Previously: The group found out Jasper was Robin Hood and Edward challenged him to a fight, naming himself the Sheriff. Rose is still pissed at Jasper while Alice is pining over him. Bella is staying out of the fight no matter what. Carlisle found out about Edward and Bella's relationship and didn't hit the roof. He fears that Renee will break up their family and take away his baby if she finds out therefore they're all trying to keep it one big secret.
My Secret Sin
Chapter Twenty Five: Fighting is for Losers!
The day we all returned to school was going to be bad at best, but I was not expecting it to take the turn it did. Edward knew I was going to remain mutual in the whole Sheriff versus Robin Hood situation – however, it seemed as though Jasper was unaware of this.
My boy wanted us to go to school together, so I drove with him in his car. We were quite early, allowing time for Edward to meet up with some other students who supported his cause. Therefore, there were hardly any cars in the lot. But the one car I didn't want to see was there. Jasper's vehicle was parked near the doors and he was leaning against the bonnet, watching us carefully.
I let go of Edward's hand and started to walk over to Jasper, only to feel him grab me again. His eyes bore into mine for a second and then looked at Jasper's.
"I don't want you near him," Edward ground out.
"And I don't care."
He glared at me and I wanted to roll my eyes. He was being so possessive.
"Look, you and Jasper have problems. Jasper and I don't. What's the issue?"
He could obviously tell I wasn't going to take his crap and just sighed, letting go of me.
I walked across the lot and gave Jasper a soft smile. In my head I was planning to tell him that I wasn't going to be involved. The whole issue was between Edward and him, not me. I may be Edward's girlfriend but that didn't mean I had picked sides. Granted, I was going to support Edward's decisions as he was my boyfriend, but I wasn't going to help either of them in their silly little war against one another.
"Hey Jasper," I said, looking him over. I felt like I should have been holding my hands up at him to prove I wasn't carrying a weapon and that I actually did come in peace. He eyed me for another moment before giving me a lazy smile and then glancing over my shoulder, no doubt at Edward.
"Your boy doesn't look very happy," he pointed out, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"I don't care. I'm free to do what I please. Edward will just have to deal with that."
Jasper's eyes flipped back to me and he dropped the smile. "What did you really come over here for?"
"Huh?" Oh yes, so freaking eloquent.
"I asked, what did you really come over here for? Is this Edward's way of fishing for information, by sending you? Is he getting you to do his dirty work? Well, let me tell you, it's not going to fucking work. Now run back to your master like the bitch you are."
Hold the fuck on.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, now go." Jasper looked away, uninterested. It was clear he was dismissing me but I was not about to be dismissed.
But no sir, no little shit gets to talk to me like that and get away with it.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" I yelled, jabbing him on the shoulder to get his attention again. "I come over to say hi and see how you're doing, because you know, I do not want a part in all this and you think I'm acting on Edward's behalf? I can make my own choices and decisions, Jasper; I don't need a man to tell me what to do. So don't even think for one second that I will follow your orders. You don't control me. Edward doesn't control me. And before you decided to have a little rant, I was perfectly happy staying out of this mess."
"But now?" he asked, not fazed in the least.
"But now I hope Edward tears you out. You honestly do think you're better than everyone and that you can dictate? Well guess what, you're about to be overthrown. Everyone in this school is sick and tired of your hypocrisy. Robin Hood was meant to be a white knight for the underdogs and those unfairly treated. You've turned him into a vengeful git caring more about a personal agenda than the students who really need help."
"Do not stand here and lecture me on Robin Hood, Bella," Jasper spat, standing up tall. "I've attended this school a lot longer than you have. Hell, you were still sucking your stepfather's cock for a quick buck while I was learning the ropes. Don't talk about what you don't know."
"You self-righteous prick!" I couldn't think straight from being so angry. The rage was boiling up inside of me and I couldn't hold it back. I was so angry with him. My fists were clenched and I was grinding my teeth together, trying to fight back the natural reaction to beat the shit out of him. He was so fucking infuriating!
Without a second thought, I threw myself at him. I know it's wrong to fight but that comment about me apparently sucking my stepfather's dick for money was too far. He labelled me like everyone does; just like my mother. Just the mere thought that he believed I would stoop that low was unbelievable. I wanted to kill him, and by throwing myself at him I was hoping to achieve that.
Jasper wasn't expecting it and with his hands in his pockets he had no chance to stop my body from colliding with his. I had rammed into his chest, elbow pointed out to make first contact, and once he had fallen backwards onto the bonnet of his car, I started hitting him.
Each fist slammed down onto him, anywhere I could hit. His face, his chest, his arms, his hands – just fucking anywhere. I wanted the bastard to pay. He knew me, he was my friend at one point and yet he thought I did sexual favours for money.
"Stop fucking hitting me!" Jasper yelled, shoving me backwards. I stumbled off him and fell onto the concrete, scraping my knees and elbow in the process.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Edward yelled, much closer than I thought he would be. I was kinda hoping he hadn't seen my attack on Jasper because I wanted to fight my own battles but from his tone, I gathered that he saw it and was coming over to help.
"Keep your bitch on a leash next time," Jasper spat, glaring at the two of us.
"Oh you -" Edward lunged for him but I wasn't having that. My boy was on seriously thin ice with the school. Having gotten up off the ground, I shoved my hands out into Edward's chest, stopping him from making the fatal move.
"Leave it. You don't need to fight my battles for me." I looked him hard in the eyes, ready to argue with him if he happened to defy me.
"Are you okay?" he asked, jaw and fists clenched tightly shut.
"I will be. I'll need to go and get some plasters. Come on; walk with me to the nurse?" It wasn't meant to be a question – more like an order. He was coming whether he liked it or not. I wasn't going to leave him to scrap it out.
Looking down at my knees, Edward winced and then looked over to my elbow. He placed his hand on my forearm and when he pulled back, I saw the blood. Just thinking about it, if I had worn my blazer like the rules said, I wouldn't have cut my elbow. Typical, the one day I decide to maybe break the rules I end up getting injured for it.
