Chapter 10.
Bella.
Two years later.
Charlie smiled at me as he trudged out of our house, weighed down by my bags. He insisted on carrying them out. I honestly didn't know I had so much stuff until I had to pack it all up.
I'd been accepted into Washington State University. When I got the acceptance letter, Charlie threw a party for me. A lot of people came, including those who made my life at Phoenix Union a living hell. But they were all smiles and hugs when it came to a free party. Charlie even overlooked the fact we were drinking underage.
I snickered at Charlie, who almost lost his balance as he threw my bags into the car. He was such a good dad to me, especially after…well, after everything.
"Excited, Bells?" he asked, wiping sweat off his forehead. I nodded to him and walked forward, pulling him into a hug.
"I love you, dad."
"You know I love you too" he assured me, stroking my hair with his hands. Ever since what happened two years ago, Charlie had treated me like his daughter again. He showed more love than I was used to. At the start, it was a little overwhelming. But now I loved it. I loved him.
He was the best dad I could ever hope for.
"It's not a long drive to the airport" he said, bringing me away from his chest to look into my eyes.
"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked with a frown. I could sense there was a hidden question in his initial one – Are you ready to leave Edward Masen behind?
"I am" I said, shooting him a grin. He seemed satisfied with my answer, and he walked over to the driver's side. I allowed myself a last look at the home I wouldn't see again for a long time. I was happy to leave it, but also sad. It was the only last connection I had to my mum. It was all I could associate her with.
"Bells, come on!" Charlie called, tapping the horn. I sighed and ripped myself away from the sight of the house and got into the passenger seat of Charlie's police car. I sold my truck so I could afford to pay for college and other things. I missed it. Being driven around in a police car wasn't for somebody who wanted to avoid attention, such as myself.
We drove in silence. I looked out of the window and watched the familiar houses and shops of Phoenix pass by. I'd miss the town, but I wouldn't miss what had happened there. Somehow, leaving Arizona altogether made what happened seem less real, like it was just a bad dream.
Sure, I'd mostly gotten over Edward Masen. I accepted that he either left me, or he died. But it took quite a while of therapy and long talks with Charlie. I think what hurt me the most was that he didn't even say goodbye, he didn't even leave a note. I searched for him for days, and I was finally made to accept that he was gone. He was never coming back. What made it worse was that I'd let myself fall in love with him. I could have avoided all of the pain if I hadn't of walked over to him, sitting at that in the school courtyard. I could have avoided him.
I was becoming selfish, and I didn't really care. I'd grieved for him, then I'd gotten mad. And now he was just a fact. He wasn't my ex boyfriend, my ex lover. He was just something that happened to me. And if I could forget about him, I would. I wanted to be happy.
I boarded my plane and waved goodbye to Charlie, wiping tears off my cheeks. The tears were a mix of happiness and sadness. I would miss Charlie, so, so much. I would miss the security of living with him. I would miss my routine. But I was happy that I was finally moving on, that I would finally be free.
I spent the flight reading one of my favourites, Persuasion by Jane Austen. I was lost in the story until the stewardesses announced that we would be landing soon. I tucked the book away and clipped up my seatbelt, filled with excitement. I only had a small taxi ride left until I would be at college. Finally.
Passing through Customs, waiting for my bags, riding in the taxi…It was all a blur. I just wanted to get to college. I wanted to start my new life as soon as possible.
The taxi approached the main building of Washington State and I almost squealed with excitement. It was winter and the roof tiles were covered in a shiny layer of slippery ice. After living in Phoenix for my whole life, seeing such a cold and wet climate almost brought tears of happiness to my eyes. The whole college was a vision of beauty. I wanted to live here for the rest of my life.
When the taxi pulled to a stop, I had to make my legs move. I was too awe struck by the beauty of the college resting in front of me. My college. I smiled to myself and handed the driver his money, I told him to keep the change. I was in a good mood.
I unloaded my bags from the back of the car and sat them down at my feet. I needed another moment to take in the absolute perfection of my surroundings, and I needed to find the administration building. There it was. The smallest, yet the most charming building of them all. It was made from dark brown bricks, the white roof gleamed in the small amount of sunlight that was shooting in through the thick clouds. I could have stood there and watched that building forever.
