How can I decide what's right?
When you're clouding up my mind
can't win your losing fight all the time
Not gonna ever own what's mine
When you're always taking sides
you won't take away my pride
No not this time
Not this time
(Decode – Paramore)

Chapter 21: Parental Units Attack

BPOV

Since the dance-off last Friday, it seemed like I became instantly popular. Everyone in the hallway knew my name now and the teachers didn't scowl anymore. It was starting to freak me out. Lauren and Tanya seemed to be laying off but I could have been wrong. They seemed like the kind of people who never gave up on anything. But I'd barely had any time to worry about them for the past couple of weeks. That week had been full of… Craziness. That was the only word for it. It had been filled with dance rehearsals almost everyday and homework being set in shiploads. I usually worked on my dance for the showcase at night when I was done with all my homework, but lately, the showcase was starting to seem more like homework. Mr. Molona and Adara were both really pushing us to get these dances down. Everyday, when I got back to my dorm I felt like I had just ran a marathon and wanted to just go to sleep. But it was obvious that Mr. Molona wasn't going to let us do that.

"Bella, come on! I know you and Edward can get this," Mr. Molona exclaimed. Edward and I were in the studio trying to work on our second couple dance but I couldn't seem to get this one little move. And it was really starting to frustrate me.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Molona, I just can't get it for some reason," I apologized.

"Its okay, Bella. It just that the showcase is three weeks away now…"

I put my hands to my temples and starting rubbing them, hoping it would take away the head ache I felt coming on. He was right, the showcase was just around the corner and this was the only dance that wasn't finished. I didn't know how Mr. Molona had come up with this move for me. He wanted me to do a pirouette three times in a row while kicking out my leg. He had said that it would be hard at first but that I would 'gain speed.' I knew that I could do it; it just wasn't the easiest thing to get used to doing. I walked over to where the mirror was and slid down it until I was sitting.

"Bella," I heard Edward whisper next to me, "Bella, you need to just breathe for a second."

I looked up slowly into his bright green eyes. Edward was always there whenever I got too stressed out and needed someone there to help me. "I know Edward, I just…I don't know if I can do it," I admitted looking down at my hands.

"Bella, look at me," he said, putting one finger under my chin and making me look up at him.

"You can do this. I believe in you more than anyone else I know; you just need a little faith."

I smiled slightly and nodded. "I guess you're right," I sighed. "Come on, let's get back to it."

Edward offered me his hand and I took it and pushed myself off the ground. We got through the fist part of the dance painlessly, but when the time came for the move I couldn't do, I had to give myself a little extra push to get it there. But I succeeded. I finally got it down.

"That's what I'm talking about Bella! Do you see why I was pushing it so far? It's going to look amazing on stage!" Mr. Molona exclaimed.

Edward pulled me into a tight hug of congratulations.

"Okay, okay," Mr. Molona said once the bell had rung. "I guess I've tortured you enough for one day. You may go."

Edward and I grabbed our stuff and made our way towards my dorm building. Edward was talking about some kind of football thing that I didn't understand at all. I was looking out into the parking lot when I saw a strangely familiar car. It looked a lot like my mom's Volkswagen, which prompted my mind to suddenly wander off thinking about my parents and what they would do if they saw me right now. For one, I know that they would probably freak out and tell me to get away from Edward and then scold me because I broke my promise to them. The promise. I had totally forgotten about it. The promise I had made to my parents that I wouldn't encourage any distractions while I was here studying dance. My main focus was supposed to be dancing. But Edward was my partner, so dance was still my main focus… right?

"So we have an extra long practice on Saturday," he said.

"Huh?"

"I just said that, since the qualifying for the championships are coming up, Coach Mitchell is making us have an extra long practice on Saturday. Are you okay? You seem kind of distracted," he said in a worried tone.

"Oh, it's nothing," I lied. We stepped into the building and made our way up to my room. This was our usual routine so it wasn't out of the ordinary. But something about today just felt off. When we got to my door, I opened it swiftly and was planning on making a bee line for the little kitchen to get some water, when two figures sitting on my couch caught my attention.

I was frozen for a split second before I could gain control of my body.

