A/N: Hello again. More followers and reviews... still shocked. Thank you again. I'm glad you guys are liking it so far. As I said in my last update, I'm new to this, so if a chapter isn't living up to the other chapters standards, please tell me and I'll try and modify it. I'd hate to disappoint you all.

So here's chapter 4. You can probably tell from the title of this chapter that it isn't going to be nice. I will say this now, I am sorry if anything mentioned in the chapter offends anyone reading. Anyway, please read on and I hope you enjoy!

KS.reader

Chapter 4: Rumours

Last night was the first night I dreamt of Edward Cullen. He is slowly becoming my own personal brand of heroin. I can't get him out of my mind. I've never felt like this before. I get butterflies when I think about him; they flutter around in my belly, trying to find a way out. To be free.

Last night was the first night in a long time that I slept the whole way through. I'm not sure of the reason. Maybe it was due to the medication still running through my veins, or maybe - just maybe - it was because of Edward Cullen. I slept so well that I was woken by my alarm, which is a rare occurrence.

Yesterday evening Charlie didn't say another word about the problems at school. I think he was trying to dispel my earlier statement out of his mind. We went about our usual business.

My morning has been pretty uneventful so far. I'm currently in my Beauty room waiting for Sue. I've chosen to wear black leggings (again), a brown cropped top, green and blue flannel shirt and a pair of brown boots. I've decided to listen to Edward. I shouldn't let what Rosalie Hale said impact what I wear. And besides, I'm still a teenager, I should be allowed to wear what a normal teenager would without being judged for it, just because I'm ill.

Sue enters the room moments later, and helps me as usual. Once she's wheeled me into the main room to get changed, she moves to stand in front of me. Slowly, she sits on the chaise. "Bella," she begins, "I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. I'm here to listen, always, not just care for you two times a day." I look down, slightly embarrassed. Why did Charlie have to tell her about the Lauren incident? I don't want to talk about it.

"I'm fine. I told Charlie that I can handle what the girls say at school. I know I can talk to you but there's nothing to talk about. I-"

"What are you talking about Bella? Charlie mentioned that a boy was with you when he showed up at the school yesterday." She interrupts, sounding confused. Oh! "He said he wasn't sure how to approach the subject and was hoping you would open up to me about it. You know how he is." She says. Oh! I get it now. I chuckle lightly, blushing like the heart of a flame. I imagine my father did the same when he spoke to Sue. Poor Charlie!

"It was one of the new students." I mumble, hesitant to reveal anymore.

"Oh?" Recognition clear on her face. "The Cullens?" She asks, remaining silent until I confirm her assumption. I nod. "Well... tell me more... What's he like? Is he cute? Do you like him? Which one? because I've heard there's two brothers." She hammers out questions. I can't help but smile as I answer.

"His name is Edward and he's the youngest of the two. He's very cute... more than cute actually. I think I do like him yes, and he seems to like me too." Though that's probably not true, I add in my head. "But that's all you're getting out of me." I tell her. We both laugh and carry on with our task.

Once I'm dressed I go to my vanity to brush my hair. I decide to put it up in a messy bun today. My arm is still achy so I don't want to spend ages brushing it out.

I wheel myself to the living room while Sue and Charlie talk. Sitting on my own for a moment gives me time to think. I recall the conversation I had with Sue. It's nice to have someone to talk to. To have a woman to talk to. The types of conversations I have with Sue are the ones I should be having with my mother.

Renee Swan left us when I was 12, almost 5 years ago. She'd been having an affair with Phil Dwyer, the schools old P.E. coach, for nearly two years. My dad had his suspicions but he didn't confront her, scared of what the outcome would be. My father loved her. They were high school sweethearts. I was conceived during their senior year, which ultimately trapped my mom here. She despised it. She had dreams of moving away and becoming someone big. She wasn't able to be that someone stuck in a small town like Forks. Phil Dwyer was her way out. He was in the process of joining a minor league baseball team. When it was time for him to go, my mom came clean. She confessed to my father and left. She left us both and for that I will never forgive her. I don't think she ever loved me. She doesn't call, she doesn't write, she doesn't even know I'm ill.

Behind me I hear the door close, bringing me out of my thoughts. Dad comes to sit in the living room. He looks at me and smiles awkwardly, before turning to watch the tv. I wonder if he asked Sue what I told her about Edward? It would explain the awkwardness to his smile. Fifteen minutes later my first class begins.

As we're on our way to the school I have this weird feeling in me. I don't know how to explain it, but I just know something bad is going to happen today. I really hope I'm wrong.

