Disclaimer: We are not Stephenie Meyer and therefore are not the rightful owners of the Twilight series or anything within it. Silly. :)
A/N: Here yah go. I was up late finishing this, so you better appreciate it. :) Haha. Woo! We hit 100 reviews! You guys are awesome. Seriously, keep it up. We love you!
Sorry if you find some errors—this hasn't been edited yet. It'll be updated sometime this afternoon if you guys are interested. So check back later tonight if you just can't get enough Cursed. :D
Cursed
By cALLIEfornia BENches
Chapter 8: Failed Attempts
12 years ago
Bella Swan loved middle school.
She would never admit it out loud, but she did. She loved all the different classes and all the different teachers—everything. To be honest, she always felt a little suffocated when all throughout elementary school. It was too much time with one teacher, with too many kids in one little classroom.
It was just too much.
But she couldn't wait to get to school every morning when she woke up. And that included this morning. She threw her backpack over her shoulder and glanced in the mirror once last time before she left. Her hair was finally growing out after a bad haircut by her mother. It had been choppy and up to her shoulders, but finally it was down to the middle of her shoulder blades.
If only she could get it to cooperate, she thought as she absently ran a hand over her haystack of brown locks. She sighed, frustrated, and debated whether to throw it all into a ponytail, but the call of her mother made her stop.
"Bella!" Renee called from her place at the table with Edward's mother, Elizabeth. "Are you almost ready?"
"Yeah, Mom! I'll be right down!" she shouted back, ultimately deciding that a ponytail wasn't worth the effort today. She bounded down the stairs, skipping the last step to the landing. She stopped halfway down the stairs when the voices of her mother and Renee rang up from the kitchen.
"Oh, I know," Elizabeth was saying. "I totally agree."
Bella was silent, not wanting them to hear her eavesdropping.
"I just can't wait until they grow up and out of this little feud they seem to have. They'd make the cutest couple, Liz. But I just hope it's soon. With the way you're raising little Edward, he and his gentlemanly ways will be snatched up quicker than sales on the day after Thanksgiving. I don't want Bella to miss out," Renee stated with a laugh.
"And the second Miss Bella grows into herself—which should be any day now with the way she's been growing lately—the boys will be lining up at the door. Charlie's going to have to beat them off with a bat." The women laughed heartily, imagining Charlie stepping dramatically onto the front porch and cocking his gun at an impossibly long line of teenage boys. "I just can't wait until we're finally in-laws. Can you imagine the wedding we'll get to plan? It'll be so exciting." Liz sighed.
Bella couldn't help the gasp that rose from her lips. Her and Edward? Were they talking about the same Edward she knew? The mean, nasty one that loved nothing more than to torture her? Why would they make a cute couple?
"It's just so hard," Renee said soberly, "I hate that they hate each other. My daughter and my best friend's son are nothing less than mortal enemies. How am I supposed to deal with that? It's kind of a pain, having to worry about the two of them in the same room together for longer than three minutes. I'd love nothing more than just to have a nice friendly get together with no screaming, shouting, or crying."
Bella heard Renee sigh, and her heart clenched. She hadn't realized the toll that her fighting with Edward had taken on her poor mother.
Maybe, Bella thought, Just maybe, I should try being friends with Edward. If it'll make my mom happy, I can at least put in a little effort. Right? She sighed, her mood crushed, as she made her way down the stairs. She didn't like the idea, but it was better than nothing. And she really did want to make her mom happy. It was just going to be hard.
"Hey, sweetie," Renee greeted her daughter as she walked into the kitchen.
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Elizabeth," Bella said. She made her way over to the table where her mom and Elizabeth were sitting, and kissed both of the women on the cheeks before heading to the pantry for a quick breakfast.
"You almost ready for school?" Renee asked.
"I'm ready," Bella said as she unwrapped a granola bar.
In the mornings, all three Masens and Bella carpooled to school. Today was Renee's day, which is why Elizabeth had situated herself at the kitchen table. She had to have brought the kids over. Where they were right now, though, was a mystery.
But, as though they could read her mind, the front door burst open and Alice, Emmett, and Edward came into the house. Their bags were already in the car, they were just waiting for Renee and their mom to stop chatting. Bella wondered if they had heard the conversation she just had.
