Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Thanks to my lovely pre-readers Jaxy (Jax713) and Packy (_LittleLovely_) and my rock star beta Mel (mcc101180).
Also, special thanks to LadyNikiW in this one. ;)
Chapter 11. Splint.
I wake up taking a deep breath, as Bella invades all my senses. I wrap my arm tighter around her waist and bring her even closer, burying my face in her hair.
God, she smells delicious.
I could stay here all day.
No, wait, I can't.
I look at the clock. It's five in the morning already.
Shit.
Damn Seth.
Bella breathes in deeply, moving under my arms. "What time does your training start?"
"Seven," I whisper in her ear, kissing her neck. "But I promised Seth I'd go over free kicks again with him before training. The kid's persistent. What can I say?"
She turns to face me, smiling. "Okay… let's go." She runs a hand over my arm around her waist.
I secure my grip around her, refusing to let go. "Hmmmm... I really don't want to get up."
I've never really enjoyed sleeping. I mean, I sleep to recharge energy. That's it. As soon as I get my hours, I'm up. I never sleep in — I don't like to. But right now… right now, I'd stay in bed all day with her.
Bella startles as she hears the knock on my door.
Seth can bang on that door all he wants — I'm not moving.
Bella, on the other hand, is already freaking out, sitting on the bed. "Do I need to sneak out? Would you get in trouble with Coach if someone sees me?"
"Maybe…" I rub a hand down my face. "But it's early. No one would be up now. Seth won't say anything." I turn to glare at the door in annoyance as he continues to knock. "Do you mind if he knows you're here, though? We could drop you at your hotel on our way to the field."
"I don't care as long as it doesn't get you in trouble." She gets up from the bed, still in her dress, smoothing her hair with her hands. She gestures with her head at the bathroom, and I nod with a smile.
Once she's in the bathroom, I walk to the door. I open it only just to peek at Seth who is already in full training gear.
"I need five minutes." I run a hand through my hair as he eyes me, probably noticing I'm still wearing my dress shirt and suit pants. "Meet you in the lobby." He nods before I shut the door again.
When Bella comes out of the bathroom, I quickly rush in and get ready.
I find her out in the living room, resting against the counter, hugging her arms around herself, rubbing her hands over her arms.
"Are you cold?"
"A little bit. I think you overdo it with your AC."
I go back into the bedroom and open my drawer. The first thing I see is my lucky jersey. I grab it with a smile on my face and head out.
"Here," I say, handing it to her. "It might be big on you, but so would everything I own."
"Oh…" She turns it around in her hands — a confused expression on her face. Then I realize she might not want to wear my shirt, with my name on it. I mean, why would she? "This isn't the best idea if I'm trying to get out of here incognito." She runs her finger over the fabric, tracing the number seven printed on the back.
"You're right," I say, a little embarrassed, grabbing the shirt from her hands. "I'll get you something else."
"Can I still keep this?" She tugs at the shirt, without letting go.
My eyes dart from the shirt to her face, where a shy smile and a faint blush are on full display. I step closer to her, my hand reaching for her face, as I run my thumb over her cheek.
"It's yours." I bring her face closer and kiss the top of her head.
Seth is waiting in the lobby when Bella and I head down. He composes his face, as soon as he sees her, in her dress and heels, but with my gray hoodie on top.
Bella smiles shyly in his direction, as I stay behind her and glare at him to keep his mouth shut. I relax when he nods politely at her, and then the three of us walk to the car.
Bernard drives us to Bella's hotel first. I get out behind her and walk her to her door. We say goodbye awkwardly, and she thanks me for the jersey and the night. She gets on her tiptoes, and I lower myself so she can kiss my cheek.
When I settle back in the car, Seth has moved from the back to the middle row, and he's now staring at me with a smirk plastered on his face. "So… did you sleep well?"
My left fist connects with his shoulder with enough force to make him flinch, but not enough for him to stop grinning.
"Ow!" he squeals through a chuckle. "Hey, don't worry..." he says, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm like Fort Knox. These lips are sealed!"
I turn to look at him and he grins wider. "Wipe that smile off your face, kid. We're going to training, not Disneyland."
He snorts but wisely keeps quiet the rest of the way.
We practice free kicks and I am pleased to see how much better Seth has gotten at it. He is now confident and determined — always stays focused when he takes the kick, never second guessing himself. Once we're done, he approaches me, quickly dribbling the ball around me tauntingly.
My instincts kick in, and I am ready to hustle. In a blur, the ball goes between my legs, and Seth is now controlling it behind me.
