I tweaked a lot, so all mistakes are mine.

Are you guys ready to meet Bella? Edward isn't lol

Chapter 2.

"Jay-sus!" Emmett yelps, looking through the window between our two beds. "That's a nice view!"

We can see half the campus and the Wasatch Mountains from our dorm room. The mountains give me a feeling of familiarity, even though they pale in comparison to the Rocky Mountains I'm so used to, the same ones depicted on the poster I've already hung over my bed.

"Shall we tour the campus and meet some ladies before practice tonight?" he asks, still peering through the window.

Our suitcases and boxes are spread on the floor. The drive from Fort Collins to Ogden had taken us around eight hours. I'd driven Emmett's Jeep the whole way; it was my part of the deal, so we could leave early and he could sleep. I didn't mind driving. I preferred it, honestly.

"Nah…" I search my calendar on my phone, trying to figure out whether I have time to unpack, knowing the mess is going to bother me until I'm able to clean it. "I have to go check out some potential jobs."

"Meh…" He drops on his bed with his shoes still on then starts scrolling on his phone. "Where are you applying?"

"Domino's. Dunkin'. Subway." I shrug. "Anywhere and everywhere." I need something within walking distance and with flexible hours.

We are living on campus for the remainder of summer before school starts, taking part in an intense, eight-week, packed training program. And while financial aid will cover a good chunk of the costs during the school year, the remaining gap is on my mom and me. I had agreed for her to pay for my housing through the summer, and I had used my limited savings to pay for the meal plan; however, going forward, I need a job. I don't have two working parents like Emmett. It's just me and my mom, who already works double shifts at the diner, so I want to help out as much as I can.

If I make mat at the end of the summer—get selected to actually perform with their A Team—then I'll also be eligible for a scholarship, which means I'll get a mostly free education, without having to burden my mom anymore.

I know that cheerleading doesn't last forever, and it ultimately won't pay the bills, but I can do something I enjoy, something I am passionate about, something I am reasonably good at, while I get an education and decide what the hell I am going to do with my life.

"Okay, you go have fun with that." Emmett flops back onto his pillow and smiles broadly at me. "I'm going to take a nap 'cause I bet practice is going to be tough tonight."

I look at my bed longingly, wishing for a nap myself. I consider briefly asking Emmett to unpack at least some of his stuff, but knowing it would make an even bigger mess, I decide not to say anything and leave instead. I'll take care of it later.

I am closing the door behind me when I see her.

Bella Swan.

She is stepping out of the room right across the hallway from mine.

Our eyes lock. My ears burn.

"Hey," she says, smiling broadly and pointing at me. "Colorado!"

She remembers me?

"Cullen, right?" she asks, standing there in her sports bra and tiny shorts, fussing with her watch. It looks like she was getting ready to go for a run.

"You accepted Summit's offer?" is the first stupid thing I say to her. Clearly, she did. Otherwise she wouldn't be here. She must have had offers from everywhere.

I met her at tryouts this past spring. She's easily the most skilled athlete I have ever met in my life. We interacted briefly. She had a camera person following her. Some documentary or video blog or something. I only had a chance to throw her in the air once, and I blew it.

I really hope that didn't make it into the documentary.

I am still just stunned to see her here. In this dorm. In this life. Across from mine.

"So did you," she says with a smile then looks at her watch again, while I rack my brain for something clever to say. A hand clasps on her hip, her abs tighten. Holy shit, her abs. "I'll see you later at practice?" She looks up, her eyes on me.

I am sweating.

"Yeah. Sure. Yes," I manage to say.

She smiles again, tightening her ponytail by pulling on her hair. Then she's off.

I don't know how long I stand there before I go back into my room.

"Bella Swan is here," I announce to Emmett, closing the door.

"What?" He raises his head minimally, only one eye open. I think he was already asleep.

"Bella. Swan. She's here." I gesture with my hand to the floor, as if that's supposed to mean something.

"Yeah," he says, dropping his head back.

"You knew?"

"Everyone knew she was coming here."

"I didn't."

"'Cause you live under a rock with no social media. She announced it on Instagram like two weeks ago."

"Oh…"

She's a cheer-lebrity, as Emmett calls them—always in the spotlight and with a huge following of just about everyone in the cheer world. She's been doing it forever, too.

"I thought you had jobs to go check out?" Emmett raises an eyebrow at me. "You're interrupting my beauty sleep."

"Right. Yes." I turn around, grab the door handle, but then face him again. "She's going to be at practice tonight."

