Thanks to my awesome beta SusanQ who fixes all my mistakes in record time. She is my own personal miracle worker.
Bella
I stared out the first floor window, watching rivulets of rain water trickle down the glass and turn the area beyond into a blurry mass of colours. I absently brought my pen to my mouth, softly flicking the end against my lips, my mind filled with thoughts of the weekend. Yesterday, I had spent a rare day at home with Charlie. I'd gone grocery shopping mid-morning and stocked up for the next few weeks. I did loads of laundry in between watching football games. Well, I say watched—Charlie watched—I read Pride and Prejudice. I cooked and we ate together, rattling off random bits of our week. It was nice.
Saturday morning was another matter entirely. When Edward found me in the kitchen and pressed himself against me, I felt a fiery sensation jolt through me, licking its way up my spine. I had put it down to the fact I was standing in front of an open refrigerator—of course he would feel warm against the cool air. But if I was being honest with myself, I think it was most likely residual effects from my unwanted dream that morning. It had unnerved me greatly.
When he had warned me that he was going to pursue me just to prove a point, I partly thought he was joking—just trying to scare me. But after his actions Saturday, I was sure he was absolutely serious. I felt myself smiling. Good luck with that, Cullen.
"Bella?" I felt a hand gently shaking my arm and turned to see Angela looking at me, concern evident in her features.
"Yeah?" I replied, a little dazed, wondering what was wrong.
"I've been shaking you for like... two minutes now. Are you okay?"
I let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, sorry, I'm fine. I guess I was away with the fairies there for a minute." I stood slowly, gathered my books and walked out of class, trying to dodge getting crushed in the far too-narrow corridors by over-zealous students trying to get to their next lesson on time. What the hell were they always so eager about? We're in school.
We stopped outside my biology class. Angela hesitated, looking a little apprehensive about something.
"Um... Bella, are you busy this weekend? It's completely fine if you are. It's just that... well, me and Ben were thinking of going to the movies, and I know my parents would be a lot more accepting of me going if I had a friend with me... well, one that was female anyway."
I smiled at her softly. "I'm not busy, but are you sure you absolutely want me there? I mean, won't I be sort of... getting in the way?" I asked, watching her head shake in the negative.
"Not at all. I would feel less nervous if you came. I know we have yet to fully get to know each other, but I feel at ease with you... that sounds stupid doesn't it?" she replied, a soft hue tinting her skin.
"No, that's why I asked to sit with you that second day. I felt comfortable and less like a circus freak," I laughed. I tore a scrap of paper from my notebook, scribbling down my phone number.
"Here, phone me when you've decided on a time and I'll meet you there, or at your house. Whichever, okay?" I said, holding out the note.
"Thanks, I will." She tucked my number safely in her pocket, her demeanor less tense. "I doubt I'll see you before class tomorrow, so have fun in biology." I grimaced, causing her to chuckle quietly. There was no way I would be having fun considering who I was seated next to. I waved her off and turned to walk into class.
"Were you waiting out here for me Bella, hmm?" I could hear the teasing tone in his voice and was so not in the mood for any of his shit today.
"Yeah, you caught me," I said, rolling my eyes in annoyance. "I couldn't bear the thought of going into the lesson without you." I twisted around to see his face, backing up when I realized he was a lot closer than I had originally thought.
His hand left his pocket, grabbing my hip to bring me back. "Do you know that you always smell like strawberries? It's quite maddening," he whispered, his breath hitting my face.
"Do you know what else is maddening?" I asked, prying his hand from my hip.. He wouldn't answer me; he just stood there waiting for me to continue. "You. Now get the hell off me!" I seethed, watching how his eyes minutely narrowed in anger.
I suddenly became aware we were still standing in the open doorway. I could see Jessica scowling at me from her seat, both hands grasping a pencil with so much force I'm surprised it hadn't snapped. He must have realized this, too, as I was pulled out of sight and pressed against the wall.
"Do you remember the last time you felt this Bella? The last time you felt my heat against you?" he asked, his crooked smile appearing on his mouth.
"No. I do a good job at blocking nauseating things from my memory," I replied, not ignorant of the fact that his fingers were tracing the inside of my left wrist.
"This," he said, holding my arm up and pressing my pulse point," says otherwise." He coolly walked into class, leaving me glaring after him. I kicked the wall behind me with the flat of my shoe, wanting to scream out in irritation.
I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and stepped into the room. As I made my way down the aisle of desks, I could see that Jessica was strolling in my direction with a look of pure hatred on her flamed face. Just as we got to each other, she jutted out her hip with so much force that she sent me flying into none other than Mike Newton's lap. He had his hands on the top of my bare thighs just below my skirt before I even had time to blink. I sat there dazed and silently seething when I felt something hard poking my ass; that was definitely not a fucking Mars bar in his pocket. I shot up as if I'd been burned and looked down at his very prominent erection making a tent in his trousers. He quickly placed his textbook in his lap to try and hide himself, but it was far too late—that was something I'd be having nightmares about for months. Attack of the Newton Nudger. I shivered.
