First BPOV of a couple throughout the story. Love ya :3
Chapter 21.
-BPOV-
A soft groan comes out of me as I open one eye to the offensive buzzing coming from my nightstand.
Crap.
I send my mom's call to voicemail. It's almost noon, and if I don't get moving, I will be late for practice.
I sit up on the bed with a little moan, palming my forehead while I chug from my water bottle.
Now with both eyes open, I grab my phone again.
There's a text from Edward, just after six in the morning. My heart flutters merely thinking of him.
Already at work. See you at practice? ~E
I don't get a chance to worry or feel bad for keeping him out so late last night, or even reply, because I have another important text, and it's from Rosalie.
Come see me before practice. ~R
"Crap…" I mutter, leaving the bed. "Vicky, wake up." I shake her shoulder harshly, and she just groans. "What time did you get back?"
Edward and I walked back to the dorms around two in the morning, but Emmett and Vicky were not answering their phones. I passed out before she got back.
"Viiiicky!" With my knees on her bed, I keep shaking her until she turns over to her back and lifts up her sleep mask from her eyes.
"Jesus fuck, what?!"
"We gotta go…" I laugh as she sits up, her flame-buoyant red mane looking extra volume-y.
"What time is it?" She looks around, disoriented, before she palms her forehead. "Ow."
"It's noon already," I say, patting her legs and leaving her bed. I hand her a water bottle and rush around our room, getting my bag ready. "We won't have time to shower."
"Ew…" She moans and groans as she drinks from her water.
"Did you guys get caught last night?" I peek my head out from the bathroom, toothbrush in my mouth already. "Do you know what happened?"
"Bella, lower decibels, please." She still has her eyes closed, sitting on the bed and holding her head, probably regretting everything she ingested last night.
I do the math in my head. Just the one beer and the tequila shot. Then a couple sips during beer pong. Not enough to make me drunk, not too bad of a hangover.
But most importantly, maybe two, three hundred calories at most.
"Rose wants to see me before practice," I say to Vicky. "And I just have a very bad feeling it's about last night."
"Wait!" She turns to me, startled, opening one eye. "Did you and Cullen smash?"
"No." Almost though, I think. My heart skips a beat.
"No?" She rubs her eyes, scooting on the bed until her feet are on the floor.
"I just…" I rinse my mouth and wash my face before coming back into the room.
"Did you not find an open door?" Vickey asks from her bed.
"No, there were open rooms, just like you said, but…" I look at my half-open bag on my bed, the few items I've hastily put in there already all scrambled, just how my stomach feels. "I was so nervous, and I think he realized it, so we stopped."
"He didn't push you?"
"No…" I turn to look at Vicky, her eyes widen. "Not at all."
"Wow…"
I know I'm inexperienced, but the guys Vicky has been with prior to Emmett sound awful, and I refuse to believe all guys are like that. At least I know Edward isn't. I sit on my bed, with a sigh, to put my socks on while Vicky stares at me.
"He was so sweet about it though…" I can feel my cheeks warm up as my brain replays the events of last night. "I did get to take his shirt off and got up close to the mole under his shoulder."
"You and that mole!" Vicky laughs, shaking her head at me.
I close my eyes for a second, the imagery of last night still fresh in my head. "His arms are so—"
"Is he hung?"
"Vicky!" I laugh, looking up at her.
"He is, isn't he?" She finally gets out of bed, tying her hair up in a messy ponytail, and walking closer to me.
I feel my cheeks and ears burn as I nod softly to her. Not that I have any point of comparison, but yeah…big.
"Well, you better get on that, and fast." She turns and heads to the bathroom. "You know there's a few girls on the team just dying to get their hands on him. Jessica Stanley being first in line."
I huff, getting back up and finishing up my bag. Vicky would never understand my relationship with Edward, not with the experiences she's had. I trust him. I believed him when he said last night that we can take it slow. That he's okay waiting.
It's going to be okay.
"Anyway," I say as Vicky comes out of the bathroom, trying to get back to my original topic. "Did you guys get caught last night when the police showed up or not? Do you think Coach found out?"
