Chapter 11 – Confrontation
Making love to Bella, knowing I loved her and she loved me, had to be the most incredible feeling I ever experienced. It all became clear to me that that was the way it was supposed to be – a physical manifestation of intense emotions.
Lying awake and watching her sleep peacefully in my arms, didn't even feel creepy the way I always assumed it would when people did so in movies. Of course, after I finally succumbed to my own slumber, the nightmares set in…
"Oh, you're in trouble now," a little girl said, making me sit up in that crappy apartment's crappy bed, only to find Bella gone.
It was a dream, and I knew it was a dream, so I didn't question the girl as to why she was there or even who she was. I knew who she was, regardless of never seeing that version of her before.
I rubbed my face, hoping to clear enough of the dream haze to see her better.
"Hey Bree, whatcha doing?" I asked groggily, not thinking it was odd whatsoever that she was there, in her little girl form, just sitting on the bed besides me. Her legs were crossed like a pretzel, and her chin was in her hands with her elbows resting on her knees, making her look even smaller than she would otherwise.
"You snore in your sleep," she grumbled.
"I do?" I asked surprised, having never been told that by anyone before.
"Yep," she said before leaning back so her hands were now behind her. "And that's just one reason why you're in trouble. Rosalie hates snoring, and now she is coming. If I were you, I'd hide… Of course, hiding under the bed never worked for me before. You should try the closet."
"Who have you hidden from?" I asked her concerned.
"The bad guys. Rosalie isn't really bad, but she sure is mad. You better hurry, she's coming."
…
I woke up with a start, and the scene before me made me think my dream wasn't strictly a dream. In the exact same position Bree had been sitting, Bella now sat, except she was far from Bella…
"Good morning, sweetheart. Sleep well?" she asked with such over-pleasantness that I physically trembled. "Aww, are you cold?"
"No," I replied quickly while sitting up and immediately checking myself to make sure I was dressed. "No, not cold, just…"
"Terrified?" she asked with a sinister smile.
I wasn't sure if it was her insultingly fake tone, or her pompousness, but suddenly all my nerves melted away. Rosalie had been a worry for long enough; I was done letting her threats affect me.
"No, actually; I've never been afraid of monsters. I think your icy persona just got to me for a moment, but I'm fine now. Thanks for your concern," I told her, echoing her same falsified friendly tone.
Like the flip of a switch, she dropped the pretenses and her mood darkened. "You really do have a death wish, don't you?"
I pretended to consider it. "I don't think so. I'm actually pretty fond of living right now."
"Do you think I was bluffing with my threats before?" she asked aggressively.
"No, I'm sure you have every intention of ruining me right now, but the truth is, there isn't much more you can do that I haven't already done to myself. I dropped out of med-school, and my parents are thoroughly disappointed… or, at least, they will be as soon as they find out. I have zero plans for my future, so the way I see it, I just saved you a lot of work," I said casually.
She laughed once humorlessly. "You really are a moron, aren't you? I mean, I already knew you were, but you're doing your damndest to prove me right. You're a fucking drop-out, unemployed, and probably homeless. Bella sure knows how to pick them, doesn't she?"
"Oh, I'm not homeless," I informed her, unaffected by a single thing she had to say. "I'm staying here with you. We are going to have so much fun. Right, roomie? Maybe later we can talk about hot chicks and braid each other's hair."
"There is no way in hell you're staying here with me. But you are right about one thing – you're not homeless. I'm sure the state penitentiary will have your room ready in no time."
I feigned concern. "Shit, I forgot about your threats to falsify criminal charges against me. Well, Bella did tell Charlie to make sure you're never alone at the station, and I do have my own threats to fall back on. I think I'm fine."
"What threats?" she asked with disgust.
"Oh, the ones I haven't made yet but am certainly about to. See, I actually have a friend who is a hacker. He doesn't have access to police files or anything, but…"
I put my index finger up as I text my buddy Liam for help. With a quick pic of the framed picture of Rosalie's girlfriend, I sent it over to him with the name Emma, and within two minutes he had a whole slew of information for me.
