Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all of its beautiful characters. This story is loosely based off of plot lines from the original Beverly Hills, 90210 TV series. I have taken many liberties with them. No infringement is intended to any media franchise. The remainder is my original work.
Chapter 9
"Sentenced to Life"
Guilt. That was the only label that suited the intense emotion pulling me under, shoving me towards a full blown panic attack. A car accident—my sister was in a fucking accident and it was all my fault. As my mind frantically raced to grasp the severity of the situation, I heard myself ask Bella for a ride, my body on auto-pilot. She tugged me out the door and we were on our way before I had time to process what was happening.
Between us, our hands laid clasped together on the bench seat of her ancient truck. She squeezed my hand in tender reassurance as we barreled down the quiet, residential street that had quickly become home to me.
"Where are they exactly?" she asked, her voice shaking with nerves and a touch of her own guilt over the circumstances.
"Not too far. It sounds like they're right where Cold Water Canyon splits off of Beverly," I replied robotically as I motioned for her to turn right onto Cold Water Canyon Drive.
"You may have to direct me when we get closer. I don't know this neighborhood very well."
I nodded mutely and an anxious silence enveloped us as we made our way down the twisty road.
I squinted into the bright glare of the setting sun, trying in vain to watch for any sign of Alice or Rose. I used my free hand to shield my eyes from the flickers of blinding light as we rounded the curves and made our way down the Beverly Hills. Bella was craning her neck to sit up straight, attempting to hide behind the truck's rickety old visor.
"Can you go any faster?" I whined desperately.
"I'm sorry. I'm trying. The sun is blinding me, and this truck doesn't stop very quickly going downhill."
I wanted to scream every time she had to pause at a stop sign, the short drive seeming to take hours to accomplish. I felt numb and panicked all at the same time. My heart was still in my throat from the unexpected phone call, and I knew I wouldn't get a grip on my emotions until I could see with my own eyes that Alice was okay.
A loud, sudden blaring of a horn caused me to jump as Bella slammed on her breaks. An older man in a black Mercedes yelled obscenities out his window and flipped us off as he plowed through the intersection that Bella almost ran. My heart was pounding in my chest from the close call.
Bella was close to tears as she looked over at me in alarm, "I'm so sorry! I couldn't see the stop sign."
Mere moments later, I spotted the flashing emergency lights of my old silver Volvo up on an embankment in the distance. At the late twilight hour of the day it was difficult to make out much detail, but there didn't appear to be any other vehicles involved.
Bella slowed her truck to a crawl as we approached the scene of the accident. She made a careful u-turn and pulled up behind the car, which I could now distinguish, was wrapped around a tree. I was out of the truck and running to Alice before Bella had even come to a complete stop. I scooped up my sister into a tight hug, squishing her to my chest, reassuring myself that she was all right.
"I was so scared," I sighed into her hair. When I heard a distinct sniffle, I pulled back just enough to see her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and swimming with unshed tears.
"Sorry…so sorry…shouldn't have…all my fault…gonna be so upset," she mumbled incoherently into my shirt between shuddering sobs. My protective, brotherly instincts kicked in and I wrapped my arms more securely around her and shushed away her worries.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt at all?" I asked, taking a step back to examine her small frame.
"No, I'm fine. Nothing hurts."
"How about you? Are you hurt?" I directed at Rose, who was clutching Bella, looking just as scared as Alice and maybe even a little ill.
"I'm okay," she replied in a small voice.
"So what happened?" I asked after determining that neither of them was in need of medical attention.
Alice peered up at me looking ashamed and swallowed hard before launching into her explanation. "Um, I was distracted. I lost control coming around the corner and popped the curb and then hit the tree. I tried to stop in time, but it was too late." She swiped at her watery eyes. "I'm so sorry, Edward. I didn't mean to wreck your car. Please don't be mad at me. I'll tell mom and dad that it was all my fault."
Rose came to stand beside her, presenting a united front, as if I would have put up any argument after willingly handing over my keys to my sister. "It was an accident, Edward. There were headlights approaching quickly behind us, and we got a little scared. Royce saw me leaving the restaurant, and he ran out to the parking lot after me. I thought he might be following us. We both kind of freaked out… and then it all just happened so fast. I'm so sorry. Please don't be mad at Alice. This is all because of me. I shouldn't have gone out with that dickhead in the first place. She was just trying to help me out."