Indeed they had, but they had agreed not to mention it. Edward, a little immature for his age, still wasn't a big fan of the female population. Sure, they weren't as bad as elementary school, but it was like a person after they've just gotten over the flu—they were still a little contagious, and Edward didn't want to risk getting to close.
Alice immediately made her way over to Bella and hugged her tightly, excited to get to school today. Jasper Whitlock, Emmett's best friend, had suddenly lost his cooties. And Alice couldn't get enough of him. Emmett gave her a hard time, but it didn't matter to her. He may not have known it yet, but she sure did: they would end up together. Alice didn't know when, she just knew it would happen. She couldn't wait to see him again.
Usually, he spent his weekends at the house. But he and his family had gone out of town for the weekend, and Alice had missed him. Yes, she knew it sounded pathetic, especially considering she didn't think he saw her as anything other than Emmett's pesky little sister, but she knew one day he'd realize it. It was only a matter of time.
"Good morning," Alice said with a smile, prancing over to Renee and kissing her cheek.
"Hello there, Alice," Renee said. "And you too, boys."
"Hi, Renee," they chimed in unison.
"Did you guys put your things in the car?" she asked, standing from her place at the table for the first time since Charlie had left for work earlier that morning. She just needed to refill her coffee, and she'd be ready to go.
A few affirmatives rang through the air; Bella was the only one that hadn't.
"Why don't you go wait in the car for me? I'll be out in a minute."
The four kids made their way toward the front door. Emmett, always the gentleman, opened and held the door for his younger siblings. He even considered Bella to be one of his siblings. Hell, she was over with Alice enough that she may as well have been adopted.
Emmett, too, was excited to get to school. He was determined to win over the new girl, Rosalie Hale. She was the prettiest girl Emmett had ever laid eyes on. Her blonde hair practically glowed in the sunlight, and her eyes were an uncanny shade of blue. But that wasn't just what had Emmett interested. Though it wouldn't be hard to get him to admit that her looks was what originally attracted him, her feisty personality was a huge turn on.
Sure, Emmett had had his fair share of girlfriends over the years. But they had all been the same when it came to personality. They'd simply been amazed at Emmett's muscles and done nothing but talk about their hair and how they couldn't wait until they could get married. The first time, Emmett had freaked out. But, as time when on, he found that girls tended to do that. At least, they had up until they got into high school. They may have just realized that it was terrifying to guys, but as long as they stopped planning his future with them, Emmett didn't mind.
But this Rosalie… she was the epitome of the perfect woman. So, unfortunately, the entire male population of the high school was after her, too. Emmett had yet to find a way to stand out, but he figured luck was on his side when he got five of his six classes with her. Two of which, they sat relatively close.
She had this holier-than-thou attitude, and for some reason Emmett couldn't stay away from it. She wasn't easily charmed—he had tried, and she just laughed at him and walked away with her friends.
She had only been there two weeks, and already she was the queen of the school. What wasn't to love?
But Emmett had a plan today. He was going to completely ignore her. Everyone was so eager to talk to the Rosalie Hale. Maybe she would take notice if he pretended she didn't exist. And then, he thought with a grin, why, then, she'd be his.
He noticed Edward hang back by his side. Though it could border on annoying sometimes, Emmett thought it was pretty cool that his little brother looked up to him so much.
"Thanks, Em," Bella said as she passed by me. "Hi, Edward."
All three of the Masens' mouths dropped open simultaneously. Did Bella really just acknowledge Edward civilly?
"Uhm… hi? H-Hi, Isabella." If he hadn't been so stunned, Edward may have been able to respond like a normal human would have. But it was the first time she had ever been nice to him. Or, at least, the only time he remembered.
But she kept on walking as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. So what choice were they left with? Emmett and Edward exchanged looks before heading out to the car behind the girls, a silent question passed between them. And neither knew the answer.
Edward was torn. Part of him, the rational part, told him that he couldn't even remember why he didn't like Isabella in the first place. So why couldn't they be friends? But the other part, the dominant one, was arguing that she was annoying and stupid, just like all the other girls. It didn't matter that he had known her for a long time. That didn't change anything.
Did it?
He shook his head back and forth, unable to make a complete decision on how to act around her now. Was that a truce? Were they friends now? What was going on?
