"Stay home with me." Edward murmured in my ear as I ate the breakfast of eggs and french toast he'd prepared for me.
"Edwaaaaard. Stop." I swatted him away, exasperated with his pleading. The way he was acting you'd think I wasn't capable of surviving eight hours without him by my side. It was one day at school alone. It's not like Victoria was going to waltz into a school full of students and teachers, on a sunny day at that, and attack me or drag me away.
"Okay." He huffed in concession. "Just please be safe."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "And what did Alice see?" I asked in an attempt to reassure him.
"Nothing out of the ordinary." He mumbled dejectedly.
"See? I'll be fine. Would you please stop worrying?"
He wrapped his arms around me from behind and nuzzled his face in to my neck. "Never. I'll never stop worrying about you. I love you too much. Now hurry up and eat or you'll be late!"
I grinned as I shoveled my eggs in my mouth. If he hadn't been so whiny, I would have been done by now!
Edward wouldn't stop kissing me as I was trying to make my way out of the apartment with the keys to his Volvo gripped tightly in my hand.
"Edward, enough!" I giggled as I pushed him away and stepped out the door where I knew he couldn't follow.
"Okay, okay. I love you. Drive safely, and if you need anything at all..."
"I know, I know." I flashed him my cell phone. "I will call if I need you, but everything will be fine. Enjoy your day off. Love you!" I skipped away, carefully, as I blew him a kiss.
If I had to be honest, I was nervous about driving Edward's car. Besides it being so shiny new and spotless, he seemed to be very protective about it. The only cars I'd driven had always been used and dented and dinged. I'd never had an accident, but I just knew it would be my luck to have my first one in Edward's car. Stupid shiny Volvo.
It drove like a dream.
I arrived at Fork's High safe and the Volvo unscathed. Mentally breathing a sigh of relief, I then steeled myself to face the masses without my usual entourage of deadly vampires. Seriously, what harm could really come to me in a high school?
No one was bothering to whisper today. Whether they were truly speaking louder on purpose or it was just my imagination, I did not know. I did know that every eye was on me, and there were more people than usual interested in what I was doing.
Of course I had to run into Jessica as she was wrapped around Mike outside our English class. Her eyes looked around as if to make sure there truly were no Cullens present before she smirked and opened her mouth.
"So I guess you're not as important as you thought, since the Cullens left you behind like the unwanted family pet."
"Jess..." Mike chastised her.
"It's okay, Mike. You don't have to defend me. She doesn't know what she's talking about. It doesn't bother me, though I would be embarrassed if my girlfriend was so jealous of me being with Edward that she had to resort to lies and spreading rumors in order to make herself feel better." I whispered conspiratorially, just loud enough for her to hear.
The shocked look on both of their faces was enough to mollify me and I headed into class with Angela on my heels. "That was great." She whispered as we took our seats.
I shrugged. "It's not like anyone here knows the truth. All they have are rumors and speculations. They're just words and I'm not going to allow them to bring me down. I know what Edward and I have is real. I'm the one who eats dinner at the Cullen house. When everyone else abandoned me, the Cullens were there. What these kids think means nothing to me. They know nothing of the real world. Let them vent their petty jealousies, I'm the one in Edward's arms at the end of the day."
Angela grinned. "It's good to see you so happy and confident. I don't know what happened while you were gone, but I like the new Bella."
"Let's just say I learned the world is more than high school drama. Hopefully most of the students here won't ever have to go through what I have, and their worst dilemma will be what to wear to the frat party on Friday. As far as Edward goes, it's not my fault he was never attracted to anyone else. For some reason the guy loves me, and I'm not going to argue."
My friend's cheeks were bright red. "You're so lucky. It's obvious Edward adores you."
"It's obvious Ben adores you." I gave her a pointed look and she ducked her head with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm pretty crazy about him too."
"I can tell. Both of you are good people and I'm glad you found each other."
Mr. Mason brought the class to order then and we gave him our full attention. Well, mostly. I was realizing how much I'd missed Angela and wondered how I could keep her in my life without her figuring out there was much more to the Cullens than she realized. There was no way Edward would let me go off with her unattended by one of them, not while Victoria was still out there. And I had to consider Angela's safety as well. She didn't need to be brought into this dangerous world any more than she was already. No, my friendship with Angela would have to remain at school only. I couldn't risk her safety, or that of the Cullens. I was used to isolation, however, so the idea wasn't completely depressing. I still had an entire family, however dysfunctional it might be. I'd never be lonely again.
Thankfully, Jessica kept her mouth shut in the other two classes I shared with her. It was time for lunch before I knew it, and I briefly considered eating in the library. Instead, I ventured outside where the entire student population had congregated due to the weather. I found a warm, grassy spot to sit and began unpacking the lunch Edward had made me. Of course he'd written a note for me and I blushed when I saw the rather juvenile heart with my name in it on the folded piece of paper.
