Yayyy another chapter!
Firstly, thank you all so much for being super patient with this story. Unfortunately, writing is not my job and I still am a full-time student. And even if I do finish a chapter in just a couple of hours, I still send it to my betas which would take one to two more weeks. It's a lot of time and effort, yet I'm so grateful of each and every one of you who still continue to read, review, favorite, and follow. Y'all are the absolute best!
Secondly, finals are next week so obviously I won't be able to write. On the brighter side, Christmas break is literally just around the corner and I will try my best to write as much as I can.
Third, the last part of this chapter is more of a filler. I wanted to establish that Bella and Edward have finally seen each others' vulnerable sides and I didn't want the chapter to end just there because I kind of have an unwritten rule that I need to have more than 900 words for each chapter. Next chapter will have more progress on their relationship. (Hint hint: Homecoming!)
Lastly, I have a question for you guys: I was thinking of making a Polyvore to make a set for each chapter to have visuals or just post links every now and again. I'm not sure about making one yet. I mean, I don't want to make one if no one will end up viewing it, so any input from y'all are greatly appreciated!
Again, thank you so much for continuously reading this story. Please review! I started to reply to reviews now that I've figured it out, LOL!
S/O to my betas: Megan and ChocolateMango!
Hope everything's well with y'all! Enjoy reading!
We stayed that way for what felt like hours. There was no "Quarterback Edward" or "Nobody Bella." It was just us. Edward and Bella. Two people connecting intimately without being physically intimate.
"I had a girlfriend for a year. It was my sophomore year when I got promoted to varsity with Jazz. Em was already in varsity at that time. Our parents had talked to us about not letting the popularity get into our heads since most people were going to know who we were.
"Her name was Irina. She's not here anymore. She moved, thankfully. Anyway, she's a junior, just like us. She was in the school's dance team or whatever. You know those girls who dance during halftime? Yeah, she was one of them.
"The only reason I liked her was because she didn't throw herself at me. It was more of a 'whatever' kind of a relationship. I liked her; she liked me. She was all right the first few months into our relationship. I wasn't a starter for games yet, so nobody really knew me. Until that one time our QB was injured and the back-up was injured, too.
"It was my first game ever as varsity. It was damn good game, too. I would go into the details, but I don't think you'd appreciate it," he laughed. "Anyway, after that game, they bumped me up and I was the back-up to our starting QB. Suddenly, everyone knew who I was. Girls started to talk to me, give me their numbers, all that stuff. Irina didn't appreciate it. She became clingy, needy, and she became this psycho girlfriend.
"She kept checking my phone, asking where I was, even went as far as calling my parents. Her grades went down and she got kicked out of the dance team. Her life was basically ruined and I tried to help her. I really did. But, I just got tired, you know? Anyway, her whole family moved to Florida, I think."
"That's pretty messed up..." I murmured quietly.
"Yeah, it is."
Our bubble of peace and quiet popped when Edward's phone rang. It was Emmett, asking where we were.
"We're just about to leave, Em... No... No, I won't tell you, you dumbass... Yes, we're leaving!... Okay, just wait for us, then... Okay, see ya..." He shook his head as he turned his phone off.
"Yeah, we have to go," he said, standing up and holding his hand out towards me.
"Before we leave... can we please leave this between us? I mean, Alice and Rose know but I know you're really close with your brothers, I just don't want this to be any bigger than it is, you know? I hope that's okay," I said softly.
"I understand, Bella. Don't worry. I won't say a peep." He grinned.
We walked back to the diner with light conversation between us. I was never really good with heartfelt talks, opting to just keep it in and joke about it. I'm so glad we're over it.
"Anyway, I guess I'll have to let you go," he said, nodding toward his brothers and my friends.
"Yeah... Thanks, Edward." I smiled up at him. Fuck it, I thought to myself and stood on my toes to kiss his cheek. I quickly walked to Rose and Alice, only to be met by catcalls and hollers.
I walked passed them, flipping the bird before getting in the car.
"Tell us!"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Shut up."
"Well, that's just rude."
"I think what's rude is not stopping when I keep saying 'No'!"
"Tell us."
"Ugh, Alice!"
Somehow, we ended up skipping the gym or doing yoga and instead choosing to lay in a pile of blankets and eating junk food. Alice and Rosalie had been forcing me to tell them what had happened in the meadow, but it seemed too personal and intimate for me to tell. They already knew about Jacob, but it felt wrong to tell them about Irina when Edward promised not to tell his brothers about Jacob.
"Ugh, Bella! Just tell us!"
"Okay, fine."
"Really?"
"Hah, nope." I chuckled, grabbing a chip from the bag of Lays that were on the floor.
"You suck," Rose huffed as she laid back.
"At least tell us if you got some action!"
"Nope. The only 'action' I got was when I kissed his cheek. That was it."
"Holy shit! About that! What the fuck was that, Ms. Boys-Are-Stupid?" Rosalie exclaimed, sitting up abruptly.
"That was nothing," I murmured, looking away from her narrowed eyes filled with amusement.
"Bullshit!"
"I just wanted to thank him for listening, okay? It was a thank you kiss, not a "I'm-Horny-I-Want-To-Fuck-You kiss. So quit going all detective on me and how about telling me what's up with you guys?"
"Ugh, fine. It doesn't end here, though," Alice commented.
"Okay, I'll start. Emmett is hot and I want to fuck his brains out but he's trying to be a gentleman so I can't fuck him even if I know he wants to fuck me, too." That's Rosalie Hale for you. All-American blondie who curses even more than a sailor.
"Wow, Rose. Very ladylike," I snickered as she threw her pillow at me.
"How about you, Alice?"
"What about me?" she asked, delicately opening a Hershey's Kiss as if it were her first time seeing one.
"Aren't you going to tell us about Jasper?" Rosalie looked at me and I looked at her, our eyebrows raising.
"There's nothing to tell. I thought he was this really good guy but turns out, he's a real jerk. It's whatever." She popped the Kiss into her mouth for good measure.
I stood up from my place and walked towards her, stopping right in front of her face. She looked up at me with amusement as I lightly slapped her face, pinched her cheeks and tugged at her ears. Rosalie followed right after, pinching Alice's eyebrows.
"Who are you and what have you done to Alice?" I narrowed my eyes playfully at her.
"Oh, shut up," Alice replied, swatting our hands away.