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Chapter 10 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me

EPOV

Yes! It worked. My brown-haired fantasy was in my arms. She was warm, soft, and her scent was indescribable. I inhaled deeply, burning the memory into my brain. Was it strawberry shampoo? Something fruity. I squeezed her tightly to my chest, never wanting to let her go. But then I felt her tense up and she destroyed me with what happened next.

"Thank you, Edward. That was the most surreal, romantic thing that has ever happened to me. I'm not sure why you did it, but it was really sweet. And you should see what's happening behind the bleachers because your girlfriend is a total skank." And she squirmed out of my arms and left me dumbstruck.

What. The. Fuck. What was she talking about? Didn't I just make a total fool of myself for her? What girlfriend? I stood there like an idiot, wondering what the hell went wrong. Our friends had left us apparently as soon as we had embraced, because they were dancing to our fucking song. No one was staring at me, so my disgrace wasn't public, at least.

I didn't know what to do, so I did what she said: go see what was happening behind the bleachers. I made my way over there barely aware of my surroundings because of my shock at what had just happened. Then in the dark corner I saw two people sucking face, one with strawberry-blond hair.

Goddamned Tanya. I could care less that she was lip-locked with her loser boyfriend, but Bella didn't know that. She must think I still have feelings for Tanya or something. Why else would she say 'my girlfriend'? She must feel sorry for me because I was getting cheated on. Crap on a stick.

Screw John Cusack and his romantic nonsense. Things were worse now than they were before. Stupid Jasper and his suggestions. Now he's all over Alice like a Siamese twin, and I'm a complete loser. I needed to explain to Bella, but I didn't know how. Rejection totally fucks up your thought process.

I scanned the gym looking for her tiny pink plaid skirt and black boots. Great. She's dancing with that Mike kid. He's totally in love with her, along with his whole freshman posse. Their faces were all lit up like they just won a trip to Comicon or some shit. I stared at her, because that's all I could do. She had just blown me off big time. I was unsure of my next move. That girl destroyed eighteen years of confidence in one minute. Oh, good, Mike was walking away.

I was gawking at her like the lovesick loser I am, when she looked at me. Her brown eyes sought my green, and I tried to convey what I felt through just a look. I sighed when she blushed and turned to talk to Alice, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I guess Jasper had to come up for air sometime. My eyes followed Mike, hoping he was going home, but it was just a bathroom break.

I walked over towards the bathroom to find Mike. I had to talk to him. Bella seemed to trust him, so maybe he could give me some insight. Hell, I just needed a fucking clue. So I waited outside the restroom for him, trying to be all nonchalant about it, because, well, how the fuck would I explain why I was waiting for a sophomore boy to exit the restroom? That shit just wasn't done. When he emerged from the men's room, I stopped him. He looked surprised to see me.

"Hey, Mike," I said and motioned him to come over to me.

"Hey Edward," he said uncertainly. He shifted nervously from side to side.

"You were dancing with Bella. Is there something going on with you two?"

"I wish. She's all hung up on you," he said spitefully.

"How do you know? I tried to show her how I feel, and she ditched me to come dance with you."

"I thought you were an honor student. Seriously, how could two people be so dense? She likes you, you like her, and you are both miserable. She talks about you all of the time. If she had for me one tenth of the feelings she has for you, I'd be freaking ecstatic."

"Dude, I'd do anything to be with her. What do you think I should do?"

"Have you been honest with her? I thought you had a girlfriend, anyway."

"I don't have a freaking girlfriend. She is the one for me. I just need her to see that and stop running from me," I was exasperated. I ran my hands through my hair for like the zillionth time. Christ, I was going to go bald.

"Look, Edward, she's the only person at this school that treats me like a person. She doesn't even know how beautiful and fantastic she is. She's not playing any games with you; she's just oblivious to any kind of attention. Explain to her what happened with your ex-girlfriend, and tell her how you feel."

