*A.N. – Thankyou so much for every ones support over this story I've had pm's, people making banners for it :O and over 350 review, story alerts and over 320 story favs – mind blowing guys :D
This chapter is a little bit of a filler although it does hold a bit of information that I'm wondering if you guys will pick up on lol, Enjoy :)*
I awoke form a dreamless state of sleep with a smile on my face because I knew straight away what day it was. I was ready for the challenge. I had to be; I'd had two and a half weeks to prepare for it.
I used my time in a way that I believed to be wise. One of the only things which really held me back was James. I didn't really know how to treat everything that was going on between us, I mean I couldn't actually call it a boyfriend girlfriend relationship but we were together and I saw how he became possessive when I spoke of going on a trip to the Cullen's lake house:
"Will that ginger boy be there with you?" he raised an eyebrow and it was the first time he'd been in even the slightest of a bad mood around me.
"Well since it's his lake house... yeah, I think that's pretty obvious that Edward will be there" I emphasized the name while laughing but it didn't soften his face.
He took his eyes from mine and looked up as he spoke somewhat sulkily, "I don't like him Bella, Edward and I have never gotten along and I... I don't know, do you think it's a good idea to spend so much time with him?" I could feel myself tense, becoming defensive but I decided to keep it calm.
"James, trust me, I'm there for my friends; Alice and Rosalie," I chose to leave out Emmett and Jasper's name in case of adding salt to the wound, "Edward is just an extra."
He nodded at me, taking me into his arms and squeezing me too him. I was a little uncomfortable with the tight embrace but it was what couple are supposed to do so I allowed him to hug me like that. "I'm gonna miss you my little bee," it was a private joke between us. I had worn a black and yellow outfit when we went out to the pictures on our second date so had decided to call me his little bee. I didn't object to the nickname, I thought it was rather sweet... I'd been called worse.
What to do about Edward for the next two weeks was a completely different matter. I needed to be his friend but not allow him to get to close to me. He needed to believe I really liked being in his company so that when I took my revenge I would be the one he least expected it to come from. I soon made myself the easiest for him to be around out of anyone in the group of friends and family. He spoke to me and trusted me easier probably because he had to. I was playing him while he was down, the fallen leader. Oh how the tables had turned:
Edward stood in the cafeteria looking around. He wasn't exactly without anywhere to go, the cheerleaders were eyeing him in a way that reminded me of the animal channel when a predator watches its prey. I seriously think Jessica would like to eat the fucking boy, the way that they stared at him was going past feral. It happened every day.
I myself was sitting happily with Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. I switched between James and the Cullens and the Hales to have lunch with. I watched as his face fell as no one at my table made a particularly welcoming sign at him and I forced a smile on to my face and made myself lift my hand to motion for him to come and sit with us. I saw the faces of the cheerleaders change from sweet and saintly to green with envy in less than a second.
The look of relief on his face actually made me feel a little bad – just a little though. He sat down beside me instead of the seat in between Alice and Rosalie. I wonder why.
"Hi guys," he spoke slowly, I watched his crooked grin being faked on his face; I knew because his eyes didn't look the way they should, they were sad and maybe it was just me being paranoid but I'm sure I saw confusion in there. They still hadn't sorted out the party affair.
Everyone sort of nodded in a swift unspoken hello and I smiled slightly. I felt sort of like the worm of the group, like I was betraying them by being nice to Edward. Boy would they laugh if they knew the truth. "Hey Edward," it was odd but somehow it came out in a whisper as if I shouldn't be talking to him at the lunch table; how ridiculous.
"Bella!" he smiled properly at me now, "I heard you're coming to the lake house with us, we can have a swimming competition in the pool there if you like, then maybe one in the lake, I'll give you a head start for your handicap," he winked in good humour but still I only just stopped myself in time from cringing at the joke. I knew he wasn't talking about what my mind jumped to conclusions about so I dismissed it from my mind. We had spoken about the sports I liked and I had mentioned swimming, I was surprised he remembered.
I poked him hard in the chest, giggling helplessly at his shocked squeak, "who you calling handicapped?" I was suddenly very much aware of four sets of eyes staring at us even through their conversation.
"Well I was thinking of you but you just proved you have some strength in you," he rubbed his chest while quirking a bronze brow at me, "I think I'll be deducting that handicap for obvious reasons."
