Ch. 6: Over It
Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight, T.G.I Friday's, or Cal State Fullerton. But we do own a husky with a slight case of separation anxiety.
A/N: Thanks for all the alerts, favorites, and reviews. So sorry for the delay, but we had finals, graduations, emergency and planned surgeries, babysitting, and a whole bunch of other things. A huge thanks to hgbkwrm for betaing this and being there for all nighter talks, and to Flightlessbird11 for agreeing to go beat up Edward with us because he deserves it.
EPOV:
"Aw, fucking hell! Shit! How come nobody fucking told me?!"
"Well, Dip Shit, nobody should have to fucking tell you," Jasper said. Obviously, somebody does need to tell me. I looked over at Emmett and he was not happy.
"Emmett, dude, come on, don't you agree with me on this one?"
I don't know why I asked him because the look in his eyes gave away his answer immediately: No, he didn't agree with me, at all. I had known Emmett for years and I'd never seen him this upset before. He was seething. "Dude, why are you so pissed?"
A flash of anger came across his eyes, "Are you really that dense that you have to ask why I'm pissed?! You must be more stupid than you appear." He inched closer to my face as he said every new remark. "You ruined her chance! You took away her dream! Do you know how long she has been working for this?!" I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off, clearly I wasn't going to get a word in right now. "Since she was five!! She has been working her ass off for fifteen fucking years and you ruined it in a couple of hours!!! She did everything she could to ensure that she would make it to the Olympics and now she won't go at all because of some selfish bastard!"
I was getting really mad now. "Why are you calling me a selfish bastard?"
"Oh, gee, I don't know. Shall we list the reasons why? You are selfish because you never, not once since I've known you, think of anybody but yourself. In all the years we've known each other, I've never seen you show concern toward anyone other than yourself! You're a bastard because you treat girls like they're just pieces of meat. You screw girls and then throw them out on the street! Bella is a great girl and I'll be damned if you try to get with her after today. You better stay away from her because she deserves a hell of a lot better than your sorry ass." And with that he pushed me to the side.
I had completely forgotten that Jasper was there. During all of this, he just stood there, making no attempts to defend me.
"Jazz, come on," I said.
He shook his head, "No. Edward, you're on your own with this one. You've screwed up a lot in the past and I've watched it all happen, and let you deal with it in your own way, on your own terms, but what you did today," he shook is head in disgust, "it's unforgivable. You really took everything from her. I have to agree with Emmett on this one."
His phone rang as he finished his rant. He picked it up and turned around with a soft "Hello." The conversation was quick and he came back to where I was. I was still determined to try and convince him that Emmett was in the wrong. As I opened my mouth, he put his hand up to stop me, "Don't even bother." And he walked away from me towards the parking lot.
I turned around and was greeted with the sight of his back. "Where the hell are you going?" I asked, throwing my hands up in exasperation.
He turned around and said, "I'm going to the girls' house. Emmett and I still have dinner plans with them."
"What?! I thought they didn't fucking want anyone there?"
"No, they don't want you there."
"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know, and frankly, I don't really give a shit." He continued walking and after standing there for a few minutes, I decided I'd try catching up to him. Maybe I'd be able to follow them to the girls' house, but when I got to the parking lot, there was no sign of the jeep. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration and sighed. I decided to go to the one place I knew I could get some sort of escape from this and maybe even a little bit of sympathy.
I arrived at T.G.I. Friday's in no time at all. As soon as I parked my bike, I walked in and made my way to the bar. I saw Seth as soon as I sat down. He made his way over to me with his usual grin, "Edward! Hey man, what's going on? Whoa, what happened to your eye?"
"Nothing much. I just did the usual and fucked myself over."
"What? How'd you do that?" At that time, I ordered myself a much needed Corona and the bartender brought it to me quickly, which I was thankful for. I took a long drink before I turned back to Seth.
"Do you remember that really beautiful girl with the long, brunette hair, who was in here with Em, Jazz and I last time?"
"Of course I remember her. She was a fine specimen. Why?"
"Well, she's on the softball team at Cal State Fullerton and they had a game today and I went."
Seth gave me a quizzical look, "Well, I don't really see what's so bad about that, but go on."
