The Guardian

Chapter Three- Will you?

He watched me with hard eyes as Ace put an arm around my shoulder, "and I have one special announcement." Ace turned to me, still smiling; "Bella, will you be my girlfriend?" My breath caught in my throat, and I thought I was going to pass out from shock. This had been the last thing I was expecting. The cafeteria had gotten quiet, waiting for my response. I looked around the spacey room, even the teacher's and lunch-ladies were frozen, waiting for my answer. I saw Edwards face, as cold as stone, his golden eyes staring at me and yet looking through me.

I looked down, and then into Ace's beautiful eyes. "Yes…" I said as I choked back some tears. Why was I feeling this? What was I feeling? I heard everyone cheer, but it was muffled when Ace leaned down and kissed me.

My first reaction, What The Hell? My second reaction: melting into the kiss. This was my first real kiss. I felt Ace place his hand on my cheek as I raised my hands and placed them around his neck. Just as he tried to take it a step up, I pulled away. Everyone was cheering, everyone except the Cullen's. I smiled and laughed along with Ace, even if I was faking.

The next few days were the same thing. Edward would ignore me in all of our classes together, and his excuse? Sorry, I have to pay attention. What a lame-o! I mean come on, just because I didn't tell you I was in a gang doesn't mean anything.

But then one day after school, Edward surprised me at my locker.

"Oh, hello, Edward," I greeted politely, I didn't want him mad at me anymore and I was hoping I could get my chance to apologize.

"Hello Isabella—"

"Bella," I corrected him, trying to keep the scorn off my face.

"Right, Bella, sorry."

"It's fine, but look. I didn't mean to up-set you by not telling you I was in with the Dragon's…" I said as I closed my locker placing my book-bag on my back. He looked confused, but the expression faded quickly.

"Yeah, right…apology accepted, but I should really be the one—" Right then Ace interrupted him by wrapping his arm around me and saying:

"What going on here?" In his 'I'm-cool-but-you-better-back-off' tone. Edward slightly glared at him as Ace kissed my cheek. I smiled half-heartedly, not really feeling the love at the moment.

"Oh, nothing, Ace. We were just—"

"I was just leaving," Edward said as he smiled a fake smile and turned to walk away.

"What was that about?" Ace turned to me and asked as soon as Edward had disappeared from sight.

"I really have no clue." I lied; I didn't want him to start a fight with Edward, that would just make things a lot worse, and I already had a lot going on.

TGbyELV

"So, babe, want to do something after school today?" Ace asked as we walked hand-in-hand to lunch. It had been three days since my run in with Edward, and after we had spoken, he hadn't come to school. I was afraid that it was because of me, and Noah seemed to sense this.

"Don't worry, Chica. This is not your fault, he's probably just sick or something." I tried to believe her, I really did, but I just couldn't do it. I knew it was because of me, because of my decisions.

As we walked into the lunchroom, I saw all of the Cullen's, with the exception of Edward, sitting at their now 'regular' table, glaring at me and Ace. I folded my body into myself and tried to hide behind Ace's body. He didn't seem to mind though, I don't even think he really even noticed.

When I had the courage to look away from the ground that had suddenly become so interesting, I saw Christoph, Kristen, and Max sitting at our table in the middle of the cafeteria, and Noah making her was to them with her lunch in hand. She and Max were really the only ones who actually ate lunch at our table, except for when Ace and Christ pick off of their food.

"Scavengers," Noah would call them, which made me smiled when I wanted so bad to cry. My father was refusing to give me money for lunch and the beatings at home were getting worst. I think my father had figured out that I was in the Dragons and was mad that I actually fit in.

"Bella, are you okay?" I hadn't realized I had stopped moving until now. Ace stood before me, hands on my shoulders, leaning down to my eye level. I blinked a couple of times before I really snapped out of my daze.

"Yeah, I'm fine…just a little tired." Ace guided me to a seat at the table and felt my forehead as I sat down.

"You're freezing," he said, sitting down beside me and wrapping his arms around my waist. Noah, Christoph, Max, and Kristen watched us, picking at their food. They had known for a long time that something was wrong with my home life, and maybe now was the time that they would finally have a chance to find out.

The cafeteria seemed eerily quiet, but I knew it was just me and that it was actually pretty loud, seeing that I had to repeat what I had said to Ace, twice.

"I've got a small cold," I murmured the third time I had to say it, and Ace pulled me even closer. My eyelids seemed to be ten times heavier then they really were, as they started to close steadily.

