Chapter 7
I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR CHARACTERS
Bella's crying was promptly interrupted by the shrill around of the bell ringing to signify the end of first period. It startled her enough to jump and she quickly began wiping at her eyes, knowing she had all of about thirty seconds before girls began to swarm the locked bathroom as they always did between periods.
"Bella?"
Or maybe even less than thirty seconds.
Bella recognized the voice to be Alice's, for no one else had such a high, sweet voice. There came the quiet sound of the vampire obviously trying the doorknob, and then a gentle knock followed that.
All of this served to restart the frantic pace her heart had been set at after it had only just calmed down.
Hell. Hell, hell, hell! I don't want to talk to her like this! Bella thought desperately, looking at the door as if it were caught on fire. How am I supposed to even look her in the eyes after that little exchange?
She resolved to do the most logical thing, which was to close her eyes and hopelessly pretend as if she simply did not exist.
Surprisingly, it didn't work.
"Bella, honey, please open the door. I know you're in there. I just want to talk," Alice called again and gave another light knock.
"Who freaking locked themselves in the bathroom?" a shrill voice rang out.
"My friend," Alice's muffled voice responded. "She's sick."
"I don't care, and neither do the rest of us. Seriously, some of us have stupid teachers who won't let us go in class and can't go any other time. Tell her to open the fucking door!"
"I'm trying, in case you hadn't noticed," Alice said with barely veiled patience.
There were precious few things that made Alice angry, especially quickly, mostly because she was so sweet tempered and kind. Rudeness was one of those things, and apparently, the girl was full of that particular quality.
"Well, try harder. We seriously have to go out here!" the unknown girl snapped. "This is ridiculous!"
"No, what's ridiculous is how insensitive you are. And rude. There are four other bathrooms in this school, and one of those is right down the hall. You and your friends can go use those," Alice's voice tightened as the girl's voice rose a few annoying pitches.
"That's a waste of freaking time! This is the closest one!"
"It's a bigger waste of time for you to sit here and whine at me when I'm doing all I can!" Alice's scowl was visible purely by the sound of her voice. Bella knew by what little experience she had from hearing the tiny vampire become irritated that she was losing her patience.
And apparently, so had the girl.
There came a raucous banging on the door a second later that made Bella flinch. "Hey, bitch! No one cares if you're puking! Open the fuck up! Some of us have to go out here!"
"Are you out of your mind? Stop it. She's sick!" Alice's voice rose instantly and the banging was abruptly cut off.
"Hey, don't you put your hands on me, Cullen-"
"Beat it, Cassie. You're starting to piss me off!"
Bella blinked at the hard quality Alice's tone had taken on. That was one she hadn't really heard before.
"Did you seriously just push her?" a different preppy voice came to life beyond the blocking door. "Jeez, it must be her girlfriend in there, that weird Bella chick she's always hanging out with. Who else would she get so butch over?"
"Oh, is that it? Your best buddy Bella is hurling and you're running lesbian guard duty? God, Alice, we wondered after seeing you guys hang out all the time, but this is a whole new level of obvious." The air quotes around 'best buddy' were understood and Bella turned crimson even though no one could see her.
Did everybody look at their friendship like that? This was quite possibly the worst time for her to find that out…
Everybody knew Alice was supposedly bisexual, but considering it was only rumors despite the truth of those rumors, no one really cared, especially because of how nice she was. But if they suspected Bella was gay for hanging out with her, that was a different story…
There was a brief moment of silence in which Bella fidgeted, debating whether or not she should just end this nonsense and stop being a chicken shit, go open the door, but Alice beat her to action.
"I don't know what either of you are talking about, but if all three of you don't turn around and walk away right now, we are going to have an issue," Alice said very slowly and very deliberately, her tone of voice raising the hairs on the back of Bella's neck.
Alice Cullen was officially agitated, and Bella felt a chill run up her spine thinking about it.
"You don't scare me, Cullen," Cassie responded, though she didn't sound too sure. Bella recognized her now that Alice had named the girls. Cassie and Lauren were Forks' notorious preppy clique who generally preferred to look and act like they had just walked out of a stereotypical high school movie where they played the hot, bitchy villain girls that everyone pretended to love but actually hated. And if that was Cassie and Lauren, the third girl must be Sophie, the third in their trio of idiocy. How cliché their usual drama was always grated on Bella, and she knew now why Alice was losing her usual unshakable calm.
Even a monk would lose his temper with those idiots.
"I'm not trying to scare you," Alice ground out through clenched teeth. "I'm trying to take care of my friend and you all are acting asinine."
"Did she just call us asses?" Lauren said.
Well…She was the blond of the group.
"No, Lauren, don't be stupid. I don't know what that means, Cullen. Just stop being such a dyke and make her open the damn door!" Cassie asserted, pulling her pathetic HBIC voice that made Bella feel like she was experiencing an aneurism every time.
But she chose her words very, very poorly.
"Don't call me that. Don't you fucking dare," Alice snarled in a voice like solid ice, in a tone Bella had never even dreamed her capable of.
Oh shit, Bella thought, her heart skipping a beat. She let go of the sink, hearing the danger where other people might not have.
