Disclaimer: We are not Stephenie Meyer and therefore are not the rightful owners of the Twilight series or anything within it. Silly. :)
A/N: HOLY SHIT! You guys. You never cease to amaze me, not in the slightest. Have I ever mentioned how much I love you? Over 60 reviews in 13 hours? You guys are the best in the world. Honestly, I was thinking that we might get the update Saturday, but the update on Sunday was pretty much out of the question. And you guys got the update on Saturday before I even got home from school. I love you, I love you, I love you.
In other news, it's like ninety degrees in Seattle today. Needless to say, I'm writing to you from the Starbucks near my house. If my skin didn't repel the sun, I'd probably go to the park. But for now, under the big green umbrella is amazing enough for me. :D I don't know what those of you with sunny weather do with yourselves all the time. Man, I'd live outside. Anyway, here's the chapter.
Cursed
By cALLIEfornia BENches
Chapter 23: Chemistry
6 years ago
Forty-eight hours.
Forty-freaking-eight hours since Bella had last slept.
Fucking finals, she thought tiredly. Chemistry was her last final of not only the year, but of high school in general. And unfortunately, her grade was riding on it. At that time, her grade was an A-. If she did well on the test, she'd get a low A. If she didn't, she'd get a high B+. And she couldn't deal with that. Especially not now. Her scholarship to UW was riding on her maintaining a 3.9 GPA.
Bella's eyes drifted shut and her body slumped forward. No, she thought as she shook her head and pried her eyes open. She couldn't sleep now. Only two more hours, and she could go home and sleep for days if she wanted to. Senior finals would be done, and the only thing left would be graduation. And then she'd be done with high school and on to college.
She smiled when she thought about college. It had been something she had been looking forward to since practically freshman year. She'd only be a few hours from home over at the University of Washington. When she got her letter of acceptance back in January, she wanted to run a marathon—go Huskies—until she found out that not only had Edward Masen been accepted as well, but he was going to go there.
And she had been hoping to get away from him. But, of course, fate didn't agree with her. So she had nothing left to do but cross her fingers and hope that maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't have any classes with him.
Bella's eyes fluttered shut again, but a loud, obnoxious giggling from the front corner of the room kept her from falling into a deep sleep.
Edward Masen—who else—entered with his posse. The last few months, Edward seemed to have tamed himself with the ladies. He wasn't spending so much of his time out on dates, instead focusing on his studies. It occurred to him that, even though he had made it into college, those colleges could easily rescind his acceptance if they felt it necessary. Edward knew it was time to suck it up and come to terms with the fact that he couldn't screw around anymore.
Had it been two months before, he would have basked in the attention of the girls. But now… now, he just wanted to go and get some last minute studying in before the final started. He felt prepared, but you could never study too much with chemistry.
Edward pried Lauren's touchy-feely hands off him and went to sit down in his seat next to Isabella. But one look at her told him that she had had a rough night's sleep. There was no doubt about the fact that she had over studied, and Edward was a little worried for her.
"You look like shit," he said as he tossed his small backpack onto the floor and dug out his Number 2 pencil and eraser.
She glanced at him from the corner of her droopy eyes. "I know," she said. Her voice sounded defeated, and Edward wondered why she had spent so much time studying. It wasn't like she was stupid by any means. In fact, she was on the smarter side of the class. So what was so important that she needed to spend a dangerous amount of time studying.
"No," Edward insisted. "You really look like shit."
Her eyes dropped closed and her head dropped into her folded arms on the desk. She looked and felt utterly defeated. She had no idea how she was going to take this test when she was feeling like this. The nervous butterflies in her stomach kicked up a notch when she realized that staying up all night to study may, in fact, hinder her score on the test.
"Gee, thanks," she muttered sarcastically, her voice muffled from beneath her sweatshirt.
A second later, she seemed to have forgotten the conversation and her breathing evened out into slow, deep breaths. Edward knew she had fallen asleep, but he didn't find it necessary to wake her. She deserved at least a few minutes of slumber before the test. She'd need every second possible. He'd wake her up when the teacher started passing out the test.
Ever since prom, Edward felt a terrible amount of sympathy for Isabella. He felt like the lowest scum on the earth when he found out how much his words must have hurt her. Ever since, he had been looking for a way out, for a way to make it up to her. At the same time, he didn't want to make it completely obvious. He was uncomfortable being nice to her, as he knew she would be, too. But he had to find a subtle way to pay her back.
