Rating M

Disclaimer – Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight –
I just like to get weird with her characters.

Much love and thanks to my beta love, Carrie ZM,
for all the edits, the hours, the encouragement, and the laughs we had with this fic.
Writing with you is always a blast – you make this shit fun, Boo.

Many thanks to my wonderful pre-readers, Planetblue and Robsmyyummy
Cabanaboy, for all the time, insight, and commentary you provided on this story.
I greatly admire you both and am so grateful for all of your help on this, pals.

Special thanks to Ceci – Lolypop82 for the awesome banner. Tilt, baby, tilt.

Girl Code – Say what you need to say
#truthhurts #sayitanyway

But that shit ends today… because I give no fucks.

I push open the doors and stomp out of the building, scanning the parking lot for any sign of Alice while Alec chases behind, leaving a voicemail for Rose.

"Girl, why isn't your ringer on?" Alec yells into his phone. "Bella just went all Gemma Teller on Chelsea, it was epic! Told her to stick a cock in her—"

Tuning him out, I pull my backpack off my shoulders and stuff it into his chest. "Hold this!"

"What are you doing?"

"And this," I say, taking off the necklace Edward gave me and holding it out for him to grab, knowing there's a good chance that this could get real Real Housewives reunion, real quick.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he grabs my hand, dragging me back. "Slow down, B."

I shake him off, muttering that it's too late. My eyes narrow, zeroing in on Alice tossing her books in her backseat, and I give a sharp whistle to get her attention.

Her head snaps up, and she grins as she crosses her arms. "Well, well, well, if it isn't little Miss Can't-Give-No-Satisfaction."

I get right in her face, jabbing an angry finger into her chest. "Bitch, he wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire."

She shoves me back. "Truth hurts."

Alec jumps between us, holding me back as I scream from over his shoulder "Do you fucking hear yourself? You're delusional!" She just smiles, watching me tap at my temples and trying to get at her. "Spreading lies like your goddamn legs all day long and to anyone interested." No more smiles. "It's disgusting. You're disgusting!"

"FUCK YOU!" she screams, rushing me again.

"You need help, for real!" I snarl.

"The girl needs Jesus," Alec adds, struggling to contain me.

"Shut up, Mitch! No one wants to hear your mouth!" She grabs a handful of his hair and tugs roughly. "And side-burns are OUT!"

Alec gasps at the low blow, she knows it took him months to get those to grow in. "OH HELL NO!" He turns on her, barely even trying to hold me back anymore. "Bitch please, with that yuck-yuck, thrifty ass outfit you're wearing." He waves his finger up and down. "Looks like it came with a pole."

I go after her again, getting right in her face with my finger, and we start yelling over each other. "If I hear one more word out of you or that ratch-batch you run with, I swear to God, I will shove my foot so far up—"

"Skeeze, please…"

"– your bony ass, you'll be tasting all that shit you talk for days."

"—that boy is bored with your basic bitch ass."

"BASIC?" I look her up and down then start in on her, clapping my hands, and punctuating each point as I go off. "Who are you calling basic with your raggedy ass, tore up face and hair, jiggity-jacked-up teeth…"

Her face goes from amusement to rage when she charges me, but Peter grabs her from behind and pulls her back, holding her around her waist. "Get off of me!" she screams, sounding like something from The Exorcist.

"Let her go," I yell, waving my arms like 'come and get it,' and I can feel Alec's chest vibrating with laughter.

I hear a grunt and see Peter keeled over, holding his nuts, and Alice is sneering as she storms towards us.

"Shit," Alec mumbles, bracing himself for impact, but I duck under his arms and throw a shoulder into her chest, knocking her to the ground.

And I go wild.

Straddling her middle, I get my hands in her hair and shake that bitch's head like a dog with a chew toy. All the while she's smacking and scratching at my arms and trying to raise her knees to jab them into my back. We call each other vile names and things that have nothing to do with the situation at hand, but I'm so mad even the word 'cunt' rolls of my tongue with ease.

"Kiss her!" Seth Clearwater screams from above us. "Take off her shirt!"

I swear to God if that little motherfucker has a camera on us – I'll kick his ass next.

"Get up, B! Alec grits through clenched teeth, trying to pull me off her.

Peter lifts Alice up off the ground while her feet flail and she screams obscenities at the top of her lungs.

Alec's trying to push me back towards his car, not having any luck, because I'm still trying to get at her.

"I'm gonna tell you like I told your ratchet-ass friend back there, keep my man's name out of your mouth."

"Well, if you could keep your man happy…" She smirks, throwing the lie out there and challenging me with a quirked brow.

