Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I make profit off of Twilight. All rights belong to it's author Stephanie Meyer
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GuestMG- Thank you so much for your review it really made me smile. I wanted to make Edward more of a brother in my version and less like a lover like in the original. So their relationship comes off as more endearing because they're isn't a romance between them. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to review, It really made my day!
ReadingRainbow7- Thank you so much for the review, I'm so sorry I made you wait for a responds and also for another chapter. I hope you like this one and thank you again for taking the time out of your busy day to leave such a kind review!
AzureTheVampire- HELLO! Long time no see am I right?! Thank you so much for sticking around and continuing to read and review on my little story here, it means the world to me! I'm sorry it's been so long and hope to see you pop up again soon! As always thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to always leave such nice reviews! They always make me smile!
Ooshnish- I dedicate this whole chapter to you, because without your comment I probably wouldn't have come back. 4 months after my last chapter and a notification popped up that someone had reviewed. I immediately read it and instantly hopped back on to my computer to start and finish this chapter! Thank you for reading and thank you for caring about this story when I didn't know if I cared myself. Getting back into this story and this world really made me want to write again and I can't thank you enough! Sorry I made you wait so long and I really hope this was worth the wait! THANK YOU!
time-twilight- I'm going to be spoiling some future things here, but I have never intended for a romantic pairing with these two. My problem with twilight is I didn't feel like I got enough of just seeing Edward as a brother. Yes I know they're not actually his siblings but they have been together for so long that I wanted some protective older brother content. As for Bella I wont spoil that to much but can let you know she will eventually pop up! Thank you so much for reviewing, even months later it made me happy to know people were still reading this story. Thank you for taking the time out of your OWN day to leave such a kind and interactive review! P.S sorry I made you wait so long!
I might have a problem
Theirs a cold hand on my face, starting at my temples and brushing back to comb through my bangs, it feels nice and I sigh. A slight smell of antiseptic and orange citrus hits my nose. I force my eyes open finding Carlisle sitting on the bed, his hair slightly skewed on one side, and although I know it's impossible, his eyes look tired.
"You're home?" I croak out, sleep still heavy in my voice,
"There was an accident. I was there longer than I expected." He explains the sadness evident in his voice, "How was school?" I take another breath enjoying Carlisle's scent,
"It was good." He smiles at that,
"That's what I heard, I'm glad but I had no intention of waking you up, so go back to sleep."
"Mmmm." My eyes are already drifting close, I can't help smiling when Carlisle's fingers return to lightly and ever so gently brush my bangs back.
…
Alice's eyes bare into mine and for the fifth time I roll my eyes and sigh,
"Let it go." Her eyes travel down from mine back to my clothes,
"I still don't understand what was wrong with the clothes I chose." She huffs, crossing her arms across her chest and collapsing into her seat in the back of Edwards Volvo.
"It was cute."
"See!" She sits up quickly pulling at her seatbelt,
"For a school teacher."
"Excuse me?"
"Wrong choice of words Mare." Edward chides from the driver's seat where he and Jasper have been whispering to themselves the whole duration of this car ride.
"It was practical, warm, and perfect for someone your age not to mention comfortable which you said you liked, granted it's not a style but I did take it into consideration." I roll my eyes peeking down at the outfit I switched to, going from Alice's option of point pants, white button-up, red sweater, and ankle boots, to jeans, sneakers and a navy blue hoodie I found in the section Alice marked, "At home casual." I know very well Alice never intended for any of the clothes in that section to be worn out in public, but so far every fit she's thrown over my clothing choices has been hushed by Esme so for now she'll have to simply live with it. Although the glares I don't think will stop any time soon.
"I think she looks nice," Jasper mutters quietly. Alice looks up.
"You think cowboy hats and chaps look nice too." She bites back playfully. I see a small smile spread across Jasper's face. So far my interactions with Jasper have been minimal, he doesn't talk to me or seek me out like Edward and Emmett, but he doesn't downright ignore me like Rosalie, so I guess we're on good terms, but it also seems like it could take a turn at any minute.
