I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT

Voila, after weeks of anticipation, the big secret is finally revealed. If you have any reactions, suggestions, comments or complaints you know what to do!

Chapter 8

"I can't wait till the end of the class!" Alice squealed beside me.

I laughed. "Alice, you said that five times already. We heard you the first time and I think you blew one of my ears off too."

"Whatever Bella." She scowled at me but I saw her lips twitch, so I knew she wasn't really mad at me.

Today was Monday and the cafeteria was full of ecstatic murmurs regarding today's after school program. Some of the members of the student council were passing the program schedules and Alice and Shey were practically bouncing with excitement as they tried to contain themselves from dragging one of student council members to our table.

"Seriously Alice, you're worse than Emmett when he sees the ice cream man," I teased, eyeing Emmett contemplating whether or not tell one his famous escapades. The whole gang laughed and I was surprised to see Edward actually smile though he was admittedly looking away from me.

"Oh, don't even get me started Bella. You should have seen him when we went to the park. He practically made a little kid cry because he wanted the last chocolate chip ice cream," Rosalie shared and I had to hold onto my sides to keep myself from falling over in laughter.

"Hey! In my defense, he wasn't really too upset about it," Emmett insisted, jutting out his bottom lip in mock hurt.

"Em! His mother had to take him home because he wouldn't stop crying."

That just made the whole table laugh harder. It wasn't until Angela, the treasurer, came over to our table with the schedules in her hand that we stopped laughing.

"Hi guys. Here are your schedules," she said with a smile, handing us our papers individually. When I received mine, my eyes almost bugged out of my sockets.

"Angela, are you sure this is mine?" I asked her, my voice half-way confused and half-way panicked.

"Yes, we double-checked everything Bella. Why? Is there a problem?" she asked, concerned.

"I signed up for Creative Writing but my schedule says I was enlisted in Music," I explained in bewilderment.

"Oh, there's no mistake Bella," Shey spoke casually, pausing to take a sip out of her Coke. I turned my puzzled eyes on her. "I signed you up for Music," she stated matter-of-factly, like it should have been obvious.

"How… why… you…." I stuttered, too furious to even form an accusation.

"Cass, you have a great voice and it's about time you show it to everyone."

"But you don't have the right to force me into something that I don't want to do!" I spluttered, indignant. This time I was seeing red.

She looked back at me calming, having already anticipated my reaction. Everybody else at the table was still as a statue, watching us, not wanting to enrage me further.

"You'll thank me for this in the long run."

"When hell freezes over," I spat her. "I won't attend that stupid class."

"Actually Bella, you can't get out of it. Half of your grade would be based on how well you did in the programs," Angela pointed out quietly, timid. I was instantly ashamed at myself for losing it as I looked around at the concerned faces of everyone around me. I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes. I counted to ten and my anger slightly lessened. Slightly.

"This is not over," I threatened, locking eyes with Shey before pushing myself away from the table and walking towards the exit.

My life just got a whole lot worse.

EPOV

I watched Bella stomped towards the exit and I imagined a storm cloud above her head, shooting lightning. I almost chuckled if it wasn't for the tense atmosphere she left behind.

"Whoa," Jasper muttered, raising his eyebrows pointedly.

"Remind me never to get on Bella's bad side," Dylan whistled, eyeing the door warily where Bella had made her exit.

"She'll get over it," Shey said with a shrug, going back to her coke. Unlike the rest of us, she seemed completely unfazed by Bella's outburst.

"Why did you sign her up for Music?" Rosalie asked.

"Like I said, she has a good voice."

"But if she has a good voice then why does she hate Music so much?" Alice probed, curiously.

"That's a question you should probably ask Bella. Sharing her personal thoughts on that subject would be wrong of me," she said. This information only made me want to know more.

"Yeah, but I think it was still wrong for you to sign Bella to something that she clearly doesn't want," Emmett chided her with a deep frown. It was the first time I'd ever saw him get serious.