I swiftly bolted to my seat, noticing Edward's face was strained, but not in anger as it usually was. In fact, it looked as if he was trying not to laugh. Just as I'd finished my thought, he creased up. I had never seen Edward laugh before; well never like this anyway. His eyes met mine, all sparkling jewels and crinkled edges. His cheeks were pink and the most genuine smile he had ever given me graced his face. It was kind of breathtaking; he had never looked more attractive. I didn't say anything back to him, no sarcastic or snarky remark, nothing. Even I didn't have it in me to ruin that sight.
Mr. Banner called the lesson to order, breaking off all separate conversations. No one seemed to have really witnessed my spill, but I could see Jessica grinning evilly at me, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she faced the front of the class once more.
Ten minutes left until lunch, we were told to start discussing our after-school projects. I tentatively twisted my body on my stool until I was sat fully facing Edward—he had done the same. I looked at him expectantly, raising my eyebrow while waiting for him to speak. He just smirked at me, waiting for me to do the same. I started swinging my legs back and forth, gazing at the floor. After a few minutes of still no talking from either of us, I took a quick glance at him only to find his eyes on my legs. They were gradually moving up, inch by inch. Realization suddenly dawned on me that I was wearing a skirt and my legs were practically open to him. I immediately stopped the swinging and snapped my legs shut, hoping like hell he hadn't seen anything. My hands ran nervously through my hair, just knowing my face was resembling a tomato. I didn't dare look at him yet, so I waited until my slight mortification had worn off before speaking.
"So, how shall we do this? Do you want to come over to mine or shall I come over to yours?" I asked, suddenly finding my shoes fascinating.
"Well... I think considering I have yet to see your house... or bedroom for that matter, your house sounds perfect." I lifted my head to glare at his cocky response, suddenly wishing I hadn't given that reprieve earlier and had wiped his expression off his perfect face.
"My house is fine. Charlie usually works late, so it'll be quieter. But let's make this clear, under no circumstances will you be stepping foot into my bedroom, so get that idea out of your head right away," I said seriously, watching his eyes twinkle.
"We'll see," he retorted.
"Ugh, you're hopeless," I huffed, putting my books away in my bag. "Is Wednesday good for you?"
"Hmm, I'll have to check my schedule. I may be busy," he responded, putting his own things away.
"Yeah, well, you do that and get back to me," I mumbled. "Oh, and try and make it by the end of the day. You may not want to take this project seriously, but I do."
The bell rang, indicating the end of class. I gave Edward one more pointed look before swinging my bag over my shoulder, ready to leave.
"Wait. Bella, before you go..." He paused beside me and whispered into my ear, "Blue is without a doubt your colour." And with that, he walked off.
I stood alone in the now vacant room, wondering what the hell he had been on about. Both our uniforms were mainly bl... oh shit. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks for probably the hundredth time that day. The fucker had most definitely seen more than just my legs.
As I approached my locker, I noticed James there waiting for me, looking as calm as ever. Laurent was there also, but he was distracted as usual. Most probably trying to find the locker door that was most reflective. Not that he'd be able to find one.
"Bella," James smiled, stepping to the side.
"Hi, James," I said, opening my locker. I shoved my things inside, grabbed my money and put it in my jumper pocket.
"Sorry we didn't get to hang out at the party on Friday. I was going to come over, but you were otherwise engaged," he stated, his cold eyes sweeping my face.
"Yeah, I was with Jacob most of the night." I cleared my throat after thoughts of what happened later that evening cropped up.
"Jacob," he said mostly to himself. "Boyfriend?" he questioned. I shook my head.
"No, he's just an old friend," I answered, wondering why he wanted to know.
"He seemed very attentive to you," he voiced. I gave him a quizzical look.
I just nodded my head and motioned with my body that I was leaving. Laurent was now busy on his phone, speaking in French and making loud kissing noises to whoever was on the other end. My god he was random.
"I'll see you in gym then, Bella." I smiled in agreement at James and left for the cafeteria.
James had been questioning me about anything and everything lately. The "boyfriend" question was his latest attempt at drawing more information from me. Also, the looks he had been giving me were making me feel more and more uncomfortable around him. At first, I thought he was just sort of quiet and polite, but I started guessing that wasn't fully the case.
I pushed open the doors to the lunch room, groaning when I saw a certain person had decided to grace us with his presence at the table. He caught my eye and smirked at me, knowing that this would piss me off. What was even worse, the only empty seat was between him and Alice. Great.
The line was taking forever, or it could have been that I was just in a bad mood, but I mentally grinned devilishly when I spotted something. Bingo.
I paid for my items, my mood soaring as I neared my friends. I didn't even hesitate to sit down next to the douche.
"Hey, guys," I said, gripping my chair to pull it nearer to the table.
"Why is it you're always the last one here, slow coach?" Rose asked, cocking a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me.
"My locker is on the second floor. I have farther to travel, I guess. Also, I usually have a visitor or two waiting for me when I get there." I shrugged, taking a peek at Edward, waiting for him to finish his conversation with Emmett so I could get my plan under way.