"Emma McCarty. Previously competed in the Women's MMA. Currently works as a personal trainer at the Twenty-Four–Seven Fitness in Port Angeles."
Rosalie was clearly fuming. "How the fuck do you know all of that?"
"A quick image match online and my buddy was able to find all of that super easily. Obviously, anyone can do that, but he has other skills too. Skills that could ruin this lovely lady."
"What kind of sick fuck would go after someone he doesn't even know?" she seethed.
"Well, in the past when someone came after me for whatever reason, I would just return the fire twice as hot, however I can't really hurt you without hurting Bella… except when it comes to your girlfriend, who Bella knew nothing about. Besides, even if I could hurt you personally in a way that wouldn't affect Bella, I know you wouldn't really care. You strike me as one of those types of personalities that can take a lot of shit. Of course, go after someone you love and that's where I find your cracks. Right?"
"Or I just destroy you before you have a chance to do anything," she threatened.
"Except I already have done something. My buddy has all her info now, so if I end up in jail for any reason, I use my one phone call to contact him and have him ruin sweet Emma's reputation, credit score, career, and everything else he can access online."
"You are the devil incarnate, and I will do everything in my power to make you wish you never met Bella," she said evenly.
"We'll see about that. In the meantime, I'm going to take a shower," I told her casually, which just pissed her off even more. I definitely made sure to lock myself inside the bathroom out of a slight fear that she would dump some poisonous chemical on me while I showered or something. Thankfully, my time in the bathroom was uneventful, and when I reemerged into the main living space of the apartment, Rosalie was gone. Unfortunately for me, she took Bella's body with her wherever the hell she went.
It was entirely possible she was out there somewhere hashing up a new move to destroy what little I had left in life, but I honestly didn't think so. She probably just wanted to get away from me.
As I sat on the little lumpy couch and replayed our confrontation in my mind, I honestly felt like shit for threatening her the way that I did. I didn't want to stoop to Rosalie's level, and I certainly had no intention of actually doing anything to harm her girlfriend, but even with the guilt I was feeling, I couldn't think of anything else I could have done to get her to back down. It really sucked, but hopefully she wouldn't call my bluff and we could eventually figure out a way to peacefully coexist.
After I continued to sit on my ass for another hour or so, I decided it was long enough and I had to get moving. As long as I continued to move forward and never get stuck, I knew I would dig myself out of the hole I created in my own life. First-off was checking the local classifieds for any job openings. A pizza joint, fast food chains, and Walmart were all hiring, so I applied for all of them online. They certainly weren't career material, but I figured one of them might just hold me over until I figure out something more long-term. Next-up was talking to my parents….
"What the hell were you thinking?" my father immediately screamed at me the moment I walked through the door. I wasn't surprised that they already knew what I did, he was close friends with the dean. "Do you know how humiliating it is to be blindsided by such idiocy from my only son? Now I have to go jump through hoops to try to get your spot back…"
"I was thinking that I didn't want to be a doctor," I told him assuredly, rendering him speechless. "And don't waste your time jumping through any hoops, because I'm not going back."
"Edward, when you change your mind in a few weeks…" my mom offered, but I needed to make myself completely clear, so they had the best chance of understanding.
"I hate medicine," I said gently yet firmly. "I have always hated medicine, but I bit my tongue and went along with the path you guys only allowed because I never knew how to get away from it. I don't like upsetting you… I know some of my previous actions may have convinced you otherwise, but I really don't, but I need to find something that I'll be content doing for the rest of my life. Medicine just isn't it. I'm sorry for disappointing you, but I'm not sorry I dropped out and I know I never will be."
"Well, then what the hell are you going to do with your life?" my dad asked, still angry but surprisingly calming.
"I don't know, but I'm not going to rush figuring it out. Until then, I'll get whatever crappy job I can to support myself."