"Dude," Emmett whispered from behind him. "Stop over thinking things. It won't get you anywhere, man."
Emmett couldn't help but feel hypocritical as he watched his little bro struggle over the right reaction to little Bella's random act of kindness. Here he was, telling Edward not to over think things when not two minutes ago he was thinking of his ridiculous plan to get a girl to notice him. Not to mention he had been thinking about it ever since she graced the school with her presence.
"Shotgun!" Emmett shouted as he sprinted passed the girls and to the front of Renee's SUV. On the days his mom drove, he usually got to drive them to school and then drive himself to the high school—all with his mom in the car, of course—but Renee, though she was legally allowed to be the 'adult' in the car, was slightly afraid of teenage drivers. She didn't trust them as far as she could throw them.
So Emmett settled for shotgun on the days Renee drove. He pulled open the door and closed it behind him as the three other kids got into the car.
"So guess what Mom told us today?" Alice said as she climbed into the car after Bella. Usually, Alice took the middle between Edward and Bella, but today Bella insisted on sitting in the middle. Again, Edward was startled, but didn't say anything. He focused on what Alice was saying.
"What?" Bella asked.
"She said that Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle are going to be moving to Seattle. For good!" Alice squealed and Edward fought the urge to put his hands over his ears. Alice's squeal was something that, even with twelve years of experience, he would never get used to.
Bella smiled. "Really? That's so exciting. When are they coming?"
"In a few months," Alice replied. "They're going to live a little closer to the city than we do, but we'll be within driving distance, nevertheless. I can't wait. Esme's the coolest aunt out there, I swear. I told you her and Carlisle went to South Africa last summer to help out with building some houses and schools for the kids down there? And she brought me back this gorgeous dress that she said was handmade by a girl who was my age. My age. Can you imagine being that good at something at age twelve?
"I haven't gotten the chance to wear it yet. It's sitting in the back of my closet. I'm afraid that if I wear it, though, that I'll ruin it. And it's so special. I have to wait for the perfect occasion to wear it."
Edward toned Alice out, as he usually did when she got started on fashion. But he did agree with her on one thing, though. Carlisle and Esme were like the parents that every kid wishes they had, but can't ever have because of some genetic flaw in the system. It's like adults lose the cool gene the second they have a kid.
Carlisle had gotten Edward started on his car collection. Not real cars, of course—though he had helped Edward out with a fund for his first car—but model cars. As long as Edward could remember, he'd loved cars. Especially the expensive ones. But since he obviously couldn't afford that, Carlisle got him model cars. He had brought Edward model cars from Japan, Germany, and all the other super car manufacturing countries. Of course, Edward had a few here and there from his own buying, but they weren't nearly as cool as the ones Carlisle got for him.
Emmett loved Carlisle and Esme as well. He and Carlisle had a particularly close bond. He was the one that Emmett went to for "the talk." Emmett's dad, Edward Sr., would have been fine, but Carlisle had that special touch.
Emmett already knew how everything… worked… from school, but around the end of freshman year, Emmett had his first serious girlfriend. Carlisle sat him down and, as coolly as possible, said not to be stupid, handed him a Costco-sized pack of condoms, and told him to stay out of trouble.
End of conversation.
Emmett chuckled outwardly as he recalled the memory.
The sound of a slamming door brought him out of his memory, though, as Renee put her coffee mug into the cup holder and turned the car on. They pulled out of the driveway and waved to Elizabeth as she headed back to their house.
Bella was trying hard.
By saying hello earlier that morning and sitting next to him on the way to school, she was hoping to convey the message that she didn't want to fight anymore and that maybe they could be friends.
And, although he wasn't being outwardly mean to her, he wasn't going out of his way to be nice, either. He still ignored her in the halls and at lunch, but at least he wasn't making fun of her or anything like that.
She couldn't expect a complete one-eighty after only a few hours, but she figured this was progress. Anything would do at this point.
Bella made her way to her locker and spun the combination easily, opening it as if she had done it all her life. To be honest, her mom had bought her a lock to practice on before school started so she wouldn't have a problem. Needless to say, she ended up being extremely useful on the first day of school.
She swapped a few books and made her way to the last period of the day, math.
