Chapter Song: Creep by Radiohead
Characters belong to SM. Everything else belongs to me.
Chapter 2 – The Kids Aren't Alright
Whispers.
Everywhere he went Jasper was greeted with whispers.
The perks of being one of the new kids, he thought bitterly.
Jasper wasn't looking forward to seeing Edward in chemistry lab. After the way his brother had brushed him off and basically run away from him this morning, Jasper just wanted to avoid him until they were back home where they could talk privately.
He took a deep breath and pulled the heavy door open, walking into the classroom and glancing around. A sigh of relief escaped him when he realized Edward wasn't there yet. He had Mr. Molina sign the sheet of paper the office had given him and took his assigned seat at the back of the room. His lab partner was already there, measuring liquids into various beakers and reading a set of detailed lab instructions.
"Hi!" She chirped when he sat down. "I'm Alice Brandon. You must be Jasper Cullen?"
Jasper smiled and nodded his head. Alice was beautiful. Long, wavy brown hair framed her face and fell just past her shoulders, while big, expressive hazel eyes sparkled with an immeasurable amount of excitement. Short and thin, Jasper guessed she was the type of girl who could light up an entire town with just one smile.
"Making new friends, Ali?" A leggy blonde dropped her bag on the floor next to the table in front of them and sat down. She looked Jasper up and down, clearly appraising him, before turning to face her friend.
"Jasper Cullen, meet Rosalie Hale, Saint Vincent's very own mean girl." Alice smirked as Rosalie reached out and swatted at her arm.
"For the record, I'm only mean to those who deserve it." Rosalie flipped her hair over her shoulder and studied her nails.
"Which is approximately seventy-five perfect of the student body if my calculations are correct." Alice giggled and stuck her tongue out at Rosalie.
"Better a mean girl than a Martha." A tall, muscular guy with dark hair and clear blue eyes parked himself in the chair next to Rosalie. He reached out and gave Jasper a firm handshake.
"Emmett McCarty."
"Jasper Cullen." Mr. Molina was about to close the classroom door when another pretty brunette girl walked in. She took a seat at the table across the aisle and waved at Alice and Rosalie.
"That's Bella Swan," Alice explained.
"I'm not expected to remember all these names am I?" Jasper joked.
"In the first five minutes? No. By the end of the week? Absolutely." Alice winked and turned her attention to the front of the room where Mr. Molina was calling the class to order and taking roll.
"Ms. Swan, it appears your new lab partner doesn't understand the concept of punctuality, so you'll have to get started on your own this morning." Bella rolled her eyes and let out a disgusted sigh. Jasper knew his brother was the missing lab partner, given there was only one empty seat remaining in the room. Mr. Molina went through the lab instructions with them and had the class get started.
"You moved here from Washington, right?" Alice was busy heating a combination of powder and liquid chemicals over the Bunsen burner. Jasper was reading the instructions to her and taking notes in the appropriate sections of their lab notebook.
"News travels fast around here I see."
Alice looked up at him and smiled. "My mom works on the same floor of the hospital as Esme. News does travel fast among the doctors."
The classroom door flung open and a disheveled looking Edward stepped inside. He trudged up to Mr. Molina's desk and set down a piece of paper. The teacher's eyes moved from the piece of paper to Edward's face to the clock and back to the piece of paper.
"Mr. Cullen, how kind of you to join us." Mr. Molina scrawled his signature on the paper and stood up, walking around to the front of the desk and crossing his arms over his chest. He looked up at Edward over the top of his glasses and frowned. "Your teachers in Seattle may have tolerated tardiness, but here at Saint Vincent's we don't. If you're late again I'll assign you a week of detention. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir." Edward mumbled, taking the paper and stuffing it in his bag.