"Crappy job? Edward, you may have dropped out of med-school, but you're still a college graduate. Apply for a real job," my mother suggested.
"But I don't know what I want to do yet," I argued.
"You don't have to," she countered. "Having a real job doesn't mean you can't switch professions later on."
"I have a job for you in the hospital billing department," my dad informed me. "You're plenty qualified and it pays decently."
"I don't want you to get me a job, dad," I said, getting frustrated.
"Nonsense. You'll work there until you find adequate work elsewhere. I won't have my son working in a fast food establishment."
"There is nothing wrong with working at a fast food place," I retorted, but after more bitching on both of my parent's parts, I relented. The truth was that I could be stubborn about it and continue to refuse, but the job at the hospital did pay well, and with my current situation, a good income could only be beneficial. I would make sure my next job was one that I got a hundred percent on my own, and I vowed that this would be the last time that I used my father's position of power to my advantage.
When I was finished at my parents' house, I took my chances and went to Bella's bookstore. As expected, her car was in the parking lot, so I hesitantly went inside.
"Wow, you're still alive, huh?" Bella's voice spoke before I even saw her. "I thought Rosalie was going to gut you for sure."
I spun around myself to look in the direction of her voice, and then I spotted her towards the back of the store. Judging by her playful snarky tone, I was fairly certain she was currently Alice, so sauntered over to her and decided it wasn't too soon to woo her with my Cullen charm.
"Hey, long time no see," I said with my most irresistible crooked grin that always drove the ladies wild.
She surprisingly rolled her eyes and threw her palm out in my direction like she couldn't be bothered. "Don't even try it, Conch. I know you want me to be all exclusive with you, but I hate to break it to you, I've already fucked you one too many times. I'm not into thirds; hell, I'm not even into seconds. You should count yourself lucky that you got that far."
"Can I ask you something?" I requested, not all that surprised by her comment.
She looked amused and curious, so she smiled and replied, "Of course you can."
"What is it about having so many partners in bed that interests you so much. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've had my fair share of one-nighters that I had no interest in revisiting, but what's wrong with sleeping with someone on a regular basis if you actually like them?"
"There is nothing wrong with it if you're into that sort of thing, but I learned early on that I'm definitely not a person who is," she explained vaguely.
"Why?" I pressed.
She shrugged. "I've seen it go wrong too many times. Bella, her parents, her mom, hell, even Rosalie has had far too many heartaches over stupid people who weren't worth her time."
"Who would be worth her time?" I questioned.
"No one. The only people we can count on are ourselves… and I can't stand Rosalie, so what does that tell you?"
"I'm not sure," I said honestly.
She huffed. "It tells you that I'm better off alone. If I could lock Rosalie away permanently, I would."
"What about Bella and the others?"
She considered it. "It's Bella's life and we are all here to protect her, so I'd never want to deny her access to the light, unless I thought it was in her best interest. And I don't mind letting Bree out occasionally; she's a brat, but sometimes it's fun to watch her get into shit. Tanya is an idiot that I've tried to get laid, but she just screamed and hid, but I don't hate her. I mean, I enjoy being alone, but I guess I'm good with sharing my body with all of them. I just hate Rose. Well, it's a love-hate thing. I could never truly hate her when we are both parts of the same person."
I had to take a moment to digest everything she said, but one thing stood out. "What was that you were saying about trying to get Tanya laid?" I asked perplexed.
Alice didn't look like she wanted to elaborate, but for whatever reason, she decided to anyway. "Once, when I was with some random guy, I decided to let Tanya out to experience sex like she swears she wants to, but then she freaked, which tells me she isn't close to being ready."
"Or, she just doesn't want to fuck some stranger," I suggested.
"Whatever. Strangers are the only way to go. Once you're done with them, you can toss them aside and move on. No need to listen to any of their crap."
"Crap?"
