Title: Wait for You
By: Liz
Rating: M
Disclaimers: The characters are not mine, any and all music is not mine, only the plot and my words belong to me.
Notes: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. It really means so much and I'm sorry this update was a little long in coming. As always, a million thanks to goo82, my angst muse! Her help with this chapter was absolutely invaluable and I cannot thank her enough for it all!
This chapter contains lemons, language, and angst.
Chapter 7
Edward opened the front door to his house, motioning for Bella to precede him into the house. "We're back," he called to the house in general.
"Living room," Emmett called back.
Edward and Bella walked into the living room where the other four teenagers were already seated. "Hey," Bella said.
"Hey, Bella Marie," Emmett responded.
Bella turned to Edward, raising an eyebrow questioningly. He shrugged. "He asked what your middle name is," he answered quietly. "He likes to give nicknames to the people he cares about. I know it's not very original, but it's Emmett. I think his other choices probably rhymed."
Bella smiled and turned her attention back to Emmett. "We already ordered the pizzas," he continued. "Two pepperoni, one mushroom and green pepper, one Hawaiian, and three cheese."
"Seven pizzas?" Bella asked incredulously.
Emmett grinned. "I'm a growing boy," he responded.
Rose rolled her eyes. "We have to save some for Esme and Carlisle," she explained to Bella. "They both got stuck working late tonight, so we're trying to save them some for when they get home."
Bella nodded as Edward turned to Alice. "Did you decide on a movie, Alice?"
Alice held up a DVD case. "I thought we'd go with Once," she replied. "I know you and I have already seen it, but I don't think anyone else has. Bella?"
Bella shook her head. "I've never even heard of it," she admitted. "What's it about?"
"It's an Indie film from Ireland," Alice told her. "Sort of a drama with a bit of romance and a lot of music thrown in. It's excellent, though. I think everyone will like it."
"A musical? Awww, Alice," Emmett whined.
"There are musical performances," Alice stressed. "It isn't a musical."
"Not a fan of musicals, Emmett?" Bella asked.
Emmett made a face. "I don't mind the music, that part's usually cool. It's just all that everyone suddenly knowing what to sing and the synchronized dancing." He snorted. "It's totally unrealistic."
Edward couldn't resist taunting his older brother a bit. "Because zombies and vampires are the stuff of documentaries."
"And back to this movie, which involves neither coordinated dancing nor zombies," Jasper began in an effort to head off any bickering between the two brothers.
"Now, see, dancing zombies would be cool," Emmett interjected.
"Okay, but still not this movie," Jasper continued, unfazed. "So, what does everyone want to do? Should we start the movie now or wait for the pizza to get here?" he asked.
"Wait for the pizza," Edward answered immediately. "We're gonna go upstairs. Let us know when the pizza gets here." He grasped Bella's hand in his and they hurried from the room.
"Don't do anything Rose and I wouldn't do," Emmett called after them gleefully.
"Not exactly limiting, is it?" Bella heard Jasper say blandly.
"Sorry to rush you out of there," Edward said when they reached his bedroom, not looking sorry in the least. "But I just didn't feel like sharing you right now."
"It's all right, I forgive you," Bella teased.
Edward grinned crookedly. "Good. Because the whole time I was supposed to be studying Faulkner, I kept picturing you here in my room instead."
Bella smiled back. "Well that doesn't sound very conducive to studying."
Edward wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Not Faulkner, no. But it did give me a lot of time to think about what I'd like to do when you finally got here." He tilted Bella's chin up, meeting her lips with his own in a slow, searching kiss.
Bella responded eagerly, wrapping her arms around Edward's neck and gently running her fingers through his hair. Edward started guiding them toward his bed and Bella moved with him willingly. The back of her thighs hit the bed and she sat down slowly, their lips never breaking contact.
"Edward!" Emmett's booming voice easily carried up the two stories to Edward's room.
Edward dropped his hands from Bella's shoulders and stepped back with a growl of frustration. "Remind me to gag Emmett the next time I see him." Bella stared up at him, unable to form a coherent sentence, her eyes glazed and her breathing uneven. Edward groaned, reaching down to brush a finger over Bella's swollen lips. "I'll be right back," he promised.
Bella nodded, staring after Edward until he was out of sight. A few moments later, after gathering herself once more, she stood from the bed and started wandering around Edward's room. She went first to the set of shelves that housed his impressive collection of CDs. The discs were arranged in alphabetical order by artist and Bella slowly perused the shelves. Edward had an eclectic selection with numerous CDs by artists with whom she was familiar, everything from Damien Rice and Van Morrison to Glen Miller and Placebo. There was an even larger selection of artists, however, that she had never heard of with names like Cruiserweight, Bouncing Souls, and The Pigeon Detectives.
Shaking her head in awe at the sheer number of CDs, she turned her attention from the shelves to the rest of the room, stopping when something by Edward's bed caught her eye. There was a picture frame on Edward's bedside table that she was relatively certain had not been there the last time she had been in the room. She stepped closer and stopped, her cheeks coloring as she recognized herself. In the picture, her hair was flying wildly around her face and the expression on her face was one of unrestrained joy as she soared through the air on the swingset at Greenville Park. Her embarrassment was swiftly countered by an excited fluttering in her stomach at the realization that Edward actually had a picture of her next to his bed.
"I love that picture." Edward's voice came over her shoulder.
"Where did it come from?" she asked, not turning to face him. She knew very well when Edward had taken the picture but her stunned brain couldn't think of anything else to say.
He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "That day we were at the park. I downloaded it from my phone last night and printed it out."
"I didn't even know that you really took a picture," Bella admitted.
Edward pressed a kiss to her neck. "Mm-hmm," he murmured distractedly, his lips trailing up to her ear. Bella shivered, leaning back so that her body was pressed to Edward's. She reached a hand behind her to tangle in Edward's hair and was about to turn to face him when they heard someone calling their names.
"Edward! Bella!" Emmett called from the first floor. "Get your butts down here. Pizza's here and we wanna start the movie."
Edward groaned, dropping his head to Bella's shoulder and hugging her tightly to him for a moment. "Trust Emmett to interrupt," he mumbled. "Again." He kissed Bella's cheek gently and then released her. "Hungry?" he asked as she turned to face him.
Bella smiled and leaned toward him. "Starved," she practically purred, her lips brushing against his ear. She had to admit she felt a little silly saying it, but the expression on Edward's face made her minor embarrassment worth it. Edward groaned again and Bella couldn't help giggling at him. "Come on, we'd better go before Emmett comes looking for us," she said, taking his hand.
"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" Edward asked. Bella laughed again and Edward shook his head, kissing her forehead softly. "This isn't over," he promised her, leading her out of the room and down to his waiting siblings.
"You bellowed?" Edward said wryly as he and Bella entered the living room.
Emmett grinned. "Hey, I didn't think you'd want me coming up and interrupting. But if that's how you roll, I'll keep that in mind for next time."
"Bella, Edward, what kind do you want?" Alice asked loudly before Edward could respond in kind. She was seated on the floor surrounded by pizza boxes, plates, napkins, and cans of soda.
"Cheese for me," Bella responded. "Thanks, Alice." Alice handed her a plate with a slice of cheese, a Diet Pepsi, and a fork. She looked over at Edward, surprised at the inclusion of the fork, but he just smiled at her as he asked Alice for two slices of mushroom and green pepper. Edward and Bella settled themselves on the floor in front of one of the couches and Bella scraped the cheese off of her slice of pizza.
"You going to eat that?" Emmett asked, looking hungrily at the cheese. Her mouth full of pizza, Bella only shook her head, holding her plate out to Emmett. "Sweet," he said, taking the pile of cheese from her plate and dropping it on top of his own slice.
"Sorry, Al," Emmett said around a mouthful of pizza. "I think Bella just became my new favorite little sister."
Alice grinned and stuck her tongue out at Emmett as she threw her pizza crust at him from across the room. Emmett caught the crust and stuck it all into his mouth at once. "Hmm, getting back in the running there, Alice," he said as he chewed the crust.
Rose elbowed Emmett in the side. "If you could take a break from stuffing your face, could you start the movie?" she said, pointing to the remote next to Emmett.
