Bella's POV
I was walking through the doors of school, my head still reeling from the almost kiss I had shared with Edward just moments before, when I felt the onslaught of eyes glaring at me from all directions.
"Can you believe her?"... "What was she thinking?"... "How could she do that?" A buzz of hushed whispers halted with my footsteps.
I knew Forks was a small town, but... fuck! I'd been broken up with Jacob for less than 24 hours, and already everyone in school knew.
I had seen for myself how fast good gossip could spread here, making its way from house to house like the fucking plague. So, why was I so shocked? I should have expected it... I should have stayed home.
With a deep breath, I raised my head and took in the multitude of faces; some awkwardly shifting their attention to the gridded ceiling above them, while most, continued their unabashed stare.
I didn't understand what the big fucking deal was. I mean, hell, I was out of the picture now, which was over half of the female population's dream come true. So, why were they all looking at me as if I had just ran over their cat? What did they care if I broke up with Jacob? It wasn't like their lives depended on us staying together, as if the whole universe would cease to exist just because I wasn't with him anymore.
As I looked around at the faces of my jury, I was taken back by the sheer contempt in their eyes; their fingers twitching with the need to point blame. If they only knew the truth, or better yet - would even listen, they wouldn't be so quick to judge. If they only knew what all he had put me through, they would have awarded me the fucking medal of honor for ignoring his bullshit for so long. But as it was, I was the fucking villain... making him the sainted martyr.
I lowered my head, and again, began berating myself for all the stupid choices I had made. The pain, the humiliation, the accusations; they had all been the direct result of my ignorance and naivety. If only I had gone with my first instinct and ran from Jacob when I had the chance... the moment we met. Did I have no sense of preservation? Did I think so little of myself to willingly put myself in danger? Why else would I have ignored all the warning signs telling me to "Run...Get out now!". I ignored the shiver I felt at the sound of his voice and the fact that his touch caused my skin to crawl. I lied to myself, accepted the delusion that it was my body's natural reaction to the opposite sex, when in fact, it was my body's natural reaction to evil that made me want to run away screaming when we were alone... Just like we were, yesterday in the meadow. Talk about stupid choices.
Absently, I began to rub the bruises hiding underneath the bulky sleeve of my hoodie, when a set of long fingers took hold of my hand and entwined themselves with mine.
The sensation of a million sparks connecting with my palm, pulled me from my thoughts and into the eyes of my angel. A feeling of calm washed over me as I was swept away, loosing myself in the bottomless pools of green; completely at peace as I stood by his side.
"Come on, Bella." Edward tugged on my hand, pulling me to him, leading me down the lobby toward the hall.
I curled into his body, leaning most of my weight against him, as we forced our way through the crowd.
That's when I heard it, the only two words that could have ripped me from the heaven I had found at Edward's side.
"Poor Jacob," a whiny voice whispered, hidden within a huddled group.
Poor Jacob?
My body froze in its spot.
"POOR JACOB?" My voice echoed in the quiet room, snatching the anonymous words from the air, only to spit them back out in their faces.
My eyes shot up from the floor and darted around the room, in search of the credulous voice and its owner.
How could they say that? How could they feel sorry for him?
I darted my eyes to the back of the room, and wasn't surprised to see Jessica and Lauren standing there, eyes wide at my sudden outburst. What did surprise me was the sight of Jacob, slumped in a chair between them, wallowing in their pity. It was obvious what he was doing, acting hurt and rejected, turning everyone against me. What the others didn't see, and what had become a look that I was all too familiar with, was the curl of his lips and the joy in his eyes that revealed his underlining amusement. He was enjoying this, watching me squirm under their scrutiny, knowing that there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.
It was Jessica who stole my attention away from him, saying, "How dare you stand here... with him," throwing her eyes over at Edward, "and try to act like you did nothing wrong?" Her hand, that had been resting on Jacob's back, slowly began running its course across his shoulders consolingly. "What you did is... unforgivable."
What I did? Unforgivable? My hand itched to reach over and push my sleeve up so that everyone, including Jacob, could see what unforgivable really was.
That's when it hit me and all the confusion began to fade away. "I'll make your life a living hell and it will be as though you never existed. You can't imagine the cruel rumors that can be spread to ruin someone's reputation." His words replayed themselves in my head, reminding me of his threat as their meaning suddenly became clear.