"You think I didn't feel guilty for doing what I did?" Shey looked at Emmett accusingly, raising her voice. "You think that I don't know she's pretending she's fine? I'm sick of pretending too Emmett. I'm sick of pretending she's fine and I'm sick of pretending that I'm not worried about her. You saw how much she changed. She used to sing in the shower; she used to sing at our birthdays and she used to sing whenever she's cooking but now, barely even a hum. I missed that Emmett. I miss her. I swore to myself that I'll find a way to bring the old Bella back," by this point she started sobbing and Dylan quickly engulfed her in his embrace. Emmett looked guilty and immediately took the empty seat next to her and then started patting her back. "I promise to bring her back," she promised, more to herself than him. I just sat there envisioning the Bella she described and compared it to the Bella I knew now. There was a glaring difference, the before Bella and the after Bella.

In the past few weeks that I observed Bella, she would only smile whenever she's in the company of others. She would smile and laugh at something they said but the smile was always short-lived. There was a dead look somewhere deep in her chocolate eyes and it was well hidden there except when she lets her guard down. I had been so caught in ignoring her that I didn't notice it consciously before. I was an ass.

"No shit Sherlock," the voice inside me mocked.

These past few weeks I reasoned with myself that I was avoiding her because I was mad at her for her quick assumptions but I knew better. The truth is, I didn't know how to act around her after she blatantly told me she hadn't remembered our kiss at that party. The same kiss that evoked an unknown warm feeling in my chest. I was hurt to say the least that she didn't remember anything from the most passionate and consuming kiss I ever felt in my whole life even considering the fact that she was drunk at that time.

Geez, when did I turn into such a girl?

"No one judges you for what you did, Shey. She just needs time to cool off," Jasper comforted her and I could tell he was in his empathy mode.

"I know," she sighed, her voice muffled because she was pressed against Dylan's chest.

"Just out of curiosity," Alice suddenly spoke up brightly. "Are you wearing Marc Jacobs?" That broke the tense atmosphere and we all burst into laughter. Expect Alice to divert every conversation with fashion.

I tuned out the rest of the conversation after that and envisioned the Bella that Shey had painted before me. I couldn't help the smile that graced my lips and I knew that from this moment on I couldn't ignore Bella Swan anymore.

Bella POV

I slammed my bag down my seat, not really caring whether I broke anything. Thank God no one was there yet or they'd have sent me to Anger Management class instead.

I groaned in frustration and put my head in my hands. I felt ashamed for being mad at Shey but I couldn't help it. I couldn't seem to find it in me to forgive her. It doesn't make sense, I know, but that's what anger does to you.

Why couldn't everyone just mind their own fucking business? The world would be a much better place if that were the case but no, my darling of a cousin had to step in and push me to something that I don't want.

I knew that she meant well and I would be lying If I said I never felt guilty for neglecting my music but I'm not the same Bella anymore. Music hasn't been my release of expression or emotion for a long time because for a long time, I never felt any emotion. Singing was like breathing air for me. I put my heart and soul to it but when my heart and soul were ripped out from inside me, it's like there was no more reason for anything.

I was brought out from my pity party when I heard the chair next to me scrape against the floor. I jumped a mile in my seat, startled that I hadn't heard anyone come in. I must be too far gone with my thoughts than I thought.

"Bella, are you alright?" the velvet voice I longed to hear for the past month asked me.

"What? Are you speaking to me again?" I snapped, my voice coming out sharper than intended. He didn't respond to me immediately. I figured he finally went right back to ignoring me so I was surprised to say the least when he replied.

"Bella, I'm sorry I've been such an ass lately. I was mad at you for the things you said but that wasn't an excuse for me to avoid you like the plague especially after you apologized. Will you ever forgive me?" he pleaded. I turned to face him and I saw it in his face that he was really sorry and he was sincere in his apology.

"It's fine Edward; I don't blame you for ignoring me. Any person would have reacted the same way you did considering what I said. You're not the only one at fault here." I paused and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry too."

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Bella, but I guess we're even. Friends?"

He held out his hand for me to shake. I smiled at the cheesiness of it all and grasped his hand with mine. As soon as his skin made contact with mine, there was this electric current that shot up to my arm that made my finger tingle and the hairs on my arm rise.

He must have felt it too because his hands froze and he quickly extracted them. I would have been offended if it weren't for the fact I would have done the same thing if it weren't for his lightning reflexes.

"So…" he started, trying to fill the awkward silence. "Mind telling me why you went all Britney Spears on us?" he joked and I wished that the awkward silence was back instead.

