Chapter 3
After lounging in my bed for about an hour, eating donuts- I might add, I decided to go for a run. Edward had said that Bridgeton had some really great trails and that they were pretty short and flat so I settled on going.
I folded my warm comforter back and hopped out of my bed. Quickly, I pulled on a pair of very short Adidas running shorts and a plain white shirt. I dug through my cluttered purse to find my iPod and put it in my armband that I used for when I worked out. I tied on my Nike Shox and ran out the door.
When I got to the opening of the path I briefly stretched my legs. Afterward, I jogged head first into an overly green forest.
I was running at a steady pace, my head clear of all school related stress, when of course I tripped. Well, it wasn't so much of a trip… more of the path dropped off slightly and I my ankle turned over… as did I. I extended my hands to cushion my fall when I felt the pain in my ankle. At first it was like something popped in my ankle, a pulling of something. Following, everything went numb and then the pain started.
By instinct, I grabbed my ankle, analyzing the damage. It was started to swell and my skin was flushed. And then I started to panic… I was all alone in a forest… by myself and I can't walk… my mind raced a thousand miles a minute.
"HEEELP!" I yelled, hoping that someone would hear me. I repeated this several times, my voice growing more and more desperate and fearful.
"Hello?!" somebody answered back. My spirit lifted… somebody was here!
"Over here!" I shrieked. Immediately, I heard footsteps, coming in my direction. Then, from above me, I saw the rescuer.
"What happened?" the blue-eyed boy asked me.
"I think I sprained my ankle from that," I pointed to the place in the path where the ground abruptly changed heights. Tristan knelt down beside me.
"Let me see…" he murmured, his warm hands moving mine away from the injury. I inspected it, and prodded gently at it.
"It's really swollen… and it's beginning to bruise. I think you should go to the on-campus doctor," Tristan suggested. I nodded, agreeing.
"Here, I'll help you up," he got up and held out his hands for me. With me wincing, he pulled me up slowly.
"Thanks." I tried to smile but imagined how I looked. My face flushed and moist from the run and my eyes watered with tears.
"Here get on," Tristan instructed, bending over… the obvious signal for a 'piggy-back ride.'
"Are you crazy? You are not going to carry me the entire way, I can walk." I refused, shaking my head with disapproval. He huffed, almost sounding insulted.
"You can't walk on that. Who knows, maybe you broke it and until you can get it checked by a doctor, it's not safe," he tried to reason.
I was unchanged.
"Think of it this way then- I have to train for football and this can only help with my leg strength… You would be helping me in a way." He smiled, trying to convince me. I sighed and took a step forward him,
"Fine." I said reluctantly. He turned around and bent down in a sitting position. Was he going to be able to stand up with me on his back? I hesitated,
"Any day now," he urged, becoming impatient. I wrapped my arms around his neck and put my weight on his back. Using his arms, he pulled my knees so they were at his sides and my legs were wrapped around him. He began walking further down the trail.
"How much longer until it ends?" I asked, curious about how much time we had until we reached campus again.
"About a third of a mile." I resisted groaning.
"Its not as bad as it sounds, think of it as .33 of a mile," he suggested, shrugging.
"Sure… I guess," I answered, skeptically.
"So I never got to know your name. I believe that we met yesterday at orientation…" he stated.
"It's Isabella Swan, but everyone just calls me Bella," I answered.
"Isabella… Bella…" he said out loud, puzzling me, "Yeah, I like Bella better," he declared. I laughed quietly,
"Me too, every time somebody calls me Isabella I feel like I am in trouble because that's what my Dad calls me when I am."
Tristan laughed along with me… his laugh was like wind chimes, light and playful.
"What about your mom?" he asked… but my laughing ceased, that was a soft spot for me.
"My mom left a long time ago," I explained almost silently. Tristan's good mood died down.
"I am so sorry," his tone was apologetic.
"It's okay… you didn't know." I whispered but my mind was about 11 years back…
Crouching down, hiding on the stairs, I viewed my parent's vicious fight, my eyes between the vertical bars on the banister.