"Let's go," he whispered, kissing my forehead.
Entwining my hand with his, I led us through the car park and into the main building. Edward was still seething in anger but as I had asked him nicely not to make my battles his he was going to rein it in until otherwise told so. There was no doubt though that he would just take that anger out on Jasper anyway, but claim it was the Sheriff getting justice or some bullshit like that.
The nurse patched me up in no time at all, applying antiseptic cream to all three cuts, which hurt like a motherfucker, and then gave me plasters. The whole thing probably took about ten minutes at max, but unfortunately, that wasn't enough time to get Edward to calm down.
"Are you going to be alright?" he asked, the two of us standing outside the nurse's office.
"Yeah, it's just a few cuts." I waved him off, not that bothered about it.
"No, about getting involved? I saw you deck him, Bella – you're involved now. What did he say, anyway?" The curiosity was bursting out of Edward but I wasn't going to give him that nail for Jasper's coffin.
"It doesn't matter what he said. And I know, I know I'm now involved but I'll be fine. Jasper already thinks I'm on your side so it won't make a difference."
"Yes it does, Bella," Edward said, shaking his head at me.
"How?"
"You just attacked the guy that loads of others look up to. You honestly don't think there will be retribution for that? I know you think we're being silly bastards but I'm serious when I say this will get ugly. We're not having a pissing contest; we genuinely are trying to fuck the other person up. Whether that is through violence or something else, one of us will succeed and the other will be left in a pretty fucking huge mess. You're involved. You need to be prepared for some asshole to come and give you shit, and you can't attack them all like you did, Jasper. It doesn't work that way. If you do, then you'll be suspended or expelled by the end of the day."
"What are you saying? That I need to now keep looking over my shoulder?"
"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying." Edward clearly had lost the plot. This little war they had gotten themselves into was certainly not that important. It wasn't that big nor was it that serious. He was delusional.
"Uh huh, right. I'll do that. Remember you do the same," I said, taking the piss and rolling my eyes.
"Bella, I'm being serious. I don't want you hurt."
"I'm fine Edward. Now go, someone wants you." Nodding over his shoulder, I directed him towards a group of guys that were gathering up. Glancing round, Edward sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Look, just please take care of yourself, will you?"
"Yes, I will." God, he was acting more like a father than a boyfriend.
Edward kissed my cheek and then walked away, leaving me alone in the hallway. Students were walking past me like nothing was the matter but if you looked closer, you could see the slight edge to some of them. Some were watching Edward in interest, to see how he was acting, and others were glaring at him, looking ready to strike out at him. The situation was becoming rather crazy, and I was exceedingly nervous.
As my morning went on, I began to see more and more posters up, all saying the same thing: Robin Hood vs. The Sheriff. They were on walls, lockers, pinned up on doors, in the bathrooms, all over the lunchroom, and every class room had at least three posters in them. It would be very hard for any student to be unaware of the situation that was going down.
The two of them continued to give each other foul looks throughout the morning and at lunch, things seemed close to kicking off. Edward's 'supporters' had gathered in one area and directly across from them were the Merry Men and 'supporters' of Robin Hood. The masses were calling the shots, wanting an arrangement settled before they just randomly attacked each other.
My boy finished with his lunch, wiped his mouth with his napkin and eyed the area with interest. Knowing what was coming, he threw his trash in the bin and walked over. Jasper approached at the same time and soon enough, they were there together.
Jasper and Edward stood before one another, waiting for the other to speak. Glancing over Edward's shoulder, Jasper laughed humourlessly and shook his head at the sight of Emmett standing there. Perhaps he was surprised that Emmett was taking sides, so obviously in this they were all best friends…or had all been best friends at some point.
"I came to suggest that we call this quits and let the students decide," Edward said calming, his voice unwavering. He showed no sign of anger nor rage, and for this I was very glad. I didn't want my boy showing his hand before the game began.
Jasper looked at us bewildered and frowned. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Not at all. I'm dead serious. It would be in our best interests not to attack one another or start a riot. I am suggesting that we let the students vote on who the winner should be."
"Vote? And how do you intend to do that?"
"Lunch time, on the football pitches, all those in favour of your cause stand on your side, and all those in favour of mine on my side. The majority wins. It's very simple and the fairest option possible."
"No."
I frowned at Jasper and then scanned the guys standing behind him. Robin Hood was meant to be about being fair and standing up for those with no voice, yet here Jasper was dismissing the option that allowed everyone to have their say.
The guys behind Jasper didn't look all too pleased by his decision, but no one spoke up. They could easily change their alliance later on if they wished but doing so publicly would not be a wise choice, though it would work very well in Edward's favour. Robin Hood's Merry Men abandoning him at a time like this would cripple Jasper's perfect image and show just how little support he actually has in the school.
"Excuse me?" Edward asked, wanting clarification.
"I said no. We will settle this physical way since you are so determined to start a war. A vote would never be fair and never show accurate representation unless it was anonymous but that would be open to cheating, therefore we'll fight it out. You against me, tonight, nine o'clock on the football fields. Bring all those you want to fight with you. I shall have my Merry Men," Jasper said, gesturing to the folk beside him. I suspected those numbers would dwindle by this evening.
"Fine, but when you become a casualty of this so called 'war,' do not blame me when I suggested that we do this without violence. I shall see you tonight."
"You can count on it."
The two of them turned and walked away, Edward leading me by the hand. He was glaring at the hallway floor as we walked away, clearly annoyed that Jasper didn't take his option for a vote seriously. It wasn't that Edward couldn't win in a physical fight; it was more he didn't want students getting hurt, having to pick fights and ultimately if he was to return home covered in bruises, it would likely impair the relationship he was finally building up with Carlisle. That would definitely affect the two of them and I gathered that Carlisle would dish out a hefty punishment.
Stopping in an empty classroom, Edward pulled me over to where he had sat on the edge of the desk. His head sunk into the crook of my neck and he inhaled deeply.
"I don't want to fight him."
