Chapter Playlist- My Immortal by Evanescence

Previously…

Then her voice lost the cheerful edge. "Be here in half an hour if you don't want me to come and drag you out of there. God help me, I will do it- even if you're naked." Then she hung up.

I looked at Edward, and he looked back at me, having heard Alice's shrieks from where he lay.

"You know…" Edward said cheekily, "I don't mind being dragged off by Alice if it means I can buy an extra half hour with you…"

I slapped his shoulder lightly, but I was smiling. "Well… you can come round after the contest tonight. And, after that… well, we'll have forever, won't we?"

He grinned. "Oh, yes."

But little did either of us know that forever wasn't going to happen. Not today. Not at all.

The Hard Way To Learn A Lesson

Chapter 53- Once A Player, Always A Player

Bella POV

"Do you know anyone else who's entered?" I asked Alice as she braided a few strands of my hair a few hours later.

"Lauren Mallory has," she snickered, tucking a hair into place. "She was bragging about it in Math the other day. Said that her friend is coming here all the way from Biloxi, just to watch." She snorted. "Bet her friend'll be disappointed."

"Didn't you say you went to school in Biloxi?" I checked.

"Yeah," Alice replied. "But it's a big place. I won't know her friend. Besides, Lauren said that she goes to college or something. Yeah impressive because she's older than us. Big whoop, Lauren."

I laughed.

"What's this actually for, Alice?" Edward spoke up, giving up on trying to figure out Alice's jewellery box that doubled up as a nail dryer.

Alice glanced up. "Oh that. It's broken. It's supposed to dry your nails when you've painted them but fat lot of good that is when it only takes watch batteries – which are pretty impossible to get hold of."

Edward raised his eyebrows, and dropped it back down on Alice's bed, before lying on his back. He caught my eye and winked, a promise of things to come this evening, and I blushed.

Alice didn't fail to notice. "Jesus Christ, you two! Quit it already! I don't want to know!"

"Well, then," Edward said smoothly, "you should have left us to our own devices and not called."

Alice pulled a face as she started on the next braid. "I knew I shouldn't have given you those damn pyjamas."

"I don't really like the pyjamas," Edward said in an off-hand way.

Alice and I looked at him disbelievingly.

"I prefer it when you take them off," he told me suggestively.

"That's it!" Alice exclaimed. "Get out." She pointed to the door.

"But…" Edward started to argue and then seemed to think better of it. He shrugged, and made his way to the door. He opened it, but hesitated then. "You know, Bella," he said, and I knew by his tone that I didn't want to hear this. Not in front of Alice, anyway, "I'm much better at TLC than Alice." And then he ducked out of the door, just as the hairbrush sailed through the air and hit the door, exactly where his head had been a second ago. We both heard Edward laugh outside the door.

"I swear, one of these days…" Alice muttered, not bothering to finish her threat and going to pick up her hairbrush instead.

***

As the hours passed, I got increasingly more nervous. Eventually I managed to persuade Alice to let Edward back in the room because I was so scared. She whipped around us, polishing off my subtle barely-there make-up, and picking me out a pretty sequinned brown dress from her closet.

Esme came in just as Alice was starting to admire her work.

"Bella, you look beautiful," Esme told me, and I blushed.

Edward nodded at me. "She's right."

"So…" Esme said, sitting down on Alice's bed. "Are you two nervous?"

"Very," I answered and I held up my shaking hands.

Edward looked at her. "How do you know that we're even doing this?"

"Alice told me," she replied, sending a stern glance at her son. "And just as well she did too, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get a ticket. Did you know that they sold out?"

I swayed on my feet; sold out?! 300 people could fit in that hall! I couldn't sing in front of 300 people!

"We got your father a ticket too, Bella," Esme informed me.

I stared at her. "What?! Why?!"

"Because he's your Dad?" Esme laughed.

"But…" I stammered, unable to finish. But I could barely perform in front of Edward, let alone my Dad. Let alone three hundred people, knowing most of them.