"I take it you want to rest," Ace whispered in my ear, his voice seemed far away but I still understood him. I nodded into his shoulder, not feeling up to using my voice after feeling so suddenly tired. "Let me take you to the nurses office where it'll be nice and quiet for you," Ace suggested, but I didn't move when he tried to push me off of him. I knew he just wanted what was best for me, but at that moment, all I wanted to do was cuddle with him and sleep.

"No, I'd rather…with you…" I couldn't even make sense of my own words, I didn't expect Ace to, but somehow he realized that all I wanted to do was sleep next to him.

"Okay, fine," he said, adjusting me so my head rested in the crook of his neck, and we were snuggled nicely together. I didn't feel cold at all.

Before I knew what was happening, Ace was tapping my cheek and calling my name, telling me that it was time to get up. I noticed that somehow, while I had been asleep, I had been moved into a laying position, though I knew this was impossible in the lunchroom seats.

"What? Where am I?" Everything around me was white, and supposedly, soothing. Ace was standing above me, blocking my view of the desk behind him. "You took me to the nurses office? I told you no, Ace." I knew I was being whiny now, but I just wanted a little time to close my eyes and rest against him, not on some cold cot in a too-bright room.

"You wouldn't wake up, Bella. You were out cold." I guess I couldn't argue with that, I thought as I yawned and my eyes began to feel heavy again. Ace noticed this and smoothed down my messy hair. "You haven't been well, my Bella, the nurse would like it if you would return home and get some rest." The tone of his voice seemed like he wasn't going to give me much of a choice in the matter.

The next thing I know Ace is pulling up to my house in his blue Accord. He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek lightly before he unbuckled my seatbelt for me.

"Good night, my Bella," he said with a sweet smile, I smiled back and shut the door as quietly as I could, seeing that I had a horrible headache and the cruiser was in the driveway. As soon as Ace's car was out of sight, I tip toed my way towards the house, opening the front door ever so softly. The TV was on, which meant that Charlie was too distracted to hit me for coming home early.

I tried to make it up to my bedroom without him noticing, but nothing ever goes as planned.

"Is it that time already?" Came Charlie's voice from the recliner in the living room. I didn't answer, but I knew Charlie had caught me. "Or are you skippin' school, you slut?" Charlie appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me by the ponytail, swinging me to the floor. He left me alone for a moment as he made his way to the front door and looked out briefly before returning. "Your trucks not in the drive way, who dropped you off? Who the hell in the right mind would want you remotely close to them?" I knew he was drunk then as he stammered over to me, still on the ground.

"A…a friend Daddy…" I stuttered hoping that this would all end soon.

"You no good! You don't have any friends! You don't deserve them you little bitch!" My father yelled at me as he kicked me in the ribs. I made a soft grunting sound as I took the nightly punishment. He picked me up my collar after a few more kicks. His breath smelled of alcohol and his pupils were dilated. "And who's this Ace character? Huh? Is he just another one of your smutty mates?" He yelled though clenched teeth. I scrunched up my nose to stop the smell from entering my brain and killing my brain cells.

"They are not filth, father," I said in a stern voice, which made my father explode like a time bomb. His eyes got even smaller, if that was possible, and he clenched his jaw so tight I started to wonder if he was going to break his teeth, or at least push them back into the gums. He threw me up against the kitchen counter and I made a loud 'thump' sound as I hit the ground. I heard something crack and I knew my ankle was broken, but I let no tears fall. My father walked over to me and started to ring my neck but I punched him in the stomach and made him let go. As soon as he lifted his hands off of my neck I pulled my good leg up and kicked him in the ribs. After I saw that he was in pain I pushed him off and proceeded to stand when I heard him groan in pain. My eyes got watery and I couldn't help but to check and make sure that he was all right.

That's why I hated being my mother's daughter. She was so kind and caring, nothing like my father. She didn't care if she hated the person, which was almost impossible, she would never do anything to hurt them. Or if they were already hurt she would take care of them. I was drawn to my hurt father by the will of my mother that was inside of me. I kneeled next to him as the tears in my eyes started to fall. My ankle was throbbing non-stop, my heart kept skipping beats because I could not breathe properly and to top it all off I was crying.

"Dad, are you all right?" I asked as he opened his eyes for a split second before closing them again.

"I am not your father. I would never generate a person like you, you're a filthy disgusting lying son of a bitch!" My father yelled, yet again, as he clamped his hand over my throat, tightly I might add, and pushed me down to the floor as he hovered over me. I guessed that he had let go of me once I had passed out, because I was still alive the next morning.