Ch. 3:
Charlie had the cruiser parked and the door of the house opened in record time. Bella couldn't remember ever seeing him in such a state. She knew that Renee had screwed up big when discussing her career with him. Classical recordings! Bella snorted as she made her way to the house. At least now he'll know the truth and maybe I can be a little bit more open about things.
"Explain yourself young lady."
"What is there to explain? I started recording "classical compositions" at twelve years old. That much is true. When I was fifteen, I took part in a talent show. As a joke, I rapped an Ice Cube song, censored version of course, but the joke ended up backfiring. There was a talent scout in the audience and he approached me afterwards. After a long discussion with Mom, I decided to give it a try. Turns out I'm a natural."
Charlie continued to pace in front of the couch. "What exactly do you rap about?"
"Um...well its evolved over the years. I try to keep it to real life situations from my life or from people's lives around me. Sometimes its not possible though and I have to resort back to the usual rap material. To continue in the music industry you have to do what sells."
Groaning, Charlie sank onto the couch. All he could do was put his head in his hands. "What about the rest? Drugs? Alcohol? Partying? Sex...wait right there. I'm not sure I want to know that."
Blushing bright red by where the conversation was heading, Bella quickly reassured him. "No Dad. You don't have to worry about any of that. Yes I like to have a good time and occasionally let my hair down, but I can do that without the influence of something. That's not my scene. As far as guys or girls go, my life is a constant whirlwind and that's not something I have time for. Emmett and Jasper are the closest things I have to long term friends and are like brothers to me."
Carefully examining Bella's face, Charlie finally relaxed. "I'm sorry Bells. I just assumed that being a rapper also meant living the lifestyle of one. A lifestyle often full of bad choices."
"Dad, have a little faith in me. I won't lie and say I'm a perfect little angel because I'm not. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
"No. I think I just need to really sit and absorb everything. I'm sure I'll have more questions and concerns in the upcoming days. It's getting late though and you have school in the morning."
"Good night dad." Bella headed upstairs leaving Charlie on the couch contemplating everything he learned about his daughter and dreading the call to Renee in the morning.
***
Bella was jumping and dancing across the stage, mike in hand. The crowd was going crazy. "Let me introduce you all to a couple of friends of mine. Everyone put your hands together for U.G.K." Pimp C & Bun B danced on stage and the crowd was now hysterically insane. Immediately the three launched into a new rap.
"Bella! Bella! Bella!" The crowd was chanting her name. Wait, since when did she perform as Bella?
"Bella! Bella! Come on now. You're going to be late!"
Still mentally caught up in the dream, Bella became tangled in the sheets. As a result she fell from the bed landing on her head with a loud thud.
"Okay Dad. I'm up and yes, I'm okay." She heard his chuckle as he headed downstairs. Once she escaped the clutches of her bedding, Bella noticed the sunlight coming through the curtains. Running to the window she swept aside the flimsy material. Although still early in the morning it was apparent that the day would be a very sunny day and a rarity here in Forks. After a few moments of gazing out the window, she turned towards the closet. Hmm. Time to weed out the friends from the "friends."
Reaching into the closet, Bella pulled out a pair of dark denim pants. She paired them with a couple of wife beaters, white and black. Should be warm inside the school although I'll definitely need a light jacket for outside. Out of the closet came a black leather motorcycle jacket. The finishing touches were a pair of black Harley boots with large buckles and a thick black belt with silver studs.
Setting everything on the bed, Bella grabbed her underwear and bra and headed to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and taking a quick shower, Bella dried and straightened her hair. Opting for a natural look, Bella applied a light coat of mascara and lip gloss before heading back to her room to get dressed.
"Bella? I'm heading to work. Need anything before I leave?" Charlie called through the door.
"No Dad. I should be good."
"Okay well I should be home in time for dinner. What to stay in or head to the diner?"
"Stay in. I'll cook. Have a great day!"
"You too Bells." With that, Charlie was on his way.
Finally dressed, Bella grabbed her book bag and headed to the kitchen. Knowing that both Jaz and Em would probably be joining them, she knew a grocery run would be necessary. She scribbled down the items they needed as she rummaged through the pantry and fridge. Tucking the list into her back pocket, Bella decided to get to school.