"He followed you?" I raged. All three girls' eyes widened at my lethal tone. "Fuck. I'm such an idiot. I never should have let you go alone. He could've…" I couldn't even finish the thought I was so disgusted with myself.
"It's okay, Edward. You were just a little distracted. It's not like I asked you to drive me," Alice reassured, attempting to relieve me of my surmounting guilt, but in actuality having the opposite effect.
My eyes flicked to Bella who had her head down anxiously studying her clasped hands but was unable to hide her flushed cheeks even in the dim evening light. I sighed and nodded my acquiescence at my sister, frustrated with my own poor decision making but not wanting to upset the girls anymore. The situation at hand was stressful enough without adding more to it.
I stepped away from the group to call for a tow truck. Since there were no other vehicles involved in the accident, and reporting it would negatively affect Alice's future ability to obtain a license I decided against calling the police. The dispatcher from the towing company told me there would be someone on scene in twenty to thirty minutes to help us with the car. After taking care of the tow truck, I braced myself for the next phone call I had to make.
"Hello?" his deep voice sounded through my cell phone.
"Dad? It's Edward." I chose my next words carefully, hoping to avoid any unnecessary panic. "Listen, everyone is okay, but there's been an accident... Alice was in a car accident."
"A car accident? Where are you? Is anyone injured?"
As calmly as possible, I explained to my dad what had happened. I heard him whisper a few details to my mom, but for the most part he remained eerily quiet as I recounted the events of the evening to him.
"I want you to have the car towed back to the house. I'll deal with it tomorrow. You will both go straight home as soon as the tow truck leaves. Your mother and I are on our way. We'll talk when we get home," he instructed in an authoritative manner.
"Yes, sir," I squeaked out, already dreading the pending chastisement.
"Very good. And, Edward?"
"Yes?"
"I love you, son. Take care of your sister." The emotion in his voice caused my throat to constrict painfully.
"I will. Love you, too." I disconnected the call and walked back over to where the girls were huddled. Just as I sidled up between Alice and Bella to wait for the tow truck, my phone rang.
Glancing at it, I murmured, "It's Emmett," before answering.
"Hello."
"Eddie! Just wanted to see how the date was going. You made a move yet?" he teased. My insides warmed for the first time since Alice's phone call that changed the course of the evening. I smiled involuntarily and chanced a glance at Bella's lovely profile next to me as I recalled the sweet tension that had hung in the air between us, the way her small, warm hand had fit so perfectly into mine. The curious looks the girls were casting me brought me back to the grim circumstances we currently found ourselves in.
"Hey, Em. Listen, now's not really a good time. Can I call you back later? Alice and Rose were in an accident tonight, and we're waiting for a tow right now."
"Fuck. An accident! Are they okay? How's Rosie? I thought she was on a date with that college asshole tonight."
My eyes slid up to meet Rose's expectant ones. "Uh, yeah, she was. It's kind of a long story, but they're okay."
"Good, good. I'll let you go, but call me later when you have everything settled. 'Kay?"
"Yeah."
"Cool. Take care, man."
"Bye."
I'd hardly disconnected the call when Rose's phone beeped with a new text message. She smiled softly as she read it, and I knew without needing to ask that it was Emmett checking up on her. He wore his heart on his sleeve where she was concerned. It was obvious to everyone—except Rose—that he was in love with her.
I wrapped a comforting arm around my sister's shoulders as we waited quietly in a tense circle, each of fretting over the consequences of the situation. Bella wrapped her arms around her middle and nervously toed at the ground while Rose anxiously shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back again. Alice laid her head on my shoulder and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.
"So… did you guys at least have fun tonight?" my sister asked unabashedly as she peered up at me with a gentle smile, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.
Bella's head popped up at the question, and I delighted in the hint of joy I felt at the way she looked so eager to hear my answer. I grinned as I reached my free hand over to hold one of hers, relishing in the new found level of closeness between us.
"Yeah, we had a great time... or at least I did," I said, answering my sister but staring directly into Bella's eyes. I chuckled at Alice and Rose's collective 'aww' as they took in our clasped hands and Bella's contented smile.
Flashing orange emergency lights advancing in the distance pulled me from the tender moment as the tow truck finally arrived on scene. I approached the driver and introduced myself after he climbed down from his truck. He immediately went to work assessing the situation and setting up a series of cables and pulleys to lift the wreckage up onto the bed of the truck.