This was his intentions all along. He would spread a rumor so devastating that the remainder of my senior year would be a living hell.
People weren't upset at the fact that I had broke up with him; they were upset by what ever lie he had told them. What ever he had said, whatever bus he had thrown me under, he made sure that it was enough to make his threat a reality. My life was officially a living hell, and it was only a matter of time before everyone forgot about me... as though I never existed.
His voice still echoing in my head, I quickly cowered, letting my hair fall over my face.
"Bella? Look at me... Don't listen to them." Edward tightened his grip on my hand, begging me to stay, to stand my ground.
All my worst fears had come true. Jacob had ruined me, and what ever I said at this point on would be merely my word against his.
"Leave me alone." I muttered, jerking my hand free from Edward's grasp, and slowly made my way through the crowd and down the hall.
As I entered the bathroom, fighting the overwhelming urge to crawl into a ball and hide for the remainder of the day, I heard my name echo from the farthest stall.
Who the...? I was expecting to be alone, oddly thankful that the rest of the student body had assembled in the lobby to whisper about me and my misdeeds.
As I moved closer, I watched the smoke float over the top of the stall, making my steps halt at the realization of who it was. There was only one person I knew who had the balls to smoke in the girls room, and she wasn't exactly the person I wanted to see right now.
Warily, I raised my arm to open the stall door. "Rosal..." I was about to question, when a freshly manicured hand shot out and jerked me inside its tight quarters.
"What the hell happened yesterday?" Rosalie whispered, as she nervously took a drag off her Dunhill.
"I thought you quit smoking... And why the hell do you care?" I asked spitefully. She had made it pretty damn clear yesterday, that if I went through with my plans, I would no longer be any of her concern.
"Look, I'm not hear to apologize, if that's what you're thinking. I just felt like I should warn you." She took another nervous drag and stood on the back of the toilet, hoisting herself up to look over the side of the stall.
Her fidgety behavior was annoying me, and I felt my impatience grow to the point that I was about to turn around and leave. But just as I opened the door to walk out, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me back in.
"Look," she started, taking another shaky draw, "It's risky for me to even be talking to you, but you deserve to know."
"Know what?" I yelled through clenched teeth, my feelings hurt and my patience wearing thin.
"Shhhh!" she warned before throwing her half smoked cigarette in the toilet water. When she looked back up at me, her expression was filled with both concern and dread, as she finally answered, "Jacob is telling everyone in school that he caught you... and Edward... in the meadow... God, I hate telling you this." She closed her eyes and quickly spat out, "He's telling everyone that you fucked Edward," letting each word flow into the next.
I couldn't stop them. The tears overflowed in a constant stream. Rosalie, for the moment, threw aside her pretension and drew me to her, trying to console me. As angry with her as I was, I couldn't help but hold on to her for support since my legs had suddenly become of no use to me. She rubbed soothing circles along my my back as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry." Her comforting words only made me cry harder, knowing that as soon as we left this confessional, it would be as though we were strangers again.
Moving my hair away from her face, sweeping it off of my neck, she gasped and pushed me back by my shoulders.
"Did he do this to you? Did Jacob hurt you?" She asked, staring at the bruises, that by this point, had become even more apparent.
I stumbled back against the stall door and pulled my hair back over my neck. "Ha," I laughed shaking my head as I looked at her shocked face.
Shocked!... was she really shocked?
"And these are the friends that you're so afraid of losing! People that will lie and stab you in the back with no reference of concern!" I spat at her. "Or pain they cause," I added under my breath, as I stared at the dirty bathroom floor, stuck in the memory. I jerked my hand away from my neck and pushed my way through the stall door and out of the bathroom.
I couldn't believe how blind she was... how fucking blind they all were. It was as if they had been brain-washed by this self-proclaimed god, made to see only what he wanted them to see, instead of what was truly there. I just wanted to shake them, force their eyes to open so they would see him for the monster he really was.
In a daze, overwhelmed by the reality of what was happening, I wondered aimlessly down the hall.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. While I was dealing with the repercussions of his actions, he was basking in its benefits. He was coming out of this completely unscathed, the poor innocent victim, while I was being branded the heartless whore.
I fought back the tears that had been falling since I walked out of the bathroom, wiping at the persistent bastards with fury. Why did I give him the satisfaction? He didn't deserve a damn one of them. They were meant for love, passion, elation; not sick son of a bitches like Jacob.