That was the sound of an angry vampire, and an angry vampire, especially one like Alice who never got angry, could not bode well. The fact that the girl had actually sworn with real venom was a seriously bad sign. Without giving herself a second to hesitate, she bolted for the door and fumbled with the lock before yanking the door open.
She came face to face with a genuine standoff. Alice stood in front of the door with her back to the brunette. Bella could see her shoulder blades and how they had pulled together beneath her off the shoulder, white shirt-a clear sign that she was bowing up.
No, that was definitely not good.
It was bad enough when a group of immature teenagers bowed up on each other, but if a vampire was posturing, that was never good. She glanced down and saw Alice's hands had splayed and her fingers were slightly curved, the vampiric version of clenched fists.
Jesus, they had royally pissed her off.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what exactly they had said that had infuriated Alice so much. Rudeness was one of the precious few things that angered her gentle friend. Homophobia was another one.
Calling her a dyke was probably a tiny step below spitting in her face, and Bella's worry tripled at the tension radiating off her normally calm friend.
"Alice," she called, instinctively laying a hand on her best friend's shoulder, concern flooding her as she saw her friend legitimately angry for the first time. She blanched when she felt the cool, smooth skin beneath her palm and the way Alice twitched at her touch but did not shrug her hand away.
Okay, she could be anxious all she wanted about what was currently happening, but none of that erased what had happened like five minutes ago in Biology, or the way her palm tingled against Alice's shoulder.
Cassie, Lauren, and Sophie were all standing in front of the agitated vampire with their arms folded and looking uncertain, suddenly wary of the pixie in front of them. The traffic in the hallway had come to a halt as everyone watched the shouting match.
Bella couldn't see Alice's face, but she could bet that the girl must be scowling up a storm. She was mildly impressed that the three girls hadn't turned tail and run yet…But by the looks on their faces and the way they squirmed as Alice stared them down, they were seriously contemplating it.
Time to act before things got really out of hand.
"Hey, sorry about that guys. I haven't been feeling good. I must have caught something. I guess it was dumb to lock the door like that…" Bella trailed away, her feeble attempt at diffusing the tension dying when they all rolled their eyes and scoffed.
Even Rosalie would be impressed with their bitchy attitudes.
"Caught something from your girlfriend here," Cassie snorted, glaring at her, and Bella blushed, her hand immediately sliding from Alice's shoulder.
The bell rang just as Bella swore she heard a low rumble coming from Alice's chest, but her growl was smothered by the oppressive ringing. All three of the girls looked around in alarm and then groaned.
"God, see what you two did?" Cassie scowled before turning and storming away. "Gonna be fucking late now, thanks, and now I'm going to have to piss all next period because Mr. Gates never lets anyone go."
Lauren dutifully followed after her leader, throwing a heated look back at them but not saying anything. Sophie was the last to go, but as she did, she finally spoke up, normally being the quietest of the three but with a beautiful model face and haughty air that matched them perfectly.
"You should put a leash on her, Swan. No one wants a bitch like that running around and trying to hump all the normal girls and convert them," Sophie drawled, her dark eyes glinting maliciously as she stalked after her friends, flipping her long brown hair over one shoulder.
She was also known to be the witty, smart one of the group, and Bella actually grabbed Alice by the arm when the vampire's hands snapped closed into fists and her shoulders hunched up further.
"Don't," she whispered as all the watching students quickly began to disperse, not wanting to be late if there was to be no actual fight. "She's not worth it. None of them are, Alice."
Alice didn't say anything, but after a few tense seconds, her shoulders slumped and she turned around, her eyes a dull brass color, an indication of her heightened emotions. Her face softened at the worried look on Bella's face and she gave her a weak smile, halfheartedly attempting to reassure her.
She then promptly but gently pushed Bella back into the bathroom and shut and locked the door behind them. Bella stumbled a little but immediately tensed when she heard the lock click on the door.
Shit, she thought, blushing even though she had no real reason to as Alice leaned back against it and sighed, rubbing at the back of her neck.
"Are you okay?" she asked despite herself, hating the agitated look on the pixie's face.
That face should never be anything but happy. Anything else just looked entirely wrong on her lovely features.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine Bells. It's just-" Alice looked up at the question, folding her arms a moment later and rolling her eyes. "Sometimes even bratty teenage girls can get to me. They have no idea the real connotations of that word. I just can't stand…You know what, it's whatever. They're stupid, and they're gone now. I didn't knock on the door to play catfight with them, I came to check on you, Bella."
Well damn, there went her plans of directing the conversation on to Alice's altercation with the school's resident bitch clique instead of that woman.
Victoria…
"I'm fine," Bella stated quickly, too quickly for it to be anything but false. She winced at her own lack of tact as Alice raised an eyebrow at her.
Smooth, Swan, she internally berated herself.
"Right," she drawled slowly, lifting up off the door a moment later. She walked over cautiously, watching Bella with knowing eyes that made the brunette's cheeks burn. Alice leaned against the sink next to her friend, resting her lower back against it and her hands behind her on it.
"No, really. I'm good. I just really had to go. Stomachache, ya know? Charlie made breakfast this morning and you know how bad a cook he is," Bella waved her hand flippantly and only flushed again when Alice immediately snorted.