"James isn't still sniffing around you, is he, Bells?" Jazz asked concerned.
"It's nothing I can't handle. He's just a little intense sometimes, you know?" I replied, unscrewing the lid off my bottle of lemonade and taking a big gulp. I could see that Edward's attention was on the rest of us now, obviously having finished whatever the hell it was he was talking about. With Em, it could have literally been anything.
I cleared my throat, for once trying to draw attention to myself. I grabbed my... well it was one of those plastic spork things—not a spoon and yet not quite a fork—and popped the lid on the container, releasing the so called "maddening" scent.
I speared the most luscious looking strawberry and shifted in my seat until I could clearly see Edward's face. He was staring sideways at the berry, elbows placed on the table with his fingers in his hair. To anyone else, it would just look like I was eating lunch, but from Edward's little confession earlier, I knew this would be getting to him. I wrapped my lips around the end and sunk my teeth into its juicy flesh, collecting the sweetness with my tongue. It was all pretty innocent, no moaning or groaning or blatant staring; I was simply paying him back for the panties remark... amongst other things.
Who knew that a simple fruit salad would be such effective artillery in the 'let's-fuck-with-Cullen' campaign? Well, maybe I couldn't call it a campaign as I wouldn't get much help from anyone in this town. He had put some sort of spell on too many love-caves for me to get any female votes. It was more like a necessary hobby.
Everyone was caught up in their own conversations, so when my chair was suddenly being dragged nearer to Edward, I wanted to start waving a flag or something to alert them of this fact. But then I realized that was completely lame and unnecessary.
The feel of his cool hand making contact with my knee caused me to halt my movements, my mouth a few inches away from my food. My free hand grasped my lemonade bottle from supreme annoyance. If he didn't remove himself from me, I was going to stab him with my ineffective and pathetic-looking spork. I went to tell him as much, but the words wouldn't leave my mouth. The look he was giving me—his eyes dark and pupils dilated—caused me to shiver. For an instant I felt a genuine thrill of lust. It only lasted a second, but it had still been there.
He was so near. When his hand twitched, moving probably not even a centimeter in length, I knew I had to do something. I slowly moved my lemonade over to the ledge, never once breaking eye contact. As soon as my fingertips felt the edge, I tilted the bottle slightly, just waiting for what I knew was about to happen. The sound of the fizzy liquid escaping its confinement alerted me to the fact that it must have met him by now. His grip on my leg marginally increased. Yes, it had definitely made contact.
His eyes were still dark, but I could tell it was more anger-driven this time. "Oh! How clumsy of me. I'm so sorry, Edward," I expressed, moving the bottle back a safe distance. I took a quick glance down towards his lap and saw that the wet patch was located on his upper thigh.
I thought for sure that he would have jumped up, gone mad, maybe shouted at me a little, but he didn't do any of those things. He simply moved his hand further up my leg. Well two can play at this game, neighbour. I grabbed my paper napkin off the table and brought it down to the wet spill on his pants. My hand patted it gently, soaking up some of the dampness off the black cotton. I didn't dare look down at what I was doing, as I'm sure I would have chickened out, which was never a good thing when going up against Edward Cullen.
When I felt his fingers graze the skin at the bottom of my skirt, I let my own hand advance upwards, giving him a taste of his own medicine. I met his eyes as I curled my hand to the inside of his thigh, but then something in his expression caused me to halt. Why isn't he stopping me? And just as the tips of his fingers descended under the material of my skirt, I knew. He wanted me to touch him, smart little fucker.
I slid my palm across the back of his hand, pushing his arm away and bringing an end to his explorations. Just as I was going to remove my hand from him, he clutched my wrist and leaned forward, his face a few inches from mine but his focus was on the table in front of us, making it look as if he wasn't even talking to me.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Bella. One that I will ultimately win. Don't start things you can't finish," he whispered, standing up and taking the last strawberry with him as he left the room. He even took my spork. Asshole.
"Bella? Bella?" Fingers started clicking in my face.
"Hmm?" I turned to see Alice looking quizzically at me, her face pouted in concentration.
"What's with you today? You've been in a world of your own all day," she asked, swiping the last fry off Jazz's plate.
"Nothing, just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night," I lied, finishing the last of my lemonade from my bottle.
"You don't look very tired," she voiced. Alice was far too observant for her own good sometimes.
"Just one of the lucky ones, I guess," I said distractedly, watching Eric Yorkie a few seats away from us start picking his nose and wiping it on the underside of the table. Gross.
"Where did Edward go?" Em inquired. I shrugged, faking ignorance.
"I don't know, he was here a minute ago," I answered, noticing Jazz watching me closely.
"Well... anyway, we were just talking about your birthday next week," Alice said. I went to cut her off but she put her hand up before I could do so. "Now, I know you said you didn't want to do anything, but quite frankly, I don't care. You're having a party at our house and that's the end of it."