I ran my hands through his hair and nodded gently. "I know, but you've done all you can. Jasper had the option to end this peacefully and he chose not to. It's not your fault if others get hurt, just focus on making sure you don't get too badly hurt, I would like it if you came out of this alive."
Chuckling, softly Edward shook his head. "If I get my way there will be no fight." Lifting his head, he looked me in the eyes and softly kissed me. "I've got to go do something but will you meet me by my car after school?"
"You're going to ditch your classes?" I knew that Edward had a full afternoon, so either what he was going to do was going to take a couple of minutes or was going to skip out on them altogether.
"Yeah, I have to. I have to try."
Kissing me once again, he repeated his question. "Will you meet me by my car after school?"
Nodding, I nuzzled against him for a moment, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. "I'll be there, and will you please explain what's going on?"
"Of course."
Untangling himself from me, Edward kissed my cheek and left the classroom, the door closing behind him.
Only a few seconds later Emmett popped his head round the door. "Are you decent? May I enter?" His hand was covering his eyes and he was grinning cheekily. Laughing I beckoned him in and jumped up onto the teachers desk where Edward had been sitting.
"What do I owe the pleasure?" I asked, kicking my legs back and forth.
"I wanted to see how you were holding up with everything," Emmett said, smiling softly at me. He took a seat in one of the chairs, as though ready for class to begin.
"I'm doing okay, as well as can be expected," I replied, not really understanding why I wouldn't be okay.
"I heard you attacked Jasper this morning, decking him into his car." Emmett was grinning fully like a kid on Christmas day.
Laughing softly, I ran a hand through my hair and peeked up through the strands that had fallen across my face. "I might have, yes."
Emmett laughed loudly and clapped his hands. "I'm happy to hear it, though what did he say to you to get that reaction? I mean, it must have been something good because I remember you punching Felix for groping you…so it must have been something big."
I replayed the conversation to Emmett and he sighed loudly when he heard what Jasper had said about me and my stepfathers.
"Jasper is all sorts of messed up right not." That sounded like an excuse for his behaviour. As if he read my mind Emmett pandered to fix his faux pas. "It doesn't excuse what he's said, I promise you that. But right now nothing coming out of his mouth makes sense. He's lost Rose, he's lost Alice, he's lost his best friends and now he's losing the only thing that gives him purpose at this school. Unfortunately you were on the receiving end of one of his tantrums. I'm sorry, Bella."
"You have no reason to say sorry, Emmett. You didn't accuse me of being a whore for my step-fathers."
"I know, but still, you've been dragged into the mess and that's not called for."
"I was already in it. Have you forgotten who the Sheriff is?" Emmett chuckled and shrugged.
"Okay, so yes, you were dragged into this without asking for it but that doesn't mean I can't feel bad about it."
"Why do you feel bad, Em? You've been nothing but kind to me."
"I guess I just like to protect people, and you were hurt, so I'm protecting. I don't want anything to happen to you Bella; you're like my little sitter."
I couldn't help but slide off the desk and go over to hug him. He was such a sweetheart.
"Thanks, Em, but don't worry. I am a big girl, I can look after myself. If I ever need help though, I know who to ask." Hugging him again I kissed his cheek and stepped backwards. "Now tell me, how are things with Rose?"
He blushed and looked down. "They're good," he mumbled, coughing to return his voice back to normal.
Emmett was all embarrassed and all I had done was mention Rose's name. What had those two been up to? Smirking I took a seat on the chair next to Em.
"You blush like a school girl and you expect me to just believe that things are good?"
Chuckling, he nodded and sighed. "Alright, okay, they're better than fine. She's...amazing. I love her. She doesn't know that of course but hell, I love her. We're taking things slow of course, because you know, of Royce, but she's more than I could ever have hoped for."
"Aww Em! You're so cute in love."
He blushed even more and stood up, puffing out his chest, trying to appear manlier.
"That is neither here nor there."
Grinning back at me, Emmett chuckled and shook his head. "Tell anyone and you're in trouble."
I mock saluted him and rolled my eyes. As if I would tell anyone. Who was I going to tell? My only friends were Edward, Rose, Alice and Emmett. Garrett kinda counted but I wouldn't say we were really friends, more acquaintances so I would never tell him that.
Emmett held out his arm for me and then escorted me to my locker. I fetched my bag and books before checking the time. I had about five minutes before class was to start. Emmett escorted me along and dropped me off at the door. It was very sweet of him, and I briefly wondered if Edward had asked him to do it in his place.
Then again, Emmett was known to be sweet all on his own.
After thanking him, I entered and took a seat, ready to let the day pass by. There was nothing exciting to keep me awake. However, I had to endure the dull class. I knew that there was only three more periods left before Edward was going to tell me what he had been up to all afternoon…and that only made time pass by slower.
When that final bell rang at the end of the day, I honestly felt like I was ready to fly out my skin. Not only was I desperate to know what Edward was doing, I was also nervous about tonight. If his plan didn't work then there was going to be a massive brawl on the football fields and that would have major consequences.
I was sure I wouldn't have to wait any longer to find out what was going on but of course that was not the case. I had to wait in the parking lot for Edward. His car was there but he was nowhere in sight. By the time he pitched up nearly every other car in the lot was gone. My boy gave me an apologetic smile though and opened my door for me. He helped me and then raced round to his side.
"Sorry, Bella, I never expected to take so long," he said, firing up the engine. Racing out of the lot he sped through town and towards the house.
"It's okay. What were you doing anyway?" Being subtle was not my style at that moment. It was better just to ask him direct.
"I was talking to a guy I used to go to school with." And with that he stopped. I thought he had paused for a breath but apparently not. After a minutes silence I realised he wasn't going to start back up again.
"And?"
"And he's going to help me."
"Help you with…?" Christ, it was like pulling teeth out. He was not giving me anything whatsoever.
"With Jasper."
Sighing, I counted to ten, reeling in my anger at how vague he was being when he told me earlier that he would inform me of what was going on. "Do you plan on keeping it a big secret?" I asked, my tone sounding very clipped and brisk.
