DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT, CAPS LOCK IS COOOOL!!!
Don't ask about the caps lock, it's a long story…
Chapter Ten- Bella's POV (age seventeen)
"Goodnight, Dad," I called after the retreating figure of my father.
"Night, Bells," he mumbled, closing the door.
I rose from the couch and dragged myself up to my room. Shutting the door carefully behind me, I stepped up to my mirror and sighed.
I slowly undid the clasp on my plastic necklace and placed it on my desk. I pulled on the old sweats I wore to sleep and crawled into bed.
It seemed that I was unconscious before my head even hit the pillow. My mind swam with dreams of a certain red-haired boy.
I soon woke to the sound of scraping wood. It was still dark in the room, other than the dim light from the window, so I was confused as to what had gotten me up. My clock said it was still only ten o'clock. I groaned and rolled over.
"Oh!" I squeaked.
There was someone sitting in the old rocking chair in the corner of my room. He had pulled it over to the window so that he was hidden in shadow, with the exception of his hands. He was holding my necklace, turning it around in his hands.
My heart stopped and my breathing caught.
"Good morning," he chuckled, standing up and walking over to the bed.
As he stepped into the light of the window, his identity was revealed.
"Edward, you could hardly call this morning." I groaned as my heart started itself again, "What are you doing, climbing up houses at this hour?"
"I… wanted to talk." He explained, running a hand through his hair.
"So why didn't you wake me up?"
"You looked so peaceful," he said in a quiet voice, sitting down at my feet.
I sat up and scooted over so I was beside him.
He was still playing with the little heart, moving it around so it caught the dull light.
"You still have it," he whispered, indicating the necklace.
"I…" I struggled to think of something appropriate to say.
I still had it because I still loved him, but I couldn't tell him that.
"It reminded me of you," I concluded, deciding that I should attempt to tell the truth.
He didn't answer, but instead rose from the bed, only to bend over and tie the necklace around my neck. It brought back so many memories.
"There," he murmured, sitting back down.
"Now," he continued, "Can I have some answers?"
I sighed.
"I suppose I do owe you some explanations,"
He raised an eyebrow and made a small snorting sound.
I took another deep breath.
"When we were thirteen, I put my foot down. I told Renee that you and I had a fight, and for the next four years Charlie came to Phoenix for two weeks every summer. Last year, Renee started dating Phil, but it's gotten serious. During the summer he decided to go on tour, he was trying to get signed. The only problem was that Renee didn't want to leave me alone while she was off with Phil, but she would have been miserable if she was away from him for so long. So, I did the on reasonable thing. I came to live with Charlie." I explained hesitantly, hiding my face with my hair.
He considered that for a moment before opening his mouth again.
"But… why?"
Why? Because I didn't want to hold you back. I didn't want to make you suffer through a long distance relationship. I wanted to be there for you every day, but I couldn't, so I didn't do anything.
Could I tell him all that? Could I spill out my heart to him, like I always had?
It's different when the secret is about him. Isn't it? It's different when you're confessing love, and abandonment. I wanted him to know. But could I tell him?
He deserved to know.
But could I tell him?
I looked over. He was watching me expectantly. His eyes were searching mine, looking deep into my emotions. I felt open, like he could already see my secrets and hidings. It was that feeling which encouraged me to answer his simple question.
"Because I love you," I whispered, too afraid to look at him.
I didn't hear a reply for a few moments, so I risked a glance at him.
His face was contorted, but only with confusion.
"So you left me?" he asked, barely any louder than me.
"I… didn't want to stop you from living a regular life. If we were together, you would only see me once a year. I wanted you to experience a real relationship. Even if it was without me… as long as you were happy…" I mumbled, trailing off.
"Bella…"he started, but didn't finish, as he saw the tears begin to spill over my cheeks.
I couldn't help it; they just rose up and refused to stop.
He moved closer, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me onto his lap. He held me close and refused to let me move until my tears had run dry and his shirt was ruined.
I don't know how long we were there, just listening to my uneven breathing, but I felt better in his arms. I felt whole again, even if it was only for a little while.
