I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.
Cheryl, Noles, and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.
Ch. 18
The day of my state meet was sunny and clear with warm temperatures. I was excited and a little sad that this was my last sporting event ever for high school. I glanced at the stands during warm-ups and my spirits rose. Bella was sitting there ready to cheer me on. Her hair was in two braids tied with ribbons of the school colors. On one cheek, written in red, was Ace, on the other a small heart. She caught my eye and winked then shook a small pompom.
"So, you and Bella Swan?" Tyler Crowley asked.
"Yeah," I admitted to him.
"Why does she call you Ace?" he questioned.
I shrugged. "It started as a joke since I'm good at school."
"Oh, I thought it would be because you were good in bed," he joked.
"That's none of your business," I snapped.
"Cool it. I was joking around." He held up his hands in surrender.
"Crowley…Cullen, stop fooling around and get warmed up," Coach Clapp hollered at us.
The meet, flew by and before, I was standing on the podium with medals around my neck. I glanced at the stands, where Bella was on her feet cheering for me. I noticed she was wearing fishnet stocking and my favorite skirt. I was looking forward to celebrating before she had to go to work.
As I was walking away from the podium, a sight stopped me cold. My parents and sister were sitting away from the bleachers in folding lawn chairs. I never thought they would be here today, and now I was in a panic about what to do. They couldn't see me with Bella.
I headed to them first, hoping that between the crowds and Bella not liking Alice, it would hold her off a few moments. They stood as I approached, and Dad started to fold up their chairs.
"Congratulations, dear, we expected nothing less from you," Mom stated.
"Well done, Son." Dad nodded his head to me.
"Thanks. What are you guys doing here?" I glanced around, but I couldn't see Bella anywhere.
"Silly boy, how would it look if we didn't show up at an event like this?' Mom questioned, sinking my heart a little. Of course, it was only for appearances.
"We have reservations tonight at the club to celebrate," Dad announced.
Before I could respond, Bella literally jumped into my arms. "Congratulations!"
My mother's eyes narrowed behind Bella's back. "And who is this?"
Bella let me go looking a bit sheepish.
"This is Bella Swan, my physics lab partner. Bella, these are my parents."
Bella stiffened beside me, and her smile faded. Alice stood in the background, with wide eyes and shaking her head.
"I see. I've heard quite a lot about you, Miss Swan. I didn't expect you to be quite so exuberant." Mom turned her back on Bella. "Hurry home and shower. You can't go to the club smelling of sweat. Family only, I'm sure Miss Swan understands."
"I have to work. So, I'll see you around, Edward." Bella's voice was flat. It reminded me of the tone she had when I was at the club with Tanya. She walked off back toward the bleachers. I watched her go with a sinking feeling in my stomach.
"I have to go grab my stuff. I'll meet you at home," I told my parents, hoping to buy some time.
"Perfect. Mom, we can stop at the store I was telling you about. I know the dress I want, I just want a second opinion," Alice spoke up.
"Very well. The reservation is at seven, Edward. Not a minute later," Mom instructed, while Alice pulled her away with Dad following behind.
I chased after Bella, trying to find her. I found her in the parking lot about to get into her truck.
"Bella, wait!" I yelled.
Bella leaned against her truck and waited for me with her arms across her chest. "Your physics partner. What the fuck, Edward? Is that all I am to you?"
"No. But—"
"Do they know about us?" she demanded.
"No," I admitted.
"What am I, your dirty little secret?" She looked hurt.
"You're not a dirty secret. I couldn't tell them because they never would have approved of you," I explained.
"That's exactly what a dirty secret is, Edward," she snapped, yanking her truck door open hard.
"Wait, I can explain better," I pleaded. I wanted to tell her she was the most precious thing in the world to me.
"Save it, Edward," she huffed.
"Why are you calling me, Edward?" I asked, confused. I don't think she ever called me by my real name.
She paused before her door completely shut. "Because Ace no longer fits you. You used me to get what you wanted, to be not perfect. And you got the bonus of getting in my pants. Congrats!" She slammed her door shut and started the truck.
"I didn't use you," I yelled at her taillights as she drove away. "Fuck!"
I was at a loss. How do I fix this? I was clearly out of my depth. And this time I couldn't go to Bella to talk about things.
Ace
I was feeling worse by Sunday. Last night at the club, I hoped to escape without Mom and Dad noticing to talk with Bella. But Alice stopped me, she told me confronting Bella while she was working was not a good idea. If we got into an argument, it would only reflect badly on her, not me. I knew the scholarship was going to be announced any day now, and I didn't want to ruin it for her.
I went by her house first thing on Sunday to go to Port Angeles but discovered her truck was gone. When I got to the community center, she wasn't there either. Felix told me she called out. Depressed, I went through the first part of the shift serving food. Sam asked me about Bella, but I told him she wasn't feeling well. He informed me to take care of her.
Afterwards, I went to the study center. I was surprised when Angela gave me the cold shoulder since we've always been on good terms. Seth approached me with a paper that he wanted me to proofread. Toward the end, I wandered down to the gym and found Emmett, playing with a bunch of kids. He gestured for me to join, but I shook my head.
When they left, he made his way over to me and sat beside me. "You look like someone kicked your puppy, what's wrong? Did you and Bella have a fight, I didn't see her today?"
"She's definitely mad at me; I screwed up big time," I told him.
"So, apologize. Make up sex is the best type." He waggled his eyebrows.
"I don't think it will be that easy," I told him.
"What could you, of all people, have done?" he questioned.
I went through everything with him from the first day I approached Bella to what happened yesterday. He was silent and for once didn't make any jokes. When I finished, he just gave me a sympathetic look.
"Welp, you're not wrong. You did screw up massively," he said first.
"Do you agree with Alice and Bella? That I treated her like a dirty secret?" I asked.
"I don't think I have ever agreed with Alice before, but…" He tilted his head to the side. "I know you didn't intend to do it. But it certainly came off that way."
"But I'm not ashamed of her. I love her and was trying to protect her from them," I lamented.
"Then tell her that." He shrugged.
"I can't if she won't talk to me." I groaned.
"She's mad and rightfully so. Give her a chance to calm down. Meanwhile, you've got to prove it to her, rather than sit here and whine like a baby. And I think she said it better than I can, you need to grow balls and stand up to your parents. If she's worth it, you need to fight for her. You should also be fighting for yourself too. What do you think they will do, disown you?"
"To tell you the truth. I really don't know. It's very possible," I admitted. "Hell, they told me to get rid of you. And you've been around since pee-wee football."
He snorted. "I won't let them chase me away. Your mother never liked me. Not since I broke that fancy vase. But your father was always good to me. I say start with him—he's always enjoyed a good argument that is well reasoned. Argue on behalf of what you want to do in life and why you love Bella. In the end, if studying medicine and Bella are worth it, you may need to cut them out of your life, not the other way around—or you'll never be happy."
"When did you get so smart?" I half-heartedly joked.
"I think my best friend and my girl rubbed off on me." He smirked. "Bella has definitely rubbed off you, and in a good way."
"I think she has too. I love her so much, I don't know what I will do without her," I agreed.
"Tell her, not me." Emmett elbowed me.
A/N: A lot of you saw this coming for a while. Edward might have meant well but he's young and not too bright when it comes to relationships. But I do hope you at least like Emmett in this chapter. To answer a few people's question from the last chapter, Bella will not have a teenage pregnancy in this story. Just Leah. I guess that the problem is when you don't specifically mention a condom. Lol
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.