"I just hate it when people try to control me," I sighed. "I'm not that mad anymore mostly because I'm used to it with Shey but I'm still pretty pissed she had to go behind my back,"

"Just go easy on her. She was really upset after you left," I didn't know what to say to that.

We worked in companionable silence once the class started and I felt weird acting around Edward when he's being nice to me. The bell rang, signaling the end of the class and I realized with a start that I hadn't once thought about that stupid music class the whole entire time I was with Edward.

I packed my bag hastily, trying to avoid another awkward conversation with him. Unfortunately, Edward wasn't in on my plan.

"Hey, good luck with your class," he smiled a genuine smile, not his breathtaking crooked smile but a cute smile nonetheless.

"Thanks," I thanked him in response and bolted out the door. I stumbled a little as I reached the door but I paid no heed to it and just walked briskly out the door.

Gym passed by in a blur of shuttlecocks and rackets. We were playing badminton again and not even the threat of me being hospitalized or anyone else for the matter could distract me from what was waiting for me after class.

I trudged sluggishly to the locker room, thinking that if I move slow enough I'd be so late, the class is over.

No such luck, I arrived at the music room just before the teacher came in.

"Good Afternoon, I will be your music teacher for two months, my name is Ms. Anne Stewart," the teacher introduced herself but I could tell from the strained smile on her face that she wished she was somewhere else.

"You and me both honey, you and me both," I thought to myself with a sigh.

"We will be focusing on the basics first. Take out your notebooks and write what I have to say," Ms. Anne was about to start when a student raised their hand.

"Umm, aren't we like supposed to randomly sing and dance a song we feel like or I don't know maybe sing what we feel?" a snotty voice asked and I almost doubled over in my seat when I recognized Lauren Mallory. What the hell does Lauren know about singing?

Ms. Anne just chuckled. "This isn't an episode of glee," she chastised lightly. "Singing will come later in the month after we learn a few key basics." She went back to organizing her lecture and I sighed in relief that I didn't have to sing.

Before I knew it, it was time to go home which meant time to face Shey.

I walked through the double and doors and turned toward the parking lot. They were all there, the Cullens, the Hales and of course Emmett and Shey.

They all stared at me like an executioner as I walked toward them but I had my eyes trained on Shey who looked like she wanted to cry. The sight made me feel guilty. It was very rarely I see my cousin cry, once when her parents left her to go to Europe and the other when she lost her credit card.

All of them were in tense silence when I stopped just in front of Shey.

"You're lucky the teacher's a clueless bitch or I would be ignoring you right now." I was fighting to put on a straight and serious face but sadly acting wasn't one of my god-given talents. My lips twitched and it was the only sign Shey needed for her to jump up and hug me.

I burst out laughing. "Are you seriously crying?"

"Whose fault do you think is that?" she scoffed, sniffing.

"As far as I recall you were the one who did something wrong," I reminded her.

"Not that. I was talking about how you being a crybaby can be contagious," she pulled back from our embrace and smiled at me through her tears.

"I'm not a crybaby!" I cried indignantly.

"Yeah and Emmett is a virgin," she quipped.

"Hey!" Emmett cried and we both burst out laughing like crazy hyenas.

It was only then that I remembered the presence of our audience. Alice was clasping her hands together and looked at us like she was seeing puppies; Jasper was behind Alice, locking her in his embrace from behind; Emmett was as usual smiling his big dopey grin; Rosalie had a timid and kind smile on her face along with Dylan and Edward had his hands in his pockets, his ever famous smirk etched onto his face.

"Okay, now that we're a happy family again, can we go home now?" Emmett interrupted the no longer tense silence and turned towards the Cullens. "No offense guys but I'm getting hungry and it feels like a year since I last ate,"

"Dude, didn't you just eat like, two whole pounds of sloppy joe a while ago?" Jasper asked in bewilderment.

"Dude," Emmett responded emphasizing the word in mock exasperation. "That was two hours ago." He rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Does he always eat like this?" Dylan asked.

"Pretty much, you should see the amount of food we have on Christmas. You'd actually think we'd be feeding an entire army," I replied, smiling.

"C'mon monkey boy." Shey dragged Emmett toward the car and I said my goodbyes to all of them before heading into the car.