"No, Alice, you promised," I whined. I'd never been a big fan of birthdays. People spending unnecessary money on me and being the center of attention was far from my thing.
"I did no such thing! Come on... please, Bella?" Her pout and puppy dog eyes were in full force. I turned to Rose to see her wink at me. I was so screwed.
"Ugh fine, you can throw me a party, but not too many people, okay?" I stated, looking around the cafeteria at all the faces who would most probably be there. I knew Alice would invite as many people as possible.
"Good, because Mom and Dad will be at some charity event in Seattle and will be spending the night in some swanky-ass hotel. So we'll have the whole house to ourselves," Em voiced, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
"Haven't you forgotten one thing?" I asked, watching Em's face go blank. He was thinking.
"Err... no?" he said, his words sounding more like a question than an answer. I leaned forward, placing both hands flat on the table.
"What about Charlie? Don't you think he'll notice a shit load of vehicles everywhere?" I asked. Charlie was pretty laid back about most things, but a house full of under-age drinkers wouldn't be one of them.
I could see Alice practically beaming next to me. "Okay, what did you do?" I asked cautiously, but smiling at her excitement.
"Oh nothing, I just happen to know Charlie won't be home," she responded nonchalantly. I pursed my lips; how did she know this?
"And you know this, how, Alice?" I wondered. I could see Jazz fiddling with the fingers of Alice's right hand, a knowing smile forming on his face.
"I just mentioned that we may end up having a girlie evening at your house—lots of romantic comedies to watch, pyjamas and boy talk. Needless to say it freaked The Chief the fuck out and he said he'd be out of our hair all evening. In fact, he'll be night fishing," she replied smugly, obviously pleased with her planning.
"So you lied?" I stated, trying to keep a straight face.
"Exactly," she said confidently, not worried in the least.
"You are a force to be reckoned with, Alice Cullen," I laughed, leaning my head back in exasperation. "So, it looks like I'm having a party then, huh?" I said mostly to myself. Alice squealed in excitement, immediately setting off into a rant.
"It will be so much fun! Trust me," she responded. I nodded my head in defeat. She had planned this from the start so there was no use going against her now, too many things were obviously already in motion.
I pointed my finger towards her in mock seriousness. "Just remember what I said, not too many people." Her head started bobbing like one of those ornamental nodding dogs, eager to appease me. I didn't believe it for a second.
"Come on, party people, lets get to gym," Jazz said, pulling me up from my chair, knowing I was most likely considering making a run for it.
"Yeah, wouldn't want to miss all that fun," I mumbled sarcastically, letting out a squeak when I felt Jazz pinch my butt.
"You're an ass-man, aren't you, Jasper?" I asked. His wink gave me all the confirmation I needed.
"I'll see you in there, Tiger," he said once we had reached the girls' locker room.
"My little SVB isn't a tiger, she's more like a kitten, all clumsy and unsure on her feet," Em chuckled. Rose linked her arm through mine, dragging me into the room. I slapped Em's chest on the way but didn't disagree with him. I wonder who I'll take out this time?
We dressed into our gym clothes swiftly, not putting off the inevitable any longer. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, not wanting it to be getting in my face all lesson.
I heard a gasp, turning to see Alice with her hand over her mouth. "What's wrong?" I asked, checking to make sure I hadn't left my shorts off or something ridiculously embarrassing like that.
"What's that on your neck?" She questioned. My brows scrunched up in confusion, wondering what the hell she was on about.
Rose silently passed me her compact mirror to check for myself. My face paled now knowing what she was referring to. "Er... not sure, you know what I'm like, I probably did it when falling or something," I chuckled nervously, putting my shirt safely into the locker.
"Are those teeth marks?" Rose wondered, craning her neck closer to me. I snapped her mirror shut and started walking into the gym.
"No," I lied. "How would I have teeth marks on my neck?"
"You tell us!" Alice retorted. I ignored them both, only shrugging my shoulders as an answer.
"Ew, gross, gross, gross! Please don't tell me they're from that dog?" The disgust in Rose's voice evident.
"No, they're not from Jacob," I replied, emphasizing his name.
"What's not from Jacob?" Em inquired, appearing behind me with Jasper and the devil spawn in tow.
"Nothing," I huffed, wishing they'd drop it already, especially considering who was approaching.
"It's not nothing. I think Bella's been getting frisky with a certain boy from the Rez," Alice teased, skipping to my side, trying to shift my collar for them to see the mark.
"Quit it," I whispered, slapping her hand away.
"What's wrong, Bells?" Jazz asked, confused, resulting in Edward now also focusing his attention on me. Great.
"Nothing, I'm fine. I'm just trying to get Alice here from doing something I don't want her to," I replied, giving her hand another light tap when she went for my collar again.
"Come on, Bella, please? Let me see it properly," she whined. I shook my head. Why she was so bothered by it I'll never know.
"Nope, now leave me alone," I sighed, tightening the tie in my hair.
I could see Emmett whispering to Jazz and Edward, most likely explaining what Alice was so eager to see. Edward's lips twitched, no doubt remembering exactly where those teeth marks had come from.