It was even more charming inside. There was a large fireplace; a roaring fire heating the room. I rubbed my shivering arms and set my bags down on a purple couch. The lady sitting at the front desk was overweight and jolly-looking. This college was already so welcoming.
"How may I help you, dear?" she asked, shooting me a sincere smile.
"My name's Bella Swan, and I wanted to get my dorm information" I explained, "And whatever else I need."
"Certainly, Bella" she said, using my first name as if we were old friends. She wheeled her chair backwards and shuffled through a few files before wheeling back to me. Her hand was full of white and yellow papers.
"Here you go" she smiled, handing me another sheet of paper, "And here's a map. You'll need one" she added with a chuckle. I smiled at her and looked down at the papers. I didn't have a single dorm, damn. I was hoping to be alone.
I checked where my dorm was on the map the office lady had given me, and I set off, dragging my heavy bags behind me like a small child on her first day of school. I was exactly that, though, come to think of it.
"Need a hand?" asked a deep, yet soft voice. I turned around and saw a gorgeous guy standing next to me with an odd smirk on his face. He was so gorgeous it almost made my eyes hurt. I felt incredibly ugly next to him.
"I'm alright" I said quietly, continuing to pull my bags along. I tried to hide the blush that had crept up my neck and stopped under my cheeks, but he kept at me.
"You're struggling" he said, sounding amused. I dropped my bags down and whirled around, trying to look annoyed, but at the sight of his pale face, all annoyance was forgotten. I wasn't so embarrassed anymore.
"Oh, if you must" I said, waving a lazy hand at my bags. The boy grabbed all four of my bags and followed me to my dorm without a hint of tiredness.
"That was quite a hike, I'm sorry" I said, kicking at the ground outside my dorm with my boot. He only smiled at me.
"I'm Jasper Hale" he said, holding out a gloved hand to mine. I took it and shook it keenly. He was so, so gorgeous...
"Bella Swan" I said, dropping his hand. He flicked his blond hair out of his face and flashed me a toothy grin.
"I'll see you around, then" he said, turning to leave. I watched his perfect body leave the hall. I was still blushing when he was gone. I tried to cool down my cheeks with my cold hands, but they were still boiling. I sighed and pushed open the door, stumbling slightly as I dragged my luggage through the thin doorway. Somebody giggled.
"You look like you need help" came a loud, obnoxious voice. I turned and saw a girl occupying the right side bed, reading a gossip magazine and curling her dull blond hair. I looked at her, expecting her to offer her help but she never did. I pulled my bags forward and threw them onto the empty bed to the left of the small room. I wiped the small amount of cool sweat that had gathered on my brow and watched my roommate. She paid no attention to me now, for she was too absorbed in her celebrity gossip and fashions. She had thin lips and a tanned face. I could tell it was fake tan; nobody from Washington could have skin that colour. Her eyes were lined with thick eyeliner and bright blue eye shadow, making her look a little slutty. But I shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
"I'm Bella Swan" I announced, turning back to my bags to begin the unpacking process. I heard a few more pages of the magazine turn, and the quiet popping of chewing gum.
"Jessica Stanley" she said eventually. Her tone was lazy, as if I was putting her out by arriving here. I already didn't like her.
Trust me to get a bitchy roommate.
"You're not from around here, are you?" Jessica asked. I put down the two books I had in hand and sat on my bed to face her. She had her cell out and was texting somebody, waiting for my reply, no doubt. She was still blowing bubbles.
"Uh…I'm from Arizona" I said, "Phoenix."
"You poor thing" she said. I tried my hardest not to glare at her rudeness.
"I'm from Forks. I finally moved out here. That place was so boring" she explained. I didn't really care about her past, but she wanted to make small talk, so I would humor her.
"I've heard Forks is beautiful" I challenged. She looked at me like I was insane.
"Probably more attractive than the barren lands of Phoenix" she laughed. I almost walked over to her and slapped her smug little face. She was only joking, but her tone suggested that she was mocking me.