The vampire stared her down, her expression clearly saying Do you think I'm stupid?
No, Bella wanted to say. No, I think I really don't want to talk about this.
"Bella," she huffed, frowning when the brunette squirmed uncomfortably, avoiding her eyes. "Are we really going to play that game right now?"
Bella waffled back and forth before crossing her arms protectively over her middle. Hesitantly, she met Alice's eyes, all the fight going out of her the moment she did, which is why she had been avoiding doing so in the first place.
"No," she answered miserably, giving in. Alice watched her carefully, trying to read her.
"Bells, honey, stop looking at me like that. It's just me. You can talk to me," Alice said sincerely as Bella sulked, dreading every next word. "We both know what happened, okay? Let's not beat around the bush. You know that's not really our style."
No, that's not your style, Bella thought. I will happily beat around the bush. I don't want to ever touch that bush. Fuck that bush.
Alice was always the one with the proverbial balls. She never liked to ignore the elephant in the room and would bring it up in a way that there was no getting around it, plowing ahead through all the awkwardness.
Bella would happily ignore the elephant in the room even as it trampled all over her, screaming its elephant cry.
"Why is that woman here?" she blurted instead of voicing her petulant and sarcastically unhelpful thoughts.
Alice's face darkened, even though she was the one who had insisted they talk about it.
"What did she say to you?" Alice inquired instead of answering Bella's question, scowling.
At this, Bella cocked her head, her curiosity stirring at Alice's continued peculiar reaction to the mere mention of Victoria.
"You couldn't hear her?" she cocked her head. Vampires could hear the softest whispers usually. If Bella could hear her then surely Alice should have been able to.
"No," Alice replied shortly, looking annoyed about it. "She was talking as quietly as she possibly could to you, there was a movie playing, and my senses won't be a hundred percent as sharp as usual until tomorrow. All I heard was really vague muttering and the occasional word."
Even though Alice didn't seem too happy that she had not been able to really catch what Victoria had been whispering, Bella was practically ecstatic. It was a thousand times less embarrassing if Alice had not heard all the lewd murmurings Victoria had let loose. Her mortification was soothed if only a little at this news, but she knew she wasn't out of the pot of boiling water yet, so to speak.
"Um…" Bella floundered for an answer that wouldn't stick her tongue to the roof of her mouth in embarrassment. She debated being truthful about it, but found she couldn't get the words out of her mouth as she stared at her best friend and the irritable expression she wore. "Nothing really."
Alice gave her another do-you-think-I-was-born-yesterday look and she shuffled awkwardly, feeling stupid as she rested her hip against the sink counter next to the one Alice continued to lean on. The vampire crossed her arms and chewed at her bottom lip.
Bella's eyes followed the movement, but after imagining a wrecking ball smashing her across the back of the head, she quit.
Nope.
Not even gonna go there right now.
"Why are you lying to me?" Alice finally said, her voice sounding quiet but no less…Hurt.
Guilt squashed Bella's insides hotly instantly and she bit her own bottom lip.
"I'm not," she protested, even though she technically was.
God, Alice looked like a kicked puppy. Screw it, Bella would tell the truth and her own embarrassment be damned. She wasn't going to sit here and lie to her best friend (especially so poorly). She never had before and she wouldn't start now.
"She…Look, I don't know, alright? She said a lot of stuff. She was-she was hitting on me, okay? And she-"
Nobody could say she didn't try to tell the truth. Why was Alice asking anyway? Could she not deduce it from simply looking at them? Surely Victoria's hand placement hadn't been that hidden.
"She was touching my leg, and I didn't know how to react. She's a vampire, and she was pumping out pheromones like a-a-an I don't know what, but she was doing it, and you know I've been struggling with the gay stuff so I…" She trailed away, averting her eyes and swallowing hard at the way Alice immediately softened in that way she always did when Bella got upset.
"Who is she, Alice? And don't just blow me off again," she added when Alice automatically opened her mouth, a readymade response seemingly at hand. At that, though, she shut it again and sighed before running a hand through her short, messy black locks.
When she pushed her hair away from her face like that, Bella could really see it and how big and beautiful Alice's dark amber eyes really were.
The wrecking ball came around for another swing in her mind and plowed her through the wall this time.
Stop it, she thought desperately. You pervert. Stop. That's Alice you're looking at. You're gay for less than ten minutes and already looking at her like that?
"She's a new vampire in town," Alice finally spoke, looking entirely reluctant. Bella already knew that, but she stayed patient.
Her patience was for naught, however, because Alice didn't say anything else. When the vampire was not any more forthcoming, Bella raised her eyebrows at her and she scowled.
"Ugh, what do you want me to say, Bells? She's gay, obviously. She has the hots for you. And I don't like her," Alice growled and the brunette furrowed her brows. Alice wasn't telling her anything she didn't already know.
"Why?" she asked, frowning at the tone of voice Alice was taking with her.
The vampire grunted and looked entirely frustrated. Bella was bewildered at her friend's agitated reaction.
What is her deal? She wondered.
"She just-She's bad news, okay? You should already know that considering the way she practically molested you in class," Alice said bluntly and Bella grimaced at the unneeded reminder.