Halfway through our drive home, Emmett's phone started ringing.

In one movement he fetched it from his pocket and flipped it open with his thumb. "Yo," he greeted. Why couldn't Emmett answer the phone like normal people? "Oh, hey Pop, what's up? … Mom's home? But I thou- She's at the hospital? … Yeah sure, no problem and say hi to mom for me. We'll be there in a few minutes." Emmett ended the call and turned towards Shey who was driving. "Dad wants us to go the hospital,"

"I kind of figured that out by myself or did you forget I'm sitting next to you?" Shey asked Emmett sarcastically.

"Smartass," Emmett grumbled.

And then the bickering starts…

It was only five minutes later that we found ourselves walking through the hospital corridors. Nurses in their white uniform all turned to stop and nod at us as if we were the presidents of the United States. It frustrated me that I got this much attention just because who my parents are. I guess there was nothing I could do about it.

We opened the door to dad's office and almost instantaneously a flash of red came speeding down towards us.

"Hi mom." I laughed breathless from her tight hug, her red hair blowing into my face. Now I know where Emmett gets his bear hugs.

"Oh, I missed you Baby," my mom cooed.

"I missed you too mom," I laughed, pulling away from her embrace.

"Aha! I knew it! I knew you had a favorite!" Emmett whined like a six year-old. Mom just rolled her eyes.

"Emmett," she sighed exasperatedly like she was really talking to a six-year old. "It just so happens that Bella was the first one through the door. Now get over here and give your poor mother a hug" She beamed and held her arms out wide for him.

You'd think that a guy Emmett's size would have this I-don't-need-my-mother act going on but apparently my brother's not one of them. He eagerly crossed the room towards her arms and swung her in the air.

"Don't worry, I always knew I was the favorite," he whispered conspirationally but he could have been using a bull horn and it wouldn't make a difference.

"Shey! You're still as lovely as ever! I bet the boys have a hard time keeping their hands to themselves," Mom laughed, hugging Shey who was standing beside me.

"I'm not worried about that," she shrugged nonchalantly after she disentangled herself from her hug. "I have a bodyguard," she added pointing her thumb towards Emmett.

Renee laughed and I forgot how much I missed that sound. It was just so full of energy and joy and so… Renee. My father may be strict, stern and a clear authorative figure but my mom compliments him with her carefree attitude and belief of living life to the fullest. There were a lot of times where Renee needed more controlling than we do but when she needed to be stern, she always came through for us.

"It looks like I missed the reunion," my dad chuckled as he entered the room. Now my family was complete. I looked around the smiling faces in the room and realized that though we have so many possessions, this was my treasure right here.

"What do you think of the office?" mom asked, gesturing around the room. The office had a welcoming feeling despite it being a hospital. Light yellow wallpaper adorned the walls accentuated with white furnishings and carpets. I could almost imagine a fireplace being put in the corner which I'm sure in no time at all Renee would beg to be made if she hadn't already. "I insisted on decorating this office because you know how I hate feeling claustrophobic," she prattled off about her adventure in finding the furniture and I all but tuned her out. I love her and all but there's only so much a 17-year old girl can take. By the looks of everyone around me, they were pretty much doing the same.

Mom was in the middle of telling us about how the desk was an antique used by a blind king of Africa when Charlie finally interrupted her.

"Alright, honey. I think it's time we show them around the hospital." My dad suddenly became nervous for some reason. My mother seemed off as well when she nodded and lead us out of the room. They gave us the grand tour because oddly enough this was our first time here even though we've lived here for almost two months and our parents worked here. I always wanted to visit here but I couldn't seem to find the time.

It was no secret in my family that I wanted to be a doctor - well to be specific, a pediatrician. I've always had a soft spot for children and I was beyond thrilled when my parents decided to include a daycare in this hospital.

The tour ended and they led us into another room next to their office. Imagine our surprise when we came in through the door and saw seven people inside, five of whom we were well acquainted with.

Shey threw me a questioning look while Emmett mouthed, 'what the fuck?'.

Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Dylan seemed startled as well as we looked at each other warily. The two other people in the room with them smiled and looked towards our parents.

