Chapter Two

A/N: I've got some chapters pre-written so I'm hoping to put up a new one each Monday before school kicks my ass.

Whatever Rosalie had done to the truck, it now ran like it was new again. It even passed 35 miles an hour. A true miracle. Bella wanted to thank Rosalie even if the blonde had been rude to her before.

"Thank her?" Emmett looked at Bella as if she'd gone daft when she suggested the idea. The Cullen's were rich. "I don't think Rosie needs anything. So just a simple thanks would suffice."

"Maybe. But I'd still like to give her something. She did save me a lot of money on repairs."

"What's the point of you saving that money if now you're going to spend it?" Emmett pointed out. Bella shrugged, thumbing her bag as they stood in the hallways in between class.

"Fine," he gave a sigh, seeing that she wasn't going to give up. "If you really wanna help her, get her a CD. She likes this one band and I don't think she's got the CD yet of their newest album."

"Right," Bella nodded her head. "What's the group called?" Emmett told her and then they were off to class.

Bella had at least one class with one Cullen each. Literature, she had with Rosalie. She sat two rows up ahead of the blonde and sometimes she could feel Rosalie boring holes into the back of her head, but each time she looked back the blonde was filing her nails or looking out the window. Today, after the truck incident, Rosalie's staring was missing.

Bella kinda missed it.

As class continued on, the teacher announced groups and Bella ended up in a group with Rosalie. The blonde looked bored as always, with the assignments and the people around her. Bella would be bored too if she had to forever go through high school over and over again.

Bella stayed quiet as the group discussed the meaning behind the allegories in the text. Eventually though, one of the girls, one with a particularly loud voice, asked Bella her opinion on a matter.

Bella shrugged, not really caring to answer it. "I think the broken mirror symbolizes sadness in the case of-"

"Everyone knows a broken mirror symbolizes destroyed hopes and dreams," Rosalie cut in, glaring at Bella. Everyone in the group was taken a back by this. Rosalie barely deigned to pay attention to class or interact with anyone outside her family. "Or have you not been paying attention in school?"

Bella felt her cheeks flush as every one in the group directed their attention to this as if it was the news. "Not all of us-" she was going to say not all of us spent years going to high school over and over again but stopped herself. "-are literary snobs like you," Bella settled on instead.

The tension in the group rose as they waited for Rosalie to continue. "It's not called being a snob, it's called actually doing the work. You didn't even read the book!"

Well shit, Rosalie had called out Bella's bullshitting. "Why the hell are you acting like this?" Bella changed course. It was one thing for Rosalie to be rude to Bella in the confines of the Cullen's house. But to be rude in school? Rosalie usually just froze everyone out. She didn't get riled up like this too easily. And there was literally no reason behind it. Unless...unless it had something to do with Edward? Bella had finally shared her first kiss with him. It had been...very cold. She hadn't expected kissing a vampire to be cold, but then again she'd never expected her first kiss to be a vampire.

To be honest, Alice had seemed more excited about the kiss than Bella had been. All week long the short vampire would have stared with barely concealed joy at the two of them whenever they would interact and it turned out to be because she'd seen Edward taking Bella to the woods for a hike and kissing her there.

But no, Edward had made it clear Rosalie barely tolerated him. So it wouldn't be jealousy.

Was it...still about the argument they'd had in the garage? To be fair, despite it being two weeks ago, Bella still thought back to it. She couldn't help it. It had gone all wrong.

Rosalie opened her mouth to respond but Bella beat her to it for once. "Seriously, whatever it is I did to piss you off, save it for later."

Rosalie's eyes flashed at being told off and she clamped her mouth shut. Then, she got up and left. Everyone in the group looked at the retreating blonde and then at Bella who they had never seen snap at someone before.

She cleared her throat, uncomfortable with this and tried to redirect the attention back to the assignment. Rosalie wasn't going to let her off that easily for mouthing off to her, something deep in her gut told her.

And she was right. Rosalie didn't come back to class and when Bella left to go to her last period of the day, she felt a hand snatch her right as she walked past the girls bathroom and pull her in. With a short yelp, she was inside, facing Rosalie who looked annoyed. Her arms were crossed around her chest and she had a tight scowl.