"Please take a seat at the back next to Isabella. She will be your lab partner for the remainder of the semester." Edward hoisted his bag up on his shoulder and looked around the room. His eyes narrowed and he scowled when he realized who was already seated at his lab station. Bella blushed and shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
"Who is that?" Rosalie whispered as Edward walked by. Her expression was a mixture of disgust and surprise, and Jasper suddenly felt bad for his brother. He knew without having to ask that Edward had just been cast into the group of students Rosalie put her "mean girl" attitude on for.
"That's Jasper's brother," Alice said matter-of-factly. Emmett turned around and looked at Jasper.
"That's your brother? You two don't even look related." Emmett glanced over at Edward. "He's so-"
"Grungy." Rosalie said, finishing Emmett's sentence. Emmett laughed and nodded in agreement.
"We definitely won't be seeing him in the court after class I'm guessing."
"What's the court?" Jasper inquired. He'd heard it mentioned in one of his other classes, but hadn't taken the time to ask about it.
"The courtyard behind the school," Rosalie explained. "It's where everyone eats lunch."
"Everyone who Rose doesn't chase away, that is," Alice quipped. Rosalie reached over to swat her again but stopped when she noticed the stern look Mr. Molina was directing at her. She turned around and resumed her lab work, whispering something in Emmett's ear that made him look over his shoulder at Edward and laugh.
Jasper scrawled a few final notes in the lab notebook and helped Alice clean up the supplies from their experiment. He couldn't help but glance in his brother's direction after he took a seat.
Bella was sitting at the far side of the lab table, putting as much distance between her and Edward as was possible given the small space. She was trying to maintain the chemical mixture in front of her while furiously writing notes in the lab notebook. Her expression consisted of a healthy dose of anger mixed with a small dash of embarrassment. Edward, in the meantime, was spinning his pen around on his fingers and starring at the oversized poster of the Periodic Table of Elements in boredom.
"Poor Swan. She's doing all the work and her lab partner is a social leper." Rosalie shook her head in disgust and clicked her tongue. Emmett got a wicked smile on his face and stood up.
He walked over to Bella's lab table and pulled up a stool, taking a seat right between her and Edward.
"I don't think we've met yet." Jasper heard Emmett say. Edward stopped spinning the pen and fixed Emmett with a glare. The big boy draped his arm over Edward's shoulders and smirked.
"Do you have a name? Do you even speak? I think they might have special education classes to help you with that."
Rosalie and Bella snickered. Edward shrugged Emmett's arm off and stood up. "If I wanted you to know my name I would have told you. Thanks for attempting to insult me, however. It only serves as proof that jocks' IQs are rarely higher than the number on their jersey."
Emmett stood up and took two steps towards Edward, pushing him backwards into Jasper's lab table. Edward jumped up, immediately pulling his fist back, but Mr. Molina stepped between
the two boys before things got out of control.
"That's enough!" Mr. Molina gave Emmett a disapproving look and pointed to the door. "Take your things and go to Principle Varner's office right now!"
"But Mr. Molina-" Emmett started to protest.
"No buts, Mr. McCarty. I've spent the past seven years watching you and your friends here," the teacher said, gesturing towards Alice and Rosalie, "torment other students for no good reason. You're damn near adults now, the real world is knocking, and I will not turn my cheek and let you get away with it this year. Now, if you don't get down to Principle Varner's officeimmediately, I will see to it that you spend your first week of school in detention and not at football practice."
Emmett grabbed his bag angrily and headed for the door, deliberately bumping into Edward with his shoulder on the way out. Mr. Molina took his seat and looked around the room.
"Get back to work," he barked out, returning to the newspaper that was spread out over his desk.
Alice leaned towards Jasper. "Do you want to join us for lunch?"
He looked over at his brother and shook his head. "I should probably make sure Edward is-" Edward stood up and stormed out of the chemistry lab before Jasper could finish his sentence.
"He probably just wants to be alone right now."
Jasper looked over at the beautiful girl beside him. Lunch with Alice or arguing with Edward; this was a no-brainer. She's probably right anyhow, he thought to himself. Edward hadn't wanted to talk this morning, and chances were he wouldn't want to talk after class either. "Sure, I'd love to have lunch with you."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Japer gathered his things and followed Alice and Rosalie outside. Bella and some blonde haired guy he didn't recognized joined them a minute later.
