A/N: Real life - AKA the Holiday season - delayed this chapter. Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holiday's in general. Thank you to everyone reading this story. I haven't received as many reviews as I would like, but I have about 40 people who have this story on alert/fav and 1,600 views. Only 4 Chapters in, and this story is doing better than my first. Every time I see an alert, my need to write increases tenfold. **Just a suggestion if you want Chapters faster**
I guess I should probably tell everyone this... I have never experienced cancer, nor do I know much about breast cancer. My Grandfather died of Lung Cancer and my High School Art teacher is a Breast Cancer survivor. I also know a couple kids with/survived Leukemia. I have done a lot of research on this subject and also have taken what I have seen in movies, TV shows, and how I personally felt about how cancer effects not only the person with it, but everyone who comes in contact with that person.
I'm trying really hard with all of my research regarding this story, including every school/college/university mentioned.
**Since Recreational Marijuana legalization was not established in Washington when I started this story, for sake of the story, I guess I must date the beginning for March 2012, because I have been thinking about adding the legalization in.**
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or it's characters, Stephenie Meyer does. Also, the songs 'This Is A Call' and "What Do We Know" belong to Thousand Foot Krutch and the song 'Monster' belongs to Skillet.
This is A Call
... Have you ever felt this way before?
'cause I don't wanna hide here anymore.
Take me to place where nothing's wrong and thanks for coming, shut the door.
They say someone out there sees us,
Well if you're real then save me Jesus,
'cause I've been this way for far too long.
I wasn't meant to feel alone...
Chapter 5 - No Big Deal
Bella's POV
"Edward Cullen has arrived! The party may now commence!"
Oh Fuck! I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he's here. The whole Junior and Senior classes are here, and he just won a huge game for his team. God, he looks amazing! Messy bronze hair, emerald green eyes, a fitted black tee that make his arms and chest look absolutely delicious. Wipe your mouth, Bella! You seem to be drooling.
Okay. Those kinds of thoughts are not going to get me anywhere. I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to rid it of the never-ending cycle of inappropriate thoughts I was having of Edward Cullen. Never going to happen. Never want it to happen. Oh, who am I kidding? First crushes never really go away.
Keeping my eyes closed, I threw my head back and tried to tune out everything, except for the music coming from the playlist that I had on my phone that Alice said was 'perfect for tonight.' I hated having my phone on the dock, for all to see and hear, and not actually on me. It would have been a good distraction for me while I sit here, away from mostly everyone, sipping on my Jack&Diet.
Alice picked this playlist because it's artists have a unique sound; a mix between rock and ballad. You won't hear many of these songs on the Top 40, if at all. I wonder if I should tell Al that all of these artists are considered Christian Rock bands? I do not see myself as a religious person, but I have become oddly obsessed with this band called Thousand Foot Krutch.
I started to sing along with one of my favorite songs of theirs as it came on.
...We all try to be somebody
But the world around us makes it so cloudy
When we don't trust where we're supposed to
But the blood on the hands says we're not close to the answer, yeah
But maybe if we pull together we can change
A million lives for the better
And maybe if we prayed a little more
We will stop living in fear from the storm and everyone sings
What do we know? What do we know?
What do we know? What do we know?
What do we know? What do we know?
I'll tell you what they're all saying...
"I've never heard this song before, but I like it. You have a good voice." I immediately ceased my singing as I jumped at the voice next to me.
"Shit! You fucking scared me!" I opened my eyes and looked to my left to see Paul sitting on the picnic table with me. "Please don't ever do that again."
"Sorry. That wasn't my intention. Honest." He put his hands up in surrender. "So, what are you doing over here all alone, Bells?"
"Just enjoying the party the only way I can." Paul gave me a weird look, so I continued, "I'm not much of a people person. The actual party is more for Alice than me."
"So why come if you don't enjoy it?"
"Aly's my best friend. She would kill me if I wasn't here. And it was kind of my idea. She deserves to be celebrated. I've been a crap friend lately, and I just thought this would make up for some of it." Why am I baring my soul to this almost total stranger? God, I need help.
"Makes sense, kind of." Great. Now he thinks I'm a freak.