Edward shot me a sideways glance and then sighed. "Sorry, Bella, I just, don't know if he's going to be able to help me out completely and I don't want to get my hopes up. The less I talk about it, the better I will feel. Can you just humour me for a while?"
"Sure." I was going to give him a break because he really deserved one, having to put up with all the crap that was going on. Plus, there was bound to be some way that I could convince him later on if need be.
The rest of the journey was particularly quiet with the occasional question from Edward asking about my afternoon classes. He seemed focused on other things when I answered in detail, as though he wasn't listening, so after the first question I didn't do that anymore. I started replying with one word answers and that seemed to suit him too.
We pulled up at the house and were surprised to see a car that we thought we wouldn't be seeing again. Esme's vehicle was parked right in front of the house. Two occupants were inside and I assumed that was her and Randal. Edward visibly tensed at the sight of it but continued driving and parked in the garage. We both got out and headed over to see what they could possibly want, Edward's hand clasped in mine.
Of all the days for Esme to show up she had to do it on the one where Edward was going through mental turmoil, trying to face Jasper, make sure no one got hurt, and remain strong for those that believed he had the right idea about Robin Hood. A moment of weakness from him would secure Jasper's reign as dictator and oppressor.
The driver's door opened as we got closer and Esme stepped out, looking immaculate as ever. She gave us both warm smiles like nothing had happened the previous day. The woman was actually off her mind.
"May we help you?" I asked, my voice free of any emotion. I didn't want her to think she was welcome but didn't want to give her any more ammunition against me.
"Edward, I was wondering if I could speak to you honey." She ignored me completely and it was like I hadn't even spoken.
Edward noticed this, and his glare darkened.
"I have nothing to say to you, so you should leave," he gritted out, clearly not impressed with her arrival.
"You don't need to say anything; I will do all the talking."
"No. Now leave."
"I came to say goodbye, the least you could do is wish your mother well Edward." She was smiling brightly at him as though she hadn't said anything wrong but that was the exact wrong thing to do.
"Why would you bother to say goodbye now when you didn't five years ago?" he spat at her, wiping the smile straight off of her face. "Leave. I don't want anything to do with you. Just go."
Esme bristled herself up for a fight and then let herself relax. Looking into her eyes was like looking straight into her soul. She was in so much pain. From the looks of things, all of her emotions were bottled up, hidden away, and this was a rare moment of weakness. Her eyes glistened in the light and it was most definitely tears forming. Turning before we managed a proper look she nipped back to the car. Her hand remained on the door handle however.
"I'm sorry for all the pain I have caused you. I wanted to be a perfect wife and mother, and I failed. It wasn't you; I didn't leave because of you. I just wasn't cut out for it. I'm so sorry." She brushed the tears off her face, giving him one last look, and gently got into the car.
The engine roared to live and within moments the car made its way down the lane leading to the road. She was gone, and from that departure it was clear she was not going to come back. Edward must have realised that, too, from the look upon his face. My boy was swallowing hard and licking his lips, trying to fight back emotion.
"I'm going for a walk, okay?" His voice cracked at the end and my heart broke for him.
Charlie was never around – but not because he didn't want to be. Having a parent leave because they didn't think they were a good parent and because they couldn't handle it must have hurt beyond belief. She chose not to be with him and that was something he was going to have to live with for the rest of his life.
Without waiting for my answer, Edward walked away round the back of the house. I suspected he was going to trail through the woods.
The fact that he told me made it clear that I wasn't to go along with him so I didn't bother following him round back. I hunted out my keys and went inside, going straight upstairs and collapsing on my bed. It was barely even four thirty in the afternoon and already I was dead on my feet. The constant anticipation over whether a fight was going to break out at school must have been more exhausting than I realised. Adding everything else on top of that I actually shouldn't have been surprised that I was tired.
A nap seemed like a good idea so I kicked off my school clothes, crawled into my bed in nothing but my underwear and snuggled up good, letting my muscles relax for the first time during the day.
What must have been three hours later I woke to the feeling of another person getting into bed with me. I rolled over groggily and found Edward's gorgeous green eyes looking back at me. He gave me a soft smile and hugged me. I was too tired to ask how he was or question him about his walk so I just let him nuzzle against me.
We lay together for quite a while, him becoming sleepier while I was waking up. This was our moment of calm before the storm. Across town, cars would have been arriving early at the football field, and students would be gathering. They all knew what was going on; the news spreading like wildfire, and I doubted any of them were going to miss it. Edward, leading a part of the charge, had no choice but to turn up or admit defeat. From the second we got out of the bed there would be no peace and quiet. His mind was going to fill with thoughts, buzzing and hissing at him to consider every option, think of every possible outcome and analyse what he could have done better, if anything. I wasn't going to disrupt that peace for anything, he needed it.
After getting up, I changed out of my school clothes into something more casual. If tonight was going to end up with a massive brawl I didn't want to get blood on my uniform. Taking precautions, I headed into Carlisle and Renee's bathroom and raided their bathroom cupboard. Carlisle stocked bandages, syringes, antiseptic cream, surgical sutures and thread, plasters, cream and ice spray from bruises and many other medical supplies that may be needed if one was to start a serious fight.
I really wasn't looking forward to having to clean up Edward's wounds but knew that someone would have to do it. I'd rather it be me than Carlisle; he would ask too many questions. It will be obvious that a fight has taken place but the better Edward's wounds are looked after the less likely Carlisle is going to ask what the hell happened.
Shoving all the supplies in my backpack, I headed back up to Edward. He was awake, staring out the window and frowning. I didn't dare ask what he was thinking, just walked over and took his hand. Turning to me, he kissed my cheek and then began leading me out the house.
The clock on the dashboard in his car read 20:39, leaving us enough time to get to the field. All the way Edward was tapping his fingers against the steering wheel and shaking his head. He was obviously stressed but there was nothing I could do about that.
Pulling up to the school was crazy. The gates were wide open, a line of cars stretched all the way to the playing fields and plenty of students were trekking across the grounds to get there. I had never seen so many of us in one place apart from the large assemblies we had once a week.