Well now Alice was being plain snappish with her. This was uncalled for, and Bella was only even more confused and starting to get kind of annoyed with herself.
"What is your deal, Alice? Why are you so up in arms every time I mention her? And why won't you give me any straight answers?" she said, her ire bleeding slightly into her tone. Alice caught it easily and ran her hand through her hair again.
"Look…Bella…"
The vampire seemed to be debating with herself and she watched Bella with uncertain eyes. Bella waited, watching her back just as closely but with a wary confusion.
"I just can't, okay?" Alice eventually got out and Bella immediately shook her head, further perplexed by the vague answer.
"What do you mean you can't?" she prodded.
"I mean I literally can't," Alice reiterated. "Listen, Victoria is a new vampire in town. She's a lesbian. She's bad news. That's really all I can say. Why she's here is something I really, literally, cannot tell you. But I don't like her talking to you like that, let alone touching you, and I want you to stay away from her."
Bella threw up her hands in exasperation. So much for not beating around the bush. Bella might as well have been pulling teeth trying to get anything out of the vampire.
"What the hell does that mean, Alice? Why are you keeping stuff from me? How do you expect me to get why you hate her so much if you won't even tell me anything? Why can't you tell me?" she babbled, ignoring the frustration on the vampire's face at her reaction.
"Because," Alice said pointedly. "I-Carlisle asked me not to. And we all promised Victoria we wouldn't tell anyone why she's here. That doesn't mean I have to like her, and I don't."
The way Alice spoke to her then was in a way she never had before and it immediately sent her warning flags up, and honestly, actually pissed her off.
She's lying to me, Bella thought, suddenly as hurt as Alice had been earlier, only she was now angry, too.
"Why are you lying to me?" she demanded suddenly. Alice's expression immediately twisted into one of offense, but Bella didn't relent, her stomach knotting as she realized they were actually sort of fighting.
Fighting.
With Alice.
What had the world come to?
"You told me not to lie to you before, so why are you doing it to me now? We never lie to each other," Bella said, her voice somewhere between a plea and a reprimand.
"I'm not lying to you," Alice snapped, her eyes flashing in a way that made Bella's stomach knot for an entirely different reason. "I'm serious. I really can't tell you. Since when have I ever lied to you? I'm telling you straight up that I'm keeping things from you, but not by choice."
Bella drew back then, the wounded expression on her face blatant. She hated the sensation crawling through her right then. She was arguing with Alice, whom she had never genuinely argued with before, and it felt like crap.
Stupid Victoria, why did she have to go and pull that stunt of hers? And why did Bella have to let her?
"Bella, listen to me," Alice switched from defensive to beseeching at that look, immediately relenting at Bella's expression. She took a step forward so they stood close and the aroma of white chocolate, mint, and berries made Bella subconsciously inhale deeply.
She ducked her head and looked at Bella through her lashes and said softly but sincerely, "I am not lying to you. Look me in the eyes. You know me. You know us. I wouldn't keep anything from you if I didn't have to but I do. I made some promises and I can't go back on them. I told Carlisle and I told that-that-that redheaded harlot that I wouldn't. You know I would tell you if I could but I can't. I'm giving you everything I can, so you just have to trust me."
Bella stared straight into Alice's eyes and was struck by the way they bore into her, mercilessly trapping her in the pixie's gaze.
Alice was being truthful. Bella could read it as easily as if her eyes were an open book. She could tell by the sincerity in the girl's voice, and simply knowing Alice, she knew the girl was telling the truth. She really could not tell Bella why that woman Victoria was here. She had given all she could, and was begging Bella to believe her.
And so she did, the fight going out of her for the second time as she slumped, hugging her middle and nodding. She could not resist Alice's honesty.
"Okay…I'm sorry I got so upset, I just…I just don't want us to be the kind of friends that keep stuff from each other, but I get it. If you can't tell me, you can't tell me," she acquiesced.
"It's okay. I don't either, Bella. I'm sorry I can't tell you. I will eventually but for right now…" Alice lightly put a hand on her arm and Bella nodded as the wrecking ball in her mind slammed her again, determined to stop any more than platonic thoughts.
I guess I really am gay, she thought forlornly. Which means I sure as hell cannot be thinking about my best friend like that. Then I'm really asking for it.
"I get it," she said and Alice smiled her gorgeous smile. "I understand."
She didn't, not really. She still had no clue why Victoria was here or messing with her, and she didn't really understand why Alice had to promise not to tell anyone, but the vampire was not budging, and so Bella knew she must have a good reason.
"Okay. Good," Alice grinned and her hand dropped from Bella's arm. Her grin didn't last long though, before it transformed into a concerned look that sent the brunette's insides writhing again.
She knew what that look meant. She had just hoped that their mild arguing/misunderstanding or whatever that little spat had been would make Alice forget what had happened. In hindsight, it was a stupid hope, but it had been a hope nonetheless.
"You never answered me though, Bells. Are you okay? You got out of there pretty fast. Really, what did she say to you? Was she threatening you? I swear if she was I-"
The protective expression on Alice's face was heartwarming and adorable, but Bella really needed this to drop. Her morning had been stressful enough, and she wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible.