As my car was pulled away from the tree, I could see that there was definite damage to the frame. The front of the car was crunched in, the bumper bent at an odd angle, both headlights busted, and the hood rumpled in. I only hoped that it could be repaired and wouldn't be a total loss.
When the car was secured and ready to go, I elected to ride with the driver back to our house since only three people could fit in the cab of Bella's truck. The girls followed slowly behind us as we made our way back up the winding hills.
The three of them stood in the front yard watching and waiting as I settled the insurance paperwork with the tow truck driver. After he departed, I approached them knowing that I needed to cut our evening short.
"Our parents are on their way, so…"
"Yeah, we'll get out of your hair," Rose replied somberly. "Thank you for everything, and good luck with the parentals. For what it's worth, I really am sorry."
"It's not your fault," I replied with sincerity. She nodded dismissively and gave both of the girls a hug before pivoting on her heel and heading over to her car.
Bella embraced Alice and said goodnight, before turning to me with a tentative smile. My sister quietly disappeared into the house, leaving us to awkwardly fumble through our parting in private. I ran a nervous hand over my face as I tried to come up with something brilliant to say, not wanting the memory of this evening to be completely marred.
Taking an uncertain step forward, I addressed Bella, "I'm sorry our evening was ruined, but I really did have a great time hanging out with you. I hope we can do it again… soon." She bit her plump bottom lip trying to contain her smile and nodded demurely.
"I'd like that," she assured.
I reached out to her, tenderly tracing the back of my fingers from her shoulder down the length of her slender arm until my palm was pressed flat against hers. I took another step closer, bringing my other hand to hers as well. With our fingers entwined, palms pressed, chests heaving with anticipation, I leaned forward and softly placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead.
"Bonsoir, mon petit chou," I whispered against her cheek.
Her sudden intake of breath left me smiling against her, my lips so close to where I wanted them to be. She caught me by surprise when she used our clasped hands as leverage, squeezing tightly she stretched up to leave a peck on my right cheek. My face automatically turned into hers, feeling her warmth, breathing her in.
The headlights of my father's car pulling into the driveway caused us to jump apart for the second time in as many hours.
Bella shot me a shy smile as she murmured, "I should get going. Night."
"Drive safe!" I called after her, feeling irrationally protective of her after the scare of the accident.
After Bella had pulled away from the house, I entered the house ready to face the music. My parents were just walking in from the garage as I quietly closed the front door behind me. Their faces were both clouded with warring emotions ranging from concern, fear, anger and relief.
My dad signaled for me to follow him into the living room, but before I could get my feet to move, I felt my shoulders slouch in defeat and heard a despondent chorus of 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry' pour from my lips. I had finally caved against the intense wave of guilt that started building the moment I'd handed Alice my keys. Instantly I was engulfed in the comforting arms of my mother, her wet cheek pressed tightly against mine. I heard her whispering maternal words of love and reassurance to me.
I pulled back to see my dad and sister in a very similar embrace—momma's boy and daddy's girl. It had been that way our entire lives. I didn't know if it was a twin thing, complementing personalities, or perhaps just the way things worked out when you had both a son and a daughter, but my mom had always been my comfort and my dad my role model.
We convened in the living room, and I was resigned to accept whatever punishment they felt was fitting. Alice sidled up next to me on the couch, sniffling and swiping at her stray tears. My dad sat directly across from us in one of the club chairs, while my mom tucked herself on the other side of Alice and wrapped her arms around her in an attempt to calm her.
"Well, I'm glad that everyone is okay. You scared the hell out of us. Your mother was a nervous wreck on the drive home. Now, who's going to tell me what the hell happened?" Dad started.
I started to clear my throat to find my voice, but Alice beat me to it.
"It was my fault, Daddy, all my fault. Rose called me for a ride, and I convinced Edward to give me his keys."
"You don't even have your license!" he roared, his anger finally getting the best of him. "Do you realize the kind of trouble you could have been—hell, that we could have been in—if you would have hit another car?"
"And you," he yelled, redirecting his anger at me, "what in god's name were you thinking giving your sister your keys? What if she would have been hurt…or worse?" His eyes began to well up with fear, unable to give voice to the worst case scenario.
I swallowed past the lump in my own throat and held eye contact with him as I nodded and accepted responsibility for my actions. "I have no excuse. It was stupid, and I'm so sorry."
