Chapter 1 Trouble It was second period and by far one of the most uneventful day

s of the year. Edward was off hunting with Carlisle and Esme for the day and nat
urally Alice had tried to convince me to stay home from school and have "fun" wi
th her. After much arguing, however, we both dragged ourselves to school and pre
pared for another boring day of Forks High. Our boring day soon became one that
I would never forget. It was second period and by far one of the most uneventful
days of the year, until a man that I recognized as our principle walked into ou
r English class and asked if we could "talk". Of course, the entire class eyed m
e suspiciously, curious as to why I was being summoned to a place that people li
ke me just didn't go to. Alice's expression was different than the rest, one of
her eyebrows were raised as if she were challenging whatever I was going to be p
unished for before he even spoke his concerns. When we were finally in the hall,
I nervously looked the principle. He appeared calm enough. "Do you currently ha
ve your student handbook with you?" I caught my breathe, grateful that I hadn't
forgotten the book that we were told to carry around with us in my locker. He to
ok it from my hands and flipped to page 19 while pointing a steady finger at an
article. From his patient expression, I assumed that he wanted me to read it. Cl
othing deemed inappropriate by the board are as follows: Excessively short short
s/skirts An article of clothing that reveals the midriff or chest Spaghetti stra
ps of any kind After reading that final line I looked up at the principle who wa
s still smiling kindly at me. "I didn't realize." I said, shocked at the predica
ment that I was in. Naturally, Alice had chosen my outfit, and although it wasn'
t simply just a spaghetti strapped shirt since I had a baggy shirt that drooped
below my shoulders on, it was clearly in violation of the handbook. He nodded hi
s head in understanding. Just then we both diverted our attentions to the classr
oom door. Alice had the bathroom pass in her hands and she looked ready for an a
rgument. The principle politely waited for her to pass, but I knew that no such
thing would happen. "What is going on here?" she questioned, although she knew f
ull well what had happened. After glancing at the book that the principle still
had in his hands, she spoke again. "Bella's attire is clearly not against the dr
ess code." she stated. The principle's eyebrows raised at the rebel. "Oh?" "Yes.
" Alice continued. "If she's wearing a shirt over it then it's not just spaghett
i straps. And there's nothing wrong with spaggetti straps anyway!" The principle
waited for her to finish. "But the shirt still reveals the straps and---"
"And you consider a woman's shoulder being exposed dirty?" she asked bewildered.
"This is a joke!" The principle's lips were pursed in a thin line. He obviously
didn't like Alice getting the best of him. "Isabella, if you would, could we pl
ease go to my office?" To this, Alice took a step in front of us. "If you consid
er that a violation of the dress code then you'd go crazy if you saw some of the
girls in this school!" The principle's face was starting to darken in anger and
I wondered if Alice was aware of how much she wasn't helping the situation. "Al
ice." I said in a stern voice. She eyed both of us suspiciously before turning t
o go back to class. I was fairly confident that her skirt was "excessively short
". The principle must not have wanted to get involved with someone that would gi
ve an attitude back. I followed him to his office quietly, aware of the looks th
at I got from kids passing by. When we reached his office he kindly told me to "
take a seat" as he walked around his desk to the larger and more comfortable of
the two chairs. "Here at Forks High we take our dress code seriously-" a few ima
ges of Rosalie's attire flew through me head. "- and we don't tolerate this sort
of violation to the rules." More of Rosalie's indecent clothing came to mind. T
hey took it seriously? "We have also noticed a change in the people that you tal
k to in school, as well as a change in your grades, and frankly, we are concerne
d." So it wasn't the dress code that had made him bring me here. He was looking
for any excuse to get me in trouble so that he could discuss these changes since
Edward had returned. The revolution made me angry. "Do you have anything to say
for yourself?" "Yes." I stated angrily, before I was able to control myself. "W
hy are you so curious about my life? It really is none of your business. And as
for my clothing, are you blind or is it just okay for models like Alice and Rosa
lie to break the dress code?" The principle's eyes widened at the unexpected att
itude. Dress code wasn't something that our school really cared about. Everyone
broke it, except me. What he did next I wasn't expecting. He pressed the button
next to his speaker on the desk. "I apologize for the interruption but can Alice
Cullen and Rosalie Hale please report to the Principle's office? Thank you." He
took his finger off of the button and looked at me expectantly. This was going
to be a long, potentially painful, day. Chapter 2 Rosalie It took a few minutes
before Rosalie and Alice entered the principle's office- Alice looked annoyed wh
ile Rosalie looked livid. I gave a weak apologetic smile. "Bella has brought it
to my attention that you two repeatedly break the dress code." the principle sta
ted, his eyes scanning Rosalie's exposed legs. Rosalie folded her arms over her
chest and looked at me expectantly.
