BAD BLOOD
'Cause, baby, now we've got bad blood
You know it used to be mad love
So take a look what you've done
'Cause, baby, now we've got bad blood, hey!
Now we've got problems
And I don't think we can solve 'em
You made a really deep cut
And, baby, now we've got bad blood, hey!
-Taylor Swift-
FRIDAY
CULLEN-SWAN'S RESIDENCY
"There's nothing to discuss" Carlisle was arguing with one of his employees over the phone while eating his breakfast and reading the newspaper. If something Bella has in her is his capability to multitask "The goods left last Thursday and the register is empty. I need the checks, receipts and full record today!"
He was fuming over that horrible mistake when Jacob came with the house phone with that kid… Masen, asking for the interview he was promised. Carlisle told him to come by later today, when he was out the school. The blonde man still couldn't believe how well prepared the young man seemed to be about business. Jacob also brought to him his vitamins, the ones Carlisle took reluctantly every time.
The executive never looks at the spectacle section of the newspaper but today something was telling him to take a look. He passed two pages before coming along with something that froze his blood.
"IMPORTANT DESIGNER, CARLISLE CULLEN, ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMMITTED TO SINGER ESME PLATT"
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" he shouted. Jacob and three other housekeepers came to see what was the problem with the boss "What is the meaning of this?" he asked Jacob, rhetorically, while showing him the title that involved him with that woman, he has only seen once and in school grounds.
People started to move. Jacob called lawyers and important people that they know in the entertainment industry in order to know how and who let this blatant lie to come out into the light of day.
He knew when they took the photo that was posted in the paper. They were in the academy entrance, just when he met her and his daughter, who they cut off the picture, centimeters away.
When Carlisle was told they couldn't get in contact with her he took the matters in his own hands and called Esme Platt's assistant, the one insisting she couldn't answer the phone.
"I already told you sir, she's busy right now. She's at the arena she's playing at tomorrow"
"I don't care if she's in China! Tell her if she doesn't call me in an hour today I'm suing" he hung up and fuming, went to his office to drink some booze. He only hopes Bella does not see any social media nor paper or magazine today. Damn how he hates spectacles.
ST. MARCUS ACADEMY
Rosalie was scrolling through her twitter, refreshing every other second. She was anticipating something, and Alice couldn't tell what it is. What Rosalie was waiting was two things, one was a secret and the other was the announcement of the Academy for the dance group auditions. Why? She just wanted to get in that Barbie's hair.
Sending her mammoth of a guard will cost her.
Meanwhile, Angela was entering their room. The three of them decided to have breakfast in the dorms, so she went to grab the paper. She, just like Alice, doesn't have a smartphone, just a regular one to make phone calls and that's about it, that's why the place where she grew up indulged her to buy the paper in order to be informed.
She noticed Rosalie's mother was in the spectacles section so she told this to the blonde girl. She ran, apparently happy, to see her mom. Alice went to her too, and the three of them started to read at once the article.
"Damn, isn't that Isabella's dad?" Alice asked, worried. Rosalie was giggling not seeming to notice her friend's discomfort "Why are you laughing at this? This is a serious accusation and your mother must be really affected" she chastised her friend.
Angela in the other hand refused to think that Rosalie would be happy about her mother being harassed "What did you do?" she asked, amazed
"Remember the paparazzi I told you about? The day my mom came randomly to visit me and stuff" they nodded "Well, I'm sick of every single note that I appeared with my mom like a hobo so I called that man and told him to please not to post that picture or where I study.
He told me no. So I offered him something he couldn't say not to" Afraid, Alice asked what "HA! I offered my consent to post a rumor about my mom and the other recognized face in the picture" she smiled mischievously.
Rosalie got off the bed, where the three of them were reading the segment and re-accommodate her uniform. She was still laughing. Alice couldn't believe her ears. To Rose to play with something this severe as harassment means that she truly believes to have a vendetta to Bella. She didn't care to take her own mother and Bella's dad between.
"To me, your friend crossed a line" Angela simply said, shrugging the matter off.
"Now, only one thing is left. This thing has to be shown to the leader of the airheads" Rosalie took off to Bella's room and before Alice could react to stop her friend, the door was closed in her nose. Hard.