"Well, you're both grounded…for eternity…with no car privileges." He paused to give me a hard look. "It looks like it very well might be totaled anyway, but if it's not you'll have to figure out a way to pay the insurance co-pay for the repairs out of your own pocket. You need to learn responsibility. I entrusted you with that car, and you didn't take care of it. It was your responsibility to prevent anyone else from driving it. If you want it back, you'll have to figure out how to juggle a job with school and all of your extracurricular activities."
Turning to Alice, he continued, "And you will not be getting your license until you are eighteen. No ifs, ands, or buts. You will retake driver's education and training. Driving is serious business. Your life and the lives of others around you are at stake every time you get behind that wheel. You're clearly not ready for that yet."
After another twenty minutes of lecturing, which Alice and I endured in obedient silence in a feeble attempt to lessen the severity of our punishment, we quietly made up the stairs to sulk in the privacy of our bedrooms.
"Guess I'll go call Jasper and let him know I won't be able to go out with him tomorrow," Alice muttered with sad eyes before turning to enter her room, clearly destroyed that she would have to postpone her first real date with him.
That night and the rest of the weekend crept by at snail's pace. I yearned for Monday and the reprieve that a day at school would offer. My dad was pissed, and he took advantage of every opportunity to remind us of the fact. My mom coddled us, still reeling with the horrid possibilities and outcomes had the accident been any worse.
Monday morning found me in the front seat of my mom's car with my knee bouncing in anticipation, while my sister sat in the back texting and grinning at her phone.
"Eager for school, are we?" my mom asked with a knowing smile dancing on her lips.
"Well we are grounded 'for eternity,'" I said using air quotations, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I repeated my dad's words.
"Your father will lighten up soon enough. He was just scared. You kids are our whole world, whether you realize it or not."
"I know… and I deserve his punishment or worse." My mom reached over and patted my knee.
"Do you still have plans to study with Bella after school today?"
My eyes widened comically at her question. "Is that even allowed?" I asked, ever hopeful.
"I don't see why not. You made a commitment to help her and it should be upheld. I think Alice should stay with the two of you, though. Keep it to studying only, this is not a social call."
"Okay. I'm not sure if she has to work tonight or not. I'll call and let you know if we need a ride."
"Sounds fair. Have a good day kids."
Alice and I approached our friends loitering on the front steps of the main building at school. Emmett had his arm slung around Rose, who was tucked securely into his side with a content smile on her face. Ben was standing behind Angela, his arms wrapped her waist and his chin on her shoulder whispering in her ear. Bella and Jasper were both leaning against the stair railing, Bella positioned a couple steps above him so that they were standing shoulder to shoulder. They were chatting happily with matching grins on their faces. They looked good together—really good—and I felt of a pang of jealousy as we approached.
Of course my irrational jealousy was unfounded and instantly put at ease by Bella's breathtaking smile the moment we locked eyes. I hardly noticed Jasper whoosh by me as he whisked Alice off her feet, spun her around, and dipped down to her level in a very public, very enthusiastic first kiss. My eyes remained trained on Bella as she giggled at the sight, she mesmerized me.
"Sorry about that. I couldn't wait a second longer," Jasper stated with a thrilled smirk after he had detached his lips from my sister. I shook my head, chuckling, and chose to ignore the spectacle they were making.
I assumed Jasper's abandoned position on the step in front of Bella. My heart threatening to pound out of my chest as I took in the way her thin, short sleeved, red sweater clung to her lovely body, highlighting her supple curves. Her hair was down, falling past her shoulders in shiny, bouncy curls. Her skin appeared brighter, her eyes somehow bigger, and her lips more plump than usual.
My gaze fell to her delicate hands that were clutching the steel railing next to where her hips leaned against it. My heart sped as I recalled the way her hand had felt encased in mine on Friday night. I glanced back up into her eyes, which were level with my own for once.
"Hi," she breathed with a coy smile, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Bonjour, mon petit chou," I replied, giving her what I hoped was a sexy smile.I glimpsed down at her hand next to mine, wondering if it would be okay to hold it again. Last time we were alone, but now anyone at school would be able to see. I craved the feel of her and the closeness that the simple act would bring, but I didn't want to push her too far too fast. I settled for parroting her position, leaning against the railing beside her, allowing my fingers to ghost over hers before I pressed the side of my hand firmly against hers as I grasped the railing.
