A/N: ooo so many positive responses to last chapter...thankyou guys! So I hope this one is just as good!
arizonajess , robsten94 , KryssyBee , Blue Arista , EJObsession , verycrazytwilighter , theorange3, tw-i-see-light and TheRealMrsFanaticCullen – you know what you guys mean to me...I tell you often enough right?!
EPOV
For a whole week she hadn't talked to me once in school except for Biology where she was obligated to. I couldn't help shake the feeling that she didn't want us being public; as if she were ashamed of me.
We met again at the meadow on Saturday; trying to spend as much time together as we could outside of the school and we arranged our next 'tutoring' session. Banner was pretty impressed by her answers on the worksheet that she had done by herself and Bella let him think that I had helped her. Why didn't she want people to think she was capable of doing this on her own?
Probably so her fate wouldn't match mine in this god-forsaken school.
I asked her if she was didn't want to be seen going out with me but she laughed it off and just said she was busy at school and didn't have the time to skip between tables at lunch or meet me in the morning. I considered this for a while until I thought maybe she could introduce me to her table or better still she could just come sit with me.
I didn't say this though; I didn't need to hear what people thought of me and I wasn't going to ask her to give everything up for me.
By Tuesday I was beginning to get sick of her blatantly ignoring me. She didn't even smile at me when we awkwardly passed in the corridors. I was starting to think that I was right about my theory of her being ashamed of being with me. We talked about the biology assignment that was due for next week and I was sure it would be easy enough for us to complete so I tried to change the subject and talk about 'us'."
She looked around the class to make sure no-one was listening to us and told me that we would have to talk about it later as we had to concentrate on our work.
I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my heart as I realized our relationship was going to come to an end again soon.
On Wednesday Bella didn't turn up for school.
"You boned who?" I heard Chris Kennedy's annoying still unbroken voice squeak from behind me in trig. Quite how the 'Elite' picked who was allowed to one of them I was entirely unsure...how could they let a joker who spoke like that in? "Bella?! Isabella Swan?"
My head whipped round as I heard her name.
"You actually bumped uglies with the hottest chick in school?!" his high-pitched voice. Who was he talking to? Please not Jasper. Please not Jasper I thought inwardly to myself as I turned to see who it was Chris was talking to.
Sure enough Jasper was staring back at him a huge fucking grin on his fucking face whislt nodding his fucking head. Fucking ass. He had fucked my girlfriend! More or less taken advantage of her when she was drunk.
"Fuck you staring at Cullen?" Chris spat at me.
"nothing." I timidly replied berating myself for being such a coward as the teacher walked through the door and barking page numbers at us to look at and work on before sitting down in his chair with his feet up on the table. Lazy ass bastard.
"You alright Cullen?" Jasper whispered.
"Yeah. Fantastic." I answered dryly.
"whatever man." He shrugged his shoulders at me and I wanted nothing more than to punch him right there in his pretty boy face for what he had done to Bella. But I restrained myself, fisting my hands into balls by my side like the stupid nerdy coward that I had always been.
BPOV
"Alice, do you think it is actually possible for you to stick to the speed limit?" I chided her as she did nearly 60mph screeching round a corner through the small Forks streets on the way to school.
"Bella you just don't appreciate the car. If you own a fast car you have to drive it fast. You wouldn't know though." She stuck her tongue out at me. "Any luck with that with Charlie?"
"Phhhh, no! Honestly, he is never going to let me get a car." I moaned.
"Why don't you just tell him the truth then Bells?" Alice suggested.
"Because he would never believe me." I told her as I shivered. It was horribly cold today: even for Forks although it probably didn't help that I still had to stock my winter wardrobe and was wearing a long t-shirt and leggings.
Last night I slept in Edward's top he had given me when we first met. I snuggled into it; keeping my hands in the sleeves. Even though it didn't smell of him anymore, it still gave me almost the same level of comfort as it had done before.
I was so happy to be with him again. I honestly thought he wasn't going to take me back; but after being with Jasper (eww what was I thinking) I decided to be open and forward with Edward. There was no way I could lose him again...that shit just hurt. I couldn't be without him.
