Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Bella's POV

I was sitting in the front seat of Alex's huge black SUV. Every seat in the car was filled; coming along with us was a bunch of people I didn't know. The only ones I knew were Brady Devons, Mike Newton, Tyler Crowley and Weston Sailes.

At least I got to ride shot-gun, even though I knew that it was because I was the only girl in the car except for Lauren Mallory.

I didn't really know where we were going exactly and wasn't paying attention to any of the passing signs- I was so lost in this little city. But after ten minutes in the car, Alex parked in front of this huge mansion. Every light in the house appeared to be on. Quickly, the Bridgeton students in the car flew out and right into the open front doors.

"Bella? You're coming, right?" Alex asked me to make sure. I just sat staring at the house in the passenger seat as Alex's friends entered the large, white manor. I shook my head to regain thought and nodded furiously.

"I'm glad," the handsome boy smiled down at me, "Come on, then. Let's have a good time." Alex got out of the drivers seat and I climbed down from the passengers'. Once I got in front of the SUV, Alex clicked to lock up the doors and took my hand freely. Together we walked further up the driveway and went inside to the party.

There was a huge mass of people inside. And they all seemed to be dancing- no grinding- to the blaring hip-hop music that was so loud it hurt my ears. I cringed as the distinguishable scent of alcohol hit me.

"Uh, Alex… I'm not sure I want to be here anymore," I said unsurely. I don't think he heard me because he continued to pull me along until we were in the kitchen where all of the drinks were at. On the counter top there were all types of alcohol- they were better stocked than a grocery store.

"Hey man." I saw Alex pound fists with another guy that seemed to be a little older than us- college kid, was my guess. The guy smiled at Alex warmly, I could tell that he was a little drunk.

"This is Bella," Alex introduced me. I held out my hand and the other guy grasped it.

"Bella, this is Keaton," Alex said. I nodded and tried to smile at him through my clenched teeth.

"She's pretty." Keaton told Alex as if I wasn't there at all. Alex laughed and smiled brightly while answering him, ignoring me. I felt awkward, and looked around myself uncomfortably.

Edward's POV

I watched from afar as Alice spoke to Jessica. She was trying to figure out where Bella could have gone. I couldn't hear their conversation, but from Alice's hand motions, it was evident that she was very frustrated. I had the limo and the rest of our friends waiting outside for us.

Jessica walked off, back to the dance floor and Alice practically ran to the exit, which was where I was waiting. She didn't stop for me as she pushed the door open and I matched her quick pace as we headed toward the limo.

"Did Jessica know anything?" I asked her, the apprehension seeping into my tone.

"Yup, Mike told her that he was leaving to go to a party and Jessica saw him leaving with Alex and Bella." Alice answered curtly, she might have been talking to me but it was obvious that her mind was somewhere else.

I nodded and just tried to remain calm.

Bella's POV

Alex and Keaton were off in the kitchen making everybody drinks, while I pretended to sip at the can of beer they gave; every once in a while, when nobody was watching, dumping some in the house plant next to me. I was sitting on a couch in the family room next to a couple who were publicly making out.

I looked over at them and cringed.

"Want to dance?" A familiar voice asked. I looked up to see the ever desperate Mike Newton… this time he was drunk. I pursed my lips,

"No thanks, I'm kind of tired," I lied.

"Oh, don't lie to me, Bella. Come on and dance with me!" Mike roughly grabbed my hand and pulled me up off of the couch and very close to him.

I immediately took a few steps back and ripped my hand out of his.

"Get away from me," I tried to say as sternly as I could, but my voice cracked in a few places.

Mike rolled his eyes at me and snorted.

"You really don't know what you're doing, do you?" he accused me; his hot breath hit me in the face. I recoiled from it.

"What?" I didn't understand what he was saying. Even though he was drunk and didn't know what he was saying, I wanted to know.

"Edward will do the same thing to you, you know, leave you for a bigger opportunity. Once he gets accepted to Harvard or USC or something he'll be gone. He'll forget about you," Mike sneered at me. I felt the tears watering up in my eyes.

"You don't even know what happened between Tristan and me," I yelled furiously at him, "Everybody thinks they know what happened… but the truth is that it never would have worked. Not because of Dartmouth, not because we did anything. It wasn't our faults, some things just aren't meant to be."

I didn't want to spread any more rumors, but I didn't want people think that one of us was heartbroken… because the truth was that both of us were heartbroken. Were, as in yelling at Mike made me realize that I had to let go of Tristan, because I was right… we didn't do anything wrong… some things were just out of our hands.

Mike stood there stunned, speechless, and I left the room, and then the house. I had no idea where I was going and I didn't understand why I couldn't stop crying. But oddly, I felt… free. I felt like it was okay to fall in love again- not as if I was betraying Tristan. I breathed deep through my lungs and there wasn't the aching pain that had been there before. The pain I had once recognized as my dysfunctional heart.

And I was completely lost in the maze of pavement that was sidewalk, but unnerved by the single fact that I had found myself at last. And with that cliché, came another one- it started raining.

I started up at the dark, storming clouds and… laughed. Freely. Openly. I screamed, not worrying that somebody would hear me, or that I would hear myself.