"Anything for you, Rosie," Emmett said, his mouth still full of food.
"You're so gross," she told him, but no one missed the fond smile on her face as she said this.
When they had both finished eating, Edward moved up to the couch and held his arms out to Bella. She quickly joined him on the couch and happily snuggled against his side as Edward's arms wrapped around her. They watched the movie in contented silence for a few moments until the scene in the movie where the two main characters entered a music store and began to sing together for the first time. Edward felt Bella shift suddenly in his arms and he looked over at her. "This is the song we danced to in your room the other night," she said in a hushed voice.
Edward grinned. "Yep. That guy is the lead singer for The Frames."
"I thought his voice sounded familiar."
"That's why you're number one in the class," Edward teased. Bella stuck her tongue out at Edward before resettling herself comfortably against him once more. Edward smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of Bella's head before turning his own attention back to the movie.
An hour and a half later, the credits were rolling and everyone began to stretch and rise from their seats. "Good choice, Alice," Emmett told her. "No zombies, but still good. Good music and not mushy at all."
"Glad you approve," Alice said wryly. "What did everyone else think?"
"I think it was an excellent choice," Jasper said, pressing a kiss to Alice's cheek. "But I also think it's time for me to go upstairs and get some homework done."
"Yeah, I should probably get home and get a little more studying in for that English test," Bella said reluctantly. "But I agree, great choice, Alice."
Alice bounced over to Bella and hugged her. "Thanks for coming, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Alice."
Jasper said goodbye as well and he and Alice headed upstairs, ostensibly to do their homework. Bella picked up a pizza box but Rose waved her away and took the box from her. "Don't worry, Bella," she told her. "Emmett and I will take care of clean up."
Emmett joined the girls, lifting Bella off her feet in a bear hug. "See you tomorrow, Bella Marie!" he said with a grin.
"Okay. Night, guys," Bella gasped, trying to catch her breath.
Edward took her hand and they walked to the front door, which opened as they reached it. "Hi, guys," Esme said as she entered.
"Hey, mom. I'm just taking Bella home," Edward said. "I'll be right back."
Esme nodded. "Okay. Sorry I missed movie night. I'll see you soon, though, right, Bella?"
Bella smiled. "I hope so. Goodnight, Esme."
"Night, sweetie," Esme said, giving Bella a quick hug.
Bella and Edward climbed into the Volvo and began the drive back to Bella's house. They drove in silence for a while, their joined hands resting on Edward's lap, before Bella spoke. "So are you ever going to tell me the real story about why Jasper and Rose practically live with you guys?" she asked curiously. "I know they're like your brother and sister but how did that happen?"
Edward hesitated a moment. "Okay," he said finally. "And I know it really goes without saying, but this is just between us, okay?"
Bella nodded. "Of course."
"Okay. Well, as far as Jasper goes, the truth of the matter is that his parents never should have had a child," Edward stated matter of factly. Bella gaped at him and he sighed. "I know that sounds awful, but it's something Jasper himself has been saying for years."
"Why shouldn't they have had kids?" Bella asked quietly. "Do they mistreat him?"
Edward grimaced. "For that, they'd have to take an interest in him and notice that he's actually alive." Bella just looked at him, waiting for him to continue, and Edward took a deep breath. "Jasper has been on his own for a long time. Well, technically, anyway. His parents are rich. Beyond rich, actually. Jasper's mom is the heiress to a major oil fortune and she and Jasper's dad don't really have to work. They have houses all over the world, including the one in Forks, but they're never at that house. They're barely ever even in the country for that matter.
"They split most of their time between their country estate in London and their home in Paris. They have houses in several other countries, too, and they don't have a whole lot of interest in their house in Forks, Washington. Or their son.
"When he was younger, they used to drag Jasper around with them, hire tutors and all that. But when he hit Junior High, they decided it was time to settle him somewhere so he could go to school. God alone knows why they picked Forks, but they did. Hired a housekeeper slash nanny to take care of him and then they were off again."
Edward grinned. "He's had the same housekeeper since he was 11, Annie, and she loves him like he was her own grandkid. But Jasper doesn't exactly need a nanny anymore. So when he was 14, he changed it so she only had to come in once a week to clean but still made sure that his parents paid her a full time rate."
"Does he ever see his parents?" Bella asked quietly.
Edward made a face. "I think the last time was about three years ago when Jasper's appendix burst. And even then, they were in town long enough to make sure he wasn't going to die and then they were gone again. They send him Christmas and birthday cards and make sure he has money, but that's about it. They don't ever call to check up on him and the last time they were here, they actually signed a bunch of legal documents giving my parents the right make any and all medical decisions Jasper needed."
"Wow," Bella said softly. "So I guess that explains why he pretty much lives at your house."
Edward smiled sadly. "My mom and dad love him like he was their own son and Jasper has a ready made family that loves him so it works out for everyone."
He pulled up in front of Bella's house and turned off the engine. "You might want to keep that to yourself, though. Jasper doesn't really like to talk about it, so we don't mention it unless he brings it up first."
Bella nodded. "Understandable. I won't say anything." She paused a moment before speaking again. "And what about Rose?"
Edward gave a much-beleaguered sigh. "We're finally alone with none of my family around and all you want to do is talk about them? I must really be losing my touch."
Bella grinned. "I don't think so," she teased. "But maybe you should do something to distract me from my current line of questioning."
Edward grinned, leaning toward her. "Distract you, hmm?" he said, running his hand lightly down her cheek. "Something like this, you mean?" He slipped his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him, kissing her sweetly.
"Mmm," Bella murmured, kissing him back, her lips parting readily beneath his.
When they separated, Edward leaned back, bringing his hand back around to cup Bella's cheek. "I'd better let you go inside before Chief Swan gets wind of a suspicious looking vehicle in front of his house."
Bella smiled wistfully. "You're probably right," she said. "And it sounds like you could use a little time to brush up on your Faulkner before tomorrow," she added teasingly.
"I'm thinking Faulkner's going to be the last thing on my mind tonight," Edward said, smiling as Bella blushed. "Sweet dreams, love," he said softly, pressing a last soft kiss to her lips. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Edward," she said, squeezing his hand gently before exiting the car and walking up to her door. When she had the door open, she waved to him before closing the door, listening until she heard his car drive away.
"Bella?"
"Hi, dad," Bella said, walking into the living room.
"Hey, Bells," Charlie said, looking up from the early edition of Sports Center. "Have fun?"
Bella smiled. "Yeah. Angela and I got a lot of studying done and the movie I watched at Edward's was good. I think I'm going to go try to get some more studying in before bed, though."
"Okay, Bells. I'll see you in the morning."
"Night, Dad."
Bella spread out on her bed with her English notes, fully intending on running through them at least one more time before she went to sleep. However, more often than not, she found her thoughts drifting to Edward and the words on the page before her blurred into daydreams.
She smiled to herself as she thought about the evening she had just spent with Edward. A happy shiver ran through her as she thought of his parting words. "Love." He used that endearment quite frequently when speaking to her, she had noticed. Could it be possible that he felt the same way for her that she did for him? Could beautiful, perfect Edward Cullen actually love her? No, that was impossible. Wasn't it?
Her mind began to run wild with fantasies of she and Edward declaring their love for each other and she sat back from her English notes, completely unable to focus on any of the pages in front of her. She leaned her head back on her pillow, telling herself she would give herself five minutes to think about Edward and then she would return to her studying. Five minutes quickly grew into ten and then fifteen and before Bella knew it, she was sound asleep.
As Edward drove to Bella's the following morning, he found he was nearly as giddy and excited as Alice had been when she had first learned of Bella and Edward's budding relationship. As predicted, he had not gotten any studying done when he had returned from dropping Bella off the night before. However, he had come up with what he thought was the perfect plan for finally telling Bella that he loved her.
He was planning on taking Bella out on their first official date and he had spent a greater part of the night planning it down to the last detail. Tomorrow night he was going to take her to La Tasca, an Italian restaurant in Port Angeles that his family had been going to since before he and his brothers and sisters were born, and everything was going to be perfect. He had it all planned out – a romantic meal by candlelight in one of the restaurant's private rooms and then a walk in the neighboring public gardens. They had only been together a week, but Edward wanted Bella to know how much he cared for her and this would be the perfect backdrop for declaring his love for her.
