Chapter 7: Bound
B POV
The next few days were uneventful. I went to school, came home, read, made dinner, watched some TV, worked on homework, did some laundry, went to bed. Rinse and repeat.
I had called Renee the day after the cry-fest and told her about school and how I made friends with a girl named Angela. How dad spoke out of turn and that the guy that I was partnered with was good-looking and nice but that I doubted that anything would happen.
She urged me to get involved more, maybe find an after school job or extra curricular activity. If nothing else it would look good on a resume. I agreed and began job hunting. However, no positions for a high school student were really available.
I asked around a little and Mike said that his mom was looking for some help at their Outdoors Equipment Store. Hell, I could sell sleeping bags. Maybe I could prove how roomy they were by demonstrating how even I could fit in one.
Edward's and my biology partnership was going well. He definitely wasn't the slacker type. I had a feeling he was bull shitting me on the whole, "I don't understand this stuff." He seemed to know it pretty well by himself. He gave up the act eventually and claimed his dad had helped him understand it.
This only caused more concern for me. Why was he sticking around then? He didn't seem to need me to boost his grades, come to find out he had the highest GPA on the football team and quite possibly was in the running to be Valedictorian of our class.
It wasn't really until Thursday morning that I thought something might be up.
As I was sliding my binder back into my backpack, a small cough caused me to look up. There stood the spiky black haired girl, Alice. She had hazel eyes, shadowy make-up that made her look dramatic and a big smile plastered on her face.
"Hello Bella." she chimed. "I'm Alice Cullen. Edward's sister. I know that you two are partners in biology and seem to be forming a friendship so I thought I might invite you to the post game get together tomorrow night."
"Um-" was all I could manage to get out before she interrupted me.
"Edward knows I'm inviting you. He said he'd love if you'd go but didn't want you to feel obligated. It's just going to be a few people. I think it would be a great way for you to get to know some more people a little better. So please will you go?"
I nod slightly, but it's all the fuel Alice needs to get excited. She giddily claps and springs up and down like a slinky.
I clear my throat, "Uhm, where is it going to be at?" I ask with more bravery than I thought I could muster.
"Oh, well. About that." She puts her finger up to her lips and taps it three times before answering. "It'll be at our house, but it's a little hard to get to. How about I pick you up from your house tomorrow before the game. You can ride with Rose and I over and then Edward can take you from the game. Rose and I have to stay a little late to help clean up the stands. Our house is a little difficult to get to without having one of us to show you where it is at first."
"Umm, okay." I agree tepidly. "What time is it that you're going to pick me up?"
"Well the game starts at seven, so let's say I stop by at six. We have to be there a little early because as the cheerleaders we have to help set up. You don't have to do any of that though. You can just find a spot in the bleachers."
"Ok, six sounds good." That will give me enough time to hyperventilate, pass out, collect myself, make dinner and change clothes at least three times.
"Great!" Alice cheers, "I'll see you tomorrow!" She spins on her heel to walk off then changes her mind and practically pirouettes to face me again, "Oh that reminds me, are you coming to the pep rally tomorrow night after school?"
"I don't think so," I blush. School spirit and me had never really clicked. "I have some stuff I have to get done before you pick me up."
"Okay," her face falls minutely. "Well then, I'll see you in class tomorrow!"
I grab my bag and head to lunch. I'm standing in line waiting to grab a PB&J when I feel someone come up behind me.
"Hey, Bella!" Edward whispers in my ear. I flinch a little and spin to look at him but my foot catches my ankle and I lurch forward. I end up practically tackling the person in line in front of me who in turn hits the person in front of him who knocks the tray out of the hands of the girl in front of him and before I know it there is pudding down Tanya Denali's shirt.
Holy F My Soul! This is not good.
EPOV
"WHAT THE HELL?" Tanya screams
She turns around and glares at the person behind her, who points to the person behind her, until everyone is pointing at Bella.
I effectively caused her to domino the entire line until Tanya had a chestful of pudding. Startling her every time I come near her is not going to make her feel more comfortable around me, and Tanya officially hating her is not going to make her feel welcome to this school.
"YOU!" Tanya acquires her target, " Do you have ANY idea how much this top cost? I guarantee it cost more than your whole wardrobe combined!"
Bella cringes away from her and takes a step back toward me. I can't let her go head to head with Tanya. I do what I feel I need to in order to protect Bella's frail emotional state.
"I'm sor-" Bella begins, but I interrupt her before her apology has a chance to escape her lips. I step between her and the menacing Medusa.
"Tanya, I'm sorry. I startled her and she tripped. It was an accident." I know that's not going to stop Tanya from trying to rip Bella's throat out in front of the entire school, but maybe it will distract her, let her funnel some of her anger onto me.