"So how's things with you and lover boy? I think someone has got some! You've still got a post-coital glow about you!" Alice exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. Ah how right she was.
And how wrong. If only she knew who it was I got some from.
"Can you do me a favor first please Ali?"
"Sure Bellybee." Say what?
"Bellybee?"
"Yeah, that's what Emmett's been calling you. It's been seriously pissing off Rosalie; you having your own nickname!"
"Yeah, but Bellybee? If I were Rosalie I would be happy the nickname sounded like something off a kids TV show." I scoffed.
"Yes but Rose gets jealous easy. Anyway what was the favor?"
I tried thinking back to what I was previously about to say. I knew it had something to do with Edward...
"Can you stop being a bitch to Edward please."
"huh? Bella I haven't as much said two words to him this year. Plus once I realised that you had fallen for the school loser I kind of knew he was off limits for picking on."
"Oh jee, Alice aren't you so nice." Ah sarcasm... where would I be without it.
"You know sarcasm is the lowest form of wit."
"Yeah, well at least I got some!" I retorted. Alice grumbled quietly so I couldn't quite make out her comeback or insult. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window instead and realised we weren't in the same surroundings as I thought we would be. The trees around the road had gotten thicker making it darker. "Hey where are we Ali?"
"Oh did I forget to say? We're not going to school today!"
"What Alice? My dad is going to kill me! Turn round!"
"Oh Bella Bella Bella, stop pretending like you care about what your dad thinks...you never did before!"
"Alice c'mon stop pissing about. We need to go back."
"Why, have you not already realized we would be late if we turned back around, so no!" she stuck her turned round to look at me and stick her tongue out as the car swerved to the opposite side of the road. And I got flashbacks to the last time I was in a car that swerved to the wrong side of the road.
"Fuck Alice keep your eyes on the fucking road!"
"ooops sorry." She apologized as she steered back to the correct side of the road.
I took a few deep breaths in order to calm my thudding heartbeat.
"where are we going then?" I asked her.
"Just out and about. I need to hear about 'lover boy'" she giggled.
"I dunno...we're not really anything to be honest." I told her scared of her reaction if she found out we were dating.
"What so you're like fuck buddies then?"
I took a deep breath in before trying to explain the situation to her. "No, we've not had sex."
"You've had sex Bells, don't lie." Her voice was laced with indignation at my refusal to spill any beans. I pursed my lips and made the zip gesture with my hand. There was no way in hell I was going to admit to Alice who I had in fact had sex with.
"You are no fun anymore Bella! Stop being all sensible and stuff!" she moaned at me.
"Alice I swear we haven't done anything really."
"define really?"
I sighed realizing she wasn't going to give up until I gave details. "Well no further than second base to be honest. I shoved my hand down his jeans a few times but I think he's kinda shy."
"Bella. I'm not being funny but I really don't think he's had a relationship before. Especially not here; he is always by himself."
"Yeah and whose fault is that Al?"
"Aw Bella come on you know if you had been here when he started you would have been the same." She reprimanded me shaking her head. And she did have a point; if I hadn't met Edward throughout the summer and got to know him I probably would have been a bitch from day one...well more so than I was. I mentally cringed as I thought through everything I had put that poor boy through. And what I was still putting him through by ignoring him.
"Alice, I'm embarrassed to be going out with him." I admitted biting my lip.
"I knew it! Is that why you've been ignoring him? Jeesh Bells, do you even like him?"
"Alice of course I do!" I shouted outraged that she would think such a thing. But then I realized how I had acted with him and how it would seem like I didn't like him all that much. "Oh God, do you think Edward thinks I hate him?"
"Calm down. I'm pretty sure he realizes the position you're in. But if it were me I think I would be miffed that you hadn't even talked to me."
I heard my phone go off in my bag so I reached for it to read the text message I had received from Edward.
Where r u?
I thnk we need to talk. R u coming to school?
E
"Oh shit." I said out loud without meaning to.
"What is it?" Alice asked concerned.
"Edward just text me telling me we need to talk."
"Oh crap." She mirrored my take on the situation exactly. "Well are you going to text back?"
"What do I say?" I asked panicky.