Edward pulled into Bella's driveway and hurried up to her front door. He rang the bell and waited a few moments. He was just about to ring the bell again when the door was flung open. "Bella?"
Bella was barefoot, dressed only in a skirt and long sleeved shirt, her hair still rumpled from sleep. "I know!" she wailed. "I am running so late. I overslept and Charlie didn't think to wake me up until right before he left. I'm so sorry!"
Edward stepped into the house and pulled Bella into his arms. "Don't worry," he said soothingly. "Take your time, I'm a bit early anyway. I just couldn't wait to see you again."
Bella smiled up at him, his very presence immediately calming her. "Thanks," she said, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "I really won't be much longer – I just need to get some shoes on and drag a brush through my hair."
"I'm rather a fan of the haystack look myself," Edward teased, running a hand through her messy locks.
Bella stuck her tongue out at Edward, pulling out of his arms. "Be right back," she said, moving to the stairs. "I just need to get my shoes."
She raced up the stairs, Edward following after her at a much slower pace. When he reached the door to Bella's room, she was seated on the bed, picking up a pair of ballet flats from the floor. Edward couldn't help staring as Bella crossed one long, creamy leg over the other to pull on her shoe and he felt his jeans tighten almost painfully.
Bella looked up to see Edward standing in her doorway, freezing with her shoes in hand at the expression on his face. "Edward? What's wrong?"
Edward shook his head. "Absolutely nothing," he mumbled. He was in front of her in a second and gently took the shoes from her hand, tossing them to the floor, before lifting her to her feet. He stared at her a moment and Bella shivered at the intensity of the expression in his eyes. Then he was kissing her hungrily and she forgot everything else as she kissed him back with equal passion, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Edward's arms wrapped around Bella's waist, his hands trailing up beneath her shirt. Bella shivered at the feel of his long fingers running across her bare skin and she threaded her fingers through his hair. She never wanted Edward to stop kissing her, to stop touching her, but the logical part of her brain started screaming something about school and tests and she sighed. Edward's lips trailed lightly down her neck and across her collarbone and she forced herself to focus. "Edward," she murmured breathlessly. "We're going to be late for class."
Edward groaned, dropping his arms to his sides and stepping back from Bella. "I know," he muttered.
Bella instantly missed the feeling of Edward's arms around her and his lips on hers. "Oh, screw it," she mumbled, pulling him into a heated kiss.
Edward growled low in his throat and pulled Bella flush against his body. Holding her tightly against his body, he eased them both backward onto her bed, laying Bella flat on her back as he hovered over her.
"Bella," Edward murmured, brushing kisses across her collarbone. "Beautiful Bella." He began to trail kisses up her throat, stopping at her chin. "My Bella," he murmured, his lust filled gaze meeting her own.
Bella stared back at him, her own eyes nearly black with passion. "Yes," she gasped.
Edward growled again, crushing his lips to Bella's. His hands slid down to the edge of her shirt and he quickly pulled it up and over her head. Bella immediately returned the favor, rising to her knees and tugging Edward's black t-shirt up over his head and tossing it off the bed.
Edward pulled her against him once more and Bella moaned at the feeling of their bare skin pressed together. Her hand slid down between them and she unfastened the button on his jeans, gently dragging down the zipper before beginning to slide his pants down his hips. Edward groaned as Bella's hands skimmed along his thighs and he stood for a moment, yanking his jeans the rest of the way down his legs and dropping them to the ground.
He was back on the bed in seconds and Bella placed her hands on his chest, gently pushing him back until he was lying flat on the bed. She straddled his hips and began trailing gentle kisses down his bare chest. Edward made a sound low in his throat as Bella's lips reached the top of his boxers. Before he knew quite what was happening, Bella had hooked her fingers in the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down and off his legs entirely.
Bella stared down at Edward's erection a moment before dipping her head down and taking him entirely in her mouth.
Edward cried out, his hips jerking forward. "Bella," he gasped. He tugged gently on her hair and Bella reluctantly released him and raised her head to meet his gaze. "Bella, you don't have to."
"You don't want me to?" Her tone was hurt and Edward hurried to reassure her.
Edward groaned. "Of course I do, but-"
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes," he said breathlessly.
Without another word, she took him in her mouth again. Edward groaned at the feeling of her warm mouth enveloping his cock and he reached his hands down to tangle in Bella's hair. Bella slid her mouth slowly down Edward's shaft, taking him entirely in her mouth before sliding back so that she held only the tip in her mouth. She repeated the motion several times, alternating between wrapping her tongue around him and humming lightly, delighting in the moans and animalistic groans coming from Edward.
She took him entirely in her mouth again and slid her tongue out, running it gently under his balls before humming again as she moved back toward his tip, her teeth gently scraping the underside of his penis. "Oh, God, Bella, I'm, I'm-" Edward groaned above her. She felt him tense for a moment before his hips jerked forward and he came in her mouth. She held him in her mouth, swallowing and running her tongue along his shaft once more before moving up to lay next to him.
Edward was panting, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, and he opened his eyes when he felt Bella settle next to him. "Bella, oh my God. That was, you're amazing," he gasped, pulling her against him. "Thank you," he whispered, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.
Bella smiled, snuggling against his side. "You're very welcome," she murmured, pressing a kiss to the slick skin of his shoulder.
The couple lay there for a few moments until Edward's ragged breathing became more even. Without warning, Bella found herself flipped onto her back, Edward above her with his weight resting on his arms. He tilted his head down to kiss her lips before beginning to trail light kisses down her throat and to her chest. "Turnabout's fair play," he said, and Bella could feel him smile against her skin as he reached the top of her skirt.
He unfastened the clasp on the side of her skirt and slid it down her hips, his lips following the path of the skirt as he pulled it down her legs before tossing it to the floor. His lips began moving up the inside of her right leg, not stopping until he reached the barrier of her now soaked underwear.
"God, Bella," Edward groaned, "you're so wet." He ran his nose gently across her panties. "And you smell so good," he mumbled. He pulled the fabric down slowly, dropping it to the floor as well once it cleared her legs. Bella was propped up on her forearms, her eyes locked on Edward and his motions. Edward looked up and grinned wickedly at Bella before he slowly slid a finger inside of her. She gasped, throwing her head back against the pillow as he began to stroke her.
He added another finger, reveling in the mewling gasp that tore from Bella's throat as he curled his two fingers and began stroking her even harder. "Edward, please," she gasped, her hips bucking against his fingers. She reached down and grabbed his hand, stilling his movements. "Edward, please," she repeated. "Inside me."
Edward's cock throbbed painfully as he removed his fingers from Bella and crawled up her body. He pressed a kiss between her breasts before sliding a hand under her and unclasping her bra. He took the material in his hands and dropped it to the floor with the rest of their clothing before turning his attention fully to her bare breasts.
Bella suddenly felt self conscious with the way Edward was silently staring at her and she moved her hands to cover herself. Edward gently caught her hands in his. "Bella, please don't ever cover yourself in front of me," he said. "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life." He leaned down and pressed gentle kisses to both breasts before moving up to capture her lips with his own. "Ready, love?" he asked.
Bella nodded and Edward slowly slid himself into her, both moaning at the feeling of absolute completeness that encompassed them at the action. Staring directly into Bella's eyes, Edward began moving slowly, thrusting into her with deep, languid thrusts.
After a few thrusts, he lifted her right leg and hooked it over his shoulder. Bella moaned softly as the new position caused Edward to hit a particularly sensitive spot and she draped her other leg over his shoulder, locking her ankles below his neck. Due to Edward's earlier ministrations, Bella was already highly aroused and felt the bundle of nerves in her core begin to throb as Edward thrust into her. "Please, Edward," she murmured. "I'm so close."
Edward groaned. The sight of Bella beneath him, her eyes dark with lust and her hair fanning around her face as she begged him, was about to push him over the edge. He sped up his thrusts, dipping his head down and capturing Bella's right breast in his mouth as he attempted to cause her to reach her orgasm before his.
