Who wants to be ordinary,
In a crazy mixed up world?
I don't care what they're saying,
As long as I'm your girl.
("You Get Me" by Michelle Branch)
………………………………………………………………………………………
2 Years 7 Months 23 Days
Freshman Year, Silver Lining
Starbucks at six in the morning is more crowded than in the afternoon. I watched the people do their morning rituals, staring into space with a blank look on my face.
What was wrong with me? It's only a distant memory, why does he still have the power to affect me even now? I was infuriated with myself.
As I attempted to sip some more of my café mocha, someone cleared their throat. I looked up and saw a girl clad in what looked like a designer top. Expensive as it appeared, her image was not salvaged - she still looked slutty instead of classy. "Can I help you with something?" I asked her.
"Uh, yeah, like, this is my seat," she answered with high pitched voice, pointing to where I was seated.
"Um… so?" I tried as much as I could not to raise my eyebrow at her.
"You're sitting in it." She crossed her arms to her chest.
"Excuse me?" I blinked in shock.
Needless to say, I was flabbergasted to find that such behavior was… even happening. Outside of a movie. Did I really look that weak and defenseless?
"Like, HELLO? Move? Or I'm telling Dennis Jackson, I swear! I'm, like, his girlfriend, and he won't even let you, like, get to your classes in peace for the rest of high school if you don't listen to me!" she all but shrieked in my ear.
To this, I really raised my eyebrow and couldn't suppress my laughter. I literally burst out laughing. I had to calm down for a few seconds to ask this crazy girl a really important question.
"So you really think I go to your high school?" I asked her, grinning.
"Ugh! You're dead," she huffed.
"No, seriously - you think I still go to high school?" I was amused, but I didn't want her to know that. Instead, I feigned being annoyed.
Her eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"For your information, miss, I'm twenty-two years old," I told her as sweetly as I could with my death glare smile. I knew she didn't miss my eyes narrowing at her in suppressed anger. "Are you going to continue your threats now? You're what, sixteen? Seventeen? You do realize that I can report you to your school, or much worse, real enforcers of the law, and you might very well be considered for an institution?"
"I... uh…" was all she could say.
"Or do you want me to sue you for all your silicone-filled boobs and ass are worth, princess?" I added. By this time, I had my arms crossed over my chest.
She stood frozen in her place, blinking a few times; she started to look as if she'd seen the boogie man in me. I wish I could have handled myself better than that time… with those three… Tanya, Jessica and Lauren… just like with this life-sized Barbie…
I shook my head at her, while she kept silent. "Right, I thought as much. Now shoo. Off with you." I said, putting in as much coldness as I could in the last thing I said - while pretending to wave my hand at her, as if she were some fly. Unconsciously, I cracked my knuckles - a bad habit I had acquired over the past year.
She walked away with a face red in embarrassment, and eyes filled with fear. "This is the real world, missy," I added sourly, when I knew she was still in earshot. No knight in shining armor is there to protect you all of the time. I know that from experience.
I wasn't weak anymore. Two and a half years of self defense lessons had toughened me up significantly. I can still remember the day those two - Lauren and Jessica - had given me a bloody nose…
I'm different now!
Being best friends with the "hottest" guy on campus can only have horrible consequences, most of the time. In my case, I was an easy target for one particular consequence.
One word: bullying.
At first, I didn't realize that I was in fact being bullied… until one stupid, stupid day…
"Hey, Swan? Can we talk to you over by the gym real quick?" Tanya chirped.
In the back of my mind, I knew it didn't sound right. Who calls someone to have a supposed talk with them… in a secluded place? During lunch? When all of the people were in the cafeteria?
Sadly, I was an idiot of a naïve girl at the time. "S-sure," I gulped.
I arrived in the dimly lit gym. There were two dark figures in the center already, and fear was definitely what I was feeling at that moment. So why had I not run away? Because I was dumb at the time.
"Hey, Isabella," said the figure to the left, "knew you couldn't resist us."
"Yeah, Bells," continued the one in the middle.
The lights then switched off, giving the gym an eerie lighting. Then it all happened at once. I heard a click behind me; it was Tanya - the messenger who called on me earlier - guarded the exit. I was done for.
"W-what do you guys want?" my voice was shaking. I was scared of them, yeah, but I couldn't find the courage to run away. Deep inside, I was screaming for Edward to come save me… somehow…
"We need to teach you a lesson, dear," said Jessica, as she winked to Lauren on her left. Their eyes were glinting with malice.
Lauren and Jessica jogged to me and grabbed me by my shoulders. Before I knew it, my right cheek throbbed in pain due to its collision with the hard wooden floor of the gym. A pool of liquid crimson started to gather around my face, as I was pinned to the floor. I tried to gasp, but my face hurt too much. I also felt that I was slowly losing my grip on consciousness…
Blood. My face was bleeding, and I was about to faint. I knew I had to get up and get away from the pool of red, but couldn't. The sharp stiletto heel of Tanya's shoe was piercing my upper back, not letting me get up. "That's what you get for being too friendly with Edward, Swan." It was Tanya who said that. It looked pretty clear, how she ordered Lauren and Jessica around, that she was the leader.
"And you won't be able to tell anyone! Hah, who'll believe you, queen of klutzes?" Tanya was laughing bitterly while leaving with her two cronies. I wanted to cry. I felt so helpless. Before I could do anything, I passed out… but not before hearing the ear shattering sound of my Angel's voice screaming out my name. "BELLA!" I heard him shout, agonized.
