A/N: We all know the drill - - I own the original ideas, plot, etc. Ms. Meyer owns the names. Yadda, yadda.
Sweets - you're full of it. You are not reading this... ;p ACullenWannabe, my eternal thanks for your patience with my tense trouble and continued insistence on misusing certain words to begin sentences.
I'd get down on my knees and grovel in apology for this late update, but I can't even pretend that I won't do it again. Your patience is a cherished gift.
CHAPTER 9:
BELLA
Being purposely woken up every couple of hours when all I wanted to do was get some sleep and forget about the prior day, really blew. By the time morning rolled around and it was time to get up and get ready for school, I was more exhausted than I ever remembered feeling in my entire life. My alarm clock had gone off at least five times that I could remember. The snooze button had become my best friend.
"Bella, you need to get up NOW." The tone of Mom's voice left absolutely no room for argument. I'd already heard the water running and Em and Ed muttering as they traveled up and down the hall to have showers. Thank god we had a tankless water heater. Otherwise, I'd be bathing using some decidedly cold water.
I grabbed myself an over-sized fluffy bath sheet. Mom's preference for big, fluffy towels was one of my favorite of her quirks.
I brushed the knots out of my hair while I waited for the water to hit the right temperature. Once I stepped under the spray, I let the water run over my head and down my back. The spray stung the impact points on my head, but the warmth was much more soothing than painful.
I was startled by several loud thumps on the bathroom door. "Bella-rella, breakfast is ready. If you want to stuff some food in your face before we leave, you better hurry up!"
Emmett's loud voice pierced my brain. My head was still feeling sore, but it was livable as long as the loud noises were kept to a minimum. I hurried through my shower routine to try and make it downstairs before the guys inhale all of the food. I wrapped myself in my towel and quickly ran a wide-toothed comb through my hair.
As I stepped out of the bathroom, I decided to grab a second smaller towel to wrap around my hair. I stretched up on my tip-toes to reach the higher shelf where the smaller towels were kept. I pulled myself up a bit higher by grasping the shelf with my left hand while the fingers of my right hand closed around the towel on top of the pile. Just as I began to pull the towel down, I felt the towel wrapped around my chest loosen and start to slip. I let go of the shelf and grabbed at the towel. The terrycloth slipped under my hand and dipped down to my waist. I clumsily yanked the towel back up before it managed to fall too far below my butt. I shook my head at my continued klutzy tendencies and turned to go back to my room to throw on some clothes.
Just my luck, Edward was standing in the doorway to Emmett's room with his bag over his shoulder, slack-jawed. I felt the immediate burn of the blood rushing to the surface of my cheeks, down my neck and across my chest. I sprinted down the hallway into my room and slammed the door. "You have GOT to be kidding me!" I spat. Well, if I'm lucky he saw my back. If I'm not lucky, he saw my ass. If I'm God's personal entertainment channel, he got a good look at my still barely developed chest. I wrapped the hard won towel around my hair and threw myself onto my bed, burrowed back into my blankets and prayed for the bed to swallow me whole.
I'd wallowed in my embarrassment for less than five minutes when my bedroom door became a percussion instrument under Emmett's fists. "Birdy! Come ON, we've gotta get going. If I have to come in there, I have parental permission for tickle torture. You know you don't want it to come to that!"
"Aaarrgghh! Fine Em, I'm coming. Do me a favor? Just toss a couple of everything in a container for me? I'll eat on the way."
There was no way I was going to be able to force a single bite down my throat, but if I didn't at least make it look like I was going to eat something, Garret would have me back in a doctor's office in a flash.
I threw on my undies, a pair of my baggier jeans, a plain cotton bra, a loose t-shirt and a sweatshirt that used to belong to Em before his latest growth spurt. It was quite large on me, but after this morning I felt like I needed to wear as many bulky layers as possible.
I rushed down the stairs, stuffed my feet into my sneakers, grabbed my backpack off the floor, and tried to dash out the door before accidentally making eye contact with anyone. I was certain if any of them got a good look at my face, they'd be sure to know something was up. I couldn't face the possibility of any questions. I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Bella?"
Of course, there was no way this could go my way…
"Yeah, Mom?" I turned and locked my eyes on hers. I couldn't chance looking around to see if there was anyone else in the vicinity.
"How is your head feeling? Did you take any medicine? I don't want you suffering in silence, baby girl. If you need some medication, you take it. Do you hear me?"
"Yeah, Mom. It's okay. A bit sore, but nothing I can't handle." I heard the door open behind me and my shoulders crept towards my ears as I speculated about who was behind me.
"There you are! Come on, if you're coming we've got to go now. We're cutting it very close already." Garrett's booming voice makes me scrunch up my face in discomfort.
"Bella, if you're not feeling up to it, perhaps you should stay home today?" The concern in her voice was comforting, but it also meant that she'd just spend the whole day hovering over me.
"No, I'm okay. Just not so great with, you know, the loud…"
"Oh sh… I mean… Sorry, Bells. I'll tone it down a bit." His sheepish expression makes me smile. I patted his shoulder as I walked past him out the door and down to the car.