Bella felt her stomach tighten and she moaned Edward's name, her walls clenching tightly around him as she came. Seconds later she felt Edward freeze above her before he came, his body trembling with the force of his orgasm, moaning her name as he spilled himself inside of her.
Edward rolled to the side, disconnecting himself from Bella before pulling her into his arms and holding her close. "Now this is a before school routine I could definitely get used to," Edward said breathlessly.
"A new monthly tradition?" Bella smiled, her own breathing still ragged.
Edward pulled back a moment to look directly at her. "I was thinking more along the lines of daily, actually," he clarified with a wicked grin.
Bella couldn't help giggling, burying her flushed face against his side. Edward smiled, running his hands gently through Bella's hair. "Bella?" he said after a moment.
"Hmm?"
"Can I take you out?"
"Out?"
"Yeah, you know, out. Like a date."
Bella shifted so that her head was resting on Edward's bare chest. "What did you have in mind?"
Edward smiled. "Is that a yes?
"Maybe," she said teasingly.
Edward pulled her more tightly against his side briefly. "There's a restaurant in Port Angeles called La Tasca. It's an Italian restaurant that my family likes to go to sometimes."
"Sounds good to me," Bella murmured, snuggling against Edward's side.
The couple lay there in silence for awhile, just enjoying being in each other's arms. Eventually, Edward forced himself to look at Bella's bedside clock. His groan pulled Bella from her pleasant daydreams. "What's wrong?"
"The time," he grumbled. "As much as I'd prefer just staying here with you all day, I think we'd have a difficult time explaining why we both missed taking Sorenson's test." His eyes narrowed. "And if I don't get you to Biology, Alice will make the Spanish Inquisition look like a picnic."
Bella giggled. "I think I'm a little more afraid of Alice than Ms. Sorenson," she admitted.
"Me, too," Edward said, pulling her tightly against his side and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm going to go get dressed in the bathroom," he said, sitting up. "I don't know that I'd be able to control myself enough to keep round two from happening if I don't."
Bella blushed a deep crimson but couldn't help smiling up at Edward. "Okay. Give me five minutes and I'll meet you downstairs," she promised.
Edward nodded, leaning forward to kiss her once more then leaning down to grab his clothes from the floor before rising from the bed and making his way down the hall to the bathroom.
As promised, Bella met Edward in the living room five minutes later, her hair brushed and her clothing impeccable. "Ready?" Edward asked, offering Bella his arm.
She smiled, linking her arm through his. "Lead the way," she told him.
When the pair reached the school, they had to hurry inside in order to make the bell for their third period class. "I'll see you after class," Edward promised, pressing a kiss to Bella's lips before hurrying off to his class.
Bella paused and took a deep breath, trying to fight down the giddy smile that she could feel pulling at the edge of her lips. When she felt sufficiently composed (or as composed as she was going to get at the moment, she admitted to herself), she entered the classroom.
Fortunately for Bella, Doc Marin was running late that day and she made her way to her table with a sigh of relief.
Alice and Jasper were talking to Angela and Bella greeted them as she slid into her seat. Alice appraised Bella openly for a moment and then her eyes narrowed. "You look way too put together to have just come from gym," she decided. "You just got here, didn't you?"
"What?" Bella said innocently. She tried to play dumb but Alice wasn't buying it.
"Spend a little quality time with Edward this morning?" Alice said with a wicked grin.
Bella blushed deep red and Angela quickly jumped in. "Do you guys want to do something this weekend? Maybe go to a movie tomorrow night or something?"
"I can't do anything tomorrow night," Bella responded, her face still bright red. "Edward and I are going out to dinner."
"Where are you going?" Angela asked.
"An Italian restaurant in Port Angeles. He said your family goes there all the time," she added, looking at Alice and Jasper.
"He's taking you to La Tasca?" Alice squealed excitedly.
Bella nodded. "I guess you guys really do go there a lot," she joked.
Alice grinned widely. "You have no idea!" La Tasca was where her father had proposed to her mother 20 years earlier and she was bursting to tell Bella this. As if he could read her thoughts, however, Jasper placed a cautioning hand on her arm, shaking his head slightly. Alice deflated slightly for a second but knew he was probably right – no sense in freaking Bella out with knowledge of just how important the restaurant really was. "You're going to love it," was all she said instead.
Doc entered the room then and Jasper and Alice crossed the room to sit at their own table. Bella could feel Angela's curious stare and she turned to her friend.
"Was Alice right?" Angela asked. "Did you just get here?"
Bella blushed. "Maybe."
Angela smiled but let the subject drop. "Ready for the test?"
"I hope so. I fell asleep trying to get in some last minute studying," Bella admitted.
"Don't worry. I had it last period, you're going to be fine," Angela assured her as Doc began class and the girls turned their attention to the front of the room.
When class was over, Bella and Angela walked out of the classroom with Alice and Jasper. As usual, Edward was waiting in the hallway and he fairly beamed when he caught sight of Bella. "Hey," he said, pulling her into his arms.
"Hey," she replied softly, pressing a quick peck to his lips.
"Ahem." They turned to find Alice standing behind them, her arms crossed in front of her. "A little late this morning were we, dear brother?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Both Bella and Edward flushed as Jasper took Alice by the arm. "Come on, darlin'," he drawled. "Leave the two lovebirds in peace. We need to get to class." The couple began walking down the hall, both Edward and Bella silently thanking Jasper as they walked away.
"This isn't over," Alice promised, looking back over her shoulder. "I expect the whole story at lunch."
"You were saying about the Spanish Inquisition?" Bella asked, her face still pink.
"Right, um, I'll see you guys later," Angela said.
Edward smiled at the girl. "See you at lunch, Angela," he said as he and Bella began to walk to Bella's English class.
When they had reached Bella's classroom, Edward stopped, turning to Bella. "I have a football meeting at lunch," he said, regret clear on his face. "I just found out last class. It should only take a few minutes but it means I won't be able to meet you after class to walk to lunch."
Bella squeezed his hand gently. "It's okay. I'll probably be slightly brain dead after this test anyway. Hopefully, I'll be back to a normal human being by the time you get to lunch."
Edward smiled, pulling Bella close. "Not like I'll be paying any attention anyway," he murmured, pressing a kiss against her throat.
Bella sighed, her eyes fluttering closed. "You're going to make me fail my test if you don't stop that," she warned him.
"Darn, my nefarious plan has been discovered," Edward teased, trailing kisses up her jawline. "I'm just trying to get you to fail the test so I can take the number one spot in class rankings."
Bella smiled, her eyes still closed. "Funny."
Edward pulled her to him, kissing her full on the lips for a moment before releasing her. "All right, love," he said. "Go kick some Faulkner ass."
Bella smiled. "I'll try. See you at lunch."
Edward squeezed her hand before stepping back. "See you at lunch," he promised before turning and heading to his fourth period class. Bella watched until he turned a corner and then walked into the classroom. She settled herself at her desk, pulling out a pen before stowing the rest of her books beneath her desk in preparation for the exam.
An hour later, the bell rang to signal the end of class and Ms. Sorenson collected the tests. Bella took her time gathering her books while her classmates began discussing the tests as they collected their own books. With Edward in a meeting, there was no real rush to get to the cafeteria and she sat at her desk while the rest of the students exited the classroom. The test had been a little more involved than she had expected and while she was fairly certain she had done well, she still took the opportunity to close her eyes and just decompress for a moment.
"Bella, I never would have thought you had it in you. I have to admit, I'm quite impressed." Lauren's voice came from behind Bella, shattering her sense of tranquility, and she opened her eyes and turned around.
"What are you talking about, Lauren?" she asked, standing and shoving her books in her bag, now in a hurry to get out of the classroom. She was barely paying attention to the blonde girl as her mind focused on the fact that she would be with Edward again in just a few minutes.
"Why, I'm talking about you and Edward, of course."
Bella barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I know," she told her. "But everyone knew about that on Monday. Try to keep up, Lauren."
"Yes, everyone knew about that by Monday," Lauren responded. "But they didn't all know about what you and Edward did in the Biology closet, did they?"