"So, are you having a good time? I can't imagine a high school party could hold much of a flame to a frat or sorority party."
"Truthfully, it's not bad. Some guys looked like they were starting a MMA fight match down the beach a bit, not that I could join in the fun. Coach would kill me if I got hurt." He seemed a little excited about being a spectator of a bunch of guys kicking each others ass for no reason.
"Oh," I said with little emotion. I really do not understand why guys feel like they need to punch things/people to maintain their masculinity.
"Well, I'll leave you to it." Paul stood up and it looked like he was about to walk away. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said as he quickly turned back around. "McCarty was looking for you."
"McCarty?" Who the hell is that?
"Your brother?" He looked at me like I was crazy for not knowing what he was talking about. "Yeah, he said if I saw you to send you over to fringe of trees near the edge of the beach."
"Thanks, Paul. Have fun watching my idiot classmates kill each other."
"Oh. I will." He laughed as he walked toward a huge crowd of guys down the beach. So dumb.
I went in search of my brother, not only because Paul told me he was looking for me, but also to find out why his teammates call him by his middle name. He never went by McCarty in High School. His team called him either Em, E, Big E, or Swan.
I found Em right where Paul said he would be, along with Jazz and Rose. The closer I got, the reason for him trying to find me got clearer. I could smell it before I saw it.
"Bro, you couldn't even wait for me?" I yelled from a couple feet away.
"I didn't know how long you would be and Jazz was getting a little impatient."
"Was not! It was your idea," I heard Jazz whisper, thinking I wouldn't hear him.
"Whatever!"
"Here ya go, Bells." Jazz had passed me the blunt. Mmmm, Strawberry.
"Thanks, Jazz." I turned back to my brother. "This doesn't really help with you being DD, Em. What the fuck?" I pointed the blunt at him with narrowed eyes before taking my hit and passing it to Rose. This kind of pissed me off. I know a hit or two wouldn't alter him enough to make it dangerous, but I didn't want to chance it when he would be driving a car with 3+ underage drinkers.
"I'm not smoking it. Just getting a little second-hand while y'all smoke. I promise. I can wait until later. Just thought you might want to join these guys now."
I was still holding in the smoke during his little rant. I finally let it out slowly, effectively refraining from coughing it back up. "So, is this why you wanted to see Mom? Too score some weed off her? If Dad ever found out, he'd be so pissed," I said as I downed the rest of my drink.
"Are you kidding me? Dad has no place to talk. He's smoked with Mom plenty of times. Yup, that's right. The Chief hits the Mary Jane on occasion." Why does that not surprise me?
The blunt had gone full circle and was being passed back to me. Before taking my hit, I decided to ask Em about his new name. "So, Mr. Big Shot. Why are your teammates calling you McCarty? I had no idea who Paul was talking about at first."
He took a big breath and rolled his eyes. "Well, when I made starter mid-season last year, the guys were teasing me on how Swan was too girly of a name. And then there is Embry, who is a year ahead of us, who already goes by Em. I don't know. Someone asked what my middle name was and it's been all downhill from there."
"But Emmy, you're such a graceful Swan," I teased, earning giggles from Rose and a hearty laugh from Jazz.
"Shut it, B, or I'll leave you all here."
"Shuttin' it!" Then we all busted out laughing.
Edward's POV
"Cullen! You made it. We almost started without you." Newton found me first.
"Of course I'm here. I'd never miss a fight. Parentals just wanted to congratulate me on the game. Took a little extra time to slip away." Could be true, right?
"You were on fire today."
"Thanks, man. You and Ty were great on offense. I hope everyone else steps up their game. I can't always play that spectacularly." We laughed as I walked with Mike over to the Keg to pour myself a drink.
I handed the first cup to Mike, then poured another for myself. "At the end, I thought we were going to have a repeat of last year. Jake almost rushed the mound again." Mike started laughing.
"I'm glad he didn't, but he did make it sound like he'd be here tonight. I really don't want any trouble. Not after what happened last time. I already told Ty, one fight and I'm done. If he doesn't make it to the final round, tough shit. I can't afford even the chance of messing up my arm."
