A/N: Reader, in this chapter, there is a little bit of LGBTQ+ content sprinkled into the storyline. If you´re uncomfortable with that topic, you can read the short summary at the end.

I want everyone to enjoy this story, so if you do not like that subject, please read the summary!

Chapter 18: A Boring School Day - Again!

The next day, I had to go to school again, as I skipped some classes yesterday while being in the woods. I jumped out of bed as soon as my alarm clock went off and found a pair of dark blue tights underneath my bed.

I looked around my room and found a short skirt with a modern pattern on my desk. I took a blouse from my closet and combed through my hair, trying to tame the mess.

I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I looked at my own reflection in the mirror, I decided to apply some make-up. I took the eyeliner pen and carefully applied a cat-eye with my trembling hands. I topped it off with a thick layer of mascara and a bit of coloured chapstick on my lips and cheeks, bringing some colour back onto my face.

Even after this long morning routine, I still couldn't postpone the inevitable. I had to come downstairs at some point, and it didn't matter how much I dreaded this part.

I climbed down the stairs and thought of yesterday. After I slowly walked towards my mother, both of my parents went silent and looked at me. I held my hands in front of me, blocking them from hugging me.

¨Just because I´m here, doesn´t mean I´ve forgiven you,¨ I had said to them.

I then turned to the Cullens. ¨Thank you so much for today. I hope I´ll see you soon, under better circumstances.¨

Carlisle and Esme nodded. They knew I had things, many important things to talk about with my parents. I avoided looking at the other Cullens, because I knew I couldn´t walk away from them once I looked into their eyes. Or rather, once I looked into his eyes.

I sighed. That was yesterday on the open field. After that encounter, we silently walked towards our home at a human pace. Renee kept talking about how sorry she was, how much she missed me and how worried she had been.

I silenced her. I couldn´t listen to her as I was way too hurt, angry and anxious myself, let alone if I had to grasp at what they were feeling.

So we were silent until we got home. There, it was as if all our buttons were pushed, all at once. I screamed. I cried. I yelled.

¨How could you´ve done this to me?¨ I screamed into my mother's face.

¨I´m sorry, I don't know how to fix this,¨ she cried back. I couldn't get a coherent answer out of my mother, because she was just as hysterical as I was, so I turned to Charlie.

¨And the Cullens, what about them? What have they done to you that's so horrible I couldn't talk to them?¨

¨We didn't want to grab too much attention to ourselves, Bells. They move around a lot, we move around a lot. They don't change in their appearances, we don't change in our appearances. They hunt on animals and we could hunt on them, but we won't.¨

I opened my mouth but he quickly interrupted me.

¨And after a few months, we would leave just as we always do. So we didn't want the people here to get too suspicious. After all, once we leave, the Cullens stay here for a couple of more years.

And we didn't want to cause any unnecessary hustle. We decided to ignore each other once we found them one hundred years ago. We made a pact that we wouldn't interfere with the others, so we could live side by side.¨ Charlie calmly explained to me.

¨But they're so nice to me,¨ I said softly.

He looked at Renee and gave her a look I couldn't understand. She sighed.

¨Sweety, I'm sure you can visit them. Or they can visit us, if you want,¨ she said.

I frowned. ¨Does that mean…?¨

¨Yes, the Cullens are welcome here.¨

Then, I gave them a hug and I meant it. We spend the whole night talking about us, the Cullens and our vampire traits. As I had the most human blood in me, I needed to sleep after a while. Apparently, my parents needed less of that.

So, here I was. Walking down the stairs, on my way to the kitchen, fully dressed and ready to face another day.

My mother sat at the table, while my father made coffee.

¨Want some, Bells?¨

¨Please.¨

He gave me a mug and I prepared my breakfast. While it was quiet between us, I knew it wasn't awkward or anything. I needed time to trust them again, and they were aware of that.

And even though I was disappointed in them, they were still my parents. And our bond might never heal again, but I guess time would eventually tell.

My dad left for his work, and I got up to leave as well. I said my goodbyes to Renee and drove towards high school.

I couldn't help but smile. My raging teenage hormones got the best of me, because I almost couldn't wait to see Edward again. I hope he wasn't angry at me or anything.

I mean, I had to go to my parents. I had to. There were so many things still unclear between us and we would need to have so many discussions before I could start to trust them. And even then, I didn't know how I could trust them. Edward would understand that, I hoped.

It took all of my strength to drive the speed limit instead of race towards high school. But, if I got in a car crash right now, it wouldn´t help anyone.

The building was finally there and I parked my car. I grabbed my backpack and reached out to open the door.

I smiled. Edward was already there.

¨You really can't stay away from me, now can you?¨ I teased him as I got out.

He chuckled. ¨I´m also not trying to.¨

I looked around, trying to find the rest.

