Chapter 10: Alibi
BPOV
Ring, Ring, Ring…
Who the fuck is calling me at this ungodly hour…the sun isn't even up!
I groaned loudly and rolled over in bed so I can reach over to my bedside table and answer the phone. Whoever it is, they are going to get an earful.
"Hello?" I said in a sleepy and slightly aggravated tone.
"Hello, love."
"Edward? Why are you calling me so early? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything is fine, it's perfect actually. I'm on my way to work and I wanted to know if you would mind meeting me for lunch later on. I only called you this early because I forgot to ask you last night with everything that happened, and Al doesn't let us use phones unless it is an emergency so…"
"No, it's fine Edward, really. And I would love to meet you for lunch, where do you want to meet?"
"Well is there anywhere you would prefer because I don't really go places to eat much."
"Yeah I know this perfect little diner that isn't too far away from Boston Common."
"Sounds perfect."
"Why don't I pick you up from work?"
"Uh, sure if you want to that's fine, I might be a little dirty though, I don't want to ruin your car."
"They are leather seats so it doesn't really matter."
"Okay thanks, Bella. I will see you later than because I just pulled up to work."
"Alright, bye Edward. I love you."
"I love you, too my Bella. Bye."
I hung up with a big stupid smile on my face, he loves me!
I plopped back down on my bed and tried to fall back asleep. Sleep was not coming to me though when I thought about what I would have to do today. Today I have to tell Edward. He told me all about his past, so I owe it to him to tell him about me. I should have done it a long time ago but I didn't so I will now have to deal with the consequences.
I was so proud of Edward when he told me about his past. After I heard what he went through, it made me want to take him in arms and never let anything like that happen to him again. He had been so strong though; there are not many people that would have been able to deal with some of the things Edward went through at such a young age.
I hated Heidi. I have never met the girl, but I heard enough from Edward last night to know that I hated her with every fiber of my being. What kind of person takes advantage of people like she did Edward? What kind of mother doesn't care about a child that she has carried for 9 months? Especially when your children are as amazing as Harper and Avery.
Along with Heidi, I also hated Edward's parents. What parent would abandon their child when they need them the most? Why couldn't they see what an amazing person Edward is? Why did they always try and pressure him to do things he didn't want to do? What kind of father would beat their son and say such cold and hurtful things to him?
You would think that by Edward having such horrible people as parents, he would be just as horrible as them. But he is not. And I think it was because of Jack. I love Jack. He helped Edward whenever he needed him right to the very end. It made me feel a little better knowing that Edward had at least one constant being in his life that loved him while all of the horrible shit was going on in his life. I wish I could meet Jack Cullen just once, so I can tell him thank you for caring for Edward.
I checked the time on the clock and saw that it was only seven in the morning. I got up and decided to call Alice and see if she would come over. I haven't seen her in a while and I missed her.
I got my cell phone and called Alice. I know it was early but Alice is an early bird anyway.
"Hello?" Alice said cheerfully. How can she be so perky this early?
"Hey Alice, its Bella."
"Oh hey Bella! I've missed you! You haven't called me in a while."
"Yeah sorry about that I've been kind of busy."
"Is busy what they are calling it these days?" she asked in a teasing tone.
"Shut up Alice, you know that is not what I meant."
She laughed "I'm just messing you Bella. What are you doing right now?"
"Nothing, I actually called you to see if you could come over, I would like to ask your advice on some things about Edward."
"I'll be there in 10 with donuts!"
I laughed because Alice was obsessed with donuts. "Alright, see ya."
I finally got my lazy ass out of bed and got dressed. I decided on a simple white v-neck t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. I went to the kitchen to start making some coffee when I heard Alice walk in. She has a key to the house.
"Honey, I'm home!" she yelled rather loudly.
"I'm in the kitchen!" I yelled back. I heard her heels clicking on the hardwood floor towards the kitchen.
"Hello my dear." She said all proper like.
I laughed at her weirdness. "What's up Alice?"
"Nothing much, well actually its Jasper's birthday in about two weeks so I have been planning his party."
"Oh that's cool."
"You're going to go right?"
"Of course I am Alice, you and Jasper are two of my best friends."
