A Bad Deal?

The Truth Hurts, But Angels Help

A/N: Finally Bella confesses to Angela what's going on. Stage one of getting back at the blonde has commenced.

Angela's horrified face was expected when Bella finally confessed to writing those love notes as part of Rosalie's sick ploy to bully the brunette. What Bella hadn't expected was the compassion and understanding in her friend's eyes.

"Oh, Bella. I never knew she was making you do such horrid things," Angela had immediately pulled the shaking Bella into a hug and once in her hold, Bella felt her anger and walls melt away and suddenly she was crying. It felt so good that Angela didn't reject her. Didn't turn away in disgust, and Bella hadn't known how much she needed to hear Angela's cooed reassuring, and to feel her warm hold around her shoulders.

"I'm so, so, sorry," Bella blubbered out, clinging onto her friend, all her annoyance at being subjugated to the blonde's demands pouring out of her. "I never meant to do this to you."

"It's okay. It's okay," Angela soothed, smoothing down Bella's hair. She pulled away to give her friend a wry smile. "It's going to be okay. Just talk to me next time. I'm your friend and I will stand up for you. God." At this she pulled Bella close to her once more, the brunette burrowing her tear stained face into the crook of her friend's neck. "I can't believe she made you do all that. You didn't even do anything to her!"

Once Bella had started to tell Angela about the notes, the rest had spilled out of her. How Rosalie made her vandalize the houses. How she made her get her lunch. Everyday. How she made her get a baton to hurt others. How she made Bella get detention with her. The only thing she had left out was the gay part. There was no way Bella was ready to be out with that yet.

Surely then Angela would turn away in disgust. Then those notes Bella had been forced to leave in her locker would take on a new meaning.

"No, I didn't," Bella confirmed. "I just don't want this to go on. I wanna stop it. But I don't know how. If I speak out against her she'll tell everyone it was me who did the graffiti, me who TP'ed the properties. I'm so stupid. I should have quit this a long time ago when she still had nothing on me-"

"Bella, shush. This isn't any of your fault. And I will not listen to you self deprecate. I'm here. I'm going to help you."

Angela rubbed Bella's back in circle, helping the crying girl calm down. "Thank you," Bella squeaked out at last, detangling herself from her friend. "But I don't want you to get in trouble for being involved in this. Thanks for hearing me out."

"What?" Angela's mouth did a funny little shape. "You think you can just tell me all this and expect me not to get involved?" Now it sounded like Angela was getting mad at Bella. Bella winced.

"I already told you I don't want to get you in trouble with Rosalie. Who knows what she'll make you do. I don't want you to suffer just because you're my friend."

"Bella." Angela reached for the brunette's hands, clutching them warmly between hers. "You won't be putting me out by asking me for help. I want to help. I want to do this for you. And not just because out of friendship obligation. But because I like you as a person. And because I care about you." Angela's eyes were warm and sincere and Bella felt herself blush lightly at those words.

"Thanks. But-"

"I swear Bella!" Angela said with a bit of exasperation. "If you are going to say what I think you're going to, then I don't wanna hear it!"

Bella nodded her head shyly. "Okay."

"Good." Angela squeezed Bella's hand before dropping them. "We are not done with this topic. We're going to find a way to get Rosalie to stop bullying you. Now I have to get back to club before people start wondering about me." With a kind wave and lingering gaze to check if Bella was okay with this, Angela went back into the classroom. Bella let out a sigh and let her back hit the hallway wall, sliding down to her haunches.

The whole talk had been so exhausting for her. But it felt good. Good to let it all out. She had beat Rosalie at her own game. Now it was one less thing Rosalie could hang over her head. She wondered...maybe if she confessed to the vandalism then she would be taking away more ammunition from Rosalie.

Bella shivered at that thought. That would be something harder to confess to. Something larger than just leaving notes in a locker. Because this had affected more than one person. It had even made it into the news. Bella worked at her lower lip. What to do?

A chirp announced that she had a text message. She pulled out her phone and found that Rosalie had texted her. Cold dread filled her bones as she recalled how pissed off Rosalie had been when Bella had left her in the library. With shaking fingers she unlocked her phone.

Where are u?

Rosalie wanted to know where Bella was, but for what reason? To hurt her? Bella wouldn't put it past her.

At school.

She decided that was a safe enough statement. Either it would piss Rosalie off with it's vagueness or satisfy her that Bella hadn't run away too far.