"Alright, class," Mr. Ko, our chemistry teacher, said. He punctuated his statement by dropping the stack of papers on their side so they'd line up. "Looks like it's about time to get started."
Everyone admired Mr. Ko. He knew what he was talking about better than he knew the back of his hand. And for that, the students respected him. He was getting up there in age, but he was in no way senile. It seemed as though he knew everything about everything. He was like that old man that you could talk with for hours, simply because he was so smart. Teachers like that were rare, and the students in the class knew they were lucky to have him.
"You may start as soon as you have your test," he said as he started to pass out the test.
Edward nudged Bella lightly. "Isabella, he's starting to pass out the test."
She inhaled sharply as she bolted upright, Edward's nudge obviously having scared her slightly from her sleep. "Thanks," she breathed when she realized that no one was attacking her.
Mr. Ko put a test down in front of her, and then a test in front of Edward. The test was all multiple choice, as all finals were, so that made it easy. Bella looked down at the first question, doing her best to defy her eyelids.
What is the correct structure for 2,2,3-trimethyl-5-propylnonane?
Bella glanced over the answers as she processed her organic chemistry in her head. This one was relatively easy; it was just an alkane. The branches weren't throwing her off. She chose C, confident with her answer, and moved onto the next question.
What is the limiting reagent of the following equation?
Shit. Limiting reagents were her weakness. She glanced over the problem, attempted some frivolous calculations on her spare paper, knowing they were wrong, and coming out with an answer that wasn't even a choice of the four options on the sheet. Bella sighed, frustrated, and dropped her head into her hands. Maybe she just needed a few minutes to logically think it over.
Edward watched from the corner of his eye as Bella quickly fell asleep on her desk. He wasn't sure whether to wake her up or let her sleep. Maybe this was his chance to do something nice for her. He glanced up at the teacher to see where he was, and saw that he was walking into the smaller, attached room that held all of the chemicals.
Edward was probably going to regret doing this, but it was worth a shot anyway.
Bella was in her room by herself. Her parents had gone out for the day to Pike Place, and maybe take a ferry up to Bainbridge Islands or maybe Poulsbo. They wouldn't be back until late that night, and she had the house to herself. She had debated on going out with Alice or having some friends over, but she didn't feel like leaving the house. So she had decided to stay in and watch a scary movie or two. Alice hadn't forced her to go anywhere, either, which was a nice change.
So when a knock sounded on her door, she was confused. She wasn't expecting anyone tonight. She padded to the door, her bare feet smacking against the hardwood floors, and opened the door.
Surprise didn't even begin to explain it when it was none other than Edward Masen standing at her door with a crooked grin on his face. He was in a black t-shirt and plain jeans, but they had darkened somewhat from the rain.
"What are you doing here?" Bella asked him.
Without an invitation, he stepped into the house and started walking upstairs, she assumed to her room. The only other thing up there was her parents' bedroom and the bathroom, and she couldn't imagine why he'd want to go in there. Then again, she couldn't imagine why he'd just show up at her house, either. The whole thing was weird.
She followed him and, sure enough, he was standing in her room, looking down at her bed. Upon her arrival, he turned around and looked at her.
"Bella," was all he said.
She moved forward, closer to him. "Edward," she replied.
As soon as she was close enough, he reached out and pulled her forward until their bodies were flush together. No words were said, but it was understood exactly what was going to happen. So it didn't surprise her when his gaze flickered from her face to her lips a second before he moved his face to their foreheads and noses were touching. She didn't seem to care that his wet clothes were seeping onto hers. She didn't care that drops of water from his hair were now dripping down her face.
He stayed there for a minute, letting them absorb the moment. It was extremely intimate, and she couldn't get enough. In fact, she was the one who made the first move and adjusted her head so their lips were pressed together. It was gentle at first: chaste, soft kisses with lips shut and simply pressed against the others'.
When he opened his mouth a fractional amount, so did she. Tongues stayed properly in their own mouths.
Her fingers untangled themselves from his and wound around his neck, fingering the tufts of hair at the base of his neck. He let out a groan, vibrating both of their mouths together in the slightest way. His arms moved so they were loosely draped around her waist and he squeezed, bringing her ever closer to him. She couldn't get over the feeling that it was right. That she belonged there. It was weird, feeling this way and doing these things with the very bane of her existence. She couldn't wait to see where this would go.