It's not that she didn't love talking to Alice; she really did. It was one of her favorite pastimes, but she did not think she could handle any more of this talk about what had happened in Biology.
"No, Alice, no, it was nothing like that. I told you, she was just-you know…Flirting. Really shamelessly," she admitted, shuffling her feet awkwardly when Alice frowned.
The frown was not as disconcerting as the suddenly curious look she received.
"Did you like it?" Alice inquired cautiously, eyes roaming Bella's face for her reaction.
That reaction happened to be tried and tested true as she blushed brightly, wondering how many times a day she could do so before she passed out from the head rush. She spluttered something incoherent and Alice's eyebrows rose in a manner that made her uncomfortable.
So much for ending the conversation.
"I-I don't know-I mean kinda-no, I mean yes-" Bella snapped her mouth shut when Alice hummed, the corners of her lips quirking slightly.
"So that was a…Yes?" she clarified, sounding amused.
Bella could only manage a shrug, knowing if she tried to lie that Alice would see right through her but unable to tell the truth, to which Alice nodded pensively, her eyes twinkling at Bella in a knowing way.
"So…I guess you're still stuck on the whole gay thing, then."
No, not really. She was pretty sure she was gayer than Freddie Mercury and twice as bad at hiding it at this point, but saying it out loud was an entirely different story. She was pretty sure Alice got that though, because Alice knew her better than she knew herself sometimes and was gazing at her with that twinkle in her pretty eyes.
"Look…Bella, I'll say it again. I don't care what you are, you know I'm here for you when you figure it out or you're ready to talk about it. And if you liked it, that's fine and it's completely understandable. But-" Alice took a deep breath as Bella mentally dug a deep hole and jumped into it, wanting to hide desperately from this conversation. "But if you're going to contemplate girls…Or mess around, or experiment with anyone to help figure it out-Just please, don't do it with her."
The hole in her head had been about four feet deep, enough for her to curl up in it and cower, but at that, it deepened to the classic six feet under.
Fuck, why did Alice read her so well sometimes and then remain completely oblivious when Bella was obviously mortified?
"What?" she gawked but said nothing else because she knew she would only splutter like an idiot some more.
"Anyone else, Bella. I know it's not really my business, but I'm begging you, please, to stay away from her. Victoria is not good company. I know I can't tell you why and I know she must be hard to resist, especially when you're so new to this stuff but please, anyone but her. Anyone but Victoria."
Bella opened her mouth to respond, shut it, opened it again, and then shook her head, a smooth shade of vermillion now due to Alice's words. When she finally found her voice, at least she did not stutter.
"No. No, Alice I wasn't even thinking about that. I wouldn't…Experiment with her. I only just figured out that I'm probably at least bisexual because of her touching but…That was never even a possibility. I wouldn't…Do that. Not with her, she's a total stranger pretty much. And I don't get why she's bad news, but I trust you. But seriously, even if I did experiment, who else would I do it with anyway? Experimenting is not my intention right now, and it's not like I could even if I wanted to. This is Forks, where the gay population is a solid you, her…And maybe me."
She finished her rant with the profound desire to plunge her hot face into a bucket of ice water.
Alice looked a bit skeptical, but slowly she nodded, accepting Bella at her word.
That insufferable bell rang then, making Bella jump and Alice smile that nose crinkling smile at her.
"Shit, did we just skip second period?" Bella whined as Alice chuckled.
"Yep," she said, popping the 'p' and looking entirely unruffled by the thought. "Miss Swan, I do believe that warrants a detention, and I don't think you've ever even had one of those."
Bella glared playfully at her snickering friend, but Alice only slung an arm around her waist and led her to the door, bumping their hips together in a way that inappropriately made the brunette's heart skip a beat.
She gave up on the wrecking ball thing. It obviously wasn't working. She switched to mentally electrocuting herself, but that only reminded her off the tingles Alice provoked in her when they touched, and so she gave it up entirely, preferring to simply not care for the time being and just enjoy Alice's company.
"You'll get one too, you know," she pointed out as Alice unlocked and opened the door to reveal a steady stream of students pouring into the hall like ants from the classrooms.
"Oh please, I've had so many detentions in my life that I've lost count," Alice shrugged.
"Really? Good girl Alice is in fact a bad girl? Someone alert the papers, that's a juicy story," Bella joked and Alice laughed.
"Good girl? Hardly. Honey, I don't know if you know this, but I'm kind of a badass," Alice said and giggled when Bella snorted.
"And going to school for years upon years with Emmett is bound to get you into trouble on a regular basis," she added and beamed when Bella laughed aloud.
And yet Bella's laugh trailed off when she realized how many people were watching her and Alice walk down the hall together, glued to each other's sides, and all she could think about were Cassie and Lauren's earlier words…
She also did not miss the way that Alice noticed her sudden uncomfortable tension and the way the vampire subtly slid apart from her a moment later.
"Hey, I'll see you in the gym, okay? I can't be late for third period since you already made me skip second," she said, giving Bella a tiny wave with her hand and moving in the opposite direction.
Bella waved back as Alice turned away, but she called one more thing over her shoulder that caused Bella to blush for the hundredth time.
