UPDATE! Okay...This is what happened to Bella the morning of Edward's accident...Promise more Edward/Bella stuff next update, but we need to see the background of Bella too :D haha so here it is:
Bella sat up in her bed and groggily wiped the remainder of sleep from her eyes. Her blinds were slightly ajar, casting slants of golden sunshine across her purple painted bedroom. Her sheets and blankets were twisted at the foot of her bed, and her hair was matted with sweat, both reminders of last night's nightmare. She tried desperately to comb her fingers through her long, brown locks, but with no avail, she sighed and stood up, smoothing out her purple, plaid pajama bottoms and tank top. She twisted her hair into a sloppy bun and checked the clock. It was eight o'clock in the morning. Groaning, she marched down the stairs, mumbling to herself that it was way too early for any sane person to be awake on a Saturday morning. Apparently, her father wasn't sane either.
She slid down the hallway in her fuzzy socks, the stench hitting her nose as soon as she reached the wooden archway that opened to the kitchen. Her father stood at the stove, an apron tied around his security uniform. He had a frying pan over the open gas flame, and the aroma of burnt bacon filled the room, making Bella's already queasy stomach churn. "Morning, Bells!" he greeted cheerfully as she sat down at her designated chair around the table. He abandoned his disastrous meat just long enough to plop a bowl of lumpy, discolored oatmeal in front of Bella. Bella returned his greeting while tugging her spoon free from the odd substance. "What's the matter?" A look of concern crossed her father's wrinkled and aged face.
She couldn't help but let the fact that she was twenty-two and lived with her father cross her mind. Not that she minded the small lakefront home with its blue shutters and linoleum tiles. She liked the wallpapered walls and the dated appliances. She loved the memories she'd had in this home, but she couldn't help but feel she needed to move on. Not that she'd ever admit that to her father.
"Just nervous," she settled on as an excuse. This was true. It was her first day at a new job, a big job. She was the new assistant trainer for the Green Bay Packers, and she was worried that she would not do well enough and get fired. Bella was always worrying like that. She cast her eyes down to her bowl, where she was swirling her spoon around and around in the strange gluey oatmeal trying to make it somewhat smooth and edible. She choked it down, trying to keep a straight face as to not let her father see that she did not like his cooking. Bella was usually the one who cooked, but for some reason, Charlie decided it was his time to reciprocate.
"Don't worry, baby girl. The guys are really cool," he told her, buying her lie. Bella had never been a good liar, her voice usually cracking as she tried to spit out the untruthful words, or her chocolate eyes giving her away. For Bella, the saying, "The eyes are the gateway to the soul," was one hundred percent true. "Plus, Emmett's on the team." Bella smiled, thinking about her big brother's dark hair and amber eyes. He had the same creamy complexion as Bella and Charlie, but he was much wilder than them, much more adventurous. Emmett had moved out about a year ago, buying his own apartment. He usually came to visit every morning, the only exception being game days, like today. She looked at the clock, realizing it was nearly eight o'clock. She dropped her spoon to the table with a clatter, wiping her fingers against her pant legs and shoving her chair away from the table.
"Gotta go get ready!' she called over her shoulder as she sprinted up the stairs, slamming the bathroom door behind her. Her reflection in the mirror showed her the effects the sleepless night had taken on her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, her hair wiry and lifeless. She groaned aloud, pressing her palms to the edge of the sink. Why couldn't she just be naturally beautiful? One of those girls who could roll out of bed and go straight to her boyfriend's house. "I don't have a boyfriend," she reminded her reflection. Their lips moved in perfect synchronization, their eyebrows forming a concentrated crease between their milky eyes. She sighed and reached for her toothbrush, scrubbing away any last trace of that horrendous breakfast. After she spit the last of the minty bubbles down the sink, she twisted the shower on full blast and hopped in.