"Holy shit," I muttered, upon seeing the masses.
"Holy shit indeed," Edward replied, taking in his surroundings.
As students recognised Edward's car, they pulled to the side and let him pass, allowing us a quick drive over to where students had assembled themselves. Edward got out immediately, leaving me to my own devices, and joined Emmett. I lazily got out of the car, and propped myself against it. There was nowhere for me to go so I was just going to stay by the car. Edward had made it clear that I wasn't meant to be over with him.
"You not going to join your boy?" Rose asked, coming over to stand beside me.
"He's busy, I wouldn't want to disturb the sheriff," I replied, rolling my eyes.
She chuckled and shook her head. "What is it about this situation that has you pissed off?"
"Everything. It should never have come this far. Jasper and Edward shouldn't have gotten everyone involved. They're being pricks. Speaking of, where is Jasper?" Looking round, I scanned the area and saw no Jasper. His Merry Men were gathered in one group…but he was not around.
"No clue. I don't see Alice either, so I'll assume he's having his dick sucked off." The harshness in her voice surprised me and I gasped at her.
"Eh...what the fuck, Rose? I thought you and Alice were friends." Christ, if she turned that hot and cold with her friends then I stood no chance.
Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. "You happened to see her with her boyfriend lately?" she asked. I pursed my lips and had a hard think. Unfortunately I came up blank. I had no clue when that last time I saw them together was. "My point exactly," Rose added, noticing my silence.
"Alright, so she's not so close with Garrett. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that he's always been there for me and she's just shitting all over him. The guy is head over heels for her and she can't stop pinning over a prick who calls out another girl's name when he comes. What the fuck is that about?" Rose was getting crosser by the minute and I had to find some way to diffuse the situation.
"Yes, you're right. The situation is messed up. However, you have no say in that relationship. Garrett is a big boy and can make his own decisions. Alice, well, Alice needs to either give up and forget Jasper or stop messing Garrett around and dump him. We can't do anything about that though Rose, so try not to waste your breath. Alright?" I pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back, knowing that she took her friendships very seriously. Garrett must have been one hell of a friend to have Rose fighting in his corner. "Now come on, let's go watch our men scrap it out on the field."
Pushing ourselves away from Edward's car, we walked through the crowd of students and took in the sight before us. Edward and a huge group of guys were standing at one part of the field and directly across from them stood the Merry Men, missing their Robin Hood.
Edward spotted us and walked over, the guys around him parting like the red sea. Hugging me, he kissed my neck and then gave me a soft kiss on the lips. I always felt like I was flying when he did things like that.
"I think it would be best if you sat at the side for this. I don't want either of you getting hurt," he said, looking at Rose and me. "So will you go over peacefully or do I have to lock you both in my car?" He gave us that crooked smile so we knew he was kidding but there was an edge to his voice that hinted he would have no issue actually doing that to us.
"I think we can sit this out, don't you Rose?" I asked, already steering us away from the group of them.
"Thank you!" he called, retreating away from us.
Finding two seats was a little bit of a struggle but we managed eventually. Who knew that half of the student body would turn out to watch a brawl?
By nine o'clock, everyone was waiting with anticipation. Jasper was meant to be there. His absence was most certainly not going unnoticed and his men were getting restless.
"You think he'll show?" Rose asked, biting her lip.
"I haven't got a clue." Jasper could have been playing bloody mind games for all we knew, making Edward think he had won by default, only to come out and start the fight.
"By now I just want them to get it over with. Fight, make up and move on. It's gone on long enough."
I agreed wholeheartedly with her.
"Things will never go back to how they were, will they?" I asked, frowning slightly. Edward and Jasper seemed to constantly be fighting and no amount of violence, which we were about to be greeted with, was going to change that.
"Probably not. Unfortunately for you, you came at the wrong time. This would have happened sooner or later. I guess Edward and Jazz are just not meant to be friends." Rose shrugged and continued looking round the field for Jasper.
Students were getting restless. He was nowhere in sight and it wasn't making any sense. He was hardly going to throw down the gauntlet at Edward's feet to only not turn up – unless something had happened. Edward had been busy all afternoon, with God only knows what, and that niggling feeling in the back of my head was telling me he was the reason Jasper hadn't turned up. Whatever Edward had done was successful. He had somehow either got Jasper to back off or had chased him off.
"I'll be right back," I said to Rose, standing up and making my way down to the field. Students saw me coming and immediately got out of my way. I guess being the girlfriend of one of the guys in control of the school gave you some perks.
"Edward?" I called, stepping closer to him. Before I could get in earshot of him Garrett intercepted me. He was smiling down at me as he effortlessly shimmied me backwards.
"Hey, Bella!" His happiness was infectious, causing me to smile back, but I knew he was distracting me.
"Hey, Garrett. You want to let me through? I need to see Edward."
"No can do, darling, I have strict rules to keep you away from him right now."
"Why?" What the hell was Edward playing at?
"Cause he's worried about you," Garrett said, shrugging. "He thinks that you might end up getting hurt somehow."
I wasn't sure whether to buy it or not. "Really?" I shot him a sceptical look and waited to see what he'd say.
"Promise you, Bella. Some students are just here to fight, not caring about what the hell is going on between Jasper and Edward. They're picking small fights; it'll break out like a rash any minute now. You don't want to be caught in there. Alright?"
I nodded and crossed my hands over my chest. "Can you go get Edward for me then, Garrett?"
He looked over his shoulder and then back at me. He wasn't sure, his face filled with worry. "Okay, fine. I'll do it but Edward might not come over. I'll try my best for you."
He wandered off into the crowd of students as I waited. What Garrett said seemed to have some truth behind it, from what I could see. A bunch of guys were drinking and shouting abuse at others, egging them on. The place was going to blow and I did not want to be there when it happened. I was going to talk to Edward and then get Rose so we could leave. This was all becoming too much, and for what? Jasper not to show up. Prick.
"Bella, I think you should leave," Edward said, coming to stand in front of me. "Jasper's not going to show and I want to stay behind and make sure things end quietly. Take Rose and here are my keys."
