I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed me especially KJ, you are a really big help and I would like to give you your props being a teacher very soon.

The Guardian

Chapter Four- Cocky

I rubbed the bruise on my neck that had formed during last nights clash as we, the Dragons, sat down at the table. Ace on my right, and Noah on my left and everyone else following. I was hiding the bruise with a black and silver choker that hung tightly around my neck, and if anyone asked, which they did, I would say that I fell out of bed this morning and the dresser hit me. Everyone took it as a joke, except for Ace and Noah. They knew me too well for something like that to happen. They both knew something was up and I knew, just knew, that they were going to get to the bottom of it. And I wasn't going to give them any hints to the solution, unless it really wasn't my fault.

"Hey look, the love birds are here," Max said in his deep joking tone. I smile as I felt Ace kiss me on the cheek and then drape his arm over my shoulders, I lifted my hand entwined it with his soft yet firm hands.

"Yeah, get a good glimpse, its not like you will become one anytime soon." Ace said smugly back. Everyone knew that he was joking but Max acted like he was offended.

"Excuse me?" He said in a hurt tone as he made an innocent face, his big light blue eyes seemingly starting to water.

"You're excused." Ace played along still. Max put his hands over his heart as he leaned back a little, acting shocked.

"Well I never." He said in a motherly tone that made me and almost everyone else crack up laughing at the table, every one except Max and Ace.

"Well now you have." Ace commented. He always had the best comebacks. I envied him sometimes, for his self-confidence and his leader-ship. Max made a gasping sound and then puts his hand up as if to silence him. "What ever," he said in a husky tone.

Some one called my name from behind me. I turned around, Ace did too taking his arm off of my in the process. I was surprised to see that it was one of the Cullen's. From what Edward had described of her I guessed that was the younger sister, by her height, Alice.

"Umm, Howdy?" I said as I stared at her. I saw a confused look cross Ace's face before he changed it into a blank stare. I hated it so much when he did that so I took his hands in mine.

"Hello, Bella, right?" Her musical voice reached me ears, I would of gasped at the sound but I composed myself before I could. I just nodded my head.

"Look it's one of the vampires…" Max whispered sarcastically, Alice turned her gaze from me to glare at him.

"I see you're the clown of the group," she said with so much confidence, I guessed that she was trying to get another smart-ass response out of him. Max just smiled from ear to ear and stood up leaning over the table.

"You got that right, honey, this is the town were the clowns put it down, baby." He said in the sexist voice he could muster up. I just wanted to burst out laughing when he did this, but I was the only one who could hold it in. The next thing I knew everyone at the table was laughing and Alice was just chuckling at him, but she quickly stopped and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Meet me in the library after lunch,"

Fifteen minuets till the end of said period. I began tapping my fingers on the rather large lunch table, surrounded by my friends. Ace was in the middle of telling a story about some run in with Edward. Wait, Edward?

"He was questioning me about my reputation. And the first thing I thought was, you couldn't take it from me even if you tried and I gave it up." Every one started to laugh except me. I looked around trying to find something interesting to keep my mind off of what was to happen after lunch.

My eyes found the Cullen's table, they were all glaring at Ace, seemingly hearing the story he was telling, but I knew they were too far away. The pretty blonde girl turned her attention to me and glared. The saying 'if looks could kill' suddenly popped into my head. Her eyes seemed to be burning with rage as she glared, the buff one, Emmett I presume, placed an arm around her shoulder and turned her head to kiss her. She seemed to calm down a bit after that, but now all of the Cullen's were staring at me.

I turned my attention back to my table as Ace was finishing his story about Edward.

"And he just walked off and I haven't seen him since." Everyone erupted into laughter again as I just stared at the table hoping that no one would notice the stares from the Cullen's that was burning a hole through the back of my head.

"Hey," Christ said pointing to something behind me; "Look at the Cullen's," Kristen turned her head to get a small peek.