I stopped myself from smiling at him but my lips still twitched at the comedy. "Well, you being a grown boy and head of the soccer team I would presume that you wouldn't squeak at a gentle prod of the chest." I shook my head in mock disgust and he lifted his jaw as if offended.
"I did not squeak," he blinked what seemed slowly but it could just have been that it seemed long when seeing his face without those engaging green eyes for a millisecond, "I made a noise of fright."
I scoffed in his face and then turned to my lunch before it became an out and out flirt with each other. I was fooling him and I was fooling myself with it.
Charlie was probably my biggest challenge because he couldn't bear to see me grow up so fast. He and I were a little awkward since I had told him of my plans for summer. I found that anger welled up inside of me as I thought of how he left me with my mother for most of my childhood. It was all for the best now but he wondered why I didn't want to do what he said? I would have more respect for him if he'd tried to be in my life more so he couldn't blame me for growing up fast. In fact, I wasn't growing up fast like he thought I was actually just growing up and he had missed the first part of that. Tough shit Charlie.
I love my dad and I want have a relationship with him but first I need to find a way to be a better person, I need to find a place in my heart to forgive him because right now it's too filled of hate for them to have space to work things out with him. He probably didn't know it but this trip would probably be for the better for him too. It didn't make goodbye any less awkward though:
I ran down stairs with my bag; the last of my things to be put in the truck. Charlie was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He scrunched up his eyes taking a deep breath then he stepped out and hugged me, kissing me on the cheek. I blushed from the intimacy. My dad and I weren't often like this but you could cut the tension with a knife.
"Bells..." he trailed of then began again, "Bells please promise me you'll be careful and the second that there's a problem you call me. And please," now it was his turn to blush, "try not to make the same mistakes I made."
"Dad!" I protested, it was hardly likely that would be going on.
He held up a hand, "I don't want to hear it; I'm only issuing a warning." He made it sound like I'd committed a fucking crime. Or was going to. I relented all the same and stopped the stiff posture, I gave him a hug back.
"I'll miss you dad," and that was true, as much as I felt sort of weird around my dad lately he's still my dad and I'll miss being able to be Isabella around the house. I'll miss the recluse.
"I'll miss you too Bella." He walked me out to my truck then closed the door when I got in and he waved me a goodbye.
I cried a little on my way the diner that we were all meeting at and I smashed my fist into the dashboard; I was at angry at the cards life had given me.
When I reached the diner I found all of them there. They were sitting on a wooden picnic bench waiting for me. I saw them smile and laugh; the awkwardness with Edward was wearing off a little with them, I think that they were realising that they would be spending the next two weeks with him no matter what so they really had to get along with him. It suited me a little for the tension to die down a little because it meant I could talk to Edward without being seen as completely naive.
They looked up as I parked the truck and waved. They grinned at me and shielded their eyes from the sun. It was a beautiful day and that was very odd in Forks, I wanted to take it as a sign but then again it was a sunny day for them too so I couldn't be so hopeful. I wanted a guarantee that everything would work out for the better but no such thing existed. The only way to move forward was to take the risk and do what needs be done.
"Bella!" Alice chirped brightly, "We've been waiting for you to order." She bounced a little on the bench, "I'm so God damn excited!" Jasper laughed at her and kissed her forehead, I cringed a little watching them but it was the sort of thing that gave you hope in humanity.
"Well I am absolutely fucking starving," Emmett bellowed and pulled Rosalie up to stand beside him, "let's go order some food babe; Bella, what do you want?" I looked straight at him and thought how he wouldn't think twice of me ordering a burger but years ago the laughs he would have gotten from it would have been horrifying.
I looked him straight in the eye, my own confidence catching even me off guard, "Can I have a burger with fries please Em?" I smiled at him widely and he smiled beautifully back.
"Of course you can sweetheart," his terms of endearment were the usual now and he did it to both Alice and I, Rosalie didn't mind – she would always be his baby no matter what.
I seated myself directly across from Edward, the only space on the benches that wasn't taken already. The conversation continued but at some point in the next few minutes I drifted off and found myself drifting off and staring down at the side of the bench. Without even thinking I was watching a cockroach make its way along the wooden bench towards me; I had to start at some point, right? I made the decision to just do it, just be spontaneous and do it. I'd never felt more like an advert for Nike in my life
With total calm and minimal disgust I scooped up the big beastie in my small hand and just did it as I had been telling myself to do. Slowly, and while joining in the discussion I dropped it gently onto Edward's knee. I could feel my cheeks beginning to glow and I put one hand to my cheek to cool them.