Coach Clapp entered the gym, a cart full of basketballs being pushed behind him by Mike. Basketball wasn't too bad, as I could just stand off to the side of the court somewhere and stay out of everyone's way, thank god.
The coach blew his whistle right by my ear. Jerk. "Attention, kids. I want you to split into pairs and practice passing and shots for a bit before we start the actual games," he shouted. Mike was by my side in an instant as was usual, but this was one class I didn't mind too much, as he mostly did all the work.
Rose gave me her customary wink before she went with Em to get her ball. Alice always felt guilty leaving me with Newton, but she and Jazz had been partners long before I came along, so I wasn't about to change that. Jessica had latched herself on to Edward, trying to link her arm through his, but he kept them rigidly at his sides, effectively stopping that action.
"I'll go get us a ball," I said to Mike, knowing that this would most likely be the only thing I would be able to do all class.
He nodded his head, smiling brightly, before he went to stand near Tyler and the wench that was Lauren. From the corner of my eye, I saw Edward turn to face me when I passed him, his expression stoic. I glared at him—just because I felt like it—and carried on.
I bent down into the cart, reaching for the first ball I came to. Just as I'd secured it in my grasp, a pair of bright pink nail-polished hands snatched the ball right out of my hands, causing me to lose my balance slightly.
Jessica stood there, smugness overtaking her features. "What the fuck is your problem?" I shouted, taking the ball back from her hands.
"You're always getting in my way, that's the problem," she sneered, snatching the ball once again.
"What are you, like five? Give it back," I seethed. I knew I was being a little childish, but in all fairness, I had gotten it first. Plus, there were like ten others in the damn cart.
I managed to get a good grip, digging my nails into the material, but she just wouldn't let go, resulting in both of us having a sort of tug-of-war over a rubber ball of air. Not my finest moment, to be sure.
"Hey, hey, hey, break it up." James stood behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist to drag me back.
"She fucking started it," I said, glaring at Jessica's stormy face.
A humourless laugh escaped her lips. "That's mature," she retorted. "You steal everything that is mine."
I looked at her as if she was crazy, wondering when the men in the white coats were going to come barging into the room and take her away.
"Come on, Bella, ignore her," James interrupted, unsuccessfully trying to get me to drop the ball.
I shrugged him off. "I don't know what the hell you're on about. I would never want anything of yours. If you hadn't noticed, we are completely different."
She looked me up and down with disgust. "I couldn't agree more."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" I said through clenched teeth.
"Well, look at you," she laughed. "What have you got to offer anyone?"
Edward had approached without my noticing and started whispering into Jessica's ear, a self-satisfied smile forming on her overly-glossed lips. She could be a human fly trap with the amount she had on. I wondered how she didn't come into school with them stuck to her mouth.
I narrowed my eyes at Edward, losing my temper even more just thinking about what he could possibly be saying to her. From the expression on his face, I knew it was about me.
"Just let her have it. Be the bigger person," James whispered. I turned to look at him, quietly examining his face before begrudgingly nodding and letting my hands drop.
Edward was staring at us both, but I didn't get time to even flip him off, as Coach Clapp came over to us. "You five are Team Three. You're on next." All of us—except for Mike who had also appeared from nowhere—were not happy about this at all.
"You better not let the team down, Ed, I've seen you play," James smirked. The look in his eyes held humour, but also something dark that I couldn't quite place.
"Just worry about yourself, James. If you hadn't already noticed, I'm good at most things," he said, smirking back.
"Yes, he is," Jessica purred, making me want to hurl. I wrinkled my face, showing my distaste, which caused Mike to laugh. Huh, perhaps he did have a sense of humour after all. But, I was pretty sure even if I said the word "ball" he would laugh, which just said everything.
We gathered on the court, getting into positions. I thanked James for his help earlier before locating to the back, well out of the way of everyone. Tyler Crowley's team were our opponents, having some sort of pep talk. It's fucking gym class, not the play-offs, I thought.
The coach blew the whistle, effectively starting the game. All was going well for the first couple of minutes, our team ahead. Edward aimed the ball at the back of Newton's head a few times, messing about, but then the competition really started. You would think this would have involved more pressure coming from the other team, but no. James and Edward were having a type of pissing contest, both trying to get the most baskets. They were on the same damn team but refused to help each other, vying to go things alone.
James quite forcefully elbowed Edward in the ribs, making him drop the ball, and proceeded to dribble down the end of the court to the basket. I could see Edward seething, his hands clenched into tight fists.
The second offense came from Edward this time, who blatantly pushed James out of the way, perfect for all to see. I took a glance at the coach who was ignorant to everything happening, reading a magazine. Most likely porn.
James picked himself up from the floor, his nostrils flaring slightly, but that wasn't what made me take notice. It was the cold, hard expression in his eyes; they were like steel. I swallowed nervously, wondering what was going to transpire next.