"Who told you you could act that friendly with me, and tell me off-"

"You were being a bitch for no reason. It was like you were waiting to start a fight with me," Bella cut in. "Seriously, for someone who hasn't been a teen for a long time, you're certainly acting like a dramatic one."

Rosalie's nostrils flared. "I don't need to have anymore reasons to dislike you. I already told you, you are a liability and threat to our family."

"So you're going to bully me away?" Bella exclaimed, glaring up angrily at Rosalie. The blonde must have heard about the kiss, no thanks to Alice blasting it on repeat, and seen it as Bella getting more permanently attached to the family and it was freaking her out. Well tough shit. "I'm part of this family whether you like it or not. Stop being so rude to me!"

"I'll stop when you leave us alone!"

"What good would leaving you alone do?" Bella questioned, getting annoyed with Rosalie.

"A lot of good," was the terse reply.

"I already know your secret. I can't just erase knowing it."

Rosalie let out an annoyed growl at this. The bell rang, signaling class was going to start. "Great, and now you made me late," Bella groused out and left, leaving a still fuming Rosalie in the bathroom.

"Fuck," Bella muttered out, once she'd unpacked her things. She'd gone shopping with Angela today and accidentally bought the CD for Rosalie. Not entirely accidentally she supposed, because she had deliberated buying it. The blonde didn't deserve it, given her rude behavior to Bella but she did fix up the truck...

Bella had meant to put it back and she'd bought it instead.

Well...no reason to let money go to waste. She might as well give it to Rosalie. She texted Edward, saying she was coming over, and then got in her truck without waiting for a response from him and drove over to the Cullen's household. She knew he would never mind her being over.

"Bella, how lovely to see you," Carlisle said, greeting her at the door. "Jasper, Edward and Alice are out hunting. But they should be back soon."

"I actually came to give Rosalie something, so I won't be staying over," Bella said.

Carlisle is shocked to hear that; no doubt he knows about how warm and cuddly Rosalie is to Bella. "Nonsense, stay for dinner at least. Esme can make you a nice roast."

"I'm fine, really," Bella graciously declined, entering the massive house. She went up the stairs to where she knew Rosalie's room was. She could tell, because this part of the hallway always smelled nice. Smelled like Rosalie's perfume.

An exotic tempting rose scent.

Hands clammy, Bella knocked on the door to Rosalie's room, the CD hidden behind her back.

Silence.

She knocked again.

Still no answer.

"Rosalie, I know you can hear me with your super hearing."

"I'm ignoring you, if that wasn't obvious," Rosalie shot back.

"I have something I'd like to give you," Bella called back, not deterred even if her heart was going a mile a minute and her mouth felt dry.

"I hope it's not a human disease."

Bella frowned. Must Rosalie be so confrontational? "It's not that. It's something nice."

"Is it you telling me you'll leave us all alone?" was the question after a short pause, as if Rosalie was forcefully thinking of mean things to say. Before Bella could open her mouth to retort, Emmett called out from downstairs. "Rosie, stop being a bitch and just open the door."

"Fine," came the short annoyed word and Rosalie tore the door open so quickly it almost came off the hinges. "What do you want?" she grit out behind clenched teeth.

Bella held the CD out, like an offering. It bumped against the front of Rosalie's chest. A place Bella could not look at, because Rosalie had stripped down to a tank top and shorts and Bella felt...wrong just looking at all that smooth perfect skin on display.

How could anyone be so perfect without being perfect? Rosalie looked beautiful but her personality was thorns. Get too close and she'd prick you.

Rosalie plucked the item from Bella's hands with disinterest until she saw what was on the cover. "Nickelback?" she said with distaste.

"Emmett told me that was your favorite band," Bella said, looking to the side of Rosalie's head.

"Emmett is a liar," Rosalie said flatly, handing the CD back.

"Oh." Now Bella feels dumb and her cheeks flush red as she takes the CD back. What is she to do with it? She doesn't listen to them either. Emmett must find this amusing but it sure as hell doesn't feel funny to Bella right now. She can hear him chuckling downstairs.

Why does he have to be such a dude bro sometimes?