"Thanks for the advice, Mike. I'm sorry about this whole situation. It must be hard on you."

"Just don't hurt her, or I'll have to kick your ass," he said seriously as he walked away. "Remember, I'll be waiting if you screw up."

Huh, who knew that kid had such balls? And look at me, the class president and captain of the basketball team getting advice from a sophomore. Popularity was way overrated. I had to pretend to have a girlfriend to keep the girls away from me, now that tramp was keeping away the one girl I wanted. The irony was not lost on me.

"Hey lover boy, what the hell happened? Last time I checked, you and Bella looked pretty cozy, now she's as far from you as possible. Did she get a whiff of your breath?" joked Jasper as he walked over to me.

"Fuck you, Jasper. It's your genius idea that drove her away. She still thinks Tanya and I are together and I couldn't even explain the situation. But you were too wrapped up in Alice to notice your best friend getting ditched." I said bitterly.

"Sorry, bro. I had no idea. She didn't like the song, then?"

"I think she did like the song, but she said she didn't know why I did it. She also thinks I'm still with Tanya. Oh, and she caught Tanya making out with her boyfriend and she feels sorry for me. I think that about covers it."

"Oh, is that all?" Jasper said sarcastically.

"No, wait, I forgot the part about when I begged Bella's sophomore crush to help me win her," I snapped at him.

Jasper snorted, "So that's what you two were talking about. Well, what are you going to do now?"

"I think I'm going to give her some space, then I'm going to explain the whole Tanya mess. We both need to take a step back. And I'm not mad at you; I'm just frustrated at the whole situation. I'm happy for you though, it looks like you convinced Alice that you know she's a girl."

"She's definitely a girl. I can attest to that," Jasper said smugly. I raised my eyebrows at him. "I didn't mean it that way; she's not like that." He socked me in the shoulder.

"Well at least one of us is not a total loser at love."

"Yeah, I got it bad, dude," he said dreamily. "She's pretty awesome."

"I can see it in your eyes," I sighed. I was a little jealous.

"Why Mr. Cullen, are you flirting with me? You like my eyes? Alice will be jealous," he batted lashes at me and blew me a kiss.

"Asshole," I muttered. My reputation was going into the shitter in one night.

"Seriously, though, do you want me to talk to Alice? I can tell her what happened with you and Tanya."

"No, this is my problem. I need to fix it. She really needs to hear it from me." I just had hid the truth for so long, it was hard to admit to something so selfish and wrong. She might hate me for what I had done. I turned to look at Bella, praying Tyler hadn't hit on her again. But thankfully she was still dancing with Alice. They looked like they were doing a routine of 80s dance moves. I recognized their motions from old MTV videos. She was adorable.

Jasper looked in the same direction. "It will be worth it, what ever it takes," he murmured, as he stood mesmerized by Alice's graceful movements.

"Uh huh," I concurred as I followed every sway of Bella's hips. My hands should be firmly planted there, moving my body in sync with hers, inhaling her sweet scent, planting feathery kisses down her neck… I shook my head to clear it.

I glanced back at my girl only to see her and Alice in some kind of argument with the slutty sidekicks. Oh, shit! I tensed up, not knowing what the hell was going on. Those two were ruthless. I noticed Jasper making a move forward when Jessica obviously insulted Alice. But then she got in Jessica's face and she must have scared to shit out of her, because that girl hauled ass and lopsided tits right the hell outta there. Classic.

"Alice is for real, Jasper. You better not fuck up. That was some scary shit, and I didn't even hear what she said."

Jasper licked his lips and exhaled, "Damn…." He looked at her with lust in his eyes.

Lucky fucker. He was going to get some action later, and I would go home to my fantasies and my hand. Pathetic. I needed to have her for real, not in my dreams. I had to come up with a new plan, since the old one sucked ass. It was time to put "Operation Get Bella, Part Deaux" into full effect. Part One had been an epic failure.

A/N

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