"You have a lot of books there. You must be a lit major" she said, smirking. I put my hands on the cover of Persuasion as if to protect it from her stare. I nodded eventually.
"English literature" I confirmed.
"Huh" she said thoughtfully, "I'm a dramatic arts major, myself" she boasted, like it would impress me. It didn't impress me one bit.
"That's nice" I said politely as I unloaded the books from the suitcase dedicated to them. I looked around the room for a place to keep them, and I saw a dusty bookcase. Completely empty. Jessica noticed my interest.
"You can have that. I don't need it."
I'm sure you don't. I thought with a smirk. I proceeded to unpack my things and put them in their rightful places.
After a good hour or two, it finally looked like home. It looked like I belonged here. I hugged myself to keep warm as I inspected the job I had done. Jessica had gone out for class, so I had the room to myself for a while. I strolled over to my stereo and put on some soft, classical background music and I swayed softly to the rhythm as I walked over to my bed to lie down. I shut my eyes, just soaking in my new life. I fell into a peaceful sleep filled with dreams of snow and shiny, wet grass as green as I had ever seen.
**
"Who's that?"
"My new roommate. Bella. She's a bit stra…oh, hey, Bella…"
I woke up and looked right at Jessica. I caught her out in gossiping about me. I rubbed my eyes and walked over to the stereo to turn the music off, but I realised it had already stopped. I slept through the whole album.
Standing next to Jessica was a tall, slender girl with natural, glossy skin and glasses. She smiled at me sheepishly and I got the impression she didn't like Jessica either.
"Oh, this is Angela" said Jessica in her lazy voice. She wasn't even bothering to be nice. I smiled at Angela and felt so sorry for her I think I might have run up to her and hugged her, if I had the energy or necessary coordination.
"Hi" she said, rubbing her arms awkwardly.
"Hey."
The three of us stood in the middle of the room for a good minute or so, saying nothing. Finally, I spoke up.
"Well, I'll leave you to it" I said curtly. I was still annoyed that Jessica was about to call me strange. What was so strange about me? I was a book nerd, yes. I listened to classical music, yes. But what was so outstandingly strange about me, Bella Swan?
Maybe I was strange. I had never been into the same things as everybody else; I never got along with people my age. Yeah, I was different. But strange?
I pushed the thoughts aside and grabbed Persuasion. I decided it would be nice to sit out in the snowy courtyard and read. Anything to get away from Jessica. I walked down the cold corridor and through frosted doors. I had always loved the heat of Phoenix, but now I was starting to really like the cold. Snow was beautiful, and feeling the cold ice creep up the bottom of your pants was new and strange to me; I didn't mind it at all.
When I began my descent down the tall set of stairs, I had not anticipated them to be so slippery. I felt my feet slip forward out from under me as I lost my balance and hit the hard step underneath me with a loud and painful thud.
I couldn't stop myself from letting out a very loud yelp of pain. It felt like I had shattered every bone in my back. I distantly heard people approach me and stare in shock. Everybody wanted to see who had made that noise. But, oh, it was just that weird Bella Swan girl, writhing in pain at the bottom of the stairs like the freak she is.
"Move" growled a familiar voice. Soft, perfect…
Jasper Hale appeared through the crowd of people around me and grabbed both of my arms, sweeping me into his arms with ease. I cried into his chest out of pain and embarrassment, just wanting to crawl into a dark hole and stay there for the rest of my life. A pain like one thousand sharp claws scraping at my back shot through me as Jasper set me down on a nearby bench in the courtyard. People had started to crowd around again, but he shot them glares that caused them to scurry off like rodents.
I still had Persuasion in my hands, so I clutched it tightly to my chest, as it was the only outlet for the pain I was feeling. My knuckles were turning white and I could feel them struggling under the force I was applying to the book. I would no doubt crush the book soon.
Jasper sat down next to me, looking around like a predator searching for prey. I smiled at him weakly as his gaze met mine.
"Thank you" I said quietly, squeezing my book harder. It hurt to talk.
"That poor book" he said with a smirk. His expression changed quickly to worry at the look on my face, "Are you in a lot of pain?"