He took a step backward, bringing them closer to her bed. She stepped into the spot where his foot had been, and she couldn't help but feel like they were in some sort of dance. Which they were, technically. It was a dance to see how far they could push each other until one of them snapped; it was how it usually was, except this time it was in a good way. They weren't battling to see who was better, they were battling to see if they could be better together.
The rain was pounding hard against her roof; it was the only sound that they could hear, aside from their little gasps of excitement, pleasure, or surprise.
Edward backed up again until the backs of his knees aligned with the edge of the bed. From there, he leaned down and pulled her on top of him, never once detaching their lips. His tongue drew a line lightly on her bottom lip and she moaned. Upon seeing that she liked that, he did it again. Bella liked the fact that they were learning so much about each other without actually speaking. She had never taken the time out before to learn anything about him, let alone learning that he loved his scalp to be lightly scratched in the heat of the moment.
Edward flipped her over on the bed so his body was pressed tightly to hers. She could feel every inch of him—every inch—lying above her. There was no doubt about the fact that he was aroused by this. But she couldn't blame him. She was particularly aroused herself.
He trailed his mouth down to her neck, nibbling on a sweet spot. How in the world he knew about that spot, the spot that made her melt, she had no idea. But at the moment, she couldn't get herself to care. She couldn't even care that she would most likely have a huge hickey there in the morning. All she cared about was that he was there, lightly grinding his hips into hers and nibbling that spot on her neck. At this rate, it wouldn't be long until she lost it.
"Oh, Edward," she moaned.
He hummed against her neck and it sent a shiver through her body.
Wanting more of him, she unlocked her hands from around his neck and trailed them down to the hem of his shirt, running her fingers lightly underneath it. She traveled up to his chest, her nails scraping over his nipples as she did so. He groaned loudly and with a breathy "Bella," he nuzzled his face into her neck, only able to press light kisses to it. If she kept it up, it wouldn't be long until he lost it. And how embarrassing would that be.
His shirt was riding up with her hands, so he pulled away for a minute to finish pulling it over his head. He tossed it somewhere and they heard it land with a soft plunk on the carpet.
She allowed him to do the same to her, tearing off her bra in the process. His eyes widened at the sight and he stared for a good minute.
"Wow," he said.
Bella started to get uncomfortable and drew her arms up and over herself. She couldn't tell if the 'wow' was good or bad. Was he just going to leave now and leave her lying there, vulnerable?
"No," he said, as if answering her thoughts. "No, don't cover yourself. You're far too beautiful to be covered." He pried her arms away from her chest and kissed her hands one at a time before setting them behind his neck.
She moaned at his words and pulled him back to her, crashing their lips together. She flipped him over onto his back and straddled his waist, kissing down his chest until he was writhing beneath her. He was painfully hard, and he was sure she knew it. His jeans were still wet and very clingy. She had to know what she was doing to him.
Bella reached down between her legs and unbuttoned his pants, pulling the zipper down as carefully as possible. Unfortunately for Edward, carefully meant slowly. And he wasn't sure exactly how much more of her teasing that he would be able to take. His hips jerked up, encouraging her to go faster. She smiled up at him before she pulled his jeans all the way down, smiling at the sight of his bright yellow boxers with dozens of black smiley faces. No doubt he was happy today.
She looked up to him for confirmation that it would be okay if she pulled his boxers down. He nodded enthusiastically and she couldn't help but giggle. The giggle, however, was cut short with one look at him. The man was very well endowed.
"You're so big. I don't think it'll fit," she said, a little disappointment in her voice.
A smile lit up his face. "Don't boost my ego, love. It doesn't need to be any bigger than it already is."
She smiled before licking her hand and wrapping it around the base, squeezing and bringing it to the top. As she reached the head, a few drops of precum leaked out the top. She dipped her head down to take it into her mouth, but he stopped her.
"I'm sorry," he said. Her face fell. What was he apologizing for? For letting her get this far? For taking advantage of her? "You're going to have to stop or tonight won't be that eventful."
She opened her mouth to make a comment, but it caught in her throat when he turned her over so she was on her back. A devilish grin formed on his face. Before she knew it, her sweatpants and underwear were off and lying in the pile of clothes they had accumulated and he was rolling on a condom.
"Are you sure?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes. "We don't have to do this."
