41
Moaning, I pressed myself against Bella, feeling the warm curves of her body against mine. I slid my hand over her hip, up her stomach, and cupped her breast. She shivered against me, her nipple hardening under my fingers.
"Edward," she groaned, reaching back and grabbing my hip, pressing herself against me. "What time is it?"
Opening and closing my eyes several times, I turned and looked at the clock. "Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck. It's almost seven."
"What!" she snarled, scrambling out of bed and looking at the clock herself. "Oh, my God, hurry and get dressed!"
"I am!" I exclaimed, climbing out of bed and grabbing my clothes out of the dresser.
"I thought you set the alarm," she grumbled, pulling on a pair of yoga pants that hugged her ass and a UCLA T-shirt. Looking over at me, she threw a pair of socks at me. "Stop staring at me and move your ass! We're so late."
"Sorry," I mumbled, tossing my shirt on the bed before stepping into my shorts. "And I did set the alarm."
"Yeah?" she asked, grabbing it off the top of the dresser and checking it. "You set it for P.M., not A.M."
"Oh." Picking up my shirt, I pulled it on and sat down to put on my shoes and socks. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Mistakes happen," Bella said.
"Yeah, they always happen the morning we're supposed to leave for Nationals," I mumbled. Standing, I picked up my cell phone and wallet, tossing them into my bag. Thankfully, we'd packed the night before, but seeing as we were supposed to meet at the gym ten minutes ago.
Bella and I ran to the elevator, pressing the button several times before getting tired of waiting and taking off downstairs. The rest of our team was waiting for us in the lobby, none of them looking all too happy. Especially Phil, who had his phone pressed against his ear. Seeing us bursting through the stairwell doors, however, caused him to end his call and shove his phone into his back pocket as he strode across the lobby so that he was standing in front of us. I'd seen him angry before, but never to this extreme.
"You two are lucky I'm in a good mood," he hissed, little pieces of spit flying out of his mouth.
"This is you in a good mood?" Bella asked, causing him to glare at her. "Oh, sorry. I'm supposed to be afraid, aren't I?"
"Yes," he said, but he smiled and I knew we were forgiven. "So much for leaving on time for a change."
"Yeah, sorry, Edward fucked up with the alarm," Bella said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Thanks, babe," I said, dryly.
"I love you, but I'm not taking the fall for you."
"Yeah, yeah, we know that you two love each other," Phil groused. "Can we please go? Kind of have a big tournament to get to."
"What are we waiting for?" Bella laughed, sliding her hand into mine and pulling me toward the door.
As we stepped outside, I felt my mouth flop open. Standing at least five people deep, were our schoolmates. The very people who'd stood up for us against the board and rallied for us to get another chance. But this time, they had signs and flags, they were wearing blue and gold, cheering as we made our way along the pathway they'd created for us, and to the bus that would take us to Arizona and our bid for a National Championship.
Our team stopped outside of the bus and looked around at all of them. I knew they were feeling just as emotional as I did as one by one they stepped onto the bus, leaving me, Bella, and Phil for last.
"We'll make you proud!" Bella yelled over the noise, causing them to cheer even more. Turning to Phil, she asked, "Are you ready, Coach?"
Phil laughed. "Let's do it."
Bella and I climbed onto the bus and settled in a couple of seats. As Phil stepped on board and gave the bus driver the go ahead to pull away, I knew that regardless of how we did at the tournament, our lives would never be the same again.
—LO—
A little over six hours later, just after two in the afternoon, Moe, our designated bus driver, pulled up in front of the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Unlike our previous tournaments, where we had fought against dozens of other college teams, we'd find ourselves up against five other schools. Texas Tech University, Georgia Tech, the University of Kentucky, Duke, and most importantly, Stanford University. Tanya Sanders and her coach Alastair had made our battle against them personal, when she viciously obliterated Tia in a match. All of them wanted a piece of her, but Bella more than anyone.
"Okay, team," Phil said, standing up and turning to look at the rest of us. "Let's go."