"Oh, and remember, stay away from Victoria!"
Unfortunately, it didn't matter if Bella stayed away from Victoria, because Victoria was certainly not staying away from her.
The human girl ran into her again the next day in the gym. She had found out yesterday that she and Alice seemed to share quite a few classes with the mischievous redhead, including P.E, a fact that frightened Bella and irritated Alice. However, apart from the first class she had shared with Victoria, the woman had not committed any other disconcerting acts toward her. In fact, except for the occasional wink or smirk when Bella looked at her, she didn't even talk to her. (Bella didn't sit by her in Biology anymore. Andrew got his seat jacked the next day which brightened Alice from her quiet, unfathomable loathing of the redhead in their shared class. He didn't seem to mind, considering he now got to sit next to the lascivious Victoria. He was a teenage boy after all.)
That ignoring her deal didn't last long.
Today, their sadistic coaches had them running laps because, according to them, they could not stop running their mouths during warm ups. That was all well and good for them to say as they literally ate a box of donuts from the sidelines, but whatever.
Sadly, Bella was terribly out of shape and gasping for air on her fourth lap while Angela and Alice ran circles around them, already on their sixth. They had to run eight.
God, she was going to die before she even caught up to them. She may not look fat but on the inside she swore she must be obese. Damn American food and sedentary lifestyle.
Victoria was the same, except she was already on her seventh lap and close to finishing, hiding very little pretext of her vampiric ability. At least Alice had the sense to keep pace with the faster students like Angela.
Every time she had passed Bella, the brunette had squirmed, but the redhead only smiled and moved past them, not further antagonizing the girl. None of that stopped Alice from giving her a reassuring grin whenever she (frequently) lapped her, or from watching the redhead like a hawk. Normally her vampire friend would slow down and walk with her, but Alice was naturally competitive and wasn't used to not being the best in gym.
Thankfully, though, she wasn't the only one fighting for air, as Jessica dragged her feet next to her, both of them sounding asthmatic. For Alice it was to be expected, but for Angela to dart by them while not even breaking a sweat just felt spiteful.
"You guys are really out of shape," the Asian girl laughed as she slowed to a jog next to them, having come around to lap them again. She was hardly panting, her breathing even.
"Fuck…You…" Jessica wheezed, cradling her side. Bella shared the sentiment with a middle finger, concentrating too hard on catching her breath to properly respond. They slowed to a dragging walk and Angela rolled her eyes at them, looking entirely superior.
"You're both pitiful," she told them and darted out of reach when Jessica took a half assed swipe at her, sniggering the whole time.
"Fuck you," Bella chuckled good naturedly and snatched the girl's water bottle from her, giving her the stink eye. "Not everyone can be that athletic," she said as she took a hearty swig, her heart racing.
"Not everyone can be that out of shape," Angela retorted as Jessica massaged the stitch in her side and glared.
"Shut up. You play soccer, you're used to this. I haven't been able to cheer since football season is over and our team sucks anyway, and Bella is…" Jessica glanced at her friend and the brunette rolled her eyes, tossing Angela back her water bottle.
"I'm me," she finished and they all shared a grin. "I'm a bookworm, not a soccer jock. Get out my face, Angie," she said in a lame attempt at a gangster voice that made the other two snicker.
"Wow, that thug voice stinks. You need to work on that…And speaking of stinking," Angela frowned as she wrinkled her nose, an expression that her friends quickly shared as they got a whiff of each other.
"Dude, we reek," Jessica complained. "Why the hell are they making us run out here anyway? Look at them, stuffing their fat faces with doughnuts. Hypocrites."
Bella scowled as she remembered she had left her deodorant in her truck, along with her towel for showering.
"Hell, guys, I forgot my stuff in my car," she pouted, feeling the sweat run down her neck.
Ick.
"You can borrow my deodorant," Angela offered and then huffed when Jessica and Bella both made a face at her.
"Gross," Jessica said.
"Yeah, thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I'll just ask Coach Basselor if I can run to my car. Sharing after gym products is kinda nasty," she declined and Angela shrugged.
"Suit yourself. Basselor likes you anyway. I think she might be one of those lesbian pedophile coaches or something. Look at her haircut…Ooh, Bella, what if she's crushing on you?" Angela crowed, turning around to fast walk backwards as her friends continued to drag their feet, refusing to speed up again.
"Ew," Jessica made another face, looking disgusted. "That's just nasty, Angela. Shut up. She's like fifty, and she's a girl."
Their words made Bella's blood run colder and she opted to stay silent, suddenly entirely uncomfortable.
"What part of lesbian pedophile did you miss?" Angela laughed as she moved further and further ahead of them, easily backwards jogging. "Oh, Bella, you might want to hurry by the way. Class is almost over. No way will she let you into the parking lot after. You won't have time to shower and the teachers always bitch out the coaches if we smell."
"Yeah, I got you. I'll catch up with you guys later," Bella slowed and turned around, eager to get away from them after that abrupt turn the conversation had taken.
So…So Angela and Jessica thought lesbians were gross.
…Great.