Bella froze and looked at Lauren. "What are you talking about, Lauren?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly despite her best efforts.
Lauren glanced around the empty classroom and then leaned in a little closer to Bella. "I'm talking about you letting Edward fuck you in the closet last week."
Bella's blood ran cold and she was unable to keep a soft gasp from escaping her lips. "What, what are you, how…?" Bella trailed off, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Lauren smiled triumphantly. "Oh, yes, Bella, I know all about that," she told her. "We're not sure if you locked the two of you in there on purpose or not, of course, but it doesn't matter now, does it? Virgins are worth serious points so Edward's not going to make a fuss."
"Points?" Bella echoed weakly, putting a hand on the desk next to her for support. This could not be happening. This was all some kind of awful nightmare, it had to be.
"Oh, yes. It's all sport," Lauren told her. "A couple of us like to keep track, compare notes, see who's ahead and all that. Edward's way ahead now thanks to your little closet adventure."
Bella took a deep breath, trying to calm her wildly pounding heart. This couldn't be true. Lauren had to be lying. She could not be talking about the Edward that Bella loved. "I don't believe you," Bella told Lauren, trying to keep her voice steady. "Edward would never do that."
Lauren looked at Bella pityingly. "I'm sorry, did you really think this was all for real, that he really cared about you? I mean, you were important, of course, mostly because you put Edward so far ahead. And even better, you ended up serving another purpose for him. His parents were getting a little nosy about him not dating so a decoy was needed. Enter you. The smart, studious, completely innocent and safe daughter of the police chief. And his parents just loved you, of course. Now, Edward can continue to have his fun, collect his points, and his parents will get off his back."
Bella thought she was going to throw up. This couldn't be true. It was worse than all of her fears about the relationship combined. Had Edward really used her so callously?
Lauren looked at Bella and shook her head. "I mean, really, Bella. You're the kind of girl a parent wants for their son, not the kind of girl a guy like Edward wants for himself." She gave Bella a sympathetic smile. "I thought you knew."
Bella stared back at Lauren, willing herself not to break down in front of the girl. No, Edward would never do something like that, she didn't believe it. If he didn't tell her, then how did Lauren know all of that? a nagging voice in her head asked. Only you, Edward, and five other people know those details. And you know Angela would never tell.
"Let me guess," Lauren said. "He told you he'd never had sex before, right? And that it was more than just sex between you two?" At Bella's stricken expression she smirked, shaking her head. "He's been using that line forever," she mused, "and the girls still fall for it every single time."
Lauren noticed that Bella was swaying slightly on her feet and the blonde grinned, preparing to deal the final blow. "I guess I'm a little jealous," she continued, thoroughly enjoying the distraught expression on Bella's face as she twisted the knife even deeper. "I used to be worth the most points on Edward's list. But that whole virgin thing of yours dropped me down to number two."
Bella visibly cringed as the impact of Lauren's words hit her full force. Number two. Then that meant that Lauren and Edward had… Oh God. She had to get out of there. Her vision hazy, Bella pushed past Lauren and stumbled out of the room. She didn't know where she was going as she blindly fled the room, only that she had to get away from Lauren and her poisonous words. One thought echoed through her mind over and over. Edward wouldn't do that. Would he?
Lauren watched her go, a cruel smile on her lips. Bella had put up a good front, but Lauren had seen the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. Now it was time to sit back and watch the fireworks.
The first person Bella bumped into – literally – was Emmett whose locker was right outside her English classroom. "Hey, Bella Marie," Emmett said with a big grin. "Most important class of the day – lunch! You coming?"
Bella looked up at him, dazed, and Emmett frowned at the sickly pallor of her skin. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked her. "You don't look so good. Do you need me to take you to the nurse's office?
Bella shook her head. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something, Emmett."
"Shoot."
Bella took a deep breath. "Emmett, did you by any chance tell anyone else outside of the five of you about what happened between me and Edward that first night we were together?"
"What are you talking about, Bella?" Emmett asked innocently.
Bella sighed. "Emmett, I know Edward told the four of you what happened between us when we were trapped in the biology closet overnight. I just need to know, please, did you tell anyone what Edward told you?"
Emmett stared back at her, slightly confused. He would have thought that a girl in Bella's position would be furious with someone if she thought that person had been spreading stories about her sex life. But Bella looked almost…hopeful. "No, Bella," he told her. "I didn't tell anyone. Neither did Jasper or Rose. Edward would kill us." He grinned slightly. "Alice probably would, too. Why?"
Bella took in his slightly puzzled expression and earnest tone and knew he was telling her the truth. Emmett had not told anyone. And she believed him about the others, too. That only left two people and she felt a stab of pain in her gut at the thought of either of those people betraying her like this.
"Thanks, Emmett," she said quietly. "I'll see you later."
Emmett still looked a bit confused but he smiled back at her. "Later, Bella."
Moments later, Bella found Alice just shutting the door to her own locker.
"Hey, Alice."
Alice turned around, smiling at her friend. "Hi, Bella," she said brightly. "What's up? Ready for lunch?"
Bella shook her head. "Alice, I have to ask you something. And as a friend, I need you to swear you will be honest with me."
"This sounds serious," Alice said, the smile leaving her face. "What's up?"
"Alice, you didn't tell anyone about Edward and me in the biology closet and what happened between us, did you?"
Alice tilted her head and looked at Bella questioningly. "Of course not. Why?"
Bella tried to force a smile and failed. "Yeah, I was kind of afraid you were going to say that," she whispered tearfully.
"Wait, did someone-?" Alice stopped, a look of understanding crossing her face. "Oh, sweetie, no! You know Edward would never-"
Bella cut her off, shaking her head. "Who else?" she said, her voice dangerously close to breaking. "I have to go, Alice," she said sadly.
"Bella," Alice called as her friend began to walk away. But Bella did not stop and she did not respond, walking quickly until she was out of Alice's sight.
Bella shoved the door to the girls' bathroom open and raced for a stall, paying no attention to the girl standing at one of the sinks. She dropped to her knees and retched violently into the toilet, not bothering to close the stall door behind her.
"Bella?"
Bella didn't even register the other person's presence until she felt a hand on her back. "Bella? What's wrong? Are you all right?"
Bella sat back from the toilet, wiping her hand across her mouth as she looked up into Angela's worried face.
Angela nearly gasped as she took in Bella's paler than normal complexion and unfocused eyes. "Bella, are you all right? Do you want me to get Edward?"
Bella's eyes widened. "No! No Edward!" she gasped before turning and heaving into the toilet once more.
Angela held Bella's hair back, gently rubbing her back until Bella sat back from the toilet once more. "Bella?"
"He lied, Ang! Everything was a lie! He used me. Oh, God," she gasped disjointedly.
She began trembling violently and Angela stood, pulling Bella to her feet with her. "Come on, I'm taking you to the nurse." Bella leaned heavily on the taller girl's shoulder as they left the bathroom and headed to the nurse's office.
Angela looked at her friend worriedly as she half dragged her to the nurse's office. Something was seriously wrong, that much was clear. And it obviously went beyond some stomach bug. All she knew was that Bella needed her right now and she was going to do whatever she could to help.
Edward had to restrain himself from running into the lunchroom. The fifteen-minute meeting had seemed absolutely interminable and he couldn't wait to see Bella. He entered the room and his gaze immediately went to his customary lunch table. He frowned when he saw that only his siblings sat at the table and Bella was nowhere to be seen. Bypassing the lunch line for the moment, he hurried over to the table.
As he slid into a seat at the table, Alice looked up and Edward felt himself tense at the expression on her face. "Alice?"
"Something's wrong, Edward," she said without preamble.
"Yeah, you're not kidding," Emmett chimed in. "Dude, what's up with Bella?"
"What do you mean?"
"I just saw her after class and she looked kind of sick. She asked me if I had told anyone about you two in the closet."
"What?"
Emmett shrugged. "Yeah, I thought it was weird. Even weirder, she was kind of looking at me like she was hoping I'd say yes."
Alice took in a sharp breath and Edward turned to his sister quickly. "What's going on, Alice?"
