"Some love lasts a lifetime. True love lasts forever."
-Unknown
Rosie laid her head down on my shoulder. She sniffled softly and I played with the soft curls that had come loose from her intricate design. We rode home in the back of Charlie's police cruiser. He mumbled under his breath, but didn't speak to us as we drove to my house.
Jasper and Emmett had to stay behind to discuss the fight and punishment. Their parents had been called down and the dance had been canceled. When everyone had finally cleared the gym it looked disastrous. Streamers lay on the ground ripped and torn apart. The pumpkin center pieces were smashed and ripped on the ground. A few tables had been tipped over from people running and the fights.
There had been a total of 6 fights that had broken out. All of the participators were at the gym with the principal and teachers and their parents. We were sent home and since Royce was one of the fighters, Charlie decided to take us.
Rosalie would be staying at my house tonight. A soft music played in the background. Charlie's way of calming the situation and Rosalie. I wanted to roll my eyes.
Rose looked up at me and I offered a soft smile.
"Where's your mask?" she said hoarsely and my hand flew to my face. I could only feel soft skin and I sighed. I thought for a moment and then flashes of memories came back to me.
I remember Edward soft fingers pull it off of me. The way his fingers slowly ran down the length of my cheek. The trail he had gone down started to prickle again and I could feel the heat light up my cheeks.
"It must have fallen off," I mumbled under my breath. Rosalie sighed and looked back down. She lifted her head and slid down the seat until she was looking out the window. Green rushed passed us in a blur and I was brought back to his bright eyes.
My mind traveled back to the kiss. To the almost perfect night and I could feel my eyes prickle from tears as well. My chest actually ached and I had no idea why. Charlie drove into the driveway and looked at us.
"I have to get back to the school. Could you tell your mother what happened? I left in a hurry," he said gruffly. I nodded and opened the door to leave. Rose ran ahead of me and made it inside.
She rushed into the living room where Renee was curled up on the sofa reading a book. I closed the door and walked toward them. Rose ran to my mother and hugged her tightly. Renee patted her head and whispered softly. Renee glanced at me. I nodded and left up to my bedroom.
Rosalie had been strong for a very long time and now she needed a mother.
Rosalie and Jasper's mother had passed away when they were nine. Rosalie was strong and proved more than once she could do fine without a mother. Even when she was alive she wasn't much of a mother. She was always off to parties and events. She favored Jasper more than she had Rose and it was very obvious to anyone who looked close enough.
I ran off to my bedroom and stripped the dress off and threw the halo down on the bed. I kicked my heels off and ran to the shower. I let the steaming water relax my tense muscles and let the tears fall. The warm shower water washed them away as they fell. I washed out the glitter and gel and gunk Rosalie had put in my hair earlier. I scrubbed the makeup off my face and tried to destroy any part of tonight I had on. The strawberry fragrance of my shampoo took my senses away from the fresh cut grass smell and the chilly night air. The fresh rain that had started to drop near the end of the dance. But most importantly it took away his smell. His scent of honey and sunshine and boy. A half hour later when I climbed out of the shower and dried myself off, I looked at mirror.
I didn't do this often, because I usually found more flaws than positives about myself, but I stared at myself for a long time.
My damp hair was now straight and a tangled mess on my shoulders. My lips didn't shine with the pink lip gloss Rose had put and the light pink blush on my cheeks was my own.
It was while looking in the mirror that I noticed I still had the necklace on. My fingers found their way to the smooth dark gem. I knew I should have taken it off. I should have never accepted it and I should have returned it to him. Better yet I should have thrown it away. But I couldn't because it was from him. It reminded me of him and by wearing it I felt the secret we shared grow all more powerful. A warm tingle ran down my spine when I held the necklace, because it was meant for me. He thought of me when he bought it. He thought of me.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and threw on my ratty old t shirt and a pair of sweats.
I walked into my bedroom to find Rosalie wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of really tiny shorts. Her long legs curled underneath her and her blonde hair was a mess of tangled curls over her shoulders. She looked so beautiful. I felt the slightest bit of envy take over. I always felt that way about Rosie, because she was a super model and I was just another plain Jane. I looked around the room. My dress lay in a puddle of white cloth on the floor near my closet. My halo was thrown on my rocking chair along with Rosalie's black umbrella and dress.
I shook my head and bounced on the bed next to her.
Her scent wafted through the air when she suddenly turned her head toward me.
She smelled of perfume, hair products, and fabric softener. She smiled and looked back down at the book. I realized it was her yearbook.
"You smell like strawberries," she said as she flipped the page to a bunch of teacher's pictures.
