gotten past it. Leave it in the past Edward. You're not going to do yourself any favors bringing it up now." I loosened my grip on his arm but didn't let go.

"Wait. You said she didn't get back on the ice for two YEARS. Just because I was a jealous dumbass and said some stupid shit to her?" His expression looked like someone had run over his puppy.

"Yeah," I cleared my throat and continued. "She thought of you as her friend. She loved playing with you. You guys made a really good team. After we left the rink that day she wouldn't even watch hockey on TV with us anymore. Later that week Renee found her sticks and hockey bag out at the end of the driveway with the garbage."

He seemed lost in thought for a moment. I took the opportunity to remove my hand from his arm since he didn't seem to be trying to leave anymore.

"Yeah, I remember now. The rest of that season wasn't so hot. I remember wondering why she disappeared. I asked the coach once, and he just shook his head and didn't answer me." Edward sat back down on the bench and rested his elbows on his knees, settling his head between his hands and looking down at the floor.

I couldn't help it, I laughed at his bewildered expression. "Dad told them she'd broken her arm or leg or something playing street hockey with me, so she'd be out for the rest of the season."

I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. That had been a terrible time. Bella didn't come out of her room other than for school and meals for two weeks. She'd come to the arena with us for my games, but stayed in the lobby and read a book. She took until the next NHL season to even watch a game with us and almost another full year before we managed to convince her to play with the girl's league. I remembered well the dullness that had replaced that spark in her eyes for that time. She'd never seemed to feel the same about the game. Even as her talent for the game didn't diminish, it was obvious her enjoyment of it had. I'd never forgive him for that. I know he was just a little kid, but he ruined something special for my sister and I'd always hate him a little for it.

*~ATR~*

EDWARD

I felt sick. My mind was whirling and my guts were following along for kicks. I told Emmett to make up an excuse to his parents. I didn't feel like I'd be able to sit at their dinner table across from Bella without hurling onto my plate.

I was such an ass. My spoiled little ass had bullied Bella right out of hockey. Not just off our team, or even the league, but out of the whole damn SPORT. What kind of person does that? The more I concentrated on that time, the more I remembered. I recalled goofing around with "Izzy" in hockey school. There had been quite a few girls there then. The all-girl league just didn't have the resources to put on as big of a training program so most of them joined the boys' league's hockey school. She always smiled and laughed her way through the drills. She was always happy, always gave her full attention and effort to whatever we were told to do. Even the stupid drills like taking shots at the boards. She was happy to do it.

A couple of years later when she was on my house league team, I was really happy to see her again. There were no sponsors for the house league teams back then. A lot of the teams didn't have any money to spend nor did the parents want to fork over the money to get name bars on the jerseys. I'd only every known her as "Izzy". I never made the connection…not until earlier today when Emmett so clearly spelled it out for me.

A few games and practices into the season I began to get jealous. I'd been the best player by far on the previous year's team, then along came this girl who could easily keep up with me, if not kick my butt. After practice, I would be bent over, lungs and legs burning and she'd just stand there laughing and smiling. I was jealous, so I said stupid things to her. I remembered telling her that real girls didn't play hockey. I told her that she looked fat in her equipment. I told her so many really mean and stupid things. The more I went over it in my mind, the more awful I felt. Especially when I remembered the last words she ever said to me as they were pulling her off of me on the bench.

"No one will ever want you or love you, Eddie. You're mean, nasty, and ugly. On the INSIDE. And that's where it really counts."

God, she was so right. I felt like such an ass. How would I ever be able to show my face at the McCarty's place again? Why did they ever let me in? The only reason I could think of was that Renee and Garrett didn't realize who I was. If I was them, I'd have never let the kid who did something so petty to my child anywhere near my house.

By the time I made it home, I had pretty much talked myself into spending the rest of my life avoiding the McCarty family. I was positive I'd never be able to face them again.