So up to now, I'm sure you've noticed, I've been borrowing heavily from Twilight and Breaking Dawn for my descriptions. Here I start to diverge, and while I still follow the timeline of Twilight, I'm striking out on my own in terms of what the characters are doing/saying.
I actually re-edited this chapter from what it was in NaNoWriMo (added descriptions) and broke it in half as it was getting rather long, so this half is getting posted today and I'll post the second half on Friday.
And... we'll start to see where this earns its 'M' rating...
I also added to my profile...
Chapter 26 High School
I placed Bella in the wheelchair we'd borrowed from the hospital, and gave her our school bags to hold in her lap. She looked about anxiously as I closed up the car and pushed her across the parking lot.
"Are you ready for this, love?" I whispered to her. We'd gone hunting this past weekend in preparation for this day, but I knew the thirst of a newborn could be relentless.
"I'm more scared of all the attention we're going to get than that I'll slip," she whispered back. "Maybe this victim thing wasn't such a good idea."
"It works for me. I get to be your knight in shining armor," I laughed. She turned to glower at me, and then suddenly Jessica Stanley was running up to us, her face alarmed.
"Bella! What happened to you?!" She looked from Bella to me and back again.
"Oh, Jess, it's a long story," Bella said quietly. "I was stupid, I ran away and got picked up by some guys who roughed me up a bit, but Edward found me."
Jessica blinked. "That's not long," she complained.
"Obviously, there are more details," I put in wryly. "You can have fun dragging them out of Bella when you two are in class together." I smirked at her and her eyes went wide, and then she giggled nervously.
"Okay, Bella. I'll see you later," she said meaningfully, then kept looking back at us as she walked away.
I wheeled Bella to her first class, stopping along the way as students greeted her and asked what had happened. She was patient and friendly, but kept her explanation short and consistent as I kept silent behind her. Nobody seemed to notice me.
Except for Mike Newton. He was already in class when we arrived; he jumped out of his seat as I came through the door and moved the chair at Bella's desk so that I could put her wheelchair there; he looked as though he was ready to wrench the handlebars of the chair from my grasp.
I settled Bella in, took my bag from her lap, and kissed her forehead gently. "I'll see you after class." She smiled at me warmly.
I listened to Mike's mind as I left; he was glaring at my back until I was out of sight, then turned to Bella. "Are you OK? What happened to you? I was so worried," he said, practically oozing possessiveness, I thought with anger. I nearly turned back. "They said you were dead."
"Here I am," she replied drily. "I'm fine, I just got a little banged up."
"You've always been a klutz," he sighed. "What happened?"
She gave her pat answer. "I was stupid, I ran away and got picked up, was roughed up a little. Edward found me."
"Did they do anything else to you besides this?" He indicated her casts, sounding outraged.
"No, Mike. Really. I think it scared them when they saw how breakable I was." She laughed shortly. "They left me alone after that."
Class started then, so he couldn't ask any more questions. But he continued to fume, and I had to leave his mind before I got any angrier as well. He was still carrying a torch for her, apparently.
I returned there at the end of her class, just as he was asking her if she wanted help getting to her next class. He took one look at my face and clamped his jaw shut, moving out of my way with a dour glare.
"Thank you," I said mildly, in stark contrast to my own expression. "Are you all set, Bella?" I added solicitously.
She looked from me to Mike and back again, then sighed. "Yes. Please behave."
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, love. Always." I made it sound like the declaration that it was, for Mike's benefit. Then I pushed her out of the room under his venomous stare.
Tyler Crowley met her at the door of her next class. "Ow, tough break, Bella. Are you gonna be able to dance at prom?"
She looked at him, incredulous.
I couldn't resist. "Thank you for your concern, Tyler. Bella will be fine by prom." I wheeled the chair past him and settled her at her desk, kissing her on the cheek before I left. "I'm sorry, love, I'm having fun with this," I murmured in her ear. "See you after class." I listened to Tyler during her class, of course. His ego wasn't even dented, and he was no less resolute to take her to prom. How dense could he be?
When I came back to get Bella for her next class, she was nervous, knowing she would have to face Jess and her questions. I bent over her shoulder and held her hand, pushing her chair with my other hand as I listened to Jess to see what she was going to ask.
