Disclaimer: Invisible people can't own Twilight.
Chapter Three
Bella already knew that, by the end of the day, she would be in a load of trouble, so she had no qualms about skipping gym. The nightmare she'd walked through last night indicated that she had something very important to do during Biology – her next class – and she'd taken the liberty of relaxing underneath the bleachers with a crossword puzzle before she had to prevent a tragedy. In some sort of twisted logic, she figured she owed it to herself.
And besides, she'd never skipped class before.
She steadily filled in the boxes of her crossword, finally reaching the end of the thick book of puzzles by the time the bell rang. With a heavy sigh and a resigned expression, she stashed her favorite pastime and slinked through the hallways of the school, coming across her Biology classroom far too quickly. Out of all the nightmares she'd ever had, this was the most intense, probably because it required her direct involvement.
She stopped in front of the open doorway, nerves balled tightly in the pit of her stomach – she really didn't want to do this.
But it wasn't only her life on the line.
She sighs again because consequences are damned and steps forward, a small movement that is not quick enough for the asshole that came up behind her.
"Go in, don't go in, I don't give a fuck," Edward says lowly. "But get out of my way."
Bella bristles, the hair on the back of her neck standing to attention as her eyes narrow in his direction. She approaches Mr. Banner, a divorced drunken fool too close to retirement, with an air of false confidence.
I hope I can pull this off.
"Mr. Banner," she says, standing beside his cluttered desk. "Can I talk to you about my grade?" Please don't pull the gun out of your desk drawer.
Cloudy eyes blink up at her. "Your grade?"
Bella winces. "Yes, I'm failing this class and-"
Mr. Banner scoffs, standing too quickly, his balance not stable. "All you children," he sneers. "All you care about is grades. I gave up my marriage," he says louder, his words slurred, calling the attention of the class towards the front of the room. "I gave up my marriage for you stupid children!"
Bella takes a nervous step back; having reached her limit of twisted males for the day, but holds her ground, knowing that this is exactly how the nightmare was supposed to go. Though her hands are shaking visibly and all she wants to do is duck for cover because Banner is reaching for the top drawer of his desk, she stays because, worst-case scenario, it would be better for her life to end in the crossfire than another student's.
She swallows. "Mr. Banner, maybe you should take a step outside and calm down-"
"No!" he roars, making Bella flinch back; the rest of the Biology class looks on with incredulous expressions. "No, I will not calm down! I don't have to!"
Bella starts to shake – this was too familiar and she was losing her grip on what she was supposed to do. Desperately, she tries to recall her nightmare, losing time and freezing when Banner reaches for his top drawer.
And then, a part of her mind engages her body without her permission, and she is moving, dropping her bag and lunging forward at the same time Banner pulls out the handgun. She forces his arm up, her ears ringing when the gun goes off, the bullet imbedding itself in the ceiling. A few girls let out a startled scream and Banner freezes, as if he can't believe that he actually pulled a gun out in a classroom full of students.
Bella's wide eyes close for a moment – nobody was hurt.
But she hadn't accounted for Banner's aggression as he pushes Bella into the blackboard, the gun scuttling across the floor as her teacher loses his grip.
And she hadn't accounted for Edward's quick reaction – he moves with speed, engaging Banner in a complicated wresting move while the rest of the class reacts, some girls crying, some boys running out of the room to call for help.
Bella's eyes connect with Edward's, toffee meeting steel. She can see the astonishment on his face and knows he can see the bold shuddering of her entire body quaking with fear and adrenalin. Their exchange is cut short by a few teachers and one security cop storming into the room, pausing at the scene before them; a shaking girl, the star of the wrestling team with a teacher in a headlock and a gun resting on the floor.
Later, after Banner had been carted away by the Chief of Police – who happened to be Bella's absolutely livid father – and after the entire school had been evacuated to the parking lot, Edward and Bella found themselves standing before a very confused principal and school counselor. Of course, with a school as small as this, everyone knew about the nasty divorce Mr. Banner had just gone through; the cause for the events was not confusing, rather it was the direct student involvement, of which could not be explained, that was confounding the authorities of the school. Both the principal and the counselor had spoken with the students of the Biology class and all had insisted that something wasn't right with how Bella approached the visibly agitated teacher before the gun was even pulled out.
And the student in question, Bella, stubbornly maintained that she had no idea Banner was packing heat in his classroom.
Silently, Edward agreed that there was something going on with this situation that didn't fit – after all, what were the odds that the outcast of the school would approach a teacher on the day he would fly off the handle?
Edward wasn't by an means a believer in the supernatural or coincidences and this was quite obviously no coincidence.
