SEPTEMBER 4 (STORY)

I do not own the characters of Twilight.

School was another day of bullshit. Stupid classes with stupid, boring people. The only thing that made it worth anything was Angela. Strangely enough, I was looking forward to seeing her. There was something about her that just begged me to trust her. I can't deny she will be a good friend.

I was on my way to my last class. Great. Phys Ed. The one class I would like to see taking out of the curriculum. Not likely going to happen. I may spew confidence to all these small town children but I am far from confident and far from coordinated. Just get me through this class. It's too early in the year yet to start cutting classes.

I headed into the change room and found myself face to face with Miss. Bitch and her little doggy on a leash.

"Hey, Lauren. Guess what I saw yesterday?"

"What was that, Jess?"

"I saw someone heading to see Edward's mother yesterday."

"Really?"

I ignored the ramblings of the pathetic girls' gossip and continued to get changed. The ugly standard issue gym clothes needed a serious updating. White gym shorts and pullover white T-shirts with the words "Forks High School" written on the back. And I do mean "written". Someone had used permanent black ink. It was so nauseating.

"Yeah, it seems someone around hear has issues. I thought that bringing his mom into the school would be a waste of money and resources but, hell, it's giving me some pleasure."

"I can't imagine anyone having to see her. They must really be messed up."

I was beginning to listen to their ramblings. The way they were talking sound like a well rehearsed play. Something was going on and I just knew in my guts it had something to do with me.

"Well, this person must be really depressed cause they have no friends. They dress constantly in black. I think their attitude needs a little adjusting and they like to steal boyfriends."

Now I was listening.

"Well, maybe we can talk to Mrs. Cullen's kids. I bet she tells them everything about her psycho patients. I don't think there is any help though for this one. She seems deeply disturbed."

I knew now exactly what and who they were talking about. I had had enough. Something was gonna give.

"By the way, Jess, did you know that Mike was talking to Tyler last night about her. You know, the one you don't like."

"Really, well, that little tramp better stay away from my Mike. If she wants to startle trouble, I say, let her bring it. I'll make her parents regret the day they had her."

I turned my head slightly and looked out of the corner of my eye. I could see the two girls standing face directly at me. They looked like they were ready for a fight. Fine, bring it.

"Can I help you with something, tramp?" Jess asked coldly.

"Are you making empty threats again, bitch?" I asked turning and straightening myself to full height. That wouldn't help me being only 5 foot 4 inches and a hundred pounds soaking wet. I had learned a few things in my past and knew how to defend myself. Sure, in honesty, I didn't like to fight but I wouldn't back down either.

"Oh, the threats aren't empty. I can assure you of that." Jess hissed.

"Well, what will you do if I don't stay away from your precious Mike? Even if he looks like a mutt." I answered.

I could see her face turn red. She was angry and that was perfect for me.

"A mutt. Mike is the most handsome man in this school."

"If you say so." I replied. She was full of empty threats. She was trying to talk me to boredom so I would forget the rest of her conversation with her little friend. I decided she wasn't worth my time or the pain my hand would feel later. I started to walk to the door.

"See, Lauren, chicken. Walks away from fights. Just like her mother walked away from her father."

That did it. I had no love loss for my mother. But my father. That was another matter. I felt my nails dig into the palm of my hand and stiffen up readying myself for the contact.

I brought my arm up to shoulder level and pulled my hand back like I was pulling the string back on a bow and arrow. Once I released the imaginary string, my hand seemed to follow it. At first all I could feel was the air whipping past my hand. Then my hand made contact with skin, muscle, bones.

I watched as Jess fell backwards over the seating bench and into the lockers. She looked up at me in horror. The blood that was trickling down her chin had escaped from her mouth. That was hanging open in shock.

"Next time, don't make empty threats and don't ever speak of my father in that way again. Understand, bitch?" I asked, well, more like threatened.

She nodded mechanically. She was still shocked. She must never have had someone hit her before. No one had been gutsy enough to want to and not fear the consequences. I just didn't care.

I turned back to the door and found that little girl from the cafeteria yesterday looking from me to Jess. She smiled slightly as I walked past her. There was something in her smell that reminded me instantly of Mrs. Cullen. And her appearance was almost a family trait. Were they family? At that moment I had more important things on my mind.