I love you, forever and always.
I miss you more than you know.
Hurry home to me.
Love,
Edward
My grin was involuntary. Yes, the girls of Forks High definitely had something to be jealous about. I doubt any of these hormonal teenage boys were as romantic as my vampire.
A shadow fell over me and I jumped at the sudden intrusion. When I looked up, I saw Angela and Ben, hand in hand.
"Can we join you?" She asked.
"Of course!" I patted the ground. "At least it's dry today. The sun feels so nice."
"These kinds of days are few and far between. I think the Cullens have the right idea." Ben smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, why didn't you go with them, Bella?" Angela asked.
"I've missed too much school already, and in case you haven't noticed, I trip over flat surfaces. Hiking through the woods, camping, fishing...none of that would bode well for me." It was nothing but the truth.
"True." Angela smirked. "I am kinda glad I'm not in your gym class."
I smacked her lighted and pretended to be offended.
"You'd think Coach would get the hint already and just let me walk laps for something. Why he insists on making me participate, I'll never know." I shook my head.
"Any fun plans for the summer?" Angela asked.
"Other than working with Newton, not really. Alice and Edward have a few things planned, but nothing big. You?"
"My family always goes to this church retreat at the beach. It's two weeks and the boys really have a blast." Angela's twin brothers were half her age, but she loved them unconditionally. You'd expect a teenager to be annoyed by younger siblings, but you could tell how much she cared when she talked about them. I still felt badly for running out on them.
"Sounds like a blast. I do miss the beach. Ben?" I asked.
"Oh, um...my brother and I will probably go camping at some point." He shrugged.
We ate and chatted about nothing in particular for the rest of the period. Ben gathered up our trash and took it to the trash can for us.
"He's great." I whispered.
"Yeah, I know." You could see the love shining in her eyes.
"I'm really sorry I left." I admitted. "I hope you know it was nothing personal. I would have loved to live with your family."
"Oh please, don't apologize, Bella. I know you had to do this on your own. I'd have wanted to find my mother too if I was in the same position. I admit, I would have loved to have had you as a sister, but we're still friends, right?"
"Right." I gave her a one-armed hug. "I just hope I didn't cause any problems for your parents."
"No, they're fine. They knew the Cullens wanted to keep you, but because they already had so many adopted teens, social services wouldn't have let you stay. They wanted to be there for you and let you stay in Forks, since you already had friends here. They understand. I promise."
"Thanks Angela."
"No problem, Bella. That's what friends are for. Ready for Biology?" She asked as we stood up. Ben appeared behind her and gently took her hand.
"Ugh, I guess. One class closer to gym." I stuck out my tongue.
"One class closer to seeing Edward." She bumped my shoulder as we walked to class.
"True." I grinned, the blush heating my cheeks. Today hadn't been so bad, but I still missed having him around. I was grateful I'd gotten to spend some time with Angela. It was nice to have another friend, especially a human one. Even if I couldn't tell her anything, there was something to be said for being of the same species. We were equal, neither one of us more powerful than the other. If I bled in front of her, she might pass out, but she wouldn't eat me. As much as I'd longed for normalcy, I'd never give up my life as it was, because then I wouldn't have Edward, or his family.
I felt a pang of sadness when I took in Edward's empty seat at our lab table. It's just one class. I chastised myself for being so weak. Rolling my eyes, I turned my full attention to Mr. Banner and took detailed notes in order to keep my mind occupied.
Before I knew it, it was time for gym, and I was seriously considering skipping. The entire locker room grew quiet when I entered. Lauren, with her groupies, glared at me as I made my way to my locker. The other girls tried to look anywhere but in my direction. The tension was thick and I had an odd sense of foreboding. Quickly grabbing my gym clothes, I hurried to the bathroom and changed into the regular gym uniform, no longer needing to wear the more modest version my father had insisted upon. I stuffed my regular clothes back into my bag and shoved the bag in my locker. Lauren was still sitting there watching me, so I hightailed it into the gym where there were more witnesses. I wasn't necessarily afraid of what she might do to me, but I wasn't a masochist and had no desire to be hurt or taunted any more than usual.
Gym was brutal. I never realized how much of a difference Alice's presence made. With her absence, Lauren's group made me the target. I was knocked down and hit with the basketball more times than I could count, and I was starting to get pissed, especially when Coach Clapp seemed to completely ignore the fact that they were doing it on purpose.
Finally, class was over and I was eager to get the hell out of there. I rushed to my locker and grabbed my bag before locking myself back in the bathroom stall and stripping off that horrible sweaty uniform. As soon as my clothes hit the floor, a hand reached under the door and snatched them away. I growled. I didn't have time for these immature games.