As I wiped at the last traitor tear, I found that I had made it to my history class, and so had several spectators who had assembled at the entrance of the classroom. With their eyes on me, I felt as if I was the newest attraction in the freak show.
"Step right up, boys and girls. Come and take a gander at the scandalous scarlet, the bawdy bimbo, the whore who wants more. I'm proud to introduce you to... The Girl Who Fucked Edward Cullen."
Seeing their judgment and disgust on their faces, I averted my focus to the row of lockers that lined the hallway and let out a long sigh of relief when I saw Alice walking toward me with fire in her eyes.
I almost felt sorry for the poor unknowing victims that she was about to lay into... Almost.
"Disperse!" she yelled, causing me to jump, along with the hungry wolves that had me cornered.
My mood lightened somewhat as I watched this 4'9" brute, begin nudging and pushing her way though the gawking herd. If I hadn't been so upset, I would have thought the sight amusing; this tiny speck of a girl forcing her way through the mass of bodies with the strength of ten grown men.
As she broke through the barrier of onlookers, she threw her arm around my shoulder and quickly led me to the empty classroom next door.
"Fuck them!" she muttered, as she shot her tiny middle finger in their direction.
Her hands went to my cheeks as she pulled my attention away from the lynch mob standing outside the door. "Bella, are you okay?"
Looking down at the glitter scattered on the art room floor, I avoided her question and absently whispered, "He warned me, Alice. He told me he would do this... 'Like you never existed' he said."
"Yeah, well, I hope he dies of a steroid overdose and rots in hell," she confessed, looking me over, assessing my face for signs of coherency.
"It's going to be okay, Bella, really. Just give it a few days and someone else will be in the spotlight of humiliation. Trust me, they'll forget all about it and you'll be old news by Friday," she rambled, trying to reassure me. "Seriously... By the end of the week, everyone's attention will be back on Jessica and her bulimic excursions to the bathroom."
Glancing out the door to the whispering crowd outside, I shook my head with defeat. "Yeah, I wish I could believe that."
Feeling the hopelessness in my words, I pushed passed her and walked back to my classroom.
Unfortunately, Mrs Maddox wasn't the most enthusiastic teacher, and today of all days, she chose to entertain us with a documentary about the Cold War. It was excruciating to say the least, and did absolutely nothing for my restless mind.
Not far into the boring narrative, I found myself lost in thought, worrying about how I was going to face Edward again. Even though we both knew the truth, it was going to be hard to look him in the eye without the embarrassment of what had been said. He had to have hated me for dragging him into my shit, just as I hated myself for allowing him to get involved. He didn't deserve this or the ridicule it was sure to bring. Edward had done nothing but protect me, and deserved heroic recognition for that. But because of Jacob's lies, and my insecurities, scandalous slander was his only reward.
Drowning in self-loathing, I huffed out my guilt and slumped further into my chair.
"I can't believe she did that to Jacob... and with Edward Cullen of all people. My god, could she have picked a bigger loser?" The comment came from behind me, loud and clear, obviously meant for me to here.
The anger I felt at that moment was blinding, and had absolutely nothing to do with what they were saying about me. Edward's name and the blaspheme being spoke about him, was what got my attention, making it hard to ignore.
How could they say those things about him, as if they knew him?
Who were they to judge him and act like they were so much better. Obviously they weren't considering the fact that they were labeling him without the slightest idea of who he was, or all the things about him that made him good... Not the size of his heart and the way it could sync itself with another... Not the strength in his arms that he was able to pour into someone else who needed it more... And thankfully, not the intensity in his touch that sent waves of electricity to all the sweet spots.
What am saying? Like I knew him at all?
All I knew about him was that he did things to me, things that made me question my control. It was easy for me to lose myself when I looked in his eyes and it scared the bejesus out of me, to think he had such an affect on me. He had become a permanent fixture in my head. I would never be able to let him go, and as I had already become painfully aware, would never ever be the same.
Too bad he probably hated me and regretted the day he saved me.
The rest of the day was merciless. Every time I lifted my head, all I was met by were nasty looks and judgmental eyes coming from both the students and the faculty. I couldn't stand seeing their disdain and mostly kept my head down, focusing all my attention to the floor and the familiar spots and smudges that helped navigate me to my classes.