Like hell I was going to gym now. I grabbed my backpack and swinging it over my shoulder I walked gallantly out the door. I went straight down the hallway and into the lobby of the school.

"Miss. Swan? Shouldn't you be in class?" A musical voice announced from the other end of the lobby.

I twisted my head slightly and simply nodded to Mrs. Cullen. I needed a distraction and right on cue, Jess and her little puppy came bursting through the swinging doors to the gym.

Mrs. Cullen and one of the secretary's raced over and gave me the escape I needed. Before they were even aware I was missing, I was out the door and heading for my truck.

I brought the beast to life and raced as fast as the gutless engine would go out of the parking lot and straight for home. As I drove down the road from the school I could swear someone was watching me again. I chalked it up to the adrenaline running through my veins.

As I was about to turn onto the road that would lead me home and looked over my shoulder and saw the grocery store dad had been claiming was there. How hadn't I seen that before now? I decided to finally pick up the groceries I needed to supply the house with and turned around.

I pulled into the parking lot and let the engine die. I jumped out and looked around quickly at the sound of my name.

"Isabella? Hello?" The voice was coming from a little old woman pushing a shopping cart.

"Hello." I had always been raised to respect my elders so even if I wasn't in the mood, I had to be polite. I was after all the police chief's daughter.

The woman approached and put out her hand. I took it and could feel the strength this fragile woman had physically. I hope I have that kind of strength when I become ancient.

"My name is Mrs. Mallory. You are in the high school with my granddaughter."

I cringed. Of all the people in the school I bet she's going to be related to the bitch.

"Oh," I faked curiosity, "and who is your granddaughter?" Please don't let it be her.

"Lauren Mallory." Great, the second worst person it could be.

"I met Lauren." I wasn't going to say anything nice but wasn't going to be mean about her to her own grandmother.

"Oh, she never mentioned she met you. Isabella, shouldn't you still be in school?"

"I decided to get some grocery shopping done and make dad a special meal." I didn't have the heart to be ignorant to this nice lady and tell her to stop fucking calling me by that name.

"You are a sweetheart. Your father is thrilled to have you home with him. He missed you."

I didn't even realized till that moment that dad had been so emotionally free around anyone. I never thought it was possible. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Mallory. I need to get going."

"Of course, dear. Have a good day and say hello to your father for me."

"Sure." I headed for the grocery store thinking the whole time that I wouldn't be saying anything to dad. He wouldn't be happy over the fact that I skipped school. I didn't want any conversation that included Jess or Lauren or school.

I pulled into the driveway to the house. I still couldn't believe how much I paid for the groceries. The only good thing about it was dad had a long unused running tab with the store. This was too small of a town if the local grocery store had tabs. You only found that shit in bars and their philosophy was pay up before you leave.

I took the first set of bags into the house and threw them only the table in the tiny kitchen. This was far from the ideal kitchen to cook in but I would have to make due as I did with the bathroom.

I noticed the blinking light on the answering message. Pathetic. Dad was so old-school that he had an actually answering machine instead of call answer on the phone. So many things I would have to convince him to change. It was the 21st century not the 19th.

I hit play on the machine and waited for it to rewind. I started back towards the table when I heard the beep and the message play.

"Um, Charlie, it's Ms. Cope at the high school. I need you to call me, please. There's been an incident that will require your attention. Don't worry, it's not official police matters and it has nothing to do with Isabella dropping her English course. Please call when you receive this message. Thank you."

Damn, now shit was gonna hit the fan. It would spatter all over the place. I walked back to the machine and studied it for a moment. Erase, where the hell is the erase button. Ah, there it is. No way was I going to be in shit with dad over something that's mom's fault. She shouldn't have left him and this wouldn't be happening.

I retrieved the rest of the bags from the truck and found plenty of room in the cupboards for everything I bought. That wasn't so hard since the cupboards were more bare then Mother Hubbard's.

I mentally decided that making a special meal for dad might earn me some brownie points when he finally found out what had happened. I left the right ingredients out and fiddled in the drawers for a knife and cutting board.

I cut up a green pepper, red pepper, a couple of onions, about a dozen mushrooms, some celery and a few cloves of garlic. I threw them into a frying pan and turned on the heat. Next I threw a package of hamburger into another frying pan and turned the heat on for that one too. I quickly cut up one more clove of garlic and added it to the hamburger.