"That's not exactly what I said." I defended myself. "I just said that lots of g
irls break the rules and that I shouldn't be punished for it." Alice's eyes shif
ted between me and the principle while Rosalie spoke up. "Johnson, she's telling
the truth." All three of us looked at her in wonder. "I-it's Mr. Johnson.." the
principle clarified. Rosalie continued. "It isn't fair at all the way that you
are treating Bella. It's obvious that the dress code isn't the problem here, so
since Bella is going to be my sister soon, I'd like to hear what your real probl
em is." Alice and I exchanged bewildered glances before looking back at Rosalie
who had now elegantly crossed her legs in a chair. Mr. Johnson's eyes continued
to appraise them. "The dress code should be taken more seriously and you are in
no position to tell me what or what not to do, Ms. Hale." Alice and I then looke
d at Rosalie, ready for the upcoming battle. Slowly, Rosalie lifted herself out
of her chair and to a standing position, slowly walking towards the principle. M
r. Johnson looked flustered as she neared him and a droplet of sweat formed on h
is forehead. When she was only about a foot away from the man, she spoke. "I am
no position to tell you what to do? As an American citizen aren't I supposed to
question abusive authority? As a principle aren't you supposed to encourage fami
ly values? Or are those morals and values that you overlook, Mr. Johnson? As a s
tudent in level one classes and straight As, I'm sure the Board of Education wou
ld appreciate a reliable student such as myself expressing my concerns." Mr. Joh
nson stared at her in amazement but she stood adamantly. I wasn't sure whether I
was supposed to agree with her or just let her handle the entire situation hers
elf, considering that it was my fault she was here. It took a moment for Mr. Joh
nson to speak again. "What do you mean that she'll be a member of your family?"
"She'll be marrying my brother. There is no date yet, but my sources tell me tha
t it's going to happen." she answered coolly. I glanced accusingly at Alice, who
was giving me an apologetic smile. "However," Rosalie continued. "I'd appreciat
e knowing what you plan on doing about this situation. It's important to report
problems immediately, you know. We wouldn't want the Board of Education having t
o replace anybody on short notice." The principle looked astonished at the girl
that he was supposed to be punishing only seconds ago. Rosalie showed no signs o
f backing down as she looked at him expectantly. "Let's... discuss this at anoth
er time." Mr. Johnson stammered. "If I allow that then Bella can't be punished w
hile Alice and I are gone. If you were to punish her while we're gone then that
would be considered bullying." Rosalie argued. I had a feeling that she had a lo
t of pent up anger that she had been wanting to release. Mr. Johnson looked betw
een the three of us for a few moments before replying in the most dignified voic
e he could muster.
"That can be arranged. Bella won't be punished. You have my word." "Thank you."