"Another move, Charlie?! This is the third one this year!" my mother yelled.
"What do you want me to do, Renee? It's my job? Do you want me to quit and have us live on the streets?" my father retorted.
"No, but why can't you just work out of here?" my mother suggested.
"It's not my choice!" my father's nostrils flared.
"You own the god damned company, Charlie! Almost everything is your choice!"
"You know that's not how it works out, Renee, so do not put the blame on me," my father was now trying to be calm.
"So who should I blame?" my mother asked, I wasn't sure if it was a rhetorical question or not.
"Nobody, we're a family; we just need to work it out."
My mother was suddenly solemn, no longer angry… but hurt.
"I don't think we can make this work any longer… I don't think I belong in this family anymore…" my mother almost whispered.
"What do you mean? Where else do you belong?" Charlie's anger began again.
"I don't know… but I know that I can find somewhere else better… for me," My mother answered but I didn't hear the last part, it was so soft and I was already sprinting up the stairs, frightened tears streaming down my naive face.
That was the first night I cried myself to sleep.
It was quiet in the forest… you could hear yourself think. But sometimes, like now, my mind was shouting and the last thing I wanted to do was hear it.
"So are you going to Homecoming next month?" Tristan brought up a new subject. I actually had not thought about it, but I practically had no choice in the matter…
"I don't know, I haven't thought about it. But my friends will make me go, like they do every year," I laughed.
"Friends?" Tristan speculated. I couldn't read the emotion on his face.
"Yeah, I came to Bridgeton this year with my two best friends, Alice Brandon and Rosalie Hale. We've known each other from our diaper days." Tristan seemed to relax after my clarification.
"That's cool."
"So you play football?" I asked.
"Yup, I'm a full fledged Bridgeton Falcon," he said, unexcitedly.
"What's wrong with that?" I asked, curious.
"Nothing, it's just that along with a winning season comes extreme pressure… everyone expects me to be the reason we win… to come out being perfect," he elucidated, venting.
"I am sure you'll do fine," I tried to reassure.
"I have to; my Dad has people taping every single one of my games, sending it to college scouts."
"Oh," I breathed, I understood college pressure… my father expected me to go to an Ivy League school.
"Yeah… you'll come to the games, right?" he asked.
"If you want me too… and I think I have to. I am in Blue Crew, now." I joked.
"Oh yeah, the club that I was forced to put together," Tristan grumbled.
"Forced?" I inquired.
"Don't get me wrong, I am all for school spirit, but this just adds to my list of things to do. I mean I have football, school, being class president, and now this? But I have to do it… its adds to my college resume."
"Where do you want to go to college?" I asked, wondering what his motives were for such a huge high school load.
"I really want to go to Dartmouth for their medical program… but acceptance there is really tough."
"So you want to be a doctor…" my mind wandered thinking of where it would take him.
"A neurosurgeon, specifically," Tristan affirmed, confident of his future… in this sense at least.
"What do they do, exactly?" I questioned him.
"Basically, they work and perform surgeries on the nervous system of the body."
"That sounds really… complicated," I stated… unsure of what adjective to use: ambitious? Interesting? Futuristic?
Tristan laughed,
"It is complicated… but I guess that's why they are one of the highest paid doctors in the world."
"That would make a lot of sense," I chuckled.
I could start to see the outline of the campus through the trees, we were almost at the nurse's and I was glad… my ankle felt like a balloon, it was swelling disgustingly.
"So what do you want to do?" Tristan asked, still walking at a steady pace.
"I don't really know… but right now I want to be a screenwriter, you know for movies and stuff," I said uncertainly… it couldn't compare to a neurosurgeon.
"Really? That sounds like so much fun… I can see you doing that." He answered; I blushed, though I didn't know why I was embarrassed.
"Thanks," I mumbled.
We walked out of the dense forest and through the campus in silence. There were, thankfully only a few students staring at the odd sight. We finally reached the medical building and Tristan opened the door with me still on his back.
He helped me get down and into a chair, then went to talk to a receptionist at the counter.
