I cleared my throat as I walked up to the podium at the gate of the country club my mother frequented. A familiar blonde had her head down and had made a point of not acknowledging me as I stood at the podium. I cleared my throat loudly again and tapped her shoulder.
"We don't have public bathrooms. Member's only." Lauren said without lifting her head from a large book she was writing in. It took everything I had not to huff at how incredibly rude she was being. Let me just say that it wasn't my day. My temper was short and if this bitch didn't step off we were going to have problems.
"Well, good thing I've got a steel bladder." I snarled and she looked up with a raised eyebrow. "You know I'm here to see my mother." Mom told her I was coming and just to let me in, just like she always does.
"I wasn't expecting you to look so homely, Bella." I rolled my eyes and looked down at the black wrap dress I wore. It fit me perfect and made me look like I had more of a figure than I did. It was perfect for me, just like the waitress uniform she wore was perfect for her.
"You sound snooty for someone who's going to bus my table after I eat my homely ass meal." I said, speaking in the same manner I would if we were speaking about the weather.
"What? You think you're so high and mighty because you're a teacher? You're just as poor as the rest now." She sneered.
"No, I don't feel that way at all. I just have better sense than to look down my nose at someone I'd be waiting on. I think you should too. It'll come in handy, and might even keep it secret that your family is worse off than I am." I rolled my eyes and walked past her and to my table without her assistance. Her hand on my arm stopped me in my tracks and I turned to see her glaring.
"We're doing fine. Much better than you in fact-"
"You're working here so that you can get an employee discount on a membership for your family," I said repeating everything Tanya told me before I drove her home from Edward's. "so that no one will realize they're almost bankrupt." I rolled my eyes as I spoke in hushed tones. It really wasn't my business but this bitch was pissing me off. I wanted to embarrass her, but not make a scene.
"It's okay, the business is coming back," She smiled maliciously. "and everything will be back to normal once I get Cullen to marry me." I almost choked on laughter, how delusional could she be. "It'll be nice to have an Englishman in the family." She lifted an eyebrow and I did to, out of shock. "What, you didn't realize he'd gotten tired of you?"
"We're just friends." I said for her sake and mine. "We weren't-"
"Oh I know. Because we are." She pulled out her iPhone and held it up, showing me her lock screen. I lifted my eyes from the phone to her smirking face and then back again. It was a picture of her kissing Edward's cheek as he smiled and looked at the table. He didn't really look happy though, just uncomfortable. The boy was smooth though, so he could feel awkward as hell and have this bitch think he was over the moon. I knew my best friend though and Lauren wasn't his type.
"Oh yeah?" I asked quietly.
"It's a new thing, but I'm thinking it'll move pretty quickly. We've got another date tonight." She rolled her neck and tucked her phone back into her balloon tits. I frowned; tonight Edward was coming over for our monthly movie and cuddle session. He'd never cancelled on me, especially for some other whore.
"Oh really?" She nodded. "Well you have fun with that." I rolled my eyes and felt my own phone vibrate in my pocket. My heart started to thunder jealously as I saw that it was Edward.
If he cancels on me…
I opened the message and was relieved to see: I seem to be parked behind your car, I'm assuming you're close?-E
I smiled down at the phone and looked up at Lauren who was trying to peer at my screen. I closed it and put it in my purse, away from her prying eyes.
"What?" I asked, she ignored me and turned to the side, fluffing her hair and then her boobs. I turned too to see Edward strutting towards us with a scared almost horrified smile. His eyes darted between the two of us and he winced at the sight of Lauren. He waved to her and yanked me in for a hug, squeezing the life out of me.
"What a coincidence…" He grinned, leaning back without releasing his arms from my waist.
"That you stalked me and found where I was?" I lifted an eyebrow.
"No… That I saw your car and ended up pulling in right behind it to find you." I rolled my eyes and dropped one arm from his waist, turning to face Lauren.
"I'll see you later, Lauren." I smiled politely and she sneered before beaming at Edward and leaning in to kiss him. Like… on the lips. He turned his head quickly though and she got the corner of his mouth. She looked surprised and stepped back.
"Bye, Lauren." He said brusquely as he cleared his throat. He turned to face me again, effectively blocking her out as he looked me over. "You look great." He pinched the ruched waist of my dress and I smacked his hand away.
"Thank you, don't hurt it." I said smoothing the fabric.