"Mom? Dad?" I said when I could speak. How had they gotten here? And more importantly, why had they come? I looked back at Edward who was still standing in the doorway not sure what to do.

"Hello, Isabella," my mom said in a strained voice. She then saw Edward standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Who is this?"

"This is my dance partner," I said, leaving out the part that he was my boyfriend.

"Are you sure about that?" my dad asked from beside my mom. "Because we were here earlier today and you looked like more than just dance partners."

I tilted my head to the side, trying to think of a time when we were doing something that wasn't on a just friend's level. All of a sudden I remembered when, before English, Edward had thought that it would be a good idea to sneak in a little make-out session before class. I immediately blushed deeper than I ever had before. There was nothing more embarrassing than being caught by your parents.

"Um, well. You see…" I started but Charlie cut me off.

"What's your name?" he snapped in Edward direction.

Edward cleared his throat, looking nervous. "Edward Cullen," he answered in a rough voice.

My dad narrowed his eyes at him. "You two aren't having sex now, are you?" he asked.

"Dad!" I screeched. "No, no, no, no, no! Of course not! Those sex-ed classes in middle school helped me more than you think!"

"Bella, I think what your father means is that you are being safe, right?" my mom said, trying to make this less awkward.

"Yes," I answered, even though there was nothing to be safe about. Edward wasn't the kind to randomly have sex with girls.

"Well, when we came down here, I certainly did not expect to find you like this," my dad ranted.

"Me either. I am sorry, Bella. But I honestly thought that you were down here doing the right thing, and what we told you to do," my mom said. I knew exactly what she meant when she said 'what we told you to do.' I wasn't supposed to have a boyfriend, but I had gone against the promise I made to my mom.

"I'm sorry, Mom," I said.

"Umm…sorry to interrupt, but I have to get going to practice," Edward said awkwardly. I felt so bad for him; I could only imagine how uncomfortable this must be for him.

"Okay," I said, "See you at rehearsal."

He mouthed a short 'sorry' to me and left down the hallway. Obviously, trying to get out of here as fast as possible.

"What is he going to practice for?" my dad asked after Edward had left.

"Football," I answered.

"He does football too?" he asked. Of course he didn't know because he didn't talk as frequently as Mom and I did.

"Yeah, they have one last game next weekend, and if they win this one they get to go to the championships," I told him.

"That's…wow. I guess I misjudged him when I saw you two together," Dad said in a low voice.

"It's okay, Dad. But would one of you mind telling me why you guys came down here?" I asked. Neither of them answered me for a second which worried me.

"When we heard about your little dance-off we thought that we should come down here and see if you're taking this seriously," my mom said. Is that really the reason they had come down here? To check up on me? Well, it explained the car in the parking lot.

"Of course I am mom, why would you ask that?" You can ask anyone on this campus, I thought to myself, they'll tell you.

"Well when I saw my only daughter prancing around this campus with some boy and heard that she was competing in some kind of dance-off, I was second guessing you."

"You realize with things like this you're risking everything we've worked for right, Isabella?" My dad asked in a stern tone.

"We? Since when did we become a part of what I want? I had to beg both of you to come here!" I exclaimed.

"I know, but now you've broken the one and only rule we set for you!" my mom all but yelled.

"He's my dance partner! He is part of what I do," I fought back.

"It doesn't matter!" My dad said loudly, almost scaring me, "You broke your promise and you know that when you do that there comes some kind of consequence."

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"You need to break up with that boy." The room fell silent immediately. I didn't say anything. I just stared at my mother like she was crazy. She wanted to me break up with Edward? This has to be a joke.

"Mom, you do realize that he is my partner and if we go back to the way we were before it could mess up my future? I know you don't like it, but he has the same amount to do with it as I do."

"We just don't want to see you hurt Bells. If he hurts you and your dance suffers because of it…" Charlie said, shaking his head.

"Is there something I'm missing here?" I asked, "Is their some kind of family feud going on that I don't know about?" My mom hesitated; like there was something she hadn't told me.

"Mom?" I asked, "You know you can tell me, right?"

"Bella…there are things about the Cullen family that you don't know about," she said slowly. I was instantly confused.

"Things I don't know! Mom, you've never even met them!" I exclaimed.