"Oh wait," Alice reaches around into her backpack as Edward pulls into the school right behind Emmett's hummer. I'm already grabbing my stuff in preparation to get out. Now that I have a general idea of where I'm going, I don't need Edward and Alice to help me out as much. Hopefully, this will help in letting me get away from being another Cullen.
"Ouch, Mare." Edward jabs from the front seat pulling into a parking spot,
"Stop it." I remind him grabbing the door handle,
"Here," Alice grabs my arm. I turn to find her holding out a folded piece of paper, I eye her up and down before lifting my brows.
"It's our phone number," Alice rolls her eyes, "You can give it to Cody later."
"How did you..."
"Vision," Alice and Edward chime in sync.
"Thank you." I grab the paper and look to the driver's seat, Edward sighs annoyed but smirks,
"You can go."
"Do you want one of us to walk y-" I open and close the door before Alice can finish, shouting an apology in my head that I know Edward will pass on and quicken my steps to the correct building for homeroom. I shove the phone number into my backpack and pull out the English homework, just as someone holds open the door for me. I mumble a quick thank you and rush to Mr. Jones's room, I place the homework on the corner of his desk with the others and head to the same seat I sat in yesterday only to find Tandy sitting there instead, was she in this class yesterday?
"Marceline" She smiles. I can't find it in me to give her one back,
"Just Mare." She excitedly shrugs her shoulders,
"Okay, Mare." I give her a nod and turn-taking the seat in front of her. I'm hoping she'll leave me alone, but all my hopes are dashed when I feel a single finger tap my shoulder. Slowly I turn,
"Yes?"
"Have you given any thought to my offer yesterday?" I furrow my brows,
"What?"
"It's okay you're new, but Dakota Gordon? She's not the most... what's the word? Favorable person to be seen with."
"I'm sorry." Am I stuck in Twilight or a bad teen comedy?
"She's lame, spreads rumors, dresses poorly, just like her parent's social standing and she's not the brightest if you ask me." I tilt my head to the side because I didn't ask her.
"Spreads rumors?" Suddenly she looks down, a sad mask on her face,
"Last year I went to a camp for down and out children, just to help right, and when I came back to school in the fall, she told everyone I went to LA for..." she leans closer and I can't help the shiver creeping up my spine, "plastic surgery," She whispers,
"That wasn't a rumor and Cody didn't spread it. You left school with a size ten nose and came back with a size four," A boy sitting diagonally turns around towards me and Tandy. I recognize him as one of the people at the lunch table yesterday, I think he was Alex.
"Mind your business," Tandy spits venom in his direction. He only rolls his eyes before giving me a "she's crazy" look, I take a breath and open my mouth,
"Ta-"
"Anyway," She cuts me off quickly, "I know it was hard to take me up on my offer yesterday surrounded by the others, but now that it's just you and me you can be honest." She smiles and I nod pursing my lips,
"Okay," I start, "I think I'll stay where I am." I turn back before her smile can turn into a frown, but that doesn't stop her,
"Excuse me?" She sounds out slowly,
"You heard her, buzz of Tonya." Alex turns back towards her with a shooing motion,
"Stop calling me that!" She practically shouts grabbing the other students' attention. I keep my eyes forward but hear the scrapping of the desk and retreating footsteps. Alex waits until the sound of her steps are on the other side of the classroom before turning towards me,
"Nice job." I sigh,
"I feel like I did something wrong," Alex shrugs,
"Nah, you'll be fine, "Tandy's"" he says her name with air quotes, "is harmless trust me." I raise an eyebrow but smirk anyway. I'm sure he's right, besides "Tandy" wasn't in the parts I read of the book, so she has to be harmless.
