Disclaimer: Not mine...and I don't think I make any references to Superman in this chapter...but there might be some Broadway stuff...
A/N: Thank you for all your reviews and for reading! I hope you all enjoy this one. And if you're in the U.S., have a great Labor Day weekend (I intend to) and if you're not in the U.S., have a good weekend too! :-)
Chapter 3
Thursday, after school
"Remind me why I need to be here again?" I sighed.
"Duh! Because I needed your opinion to pick out a dress!" Angela called from behind the door. Ben, our drum major from the marching band, had asked Angela to be his date for the Homecoming Dance on Saturday. Angela and Alice both dragged me along to Port Angeles. Alice insisted that I was going and that I needed a dress. Yeah right. I only returned to school today and as soon as I showed my face, everyone was whispering and pointing. Luckily Alice and Jasper met me by my car and walked me to class. I also either had Rosalie, Angela, Alice, or Jasper in one of my classes. The only one none of them were in with me was history. And unfortunately, that was the one class I had with Edward.
When I walked into history, he didn't even look at me, nor did he acknowledge anyone that was whispering about the two of us in class. I hadn't talked to him since Monday morning. I had tried to catch a glimpse of him from my window in my room, but I never saw him. The Volvo was never home until late in the evening and last night I had heard him come home near midnight and heard him shouting with Edward Sr. I cringed and covered my head with my pillow. I knew it had to be my fault. Everything that happened to Edward in the past few days was my fault. I hurt my best friend more than I ever helped him.
"Bella!" Alice sang as she came prancing back into the dressing room, "I have the most PERFECT dress for you."
I sighed, "Alice, I don't need a dress. I'm not going. I don't have a date and I don't really feel like celebrating this weekend."
"Nonsense Bella!" Alice chided as she threw the blue dress at me, "I want you to come. Screw Jasper, you're going to be my date!"
I couldn't help but laugh, "Alice, you don't mean that."
"Like hell I don't! You're going to be the hottest thing there in this dress now go put it on!"
I rolled my eyes, "Fine."
I shrugged out of my t-shirt and jeans and slipped into the midnight blue dress. I gasped as the silky material fell over my hips.
"Alice!" I cried, "This dress has no back!"
"Let me see Bella!"
"Alice…" I whined. There was no way I was wearing this.
"Isabella Marie…"
"Okay okay…" I muttered as I opened the door.
"BELLA!" Angela and Alice squealed.
I jumped, "What?! Is a boob hanging out?"
I quickly ran my hands over my body to check that everything was in place.
"No stupid!" Alice shouted, "This dress is perfect!"
I turned and looked in the three way mirror and gasped. It was a spaghetti strap dress with a triangle like top. The back plunged down into a deep V but was held up by the straps. Material bunched around my waist like a sash and the skirt flared out into a flowing train. It was gorgeous and fit every curve of my body.
"Wow…look at the band geek. Who knew those boobs were hiding under those hideous clothes?"
I glanced up and saw Tanya, Jessica, and Lauren smirking back at me in the mirror.
"What the hell do you want Tanya?" Alice growled.
"Nothing with you shorty. Just wanted to wish Bella all the best. I'm sure she got what she wanted. I'm not with Edward anymore."
I felt my eyes start to water at the mention of Edward's name and I cursed myself for the fact that I cry so easily. While I was glad Edward wasn't with this skank anymore, I almost wished that he were. At least then he'd still be my friend. We'd still be talking to each other. I wouldn't feel like my heart had disintegrated into nothing.
"Edward is better off without a skank like you in his life."
I was surprised Angela was brave enough to talk back to Tanya.
"What do you care Webber? Why don't you go run off into band geeky paradise with that uber dork Ben Cheney?"
Angela shrank back. Alice though, she stood her ground. "Get out Tanya! Why don't you go fuck the bus boy at the restaurant next door? That's all you're good at right? Fucking other boys behind their backs? Get lost!"
I was momentarily scared that Tanya was going to slap Alice like she had done to me. Her eyes were hard and I'm sure the thought momentarily passed through her head to strike Alice. She was after all, almost a foot shorter. But Tanya composed herself.
"Ugh…don't waste your breath Cullen. I like to be able to at least look someone in the eye when I speak to them."
And with that Tanya and her little henchwomen stormed out of the store. I couldn't hold my tears back anymore and I let them fall freely down my cheeks.
"Oh Bella!" Angela said, immediately wrapping her arms around me, "Don't let her get to you! She's just jealous! I think she's always known that Edward cares about you!"
"No no…please don't say that…please…"
"Oh Bella…" Alice said as she came and wrapped her arms around me too.