Charlie parks up and helps me out of the car. Once I'm in my wheelchair I say good bye to him. Before I can leave, he stops me. "Bella wait!" He demands. I look up at him. "Promise me you'll be okay." he says. I smile up at him, and though I still feel that something bad is going to happen, I assure him. He hugs me goodbye, I watch him drive off and go to sign myself in.

I reach my classroom just as people are leaving. Now, I'm used to the stares and the whispers but today it's different. People aren't trying to be discreet like they usually do. Every person that passes points rudely, and laughs. I sit, frozen, unsure of what is happening.

Once the doorway is clear I hastily move to my desk. I'm trying so hard to keep my emotions in control, but not knowing why people are acting this way towards me, has me on edge.

Alice is the first to enter. She rushes to me, lightly hugs me and asks me if I'm okay. I assume she is talking about yesterday. "Yeah I'm okay now thanks. Yesterday was just not a good day for me." I say.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better about yesterday but you have bigger fish to fry, don't you think? I mean the rumours, which are obviously rumours, are just preposterous." She declares. I am so confused right now. Rumours? What is she talking about? I must be displaying my bewilderment on my face. "You haven't heard?" She asks, perplexed.

"I'm usually the last to hear anything, Alice." I tell her. She looks shocked at this, probably wondering how I cope. I wonder that myself sometimes. Our conversation is interrupted when an outbreak of noise catches our attention.

The rest of the class is filing in, and most are pointing and laughing my way. It makes more sense now; rumours have been spread about me and the gullible population of the school, which is the majority, are convinced by it all. That, or they find what is being said to be hilarious.

As I'm about to ask Alice what things have been said, Mrs. Goff walks in, halting my intentions. Alice leans towards me and whispers "Later", followed by a wink.

Class is over and me and Alice are making our way to the cafeteria. I keep my head held high, in spite of the pointing, the glares, the laughs. We remain silent, afraid that if we speak, someone who overhears will use what we say against me. You can never be too careful.

Finally we make it to our table. Edward, Emmett and Angela are already sat down talking to each other. They greet me and Alice kindly. Edward gets up and moves the useless chairs out of the way. I slide in, thanking him. He looks even better today than he did yesterday.

The chatter in the dinner hall is unusually louder than normal, but that's assumably due to the crap that's been spoke about me, which reminds me... "So c'mon. Spill the beans. What's been said about me now?" I demand.

Everyone at the table comes to a stand still. It's a funny sight to see. Emmet has a piece of pizza held mid-air, Edward is holding a bottle of water to his lips. Alice is stuck with her hand fastening her single hairclip back and Angela is frozen, previously twiddling her thumbs. It's a freeze frame, like someone took a snapshot. A second glance at Angela, I realize that she looks terrified and sort of worried.

Edward is the first to talk. "Well, things have been said... about the reason you're ill." He confesses, cautiously; as if what he is about to say will break me. "All completely ridiculous, by the way. But words been going round that the rumours were started to get to us... in hopes that we won't spend time with you." He rushes out the last part, like it was burning his tongue. Great! People are jealous that I've made new friends.

"It didn't work though. Nothing anyone says can change the friendship that we want with you." Alice chirps up, quick to reassure me. "We don't know who started the lies." she continues.

"Though it's not hard to work out." Emmett chimes in, glaring at something behind me. Of course I know who's responsible. And that would explain Emmetts foul mood; the Bitch squad sit at a table somewhere behind me. I know this because I can feel the heat of the glares burning my back.

"Out with it then. What bullshit is being passed around?" I ask with a sigh, acting like I'm not bothered. As I'm waiting for someone to speak I start eating.

"Are you sure Bella? Some of it's just plain nasty." Alice asks. I'm definitely, one hundred percent, sure! I nod at her. "Well the first thing I heard is that you have Dissociative identity disorder. Basically you have a split personality disorder and one of your personalities is an ill teenager." Alice says. I choke on my mouthful of yoghurt, making sure to swallow before speaking. I cannot believe it!

"That's a new one. Seriously? Oh my gosh! Who the hell came up with that? I do not have D.I.D. I promise you all now." I say, chuckling at the absolute absurdity. The Cullens all follow suit, seeing the funny side to it. Angela remains silent. "If they're all as good as that then I definitely want to hear the rest."

Emmett is next. "I've over heard that you're a lesbian. You created this illness to take the attention away from the signs, so you don't have to come clean." he snickers. I shake my head sharply, instantly banishing the idea.