As our friends' conversations swelled around us, I noticed her peering down at our hands where they were pressed together, and then—ever so slowly—her pinky caressed the top of my fingers and then linked with mine. I stood there with a stupid, happy grin as she held my pinky.
"Dude?" I heard Emmett crow in question, bringing me back to the group surrounding us.
"Huh?" I asked, unsure of what he was talking about.
"No car?"
"Oh… yeah… no car."
"Oh, no. Is it totaled?" Bella inquired.
"Um, I don't know yet, but my folks want me to pay the damages if it can be repaired, so it's gonna be a while."
"That sucks, man."
"Aww, I'm so sorry."
"Dude, that blows."
I shrugged at the round of sympathies thrown at me, not feeling the least bit deserving of them.
"I'll pay half," my sister suddenly spoke up, sounding resolved.
"No, you don't—"
"Yes, I do," she interrupted. "I was the one driving. It was my idea, my fault. Let me do this." I saw the raw sincerity and guilt shining in her eyes and nodded my consent.
About the time that we all fell back into lighter conversation, the first bell rang indicating it was time to start heading to our separate classes. As we gathered our backpacks and started to part ways, none other than Lauren and Jessica walked past us.
"Morning," Jessica called out in a sing-song voice blatantly looking Jasper up and down at the same time. Alice reacted immediately, tugging him away from the group and towards the direction of her locker.
Lauren paused to leer at Bella's hand next to mine, her flirtatious smile changing immediately to a bitchy scowl. Throwing caution to the wind, I grabbed Bella's hand firmly in mine and tugged her tiny body closer to me. Her eyebrows raised in question at my bold actions until she noticed Lauren staring at us in disgust.
She shocked the hell out of me when she reached up and wound her arms around my neck twining her fingers into the hair at the nape of my neck, bringing us face to face. My arms reacted on their own accord, wrapping tightly around her waist and hugging her close. I could taste her breath and feel her warmth, making the urge to just kiss her really fucking hard to fight.
Bella smirked at me with a mischievous glint in her eye, and asked loudly, "Walk me to class, Edward?"
I bit back a smile at this devious side of her, enjoying the sight of her putting Lauren in her place for once, hoping that my attentions had something to do with this new found self-confidence.
"Always," I said just as loud, grinning against her cheek.
As soon as Lauren stalked off with an exasperated huff, Bella and I broke apart laughing.
"Damn," Rose exclaimed, alerting us that we were not alone as Rose and Emmett had apparently waited behind for me to join them on the trek to our history class.
"Marking your territory, Bella?" Emmett teased her before turning to me. "You coming, dude?"
"Um… I'll see you there. Promised to walk someone to class," I said with a wink and a smirk, chuckling when Bella's cheeks colored and she immediately reverted back from sex kitten to the shy girl that I'd come to adore.
We walked in relative silence to the end of hall of the main building where her English class was located. My pulse accelerated every time the back of her fingers brushed with mine as our hands swung freely between us. By the time we parted ways—grinning at each other until the moment she disappeared behind her classroom door—I had to sprint all the way to my class. Emmett and Rose each shot me suggestive looks as I flew into my seat a split second after the bell rang and covertly gave them the finger.
The morning passed way too slowly for my liking, seeing as all I could focus on was how much longer it would be until I got to see Bella at lunch. I wanted to find out if she had to work after school, or if I would be rewarded with some more alone time with her. Unfortunately, by the time my favorite part of the day rolled around I was running late because Coach had pulled me aside to let me know that I'd made the baseball team. I thanked him and dashed off to the courtyard to proclaim the good news to my friends.
When I was within viewing distance of our table, I noticed that kid, Seth Black, was sitting between Bella and Rose with Alice and Angela crowding close by. I slowed my pace as I tried to figure out what was going on. The girls were all talking excitedly around him, but Seth was gazing at Bella in a way that should be illegal. Ben, Jasper, Emmett and Mike were on the opposite side of the table glaring at the source of the girls' attention.
I tried to ignore the pang of hurt that shot through me when I realized Bella wasn't missing me nearly as much as I was her. I tossed my brown bagged lunch and Bella's favorite soda down on the table in front of the only empty spot and sandwiched myself between Mike and Ben. My stomach sank a little more when she didn't even look up or greet me.
"What are they talking about?" I asked no one in particular while staring purposefully down at my lunch.