"Please…" I sobbed, "Please just take me home…"
Alice and Angela agreed and we drove back to Forks in silence. Angela held me in the back seat of Alice's Porsche and let me sob on her shoulder. I had told them everything that had happened at the party with Tanya and James. I couldn't take it. I didn't want to hear them telling me that Edward has always cared about me. Rosalie told me the same thing when I was sobbing in my bed Monday morning when she brought me back after what happened at school. I didn't want to hear any more people telling me that Edward cared about me or that Edward and I were meant to be together.
It was dark by the time we got back to my house. Charlie's cruiser was gone, he was working the night shift this whole week, with only Friday off to come to the Homecoming game. I was shocked to see Emmett's jeep home, and even more shocked to see the silver Volvo home next door. As soon as Alice stopped the Porsche, I started running for the front door. I didn't want to chance seeing Edward. I knew I wouldn't hold it together. I heard Angela and Alice shouting my name, unfortunately as my luck would have it, my toe caught on our walkway and I tumbled forward.
"BELLA!"
I couldn't help my sobs that ripped from my chest. That wasn't Alice or Angela's voice. I sobbed harder when I heard Emmett's voice.
"You stay away from my sister Masen!"
I didn't look up from the ground as I felt Alice and Angela help me up and start to take me inside. I could vaguely hear Edward's voice shouting my name and Emmett yelling at him to leave me alone. I broke out of Angela and Alice's grasp and ran the rest of the way to my room.
"Bella!" they both called after me. I quickly slammed the door and locked myself in there. I collapsed on my bed, but I couldn't drown out the words of Emmett and Edward. Alice and Angela were trying in vain to calm my stupid twin brother down.
"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM MASEN?!"
"Don't touch me Emmett!"
"Emmett calm down!" Alice cried.
"You stay away from her Edward!"
"Emmett please, I need to talk to her!"
"NO! You stay away from her! You broke her Edward!"
"Emmett I-"
I screamed out when I heard what sounded like bodies colliding and buried my head further into my pillows. I could still hear Angela's scared screams and Alice yelling at them to grow up.
"I never knew that you were stringing her along all this time Edward! You're an idiot if you could never see how much Bella loves you! I feel like an even bigger idiot for not knowing that you've been dragging her along like this! You're an asshole Edward Masen!"
"Emmett-"
"NO! I mean it Masen! You BROKE her! Destroyed her! Stay away from her."
I faintly heard Edward pleading with Alice and Angela but they remained silent as I heard the Porsche drive off. Emmett slammed the door and shook the entire house before I heard him stomping up the stairs to my room. I flinched when he pounded on my door.
"Bella, open up! It's just me!"
"Go away Em!" I sniffled.
"Isabella, you open this door right now, or so help me God I'll break it down!"
"UGH! FINE!"
I threw the door open and immediately started pummeling his chest.
"WHY DID YOU HIT HIM?! WHY DID YOU TELL HIM I LOVE HIM?! WHY EM?! WHY?! WHY?!"
I don't know how long I hit him, but he never fought back and I eventually felt exhausted as my fists started coming down slower and weaker on his chest. He just stood there and took it.
"Why Em…" I sobbed, collapsing, his big arms wrapping around me.
"Shhhhh…Bells…it'll be okay."
"No…it won't…" I sobbed.
I don't know how long Emmett held me, but when I woke up, my desk clock said it was 1:11am, and I couldn't help but notice there was a weird shadow being cast through my window. I had locked it last night. Not that I thought Edward was going to show up, but I locked it to end any hope I had that he might. When I looked out the window I gasped. Edward was leaning against it, shivering, holding his coat tight around him. Oh God, how long had he been sleeping out there?
I ran to the window, "Edward! Edward!" Oh please be okay! What are you doing you crazy boy?!
Slowly I saw Edward's eyes start to flutter open. They were drooping and I saw him mouth "Bella", a faint smile tugging at his lips. Oh God, I think they were turning blue! I quickly opened the window and he almost tumbled in.
"Edward!" I cried, "You idiot! How long have you been out there?"
"Since E-E-Emmett left at 11:30pm," he chattered.
I slipped off his frigid coat and quickly wrapped my two thick blankets around him, helping him sit in the beanbag chair in the corner. I wrapped the blankets around him as tight as I could.
"I'm gonna go make you some hot tea," I said, standing to head to the kitchen.
"N-n-n-no…wait….B-b-bella, don't go."
"Edward, you're freezing."
"No…w-w-wait…It's better. Please…d-don't leave me."
I let out an irritated growl. He was the one who left me in the parking lot on Monday.
"What do you want Edward? And how can you ask me that? You just left me there Edward! You just left! You haven't said a word to me! Not that I should be surprised because you've actually been listening to that Tanya bitch these past years and haven't said a word to me in school! Yet you have the nerve to beg me to keep up our friendship in secret! Secret! I don't know why I ever listened to you Edward!"