She huffed again as if she was annoyed she had to explain. "You know, the fake 'I love yous', only to disappear just because Bree tries to burn down their house. Crap like that."
"Bree did what?"
"She was trying to help the guy. He had ants coming out of his wall… That, or she just didn't like him," she said unconcerned.
I furrowed my brows, but rather than press the matter, I decided to dismiss it. "Well, I guess I can see why you don't like relationships… kind of. But you don't have to worry about me trying to pursue you; I just told Bella I'd attempt it so she would feel better," I lied. "I'm not interested in sleeping with you again either."
Her right hand popped up to her hip, and she cocked her head to the side. "And why the hell not?" she asked, falling for my reverse psychology tactic far too easily.
"Well, I get to sleep with Bella enough; I'm sort of over you."
She laughed once humorlessly. "Excuse me? Bella and I are nothing alike in bed."
I pretended to think about it. "I guess that's true. Bella is a little more adventurous."
Her offense doubled. "Bella is more adventurous than me?"
"Yeah. I mean, I had fun with you and all, but the candle wax, and the biting you like… it's just a little… vanilla."
"Vanilla!" she spat.
"There's nothing wrong with vanilla," I tried to smooth it over without smoothing it over. "I like vanilla, but sometimes I feel like mint chip, or even cherries jubilee."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're messing with me, aren't you?"
Maybe I wasn't as sly as I thought I was. Crap.
"No, I'm not messing with you, I'm just…"
I attempted to backtrack, but she cut me off.
"Yes, you are. You're messing with me, but lucky for you, it worked. Come on."
"Where are we going?" I asked, slightly concerned.
"To go fuck between the aisles. I'll show you how very un-vanilla I can be…"
With it being in the middle of business hours, and her clearly having no intention to close the store, even temporarily, I wasn't sure if the tryst was exciting or terrifying. However, once she pulled her top over her head and immediately attacked me, I forgot where we were completely. Picking her up and shoving her against a book-self as her legs wrapped around my waist seemed only natural, and as much as I was reluctant about wooing Alice beforehand, I couldn't deny just how fucking hot she actually was.
Alice was Bella's wild side, and that's how I chose to see it. Like with anyone's playful crazy mood, it wasn't something I'd enjoy fulltime, but it was definitely fun while it lasted…. Until, that is, the bell sounded in the front of the store, signifying someone was walking through the door.
"Shit!" I hissed as I quickly put her down and pulled up my pants.
"See? Not vanilla," she gloated with a giggle as she put her shirt back on far slower than my nerves could take.
"Hurry, someone is here!"
"Oh relax, Conch. The thrill of potentially getting caught is half the fun."
"Is it now?" I disagreed.
"Bella?" a deep voice called towards us.
My concern increased tenfold.
"Relax, it's just Charlie," Alice said casually.
"Charlie? As in Chief Swan? As in your dad?" I asked in a panic.
"Bella's dad," she corrected me.
"Which is your dad since you are Bella," I pointed out.
"Only biologically," she disagreed. "He certainly didn't raise me."
"Bella?" Chief Swan called again.
Alice straightened out her skirt, and then she walked away from me towards the sound of her "bio" dad calling towards her.
I wanted to somehow sink into the floor and disappear completely, rather than speak to the Chief right then. I fully planned to introduce myself when the time was right; that time, however, was definitely not the right time. I was absolutely unprepared, looked like an idiot, and had just had semi-public sex with his daughter. I was horrified to meet him at the moment, and that feeling only escalated when I forced myself to emerge from the aisle to see the man glaring at me.
"What's going on here?" he grumbled with his moustache twitching in time with the thudding of my cowardly heart.
Then Alice said the words that would certainly end my life… or, at the very least, make me piss myself.
"Not much. Eddie and I were just over there fucking. Don't worry, we didn't knock any shelves over."
My eyes helplessly locked to severely intimidating man in a cop uniform, and I honestly would have preferred death than the deadly daggers his eyes were shooting back at me.
God, help me.