Nervous energy swirled around each of us as we disembarked the bus and followed Phil across the parking lot. As Bella climbed off, she turned and looked around the city, her forehead furrowing, and hurt filling her eyes.
"You okay?" I asked, sliding my arm around her before placing my other hand on her cheek.
"I never thought I'd be back here," she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. "I was ten when Carlisle fought here, won the National Championship. Jasper and Emmett fought here, too, you know. Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?"
I nodded. "Do you need to call them? We can give you a few minutes."
Bella smiled and released a deep breathe. "I'm fine. Just . . . remembering the good times, and the bad," she added as an afterthought.
"Okay, if you're sure." I placed a kiss on her lips, but knew better than to push her.
The handful of buses lined up next to ours indicated our competition was already here, and when we walked into the lobby, we found ourselves the center of attention as everyone turned and looked at us. The news of our team's advancement to the National Tournament had been big news, even earning us a spot on Sports Center. We were underdogs, the little guys who stood zero chance of winning. Just more people to prove ourselves to.
Phil cleared his throat and looked back at us, a smirk tugging on the corners of his lips before he turned and made the way through the throng of people. He stopped in front of the registration tables.
"We're from UCLA," he said, speaking clearly even though I could hear his nerves. "I need to register my fighters."
"Coach Dwyer?" one of the women asked, the corner of her lip lifting. When Phil nodded, she fully smiled. "I have your paperwork right here."
While Phil proceeded to get us registered for the tournament, the twelve of us moved out of the way, finding a nice corner where we could wait. It was impossible not to hear the whispers about us, our names leaving their lips filled with doubts and questions about how we got there. We'd been there for five minutes when the crowd around us parted and Tanya Sanders lead her team toward us. Flanked by two of her female classmates — Irina Stoker, a senior who Bella had fought and beat before, and Jasmine Fields, a junior, who had come in second behind Tanya to qualify for the tournament — Tanya has a smirk on her lips.
"Well, well, well," Tanya cackled. "If it isn't the Bruins, all the way from L.A. I wasn't sure you'd actually be here. Though you may have chickened out."
"And why would we have chickened out?" Bella asked, folding her arms in front of her. "Nobody here scares us."
Tanya's smile grew as she shifted her eyes from Bella to Tia. "Somehow, I doubt that."
"Listen to me, you self-center, narcissist bitch," Bella snarled, stepping away from the rest of us as she faced Tanya. "You are nothing to us. You think just because you took advantage of Tia in a moment of weakness that it makes you powerful? On the contrary; it does nothing but shows how truly pathetic you are."
"Is that what your daddy told you? Was it before he ran away and hide like a bitch?" Tanya snarled, bowing up to Bella, peering down at her. "I know all about you, Cullen. How your mommy and daddy refused to follow the rules, how they hid like bitches and left you all alone. They didn't even care enough about you to fight for you, did they?"
Bella clenched her jaw together and I watched her hand ball into a fist, and for a moment, I thought she was going to take a swing, which would have ended her tournament before it even started. But then her fingers relaxed and she laughed.
"Is that the best you've got?" Bella taunted. "Throwing my family in my face? I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you're not the first trashy blond to try to take me down a few notches. Well, guess what? It won't work. I'm the best and when we meet in the ring — and I know we will — I will beat your ass into the mat with enthusiasm."
"You'll try, but you'll never beat me, Cullen." Tanya leaned down, her eyes flittering toward me. "And when I'm done, I'll make sure your man over there knows what a real woman feels like."
Bile filled my mouth and I gagged. "Yeah, I don't think so, skank."
Bella laughed. "Oh, you're too much, Tanya."
"You wait and see," Tanya threatened, before she turned and led her team away from us.
Bella shook her head and looked back at me. "Can you believe her?"
"No," I snickered. "She kind of reminds me of the Stepford bitches."
"Right!" Bella laughed at the thought of Lauren, Jessica, Mike, Tyler, and Eric. Last we heard, all five of them were back in Forks, having flunked out of UW and were back in Forks.