That came out a lot angrier than I thought it would and I was breathing hard by the time I was done. I had never seen Edward look so destroyed and vulnerable in my life. He and I had never gotten into a fight like this.
"Do you regret staying friends?" Edward whispered.
I blinked. Was he serious? "Why the hell would you ask me that Edward?"
"Just answer the question Bell Bell."
I could feel the fight leaving my body when he called me "Bell Bell." I could never regret my friendship with Edward, even if it was in secret. It was better than these past two days when I didn't have him in my life at all.
"I don't regret it…" I whispered back, "but you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here? Why now?"
Edward sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sat there, unmoving for who knows how long. I couldn't take it anymore.
"Edward, if you have nothing to say then I think you should just go."
He was whispering so softly that I barely even heard him.
"How do you always know what to say to me when I feel like I'm going to cry? You always know how to make me laugh instead. You know I don't care about the sports. You know my favorite songs are 'All I Ask of You' and 'Clair de Lune'. You know that I want to be a pediatrician…"
I couldn't move from my spot as Edward stood up and walked slowly towards me. I gasped as his finger traced down my cheek like it had at the party on Saturday. He was so close to me that it felt like there was an electrical current running between our bodies. I couldn't breathe. He was so close and I could smell that fresh but spicy scent that was so distinctly Edward, one that wasn't manufactured.
"How do you know all this," he whispered, "and I never knew…"
I still couldn't breathe. What was he talking about? His proximity to my body had my mind completely dazzled and I couldn't think about anything but the tingling feeling in my cheek as his finger stroked it gently. My heart was pounding so loudly in my chest that I'm sure you could've heard it in Seattle. It almost stopped when Edward bent down to whisper in my ear.
"Breathe Bella…"
My lungs pushed all the air out in one loud "whoosh" and I suddenly felt light headed. My knees buckled and I fell forward, only to have the strong arms of my best friend wrap around me and keep my steady. My hands automatically curled into his t-shirt and my face was flush against his strong chest.
"Bell Bell…" Edward whispered.
I hesitantly looked up and gasped at the closeness of his face to mine. Our eyes locked together and I was drowning in the emerald green depths. I could hear both our breathing turn ragged and felt his heart pounding like mine under my hand. I saw his eyes flicker down my to my mouth and my breath caught in my throat.
"Bella…" he said softly, like it was a prayer.
My door creaked open and our heads instantly snapped in that direction. Oh no!
"MASEN!" Emmett boomed, quickly flicking on the light, "I thought I told you to stay the hell away from her!"
He came storming into the room and I quickly pushed away from Edward to meet Emmett head on.
"STOP IT EMMETT!" I screamed. That froze him in his tracks. I never yelled at him like that. He looked completely stunned that I even dared to yell at him.
"Bella…I…I…"
"You what?!" I shouted, "Don't you dare pretend like you care about ME now! Where were you these last three years?! You wouldn't sit with Rosalie if she was sitting with me at lunch! Where were you when I was falling apart when Edward started dating that whore bitch?! Where were you when Tanya shoved me against the wall and slapped me in the face?! Where were you Em?!"
Emmett and Edward were just frozen in their spots looking at me. Both of them had never seen me ever acting so crazy like this. God, I'm losing it.
"Bell Bell…" Edward whispered.
"Oh just get out!" I cried, "Both of you please just go!"
"Bells…" Emmett started.
"NO! Get out Emmett!"
I started shoving against his body. For all the effort I was putting in, you would've thought I would've at least moved him an inch. I had never seen Emmett look so defeated as he turned to head out the door. He turned at the door and gave Edward a dirty look that just set me off all over again.
"GET OUT EM!"
He jumped and quickly shut the door. I didn't realize how heavy I was breathing and I felt my shoulders heaving as I was trying to calm down. What is wrong with me?! I've never stood up to Emmett like that! I've never spoken to anyone like that!
"Bell Bell..."
I jumped and turned around. Edward was shrugging his coat back on, his gaze was focused on the ground and he ran his hand through his hair once his hands were free from his coat.
"Edward-" I started but he cut me off.
"Bell Bell, please don't fight with Emmett over me. He's right. I've hurt you badly these past years. I can't believe I was so stupid that I couldn't see it!"
Edward's voice was starting to get hysterical and his grip was tightening on his hair.
"Edward, please…"
"Please what Bella? There's nothing I can do that will make up for how much I've hurt you these years! I was such an idiot."
He turned away from me and gripped the window edge so tightly his knuckles were turning white.
"You Bell Bell, you're the only one who always knew the real me. While everyone saw the Edward that grew 6 inches and gained 25 pounds over the summer, you still knew I was the same geeky, comic book and musical loving, Tony that I had always been. I never saw myself any differently either. So when Tanya Denali comes along and asks me out, I was so stunned that the most popular girl in school was looking at a dork like me, I just dumbly said yes."