"This isn't about you," It's not working; must try harder, "This is about that tub of lard not paying attention to what the hell she's doing!" WHAT? Oh no she did not. As Emmett likes to say, 'Now you've made him angry. You don't want to make Eddie angry.'
"Tan-" Bella begins again, trying to step around me. I stop her again.
"No Bella. I have this handled." She doesn't object. "Tanya, that was rude. It was an honest mistake that could have happened to anyone. Now, I am sorry for ruining your shirt. I will replace it if need be. However I think now you owe an apology to Bella for the rude name you have just called her." I mentally chuckle. Yeah, like Tanya will ever be capable of giving up and apologizing.
My hand reaches down to grab a boat of applesauce, not that anyone notices, they're all too busy waiting for Tanya's reaction.
"This shirt is a one of a kind. It cannot be replaced. As for calling her a name, I don't see any need to apologize for stating a fact." Tweedledee and Tweedledum are asking for it too, the way they're glaring at my Bella. My Bella? What the hell? Where did that come from? Crap, not now.
"Well in that case," I tilt my head to the side and take position. "Let me make sure that shirt is thoroughly retired from your wardrobe." And with that I flick the boat of applesauce at Tanya, direct hit.
I'm anticipating Tanya's reaction, which is why I'm able to move Bella and myself out of the way before Tanya manages to hit either of us with the flying Styrofoam bowl of ravioli. The pasta smacks right into Tyler Crowley's chest and falls to the floor.
"What the?" Tyler stares at the large mess on his shirt for a moment before he throws his head back and crows "FOO-O-D FI-I-IGHT!"
With no more of an introduction than that chaos erupts throughout the entire lunchroom. Friend turns against friend. I note seeing Emmett double fist a couple of boats of applesauce and letting them fly. Most girls are cowering under tables in order to prevent their hair or clothes from being caught in the crossfire.
I grab Bella by the wrist and pull her behind the side door of the kitchen that is standing open. The makeshift shield provides some cover for us.
"Oh man," I groan as I notice the collateral hit I've taken. There's ravioli sauce all down the side of my shirt.
"Tell me about it. I am in so much trouble." She whines.
"You are? How am I going to tell my mom that I got ravioli sauce all over my new shirt. She's going to kill me." Esme could be scary when it came to ruining perfectly good clothes.
"Really? REALLY!" Her face contorts into one of supposed anger. She's cute when she's mad, like a little kitten that looks like it's about to attack you. "You just gave me an express ticket to the Underworld from the Sisters of Fate, started a food fight and have probably given us all detention...and you're worried about your shirt?"
"You worry too much." I hardly notice the bowl of Jell-O that misses us.
"No. I think I worry just enough," she fumes, cutely. "Had you not decided to interject I could have avoided this whole situation."
"Oh yeah? How?" I snort. "Tanya would have still screamed her head off at you, torn you down and made you a spectacle. Your express ticket to Hades was inevitable the second I got your attention. At least this way we're both under scrutiny and the food fight will distract the heat off of you for the time being." She knows I'm right. "Besides, if we all get detention, I'd rather you be there too." It's true detention with Tanya would have been the worst, at least now there's a buffer.
"Still," she pouts those pretty lips. "I don't like that you came to my rescue. It makes me feel..."
"Insufficient? Vulnerable? Protected?" I list. "I couldn't stand by and let Tanya make you feel more insecure than I can tell you already are. You didn't deserve it. It was my fault. Why won't you let me take the blame?"
"Because, it makes me feel uncomfortable. Like I owe you something. I don't like feeling bound to anyone."
"Bound?" Interesting choice of word, it reminded me of the genie from Aladdin for some reason. Does she come with a magic lamp too? "Hmm, bound. So if you're bound to me does that mean you owe me something?"
"If that's what it takes to make me be unbound then sure."
I mentally fist pump as I realize I've just gotten her to unknowingly agree to do anything I ask of her.
"Good to know."
"No, wait." She puts her hands up like she's trying to calm down a madman with a gun. "That's not what I meant."
"Too late, you owe me. I don't know what it is you owe me yet, but I will find something that I want from you Isabella Swan." This needs to be well thought out, there are just so many possibilities.
The look on her face changes faster than Alice's interest in shoes. Once she's set though, I find myself a tiny bit scared. No trace of a baby kitten anymore, she's a fully pissed off lioness. She reaches around the door frame and pulls out a red bottle. It takes me a second to recognize what it is, and by now it's too late.
"Tell your mom I'm sorry."