Edward noticed and placed a cold hand on my elbow, leading me towards the entrance. ¨They´re inside.¨

We walked together and I saw multiple people looking our way. They would think we skipped classes to hang out together. They weren't that far off.

Lauren whispered something in Jessica´s ear as we walked past them, and she burst out laughing. Angela, who stood next to them, whispered an apology my way. I smiled at her, I would never be upset by her and I hoped she knew that.

Edward guided me away from them, as if he tried to protect me from the nasty things they thought.

¨What did she say?¨ I asked him.

¨It doesn't matter.¨

¨You know, I'm kind of used to being kept in the dark and I don't like that.¨ I said to him, and I couldn't keep the hurt from my voice.

He breathed out. ¨She wondered what you did in bed to keep me interested this long.¨

I stood still.

¨I'm sorry she says that about you. I can't hear why she's being so mean to you.¨

I rolled my eyes. ¨No. I mean, that's it? Big deal, Edward. It's just a stupid rumour. Jezus.¨

I quickly walked away. He ran after me. ¨So, you´re not upset with that?¨

¨Of course not. I mean, we know how it is, right?¨ I laughed. ¨We haven't even kissed!¨

My cheeks reddened and I tried to cover myself behind my hair. Oh, this is awkward.

¨Bella!¨

And thank god, Alice came to my rescue. Again.

¨Hey, what´s up?¨ I waved at her.

She practically ran to me and stood still in front of us, blocking our way. Her short, black hair was a chaotic mess, but it suited her fierce eyes and angelic features. But it mostly suited her mood right now.

She pressed her hands on her hips. ¨What happened yesterday?¨

¨I'm sure you´ve already seen it,¨ I winked at her.

Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie also came our way. Judging by how many people glanced at us, I understood we did in fact attract a lot of unnecessary attention.

¨We mostly talked and I´m still upset,¨ I explained to everyone. ¨Sorry I´ve dashed off, but I had a lot to talk about. Still do, though.¨

Alice hummed and Rosalie even smiled at me, so that blew my tits off. Emmett laughed and gave me a fistbump, which seemed out of place to me, but I guess that's just how he was.

The bell rang, and Edward and I walked to our English classroom. This time, I paid more attention to the silent whispers around us.

¨Are they an item?¨

¨Lauren said she gives anal.¨

¨What a slut.¨

¨Damn, Cullen is lucky. I´ve been trying to let Stephanie give me the ass for weeks now.¨

¨I´d also let him do me how he wants it. Doesn't even matter what he wants.¨

I sighed. I knew this was just some small-town gossip and in all honesty, it wasn´t even very creative. Me and the Cullens were gone for a day and everyone thought I gave anal. Could be much worse. We could´ve joined a cult, being sold as sex slaves or perform secret surgeries on each other. But no, everyone only thought about anal. Each their own, I guess.

But I sighed because a part of me wished it were true. Something so dumb, so insignificant, would be better than the truth.

¨It's not a sign of defeat if this bothers you, you know.¨ Edward told me, and his hand softly stroked my own. I debated if I should tell him why it bothered me or not.

¨I wished it was just that, and not what actually happened.¨ I finally told him.

We reached the classroom and sat down. Under the desk, Edward stroked my hand again when he reached out for his books. The butterflies in my stomach were just as present as ever.

I giggled. It was hard to concentrate with Edward so close next to me, but I managed to write down some notes. How accurate they were, I had no idea, but I did write them down.

Spanish with Angela went by without any hassle. When I sat down next to her, she apologized again for how Lauren treated me.

¨Did she start the rumour?¨ I asked her, because I could remember some whispers.

She nodded. ¨She told Jessica, Jessica told Mike, Mike told the football team and it spread around campus in no time. I swear I immediately tried to put a stop to it when she told us, but Jessica was already texting Mike about it.¨

My eyes narrowed. I wondered if I could confront Lauren or leave it as it is and let the rumours die down like they eventually would do.

Alice told me in Maths I needed to confront Lauren.

¨Think about it, she will continue to do this if you don´t stop her. You can´t let that happen. And think about it, you can't control your parents but you can control this,¨ she winked.

For some reason, I felt at ease about this plan, but I quickly looked at Jasper. I had to have a clear head and couldn't afford any mind-distractions right now.

¨I'm not doing anything, I swear.¨ He held his hands in front of him.

And so I had a plan, I would confront Lauren. I smiled. I would totally copy Alice´s notes about Maths, because I needed to set my plan in motion.

I would confront her in the middle of the cafeteria. I mean, I was already the most spoken about person today, so a little audience wouldn't hurt me.

As soon as the bell rang, I jumped up. Alice gave me a thumbs up, but before I went to the cafeteria I needed to use the bathroom first. Perks of being human. Nerves directly went to my bladder.

I rushed to the toilets to avoid any more stares and glares. I sat down, did my thing and flushed, but a muffled sound startled me.

Now that I knew I could hear perfectly fine as a hybrid, I tried to use those powers. So I closed my eyes and focussed on the sounds. I recognised them.