"So Alice, what have you got planned for the next couple of weeks then," I was making conversation, I knew she would tell me because I had been asking her for the past two weeks and she kept telling me that it was all a surprise so I doubt she would change her mind but at least it was a way to seem innocent of the preschool like trick. It wasn't like didn't have better, more planned out ones but I had to start small I suppose. Give myself some confidence. Start at the bottom and work your way up.
"Bella, you know I'm not going to tell you – all I can say is that it is going to blow your mind," she beamed at me just as Emmett and Rosalie came back with trays of food. I unzipped my bag and handed them my money which they tried to refuse but I forced into their hands anyway. I also took out some anti-bacterial hand wash and it was only then that I risked a look at Edward. He was pulling half pizza and onion rings towards him and was completely unbeknown of the critter which was crawling up the centre of his chest.
I washed my hands then ate a couple of fries; nonchalant was the word for it. Precisely as I finished my third fry Rosalie screamed and was metres away from the bench within seconds. Emmett bellowed out a laugh and Alice jumped up to join Rosalie.
"Fuck, Edward!" Jasper gasped and stood back a step. I took a few steps backwards my mooth open in pretend disgust but I kept my eyes trained on the scene as Edward looked on in confusion. I pointed to his chest and he himself jumped up and started shaking the stubborn thing trying to get it off of his shirt. I Emmett now was over with Rosalie who I could tell had gotten a serious fright at being so close to the cockroach, he was laughing and she was now slapping him across the chest for laughing at her.
The glorified roach finally let go and dropped directly into Edward's pizza; it settled in happily and Edward sighed as he picked up the plate and put it into the nearest bin.
There was literal collective sigh of relief and I sat back down on the bech happy to have caused havoc. I remembered how Edward, Emmett, Rosalie and Tanya had done something similar to me except it was much more extreme.
7 Years Ago
I hate field trips. I bloody hate them. As if sitting in an enclosed space not properly supervised by teachers for over and as if an hour isn't bad enough there then comes the time where you are allowed off of the bus and the teachers leave you (the majority of the time) in another enclosed space to have what they call "fun". They obviously didn't have anywhere near the same childhood that I was having.
This time we were being taken to a place called 'Bugs World'. Now as if the name isn't bad enough, I had assumed that we were going to some sort of bug zoo, where you saw but did not touch these insects. Well I was informed my mother who I had given the letter to about the trip that the whole point of this trip was to get us involved in it all, to understand why bugs are the way they are. Apparently there was even to be a small period of time where we are to go outdoor into the surrounding feild and are given containers to collect any insects that we find and take them back to the children's science lab to be investigated further. This did not sound like fun to me in the slightest.
Nevertheless, my mother signed the form and after spending an hour and a half on the stuffy loud bus, listening to constant insults from the usual culprits we got off of the bus at a small almost dilapidated looking building. The teachers had definitely exaggerated the excitement level of this trip.
There were disgusting things ranging from the magnified eggs of woodlice to gigantic beetles from Egypt all caged and running about inside their small homes in ignorant bliss. They were certainly having more fun than most of the class. The tour guide was a tall thin man with hornrimmed spectacles, he was not what you call cleanly shaven however he did not possess a beard. I remember he carried with him a distinctly wooden smell. Like fresh bark from a tree of the smell you get when you open flat packed furniture. I couldn't decided which one it was more like, somewhere in the middle I decided on.
At the end of the boring trip we were put into four teams. Unfortunately I was split from Angela and ended up in a group with a small quiet Hispanic girl called Jasmine; little miss popular Jessica; Tanya; Rosalie and Edward.
Rosalie practically quivered at the thought of any sort of insect and therefore chose to hit out with nastier and more frequent remarks than usual towards me. I stayed in silence as we walked around the field, Jasmine and Edward were the ones who were doing the most work. For the fact that Jasmine was quiet it was pretty surprising that she looked like she was enjoying this activity so much.
We walked around for ten minutes and all the time I held in my retorts to Rosalie who was seething with anger that anyone was seeing her this weak. I guessed that not having Emmett to cuddle and reassure her was taking its toll and I could feel a snide punch coming on, Edward was too focused on the activity and Tanya was too focused on Edward to join in but I could still see it happening so I chose to put up the pretence on needing the toilet. I dropped my back pack at the tree we were scouring and ran to the teachers asking their permission to go to the toilet inside the building.
