I don't own Twilight. What I own is my character's behavior, personality, background, and plot of the story.
Thanks to my Beta MadMooey18 for her constant support and help in making this story what it is today.
"You sure you don't want me to pick Adam up?" Seth asks Bella as he watches her zip up her black high heeled boots. The weather is getting pretty cold with it being November. Hence the thermal undershirt, black wool sweater, green trousers, and green coat.
Bella rolls her eyes at him as she stands in front of the mirror and arranges the black scarf around the mirror and tells him, "Don't be ridiculous. By the time I am done with meeting the principal, I won't need to wait for more than thirty minutes for Adam to finish class. It doesn't make sense to make you come when I am already there."
"If you say so," Seth states.
Bella smiles at him through the mirror as she finally applies a final coat of cherry red on her lips then turns to face him and asks him, "How do I look?"
"Amazing as always," Seth replies with a smile.
"You're the best," Bella tells him picking up her clutch off the couch. She kisses his cheek and then leaves home. At the beginning, she used to spend five minutes at the door lecturing him on what to do with Peter, but now, she trusts him to know what to do if anything happens.
Bella catches a taxi quickly and gives the driver directions before they slip into a silence that is only interrupted by her phone ringing. "Hey love," Edward greets her as soon as she answers him.
"Hey yourself! Shouldn't you be in a meeting?" Bella greets him knowing his schedule.
She hears the shuffling of papers in the background as he answers her, "My work meeting for the day was cancelled."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she asks him as she looks out of the window and watches the traffic. She knows that his schedule is super tight given how much his family has been over working him, but she can't help but feel a moment of relief knowing he is given a moment to breath. He needs it more than he is willing to let on.
If he continues to do this, I will have no option but to give him a wake up call. He needs to cut back.
"It's good cause I honestly need a break, but a bad thing cause now I have nothing to do."
Bella sighs in relief then laughs and tells him, "I don't see how having nothing to do is a bad thing. Chill and relax. You need it."
"Well," he tells her, pausing for a moment then tells her, "I was considering that thought to myself. Why not ask Bella if she wants to have lunch with me?"
Bella sighs in disappointment then tells him, "I wish I could, but I need to go to Adam's school and then after I am taking him home."
"Why? Did something happen?" Edward asks in a worried tone.
Bella shakes her head and explains, "Not something awfully bad. Just some kid being an asshole to Adam. I am meeting with the principal to tell him what happened so it could be handled"
"Aha," Edward tells her in understanding and then is silent for a moment. "Bella?" Edward calls her name in a nervous tone.
"Yes," Bella replies frowning at his tone. Why is he nervous? Is he going to tell her something bad?
"I have a suggestion, but feel free to say no," he speaks to her in a reassuring tone.
"Okay?" Bella's answer, comes out as more of a question as she suddenly finds herself nervous like him.
Maybe he wants an open relationship.
We aren't even in a committed relationship to begin with.
"I am wondering if maybe I could have lunch with you and Adam," comes Edward's suggestion.
That's worse.
Shut up. It's not that bad.
Not that bad! How long have you been officially dating?
Not that long, but we have known each other much longer and I trust Edward.
So I guess we are doing this?
At the silence he is met with, Edward backtracks and tells her, "You know what? Scratch that. You're obviously not ready yet for that."
Running her fingers through her hair, Bella says, "No. It's nothing like that. I'm just surprised."
"So, I didn't cross any boundaries or anything?" Edward asks her hopefully.
"Of course not. I don't think it's such a bad idea," she tells him smiling. Edward takes that as an invite to excitedly tell her all of the options he is thinking of. She shoots a couple of those options down since Adam is going through a picky eater phase, but they finally settle on an Italian restaurant after she tells him that Adam loves pizza.
He is halfway through telling her about the guy who cancelled the meeting, when Bella reaches Adam's school. "Babe, I hate to cut you off, but I am about to go into the school's building."
"Oh, well send me the address so I can come and get both you and Adam," he tells her not missing a beat.
"I don't want to impose on you. Let's just meet in the restaurant," Bella suggests knowing that the restaurant is closer to his office than Adam's school.
''Nonsense, send me the address," Edward replies, hearing none of it.
Bella rolls her eyes and acquiesces, "Just so you know, Adam's school ends in an hour and twenty minutes, so you will have to wait with me while he finishes his last class."
Edward replies sweetly, "I wouldn't wanna wait with anyone else."
Fifteen minutes later, Bella finds herself sitting in front of a very uninterested principal. "How can I help you, Mrs. Swan?"
"I am Miss Swan," Bella automatically.
"Okay, Miss Swan, how can I help you?" He repeats his question.
"I am here because I want to address a problem I discovered my son was dealing with in your school yesterday," Bella replies confidently.
Leaning forward, Principal Collins nods his head and replies, "I am all ears."
Bella tells him about what Adam was told by a student and when the Principal asks her the name of the boy, Bella answers.