"Aw thanks Bella." I poured myself a cup of coffee and then gave Alice one. "Why do you have that smile on your face?"
"I don't know what you are talking about Alice." I lied. I do know. I have a permanent smile on my face, I was high…Edward high.
"You know exactly what I am talking about. I take it things all worked out with that guy of yours."
The smile on my face faltered a little. "Actually I haven't told him yet."
"WHAT? You haven't told him yet? Why not Bella? You said you were the first time you guys went on a date!"
"I know but believe it or not a lot has happened since then, and I have only seen him a couple times. All of the other times I have talked to him were when we were on the phone, and that is not something you tell someone over the phone."
"But you do plan on telling him right?"
"Of course I'm going to tell him Alice! I am going to tell him today. We are meeting for lunch and I am going to tell him because he deserves to know."
She nodded her head and then began sipping her coffee. "So I take it things are going well between you two?"
The stupid smile reappeared on my face full blast. "It is perfect. I love him Alice." She was sipping her coffee when I was saying that, and when I did, she spit it all over the place.
"What? Did I hear you right? Did you just say you love him?"
"Yes I did. I love him." I don't see why she was being all dramatic about this.
"Wow." She paused for a second and got a cloth from one of my cabinets to clean the mess she made. "So this is the real thing huh?"
"Yes." She sat down on the stool near my island and looked lost in thought. "What's the matter Alice? I thought you would be happy for me?"
Her head shot up and she looked apologetic. "No! Of course I am happy for you Bella. I have been waiting for you to find someone you can be with and love for so long now, I'm just worried I guess…well more scared for you really."
"You're confusing me Alice, why are you scared? I love him; he is the most amazing man I have ever met in my life."
"That is great Bella; I'm just scared of how other people will look at this and how they will react. Especially your father."
I stared at her a moment and got a little sad. "You think I haven't thought about that too, Alice? But what am I supposed to do? Just tell him 'I love you, Edward but I don't want to be with you because of what other people think.' I can't do that to him Alice. It makes it seem like I am ashamed of him, and I'm not. I am so proud of him and I feel honored to even be in same room as him half the time." I could feel the tears building in my eyes and I sat down next to Alice on the other stool. "I don't give a fuck what other people think Alice."
Alice shot up off of her stool and dragged me off of hers and she hugged me while squealing and jumping up and down. "Ahh! I'm so proud of you, Bella! And I am so happy for you! It's about time you stick up for yourself." I laughed at Alice's enthusiasm and wiped the tears from my eyes.
"Thank you, Alice." We both sat back down at the island.
"So tell me about him Bella." So I did. I told her all about how amazing he was and all of the things I love about him. I also told her about the girls and how amazing they were as well.
"Do you think I could have his number?"
"Hey he's my boyfriend, Alice, back off."
"Listen to you all protective and shit. I don't want your man Bella; I have one of those for myself. I would just like to call him and talk to him and make sure he is good enough for you."
"I think I need to be the one worrying if I am good enough for him."
"Oh my God, Bella I'm so happy for you!" She jumped up and hugged me again.
Yeah, I'm pretty damn happy too.
I made it to the building he was working on at about 11:45. I texted him to let him know I was there and waited for him. I looked up at the building they were currently working on and noticed it looked like a school. It looked like it was almost done. I was pulled out of my inspection of the building when Edward came walking towards my car.
Oh. My. God.
My boyfriend is fucking hot.
He was walking toward me with worn out jeans and a white wife beater. He had a dirty blue cloth hanging out of the front pocket of his jeans and a hard hat under his arm. His hair was even more messed up than it usually was and looked slightly dusty. He was a little dirty too. When he told me he was going to be dirty, I thought he meant like really gross and dirty, but he wasn't. He just had a little bit of smeared dirt or something on his shirt and a spot on his jeans. I never thought looking dirty could look so good. I was practically drooling when he finally made it to the car.
Before he stepped in he shook out his hair with his hands to get the dirt out and then climbed into the seat.
"Whoa, Bella this is a nice car I…" He wasn't able to say anything after that because I attacked him. I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him as hard as I could. I shifted myself so I could face him more and leaned over the center console so I could kiss him deeper. My tongue slid in his mouth and he reciprocated the action. I moaned slightly and I made out with my beautiful boyfriend for a couple of minutes like a love sick teenager.
