Loving Bella

The characters belong to the Stephenie Meyer. I do not own or claim to own them.

A/N: One of my betas in going through some family problems and for the time being will not be reviewing stories for a while. Because of that, this chapter was delayed. I apologize. I put it the PTB, a couple a days ago, and will put the next few chapters through, too. I hope she will be able to review/edit for me again soon.

Anyway, here is the next chapter. I hope you find it was worth the wait.

Chapter 7 — Confessions

I was mentally exhausted by the time we reached the outskirts of Forks. I had been, for the past hour and a half, composing and recomposing an email to Mr. Barnes in my mind. I wasn't entirely sure what he needed, but I had decided to give him everything, even what I hadn't written in my complaint. Dean Uley had only asked how long Lauren had been harassing me, not for specifics. I felt if things didn't go well, it would be best if Mr. Barnes knew when the harassment first started, why I did nothing, and what made me finally report her.

"All right, Bells," Dad said, turning to face me. "Can you call Alice? I'm not going to try and find the house. Carlisle mentioned they live in a wooded area, and the driveway was hidden," Dad said. It was getting dark, and I had to agree with him. It was probably best to call and have one of them come to where we're at and us follow them back.

"Okay. Where are we?" I asked.

"The high school," Dad answered.

I tried Alice first, and she didn't pick up. I dialed Edward, instead.

"Hello, Bella," he answered cheerfully.

"Hey, Edward, we've just reached Forks and are parked at the high school. Dad doesn't want to try and find the drive."

"No problem. I'll be right there." He hung up.

Two minutes hadn't even passed before someone pulled into the high school lot. Wow! What a car. A sleek, black Mercedes pulled up next to us. I hadn't expected to see a Mercedes in Forks. Whoever was driving rolled down the window and talked to Dad.

"Sure thing, Carlisle." We started following. "He was on his way home from the hospital," Dad provided, looking at me through the mirror. "Edward's with him."

"What?"

"I can see the question written on your face, Bells." Dad gave me a stern, yet joking, look.

"Was Edward hurt?" I asked.

Mom turned and looked at me. "Isabella?" she asked.

"What?"

"Have you forgotten Carlisle is a doctor and works at the hospital?"

I felt my face heat. I had forgotten. "Of course I haven't," I lied.

"Sure you didn't," Dad laughed, a twinkle in his eye. Mom joined him.

I huffed and crossed my arms. Give a girl a break. I was still brooding and didn't notice when we finally reached the Cullens'. I turned when cool air, causing me to shiver, hit my face. A brilliant, crooked smile was gracing Edward's face; he offered me his hand.

After hitting the seat belt release, I accepted. I glared at Dad and Carlisle when they both chuckled.

Edward leaned in, whispering in my ear, "Don't mind them."

Mom had opened the backend and started handing me my bags.

Edward touched my wrist as he took the first bag from Mom. "Allow me."

I looked at his back and then over at Mom questioningly. Thank you, she mouthed, prompting me.

"Thanks," I said shyly, a hint of a smile playing on my face. What is with me? I was sure I was over my initial shyness? Sure, I'm still guarded around him; there are still things he didn't know about me, like how we scored a free meal at Metropolitan Grill.

He led me slowly and a bit cautiously, as he looked left and right, toward the house. "Holy cow," I said, seeing the house for the first time. Thank goodness the porch light was on. Alice had told me it was big, but I was not expecting this. Heck, I didn't know what I'd expected. The house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, and was three stories tall, rectangular and well-proportioned. I couldn't tell if the window and doors were part of the original structure or a perfect restoration.

Edward chuckled. "This is nothing. Wait until you see the inside."

I looked over at him. It gets better than this? I shuddered to think it possibly could.

"After you," he said, motioning to the porch steps. He followed behind me. "Go ahead; the door should be unlocked."

I stepped inside and was floored. The inside, like Edward mentioned, was even more remarkable than the exterior. It was very bright, very open, and very large. I had a strange feeling that this must have been several rooms originally. It was warm and inviting. Like the house, the walls, high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were varying shades of white.

I felt someone tug at my hand. Edward. How could I have forgotten?

He guided me over toward the back wall, or I should say glass wall. "Beyond the cedars and stretch of lawn, there's a river. You'll be able to see it in the morning," he told me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

I stiffened, looking over at him. I didn't want Mom and Dad, or anyone else, walking in and seeing us like this. "I need to send an email to the lawyer."

"All right. My laptop is in my room." He released me, only to take hold of my hand again. He picked up my bags and started walking up the stairs. "Carlisle's office, C and E's room, Alice's room, and the first guest room, where your parents will be staying, are on this floor," he explained when we hit the landing. We continued up stairs. "Alice and I typically hang out up here. My room and the second guest room, where you will be staying, are on this floor. Esme thought you would like to have a space to yourself, instead of sharing with Alice."