Before I continued, I took another long drink of my beer, hoping to get some liquid courage.
"It's bad because now she hates me. No, scratch that, she absolutely loathes me. The other night, she made it very clear that she hated me and never wanted to see me again. Emmett and Jasper had plans to go with her two friends, the other two girls who were with her, the small one with short black hair, and the tall, blonde one, to the game today and I decided to make a special appearance." As I was telling him this, I still couldn't see how I was in the wrong. I couldn't have known there was going to be a scout there and even if I had, why should me being there affect her pitching?
"Uh-oh..."
"Yeah, so I get there and wait for them to show up and when they do, the short one starts to go off on me. They all made it obvious that they didn't want me there, but I ignored them and we walked in. When we got to the field, I saw Bella and she saw them and was smiling the most fucking beautiful smile I've ever seen on a girl, until she saw me. Then, the game started and I was just there to see if she really was as good as everybody says she is. She caught my eye a few times while I was observing her skills and I didn't do anything, except give her a few friendly smiles." And a wink here or there, I added in my head. "As the game went on, she got worse and worse and gave up a lot of runs. Finally, in the third inning, the coach pulled her out."
"Okay," he said tentatively, "but how did you screw everything up? I don't get it?"
"It turns out there was an Olympic scout there recruiting for the team and he was there to observe Bella."
"Oh shit."
"Yeah, tell me about it. After the game ended, she broke down in her friends' arms and then she turned to me and started blaming it all on me, and then she punched me." I winced a little at the memory, causing my eye to start throbbing.
"The girls left and then Emmett goes off on me for fucking up her chances and Jasper just stood there watching it happen."
"Wow."
I roughly pulled at my hair. "No kidding. So, now everyone is mad at me and wants nothing to do with me."
"Well is there anything you can do to make it up to her?"
"I've been thinking about that since I left the field and I've only come up with one thing. I've been thinking that I may be able to pull some strings to get her another shot with the recruiter."
I looked over at Seth and he seemed to be considering what I had told him. After a few minutes, he finally spoke.
"That could work, but it may take a while. Maybe you can do something more immediate."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, like buy her flowers and make her dinner or something romantic like that."
I considered his advice and decided that I was willing to try anything at this point.
"It's worth a try, I guess," I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, "I don't know; I just need to make this up to her somehow."
"Yeah, and the sooner the better, I think." He clapped me on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry man; I'm sure things will work out. What is different about this girl anyway, Edward? I've never seen you so concerned. Maybe you should just move on."
"I have no fucking clue. I can't move on, that's the problem. I just feel this pull towards her. I can't even explain it correctly and it fucking scares the shit out of me."
He shook his head. "Well, I've got to get back to work. I'll see you next time, Bro."
"Yeah, sure."
I spent the rest of my time at the bar, just thinking of ways to make this up to Bella. I knew I had to do something. I was thinking of all the different things I could do, but nothing seemed good enough. I figured I could start out small and send her the flowers that Seth suggested and then work my way up from there. I made it my new goal to make this up to her and to get on her good side. I laughed to myself because I could've sworn that Bella was just like any other girl I had met. At first, I just wanted to get her in my bed, but now, I just wanted her not to hate me. I hoped we could at least be civil towards each other. One drink and another hour later, I decide to leave. As I walked out, I told myself that tomorrow would be when I would start working on my apology to Bella. I hopped on my Ducati and sped my way back home. The entire time was spent thinking of Bella.
BPOV
The ride home was a quiet one, neither Rose, nor Alice said anything. I let a few tears fall down my face, but not a lot, I let most of my tears go right after the game. I was livid and I knew who to take my anger out on: Edward Cullen.
I hated him and I didn't know how else to tell him so he would leave me alone, other than making a big banner that said "I fucking hate you" and hanging it in front of his house. Although, he'd probably take it as a sign of affection and he'd still probably show up around me.
When we got home, I opened the door and Mo was there waiting for me, almost as if he knew something was wrong. I kneeled down in the doorway and engulfed him in a hug and said, "Hey Buddy." He just sat there, letting me practically strangle him.
Alice and Rose just walked in around us and went straight to the kitchen. Eventually, I got up and decided to go help Alice and Rose with dinner. Emmett and Jasper were still coming over for dinner and I didn't mind at all. I actually really liked them. It was their "friend" that I didn't care for. I was happy for Rose and Alice, they were two great guys.