Jasper's eyes scanned the court, searching for his brother. He found Edward staring at him from one of the second story classroom windows. Jasper gave him a smile and a small wave of acknowledgment, but Edward only shook his head in disgust and turned away.
"So, Jasper, tell us about Seattle." Alice's singsong voice drew his attention back to the table.
Maybe him and Edward having a break from one another was a good thing.
Maybe he was meant to lose everything and have to start over.
Maybe Alice would end up being the silver lining in a year that had started out rather hellishly.
Maybe moving to Chicago wasn't such a bad thing after all.
IYoK
Lunch in the court had always been Bella's favorite time of day. She loved being afforded an entire hour to enjoy the fresh air and the company of her good friends. Up until now, it never bothered her that the court was a place where only a select group of students spent their time.
Bella's eyes followed Jasper's to the window above the lunchroom. What she saw there broke her heart. Edward was standing in the window with one hand and his forehead pressed against the glass. He was staring intently at the group around her, and his expression was one of sadness and contempt. Bella never felt bad about excluding anyone from lunch before, but for some reason, she wished she'd at least extended an invitation to the other Cullen. Of course he probably would have declined in a not-so-friendly fashion, given how avoidant he'd been with her all morning.
Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Jasper give Edward a small wave. Edward did nothing but shake his head and disappear from the window.
"What the fuck is your brother's problem?" Emmett slammed his bag down on the ground and dropped into the chair next to Rose. "He's lucky Molina was there or I would have punched his pretty boy face."
Mike was clearly confused. "Who is your brother? More importantly, who are you?"
Jasper reached his hand out and Mike shook it cautiously. "Jasper Cullen, resident new guy."
"Mike Newton. I'm guessing Edward Cullen is your mystery sibling?"
"Mystery sibling and total fucking douche!" Emmett banged his fist against the table, causing the girls to jump. "I swear if he gets in my face like that again, I'm kicking his ass."
"How did you know who his brother was?" Bella asked curiously. Mike wrapped his arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Half the class is talking about his stunt in chemistry. He's the first NB to get away with fucking with Emmett in public like that."
Jasper furrowed his brow in confusion. "What's a NB?"
"A nobody," Rosalie said, emphasizing the word. Jasper winced. "If he adjusted his attitude and put on some decent clothes he might not fall into that category. Unfortunately there's no place for someone like him in our crowd."
"He's not normally like this," Jasper explained in his brother's defense. "We just lost our parents in a car accident a week ago, so his head isn't exactly in a good place right now."
Alice's hand flew over her mouth. "Oh my God, that's terrible! I'm so sorry."
"Thanks," Jasper mumbled. Bella gave him a sympathetic smile, but Emmett and Rosalie's expressions didn't change.
"Speaking of your brother…" Mike's eyes were fixed on something over Jasper's shoulder. Jasper turned around and saw Edward stalking across the courtyard towards them.
"What the fuck…" Emmett started to stand but Rosalie put a hand on his forearm and gave him a stern look. He sank back down into his chair and clenched his fists in his lap.
Edward stopped a few feet away from them.
"Hi, Edward!" Alice smiled brightly and greeted him. Jasper let out a sigh of relief. At least someone was making an effort to be nice. "Would you like to join us? We can get another chair for you."
Edward shook his head. "Thanks but no thanks. I just wanted to have a word with my brother."
"What's the matter? Are we not good enough for you to eat with, NB?" Emmett sneered. Mike laughed and reached across the table, pounding his fist against Emmett's. Rosalie smirked.
"No, I just don't think I could keep my food down if I had to look at that dog you call your girlfriend for an entire hour." This time it was Rose who stood instead of Emmett.