"How may I help you today, Tristan?" the middle-aged woman inquired, politely.
"Good Morning, Mrs. Cope. I was just running when I found Ms. Bella Swan on the trail ground. She says that she twisted her ankle and fell; it's swelling quite a bit," Tristan answered, turning on the charm.
"Well, let me get Dr. Cullen [WHO ELSE? and then I'll call her back." Mrs. Cope left the front desk and went around the back somewhere. Tristan came back and sat with me.
"Thank you so much for helping me, I don't know how I am ever going to compensate for this," I said, expecting him to leave now that I was safe.
"Oh, it's no problem… but I think I'll be able to think of something…" he said mischievously. I rolled my eyes.
"Bye, Tristan." I said, sending him off… but he didn't budge from his seat.
"You expect me to leave? Who's going to help you back to your dorm room?" he asked, sounding offended and upset at my hurried conclusion.
"Okay… but you really don't have to. I can call Alice or Rosalie," I didn't want to pressure him. This time Tristan was the one to roll his eyes,
"It's fine. I'm here anyways." I nodded, accepting the fact and that's when Dr. Cullen entered the waiting room.
He was one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen… he looked like he was in his mid twenties, or even younger. He had blonde hair, not too short and a little shaggy, he was dressed casually; in khaki pants and a button up light blue shirt that brought out his green-blue eyes.
"Hello Miss Swan, would you like to come back to my office, please?" he said gently and quietly, but with some authority. His voice was music.
"Um, sure," I answered but was stuck on how to exactly get there. Tristan answered for me, getting up and lifting me into his arms, wedding style. Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows,
"Okay, then… Mr. Ashburn and Miss Swan," he commented, laughing. Tristan laughed along with the doctor,
"Sorry, Doc, but today I am her transportation."
"So it seems," Dr. Cullen acknowledged.
I was carried down the hall and finally into a light green room. There was a sink, various metal equipment and a raised table that was covered in a sheet of white paper.
"Just set her down there, Tristan," Dr. Cullen instructed and nodded his head in the direction of the table. Cautiously, Tristan set me down so my legs were swinging over the edge of the table.
Dr. Cullen pulled out a file sat down in a rolling desk chair. He rolled over so he was sitting in front of me,
"So what happened this morning, Isabella?" he inquired.
"I was running on the trail and fell in this ditch-like hole… my ankle rolled over, and then went numb," I tried to explain, but it was hard to describe what it felt like.
"On a scale of 1- 10, what's the pain like?" Dr. Cullen asked again, looking up briefly from his quick writing.
"I don't know, right after I fell it was about an eight but now it's a seven." I was deep in thought. The model status looking doctor wrote something else down.
"Okay, let me take a look at it now…" he began unlacing my shoes so loose that my shoe with fell off. When he pulled off my sock, I winced… it hurt to move my foot. Dr. Cullen looked at my ankle from all angles and took off my other shoe and sock for a comparison.
"It looks pretty swollen… but I don't think that it's broken, but a bad sprain. So I'll get you some crutches and a brace; Tristan, here, will fit them for you… he knows what to do or at least he should. He's had enough injuries," Dr. Cullen stated and looked up to Tristan, expectantly, and Tristan nodded in response.
"In the mean time, you need to ice it… 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off," he instructed. I nodded, storing the information.
"Sounds good," I smiled, happy that it wasn't anything serious.
"Okay, let me go get you some crutches and the brace… I'll be right back." The doctor left the room, leaving the door open. I turned to Tristan,
"At least it's not broken," I commented, relieved.
"Yeah, crutches aren't too bad," he said… his spirit not the same from before… almost disappointed. My head tilted to the side, a reaction from my deep thinking.
"What?" he asked, seeming a little freaked out from my stare at him. Quickly, I regained my composure and shook my head,
"Nothing."
Dr. Cullen entered the room again… with a metal crutches in one hand and a black fabric thingy in the other. He propped up the crutches on the wall and handed the brace to Tristan,
"I am sure you can take care of this for me, Tristan," he said.