***
In all her excitement over the sun shining, Bella was twenty minutes early. While a few cars dotted the student lot, there was nobody lingering around to witness her arrival. With a push of a button, the blazer sank to the ground until the body appeared to rest lightly on the concrete. Stepping out, Bella shut the door and set the alarm. Deciding to make the most of the sun, she made her way to a bench. She settled down on the back of the bench where she could soak up the most rays and fell deep into thought.
***
"Come on Alice! I'm leaving in thirty seconds regardless if you're in the car or not."
Alice bounced down the stairs, throwing a glare at Edward. "Why such a hurry? You wouldn't be in a rush to see Bella now would you?"
Edward inwardly groaned at the mischievous sparkle in Alice's eyes. Why did she have to be so intuitive, especially when it came to him? Following Alice to the car, he desperately tried to come up with an excuse but nothing came to mind. Once they safely buckled in, Edward started the car and headed to school.
***
Edward immediately noticed Bella's blazer and parked next to it. "What's different about her ride today?"
"Hm. Something is different but I can't exactly put my finger on it. I'm sure it'll come to me. I wonder where she is."
Glancing around, Edward quickly spied the object of the conversation perched on the backrest of one of the benches. Her head was tilted back, eyes closed, and she looked like she was absorbing the sun. Poking Alice, he pointed in Bella's direction. Without another word, they pair made their way over.
***
Focused on the feel of the warm rays on her face, Bella was oblivious to her surroundings. At a loud "Bella!" she startled and felt herself slipping backwards off the bench. She braced for impact. Her downward motion was halted when two strong arms caught her. Taking a deep breathe, Bella knew instantly who her savior was by his scent. Placing her on her feet, his hand brushed slightly across her cheek to tuck a wayward strand behind her hair. Warm tingles followed in his finger's wake while goosebumps covered the rest of her body.
"Gotcha!"
"Thanks. I think I might need you around more often." Edward chuckled. Even he had noticed her apparent lack of skill for staying upright.
"Okay. Okay. Break it up. Bella we need to get to class." With a smirk at Edward, Alice pulled Bella from his side and started towards first period. Casting one last smile in his direction, Bella followed Alice into the school.
First period was almost full as Alice and Bella walked in. Reaching their seats in the back, Bella set her book bag down and removed her jacket. Hearing Alice's gasp, she turned and raised a questioning eyebrow at the pixie. Alice, however, was staring at her arms. Her heavily tattooed arms. After a thorough inspection, she turned her attention to the ink that followed up the backside of Bella's neck above the collar and then around to the front. Bella waited.
At long last, Alice raised her eyes in wonder to Bella's. "I guess there's a lot more to you than you originally let on. Looks like today's going to be fun and interesting!"
With a quiet laugh, Bella agreed. The two made small talk about about Bella's tats and the deviant world as they waited for class to start. Their conversation turned to predicting the reactions Bella would get through out the day. With the arrival of their teacher, Mr. Masen, they debated how he would react, if he did. As usual, Mr. Masen began taking attendance scanning the room to make sure everyone was present. It was rather obvious when he came to Bella's name. As he normally did, he briefly scanned the room for her. Seeing her in the back, he returned his gaze to the list in his hand only to whip his head back up for another look. Wondering what had caused such a stir, the rest of the class turned towards Bella. A silence descended on the classroom as the students gawked. Slowly the volume started to raise as new conversations started about the new girl. Pulling himself out of his trance, Mr. Masen soon finished and began on the lesson for the day.
Having already studied Romeo and Juliet, Bella used the time to study a new subject: Mr. Masen. When the entire class had been focused on her, she had been the only one to notice the way his normal green eyes darkened to almost black. Although she had stereotyped him into the normal pretty boy category before, the black eyes definitely propelled him directly to armed, dangerous and downright sexy. She could only imagine the weapon this man was packing. Damn. Getting all horndog over a teacher. Way to start out a new school. Bella mentally noted the crazy bronze sex hair he sported. While it was currently the craze in Houston, he was the only one she had seen in Forks (not that she'd seen a lot of the town) sporting the style.