And with that I shut my eyes in order to avoid the red projectile from blinding me. I try to reach for it but she is too quick. Before I know it she has two condiments spraying me down. I grab her wrist but the mustard and ketchup are making everything slick and I lose grip of her. She's unrelenting. It's gonna take me at least three showers to get all this crap out of my hair.
The only way I can try to stop her is to pin her shoulders down and try and gain control of her arms, but again she slips out of my grasp and butt bumps me into the open cafeteria.
She brings the bottles up to her lips. Oh she did not just do the double pistol smoke blow. Gloves are off now. I jump towards the lunch line and grab the first thing I can get, strawberry Jell-O. That'll work. I dump it straight onto her chocolate locks. She squeals as the half liquefied Jell-O runs down her shirt and pools in her cleavage. Bottles in hand she desperately tries to shake the Jell-O out of her bra, causing me to bust up laughing. I think I even do the whole knee slap, guffaw thing.
The shrill whistle I've been expecting immediately ends the war.
"Enough!" Mrs Denali shouts. "I want Tanya Denali, Edward Cullen, Tyler Crowley and Isabella Swan in my office. NOW! The rest of you clean yourselves up and head to class early where your teachers will be giving lectures on proper lunchroom etiquette."
"Well," I knew this was coming, "Guess the fun is over. Time to face the music." I head off the glares and stares of the students, hopefully people won't focus on Bella as much.
We walk single file out of the cafeteria. The principal brings us into her office and sits us down.
She immediately grabs a phone and dials a 3-digit code. "Frank? It's Carmen. I need you to send four towels down to my office as soon as possible." She pauses for a response.
"Yes, please call in Kathy and Gary for help with the mess. Thank you."
She hangs up the phone, folds her hands over her desk and stares flatly at me.
"Mr. Cullen." she dryly voices, "Would you mind telling me what happened in the cafeteria to trigger such a chaotic mess?"
"Sure," I answer quickly. "Where do you want me to start?"
"At the beginning preferably." She nods her head
"Well in the beginning, God said let there be light-"
"That's not funny," Mrs. Denali interrupts as Tyler chuckles under his breath. She glares at him then turns her gaze back on me. "You four already have detention all next week." That was to be expected. "And I will be letting your parents know about this." Tanya's ahead of the curve on that one. Dad and mom might be surprised to hear it's me rather than Emmett. "Please Mr. Cullen, enough with the antics, what happened?"
"I'll tell you what happened mom, " Tanya jumps the gun, "That girl smashed pudding into my new shirt. Then Edward threw applesauce in my face. I don't deserve detention. I have nothing to do with this."
"Hush," Mrs. Denali gives the 'You're fired' wrist snap, "I don't want to hear it from you right now. Will someone please tell me what happened."
"I can help clear things up," Bella speaks as she raises her hand. "You see, Edward came up behind me and startled me. I knocked into the person in front of me and it domino effected down to Tanya who unfortunately got chocolate pudding on her shirt. I will pay for a replacement if possible. Tanya understandably got upset, Edward stepped in, things escalated, applesauce was thrown, ravioli was thrown in retaliation and then the food fight was brought on."
"Does that sound about right?" The principal flits from face to face as we all nod our heads."So Edward technically threw the first stone?" she reiterates.
"Whoa, this isn't the Middle East," Tyler defends. "There were no stones, only sauce."
"Whatever," she dismisses him. "Edward was the one who threw first?" I nod.
Just then her office door opens and an older janitor sets a pile of fresh towels on her desk. She hands one to each of us. We immediately towel off as much of the mess as we can.
"Ok, well then in that case you, Edward, also have to help clean the mess up. I'll call your fifth period teacher and let him know that you will not be attending class."
"No!" Bella interjects. "That's not fair. This was my fault. I'll take responsibility. I'll help clean up the mess." My head snaps towards her, I shake my head quickly. Stop I mouth to her. She shakes her head no.
"Isabella," Mrs. Denali sighs, "You are one of the only innocent parties in this situation. You did not mean to bump into the person in front of you. Ms. Denali overreacted causing Mr Cullen to react overzealously and in turn that triggered Mr Crowley's food fight declaration."
"So," she argues, "I still feel guilty. Please let me help clean. It will get done sooner with more hands to help."
"True," the principal taps her chin with her forefinger. "In that case Tanya and Tyler will also be joining in on the festivities.
"WHAT?" Tanya raises her voice, "MOM! That's not fair."
"I don't care, you have responsibility in this. You are going to help clean and then later we will discuss you punishment at home."
Tanya slumps back in her seat and huffs.
"Now, get to work. I have some phone calls to make." With that we all are dismissed from her office and head back to the cafeteria.