"I'm not entirely sure," she admitted. "But I just saw Bella and she asked me if I had told anyone about you two in the closet. She was really upset. I think she might think you said something."
Edward's face went dead white. "What?" he managed to croak.
"Edward, someone must have said something to her," Alice said quietly.
"But who would tell her?" he asked. "I mean, outside of Angela, only you guys know." His eyes swept the table as he said this and he couldn't help pausing momentarily on Rose. "But none of you would say anything." He hesitated, his eyes still on Rose. "Right?"
Rose's eyes darkened. "You think I told someone what happened between you two?" she asked incredulously.
Edward was instantly ashamed of himself when he saw the hurt in Rose's eyes. "No, I'm sorry, Rose," he said. "I know none of you would never. I just don't know what Bella's talking about. What could have happened?"
"Don't you think maybe the best thing would be for you to go find her?" Jasper suggested. "That's usually the only way to get the whole story."
Edward nodded. "You're right. I'll see you guys later. I have to go find out what's going on and make sure Bella is all right."
He stood from the table and quickly left the cafeteria, the others looking after him. "How could he think I would say something?" Rose grumbled. "Just because I didn't fall all over their relationship doesn't mean I wasn't happy for them or anything."
Alice patted her shoulder soothingly. "I know, Rose. We all know that, Edward included. He's just a little freaked out right now, he doesn't know quite what he's saying." She knew it had been hard for Rose to accept a new person into their close knit group, but she had been adjusting well. It had been tough for Rose seeing how quickly the other four had accepted Bella, but Alice knew that Rose would never do anything to sabotage Edward's happiness with Bella.
"Well I hope he gets this figured out fast," Emmett said. "I really don't want Edward going back to being all emo without Bella."
"Nice, Emmett," Alice said, smacking her big brother in the shoulder.
"What?" Emmett said. "I'm just saying he was happy with her. And I like her, she's a nice girl. Mom and Dad liked her, too," he added. He made a face. "I think Mom may be just as emo as Eddie if something goes wrong with Bella."
Alice rolled her eyes as Jasper slid his arm around her shoulder. She knew Emmett had a habit of trying to make every situation funny. It was how he coped with tough emotional situations and Alice was used to it after all these years. However, as the feeling of dread began to spread throughout her, she found she was not in the mood for her big brother's humor right now.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it's all just a miscommunication of some kind," Jasper said calmly. "They'll have this all straightened out and be insanely happy again by the end of the day."
"I hope you're right," Alice said, leaning back against Jasper's chest. Still, she could not shake the image of Bella's face and the sorrow on it when Alice had assured her she had not shared her secret. Alice sighed unhappily – she had a very bad feeling that this was going to be more than just some little lover's spat. Jasper rubbed her arm comfortingly and she smiled up at him but she still couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding hanging over her.
Angela had explained that Bella was not feeling well and that she was going to take her friend home. One look at Bella's pallid face had been enough for Ms. Cope and she had quickly written out a pass for Angela and Bella. "Feel better, sweetheart," she said kindly as Angela helped Bella out of the office.
"Bella, I'm going to take you home, okay?" Angela said as she guided Bella to the parking lot. Bella didn't respond and Angela tried again. "You don't have your truck here today, do you?" At this, Bella shook her head, and Angela sighed, relieved to get some kind of response out of her friend.
Bella knew Angela was talking to her as they walked to the parking lot, but she couldn't focus on anything the other girl was saying. All she could think about was her encounter with Lauren. She didn't want to believe that Edward or any of the other Cullens could be capable of such cruel actions, but the very fact that Lauren had known what she did made it very hard to discount her story as lies.
She felt sick as she thought of Lauren's words about Edward. About how he had used her and then bragged about the points he had gained by having sex with her. He had lied to her and then paraded her around calling her his girlfriend as a joke. And she had let it all happen. She had thought that Edward cared about her; she had thought that Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and even Rose were her friends. She had thought that meeting his parents and their acceptance had actually meant something.
She had been so stupid, she realized as she and Angela reached her friend's car. She had let herself believe it was real, had allowed herself to fall in love with him when the entire time it had been nothing but a game to him.
Angela walked around to the driver's side to unlock the doors and Bella put her hand on the passenger side door of the car to steady herself. Her heart was pounding and she found she couldn't catch her breath. Her brain screamed at her to climb into the car but before she could move another step, her knees gave out and she sank down against the side of Angela's car.
Edward raced out to the parking lot, looking around frantically for Bella. He saw Angela first, standing by her car, and he felt his heart catch as his gaze zeroed in on Bella. She was crumpled up on the ground next to Angela's car sobbing her heart out.
"Bella!" His anguished cry didn't even pierce her consciousness.
Edward raced to her but Angela was there first. She opened the passenger side door and practically lifted Bella into the car. She buckled the seatbelt around Bella and then closed the door, turning to see Edward standing right behind her.
"Angela, what's going on?" he asked frantically. "Is Bella all right? Is she hurt?"
Angela's eyes narrowed. "Yes, and you can thank yourself for that, I'm sure," she told him.
Edward was confused. "What? Angela, what is going on? Something's wrong with Bella, I need to talk to her. I think someone's been lying to her."
Angela raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "You think?" she replied scathingly. "Look, just go away, Edward. She doesn't want to talk to you, and quite frankly, neither do I."
She walked past him and climbed into the driver's seat. Without even looking to see where Edward was standing, she started the car and backed up. Edward quickly jumped out of the way, his eyes never leaving Bella's face as she continued to weep.
By the time they had reached Bella's house, Bella was no longer crying. This was not reassuring to Angela, however, as Bella seemed to have gone slightly catatonic. She was not speaking and her eyes once more looked unfocused.
Angela silently led Bella into the house and took her up to her bedroom. "Why don't you get into some comfortable clothes, Bella?" she said gently. "And I'll go make us some tea." Bella nodded vaguely and Angela returned to the first floor. Chief Swan didn't have the calming chamomile or lavender tea she would have liked to make for Bella, and she hoped the warmth of plain old Lipton tea would be enough to help soothe Bella.
Angela was just throwing out the used tea bags when she heard a soft thump come from upstairs. It was quickly followed by another thump and she hurried up the stairs, the mug of tea in her hand. "Bella?" She reached the doorway to Bella's room and stopped. Bella was standing in the middle of her room yanking the pillowcase from the last of the pillows on her bed. When she had successfully pulled it off, she tossed the pillow across the room to join the other pillows from her bed which were also missing their pillowcases.
"Bella, what are you doing?"
"Him! It all smells like him!" Bella said, frantically pulling the top sheet from her bed and dropping it in the pile of sheets at her feet. She turned her attention to the fitted sheet still on the bed, pulling at it desperately. "It has to go. It smells like him!" she moaned, dropping the fitted sheet into the pile and sinking to her knees among the sheets as she began to sob.
"Oh, Bella." Angela set the mug of tea on the dresser and hurried to her friend's side. "Bella, it's all right. It's going to be okay," Angela soothed, dropping to her knees next to Bella and wrapping her arms around her.
Angela wasn't sure how long she held Bella, rocking her back and forth to comfort her, before her friend spoke again. "It never made any sense." Bella's voice was choked by her tears but Angela still understood the words.
"What never made any sense, Bella?" she asked gently.
"Edward caring about me, wanting to be with me. He's so gorgeous, so perfect. How did I ever fool myself into thinking he wanted to be with me? What the hell was I thinking – that I was good enough for someone like him? I'm so stupid."
"Bella, stop," Angela said, pulling back and lifting Bella's chin so her friend would have to look at her. "Don't say that, any of it. It's not true."
Bella shook her head. "It is true," she sobbed. "I was so stupid! I thought he cared about me, I thought they were all my friends, but it was all just a game to them. They're probably laughing at me right now." At this, Bella's sobs increased to the point that she could no longer speak and Angela just held her, rubbing her back and whispering words of comfort.
When Bella had calmed down once more, Angela asked her where she kept her extra bedding. After remaking Bella's bed and settling Bella on it, she handed her friend the mug of now lukewarm tea before gathering up the discarded bedding and taking it down to the laundry room.