She immediately jumped back out. "Let the water warm up, then get in," she reprimanded herself. She paced around the small bathroom with white linoleum and tiled walls for a minute, muttering unintelligible things to herself, obviously concerned about her first day. Finally, steam rolled over the top of the shower curtain, and she jumped in excitedly, letting the hot water droplets roll down her back and wash the tangles out of her hair. She scrubbed her hands over her smooth face, trying to let all of her nervousness swirl down the drain with the dirty water. After sitting in the water for ten minutes just to get her breathing back in order, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a fuzzy towel. She glanced again at her reflection in the mirror, her hair damp and clinging to her shoulders, her eyes clear and no longer red. She smiled to herself and peeked outside the door, checking to see that Charlie wasn't around. When the coast was clear, she sprinted to her room and dropped the towel to the floor with a soft whooshing sound. She tugged on her Green Bay Packer sweats and t-shirt that read "Assistant Trainer" across the front in big, capitol letters. She laced up her white tennis shoes and grabbed her purse, checking to make sure her old flip-phone was in there and charged.
"Bye, Dad!" she called as she headed out the door. She heard her father's footsteps thundering down the stairs.
"Hey, Bells. I was just heading in. You want a ride?" Charlie worked as the new head security guard for the Packers, since the last one died in some freak gun shooting. Bella sighed, knowing he meant well, but she really didn't want to be seen riding in her father's car on her first day of work.
"I'm just gonna take the bus," she said quickly. "Angela and I planned to meet on there this morning." Smooth save, Bella, she mentally complimented herself. Charlie nodded and turned back toward the kitchen. Bella opened a window in the hallway, hoping to have some of the stench aired out by the time she got home later that night. She jogged quickly to the bus stop and sat on the bench, dialing her brother's number.
"You know who this is. Leave a message, and I'll decided if I wanna talk to you or not. Emmett, out!" She laughed at his voicemail, but clicked off, knowing the missed call would be enough to get Emmett on the phone. She gazed lazily up at the sky, watching the clouds play blissfully in the wind while she waited for the bus to round the corner. She heard it before she saw it. The engine puttered loudly down the street, coming to a screeching stop in front of Bella. She hopped skillfully up the steps and dropped her change into the bucket with a clatter. Her eyes scanned the seats for her friend but met something more repulsive first.
"Hey, Bella!" Mike Newton called happily, patting the seat next to him. Bella offered him a small smile and kept searching for Angela. When their eyes met, Bella gratefully headed toward her friend. "Bella?" Mike's voice rose into a high-pitched question as she passed him and plopped down to Angela. There was only so much of an annoying Mike she could take, and she had met that quota back in high school. After the big mistake she'd made, she'd never go back to him again.
"Hey, Ang," Bella breathed as she searched through the purse on her lap for some chap stick. Angela looked at Bella, wearing the exact same sweats. They had on nearly the same outfit except Angela's t-shirt just said, "Trainer."
"You okay, Bella?" she asked sympathetically. "You look like crap."
"Gee…" Bella said, drawing out the e's. "Thanks."
"I'm serious, Bella. Are you okay?" Bella was just about to reply with a yes when the bus lurched forward, and Bella's stomach decided it wanted to stay behind. She groaned and gripped her tummy as it did flips.
"Just butterflies," she said through deep breaths. Angela quirked an eyebrow but decided against further questioning. Angela pulled out her new iPhone and began scanning through her Facebook page. Bella peeked over her shoulder. "Ew! You added my brother?" Angela laughed and pointed a little lower on the screen. "You added both of my brothers?" Bella started to dry-heave while Angela began texting her boyfriend Ben. "How did you even know about Jasper?" she asked, looking around. Jasper was Bella's half brother, same mother but different father. He'd been born to Renee and Phil after Charlie and Renee split up. He was in psychology school way down in the southern part of Texas and rarely came to visit, claiming the back-country Wisconsin hicks ruined his vibe.
"I have my sources," she said creepily as she pushed her glasses up farther on her nose. Bella giggled and decided she should text Jazz. He seemed to have a special knack for making the nervous feelings in her stomach disappear. She began punching out a message on the number keys of her out-of-date cell phone, angrily trying to type faster, becoming annoyed when she accidentally passed the exclamation point six times.
"Gah, I give up!" she said exasperatedly as she tossed her phone back into her purse. Angela nudged her as the bus came to another one of its deafening stops.