Rosalie answered cooly before walking out of the office. Alice quickly followed
behind her, her eyes still wide as she tried to process what had just happened i
n the few minutes. We both sat in silence for a few moments in the office. It wa
s as if a hurricane had come through and we were both trying to realize what had
just happened. During that last 10 minutes, Rosalie had single handedly destroy
ed any amount of self respect that Mr. Johnson had. Perhaps he hadn't deserved a
ll of what she had given to him, but who was I to complain? It was amazing that
Rosalie had even stood up for me. Although there was still that possibility that
she just didn't want to lounge around in the office all day... "Bella." the pri
nciple stated, trying to gather as much respect as possible considering the situ
ation. "As I have said, you have my word that you will not be punished on this o
ffense." He stated. The way that he phrased the statement made it seem like he w
as the one being reasonable. Perhaps if I hadn't seen him just get put down by R
osalie I would have been grateful for the gesture. "However," he continued. "I s
till think that it's important for us to find the root of the problem here. It i
s common knowledge that young women go through a lot of stress in their lives an
d that they express that stress in many different ways." I could feel my cheeks
begin to glow crimson as he said this. This couldn't be happening. "And because
you are a student of high potential, I think that it's important that we find ou
t why you feel the need to expose yourself." Expose myself? My blush deepened. I
t was perfectly fine for girls to come into school half naked, but because I was
Chief Swan's daughter and the "new girl", the principle couldn't just leave my
exposed shoulder alone. There was a knock on the office door and for a moment I
was ready for Rosalie to come in for Round Two. "Come in." the principle answere
d calmly. It would appear that his ego had finally healed. "Bella, this is Ms. C
ray. She is one of our school psychiatrists and she specializes in teenage behav
ior. You may be reluctant to open up to her, but I can guarantee that by the end
of the day, you'll be back to the focused student that you were." The way he sp
oke made it seem like I had entered rehab and was trying to get my life back tog
ether. The woman, Ms. Cray, stood outside of the door, obviously waiting for me
to leave with her. Grudgingly, I lifted myself out of the chair and followed her
. Rosalie wouldn't be able to save me from this. After walking past a few doors,
we finally entered an office. The office itself was very pleasant- the walls we
re a clean white with lots of pictures that were drawn by elementary school stud
ents. Even the chair was welcoming. Perhaps if I had entered in different circum
stances, I'd have appreciated the carefree mood that it gave off. "My name's Ms.
Cray." she introduced herself. "And I'm hoping that we can find what the root o
f your problems are." Ms. Cray talked about the studies that she learned from an
d the situations that "made her career worth it"- most of which involved suicida
l boys and anorexic, slutty girls that she
"touched the lives" of. I was fairly confident that I wouldn't be mentioned in h
er next "What makes my career worth it" lecture. "Now," she stated, her tone fre
sh. "Let's get to know you. Do you have a boyfriend?" And just like that I knew
that this was not going to turn out well. Chapter 3 Ms Cray "Do you have a boyfr
iend?" she repeated patiently. I sighed and nodded my head. She copied the gestu
re. "Does your boyfriend like it when you wear more... revealing clothing?" I wa
s surprised at how quickly the questions were coming. I was expecting a lot of p
reliminary questions- age, family, friends- the usual. I actually found myself f
lustered as she said the question. "N-no.. he doesn't." I answered. Edward was a
gentleman. He disapproved of me showing any skin. Of course, I could hardly arg
ue. His old fashioned tendencies saved me a lot of grief when it came to Alice.
It was hard to argue with a vampire about her passion when you were just a weak
human. She nodded her head again. "Would he disapprove of what you are wearing t
oday?" she questioned, phrasing it as if I had walked into school nude. "I reall
y don't think that he would mind..." I mumbled. This outfit would hardly be cons
idered trashy in a normal school environment. "When you say that you don't think
that he would mind, are you insinuating that he hasn't seen yet?" she questione
d, tilting her head forward so that her eyes looked at me above the rims of her
glasses. "He's not in school today." I clarified. "Oh!" she answered loudly, cau
sing me to jump at the sudden noise. "Bella! I understand completely." She began
to wave her hand at me, as if I didn't have to say anything more. "What do you
mean?" I questioned. "It's obvious that you're trying to get male attention from
people other than your boyfriend." After seeing whatever expression that was on
my face she clarified. "I understand, Bella. It's human nature." My expression
must not have changed because she continued to look at me expectantly. I was sti
ll recovering from her accusation. Me trying to get male attention? I haven't ev
en looked at any other guy but Edward for practically my entire stay in Forks. O
f course, that didn't mean that entire male population of Forks didn't leave me
alone. Perhaps that's what she would have to hear. "Look, I'm not trying to impr
ess anyone. I'm not interested in anyone but Ed--- my boyfriend." I quickly caug
ht myself. The last thing that I needed was to involve Edward in this conversati
on. "Guys that I weren't the least bit interested in have asked me out since I g
ot here!"