She had this class with Edward, of course. She had all of her classes with Edward. She wasn't sure what stupid twist of fate had done that, but it was getting old. They had been in the same class together since Kindergarten. Fortunately, in elementary school, they didn't like to separate twins, so Alice was in the classes as well. But middle school was different. She had all of her classes with Edward, and none with Alice. She only got to see her at lunch.
Bella sighed, blowing her bangs up as she made her way through the sea of people to the classroom. No, she chastised herself. You want to be friends with Edward, remember?
She put on a determined face as she entered the classroom. The only people there were Edward and a few of his friends and two other girls that Bella got along well with. As she passed Edward's group, she smiled.
"Hi, Edward," she said simply before making her way to her desk in the back.
"Oooh," one of his friends said. "Looks like Eddie's got a girlfriend."
"It's Edward," he snapped, "And she's definitely not my girlfriend."
Bella's face flamed as she started unpacking materials, waiting for the teacher to get back from wherever he was so class could start. In the short amount of time since she had entered, the classroom had filled up a little more.
"She sure looks like it, Ed. I think she likes you. Eddie's got a girlfriend, Eddie's got a girlfriend," another one of his friends started chanting. The rest of the boys quickly joined in.
"Eddie's got a girlfriend, Eddie's got a girlfriend."
"Shut up!" Edward said, angrily. His cheeks were turning red in embarrassment and fury. He couldn't get them to stop talking. At this rate, everyone was going to think that he and Isabella were going steady. And they weren't. They wouldn't. He wouldn't let it happen, and he had to let it be known.
"Eddie's got a girlfriend, Eddie's got a girlfriend, Eddie's got a girlfriend."
"Stop it!" he shouted. "She's not my girlfriend! I don't even like her! She's just an annoying little girl. Why would I want to date that? If I was going to date anyone, I would at least make sure it was someone pretty. Leave it alone, okay? I told you, I can't stand her."
The look on Bella's face made Edward immediately regret what he said. She looked near tears. But there was no way he could take it back now. He didn't want to deal with all the jokes that his friends would make about him as soon as they found out he might actually like her. He would just try apologizing later.
Bella fought the urge to run out of the room. How could he be so cruel? She had never been so mean to him. Ever. And yet he just found the need to go and humiliate her in front of a classroom full of people?
She buried her head in her hands and let a few tears stray loose, quickly catching them with the palms of her hand before anyone saw.
"Are you okay?" one of the girls that Bella knew as Angela asked calmly.
Bella shook her head, but still answered, "I'm fine."
"Okay," she said. "But if you need someone to talk to, you can come to me."
Bella nodded her head. "Thanks."
She wiped her eyes furiously, not wanting the teacher—or anyone else for that matter—to see that she had been weak enough to let Edward Masen make her cry. She was sure her eyes were red, but there wasn't anything she could do about that.
Angela pushed over some eye drops to Bella's desk. "If you want them," Angela said with a small smile.
"Thanks, Angela." She took the eye drops and dropped a few into her eyes, letting the small burn sting through her eye. She set them down back on Angela's desk.
Biting her lip, she risked a glance at Edward, whose friends had finally quieted down. He was staring back at her, a sad look on his face. It was almost as if he was trying to apologize. Bella furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms angrily. He would not be forgiven that easily. He would have a lot of groveling to do before she could ever consider being friends with him again.
Would it ever happen? It was possible, she thought. But not right now. Right now, he'd have to grow up. Until then, she and Edward Masen were definitely not friends. They were not even acquaintances.
Not in the slightest.
A/N: I won't lie, I'm not a big fan of this chapter. It wasn't hard to write, per se (hahaha. Has anyone seen that South Park with the vamps? I can't say 'Per se' without thinking of that episode anymore. Haha), but it just wasn't fun. It was just… meh. Whatever. I didn't think it was bad, just not my favorite. Just wait a few more chapters. That's when we get to the good stuff.
A lot of you didn't like the fact that Tanya and Edward were going to sleep together. So Ben and I had a long talk… a really long one… and figured out a way around it. It was kind of important to the plot, but our plots are irrelevant if we don't have any readers. So you'll have to see how that plays out next chapter. :)
PS, our next update will be a double chapter! Actually, it's like a chapter and a half, but we couldn't post them together. Haha. Keep an eye out.
See you next Tuesday,
cALLIEfornia BENches