"Well, this has been a waste of time," Rosalie comments and closes the door, leaving Bella with nothing but rejection and the wilting scent of roses. She trudges downstairs and finds Emmett there, feet up on the coffee table and watching TV. "Told ya," he told her but not rudely.

"I'm not going to stop trying," Bella vows. She's going to get Rosalie to see that she's not a threat to this family.

Bella's no threat especially when she's been hit in the face with a dodge-ball, hard enough to cause her nose to swell up three times it's normal size. They were having a combined gym period and this meant all out war no holds barred. Edward, Alice and Rosalie were in the class, Edward and Alice on Bella's team and Rosalie on the other.

Bella worries that Rosalie will take this chance to hit her, so she makes sure to be careful to avoid the blonde's nasty throwing arm. Bella's team is dropping like flies thanks to the blonde, only Edward and Alice picking up the slack. But because Bella's avoiding Rosalie so ardently, she doesn't notice the other kid with the ball. He lines up his shot and hits her hard in the face. She hits the floor, black spots dancing in front of her eyes. She lies there for a good moment and then feeling returns to her face and it fucking hurts.

Alice is next to her, helping her up, eyes darkening when she notices the blood. But, she's got good control. She refrains, though she does swallow considerably hard. "We need to get you to the nurse."

"Edward?" Bella blurts out because he'd usually be flocking to her side when he saw her hurt.

"He had to leave...the blood," Alice trails off and cups Bella's elbow to steer her out. Bella heard a loud screech coming from the guy who hit her but she doesn't turn to see why. Alice stays with Bella while the nurse cleans up and ices Bella's nose. She lets Bella stay for a bit to recover, Alice keeping a careful distance.

"You alright?" Alice poises, looking cool in her gym uniform. It's an outdated look: white shirt with red stripes down the arm sleeves and short shorts that have the same pattern. Bella's pretty sure no one actually wears such an outfit for gym anymore yet their school still enforces it.

"Yea, as much as I can be," is Bella's answer, a bit muffled due to the ice.

"You lasted about fifteen days without an accident. I'd say that's pretty good," Alice commented easily.

"You've been counting?" Bella raises a brow at this.

"More or less. We all have. And we've got bets riding on this. I just won."

"Wow. I can't believe you're all betting on me. And Alice, of course you'd win, you can see the future! You should have warned me about it."

"It would have done no good. You would have been hit regardless," Alice pointed out with a tiny apologetic smile. "Besides, it was amusing watching Rosalie deck the guy who hit you right in the face with her ball."

Bella's not sure she heard correctly at first. "She did what?"

"Hit him. For you," Alice clarifies.

A warmth spreads in Bella's chest.

Maybe Rosalie doesn't hate Bella as much as she claims to.

"Why did you get that guy for me?" Bella asks when she finds Rosalie later in the Cullen's house. Bella is there almost everyday and they all think it's for Edward- which it partially is- and not for Rosalie. But she's there as much for Rosalie as everyone else, regardless of how much Rosalie tries to avoid her.

The blonde stays put in her room brooding and looking beautiful while doing it.

Bella keeps knocking on the door until Rosalie lets her in. "What?" she scowls, wearing more layers this time and Bella pops the question that's been on her mind ever since gym.

Rosalie furrows her brow. "Why are you bothering me with such nonsense?"

"Because. I want to know. Shouldn't you be glad he hurt me?" she poises and Rosalie hasn't closed the door yet though she could. Rosalie's eyes trail down to Bella's face and she seems to freeze. Bella begins to feel self conscious and her heart pounds like it normally does with Rosalie around her. It's both thrilling and terrifying.

Bella kisses Edward in order to feel the same way. She hasn't managed to, not quite yet.

Bella notices that Rosalie's eyes have gone darker, though they flicker between gold and black like she's trying to hold back. She reaches out a hand and Bella flinches, the hand pausing. When Bella doesn't move, her breath caught in her lungs, the hand continues more carefully, cold thumb gently passing under Bella's nose and removing the trickle of blood there.

Bella's nose has been on and off bleeding a bit since she got hit.

"...Thanks," Bella breathes out, not sure what to say to this.

Rosalie removes her hand, shaking her head as if to ground herself. "Whatever..." she lamely finishes on and closes the door quietly.

With shaky legs, Bella walks downstairs.