"I wonder what they're staring at..." she asked herself more then us. I just kept my attention forward on the stage that was in the back of the lunchroom. So, technically, it wasn't a cafeteria, it was more like a cafetorium. I cross between a cafeteria and an auditorium.

"I think there staring at you, Bella." Noah cut in. Wow, way to go Noah, I was just distracting myself by making up words. I scolded myself for the lack of something better to do to keep my attention elsewhere.

Max started to laugh. "I think—"

"You do that?" Kristen cut in looking at him with a fake shocked expression. Max just made a silly face and continued on with that he was saying before.

"—that Bella is not too happy that the Cullen's are staring at her, and not us." Ace chuckled slightly, turning his head to get a better look of the Cullen's. A hushed silence over came the cafetorium, I could slightly hear the doors open and then close quickly, letting in a cold draft.

A shiver went up the back of my spine when it hit me, but Ace took it the wrong way and thought it was because of the person who just walked through the door.

I held in a gasp as I saw it was Edward Cullen standing in the doorway, looking slowly around the room. When his eyes fell on our table they seemed to stick on me, and Ace, seeing that his arm was wrapped tightly around my waist at the time.

Edward looked pissed as he stalked over to our table, it looked as though he had heard something that he didn't like. Ace's grip on my waist tightened as Edward got closer. When he finally reached our table, which was quickly for me, Ace stood up to face him.

"What do you want Cullen." It was more of a statement then a question. Ace, the leader of my clan, the only thing really keeping me from running away, was demanding answers from Edward, a new kid whom seemed harmless, but if you got on his bad side you would notice that he had this... vampire like quality about him. He could look mean and dangerous one second and then nice and sweet the next.

"I want you to leave my family out of your gossiping, Ace Hemmings. Or you will have to answer to me." Edward retorted back as he and Ace stood facing each other only about a half a foot apart. Ace looked Edward in the eyes, even though Edward was at least two full inches taller.

"Ohhh, what's the big bad wolf going to do, huh? You see," Ace put on the fake mask on, I knew it was fake too, I was the only one who could see the smirk wanted so badly to slip onto his hansom features. "Edward Cullen, I run this school, hell, I run this town. So you tell me when you wanna go down, I'll be there, but I can't say you will." The smirk he was suppressing made its way to his lips as Edward just stared into his eyes and then moved a little bit closed grabbing his arm and twisting it, causing Ace to take a 180 degree angle as he pinned his arm to his back.

"Don't even sweat it, Hemmings, I'm faster, stronger, and more cunning then you. You name the place and I'll be there." I couldn't believe my ears. And then he just…he walked away. Edward let go of Ace and walked away. Ace turned around quickly and readjusted his jacket. I think he was trying to 'pop his collar' but it didn't work to well. I couldn't help but laugh at the site either. That was a mistake.

"You think this is funny, Swan?" Ace snapped, I gasped this is the first time that he had addressed me by my last name. My eye's immediately narrowed into a glare, hiding all of the surprise that was previously glued onto my face. "Do you like that Cullen guy?" He asked, I could tell that his anger was bubbling up on the inside his eyes looked like they were smoldering with fire.

"Yes, I do, he is a great friend." I said sternly as I stood up to face him, there was a bit of a height difference there too, about a half an inch.

"Well then, why don't you just go and sit with them," he sneered, angered furthermore by my answer.

"Why do I put up with you?" I asked as I tried not to smile for I knew I had the last word as I picked up my book bag and walked out of the cafeteria about two minuets before we were dismissed. My ankle started to hurt like hell at that moment, I groaned softly as I started to limp.

"Hey!" I heard a high girly voice shout out. "Swan!" I heard my last name again, but kept on limping to my next class as I figured out who was calling my name. It was Jessica, the all time school bitch. A semi-strong hand was placed on my shoulder to turn me around, I guessed. But it didn't, I knew who the hand belonged to and I wasn't even going to give her a second of my precious time. "I called you, Swan. Now face me, whore." I smirked as I slowly turned on my heel. Okay, maybe I could give her about ten seconds of my time.