Taking his car keys from him, I pocketed them and then opened my mouth to speak, just as he was going to walk away. I refused to be dismissed like that and pulled on his shirt.
"Do you know why he's not here?"
"No," Edward replied, not looking genuine at all. It was as though he was anticipating this.
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care," he said, shaking his head. "Go home, please." Kissing me quickly on the forehead, Edward then walked off, Garrett in step behind him. He shot me an apologetic look, knowing that didn't go the way I wanted it to go.
Growling silently to myself, I fetched Rose and relayed the message to her. She was pissed and wanted to go and knock some sense into Edward, thinking that he shouldn't be treating me like that. I knew she shouldn't get involved in our issues so led her to his car. We squabbled for a few minutes over who should drive but she won out in the end. Nipple twists hurt like hell, and apparently make you drop your keys. She's such a sneaky bugger at times.
We headed back to mine and settled ourselves in my room, lying across the floor and the bed. Rose filled me in on what was going on in her love life as I munched popcorn and finished my homework. It was good to finally hear things going well for her, especially giving the fucked up situation we were all in.
By half ten, Emmett and Edward had returned. They stocked their arms full of juice and food before joining the two of us in my room. Edward sat down quietly next to me, kissing me on the temple. I warmed to his sweet affections but still was a bit put out by his behaviour earlier. Then again, he was meaning well and was having a stressful time.
"So, what happened?" Rose asked, once they had both filled their stomachs to the brim.
"Well, Jasper never showed," Emmett began. "No one has heard from him, and his guys are pissed. By about quarter to ten the Merry Men and the other guys were done, they had had enough and left. There were a few stragglers behind but it was clear; Jasper had lost this by default. They were all convinced that he was too much of a pussy to show because he knew he would lose. Anyway, once the Merry Men and our guys left we had to try and keep the peace between the dickheads who were left. Took us some time but we got rid of most of them. And here we are," he said, smiling at us.
"Well that was a major disappointment," Rose muttered, flopping back onto the bed.
"Okay, that was the edited version. Now, Edward, you want to explain why Jasper didn't show up?" I asked, looking at him. He gave me a small smirk and shrugged.
"What do you want me to say?" He was toying with us, but I figured I'd go along, expand some more if need be.
"You want to explain to what's going on? You knew Jasper wasn't coming, you won this now and yet you look like you've just been told your dick is going to fall off during the next full moon."
"I did not know that he wasn't coming." I knew there was more so kept quiet, letting him know I wasn't expecting that as an answer. After a moment of silence he sighed and shook his head, clearly done playing games. "I may have anticipated it but I didn't know if it was going to happen or not."
"How?" Emmett asked, frowning.
"I called a friend and he helped me out."
"Come on dude, you've got to give more than that."
Rose and I nodded in agreement with Em, waiting for more.
"I called Hewitt."
"Really?"
"When?"
"Who?"
Edward chuckled and shook his head at all our reactions. He turned to me and placed his arm over my shoulders, pulling me into his embrace.
"Hewitt was the old Robin Hood, the one everyone loved. Jasper was in awe of the guy. To answer your question, Rose, I called him this afternoon, in the hope I could get him to come down here and sort this mess out."
"He actually did it?" Emmett asked, looking surprised.
"I assume so, Jasper never showed."
"Fuck me, that was smart thinking, Batman," Emmett cried, smiling giddily. Edward laughed and kissed my cheek.
"Thanks, but it was a long shot."
"Doesn't matter, it worked," Rose pointed out. "Now people don't have to worry about being persecuted at school for pissing off the wrong person. I hate to say it but, well done, Edward." They smiled at one another and then their faces changed to one of pure disgust.
"I still hate you, bitch," he said.
"And I hate you, prick."
"Nothing ever changes, does it?" Emmett asked happily. "Well, with that cleared up and my stomach full I bid thee goodnight." Holding out his hand to Rose, he bowed. "M'lady?" She giggled and placed her hand in his. The two of them left the room laughing like little kids, leaving Edward and I in silence.
"You pissed at me?" he asked, taking my hand and kissing along my knuckles.
"Not anymore." I was a little peeved before but was willing to let that go now.
"Thanks." He kissed me soundly, running his hand through my hair and pulling me closer.
I pushed him away so I could straddle his lap and made my move onto him. Groaning in pleasure, Edward pulled my body closer and bucked his hips up into mine. Kissing the life out of him, I tugged at his hair, pulled his clothes, tore my nails down the skin of his arms and fought my way to his body.
"We...should maybe lock the door," he panted, kissing his way down my neck as I had my head thrown back.
"If you want to get up and lock it, be my guest."
He didn't move so I took that to be a no, he wasn't going to lock the door.
Getting him shirtless wasn't a hard feat but trying to work his pants off while I was straddling his lap was another matter all together. It was just not going to be possible without me moving, and as I was enjoying the friction, I wasn't going to move anytime soon. Rather, I unbuckled his belt and undid his jeans, opening them up. His boxers were strained but given the new freedom I untucked him from them and bucked myself back against him – although I had too many clothes on to have skin to skin contact, he still felt amazing.
"Bella, I was wondering-" That voice was not Edward's and we both froze immediately. "Oh good Lord." Carlisle turned right back round and shut my bedroom door behind him.
I was absolutely mortified.
"Holy shit," I cried quietly. "Fuck."
"You can say that again," Edward murmured, putting himself back in his jeans, his father having walked in killing the erection. "I guess we better go downstairs and get the official reprimanding before he feels the need to come back up."
After untangling ourselves, I sorted my clothes and headed for the door, leaving Edward to come down a few minutes after me. As I walked down the stairs I was so relieved that it had been Carlisle rather than my mother. She would have probably gone into labour and then used the baby as a bargaining chip. Yeah, I didn't have much faith in her.
Knocking on Carlisle's office door I waited for a reply. I assumed he would have retreated in there rather than go back down to my mother. Hearing his voice beckoning me in I peeked my head round the door, blushing wildly, and walked in.