"Nothing I can't handle" I lied. I was about to faint. I could feel the heavy darkness coming on, ready to engulf me. I couldn't stand it any longer; I started to weep. Short, harsh sounds came out of my mouth along with tears. I would have started bawling if I could have, but each breath sent daggers through my spine.
"Does this happen often?" he asked, "Falling down stairs and whatnot."
I felt my cheeks grow hot with blood and I bit my lip in shame.
"Yes" I squeaked. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see him shaking. I turned my head to see him laughing hysterically without noise. He suddenly broke out into perfect laughs and I so wanted to touch him, hug him, kiss him. His laughter died quickly and he pressed his palms to his forehead with a sigh.
"I'm sorry. It's not funny if you're hurting."
"It's not so bad anymore" I lied again. Jasper looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I chuckled.
"Okay, I lied."
"I know. You're an awful liar, Bella Swan."
We stayed on that bench and spoke until the pain in my back had reduced to a dull ache. I could live with that; no passing out.
"I have class in thirty minutes" sighed Jasper, eyeing the expensive watch slung around his left wrist. He had delicate hands; they were slender and pale. But there was something about them that made me think they were powerful. Something told me there was much more to Jasper than he put off. I clutched my book harder in an attempt to concentrate on something other than his hands. I was a girl possessed.
"You must be doing literature" he smirked. His smirk wasn't like Jessica's. It wasn't mocking or superior. It was curious.
"Why does everybody assume that because I read, I am doing lit?" I asked with a laugh.
"But are you?"
"Yes."
We both laughed. I watched Jasper carefully, trying to pick out what major he did. He definitely wasn't a science student, maybe math? No. Not education, either.
"Are you doing something like sports, then?" I asked, seeing his shirt strain under hidden muscles on his arms. Jasper looked up at me and cocked his head.
"No. I'm doing a psychology and history double major" he said evenly. Damn, I was way off.
"Impressive" I mused.
"I should probably go to class now. But you should come to my dorm party – well, Emmett's dorm party – tomorrow night."
"Emmett?" I asked. What a curious name. Come to think of it, Japer wasn't a very common name either.
"My brother" he explained, "Big, tall, beefy guy. Now he's the one into sports" he chuckled. I blushed at my earlier assumption. Jasper rose from his place and helped me up. The dull ache that was residing in my back now turned back to that piercing pain.
"Ahhh" I groaned, falling back to the bench. Jasper pulled me up again and stayed with me until I steadied myself.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
"I think so. I'll be fine, go to class" I said, feeling bad for keeping him from class. He gave me a look of concern then turned to leave.
"See you tomorrow night, then" he called over his shoulder as he walked off. Many girls stopped in their places to watch him walk by. So, it seemed I wasn't the only one drooling over Jasper Hale.
I walked back (it was more of a hobble, than a walk) to my room and lay down on my bed, exhausted and in agony. Jessica was on her own bed, listening to some blasting techno on her iPod. She looked up eventually, having just noticed I had returned, and she gave me a small, sad smile.
"Heard what happened to you" she sniggered.
"Not funny" I said in an exasperated voice.
"I also heard Jasper Hale swept you off your feet and saved the day."
Silence.
"Maybe he did" I said rudely, "What does it matter?"
"He has a girlfriend" she said, "Don't bother."
My stomach twisted into a knot of jealously, but I shouldn't have let it get to me.
"Wasn't planning to bother" I said in the most casual voice I could form. That was a lie. I had let myself think that maybe he was interested, and I allowed hope to settle in my heart. Something I never should have done. I promised myself two years ago that I would never subject myself to emotional hurt again, but I broke the promise over some beautiful boy who helped me out a few times.
Some things would never change.
A/N: Alas! An update! I know I promised some Edward chapters, but I changed my mind (this being because I was struggling terribly with having to write Edward for so many chapters). I will do some Edward outtakes, including his first few months as a vampire. But I prefer doing Bella POV, especially for times like this. I will probably upload another chapter today, because I'm so kind. Reviews are almost as good as punching Jessica Stanley in the face.