"Yes I have Bella. Esme – Edward's mother – and I were good friends in high school."

"So, what does that have to do with Edward and I?" I asked.

"Lets me finish. One day, she came running up to me, sobbing that she had just found out she was pregnant. Of course, I felt bad for her. But it wasn't my fault. She has said she wanted me to be there for her throughout the pregnancy, but I had my own goals to accomplish. My own dreams. Carlisle wasn't very happy that I wasn't helping my best friend," she mused. "I just don't want the same thing to happen to you, Bella. You are such a talented girl, and like your father said, if anything happened that your dancing suffered because of it…." She took a deep breath, "I know we all would be devastated." I didn't say anything back. I just stood there, staring at the wall. Esme got pregnant in high school? That didn't seem like her.

"Who did she get pregnant with?" I asked quietly.

"Edward," my mom said with a weak smile, "Then followed Emmett and then Alice." I sighed dramatically, and sat down on the floor.

"I don't know if I'm going to break up with him, he means too much to me," I started, "But I will talk to him." My mom smiled.

"Good. At least do that, Bella. Just understand that we want you to be safe." And with that, she got up and left, my dad following close behind.

EPOV

"Edward, is there a reason why when I went to my dorm I heard Bella and other people yelling from inside it?" Alice asked me as I made my way across campus.

I groaned. It was so hard leaving her there with her parents because I knew that, the second I left, she would be eaten alive by them but I didn't dare go back until I was sure that they were gone. I didn't want an uncomfortable confrontation with her dad.

"Yes. Her parents came for a spontaneous visit and Bella didn't know about it. So when we got there together…it wasn't pretty."

"I bet. Because when I got there, they were talking about y-o-u," she said, popping a piece of gum in her mouth.

"Do you know what they were saying?" I asked.

"Not really. All I heard was 'Edward, partner, dance, break up,' and then Bella yelling no," she said quickly. I had frozen at the words 'break up'. Was Bella going to break up with me? Or was it something her parents had said?

"Hey. Edward, don't sweat about it. I think it was her mom who said that. But would you honestly think Bella would break up with you after all you two have been through? Seriously Edward, think a little." Alice was right. Would Bella really break up with me after all of this? But if she did, it could possibly ruin our dancing.

Before we could get to my room, I felt a finger tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Bella standing behind me. Her eyes were red from crying and she was sniffling like she had a bad cold.

"Oh, Bella," I said, pulling her into a tight hug. Her little frame fit perfectly into my arms as she wiggled around so she could rest her head on my shoulder. "I heard what your parents said after I left. We won't let them break us up, Bella. We can't."

"I know," she answered quietly. "It's just, what will happen when they come back for the showcase and they see that we're still together?" She sounded a little hysterical, so I had to try my best to stay calm.

"Bella, look at me, right at me," I whispered. "Nothing is going to happen between us. That I am positive of. When your parents see us at the end of the year – together – they're just going to have to suck it up."

Bella's eyes were still watered over from tears but she smiled around them, nodding. "You're right. We've been through to much drama together to break us up. Let's just hope nothing else happens."

She's right, if anything else happens, I think I'll go insane.

Bada-bing bada-boom! Here is chapter 21! (that would have sounded better if it was chapter 22…oh, well!)

Okay, so this chapter was 'sorta' filler, but it was important. Bella's mom and dad obviously don't like Edward now. And you found out Renee and Esme have a history together. (not that kind of history) Haha, drama is fun isn't it? But you can see where Renee is coming from right? Even just a little bit?

SO, there was some foreshadowing in this chapter. But I highly doubt anyone found it because I am awesome like that. XD. *laughs* I hope you don't think the drama is done….I really don't cause, it's not. Trust me. *wink*

But school is officially out! (Did I say that last time? I don't remember!) But that – hopefully – means I have more time to write. It doesn't help that I've sick for the past week of summer though…: (

This week's challenge is to…try to guess what I look like!

Random I know, but I'm just curious. (Maybe I'll post a pic or something on Facebook after…Hmm…) LOL, but I would love to know whatcha think!

Okay, I'm done.

Live, Love, Laugh,

Selbe

Review!