"I'm so sorry, Carlisle," I said, feeling awful that he had to see that. He had been so understanding about us and I didn't want to throw that away by what seemed to be Edward and I flaunting our relationship around the house.
"Don't worry, Bella. I figured it would happen. But please, next time, lock the door. Renee was going to come up and talk to you but I offered to do it instead, thank God for that." He looked genuinely worried and the guilt seeped in more.
Carlisle would lose a baby if Edward and I weren't careful. We were putting our lust in front of his family and that was completely unacceptable. Although my mother may not react like a banshee and try and keep the child from Carlisle, the fact still remained that there was that option. Edward and I needed to be careful, and looking at the man before me, who had accepted me as his stepdaughter right off the bat, I was going to make sure we didn't slip up like that again.
"Yeah, what did you come to speak to me about?" I asked, taking a seat across from him.
"I was wondering if you knew what your plans were for after school. I'm not trying to get on at you but I had an idea. By the time you finish school you will have a little brother or sister and this place will be carnage. I don't see why you would want to put up with that when you would then be going off to university or college. Therefore, I was going to ask if you wanted to go travelling, all expenses paid."
"Excuse me?" He had to be shitting me. There was no way he just walked in on me and Edward dry humping to then offer me a holiday round the world.
"Does it not interest you?" He looked worried and slightly nervous. Apparently my answer was not what he was expecting.
"Oh no, I'm very interested. Hell, I'd love that! But are you serious? Why would you do that? You don't need to," I gushed, overwhelmed by his generosity.
Now knowing that I liked his offer Carlisle gave me a smile and relaxed himself.
"I am very serious. I want you to go out and enjoy yourself, not be stuck here with a screaming baby around. And I'm aware that I don't need to, but I want to. Bella, you really are a daughter to me. I'm doing the same for my son, it's only right my daughter experiences the same."
At that moment, I was at a loss for words. This man was so kind, so generous and so accepting. He was the best father I had ever had. The others all tried but still, it was obvious they only cared about my mother. Carlisle, loved me for me, not because I was my mother's daughter.
Without thinking about it I was around the desk and hugging him, head on his shoulder, holding back the tears. They weren't sad tears, but rather very happy tears. Knowing I had him, even if things went bad with my mother, was a huge relief.
"Thank you so much," I murmured, not wishing to open my mouth too much in case great sobs broke through.
"Whoa, what did you do to her?" Edward asked, coming in.
Carlisle chuckled and stood up, giving me a proper hug. He then passed me off to Edward and went to tell my mother that I was open to his plans. Edward looked at us confused but Carlisle said he'd tell him later. This seemed to appease him slightly.
"Good tears?" he asked. I just nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck and nuzzling into him. Several minutes later, his hands having wandered a bit, he sighed and pulled back completely. "As much as I love this, unless we want to be caught having sex on Carlisle's desk, I think we should go downstairs."
"Agreed, I don't' really want to give him a flash of my boobs." Edward smirked, eyeing up said body parts and tugged me out the room.
We went downstairs and set ourselves up in the living room. Renee and Carlisle were chatting in the kitchen, looking through baby name books and living in their happy bubble. Rather than interrupt Edward and I went without juice and junk food for the movie that was ahead.
Thirty minutes into it Carlisle and Renee told us they were turning in for the night, allowing Edward and I to stock up on some more food. Snuggling into him, I watched the movie while listening to his heartbeat. It was so soothing, knowing he was there, holding me and that we could still act like a normal couple, even with the parents upstairs.
Knocking at the door some time later broke us from our little love bubble and both of us trekked to the door. I had voted for not answering it but Edward pointed out if we didn't our parents would and they'd be pissed.
Opening the door we found a very angry looking Alice staring at us.
"You fucker," Alice spat at Edward, storming passed us. "What did you do?"
"Good evening to you too," Edward drawled out, gripping my hand and walking us back through to the living room.
"Edward, enough of this bullshit. What did you do?"
I couldn't help but stop and turn round to look at Alice. The desperation in her voice was off the charts. She looked like she was seconds away from breaking down and sobbing on the hallway floor.
Edward clearly picked up on it too as he too turned and took in Alice's state. He licked his lip and opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Alice was watching him with bated breath, anxious as hell to hear what he was going to say.
"You don't need to know Alice, it's not important. Just let him nurse his wounds."
"It does matter. He took off!" she cried, waving her arm towards the door.
"He what?" I asked, frowning at her. Jasper would never just up and leave, there had to be more to it.
"He left! The school have him in for a transfer. What did you do?" she asked, tears finally running down her cheeks.
"I did what had to be done," Edward replied, looking unfazed. "It's for the best, Alice, you'll see."
"No it's not! He was our friend, Edward!"
"No! He was your friend! He thought I was a rapist! That is not someone I call a friend. Don't you fucking understand, Alice? Jasper thought Royce and I took turns that night with Rose. He thought I raped her! I never put a fucking finger on the girl but no, he fucking accused me of it."
"When?" I whispered, gripping his arm, bewildered by this revelation.
"Two years ago."
"But you didn't know Rose was raped," I pointed out, confused.
"Two years ago, we were arguing about how Royce treated girls and he mentioned something about him forcing himself on this girl, and then said that I knew all about that. I had no fucking idea what he was talking about, or who he was talking about. He asked me straight out if I had ever done that and it was obvious he thought I was lying. I didn't know he thought I had also raped Rose until I found out what had happened to her. Then it all fell into place. He thinks the hostility between us is from that. But fuck I didn't touch her. I've never done anything like that."
"Then why would he think that?" I couldn't wrap my head around it, and from the look of Alice standing shell-shocked a few feet away it didn't look like she could either.
Edward looked visibly tense at my question. He was looking straight at me and it was crystal clear from the look in his eyes that he didn't want to answer. That deer-in-headlights look chilled me to the bone. He was scared, which meant he had something to hide. There was no way he raped Rose though, she would have known, but that didn't mean he didn't have other things to hide.
"Edward, why did he think that you also raped Rose?"