When she returned to Bella's room, she managed to get a few more words out of her friend. Nothing about what had just happened, unfortunately, but Angela learned that Charlie would be out late that night as it was another officer's birthday and they were all going out after work to celebrate.
Angela was attempting to decide on the best course of action to help her friend when she heard the doorbell ring. It rang two more times in quick succession, almost frantically, and Angela turned to Bella who was still seated on the bed. She didn't see a word but Angela saw how her body had tensed at the sound. "Don't worry, Bella," she said gently. "I'll take care of it."
Bella nodded and Angela made her way downstairs. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Edward Cullen standing on the front steps. She put on the security chain and cracked the door open. "What do you want, Edward?"
"Angela, please let me in," Edward pleaded. "I need to see Bella. Is she okay? Did something happen?" His face looked truly agonized and for a moment, Angela considered he might actually be worried about Bella. Then she remembered her sobbing friend upstairs and her resolve strengthened.
"Go away, Edward," Angela told him. "Bella doesn't want to talk to you."
"Angela, please," Edward said desperately. "What's going on? Is she hurt?"
Angela's eyes narrowed even further as she realized that she herself didn't exactly know what had happened. But she'd be damned if she was going to admit that to Edward. "Edward, if you don't get off the steps right now, I am going to have Chief Swan swear out a restraining order on you."
"But Angela-"
"You've done enough, Edward!" Angela snapped. "Get lost." And with that, she slammed the door, turning the locks on the door and dropping the security chain so that Charlie would be able to get in later.
She could see that Edward hadn't moved but she turned her back on him and walked into the kitchen. She made a quick call to her house, telling her mother that Bella needed her and she would be spending the night there. Mrs. Weber knew that her daughter must have a good reason for her actions and agreed to bring Angela a change of clothes so that she would not have to leave Bella alone for even a few moments.
The moment she hung up the phone, it began to ring and Angela picked it up. "Hello?"
"Angela, please let me speak to Bella," Edward begged.
Without a word, Angela hung up the phone. She held the disconnect button down a minute before picking it up. Upon hearing the dial tone, she propped the handset on the counter, deciding to leave the phone off the hook until Charlie came home. Then Edward would either chicken out when the chief answered the phone or would have to explain to him just what he had done to put his only daughter in such a state.
With that sorted, Angela turned her attention to coming up with a story to tell Charlie when he did return home. She settled on telling him that the two girls were working on a major project together that was due the next day. Satisfied, she made her way back to Bella's room, hoping there was something she could do to help her distressed friend.
The next morning, Angela and Bella drove to school together. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" Angela asked Bella for probably the fifth time that morning.
Bella sighed. "Ang, I appreciate everything you've done, but please stop asking me that. Just because Edward Cullen and the rest of his family turned out to be a bunch of lying jerks, does not mean I'm going to hide at home. I have just as much right to be here as they do and I refuse to let him dictate any more of my life than he already has."
"Okay," Angela said, slightly taken aback at Bella's atypical hostility.
Bella sighed again. "Ang, I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't be taking this out on you. You've been amazing and I'm really lucky to have a friend like you. I'm just a little tense. But I refuse to hide from this and I am done crying about it. I think being angry about it is the best chance I have of not breaking down every time I see him," she admitted quietly.
Angela reached over and squeezed Bella's hand as she pulled into a parking space. "You always have me, no matter what," she promised.
"Thanks, Ang," Bella said with a smile. She took a deep breath. "I can do this," she muttered, mostly to herself.
"Yes, you can," Angela reassured her. "Who needs Edward Cullen? You're Bella Swan, number one in the class, and you are amazing." Bella took another deep breath and the two exited the car, quickly making their way across the parking lot and into Building three where Bella's locker was located.
Bella had just finished gathering the books she would need for her morning class when she saw Angela tense beside her. "Incoming," Angela muttered under her breath.
Bella tensed as well before letting out a deep breath. "Bella?"
She turned slowly to face Edward, carefully keeping her face blank. She couldn't fully keep her eyes expressionless, however, and Edward felt something tug at his heart at the pain he saw in her big brown eyes.
"Bella, are you all right?" he asked quietly. "I've been so worried."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I mess up your little game?" Bella said bitterly.
Edward's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of Bella's words and her uncharacteristically harsh tone of voice. "Game? What are you talking about, Bella? Do you mean the football meeting yesterday? What does this have to do with that?"
Bella's eyes narrowed. "Football. Cute," she spat at him. "Was I not supposed to find out this soon? Was I not supposed to know that all of this was just some fucked up game to you? I'm so glad I could be your entertainment for a little while. Just love to think that I was able to stave off boredom for a bunch of rich brats who get a kick out of playing with people's lives. I'll bet you all got a good laugh out of it, too, huh? Telling them how you banged the geeky virgin on the floor of the biology closet." Bella grimaced. "I suppose yesterday morning was worth even more points to you, huh?"
Edward looked absolutely bewildered. "Bella-"
She continued as if he hadn't even spoken. "And to think I believed all of that crap you told me. The way you acted all sweet and understanding, pretending you weren't the arrogant slut I knew you were. I trusted you. I l-" Bella cut herself off abruptly. "Well, I guess that just makes me an idiot for believing a single word you said."
"Bella, please. I don't know what's happened but you have to believe I would never-"
"No, you know what," Bella said, cutting him off sharply, "I don't have to believe you. And I don't have to listen to whatever lies are about to come out of your mouth. I've already fallen for your bullshit once before, I'm not going to stand here and let that happen again." She glared at him and he felt his heart constrict as he saw the tears glistening in her eyes.
"Bella," he choked out.
"Just stay away from me," she hissed, turning on her heel and hurrying away.
Edward tried to follow Bella, but Angela moved in front of him, blocking his way. "You may think that just because you're some kind of football god and half this school wants to jump you, it's okay to do the things you do," she seethed, glaring at him. "But you're wrong. Nothing gives you an excuse to be such a poor excuse for a human being. She is worth a hundred of you so you just leave her alone." With a last glare, she followed after her friend.
Edward wasn't sure how long he stood there, frozen, staring in the direction Bella had gone. He was unaware of anything around him until a soft, familiar voice said, "Edward."
Edward turned around to see Alice standing there, a sympathetic look on her face. She blanched at the shell-shocked look in Edward's eyes, knowing she'd never seen her brother look so lost. "Edward, I'm so sorry," she said softly, reaching a hand out to touch his arm gently.
I'm in hell. Either that, or this is one hell of a nightmare, Edward thought to himself. Just yesterday, he had been making plans for telling Bella that he loved her, and now she was looking at him with such disdain in her eyes and speaking to him with hatred in her voice. "What the hell is happening, Alice?" he asked desperately. "Why does Bella hate me?" He looked absolutely crushed and Alice hurried to try to comfort him.
"She doesn't hate you, Edward," she reassured her brother. "But for some reason she seems to think you told someone about what happened between the two of you in the closet that night." Her brow furrowed and her expression became even more troubled. "And more than that, she seems to think we were all involved in some way."
"But Alice, I didn't tell anyone other than you four," Edward said. "And I would never do anything to hurt Bella."
"I know, Edward," Alice reassured him. "I told Bella you never would have done this. Not that she seems to believe a word I say, either." She sighed and then her eyes narrowed. "But someone did do this. Someone knows and they told Bella. And the question now is who."
Edward sighed. "Does it even matter, Alice? You heard her, she doesn't want me anywhere near her." His voice broke. "What am I going to do, Alice? She's just." He paused, taking a shaky breath. "She's everything. I can't lose her like this."
Alice rubbed his arm soothingly. "We'll figure it out, Edward. I promise. We'll fix this. You are not going to lose Bella."
Edward rubbed a hand roughly across his eyes. "I can't do this right now, Alice," he said quietly, forcing back the tears that threatened. Alice winced slightly at the despondent tone of his voice. "I gotta get to class. I'll see you later."
Alice watched her brother walk away, his slightly slumped shoulders only hinting at the devastation she knew he felt inside. Well, fine, if Edward wasn't going to help her fix this, then it was up to her. She had enjoyed spending time with Bella and she hated seeing how miserable they were apart. She knew they cared about each other deeply, possibly even more than they realized. They had been so blissfully happy in the short time they had been together and she was going to do everything in her power to bring them back to each other again. But first, she was going to need a little help.