As we were working in the kitchen, I decided that I was still upset about everything, but I wasn't going to dwell on it. It was clear that my Olympic dream wasn't meant to be and something else was in store for me. I would just have to find something else to work for.
About forty-five minutes after we got home, the doorbell rang and Alice went to go get it. She was clearly excited about who was behind the door. She opened the door and you could hear Emmett's booming voice from across the house, "Hey Pixie! What's up?"
"Not much. How are you guys? Come on in."
"Thanks. Oh, you know, we're good, still pissed as hell at the douche, though. Mmm, it smells good in here!"
Alice giggled and said, "Bella's food always smells good."
He walked in, catching sight of Rosalie and his face instantly brightened. "Rosie!! I've missed you!"
She laughed and said, "Emmett, it's only been about an hour."
"I know, but I still missed you." He engulfed her in a huge hug that lifted her feet off the ground and spun her around.
I laughed and heard Jasper talking to Alice in his slight southern accent that she loved so much. They walked into the kitchen together and appeared to be lost in their own little world. Emmett put Rose down and came over to me with his arms wide open. "Bella!"
"Hey, Emmett," I said as he gave me a big hug that felt like it was going to crush my rib cage. I felt so tiny being engulfed in his massive form. Luckily, he put me down before I stopped breathing.
After he released me, Jasper, who was there next to him, engulfed me in a hug that was much gentler compared to Emmett's. "Hello, Bella."
"Hey, Jasper." I decided that I really liked these guys and I had a feeling they would be around often. It appeared as though Rose and Alice didn't have any plans of letting them go any time soon. Dinner was just about finished and we all moved into the dining room to eat.
Throughout dinner, nobody mentioned the game and I was very grateful for that. The conversation was full of funny stories about our childhoods and playful banter between all of us. Emmett seemed to have the best stories and always had some witty remark to say about the rest of our stories. The playfulness of the evening made me forget about what happened earlier and I found that I was really enjoying myself.
When everyone was finished, the guys helped us clear the table. After all the dishes were put in the dishwasher, Jasper and Alice went into the front room and Emmett and Rose went into the family room. I didn't want to impose on either of the couples or feel like a third wheel, so I decided to go upstairs and hang out in my room. I figured I should probably call Jake to tell him about today. I really didn't want to talk about it but, I figured I should just get it over with.
The phone rang a couple of times before he picked up in a very cheerful mood.
"Bella! Congratulations on today! I knew you could do it! Man, I wish I could've been there to see you pitch. I'm sure you kicked their asses, huh? What wa-"
"Jake, stop," I cut him off before he got even more carried away.
The enthusiasm in his voice faltered. "Why?" I stayed silent. "Bells?" Again, nothing. "What's wrong?"
"There's no need for the congratulations. It didn't happen for me." I could feel the tears threatening to spill over.
"What do you mean it didn't happen? You had this in the bag."
"Edward showed up to the game and I choked. It ruined any chance I had of making it on the team." By now, the tears were streaming down my face and I didn't care.
"What?! Cullen was there? I swear I'm going to fucking beat the shit out of him."
I gave a little laugh, "There's no need for that, I already took care of it." I smiled as I thought of my earlier altercation with him.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing much, but he does have a nice shiner now."
He gave a good, hearty laugh. "Well, good. I'm proud of you for ruining that pretty little face of his. He deserved it."
The tears were beginning to slow down now, "Yeah. I just don't know what to do now. Everything I've worked for was so I could be a part of the U.S. team. And now that dream has been turned to dust and thrown out into the ocean."
"Well, don't worry." He was silent for a few moments but then came back with the enthusiasm he had before, "Hey, I'm sure I can pull a few strings for you. I'm not making any promises, but I can sure try to get you another shot."
"No. I don't want you to do that, Jake. It wouldn't feel right."
"Why not? Let me help you, Bells."
"If I let you do that, then I wouldn't have earned my chance. My dream was to earn the chance to be on the team, I don't want it to be handed to me because somebody feels pity for me. I worked for my chance and I blew it. Period, end of story."
"Okay, if you're sure."