"Sure thing, Dr. Cullen," Tristan nodded.
"Well call me if you have any increase of pain but if not I'll see you in a few weeks; somebody will be in touch," Dr. Cullen said to me.
"Okay," I answered… once again mesmerized by his extreme beauty.
"Have a good day and be careful, Isabella," he warned and left us.
Tristan walked over to me and sat down in the desk chair. He put the black thing on, pulling various straps and sticking Velcro… I paid attention intently. I had to remember how to put it back on. After a minute or so, he was finished,
"There," he said and slapped it very gently. I smiled at him and he gave me a huge grin back. Then he slid the desk chair over to the crutched brought them back in front of me.
"I need you to stand up for a second," he instructed and held out his hands for me to balance myself with. Carefully and slowly I slithered off of the high table and balanced on one foot. Tristan took a second and measured something, then pressed a button on the side of the crutches which made them lower, right to my size. He handed them to me,
"Here you go, now they're 'Bella size." He laughed.
"Ha ha, very funny," I replied, sarcastically. I put them under my arms and started to go out the door, Tristan was following closely… probably making sure that I wouldn't fall again.
"Bye, dear! You'll be getting a call for me in about two weeks for a follow up appointment," Mrs. Cope called after me as we exited the waiting room.
"Well, I guess I'll see you later then," Tristan sighed when we got outside. He seemed unhappy.
"I thought you were going to be my transportation?" I toyed. Tristan shrugged,
"You have those now, I guess," he pointed to the crutches that were holding me upward.
"Oh… you don't have to walk me to my room then, if you don't want to," I said; I had to admit, I was a little bit disappointed.
"No! I mean, I could, if you want me to," Tristan suddenly burst. I nodded eagerly, but not too eagerly.
"Of course," I answered smiling that he wanted to still walk me home.
Tristan nodded and we began the walk back to my dorm. We took a long time to get back to the room, I felt bad. But Tristan kept pace with me and never once complained. We talked, but it was slightly difficult for me. We talked about his football season that was coming up fast; they were already beginning practice tomorrow. But finally we made it to my dorm building.
"Wanna come up or something?" I asked, unsure if it was appropriate. Tristan shrugged casually,
"Sure." He walked with me into the main living area and pressed the elevator button.
"You know, I live in the building next door?" Tristan said. I was surprised, I haven't seen him around here, only once at orientation.
"Really? I've never seen you around here," I commented.
"How long have you lived in this building? 2 days?" he laughed.
"Maybe…" I played along. The elevator door opened, we walked inside of it and they closed us in.
"Then I take it you haven't heard of the little 'pranks' we pull on each other then have you," the way Tristan said it, made it sound like they weren't little pranks.
"What do you mean," I said, now very suspicious. Tristan gave me a look, then changed the subject,
"What floor are you on?" he asked he pointed to the many buttons on the wall.
"I'm not sure if I should tell you… what's in it for me?" I tested him. He was thoughtful for a moment… being melodramatic about by rubbing his chin and such. I giggled.
"How about since I am the captain for our building… I keep you and your girls' safe," he proposed.
"Ah, my own little protector," I teased. He gave me a secretive smile,
"I'll make sure you and your room doesn't get messed up, but you have to promise you won't tell. I'll get eaten alive by my dorm."
Tristan's words sounded sincere, so I nodded my head.
"Okay… that sounds like a good deal." Tristan smiled at my agreement and added,
"You better hurry up and push your floor number because we are almost to the top."
"That's good… because that's my floor," I immediately pushed the button for my floor and after a few moments the elevator came to a stop. With my crutches, I went through the opening metal doors and I limped toward my room. Tristan followed behind me and when I pointed to it, opened the door for me after knocking.
"Alice, Rosalie are you here?!" I called out.
Alice immediately appeared, closing her cell phone and looking frazzled.
"Bella! What happened to you! Where have you been! Do you know how worried we have been?! Rosalie is out right now with Emmet looking for you! Edward and Jasper have been calling all of their friends asking if they had seen you!" Alice exploded.