Emmett sits up, looking suspiciously at me. "You've got the hots for Swan or what?"

"No." I scoff, clearing my throat. "Of course not," I say again, a little louder. "I-I'm just surprised she came here."

"Well, she's probably getting a sweet sponsorship deal, too."

"Right. Yeah…" I turn around again, my hand back on the door handle.

I am going to run out of time for my job hunt if I keep stalling, so I just let it go and leave. Except I don't let it go at all—all I can think on the walk to the plaza is that I am going to get to toss Bella Swan in the air again.

I just hope this time I don't drop her.

~.~.~

I'm almost late for practice. Almost.

I'm already sweating from my walk uphill to the gym. At least, I have a job now. Subway, sandwich artist. I guess it could be worse.

The swinging double doors open up to the warehouse-style gym, a large wood court split with tarp curtains in the middle. On one side, there are a few guys playing basketball, the sound of rubber soles and bouncing balls mixed up with chatter. On the other side, a purple foam mat covers the wood floors. There are people—my teammates, I guess—scattered everywhere on and around the mat.

I didn't realize the squad was so large.

Are all them on the team?

I recognize some of the squad members who helped facilitate tryouts in the spring, and there's also Jasper Whitlock, Assistant Coach, who is handing out plastic-wrapped clothing; training gear, I assume.

As I sit on the mat next to Emmett, Jasper drops a package on my lap. Three gray shirts. Three purple shorts. School logos on everything.

Shit…

"Do we have to pay for these?" I murmur next to Emmett, who's already tearing into his bag.

"I dunno." He shrugs.

I leave mine unopened on the floor, just in case, until I get a chance to ask.

"Fuck me," Emmett whispers a little too loud for comfort next to me as Rosalie Hale, Head Coach, walks into the gym. Long legs in tight jeans. Black boots. A uniform shirt with Summit's Wildcats logo hugs her frame. She's the mastermind behind this—behind the team. She was hired last year and completely overhauled Summit's Cheer Squad. Finished second in the National Cheerleading Association competition on Summit's and hers first run ever.

The "Bad Bitch," they call her.

"Bitches get shit done," is what she says to that.

She's the youngest and one of the few female head coaches in the sport.

We only just met her at tryouts but I think she's why Emmett decided to come here.

She's in her thirties, I think, and married. He's delusional.

He stands as she walks by us, but she continues without a glance in our direction, taking the center of the mat.

"Welcome, everyone!" Coach Hale smiles as she turns around, her gaze going over all of us. "I'm so excited to have y'all here." She circles the mat, hands on her hips, as she starts her speech. "As you can probably tell, there's a few more of you than we need. As with every sport, we will have an A Team and a B Team, just in case. Only you, and the work you do in the next few months, will determine if you make mat or not. Nothing is guaranteed. Anything can happen."

As Coach Hale passes in front of me, my eyes travel behind her, and I see Bella, sitting cross-legged on the other side. A few of the girls are sitting and chatting with her.

Her eyes are trained on me, though, not on them. And then she smiles.

I look behind me. Because maybe she's looking at someone else. Because that would make more sense.

Then she laughs.

Fuck me.

I don't get time to get in my head though because Coach Hale gets straight to work. She splits us by gender, and within gender, by skill.

She explains that the guys who can tumble and stunt don't have to dance. The ones who can't stunt have to tumble and dance. I groan softly because all I can ever hope for my time here is that she doesn't make me dance.

I stand next to Emmett and the rest of the stunters, feeling out of place—they're all jacked.

While I'm taller than most, and I've bulked up considerably since starting to cheer in high school, I'm still pretty lean compared to them.

I don't fit with the dancers either, I have zero rhythm or pizzazz. I honestly don't know what Coach Hale saw in me, or how she will use me. I just hope I can make mat, join the A Team, and earn a scholarship.

Coach Hale, with a clipboard-wielding Jasper by her side, moves through us one by one, having everyone try some basic standing tumbles. Satisfied, she has everyone take turns on running tumble passes. I give it my all and hit every combination she throws at us. I soon realize not many of the stunter-tumblers can do what I can do.

I stick my landing on the last one, and when I look up, Coach Hale is smiling proudly at me.

And so is Bella.

She's cheering, even.

"Edward Cullen, right?"

"Yes, Sir…Ma'am…Coach." I take a deep breath, and close my eyes briefly while I pinch the bridge of my nose with a groan. "Sorry."

Fuck my life.

Coach laughs softly, her heels clicking as she walks closer to me.