"How did you do that?"
He is laughing hard as he comes around again. I try to get the ball from him, but he dribbles past me, chuckling.
"You think you're real funny, huh?" I try to bring him down with a slide-tackle, but the kid's quick on his feet and the ball is fucking glued to his cleats.
He's bent over at the waist, hands on knees, chuckling, as I get off from the turf, panting.
"All right…" I glare at him. "How the fuck do you do that?"
"I just dribble the ball, Edward," he adds, with a mocking shrug. "It's what Jesus would do."
I can't help but laugh as he throws my words back at me. Shaking my head, I wipe my hands on my shorts and decide to let it go. "I need food. Let's go."
When we walk into the cafeteria, everyone's eating already. I hadn't realized we were late.
Before I can check my watch, Waylon calls us over to his table, with a frown on his face. This can't be good. As soon as we're near, he asks, "Where were you?"
Is he serious?
We're here now — five minutes late, but whatever.
Who cares?
I was planning on ignoring him, except Seth starts spilling next to me. "We were just going over free kicks, Coach."
"You should have been resting."
I would have gladly stayed in bed with Bella, but I don't think that's what Waylon means. Of course he wants us to rest, but this is us trying to feel we've done our best, like we've done everything we could. If we don't win the final, it's not going to be because we didn't work our hardest. He knows this. I don't know why he's choosing to make a big deal out of it. It's not like we were partying…
"This is the last stage of the game," Waylon continues, looking at me. I stare back, my lips sealed. "I need you two focused and well rested. We can't afford mess-ups this late in the competition."
"Of course, Coach," Seth says next to me.
"Get ready for practice," Waylon dismisses us and we both nod and go get our breakfast.
Drills go over smoothly with Coach Clapp, even though he's pushing us hard. Over at strategy planning in the classroom, it seems like the theme of today is more about our mental preparation and less about the Brazilian game and skills. If I have to hear the words rest or relax one more time, I might just have to shoot myself in the head.
My only distraction is flicking Seth's ear every time his head bobs as he dozes off.
We go back out on the training pitch and play four on fours. At the end of the day we practice free-kicks and penalty kicks.
Once we get on the bus after practice, I fish in my bag for my cell phone. I have a message from my mom, "Good luck, son," one from my sister, "May the force be with you," but nothing from Bella.
I debate briefly whether I should text her or not, but before I can chicken out or ague with myself not to seem too needy, I type a quick "Hey TT, what u up to tonight?"
By the time we arrive at the hotel, she hasn't answered yet. It's only nine, and I know that if I go to bed, I won't be able to sleep. I'm too anxious — too edgy. I wouldn't be able to just go to sleep; I'm going to have to pass out.
I need a distraction.
"FIFA13?" I ask as we walk through the hallway, everyone heading for their rooms.
"Not me…" Emmett says, scratching his neck, walking into his room.
"Pussy…" I mutter under my breath.
"You should get some sleep," Jasper says behind me.
Of course…
I roll my eyes at Jasper and check my phone. Bella has not replied to my text. I groan and turn to Seth who's yawning into his arm.
"I'm fried." Seth runs a hand down his face and looks at me sheepishly.
"Kid, c'mon, you're nineteen!"
"How are you not exhausted?" he asks, rubbing his eyes.
"Fine! Be an old fuck, I don't care." I march into my suite as Seth and Jasper close their doors.
Geriatric fuckers…
I turn in my bed for a while until my phone finally vibrates on my nightstand.
"Working late tonight. Sorry. TT"
I groan into the pillow which now covers my face. It doesn't take long for my brain to start assaulting me with thoughts of Bella and her cameraman alone in a room. Or Bella and Paul on a conference call, chatting all night. If she's working this late, it's probably because of the five-hour time difference between the ESPN headquarters in L.A. and here.
She's probably working with him…
I wonder what she's doing while she talks to him. He was calling her during the game — he probably saw us kissing. Has he asked her about us? What did she say if he did?
The anxiety starts eating at me, and when it becomes unbearable, I get up from my bed and head to the entertainment room.
I can play FIFA13 by myself just fine.
After several games, I'm thankful to start to feel my eyes tire out, and my shoulders slump. The thoughts of Bella with Paul have not abandoned my mind, but at least I think I'm weary enough to be able to sleep.
As I turn the system off, I can hear a noise coming from the equipment room.
I should have known better than to go investigate.
Well, well, well, if it isn't Jasper, humping a girl against the shelf. Who's the lucky gal, with her legs wrapped around him?
Wait a minute….
