She was tired.
Just tired.
She had managed to lose her best friend, get exposed as a test-tube baby, fight and make-up with her imprint all in one day.
She just needed sleep.
Bella bounded up the large set of marble steps.
"Isabella."
Her feet stopped and she turned to her mother.
"Yes mother?" She was afraid.
Her mother never called to her like that unless she was angry.
"What is this?" Renee asked as she pointed to the computer screen; of course Bella couldn't read it from where she was so she backtracked down the stairs and into the living room.
"The share price of your business."
"Exactly. Now tell me, what is wrong with this figure?" Bella examined it.
"It's down by 5 cents."
"Well done. Now, do you know why the share price has plummeted?"
Plummeted? Hardly.
"No."
"Really? I do. It has a lot to do with some news that's going around, you see. News about you. About how and why you came into this world."
Oh.
Bella swallowed the spit in her mouth.
How the hell did she find out already?
Had the news spread that far? That fast?
"You stupid girl. How could you let them find out?!" Bella felt the tears leak from her eyes and she was scolded.
She kept her watery eyes to the ground.
"This just proves that I was right about that reservation. Filthy gossips. They just couldn't wait to spread the news, could they? Something interesting has finally occurred in their overcrowded sty. This isn't a place for people like us. I knew I shouldn't have listened to you. We should never have come here…."
I should never have come here.
Bella remembered that she had had similar thoughts earlier in the day.
"….We're moving…."
Bella didn't hear anything else that he mother was blathering on about.
Moving?
Wow, this day was just full of shockers.
She wasn't sure whether she was happy or sad.
On one hand, she couldn't wait to get away from all this.
The rumours, the hurt… Angela.
But on the other hand, she wasn't finished here.
She still had people that she wanted to see here.
Paul. Embry. Angela.
Well, she wanted to see Angela suffer.
Meanwhile, her mother carried on about how Bella should think about how her actions affect the business.
Bella felt the anger boil up inside of her.
"…We should move somewhere cleaner, like the Hamptons. Yes, that would be…." Bella cut Renee off.
"You know today…!"
Bella couldn't believe her own courage; she was actually talking back to her mother!
She became a little bolder and her eyes left the ground and homed in on her mother's face.
But as soon as she met her mother's cold blue eyes she lost as confidence.
"T-today i-is…." She stumbled over her words.
My birthday!
Why couldn't she just say it?
Because she was weak, that's why.
"… Nothing."
And with that, she turned on her converse clad heel and ran upstairs.
Bella flopped onto her bed and cried herself to sleep with memories of what had happened early on in the day.
When she awoke she didn't feel any better.
So she picked up the phone and called the one person she wanted to see right now.
"Bella?" His beautiful voice rang in her ear.
"Yeah… it's me."
"It's been a long time since you've contacted me." She felt ashamed.
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."
"That's okay. I'm glad to hear your voice now… I was going to call you today, anyway."
"Really?" She asked hopefully.
"Happy birthday, Bella."
She smiled into the phone and sniffled again.
There was someone who was glad that she was around, glad to hear her voice.
Someone who wanted to wish her a happy birthday.
"Bella, why were you crying?" And then she broke down again.
"Bella?" He sounded worried.
"I-I just….everything's wrong." She wailed, squeezing herself into a ball on her bed.
"Calm down Bella. Tell me what's wrong." His voice was soft.
Where was she going to start?
Her mother doesn't love her, she hadn't ever loved her.
She only keeps her around because of the money she earns.
Money. Money. Money.
Her best friend hated her forever.
Her 'one and only' who may or may not still be in love with said 'best friend' confused her to no end… and last but not least….
"They know. E-everybody knows. I can't go back to school. They call me a freak, they won't leave me alone. I-I c-can't do it anymore. I can't go back there. I'm a freak" She cried into the handset.
"You're not a freak, Bella." He tried to reassure her.
If anyone was a freak around here, it was definitely him.
"I'm a science experiment." She whispered; but she knew he could hear her.
How could he not?
He was quiet for a while.
"Can I come by for a visit?"
"Yes. Please." She answered, he smiled into the phone.
"We're actually in Moscow at the moment so it will take me a few days to arrive."
"Okay, I don't mind." She lied, she wished he would just appear at her window now, just like he used to.
"I'll see you soon, Bella."
"See you soon, Edward."
A.N. I cant believe its been over a year since I updated this! I have no excuses but I wanna get back on track. Thanks for sticking with me for so long, guys!