"Uh, I don't know. He's not my boyfriend."
"seriously Alice...what do I say?" my mind was whirring; caught in between the horrific idea of losing Edward again and what he wanted to talk about.
"Well tell him you'll talk with him tonight or something. Tell him you will phone and you can discuss everything."
So I text him back saying exactly that, but I didn't receive a reply like I expected. Edward was usually very swift when it came to texting me back so this worried me slightly.
Alice drove to some shops in Port Angeles where I bought a new thicker jacket that would keep me protected from the harsh winter climate of Forks. I checked my phone but Edward still had not text me back. Panic struck through me as I wondered why he had not got back in touch.
We drove back home chatting about how I had met Edward and all about the encounter with James and what he had done to me. Alice proceeded to tell me how much she wanted to get together with Jasper. I hated myself the minute she said his name. I had screwed him the minute he had touched me. How bad a friend was i? I knew how she felt about him. God help me if she ever found out. I did not want to meet Alice's wrath.
I arrived home slightly later than I normally would coming home from school but no-one was in so I figured I was fine and I snuck my recent purchases upstairs and hung the plain boring winter jacket up. I would have to go to Seattle sometime soon to replace it with something nicer. Maybe that could be something I could rope Edward into?
I leaned back on my bed and switched on my laptop. After reading through my emails; which were asking me if I wanted a bigger cock, a loan and some diet pills I laid it beside me and got out my cell to phone Edward.
He picked up on the third ring and didn't soon like the happy Edward I wanted to hear.
"Whats wrong?" I asked him concerned.
"Where were you today?" Straight to the point.
"Alice didn't go to school and because Alice gives me a lift I didn't go either." I said simply trying to brush the subject off. "Did I miss much?"
"Bella, you can't just go and do that! Do you know all your teachers are pissed at you?"
"Aw Edward it's fine, it's not like I'm their best friend anyway!"
"Right." His tone was short and gruff; I didn't like it.
"Eh, so what did you want to talk about?" I asked holding my breath.
"Us, but I didn't want to do it over the phone." Oh shit. He was going to break up with me.
"Wait!" I shouted down the phone. "I know I've been weird, but you're asking me to give up a lot and I'm just bracing myself for it all when everyone knows about us." Well it was as close to the truth as I wanted to get. I hated myself that I couldn't be honest with him for this one little thing.
"Why? Because you embarrassed that you're going out with someone like me?" Uhoh, hitting the mark right there.
"Shit, Edward listen. I am so confused with what I am feeling for you just now. The very fact I'm even considering our relationship screams that I actually care for you! I would never date anyone out of my social circle."
"So are you saying I should think myself lucky here or something?" he cut it distaste lacing his unusually gruff voice.
"No! You need to let me finish. I don't think of it at all like that. I think I'm lucky that you would give a bitch like me a chance. Your too good for me Edward. I am trying though, it's just difficult. I swear tomorrow will be different." I looked down at my hands; I was wringing them leaving big red marks from pressing into my skin too hard.
"You've said that before."
"I know. But I mean it this time. I do!" I pleased with him to believe me.
"How do I know that?"
"You've got to trust me. Please trust me; I'll show you at school tomorrow." I told him; another plan formulating in my mind. One that he may not like but that would be enough for me to prove to him that I could be with him at school.
"Right ok then. What you doing?" he asked curiously.
"Lying on my bed. Why?"
"just wondering. I'm bored." He spoke in his usual velvety voice again.
"No can do Camaraderie." Getting what he was hinting at. "I need to make Charlie's dinner. I'll see you tomorrow though ok?"
******
Alice picked me up nice and early again, and this time she sped off in the correct direction to the high-school. Unfortunately her driving remained the same I thought as I grabbed hold of the handle above the door as she took a corner on two wheels. Needless to say I was slightly worried, but I really was too scared to say anything.
"You ready to go meet lover-boy this morning then?" she asked me her voice bright and not at all concerned about crashing her car. So I guessed I was in good hands; Ali would never do anything to damage her 'baby' Portia.
"Mhm." I let out behind closed lips. I tried to relax a little bit and my lips loosened slightly. "Do you think you could stop calling him that?"