That was just freaking great. Now she had even more weight on her shoulders, wondering if she was well and truly gay and now knowing that both of some of her closest friends thought it was disgusting. She could still hear Angela trying to freak out an already grossed out Jessica even further, though their voices were fading as she walked back towards the coaches at the entrance to the track, her shoulders hunched.
She supposed that should have been expected considering how small a town Forks was and how prevalent religion was in certain areas, but still…
That didn't take the sting out of it.
She jogged back towards the coaches and as Alice was rounding the start of the track next to them, she saw her approaching and cocked her head as they met up.
"You know you're going the wrong way, right?" Alice raised an eyebrow, smirking when Bella rolled her eyes.
"Duh. I forgot my deodorant and stuff in my truck. I'm gonna ask if I can go get it," Bella replied and Alice nodded sagely.
"Yeah, you should probably go do that. Boy, for someone who was running at half a mile an hour, you sure worked up a sweat. You smell," Alice grinned, flapping her hand playfully under her nose.
Easy for her to say. She was a freaking vampire, and vampires didn't sweat. She looked perfectly perfect in her gym clothes. It was beyond cloudy today with the smell of ozone in the air, threatening to storm, so Alice had not had to use an excuse to get out of coming to gym. Sunlight killing vampires may have been a myth, but their pale skin burned so quickly that their medical excuses were actually valid.
"Hardy harr harr, very funny. You know you love the way I smell, all the Cullens do," Bella grumbled at her.
"That we do, Bells. That's part of why I haven't been running next to you. You smell even better right now than usual, as gross as that sounds. That, and you're a total slowpoke," Alice said, looking unashamed when Bella's eyebrows rose.
"I knew you were into some weird stuff. Hey, I gotta hurry though. They won't let me go for sure if class ends first," Bella replied and Alice nodded before moving past her to start jogging again.
"Alright, I'll see you later then! Good luck!" she called, darting away.
Bella smiled to herself and walked over to the coaches, quickly trading her customary grin that Alice always left her with for her best pleading look as Coach Basselor scarfed another donut and conversed with Coach Donnehue around her mouthful of sweet baked goods.
"Hi, um, can I go get my deodorant out of my car real quick? It'll only take a minute and I'll stink later if I don't," Bella asked, trying not to visibly wince at the smear of chocolate on her Coach's mouth.
Jessica was right. Fucking hypocrites.
"Huh, kid? Why didn't you bring it with you?" Donnehue griped, wiping crumbs off his mouth.
"I forgot."
The two coaches looked at each other and frowned as if trying to figure out whether or not she was telling the truth, before Basselor shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah, fine, hurry up Swan, class is almost over. We always catch flak when you teenagers walk around smelling like garbage, so go. But no funny business. If I catch you lingering in that parking lot, it'll be detention tomorrow," Coach Basselor said, giving her what she supposed passed as a threatening look.
The joke was on her, she already had a detention set up for tomorrow (Friday) for skipping second period yesterday with Alice, but she nodded her head like a good girl anyway and went around them, heading through the fence and straight into the parking lot.
The school's track was connected to the back parking lot, which was the student parking lot, so thankfully even though she was parked towards the far side, it wasn't a long walk.
However, she halted to a full stop when she saw who was standing right next to her truck.
Victoria.
The redhead was leaned against an inconspicuous tan car that looked way too plain against the vampire and her pale skin, especially with her flaming red hair. Victoria appeared to have already not only finished her laps, but showered, and had traded in her t-shirt and shorts for a racy ensemble of a low cut, shimmery emerald green blouse that showed off her large chest coupled with another incredibly tight black skirt, though this one didn't look to be made of leather, that barely covered the swell of her ass. Apparently she had been running even faster than Bella thought if she was already showered and changed.
What the hell is she doing there? Bella thought frantically, frozen. We're supposed to go to the locker room when we're done and wait in the gym until the bell rings. Why is she out here?
The vampire did not seem to notice her and was looking down at a phone in her hands, texting. Surely though, if the breeze picked up, she would catch Bella's prominent scent on the wind, and so the brunette had barely any time to make a decision before she was noticed.
What should I do? If I go over there, she'll probably say something to me. God, what if she tries something? I couldn't get past her pheromones last time, and now we're all alone out here, I won't be able to stop her…But I need my stuff. I'll smell like ass all day if I don't get it…
Bella remained indecisive, weighing her options. On the one hand, there was only so much a shower could do for teenage hormones producing less than pleasant body odor throughout the rest of the day, and no way did she want to walk around stinking. On the other, she definitely did not want another altercation with Victoria.
However, a new idea occurred to her as she stood there, one that seemed to actually make a good deal of sense.
But then again, this would be the perfect opportunity to tell her I'm not interested…She hasn't really tried anything since that one time in Biology, but she keeps looking at me like she's into me and Alice swears she's bad news so…I could always take this chance to tell her to back off?
Victoria lifted her head and turned it as Bella came to a decision. Her red-gold eyes found Bella as if she had known all along that she was there and she smiled that devious smile.
It took all of Bella's willpower to walk towards her instead of bolting, but she steeled herself to do what she figured needed to be done. She did not want to avoid the redhead like she was afraid of her anyway. She may be a vampire, but she just needed to be rejected, and then she would back off, that was all.