Are those... are those purple Chucks?
It can't be.
The remote which I'm still holding in my hands falls, bouncing off the floor a couple times.
They both gasp, as Jasper turns around. The blood drains from both their faces in shock.
You've got to be fucking kidding me.
My sister — my baby sister — is still hoisted around Jasper's hips. The purple Chucks I gave her for Christmas on her feet, locked behind Jasper's back.
Jasper puts her down and takes a step back, and I don't know if I am glad or repulsed when he arranges the obvious erection poking in his shorts.
For a second, I can't even think, and I just stand there, pulling at my hair until it hurts.
"Edward," my sister cries, drawing my attention back to her as she buttons her top. "I was going to tell you."
I can't deal with her right now, so I turn my glare back to Jasper. "Are you fucking my little sister?"
"It's not like that," he says... whispers... murmurs... like a fucking coward.
I cannot believe this. Jasper grew up with us. She's like a sister to him. She's a baby, for fuck's sake! How could he have done this?
Without realization, I'm marching to him, and he takes a couple steps to the back of the room.
"Edward, don't!" My sister holds on to my elbow as I corner Jasper against the wall, my forearm under his neck. He's surprisingly calmed — his arms hanging at his sides.
"Alice, stay out of it!" I bark at her but she doesn't even flinch.
"Stay out of it?" She yanks at my arm with some force. "I'm tired of your controlling attitude. I'm not a little girl anymore!"
Before I can answer her, Jasper speaks up. "Allie…"
Allie?
ALLIE?
"Let us work this out. Please? Let me talk to him." Jasper's voice is smooth as he addresses my sister.
How can he be so calm? I am shaking with the need to punch him. He must know this. He must feel it coming.
My sister's eyes fly from his to mine before she sighs and lets go of my arm.
"Don't fight!" She points a finger at my face in warning. I want to laugh. What the hell does she think I plan to do? Talk?
As she leaves, I grab Jasper by his shirt and slam him against the wall.
"How could you do this?"
"Edward, calm down."
"I'll calm down when you stop fucking my sister." I slam him against the wall again, just aching to get some reaction out of him. My fists crave to inflict pain on his face, but I can't do it when he's numb like this, I can't.
"I'm in love with her," he says, impossibly calmer still. "You can beat me up if you want. I'll let you. But it's not going to change a thing."
Well, fuck me sideways.
How can I beat him up now?
I clench his shirt over his chest as my right fist lifts on its own. With a growl, I punch the concrete wall next to his face.
I storm out of the room, holding my hand to my chest.
I can hear both him and Alice calling behind me, but I don't stop until I reach my room and slam the door closed.
I need to break something.
I just... I need…
My hand is throbbing and shaking, which makes it impossible for me to type the text I so desperately need to. I give up and just press the call button.
"Hey," she answers on the second ring.
"I need to see you." I breathe deeply into the phone, holding myself up on the counter for support. I wince when my fingers stretch over the surface.
"What's wrong?"
"Are… are you done working?" I try making a fist, but it seems I did a real good number on my hand this time.
Fucking Jasper fucking my sister.
"I just got back," she says as I eye the clock on the wall. It's almost midnight.
"Can I come over?" I give up trying not to sound desperate.
"Sure."
"I'll see you in a bit," I say, resting my shaky hand over my stomach.
"Are you okay?"
"Not yet."
"What's going on?"
"I'll be there in a few." I wait for her "okay" and hang up.
Luckily, when I leave my room, Jasper and Alice are not in the hallway anymore. I don't even want to think about where they are or if, God forbid, they are together right now.
I call Bernard from the elevator, and he's ready to go as I reach the lobby.
Thank God for Bernard.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
I storm in through the doors of Bella's hotel like a maniac. The elevator takes forever to get to the lobby, so I just give up and hit the stairs. Nine flights of stairs later, I'm panting at her door.
My lips are on hers as soon as she opens it. She gasps, but doesn't turn away. Once her hands reach my hair, I exhale in relief.
That's all I need…
I have her hoisted up on me and over the counter in the next second.
"Hello," she gasps when I leave her mouth.
"Hi." I groan into her neck, trailing kisses over her collarbone.
"Are you okay?"
"Much better now, thanks."
"What happened?"
"Nothing." I groan again, trying hard not to think about what happened. My hands hover over her waist, aching to go under the fabric of her shirt.
"Edward..."
Tentatively, I reach with my hands under her shirt, over her back, looking for the clasp of her bra. When she swats at my hand — at my right hand — I whimper into her neck and pull my hand out and rest it on the counter, trying to breathe through the pain.