"Let's get something straight here, Cullen." She poked her finger into his chest and narrowed her eyes. "Saint Vincent's isn't like other schools. I'm not sure what you're accustomed to, but around here we," Rosalie made a sweeping gesture to the group behind her, "decide who and what is in or out. Insulting my boyfriend's intelligence and calling me a 'dog' are not roads to take if you want to be in. Now, I suggest you find somewhere else to spend your lunch hour, because the court is not open to you."
Edward looked around the group in front of him, feeling disgusted and embarrassed. Bella immediately averted her eyes when his settled on her. All morning he'd held out hope that she might be different from the rest of her friends. From the looks of it, the only one who was remotely decent was Alice, and Edward still wouldn't put it past her to succumb to the others' childish games.
"I really don't care who you think you are around here, Rosalie, but if I want to eat in the court, or do cartwheels across the court, or let some prep school slut suck my cock in the court, I will." Edward hoisted his bag up on his shoulder and gave everyone an artificial smile. He was well aware of the other students watching them and that only fueled the rage he felt. Jasper started to say something, but Edward cut him off. "Have a nice lunch with your fellow lemmings."
Jasper's shoulders sagged and the color drained from his face as he watched his brother yank the door to the school open and slam it shut behind him. He grabbed his backpack, prepared to go after Edward this time, but Rosalie tugged on his sleeve and fixed him with what he guessed was her trademark glare.
"If you want plan on joining us for lunch again tomorrow, I suggest you let your brother go sulk by himself."
"Rose, hon-" Alice tried to intervene.
Rosalie shook her head and held her hand up, signaling for Alice to stop talking. "No, Alice. Jasper has a choice to make." Rosalie smiled sweetly and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What's it going to be? In or out?"
Jasper's chest tightened and a ripple of panic passed through him. He knew he should go after Edward and let him know that regardless of what others thought about him, he was his brother and he'd always be on his side. At the same time, it was his senior year and he didn't want to spend it as an outcast, especially not in a school as small and intimate as this one. His desire for acceptance won, and Jasper sunk back into his spot next to Alice.
"Good choice." Rosalie smiled – a genuine smile this time - and cracked open her can of Diet Coke.
I am so totally fucked, Jasper thought to himself.
Acceptance came with a price, this Jasper knew.
He just never thought his relationship with his brother would become the currency.
IYoK
Edward slammed his locker shut and punched his fist against the wall. Pain radiated through his knuckles and wrist immediately, and he cringed, muttering out a string of profanities.
"Are you okay?" Edward felt a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around and was met by a pair of warm chocolate eyes. The hallway was deserted except for the two of them, and for some reason this pissed Edward off even more.
"Do you really care?" He shot back. Bella's jaw dropped and she took a few steps away from him. Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Would I ask you if I didn't?"
"Oh, please." Edward grabbed his bag and began a slow backwards saunter down the hall. "Ask me in front of the rest of your stand up group of friends and then I might start to believe you."
He pivoted and pushed the heavy main door open, leaving Bella and the uppity school behind him. Green eyes scanned the street in front of the school, and Edward immediately spotted the familiar Lincoln parked next to the curb.
Approaching James, he nodded a greeting. "Can you take me to the Metra station?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen instructed me to take you and Jasper wherever you needed to go. Riding the train is unnecessary."
"I appreciate that, but I want to take the train."
"Are you sure? It's my job-"
"I said I want to take the fucking train, James." Edward slipped in the car and slammed the door before the older man had a chance to respond.
A welcome silence filled the air, and ten minutes later Edward exited the car without saying a word. As luck would have it, a southbound train had just arrived, and he scooted on, taking a seat and pulling out his wallet and cell phone.
Three missed calls, two text messages, and a new Facebook notification greeted him when he unlocked the screen. All the calls were from his brother, as were the texts, but the Facebook alert was from Alice.
Alice Brandon has requested to be your friend on Facebook.
Edward narrowed his eyes and chewed absentmindedly on his lower lip. So Alice Brandon wanted to be his "friend" now? Being friends on a social network meant nothing to him, but it was a nice gesture no matter how small. He accepted the request and opened a blank text.