Edward was at my side in a millisecond, pulling me into his arms. "It's fine, Bella. You'll be with me."

Though that was mildly comforting, it didn't make me feel much better. "Edward?" I whispered.

"Yes?"

"What happens if… if I can't do it? If I stand there and nothing happens?" That was what I was most scared of. Going to do it, and not being able to find my voice; letting Edward down.

"Nothing," Edward said. "Nothing will happen. If you can't sing, it doesn't matter. Bella, this is a high school contest. It doesn't matter."

I looked up at him. "Promise?"

"Promise. You'll do great."

"You will," Alice piped up. "Bella I've heard you. If you can't hit those notes… well, no one can."

I nodded, even though I wasn't scared about hitting the notes. I didn't know what I was scared of. I just couldn't look at those people, and know that they were listening to me. It worried me more than I could comprehend. I knew that I had to grow up, but it was hard. There are some things you can do, and some you can't. This fell in the can't category. All I could do was pray…

***

I cussed under my breath over and over again as I paced nervously backstage, shaking like a leaf caught in the huge winds of a storm. I had no idea where Edward had vanished to, and that really didn't help.

As I paced, I happened to look up toward the backstage door, which was wide open. Lauren was stood there, talking to a blonde that looked like she had less brain cells than your average goldfish. That must have been the friend from Biloxi. I rolled my eyes, and turned away, but not before the blonde had glanced up and caught my eye. I couldn't quite place it but there was something horribly familiar about those piercing blue eyes… something that made my stomach turn and my skin crawl…

Just as I felt I was on the cusp of realising who it was, Edward turned up, looking gorgeous in a black tux, but then again what was new? I glanced toward the stage door again, but the blonde was gone.

"You okay?" Edward asked.

"I just… I thought I knew…" I trailed off and sighed, looking back at Edward. "Honestly? I could be better."

"You'll do great," he told me. "Promise."

My brow furrowed. "Where did you go anyway? I thought you had run off and left me here alone!"

"Oh, I was just talking to Mr Golding about… something…" he tailed off.

"About what?" I asked suspiciously.

"This and that," was his vague response.

I glared at him. "Tell me."

Edward opened his mouth to answer, but then the audio speakers rigged up to project whatever was going on in the hall crackled to life, and Mr Golding's voice was projected through it, "Welcome to our annual talent contest…" he started the introduction and I swear I went green; Edward's talk with Mr Golding was forgotten.

"Shit, shit, shit…" I started up again, shaking like there was no tomorrow. I knew I should have gone back to my house and got my anti-anxiety meds.

"Bella, calm down," Edward said. "We're last so we can hear our competition, and then you'll realise that there's nothing to worry about!"

"Last?!" I hissed. "That's even worse! Can't we get it out of the way?"

"We were last to submit our form so we're last to perform," Edward replied, "and there's nothing we can change. Relax, Bella. Sit down." He pulled me to a bench, and sat down first, gently manoeuvring me on to his lap. "Just… think about something else."

I took a deep breath, shut my eyes, and did as he said. Of course, my mind conjured up the only calming thing it could think of: Edward. Images flicked through my mind like a timeline: his face when he drank that concoction, the way he kissed me that night, the ignorance afterwards that I now knew was only because he loved me, his strong arms supporting me as we danced at Mike's party, his gentle hands on my bloody nose afterwards, him in the meadow, at the beach where we went crabbing. Then us in my garden, him trying to stop me from getting pissed at Lauren's, the look in his eyes when we met in the middle of the road, his confessions on the cliff top, his guilt at hitting me with a golf ball, his enjoyment of my jealousy on our date, the look in his eyes the day before when we had been 'married' and, lastly, his passionate kisses from the night before…

Edward noticed my red cheeks. "What are you thinking about?"

I ducked my head, embarrassed. "Last night…" I whispered.

He smiled, and squeezed my hand. "You know, I was as nervous about that as you are about this."