The faces I could avoid, but the whispers... They were unrelenting. With each class, came another... more evolved rumor; all still starring me and Edward, caught in some form of fornication. By the time I made it to Calculus, the newest rumor that was circulating had Edward fucking me from behind while I begged Jacob to watch.
It was beginning to get ridiculous, to the point that it was almost laughable. But, the fact that all the rumors were so easily believed by everyone, including some I thought were friends... wasn't. It amazed me to see just how tight of a hold he had on everyone. The expansive population of fools that followed him, were so willing to believe anything and everything he said, hanging on to his every word.
To say he was loved by all, was an understatement. He was absolutely adored.
I knew him better. I knew him for what he really was, nothing but a con artist. He had built his reputation on lies and deceit; and after swindling everyone of their own ideals and opinions, he turned them into him... full of dominance and hate.
After making it through my morning classes without having to have another breakdown in the girls restroom, it was lunch.
"Just let me get through today," I pleaded silently to the heavens, as I tried to decide which terminal illness I was going to fake so that I could avoid coming back to this hell hole.
Dreading the teen pool that was the cafeteria, I took a hesitant step inside the large open area.
I scanned the faces among the crowd in desperate search for my friend, my rock, my Alice, and was immediately greeted by dark eyes and a wide wicked grin.
Jacob was sitting at our table looking directly at me, when the nausea hit and caused me to grab at my stomach.
My eyes immediately left his and ran wildly around the table hoping to find strength with the sight of Rose or Emmett. But, instead of their welcomed faces greeting me with a smile, I was met by a set of screwed up faces glaring at me in disgust.
Jessica and Lauren were sitting on either side of Jacob, both with a hand on his arm, leaning into him in an obvious fight of ownership.
Don't worry bitches, you can have him...
When I saw their attention turn from me and back to soothing Jacob's dead... I mean, broken heart; his smile faded and I watched as his lip began to tremble just as a well rehearsed tear slid down his cheek.
He was really milking this for all it was worth.
"Fucking liar," I said to myself, just as a forceful hand grabbed me by my arm and began pulling me toward the door leading outside.
When I looked up, shocked by what was happening, I saw that it was Edward, all 6 feet of him, escorting me through the cafeteria.
Letting him drag me out by my arm, not even trying to pull away, I stated flatly, "Even though we've already fucked, doesn't mean we have to throw all pleasantries out the window... I'm great, Edward. Thanks for asking. How the fuck are you?"
I'm sure my sarcasm couldn't be missed.
As soon as we were outside, he let go of my arm and quickly started stumbling over his words. "I'm so... Bella, I... I don't know what to say. I saw you standing there looking so lost and... then I saw Jacob... I just wanted to get you out of there."
"Yeah,well, thanks." I said, closing my mouth and staring off into the distance.
We both turned quickly when the door was thrown open and Alice came charging outside, wild-eyed and gasping for air.
"I couldn't find you. I was afraid that you had given in and went home. Or, worse, Jacob had done something else to you."
"No, just out here talking to my lover." I said, rolling my eyes.
The laugh that came from me was unexpected, considering, and I looked at Alice and Edward as they let go of a reluctant snort of their own.
The inappropriate humor was short lived, and as soon as the lighthearted moment was gone, I dropped my head and dove back in the funky waters of depression that I had been swimming in since 7:30.
With a light touch of his finger underneath my chin, Edward forced me to look up and into his eyes.
"How are you holding up?" He asked with genuine concern, the intensity of his eyes shocking to say the least.
"Not so good." I answered, not being able to lie as the truth poured from my eyes in the form of unwanted tears.
He slowly reached his hand up and wiped them away with his thumb, which felt really nice, and caused me to unwillingly lean further into this hand.
I closed my eyes feeling the pad of his thump move its course over my cheek, then down to my jaw and finally to my neck.
"I can't help but feel that this is somehow my fault." He said, moving his hand down my arm to my hand.
"Unless you implanted a microchip in his miniature brain that makes him act like the biggest dickhead in the world, its not your fault." I said, eying our joined hands.
It still amazed me that even though I was a complete wreck, he could still evoke the most impure thoughts with the slightest touch.
Alice cleared her throat just as Jasper walked through the door, joining us outside.
I looked at our hands, then to Edwards face with an accusatory stare, as I pried my fingers from his.