The ride to school was silent other than the background sounds of Garrett's favorite top 40 station. Emmett scowled at me when we exited the car noticing that I hadn't touched the food he'd passed me as I had gotten in, but he kept his opinions to himself. I turned away quickly and headed in the opposite direction from the boys since my first class was thankfully at the other side of the school. If I could manage to avoid Edward for the rest of the day, that would be perfect.
I had barely stepped a foot in the door before I was attacked by a pissed off blonde and a raven-haired Tazmanian Devil.
"Oh, my, GOD. Are you okay? That's one heck of a bruise on your forehead. Does it hurt? Do you have a headache? Did you sleep okay? I bet you could use a softer pillow, want me to bring over one? Can I get you anything? Are you dizzy? Bella?"
"ALICE! Enough! Holy cow." Rose glared at her while physically removing her from my personal space.
"Sorry, sorry! I just… You scared the crap out of me yesterday. I just want to make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine, Al. I have a bit of a headache, but mostly just when I move my head too fast or when it's really loud. I'm good."
She arched one perfect eyebrow at me quizzically. She wasn't buying it.
"Really. I'm okay. Just minor damage. I promise."
We headed down the hallway and went about our day as usual. I had just entered my homeroom when the flash of cinnamon-colored hair in my periphery caused the breath to catch in my throat. How had I managed to completely forget that Edward was in my class? Great. At least he wasn't in my line of sight when I slouched down into my seat. This was going to be a long period. I imagined I could feel Edward's eyes roaming all over me the entire class. I shifted uncomfortably, this morning's disaster replaying over and over in my mind's eye. I had no idea how much he'd seen, but even the bare minimum was still way too much. As soon as the bell rang to end the class, I launched myself from my chair and sprinted down the hallways to my next class.
I made it without further humiliation to lunch period and found Alice and Rose at our usual table. My back was to the door, but I knew the moment Edward walked in because Rose's lovely face turned into a mask of fury. She went to stand and I quickly put my foot on her thigh preventing her from doing so. Her angry glare flashed in my direction before being replaced by a curious frown. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to stop Alice who had spun around in her seat to my left and darted out of her chair before I managed to grab her wrist.
"No, Rose. Stay here." I tried my best commanding tone and then jogged over to where Alice was already poking Edward in the chest and giving her a piece of her mind.
"What the hell is wrong with you anyway? Why would you do something like that? Do you have a death wish? You're lucky Emmett didn't kill you. In fact, I'm considering finishing off the job for him. You're such an a…."
"MARY ALICE!" I spat, "That's enough!"
"But, Bella, he…"
"NO, Alice. Enough. It was an accident. Edward would never hurt anyone on purpose…" I realized as the words came out of my mouth, that I wasn't unsure of their truth. Even with the crap that had happened years ago, I just couldn't find it in my heart to believe that he would have done anything to intentionally hurt me. Sure, he had, but I didn't think it had been intentional. He was a kid. He threw a tantrum. Unfortunately, I had been on the receiving end. It didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. I was a kid too, and I took it to heart, but years of time passing had lessened the hurt.
Having him bring it all back up had been like ripping a band-aid off a wound where the scab had attached to the bandage. It hurt like a bitch at first, but then it returned to a dull throb and eventually sealed over.
As Alice stomped away, I took a quick look at Edward who hadn't even bothered to try and defend himself. His eyes were glued to a spot on the floor and he looked like someone had kicked his puppy.
"I'm sorry about them." I motioned weakly to encompass Alice and Rose who was still shooting glares from across the room. "I'll get them to stop." He tried to force a smile but it flitted across his face all skewed and not at all natural-looking.
"It's fine. They're just looking out for you." He looked over to Alice and held her narrowed gaze. "Honestly, Alice. I'd never purposely bash Bella with a door. I thought you knew me better than that. Guess I was wrong." His gaze dropped back to the floor and he turned to walk over to the table where Emmett and Jasper were watching the whole scene unfold with twin expressions of disbelief.
"Edward." I reached out and grabbed his hand as he turned away. I enjoyed the warmth of his touch when he stopped moving, but didn't look back at me. "I know it was an accident. I know you wouldn't do something like that."
He nodded but still didn't move to look back at me. I realized that I was still holding his hand so that he wasn't able to move away without pulling out of my grasp. I slowly released my grip and he walked away.
I turned and grabbed Alice roughly by the arm and half dragged her back to the table. I stood with my hands on my hips and shook my head at the two mama bears looking up at me. "Okay. I get it. You're trying to… defend my honour or… something. Just… don't. It was an accident. I know you guys are still ticked about the other stuff, but just, please, for me, let it go. I just want to move forward with my life. Okay?"
The both looked at me like I had a screw loose, then back at each other before shrugging and nodding their heads.