"Yea my favorite," I said causally falling back on the bed. My hair would probably soak the pillow, but I didn't mind. I was too tired to care. I fiddled with a hole on the bottom of my t shirt. She scoffed quietly and I rose from the bed and stared at the book from over her shoulder. She had found the page of sophomores from last year. Alice and Edward Cullen stood next to each other in black and white.
I stared at his picture. His face was rounder, but he still held a sense of maturity. He looked younger though. His eyes were a little less cloudy with worries. His smile was small but apparent.
Alice on the other hand had a huge smile plastered on her face. Her face seemed to glow and you could practically see her hazel eyes glitter. Rosalie closed the book suddenly and threw it toward my rocking hair. It hit the back of the chair then fell to the floor, knocking down her umbrella and ruffling her dress. The only sound heard was the slight creaking of the chair.
"It was her damn fault!" Rosalie muttered. She brought her legs in front of them and held them as she laced her chin on her knees.
"What do you mean?" I asked quietly not wanting to push Rosalie. I never did find out about the fight. Rose laughed bitterly and let her head down to touch her forehead with her knees.
"He had gone to get me something to drink. She was at the punch table. He said something to her. I didn't know what it was. I was too far away to hear. She turned toward him snapped something and turned to walk away. I think he called her a bitch. She got angry and poured her drink down his head," at this Rosalie laughed a loud tinkling laugh.
"He probably deserved it," she mused silently. It was quiet and I waited for her to continue. The rocking chair stopped creaking. I could practically imagine Royce's anger as the red punch dribbled down his face. I felt a blush of shame wash over me when I realized I was being kissed by my enemy just outside.
"Then she turned around to leave but he grabbed her arm. I started walking toward him to stop it. I knew Emmett would get involved if he saw it. I reached them and Alice yanked her hand free but ended up falling backward and she pushed into me. I lost my balance and fell backward. I guess that's when Emmett saw. He came toward us and lifted Alice and me off the ground. He had grabbed my arm to lift me off the floor. He wasn't hurting me, just trying to help. Royce yelled at him to get off his date and pushed Emmett hard," she said and then rose up. She walked toward my light switch and turned it off. I scooted over so she would have room to lie down.
She crawled into bed and we both laid staring back at the ceiling.
"So…" I said edging her on.
She sighed.
"Well Royce pushed Emmett and to keep his balance Emmett let go of me. Alice had already pulled free. But I hadn't cause my ankle had fell the wrong way when Alice fell, so when he let me go, I pulled one of your moves and ended up falling on the ground again. Then comes Jasper. He yells at Emmett for messing with me and then Emmett gets mad and says he's just trying to help. Royce gets blamed and then all hell broke loose. I don't know who punched who first. I was surprised Edward hadn't come to Alice's aid. He's very protective of her," Rose muttered the last part and turned so her back faced me.
"Their twins…they would be," I whispered.
"Whatever. Wonder where he was all night," Rose said with a heavy sigh.
I turned on my side and felt the blood boil.
"Me too."
—
The beeping continued slowly. I stood there holding on to myself. I had to be strong. I couldn't let myself break. I watched him. His breaths came slow and hard. His pale face was covered in deep scars and he had stitches under his right eye. A bruise rested on his forehead.
Gently I moved a strand of copper hair away from his eyes. He looked peaceful under all the meds. I stared at him. He couldn't leave me. I was afraid to touch him. Afraid I would cause him pain, but I wanted to be near him. So I sat on the edge of the small hospital bed and picked up his hand softly.
I made sure not to disturbed his IV. I also made sure not to look at it.
I brought his fingers to my mouth and gently kissed them. His hand felt warm in mine and fit like it should. We were made for each other.
His eye was swollen and I wondered if I would ever see his eyes again. If I would ever see them glitter in the light or how they filled with laughter. The soft look he gave me when he stroked my cheek.
I loved his eyes. The pure green color against his pale skin was lovely. It was striking and unforgettable.
"Don't leave me," I said and gently stroked his cheeks. I could see his lips twitch softly. I thought back to how those lips felt when pressed against mine. How they were brought back in the sexy smile that made my knees week. The way they moved when he whispered my name.
Tears sprung from my eyes and gently slid down my cheeks.
"I love you, so much," I whispered and I continued to cry. I was so angry, angry at my family, angry at him, angry at myself. I was so stupid. How could I let this happen?
The room became blurry and I could hear the beeping increase. It grew louder and I released him afraid I had caused it. I jumped off the bed and the beeping grew even louder.
It didn't sound like the machines in the room.
What was it? He was starting to blur. The room was blurry. What was going on? The beeping increased. I held my hands over my ears trying to drown it out. I backed away until my back hit a wall. The noise was painful. I looked toward him. His chest moved faster and the serene expression that was on his face quickly morphed into one of angst and pain.