My skin prickles as the rage surges through me, and I can feel my hands curl into fists. I start screaming and waving my arm in the direction of the bystanders. "They all know he doesn't want you or your dirty dickbeaters on him." I hear laughs and 'oohs' from the crowd at my burn. "In fact, NO ONE is interested in getting with you or that Petri dish between your legs."

It's slight, but I see her eyes widen, and I go in for the kill. "You can't even get your own man, let alone steal a good one." My lips twist into a sick smile. "Kind of like your mom, huh?"

Her lips tremble and her eyes water.

Direct hit.

I win.

But fuck if it doesn't feel good to make her feel small, so I keep going. "Isn't that right, Alice? Isn't that her M.O. too?" I slap my hand against the 'Parking Reserved for Alice Brandon' sign, and I regret it immediately, feeling the pain shoot through my palm. "How many married pigs did you and your mom have to call 'daddy' to pay for this parking spot, huh?"

"ENOUGH!" Jasper Whitlock shouts, stepping between us.

His eyes are warning me, and it finally dawns on me that perhaps his father chipped in for the parking fund.

A high-pitched, tinkering laugh sounds behind me, and I hear a few slow claps before seeing Victoria at my side, staring Alice down with a sinister smile on her face. Giggling, she tilts her head condescendingly and spits out a word I've heard Alice use on her hundreds of times. "Pa-thetic!"

Alice's face morphs from hurt to hate, and she charges us like fucking Braveheart, screaming out a war cry. I'm feeling froggy, so I jump and apparently Victoria does too, because she lunges at the exact same time.

The three of us clash, and I get a fistful of Alice's hair while Victoria grabs another. All I hear are the distinct sounds of loud smacks and pained grunts above me as I keep my head down and my eyes shut, blindly swinging and elbowing between the two of them.

We probably look like an episode of The Bad Girls Club, just a hot mess of cursing, slapping, and a shitload of hair pulling. Victoria starts pushing us towards the grass at the edge of the parking lot when Alice falls backwards with Victoria and me landing on top of her.

"Get up," Alec yells, grabbing me from behind and pulling me backwards.

I watch as James, Peter, and Jasper try to separate the other two, dodging their angry fists and feet. Victoria is relentless, beating Alice like she owes her money.

"Get in the car, crazy!" Alec says sternly, pushing me into the front seat and slamming the door behind me. I flip down the mirror and get a gander at myself, taking in how fucking scary I look with my wild hair and the angry bruise forming on my cheek. My hand hurts so bad, I can barely make a fist.

Alec gets in, starts the car and pulls out of the lot. For the first time in forever, we drive in total silence. His brow furrows as he shakes his head. There's no hint of a smile. No nothing.

Maybe he's speechless because he's in shock. Because now he knows I'm the worst kind of mean girl there is - the one you never see coming.

I chew my lip, my anger subsiding for the moment as anxiousness seeps in. Perhaps I went too far with Alice, exposing her Achilles heel like that, though I admit, it felt far more effective than tearing her hair out did. My breathing is a bit shaky and my hands are trembling, like my body is having some kind of delayed reaction. Emotionally I'm all over the place, unable to reconcile the fact that I just completely lost my shit back there.

We pull up to a stoplight, and Alec turns to me with a serious expression. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. I don't know. Probably not."

He blows out a deep breath and taps his fingers on his steering wheel, grinning wickedly. "Is it wrong that I loved that you compared her pussy to a Petri dish?"

The minute I get home, I run up to my room and dial Edward to leave him a message.

"Um, hey. It's me. Just a… call me when you get this. Kinda got into a little thing at school and wanted to tell you before anyone else did. So yeah, anyway… Call me when you get this. Love you, bye."

My phone starts ringing off the hook, first Rose then Kate, followed by a bunch of nib-nosers, looking for scoop. I stay away from social media, knowing full well how awful it feels to be the talk of the timelines and Twitterverse.

Rose is completely understanding of the situation, albeit a bit pissed that she missed it. Apparently Alec gave her the 411 on his way to the salon, and his version is far more entertaining than mine. Edward's number comes up and I quickly disconnect with her.

"Sweets?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Christ, are you okay? Are you hurt?" He sounds all worked up, asking me questions then not giving me a chance to answer. "People are blowin' up my phone, tellin' me you got into a fight." Somehow this comes out sounding like a question and a statement. "What happened?"

"I left you a voicemail."

"I know, I got it, but you sounded so calm. Garrett's getting texts from Kate sayin' you got into it with Alice and Victoria?"