"We also better hope the Chief doesn't get called this time. I doubt it, since Em's here, but you never know."
"Wait, Emmett's here? Where?" I started to search the party, but couldn't see around a couple Juniors in front of me. Didn't the college season start already? Why is he here? Well, there is an obvious reason. Bella must have called him.
"I last saw him with Rose and some guy by the trees. I asked him if he wanted in the match, but he said 'no'."
Of course he said 'no'. He can't risk injury or an 'assaulting a minor' charge if the cops did get called. He'd get thrown from the team and lose his scholarship.
"Come on. Ty's about to get things started. We need our reigning champ waiting for the Championship Round."
"I'll be right there." I took one last look in the direction where Newton said he last saw Em and that's when I saw her. I knew she'd be with him. She could care less for parties, but if Emmett was around, she usually loosened up a bit. She looked amazing. She was wearing a pair of tight, 'well-worn' bootcut, light-blue jeans, a white wife beater, and a gray and pink striped sweater. Her sweater was loose around the shoulders, showing just the right amount of skin, but hugged the rest of her body, showing off her wonderful curves. Gorgeous!
I was about to head over to her, but thought better of it. The guys were waiting on me. I made my way to the crowd. There was already some yelling, so I guess they already started.
Shit! I finally got close enough to see who was fighting. Well, he made good on his promise. Black was fighting Lee and it didn't look like this was going to last much longer. If this was the first fight, I still had 6 fights to sit through before it was my turn...and Black still had to win two more matches before he would even face me. By then he could be too worn out and it would be an easy win.
I know it doesn't seem completely fair that he may be worn down and tired, but it's also a disadvantage to me to not have fought at all because I'd be going in cold...well, if I hadn't warmed up before heading out here, but no one knows that. There's always a method to my madness.
"Lee taps out. Jake Black moves to the next round!" Ty announced from the sidelines. "Next up, Newton and Austin. Get ready! You start in two minutes!"
Ty jumped down and head towards me. "Dude, you finally made it! What took so long?"
"I had to celebrate the win with the fam. You know how it is. Dad had to work late, so he wanted to hear the play-by-play." Lying got easier and easier every time.
"Oh, yeah. I know. If my Dad wasn't there, he'd definitely want to know all the details. Especially with how many times I saved your ass."
I gave him a little friendly shove. "Yeah, right! If anything, I had to keep correcting your mistakes. You know I would have never walked that guy if I threw my fastball instead of all those change-ups and sliders."
Ty shoved me right back. "Whatever! Hey, I gotta get back over there. You're ready, right?" I shrugged. "Well, it's looking like Black has you're number and I don't think he has much competition getting there."
"Yeah, I'm ready for him." God, I hope so. The guy was huge. I'm surprised I was able to even knock him out last year. I'm going to really have to study his moves during the next two rounds.
I watched Jake take down Mike with a little more difficulty than Lee. I guess that was a good sign. Mike isn't a small guy, but he has very little skill. He just likes to throw his weight around, which usually helped him win, but in this case, Jake had about a foot in height and 30lbs more muscle on him.
Jake had some skill, too. I'll give him that. He looked like mostly a boxing type. Not much foot-work. That's where I usually have a 'leg-up' on the competition. Pun totally intended. I have a deadly roundhouse.
"Connor takes down Uley!" Ty yells into the crowd. "He moves onto the Semi-Finals against Jake. 15 minutes, boys! Get ready!"
I decided to jog down the beach to get warmed up again. I also just needed to get away to think. I'm still not sure why the idea of fighting used to make me feel so good, so happy... Used to?
My first fight was right around the time Carlisle and I had our falling out. That was Freshman year. I was doing a Family Tree paper for my Humanities class. I had added Carlisle and Esme as my Aunt and Uncle, not as my parents, like Carlisle would have preferred. They are the only parents that I have ever known. I've always called them Mom and Dad, but their DNA did not create me. I felt that the assignment was more about genetics and explaining how I became the person that I am now than to lie about who I am to placate the only person I will ever call father. Not many people know that the Cullen's aren't my real parents, but I never really considered it a secret. Carlisle must have thought differently.