"Has Adam said anything to bother him?"
"Excuse me?" Bella asks in an offended tone.
Principal Collins winces at her tone and apologizes, "I didn't mean it in an offensive way. I am just surprised because Jeremy is well known for being a sweet kid."
"Well, there is a first for everything. Adam would never instigate anyone. Being rude and unkind is frowned upon in our household. He would not say or do anything to instigate such harsh words from someone," Bella states leaning back as she subtly hints at the boy's behavior being a result of a lack of instructions at home. No six year old would think of a mother not knowing who the father is. That is the kind of crap that's heard from adults then repeated but the child in front of them without repercussions.
"I will see what I can do," Principal Collins replies.
"That is?" Bella asks not wanting the man in front of her to get away with doing nothing. There is nothing she hates more than incompetent men who placate her with empty promises.
"What do you expect me to tell you, Miss?" Principal Collins asks as if offended by her question.
"Tell me exactly what you will do to make sure that this never happens to Adam again?" Bella demands, trying to keep calm despite boiling on the inside.
Principal Collins sighs then tells her, "This is the first time this has happened to us?" Bella looks at him like he is crazy.
He has never had kids bully others? What kind of a universe does this dude live in?
"No child has said they were bullied by Jeremy before," Principal Collins explains.
Questioning the IQ of the man in front of her, Bella spells it out for him like one would to a five year old child. "Handle this the same way you would with any other kid."
Principle Collins sighs as he runs his fingers through the couple of hair left on his head as he tells her, "Jeremy's parents are very important people who have made it clear that they don't want to be bothered by anything."
"This is a private school. Everybody whose kids are here are important. I don't understand what argument you are trying to make," Bella states after a minute of silence in confusion. This is exactly why she decided to send her son to a private school; to make sure that the school he attends gives a damn about him.
"We will be speaking to his class about bullying, but no formal action will be taken," Principal Collins answers firmly.
Are you fucking kidding me? Is he on crack?
I will show him.
Bella stands in anger and tells him, "I will transfer him next semester, meanwhile, if I hear anything from my son or my son is harmed in any way shape or form, I will sue this school for child endangerment."
Bella storms out of the office before she hears what the Principal has to say. She looks at her phone screen to see the time and finds a message four minutes old from Edward telling her that he is in the parking lot of the school. She walks quickly out of the building and spots his car ten parking spots away from the entrance. Once Edward spots her he gets out of the car, and Bella walks quickly toward him and before she can stop herself, she throws herself into his arms.
Edward can almost feel the tension coming off her in waves as he hugs her tightly and rubs her back in soothing circles.
"Hey, what is wrong?" Edward asks her a minute later with his arms still wrapped around her.
"I am so fucking angry I am ready to ask you to put a hit on the principal," she mutters not letting him go.
Edward kisses the top of her head then asks her, "Do you want to maybe discuss what happened somewhere private?"
Bella pulls back enough to be able to see his face and asks him, "Where?"
"We could go to a coffee shop, or maybe get in my car," Edward suggests, then kisses her forehead.
Bella nods her head and then let's him go and walks around to the other side of the car. She reaches to open the door, but a hand behind her lands on the door knob before her and opens the door for her.
"Thanks," she mutters quietly as she gets into the car.
"Bella, whatever it is, everything will be okay," he tells her taking her hand in his and kissing it then closes her door. She nods her head even though his words aren't getting to her. She is angry. She is so fucking angry, she could kill the Principal, but she also feels like shit.
This is all my fault. I brought this on Adam. Now I can't even protect him from a piece of shit because I am easy for people to take a hit on. Maybe I should homeschool him until people can no longer take hits on me.
"What happened?" Edward asks her once he is sitting in the drivers side.
She crosses her arms across her chest and looks out of the window as she answers him, "Long story short, one of the kids told Adam that I am a whore and because his parents are important he won't be reprimanded and the school won't even talk to his parents."
"What the fuck!" Edward exclaims in shock at what he just heard. Who is this kid's parents that they think they can't be spoken to? And who teaches things like that to their children?
"Worst of all, I can't do anything about it except switch schools. However it could also happen again in whatever school I send Adam to next, so it's all pointless," she mutters.
Edward takes her hand in his, bringing her attention back to him, and tells her, "Why don't you tell me exactly what happened?"
"I did," she tells him meeting his eyes and not wanting to talk about it.
Edward rolls his eyes at her answer and tells her, "You gave me the cliff notes version. I want the real deal. I know you don't want to talk about it, but I might know a thing or two that you don't."
She raises an eyebrow and tells him in a biting tone, "You're not a parent."
"Just humor me."
Bella huffs in irritation and then tells him everything that happened and by the end of it she finds herself irritated for another reason all together. "I think we need to know who the kid's parents are and then proceed carefully."
"We?" She asks him skeptically.
"I can't have my girlfriend do this on her own when I could add to the scary vibes," Edward answers her smirking.