Which part of school?

Bella couldn't tell if Rosalie was pissed, but it looked like she had wanted a concise answer.

Bella's fingers hovered over the keyboard. What should she type?

Then Angela's message showed up. I'm going home with you tonight. Wait for me? I'll be out in five minutes; I'm skipping out on the reminder of club.

Bella felt a gush of warmth for her friend. Then, feeling more confident, she texted Rosalie her exact location.

The blonde must have been close by because she arrived in about three minutes time, her heeled boots clicking on the floor. Bella felt her heart jump at the sight of her and she rose up to her feet. What was going to happen now?

Some walking by student's saw the blonde hurrying over to Bella, who was pale faced, and quickly hurried away, knowing that what happened next they didn't want to be involved in.

Rosalie stopped a few feet in front of Bella, looking dangerous and gorgeous as always. Like an exotic predator that was nice to look at but which would kill it's observer on the turn of a dime. The two of them sized each other up for a while, Rosalie's back tall and Bella cowering. The silence between them was stifling. It made Bella blurt out hastily. "I told her. I told her it was me."

"I don't believe you," Rosalie sneered.

"Then believe me." It was at that moment that Angela chose to walk in. She held her bag of art supplies with her, a streak of paint on her face that she hadn't managed to wash off yet. Her hair was held up in a messy updo, a colorful bandanna around her forehead to keep the brown baby hairs out of her eyes. In comparison to Rosalie, who was all sleek, sharp lines and designer clothes, she looked small and meek, but the aura she gave off meant she would not be trifled with.

She looked Rosalie right in the eye, not afraid of the other. She held her chin up, making Rosalie jerk her own chin up in a show of declaring dominance over her. "Bella told me all about what you made her do. And it's quite sick. Really, if you had a crush on me all you could have done was talk to me instead of having her act as your little messenger."

Bella felt her heart drop at the words that left her friend's mouth. Did Angela have a death wish? One was never to accuse the popular girl in school of being gay. That was a social no-no.

Angela only smirked at the end of her statement and Rosalie's eyes widened dramatically-almost comically- as her face paled. "How dare you!" She said through gritted teeth. Her hands clenched by her sides and Bella instinctively took a step back. But Angela stood her ground.

"Come on. No need to be so shy. I understand it can be hard for you to come to terms with your feelings for me, but it's okay. I get it." Angela winked playfully at Rosalie, ghosting her fingers over her arm. "I think you're kinda cute too if it makes you feel any better."

Rosalie's mouth opened and closed. She was so angry that no words were coming out from her throat. Instead she shook and Bella feared she would explode.

"Come on, Bella. Time to go home," Angela pulled on Bella's wrist and pulled the shocked girl away, not worried at all at the state Rosalie was in.

Only when the two girls had left the school building did they erupt into laughter.

"Did you see the look on her face?" Angela guffawed as she tried to hide her amusement behind a hand but failed to do so. Bella had tears pressing out the corners of her eyes.

"She looked like she was going to explode. And then when you touched her I thought she was going to burst into flames right then and there!" Bella felt her sides would break from laughing so much and she stumbled to her car, holding onto her sides with her arms. "I still can't believe you said all that," Bella added as she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She opened the cab door to her truck. Angela entered in through the passenger side.

"I told you girl, I got your back," Angela smiled. "And beside, you have no idea how relieved I was that it was you writing those notes. I thought it was some creep or worse." This statement sobered the two of them up but not for long. They burst into laughter again.

"Telling her she had a crush on you was so genius!"

"Thank you, thank you," Angela fake bowed. "All in a day's work for a best friend."

The rest of the ride, Angela thankfully did not press Bella more on the issue of the blonde bully and instead they chatted about homework and shows to watch. As Bella dropped the girl off at home, she couldn't help but feel insanely happy. The look on Rosalie's face had been priceless. Bella was glad she had told Angela the truth.

But the happiness didn't last. Her phone chirped with a text message and when she saw what was written there her smile dropped as did the pit of her stomach. Cold dread settled over her skin.

I'm going to get you for your little friend's comment. Don't think you're going to get away with that, dyke!

The message was punctuated with knives and angry faces but Bella didn't need to see those to know that Rosalie was really, really, really, pissed off.

A/N: So after this, there's gonna be like a final show down, then a chapter from Rosalie's perspective on everything so far.