"Edward, I want you," she said as she ran a hand through his hair. His eyes closed and she swore that if he could have, he would have purred.
He kissed her as he started to push into her slowly. It was hard for him to maintain his control, but he knew he had to. She was fragile, and he wouldn't be the one to break her.
Her face contorted slightly in pain as he stretched her, but this time was different than last time with Demetri. It was a good kind of pain, one that she would happily endure to get to the pleasure of him inside of her. And not ten seconds after he had fully pushed himself into her, she moved her hips experimentally. She felt nothing but pleasure.
Edward took this as a sign to start, so he withdrew lightly before pushing back in. She moaned, and it nearly undid him.
"You feel so good," she murmured against his lips, her voice heavy with pleasure.
Edward hummed, not trusting his voice to say anything. He pressed himself inside of her again, a little harder this time. "Is this okay?" he squeaked.
"Better than okay," she said. "Harder."
His eyes rolled back into his head and he moved faster, harder inside of her. She had no idea how amazing this was for him. He had had his fair share of girls, but she was by far the best. The tightest. Even Jessica, who had been a virgin when they started their fling, hadn't been so tight. Bella was astounding in every sense of the word.
Wanting to give her more, he reached between them and pinched her clit between his two fingers. Bella let out an embarrassingly loud moan and immediately blushed, but Edward couldn't have been happier.
"Isabella," he said. She lost herself in the throes of passion, but he called her name again, as if he was trying to get her attention. "Isabella. Isabella, it's time to wake up. Isabella."
"Bella, wake up," a voice whispered into her ear. What? Where was she? And why wasn't she in her room, finishing out this wonderful dream with…
Oh, god. The test. She shot straight up and looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be finishing their test and turning it in. She had only done one problem before she fell asleep, and the clock told her she had one minute to finish a fifty question test. Her heart started beating at a hundred miles per hour, and she looked over to the man that had been whispering in her ear before. It was Edward.
He looked worried and slightly creeped out, but he slid a piece of paper over to her. It was her test. And it was finished.
She hurriedly flipped through the pages to see what the answers were. They looked right from her standings. She flipped her head to look over at Edward, but wasn't sure she'd be able to meet his eyes after the dream.
"I don't know what you were dreaming about, but it sure sounded good," he said. He had heard her mumble a few things incoherently at first, but as time went on he heard moans and then his name once. He wondered if she had been having a dream about him.
Bella still looked shocked, trying to take everything in. The bell rang, and Edward got up to leave.
"Thank you," she whispered. He nodded and went on out the door.
Edward had done something nice. Edward had done something nice… for her. And what had she done? She had to go and have a sex dream about him. She shuddered at the thought, only this time it wasn't a good shudder. Sex with Edward? No, thanks, she thought as she got up and turned her test in, thankful that senior year was finally over.
Now she could get on with her real life. No more dreams.
A/N: Alright, here's the deal. Between today's chapter and tomorrow's chapter, if you guys can get us up to 745 reviews (that's an average of roughly 70 reviews per chapter, so about 675 for this one), I'll post a double chapter on Tuesday. :) Since I'm posting early this morning, you have all of today and all of tomorrow before I post again on Sunday night.
PLEASE READ. As much as I love you guys to review and tell me your thoughts, it's a little bit irritating when reviews start demanding things of me. "Too slow, speed it up." "More Edward and Bella." "Update sooner." "Make your chapters longer." I love you guys with all my heart, but I'm writing for me. I'm writing because it's something I enjoy. I don't enjoy being ordered around. The more ordering around that I get, the less I want to update and the less I want to write.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't want criticism. That's what makes a story improve. However, there are a lot nicer ways to say it than that. Let's take "More Edward and Bella" for example. You could easily say "In the future, I'd love to see a little bit more interaction between Bella and Edward." It's as easy as that.
I want to emphasize this because I want to keep writing: Please, if you don't like the way I write, please read another story. There are plenty of good ones out there that I'm sure fit your specifications. I'd be happy to recommend some. But keep in mind, it's you that's choosing to read my story. And that's just what it is: MY story. I'm not angry, just a little irritated.
Just so you know, that's only for some of you guys. About eighty percent of you are beyond amazing, and I don't know what I'd do without you. Even those of you who are included in that little twenty percent, I love you, too. I just wish you'd respect my writing a little bit more, you know?
Thanks for taking the time to read that. It means a lot to me. :)
cALLIEfornia BENches