"I can assure you that is not the case. As far as I know, I am straighter then a strippers pole." I tell them. I swear I hear Edward sigh in relief. The other two Cullens chuckle at my statement. "Any more?" I ask, wanting to know more of the ridiculous fibs about me.

"I was told that you slept around with most guys in town and you got... erm... Aids. Hence the fatigue and weight loss." Edward tells me, almost unwantingly. I'm speechless. How awful. Who would say such a thing? My silence causes the Cullens to look at me in disbelief. They must be mistaking my silence for assertion. I promptly assure them that this isn't a fact.

"No. That one isn't true. I'm just astonished. What heartless bitch came up with that one? That's... horrible. I can't believe it. Aids is not the reason for my fatigue and weight loss. And I did not sleep with most of the towns male population." I say firmly. Anger fills every cell in my body. How dare someone even indicate at this. I feel sick to my stomach. I push away my food, unable to consume another bite.

"Yeah... I didn't think so." Edward murmurs beside me. I turn to look into his eyes. He looks disheartened that he even had a reason to say it. I reach my hand out and place it over his.

An electric shock shoots through my arm. Though I don't pull away, I do gasp. Edward does the same, revealing that he felt it too. Inch by inch, we separate, however the tingling feeling remains. I drop my eyes to my lap so no one can see the blush that has covered my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alice aiming a megawatt smile in mine and Edward's direction.

Emmett clears his throat. "I've heard another one if you're interested." he states. I lift my head and nod, now slightly apprehensive to hear another rumour. "Apparently, you were out of school for two months because you tried to commit suicide."

I sigh when he says this, not being the first time I've heard it. I close my eyes and rub my forehead, preparing myself to explain. I should be okay though, I don't need to go into great detail.

"About ten months after I fell ill I missed school for two months. Not because I tried to... do that. But because of medical reasons. I took a turn for the worst and was hospitalised for a while. I was never seen outside, always cooped up either at the hospital or in my house. Anyway, whilst I was absent there had been a rumour spread that I had killed myself, or at least tried to. Nearly everyone believed it. It was tough, especially when some people seemed to be disappointed that I was actually alive. But like they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I tell them. By the end of my story all three Cullens are looking at me in horror: At what part, I don't know.

Alice puts her arm around my shoulders gently. Edward places his hand lightly on my knee and Emmett, surprisingly, puts his big hand over my dainty one. They are all showing their support. I'm rendered speechless, emotion muting me. A lump forms in the back of my throat and I fight to hold back the tears.

After a few moments of peaceful solace they one by one remove their touch from me. Looking at each other, we all grin like idiots. I don't know about them, but I feel closer to these three people then I have with any friend, ever. This thought reminds me of Angela, who has been silent all lunch. I look at her to see she is staring at her hands, knotting and unknottong her fingers over and over again. I'm about to ask her what's wrong when Alice speaks up. I turn my attention to her.

"I do have one last thing I heard today." I freeze, steeling myself for whatever it is Alice is about to say. "Someone said that the reason you are ill is due to your mother leaving. They said that she left you five years ago and you couldn't handle it, so your mind made up this illness to protect you..." she comes to a gradual stop when she sees the look on my face.

I don't know if she's finished what she was saying but at this moment in time, I don't care. This is by far the hardest one to hear. My friends wait patiently for me to acknowledge her statement. I take deep, steady breaths to center myself. To clear my mind.

"Eerm..." I hesitate, thinking of what to say. "Well... my mom left five years ago. That part is true. But its not the full reason I'm ill. It's not all in my head, that's what most people in this town think. If you look up my illness, you'll no doubt find numerous articles and sites, by doctors, that tell you it's all in my head. I swear to you that it's not though. It's not possible for that to be the case. However, that particular rumour is the reason I'm treated the way I am. Not many believe the true extent of my illness. Eerm..." I say. I can feel the lump lodged in the back of my throat, this time for a completely different reason. "Can we change the topic now please?" I ask them.

They all nod their heads and immediately go back to talking about previously mentioned rumours. None of us can fathom how someone came up with me faking a serious illness to take the attention away from my sexual orientation.

I look over at Angela again to see she is now staring at something behind us, with wary eyes. I should've known what it was, who it was. Emmett stops mid-sentence to glare at the approaching party. They move to stand opposite me. Rosalie, Jessica, Lauren, Mike, Tyler, Ben and Eric are all standing in front of me like a tree towering over an ant. With all my might, I manage to sit up confidently.