"Hmmn… she wants to know what happened, of course, in as much detail as she can manage to wring out of you," I smiled. "And she wants to know about our relationship, and whether things have gotten any further since the last time she quizzed you." Bella looked pained.
I wheeled her into Trig and settled her at her desk beside the very animated Jess, kissing her hand and then bending to kiss her cheek again, breathing "Have fun" in her ear before I left. Jess stared at me until I disappeared, then wheeled on Bella, who was trying unsuccessfully to ignore her.
"He's kissing you now," she accused, reminding Bella unsubtly that she never thought I would.
"Yes," Bella agreed, smiling while continuing to look through her textbook as if searching for something.
"We're on page one-ninety-two," Jess said impatiently. "Bella, details here! How did Edward know how to find you?"
"I don't know, Jess. I guess he's something of a Boy Scout. I'm just happy he did."
"How did you break your arm and your leg?"
"When those guys picked me up at the truck stop, they threw me into a van, and I landed funny," Bella answered, ducking her head.
"So – why did you run away in the first place?"
"I – guess I was having trouble sorting things out and I freaked a little. Stupid, huh?" Bella's expression was wry.
"Sorting what things out? You and Edward Cullen?"
"Yes, I suppose. I've never had a serious boyfriend before."
"So he's serious now?" Jess was hungry for details. "How serious?"
"Pretty serious."
"Like, making-out serious?"
Bella couldn't look at her. "That's private," she said quietly.
WOW! They must've done it!! Jess was beside herself. Wow, who'd've thought Bella… oh, my gosh, he must've been sooo awesome… she got caught up in her own fantasies and couldn't ask any more before class started.
I was suddenly concerned for Bella's virtue, that I was sullying it by letting Jess and others assume we might have made love to each other already, and felt ashamed at my public displays of affection this morning. I needed to tone it down severely.
As I hurried back to Bella after class, I surreptitiously watched other boy-girl pairings among the students to see how they handled themselves in public. I saw couples holding hands, kissing hello and kissing goodbye. I hadn't done more than that, and I certainly hadn't kissed her on the lips as the couples I observed were doing. It made me feel better, though I still vowed to limit physical contact with Bella in public.
Bella was happy to see me, though Jess stayed with us as I wheeled the chair to their next class together, Spanish. I kept my hands and lips to myself, behaving like a perfect gentleman. The girls were silent until I left, without a kiss this time, then Jess turned on Bella immediately.
"Are you two going to the prom?"
"We haven't really talked about it." Bella gestured at the cast on her leg helplessly.
"When are you getting together with him again?"
Bella gave her a funny look. Jess didn't know how to interpret it, and neither did I. Was this a danger signal? I looked to Alice, in Gym with me now, and mouthed, Is Bella going to do anything bad?
Alice frowned at me, concentrated, then shook her head. Nope, all clear.
I relaxed, and went back to Jess's thoughts. Bella hadn't answered her, and she was running out of ways to drag the information out of her. I empathized with her.
Class started then, and Bella was safe for the rest of the hour.
I came and got her at lunch time, and wheeled her back to the car briefly so she could put in a new set of contacts, then we sat outside at the picnic benches rather than going into the cafeteria with the entire student body. Bella was grateful; it had been a rough morning, though she had done well. She sat on the bench beside me and tucked herself into me, hiding her head in my chest. I laughed as I wrapped my arms around her loosely.
"What's so funny?" she asked, face still hidden.
"Well, not funny, love, but Jess seems to think we've had sex with each other already…"
"Jess can go take a flying leap. I don't care what she thinks," Bella grumbled into my chest.
"Well, I do," I surprised us both by saying it aloud. "I don't want you to feel pressured into something before you're ready, and I'm of a mind to have us wait until we're married first. So there can be no question."
"I told you I'm not interested in a wedding. To me it's a bunch of religious and legal hot air, signifying nothing."
"What kind of formal declaration would mean something to you?"
That brought her up out of my chest. She stared straight ahead, thinking.
"I'm not sure exactly," she finally said slowly. "It would need to be something incredibly simple, but unique. Something special between the two of us."
"All right. You think, and I'll do some research. Maybe we can come up with something together." I said softly. "I would very much like for us to be able to work this out."