"Really?" I found that hard to believe; he seemed so sure in his actions, what he was doing.

"Of course. There was so much that could have gone wrong- made you leave me. I should have known it would be perfect; everything with you is."

I practically melted at his words. "Edward, I'm never going to leave you," I vowed.

We sat there together for the next hour or so. All of the other acts were… okay. None of them were all that great, but they weren't bad either. As the time went on, Edward got more confident that we had it in the bag, like Mr Golding had said, but I was all the more terrified that I wouldn't be able to go ahead with it.

Finally, Edward stood up and I slid off of his lap. He grasped my hand, and said, "I think we're next."

The world swayed around me and I felt nauseous.

"You'll be great, Bella," Edward said, as we walked – well, he walked and I was kind of dragged – around to backstage and hid in the wings. Lauren, who was ironically before us, finished her awful rendition of Beauty and the Beast (she killed the gorgeous Disney song, honest to God) and the audience gave a polite applause. Then she came off of the stage and shot a simpering smile at Edward, wishing him luck before vanishing.

Mr Golding was back on the stage then. "And now for our final performance. A duet from Edward Cullen, and Isabella Swan."

"Can I sit on the piano bench with you?" I whispered as the audience did another polite applause- they were clearly bored of crappy performances by kids who thought that they were talented.

"Of course," Edward replied, letting out a deep breath before stepping out on to the stage.

I was positive that I looked terrible as I came out behind him. The audience fell silent as we took our places at the piano bench.

Edward looked at me out of the corner of his eye. Then he turned to face me. "Bella," he murmured, "we can still pull out."

I shook my head, too scared to speak. I regretted it instantly; if I couldn't speak, how on earth was I going to sing?!

He licked his lips and then he whispered, "Do you trust me?"

I nodded; of course.

"Then jump."

I remembered a time when he had spoken those same words when persuading me to jump off a cliff. Then I realised; if I could survive that because of him, then I could survive this insignificant little contest. I nodded at him again, more confidently this time.

He smiled, and turned back to the piano.

As he played the opening notes to the song, I braved a look at the audience. One person stood out to me- the blonde, who was glaring at me now. And then I realised who she was. I remembered when Edward had shown me the photo. "Tanya happened," he had said. Tanya. When I knew that, a miraculous thing happened: all of my nerves disappeared. I wanted to do this. I wanted to show that bitch that she hadn't driven music from Edward's life, and she hadn't stopped him from loving. I wanted to show her what she was missing out on.

And then Edward started to sing:

Whenever I see your face, the world disappears;

All in a single glance so revealing.

You smile and I feel as though, I've known you for years;

How do I know to trust what I'm feeling?

The audience had been stunned into silence by his beautiful voice, and a single glance at them told me that all of the girls were as in love with Edward as I was right then. I felt a burst of pride that he was mine as he launched into his chorus.

I believe my heart; what else can I do,

When every part of every thought, leads me straight to you?

I believe my heart; there's no other choice.

For now and ever my heart speaks, I can only hear your voice.

The audience gathered that it was my turn, and I could see the smirks on the girls faces, waiting for me to let Edward down. And you know what? That only made me all the more confident. I took a deep breath, and began to sing.

The lifetime before we met, has faded away;

How did I live a moment without you?

You don't have to speak at all, I know what you'd say;

And I know every secret about you

It was strange how naturally it came to me. Like I had never stopped. And the words, well, they completely mirrored my feelings for Edward. I stared at him, singing only to him, as my verse bled into my chorus.

I believe my heart, it believes in you;

It's telling me that what I see is completely true.

I believe my heart, how can it be wrong?

It says that what I feel for you, I will feel my whole life long.

And then, Edward started to sing with me. He stopped playing so that he could take my hands in his, and we went accapello, but it felt so right that it didn't seem possible that there was supposed to be any music.

I believe my heart, it believes in you;

It's telling me that what I see is completely true.

And with all my soul, I believe my heart;

The portrait that it paints of you is a perfect work of art.