I tried to movie near him, to calm him, but the noise was too much for me. He started writhe in pain. His hands clenched and unclenched. I could hear his groans swirl into the loud beeps. I couldn't take it. I closed my eyes and pressed my hands more forcefully into my ears as I slid down the wall.
Then all at once. He was calm and the beeping stopped all together. Everything stopped. I opened my eyes to find myself in a dark empty hospital room.
There were no machines beeping and flashing. I couldn't hear doctors and nurses running around outside. The flickering florescent lights were turned off completely, the only light in the room coming from the dim emergency lights in the halls.
There was no Edward.
Wet sticky tears slid down my cheeks and I was immediately awoken from my dream. The eerie hospital room seemed to fade slowly from my mind. My fingers shook and my heart pumped. Sweet relief gently washed over me as I realized it had all been a dream. I wiped the tears from my cheek and rose from the bed.
Rosalie was lying asleep on her side. Her hair a perfect mess on my pillows. The soft sunshine seeping through my windows made her hair shine a soft golden color. I sat up slowly not to wake her and looked at the time. It was only 6. I closed my eyes and hugged my knees as I thought over the dream.
I couldn't shake the all too real fear that I had lost him, that I was losing him. I could feel tears brew as the image of him came into my mind. He looked so helpless and broken in that hospital bed. I wanted nothing more to hold him and prove to myself that it had in fact been a horrible dream.
But why'd I have it?
-*-
I moved my mother's new invention around the plate. All I knew was that it was green and bubbling. It was suppose to be some type of spinach dish, but looked more like a cooked frog. My grandfather was on a strict diet and chewed on some type of salad my mother had made following doctors orders.
Charlie wasn't home tonight which was expected. He was out more lately with all the fights that seemed to have been breaking out left and right.
Rosalie had left earlier this morning leaving just Renee, Granddad, and me home.
"So what exactly did happen at that dance of yours?" Granddad asked pointing his fork at me. I sighed and pushed the plate away.
"I'm not sure, I wasn't in the school building," I admitted hoping his dark eyes wouldn't see past the lie I knew I was going to have to tell. Instead of asking why, he simply nodded and looked down at his plate. I stared at him curiously. Why didn't he ask?
My phone buzzed silently in my pocket. My heart thumped at the possibility of who it could be.
"May I be excused?" I asked and Renee looked up and toward me and then down at my plate.
"You haven't eaten," she told me her eyes widening. I fought to keep the grimace off my face. The thought of eating the spinach frog was enough to excite my gag reflex.
"I'm not…uh….very hungry," I told her and she sighed and abruptly stood from her chair. She reached for my plate and grabbed hers and threw them away.
"I know…I don't think I want to eat it either. Go ahead honey," she said and went to the freezer and took out a TV dinner. I nodded and fled from the kitchen.
I closed my door behind me and took my phone out.
Anthony: Meet me da end of ur block 10.
I stared at the message for a while. What was he planning? I glanced at the clock now. It was only 7.
My heart pounded. He wanted me to sneak out? I thought over this.
Granddad would go to bed at 8. My mother would be in bed by 8:30. Charlie would be home by 9, and he usually tended to come home, eat, and go straight to bed. Everything would work out perfectly if I wanted to meet him, but then again who was I kidding?
Of course I wanted to meet him. The dream from this morning still lingered in my mind. It wasn't the same to just talk to him. I had to see him. I couldn't wait until Monday either. I realized my mind was set the minute I had read the text, but I knew this wasn't right.
I tried thinking of all the reasons I shouldn't go with him, but I couldn't. None of them seemed important enough. It was insane. What if someone saw? The gossip and rumors that would spread. What if Charlie found out? He'd go crazy. Granddad would have a heart attack.
I slid to the floor and cradled my pounding head.
What did I do?
I should tell him no. I should stop all of this.
And what about the kiss? What did we do about that? Trying to ignore the way I felt when he kissed me, would just be avoiding the rather large elephant between us. My heart thudded. Did he regret the kiss? Did he wish it didn't happen? Had he felt the same way I did? Did he think of me as some sort of slut for kissing him back?
These questions continued to buzz through my head.
It would be so much easier if I didn't care for a Cullen. If I hadn't gotten mixed up in this crazy situation, everything would be so easy.
But then again…if I wanted answers to my questions, there was only one way to get them
-*-
I was officially crazy. I knew that. I was also a traitor. But I couldn't seem to care.
I opened the door and slid inside. When I strapped my seat belt a faint scent of perfume wafted toward me. I figured this was Alice's seat. The car smelled of pine and leather. It was warm and cozy compared to the chilly night air. I pulled my jacket closer together and looked at him.
He smiled and started to drive away.