Bella snugged her head back into my chest with a happy sigh, and I laid my cheek on top of her head, content as well. We stayed that way until first bell, and then I helped her back in the chair and took us to Biology.
"Welcome back, Miss Swan," said Mr. Banner, coming over to us as I wheeled her into her place at our lab table. "How do you feel?"
"Fine, thank you, sir," answered Bella quietly. "It's good to be back." He smiled at her warmly and returned to his desk.
Angela Weber came up to us. "Hi, Bella. I haven't had a chance to see you since you got back. Where did you go at lunch?"
"Oh, we were just outside, sorry. I needed some fresh air," Bella said apologetically, and smiled at her. "How have you been? How's Ben?"
"I've been great, thanks. School's been good, and Ben and I have been getting along famously. I'm so happy we finally got together!"
"That's great! We should double-date sometime," Bella said enthusiastically.
"I would love that!" Angela was excited at the idea, and turned to me. "Edward, could you put heads together with Ben on that? Nothing big, just dinner and a movie - ?"
"I'll see him in Spanish next period, and we'll work it out," I promised. The girls grinned at each other. I had never seen Bella so excited over a social opportunity.
Mr. Banner started his lecture then, and Angela hurried to her seat. I reveled in being able to sit this close to Bella in class and not be worried about killing her by accident. I would have to work on making sure we had more classes together next year. It seemed like a very long time ago, a lifetime ago, that I had been trying to get out of this class with her. So much had changed.
I took her to the office after class to arrange her pass from Gym for the next several weeks. She sent me from there to Spanish class so I could catch Ben while she went to the school library to do some reading.
I was able to speak with Ben, who sat behind me, before Mrs. Goff started class. He was initially hesitant, but warmed to the idea when I told him how excited the girls were. We decided to go to Port Angeles on Thursday after school.
Emmett gave me a strange look when I turned back around to face front, but didn't say anything. At least not out loud.
You've definitely lost it now, little brother. Double-dating with humans? With a newborn mate? That's a recipe for disaster.
I just rolled my eyes at him and smiled.
Bella was still reading when I joined her in the library after school. I looked over her shoulder. Austen's Mansfield Park. Of course. I sat beside her and played with her hair while she read, content just to be with her without any pressure or conflict. She read for awhile longer, still engrossed, until she finally sighed and shut the book. "I suppose we should get over to Charlie's."
"Yes, I suppose we should," I answered with a smile. I kissed her hair softly, then wheeled her out to the car.
When we got to Charlie's, I carried her into the house and set her on the sofa in the living room. Charlie wasn't home yet; we had some time to ourselves, out of the public eye, as well as the eyes of my ever-watchful family. I locked the front door again, then sat beside her on the couch and gathered her close to me, pulling her onto my lap. Bella kept her hands in her lap so she wouldn't hurt me and tilted her head up for a kiss; I cupped her face with one hand and brought my lips to hers, my other hand wrapping around her waist.
"I've wanted to do this all day," I murmured against her lips. Her breath caught, and her hands came up then to unbutton my shirt and expose my chest; her fingers gently traced along the muscles of my chest and belly. My breath began to come hard as the tickling sensations started again deep in the pit of my stomach, and I could hear Bella's breath grow ragged as well.
I kissed along the edge of her jaw to her ear, and then moved to the nape of her neck, my hand still cupping her face, my thumb stroking her cheek gently for a bit before starting to roam slowly downwards. She moaned my name softly. I kept kissing her relentlessly; soft, deep kisses to the neck trailing down to the throat as I caressed her gently, slipping my hands inside her clothes. One of my hands cupped and squeezed her breast gently while the other cupped her sex, her bra and panties still between us. I stroked her gently, my rhythm at first slow and then building until she finally gasped and pleaded, "hold me, Edward!" and I strained her close to me while she trembled and cried out, then continued holding her to me until she went limp against my chest. I was very aroused myself, my body aching for her, but I convinced myself it would be all the sweeter for waiting, for taking our time. In the meantime, I enjoyed giving her this small pleasure.
"Oh, Edward, that felt so good," she whispered against my bare chest. I kissed the top of her head, willing my body to settle down, my breathing to even out, and just held her to me.
