Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.
In Six Months I Lost My Mind But Found My Heart
Chapter Ten: Caught In Her Web
6th February
4 Months 3 Weeks & 5 Days Left
Edward's POV
I woke up hungry and with a serious hangover. It was six am and I was beat. My head felt like it had been hit by a train. Everything felt wrong and weird as I scrambled out of bed. I put on a t-shirt and went downstairs for a glass of water and some Paracetamol to get rid of the headache.
Surprisingly I wasn't the only one up. Both Alice and Bella were sitting at the kitchen table with mugs in their hands chatting away. When I came into view they both shared knowing glances and tried to hide their smiles. Okay, what did I do?
Alice and I both know from past experiences that I can't hold my liquor. I get exceedingly flamboyant and do stupid things embarrassing myself completely. It just sucks that I can't remember what I did. Of course those two would probably make some stuff up just to confuse me but since I have a slight memory, hazy as it is, of what happened hopefully I won't be fooled.
"Morning." I mumbled getting a glass out of the cupboard.
"Morning." They cried in unison. I cringed at how high pitched Alice said that, my head was seriously going to explode. Filling the glass with water from the faucet, who ever thought I would be drinking tap water, I asked if Bella had anything to relieve my pain.
She wandered over to another cupboard and I finally had a chance to take in her appearance. Her hair was ruffled but just made her look cute; she was wearing a red tank top with black shorts which showed off her legs. It may be six in the morning and from the looks of things she's just rolled out of bed but she looks amazing.
Alice's accusing cough and raised eyebrow brought me out of my perusal of Bella's body. I blushed under my sisters gaze, she knew what I was doing which means I'll never hear the end of this. Bella placed the Paracetamol on the table so I sat down to join them; this is where I'll find out what I did whilst drunk.
After swallowing the tablets and finishing off the water I looked at them expectantly.
"So tell me, what did I do?" I asked, Alice's smile came back but Bella just looked nervous now.
"How much do you remember?" Alice asked bringing her mug to her mouth, hiding the smirk.
"I can recall taking off clothes although I don't know which ones, I think I remember someone scary, and did I...did I kiss someone?" I asked confused.
"You only took of your shirt, thank God; the scary person was Lauren who you also kissed." I shook my head. Alice was wrong about the last bit.
"No that's not right. I didn't see the scary person after I ran away from them. Who did I kiss?" Bella sighed.
"You never kissed anyone, on the lips; you tried to but didn't succeed." I looked at her completely lost now. Alice was staring at her intently; you could just see the wheels turning in that head of hers.
"Who did he try to kiss, Bella?" It sounded more of an accusation rather than a question. I groaned inwardly when some of it came back. I tried to kiss her, what must she think of me now? Bella blushed slightly under Alice's gaze but just excused herself saying she needed to get ready. The sly grin on my sister's face told me she noticed Bella never answered the question.
"So you kissed her?" Alice asked, eyebrows raised and a small smirk.
"Apparently not." I said hoping she would drop this.
"Okay then, let me try again. So you kissed her, just not on the lips?" I frowned but nodded.
"So she says."
"Do you think she's lying?" I shook my head and bit my lip.
"I know how friendly I get when drunk. I wouldn't be surprised if I insinuated that I wanted to sleep with her."Alice smirked.
"So you like her then, are you finally willing to admit it?" I stood up to head upstairs and take a shower- preferably cold- the image of Bella in those shorts still fresh in my mind.
"No, we're friends that's it." She didn't believe me an, honestly, neither did I but what the heck. It's not like anything is going to happen. If Bella liked me she would have let me kiss her. I guess that just proves that we really are just friends and nothing more.
10th February
4 Months 3 Weeks & 2 Days Left
I was still weary of Bella after my drunken antics. We avoided each other more than ever; I couldn't even work up the energy to get jealous knowing that nothing would ever happen between us.
If someone had told me before I came on this exchange that I would end up daydreaming about the girl we're staying with I would have laughed in their face. I, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen do not do relationships or commitment. But here I am, watching her across the lunch hall joke around with Angela, thinking I would commit with her. If I had the chance.
It really sucks. Plus I've never felt this way before so I don't know how to deal with it. Usually if I snapped my fingers girls would come running and I never had to worry. There was never a challenge, plus those girls are just husband shopping so have to suck up to me, but Bella doesn't and that makes everything different.
I've never come across a girl who doesn't have to be nice to me. They all want my approval, and proposal, but she doesn't. I do feel saddened by that but things are different here, I'm different here too. If I was like the Edward back home I wouldn't be thinking like this. I would be wondering what airhead is about to come over and flirt, not about why one girl wouldn't want to flirt with me.
To pass the time this week I have found myself cooped up inside one of the stuffy music rooms practising my compositions, flirting shamelessly with anyone but Lauren (who is scared to come near me, thank the Lord! I should have screamed at her sooner), calling home just to speak to someone familiar again, and avoiding the boyfriends of the girls I was flirting with.
