No. This wasn't happening. This was NOT happening. I had auditioned purely out of a desperation to get enough credit to graduate and fulfil my prerequisites to become a vampire. Not necessarily wanting to join a 'music team'. I was not doing this. I would not do this. No one could make me do this.
Bella Swan
That bold century gothic font was so unholy, and it winked at me mischieviously, almost condescendingly as I stared up at it. I was in. Me. Bella Swan. I was involved…in an extracurricular activity. I could practically feel the overused gag reflex reeling up again.
I would NOT be in a 'MUSIC TEAM'. No matter how charitable the cause, no matter how glorious the results may be. I would be a failure forever and would let all orphans and endangered species die horrible deaths before going on multiple road trips with Mike. And the stage fright! I didn't think my insides could take it.
However, my true love's reaction was somewhat different, as I had expected.
"Bella! You wonderfully talented, lovely girl!" He bent down and kissed me aggressively, a type of behaviour he usually pushed me away for.
"I- I- … I- just..-graduate…-I… credit- Mike…" I stuttered incoherently and Alice tugged on my arm, impatient. I glanced down at her, unseeingly, with what I imagined a look of disbelief hung heavily on my bland features. She was positively oozing perky bubbliness. I swear to god, I would force her into cheerleading one day. Not that she would need much convincing.
"Bella!! How fantastic is this! We're going to be together all the time! We'll get to go to Olympia together, and at the end of the year, we get to go to L.A.!" She rambled on continuously about our irrelevant trips and competitions while I stared at her, still not comprehending.
"You-…you're on the team, too?" I managed to choke out through a rough throat. She smacked me somewhat playfully (I used the term playfully slightly loosely) on the back of the head.
"Keep up, Bella. We're going SHOPPIN'" She dropped the last word in a hick accent I normally would've laughed at, but at this moment, this very second, nothing was humourous and everything felt morose and there was a strong burning sensation in the pit of my stomach I was more than aware of. A sensation that had been all-too farmiliar these past few days.
Edward, acknowledging my terror somewhat belatedly, wrapped an ice sculpture of an arm around my waste, curling my frail frame to his side.
"Better wait until the end of school…she can't afford to lose anymore credits, or she'll end up in the chess club with Eric." I did not appreciate his joke. He was aware of this, from my piercing eyes, trying to puncture his sinfully beautifully head in.
In a treat, Mike walked towards us, his blonde hair spiked in all directions, crystal clear blue eyes seeming, if it were possible, even more light-hearted than usual.
"Bella! There was no competition!" he exclaimed when he arrived to where the three of us stood, in front of the bulletin board, scattered with newsletters, "We all agreed you would be best. Some people-"he glared over to where Lauren and Tyler were standing, nuzzling each other's necks "thought we were favouring you. But your voice was amazing." His lack of creative adjectives were comical compared to my boyfriend's full lexicon of 19th century phrases.
"But anyway, good to have you aboard!" He laughed, rubbing my back and lingering unnecessarily long. Edward coughed.
"Yeah…good."
The last thing I felt was Edward's cool arms grasping me before the linoleum floor became my pillow.