"I'm glad, my love," I whispered into her hair. We stayed like that for a time, basking in the new level of intimacy between us, before moving apart reluctantly. I checked her eyes as I re-buttoned my shirt. "You need fresh contacts, my love."
"I know," she said with a grimace. "I'll put them in as soon as Charlie pulls into the driveway. I really hate having to wear them."
She got up and moved gingerly to the kitchen to start Charlie's dinner while I grabbed our school bags from the car. When I came back, she was working at the kitchen table; I left the bags in the living room and sat with her to help chop vegetables for a salad. I watched her technique and followed along as best I could.
When the salad was in the fridge and dinner was in the oven, we started our homework at the kitchen table, and were still at work on it when Charlie came through the door. He greeted us enthusiastically, and sniffed the aroma from the oven appreciatively. "Almost done? I'm starved."
"Yes, almost done," Bella agreed, as she closed one of her textbooks and opened another. "I'll let you know as soon as it's ready, Dad."
Charlie watched the homey scene for a few minutes before he grunted and headed off to watch TV while he waited. Bella grinned at me.
"What?" I asked in a low voice.
"I'm just so happy to be able to do this, to be 'normal' for Charlie," she answered. I grinned back at her and tousled her hair affectionately.
We put Charlie's dinner on the table and called him in. I was done with my homework but Bella was still doing some catch-up work. I helped her with it while Charlie ate. Charlie didn't seem to notice that neither of us was eating.
"Oh, Dad," Bella pulled her head up from her book casually. "Edward and I are going out with Angela and Ben on Thursday night. We won't be out late."
Charlie put his fork down. "Where are you going?"
Bella looked to me. I smiled at him and shrugged. "Ben and I thought we'd take the girls to dinner in Port Angeles and catch a movie. There are a couple good shows out now."
"It's a school night, remember. Bella should be back…" his voice trailed off. "Oh."
"That's right, I'll be bringing her back to Alice, not here," I said smoothly. "So you don't need to wait up."
"I hope that you two are staying safe," Charlie said darkly, looking pointedly at Bella. She looked up from her homework, confused, and then a look of horror crossed her face.
"Dad, we are not having this discussion now," she said in a low voice, obviously embarrassed, her expression stricken.
"Yes, we are," he said, looking every bit as uncomfortable. "I'm sure Edward won't mind waiting in the other room."
"Renée and I had this discussion several years ago, Dad. You're too late." Bella couldn't look at either of us. I nodded to Charlie, stood and walked swiftly into the living room to sit and wait this out, but of course I could hear everything.
"You didn't have a boyfriend then," he pointed out.
"Edward is being a perfect gentleman," she told him. I thought about our stolen moment earlier this afternoon and smiled to myself. "You have nothing to worry about."
"Where are you staying in their house?"
"With Alice. So she can help me during the night, remember? Stop being so paranoid."
"I'm your father. It comes with the job." But he sounded satisfied.
It was quiet for some time, until Bella called finally for me to take her to the living room. I walked back to see Charlie doing his dishes at the sink and Bella glowering at the kitchen table; it was all I could do not to chuckle at the look on her face. I swept her up in my arms and carried her to the couch in the living room, then brought our book bags out to the car before settling beside her. She leaned against me and closed her eyes as Charlie came into the room and turned on the TV.
"Tired, Bella?" Charlie asked her as he sat down, his voice kinder now. She nodded silently, keeping her eyes lightly shut.
"It's been a long day," I said. "Do you want me to take you back now, Bella?" She hesitated, then nodded again slowly. I pulled her into my arms and stood up. "Good night, Charlie. See you tomorrow."
"Good night." He sounded sorrowful as he got up and held the door for me while I carried Bella out. I knew he was unhappy that she would not be sleeping in her room upstairs anymore.
Bella opened her eyes and came back to life as we drove home. "That was awkward," she commented darkly. "I'm sorry, Edward."
I did chuckle then. "It's a good thing he wasn't watching us this afternoon." She gave me a fierce look.
When we arrived at the house, Bella drifted off upstairs to read and I went to the computer to research marriage traditions in different cultures, hoping to find something to Bella's liking. I was hoping that we could plan something for this summer, as I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold out from succumbing to the passion that lit the space between us.
so what do you think so far? Please review! and tell your friends...