"Looks like you guys have the best seat in the house. Care if I join you?" Jasper spoke, pulling my attention from Edward and the fact that my fingers now physically ached with the loss of his warmth.
"Sure, the more the merrier." I said exasperated, rubbing my hands together, trying to recreate his heat.
He smiled a big smile, looking out into the wilderness ahead of him and proudly announced "I've got a plan."
Curious of what he meant, I asked, "A plan? What kind of plan?"
"A payback plan."
A payback plan? For Jacob? I was more than a little skeptic, but I can't say it didn't peek my interest.
With a wave of my hand, I signaled for him to continue.
Edward's POV:
I was in heaven holding my girls hand as the door to the cafeteria opened and Jasper sauntered out.
With an odd look, Bella slowly pulled her hand away from mine and began rubbing her own together as if ridding herself of my touch.
Great... Now she doesn't even want me to touch her... Just another reason why I wanted to kill Jacob Black.
As Jasper made his announcement, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "A plan? What kind of plan?
All I needed to hear was the word 'payback' and I was all for it. Anxiously I asked, "So what do you have in mind?" hoping it involved some sort of dismemberment or disfigurement, I wasn't picky beyond that.
"Well, he thinks he's really fucked you over by spreading this lie about you and Edward, right?"
Bella cautiously nodded her head, and looked down at her feet with embarrassment.
Jasper, trying to pull her out of her thoughts, bent down and forced her to look up at him.
"Well, what if it wasn't a lie? What if, in fact, you have been secretly seeing Edward behind his back," he asked, raising his brows and flashing a bright smile.
Bella, looked at him confused, and I'm sure, thinking the same thing I was thinking. Exactly how would this better her situation?
Answering our silent question, he continued. "His ego wouldn't be able to stand it. He would be so fucking pissed, thinking you really did let Eddie here dip it in..."
I cleared my throat and stared at him with wide-eyes and tight lips, then threw them over at Alice and Bella, reminding him of his manners.
"Sorry..." He smiled slightly, then continued his crude explanation of the plan.
"If Jacob thinks you actually did fuck... I'm sorry... have sexual relations with Edward behind his back..." Rolling his eyes, and looking to me for approval, he went on, "He wouldn't be able to hold it back. He would blow his fucking lid, and everyone would get a chance to see him for what he really is... A fucking mental case."
After the details were laid out, I pondered the idea of me and Bella being able to act like a couple, and lost myself in thoughts I touching, kissing, fu... Then, Jacob came to mind, and the intended reaction this would provoke from him. The fact that he lost his temper so easily and the strength behind that temper, scared the hell out of me.
What if he hurt her again... or worse?
"I don't know about this. This could put Bella in danger. I mean, she wouldn't be able to be left alone," I spoke, thinking out loud.
"She wouldn't be alone, Edward. Her new boyfriend would be by her side morning, noon and night," Alice said devilishly, looking directly at me.
Aaannnd... commence the naughty thoughts.
I Shifted my eyes toward Bella, who looked at me with a blush spreading across her face.
She'll never go for it...
Shaking her head slowly from side to side, she muttered, "I don't know." Biting her lip, she spoke absently, as if working things out in her head. "Charlie works a lot of day and night shifts so I'm alone a lot. He's adamant about not allow boys in the house when he's not at home... Even with his golden son, Jacob. I would have to tell him what happened... I can't... I don't want to have to tell him."
"You haven't told your father, a policeman, what Jacob did to you?" I asked flabbergasted.
What the hell?
Her eyes quickly shot back down to the ground. "Jacob's dad is Charlie's best friend. I can't do that to him. Billie's a good man and to have him find out what his son did... it would kill him. Not to mention, whose to say they would even believe me. You're forgetting... Jacob is an absolute angel in everyone else's eyes."
"Well..." Jasper reached up and scratched at his unwashed head, looking up to the sky in deep thought. "Can you tell him that you and Alice have a lot of studying to do, and just stay with her for the rest of the week? I mean, you're... like... studious and shit, right? So, he'd probably believe ya."
Jasper and his brilliant pot-laced brain. I would have kissed him if I wasn't afraid that Bella would think I was gay; therefore, killing any chance I had with her.
"If you and Edward play your cards right - ya know, do some of that flirty touchy bullshit that couples do - You'll have Jacob foaming at the mouth by Friday."