Eventually we had to pull away because unfortunately air is a necessity and we weren't getting much of it.
We both disconnected our lips but I still held his face in my hands and looked at him, that big stupid smile was back on my face.
"Well hello to you too, Bella."I laughed and pecked him on the lips once.
"Do you have any idea how handsome you are?" He blushed and looked down. And did I mention cute, too?
"Thank you, Bella. Do you realize how beautiful you are?"
"I never did, but you make me feel like it."
"Well I'm glad, you should feel beautiful. All the time." He kissed me once this time and then I pulled away completely. I pulled out of the parking lot of the building to make our way to the diner. Edward grabbed my hand that wasn't steering the car and kissed the back of it. "I love you, Bella."
"I love you, too. And I have decided that you are going to let me buy lunch today because I forgot to give you your birthday present yesterday."
"You don't have to get me anything."
"It's too late, I already did I just didn't get to give it to you because I forgot it at my house."
"Well how about we split the bill then?"
"Nice try, but no. Just let me do this for you Edward, please?"
He was silent for a moment but the he agreed. "Whatever makes you happy, love."
I smiled through the whole ride. He was telling me about how Avery was sleep talking in the middle of the night. Apparently Avery dreams of ice creams sandwiches and Spam while she sleeps. She really is one of a kind.
I pulled up to the diner and noticed a black car pull in right next to me. I looked over really quick and saw that there were two men in the car and they were both looking at me. Please do not be paparazzi. Please.
We both got out of the car and I grabbed Edward's hand and tried to rush into the diner. He can't find out like this. He just can't. We made it inside without the men getting out of the car, so I just figured I was over reacting. An old waitress came over and seated us immediately. She seated us in a booth and Edward sat right next to me. I was glad because I missed him today and wanted to be close to him.
"So what do you recommend at this place."
"I would recommend their classic cheeseburger. I bet you five dollars you will say it is the best cheeseburger you have ever had." He smiled and nodded his head, still looking at the menu. I was about to say what I would recommend for desert when his phone started ringing. He looked confused and took the phone out to look at the caller ID. He had a confused look on his face so I guess he didn't know who it was.
"I'm sorry Bella, I hope you don't mind."I shook my head and gestured for him to pick it up. "Hello?" I heard a faint voice on the other end, it was definitely a woman. I looked at Edwards face and saw his expression become one of panic. "Wait she is okay isn't she?" Who is okay? By the look on Edward's face I could guess it must have been about one of the girls because he looked like he was going to throw up. "I'll be there in ten minutes, just let her know I am coming okay?" He said bye and hung up the phone.
"What is it Edward?" He got up from the booth and grabbed my hand bringing me out of the diner and towards the car.
"I am so sorry Bella but could you please drive me to the girl's school, something happened with Harper and they need me to pick her up."
"Of course, Edward. What happened?" We were both in the car at this point and already on the road. Edward was in the passenger seat and his face in his hands.
"I'm not exactly sure, the lady on the phone just said that some of the other kids were picking on Harper and it got out of hand."
"Oh no Edward, she is okay though right?"
"Yeah she said she was okay, but she wanted me to come get her." He picked up his face from his hands and began wiping his hands on his jeans, I could tell that his hands were shaking.
It was silent for a moment before Edward was all of a sudden yelling. "I mean why do kids have to be so cruel to her? She never does anything to them! She doesn't deserve this! And why wasn't a teacher around to stop this? She shouldn't have to go through this!"
He was sweating now and his hands were really shaking. I pulled up to the school and Edward went to reach for the door handle but I grabbed his arm. He looked irritated but I had to get him to calm down.
"Edward, look at me." He looked up at me and his expression broke my heart. "You need to calm down okay? Harper is probably really upset right now and if she sees you like this she is only going to get even more upset." He nodded his head and took a couple of deep breaths.
"Will you come in with me?"
"Of course." We both got out and I held his hand to let him know I was here for him. We walked into the school and made our way to the main office. When we made it there and what I saw made me want to cry on the spot.
In the corner of the main office, was Harper, curled up on the black leather chair. Her hair and her shirt was all covered in red paint, like someone poured a bucket of paint over her head. How could kids do this to her?
