Chapter 6: By Ankle Deep
Song: Time after Time by Regina Spektor
Disclaimer:
*silence*
AD - Badass? Hathaway? Badass Hathaway?
*silence*
AD - It's awefully quiet here. Maybe I should have locked her in the closet while she was sleeping. I swear she sleeps like the dead.
*silence*
AD - Sigh. No reviews. Its quiet here.
*footsteps*
AD - Who's that? W-w-w-w-ho a-r-r-e y-y-o-u?
*growls and more footsteps*
Mystery People - Hello Ankle Deep.
AD - Ahhhhhhhhhhh the Volturi HELP! Badass warned us but we didn't listen!
Volturi - Your story hasn't been reviewed enough - we are here to take you away...
AD - Ahhhhhhhh!
*door bangs open and people rush in*
Mystery Person # 2 - Where's badass?
AD - Who are you people!
Mystery Peson # 2 - I'm Guardian Dimitri Belikov and I'm here to save Badass from these strigoi (Volturi)
AD - wow. Badass was right - as always - you are hot.
Dimitri - Shut up and tell me where badass is!
*doors banging and someone rushes in*
AD - Now who's here? Is Damon and Stefan Salvatore invited?
Mystery Person # 3 - Die Bitches!
*Mystery Person # 3 takes out a silver stake and stakes all members of the Volturi*
AD - Badass...?
Badass Hathaway - Heyy Ankl- DIMITRI!
*Badass Hathaway jumps into Dimitri's arms and he carries her off into the sunset.*
AD - *face plam*
THE END
He was here. At the mall. Edward was here. It was like some cheesy twist in a bad Romance novel.
"Hello, girls. What a surprise to see you here."
The funny thing was, he didn't seem surprised at all.
I stood frozen, fixed to the spot with shock as millions of questions whirled in my mind, like stinging wasps that hurt to think of. I couldn't believe he could have this effect on me, that after one non-conversation with him, Edward Cullen, I could relate my thoughts of him to pain – beautiful pain, but still pain. What was he doing here? I mean, besides the fact that we were in a clothes store and the last time I checked, Edward did wear clothes, but I digress.
He was still here, in front of me, posing all sorts of awkward questions, all of them to do with what happened just one week ago. I guess I was any self-respecting teenager I would want him to apologise for what he had done, but when I looked back on it I realised that he hadn't actually done that much. All he'd said was 'okay', and that was all it took to shatter my self esteem. It wasn't his fault at all; I'd just needed some self actualisation. Something I was never going to get. What was the point of all this? It just needlessly hurt me, and wasted Edward's time.
Yet here I stood, waiting for him to speak, dumbstruck at a combination of his presence, my realisation and the knowledge that I doubtlessly was looking very stupid right now. I finally stole a sideways glance at Alice, who looked surprised but ready to work this situation to our advantage, and get me out of trouble. She was my best friend after all, and regardless of her scheme all she wanted was what was best for me. And maybe some Gucci bags on the side.
"Oh, Edward, hi!" Alice was the picture of causality, leaning against the closest rack and smiling up at her older brother. I'm sure if I had ever tried that I would end up on the floor with a rack of shoes all over me. "What are you doing here?" He gestured to the pair of jeans resting on his elbow and simply said, "Shopping", with a grimace. He had obviously lived with Alice, by the look on his face when he said that word. I couldn't help but smile in compassion for a situation that I had been placed in so often. He nodded to Alice and then turned to me, a careful look on his face.
I had never seen a look like that before. It was like he was holding a delicate bird's egg and if he made one fumble it would slip the floor and a life would be lost. I had always secretly longed to be looked at like that, somewhere deep below my crippling shyness and repulsion for most of the opposite sex and their crude antics. But Edward was different. Even though he was around the same age as me he regarded life with a maturity born from years around the hospital and a dedication to his work unseen in most guys his age. I longed for him now, and wished I could start over, and meet him again.
"Bella." He looked straight at me now, no turning away or examining of his music collection now. Nowhere to hide. "I don't believe we have formerly met. I am Edward Cullen, and I deeply apologise for my actions a week ago. It was inexcusable not to properly acknowledge you when we first met and I know it's no excuse but I had a busy night and was quite tired and otherwise... distracted. Will you forgive me? "
Oh, all the things I could say to this. Yes, I forgive you, and will you fall as deeply in love with me as I am with you? Will you stay with me and teach me music and sit and read classical books together and travel the world but no matter what always love each other? Could you never say just 'okay' again, just to ease my mind? Can you never leave me?
Oh, and can you also go crazy insane and fall out of your own conscious mind to agree to the above? Because there was not a single way in reality that those things were going to happen, so in typical Bella fashion I stuttered "It doesn't matter, of course I forgive you." Even though it did matter, more than anything right now.
"Thank you Bella. I hope we will see more of each other soon, but for now I have to go. Escape the shopping while I can, right? No smoke without fire, as they say. Goodbye Alice ... Bella." He hesitated, as though looking for something more for me to say, and when I only nervously flipped my hair he gave a quick smile and walked brusquely away. As soon as I thought to look again, he was gone, enveloped in the crowds of people bustling around, unaware of how my life had just changed.
But somehow I knew that as long as I loved him – which would be forever, as far as I was concerned – things could change too much, because he was the stable thing in my life now, in a time where everything was changing. After graduation many things would change, but as long I loved Edward, however secretly or openly, things would stay the same, time after time. It kind of reminded me of a song I had heard on Alice's radio, on the way to the shopping mall that day.
If you're lost you can look and you will find me,
time after time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting,
time after time
As Alice dragged me into the changing room and shrieked and gawked and bounced around, I wondered if this happiness I felt could last. But bringing the song to the front of my mind, I had hope that maybe it would.
If you're lost you can look and you will find me,
time after time
If you fall I will catch you - I'll be waiting,
time after time ... time after time,
time after time
time after time
A/N: Well, there it is : the last of my chapters for a little while. Next week you'll have BA all to yourselves, you lucky people. IF you review, you might even get an Edward POV, but only if you deliver! Come on and review! – AD