"Stay away from Edward, he's mine. Got that?" 3…2…1…okay, bye. I turned back around and started to limp again this time smiling, beside the fact that my ankle was throbbing with pain. Edward didn't like her and I knew that as a fact, no doubt about it.

Two seconds later the bitch, I mean Jessica, was in front of me and threw a weak, unaimed punch. At that moment everything went into slow motion. I could see Jessica's bony fist as it passed my face. I dropped my book back and punched her back in an instant, yet a couple seconds delayed, reaction. I heard a signifying and satisfying crack noise.

Almost immediately Jessica's hand was on her nose.

"You Bitch!" She screeched at me as she double over in pain and, I guessed, embarrassment as the students saw the whole thing as they walked out of the Cafeteria.

"You might wanna expand your vocabulary if you ever wanna talk to me again, understood?" I asked as a crowd started to form around us.

"Miss Swan!" I heard the principal's voice booming from the crowd. "I would like to see you in my office, now!" I started to head the brink of the small yet compacted circle when I saw the Cullen's all gathered around, watching my every move. Alice was smiling at me, Rosalie was glaring, Jasper was emotionless, Emmett was trying not to laugh, and Edward was smirking the biggest smirk, like he was proud of what I had done. But then…all of their expressions changed when they saw me start to limp, following the principal. Edward looked like he would run at a minutes notice if I started to fall. I wondered what they thought of it, but they probably thought it was just from Jessica.

TGbyELV

Unfortunately I got a call home and a two-day suspension. I was pissed. Not only was this going to go on my permanent record, but Ace is pissed at me, just like everyone else, AND to top it all off with a red cherry, my father was going to KILL ME! Literally, I knew I couldn't go home, but I also knew that I had nowhere else to go.

I knew it… I just know that I'm going to die today. My father will see to that. He will beat me until I'm on my deathbed, and then some. I wonder what death feels like, where do you go? If there is a heaven, what does it look like? I will find that out soon, or not at all. My father's told me time and time again that I was going to Hell. I wonder if that's true.

I laughed.

There's nothing like questioning if you're going to Heaven or Hell on your deathbed. Better yet, there's nothing like questioning yourself about this at all.

I laughed again.

I just couldn't believe it, I was laughing at myself. And talking to myself… well thinking. But that's good enough. Anyways, Noah would be staring at me like I was crazy while the rest of the gang would burst out laughing at the sign of my insanity. I could just picture them, all there smiling faces… Except for Ace's. The memories of his stern, furious face… the one that he had made at me when I started to defend Edward. I shouldn't have done that.

But, they new, and they need time to settle in to their place. I had to stand up for them. Ace had made the wrong choice to yell at Edward, thinking it would put him in his place. But he was wrong. It didn't do anything but infuriate him and his family more.

They probably wanted to fight him…

I gasped.

'Or worst, they could sue him!' I thought dramatically. I started laughing at myself, once again. Yeah, I know I'm weird; I know that I will never live to see another day again. But that thought just made me laugh harder. I don't know why, but I just feel like I have to laugh, as if it's going to do me any good.

Then a curtain thought hit me. What should my gravestone say? What would it say? Isabella Marie Swan, hated daughter of the century. Yup that's it, Bingo, Yatzee! Is that your final answer? Or would you like to go for double jeopardy? I giggled as I pulled into the driveway of my small 'home', if you could call it that. The police cruiser was in the driveway, looking like it had been there for a while.

'Had the school called my father?' what the only thought I was capable of thinking as I got out of my truck and walked subconsciously to the front door.

It opened with a creak, and I wasn't even a foot inside when I was thrown against a wall. I got up, as fast as I could, and ran for the phone to call for help.

I knew this would be my end; there was no doubt in my mind about it.