Helplessly We Fall
AN: 1, 2, 3...here we go! Are you sure you're ready guys?
The population of Forks High was in hysterics over what they had witnessed between Bella and Rosalie, and by the time lunch rolled around the rumor mill was churning out the wildest theories. Her favorite was that she and Rosalie had been secretly dating since the Cullen's came to Forks, but Rosalie was too far in the closet to come out. It was wild that anyone could believe that Rosalie Hale, living embodiment of the Goddess Aphrodite, was scared of anything. Rosalie was not a coward, Bella didn't know everything about Rose but she was sure of this.
There was also a rumor that she and Rosalie had a friends-with-benefits type situation happening, but Bella was in love with Rose and Rosalie was just stringing Bella along. This rumor was more in the realm of real possibilities, if it wasn't for the fact that Bella thought better of Rose's character. Bella had a feeling that Rosalie only ever did the things she wanted to do and that included choosing where to give her attention. Bella was just happy to be the one chosen at the moment. However the stories were getting more outlandish by the hour and Bella found herself equally amused as she was exacerbated.
"Well, well, well…isn't that a nice sweater?" Jessica's overly sweet tone was an immediate mood killer for Bella as her exacerbation finally won out over her previous amusement and she found herself rolling her eyes before she could help it. Still Bella continued to switch out her books from her locker for the ones in her bag before turning to face her nosy friend with a half-hearted smile.
"Hey Jess, what's up? Did Mike finally ask you to Homecoming?" She had hoped to bypass any questioning about Rosalie by steering the conversation toward Jessica's favorite subject; Mike Newton. She took a step back in hopes of heading to lunch. "He does know that he only has three more weeks right?"
Jessica's face lit up with excitement and she seemed about ready to go on a tangent and land right into Bella's trap. Bella grinned, thinking she had successfully diverted her attention, but then Bella's smile fell as Jessica seemed to zero in and refocus; her excitement turning to smugness as she crossed her arms and leaned against Bella's now closed locker. Bella sighed before leaning against the locker closest to her, copying Jessica's position.
"Just spit it out, Jess, I don't wanna spend the whole lunch period here." She relented, thinking about how much time she had left between classes.
Jessica pouted for a whole two seconds before her excitement finally spilled out into one stupid question. "I only wanted to know what kind of material it was made out of because, like, it's really nice!"
Bella stared at her friend in complete bewilderment. "W-What?" Bella stuttered in confusion, her mind truly blank from being caught off guard.
Jessica shrugged innocently and pushed herself off the locker, dancing her way around Bella. Bella spun with her, suddenly feeling as though she were being circled by a shark as Jessica's smile morphed into one that was more condescending than sweet. Finally Jessica stopped and said, "You should check because I'm most definitely sure it's made out of girlfriend material."
Bella let loose a dramatic gasp and before she could stop herself she reached out to hit her friend upside her head. Jessica expected this though, as one did when friend's with Bella Swan, and ducked out from her reach. She squealed all the way down the hall and to the lunch room, not caring about the looks she was getting or the furious, blushing Bella she had left behind.
Bella on the other hand was torn between chasing her friend down and possibly making a scene in the now full cafeteria or she could be a grown up and ignore her friend's childish antics. Bella sighed and ran a hand through her hair, slightly tussling it to the side as she tried to control the whirlwind of emotions inside of her. When she was sure her blush had faded she quickly made her way to the lunch room.
The room was full, to no one's surprise, though Bella could see that Jessica had just managed to sit down at their usual table, already in full gossip mode. Angela caught her eyes from across the room, questions and slight outrage alight in her eyes, and Bella felt reassured just by that so she made a show of smirking and circled a finger around the side of her head to show Angela, silently, just how crazy Jessica was. Angela covered her laugh with a cough and turned back to the table. Bella smiled as she grabbed a pre-made salad from the line, at least she could always count on Angela to have her back in the friend group; well, most of the time.
Turning away from the line, Bella halted as a very close Rosalie now stood in her path. Everything stopped as she was met with a pair of very intense golden eyes. For merely half a second the two were frozen in time, and after that it was like time moved in fast forward and four very important things happened within the span of seconds.
First, like the fool she was known to be, Bella saw the salad container drop from her hands. Second, too fast for anyone but Bella to see, Rosalie caught the plastic container midair like fucking Spiderman. Third, their eyes met, Bella fully in shock and Rosalie calm as a cucumber. Then the forth and most important thing happened; Rosalie smirked, her face a mask of confidence like she was expecting a challenge. It was that look in her eyes that was enough to snap time and space back into place, and the world came back into focus for Bella.
'What in the actual fuck was that?'
Bella's mind spun as she tried to comprehend what she had just witnessed. Rosalie's hand had been nothing but a blur and if it wasn't for the solid truths that Bella knew to be true, that she had dropped the salad, watched it fall and that it was now it was in Rosalie's hand as though it magically appeared, Bella could have brushed it off as a trick of the mind. Like maybe Rosalie had just grabbed the item from Bellal; however that smirk and the challenge in Rosalie's eyes told Bella that what she saw was correct…and Rose seemed to be waiting for Bella to make the next move.