"Emmett and I managed to get out," she finally says. "But Jacob and James did get written up by campus police."
I strap my bag on my shoulders, taking a deep breath before my hand reaches for the door.
Oh, it's going to be bad.
…
It starts drizzling when Vicky and I arrive at the gym. I scan the group quickly, looking for Edward, but he hasn't arrived yet as I head back to Rose's office.
I knock on her door and a faint "come in" can be heard from inside. I peek my head in, smiling broadly at her. The smile I've perfected.
"You wanted to see me?" I try to keep my voice steady while my hands are slightly trembling.
"Bella, come in and close the door."
I do as she asks, swallowing loudly as I walk to her desk. She gestures to the chair across from her desk, so I sit.
"Were you at that party last night?" Rose leans forward, resting her forearms on her desk as I sit. Looks like she wants to get straight to business.
"Uh…" I try to buy some time, try to think of something, try to find a way out of this.
"Don't lie to me, Bella."
"Coach—"
"Don't 'Coach' me either." Her tone is so sour, it chills my soul.
Rose has always been sort of like a big sister for me, or a younger aunt. Roy and my dad Phil have been friends forever, both being involved in the cheerleading business for so long. Roy was my coach through my early years, so Rosalie has always been there for me.
She's always been maternal—protective of me. We've always had a connection.
My eyes roam through the awards displayed behind her, to the picture of her and Roy—the one I know has her two angel babies' sonograms taped behind it.
I sigh, looking at her. "Okay. Yes, I was at the party."
"Were you drinking?"
My eyes water, and I hate that they do. I hate disappointing Rose.
"Was Edward with you?" she asks before I get a chance to answer her previous question.
"Edward had nothing to do with it!"
Rosalie sighs, sitting back in her chair, and pinches her nose, closing her eyes.
"I swear, he didn't even want to go, and he definitely didn't want to drink. It was all my idea."
"What am I supposed to tell your parents now?" Rose opens her eyes to stare right at me. "Phil's going to find out about this. So I either tell him about the party, or I tell him about you and Cullen."
"What? There's nothing g—" I start, but she pushes her phone to me over her desk, a picture already displayed on the screen. It's a little blurry and dark, and while you can't really see my face, it's enough for Rose to know it's Edward and me. Last night, dancing, his hands on my lower back and my arms around his neck.
"You can swipe left. There's more," Rose adds coldly.
Us kissing. Us in the kitchen. Him licking my neck. Us going upstairs.
My stomach sinks. My anger boils.
There's no point denying it to Rose.
"You had someone take pictures of us?!" My eyes water. I can't believe she would do that to me.
"No," Rose says calmly, without a hint of remorse or guilt. "Someone sent those to me."
"Who?!"
"I have no clue. It was an anonymous email."
"Did it say anything?"
"Nothing."
Who would do that?!
I scroll through the pictures again. Whoever took the pictures didn't get a good one of my face, so I wonder what the intention was. To expose me? Or to expose Edward? His face is clear in almost every picture.
For a second, I wonder if it was Jessica. I don't really trust her. I don't like the way she looks at me, or at Edward, especially after team trials. But why would she do this? She'd get him in trouble too, not just me.
I sigh, pushing her phone back to her, and stare at my hands. Whoever sent them, doesn't matter. As long as the pictures don't make it to my parents.
"I was going to tell you. Today, actually." I peek up at Rose and she's staring right at me. "We won't let it interfere with the team, I promise."
Rose lets out a humorless laugh, shaking her head at me.
"I love him, Rose," I whisper, leaning onto her desk, and Rose groans, covering her face.
I'm not even ashamed to admit it. It's the truth. I'm in love with Edward. I've never felt anything even close for anyone else before. It's obviously not a truth I'm prepared to say to him yet—he would definitely freak out—but a truth nonetheless.
"He makes me so happy," I continue while Rose shakes her head, looking down. "Like I don't have to be someone, you know? I can be anything and anyone I want with him."
"Bella, you're so young." Rose sighs.
"So, what?! I know you'll think it's puppy love or whatever, but it's real for me. My feelings are real. It's the best I've felt in so long."