"Fucking Jacob Black's movie premiere. I told them I could get tickets, but do they listen to me? Nooooo," Emmett grouched.
"Dude, I'm gonna kick his freshman ass if doesn't stop ogling Bells," Jasper threatened, to which I had to nod in agreement.
"Hello. I'm right here," Ben said sarcastically, waving his hand obnoxiously in Angela's direction.
"Chicks, I tell ya. And they say we objectify them," Mike grumbled.
"We can hear you, ya know," Alice retorted, "and you're just jealous because none of us our objectifying you right now," she finished with a triumphant smirk, earning the attention of Seth and the rest of the girls. The kid suddenly looked very uncomfortable surrounded by all the girls, with the five of us glaring at him.
"Uh, I should probably split," he said, narrowing his eyes at me. "My buddies are waiting for me. I'll call you later with the deets, Bella."
He had her phone number?
I knew I had no hold on her, no valid reason to be jealous, but I was. After Seth's departure, I remained quiet and focused on my lunch in front of me. It was irrational, but I was too irritated to look up and see Bella laughing obliviously with her girlfriends while all could think about was her. I knew she wanted time, but I was quickly realizing that waiting for her to come around was going to be harder than I thought. I couldn't even entertain the thought of what would happen if she decided she didn't want to give us a chance.
I peeked up just enough to notice that the Diet Sunkist I had bought for her, like I did every day, was still sitting in front of me. I picked it up and turned it around in my hands for a moment, before I worked up the nerve to look at her. What I saw staring back at me confounded me. Bella was chewing her bottom lip, like she did whenever she was worried or anxious, and her brow was creased in confusion. She was gazing at the can in my hands. I held it up in silent offering, and her eyes dashed up to meet mine. She looked at me in question, but of what I wasn't sure.
My eyes slid back down to my lunch as I thrust the can towards Ben. "Can you pass this to Bella, please?" I asked quietly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the white can circle half way around the table until it was in her hands. I glanced up again when I heard the familiar pop and fizz of the can opening, only to be greeted by sad, bewildered brown eyes. She swiftly looked down, avoiding my gaze, and blushed profusely. It wasn't the sweet, shy blush that I adored though. It was the humiliated blush that I'd witnessed on my first day when Jessica and Lauren were harassing her. I instantly felt like a dick for making her feel that way, but I didn't know what to say either. She was free to flirt with whoever the hell she wanted. I had no say, she wasn't mine. It didn't mean I had to like it.
I finished my lunch in a tense silence, not having much of an appetite left. I balled up my brown bag and started to stand to throw it away when Emmett got my attention.
"Hey man, did Coach talk to you yet?"
"Uh, yeah. I made the team. First string, second baseman," I replied with a forced smile.
"Sweet!"
"Congrats, dude."
I was given a round of bro hugs as the guys each offered their congratulations. My sister jumped up to give me a bouncy squeeze and squeal in support as I made my way around the table. I peered over the top of her head at Bella, who had stood unexpectedly. I walked over to her, unable to fight the urge to be near her any longer. She gave me an unsure smile and whispered her own congrats.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a hushed tone so that no one else could hear.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said just as quietly, shoving my hands in my back jeans pockets to keep myself from unconsciously reaching out to her.
"Shouldn't you be happier? I thought you were excited about playing baseball again."
"I am happy. I'm just…"
"Did I do something wrong?" she worried.
"No. Of course not." She didn't look convinced so I figured I didn't have much of choice but to try and explain my actions. "It's just… do you like him?"
"Who?"
"Seth?"
"What? No! I mean, we're friends, but I don't like him like him." She looked incredulous, as she questioned, "Oh my god. Were you jealous?"
I shrugged sheepishly in a way that clearly said 'yes, I was insane with jealousy.'
"Wow. No one has ever been jealous of me before."
"I highly doubt that."
She took a step forward, closing the space between us and placing her small hands firmly on my chest. "You know there's nothing to be jealous about, right? I said I needed some time to figure out if I wanted a romantic relationship, but you are the only guy I would want that with."
I couldn't help but smile at her confident statement. "Really?"
"Really."
"Do you have to work tonight?" I asked hopefully.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well that sucks. I'm grounded, but my mom said I could still study with you if you were available. I was hoping to spend some more time with you… I mean, assuming you didn't mind giving me a ride."