…
Tandy is not harmless. I only have one class with her, and that is homeroom/English, but she seems to have classes in the same buildings as I do and makes it known to me that I have indeed made a mistake. Between the glares and the bumping to get passed me, I've fully convinced myself that I am in a bad 90s teen movie, and by the time I get to study hall I just sit down at my desk and place my head down. Is this my life from now on? I had mean girls back home, but they were more of the spread rumors behind your back kind of crowd. Cody taps me on the back, but I turn towards her and shake my head before laying my head back down on my desk. It's only when we get to lunch and Alex recites what happened in homeroom to everybody that Cody gets it and nudges me with a smile,
"Well look at you go." I sigh, feeling the glare of Tandy's eyes behind my head as I reach for my lunch bag,
"I didn't do anything worth celebrating." Cody tsks next to me,
"Tandy always gets what she wants, and what she wants is to be popular, however, it's hard when your family is the most elusive and rich kids in the county." Slowly I pull out the Monte Cristo sandwich Esme packed me for lunch and quickly place it back in the bag. Nothing says privilege like a triple-decker ham and Swiss cheese sandwich dipped in custard and pan-fried. What happened to peanut butter and jelly?
"They're not that rich." I lie through my teeth,
"They're?" Todd asks one eyebrow raised,
"It's not my money." I cover quickly.
"Ya, but you kinda benefit from it." It takes everything in me not to huff right then and there because they're right. In the span of a few weeks, I've been gifted a whole fully furnished room complete with a wardrobe.
"Okay, so they have money, what's the point here?"
"The point," Cody elaborates biting into her apple, "Is your family has money and Tandy's family has money which means if you're not on her side, you're automatically against her, and your family has more than hers." I throw my lunch back into my backpack and sigh,
"What is this some bad teen movie from the 90s?" I've been thinking it all day, but this is the first time I've said it out loud. Cody snickers,
"High school? Might as well be."
"Don't look now, but Tandy is giving you a dirty look," Alex whispers leaning closer to steal one of Cody's fries from her tray. She slaps him away,
"That's not a dirty look, that's just her face." She turns towards me, "Ignore her." I lean my head down with a frown,
"You don't have to worry." Somehow I still feel like I do.
…
I'm walking out of the cafeteria, Cody by my side when a hand with small viselike fingers grips my bicep and pulls me towards them, I turn to find Alice, and open my mouth to protest but close it when I see her wide-set eyes and slightly parted lips.
"Follow me," She whispers. I let her pull me off to the side, partly hidden behind a small enclave,
"What's going on?"
"Take the back way to the parking lot today, from the art and music building." I furrow my brows, it's only my second day, but even I know that way is clearly out of the way,
"But that's the long way-"
"I know, but just for today, can you do that?" I purse my lips ready to argue, but it's her eyes that stop me. She's worried about something,
"Ya, I can do that." She nods, but the worry in her eyes is still there and she reaches down to squeeze my hand,
"Promise?" I nod, she breathes out a sigh and lets go of my hand, "Hurry to algebra, Mr. Crown doesn't like tardiness."
"Alice-"
"Hurry,"
"But-"
"Cody's waiting."
…
The last bell rings just as I'm putting my biology 1 book in my bag, Cody who's sits next to me is already ready and packed slinging her bag over her shoulder and waiting for me. It's then that I remember Alice's words,
"Can we go the back way today?" She raises her eyebrows,
"The long way?" I bite my cheek and nod, "It's kinda out of the way," She's right, we're closer to the front entrance not to mention going the back way would take an extra five minutes.
"No, you're right," I could go alone, but part of me is afraid to be in this school all by myself, so even against my promise to Alice I follow Cody out and towards the front.
"Oh by the way," Cody slows down pulling something out of her backpack,
"Here's my phone number," She holds out a small folded slip of paper. Alice's ominous warning almost made me forget and I slip my backpack off my shoulder digging into the front pocket to pull out the paper she gave me this morning.