Our team was well ahead, which I think was largely due to the fact Tyler's team were too intimidated and didn't want to get involved and end up with a black eye, or worse; a broken limb.
"What are they doing?" Mike mumbled when running past me, waving his hands for the pass. Jessica had somehow ended up with the ball and was looking genuinely panicked, especially when Edward and James both ended up demanding it. She threw it in the air, not caring where it ended up, just wanting the shouting to stop around her. The thing was, it was headed in my direction, both boys charging after it. I jumped out of the way, tripping over my loose shoelace and falling to my knees.
"Are you okay, Bella?" Mike asked, rushing to my side and sticking his hand out to help me up.
I flashed him a hesitant smile, placing my hand in his, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."
"No, it's not fine," he said to himself, squaring his shoulders and walking over to where both Edward and James stood bickering.
"Oh, shit," I breathed, brushing myself off to go help Mike out.
"What a surprise, the klutz fell," Jess quipped. What is with this girl today?
I chose to ignore her, not wanting to let her get to me. I swiveled back around to watch what was happening with Mike's mission. Shocked to see they we practically next to us now as James and Edward had turned on Mike, stalking him back towards us.
"You both... sho-should have just... pl-played the game...properly," I could hear Mike stuttering. I pictured my loyal "lap dog" as Rose called him, whimpering with his tail between his legs.
"You're really getting on my nerves, Newton," Edward growled, the sound sending shivers down my spine.
You know the saying, 'that person will be the death of me', well, I'm pretty sure I would be the death of Mike Newton. James rammed into Mike, sending him flying into Jessica who ended up falling into me. A complete domino effect.
"Ouch," I groaned, feeling a little dizzy. I felt a body on top of me still and leaned up on my elbows to see Jessica glaring at me.
"This is all your fault," she seethed, her lips pinched in anger.
I laughed. "You're delusional." Then with a much more serious expression, whispered. "Now get the fuck off me!"
She was still giving me hateful stares and I had lost my patience after the events of the day, so I pushed her. I was at a disadvantage, what with most of my body beneath hers. So when she yanked on my hair, pulling the strands harshly, I lost it. I reached back to try and pry her fingers loose, but couldn't quite succeed. But I managed to get one of my legs free and gave her a swift knee to the hip.
"You bitch!" she screamed. I writhed, trying to get her the hell off me. I saw her own ponytail hanging over her shoulder and thought, what the hell, and grabbed it, wrapping it around my fist.
Quite the audience had gathered by now, a lot of them staring at us in utter shock. I briefly wondered where the coach was and why he hadn't come to break us up, but thought he was probably enjoying the view. Pervert.
We were both grabbing and pulling what we could reach, screaming and shouting insults at the other. I could hear Alice arguing with what distinctly sounded like Lauren Mallory, and more prominently Rose's shouts at Emmett to let her go so she could get involved and kick some ass—her words, not mine. A sharp pain ran across my cheek, the cold feeling and smell unmistakable; blood. Jessica's cheap ass ring had obviously sliced a small incision into my face. I tried to breathe from my mouth as much as possible, as I couldn't handle the smell of blood. I put my hand to my cheek, wincing at the sting. That's it, I've had about enough of this bitch today. I slapped her across the face, the sound echoing through the building.
Coach Clapp finally decided to intervene, his whistle blowing in shrill spurts. "Right, that's enough. Get up you two," he said, the sounds of his feet descending from the bleachers quickening.
Someone had finally pulled Jessica off of me, and before I knew it, I was being lifted by someone. My rage still directed towards the bitch across from me. Her eyes were bordering on black and she was struggling from Mike's grasp, her legs flying wildly.
I was being dragged backwards and briefly saw Alice communicating with whoever it was dragging me away, telling her to take care of my things. It was like a red haze had taken over me and I couldn't focus properly.
"This isn't over, Bella, I can make your life hell!" Jessica screamed as the cold wind from the now open doors hit me full force.
I went to move back into the gym; I don't do well with threats. "Don't fucking tempt me! Come finish this now..." My voice trailed off as the doors shut in my face.
I leaned forward and rested my forehead against the smooth surface of the door. I registered that someone was still with me, so with one last deep breath I turned my head and opened my eyes to see a forest of dark green looking back at me.
"You need to calm the fuck down," he said seriously, obviously thinking I was going to freak out on him.
I switched positions and rested my back against the door. Re-closing my eyes, I relished in the cool air on my over-heated skin and just basked in the quiet.
"What the hell was all that about? You do realize that you're going to have them constantly on your back now?"
"She's been giving me shit all day," I expressed. "Anyway, it's just as much your fault. If you didn't start your... well, whatever the fuck it was with James, none of this would've happened," I said, opening my eyes to take a look at him.
"You're not putting this on me. I wasn't the one who decided to take a swing at Stanley," Edward replied, clenching his jaw in irritation due to my accusation.
"She wouldn't get off me, she deserved it. Plus, if you and James hadn't started on Mike, he wouldn't have been propelled into Jessica in the first place," I said calmly, watching his irritation grow.