*~AtR~*
EDWARD
The slamming of her bedroom door brought me out of my Bella-induced haze. I stood in the doorway while the images repeated in my mind… Bella reaching high into the cabinet while the towel that wrapped around her clung to body and showed off the creamy softness of her shoulders. The towel slipping down her body before she could catch it revealing her back and slender waist, dropping just below the dimples in her lower back before she managed to catch it and pull it back into place.
My heart was beating fast and I could practically hear the blood rushing through my brain. I couldn't stop my imagination from taking over and expanding on the glimpses of her skin that I'd been granted. If I'd been a bit further down the hall, or at the top of the staircase, I'd have had a fuller view of her body. I coughed in surprise as it sunk in that I was VERY interested in getting a better view.
I could NOT be thinking of Bella as anything other than my friend's sister. Hell, after everything else, if I even THOUGHT of Bella in any way other than as a friend, Emmett would be likely to beat me to within an inch of my life! I shook my head violently in a useless attempt to dislodge the images from the forefront of my thoughts before heading downstairs.
I scampered down the stairs and back into the kitchen. I tossed my bag into the corner, slouched back down into my chair, and shoveled food into my mouth in an attempt to distract my brain. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work.
A little while later, Renee sent Emmett back up to drag Bella down to the table by any force necessary. I shuddered a little knowing only too well that Emmett could be very creative when it came to inventive torture techniques.
He returned rather quickly and rummaged through the cupboards to find a container before shoveling bits and pieces of all of the breakfast foods Renee had prepared into it. I quirked an eyebrow at him in question.
"I don't know. I guess she's running late or something. She asked me to get some food together for her to take with her."
I muttered, "Whatever gets us out of here faster."
"Exactly," he nodded and snapped the lid into place.
I stuffed the last of what was on my plate into my mouth and quickly rinsed my plate before placing it in the dishwasher. I grabbed my bag and told Emmett I was going to go wait in the car. I felt an irrational need to avoid Bella. I didn't want my mouth to betray me and make a stupid comment about what I'd seen.
When we arrived at the school, I was startled by how quickly Bella launched herself from the car.
"Oh, yeah, uh, see ya…" Garrett watched her rapidly retreating form with a perplexed expression for a moment before bringing his attention back to Emmett and me as we climbed out. "Em, you keep an eye out for Birdy, and Eddie here. If they start acting off, you call us or his parents right away. Okay?"
Emmett rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly, "Yeah, yeah. I got it. Babysit the walking wounded. I'm all over it."
Emmett and I parted ways as we headed towards our respective classes. When I reached the room, I quickly scanned the seats and found that Bella hadn't yet arrived. I dropped into the same seat I'd occupied the day before and watched the doorway for her arrival. As soon as she entered the room, her posture changed drastically. Her shoulders hunched over and she sunk down into her chair so low I could barely see the top of her head over the shoulders of our classmates surrounding her. As the class wore on, she shuffled more and more in her seat. I was growing concerned that perhaps she was suffering some after-effects of yesterday's incident. I was about to raise my hand and bring the teacher's attention to Bella's distress when the bell rang signaling the end of the class. Bella immediately popped up from her seat and charged out of the room.
At lunch time, I had barely entered the cafeteria when I was confronted with one seriously pissed-off looking tiny person. Alice rushed at me and poked me repeatedly in the chest while hissing at me.
Bella's angry voice rang out from behind her, basically telling her to back off, but she wasn't apparently willing to listen.
After being told in no uncertain terms that she needed to drop it, the tiny tempest retreated. I could not believe that Alice thought I would purposely try and hurt Bella. Okay, so I didn't have the best track record in her eyes, but I'd spent a bit of time around Alice over the past little while and I thought she knew me a little better than that. I glanced across the room and saw that even though Rosalie had managed to restrain herself from physically or verbally attacking me, if she'd had the power to bump me off with her glare alone, I'd be six feet under.
Bella tried to apologize to me on her friends' behalves. She sounded almost embarrassed. I was still trying to wrap my head around how this sweet girl kept finding it in her heart to forgive me, to stick up for me even. I felt like laughing and crying at the same time.
"It's fine. They're just looking out for you." I tried to put on a brave face and walk away with what was left of my dignity intact, but I still could not believe Alice thought so poorly of me and I told her so. I turned to head over to the table where my friends were sitting. I'd suddenly lost any appetite I may have had.
I heard her call my name and felt her small hand grasp mine. I closed my eyes and tried to memorize the way my body relaxed at the simple touch of her fingers against my own. She softly assured me that she knew I hadn't tried to hurt her on purpose. I was glad that someone believed me, and in the grand scheme of things, her opinion was really the only one that mattered.
I nodded my head slightly, grateful for the confirmation that she at least believed in me that small bit. I couldn't turn back to face her. I was barely holding myself together as it was. I didn't need to break down in front of the entire school. I needed a few minutes to collect my thoughts. I'd obviously not gotten enough rest last night and my control over my emotions was stretched to the limit. I should have moved away, but she was still gently grasping my hand and I wasn't sure why, but I knew I didn't want to be the one to break the contact. As her hand slowly slipped from mine, I walked away.