"Here's mine, although I warn you seven other people live in that house so if you call I can't guarantee I'll pick up." Cody smiles, and I slip my backpack back onto my shoulders
"Having to talk to Edward or Emmett, Oh wow sounds terrible." The sarcasm drips from her voice and I can't help the smirk on my lips,
"Emmett's taken." She makes a face,
"Ya, have you ever thought about how weird it is that two couples live in your house," I have and I agree, and if they were human I would be more uncomfortable with it than I currently am, but I can't tell Cody that so I search for any answer I can give her that sounds relatively normal?
"They're not, not related." It's a stretch,
"I guess but-" My backpack is suddenly wretched from my shoulders, the momentum taking me with it, sending me sprawled out onto the floor my backpack the only thing cushioning my fall onto the hard linoleum.
"Are you kidding me!?" Cody's voice rings in my stunned ears, the fall being more surprising than painful,
"Opps." It takes me a second to look around and find Tandy standing above me, three of her friends behind her. I blink once, twice and then I realize what's happened. Tandy must have grabbed one of the straps on my backpack and pulled back hard, knocking me off balance and sending me to the floor. I grunt and then roll onto my hands and knees to grab my bearings real quick,
"Wow Tandy, how original. Picking on the new kid, what are you going to do next, pour pig's blood on her." Cody holds her hand out, hard glare in Tandy's direction.
"What a good idea?" I grab Cody's hand only to let go when something cold and wet is poured onto my head, slowly I look up to find a smile on Tandy's face and her now empty water bottle directly over my head. Despite the cold water, my face feels hot and my chest constricts with a frustrated sob. My eyes feel wet, but I know that's not from the full bottle of water dumped on my head. I take a deep breath and force myself back on to my feet and turn heading for the entrance, keeping my face and my eyes forward, very well aware that everyone around is staring straight at me now. The tears feel hot, but I refuse to let them fall, not here, not now. I'm aware of Cody calling after me and even though she's one of my few friends here, I could care less and I refuse to stop. I push open the doors and spot Edward's car, the others mulling around. Alice's eyes spot me first and they look sad at the fact that I broke her promise,
"Mare?" She reaches for me, but I quickly shrug her off, instead throwing open Edwards Volvo car and plop right down, not caring that my wet hair and shirt are soaking into the expensive leather seats. A few minutes pass before Edward opens the driver's side and delicately sits down to start the car. The back doors don't open so I can only assume Alice and Jasper have chosen to drive home with Rosalie and Emmett. Good choice.
"Mare-"
"Leave me alone." I realize how harsh it is and add a "Please," In a small pathetic voice. Edward's lips push together and he speeds up, driving home faster than usual, the tree's speeding by with illegal speed, but I'm not mad, I'm not scared. I just want to get home...it's not really my home. This isn't really my world...I thought I wanted it to be.
Edward pulls into the driveway, the gravel underneath creating a song until Edward pulls into the garage, I push open the car and slam it all before Edward can turn off the car, leaving my backpack on the floor of the passengers side and quickly head for the door. I only have one thought on my mind and that's a shower. I take the steps two at a time,
"Mare?" Esme's voice questions from the kitchen and I feel a pang of regret in my heart knowing she's probably waiting there with a snack and I'm instead choosing to ignore her and run for the seclusion of the room she created. Angry tears are threatening to overflow and I won't let anyone in this house see me cry. When I get upstairs and into the room next to Edwards I close the door and flinch when it slams shut and then head to the bathroom. Tandy only poured water on me, but it feels like she poured her disdain and pettiness on me and I need it off.