"Yes, but again, why did he come over to us? Oh I remember, something about you falling over. So you see, you kind of did start it, intentionally or not doesn't matter," he responded smugly.
"Fucking semantics," I mumbled, gently extracting the tie from my hair—it was half hanging out everywhere and most likely looked like a bird's nest anyway.
I ran my hands cautiously through my hair, wincing when my fingers got tangled in a knot. I looked over to see Edward scowling at me—well not at me, more like my cheek. Then I realized I was probably still bleeding. Cue the panic.
"Oh god," I groaned as I reached up and gingerly touched my face, my eyes growing wide as the sticky consistency coated my fingertips.
With a huff, his hands went to the bottom of his shirt, completely removing it with one pull. Holy shit! I swallowed the lump in my throat as he stepped forward and bunched his shirt up, holding out towards my face.
"I can look after myself, I don't need your help," I said, jutting out my chin but really wanting to take it so I didn't pass out, especially in front of him.
"Stop being such a stubborn bitch and let me take a look at it," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"What makes you so qualified?" I snapped.
"Carlisle's a doctor, remember? Believe it or not I know a thing or two."
He tenderly checked the cut, with me once again finding his fingers surprisingly soft.
"A lot of blood for such a small cut," he whispered. "You won't need stitches or anything, it'll heal fine by itself."
I tried really hard not to, but couldn't stop my eyes from roaming down his chest and torso, pausing at the patch of hair traveling beneath his shorts.
"Aren't you cold?" I blurted out as he lightly pressed the cotton to my cheek, with me wiping my bloody hands onto the material. Much better.
"Not really," he shrugged. "Why, want to warm me up?"
"Ugh, god no. Just keep those disgusting thoughts of yours to yourself."
His fingers curled around my wrist, wrenching me forward. "What do you think you're doing?" I spat, watching the way his muscles moved beneath his pale skin.
"Taking you home, obviously," he replied loudly over his shoulder. We stopped outside his Volvo, me scanning the area for my escape route.
"They already know I'm taking you home," he voiced, slipping on a gray hoodie from his back seat and answering my silent question.
"I'll just go back inside and wait for them," I said, turning around to make my move.
"No you don't," he gripped my forearm, swinging me back around. "Do you really think it's wise to go back in there? Jessica will still be there and I don't think anyone wants to deal with the two of you going for round two," he said, raising his eyebrows in warning.
I ground my teeth in anger, wanting to disagree with him but knowing he was right. So I kept my mouth shut. "Fine," I huffed. "But are you sure your little girlfriend won't mind? I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be open for business 24/7 if she knew you were driving me home."
"She is not my fucking girlfriend. I don't have girlfriends," he responded. "Although, she did just get a little more interesting. Who knew she liked it rough?" he murmured, a teasing smile spreading across his face.
"You're sick," I replied, watching the smile fall from his mouth. "Can we get this over with? I want to get far, far away from you as soon as possible," I sighed, taking a quick look at the T-shirt and instantly regretting it when I saw the blood. Breathe through your mouth, just breathe through your mouth.
"No puking in my car, I know all about your dislike of blood, so keep it in." He opened the door, gesturing for me to get inside.
For a second, I considered making a run for it. Yes, it would be pathetic and childish but I really didn't give a shit. He was watching me closely, squinting at me as if he was trying to work out what I was thinking. I silently climbed into the passenger seat without so much as a look in his direction. The door closed shut behind me, and as he made his way to the driver's side, I gave a quick glance at my surroundings. The seats were black leather and the interior was spotlessly clean; the dashboard was dust free and the windows were clear of smudges.
I still didn't look at him as he got in, I just stared out the window as he started the ignition and reversed out of his spot.
"Why are you so rigid? I won't bite... well not unless you want me to."
I rolled my eyes. "I thought you said no puking in your car?" I hadn't even realized I had been so tense until he'd brought it up. "It's the seats... they could be covered in the Skank Brigade's bodily fluids for all I know." The more I actually thought about it the more I thought it could actually be true. Gross.
"Don't worry your little head about it. None of the... what was it you called them? Skank Brigade? Well, none of them have seen any action in here. I tend to keep them away from personal spaces."
Then why the hell I am sitting here in this pristine vehicle? I may not be part of the Skank Brigade, but we are not friends. We don't even like each other.
He fiddled with his stereo for a few seconds until a familiar tune came on.
"Claire De Lune?" I questioned. For some reason I didn't take him for a Debussy fan.
"You know Debussy?" he asked. I chanced a look at him from the corner of my eye to see him doing the same.
"Yeah, I know it," I replied. "It's one of my mom's favourites, so I grew up with it always playing in the house," I shrugged.
"So... do you listen to a lot of classical music?" I inquired, turning to face him a little.
"I do." He hesitated for a minute before adding, "It relaxes me."
I nodded my head in understanding. "I should have realized... what with the fact you play piano and all."
"You know I play piano?" he asked. I could see he was looking at me now, so I hesitantly nodded my head in acquiescence.
