Oh how those years fly by
Freshman Year: Summer
"Daddy!"
"Up here baby!"
I ran up the stairs and toward his study where I had heard his voice come from to see he was sitting at his desk reading.
"Hey daddy!" I said happily while bounding over to sit on his lap.
"Hey baby girl, what are you so excited about this morning?" he asked while marking his place and taking his glasses off.
"My daddy is off today what else would I have to be excited for?" I asked with a duh tone that made him laugh and squeeze me in his arms.
"Mmm, you are so sweet. So, with that said what do you wanna do today?"
"There's a music festival in Seattle this week that starts today." I suggested with an innocent smile. Giving him the 'big blue eyes' as he and mom call them.
"You know I can't tell you no. go get dressed and we will go." I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I stood.
"Daddy, I am dressed."
I turned around to see him looking at my appearance with a critical gaze before looking up at my identical eyes.
"No, no you're not." I glared unhappily while putting my hands on my hips.
"Mama bought this for me." I said defiantly. There was nothing wrong with the way I was dressed, I was in a frilly red tank top, shorts and sandals. Perfectly normal for me.
"Well can't you just put a sweater on? Cover up."
"Daddy, it's hot outside which is very unusual for Washington. Besides, no one wears sweaters in the summer time! Now come on!" I said excitedly while grabbing his hand and pulling him from the room. Knowing I had won this.
"You're growing up way too fast baby girl."
"I'm only a freshman this year daddy."
"Yeah, and it feels like just yesterday you were a tiny little baby laying in daddy's arms." I stopped and turned around to look up at him with my blue eyes to see he had tears in his.
"Daddy, I'll always be your baby. No matter how old I get." I whispered with conviction, hoping he would believe me.
When he smiled a teary smile and pulled me into his arms I knew he believed me. He's my daddy and I would always need him.
"I love you so much baby girl, never forget that okay?"
"I won't daddy. I love you so much."
Sophmore year: Fall
Today has been awful, my parents are going to freak when they find out…Oh god what is daddy going to think? Oh no.
The tears came easier after that, I was so scared….I don't want them mad, I have never been in trouble before and I have never made a bad grade and I have never….UGH! I can't believe this happened, I didn't even do anything, and I especially didn't do anything to deserve this.
When I pulled into the driveway no one was home luckily so I was able to run straight upstairs and into my room. I threw my stuff down and flung myself onto the bed and just bawled my eyes out as the memories flooded through me.
"Hey Bella!" I turned to see Max walking up beside me as I was going to lunch.
"Um hey, what's up Max?" we don't talk much at all, so this is different.
"I was wondering if you wanted to eat lunch with me?" I practically stopped walking I was so stunned.
"Um, sure?" it came out slightly as a question as I am not used to the hottest guys in school coming up to me when we don't even talk.
Believe me I am the most popular girl in school but I am so into my studies and extracurricular activities all the time that I do not have time for boys. Do I talk to them? Yes. Do I talk to Max the stuck up football jock? No.
"Awesome, meet me in the quad?"
I just nodded in affirmative as he went in that direction and I went to the cafeteria to get my food. Once I had my food I started heading toward the quad where a lot of my friends and others sat for lunch.
Just as I was nearing the quad is when it began. The whispers. Rumors.
"Did you see them?"
"No, but I heard from a very reliable source that they were caught sucking face after first period in the parking lot."
"Bella Cullen? Yeah right, that's one rumor I don't believe. She is too sweet and focuses too much on school to be hanging around with Max."
I froze in place when I heard the next one.
"I heard they were screwing each other in Max's car last night after the game."
My heart clenched and tears sprung to my eyes, I looked up to see Allison walking toward me with a sympathetic look. My best friend who could get me through anything, but it's not her that I was really looking at, it was Max who was laughing with his buddies and smiling bright. That bastard.
"Bella!" Ally yelled as I walked past her and toward Max with a vengeance. Ally followed close behind, worried.
"Hey!" I yelled angrily, easily catching his attention.
"Oh, hey Bells"
"Don't, you dare call me Bells. You don't know me enough to call me that. And let's get one thing straight, before today I never even talked to you! So if these rumors don't stop by the end of the day today Max so help me I will ruin your life!" I yelled angrily before turning away, not even giving him a chance to say anything before I was storming away.