The last note tailed off into silence, and for a moment, I thought that I had done terribly; that they hated it. But then the hall erupted. I had never heard a crowd so loud, and they were cheering for us. I felt a smile as big as ever light up my face as Edward helped me to my feet and pulled me to the side of the piano so that we could bow. He took me by surprise by pulling me to him and kissing me fiercely in front of everyone as soon as we had straightened up. If I had thought that there were fireworks and flames any other time we had kissed, it was nothing compared to this. This was the same flying feeling as the night before.

Edward pulled away from me then, and beamed at me, before gently pulling me off of the stage. When we got outside of the wings and had had our mikes turned off, he swept me into his arms and spun me in circles. "You did it!" he said, sounding like a proud parent. "I knew you could, Bella, I knew it!"

I laughed freely, my pulse speeding from the exhilaration, and I kissed him as hard as he had kissed me on stage.

"Well done, you two," a voice told us from behind me, and Edward put me down so we could face Mr Golding. "You blew them all away. You've got it in the bag, and I'm sure that you two are going through to the state finals."

My heart dropped. "What?"

Mr Golding looked at me. "The state finals. The judges are voting for the winning two acts to go through to the state finals and represent this school against all of the others in Washington. The winners of that will go through to the nationals, and then the internationals. I'm absolutely certain that you'll get through to at least the nationals."

"No one told me that," I muttered, trying hard not to accuse Edward; for all I knew, he didn't know either.

Mr Golding looked at Edward. "You didn't tell her?"

I looked at Edward too, my expression demanding an explanation.

He sighed and gave in. "It wouldn't have helped anything, Bella. You wouldn't have done it, and you would have lived the rest of your life in fear of performing. But look at what you just did, Bella! You were amazing and everyone loved you! You can do this, I know you can."

I stared at him in disbelief. "It's not fair for you to presume that! I can't do it, Edward, not again. Please don't make me."

"I wouldn't make you do anything…" he started.

"Trust me," I said, "you would."

Edward's brow furrowed in annoyance. "It's not fair of you to presume anything like that. Why would I do that?"

"Now, now…" Mr Golding tried to stop us from getting into an argument.

I didn't want to fight with Edward. So I sighed and changed the subject. "You know Tanya's out there?"

Edward looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Tanya. That Tanya girl you loved." It pained me to say it, but I knew that it was true. "She's here. Lauren's bimbo college mate."

Edward ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh fuc…"

"Language, Cullen," Mr Golding snapped sharply, but then he turned on his heel and let us get on with it.

"Flipping hell," Edward finished. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "She was glaring at me…" I remembered. That, though, sounded so pathetic that I couldn't help but smile. "Moody cow."

Edward didn't laugh. He groaned. "Why is she here?"

"I don't know." I stared at him for a moment, taking in his mood. Was there something he hadn't told me? "Edward, what's wrong?"

But then we were called back to the stage, via the loudspeaker; all of the contestants. I would have to wait for Edward's answer.

An act at a time, we trooped on to the stage, and I didn't fail to notice the ways that Edward's eyes swept the hall and landed on his ex. Suddenly I felt uneasy; why did this matter so much to Edward? Was there something else he hadn't told me? Or was he just nervous because of what he had told me?

The judges announced some sophomores as second, and then us as first, no speech, no procrastinating. The crowd went wild… well, the most part did. The one person that both Edward and my eyes were fixed on, though, just grinned at Edward, her cold eyes glittering.

We were given a miniature trophy between us, and Edward let me take it. He wrapped his arms round me and rested his chin on my head as we posed for a photo, and held my hand in his as we came down the stairs and off of the stage.

"I'm just going to grab my bag from backstage, okay?" he murmured to me when we were down.

"Sure," I replied, letting him go just as Charlie got to me.