I know Carlisle sometimes resented my relationship with Esme, too. Esme and I are actually blood related, her being my biological mother's sister, and all. I think because of the assignment, Carlisle got it into his head that I will never see him as my father. But truthfully, that's all I see him as. Sure, I wish I could have met my bio-parents, but that has always been an impossibility. I love Carlisle and Esme. They are my parents and always will be. I will always be a Cullen, not a Masen. I wish Carlisle could see that.
"Hey, Cullen!" The voice snapped me out of my deep thoughts. I took a look at my surroundings and realized I had wondered quite a ways from the party. Ben was running towards me. "Hey, man. You're almost up. Jake beat Connor. Hope you're ready."
"Thanks, Ben. Let's head back."
Jake was ready when I got back to the group. A much larger crowd had formed; most of the party. Truthfully, I was actually becoming nervous. I've never been this nervous before a fight before. Right then and there, I decided this was my last recreational fight. I'm going to stick to the heavy bag. Fighting no longer gives me the same feeling it did when I started.
"If I win, Black, this settles everything. I'm done fighting."
Bella's POV
"Hey. What's going on over there?" Jasper pointed to the opposite side of the beach, asking about the much larger group of people that had been slowly growing over the last half hour.
"Those are some of my idiot peers that think fighting each other into pulp, for no reason other than sport, is fun." Why are boys so dumb? What does fighting actually prove? Cavemen.
"We should go watch," Rose suggested. "From what I heard, Edward is fighting in the final round." Edward? Didn't he get hurt enough last time?
Dad told me all about the party/fight he broke up back in October. He said he barely recognized Edward, his face was so swollen.
"Go on ahead. I need another drink. I'll be there in a minute." I watched as Rose, Jasper, and Emmett went to join the group, finding Aly on their way.
I went over to the liquor table to find my pint of Jack that I hid. If I was going to watch the only guy I have ever had feelings for get beaten up, I don't want to be sober for it. My high was starting to die down, so I just needed a little of my liquid courage to get me through.
After replacing my pint back into the Keg bucket and filling the rest of my glass with soda, I decided to give the idiots fighting some good music to work with. It definitely fit the situation. I queued the song on my playlist, turned the speakers toward the crowd, turned up the volume, and went to join my brother and our friends.
The secret side of me I never let you see
I keep it caged, but I can't control it
So stay away from me, the beast is ugly
I feel the rage and I just can't hold it
When I got there, the fight had already started. No one seemed hurt yet. Actually, it looked like they were hugging each other. "So, who's winning?" I asked.
It's scratching on the walls in the closet, in the halls
It comes awake, and I can't control it
Alice jumped to my side before answering, "That Black kid got a few punches in right off the start, but Edward had him down for a second with a kidney shot."
Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head
Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?
I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
The fighters finally pulled apart. They both rounded the circle, never showing their backs to their opponent, trying to find a way back in to take the other down. Black was the first to rush back in, but Edward moved quickly to counter. He kicked Black's legs out from under him.
My secret side I keep hid under lock and key
I keep it caged, but I can't control it
'Cause if I let him out he'll tear me up, break me down
Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?
As the chorus repeated, things moved too quickly for me to understand what was actually happening. Both never looking like they were gain ground on the other.
It's hiding in the dark, it's teeth are razor sharp
There's no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart
No one can hear me scream, maybe it's just a dream
Maybe it's inside of me, stop this monster
Edward caught Black off guard with a right, then left jab. As the song came to a close, his leg came up and around, knocking Black out cold.
"CULLEN DOES IT AGAIN!" someone yelled out to the crowd. Everyone cheered, but my eyes were on Edward. He didn't look too good himself. Did no one else notice?
I pushed my way through the crowd and made it to Edward just before he collapsed. There was a collective gasp right before I was surrounded by my classmates with an unconscious Edward Cullen in my lap.
"My God! Move back! Give him some space," I yelled, effectively getting the crowd to disperse some. "Edward, wake up! Edward, come on." I kept shaking him, trying to get him to open his eyes. "Emmett!" I had no idea what to do. I thought maybe Em would know. I mean, he should know something about sports injuries, right?
