Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Not beta-ed. All mistakes are mine.
2007
It was the year that changed everything.
For some absurd reason, I had hoped for positive change.
Naïve.
That's what I was.
Nevertheless, change had come. Just not the positive kind.
…
"Hey, Bella."
Everyone called me Bee. Only you called me Bella.
I never understood why.
"Hey, Bella."
That's how you greeted me every morning. In return, I used to stutter a reply.
It almost felt as if my heart would beat out of my chest every time I talked to you.
I don't know if you've fallen in love yet.
If you have not, let me warn you.
That's how it feels when you fall in love for the first time.
…
Back to 2007.
As I said, it was full of changes.
Change came through new uniforms. The school authorities had somehow managed to make them even more uncomfortable than they already were.
Change came in the way I started to bleed from my vagina every month.
Change came in the form of Rosalie Hale.
Rosalie Hale.
She was one of those girls you knew would grow up to be stunning.
Blond hair.
Blue eyes.
She was angelic.
The boys fell head over heels. The girls whispered.
It was the usual drama.
Can you guess who the first person to befriend Rose was?
Go ahead, take a shot. I'll wait.
You know it wasn't you. You know it wasn't any of the boys. They were too chicken shit.
It was Allie Whitlock.
Why, you ask?
When your social status is under threat, you do whatever you can to eliminate the problem.
In this case, you befriend the problem.
Good, old school politics.
…
You liked Rose. I could tell.
I liked Rose too. She was different than Allie. She was genuinely a nice person.
I used to eat lunch with them every day.
I didn't like Allie. She was a snob and a bitch.
I didn't like their girly gossip.
But they didn't need to know all of that.
I was doing what I could to get by.
And from the looks of it, I was doing a mighty fine job.
Until the day I accidentally let it slip that I liked you.
…
I begged her.
I literally begged Allie not to tell anyone.
From the moment I let my secret slip, I knew I was screwed. I had seen that spark of light that flashed across Allie's eyes. No matter what I said or did, I knew she would use my mistake to her own advantage.
Nonetheless, she had promised.
She promised not to tell anyone.
I gave her the benefit of the doubt.
…
Then she told everyone.
The next morning, there was no 'Hey, Bella'.
People stared and snickered.
You couldn't even look at me.
But you couldn't avoid me in class. You sat rigidly in your seat and you stared ahead.
Your friends kept glancing towards me and laughing under their breath.
I knew they were teasing you.
I'm sorry for that.
But you were laughing along with them. You were laughing at me.
I'm going to tell you a few things now, Cullen. Read carefully.
I'm sorry for all the embarrassment I've caused you.
But I'm not sorry for loving you.
You didn't kill me that day, but you killed me in every other way that counted.
You destroyed my confidence.
You demolished my self-worth.
You killed me inside.
Why didn't you just come to me?
Why didn't you just tell me?
Why?
…
I wish this would have been the end of our story.
I wish this would have been the end of all the pain and agony that we caused each other.
But there's much more to come
You know that.
Hold on.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Thank you for the rec, Fran! I hope you liked the chapter. Leave me your thoughts.