"Bella!" he exclaimed, pulling me into a tight hug. "Baby, you did it. I'm so proud. I can't wait to tell Renee how good you were! Are they doing a video of the performance? We have to get it and send her a copy!" His smile was as wide as the world, and there was a tear in his eye. I had only ever seen my Dad cry once, and that was when Mum left and took me with her. He grinned at me, and kissed my forehead. "I'm so proud of you, Bella," he whispered.

"Thanks," I whispered back.

Then he let me go. "Where's Edward?"

"He went to get his things. I'll go get him," I said to Charlie, wanting a moment alone with Edward. I had to apologise for accusing him of lying to me on purpose. He clearly hadn't wanted to hurt me, and now I felt awful. "See you in a second," I said to Charlie, and then I wandered down the corridor.

Backstage was pretty empty now, everyone out the front talking. There were just a few people packing up, and a few heading for the exit. It was then that I heard his unmistakeable voice. "…sorry about earlier, I really am. I love you."

"It's alright," someone else replied, and then they both fell silent.

I rounded the corner to see Edward with his lips pressed against a startlingly familiar blonde's. My blood ran cold as I gasped loudly and backed away from the sight, not wanting to believe my eyes.

Edward pushed Tanya away slightly and opened his eyes. He stared when he saw me stood there. "Bella?"

I shook my head at him, tears already starting to blind my eyes. "Save it, asshole," I spat, and then I turned and ran. I didn't know where I was going, but I sure wasn't going to stick around and have my world torn apart. I wasn't going to stand and watch while the love of my life kissed someone else.

There was an old saying: once a player, always a player. I hadn't believed it until now. I had fallen into Edward's trap. It was like his t-shirt had said: don't hate the player, hate the game. Right now, I hated both. Especially when I looked over my shoulder to see that he didn't care enough to follow and give me an explanation.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

:'( I'm sorry guys. But I did promise drama and if it makes you feel any better, it broke my heart to write it :( And if that doesn't make you feel any better, then this is a super, super long chapter.

For those of you that haven't already checked it out, there is a link for 'I Believe My Heart' on my profile. I picked it because I think that the lyrics really reflect Bella and Edward's feelings, and because not many people know it. I didn't want to pick a song that loads of people knew because generally you associate it with something else and I didn't want that. Also, it's a beautiful song ;)

I know what you're thinking- but Edward is the betrayee not the betrayer right? Now, I cannot answer that question without giving a heap away, but the story will answer it soon enough. At the moment though, it is indeed Edward that is doing the betraying :(

You know those nominations I mentioned a while ago? Well, voting has actually already started, and I had no idea XD And I would absolutely love it if you could go and vote for THWTLAL :D It's been nominated in several categories and there are links to all of them on my profile. Oh, and apparently I've been nominated for best author, which is really awesome and (believe me) tres unexpected XD You do have to put three stories down for the vote to count though- it says it all in the rules ;)

Also, thank you to all of you that told me about the broken link ;)

Now, I completely understand that you may not want to nominate this story at its current point because of… ahem… certain events (lol) but how about if you vote, and I promise a happy ending? There will be one, but they have to get past this particular milestone first okay?

My exams finish on Wednesday and I have the whole of Tuesday off! Woo woo XD And I have plans for my next AH fanfic since this one's nearly finished. I know there's Victim of a Teenage Nobody, but I'm thinking of changing it quite a lot and posting it elsewhere as a proper story but I know that I don't want to stop fanfiction-ing so I came up with a new idea this morning, and have written the first chapter :D I will post it soon, but I want to get a bit more done first so that I know that it's not just going to trail off into nothing as so many of my others have :S In my whole life I've only managed to finish 3 of the God-knows-how-many stories I've ever started, which is absolutely dreadful XD But I know that this one will be my fourth so you guys are in luck ;) I don't think I could get away with halting this one to be honest XD

Now… please don't cyber kill me- remember, if you do that this story will be left forever with no happy ending when one is completely intended ;)

Please tell me what you thought of this chapter, and don't forget to head over to my profile and vote! If not for me, for Edward? He wants this story to win too XD

Thank you all so much!

Steph