Anger
Bella thwacked the oncoming squash ball, making it ricochet off her racket and smack against the back wall, bouncing down for Mike to scramble to return the ball.
Before the Academy, Bella was never very sporty. But being forced to do an hour of some sort of sport three times a week made her become more interested in sport. Especially squash. There was something wonderfully barbaric yet civilised in smacking a ball so that your opponent had to dance and twist for the retrieval.
That, and it looked good on her Duke of Edinburgh and UCAS applications.
As Mike stumbled so that he fell flat on his belly and thus missing the ball, Bella wiped her forehead and smoothed her hands over the white polo and skort she wore for playing squash. Her long pale legs ended in a pair of white simple plimsolls, her long hair tied back from her face. She spun her racquet and grinned at Mike on the floor, "Point to me?"
Mike muttered something in defeat and pushed himself up against the wall, "So *pant* Bella *wheeze* you going to the Ball?"
Bella cocked her eyebrow, sauntering over to her water bottle, "What Ball?"
"Y'know…the Winter Ball? At the end of this term? You going?"
Mike reminded her of a puppy. The one that considered peeing on your leg as a sign of affection.
"No, I don't do dances," Bella said brusquely, taking a swig of her water.
"Oh…well…"
Cute little puppy face. Adorable.
Even if she did go to dances, she wouldn't fuck a puppy.
Mike was still struggling for words, "I was just thinking…"
"Uh-huh, and I know what you were thinking," Bella said fatly, "why don't you ask Lorraine? She's had her eyes on you."
"Right…Lorraine, thanks Bella," Mike said lamely staring down at his racquet.
She glanced up at the clock, glad that the squash session was now over. She picked up her things and tossed a 'see you Mike,' over her shoulder before trekking out of the squash courts, loosening her hair out of her hair tie She made her way through the corridors and towards the swimming pool. She had promised Angela that she would meet up with her before they walked home together. Angela was another scholarship student who lived in the Colonies like Bella and they'd become good friends on the same day that Edward rejected Bella.
Bella left her things by the entrance and pulled off her shoes and socks before dangling them in her hand. She walked into the warm heat of the swimming pool, eyes on where the swim team were training. She looked for Angela and finally saw her practising her backstroke. The other girl grinned and swam her way to the side of the pool, "Hey Bella!"
"Ang, still a fish, huh?" Bella laughed, crouching down to talk to her.
Angela rolled her eyes but grinned none the less, "We should be done in a few minutes. Wait for me here?"
"Sure Ariel," Bella teasingly replied, standing tall again. As Angela kicked off with a laugh, Bella sat on the bench watching and listening to the swimmers go past. Eventually the coach dismissed them and Angela hopped out of the pool, with Bella handing her towel to her.
"You ready?" she asked.
Bella nodded, grinning, "Whatcha say to a Costa coffee before we head home?"
Angela hummed in delight, "Rocky-road cupcakes, yum."
"Swan?"
Bella and Angela span on the spot to be faced with a wet Edward Cullen, clutching a towel around his waist.
Bella's first thought was: do not look at his chest. Whatever you do, do not look at his chest.
"What?" she asked rudely, folding her arms across her chest in rebelliousness.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"No."
"Please?"
Bella huffed in irritation, staring at the boy with the hopeful grin.
Damn hopeful grin.
Not puppy like at all.
"Fine."
Angela murmured, "I'll just be in the changing rooms."
Bella nodded, too irritated to speak.
Once Angela had left Edward started to talk, "I…I want to apologise."
This startled her, "For what?"
"For any hurt I may have caused you."
"Caused me?"
Something flashed in his gaze but it was gone before she could catch it, "Yes…when we were younger. 13 year olds are not very bright and can do a lot more damage than they realise. And for that I'm sorry."
He seemed satisfied with this. He stood straight, his eyes stuck on her.
She never noticed before, but his eyes had gold flecks in them.
Pretty.
Odd.
"Oh…is that all?" Bella wanted to get away. Cullen should not be apologising to her. Not the Boy Wonder. It was making it awkward.
He now seemed irritated, "well…have you forgiven me?"
That sparked something in her, "and why would I forgive you?" she hurled out, dropping her shoes to the wet floor and not caring.
"Because I have just apologised for something I did 5 years ago. Don't tell me you can hold a grudge that long," Edward's nostrils were flaring as he spoke, fists clenched around his towel.
"Its going to take a lot more than an apology to have me forgive you," Bella retorted, her eyes beginning to sting as they always did when she got angry, "as far as I am concerned you're still a snobbish twat who thinks he's God's gift to men."
"I do not think that!"
"Yes you bloody well do. You swagger around this school as if you own the place. And everyone bows down to you because you're Edward Cullen. If you left the entire school would collapse in horror of your departure."
"Oh and I suppose that's worse than being a feminist trollop who reads queer literature and bemoans the capitalist patriarchal society in long essays that no one will read!"
"It is for your information, as being feminist trollop is far more enlightening than being some aristocratic slob who is going to life off his parents money!"
She turned, feeling triumphant in this argument but was not prepared for Edward's hand grabbing her wrist. "Let go!" she cried, spare hand slipping against his hand.
"I'm not done talking to you yet!"
"Let go!"
They struggled, battling against each other on the slippery floor of the swimming pool. Bella knew what was going to happen before it did. She felt her usual clumsiness take a hold of her, making her start to fall. Edward's grip slipped from her wrist and she was gone, collapsing into the shining blur water. Water forced itself up her nose making her cough and her nostrils sting. The shock of the tepid water forced her eyes closed and her limbs splay out. She forced her head up, gasping for air, a veil of hair sticking to her face. She pushed the hair out of her face coughing in shock and humiliation. She blearily saw Edward standing over her, looking just as surprised.
Gathering the remains of her tattered dignity she pulled herself up and out of the water. She finally stood, aware of the water dripping around her form, aware of how the air made her skin pucker. She shivered, water dribbling from her fingertips. All Edward could do was stare, seemingly frozen into place.
Chin up she said in an even voice, as water dripping off her chin and down the dip of her collarbone, "Is that all?"
He nodded stiffly, turning his head away in a seeming effort to give her space.
She gathered up her shoes and stomped away, head still held high as she tried to understand what had just happened.
The colder air of the corridor outside made her yelp and she ran towards the changing rooms, bare feet slapping against the linoleum before she crashed into the changing rooms.
"What the hell happened to you?" Angela was staring, half dressed in one corner, her gaze in consternation.
"Don't ask," Bella said flatly, heading her way to the hairdryers that were bolted into the wall as she tried to dry out her skort, "Just…don't."