Coming downtown. Where can you meet me? – E
He added Tyler Crowley's contact information to the recipient field and sent the message off.
Tyler – or 'T-Crow,' as his friends called him – had gone to high school with Edward. Tyler was two years older than him, and had left Seattle a few years back to attend the University of Chicago. The boys had never been close, but Tyler's dad was a pharmacist, and needless to say he could get his hands on an endless supply of prescription goodies, which was exactly what Edward needed.
"Ticket?"
Ah, shit.
"I don't have one," Edward mumbled.
"That's fine, son, you can buy one from me. It's two dollars and seventy-five cents for a one-way trip." The ticket collector tore a ticket off the pad he carried and punched a hole in it.
Edward pulled the fifty Esme had given him earlier from his pocket and handed it to the man. "This is all I have."
The ticket collector smiled, pulling a wad of cash from his pocket and counting out change. "Here you go young man." He pressed the bills and the ticket into Edward's open palm. "Have a nice ride."
A buzz and a lit screen created a distraction.
Millers Pub in 45? Name your poison and how much you need. – TC
Edward sat on the question for a few minutes before replying.
Anything that will wash away reality… - E
20 Happy Pills and five Sticks should do it. $200 for all. In? – TC
Edward pulled his wallet out and flipped through the contents. He had three hundred dollars in cash on him in addition to what Esme had given him that morning. Somewhere deep inside, he felt a small pang of guilt. The money was from his college fund – his and Jasper's college fund – which neither his aunt nor his uncle knew he could access. His brother would probably kill him if he knew what Edward was using the money for, but when all was said and done, he just didn't care. Their trust funds alone contained more than enough to fund any higher education the boys chose to pursue.
In. What's the address? – E
134 S Wabash Ave. – TC
He tucked his wallet and phone back in his bag and turned his attention to the scenery outside.
Nine months and he was out of here.
Nine months and he was free from the shackles of Saint Vincent's and Chicago and his aunt and uncle.
Nine months and he could say, "fuck you" to everyone and everything around him.
Nine fucking months.
Edward couldn't wait.
IYoK
Bella knew Mike was waiting for her, but she didn't care. She watched the door slam shut behind Edward and sank to her knees, covering her face with her hands and allowing the tears that lingered behind her eyelids all day to finally fall free.
This was the second time her emotions had rendered her helpless like this, and it was only the first day of classes. At this rate she wasn't sure she'd make it through her senior year without a life vest and a few paddles.
"Are you okay, dear?" Bella's head snapped up and she found herself staring into Mrs. Cope's concerned eyes. Her legs somehow managed to straighten themselves, and Bella stood, wiping her tears away and brushing her hair behind her ears.
"I'm fine, thanks," she said quickly. "I thought I lost my iPod and overreacted."
Mrs. Cope bent down and picked up Bella's bag, holding it out and giving her a sad smile. "Your mother told me what happened last spring, Bella. If you ever need someone to talk to, please know my door is always open."
Of course she told her, Bella thought angrily. When has Renee ever been able to keep her mouth shut?
"Thanks." Bella grabbed her bag and took off down the hall, making it a point not to meet her teacher's stare. Warm fall air greeted her outside, chilling the areas of her face that were still
splattered with tears. She glanced around and, seeing no sign of her boyfriend, thought it safe to start her walk home.
Contrary to what she told Mrs. Cope, Bella's iPod was not lost. Popping her ear buds in place, she turned on her favorite Katy Perry tune and set off for her house. Phil was coming home from his two month long stint overseas tonight, which meant Renee would inevitably return from her stay at their Michigan Avenue condo as well.
When her mother re-married a mere two months after her divorce from Charlie was finalized, Bella promised herself she would try to do the right thing and respect her stepfather. It was no secret that Renee had been unfaithful to Charlie, and Phil was the illusive other man who had somehow managed to win her heart. He was part owner of the Chicago Cubs and the CEO of a major design firm. As if good looks and charm weren't more than enough, Phil also came with a big bank account and a whole network of high-profile Chicago friends. Bella assumed this was where his allure came from.
