A Bad Deal?

Playing Hooky

"Today we're going to go around town and get a bit of shopping done," Rosalie said as she went down some mental checklist. "First, groceries. Emmett and Edward-those fuckers- came over to my house and ate all my good food, so I need more. Then, more toilet paper for our next TP night run. Then some paint. And lastly, a little artistic trip," Rosalie smiled to herself at the last thing, privy to information that only she knew, and thus keeping Bella out of the loop.

"Was it really necessary to bring me along?" Bella couldn't help but whine. "I'm missing school for this."

Rosalie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "As if you were learning anything useful in class anyways."

"But I don't wanna play hooky," Bella whined, bringing the bag on her lap closer to her so she could rest her chin on it.

"But I don't wanna play hooky," Rosalie mocked in a higher register. "That's what you sound like. Like a little baby. Now shut up. You're helping me with this otherwise the whole school is going to know that not only did you toilet paper people's homes, smuggle a police baton out from your father, but that you also have a sordid crush on your best friend."

So she's making me do these things just so she can have more things to hang over my head. I should have seen this coming. Instead I played right into her hand. Getting out of this will be nigh near impossible now. I'll just have to play it safe. I wonder if she's going to make me do something I'll regret today as well.

"Rosalie, you know if you keep making me play hooky then Charlie's gonna start asking questions. And he's gonna eventually link these actions back to you whether I tell him or not. I know you think you're untouchable because you're a model and stuff but money won't help you stay out of trouble forever." Bella's rationalization sounded weak even to her ears. It made Rosalie laugh.

"I'm not afraid of the law, and certainly not of your father."

"Well, you should be," Bella mumbled under her breath. She shifted down further in the car seat. Rosalie was turning the car into the parking lot of a grocery store.

"I'm not in the mood to listen to your whining. If this all bothers you so much, go ahead and snitch on me. But remember I'll tell your dad everything you've done as well," Rosalie said as she exited the car. Bella left after her, trailing behind sadly. There was no reasoning with the blonde right now.

The two of them shopped at the store, Bella making sure to stay behind the usual three foot distance that Rosalie insisted on her doing. Even though Bella had had her arm twisted on the matter of wearing those new clothes she had been forced to buy, Rosalie's claims on letting herself be more comfortable with being seen with the brunette was not upheld. The blonde still demanded distance between them. Which Bella tried to not let bother her. But it was actually more hurtful than if Rosalie had just straight up called her ugly. Wasn't it usually the case that pretty girls would want to be surrounded by plain girls so as to look even prettier?

Bella shook her head. She was overthinking things again, and she really didn't want to. So she focused on buying some fresh ingredients for the blonde's pantry.

When they finished Rosalie paid and they packed the groceries into the trunk of the Maserati. "Now we're gonna get TP and some paint," Rosalie announced as they pulled out and drove a short distance to the home improvement store.

Inside the store, Rosalie looked out of place, too well put together and shiny for the dusty shelves full of bolts and nuts and wood chips. Yet she moved around it with familiarity and got the stuff she needed, Bella just trailing behind her like a ghost. She barely paid attention to the purchases, watching the blonde and how her hair moved with her. Rosalie's hair was largely what made the whole appeal of her; what completed the package. It was soft, and luscious and wavy without being too full of body. It was just right and always styled perfectly.

If it wasn't in a messy bun, or in waves down her shoulders then it was in a high ponytail or in plaited braids. Bella marveled at how it would feel to touch her hair. Maybe one day the blonde would order her to braid her hair or something, that way Bella would have a reason to touch those lovely locks. But that was never going to happen. Bella could barely tame her own brown locks. The blonde was way skilled with doing her own hair. Bella would only be a hindrance and cramp her style.

Bella regretted not paying attention to the purchases because it turned out that paint was going to be used for their 'little art project'.

Bella held the spray paint can in between her fingers like it would bite her any moment. "Rosalie, I don't understand why we're going to be spray painting the building wall. What's the point?"

Rosalie didn't seem happy at Bella's complaining. "Stop asking questions and just do it."

"Why are you making me do these things? I don't understand," Bella couldn't hold her confusion back anymore. Why was the blonde making her do these sorts of things, like toilet papering people's homes and spray painting walls. Was she trying to corrupt her?

"You said you wanted to help me."

"What?"

"Don't you remember? That day with the baton. You said you stopped me because you were looking out for me. Trying to help me."

"Oh." Leave it to Rosalie to take Bella's words and twist them out of proportion. "I did want to help you. I do want to help," Bella amended. She did wanna help Rosalie stop being so unnecessarily cruel and mean. The blonde didn't have to be like this. Or maybe Bella only thought this because of her crush. That because of it, she wanted Rosalie to be a better person but maybe the blonde really couldn't be? Bella knew it was foolish to hold hope that Rosalie would one day wake up and realize she didn't want to be like this; that she didn't wanna treat Bella like this. That she actually liked Bella-and there Bella went again, fantasizing about things that were unrealistic.

"Then help me by doing what I ask you to do," Rosalie said, holding up another can of paint, this one red.

Ask, more like demand. Bella held back the snort that wanted to escape and let out a sigh instead. She couldn't believe it, but here she was about to vandalize someone's property again because of Rosalie. She raised the spray can. "I can't really do...good art," she said in a last ditch effort to stop this from happening.

"Quality doesn't matter. Just writing stuff down." Rosalie then shook the can and started to get to work.

Bella shook her head. What fun did Rosalie even get from this? Bella's finger trembled on the nozzle. "Why can't you do something else for fun?" was her quiet question and Bella half hoped Rosalie hadn't heard it only because she was afraid of the answer.

"Because I'm bored and this is what I wanna do." The answer arrived a half second later. Typical rich kid answer. Doing stuff just because they can. Having no respect for the things of others.

"But why lower yourself to such base acts," Bella curled up her lip. She couldn't believe she was saying these words, but it just didn't sit right with her. Bored? Rosalie was doing this out of boredom? Not even because she was angry at the person who owned this building? At least Bella could get behind the reasoning behind doing something out of anger or sadness or spite. But boredom?

"I'm bored," drawled a voice that held a British tinge to it. Red hair obscured Bella's vision from her spot on the floor where she was curled up. "And you just so happened to be walking past..." A shrug at those words, as if they made any sense. "So this happened." A nudge with a toe, Bella whimpering in pain as her bruised ribs were touched.

"You're better than that," Bella whispered as she let the memories leave her. "You can do other things-"

"You don't know anything!" Came Rosalie's sudden angry hiss as she grabbed Bella by the front of her shirt and brought their faces close together. "So don't presume you know me. And don't tell me what I should or shouldn't do." The blonde's breath billowed over Bella's face and she swallowed at the tight grip on her. She licked her lips, venturing to ask this next question- Rosalie was already mad with her so what did it matter if she made her even more mad. "So why don't you tell me?"

Rosalie's lips curled up in a sneer before her face relaxed and she let go of Bella's shirt, shoving her back. The brunette stumbled to regain her balance.

"Mind your own damn business. All you need to worry about is pleasing me, and following my orders." Rosalie turned back to the wall. "I'd get started on that wall if I were you. We won't be leaving until it's done, every inch covered in paint."

Bella swallowed hard and took to spraying the wall, the green paint covering the bricks. And as the spirals and lines she painted unfurled, she couldn't feel like she was slowly spiraling down in deeper and deeper into the blonde's unrelenting world.

A/N: What is Rosalie playing at? And Bella's comeback starts next chapter, I believe.