Hi friends! I had a Twilight night with one of my friends over the weekend, and it made me miss writing Rosella, so here we are! I don't really have any specific plans for this new multi-chapter fic aside from having fun while writing it when inspiration hits and seeing where said writing takes these wonderful characters. It's an AU where Bella has a little sister. Hope you enjoy.
PS: The title is inspired by Sam Smith's "To Die For".
"Isadora picked out the bed stuff. You like purple, right?"
The first thing Bella noticed about Charlie upon arriving back in Forks was the way he no longer spoke with any emotion in his voice – not that he ever necessarily had before. He'd never been an overly emotional man, but even making direct eye contact seemed to be a feat for him now. It was like he was merely going through the motions of life, taking things one day at a time, all the while doing his best to keep the eight-year-old girl he was now a single father of alive.
Honestly, after what he'd gone through, Bella couldn't really blame him.
"Purple's cool," Bella nodded, glancing from Charlie to the walls inclosing the bedroom she had only kinda-sorta grown up in. It had changed over the years, aged as she had, but unlike Charlie, it still felt familiar.
"Daddy also let me pick out this flag for you," a tiny voice stated.
Bella turned to look at her desk where her little sister was standing, pointing to a small rainbow striped flag that now lived among an assortment of pens and pencils inside of an old coffee mug. While the brunette wasn't exactly the type to flaunt rainbows on the regular, she found the sentiment behind the gesture endearing.
Smiling softly, Bella walked over and ruffled the little girl's hair. "Thanks, Izzy," she said. Now her room felt familiar and welcoming, she thought.
The rest of her first night in Forks consisted of Chinese take out for dinner and trying to unpack while her little shadow followed her around. Despite the way Isadora's presence may have bothered some, Bella honestly didn't mind it much. She was high energy and often hard to keep up with, but sweet, and amusing, and loving. And, Bella noticed, for a child who was going through the pain of having just lost her mother, it was obvious she was either incredibly resilient or was still too young to fully comprehend what all had happened in the past few months. Hell, to an extent, Bella herself was still trying to wrap her head around it.
The next morning, Bella crouched below the tiny carbon copy of herself in the parking lot of Forks Elementary. "I'll be right here in this same spot to pick you up after school at three fifteen, okay?" She assured her.
Isadora nodded at Bella's words and waited for her to finish adjusting the bright yellow beanie on her head before running off in the direction of her second-grade classroom. "Have fun!" Bella called after her, almost nostalgically watching her go.
Bella remembered elementary school as a much fonder period of life than high school had ever been, and she was pretty positive that joining a new school in the middle of her junior year was more of a recipe for disaster than success. Despite being relieved to have left her old school and life in Arizona, everyone knew everyone in this small town, which meant that everyone knew her, the new kid, before she'd even stepped foot on campus. Being the police chief's eldest daughter, word of her impending arrival had made its way around town, just as the death of Charlie's second wife had. But, even knowing all of this, Bella hadn't been prepared for the awkward apologies, conversation starters, and stares that she was inevitably showered with.
By the time she reached third period gym, her least favorite class, she was actually thankful for the tiny break it provided in her day. Having to move around would mean less time for talking, even though she hated almost everything that involved any kind of physical activity. Bella made a point to change quickly before locking herself in one of the stalls of the bathroom, waiting there until the locker room cleared out. She too had to follow her fellow classmates into the gym for the dreaded lesson of physical activity, but walking there without someone hounding her provided a nice handful of moments of much needed solitude.
Out on the volleyball court, Bella kept her distance from the white ball that flew through the air as much as she could, guarding her body with feeble arms any time it came even remotely close. She ducked from and dodged it, even losing a few points for her team in the process.
"You're supposed to hit the ball, Arizona," a teammate whose name she'd forgotten shouted in frustration.
Nodding nervously, Bella exhaled before biting down on her lower lip, lifting her arms over her head in preparation to do just that the next time it came her way. She wasn't at all coordinated, but she could probably hit the ball once. It couldn't be that hard, right?
On instinct, Bella dodged the ball with her upper body while smacking it with a closed, extended fist the next time it came at her, sending it flying over into the court next to theirs rather than back over the net. Her eyes followed its path, widening to the size of saucers as she watched it collide with the back of someone's head. Immediately, she ran towards the girl who fell victim to her blow, initially speaking to the back of her blonde head of gorgeous hair.
"I-I… I'm so sorry," Bella stammered, her cheeks flushed red. "I told them not to let me play."
Bella's eyebrows pulled together in the center of her forehead, crinkling as she watched a finely manicured hand smooth over the flowing, blonde locks that had just been tousled. Despite having felt the ball approaching, ducking or stepping out of the way would have been too risky while surrounded by so many students. So, Rosalie Hale had opted to absorb the "blow", her gritted teeth the clearest marker of her instant irritation.
The surrounding chatter had turned to gasps and then silence, stares evenly divided between the newest and prettiest girls in the room.
"A-Are you okay?" Bella asked, unprepared for the way the other girl whirled around at this to face her.
"What?" Rosalie snapped, instantly on the offense. Anger built within her, flashing across her eyes.
Bella reflexively took a step back, simultaneously stunned and in awe. The girl had porcelain-like skin that looked almost fragile, and piercing black eyes that drew her right back in. But when she opened her mouth to speak, to answer her, all she could do was stutter.
Rosalie took two calculated steps towards her, then stopped. She could feel the heat radiating from the brunette's cheeks. Her own chest tightened at the sensation, a flicker of brief uncertainty crossing her face. She was absolutely fine. But… now, locking eyes with the stranger before her, she also very much wasn't. However, her usual icy facade didn't falter enough for the average human to notice.
"I could get you some ice, if-if you're hurt." Bella continued to stammer and ramble. Rosalie met her offer with a sarcastic laugh, only making the crease between Bella's brows intensify.
"I don't need anything from you," Rosalie all but snarled. "Do they not teach you how to aim wherever it is that you come from?"
Bella let out a soft, exasperated huff – a mere moment of disbelief before attempting to match the blonde's demeanor. Bella found herself shifting awkwardly and rocking back on her heels, eventually taking a full step backwards again as a result of a little stumble. Like the ground was shifting under her feet, only it wasn't. That was just Bella, constantly clumsy and tripping over herself. And it didn't do her any favors that the girl who stood before her seemed to radiate beauty from every pore. It was intimidating. And kind of infuriating, in this moment.
"Look, I said I'm sorry, alright?" She eventually managed. Her cheeks burned with anger now, the redness in them a product of mixed emotions.
"Sorry doesn't always fix things," Rosalie said, her words patronizing.
There were hints of shyness and bewilderment behind the biting glare Bella now shot her fellow student. What on Earth was this chick's problem? It had been an accident. She blinked a few times, ultimately being the first to break the death stare between them. Oh, how she wished – in that moment – that she could shrink and disappear.
Opting for the next best alternative, Bella turned over her shoulder and made a beeline for the door that led to the girl's locker room, power walking as fast as she could. She didn't dare pick up the pace and run; the last thing she needed was to fall in front of her classmates and earn herself a pair of friction burned knees, too.
A bruised and shamed ego was enough for day one.