---------------------------------- Next Morning, Saturday --------------------------------------------------------------
I opened my eyes to the sound of a phone ringing.
I jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen, grabbing the receiver and putting it to my face.
"Hello?" I asked, a little breathless.
"Bella? Is that you? It's Alice. I'll be over there in a second, we're going out today." She said, in a rush as usual.
"Alice? Going where? Answer me," I demanded, wondering how fast she could get to my house.
"Nowhere, just be ready," she commanded, hanging up.
Great. I ran back upstairs and showered quickly, then threw on some jeans. I just made it back down the stairs when I heard a car pulling into the driveway.
I pulled the door open to go unleash some complaining on her, when something bright and yellow caught my eye.
"Alice!" I called, "You drive a Porsche? In Forks?
She looked up, slamming the door of shiny 911 Porsche.
"I like speed," she said simply, walking passed me into the house.
I turned to follow her back in, but she was just shutting the door behind her. She tossed me my jacket and strode back to her car.
I pulled on my coat and climbed into the car after her.
"Where are we going?" I asked again.
"To the school,"
"The school? What are we supposed to do there?"
"There's a baseball game this morning, and the entire senior class will be there. Nobody misses a game here, and my best friend and I are not nobodies." She said, a little fiercely.
"Besides," she added with a warm smile, "Edward's the star player,"
We pulled into the parking lot and headed over to the bleachers, where Rose, Emmett, and Jasper were already waiting.
"Hey, Bells. Glad you made it," greeted Emmett, with a wink so quick I wasn't sure if I had imagined it.
"Hi, Bella. Sorry for any torture that Alice put you through." Laughed Rose.
"No, Rosalie, we're not going shopping until tomorrow," Alice retorted with a glare, taking a seat beside Jasper.
I sat down at Rose's side as the players came out onto the field.
Loud cheers sounded as each one took their places, but turned to jeers as the opposing team came out.
The game started and I soon spotted Edward in the outfield. His eye caught mine and he smiled crookedly, giving me a small wave. I waved back, and his smile grew bigger.
"Bella, stop distracting the players," Rose giggled in my ear.
I blushed and looked away, but a small smile crept over my lips.
My eyes swept the field, but stopped when they recognized a face.
He was older, but he still looked rough. His jaw was straight, all signs of childhood gone, but I knew it was him. The eerie blue eyes and the blond hair were unmistakable.
The boy saw me staring and smiled. I cringed away.
"Emmett! Why didn't you tell me that James went to your school!" I hissed, leaning over to him.
"What…? Oh! Yeah, he's on the team, too." He said.
I groaned internally and my shoulders slumped.
"What's the problem?" asked Jasper, looking over.
"Bella had a little run in with him when we were younger," Emmett explained, giving his cousin a warning look.
James saw and, thankfully, turned his attention back to the game.
The players ran around the field, hitting balls and swinging bats, but it didn't make too much sense to me. I had never been very interested in sports.
I did understand when, at the end of the game, a tall, broad boy was up to bat. He swung the bat powerfully and shot the ball right out into the distance. It didn't make it completely out of the park, but it soared right to the fence.
I watched as Edward shot across the field, just as James took off in the same direction. They raced to the air-born baseball, and even though James had started closer, Edward soon passed him and grabbed the ball out of the air just before it hit the fence.
The crowd cheered, and I could distinctly hear Jessica Stanely's nasally voice praising Edward.
As the game came to an end and the players were released, we all stood up to go congratulate him.
We were just halfway across the field when Alice stopped, claiming she had forgotten her bag.
"No, I'll get it," I offered turning around and heading back to the bleachers.
I looked around and spotted the bag, but someone stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
"Hey there, Bella. I haven't seen you for years,"
A/N: I cannot begin to emphasize your amazingness! I'm feeling much better, thanks to your amazing reviews xD
I don't know when the next one will be up, but it shouldn't be too long. Sorry if I got anything wrong, I don't know how to play baseball, nor have I ever been to a game. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think my assumptions were fairly accurate…
Oh, I got 86 percent on my English essay xDD Hooray for taking time to do homework!