"What am I going to do with you, kid?" It's such a Rose thing to say.
"I won't let it distract me, I promise. It's been going on for a while, and it's only made us better. Stronger."
"That's not what I'm worried about, Bella."
"I'm 18 years old." I lean back on my chair, crossing my arms defiantly over my chest. "I can have a boyfriend."
"You know Phil has connections. He's injected a lot of money into our program. The uniforms deal…" Rose's words hang in the air as she looks out the window, the rain now pelting on the glass. "I was willing to do anything I could to get you here. I'm required to let him know if I think you're struggling…if I think it's too much…" She takes a deep breath, turning to look back at me.
"Too much? C'mon…" I keep my hands steady while I feel the heat rising up my neck. "I'm doing okay."
"Have you eaten today?" Her whole demeanor changes, her eyes show compassion.
"Don't," I warn, getting up. I peek at the calendar behind her desk. We don't have a weigh-in for a couple weeks.
"You didn't answer my question," Rose pushes.
"Yes, I did eat," I lie. I'm not even hungry.
"Today's going to be tough. There will be consequences for last night."
"That's fine." I press my fingers on her desk, my fingernails scratching the plastic protector that covers the wood. "Please don't tell my parents about Edward. I want to tell them in person."
"Fine," she says, crossing her arms.
"And don't share those pictures with anyone."
"Of course I won't."
I breathe out in relief as I turn and head for the door.
As soon as I walk out of Rose's office, I find him, leaning against the wall. He perks up as he sees me and starts walking to meet me.
"Swan…" His hand reaches for my face as he takes a deep breath, his fingers are cold, and he looks a little damp from the rain. I lean into his touch, closing my eyes and melting into him. "Is everything okay? Vicky said Coach wanted to see you."
"Everything's fine." I open my eyes with a sigh, looking up at him. "She knows about us."
His eyes widen slightly, and he gazes in the direction of Rose's door, swallowing loudly as his hand clasps behind his neck like they always do when he's nervous. My stomach sinks when I notice how exhausted he looks.
"Are you okay?" My fingers reach for his face, tracing his jaw and bringing his attention back to me.
His eyes find mine, bright and green and beautiful even under their tiredness. He leans down for a kiss, but it's only a quick peck, before we have to pull away quickly with the sound of Rose's door opening.
She scoffs, her eyes flicking between Edward and me as the heels of her boots click with her strides. She walks right in between us, without saying a word, then Edward and I follow quickly behind her.
Rosalie brings us all outside under the now pouring rain. We circle around her as she steps in the middle, in her raincoat, but getting soaked all the same. Edward holds my hand as I stand beside him. I give him a little squeeze in encouragement, knowing very well we're about to get chewed out.
"I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in all of you." Her fist lands on her palm with a wet splash. "You represent the school. The team. Our family. And after last night's display, I am doubting you truly understand the responsibility that comes with being part of our team.
"I will not tolerate another blunder like this. So I hope y'all got it out of your system." She walks past Emmett who tries to stand up straighter even though it looks like he's about to puke. "I don't know how many of you were at that party last night, but it was enough of you to implicate the whole team with an underage drinking sanction warning. I'm sorry for the ones who were good, at least you'll be well-rested for today's practice, but you are all going down together.
"To the seniors on the team…" She paces inside the circle, her eyes hovering over all of us as if she's looking for someone. "I hold you responsible for last night. Your seniority allows you to live for free in that house, but know that it's a privilege, one I can take away as quickly as you got it." She snaps her fingers and then not-so-subtly points at James and Jacob. "Consider yourselves on probation." She then walks to Jasper before exiting the circle. "Today, you're running outside until Jasper feels you've had enough," she says, raising her voice. "Then you'll meet me inside for circuit training…and then we will have practice." She walks away without looking back and nobody dares to say a word.
I peek at Edward as we get ready, but he seems focused on the task at hand, shaking the water off his hair and taking deep breaths.
"We got this?" I give his hand another squeeze before I let it go, and he turns to look at me.
"We got this," he says with a sweet smile on his face just as Jasper blows his whistle.