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Bella hated crying, especially in a public bathroom where anyone could walk in. Especially when certain people could hear her from across the school and identify her by her heartbeat or some bullshit like that.
Alice’s voice called through the stall. “Bella, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she sniffled. “Go back to class.”
“I know I’m not the mindreader in the family. But something’s wrong, and I think maybe you want to tell me about it.”
“Alice, can we just not right now?”
Alice was silent for a minute, before gently saying, “It’s okay if you don’t wanna talk to me, but…maybe we could ‘not talk’ someplace nicer? I really wanna hug you, and the bathroom stall is in the way.”
“Like you couldn’t tear it off its hinges.”
“Esme would kill me.” Alice giggled. “But if it would make you feel better…”
“Fine,” Bella said, emerging tear-stained and tired. She was vampire pale, without any of the style and shimmer. They skipped their next class, going for a long, aimless drive, and talking about everything except what was on her mind.
Eventually, Bella muttered, “I don’t love Edward anymore. It just took me a while to realize. I was so caught up in how much it all hurt. And then he was going to kill himself. And then Italy was fast and it was scary and it was so much. And at first, I was just relieved to have saved his life, and I was happy to see him again. But he left more for six months, Alice. I moved on.”
Alice made a soft hum of acknowledgment as she pulled the car over.
Bella continued, “At first, I hated myself for being so broken over a breakup. Because it’s just a breakup, Bella. It’s nothing. Eat some ice cream and blast some music and cry and move on. But I didn’t lose Edward. I lost the magic that Edward can’t even see. I lost this big family who welcomed me in and then disappeared. I lost my best friend. You didn’t even call.”
Alice’s voice was soft and careful. “I know, and I am so, so sorry. I shouldn’t have let myself be outvoted. If I could do it again, I’d stay here on my own even if it meant living in the woods or something.”
Bella snorted. “You could have stayed in Charlie’s spare bedroom.”
“Even better!” Alice smiled, resting her hand on top of Bella’s. “The point is that leaving my best friend behind is my biggest regret, and there is no future where I repeat that mistake.”
“You see that in your visions?”
“Don’t need to. I know it in my heart.” Alice gave her chest a little tap with her free hand.
“That’s cheesy.”
Alice winked. “Please. You love it.”
Bella rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. “Did you mean it when you said that you would turn me?”
Alice’s answer was immediate. “In a heartbeat.”
“Even if I break up with Edward?”
“Even when you break up with Edward,” Alice said, “and no, I don’t have to see the future to know that one’s coming. It’s okay, Bella. You’re still part of the family.”
“I’m just not sure if I have a place with you guys if it’s not as Edward’s girlfriend.”
“Esme absolutely adores you, and so do I. Carlisle gets twitchy if he doesn’t adopt someone new every couple decades, so you’re right on schedule. Jasper’s gonna be fighting me for bestie privileges the second you stop smelling like food. Emmett’s gonna love having another little sister to mess around with. And Rosalie…um…”
“Already hates me,” Bella finished.
“Hate’s a very strong word.” Alice’s tone brightened. “Anyway, don’t worry about Rosalie!”
“Should I worry about Edward?” Bella asked.
“Of course not,” Alice said. “He’ll get over it.”
Edward did not get over it.
“Absolutely not,” Bella snapped as she grabbed her math book and shoved it into her backpack, refusing to look at Edward as he hovered next to her.
“But this is a chance for a fresh start! A new town, a new school, a new life…”
“Same you, same me,” Bella finished bitterly.
It was Bella’s first day of high school for the second time, and Edward had already cornered her at her locker to try to win her back. He had been doing this nonstop since she had joined the Olympic Coven five years before.
Edward gave her a searching look. “How long are you going to keep fighting this?”
“Until you stop bothering me so I don’t have to,” Bella grumbled.
“We’re soulmates,” Edward whispered. “I know you’re angry, and I’ll never stop apologizing for leaving you—”
“Leaving me was the best thing you ever did,” Bella slammed her locker shut and slung her backpack over her shoulders. “If you hadn’t, then I never would have gotten my priorities straight. I never would have realized that what I wanted was to join your family and your world…but not to be your wife. I love everything about my life right now except the fact that you’re in it.”
“Bella…” Edward said.
Bella swallowed the venom that was pooling in her mouth and snarled, “Edward. Stop. I’m warning you.”
She turned to walk away, and Edward grabbed her arm. Bella whirled around, shouting, “Don’t touch me!”
The busy hallway full of high schoolers went silent, and Bella could feel their curious eyes on the two mysterious new students who had just transferred in.
“I said no. I’ll always say no. I'm not going to date you. I'm not going to fuck you. You’re my brother.” Bella slapped a hand over her mouth to hide her smile and ran into the girl’s locker room.
She soon had a crowd of concerned classmates trying to comfort her. Sure, she couldn’t cry on cue, but she had resting “my life is a tragedy” face even though her life was pretty great lately.
“I know it’s…weird, with Rosalie and Emmett, and Alice and Jasper, but they were all dating before we started fostering the Hales,” Bella told them, keeping her voice soft and vulnerable, her arms curled around herself and her eyes on the floor. “And they aren’t blood-related.”
There was a noticeable gasp at this announcement.
“I just wish he would leave me alone…at least at school.”
There were more questions, some of which Bella answered truthfully, some of which she met with shameless lies, and others that she gave only a shrug and a wounded look. Within a few minutes, she had successfully recruited a gaggle of teenage girls to keep Edward away from her and had absolutely ruined his reputation at the school they would be attending for the next four years.
When Bella emerged from the locker room, Alice was leaning on the wall outside. Bella waved off her new allies, apologized for making them late to class, and turned to her best friend.
Alice said, “Is this why you insisted on taking the last name Cullen?”
Bella grinned, bumping Alice’s shoulder with her own. “Mostly. Also, I thought you would be a better sister than Rosalie.”
“Flatterer.” Alice giggled. “You know someone’s probably gonna call CPS, right?”
“They should,” Bella said airily. “I’m an endangered minor. Worst case scenario, one of us can ‘run away’ and go live with the Denalis for a few years. I think the extra time apart might be good for us.”