"Oh. That does suck," she replied, looking just as despondent about it as I felt. "Hey, what if I give you a lift home?"
"Do you have time for that?"
"Sure. You live so close to the library anyway. It's perfect."
After lunch we walked together to Journalism. Bella spent most of the class reviewing outlines and drafts from other students and helping Ben sort through the hundreds of photos he had taken for the next monthly publication. Even though I didn't exactly enjoy sharing her with the other students, I admired her dedication and poise when she was in her element.
"What class do you have next?" I asked her as we packed up our things after the bell rang.
"Anatomy and Physiology."
"Well, may I walk you to class?" I offered.
"You may, but it's just across the hall," she giggled.
"Anatomy, huh?" I asked, heavy on the innuendo, as we made the three steps across the hall together.
"Behave and get to class," she replied, giving my arm a playful shove.
"I'll see you in French, mon petit chou."
"What does that mean?" she asked suspiciously. I just laughed as turned in the direction of my calculus class.
When eighth period rolled around, I waited outside the classroom for Bella, who greeted me with a gorgeous smile when she arrived. I opened the door and held it for her as I ushered her in. We took our usual seats, and Bella took advantage of the teacher not being in the room yet to organize her notes and prepare for the one class that she still struggled with.
I tried not to distract her as I gazed at the back of her head, admiring the way her mahogany tresses cascaded over her shoulders in shiny waves. I could just make the alluring curve of her tapered waist through the open back of her chair. A glimpse of ivory skin peeked out at me just above the waistline of her jeans.
"I love when you wear your hair down," I said absently as my hand reached out to stroke the length of it. I thrilled in the feeling of it silky smooth and inexplicably soft. The gentle movement released the scent of her shampoo into the air around us, the sweet fragrance of tropical flowers and coconut drifting over me. She was my own personal paradise.
A soft moan from Bella reminded me that I was still caressing her hair. I stilled my hand for a moment, concerned that I was pushing an unspoken boundary. I leaned forward just enough to catch a glimpse of the expression on her face and get a read on how this was affecting her. Her eyes appeared hooded and heavy, her demeanor tranquil, and her lips were parted in the most inviting way.
My motionless hand must have drawn her attention, because she suddenly turned her head bringing our faces within mere inches of each other. She looked at me skeptically, having caught me red handed staring at her plump lips in a lustful haze. I knew I had to recover and quickly with a valid excuse as to why I was invading her personal space again.
"Um…" I fumbled. "I just wanted to tell you—"
"Etudiants d'attention! Calme s'il vous plait. Are we ready to begin?" Madame Wand called out as strolled into the room, cutting me off and forcing me to lean back into my own seat. I felt like an idiot, but at least I was spared the embarrassment of gawking at her like a lovesick fool.
When the teacher began to pass back handouts from the front of the room, Bella spun in her seat to face me looking at me in concern.
"You okay?" she whispered. I nodded and took the papers from her turning to pass them to the girl behind me. She winked at me as I handed the stack to her, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. When I turned to face forward Bella was smirking at me with raised eyebrows.
"Another fan?" she mouthed, to which I playfully tapped the back of her head with my handout. I saw her shoulders shake in silence as she controlled her laughter.
I tore a single sheet of lined paper out of my notebook and scribbled a teasing note to her in one simple word.
Jealous?
I tapped her shoulder lightly to garner her attention, and then shoved the folded note into her left hand that was hanging loosely at her side. I saw her shake her head as she unfolded and read the note. A moment later the same piece of paper appeared on my desktop.
No. I believe YOU were the one with the jealousy issue today.
She made a valid point. Her note was finished off with a little smiley face sticking its tongue out. I gave her smiley a bowtie and top hat and shoved the note back in her hand with my reply.
I am sorry about lunch. Truly. Je suis désolé.
Already forgiven and forgotten.
Tu es dans toutes mes pensées.
You know I don't know what that means, right?
Oui.
Doesn't it seem a little wrong that my French tutor is distracting me by passing notes during class?
Seems fair enough to me. You distract me by simply breathing.
I never did get a reply to my last note, but I kept up trend the next day and the day after that. Bella and I grew closer and closer as our one-liners turned into short paragraphs that soon morphed into beautiful letters we exchanged between classes. Bella quickly became my best friend. I felt like I could tell her absolutely anything.