"We're here," she said quietly, standing up and following Bella down the bus aisle and through the staff entrance to Lambeau field. They walked to the medical room and plopped down on the white chairs. The room smelled so much like sterilizer that Bella thought she might pass out. "Alright," Angela cracked her knuckles in preparation. "First we have to get the first aid kit put together." She bustled around the room and started throwing seemingly random supplies into a large black tote. Bella stood up and placed a few things like gauze and band-aids into the bag. Angela rolled her eyes. "Sit back down, Bella. I have a system." Bella did as she was told, pouting in the plastic, uncomfortable chair as Angela finished filling the bag, neatly and efficiently. The game was at noon, so Bella and Angela only had two hours to get the team ready for the game.
"Alright," Angela said after checking the contents of the bag for the third time. Bella wondered why they didn't just come to the room when something was needed. "Let's wrap wrists and ankles," she said cheerfully clapping her hands together. Bella nodded, and Angela handed her a roll of white tape. She followed Angela to the team locker room, freezing before she went through the door. "What?"
"We, we can't go in there," she stuttered, pointing toward the locker room. "What if they're changing?" Bella's eyes widened in fright, and Angela laughed.
"A stranger to the male anatomy, I see," she said, making Bella flush a deep red. Angela laughed harder, doubling over and chuckling toward the ground. Regaining her composure, she stood up and walked into the locker room, towing Bella with her. "Don't worry, they're already changed," she paused before adding, "probably." Bella splayed her fingers across her eyes just in case. She heard Angela squeal and removed her hands just in time to be lifted off the ground and twirled around in a big bear hug.
"Bells!" boomed a familiar, deep voice. Bella was being shaken like a ragdoll, but she couldn't help but smile at her big brother.
"Missed you this morning, Em." Emmett put her down and faced her.
"Game day, silly girl." Bella smiled and nodded, twirling the roll of athletic tape around her finger. "Come meet the team!" He gestured with a sweeping arm toward the large group of even larger boys gathered in a circle, sitting on benches. Bella stepped into view of the other players, and a round of catcalls and low whistles broke out. "This is baby sister, Bella," Emmett introduced her excitedly. He pointed to each individual player and said their name. "This is Paul, and that's Quil, and Embry." He then pointed to a familiar face, with charmingly boyish features and a dark tan. His dark brown hair was clipped close to his scalp. "That's Jacob, but you already know him." Bella offered a small wave, but Jacob beamed up at her. She was whirled away from his glowing smile and introduced to the rest of the team. "Hey, where's Eddie?" Emmett asked loudly. A few mumbled, "I don't knows," were heard as replies. Emmett sighed. "Whatever. Alright, assistant trainer, hop to it, or I'll have to report you for laziness." He winked and went back to joking around with his teammates. Bella returned dutifully to Angela's side, who was gaping at all the boys.
"A stranger to the male anatomy, I see," Bella whispered to her in a soft voice. Angela coughed, trying to hide her blush. Bella smiled, twisting her hair into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She walked over to Emmett, who was calling for her and holding out his wrist like he wanted her to kiss it. "Yeah?" She was using her you're-my-brother-and-I'm-not-your-slave tone, the one most sisters use when their brother asks them to get them food. Emmett smiled.
"Wrap my wrist?" Emmett held out his bruised wrist and waited, his eyes wide and alert as he monitored the way the players were looking at his sister. Bella saw that he might snap soon, so she wrapped his wrist firmly and quickly knowing he had hurt it pretty badly a few games ago, enough that she'd lived with him for a week and had become his own personal maid. She smiled and patted his hand before fixing up the rest of the team with Angela.
Fourteen wrists, and twenty-four ankles later, Bella and Angela waited in the cafeteria lunch line, Bella's stomach noisily reminding her she had skipped breakfast that morning. She flushed a deep crimson whenever someone looked at her while her stomach bubbled and flipped. She piled her tray with fruit and a burger, following Angela to a small table at the center of the room. Angela sipped her Diet Coke while Bella scarfed down the delicious smelling burger in two bites, then continued to wolf down the rest of her meal. "Whoa there, girl," Angela said as if Bella was a horse, "you're food's not going anywhere." Bella blushed again, dropping her gaze to the table and chewing her extremely large bite for a long time before finally swallowing.
"So, now what?" Bella asked, looking at her friend.
"Well, the game's at noon, so we have to be out there—" Angela checked her watch, twisting her freckled wrist, "—Now, let's go." Angela grabbed her tray and dumped it in the trash as Bella followed to suit, rushing out of the cafeteria and onto the field where the trainers sat with all of their medical equipment. "Okay," Angela began explaining as Bella took in the amazing roar of the fans, the alluring scent of stadium brats and hotdogs, the whoops and hollers from the cheerleaders, prancing around in their skimpy outfits. Bella was completely in awe, and loving every second of it.