Meanwhile, in the Bellisima's dorm, Bella was fixing her hair in messy bun since she didn't washed her hair today, and Jess and Lauren were fighting over who was more handsome: Luke Hemmings from 5SOS or Harry Styles from One Direction.
"Guys! Please, stop bickering! We all know Alex Turner from Artic Monkeys is the most handsome man in the world" she sighed.
Out of nothing, their door was slammed open and Rosalie entered looking furious.
"In the universe of people with manners, when there's a closed door you must knock to get in. But of course, in the pigsty you grew up in, not even doors had" Bella put her hand on her hip and stand up to the amazon that got so close to her face, challenging her.
"No doors, no stalkers" Rosalie was acting so fucking well, and for more drama she tossed the paper in Isabella's chest.
"What has that to do with anything?" Jessica asked, interfering between the murderous looks that the both beauties were giving each other.
Lauren was scared for her friend. Bella has always looked too petite and in fornt of the big blonde she looked more vulnerable than ever.
"You better tell your daddy to not come close to my mom ever again, or I'll break his face… or better, yours!" Rosalie pushed her taking Bella out of her fear induced stupor. She didn't fell though. The blonde girl left the room "angry" and Jessica and Lauren ran to their friend.
"That… harlot is crazy! She's insane! What is her problem?" Bella shook off the situation and went to her mirror to look at her hair, a nervous tic. Jessica noted the paper that her friend didn't even grabbed and saw what that bitch was talking about. Lauren was asking what she meant to Bella, a thing the brunette couldn't answer.
Isabella Cullen didn't know how she was about to be victim of a vendetta she didn't even know she was target of. Of course, what Rosalie didn't say out loud was that the article was also, for her mother. She was always the center of attention, now she was going to get attention.
"Read" Jessica said, handing her friend the page she just read.
"I- I… what?" Bella read the title and she was fading into the arms of her friends, entering on a panic attack. Of course, to her friends, this was trade mark, Bella's way to assimilate stuff. She wasn't diagnosed or anything "I need to talk to my dad, ASAP".
"But we have classes" Jessica said, blowing air into Bella's face.
"I need to talk to my dad, after classes"
CULLEN-SWAN'S RESIDENCY
Later that day, Edward was sitting in front of the man he hated the most, telling him about an essay he wrote for his last school about economics. He wanted to make a good impression for him to give him a job, or have him as a protégée… he needed to be close to find all his weaknesses and use them against him. He wasn't powerful or anything, but he could be sneaky.
"So, like I was saying, all of this started when I did a a market study, where I annexed a little research I did about you—for school and stuff" big fat lie.
"About me?" Carlisle asked, impressed. Edward nodded "I feel honored"
"Yeah… anyhow, I'd really appreciate if you took a minute of your time to read it and give it the good eye"
Carlisle agreed, but first, he needed to ask a few questions and see if it really was worth it to have this kid helping him around his office. And hopefully, around Bella. He was sure, a kid like Edward would be good influence on her. Instead of that kid Emmett she is always hanging around with. He fears the day she comes to him and tells him he is her boyfriend.
"Sir! Sir!" Jacob was calling him all the way up his office "Excuse me sir, sorry to bother you to, but Bella is calling and she's hysterical!" he handed the phone to his boss and exhale in relief. A crazy Bella was never a good Bella.
Meanwhile, Edward was studying how they called her. Bella… he savored the name in his tongue, repeating it, in silence of course. It tasted bittersweet.
"Hello?"
"DAD! Can you tell me what is this nonsense of you harassing that woman?" Carlisle could hear her daughter being followed around by her friends telling her to calm down.
"It seems you know" he sighed. This was exactly what he didn't want.
"Ahhh! And you tell me all chill! Of course I know, and let me tell you daddy, this is huge" Bella sounded almost out of air and frantic.
"Look, Bella. Do you think me capable of doing something like this?" he asked. Carlisle wasn't mad, but still.
"Certainly not, daddy! What I think—Jess, stop that!— What I think is that cheap copycat of Baywatch told this ridiculousness to the press! But why haven't you done something to stop this already, is all over twitter right now!—Jessica for the love of all is holy, I don't need my pills!"