The progression of our physical relationship stalled at holding hands, hugs, and a few platonic pecks on the cheek and forehead. I was reeling to take the next step with her, but the fear of screwing up and pushing her away kept me from making my move.
She'd also volunteered to start driving Alice and me to and from school, claiming that we were on the way for her so it was not big deal. I hated to put her out, but the extra few minutes of precious time with her was too good to pass up. After a few days, Jasper caught on to the idea of additional alone time and started doing the same for Alice, leaving Bella and me to have a few moments each day to talk about anything and everything. It was the only high point to being grounded and losing my car. I hoped that the closer we got she would begin to lower some of her carefully constructed walls and finally let me in. I knew there were things about her that she still wasn't telling me, and I had a feeling a lot of it was the source of her hesitancy to move forward in a relationship.
After baseball practice began, the days started to fly by. I met with Bella after school for tutoring sessions every day that I didn't have practice or she didn't have to work, which was becoming few and far between. Playing ball was fulfilling, but it took up a lot of my free time. It felt good to be part of team and contributing in a positive way again though.
Days turned into weeks, but my parents never relented on the strict grounding they had implemented so I was caught off guard when I came home from a particularly draining practice to be told that my dad was taking my mom out of town for the weekend to celebrate their eighteenth anniversary. They would be flying up to Napa to see the wine country and gone from Friday morning through Monday evening.
Alice and I would have the house to ourselves, and because we had accepted our punishment without too much grumbling we would no longer be grounded. Of course, the other aspects of our punishment would still be upheld. I supposed my parents figured it was better to please us by granting some freedom and then set specific ground rules for the weekend rather than leave us on our own expecting us to rebel.
"Oh my god! We have to have a party," my twin exclaimed as she burst into my room uninvited.
"Alice, we can't have a party. We just got un-grounded."
"Oh, come on. Live a little. I don't mean like some big kegger, just a few of our closest friends."
"I don't know…"
"Think about it. I could invite my girlfriends over for a sleep over. Bella would be here… All. Night. Long. You could invite the guys over to hang out…"
I didn't hear anything else she said as I was bombarded with sudden flashes of Bella prancing around my house in a tiny nighty. An entire fantasy played out behind my eyes about a late night rendezvous in the hallway, kissing her, touching her, my hands wandering every soft expanse of skin I could reach, pulling her into my bedroom and pushing her small body down into my mattress…
Alice's raucous laughter brought me out of my shameless daydream.
"Huh?" I questioned like an oblivious idiot.
She just smirked at my obviously lust driven space out. "Nothing... That was just entirely too easy. So, I'll tell the girls, you'll tell the guys?"
"Yeah, sure. Smartass."
"Ya know, you're surprisingly easy to manipulate when you're in love. I like it."
"Shut up. I'm not in love with her. I mean, we haven't even kissed." Even as I said the words, I couldn't fight the smile just the mere idea caused.
"Well, maybe you should do something about that this weekend."
Maybe.
xxx
French Translations:
Etudiants d'attention! Calme s'il vous plait. – Attention students! Quiet please.
Je suis désolé. – I'm sorry
Tu es dans toutes mes pensées. – You are in all my thoughts.
Oui. – Yes.
*Please note that neither my beta nor I speak French. We try our best and research like crazy, but we do not claim perfection.
A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Things are starting to move along for our leading guy and gal. What do you think? You are not going to want to miss the next couple of chapters. We have some epic moments coming up, and I for one am very excited to share them with you! Edward is too… he's grinning like a loon waiting for what's to come.
I have a couple of things I forgot to mention in my last update. The first is that my Fandom for Preemies outtake from this story is now posted. You will find on my author profile, titled "Fish Tales." I will post all of my outtakes to this story, so alert it or author alert me if you don't want to miss any extra goodies. This first outtake is a Jasper/Bella pairing set before the Cullen's move to town. If that's not your thing, well consider yourself warned.
A huge thank you to Twistedinmasen of Wayward Pushers for her rec/push of TLF. Check out their blog at www (dot) ficpushers (dot) blogspot (dot) com.
I owe a special thank you to Bookishqua, who gave me some invaluable advice that helped spiff up the accident scene. Thanks BB! And last but definitely not least, two of the best friends a girl could ask for, thanks to Hibbleton78 who fixes all my erroneous commas and polishes up my words and Holly1980 who prereads. *mwah*
Tell me what you thought. Reviews get teased!