"What happened to your hand?" she asks, grabbing it carefully, turning it around.
"Nothing," I say through clenched teeth as I move away from her neck.
"What did you do?"
"I punched a wall," I murmur, looking down.
"Why did you punch a wall?" Her hand is under my jaw, trying to get me to look at her.
"Because Jasper is fucking my sister." I step away from her, my hand throbbing at the mention of his name. I still really want to hurt him.
"What?" Her eyes shoot up at me, her eyebrows raised in shock.
"Jasper is fucking my sister so I punched the wall instead of him." I move closer and step in between her legs again. "See? I channeled my anger. Just like you said I should. Which is exactly what I was trying to do just now, before you decided to smack my injured hand."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were hurt." She smiles and brings a hand to my cheek again. "So Jasper and Alice, huh?"
"Can we get back to me channeling my anger the old-fashioned way?" My hand mimics hers, and I rub my thumb over her cheek.
"What's the old-fashioned way?" Her smile is taunting — one I have come to learn and cherish — she's teasing me.
"You know... me... assaulting you." I can feel the corners of my lips stretching up in a devious smirk as well.
"You know there are other outlets."
"Like what?"
"Have you tried yoga?"
I laugh. "Are you serious right now?"
"Yes!"
"I run, swim, mountain bike, rock climb... I'll even play beach volleyball. I don't do yoga."
"Why not? It's fun. It's relaxing."
"It's for pussies."
"Hey!" She swats at my shoulder as I laugh. "Some positions are very challenging."
"We can try all the challenging positions you want, Tee-Tee." My hands find her waist again, as I pull her to me.
"Tell me what happened."
I groan into her neck. "Bella, please."
"It might make you feel better to talk about it." She grabs my face in her hands, pulling me from her neck.
I know I won't be winning this argument, so I decide to spill, because the sooner we get through it, the sooner we can get back to other, more important things.
"I found them kissing in the equipment room." I close my eyes and pinch my nose to try to prevent the images of my baby sister pressed up against the shelves like that.
"Has it been going on for some time?" she asks casually.
"I don't know..." I open my eyes and search hers. "Why are you not more surprised about this? Did you know something was up?"
"Of course not. But..." She trails off and bites her lips, eyeing me guiltily.
"But, what?"
"The way they were looking at each other over dinner last night... it was kinda obvious."
"It wasn't obvious to me!" I can feel the anger bubbling again.
"Don't get upset," she says sweetly. "He's your friend, right? Don't you think he's a good guy?"
"He's my age! That's five years older than her!" I really don't mean to yell at Bella, but I'm having a bit of trouble controlling myself at the moment.
"It's not that much."
I run a hand down my face, exasperated. Jasper is a good guy and my friend, but still... "She's a baby!"
"She's a freshman in college, Edward. She's definitely not a baby."
I let go of her waist and step back. I pace in front of her, running a hand through my hair. I'm so fucking tired — physically and mentally. These have been some pretty intense weeks; I don't need to add worrying about Jasper fucking my sister. I'm tired of being angry.
"They look cute together," she says, still up on the counter, and I turn to look at her.
Bella is right — Jasper is a good guy. He doesn't play around. He's a class act. I guess the age difference is what bugs me, but would I be happier if she was dating a frat boy her own age? No, I definitely wouldn't. My sister's always been wiser than her years…
I take a deep breath, my eyes on Bella. "He said he loves her." I walk back to her and stand between her legs.
"That's good," she says, reaching for my hair with her fingers.
"I guess…"
"Of course it is." She giggles as she starts running her fingers through my hair.
"You don't know what that does to me," I say through a sigh, closing my eyes as my forehead drops on her shoulder. Before I know it, I've relaxed so much that I'm about to doze off.
Well, we can't let that happen, now, can we?
I open my eyes and shake the sleep off of my head, breathing in deeply, as I smirk at her. I grab her hand from behind my ear, kiss her wrist, and move her arms around my neck, wrapping mine around her right afterward.
I attack her mouth then, and she moans when my tongue slips in her mouth. I bring my arms over to her ass and lift her up from the counter, just as she circles her legs around my waist.
"Bedroom?" I pant into her neck.
"Yes…" She gasps, throwing her head back.
We fall clumsily on the bed, and as I use my hands to keep my weight off of her, my right hand gives out, and I fall on my elbow, groaning into my arm.
"Are you okay?" Bella asks worriedly from under me.
I kiss her mouth impatiently, trying to get the buttons of her shirt unhooked with my left hand only. It proves to be very frustrating.