"Emmett, Shey and Bella, I'd like you to meet the Esme and Carlisle Cullen," Esme and Carlisle waved at us tentatively. "They are out business partners. We work side by side in managing Twilight Medical," she continued. Tension was palpable in the air as we nodded at them but didn't offer to shake their hands. In that moment, we all suddenly realised there was more to this meeting than just friendly introductions.

"These are my children," Esme spoke in a sweet voice and gestured to Edward and the rest. "That's Edward the one next to him is Jasper. Rosalie is the blond and that's Dylan next to her while this small girl right here is Alice." She held so much affection in her voice as she proudly introduced them to us.

"Uh, we've met actually," Shey spoke and gave Dylan a confusing look which he responded with a shrug. Confused faces seemed to be everywhere all except for the parents who held an expression of anxiety.

"There is a reason why we gathered all of you here," Carlisle spoke with authority. "Everyone please take a seat." He gestured towards the couches. The room was big enough that it didn't feel suffocating when we all occupied the large couch.

"I'd like for all of you to here the history behind this hospital, if you don't mind. Charlie will you please tell the story."

Dad cleared his throat and I had to refrain from laughing because of the stark contrast of Carlisle's voice from Charlie's.

"There isn't much to the story but it was founded by your grandfathers, my father and Carlisle's father. It started small but because of their hard-work and will to help others, the hospital became successful in a short amount of time.

"Before they died, it occurred to them that they didn't want a stranger running what they worked so hard for so it was passed down to us. They made a pact to unite their families by marrying the first son of Carlisle to my first daughter."

I froze, eye widening in slight panic. Stop, hold-up and rewind. Did he just say marry?

I looked towards Edward and saw that he couldn't believe it himself.

"What does that exactly mean?" Alice asked, hesitantly.

"It means that Edward and Bella would be getting married right after college to run the hospital if we should retire," Carlisle stated in a solemn voice.

"What the hell?" I burst. All pairs of eyes turned to look at me in surprise.

"Bella, mind you language," my mom chided.

"This isn't happening," I mumbled almost to myself. I looked towards Edward and saw that he was staring at me wide-eyed, probably disgusted with the idea of having me for a wife. Well, same here buddy.

"I know this is a lot to take in but-" Carlisle was interrupted by Edward who suddenly stood up.

"Screw that. You can't force me to a life I don't want," he spat at his father and his face was the epitome of 'if looks could kill'.

"Edward Anthony Cullen sit back down this instant." It would have been a funny sight to see the great Edward Cullen being terrified by his own mother but sadly I was too numb to even think of anything. Edward reluctantly sat back down while glowering at both of his parents.

"Why me? Why not Jasper or Dylan? They're both older than me,"

"I consider both Jasper and Dylan as my sons but as much as I hate to think otherwise, they're adopted. The treaty says only a real Cullen shall marry a Swan," Carlisle explained.

"What if I don't want to marry Edward and run the hospital? What are you going to do then?" I challenged them because there is no way in hell I'm going to marry Edward Cullen.

"This isn't something you can run away from Bella. If you don't follow through the arrangement, we would have to shut down the hospital because we can't trust this hospital to anyone," my mother answered in a grave voice.

"Does it make any difference if they're a real Cullen? Dylan, Jasper and Rosalie are Cullens as much as I am and you can trust them to run the hospital," this time it was Edward who reasoned.

"Because it was what your grandfather wanted for you before he died," Edward's demeanor changed when Carlisle said this. His shoulders dropped and his eyes suddenly reflected pain. "And from what Charlie and Renee told me, Bella was planning to be a doctor and as you are too, it makes you the perfect candidates for the job."

"I can't believe this," I muttered weakly before standing up on shaky legs and walking towards the door. The tears pooled in my eyes but I refuse to let them spill. All eyes were on me when I grabbed the brass doorknob and slammed the door behind me as hard as I could.

I walked aimlessly around the corridors of the hospital for a long while; the thought of going home and facing reality was making me feel sick. How could my own parents do this to me? They lied. They couldn't find the spare time to tell me that I had a fiancé I didn't even know about.

Fiancé, ugh…. The word didn't seem right applied to me. All of a sudden it seemed terrifyingly alien and I didn't want anything to do with it.

I was brought out of my sleep-walking stupor when I noticed where I was heading and for the first time in what felt like years, I let a small smile tweak my lips.

The Day-care room.