I strip and hop in the shower faster than I ever had and turn the water on as hot as I can stand it and start scrubbing over every part of my body. I wash and condition my hair twice scrubbing at my scalp with my nails until it hurts and then I move to my skin, watching as my arms and legs turn pink. Maybe if I scrub hard enough I'll be able to go home, the steam and hot water swirling around me until I find I'm in my own shower back home and so I wait. I finish scrubbing my body and sit down, pulling my knees to my chest and let the water run down around me. It's just one girl, one girl from a fictional world I suddenly found myself in. This isn't the worst I've dealt with, she's only set her angry sights on me, my mother has done worst, so why am I so upset. I think about this as the water starts to cool down, I finally stop thinking and turn it off when it becomes too cold to stand and then slowly crawl out of the shower and grab one of the decorative towels Esme has had hung up and curl up around it.
I sit on the floor until my feet fall asleep and then on shaky legs stand up and step out of the bathroom into the closet, blowing passed Alice's nice clothes and grab the slouchiest sweatpants I can find. These ones I picked out myself on our last shopping trip, Alice look like she could have a heart attack when I picked them up, but one look from Esme kept her from saying anything. I grab a stretchy white cotton t-shirt and soft socks, I dress and step out only to stop when I spot Carlisle sitting in one of the chairs in the spot Esme named the book nook, although the shelves are currently empty. Carlisle smiles when he sees me and pats the empty plush chair next to him,
"Let's talk sweetheart." I swallow, biting my cheek before slowly stepping closer to take the empty spot next to him. I don't want to talk, but by the looks of Carlisle's gentle smile and relaxed posture, it seems he's not going anywhere. He waits until I'm comfortably sitting to speak,
"Edward told me, there was a problem with one of the other girls at school today." Damnit Edward,
"It's nothing I can't handle," It feels like I'm lying and telling the truth at the same time,
"That doesn't excuse the fact that you shouldn't have to. Mare honey, if someone is bothering you at school, even if you feel like you alone can take care of it, you don't have too." My saliva feels sticky in my mouth,
"Carlisle it's nothing, I overreacted, I'm sorry."
"Mare, you don't have to be sorry for your feelings, but you also don't have to hide them-"
"I'm not, really it's okay. Today was a misunderstanding, it'll be fine." I don't want Carlisle to take care of my problems but most importantly I don't want him to worry over small things.
"This girl pouring water over you, that was a misunderstanding?" Damnit, Edward! I nod,
"More of an accident, I don't think she meant it." Carlisle ponders this possibility for a minute and then reaches forward and places a cold hand on my knee,
"You don't have to deal with this alone, am I clear?" I'm taken aback, but nod anyway, "I understand how you are Mare, and if you think this isn't going to harm you or cause trouble in your education I won't do or say anything to the school, but I want you to know if anything bad comes from this, or you don't feel safe; I want you to come to me or Esme, whoever you feel most comfortable with. Are we clear?"
"Yes."
"Promise me, Marceline." I swallow,
"I promise." Carlisle's smile is small, but it seems I've placated him enough and he gives my knee a firm squeeze,
"Alright, I'll leave you alone until dinner okay? The others will too."
"Thank you." He stands, and suddenly his hand reaches forward and my mind flashes back to my mother, grabbing my hair as if trying to rip it from the roots only to let go and throw me on the floor. I flinch and push my back harder into the chair. Carlisle pulls back, his eyebrows furrowing. I jump to my feet eyes wide,
"Mar-"
"Is it okay if I take a nap before my dinner? I'll do my homework after." The words tumble out of my mouth like clumsy steps and Carlisle's face softens a sad expression behind his eyes.
"Of course, I'll wake you." His voice is low and gentle, and for a second were both left staring at one another, until he finally steps forward heading for the door, "Get some rest sweetheart." He closes the door with a soft thud and I finally take a breath, not even realizing I was holding air hostage inside my lungs with anticipation and fear. Fear, fear Carlisle saw a part of me I didn't want him to see, to know. I let my guard down and now I'm exhausted. Taking Carlisle's advice I walk to the bed and pull back the covers before crawling underneath the too plush comforter and bury my thoughts for the day and close my eyes giving into everything swirling around me.