Yet his best friend's little sister kept her lips shut – and kept her distance from him, which pissed him off more than anything under these circumstances did. Hadn't Edward saved her? He had – he was there, he remembers helping her, probably saving her life from the lunatic with a gun. And she didn't show any appreciation; if anything, she looked almost afraid of him, which was ridiculous.
Sure, he conceded, studying the careless waves of her short hair out of the corner of his eye. I can be a bit harsh and I was a dick this morning for no reason, but she's acting like I'm going to maim her or something. Her sister doesn't act like that so what the fuck is this chick's problem?
Of course, from what Edward had seen, Bella was nothing like little Bree, who was the epitome of girly, which was annoying to Edward – he couldn't stand high maintenance. If he had to choose, Edward would easily go for Bella, who seemed to be quiet and didn't even need disgusting face paint to look attractive.
In fact, as Edward carelessly studies Bella's profile, his height over her giving him a great view of how long her eyelashes are, he wonders why he hasn't attempted to pursue her; it had nothing to do with his friendship with Riley, who he was sure wouldn't care that much. By all accounts, Bella appeared to be tough enough to deal with him, though she still seemed shaken by her encounter with Banner earlier.
Setting his jaw, Edward makes a snap decision to try for her affections. As the principal and school counselor walk away, Edward steps closer to Bella, opening his mouth to ask her out – only to be cut off by a familiar voice.
"Bella," The Chief of Police snaps. "Get over here. We're going home."
Edward frowns slightly, watching Bella walk away and duck into the police cruiser beside her brother and sister. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen.
The ride home is silent – and so tense that Bella is scared to breathe. Due to the incident she was involved in, school was released early for the day; with careful eyes, Bella studies the tightness of Charlie's grip on the steering wheel, knowing that home was about to become a very dangerous place.
Bella pulls her hand from Bree's when the car jerks to a stop and Charlie stomps around to her door, pulling her out by her hair and forcing Bella to walk ahead of him into the house. They make it to the kitchen before Charlie starts the beating, his rage so volatile that it clouds his eyes.
Never before had his hits been so harsh.
Bella found comfort in the cold tile of the floor as boots cracked against her skull, her ribs, her back; she closed her eyes when the fist hit her nose, loosened a tooth. She tuned out the cries of her twin and the shouts of Riley, both of whom eventually quieted when Charlie's tirade stopped.
Dizzy, sick with pain and finding it hard to breathe, Bella blinks open her eyes, assaulted with three Charlie's glaring down at her.
"Why the fuck would you put yourself in danger, Renee?"
Somewhere in her mind, Bella wonders why he called her that name – her mother's name.
Charlie grabs her short hair, lifting her head from the tile and slamming it down resolutely; Bella's eyes shut as blackness rushes in.
Bree bites her lips as she watches her father wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, kicking a listless leg before turning away to the refrigerator and grabbing a six-pack of beer.
"Clean her up," he orders nobody in particular. "Get her out of my sight."
Once Charlie is gone from the kitchen and the creaking of his recliner is accompanied by Sports Center, Bree rushes forward, kneeling beside her twin with tears leaking from her eyes. Her unblemished hands press against her twin's cheek, her eyes riveted on the unsteady rise and fall of Bella's chest.
Riley kneels beside her, carefully reaching underneath his sister's prone body and lifting her from the blood spattered floor – he was absolutely sick to his stomach and filled with hate for Charlie. "Bree," he says softly, calling her attention. "Go get the first aid kit and bring it down to the basement."
"Shouldn't we call someone? An ambulance?"
Riley's eyes flit in the direction of the living room as he frowns, shaking his head reluctantly. "We can't. He has too much power…And I don't think I'd be able to fight him off, especially drunk."
"But Riley-"
"Bree," he stops her. "First aid kit."
Bree wipes at her cheeks. "Fine. Fine, I'll meet you down there."
For the second time that day, Bree finds herself in her sister's dim room; this time, she is carefully cleaning the blood and cuts from her sister's rapidly bruising and swelling flesh, using warm water and the softest rag she could find. Once she is done, with Riley's help, they change Bella out of her too-loose clothing and into something more comfortable to sleep in. Bree disinfects and dresses the numerous wounds while Riley tightly wraps his sister's ribs.
The entire time, Bella does not move or cry out; her eyes do not roll beneath her lids; her breath does not stutter from its too-slow rhythm.
With the utmost care, Bree fluff's Bella's pillow and covers her sister with as many blankets as she can find, exchanging a heavy, guilty look with Riley. "She saved people today, you know?"
Riley nods – stoic, angry, silent.
There is nothing left for them to do except clean up the kitchen and avoid Charlie.
A/N: Got to love an asshole Charlie, right? Not really.
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~cupcakeriot