"So…I want to say, that if I don't end of coming back tomorrow, I left my phone in my room with your text showing," I said lightly although it was lie. My phone was actually in my back pocket. I didn't know why, but I completely trusted Edward not to hurt me. He chuckled deeply and shook his head.
"Well then, to protect my own hide, I guess I should bring you back," he said faking disappointment. I laughed loudly and let my head rest on the back of the seat.
"So where exactly am I going?" I asked and he smiled again.
"You'll see. I won't be able to show it too you once the weather starts to act up. It's cold now, but not as cold as it could be," he said and I stared out the window. I couldn't really see where we were going. It was dark and everything passed in a blur. Few specks of rain started to decorate the window.
"Are you nervous?" he asked and I turned toward him. His profile was even beautiful. It was dark and defined and you could only see a shadow of his face. It looked artistic as though someone should take a photo or paint a picture.
"Not unless I have reason to be?" I said a bit timidly feeling my body tense and fear trickle slowly down my spine.
"You don't. I swear I won't hurt you," he said and looked at me. I could see in his eyes that he meant it. I smiled.
"I believe you," I told him and before I could think it over I placed my hand on his bicep. I only meant it to strengthen my words, but the touch seemed too intimate. I did it with Jasper all the time, even childhood friends I had in Phoenix, but it was different with Edward. I quickly removed my hand. I returned to staring out the window.
It was silent between us, but it was comfortable. It did not need to be filled with meaningless chatter although all my conversations with Edward were never exactly meaningless.
We could talk about grass and the conversation would have all of my attention. We argued a lot. Both being too stubborn to back down, but it was friendly arguments. The fun ones that made you laugh at the silly statements you threw at each other. I smiled remembering a particular argument.
"You're a very difficult person, Bella," Edward blurted. I snapped my head toward him.
"Why? I haven't said a word," I said indignantly and confused.
"That's exactly why. It's hard to pick up on you. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to watch you?" he asked. I stared at him with wide eyes. I'm sure my face showed pure confusion.
"You stay silent. You're eyes flash all these emotions and then you'll smile or grimace and I can't help the thousand of possibilities that fly through my head, as I wonder what could possibly bring that expression on your face," he said with a smirk and a blush heated my skin.
"See that's the worse one," he said and with one hand gently stroked my cheek. I could feel myself instinctively lean into his touch. I couldn't help it.
"Why?" I breathed and he withdrew his hand and placed it back on the steering wheel.
He parked the car suddenly and I looked around to figure out my surroundings. We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Trees surrounded us.
"W-where are we?" I asked stuttering a bit, because as much as I trusted Edward, I had seen enough horror movies to know being alone in the middle of a forest never ended up with a good ending.
He opened the door and quickly came around to my door. He opened it and offered me his hand. I looked into his face. I took his hand and he lifted me up and out of the car. He smiled and opened the back door. He took out a black book bag.
"If you want, we'll go back," he said with a raised eyebrow. I shook my head and he grasped my hand. We started to walk into the forest. My heart sped, but when he squeezed my hand I was calmed. I was reminded that he wouldn't hurt me.
I'm not sure how long we hiked. I don't think it could have been more than a half hour, but I wasn't sure, but then suddenly he stopped.
The night was cold, but the hike had kept my mind off of it. Now just standing here, I could feel the cold creep through my jacket. The only warm part of my body was the hand Edward had yet to let go of.
"Okay, ready," he asked and I could barely see him in the dark. I rolled my eyes though I knew I couldn't see unless he flashed the flash light he held in my face.
"Yea," I said with little enthusiasm. He laughed and it was quiet for a while. I heard him take a deep breath. He grabbed my hand and squeezed lightly.
"Bella, when we enter here…I want you to leave everything, problems and families and identities, outside, in these woods. In here, it's only us. Okay?" he said softly and he released my hand so he could cup my cheek with his.
"Promise me," he whispered and touched his forehead to mine.
My heart started to thud hard and I could barely hear him. My throat grew thick and I felt myself nod.
"I promise," I breathed. He pulled away and grabbed my hand once more.
Then he led me through the trees to a place where it was peaceful and simple.
No outside world. No problems. No family.
Just him.
Just me.
Just us.
- - -
Okay guys…I'm super sorry this Chapter took me super long to post. It was just that I had some issues with my friends and I didn't really feel like updating, but everything is settled now and I finally finished.
This chapter was split up…so the next chapter will definitely come soon since it's half written. The only problem is…the other half might take a while because sadly school starts on Monday for me.
Anyway what would make me super happy is if I get tons of reviews…and if I get enough I might just post the next chapter on Sunday, but I need to have encouragement from my readers.
Review!!!
Twilightholic-Tanya ;P