"Now, Edward," he sighed, placing his hand on my back encouragingly, "I know you've never even gotten to second base with a girl before, and can only imagine how difficult this will be for you... But, do you think you can do it... For Bella's sake?"
I could see him trying to hide his amusement as he spoke and suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to hit him instead of kiss him, but decidedly shook it off due to the fact that I had busted his balls numerous times in the past and he owed me one.
With clenched teeth, I hissed, "I think I can manage," glaring at him as a smile broke out across his face.
We all looked at Bella waiting for her to think through the proposition. I could almost here the gears tick as she ran everything over in her head.
After an excruciatingly intense minute, her mouth began to break out in a small smile as she lifted her head from the ground and answered, "Hell Yeah, let's do it."
God does answer prayers!
Just then the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. As we turned to walk through the doors to enter the cafeteria, Jasper grabbed us both by the wrist.
"Remember, it has to happen at school. Do whatever it takes. We want the entire student body to bare witness."
Never, in the ten years I've know him, have I seen Jasper so serious. He was just as eager to bring Jacob down as Bella and I were.
Bella looked at the door leading to the cafeteria, then down at my hand that was dangling by my side, then back up to my face.
What the..? And before I knew it, she had seized hold of my hand and was pulling me through the doors and out of the cafeteria.
Here we go.
As we walked hand in hand down the hallway, me trying to act like I had no clue where her locker was, we finally stopped in front of locker #57; which- because of a previous illegal incident- I knew to contain 5 textbooks, 3 folders, a box of pencils, one calculator, and a picture of Kellan Lutz in a Kalvin Klein ad.
I know, I'm pathetic.
She stood tall, while revealing her false sense of confidence in her stance. It was obvious that she was nervous as hell, more nervous than me even, which was saying a lot since I was about to shit my pants with our close proximity.
Trying to look casual, leaning against her locker with my hand right beside her face, I brought my mouth to her ear and asked softly, "So...what now?"
She looked up at me and blinked slowly looking as though she was uncomfortable with my closeness.
Maybe she's second guessing this idea? I hope to God she's not.
"Um... maybe you could kiss my cheek before you go to class. I mean, our goal is to make everyone think we're a couple, right?" She asked nervously.
Smiling down at her, seeing anticipation in her eyes, I breathed, "Right," before leaning down and brushing my lips against her soft cheek, lingering a scosche too long as to savor the moment.
God, she even tasted like strawberries. How the fuck can someone taste like strawberries?
I wondered, as I walked away, if she too was feeling the innocent kiss in her knees. Because, I was finding it very difficult to walk with my legs shaking the way they were.
As our distance grew, I felt the strand of electric current holding us together, stretch then break at the strain of my departure. Then, thinking of the week ahead and the possibilties it would hold, I floated to my next class.
As I sat in my torturous economics class, I couldn't help but think of Bella and how good she smelled and tasted. Licking her sweetness from my lips, I moved my hand under the table to relieve some of the pressure that had built up in my jeans. Needless to say, I didn't get much out of the lecture.
As soon as the bell rang, I found myself on my feet and out the door, eager to resume my new boyfriend responsibilities.
When her locker came into view, I began sprinting toward it, panicking at the sight before me.
There was Bella, trapped between gray metal and Jacob, who was hovering over her with his hands pressed against the locker on either side of her head.
"Bella!" Before I realized it I had grabbed a hold of her hand, pulled her from his reach, and had her buried protectively in my chest.
He quickly began looking around at everyone who had witnessed the scene, and in a blink of an eye, his scowl turned into a defeated frown. "I can't believe you would do this to me Bella. I thought you loved me."
If they were giving out an award for best Bullshitter, he would have won... hands down.
"I never once, told you that I loved you!" Bella spat out, surprising me with the venom laced in her words.
His arm reflexively jerked back, as if to punch something, as his eyes grew wild with anger.
Watching his fist shake in the air, threatening me and Bella, I was relieved to see it lower at the last second.
"You better get her out of my face, Lover Boy, before I add more bruises to her collection." His voice was eerily low, as he spoke threw clenched teeth.
Seeing the horror on Bella's face, I decided not to push him any further, and quickly tucked her into my side and lead her down the hall and out the back doors leading to the practice field.