One of the learning assistants took me inside and led me to the toilets. The first one was clogged up and I moved on to the next in disgust. I really didn't like this place. It seemed a little unfit for kids to be in to me. It was odd and dangerous and full of creepy crawlies that made me feel uneven just looking at them. The tour guy had said that several of them were poisonous and if one of them had escaped. I didn't want to think about it.
I walked back to my group and they all seem engrossed in the task of finding bugs. I did the same as them and when Rosalie decided to come up with snide comments they weren't quite as bad as before so I just ignored them and I was happy in the thought that my toilet break had somewhat calmed the beast.
We went back to the dingy little lab and were given microscopes and instructed how to watch them, we wrote down around how many segments the worms had and what colour they were – whether they had wings or not and how many legs they had. Not exactly the most exciting thing to do but I sat through my time with Edward, Tanya and Rosalie pretty well I thought. I ignored what they said to me and now the teachers were watching so they couldn't really do much.
The boring trip finally ended and we went back to the bus; I was pretty relieved to be back sitting with Angela. The bus took off and soon I felt like lunch so I opened my back pack and put my hand in only to find mushy things moving around under my hands.
"Oh. My. God!" I squealed and unclipped my seat belt jumping and dropping my back pack. They had put maggots in my back pack and I could hear them laughing further up the bus. The tears welled in my eyes as Edward leaned out of his seat and gave me a look that quite clearly said the teachers couldn't know so when the teacher asked me what was wrong I told them I felt very sick. Which I suppose was quite true, the whole event made me want to puke.
End Memory
It was nothing what I did to Edward compared to what they did to me but it just showed me how I had power over their lives and throughout that whole 'exercise' it had been as though that memory didn't sting anymore. I felt as though because I had done that I had gotten them back, it was just one thing I was even in and it wasn't actually a good trick really. I just fucked about with a cockroach. But it did prove to me I was doing the right thing – revenge would soften the wounds.
Edward decided not to eat as the cockroach in his pizza had put him off. I offered him some of mines as no one else bothered whether they were just naturally rude or pissed off at Edward still was beyond me. I didn't know what to make of the complicated relationships between theses friends. I thought I could read them all easily but they still surprised me. Rosalie was probably the one out of them all that was still like her old self. She was moody no matter how much she tried to hide it. She was obviously still very possessive over Emmett but then again she was quite socially resigned compared to what she used to be so... I don't know. I guess only time will tell what they're really all like.
"Right so Bella and Rosalie you're in the truck together, Emmett and I in the jeep together and you baby can go in the Volvo with Edward," Alice's decision brought me right out of my little trance. I very nearly protested and stopped myself just in time. What the hell? Why was Rose to go with me, "Bella I don't mean to be rude but I'm slightly worried that you might break down in that truck and Rosalie would be best to fix it so you're dumped with her," she winked at Rosalie and Rosalie smiled somewhat... shyly at me? She didn't know how true her words were, it would be like I was dumped with her.
We finished up and Edward grumbled about having an empty stomach but was told to either go get a snack or eat nothing – he could have eaten earlier. I was surprised still at their behaviour towards him; had this happened years ago they would probably have sat back down again and waited for him to eat now that his appetite was back. I wondered how he adjusted to the difference in treatment.
Rosalie and I climbed into the truck; I looked her up and down and felt a little a lesbian as I admired her beauty, it wasn't like I had a thing for her or anything but she really was astoundingly gorgeous. Just sitting next to her in such close proximity made me want to push my hair infront of my face and hide any imperfections on my face. Although her mere presence sent out a strong confident vibe she never really said much which sort of made it hard for me to be cheeky in even the smallest of ways. She wasn't as arrogant as I expected.