But sadly, the rumors didn't stop and in a small town they circulate fast and they grow….so I know that they had to of reached my parents by now if teachers were already hearing these rumors.
My life is ruined.
I cried harder, sobs wracking my body so hard that I was practically shaking. Clutched the sheets in my hands and sobbed into my scarf and pillow, praying my parents hadn't heard the rumors…or that if they did they didn't believe them.
"Bella? Baby, what's wrong?" I shot up off my bed, I hadn't even heard him come home.
I began wiping my face, trying to clear away all the tears before he could see but there was no use considering I was crying so loud and hard that I probably could have been heard all the way to town.
"Baby, hey talk to me." I looked up to see him kneeling in front of my bed, looking very worried and confused.
"You didn't hear any of the rumors about me?" I asked brokenly as I turned to face him, his eyes widened slightly and he got an even more confused look on his face.
"No I've been home all day remember? What rumors baby?" he asked gently, always so gentle.
"People have been spreading rumors that I slept with Max or that I kissed him or I was pregnant with his kid…and all sorts of other things. I never even talk to him!" I wept miserably, knowing that out of anyone my daddy would be the last person to believe stories such as those.
"Oh baby girl." He got up on the side of the bed and sat down with me and pulled me into his arms.
"Shh, hey, it's okay. Look it's just petty high schoolers looking for some drama. It's okay baby, none of that is true and as long as you know that then that is all that matters."
"I know, but having people say such awful things about me and some of them believing it hurts. You should have saw how people were looking at me, even teacher's daddy."
"I'm so sorry baby. I'll go to the principal tomorrow and get all this straightened out I promise okay baby. We will get this straightened out and everything will be okay. I promise." He whispered into my hair as he rocked me gently and comforted me as I cried and cried and cried.
Junior year: Winter
It wasn't as cold as usual, but it was still not warm enough to wear a short sleeve shirt. But the good part was, it's not raining so I didn't have need for a jacket which made me happy.
I'm spending a day at the mall with my Mom and Ally because daddy was working a swing shift today and wouldn't get to take me to the movies which really sucked.
"Hey B, this would look amazing on you." Ally gushed while holding up a pretty skirt to me.
"Ohhhh, I love it. Mama look!" I said excitedly while turning to her to show her the skirt.
Her eyes it up immediately as she gushed over it and told me to get it, it was her treat whatever I wanted. It was a lot of fun, we shopped for a few hours and then we went to the food court. It was a great day and I really enjoyed myself.
"Call me as soon as you get home baby!"
"I will mama, when will you be home?"
"It'll be an hour or two. Be careful the roads are a little icy."
"I will, love you." She pulled me into her arms and whispered a soft I love you before I got into my car and headed for home.
I had just gotten into Forks and stopped at the light right by the Hospital when it all happened. The light just turned green and I was about to go when a big Ford truck sped through the red light and hit me head on.
All I remembered was screaming, glass breaking and my car flipping. Blood was dripping from my head, I knew that much, down my nose and onto my white sweater. My head was pounding, I heard the sirens, I didn't see them but I heard them, I could hear people yelling all around me but I couldn't make anything out as everything went fuzzy, and then I blacked out.
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"Bella, Bella baby talk to me honey. Open your eyes baby give me something I gotta know you are okay baby girl please."
I knew that voice, I knew it….Daddy? I tried opening my eyes but I couldn't, they hurt, I tried to move my head toward the voice but there was something there keeping me immobilized. I tried moving my hands, my legs, anything…but I couldn't, and then there was the blinding pain coming from my entire body. From my head to my toes.
"D-Da-Daddy?" I stuttered out as best I could…I was scared.
"Oh baby I'm right here. Everything is going to be okay baby, we are going to take good care of you. You'll be okay, I'll be here the whole time. I promise."
I was able to open my eyes into small slits, looking around until I saw his worried and frantic face staring down at me. Tears stained on his cheeks and his blue eyes bloodshot and blood on his favorite shirt.
"I got, b-blood on your fa-favorite shirt." He laughed once in astonishment and pushed my hair back gently as they rolled me somewhere on a gurney.