Scary vibes? There isn't a single scary bone in Edward's body.
"Girlfriend you say? I didn't know we were exclusive," Bella tells him playfully leaning back into her seat after giggling at his supposed
"I figured it went without saying," Edward replies.
"I mean, we haven't even kissed yet," she tells him playfully, but Edward doesn't let her finish the sentence before he closes the gap between them and kisses her. Her first thought is that anyone could take a picture of them together, but quickly, that thought vanishes as soon as it sinks in that Edward is kissing her. A feeling settles in the pit of her stomach as Edward kisses her, one that is so different from how she felt about the couple of kisses she had in the past, but before she can try to analyze what she is feeling, Edward pulls back.
He leans his forehead against hers and asks her in a husky voice, "Was that okay?"
Any other time, Bella would have given him a playful answer, but she doesn't. "It's more than okay."
Edward beams at her then pulls back but continues leaning toward her and tells her, "You know, I could get rid of the principal for you, Mafia style."
To Edward's surprise, Bella breaks into giggles. "What? You don't believe I can do that?" Edward demands in an offended tone.
Bella turns to face him and raises her hand to cup the side of his face and tells him, "I know that you are better than that, and believe me when I tell you, that is one of the things I love about you."
Edward feels a lump in his throat at Bella mentioning the L word about him. He doesn't know if Bella meant to tell him that, but to her credit, she didn't react in any way, nor try to take it back, so he takes it to mean that she wants him to know that.
"But I am part of a mafia family?" Edward asks her uncertain of what her statement means.
"And?" Bella asks him not understanding what he is asking her.
Edward leans his face into the palm of her hand as he asks her, "Don't you think I am a failure for not being a part of the thing I have been taught since I was a child?"
Bella shakes her head and lets out some of her displeasure with his family. "I think it's a testimony of your strength that you managed to see through your family's indoctrination."
Edward closes his eyes feeling for the first time in his life at peace. All his life, he has felt like he wasn't enough. For the longest time, he felt like he was running on a treadmill he can't get off while trying to catch something that is two steps beyond the treadmill. For his entire life, he has felt like there have been all of those voices in his head telling him what he should do, who he should be, but for the first time, none of those voices can be heard.
It feels like the calm before the storm, except that there is no storm to go go through.
Edward opens his mouth unsure what he will tell her. Maybe he will tell her that he loves her. Maybe he will tell her that she is the best thing that ever happened to him, but just as soon as he opens his mouth, the bell rings.
"Let's wait for Adam outside the car," he tells her with a sigh, sitting up straight.
Bella nods her head but asks him, "What were you gonna say?"
"It's not important," he replies then gets out of the car. It is important, but the moment is gone. Plus, it's too early to say anything now.
He walks around the car then opens the door for her and helps her out of the car. Once she's standing up, Bella surprises him by taking his hand in hers and intertwining their fingers. Edward looks down at their joined hands then looks up to find her smiling shyly at him. He smiles recognizing what her action means as they walk toward the driver's side of the door and wait for Adam to come out. Bella perks up once she spots Adam. She waves at him then lets go of Edward's hand and walks toward him.
"Mummy, what are you doing here?" Adam asks as Bella leans down to hug him.
She stoops low to talk to him and tells him, "I came with my friend Edward to take you out for lunch. Is that okay?"
Adam looks behind her at Edward before he looks at her and tells her, "I guess."
"How was school?" she asks him as she takes his hand in hers and leads him to the car.
"Okay," Adam replies shrugging.
"Jeremy didn't bother you?" Bella probs.
Adam tells her as they reach Edward, "Jeremy is sick and couldn't speak today."
Serves that devil right.
"Hey Adam, would you like if I join you and your mummy for lunch?" Edward asks smiling as he puts his hand forward to shakes Adam's.
"As long as we don't have burgers. We had that yesterday," Adam answers him.
Edward throws his head back laughing and says, "Deal."
Edward opens the door and lifts up Adam and places him in the car, but right before Edward closes the door, Adam tells Bella and Edward, "Jeremy is the one holding the hands of a woman wearing a red jacket."
Edward closes the door and looks toward the person Adam mentioned. "Fuck!"
"What is it?" Bella asks him worriedly placing her hand on his arm.
He turns to her nervously and tells her, "Jeremy's mother is the niece of Royce King."
Hello lovely people of the internet,
I am back, and if you haven't gotten the chapter after this, you will have it in a couple of minutes.
We finally had our first kiss today which in my defence, I almost forgot that that is a milestone every couple is supposed to have. Have you figured out that I am an anti-dating person? Or, do you need more clues?
What do you think of what we learned about them so far? When do you think they will say I love you to each other? What do you think will happen with the Kings? What Edward finally stop working for the family mafia? More importantly, what do you think will happen on their lunch together with Adam?
Tell me your thoughts in the review section.
Until you read the next update,
Stay Safe