"Bella. Bella, focus!" Angela snapped, swatting her arm. Bella nodded and reluctantly turned her gaze back to Angela. "So, we basically just sit here and do nothing until A) A player is hurt or B) The game is over. Got it?" Bella nodded again, helping Angela prep their station for the game.
A little while later, a thunderous scream echoed through the stands, not one person's scream, but thousands in unison. Bella watched a football player emerge from the tunnel of swirling pompoms created by the cheerleaders. A big number twenty-one was visible on his jersey, but Bella couldn't read his last name. She tried to remember Emmett introducing her to a number twenty-one, but realized most of the guys had either been shirtless or dressed in Under Armour.
She pulled her gaze away from the football players after Emmett emerged from the tunnel and sat down on the bench next to Angela, who was staring longingly at her cameraman boyfriend. Bella punched her lightly on the arm. "Huh, did you say something?" she asked, dazed. Bella shook her head, her brown hair falling into her eyes and covering the small, sad smile playing on her lips. She hadn't had a boyfriend since Mike Newton, since the mistake. She rested her elbows on her knees and watched the players trot into a huddle, heads bowed as the quarterbacks whispered things to their teams.
She was on autopilot as she stood up and listened to Christina Aguilera's amazing voice belt out the National Anthem. She was barely aware of the goings on of the kick off, merely seeing players run up the field as her memory drifted back to her senior year in high school at the graduation party when Mike Newton kissed her, held her close, so close… Angela yelling her name broke her out of her daydreams. Rushing onto the field, Bella saw a player lying on the ground, grunting in pain. Bella jogged out toward the man, noticing how enticing his legs looked in those tight, yellow football pants. She mentally slapped herself, forcing herself to snap out of it. Angela was a good fifty feet behind her, so Bella hovered above the player, seeing it was the same number twenty-one that had earned a thunderous applause just for walking out of the locker room.
She reached down and lifted his helmet off, careful of his neck. She gasped when she saw his glorious green eyes, clear like the sky, deep like the ocean. His auburn hair was long and tangled, and Bella immediately clenched her hand into a fist, forcing herself to resist the urge to reach out and twist her delicate fingers into it.
"Can you move?" she asked, taken aback by the worry in her voice. She coughed, wincing when it came out high-pitched and quiet. The boy nodded, and Bella reached her hand out to him, but he brushed it away indifferently with his pale hand.
"I'm fine," he said hoarsely, placing his hands beneath him for support. Bella waited as he grunted and stood to his feet, the roar of a clapping crowd nearly drowning out his words as he fell backward. "Dang equilibrium," the man cursed as Emmett caught him by the armpits. Bella couldn't hide her amusement as a small giggle escaped her lips. "What?" Emmett set him back on his feet, but the boy still seemed pretty woozy.
"Dang?" Bella snorted, on the verge of hysterics.
"I don't cuss," the boy spat angrily, fierceness flashing through his eyes. Bella couldn't help but be sarcastic. Having grown up with the constant teasing of her older brothers, teasing was her go-to defense tool.
"Whatever you say, big scary football player," she smiled, talking to him as if he were a small child. The boy's face reddened as Emmett stared intensely at the boy's shoulder. The boy took a drunken step, stumbling straight into Emmett's awaiting arms.
"Dude," Emmett grunted, heaving the boy back to his feet, "you look pretty banged up. Go with my sister. She'll fix you up real good." Edward barked a forced laugh, smiling a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Yeah? Maybe you should go with her and get your English fixed." It seemed sarcasm was one of the boy's defense tools also. Emmett nodded seriously, his gaze flicking toward Bella.
"Bella, meet Edward. Edward, meet Bella."
Bella nodded slightly at Edward and watched his teammates and coaches help him off the field and into the training station. She watched his retreating figure, following farther behind. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about Edward, something that intrigued her, something that she intended to find out.
Updated a little later than I had hoped, but hey an update is an update! (: so I don't hold off updates for reviews, but reviews still inspire me and such, so please press the awesome button down there and make me smile :D