"One of the Colorado Boys?" she asks Jasper, who nods, following behind her.

"You stunt too?" She raises an eyebrow at me.

"I try."

"Let's see it." She turns around to go to her chair, before snapping her fingers in the direction of the girl whose eyes on me make me mess up all my words. "Bella?" Coach Hale asks, gesturing for her to join me.

Center of the mat. All eyes on us.

Bella walks to me with a friendly smile on her face. Once within reach, she holds both my hands, pulling me down to her height—over a foot shorter than me.

"You got this, Cullen," she whispers with a wink, before she turns around to stand in front of me.

"Toss hands extension," Coach Hale says, crossing her legs.

I crouch behind Bella, gently placing my hands on her hips. She clasps her hands around my wrists, tapping her fingers on my skin. I follow her dip as she squats, so I can use the momentum of her jump to throw her straight up. She has perfect form and lands with one foot on each of my hands. I absorb her weight and then push her up over my head, until my arms are extended and Bella's arms go up into a high V.

"Nice," Coach Hale says. "Now Lib."

With a quick pop up, Bella brings her feet together until I adjust my grip with both hands on her right foot. She then lifts her left leg, bending her knee in a classic Liberty position. She doesn't even shake. She's so good.

"Okay, extension to cupie."

I adjust Bella's weight as we go back to the same position we started in, a full extension. Then I dip her down for a little momentum, tossing her up briefly, so she lands with both feet into my right hand only. A right cupie. I don't get enough height, but even though my arm bends a little, I'm able to press her up, so that she's standing on my right hand only.

She holds her frame beautifully.

I can't believe we're doing this.

"Left cupie," Coach orders, and I already know I'm going to fail. My left arm is definitely my weak arm, and my brain is already going over how I will catch her when she falls.

With a grunt, I push Bella up so that she can pop from my right to my left hand. I don't get enough height, and while she lands on my left hand, I can't keep her up. My arm is bent at the elbow, Bella balancing on my left palm, but at shoulder level. In order to count, my arm needs to be extended.

I try a couple times to press her up, but I don't succeed.

"Okay, that's fine," Coach says disappointedly. "Jake?" She calls Jacob Black, Senior Varsity and total douchebag who was running tryouts in the spring. He's the best stunter on the team, probably in the country. He walks to us with a smug grin on his face.

"Pop over to the right one sec," I whisper to Bella between my teeth, trying to save the stunt, so at least she can pop off gracefully without Jacob's fucking help. She follows my lead, switching to my right hand flawlessly. I let out a breath, shaking my left arm. "Can I try left cupie again?" I ask louder.

I eye Coach Hale for a second, while I balance Bella on my right hand.

"Sure," I hear Coach say.

"Ready?" I ask Bella between my teeth. The longer I hold her up there, the harder it gets. Bella doesn't answer; she doesn't have to. She pushes in her shoulders, letting me know she's ready. I pop her up and over to the left, but I fail again. My left arm is useless, and I can't manage to extend it with her whole weight in my left hand. I try to push through once, twice.

"Okay, stop. You're going to hurt your shoulder," are Coach's final words, and as quickly as she got to me, she moves on to try someone else.

"That was good," Bella is kind to say, turning around as soon as I put her down. She high fives me, smiling broadly up at me, while I try to catch my breath.

Practice continues while I'm in a mood, disappointed with myself and embarrassed, but when the end of practice comes four hours later, Coach Hale approaches at the water fountain.

"Cullen?" She startles me, and I straighten up, wiping the water trickling from my mouth with the back of my hand. "You're my best tumbler." She places a hand on my shoulder with a friendly smile. "But I can't afford to have someone on mat who can only tumble."

I nod at her in understanding.

"Even someone as good as you." She tsks while looking at me, crossing her arms over her chest. "I need you to practice your stunts until you're blue in the face. Anything you do with your right, I want you to do it three times as much with your left."

"You got it."

"Jasper is going to email you a personalized workout routine and meal plan. You need to follow it to a T because gaining some muscle will help you. We clear?"

"Crystal." I nod at her again. I'll do anything it takes.

"Alrighty. Now go on with the rest of 'em. There's a few team building activities for tonight. Get to know each other..." She struts her way out of the gym while I check the time on my phone.

It's nine already and I'm exhausted, but the brown eyes across the room call out to me. She's re-doing her ponytail, high on her head, with toned arms and a friendly smile on her face—for me, I think…I'm pretty sure. I don't know what I expected coming here, but getting to know Bella Swan was definitely not part of it.