"Thanks Bella, I'm glad you think I look nice too." He said, obviously fishing for compliments, with an eye roll as he gestured to his- most likely Armani- suit.
"Any compliment I could offer would only prove to make your head as big as Edward-ly possible." I snickered as I leaned up to kiss his cheek. "You're still coming over at nine right?" I asked just to be sure. He didn't seem too comfortable with Lauren earlier, but I still I wanted to make sure I wouldn't get kicked to the curb.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Babe." He lightly tapped my chin before checking his watch. "Alright I have to go, just came to say 'Hey, I'm stalking you'." I shook my head and we hugged tightly once more.
"Edward Cullen?" My mother called stepping out onto the small deck we stood on. I turned to see her eyes hurriedly snap back to mine and she gave me a sinister smile.
"Hi, Mrs. Swan." He reached for her hand and she went for the hug, she sighed and he laughed. "I'll see you ladies later." I waved and he almost jogged from the property, heading back to work.
"Isabella, you've kept us waiting." Renee said linking arms with me and leading me into the dining area. She gave my dress a once over and turned up her nose.
I sighed, "What is wrong with it?"
"It just looks a little cheap, dear." She said patting my arm.
"Well, I'm living off of a teacher's salary, I can't just waste my money on a six thousand dollar dress I'll only wear every once in a while." I said sending a pointed look at herown outfit.
"This was only nine hundred, Isabella." She rolled her eyes and I shook my head. Only nine hundred.
"Okay, mom." I said as we approached the table where my father sat. He looked up at us and stood from his chair, as two servers approached and pulled out chairs for my mother and me.
"Thank you." I told the young boy who nodded and scurried off. My mother didn't acknowledge either of them and lifted up a menu. "Hi, dad." I leaned over and kissed his cheek and he smiled.
"How are you, Bells?" I shrugged and bit my lip.
"I'm alright, you?"
"Fine, thank you." I said looking down at the overpriced menu. "Is there a reason you called me here?" I asked making my father shift uncomfortably. Mom looked at me over the menu for a second before looking back down. We sat in silence for a few minutes before my father spoke.
"Isabella, why don't you order?" He lifted a finger in the air and I laid my hand on his arm, making him lower it.
"I'm not hungry, I've got a meeting with the dean of my school in a little over a hour anyway." I said politely. "Please tell me what the problem is."
"Uh…" Charlie winced and put the menu on the table, straightening his suit jacket.
"Your father and I decided we'd change the parameters on your trust fund." My mother said quickly, cutting my father off. I lifted an eyebrow, knowing they'd found out about the large withdrawal.
"We saw the two million disappear, Isabella." My father said quietly. "I understand that it was for charity but-"
"You can't just go splurging on people you don't know." Mom said with a shake of her head.
"Starving children could use that money way more than I could." I shrugged and glanced down at my phone to check the time.
"You blew half of what we gave you in one day! If you weren't aimlessly spending you might actually have enough to make you look presentable." Renee snapped her eyes wide as she smacked her menu down.
"Oh pity, I only have two million to look like an overdressed asshole?" I gasped. "Whatever will I do?"
"Watch your language." Dad grunted quietly.
"It's reasons like this we had to change your trust fund." My mother said lowering her voice and looking around the room of snooty old people.
"Just tell me what you did." I huffed, feeling like a child as they gave me withering looks.
"You'll receive your trust fund after you get married. Until then you'll get one hundred a month." My eyes widened as I looked to my father.
"We're hoping your husband will be more responsible than you." I honestly couldn't give less of a shit about the money, but the fact that they want me to be supervised by a man pissed me off.
"What if I never get married?" I challenged.
"Then you die on the salary of a school teacher." Renee said simply. Don't get me wrong, teaching was great and all but the salary… it wasn't that great, especially where I was. I was at the bottom of the salary teacher, being new.
"This is ridiculous!" I looked to my dad and he dropped his eyes to the menu.
Letting mom do all of the talking, as always.
"I thought you didn't need our money." My mother said coolly.
"I don't, but-" Okay, I lied. I did care a little about the trust fund. I wanted to live like everyone else, make my own way. But it was kind of scary that I had nothing to fall back on until marriage.
"Then there won't be a problem." She shrugged, holding up her money and cutting our conversation short. My face flushed angrily and my stomach twisted.
"So basically you trust a stranger to handle your money more than you trust your own daughter?" I winced, saddened by the concept.