Sitting in the lunch hall watching my fellow students was my lunch past time though. I got to see who interacted with everyone else and how they interacted. I could pick out every fake girl in the student body, all the players who thought they were the sex, the loose girls who flirted shamelessly- I met most of them earlier this week, and the invisibles who stayed out of everyone's way.
In my mind I would have put Bella as an invisible, due to her personality, but she seemed to be in with a pretty popular crowd that demanded attention and was given it. It didn't make sense to me why she hung around most of them since she didn't really like them.
Then again, who am I to talk? I'm probably one of the fakest people in the room. It's better to lie and be polite than tell the truth and be rude. Or so my etiquette teacher informed me.
Wincing as I stood up I quickly made my way out the lunch hall to go back to the music department. I had a free period next so was going to enjoy my time there. It became the best place to avoid the pissed off boyfriends I mentioned earlier.
Unfortunately they knew where to look for me. A group of four guys were lingering outside the music department doors talking quietly, which turned to silence when I approached. Knowing that either way I was going to receive a few punches I just ignored them and walked straight into the corridor, heading to my own sanctuary in this ghastly school.
"So what can I do for you today?" I asked as they followed me in. The one that I named Hook, I have no idea what his name is but he throws a hell of a right hook so I thought it was appropriate, answered back coldly.
"You did it again."
"Did what?" I faked my innocence but knew what they were referring to. Sorry but it's hard to know who is dating who when they break up after two days. How was I to know those girls were 'theirs'?
"Look Cambridge we gave you a warning and a preview of what would happen if you went near our girlfriends again. So imagine my surprise when we saw you hitting on them yesterday. You're nothing but a stuck up rich asshole that can't find a girl for himself and has to steal other guys girlfriends. We're sick of it so cut it out." He warned, I couldn't help but chuckled about how pathetic this was.
Yes they did give me a preview of what would happen if I went near their girlfriends and yes, it hurt like hell. Apparently punching a guy in the ribs a few times is an incentive to stay away from said girlfriends. Now don't mistake me for some wimp who just stood there and took that, I tried to fight back but it was four against one, my chances were very slim. I did though get in a good kick, I wonder if the smaller guy will be able to have kids after that.
"So what are you going to about it?" I couldn't help but ask. That was the only invitation they needed. I actually was quite surprised by how fast they jumped me; I thought I had a few more seconds to at least put up a fight.
I ended up on the ground again, if they get this shirt dirty I'm sending them my dry cleaning bill, for some reason they didn't hit the face. I was glad since it wouldn't draw attention to it but not completely chuffed since there are only so many places they can hit, or kick as my ribs found out.
The only defence I had were my legs, my arms were wrapped around my chest. I got in a few good kicks but by the time they were done I had definitely lost that battle. They left quickly like they usually do and I winced as I propped myself against the wall.
Granted it hurt like hell but I wonder how they'll react when I get Emmett and Jasper down here to help me out. I can't wait to see their faces. It will still be four against three but Emmett is so huge that he counts as two guys so it's about even.
I carefully stood up, supporting myself against the wall; maybe it would have been better if they hit the face. The main door to the music department opened and at first thought they were coming back for round two but was pleasantly surprised when Bella entered, smiling gracefully.
"Hey." She said as I tried to stand like I hadn't just had the shit kicked out of me. It was working, she never noticed anything.
"Hi." I smiled, somewhat painfully. My ribs felt like they were broken, I'm probably exaggerating but I was in immense pain.
"I heard you come here to play and I was wondering if I could listen." She asked shyly. I nodded and indicated for her to enter the room while I tried to even out and stable myself without cringing as I took breathes.
I sat down at the piano bench, Bella sat beside me which made my heart race just to have her this close again. After playing one piece and half way through the second one she put her hand on mine, stopping my playing immediately. She hadn't so much as moved since I started playing so I knew she wanted something.
"I'm sorry for avoiding you this week. I didn't quite know how to act around you after you were drunk. Let's just say you surprised me." Her hand still hadn't moved off mine as she spoke slowly.
"I'm sorry too, for trying to kiss you. But I'm curious..." She looked at me with a soft smile, oh how I long to kiss her. "...you said I kissed you but not on the lips, so where?"
"My neck." She pointed up at herself as I nodded. Hey at least it wasn't her chest or anything like that, knowing me there would be no stopping if I got there. It wasn't as bad as I thought and I had to say I was relieved by what she just said. "So are we still friends?" She asked smiling brightly now.
"Yeah. Still friends." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms round my chest, giving me a hug. Although it felt like I was dying I returned it. If I had died then I'm sure I would have been happy, especially with this angel in my arms. Bella let go of me and stood up, she kissed my cheek then left.
Every day my heart falls deeper and deeper into the web she's weaved around it.
This is so bad.