"I hope you kill that stupid bitch," Tia muttered before turning toward Benjamin. He looked at me as he wrapped his arms around her. Tia's season had been cut short, her physical injuries still keeping her from training, and I worried she'd never be one-hundred percent again.
"I'll make sure she pays," Bella said, but whether Tia heard her or not, I wasn't sure.
An awkward silence settled over us and the importance of their tournament weighed heavily on each of us. This wasn't just a matter of keeping our program alive, even though that was a big motivator; it was matter of pride, of taking care of our own, and Tia was our own. We'd defend her, make sure people knew not to mess with us outside of the ring.
Phil was whistling under his breath as he joined us. "Okay, everything is ready. I'll get copies of your schedule once we get to the hotel. Right now, we need to get inside for the weigh-in."
He looked up at us, his smile faltering. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said. "Just reflecting on everything."
"We're ready," Bella said, sliding her hand in with mine. "Let's go."
Though I could tell Phil wasn't convinced, he didn't push the envelope. As we followed him into the main part of the building, I noticed Tanya talking to her coach Alastair, who appeared pleased, and I wonder how much of her blatant attempt on egging us on was her and how much he had pushed her into it.
—LO—
I sat by the edge of the pool, listening to Embry rattle on and on about some chick he was crushing on, but my real attention was on Bella. After everyone's weight had been recorded, we climbed back into the bus and headed to our hotel. Phil had arranged for a local deli to provide a light dinner for all of us, and now we were lounging around the pool, trying to relax before heading to bed.
I was sitting in between Embry and Liam, while Bella was surrounded by Maggie, Missy, Tia, and Heidi, though I could tell she wasn't listening to anything they said. She sat with her knees pulled up in front of her, her eyes glazed over. Coming back to Phoenix hadn't been easier on her, and though she was attempting to be strong, I wondered if it was too much. The pressure of being the best, winning Nationals, and now returning to the city where her life had changed so much.
"Excuse me," I murmured, pushing myself out of my chair and walking over to Bella, causing her to look up at me. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" she asked, placing her hand in mine and letting me pull her to her feet.
"It's a surprise," I whispered.
"Oooh, someone's getting lucky," Maggie teased.
"Be gentle with him, Bella," Demetri snockered. "He's got a big day tomorrow."
"I'll consider it," Bella hollered over her shoulder as I led her into the hotel. "You know we can't have sex tonight, don't you?"
"Yeah, I know," I groused, not liking it, but understanding why we were abstaining until after the tournament was over. We needed to stay focused, and sex wasn't going to help. "We're not going to our room yet, anyway."
"Then, where are we going?" she asked.
But instead of replying, I led Bella out the hotel and toward a small patio. There were a couple of stone benches and a table between them. Bella and I sat on one of the benches and I draped my arm around her shoulder.
"Which direction was your house?" I asked.
"Um," Bella bit her lip as she looked around. Finally, she pointed toward the east. "We had a beautiful house. Big. Well, it would have to be big with all of us, right?"
I laughed. "Did you have your own room?"
"I shared a room with Renee until she left for college. Em and Jas shared a room, but Carlisle had his own."
"What color was your room?"
"Pink," she whimpered, tears sliding down her face. "Renee's choice, obviously. When she left, I begged my mom to let me paint it something different, but we never got around to it."
"And where was your dad's gym?" I asked, quietly.
"A couple miles from the house," she murmured. "Dad usually ran to work, said it was a great way to start his day. Mom would take him lunch every day, and she always had dinner on the table when we got home. And it never mattered if we brought friends home, she always seemed to have enough food. I don't know how she did it."
"She loves her family," I said, softly.
Bella nodded and brought her knees up to her chest. "I wonder sometimes what life would have been like if Aro Volturi had never come after my family. If my parents hadn't gone into hiding, and if I hadn't gotten left behind." Pausing, she looked over at me. "Would we have met? Fallen in love?"
"Yes," I told her. "Somehow, someway, we would have found each other. You would have been stuck with me, no matter what, baby."
Bella pressed her lips against mine. "I love you."
I smiled. "I love you, too. Now and forever."