"I don't care about the shirt baby, I can get a new one. There is only one Bella."
I swallowed, trying to fight the darkness but it was getting harder and harder.
"Daddy…don't let me die." I whispered brokenly, fear etching my every word.
"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you baby. But you gotta stay awake sweetie, please. Stay with me."
I tried, I tried really hard but as soon we went through the doors my eyes rolled back and everything went black once again.
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Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
What is that annoying, incessant beeping and why won't it stop?
"It's the monitors baby, how about you open those pretty blue eyes for me baby."
I opened my eyes immediately only to shut them once again because of the blinding brightness of the room. I kept them shut tight for a little while before opening them slower this time and took in my surroundings.
The first thing to hit me was the pain of course, in my ribs, my head, my arms, my legs, everything hurt and I didn't know why. What happened?
"Daddy?" I asked, eyes watering and breathe hitching. Where is he? I just heard him. Where's my daddy? I became almost frantic.
"Bella, Bella, sweetie calm down I'm right here. Its okay baby breathe. Breathe for daddy Bella."
I did as he said as he took my right hand carefully in his, that's how I knew he was there. I still couldn't turn my head as they had a neck brace on me still.
"You calm enough?" he asked gently while sitting on my bed and looking at me concerned.
"Yeah." He brushed my hair away from my face and smiled a teary smile.
"What happened?" I asked with fear and confusion in my small voice.
He took a deep and steadying breathe, holding back the tears before he began divulging in what happened.
"I had just stepped out front to call you and make sure you made it home alright on my break. And I looked up and I didn't know it was your car until I got over there, some idiot teenagers were drag racing and the one in the truck hit a patch of ice and hit you head on. I was so scared that I had lost you, I watched as the car flipped and I had to watch as they cut the car open to get you out. We nearly lost you three times on the table, I was so scared I was going to lose my baby girl. I was so scared Bella."
That's when he began to cry, my daddy doesn't cry often but when he does it breaks my heart and I couldn't stand to watch him cry like this.
"Daddy, please. Please don't cry, I'm okay. I'm still here." I whispered brokenly, trying not to cry myself….but failing miserably.
"I'm sorry baby I can't help it, I was just really scared. I nearly had to be escorted from surgery because it was too hard to handle. But I made you a promise that I would stay and I keep my promises. I'm just so glad you are okay, but it's going to be hard to get those images out of my head."
I could understand that. I nodded as he kissed my forehead tenderly, looking at me with such love in his eyes that I almost couldn't breathe…but maybe that was also because of my ribs.
"It's going to take a while because you have a lot of injuries but we will get through this okay? You aren't alone, your mother and I will do everything we can and make this as easy as possible." I nodded, knowing he was telling the truth.
"I love you."
"I love you too daddy."
My daddy…my hero.
Senior year: Spring
Its spring break senior year and I cannot tell you how hard it was to convince my parents-meaning my father-that I should be allowed to go to Myrtle Beach for a full week with my friends. Ally, Adrian, Josh, Kelly, and Miranda.
They weren't happy that boys were going but they trusted us and after a long time of begging they finally relented. My daddy was pretty worried and still is and if it weren't for being on a flight for a few hours then I am sure that he would have been on the phone with me the whole time.
As soon as we landed and I was able to turn on my phone though I had to call him right away and tell him we got there safely. Ever since the car accident last year he has been extra protective, which is saying a lot considering he has always been so protective.
And after that call I had to call him again once we got settled into our hotel room, and promised to call him that night before bed. To say I talked to my dad a lot while on this vacation was an understatement.
"Hey B! Come on!"
"Coming!" I yelled once I slipped on my heels. We were going to the boardwalk tonight and we were all dressed up.
I was wearing a pretty long white and orange printed skirt with an off shoulder white top and nude strappy wedges that made me taller than I already was.
"You call your dad like you were supposed to?" Ally teased lightly as we all got into the car.
"Shut up."
"I'm just joking B. You know he just worries about you a lot more now. I mean I do to." I smiled at my friend. She was right.
My daddy will always be a constant in my life and I don't take him for granted nor will I ever. But, well there is not but's I love my daddy more than anything and I don't mind the extra protectiveness.
He's just being my dad.