"Give those back!" I yelled at whoever it was. There was no answer, just some laughter from the main locker room. I yanked open my bag to grab my regular clothes, only to find they were missing as well.
Shit.
I leaned back against the wall of the stall and banged my head into it. Clad in only a bra and panties, I had no choice but to leave the sanctity of the bathroom stall in order to go out and find my clothes. I'd have to face them all, nearly naked, and beg them for my clothes back. If they refused, I had no idea what I'd do. Maybe I could find some clothes in another locker or the lost and found. At least Alice stocked my drawers with nice undergarments.
Mustering all the courage I could find, I unlocked the door and headed into the locker room. Lauren was standing there with my gym clothes in her hand, smirking at me. Jessica and a few other girls were still loitering, no doubt waiting around to watch my humiliation.
"What's wrong Bella? Are you too good to change with the rest of us?" Lauren sneered, her gaze traveling over my body.
"Oh my god, look at her back!" Jessica squealed from behind me. The whole group began circling like hyenas.
"Is that why Edward likes you? He likes it rough and you let him do whatever he wants? What kind of sick bitch are you?" Lauren clucked her tongue in mock disapproval.
"You have no idea what you're talking about Lauren. Not everyone has a perfect life like you. Why do you even care? You have everything already. Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Bella, Bella, Bella. You don't understand. You tried to embarrass me in front of my friends. No one talks to me like that and gets away with it. Your little bodyguard isn't here today to protect you, so it's time you learned your lesson. A sick, little freak like you doesn't belong here in Forks, and you most definitely don't belong with someone like Edward. You should have stayed away. What makes you so special that Daddy Cullen takes you under his wing?"
"Lauren, seriously, enough is enough. What goes on in my life is none of your business. Whatever happens between the me and Edward or me and the Cullens is not your concern. You can say whatever you like, your words don't hurt me. You have no idea what I've been through. You saw the scars. If you think your petty little jealous vendetta is going to make me break down, you have another thing coming. I've faced far more dangerous adversaries. You don't scare me. I actually feel sorry for you. I mean, what is wrong with you that you focus all your energy on trying to bring me down? If I'm not worth anything, if I don't belong here, then why are you wasting your time even talking to me. Just ignore me, it's not that hard to do." I shrugged, hoping the nervousness in my voice didn't give me away. I knew tomorrow the entire school would know about my back, and even more ridiculous assumptions would be made about me and the Cullens. Thankfully, I knew my hospital records had pictures of my injuries as proof that the abuse occurred before I came to live with the Cullens, so they were safe from prying social workers.
I could tell I'd pissed her off, her face was beet red and she was huffing and puffing like the big, bad wolf. "You bitch! What right do you have to talk to me like that!" She squealed indignantly. Then she growled, her fists clenched tightly and I wondered if she would take a swing at me. Apparently some of the other girls noticed as well and proceeded to slink away, not wanting to be involved in any kind of physical altercation.
"Just give me my clothes and walk away Lauren. I don't want a fight, but I can't guarantee my family will feel the same way. They're all very protective of me." I hoped the threat would be enough, though I knew nothing would stop them from exacting their revenge even if I asked them not to.
She scoffed. "Like they'd ever defend you. You're just a charity case. They pity you. As soon as you're eighteen, they'll drop you like the freak you are. Seriously, you don't even compare to them. Jess, throw these away." She tossed my gym clothes to Jessica who looked startled for a minute.
"Lauren, let's just give them back and get out of here. I have better things to do with my time than to taunt such a loser. She's right, she's a waste of time."
"Do you want me to tell Mike you went down on Tyler at his party?" Lauren threatened.
Jessica looked outraged for a minute before ducking her head with a defeated look on her face. "No." She mumbled before walking over to the trash can and shoving my clothes inside.
Lauren gave me a nasty smile and I just returned it before heading over to the trash to retrieve my clothes. Dirty clothes were better than none. I'd be home in ten minutes and could change then. I didn't get more than five steps before I found myself flailing as I pitched forward towards the floor. I caught a flash of Lauren's foot out of the corner of my eye and realized she had tripped me, and then a sharp blow to the side of my head made everything go fuzzy. When I could focus, I noticed the metal bleacher I must have hit on the way down, and then Jessica's face above me frozen in a look of horror. My ears were ringing and my vision began to blacken at the edges.
"Oh my God, Lauren! There's so much blood! We have to call 911!" Jessica's voice was tinny beneath the roar in my head.
"Absolutely not! Do you know how much trouble we'll be in? Now help me!"
I felt someone grab my wrists, but I was too weak to protest. I couldn't make my limbs or voice work. Everything just faded away then. My last conscious thought was of Edward, knowing how right he'd been and how much I loved him. Happily ever afters just weren't meant for people like me.