"Edward, you don't look like a dork…" I mumbled.
"It shouldn't matter what I look like! I was so blindly wrapped up in the fact that someone like Tanya, the girl every other guy was lusting after, had wanted me. Me! Geeky little Edward Masen that spends his free time reading comics or playing 'Halo' or climbing in his best friend's window to listen to musicals! I was so stupid. I should've stopped her when she started buying me clothes and changing what I wore. More so, I should've said 'no' when she told me I couldn't speak to you anymore. I'm so sorry Bella…I should've never stayed with her after the day she told me to stay away from you."
"Why…why did you stay with her Edward?" I sniffled.
Edward turned and pounded his fist against the wall. He leaned back and sat on the window edge, burying his head in his hands.
"I don't know! Everything changed! All these people were starting to expect things from me because I was Edward Masen and I was dating Tanya Denali. I started getting invited to parties that I never would've dreamed of going to before. Christ, I started drinking alcohol! It was all just so STUPID! It blinded me! But I was a selfish bastard Bella. I listened to Tanya, I stopped talking to you in school, but I couldn't let you go. I needed you in my life!"
He looked up and walked over to me, no more than a foot between us.
"Don't you see Bella? You're the best part of me. You know me…the real me. And you never gave up on him. You kept him alive. I can't believe I've wasted two years pretending to be someone I'm not."
I gasped, my body frozen, as Edward swept me into a hug.
"I don't want to be someone I'm not anymore. Thank you Bell Bell. Thank you for never giving up on me. For never giving up on us."
I pressed my face into his chest, trying to will away my tears and think of something to say to him. I had no idea what to feel! What was I supposed to think? My Tony, my Edward, was spilling some heavy feelings to me here. They were almost like the words I always wanted to hear, yet I couldn't make my body react to anything. I felt Edward bury his face against my neck and I gasped.
"I don't know why I didn't see it sooner," he whispered against my neck, "I love you Bell Bell."
My heart stopped in my chest, "What?"
He DID NOT just say what I think he said. There was no way. My ears had to be playing tricks on me. Edward opened his mouth to speak but we both jumped apart when his phone started to ring and vibrate in his pocket.
"Holy crap…" Edward muttered as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. I glanced at the clock on my desk. Oh my God! It's 2:30 in the morning!
It was so quiet in the neighborhood that when Edward answered his phone I could hear everything that his mother was saying on the other side.
"Edward Anthony Masen! You come home right now and let Bella go to sleep! You both have the Homecoming game tomorrow night!"
"Ummmm…yeah, Mom, sorry. I'm coming home now."
"I'm waiting in your room young man! I can see you and Bella! Get back over here right now! And apologize to Bella for keeping her up this late!"
"Okay Mom."
"Now hurry up! I'm waiting."
"Okay, bye."
I glanced through my window and saw Elizabeth smile at me and wave. She scowled when Edward came to the window and she motioned for him to get back over there. Edward was halfway out of the window when he stopped and turned back to look at me.
"We're…we're going to be okay…right Bell Bell?"
I gave him the best smile I could muster up. I felt absolutely drained after everything in the past few days and tonight.
"Better than okay Tony."
He flashed that crooked smile I loved so much, that I had missed seeing for days and whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow Bell Bell."
"Yeah…Oh hey! Wait!"
Edward stuck his head back in the window, "What is it?"
I smiled, "I never got to tell you. Our halftime show tomorrow is songs from Broadway musicals."
His Edward smile spread across his face.
"Just play it cool boys…" he sang as he disappeared again. I giggled as he sang the words to the song "Cool" from "West Side Story". I heard his glorious musical laugh and I went to my window and watched him climb back into his room. He turned back around and waved, as did Elizabeth, before closing his window. I covered my mouth to hide my chuckle as I watched Elizabeth lecture Edward.
I turned out my light and sighed. I had no idea what to make of what happened and what had been said tonight. More than anything else that was said tonight, five words stayed at the front of all my thoughts. I love you Bell Bell. How I wished that more than anything that he had really said those words.
Well? Yes? No? Sorry if anyone thought it was short and kind of quick. I am pondering writing this story from Edward's POV since we're obviously missing out on what's going on in his head. Meh...we'll see. Maybe an outtake. I was in a terrible mood on Wednesday, but feel much better now. I slept for 13 hours...yikes! Off to start my weekend. You all have fun too! :-) Leave me a review if you can! (Good or bad, I want to hear it!)
P.S. If you need a visual for Bella's dress she tried on, I was thinking of the green dress Keira Knightley wears in "Atonement" but in blue.