Edward let go of my hand and ran to her once she was in sight. When she heard the door open she looked up, and at the sight of him, started crying uncontrollably. Edward had her in his arms in no time, paying no mind to the red paint that was currently getting on his clothes and skin. Harper had her little arms wrapped around his neck so tightly her knuckles were white. Edward was shushing her and telling her everything was going to be okay.
"What the hell happened to my daughter?" he practically yelled at the principal who was in the room.
"Some of the little girls who were in Harper's class room thought it was funny to pour a bucket of paint on her. I assure you these girls are all being properly disciplined and their parents have been notified."
"And where was the teacher when all of this was happening?"
"Mr. Cullen, one teacher has to keep track of 20 children at one time, the girls who have done this, did this while they knew the teacher wasn't paying attention." Edward didn't look satisfied with that answer but he didn't push it, for now.
"Can someone please go get my other daughter, Avery so I can take them both home."
"Of course Mr. Cullen." The principal left to go and get Avery. I looked back to Edward and Harper and could see Harper was still crying into Edward's shoulder.
"Shh baby, please stop crying, it's okay, you're okay, I'm here, Daddy's here just calm down, my love okay?" Harper nodded her head in his neck and tried to take calming breaths. Suddenly she lifted her head and looked at Edward in the eye.
"I-I d-didn't do anything to them D-d-daddy, I p-promise."
Edward looked like he was going to cry but he hid it well. "I know, I know you didn't I'm not mad at you, honey. We are going to go home now okay?" She nodded her head and then rested her head back on his shoulder.
Seconds later Avery came skipping down the hall with her little pink backpack on with the principal right behind her. She saw me first, because I was right at the end of the hall.
"Bewwa! What awre you doing here!" She ran up to me with a big smile on her face. I picked her up and she whipped her head to where Edward was with Harper. The smile on her face instantly went away and tears immediately fell down her face. "What's the matter with Harper, Daddy?" she asked in a weak voice.
Edward walked closer to us and wiped Avery's tears away with his thumb. "We will talk about it when we get home okay, Princess?" She nodded her head and then put her head on my shoulder. I led us out of the door and thought I was going to throw up at what was outside.
At least 20 paparazzi were waiting outside of the school as we left. I heard Edward ask what the hell was going on behind me and I held on tighter to Avery and tried to make it through. They were all so loud screaming questions at me left and right?
"Isabella, who is this man?"
"Is that you're boyfriend?"
"Are you a mother to these children, Isabella?"
"Sir! How do you know Isabella Swan?"
It seemed like a lifetime before we got to the car. Once we did Edward got in the back with the girls and I went to the front seat. I noticed the black car from the diner a couple of spaces away from me. Fuckers.
The girls were both screaming and crying in the back seat, mixture of sadness of the events of today and fear of what just happened out there. I looked through the rear view mirror to see Edward try and console the girls, I can tell the anger on his face.
"Edward I.."
"You know what Bella? I have no idea what the fuck that was, but as you can tell I don't have time to talk about that shit right now." Avery began crying louder at hearing her father yell like that and he shushed her and rubbed her back. "Can you please just take me home?"
"But Edward, I can exp..."
"We can talk about this another time, Bella. Just bring me home, and I will call you when I am ready to talk to you, okay?"
I nodded my head and made my way to his house. The girls calmed down a little bit when we pulled up and Edward was quick to grab both girls and leave the car.
He didn't say one word to me as he left.
What have I done?
No warning sign, no alibi
We're fading faster than the speed of light
Took a chance, crashed and burned
No one will ever, ever learn
Alibi, by 30 Seconds to Mars
Uh Oh! Edward seems mad huh? Can you blame him? What about poor Harper? Be sure to tell me what you think!
I'm sorry it took me so long to update today. I had a lot to do. But I worked to get this chapter out to you guys so I hope you enjoy! Now I am going to watch the Lakers and Celtics game. GO CELTICS! WOOT WOOT! Are you guys watching the finals? Who are you rooting for?
Be sure to leave some feedback, it only takes a couple of seconds. I love hearing any questions, comments, concerns, or complaints that you have for me so don't hesitate!
Review Please!