I noticed a few of the Sequim players helping the other guy out. At least he was awake, now. Why wasn't Edward waking up?
"Bells. Fuck! How did you know he was going collapse?" Emmett finally made it to me. He helped me shift Edward off my lap. "Here. Let me look at him."
"I don't know. When he looked at the crowd after the win, it didn't look right. His eyes almost looked glazed over. I knew something was wrong," I explained as Em started checking Edward's pulse. He then raised Edward's eyelids to check his pupils.
"His pulse is a little high and his pupils are reactive. He should be fine, but we need to get him to wake up. He probably has a concussion." Just as Em said that, Edward started to stir. He was groaning quite a bit. I wonder if he's in a lot of pain. He didn't look too beaten up. Not like last time. He had a cut near his left eyebrow and bruises forming on his chest, but nothing too severe.
I took a look around and saw that the party was pretty much ending. Only a few people lingered to see that Edward was okay; his teammates, Tyler, Mike, and Ben. Then there was our group, which Aly and Rose seemed to be entertaining the boys while they waited.
My voice was a little shaky as I looked back down at Edward. "Hey. Edward? Can you open your eyes? We need you to wake up?" I shut my eyes and did something that I haven't done in over a year. I prayed. Please, God, let him be okay.
"There you are. You scared us, buddy," I heard Em say. My eyes flew open and were met with a pair of gorgeous emerald green eyes. "Can you sit up?" Emmett asked. Edward nodded.
With our help, we finally got Edward sitting up on his own. Em told Tyler, Mike, and Ben that we'll take care of him so they didn't have to wait any longer. I, on the other hand, haven't been able to take my eyes away from his. Maybe I should ask him something so I don't seem too much like a freak who just stares? "Hey, how are you feeling?" Smooth. The guy just passed out. Of course he feels like shit. Who wouldn't?
"Like I just got hit in the head with a line-drive," he chuckled. Em laughed, too, until I shot him a glare. Well, at least he has his humor, even if I don't think it's funny.
"Alright, well now that you're awake, let's get you standing." Emmett's going to be a great doctor.
We got Edward to his feet, but he was still a little woozy. "Em, help me get him too his car. I'll drive hime home."
"Um, no! You're not driving. You've been drinking. That's the whole reason I'm here tonight. He'll ride with us." I love my overprotective brother, but sometimes he doesn't think things through.
"First, there's no more room in your car if all of us go. The trunk will be filled with the coolers, so that's not even a seating option. Second, I have had only two drinks in 4 hours. I'm fine. Third, we can't just leave his car here. It most likely is not in an actual parking spot, meaning it is illegally parked and will get impounded if it's here over night."
"I had to park down the road," Edward mumbled.
"See. Em, you don't have to worry. He lives next door to Rose. You can follow right behind me. We can get him into the car, I'll help you guys load up, and then we can all leave together." I could see Em's resolve leaving him as I fought my case.
But Edward didn't. "I can drive myself home. I'm feeling fine now."
"No!" we all said as a group.
"I'm not really ready to go home yet. It's okay. I can just sit in my car for a little while until I find my bearings," Edward said, trying to win his own case.
Rose shot that down fast. "Edward, if you don't want to go home yet, which I can't blame you for how you look right now, you can always hang out at my house with the rest of us. I'll even call your mom, if you want."
"Fine! Fine. But I'll call my mom myself, thank you." Edward turned back to me, "Bella, are you sure you don't mind?" His eyes were looking back into mine again. I tried to look away, but only got as far as to stare at his still-bare chest. Oh my. "Bella?"
"What? Huh?" Shit! Finally when I was able to look away, I replied, "Yeah. That's no problem. We should probably get going."
Em helped Edward to his car while I gathered his things that were still in a pile on the beach; shirt, shoes and socks, wallet, belt, keys, and his iPhone. I pressed the unlock button on his key-fob a few times on my way to his car. It must have worked because Em had already sat him in the passengers seat by the time I caught up. I handed him his things before turning to help the others pack up.
Before I could get away, Edward caught my arm. I turned back to look at him as he said, "Thank you."
"It wasn't a big deal. Just right place at the right time." We both knew that wasn't true. There were so many people closer that could have helped. I walked away before he could make a bigger deal out of this.