"I've heard some interesting things today Bella. If you want, I can go tell Daddy of your sexual preference and you can finally drop this ridiculous facade. I'm sure he'd love to hear that his precious little girl is a homo." says Jessica. They all snicker. I keep my face neutral not giving them the satisfaction of a reaction. I do not want a repeat of yesterday. They are obviously not pleased with my blatant dismissal because they continue with the abuse.

"You know Bella, I was thinking about what it'd be like to fuck you. But after hearing what I have today, I'm glad I never followed through. I wouldn't want to get infected." Mike says. Jessica glares at him. I wince at the word 'fuck', said so harshly. Edward tenses up next to me. I still keep quiet. No need to add fuel to the fire.

"Mike you're forgetting something. She's deathly pale, it'd be like fucking a ghost anyway." says Lauren. All six of them snigger at her jab. There they go again, picking at my appearance. I can't hold back this time.

"Well I'd rather be pale then look like I rolled around in a pile of Doritos." I retort. All three Cullens snigger at this, as well as Mike, Tyler and Eric. The three wicked witches direct their glares at them before turning to me again.

Rosalie emits a sound like a growl. An angry Rosalie is a lethal Rosalie. I almost have the urge to flee... almost. She menacingly leans forward and places her hands flat on the table. Her glare never wavers from me. I long to look away but that would be a sign of weakness.

"You know Bella," she says menacingly. "Not everyone are as they appear to be". She's talking in riddles.

I'm starting to feel fatigued. I've expelled a lot of energy in a very short amount of time, so it's getting harder and harder to understand the words coming out of her mouth.

"You're best friend Angela, isn't the angel you think she is." she says mysteriously. Okay, I'm totally lost. What? I glance at Angela to see her looking away, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"She was the one that came up with the idea of starting these rumours. She was the one that invited us all round her house last night to come up with a strategy. And she was the one that even told us to use the one about your mother leaving." Rosalie exclaims. My head whips round to look at Angela. Ow! She looks ashamed. No! No! No! It can't be true. I try and compose myself.

"Angela," I say, my voice shaking involuntarily. "Is this true? Please tell me it's not true?" I beg her. It can't be. She's the only person I have to talk to. The only person I can trust. I thought so anyway. She lethargicly lifts her head to gaze at me, guilt written all over her face. No!

"I'm so sorry Bella." She sniffles. Oh my God! It's true. It's really true. The only person in this hell hole that I believed I could trust, turns out to be like all the rest: a heartless bitch! I can't even look at her, instead turning my head away from her completely and studying the blue of the table top. The color of trust and loyalty - how ironic!

"Leave." I mutter. I think it came out as more of a whimper. "LEAVE!" I scream when she doesn't move. I hear her scurry away, like an impala fleeing a lion.

Moving my eyes slowly up to Rosalie's, I see she's gotten great satisfaction from my outburst. I expect myself to begin crying, but I don't; I feel numb. Nothing. I keep my eyes on Rosalie's. I have one final thing to say before I need to leave this room.

"You know what," I say, loud enough to cause silence in the room. "rumours are as dumb as the people who started them and as fake as the people who spread them." Everyone remains silent as me, Alice, Edward and Emmett leave the room as a united front.

Once we are far down the corridor they all congratulate me for being so brave. I don't feel it. But I'm glad to have these three. My new trustworthy friends. At their request, I give them all my phone number. We all say goodbye to one another before going our separate ways to class.

Edward and I arrive before anyone else. Once we are behind our desk, others start filing in. Lauren glides into the room, determination on her face. She strides up to our desk, directing her attention to Edward. "You should come and hang with us while you've still got a chance to get out. You and your siblings. Angela felt trapped into being friends with her. She felt obligated because she's ill. You guys are still new, I'd take the opportunity now before its too late." She declares. Standing in front of him, she awaits an answer.

"What is wrong with you?" Edward asks, simply. He looks at her with disgust.

"The offer is always there. I'm just warning you." She shrugs before moving round me to get to her seat. I close my eyes ready for impact as she passes, but thankfully, nothing happens.

Soon the lesson begins and I try to listen. All I can think about is what Angela has done. I start to think about before I became ill; the friendships I once had. It's a dangerous place to be.

A/N: That's Chapter 4 for you. Again, I'm sorry if some of the things mentioned were offensive to anyone. I hope you're enjoying this story so far. I'll post chapter 5 later on this afternoon. I'm sorry it's going up later then I promised. Please review

KS.reader

Image links:

Bella's outfit - https/i./1200x/da/da/67/dada67479d5297db00c1be7ad706fa8d.jpg