By the time lunchtime rolled around, Alice was beginning to get extremely frustrated. During Biology, Angela had acted as a human shield for Bella, not allowing Alice a chance to even try to speak to Bella. Now it was lunchtime and Bella was sitting at her old table, surrounded by her friends, most of whom kept shooting nasty looks at the Cullens' lunch table.
Edward sat with his back to Bella's lunch table. He hadn't bothered getting anything for lunch and he wasn't speaking to any of his siblings. By now, Alice had filled the rest of them in on the confrontation between Bella and Edward that morning. They each tried to draw Edward into conversation or get him to eat something, but all to no avail. He sat stiff and silent, staring straight ahead.
About halfway through the period, Edward happened to glance at Emmett and saw his brother glaring at something over Edward's shoulder. When he noticed his younger brother looking, Emmett quickly settled his face into a neutral mask, turning his attention to Rosalie. Edward turned in his seat to see what had caught Emmett's attention, realizing immediately that his brother had been looking at Bella's lunch table.
His stomach clenched painfully as he saw Aaron Hurley sitting next to Bella. Too close! His mind screamed, his eyes narrowing as he watched Aaron's arm brush against Bella's. Aaron said something and Edward's heart tore when he saw Bella smile for the first time since he had seen her smile over 24 hours earlier. That should be him sitting with Bella, making her smile and laugh while they sat together and talked and made plans for their upcoming break.
Emmett saw the agonized look on Edward's face and he nudged his younger brother's foot under the table. "Why don't you go talk to her?" Emmett asked.
Edward turned his attention back to his siblings, shaking his head. "I've tried. Yesterday and this morning. She doesn't want to talk to me," he said despondently. "Besides, with her friends there it could lead to a scene, and that's the last thing Bella would ever want."
"Edward, we'll-"
"Yeah, I know, Alice," Edward said, cutting her off. "We'll fix this, right?" With a sigh, he pushed his chair back from the table and stalked from the lunchroom. He knew that the majority of Bella's lunch table was glaring at him but he couldn't care less, his eyes focused solely on Bella as he walked out. She kept her head down, studiously ignoring him, not raising her head again until he had finally left the room.
When the lunch period ended, Mike and Eric volunteered to walk Bella to Spanish. She was too exhausted to protest and allowed them to take her to class, one on either side of her. The two boys stuck closely to her side, not backing down when Emmett glared at them, and only leaving Bella's side when Ms. Goff finally entered the classroom.
During class, Bella knew Emmett was trying to get her attention from across the room and she kept her kept her attention focused on Ms. Goff for the entire hour. When the bell rang to end fifth period, Bella was up from her seat and out of the classroom like a shot.
"Bella, wait!" She heard Emmett call out behind her.
Bella sped up, dodging other students as she made her way down the hallway.
She was not aware Emmett had sped up as well until she heard his voice right behind her. "Bella Marie, please," he said quietly.
Bella stopped, steeling herself before she turned to face Emmett. "What do you want, Emmett?"
"I want to know what's going on," Emmett said bluntly. "What the hell was that all about this morning? This isn't like you. Why are you doing this to Edward?"
Bella's jaw dropped. "Why am I doing this to him?" she asked incredulously. "I'm not the one who was playing around with someone else's life and their emotions. I'm not the one who pretended to care for someone while the whole time it was just game."
"Bella, what the hell are you talking about?" Emmett asked. "Edward wasn't pretending to care about you. He's totally wrecked by this whole thing."
Bella studied Emmett's face a moment. Maybe Emmett really didn't know what was going on, she thought. Not that she had been the best judge of character lately, but he seemed honestly confused about the entire situation. "Look, Emmett, maybe you really don't know what's going on. But I do and I'm done with it and with Edward. He's had his fun and gotten his points," Bella said wearily. "Now I just want to be left alone, all right?"
"But Bella-"
Bella ignored him, quickly walking away and into the girls' bathroom where Emmett could not follow. Keeping a careful eye on her watch, Bella waited until there was barely more than a minute left before last period started. Then she darted from the bathroom, keeping her head down and hurrying to her History classroom, walking in the door just as the bell rang to start class.
Holding in a relieved sigh, Bella sank into a desk in the very front corner of the room, noting with satisfaction that Edward was seated in the very back of the classroom on the opposite side of the room from where she was now seated. Bella could feel Edward's eyes on her during the class period and she kept her head down over her notebook, taking careful notes on absolutely everything the teacher said.
When the bell rang, Bella leapt from her seat, quickly approaching Mr. Schaffer at his desk. Edward seated himself in the desk closest to the door, waiting for Bella to finish her conversation with the teacher so that he could try to talk to her without an audience. However, by the time Bella and Mr. Schaffer had finished their discussion, Angela was waiting for Bella at the door to the classroom.
She met Bella as she walked across the room, positioning herself between Bella and Edward as they exited the classroom. The two girls made their way quickly to Angela's car, Edward following a safe distance behind. Angela glared at Edward as she opened the door to her car but he took no notice, staring forlornly at Bella as she climbed into the passenger side of Angela's car. He didn't know what had happened to turn things so bad so quickly, he didn't know why Bella suddenly hated him. All he knew was that every second he was away from her, a part of him, slowly but surely, was dying without her.
When they reached Bella's house, Bella convinced Angela that she needed some time to be alone and promised she would call if she needed anything. Angela didn't look entirely convinced, but she reluctantly agreed, telling Bella she would call her later.
When she was finally alone, Bella locked the door behind her and made her way up to her room where she flopped down on her bed. The anger that had sustained her throughout the school day had drained, leaving her feeling somewhat numb and completely out of sorts. Maybe some music would help her relax, she thought to herself. She reached her hand over to the small CD player next to her bed and flicked on the radio.
"Everything's changing
So how am I to know
How I'm going to hold on to you
When I'm spinning out of control
You and I together
And only one of us in love
And everybody knows"
Bella's hand flew to the small stereo, nearly knocking it to the floor in her hurry to turn it off. Trust Ryan Adams to get right to the point, she thought with a sardonic smile. Only one of us in love indeed. A sob rose in her throat and she dropped her head back onto her pillow, tears streaming down her face.
She had believed him, had trusted him and all of the sweet things he had said to her! How could she have thought any of it was real? Either he was that good of a liar, or she was just that pathetic. Somehow, neither explanation made her feel any better.
How could she have been so stupid? How could she have ever even thought that Edward Cullen could have cared about her? She was plain and boring, he was the gorgeous, popular captain of the football team. She really must have a screw loose to have even entertained the idea. Of course it had been nothing but a game to him. With these thoughts running through her mind, she curled up into a ball on her bed and cried herself to sleep.
Angela had just returned from Bella's when she heard the phone ringing. Thinking it was probably her distraught friend, she dashed to the phone and snatched it up. "Hello?" she said breathlessly.
"Angela?" The voice was vaguely familiar but Angela couldn't immediately place it.
"Yes?"
"Angela, it's Alice Cullen." Alice got right to the point. "I need your help."
"With what, Alice?" Angela asked cautiously.
"With Bella and Edward, of course," Alice said impatiently. "Something weird is going on and-"
Angela cut her off. "I can't help you, Alice," she said firmly. "Bella doesn't want to talk to Edward. She doesn't seem to want anything to do with the rest of you, either, and that is her decision. She's my best friend and I will not go behind her back."
"But Angela, I only want to help," Alice began. "Edward is devastated. He would never do anything to hurt Bella."
"Look, Alice," Angela said. "Bella is not prone to melodrama, so if she says Edward did something horrible, then I am inclined to believe her. And all of you need to just leave her alone so she can heal." She paused for a breath then continued. "Goodbye, Alice. Please don't contact me again."
Alice stared at the disconnected phone in her hand in shock. "What happened?" Rose asked, taking in the pixie's flabbergasted expression.
"Angela Weber is a very good friend," Alice mused. "Unfortunately, that does not help us any right now." She looked up at Rose and sighed. "Looks like it's up to us to figure this one out on our own, Rosie."