Her respect vanished when Phil tried to sexually assault her. She cringed as her vision became clouded with images from that night…
Fucking suits always had to have their fundraisers on a boat.
Bella leaned against Rosalie and tipped her head back. Strands of hair whipped against her cheeks, and she unleashed a ridiculous giggle. Two weeks back in Chicago and already she'd relapsed. Fortunately it was just a bit of green, and to her this was no big deal. If it weren't for the sticky, sweet herb she wouldn't have made it on the boat. Nothing was more anxiety provoking than having to put on a happy face for a crowd of people who she knew could give two shits less about her or anyone else in the room.
"Get off me, bitch," Rosalie laughed, shoving Bella with her elbow and pushing herself off the railing. "I'm going to get another drink."
"Bring one back for me?"
"She doesn't need a drink, Rosalie." Phil's baritone voice startled both girls.
"You just left sobriety camp, loser," Rosalie whispered. "Come find me when you can break free from the step monster."
"Don't you dare leave," Bella hissed, but Rose was already stalking off in the direction of the open bar.
"Are you enjoying the party, Bella? It must be a nice way to celebrate your homecoming."
"This isn't my homecoming party, Phil, but yes, it is nice." She turned around and faced him. "Where's Renee?"
"Your mother? She's talking to the Yorkies." Phil looked around and, realizing the deck was empty, took several steps toward her, closing the gap between them. "You look beautiful tonight."
Stomach churning, Bella tried to back up, but was greeted by the cold, hard feeling of the boat's railing. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that."
Phil chuckled. "Why hide the truth?" His fingertips traced the shell of her ear, hiding soft brown hair behind it. "You have your mother's eyes, you know."
She looked over her shoulder. God damnit Rosalie, where the fuck are you?
"Nobody can see us." Phil lowered his head until his mouth was just inches from her ear. "I've never met anyone as beautiful as you, Bella – not even your mother."
Tears welled up in her eyes and fear beat frantically in her chest. A strong hand clamped down on her bare shoulder, and Bella was about to let out a piercing scream when she heard the
sound of heavy heels meeting wood.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Rosalie wedged herself between them and shoved Phil backwards. He grabbed the railing to stop himself from falling.
"Don't you ever-" Skin met skin with a sharp THWAP! as Rosalie's palm collided with Phil's cheek.
"Don't you ever touch her again." Rosalie's hand found Bella's and she laced their fingers together, pulling her best friend to the restroom.
"Thank you," Bella whispered. Chunky tears rolled down her cheeks, washing away the final remnants of her high and the happy feeling she'd felt before.
"That son-of-a-bitch is lucky I didn't push his ass off this fucking boat!" Rose grabbed Bella's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Are you okay? Should I go get Renee?"
"No!" Bella wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. "That will only create a scene, and since I just got back, I don't want to do that."
"He was making a pass at you, B. You have every right to create a scene!"
Bella leaned her forehead against her best friend's. "We're in the middle of Lake Michigan, on a boat with fifty millionaires and their bubbleheaded dates. Nobody is going to bat an eye at
this, and I would rather not make anymore of a name for myself than I already have since Charlie left."
Rose's expression softened and she pressed her lips against Bella's forehead. "I think I have another joint in my purse. Wanna toke?"
Bella nodded appreciatively. "Absolutely."
Two weeks after the fundraiser, Bella tried to talk to Renee about what had happened. Her mother was appalled; not by Phil's behavior, but by the fact that Bella would say such a thing.
Rose encouraged her to call Charlie, but Bella chose not to. When he left months earlier, her father made it clear that he was not just giving up on his marriage, but on his relationship with
his daughter as well.