"I did. Well, I mean I got into it with Alice, and Victoria just kinda jumped in." I hear him exhale deeply. "And I'm all right, so… you don't have to be worried."

"Well I am, because I don't get in until after ten tonight, and I don't know if I'll get to see you."

"It's okay."

He sighs. "It's not."

"I miss you," I whisper.

"I miss you too." His voice drops and it sounds like he puts the receiver closer to his mouth. "Promise me you're okay."

I look at my hand which is getting more bruised and swollen by the minute. "I'm okay. I promise."

"I'll call you as soon as I get in tonight, all right?"

"Okay."

"I love you, Sweets."

"Love you too."

I hang up and check my text messages again. My heart nearly stops when a new one from Alec comes through.

B. Your mom is on her way home. She knows.

Twenty long painful minutes later, I hear my mother's footsteps trudging up the stairs, though I'm shocked she's not yelling all three of my names. When she opens the door, I see a Nifty Fiftys bag in her hand and an odd expression on her face.

"Heard you had a pretty shitty day," she starts, placing the bag on my nightstand and motions for me to scoot over before flopping down on the bed.

"That's one way to put it."

She reaches out to touch my cheek and I hiss. "Sorry, it just looks painful."

"It is." I point to the bag. "What's this?"

"Well, I figured since you had such a shitty day, I'd get us a sundae to share. You know, since ice cream makes everything better." This is the truth. "And besides, I'm guessing you're going to be suspended from school tomorrow. Thought I'd give you one last taste of freedom." She hands me the sundae and a spoon. "You're father is going to shit when he gets wind of this."

"Probably."

"So what happened?"

I give her an abridged version of the truth, leaving out my colorful use of the C-word and apt description of Alice's privates. But I cop to spilling the sordid secrets of Cynthia Brandon. My mom surprises me. At no time does she jump in with a catty comment or defense of my behavior, even when I admit to feeling guilty for stooping down to her level, regardless if she deserved it or not. She sits and listens, hugging me tightly when I cry as I confess my fears of losing Edward.

"No tears," she coos, wrapping her arm around me and rubbing soothing circles into my shoulder. "I hate that you're hurting."

She lets me cry it out until the ice cream is melted and mascara is running down my face.

"How did you find out anyway? Alec?" That rat-fink-snitch.

Shaking her head, she smiles and scrapes out the last of the fudge sauce. "Nope. Alec avoided me like the plague at work. I couldn't get him to stop folding towels if his life depended on it."

I feel a tinge guilty for jumping to conclusions. "Then who?"

Her head lolls in my direction. "Ms. Brandon called Esme at the shop and told her Alice's version of the story, which sounded a bit… suspect to say the least. Apparently, Cynthia wanted to warn Esme about the riff-raff Rose is friendly with."

I'm embarrassed because I acted like a total hillbilly today. "Well what did Esme say to her?"

My mother smirks. "She thanked her for letting her know."

"What did she really say?"

Her face splits into a wide smile. "She said 'bless your heart.'"

I can barely keep my eyes open this morning seeing as how Charlie did a full interrogation on me last night in the event that Ms. Brandon chooses to file a formal complaint. Edward and I don't get to see each other either because he has to make up a quiz since he was absent. By first period, I'm in the office, sitting next to Victoria and Alice.

Victoria doesn't look too banged up apart from the fat lip, but Alice looks a fright. No amount of concealer can hide the cheek-to-chin scratch, the black-eye, or the busted lip. I smirk a bit, mentally taking credit for at least one of those beauties. As expected, we each get a three-day suspension. Our mothers arrive and the principal makes us all apologize and shake hands.

I wince when Alice shakes my bad hand too hard, but I'm pleasantly surprised when Victoria is extra gentle. We may no longer be friends, but somehow I don't think we're enemies anymore.

Four hours later, I'm lying on the couch with a jar of Nutella, shamefully watching trashy reality television when I hear a knock at the door.

"Coming," I say, wiping toast crumbs off my shirt.

I look out the peephole, seeing a very worried looking Edward, drumming his fingers over the straps of his backpack.

The door is barely open when he steps in, immediately placing his palms to my cheeks and inspecting me for damage. "Jesus, Sweets. You all right?" he asks, eyeing my lip and cheek.

"I'm fine," I say, wrapping my arms around him and going in for a kiss. He stops me to look at some of the scratches on my arms, and boy does he look pissed. "Edward, I swear, I'm okay." I raise my wrapped hand to his cheek. "Baby, I'm fine."