Crying.

I knocked on the wall that separated our toilets. The person stopped and wiped their tears away.

¨Are you alright?¨ I asked.

¨No,¨ the other person responded. The voice was different, as if she tried to sound as another person so I wouldn't recognise her, but it was most definitely Lauren.

The bitch in me was tremendously happy to have her here, so I could confront her and cuss her out because she deserved it.

But that didn't feel right. I wasn't a bully, even though I wanted to pretend to be one. And it became clear as daylight that she was unhappy right now. So I wouldn´t get my revenge on her. Not yet. Not right now.

¨What can I do to help you?¨

¨Nothing,¨ she said, but I heard how defeated she really sounded, even though she tried to be tough.

¨It's not a sign of defeat if something bothers you, you know,¨ I said to her, mimicking Edward´s earlier wise words.

She signed. It was quiet for a few seconds. She blew her nose in a tissue and took a deep breath.

¨I'm gay,¨ Lauren said. She still talked in a weird voice, afraid I recognised her, but still her voice sounded different when she said those three words. Freed.

I smiled. ¨I'm really glad you told me and I'm here for you if you need me.¨

Lauren was silent again. I frowned, as I couldn't recall for sure if I had said something wrong.

¨Do you want to talk about it some more? We don't have to, but I'm here to listen if and when you do,¨ I continued.

It was silent again and if I didn't know any better, I would think she left and I spoke to an empty toilet seat. Then, I heard her sobbing. I took some toilet paper and gave it to her from under the toilet wall. I didn't know what I could do to make it better.

¨Don´t cry, Lauren. It´ll be alright. You can even sleep at my place if you have too much trouble at home or anything.¨

¨How did you know it was me?¨ She finally said using her normal, nasal voice.

¨I'm afraid you're not the best actress,¨ I said with a chuckle.

¨What do you mean? I fooled Jessica, telling her I liked Taylor,¨ she angrily spat back at me. I heard a bit of her cattiness coming through.

I giggled. Then, and I couldn't even believe it myself, but then, I heard her laughing as well.

¨Alright, not the best example, I admit it.¨

¨Who knows?¨ I asked her, once I was finished laughing.

¨Only you.¨

I knocked on the door again. ¨Well, I´m glad you had confidence in telling me.¨

She signed. ¨Why do you act like that?¨

¨What do you mean?¨

¨Why are you so nice to me,¨ she admitted. I took a second to think it through, because in all honesty, I didn't know that either.

¨I had a shitty day. A real shitty day. And even though I wanted to cuss you out for telling everyone I banged Edward, I couldn't do it.¨

Lauren was silent again and when she did speak, she sounded so small and so different from how she normally sounded. ¨You have every reason to. And you have every reason to use this against me.¨

¨But I won´t, you have my word. It's not even a trade or anything, but telling this to anyone won´t please me in any way, shape or form.¨

Lauren breathed out. ¨I´m sorry I´ve been so horrible to you.¨

I smiled. It wasn't the revenge I wanted, but I gladly took it. ¨It's alright, you´re not the first, you won't be the last.¨

That surprised her. ¨Do you mean you´re leaving?¨

I'm no saint, so I toyed with the idea to tell her I would leave because of her behaviour. But I didn't. But I wanted to.

¨I'm afraid so,¨ I admitted. ¨My family likes to move around a lot.¨

We were silent again, each lost in her own thoughts.

¨I want to tell Jessica,¨ she blurted out.

¨Good. Do you want me to be there with you?¨

¨Thank you, but I need to do it on my own. Besides, I´d rather not tell Jessica you´ve known it before her. She might think I´m into you or anything.¨ Lauren laughed, so I knew she meant it as a joke.

¨That's alright.¨ I opened the toilet door, as the toilet seating started to hurt me.

¨I'm staying another minute,¨ Lauren said and I hummed.

I walked to my Biology classroom as our lunch break was over. Edward raised his eyebrows at me, probably thinking I chickened out on cussing out Lauren. Oh, he wouldn't guess what really happened. I smiled at him.

After school, when Edward walked me to my car, I noticed Lauren walking over to Jessica. She hadn't seen me, but I instantly smiled, hoping her the best.

Edward frowned and I wondered what he could read in her thoughts. Probably not much, as he had never guessed she struggled with her sexuality so much. And I figured it out without mind-reading skills, ha!

Edward opened the driver's door for me and I sat down. He lingered at the door and played with his own car keys. I waited on what he had to say.

¨Will you go on a date with me?¨

Summary: Lauren came out of the closet.

I know, I know, it´s a B-plot and everyone in the canon Twilight universe seems straight, so I don´t know how this little plot will be received.

Maybe you hate it, maybe you don´t, but I wanted to write at least one gay character in this story, because I realised I haven´t written any in my previous fic ¨The Newest Moon¨.