"Why, he is your lover-boy!"
"Ok." I agreed with her not wanting to cause an argument. As soon as she skidded to a halt in the car-park my eyes actively sought out the silver Volvo that belonged to Edward. I spotted it in his usual parking space and walked as quickly as my stupid heels would allow me over the gravelly allotment. He was pulling his bag out of his backseat; his gorgeous mop of bronze hair falling over his eyes. When he stood up he saw me rushing towards him and his face became bemused as he quirked one eyebrow questionably at me.
"Edward!"I greeted him as soon as I was close enough.
"Hi." He answered me warily I made a motion to grab his hand as he swung his bag over his shoulder holding his car keys in his teeth.
"Isabella Swan!" I heard a sharp voice shouting me from behind and I felt my body crumple. Shit. After so many teachers threatening to send me to him; the principle came to seek me out. Edward looked at me curiously again and made to lock his car.
"Miss Swan. My office now!" He shouted brashly at me. "Ah good morning Mr Cullen. Do me a favour would you; if you see Miss Brandon wandering the halls could you please tell her to come to my office."
"Sure My Greene." Edward curtly agreed before he gave me an encouraging smile and headed off in the opposite direction from where I was headed.
I stormed off ahead of him to the office; quicker than him even in my heels.
I sat in the green mangy seats which were desperately in need of even just a wipe down outside of his room. I knew the procedure well.
"Just head on in Isabella." He wheezed out; slightly out of breath from trying to keep up with me.
I sat down in the old tatty red in front of the desk while he took the swiveling green chair behind the desk. God this school was so out in it's color schemes! Had they board never heard the saying; "red and green should never be seen?"
"Ah Miss Swan. How I missed our almost daily chats. How are we today?" He asked me politely as if he hadn't been barking orders at me five minutes earlier.
"Fine Mr Greene." I smiled up at him. "Yourself?" Two could play at pleasantries.
"I am great Miss Swan. I take it your skipping school yesterday involved something important?"
"Yes, it most definitely did."
"May I ask, what was so important that you thought taking time out of your education would be a wise idea?" Well my options were either telling the truth or trying to make something up on the spot and I didn't really think I could do that so early in the morning.
"Well I needed a new jacket Sir; all the stuff I brought from Arizona is summery; so I was freezing yesterday!"
"Hmmm. So you enlisted Miss Brandon's help with that then did you?"
"Yes Sir." I replied with a smile; I was enjoying this for some stupid reason.
"Well, even I don't think you are that silly Miss Swan. Would you care to tell me the real reason behind yesterday?" He didn't believe me? Ha, typical; the one time I try telling the truth and it's the first time he won't take my word!
"Eh, period pain..." I laughed at the embarrassed look on his face.
"well." He coughed slightly trying to ease the tension only he felt, "in order for you to learn your lesson Isabella, I'm giving you two days detention. You can come back next week."
"Let me get this straight; in order for punishing me for skipping school you are giving me two days off school with permission?"
He nodded slowly and I could see the gears turning in his mind before he realized that it was hardly a punishment for me.
"Don't think we won't be phoning you parents Isabella." Fantastic I was going to have Charlie on my case. Well that was punishment. I groaned as I stood up and left the office to go phone a taxi to take me home.
Alice was sitting in the tatty green seats and grabbed my hand before I walked away.
"What you get?" she asked me panicking.
"two days detention and Charlie getting a nice phone - call at work."
"Oh. Shit. My mom is going to kill me!"
"Relax; I doubt you'll get it as bad."
Just there the door opened and Mr Greene's head peeked out the side of it.
"I thought I told you to leave Isabella?"
"I'm just going. Sorry Sir." I apologized without meaning.
"Miss Brandon, would you step into my office?" I gave her a good luck smile and
Pulled out my phone so I could call for a taxi and text Edward.
Got suspended! Woooo!
2 days to myself!
Charlies gonna ground me tho, dnt xpect to see me for a while!
xx
A/N: oooooo! What you think? Please review...each one of you that reviews gets a virtual cookie! Ooooo!...ok I'm actually eating an actual cookie right now as I write this so that what thats all about!
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