Rose was the only person who knew about that night, and Bella planned on keeping it that way. In her circle, a person's pain became quick gossip, which spread like wildfire and morphed
into a weapon that would inevitably end up being used in a near-deadly fashion.
Bella pulled her ear buds out and eased open her front door. "Hello?" Her response was met with silence, and for the first time in weeks it didn't bother her. She took the stairs two at a
time and latched her bedroom door behind her.
Once her bag was stowed and she'd ridded herself of her ridiculous heels, Bella pulled a folded up piece of loose-leaf paper from her back pocket and sat down at her desk. Tired eyes
roamed over the mess before settling on a familiar zebra-print notebook. Shaky fingers flipped it open and copied the list from her pocket.
Tuesday 9/6/11
FF Greek Yog – 100
1x String Cheese – 80
4x Celery Stalk – 22
202 calories. That meant she still had 198 to use for the remainder of the day. Bella tossed her notebook back in the pile atop her desk and used her foot to scoot her scale out from its hiding place.
Before her mother shipped her off to Arizona, Bella was weighing herself twice, sometimes three times each day. The goal was to keep her weight below 100, and for the later half of her
sophomore year and the beginning part of her junior one, she managed to stay at exactly 98 pounds.
January changed that though, just like it changed every other aspect of her life. As the days passed by the numbers on the scale continued to drop, and when she tried to end everything in
March, she was down to 88.
If Bella didn't resent Renee before Remuda, she definitely did after. Sure, she'd gone along with the program, put on the necessary amount of weight, and even pretended not to care about
things like calories, carbs, or fat grams. She told the therapists what they wanted to hear, even though most of the words meant nothing to her, and played the role of the good daughter
both times that Renee came out to visit. Somehow she also managed to stay sober, passing all the random UAs that were tossed at her, and when all was said and done, Bella successfully
completed the ten-week residential program with flying colors.
Yes, she'd laid a few of her demons to rest, but her weight was still the first thing Bella thought of every morning and the last thing on her mind when she went to bed at night. As far as
she was concerned, this was yet another thing she could thank her mother for…
Pink bows; those were the one and only request Bella had when it came to her outfit for Angela Weber's 10th birthday party.
Her mother went over-the-top, as usual, and outfitted her not only with pink bows, but a brand new pink dress and sparkly pink Mary Janes.
"All set," Renee said, tightening one of Bella's pigtails and patting her head. She smiled up at her mother, slipping her favorite tube of watermelon Lip Smacker and a pack of Bubble Yum in
her hot pink miniature purse.
"There's my beautiful girl!" Bella's face lit up when she saw her father standing at the bottom of the stairs. She ran down the steps and into his open arms, smiling against his chest as he
picked her up and spun her around. The road to Washington was long and hard, and Charlie's Senatorial campaign kept him on the road.
Bella leaned back and pinched her dad's nose. "Guess what?"
"What?"
"I'm giving Angela an Easy Bake Oven for her birthday! We're going to make cookies and cakes and later on her mom is taking us all out for root beer floats!"
The corners of her father's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "That sounds like quite the party! What else are you going to do?"
"Alice is bringing her new nail polish over, and Rosalie promised to braid everyone's hair! Mom even said I could put glitter hairspray in mine if I wanted!"
"No ponies this year?"
Bella scrunched her nose up in disgust. "No way! Ponies were last year, dad!"
"Root beer floats sound way better than ponies anyway." He chuckled, setting Bella back on her feet and tugging playfully on her pigtails. "Have fun tonight, Izzy!"
"Will you be here when I get home?"
Charlie ran a hand through his hair and shook his head sadly. "I have to go to Florida tomorrow, baby girl."
Her shoulders slumped, but she smiled anyway. "Bring me something special?"
"I always do." He picked her up once more, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Iz."
"I love you too, Dad."
She grabbed her backpack from the foyer and ran out the front door. Her mother followed close behind, chasing her into the yard.