"Bella!" a familiar voice called to me from behind. I turned around, my wavy brown hair falling in my face. He was sprinting to me with great urgency; his feet hit the cement with loud smacks due to the rain.

Edward's POV

Alice hurriedly, gave the driver the address of a party she had a feeling they would be at. I tried to argue with her, telling her that just guessing was crazy to do; Bella could be anywhere… doing anything. And boy did she respond to me,

"Edward would you please shut-up! I know that you're worried about her, but for God's sake you aren't the only one! Bella is my best friend, I've known her for my entire life so you just need to trust me and remember that I need to find her just as fucking badly as you."

Alice huffed after her rant and sat slammed her back roughly into the limo seat. Jasper wrapped a comforting arm around her and she shrugged it off, looking out the window. I placed a hand on her knee and she turned around to meet my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I just panicked because… well, I wouldn't know what to do if we couldn't find her," I apologized sincerely in a small voice; my voice was barely above a whisper. Alice put her hand on top of mine and smiled, and I knew that I was forgiven.

For the rest of the ride in the limo, it was silent. Rosalie was biting her lip, involuntarily holding in a breath and forcing the frightened tears out of her eyes so nobody would see.

Emmett's jaw flexed a lot, probably just planning on what to do to if things got out of hand…

Jasper remained calm as always, which was reassuring to the rest of us.

And then the steady silence broke as the car pulled to the stop and the driver informed us that we had arrived at our destination. Emmett was first out of the car, waiting for nobody- not even Rose.

"Bella?!" he called loudly, instantly getting the attention of the party-goers that were outside of the house. I was next out of the door and I immediately ran into the house, determined to hunt down Alex.

I found him drunk, of course, in the kitchen, sitting on the granite table top talking to two skankish-looking girls.

"Alex!" I jogged up to him, he gave me a blank, intoxicated stare, "where did Bella go?" I asked him eagerly. He didn't give me an answer.

"Where. Is. Bella?" I asked him again, being extra clear in my words.

"Oh!" he laughed stupidly as if I had made a joke. My patience was wearing thin.

"Bella left."

"What?! What do you mean 'she left'?" I asked him again, roughly grabbing his shoulders.

"She left the party, man!" Alex answered, completely clueless.

"Who did she leave with?" I asked again, my heart was pumping loudly within my chest.

"No man. She just walked out all lonely."

And I wove myself through the dancing, drunk teenagers and back outside. Jasper was outside as well, good-naturedly asking people if they had seen Bella.

"Jasper!" I barked at him. He looked up at me.

"Alex said that Bella just left by herself. So she's around here somewhere. Take the limo and go that way. I'll go to the right by foot. It's faster anyway," I told him and took off my suit jacked, tie, dress shirt, and shoes and handed it to him. This left me with dress pants, a white undershirt and no shoes. It would have to do. Jasper nodded, running to get into the front seat of the limo.

And I took off in fast jog down the driveway and turned right.

…

…

Dang Bella, how far could you have walked?

It began to rain and my breath was beginning to come in shorter and faster, my legs getting tired but I pushed through reminding myself that Bella could be anywhere and the fast I ran, the quicker I would be with her.

Oh, if I could be with her.

I kept my eyes on the road, ahead, looking for anything Bella- related.

…

And then a heard a scream.

"Oh my God, oh my God…" I chanted running at full speed ahead. It was here scream, I knew it. She was hurt.

I vaguely saw a person ahead of me, but it was hard to tell if it was her because of the rain.

"Bella!" I called out to the figure. I was so close; if only it wasn't raining I could see the face. And then they turned around and with the whip of long, wavy chocolate brown hair… I knew I had found her at last.

I ran even faster until I reached her, pulling her into my wet, soaking arms. She wrapped her arms around me as well, holding on to me as tightly as possible.

"Oh Bella!" I nearly sobbed, kissing the top of her head while holding her close, "everybody was so scared. I was so scared."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated to me in little gasps.

I released her and looked down at her, trying to see if she was okay.

"Are you alright?" I asked her, my thumb rubbing her cheek that was all wet from the rain. She nodded,

"I'm fine. Really." She insisted, trying to smile. I let out a big breath, crushing her to me again. Her arms wrapped around my waist.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" I murmured into her hair. She buried herself into me even more and answered weakly,

"You shouldn't be so concerned, I'm perfectly fine."

I hugged her even tighter.

"But I am. I…anything could've...alone…" I struggled to say the words. Bella unraveled herself away from me and looked up into my tortured eyes.

"You love me," she finished for me.

"Love you? I more than love you, Bella. You're everything to me," I confessed to her, holding one hand against her face.

She rested her head in it and put her hand over mine gently.

"I think I'm ready to fall in love with you, Edward," she whispered.

And with the rain relentlessly beating down on us, I slowly leaned down and pressed my wet lips against hers in the softest of ways.

And it was like everything I had imagined. Her full lips fit perfectly under mine, moving in perfect time. She tangled her hands in my unruly hair and pulled me down further to her as I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist, pulling our bodies closer together.

We pulled away from each other breathless.

She opened her eyes slowly to look up at me, but the look was different than the others.

She loved me.