"Cause I was there," he whispered, sighing.
"You were what?"
"I…fuck." Running a hand through his hair, Edward started walking away, Alice and I both following him eagerly.
"Edward, what the fuck do you mean you were there? You watched?" Alice asked, slamming her hands on the kitchen counter as he paced the kitchen floor.
"Of course I didn't fucking watch! I'm not a sick motherfucker. Alice!"
"Well explain, then. 'cause from where I'm sitting it sounds like you watch Rose get raped and did fuck all to help her!" she yelled back at him, not taking any of his shit.
"It wasn't like that at all! I…Royce told me that there was the girl that wanted to hook up with me. I was wasted and didn't think twice about it. He told me to go to one of the bedrooms later on and she'd be there waiting on me. What was I to think? He was my best fucking friend and knew exactly what he was talking about. I had no reason to doubt him."
"So you went to see Rose? Why didn't she tell us?"
"No, I didn't. I went into the wrong bedroom. Royce was on top of this girl and she was moaning but it didn't sound like she was struggling, hell, it looked like she was enjoying it. I didn't know that he was raping her. Yeah, he had a girlfriend, but so what? They all cheated, it was nothing. I didn't know!"
"Why does Jasper think you raped her, then? And are you sure that was Rose?" I asked, looking at my boyfriend with worry. He looked like he was about to be sick.
"Oh, it was Rose. No one has hair like her, and back then it was the best fucking blond hair this country has ever seen. It was her, no doubt about it."
Alice nodded in agreement, a few feet away from me.
"And Jasper?" I prodded, hoping he would just admit what the hell got Jasper thinking that.
"I left the room, turned on as fuck, sweating from the heat and looking drunk off my ass from the booze. I bumped into him outside the door. He took in my appearance and I guess he thought I had gotten laid. It wasn't like that at all. I would never, ever do that."
I patted his shoulder and then pulled him into a hug. My boy looked terrified, and that look was directed at me. He either thought I was going to think him a rapist or a prick for not having mentioned all that sooner. I knew there was bad blood between Edward and Jasper; I just never assumed it would have anything to do with Rose being raped.
Turning back to Alice, to give Edward a chance to calm himself, I asked her how she knew Jasper was transferring.
"My mother knows the Principal's wife. They were meant to come over for dinner tonight but things had to be cancelled so they could put things in motion for Jasper. He's gone back to Texas."
"There's nothing we can do about that Alice," I pointed out, not wanting her to land the guilt on Edward.
"Yeah, not anymore. You could have before, though. The two of you could have got off your high horses and realised what you were doing to him."
"Don't," Edward ground out, glaring at her viciously. "You need to step back, now. You've said your bit, now get out."
"I don't -"
"Alice, just shut the fuck up. You're pissed because the guy you love put another girl before you and then up and left town without telling you. Don't come in here and start blaming us. He was in the wrong, and you know it. So, get your act together and come back to us when you've worked out who has stood by you all the times Jasper ran off with Rose. Face the fact that he doesn't love you, and never will."
"You're wrong," she said defiantly. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. The girl had lost it. "He does love me; he just needed to get Rose out of his system."
"Don't kid yourself, Alice. He's gone. You don't mean anything to him," Edward said, shaking his head.
"No. I'm going to Texas and Jasper and I will sort this out."
"What?" I blurted out. "What are you trying to sort out? Why are you trying to be with a guy who doesn't love you?"
"He does love me; he just needs time."
"Oh my God, are you even listening to yourself?"
"You don't understand," Alice said.
"Damn right I don't."
"Jasper loves me -"
"And what about Garrett?" Edward asked, glaring once more. A tiny bit of guilt washed over her face but it was gone within seconds.
"What about Garrett?"
"He's your boyfriend – how does he feel about you going off after another guy?"
"He doesn't know."
"Are you even going to tell him?" I asked, hating the fact that Alice could be such a bitch.
"Well, no."
"You're fucking unbelievable," Edward growled. "Get the fuck out, now. Go be with a guy who doesn't love you, break the heart of one who does, and we'll clean up the mess after you." Grabbing Alice by the arm, Edward dragged her out the front door and shut it behind her. "I fucking hate her." He stormed past me, phone now in hand and jogged up the stairs.
It didn't surprise me twenty minutes later when Garrett walked in, looking confused. I had settled myself back in the living room and just told him to head on up to Edward's room. When he came down thirty minutes later he looked sick. He had really loved her and she'd smashed his heart to pieces.
"I'm so sorry, Garrett," I said, getting up to hug him.
"No worries, guess it wasn't meant to be." He was playing the whole thing off as nothing but it was so obvious he was hurting. "I should get going, nice seeing you."
"Jasper and Alice are perfect for each other," I said, hearing Edward come up behind me. "They're both complete fuckers set out to destroy the lives of others."
Wrapping his arms around me and resting his head on my shoulder, Edward kissed my neck. "Forget about them, we can kick their asses when they get back. Bed?"
Nodding, I shut off the lights and the TV. Edward locked the doors and set the alarm then we both walked hand in hand up the stairs.
We had made it over one hurdle together; now we just had to deal with Renee and the baby. Something told me that the next hurdle was going to be a much bigger bitch than the one we had just made it over. Heaven help us, were we never going to get a moment of peace?
Edward's cell phone ringing told me the answer to that: no, we weren't.
"I'll be right there," he said, sounding really anxious.
"Who was it?" I asked, lazily pulling off my clothes.
"Tanya." My eyes met his, not expecting him to say that name. "She's been raped."
And just like that, things were crazy again. Fuck.
A.N.
Just thought I'd point out, I don't condone violence. Issues can be solved without it and should be handled in a calm and productive manner. Thank you!
Oh yeah, this update means I'm back! My health is manageable and you should start getting more updates.
If you don't know what a git is, Beate73 says you are to look it up on Google. :D
Rachelcullen77 (who I love dearly) gave me the name for the chapter, which I think was bloody fitting. Major thanks to her!
Huge thanks to my amazing beta MrsKatyCullen for fixing it up nice. Cheers!