I awoke only to find myself in a white room. A white hospital room. As I scanned the room around me, I found I wasn't alone. Edward held my right hand enclosed in both of his, while his head rested on the small space on my right.
"E-edward?" I whispered.
His eyes shot open and they looked blood shot red. He then looked up at me. "BELLA!" he said frantically, "how are you feeling? How's your head? Your stitches! Don't move or yo-" I had to stop him from talking.
I chuckled, while silencing him with my finger on his perfect lips. "Wait, wait, one question at a time."
"O… okay. Are you feeling all right?" Edward gripped my hand tighter, showing his concern.
"I feel like I'm floating, but I'm all right." I answered.
"It must be the morphine taking effect."
"Must… be." I whispered.
"Don't move so much, okay? Especially your head. You have 6 stitches…"
My eyes widened. I hadn't tried to think about what might have happened to me to cause this, but this definitely made me remember. "Edward…" I croaked "how'd I end up here?"
Edward looked as if he was about to go out and kill someone. "I overheard Jessica, Lauren and Tanya talking in the hallway about leaving you there in the gym to learn your lesson. I was so terrified of what they'd done to you…. But it didn't compare to when I actually saw you. I carried you to the clinic and we had to call 911
"Oh god, Bella… I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…"he said, as he struggled with his words.
I blinked back my tears. "Why are you apologizing?! Stop it. You're always so guilty about the weirdest things."
"I wasn't there… in time… they… to you… because of me…" he was almost crying. It didn't look like the confident, poker face, ice cold Edward I knew. So for the first time ever, I didn't restrain myself from the immediate urge to engulf him in my embrace. So I did. Well, with the good arm I had, I pulled my right hand out of his hands, and pulled him close to me in a half hug. My left arm had an IV in it and was too far away. This would have to do.
"Hush now, I'm safe, see? Stop being such a worry wart…" I felt him nod in my right shoulder. I'd never seen a teenage boy look so vulnerable in my entire life. Why he was so affected, I didn't know. I guess I became that much of a good friend to him, as he has become the love of my life. He didn't show this side of him to anyone else, aside from me - that much I knew.
"I got them though," he whispered.
"What do you… mean?" I whispered back, dreadful. He hadn't hurt the three, had he? I didn't want his future in Jeopardy just for my sake!
As if he knew what I was thinking, he answered, "I didn't hurt them, Bella… I just reported them. I found the video surveillance tape for the gym… showed it to the police, and that confirmed my statement from what I overheard… they'll be dealt with properly. They won't be going to our school anymore."
"Oh."I managed to breathe out. "Thank you, Edward."
"Anything for you, Bella, anything and everything."
And then there was nothing left to say. We just stayed there, embracing each other, until my father cleared his throat, while standing at the doorway.
Eight a.m. It was time for me to walk to my job. The small publishing company I worked for was situated just adjacent to a junior college. It was the same junior college Edward and I had been studying in until 2 years and 7 months ago…
But… I made it a point to hide from him in the last place he'd look for me in the past couple of years and a half. The same place. Okay, I didn't really leave… him. After 2 years in junior college, I knew I had to transfer to a real university - and I did. It just wasn't the same one as he went to.
And I didn't tell him exactly which university I transferred to. I had cut all ties with him… 2 years 7 months and 23 days ago.
The air was getting warm, as I felt the sun shining down on me. I pushed my sunglasses up my nose, as I walked down the sidewalk.
A group of three people at the same cross walk as me looked familiar. Good lord… it was Tanya, Jessica and Lauren. They looked like they had aged 10 years!
"Well look at what the cat dragged in," I snorted. They heard me loud and clear, and turned their heads around to look at me.
"YOU!" Tanya hissed. Lauren and Jessica were just too shocked to give a proper reaction. And I guess they were passed their immature stage… and Tanya, clearly, wasn't.
"Me?" I asked innocently "What about me? Such a warm greeting, girls."
"Enough, Tanya," Lauren stood in front of her. Jessica looked at me apologetically, mouthing "I'm sorry… Tanya…." I guess the two really did change already. I was just kind of saddened that Tanya hadn't.
"Whatever, so you guys go to Pasadena City College?" I was trying to redeem myself from my rude behavior to the two. I didn't forgive them, but I didn't necessarily hate them.
"Yeah…" answered Jessica "this is our last semester here till we transfer to our universities."
"What about you, Bella? Do you still go to PCC, too?" asked Lauren. Tanya had gone on ahead to the 99 cent store nearby. Apparently, she worked there part time. I knew to watch out for her.
"Ah… I guess so, you can say that." I told them honestly.
"Huh?" she answered.
"I'm going to be teaching English here in the near future."
"Oh…"
We ended our small conversation on a good note, with the two of them mentioning how sorry they were about what they did to me in high school. Truly, it was all Tanya's idea, but why still follow her to this day, I would have no clue.
I then realized that there was still a silver lining to all this…
I had made in through college properly… and faster too. Comparing my life to those… three, I had it better than they did.
And that now, I knew I could handle potentially harmful situations. Even if I knew he wouldn't be there to send me to the hospital. Or be there to hug me when it hurt. Or be there to tell me to breathe, when I was having a panic attack.
It's been 2 years 7 months and 23 days since I've felt his warm embrace…
The last time was that dinner I had with him. The night I decided I wouldn't tell him I'd disappear from his life forever.
It's been roughly around 1,370,880 minutes since… he told me things would be okay.
Not that I'm counting or anything…
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
Author's note:
I feel BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOCKED again… tralalalalala….
Sorry loves