I watch as his eyes bug out when he takes my hand in his and unwraps the Ace bandage. "Holy shit," he mutters, looking at the bruised and swollen skin. He places a small kiss into my palm before meeting my eyes.

"Edward, I promise, I'm fine." I step towards him, leaning on my tiptoes to kiss his lips. "I've missed you."

He pulls me to him, kissing me back and hugging me tightly. "I've missed you too."

"Not that I'm not happy as hell to see you, but what are you doing here?"

He grins sheepishly. "Hall pass."

"But you have almost half-a-day left."

"I'm gonna skip practice too."

"Don't do that – you'll get benched."

He shrugs indifferently. "Then I get benched." I give him a reproachful look. "I wanted to see you. I tried to call you all last night, but it kept going straight to voicemail."

"Charlie took my phone." I roll my eyes. "But I still have my iPad so we can FaceTime."

Jerking his head to the couch, he tells me to sit down and disappears into my kitchen, knocking twice on the wall as he goes. When he returns, he's shaking a huge bag of frozen broccoli. "Here," he says, placing it gently over my injured hand. "So what happened?"

"You mean you haven't heard the story a hundred times already?"

"I have, but I want the truth."

"I doubt my version is any –"

"I wanna hear it from you. What set that off?"

I stretch my legs across his lap and watch his face as I recount the story. He listens intently, rolling his eyes when I tell him about the lies and the crazy shit Alice said, and wincing when I tell him about being pinned between her and Victoria. By the time the story is over, his expression is unreadable and his eyes are focused on the frozen vegetables in my hand.

Minutes pass and there's nothing but silence between us. I look away embarrassed. "So that's that, I guess."

He rakes his hand through his hair, muttering something to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"No, really. What did you say?"

"I said I wish you didn't do that."

"Do what?"

"Let her get to you like that. You knew she was lying."

"I did know she was lying." I lean forward, dipping my head towards his. "And I had had e-fucking-nough of her shit."

"Sweets." He shakes his head and puts his hands up. "You're misunderstanding me."

"I don't think I am. Maybe you aren't bothered by the fact that I hear whispers all around the halls and see shit on the regular that's probably pertaining to me." He's waving his hands back and forth, mouthing the words 'no, no, no.' "You have no idea what that feels like because it's not being directed at you."

"I get it, I do… but—"

"No, you clearly don't get it." I start snapping my fingers. "Wake the fuck up! You can't expect me to sit there and take that."

"I don't, I swear. I guess I just didn't realize it was botherin' you that much."

"Well, then you must be pretty fucking oblivious because there are a lot of things bothering me."

His brow furrows. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing." I cross my arms. "Forget it."

"See that right there pisses me off." He jabs a finger in my direction. "You don't tell me what's wrong and you lose your shit on me, actin' like I was supposed to know. If somethin' is botherin' you, tell me the minute you think it. Don't hold it in until it comes out in big, crazy spurts."

"Uh, no. If I told you all the crazy shit I think, the minute I think it, you'd have a fucking dust cloud coming from your feet, running like your ass was on fire."

He smirks and I can't help my smile when he grabs my good hand and gives it a small squeeze. "Try me."

"I just… hate that you're leaving me. Like you're looking all around the state for school and I just feel like we have this expiration date on us or something. I hate that I'm scared to discuss it, and it bothers me that you don't seem to want to talk about it either. It like, confirms my fears or something." My eyes meet his. "Crazy?"

He shakes his head and pulls me to his chest. "You gotta have more faith in us, Sweets." His fingers trace up and down my arm. "Even if I went to school across the country," he presses his lips to my ear and whispers, "you'd still be my girl."

Two nights later, I decide to take a look at my Facebook and Twitter, getting a feel for the shitstorm I'm about to jump back into. Strange things happen at the fall of a mean girl. There are vague posts and tweets alluding to how the mighty have fallen, celebrating Alice's public flogging, while others remain unwaveringly loyal to her, like Death Eaters, waiting on their Dark Lord to return.

It's like a free-for-all. People come out of the woodwork to chip in their two worthless cents, be it to condone or condemn. The sides war back and forth, while the neutral population rallies for peace, desperate to inject some positivity into their tumultuous timelines. A new crop of mean girls rise up, looking to take her place, claiming the high road, but throwing in a 'just saying' for things that don't need to be just said.

I'm just about to shut off my iPad when Edward's name pops up on messenger.

Sweets? You there?

I'm here. What's up?

Can you sneak out tonight?

I look at the clock and see it's a quarter after ten. I guess so, why?

Missing you and we need to talk.

Okay…

Nothing bad, don't get crazy.

He knows me too well. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?