I spent too much time in my head and started the car in a little bit of a slow motion type way. She obviously saw it and gave a slight giggle. I could feel a blush creep into my cheeks at being laughed at and I felt like scared little Isabella once again, I looked almost fearfully at her without even thinking but was given a sweet surprise at the purity of the laughter in her eyes. It was nothing of the sort of laughter I used to endure and there had been no need for the upset inside me. It quelled some of the butterflies in my stomach and I was able to smile serenely at her as she started to speak to me "So..." she began and I smiled deciding it was time to pretend she wasn't who she was. Here was the girl who had traumatised me to the extent that I had nearly taken my own life and yet she didn't know me, she didn't have a clue what she had let herself, her boyfriend and her boyfriend's brother in for because she was coming for these two weeks. She was so unknowing of my plans that I felt sort of evil as they passed quickly through my head; sadistic they may be but unless you've been through something similar to what I have then you can't understand how much of a struggle it is to keep a barrier between your minds anger and reality. "I've not really chatted to you to much, just been a little stressed lately," it was just then as we sat at a set of lights that I noted the slight purple colour underneath her eyes which foundation had not been able t cover up. I knew all too well about cover ups with makeup and I knew that underneath that foundation there was probably a sign that she had not been sleeping very well for the past week at least.
"Oh it's okay, I've maybe been a little rude myself without realising it," I smiled as I turned the corner, glad I was able to stare straight ahead, then again, I didn't like the idea of her watching me while I drove; it made me feel a little if not a lot uncomfortable.
"No really Bella, after what happened in P.E. with the whole migraine thing I've been quite rude really. I don't know, I've just been drifting from old friends and... Changing, I suppose. It's making me quite off with everyone and it's hard to sort accept another person into our little group just because I'm so comfortable with everyone in it already and I just feel like there's so much changed going on around us that another change, being you obviously, is a bit much to take in at times. It's not that I don't like you 'cause I do its more like I feel that it's hard to trust new people you know?" I knew exactly what she meant. I was the same because of a certain past I had, the irony was a little overwhelming.
"Yeah, I understand what you mean, I can be a little like that myself and I don't mean to force myself on you all-"
"No it's not like that it's just that stuff happened before," she breathed deeply, and I found it hard to not look at her as I drove just because intense conversations normally require eye contact and it was becoming quite intense," Tanya, Edwards ex, it's not that you're like her because you're really not it's more like you kind of remind us what it's like to see Edward tied down a bit-" I guffawed at that comment because it was truly absurd. "No Bella, you don't understand me, he is taking an interest in you and he talks to you, just those two factors are very rare with Edward nowadays. He likes to shag first maybe if you're lucky talk later and he's not been an out and out asshole to you as far as I can tell. Part of me wants to be happy that his wild ways seem to be calming but part of me, no matter how much he's pissed me off lately, loves him to bits and worries about him falling for you." I tried to interrupt again but she shushed me and continued, "As far as I can tell he hasn't yet but Bella just watch yourself with him and... be careful with him if you do feel for him in anyway," anyway includes hatred right? "He's a nice guy inside really."
Ha, and you're a lovely, perfect, sweet, innocent angel right? Dream on Rosalie.
After the intense conversation between us things sort of calmed down, relaxed and we turned the radio up to full blast and sang away our drive. Sometimes we sat in silence and then we chatted about fashion, some sport and she completely lost me when she started talking about the strength the type of engine which was fitted to my truck was famed for. She told me that when Alice had put her in the truck with me she had told Rose we were to bond because Rose had told her that the truck would be perfectly fine on the way to the lake house – obviously I wasn't to tell Alice that I knew of her sneaky little plan, she was always doing things for the best anyways, you couldn't hold it against her.
We stayed behind the others most of the way and I had the misfortunes to watch an argument between Jasper and Edward while they drove in front of us, I felt like I was intruding on something. It was just a small reminder of how fragile the family/friend relations were at the moment.
We drove up a relatively steep hill – there had been a town about twenty minutes drive away but otherwise there was literally nothing around us. Once at the top of the hill I was stunned by the view. The sun was bouncing off of the lake and the large lake house about four hundred yards away looked just perfect set where it was. It was a painted wood colossal cabin. This thing had two floors, two balconies as far as I could see and even had a garage built into it. Obviously it must be built of bricks but wood had been added to it for the decor. I never realised just how much money the Cullen's actually had. "Wow." I muttered.
"I know," Rosalie sounded almost as in awe as me, "I've been here a few times now and it never gets any less beautiful." I continued down the gravel track up onto the driveway and as I drove towards it I began to slow down, "don't slow, they'll open it for you, they're already inside."
I did as she said but still was shocked when the garage opened up itself with two cars already packed into it. Edward stood on the other side unpacking the Volvo. I couldn't hear him but I could easily read his lips, "Welcome Bella."
*A.N. – Finally, Bella and Edward are enclosed in a space for two whole weeks! EEEK! I'm excited to start writing the next chapters! Review, review review! :D:D:D*