Once outside, we sat on a bench at the side of the field, while I tried to console her the best I could.
"It's okay, Bella. I'm here. I'm not going to let him get to you again."
What was I kidding? I couldn't make a promise like that. I couldn't be will her every second of every day. God, how is this going to work?
Feeling her tremble in my arms, seeing what Jacob was capable of and the danger this was putting her in, I huffed with disappointment. "Maybe this plan of Jasper's isn't such a good idea." Laughing at my luck, or lack there of, and the fact that if it weren't for the circumstances we were finding ourselves in, I would have never had the chance to be this close to her, and sighed. "As much as I enjoy holding you like this, you shouldn't be put in the position to... need it."
Suddenly she was still, her tremors ceasing along with her tears. When I turned toward her, her eyes locked on mine as her hand slowly moved to my cheek.
"I couldn't ask for a better...boyfriend... than you, Edward. Only a true friend would do this for me and... to be honest... I kinda like it when you hold me."
Her admission knocked me for a loop, and as she snuggled back into my chest, all I could do was sit there stunned and confused.
So let me get this straight... First, she calls me a boyfriend, then I'm just a friend, but then she hits me with the "I kinda like it when you hold me" shit.
That's when I decided that, before this week was up, I was literally going to go insane trying to figure her out.
Just as I was about to say we needed to get to class, she sighed and snuggled deeper in my chest.
"Bella?"
No answer
"Bella?" That's when I heard a soft snore escape her lips.
Okay, so much for class. Not like I cared.
She had been through a lot the past two days, and I didn't see any harm done in allowing her to skip a class to get some much needed rest.
Sliding my body down a little, I tried to get us both into a more comfortable position, and waited as she slept soundly in my arms.
After some time of peaceful sleeping, I felt her hand grip onto my shirt as she pushed her head deeper into my chest with my name flowing like honey from her lips.
It was low and breathy, and I couldn't help but wish that I could invade her dream so that I could see what exactly she was dreaming about with me in it.
Suddenly, pressing her body against me and gasping for air, she said my name again, sounding breathless and... spent.
I could only wish.
As her eyes opened, they lifted to my face, and I had the pleasure of watching as a deep red glow spread rapidly across her cheeks and down her neck.
I smiled down at her, seeing her body slightly draped over mine, and quickly felt the need to say something.
"Um...you fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you," I blurted out, trying to explaining our position.
While she had been sleeping, her right leg had found it's way across my lap, and I had instinctively curled my hand behind her knee to hold it there.
She slowly dropped her eyes to my hand that was wrapped around her leg, and quickly removed herself from my body. Not knowing what to do with my now free hand, I ran it nervously through my hair, and chuckled as I stood to my feet.
"What time is it? Has class started?" she asked, digging through her bag to pull our her cell.
"There's only five more minutes until the bell. I thought you might need the rest." I answered, looking at her warily, questioning my decision.
"Actually, I did. Thanks. I feel much better."
We decided, to avoid another encounter with Jacob, that we would bypass school completely and head to the parking lot to wait for Alice and Jasper. Approaching the yellow Porsche, we were surprised to see that they were already there and waiting.
"How did you guys get here so fast?" Bella asked suspiciously.
I couldn't help but smile, when Alice began to stutter out,"Well, ya see, Jasper... he needed to... And I, I had this..."
Watching Alice struggle for words, Jasper quickly stepped in and gave a simple, "We ditched."
Alice absently stated, while looking unabashedly down at Jasper's ass, "Yyyyeah, we were ironing out some details to the plan."
Bella, laughing at Alice's excuse and obvious lie, shook her head, saying, "Whatever you say, Alice."
Alice's eyes widened. "And what the hell is that suppose to mean?"
Stepping in between them, trying to block the ensuing cat fight, I threw my hand on Jasper's back, patting it amusingly. "Nothing Alice. Nothing at all."
I walked Bella to the passenger's side of Alice's car and bent forward, brushing my lips against her cheek one last time. "Call me if you need me."
It took everything I had to walk away from her, and once I had caught up with Jasper, I heard Alice yell, "See you guys tonight!"
I quickly stole a glance at Jasper, who only raised his eyes, smiling widely and nodding his head with excitement.
This is going to be interesting.
I climbed into my Malibu, anticipating the evening ahead, while endless possibilities of what might transpire ran rampant through my mind.