Give me five minutes. I'll pick you up in front of your neighbor's house.

I tiptoe down the stairs, cursing my severe lack of sneakiness with each creak and squeak. When I get downstairs, my mom is on the couch, reading.

"Going somewhere?" she asks, not looking up from her book.

I consider lying, but something tells me she'd know. "Uh Edward is stopping by, he needs to… talk to me about something."

The corner of her mouth turns up. "You know you're still grounded, right?"

"Mom…"

She waves me off. "Fine, go. But if your father catches you, this conversation never happened."

I blow her a kiss from the door. "You're the best."

She shrugs one shoulder. "Well, obviously."

Edward pulls up and opens the door for me from the inside.

"Hi," I say, climbing into the seat.

He leans over the console and kisses me softly before reaching for my hand. "Hey."

We speed off down the road, and I watch him hum along to the song on the radio. After a few moments, we pull up to a stoplight, and he turns to me, smiling.

"So I've got some news, Sweets."

"What's that?"

"I picked a school."

"You did?"

"Talked to the coach today, gave my verbal commitment." He brings my hand to his lips. "Seattle U."

"Oh my God, really?"

"Yep." He kisses my knuckles. "It's got a great business school, good baseball program. It's a Catholic institution." We both smirk because Carlisle's been giving him so much shit for skipping mass the past few Sundays.

"And it's close to home," I add, grinning from ear to ear.

He nods and squeezes my hand a bit. "And close to you."

I squeal and lunge across the console, kissing him crazy while he laughs and hugs me tightly. "Edward that's wonderful! Did they give you a scholarship?"

He shrugs. "I got a little money, but who knows if I'll even get to play."

"But did you get enough to go? Esme said other schools were offering full-rides."

"I did," he says with an easy smile, but he must notice my uneasy expression. "What are you thinkin' over there, Sweets?"

"I'm happy." I feel myself flush when he presses another kiss to the back of my hand. "Really, really happy. But what about you? I mean as much as I want to be near you…" I trail off, looking down at my lap nervously. "I want you to be happy with your decision too, you know. You should go wherever is best for you."

"Hey, look at me." He lifts my chin with his finger. "I am making the best decision for me. And that's this school." His hand winds around to the back of my neck, bringing me forward until our foreheads touch. "And you."

"Okay," I whisper.

"We good, Sweets?" he asks and I nod. "Good."

The light turns green and we start back down the road, him holding my hand and me feeling like I can breathe again, letting the air from the open windows fill my lungs. A few minutes later, he pulls into the parking lot of the beach where he and I shared milkshakes all those months before and waves to a passing truck.

"Did you know them?"

He nods and shushes me. "No more questions," he says, reaching in the glove compartment and handing me a sleep mask. "Put this on."

"Ummm… O-kay," I drag the word out, eyeing him speculatively as he gets out of the car and comes around to open my door. "What's this for again?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh."

"You almost sound disappointed."

"No, it's not that at all, my head just went to a weird place."

He laughs. "Like safewords and shit?"

I grin. "Maybe."

"All right, kinko," he says, extending his hand for me to step out of the car. "Let me help you."

I slip on the mask and let him lead me down the beach. "So what brought this on?"

"Well, my lovely step-sister informed me of a tradition that I was not aware of – watch your step here." He holds me tightly over the uneven ground. "I figured I'd give it my best shot. Here we are."

I pull the mask off and see a heart drawn in the sand, outlined with tea light candles. In the middle, one word burns bright.

Prom?

He wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my temple. "How's that for romance, Sweets?"

A/N: One more chapter to go until I hit that complete button pals.

Things are crazy right now, so Carrie and I aren't devouring WIPs like we usually do. So instead, we thought we'd do another LayZM Old School Rec on the New School Tip. The theme this week is… fighting. Appropriate, right?

Shadowboxer by NoBloodNoFoul – Summary: Edward is an underground fighter using the ring as an outlet for his pent-up rage. Bella is a college dropout running from her complicated past. Their paths collide when Edward is beaten and left for dead. Rated M for LEMONS. CANON PAIRINGS. AH. OOC.

Bringing Bella Home by Counselor – Summary: 1872 brothers Edward and Jasper return from the war to rebuild the farm. Edward has a son, eighteen. The three bachelors work sun up and down. Edward visits Forks twice a year for supplies and to scratch an itch with a woman there. When he finds her sick he makes a snap decision to take her home. He has no idea who she really is. And how lonely they are at home. Trouble.

Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, fav'd, rec'd, tweeted or lurked this fic! I'll see you all next Thursday.