"Alice! Calm down! Call Rosalie and Edward and Jasper and tell them that I'm fine!" I yelled back.
"Fine?! You are on crutches, Bella!" she said each word deliberately, as if to try and talk some sense into me.
"Just call the others and then I'll tell you what happened," I said, exhausted.
Alice gave me a hard look and started dialing her cell phone.
"Rose, Bella's back… No, I don't know. She wouldn't tell me until I called you guys… Okay, bye." She hung up and then began dialing furiously once more,
"Jasper, Bella's here… Yeah, sure… Yes… See you soon then," Alice turned towards me after throwing her cell phone on to the sofa.
"Okay everybody is on their way right now. So you spill when they get here," Alice demanded.
"Fine," I answered. Tristan cleared his throat behind me, I'd forgotten that he was there.
"Oh, sorry; Tristan this is Alice. Alice this is Tristan," I gestured them to each other. Alice regained her composure,
"Hi." She greeted and waved.
"So you are the infamous Alice, the one who is entering in the design contest," Tristan definitely was a charmer; he knew exactly what to say.
"Yup, that's me," Alice said, evaluating him.
"Maybe I could put in a good word for you at the voting then," Tristan suggested. Alice looked ecstatic. Her designs were awesome already but the reassurance made Alice even more determined to do better. She smiled widely.
"I'm sure the board won't need any convincing once they see it… but that would be nice." Tristan nodded.
"Well I'd better get going, I don't want to necessarily meet any more of your friends on terms that were similar to the previous one. Bye Bella… Alice," he waved politely in her direction and gave me a warm smile.
Then Tristan exited out the door and a just a few seconds after his leave Edward and Jasper came into our dorm. Edward took him my appearance… which didn't look exactly great and his eyes widened.
"What happened?" he whispered.
As I was about to answer Rosalie and Emmet ran through the door and Rosalie was about to tackle me to the ground but put on the brakes when she saw my crutches.
"Bella…" she warned.
With all eyes on me I began from the moment I decided to go for a run. Through out the story I caught some fury or unreadable expression on Edward's face, especially when they I mentioned Tristan's name.
"So, that's what happened," I finally ended. Rosalie and Alice's expression was worried but not exactly surprised… coordination wasn't exactly an asset for me.
"Bella? Why didn't you have your phone with you?" Alice asked. I sighed, I hadn't thought of a reasonable answer for this question.
"Well… I don't really know; I never bring my cell phone with me. It was always too much of a hassle to carry."
"Well that makes sense," Emmet said, that was the first words he said since he got here.
"Emmet shut-up!"
"No it wasn't!"
All sorts of retorts and shouting broke out in the room. Emmet put up his hands in surrender.
"Emmet is silenced," he mumbled when it was quiet.
"That's a first," Jasper snorted. Edward laughed.
"Well we're glad you are okay, Bella," Edward said sincerely.
"Yeah, next time ask somebody come to come with you," Alice suggested… more like pleaded.
"Bella, I'd be happy to run with you. I have to go running every morning anyway to begin conditioning for basketball," Edward provided an alternative. I nodded; I had the feeling that this was going to be the only way I would be able to run anymore.
"Sounds good, but I can't go for a run until… 2 weeks," I added dryly.
"Minimum; bad sprains can take up to another week to reach full range of motion!" Emmet shouted.
"Emmet! They did not need to know that! Shut up!" I yelled this time. Emmet trembled in the corner.
"Sorry!" he whispered yelled.
We all rolled our eyes simultaneously.
"One more thing, though," Emmet whispered. Jasper and Edward groaned. But that didn't stop Emmet,
"I'm hungry… lunch is only being served for 30 more minutes."
This time I was happy he said something, I was starving. We all shook our heads but moved out of our room to the cafeteria anyways.
Sorry I can't review more often, believe me I'm trying to find time.
Your review telling me to hurry up help so keep them coming!
Pictures of Tristan (not exact but pretty close) on my profile.
Thanks for the reviews and i would love some more :)
-Cullen-Style