I turned my attention to the number of spices I had brought and chose the proper ones for the spaghetti I was creating. I sprinkled the right amount into the vegetables and again into the meat. I covered both over and turned back to the table.

I washed the board and knife making sure all the taste from the vegetables would be gone and pulled another set of items from the fridge. This town lack the proper ingredients for a decent fruit salad but I would make due.

I cut up the oranges, apples, pears, peaches and threw them all together with some grapes into a bowl. I pulled an unopened bottle of pineapple juice from the fridge and added the right amount to the bowl. A light sugar and a good stir and the salad was done.

I checked the items on the stove and put some water on to boil. I turned and headed out the door to my truck. I yanked my backpack from the front seat and returned to the house. Just as I was about to enter I once again felt a strange penetrating feeling like I was being watched. I shook it off and headed back to the kitchen.

Dad arrived through the door about an hour later. He poked his head into the kitchen and gave me one of those "we need to talk" looks. Damn, he knows.

"Bells, I'm going to have a quick shower and then we are going to have a talk."

"Ah, come on, dad. It wasn't that bad."

"Come on, nothing. Your education is worth too much to throw it away." He stated and headed up the stairs after disposing of his belt and gun.

What the hell did Jess have to do with my education? Then the knowing slammed into my head. He's not talking about the fight. He's talking about dropping English. Fine, bring it. I'm not going to allow another girl's future education be ruined by the police chief. My grades as they were was enough to get me into a good school. If I decided to continue school after graduation.

I set the table and quickly threw together a vegetable salad and put it on the table. I took some garlic butter that I had made earlier and lathered it onto some thick sliced bread. After throwing them into the oven, I drained the pasta, tossed in some more garlic butter for taste and to get the pasta from sticking together and put the bowl on the table. The sauce was next. It was chunky and thick the way I liked it. I silently hoped dad did to.

As the garlic toast was being put on the table, dad came into the kitchen. He took a big sniff and looked at me. I wasn't sure how to take his expression. He never was the emotional type. Not verbally anyways but his facial expressions were never easy to read.

He sat at the table and started to dish himself up some food. "Bells, everything looks great."

"There's fruit salad in the fridge for desert." I replied to the foreign compliment as best I knew how. Mom would never have said anything. She would've eaten and then walked out telling me to clean up the mess.

"I hope your not trying to butter me up, Bella. What you did is totally unforgivable."

I stayed silent. I still wasn't positive that he was speaking about my dropping class. I didn't want to stir the waves with some unnecessary knowledge.

"Do you know what I had to go through to get you into the advanced classes so close to the beginning of the school year?"

He was going to play that card. Well, I wasn't a child any more and I wasn't going to let him have his way. "What did you have to do? Flash your badge. That's probably all it took."

His face flew up and I could see the rage in his eyes. Normally, after everything I've been through that wouldn't scare me but coming from my father it was terrifying.

"Isabella. I had to pull a lot of favors. I want the best for you and education is one of them."

"Dad, the favors you pulled hurt someone else's chances at a good education. Did you know that?"

"I knew someone had to be removed from the class to fit you in."

"What??? You purposely allowed some other kid, who happens to be the one friend I've made, to be screwed over. She was crying so badly. You killed her chances for Harvard with that stunt." I lied but it was worth it. He looked like he had just committed murder.

"They will be putting you into that class, Bella. I will make sure this time someone without a future is removed."

"Charlie. No." I stood up from the table. His face was twisted. He didn't like it when I called him by his first name. "I refuse to have anyone who has the grades to be in an advanced class have their education fucked over because you have to have the perfect kid. I'm not the perfect kid no matter how much you want people to believe it. If you approach the school and have this shit happen, I won't be here that evening. I won't even be in this town. I will leave and disappear for good. I don't care what you say or how much you beg." Oh god, did I just use my mother's words when she walked out on him.

"Bella.....I....." He was stunned. I could see the pain in his face.

I walked around the table and threw my arms around him, landing on his lap like I did when I was a child. "Dad, with all the advanced courses I took in Phoenix and the fact I still have a 4.0 GPA, you don't have to worry. I will get into a good school. I have my father's intellect and that will be everything any school will want."

I waited. I knew I had hurt him badly. He didn't say another word he just hugged me tightly. We stayed that way for a long time and then he pulled away, looked up at me and asked, "Did you say you made fruit salad?"