"Well hello there, kitten. What brings you out here?" Victoria greeted sultrily, raking her eyes over Bella when she approached.
Shameless harlot. She did not even try to hide it as she checked the human girl out.
Bella deigned not to look at her and instead strode past her to her truck, catching the scent of Victoria's own personal brand of vampire incense as she did. She held her breath determinedly instead of breathing in the scent of sex personified, knowing it would only make things worse.
"I forgot my stuff for after gym," she replied in an even tone, hating the way she had to turn her back on Victoria to open the passenger side of her truck. "Why are you out here?" she asked in an attempt to be civil, pretending that nothing had ever really happened between them, which is what Victoria seemed to be doing.
Fine by her.
"Oh, just passing time until next period. That gym smells like old underwear and socks. It's awful, so I came out here for some fresh air. You on the other hand, smell much nicer…" Victoria purred as Bella glanced warily over her shoulder at her, jerking on the handle of her truck with a little too much force.
Nothing happened.
Blinking, Bella quickly turned back to her truck and gave it another yank.
Nothing.
It was locked.
Bella swore softly under her breath as she remembered she left her keys in her jeans, which were currently in the locker room.
"Forgetful today, aren't you Isabella?" Victoria chuckled behind her and she turned back around, her stomach twisting at the honey sweet tone. Pheromones tickled the outer edges of her senses as she mentally freaked.
Hell, I'm such an idiot! Okay, abort, Swan, abort! Get out of here!
All her plans to tell Victoria she was not interested were dying the moment she locked eyes with the redhead. All she could think of was how bright her hair was, and how soft and red her lips looked, and the way her canines flashed when she smirked.
Was this how boys felt? Maybe this was why guys were so distrustful of women. She felt painfully vulnerable, knowing how strong of an affect Victoria could pull on her if she really tried.
Who knew being gay would be such a disadvantage in life?
"Need some help?" Victoria lifted one eyebrow at her, her eyes glittering in a way that warned Bella away even as they pulled her in.
She resisted the urge to shake her head to rid herself of the flurries permeating her thoughts, courtesy of the vampire pumping out pheromones before her. No way was she not doing this on purpose…
"No, it's fine. I'll just suck it up. Nice talking to you," Bella squeaked, the pitch of her voice higher than usual.
"Nonsense. We can't have you walking around smelling all day," Victoria insisted, contradicting her earlier words that Bella smelled good to her, which the brunette could not fathom considering she was sweaty and hot and gross, which should have only been amplified to a vampire's sensitive nose.
"I'm pretty sure I have a coat hanger in my car anyway. Your locks are old, you should be able to hook it and pop it open," Victoria said. She lazily reached over to the back door of the car she leaned against and pulled it open, indicating to Bella to go for it.
Ah, so that was why Victoria was leaning against the car next to hers. She wondered if it was coincidence that they were parked next to each other or if Victoria had done it on purpose. She hoped the latter was only paranoia. The vampire was acting cordial enough, and though she was mildly flirty, it was certainly a far cry from her first impressions.
She peered inside, the words lion's den echoing in her mind despite that.
"No, really, I…"
"Seriously, it's no big deal. It'll only take a second anyway," Victoria said, and looked back down at her phone when it buzzed. "Go on," she muttered and began tapping away, for the first time finding something more interesting than making Bella uncomfortable with her sultry looks and flirty tone.
Bella contemplated simply walking away, but knew how weird she would look if she did. Victoria wasn't even being that bad technically, compared to how she had acted in previous situations, and she seemed more interested in whoever she was texting than Bella. Maybe she really was just being nice. Maybe it was a subtle apology for how she had acted before…
So warily, she leaned into the backseat of the car and searched for the coat hanger mentioned. When she did not immediately see it, she called to Victoria, "Hey, I don't see it. Is it in the back of the car or in the backseat?"
"Backseat was the last time I saw it," Victoria called back, sounding distracted with her phone. "Check the floorboards, it might have rolled under the seats."
Bella continued to look, crawling in further so that she was on her knees on the backseat, starting to relax at the bored tone Victoria had taken. So the redhead wasn't actually that big of a deal, and was even helping her out.
Cool. She had panicked for nothing.
If only she could find the damn coat hanger.
She ran her hands on the spotless floorboards, still unable to find it. She was now fully inside the car and leaned down, trying to see into the gloom under the seats.
And that was when Victoria crawled in behind her.
"Having trouble?" the redhead murmured in her ear and Bella spun with a yelp. She found her face a centimeter from Victoria's and she scrambled back, pheromones and that godly aroma bombing her senses from the sudden closeness, but the top of her head knocked into the opposite door and she collapsed on her back in the seat, whimpering. Victoria smiled a deadly smile and crept over Bella on all fours, her body hovering a mere inch over the brunette's as fear twisted her insides, along with an undeniably aroused tug at her lower belly.
Shit, shit, shit! Her brain screamed as she pressed one hand against the front seat and sank down as far she could go, practically hyperventilating as the redhead slid over her. Victoria hooked one foot in the door handle of her car and with one effortless movement, pulled it shut; effectively trapping them both inside with thud of the door slamming shut sounding like a death sentence.
Bella had wandered into the lion's den, and the lion had caught her.