"Edward?"
I hold myself up on my left hand and try again with my right, but it is painful and I can't help but wince.
"You're in pain."
"I'm all right."
"Let me look at your hand again."
"Bella…"
"Edward, stop." Her hand is on my chest, pushing me off of her. I roll over next to her and lay my hand on my stomach.
She sits up beside me and grabs it. Even though she's being careful, my hand is aching and just her handling it makes me shut my eyes in pain.
"It's starting to swell," she says softly. "Can you move your fingers or make a fist?"
I try but it hurts too much.
"Okay, that's it."
When I open my eyes, she's already off the bed. "Where are you going?"
"You're getting that checked."
"What? Right now? Are you serious?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?" Her stance is grave — hands on hips, scowl on her face.
"I sure as hell hope you are." I sit up on the bed, holding my hand to my chest. "It doesn't hurt that much," I press. "I'm really good with my left hand too." I try smiling at her through my tight jaw. Her posture melts as her face softens, and she walks closer to me.
"Your hand could be broken." She puts a hand on my cheek, trying to reason with me.
"It's not, c'mon! I'll have it checked tomorrow morning."
"I don't want you to be in pain," she explains, letting go of my face.
"Funny you should say that… you do know my hand is not the only thing on me that's throbbing right now."
Even though I'm not joking, my statement makes her laugh, but then the scowl is back and so is my Tiny Terror.
"Are you calling Bernie or do I have to?"
Shit…
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
A couple hours later, we are back at my hotel. The on-call medics have determined my hand is broken and have put it in a splint. That is only mildly annoying compared to the fact that Bella is trying to convince me it's better for me if she goes back to her hotel.
"You need your rest. Please. Last training tomorrow, remember? Keep your head in the game."
"My priorities have changed," I say, wrapping my good arm around her waist.
"How could they? No…" She grabs my arm, releasing it from her waist. "I don't want that. You've worked so hard for this, to jeopardize it for... for whatever this is." She waves a hand between us. "I won't let you."
"Bella..."
"I'm serious. I'll still be here after you win this thing. Until then, your head needs to be in that game."
"Can other parts of me be in you while my head is in the game?"
"No." She smiles. "Now, go rest. Bernie will drive me back to my hotel. Right, Bernie?"
"Of course, Miss Swan."
I glare at Bernard. Last time I checked, I'm the one signing his paychecks.
Fucking traitor.
I look down at Bella in defeat. She gives me a small grin, stretching up on her tiptoes to give me a peck on the lips, before she turns around and leaves with Bernard.
Once I go up to my floor, I find my sister at my door, her arms around herself.
"Alice, what are you—"
"Edward! I'm so sorry!" she interrupts me. "I promise I was going to tell you. I just didn't want to do it over the phone. I swear he didn't start it. It just kinda happened, and well, I'm really happy it did, E. He makes me happy." Her words come out in a rush as her eyes fill with tears.
"Hey," I say, bringing her closer. "It's all right, Munchkin." I hug her head to my chest as she sniffles on my shirt.
"Wait, what?" Her eyes shoot up at me in surprise.
"It's okay."
"You're okay with it?"
"Yeah… I mean, I was caught off guard. I'm sorry if I over reacted."
"You… um… wha…" She exhales in relief and slumps against the wall. "Man, I thought you were going to lose your shit and be extremely difficult about this."
"Well, I'm not." I ruffle her hair as I yawn.
"Your hand."
"Fifth metacarpal fracture." I shrug. It's actually not that bad, after the anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers. Plus the splint only immobilizes my pinky and ring finger, so my hand is at least not completely useless.
"I'm sorry."
"Not your fault. I wish I would have come to my senses before I punched the wall."
"What made you come to your senses?"
I shake my head with a smile.
"Where were you 'til now?" A smile starts creeping on her face. "Where's Bella?"
I search for my key in my pocket, turning away from her.
"Oh my God! This is so awesome! We can do stuff together, all four of us! Jasper and me... you and Bella. 'Cause you and Bella are together, right?"
"I don't know what we are at this point."
"Well, she has to be something, right? You've never introduced a girl to Mom before."
"I know…"
"Do you need relationship advice, big brother?"
"No. I need sleep. Now go."
"Okay… okay." My sister pulls me down for a hug and then leaves.
I drag my feet to bed, completely spent. It doesn't take long before I pass out.
T-minus one day to the World Cup final.
A/N: So, Edward didn't take it that bad, right? ;)
See you guys Saturday!
Ronnie.