Curiosity burned so brightly in Bella that she seemed incapable of action and she looked to Rosalie for help. It's comical almost, this revelation or declaration or whatever it was that Rosalie was doing had caused Bella's world to turn upside down and all Bella could do was look at her in search of a lifeline to make it all make sense. Bella felt utterly helpless, her wide eyes staring at Rose in terror as she felt herself becoming consumed by the need for Rosalie to tell her everything was going to be alright. The desperate need Bella felt for Rosalie's comfort made her feel sick and far more vulnerable than she had ever remembered feeling.
A cold hand took Bella's free, and forgotten, hand that still hung midair. Bella blinked, her eyes no less wide and every bit as scared as she let Rosalie pull her from the lunchroom to the open hallway outside. The cold air from outside hit her like a slap in the face, her chest aching as it filled her lungs with a harp intake. Bella might have been panicking and she knew it was not about the most pertinent subject, which was not helping matters at all.
"Bella, you need to calm down. The bell is about to ring and you cannot freak out in a hall full of humans. Bella?"
It seemed all pretense had dropped with Rosalie and the use of the word humans had broken through Bella's panicking haze and sunk in. Humans. If they were humans, then what was Rosalie? Bella blinked as the bell rang and the hall filled with eager students. You could feel the collective murmurs as they passed Rosalie and Bella who were still standing in close proximity, their hands still interlaced. Some milled around as if hoping to catch a snippet of conversation but neither girl spoke, nor did they move from their positions.
Bella was looking at Rosalie with new eyes. It seemed like for the first time her brain was allowing her to recognize all the signs that there was something different about Rosalie. She was beautiful beyond the point of perfection and Bella had never seen Rosalie actually eat anything; even when Rosalie took Bella to lunch after her release from the hospital, the blonde hadn't ordered anything but a glass of water that she never touched. Rosalie's eyes had changed from black to dark honey to bright gold and Bella had never, not once second guessed it. The most glaring oddity came with Rosalie's hand still in Bellas. Rosalie was always cold when she touched Bella. Bella had been too blinded by her crush to ever question that had been, effectively popping her bubble.
The hall cleared after another few moments, but still neither girl moved, like both were scared of what happened next. A small amount of courage sparked to life in Bella's heart as she looked at Rosalie. The blonde had lost her previous confidence and now her face was nothing but stoney apathy, but Bella could see something else that looked like resignation in her eyes. It wasn't a good look on Rose. Bella squeezed Rosalie's hand, noting that though her skin was soft and pliable, the underlying structure of her bones felt hard as stone. Bella didn't let the continued epiphanies deter her.
"So uh should I be surprised that you're actually Aphrodite?" Bella gave a lopsided smile as Rosalie started to relax her shoulders. "Because, like, I'm not surprised at all. Yup, this is me! I am not surprised that my best friend is actually a living breathing Goddess." Bella paused as Rosalie's face cracked with a small tilt of her lips. "Should I bow?"
Finally the tension was eased as Rosalie dropped Bella's hand to knock their shoulders together. Bella swayed slightly in exaggeration and held her shoulder like it hurt. "Whoa there, remember I am but your humble, mortal, servant my Goddess, you mustn't crush me. Who else would tend your temple?'
Rosalie rolled her eyes but seemed more relieved now that Bella wasn't outright rejecting her. "I always control myself around you. You're never in danger."
Bella gulped, easily catching the hidden meaning behind Rosalie's words. Whatever Rosalie was, she was dangerous, but not to Bella. "That's good, I fear a Goddess's wrath."
"You should."
Bella frowned. "What does that mean?"
Rosalie sighed, then she turned her head down the hall, her head tilted slightly to the side and eyes locked on an unseen target. Before Bella could ask about it, Rosalie's focus was once again on her. "It means that we have to have a real conversation Bella, and it has to be about everything, like me, like Charlie…like us."
It was that last bit that actually scared Bella. No, it terrified Bella. Everything was fine and dandy back when the world made sense, when Rosalie was just a beautiful friend that Bella had a crush on, now Rosalie wanted to throw around words like us and maybe confirm that little bit of hope Bella had been holding onto? The reality that maybe, possibly, Rosalie felt the same as Bella was something Bella had never truly believed in.
Right, Rosalie was still waiting for an answer, so Bella did what she did best, she went into avoidance mode.
"Look Rose, nothing has changed okay? But I think maybe I need some time before we have that conversation. It's just so much." Bella tried her best not to hurt Rosalie's feelings but it was true, she needed time to think, but Rosalie was the same she had always been, at least Bella thought she was.
"Sure Bella, take your time; but in the meantime, nothing will change between us?" Rosalie asked, and it unnerved Bella to see Rose look even a little bit unsure.
So Bella gave Rose her best smile and bumped her shoulder. "We're good, I swear. Now let's get to class before the teacher blows a gasket."
Rosalie seemed to accept this and Bella was happy to follow her to class, her salad dumped along the way. Bella's stomach grumbled and she couldn't decide if the churning was from an empty stomach or the pending doom she felt toward the lingering conversation and unanswered questions that loomed over her head.