"Bella!" Renee grabbed Bella's shoulder and spun her around gently, kneeling on the grass and looking her in the eye. "Only one piece of cake and absolutely no root beer floats! Nobody
likes a chubby girl. Don't forget that."
Bella had a root beer float that night – in fact, she treated herself to not one, but three. Her mother's words stayed with her though, and by the time she reached middle school, calorie
counting, binging, and purging were regular activities for her.
She sighed and stepped on the scale. 103 today. With any luck she'd be back under 100 by the end of next week.
Kicking the scale back under her desk, Bella flipped her laptop open and logged in to Facebook. She scrolled through her news feed, stopping when Alice's most recent event popped up:
Alice Brandon is now friends with Edward Cullen.
Bella read the sentence one, two, three times just to make sure she saw it clearly. Alice and Edward were Facebook friends? She guessed it made some sense, being Edward was Jasper's
brother, and Alice was clearly crushing on Jasper.
Her eyes moved to the comments below:
Rosalie Hale: Taking on charity cases are you now, Brandon?
Alice Brandon: Actually, it's called being friendly. You should try it sometime. :-p
Rosalie Hale: Pssh. Like I have time to be friendly to every combat boot clad reject that crosses my path.
Edward Cullen: And I don't keep company with arrogant trash. I guess we're good then, no?
Emmett McCarty: Watch your fucking mouth, Cullen….
Jasper Cullen: …
Bella bit her lip and frowned. She thought about writing something in Edward's defense, but decided against it, opting to go for an afternoon run instead.
Her plan was to let go of all her thoughts and get lost in the steady rhythm of her shoes meeting the pavement. It didn't work that way, however, and Edward's agonized expression kept popping up in her mind.
It never failed; there was always one person who Rosalie targeted every year. It typically took her a few weeks to set her sights on the unlucky soul, but when she did, it all went down hill
from there. In addition to her bold verbal attacks, Bella's best friend was very well versed in the art of high school guerilla warfare; spreading rumors, perpetuating gossip, and ultimately
stripping a person bare of everything and everyone close to them.
From the looks of it, Edward was this year's victim.
Bella slowed to a walk when she rounded the corner. Renee's Lexus SUV was now parked in the driveway, and a Town Car had just pulled up on the curb. Phil emerged from the backseat,
and a wave of nausea overcame her.
Deep breaths did nothing to calm her nerves. Heart pounding and fingers trembling, Bella moved forward on shaky legs.
Renee turned and gave her a fake smile.
Phil looked over his shoulder and flashed a smile too.
Following the two people she despised most in her life up the driveway, Bella tried to think of where she could go for the evening.
Alice's door was always open.
Mike's parents would be more than happy to see her.
Even Emmett would probably let her crash on his sofa if the overwhelming suffocation of being at home became too much.
Contemplating all the way up to her room, she made a decision when she reached the top step; Alice's house it was.
Shoving clothes and makeup into an overnight bag, Bella wondered if she should even bother telling Renee where she was going. On a whim she decided against it. Her mother could worry
for a while, if she even realized Bella was gone.
She tip toed downstairs and slinked out the front door. Slipping her ear buds in once more, Bella began the mile-long walk to her best friend's house.
Tears threatened to break free once more, but this time Bella refused to let them.
Senior year was supposed to be something wonderful.
For Bella, senior year was just the final step before she could escape.
IYoK
Long, slender fingers slipped the chalky white tablet over chapped lips and onto Edward's waiting tongue. He tipped back the bottle of water in his hand and swallowed the 10mg distraction.
Pill number two went down seconds later, and when he laid his head on the pillows behind him, Edward could already feel the stress of his day beginning to melt away.
He closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the wave of numbness that was quickly engulfing him.
The drugs began tugging on his consciousness, and even though he wanted to enjoy an hour or two of the disconnected feeling, he quickly gave in and allowed them to pull him under.
Chocolate eyes were the last thing Edward saw before his mind went black.
A/N: A little terminology here:
Happy Pills = Oxycodone
Sticks = 2mg Xanax
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