We stopped in a small sitting area. There was flat screen mounted to the wall and the glass wall from downstairs continued up to the third floor. Soft golds and silvers decorated the small space. Like downstairs, it was warm and inviting, with a couch and wingback chair. There was a door next to the couch, leading to a deck.

"How thoughtful of her. And where's Alice?" I asked.

"She and Esme are at a bridal shower. One of Alice's high school girlfriends is getting married next month. No telling when they'll be back."

"It's almost eight!" I exclaimed. "I thought bridal showers were held in the early afternoon, not in the evening."

"Most are, but this friend goes to school in New York, and is only home until Friday. Plus, it started at 7:30," he told me.

"Oh." He led me down a short hall. At the very end was a door; he opened it and letting me go in before him. I smiled. Now I understood Edward's texts from Friday. Lavenders and greens filled the white-walled room. "Esme didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"She was redoing the room anyway," he whispered, close to my ear.

I felt a bit uncomfortable and took a step further into the room. "I do need to send that email."

"I'll go get my laptop." He left after placing my bags on the four poster bed.

I thought about following him, curious about what his room looked like, but thought better of it. If he wanted me to see his room, he would've asked me to come with him.

He returned quickly. "The internet connection isn't very reliable. I'd suggest composing the message in Word first and then pasting it into your email.

I nodded, sitting on the bed. He handed me his laptop and sat on the floor, his back against the foot of the bed. I didn't mind. I'd planned on asking Alice to sit with me while I composed the email, anyway; I didn't want to be alone.

Mr. Barnes,

Thank you so much for your assistance in this harassment situation. The incident number assigned is 11162011HDC.

The disciplinary hearing is scheduled for December 6 at 4 in Viking Union — room 150.

Attached is the link to the Students Rights and Responsibilities and the message I received.

There is more information you might need, in case the university fails to punish her. Ms. Mallory began harassing me at the beginning of the current semester, after finding out I had tested out of several required English courses — I took many AP classes in high school, scoring high enough to bypass the courses. At first, it was harmless and easy to ignore, earning me the nickname 'Miss Know-It All'.

It wasn't until Nov. 16 of this year, that I'd had enough. The incident report is detailed, so I will not repeat the information listed in the report here.

A friend, Mr. Edward Cullen, convinced me to report her. He's a concern, as he will not be able to be at the hearing. He currently goes to Dartmouth and was just visiting his sister and my best friend, Alice; while getting the necessary tests and paperwork done, so he could transfer the next semester.

I hope this information is enough. If not, please contact me prior to December 6.

Sincerely,

Ms. Isabella Swan

I sighed heavily as I pasted the message into an email, attaching the other information. Edward had been oddly quiet. There was one thing bothering me since I'd arrived, and with the email sent, I could ask. "Edward, why do you call your parents by their first names?"

He turned to look at me. "Uh, well..." he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "See, I'm..." he sighed. "I'm adopted, and it didn't feel right to call them Mom and Dad. I took their last name, keeping my family name as a middle name."

I didn't know what to say. It wasn't a big deal, him being adopted. I just felt there was more to the story than what he'd revealed.

"My full name is Edward Anthony Masen Cullen."

Masen. I gasped. I remembered reading about the brilliant businessman, Edward A. Masen, and his wife, Elizabeth, being brutally murdered — for a term paper in high school on unsolved cold cases. I couldn't recall if there was mention of a child. "Edw..."

He continued, as if I hadn't started to interrupt. "My parents — Edward Senior and Elizabeth — were killed in a wooded area. Their car had gotten a flat tire, and they were waiting for a tow truck. I really don't know what happened. I was left at home with a sitter, not that I needed one, but they weren't going to be home until late the next day."

I moved from the bed, sitting down beside him on the flooring and touched his left hand.

"The police came to the house the next morning to get me. I was quickly placed in foster care, with Esme and Carlisle. They were the ones who told me what they could about what happened and why I was staying with them." He reached up and wiped his eyes.

"H... how old were you?" This explained why he'd wanted to stay on the sidewalk and his cautious behavior earlier.

"Thirteen. It was just after my fourteenth birthday the adoption was approved."

"Did Carlisle and Esme talk to you first?"

"No, I ask them to adopt me. I had no family, and I was a scared thirteen year old. I had nightmares of someone coming for me. They both comforted me each time a nightmare came, but I was still scared." He stopped, wiping his eyes again. "The day I asked them, they told me they already considered me a son. Alice looked to me as a brother, too."

I still didn't know what to say, and we just sat in silence.

"Bella, Alice doesn't know my parents were murdered. All she knows is that they died, and I'd like to keep it that way. You're the first person, besides Carlisle and Esme, to know."

"It' won't tell her," I whispered. I leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "You didn't have to tell me."

"I know. I wanted to." He turned and, leaning in, brushed his lips across mine. "Thanks for listening," he said, relaxing back against the footboard.

"Any time."

A/N: Please review. Thanks to shelikesthesound and shouvley for reviewing this chapter.

Edward does have a reason why he doesn't want Alice to know exactly how his parents died, and it will come out in the next chapter.