The Bargain
This story will be told from Bella's point of view, with only a few rare exceptions which will be noted.
Chapter 1
It was a bright, sunny morning in Phoenix, Arizona when my alarm started beeping loudly. I had been having an exciting dream where I was flying through the sky with a handsome man beside me. I slammed my hand down on the radio, shutting off the god-awful beeping and felt a stabbing pain in my hand at the same time. With my eyes still closed, I heaved a sigh. I wished I could go back to the dream, but unfortunately, dreams didn't work like that.
Thoughts of how cool it would be to fly lingered as I lay in bed. However, this was the real world, not make-believe. I stretched while still in bed and then reluctantly sat up. It was Monday morning and the start of another week.
I got up and moved around my room, gathering the clothes I would wear to school today. I made my way to the bathroom to do my business and take a quick shower, before proceeding to get dressed. As I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, a sense of satisfaction washed over me at the development of my figure over the past year. At the age of 15, I had worried that I would forever be stuck with the stick figure of a thin boy. Fortunately, my body had finally begun to fill out, and though I had yet to acquire all the curves of a woman, I was well on my way.
I couldn't wait to graduate from high school. Being a diligent student, I took several advanced placement classes, eagerly anticipating the challenges and the opportunity to learn that college would bring. I believed I would connect better with college students compared to my high school peers. Apart from my three best friends, Sandy, Amber, and Chrissy, I tended to keep to myself, struggling to interact with others. It was a truth I preferred not to dwell on, but socially, I lagged behind most of my grade, and my dating life had been pretty much non-existant since my one and only date last year. The disappointments in my romantic experiences had become a sensitive subject, haunting me for the past year. Determined to keep negative thoughts at bay, I finished getting dressed and prepared to have breakfast before heading off to school.
As I entered the kitchen, my mom was enjoying a bagel and a cup of coffee.
"Hello, honey. How was your night?" my mom asked, looking up from the People magazine she was reading.
"Fine as always, Mom. I didn't hear you come home last night. How was your date with Phil?"
"Oh, we had the best time." A smile illuminated her face. "Phil took me dancing at a club downtown, and then we went back to his place for a little more fun, if you know what I mean."
"Mom!" I yelled. "You know I don't want to hear about that. Please, I'm right about to eat." I grabbed a Pop-Tart and poured myself some orange juice. My mom had no filter, especially when it came to guys and sex. I couldn't help but wonder if growing up as a young tween and hearing things I probably shouldn't have, had messed me up.
"Oh, honey. You need to loosen up. Relax. You should be out there having a good time yourself, making me worry about you instead of the other way around." She stood up, having finished her meal, and walked over to me, gently rubbing my shoulders in an attempt to help me relax. "Have any of the boys in school asked you out recently?"
"No, Mom," I said, desperately wishing I could leave early or hide under a rock. My mom had always been very popular with guys, and there had been a revolving door of men in her life since I was a little girl. Currently, she was dating a guy named Phil, who, thankfully, I thought was pretty nice. He was a significant improvement compared to some of the losers my mom had dated over the years.
"Don't worry, dear. They will soon enough. I'm going to head off. Have a good day." She gave my shoulders one last squeeze before heading off to work. Her current job was being a receptionist at an art gallery.
After finishing my breakfast, as I was cleaning off the crumbs from the table, I accidentally tripped on a chair and lost my balance. Thankfully, I managed to catch myself on another chair. Even though it hit me hard in the stomach and I knew that it would leave a bruise, I was relieved that I didn't faceplant onto the kitchen floor. Slowly and painfully, I righted myself and went to brush my teeth, grabbed my bag, and headed off to school.
I wished I had a car, but we couldn't really afford a second one. Luckily, the school was only a 5-minute walk from our house. That was a relief because I had hated taking the bus every day back when I was in grammar school.
As I approached the school, I was greeted by a sea of students. The air was filled with blaring music from car radios, creating a chaotic atmosphere. With a student population of over 2500, navigating the vast complex could easily lead to getting lost if one wasn't familiar with the layout. Making my way to my locker, I unloaded most of my books before heading to my first class, Algebra III. Thankfully, the class proceeded without any unexpected surprises, swiftly passing by.
As the bell rang, a sense of dread washed over me, knowing that my next class was gym. Over the past three weeks, our focus had been on soccer. Divided into separate fields, the boys occupied one side while the girls claimed the other. It had become common knowledge early on in high school to exclude me from any sports activities unless injury was desired. The unfortunate truth was that whenever I attempted to participate, either I or someone else would inevitably get hurt. As my freshman year progressed, it became clear that passing the ball to me was ill-advised. Instead, I was left to roam the field, doing my best to avoid causing any harm to myself or others.
Once again, my strategy paid off, and there were no new mishaps to report from today's gym class. The remainder of the day unfolded smoothly, but lunch took an unexpected turn when I reunited with my friends. It was the news I had been dreading, although I knew it would likely come sooner rather than later. With Chrissy's exuberant smile and the others' excited squeals, I discovered that I was the lone virgin among my group of friends. It was a sobering moment for me, and I mustered a smile as I listened to Chrissy as she shared her own experience of how it had happened for her.
Let me know your thoughts. I have the story mapped out and it will be a Bella and Demetri story.