"Princess, you know how this people are. The only thing they want is fame out of my name. That's all"
Carlisle was, at this point, accustomed to this silliness some mediocre press was capable of coming out with. Once it was told he killed his wife, only if they knew…
"Dad, please, please… Don't just stand by, do something!" Carlisle pulled away the phone when his daughter screamed. Even Edward heard it.
"Don't worry, the lawyers are told to begin the process just in case. They will take care. But you, Bella, don't worry about this absurdity. Now, I have to hang up, okay? I'll talk to you later" He noticed how Jacob and
Edward watched him in awe while talking to Bella. He cleared his throat and reanudate his meeting with the young man in front of him.
ST. MARCUS ACADEMY
Bella couldn't believe this madness. Her daddy was getting cancelled! Over a lie, for what is worst.
"OMG! The mom is trashier than the daughter" Jessica said, talking with her friend.
"I know! By a million… OH MY GOD GIRLS! Why all this happens to me? See how difficult is to be Bella Cullen-Swan?" she fell on her bed all sad and angry.
Her friends sat down with her, expecting her to calm down a little now that she was able to talk to her dad. All day since morning she was relentless about news and tweets and stuff she read on media. Even her was getting hate, and the worst part is that none of it was true.
What was getting in Bella's nerves wasn't only the fact that her father's reputation was being trashed, but this was a trigger to people who has actually survived something like this. That's why people that has suffer from this sometimes in misbelieved and put aside. For the minority of false cases.
Alice entered The Bellisima's room with a cup of tea in her hand. She saw how bad this was setting to her friend so she came to help her in any way she could. Alice noticed Jessica caressing her friends hair and Lauren massaging her foot.
"Here, take this tea, it says is good for nerves, I even ask for it to be with delectated and zero fat milk" she gave it to her and begun to drink it with a steel straw the cook handed her. The woman said that Bella only drank from her personal straws.
Jessica was talking over the two petite girls with Lauren, about how the paper had the academy's name, since it supposedly happened in these grounds.
"Can I ask you something, Jess? Give me that paper and shut the f- OUCH!" Bella screamed. The three friends asked her what happened, since she started to throw a tantrum "My nail… my nail just broke!"
…
"Shut up, you are a genius Alice. It looks like my manicurist does it!" Bella was admiring the fine job her new friend did to her nail, after her breakdown.
To Alice, it was funny to see someone like Bella worrying a lot about her looks, to her, her friend was pretty with whatever she chooses to put on or not. Her natural wavy brown hair, made her look like a princess and her big doe eyes like a Disney princess. She was like Belle, since she was a goner for books as well.
To Bella, looks were important for her. Her confidence was a lie, she was scared of people going over her, so she had to be the perfect everything. It was difficult to be her. Press wasn't behind designers as much as artists' but when she had to go with her dad to some modeling show or a gala, or even to buy clothes in prestige stores she had to look super cute. She has to sell the Cullen brand.
"Bella, your mom was pretty like you?" Alice asked from genuine curiosity, so Bella decided to answer her.
"I don't know. She died when I was little"
"Aw, sorry, Bella. I didn't know…"
"Don't worry" she smiled sadly "The truth is I never met her"
"And haven't you seen her photos? Do you look like her?"
Bella smiled once again, but now she had a longing look in her eyes "I don't know either" Alice didn't believe her, and she told her so "It is real" she laughed "My dad tells me she never liked to be photographed so… yeah" Alice asked her if they never took a picture of them together either. The two friends were in Bella's bed, looking at the ceiling. They were alone, since Lauren and Jess went to check everything for the dance groups auditions "Nom that's what he always tells me… Even though I know she at least once had to take. Look… I found this a few days ago" She pulled from under her bed the picture frame that was broke and empty "It must've been hers, you know… This are her initials" Bella, once again, was caressing the frame with love. That moved Alice's heart.
"This is beautiful, Bella. And don't worry. This can be fixed. I will fix it for you, okay? I grew up on Art Attack, I mean, I'm an expert" both of them laughed and spent a good time together, and that was what Bella needed.