"I'm sure. But, thank you for the offer."
"Of course. If you ever change your mind, the offer still stands."
"Thanks, but I think everything will work out. I guess it just wasn't meant to be."
I talked to Jake for a little bit longer. We just talked about what was going on in our lives. He filled me in on what was going on in the Dodgers' games and I told him about school and the team. After about forty-five minutes of talking, we started to say our good byes.
Before he said good bye officially, he said, "I'm really sorry for what happened, Bella."
"Yeah, so am I."
"And as I said, you just let me know, and I'll start pulling those strings for you."
"Again, thanks but, no thanks. It wouldn't be the same if somebody I know was able to pull a few strings. I wanted to earn it. Although, there was one good thing that came from all of this."
"And, what would that good thing be?"
"It gave me a valid reason to punch Edward Cullen in his face."
He laughed his deep laugh, "Yeah that is a good thing. See, there's always a bright side to things."
"In this case, yes, there is a bright side. Thanks, Jake."
"Sure, sure. Goodnight, Bella."
"Goodnight, Jake." I hung up and as I hit the 'end' button, there was a knock on my door. Alice poked her head in, "Can we come in?"
"Of course you can." She opened the door wider and she and Rose walked in and sat down on my bed.
"Did the guys leave already?"
"Yeah, they just did." Alice answered.
They looked back and forth between each other and Rose spoke first, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
"Really? You aren't mad or sad or anything?" Alice asked.
"Well, of course I'm mad. My dream is ruined because I let him get to me. And I'm sad because I worked so hard all my life for this and blew it. But, I'm not going to dwell on it and let it bring me down." They looked skeptical so I started reassuring them.
"Look, what happened, happened and there's nothing I can do to change it. It's in the past. I can only learn from it and move on. I'll find a different dream to achieve."
"Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it at all?" Rose asked.
"No, I'm good, thanks. I called Jake and told him everything that happened today."
This piqued Alice's curiosity, as she moved to kneel on my bed. "Did you tell him about how you punched Edward?"
I had to laugh at how happy she sounded at that piece of information. "Yes, I told him."
This got Rose's attention, "And? What did he say?"
"He said that he was proud of me for 'ruining that pretty little face of his' and that he deserved it."
They both nodded their heads. "Of course he deserved it! He is a total dick!" Alice screamed.
"I agree. Nothing good can come from someone like him," Rose said.
"Yeah, I know."
"Well, as long as you're okay." Alice said.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I looked at both of them and Alice was bouncing up and down, looking as if she wanted to say something so bad but, was holding back. I looked at her confused until the wheels started turning in my head and I knew what she wanted, so I gave it to her. "So how was your time with the guys?"
"Oh my gosh, Bella!! Jasper is amazing!" And with that, I got a full play-by-play of her evening with Jasper. I could tell that she really like him and, from what she told me, he really liked her, too. I was so happy for her. After she was done with her description of the night, I looked over at Rose.
"So how was your time with Emmett?"
She averted eye contact with me. It was that particular mannerism, right there that gave her away. "You really like him, don't you?" I asked.
She looked at us with the largest grin on her face and just nodded.
I gave her the biggest hug I could manage and said, "Oh Rose, I'm so happy for you!"
"Thanks."
Alice was getting antsy and when she couldn't contain herself any longer, she yelled, "Spill!! I need details over here! I told you everything about my night, now it's time to return the favor!"
"Okay, okay." And Rose went into her description of her night with Emmett. When she was done, we all had smiles on our faces. It was clear that Alice and Rose really cared for Emmett and Jasper. And, from the sound of it, the guys really liked them too. I was so happy for my best friends. Despite everything that had happened, something good did come out of all of it. My two best friends found two really great guys and I couldn't be happier for them. Now, I just had to find a good thing for me.
A/N: We actually feel bad for Edward in this chapter, does anybody else feel that way? The song for this chapter is "Over It" by Katharine McPhee. Ok, you guys did so good with the reviews, and then you guys just lost it. What gives? We have time to write now and we have the next two chapters outlined, but we will hold them hostage. We love getting reviews and they get us excited to write. We really do respond to each and every one of them. We appreciate and welcome the comments, suggestions, and criticism. Thanks again!