"We want you to be responsible. And not a stranger, your husband." Charlie said clearing his throat and peeking over at my mother before yanking his tie loose and slipping it over his head.
"Who none of us have met yet?" I lifted an eyebrow and he shoved the tie into my bag.
"What about the Cullen boy?" My mother said, rejoining the conversation. She looked almost sarcastic as she said the words, but there was an undertone of sincerity as well.
"What? Edward? Mom…"
"Renee, they're just friends." Charlie said as I pulled my purse back onto my lap. He was one of the few people that actually understood Edward and I.
"He could help you." Mom said nodding toward me suggestively.
"I won't use Edward because you guys are…" I huffed and left it at that. "You know what? I'm leaving." I gave them a curt nod and scooted my chair out a little, only to have it pulled out the rest of the way by a server. I gasped in shock, because I hadn't seen him approach, and thanked him again.
"Isabella, where do you think you're going?" Renee asked snapping at the boy who pulled my chair out again. All eyes were on me as I shook my head and headed for the door.
Lauren sneered at me as I exited the patio and I flipped her off. I stomped to my car and ripped the door open, throwing my purse in. I slid in as well and zoomed out of the parking lot. My phone dinged with a message and I ordered for it to read the message to me as I drove.
"Message from Mom: Try and control yourself. You're embarrassing the whole family." I rolled my eyes and slowed down for a stop light. When I was stopped I picked the phone up and sent back "Sorry my husband isn't around to control everything I do." I set the phone up on the holder again and took off, speeding toward the school.
The damn thing dinged again, "Message from Mom: Don't throw a fit, Isabella." I turned off my notifications and pushed forty five in the thirty so I could get to the school on time. I was out of the car before it was fully parked and hauling ass up the steps. I grabbed the door right before it locked automatically and smiled.
At least my luck seemed to be improving.
I hurried through the brightly decorated halls to the small conference room and opened the thick wooden doors. The bland room was decorated with a few pictures from the art wing. I looked around the room full of teachers, familiar and not and tried to forget that shit with my mother. I smiled and quietly took a seat at the long wooden table between Tammy Kasich, the art teacher and Donald Blair the gym teacher.
"Hey, Bella." Tammy smiled and patted my shoulder. I turned to smile at her and her eyebrows furrowed. "Are you okay?" She whispered and I nodded.
"I'm fine, thanks." We were called to attention as the principle left his office and entered the conference room. He shut the door behind himself and took a seat at the head of the table.
"Hello, everyone." He sighed, opening his suit jacket. "I'm extremely saddened to have to tell you all that we are going to have to let you go. We went through some recent budget cuts and can't afford to keep you on payroll." I gasped and my heart fell to the pit of my stomach. The room erupted with distraught voices and panicked gasps. Tammy turned to me with wide, disbelieving eyes and I turned away, looking around the rest of the room.
I should have realized something was going to happen as soon as I walked in. The room was filled with extracurricular teachers and Language teachers, like myself. Instead I'd been knocked on my ass with shock.
"We ask that you have your rooms packed by Christmas break." He continued to the distraught group. "We'll have to make some quick changes to accommodate the new dearth." I fixed my eyes on the table in disbelief. How the hell could they just fire a quarter of the staff mid-year? It couldn't be happening.
This was a day from hell.
I picked up my hand and pinched it roughly, jumping when I didn't wake up. I sat through the rest of the meeting in complete shock, not registering anything else the man said until I was on my way out of the door, along with the rest of the newly unemployed crowd.
"Bella? Are you going to be alright?" Alice asked as she left her classroom. She hadn't attended the meeting; she just enjoyed using her weekends to spice of her classroom. Her husband Jasper was in the back hanging up banner, as he always did when she wanted something in her room to be higher than she could reach. Jasper was almost a foot and a half taller than his wife. He was probably the nicest guy I've ever met and he turned at Alice's words.
"Um…" I furrowed my eyebrows and ran my fingers through my hair. "No." Jasper crossed the room to stand next to Alice, furrowing his eyebrows.
She came closer, taking in the crying and upset faces around me as they left the building. "Come here." She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the classroom, closing the door behind her.
"It'll be alright, Bella." Jasper whispered, picking up my hand and patting it.
"What happened?" Ali whispered guiding me to an extremely short plastic chair. The three of us folded ourselves into the chairs.
I whimpered, "They just laid us off… All of us."
/-_~_-/
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