I ran back to the rest of the group. They had most of the stuff packed up already. "Hey, B, here's your phone." Alice handed me phone. I was about to check to see if I had any messages or missed calls when Alice pulled me away from the group. "Are you sure you're going to be okay with Edward?"
Alice knows I haven't really been around Edward since 7th grade, so I understood her apprehension, but it was unnecessary. "I'll be fine, Al. And either way, I'm the only other person sober enough to drive him."
I finished helping load up Emmett's car. "Alright, I'll see you guys back at Rose's." I went to head back to Edward's car, but stopped when I heard someone behind me.
Emmett turned me around and picked me up in a big bear hug. "Be careful, please," he whispered.
"I promise, Emmy Bear. You'll be right behind me the whole way," I told him, hugging him back as tightly as I possibly could. "I love you, Big Brother. See you in a few minutes."
"Love you, too, Baby B." Em finally let me go and I made my way to Edward's Volvo.
I opened the driver's side door and got in. The car was already running, which meant it was already nice and warm inside. I looked over at Edward, noticing his shoes and shirt were back on... Thank goodness... and his eyes were closed. Shit! "Edward! Wake up!" I yelled while shaking his arm.
His eyes flew open in shock. "Fuck! Calm down. I wasn't asleep. I only just closed my eyes."
"Sorry. You might have a concussion. I know you're not supposed to go to sleep. When I saw your eyes closed, I freaked out a bit." Now I'm embarrassed.
"Freaked out only a bit? Ya think? I know what a concussion is. My dad is a doctor and all."
I put the car in drive as I repeated "sorry" a couple more times. A blush started taking over my face.
"It's fine. Please stop saying 'sorry'. I just got off the phone with my mom. I was afraid someone might have called them after what happened. Thankfully no one did. My dad would probably murder me if he did. I was just acting out of relief when you sat down." He took a deep breath. Probably still adjusting after being unconscious. "So, I told my mom that I was with Rosalie and a few other people. I said that Rose invited me over and that I won't be home until late. I didn't want her to stay up, so I also told her that everyone was staying the night at Rose's so she won't have to worry about chaperoning." He shot me his infamous crooked smile.
"Does she do that a lot?"
"Every time Rose's parents go out of town," he chuckled. "She just doesn't want anyone driving drunk."
I looked into the rear-view to make sure Emmett was still behind us. We were about half way back to Rose's when Edward spoke again. "Thanks again for helping me. I was surprised to see you though. Weren't you at the back of the crowd?"
He knew where I was before he passed out? Shit! "Um, I noticed you didn't look too well when the fight was over. No one else seemed to notice, so..." I decided to trail off there. I didn't want it to seem like I was obsessed with him or anything.
I caught his smile in the corner of my eye. "Well, I'm glad it was you."
"Uh, you're welcome," I mumbled back.
We finished the drive in relative silence and had made it to Edward's. "Where should I park your car?" I didn't want to block anyone in or park in the wrong spot.
"In front of the house should be fine." I parked his car in the street, turned it off, handed him the keys, and made to get out. I was stopped when his hand shot out in front of me. "Wait. Can I ask you something?"
Um... "That depends on what it is," I replied. He looked very torn at what he wanted to ask me. It made me a little apprehensive.
"Why did you stop talking to me in Middle School?" he said sadly.
"Edward, we grew apart. We rarely saw each other. Had no classes together. You had your friends, I had mine. We both had a lot going on in our lives...we just grew apart. It happens." I wish it didn't. I know this was a lie, but it was the reason why we continued to not talk to this day. I didn't feel like discussing this anymore, so I tried to leave again. This time he let me.
I made my way to Rose's house. Everyone was already inside. I could hear my brother's boisterous laughter from the porch. I was about to open the door when I was spun around and Edward's lips crashed into mine.
A/N: A little bit of a cliffhanger. What was going on in Edward's mind during the post-fight/car ride? Next Chapter will be the after-party party. Hopefully it will not take another 3 months. I had half of this written before Christmas, but just got busy and lost some motivation. I'm trying though.
Please review.