Slowly she turned her gaze to his attire and the body beneath. He wore black slacks with a black knit long sleeve shirt. The shirt was just snug enough to tease Bella about what lay beneath everytime he moved. He had the lean sleek phsyique of a panther. She also noticed he moved with the grace of one as well. I wonder if he purrs. Bella continued her perusal. He was rather young looking, possibly no more than twenty eight. She focused on his long lean fingers as they gripped his worn copy of Sheakespeare. I wonder if he plays the guitar. If not, I have something he can strum!
As class wore on, Bella's mind continued to churn out naughty thoughts of Mr. Masen. By the time the bell rang signaling the end of class, Bella was aware of her saturated panties and her lack of breath. Bella gathered her things and with a small smile in his direction she joined Alice at the door. Leaving the classroom, neither noticed the way Mr. Masen's eyes continued to darken nor the way they followed her out the door and down the hall.
**
All throughout the morning, the reactions was the same as Bella went from class to class. In the hallway, heads violently turned to stare; crowds parted for her to pass. But Bella was immune to it. Just like she intended it helped weed out who were really worth her time and effort. All morning students avoided her and teachers stared. Even knowing this would happen, it still unsettled her. She was extremely grateful that both Alice and Angela had been accepting of her lifestyle choices. They had proven to be a great support system.
Together the trio walked to the cafeteria, presenting a united front. A glance at the "popular" table revealed both Jessica and Lauren glaring at her and whispering. Bella was relieved to know their true colors had shown true just as she had suspected.
Arriving at the table, Rose and Edward were already seated. Both were staring at Bella with twin looks of shock. Even though they had heard the gossip about Bella's tattoos, they both had quickly brushed it off as exaggeration. Both knew how gossip tended to grow. It was apparent that this time the gossip was true. All of it. The three took their seats and patiently waited for Rose and Edward to snap to. Finally, after a minute or two Rose broke the silence. "Well now, not quite the wholesome Southern Belle you appeared to be yesterday. But I can get used to it, if let's say, you let me take that badass bike of yours for a spin."
"Sure Rose. Why not?" Bella turned to Edward anxious for his reaction. He'd been quiet since he'd seen her. Too quiet. He was currently avoiding her focused solely on his lunch. Feeling her heart lurch, Bella gave her attention back to Rose.
"Yesterday I expected to find the majority of the straight male population hovering around my bike with hard-ons. What I didn't expect to find was you, Rose, at the core of the pack standing in your own puddle of 'drool.' Hell, I even had to disinfect the back seat when I got home. Not exactly the blonde barbie you appeared to be."
"Touche." Rose smiled. "I guess we've all learned today that looks can be deceiving. My passion is cars and motorcycles. I plan to open my own garage one day."
"Wow! Are you single by the way?"
The entire table laughed at the sight of Rose blushing. "Sorry Bella but I don't swing that way."
Laughing even harder, Bella corrected her. "Shit Rose, neither do I." Trying to control her breathing Bella continue to explain about Emmett. "He's a great friend of mine. I would love for you two guys to meet before he heads back to Houston. Maybe we could plan a group date for Friday night. Then there's no pressure if he's not your type then."
"Sounds like fun." Turning to the rest of the group, they all agreed, including Edward. For the rest of the lunch period the group discussed plans for the Friday night.
When lunch was finally over, Bella intentionally took her time packing up her stuff so she could walk with Edward. Once alone, she turned to him with a questioning look. "What gives?"
"I'm sorry Bella. Even after all the gossip, I was still unprepared. I've always thought that I was the type of person to just look past a person's appearance to accept them for who they are, but you've taught me I'm not. That sounds really shallow I know and I'm ashamed to realize this about myself. I do like you but it's going to take some time for me to be comfortable around you like I am with Rose or Angela."
Touched by his honesty, Bella could see the pain in his eyes and knew it matched the pain in hers. "I understand I've knocked your world off its axis Edward. And I don't know about you, but I've got plenty of time." With a small smile, Bella made her way to her seat.