"I mean... yeah, the others told me." I replied cautiously, remembering that he hated people knowing his business. "It's a beautiful instrument," I added as an after thought.
I could see his jaw clenching, oh shit he's mad again. "You've touched my piano?" he asked far too calmly.
I snorted, "Edward... no. I was warned before even entering the music room not to even breathe near your piano. It's just that the music room is my favourite room in your house. I tend to spend a lot of time there when the others are busy. So, don't worry your little head about it," I replied, using the same words he'd spoken moments before.
He didn't say anything more on the matter. In fact, he didn't even look angry, simply pensive. Coming up to my house, I saw a familiar-looking car parked in the driveway, and the very unmistakable figure of Jacob Black leaning against it. My fingers gripped the edge of my seat tightly, leaving nail indentations in the underside of the leather I'm sure. Edward's face was a picture; I'd never seen him like that before.
"Looks like you've got a visitor," his voice was emotionless, but the dark look in his eyes betrayed him.
He pulled up against the curb, but didn't cut the engine. Both boys were shooting each other glares, but Jacob was unwavering in his stance.
"Why him, Bella?" Edward questioned, turning to face me. "Does he excite you, bring you pleasure? Do you imagine it's his hands when you're touching yourself?" He leaned forward, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear and whispered, "If it was me feeling your soft skin, I'd have you eating out the palm of my hand. Next time you touch yourself, imagine it's me and you'll see what I mean." My heart was pounding and I had a sudden urge to lean my head back and close my eyes.
His face drew away, pausing half way back to his seat. "I hate you," I breathed.
He roamed my face for a few seconds. "I don't doubt it," was all he said.
I pushed the door open, slamming it hard behind me. I ran up to Jake, smiling, relieved to be out of Edward's presence, and in his. I glimpsed a flash of Silver driving away but kept my attention on Jake who was looking angry.
"You okay?" I asked, not liking the expression on his face; it wasn't him.
"Did he hurt you?" he seethed, his fists clenching at his sides. "Because if he did..." I had to cut him off there.
"What are you talking about?" Then I realized I had a bloody T-shirt in my hands.
"No Jake... just no. Edward's an asshole, but he wouldn't hurt me." I had no hesitation saying that. "I got in a fight with a girl at school, Edward dropped me home, that's all." I spoke softly, trying to reassure him.
He nodded his head but I could still tell he wasn't happy. "Come on, let's go inside," I said, grabbing his hand. He laced his fingers through mine in a comforting gesture; I gave him a gentle squeeze back.
"You got a first aid kit?" Jake asked as soon as we'd gotten into the kitchen.
"Yeah, there's one under the sink," I replied, putting Edward's shirt aside to wash. I wouldn't give it back in this state—even if it was just Edward. I had manners... well most of the time.
"Come here," Jake said, pulling a chair out for us both. I sat down opposite him, his face awfully close to my own. He brought a wipe to my cheek, gently cleaning my cut. I winced as the alcohol in it stung a bit.
"Sorry," he whispered, a look of concentration on his face. "There, all done," he said after another minute or so. "It's not deep or anything, so it should be good as new in a few days." I couldn't help but smile at Jake playing doctor.
"Thanks, Doc," I teased, earning my first smile from him since arriving home.
"Sure, sure," he laughed, winking at me and making my smile even more pronounced. There's my Jake.
We stared at each other, the light in his eyes suddenly turning intense. I don't know who had moved first, or if it was in fact both of us, but we were gradually getting closer.
Our noses touched briefly, hesitancy evident in his actions. My breathing was becoming shallow. I didn't know what to do. I was equal parts curious and panicked. Half of me wanted to run, and the other half—the really fucking eager side—wanted him to just do it already. His face tilted slightly to the side before finally closing the distance. At first I couldn't think; my mind went completely blank. The feeling of his full, warm lips upon mine created a sort of fuzziness in my head that wasn't entirely unpleasant. I just sat there, somewhat frozen and immobile. He pulled back after a few more seconds to gauge my reaction, obviously wondering why I hadn't been reciprocating. His eyes were soft and inviting, the uncertainty and fear underlying in them crushing me a little. In that moment I didn't stop to think about what I was doing. I pressed my lips back to his.
He let out a small moan as he crushed his lips back to mine, his hand coming to the back of my neck, trying to bring my face closer to him. Just as I was about to comply. my phone beeped from its place on the table where I had left it this morning. The sound brought me back to the real world and I realized I was kissing Jake. My friend Jake. My incredibly hot childhood friend. His hand didn't leave my skin as I moved back a touch and blindly grabbed my phone off the table, all the while keeping my gaze on his now parted mouth. I shifted slightly and took a peek at the screen, eyebrows scrunching up in confusion as I didn't recognize the number.
I'll see you Wednesday at 5, wear the blue panties.
I snapped my jaw shut with force and closed my eyes, wanting nothing more than to throw my phone against the wall.
Suppressing a scream, I shakily put the offending item back to the table and opened my eyes. Edward.
Thanks for reading. :)