She nodded her head in understanding, as if she could relate completely. "Have y
ou considered that these boys are interested in you because of the mood that you
give off?" I could feel my forehead wrinkle in confusion. The mood that I gave
off? Like happiness? "I don't understand..." She cleared her throat now before c
ontinuing in a careful, slow tone. "What I mean is, have you considered that the
guys... enjoy your company.. for reason other than just your personality?" Othe
r than my personality? Why couldn't she just come out and say whatever she was t
iptoeing around? If she had finally figured out the reason that boys would be in
terested in a plain jane like me, then I was ready to hear it. The attention had
been uncomfortable from the start and if she knew the secret then I was ready t
o learn. "What do you mean about liking my company for something other than my p
ersonality?" She removed her glasses this time and pursed her lips. "Should I ju
st be frank?" I nodded my head. "Perhaps the boys are attracted to you so much b
ecause of the type of clothing that you wear. It's common knowledge that boys, e
specially in the period of growth that they are in now, are especially intereste
d in the...figure of a young woman." My jaw dropped before I could control the r
eaction. Had she really pegged me as that type of girl? I was beyond insulted. P
erhaps all of those people in her "What Makes My Job Worth It" were really just
perfectly fine students like me. Perhaps that drug addict that she was talking a
bout had simply brought an aspirin to school and she had analyzed this simple of
fense to drug abuse. Maybe that anorexic girl that she "Touched The Life Of" had
skipped lunch to finish her essay. Her entire career was seeming less and less
constructive the more that she talked. "Guys do not think of me like that." I de
fended myself, hardly able to contain the venom that leaked into my words. "Of c
ourse not, Bella. I was merely throwing ideas around." she answered, an annoying
ly pleasant smile on her face. She continued to smile at me for a few moments as
I tried to control my temper. "So can you tell me, then, why you dressed so imm
odestly today?" I was wearing spaghetti straps with a shoulder exposing shirt ov
er it and I was sick and tired of defending myself. "I am not dressed immodestly
!" I announced, standing up out of my chair. "This is ridiculous! Absolutely rid
iculous! Guys were asking me to dances because I was new! I'm positive that that
's it! I am not that kind of girl and I'm insulted that you think I am! Besides,
Alice made me wear this anyway" I was ready to continue on my rant but I forgot
what my other complaints were. Before I could gather my bearings, Ms. Cray stoo
d up as well. "Bella, if we can't cooperate then Mr. Johnson will have to deal w
ith this situation. That will, most likely, involve punishment. It's your choice
."
I stood, weighing my options. As annoying as this meeting was, it was probably l
ess painful that being punished by the principle. Of course, I was going to get
picked on when I returned to the Cullen house by Emmett. By being punished, the
torment would only be that much worse. Silently I took a seat, and she followed.
"So you remarked that Alice made you wear this outfit? Would you say that you g
ive into pressure easily?" Without a word I raised from my chair and walked back
to the principle's office. Chapter 4 Confession When I reached Mr. Johnson's of
fice and opened the door he seemed surprised to see me in my angry state. After
gathering himself together, he offered me my previous chair back. "What can I do
for you?" he asked after sighing exasperatingly. I'm sure my presence in the of
fice was taking a toll on him. "I don't need a therapist," I began calmly. Talki
ng off to a principle, regardless of how bad of a mood I was in, was not the gre
atest idea. "and I don't have a problem. What I want to know is what the real re
ason I am here for is." I could have listed off the reasons for why I shouldn't
be here- the fact that even if I did break the dress code, this was a first offe
nse of mine, and the fact that nobody in school took that rule especially seriou
sly. The principle seemed to squirm slightly in his seat. It didn't take an empa
th to understand that he was uncomfortable. "Bella..." he began. "Just understan
d first that he was worried about you." He? As in Edward? I gave him a quizzical
look. "Your father." he clarified. I felt my eyes widen. Charlie was worried ab
out me? Was he worried about the way that I dressed? "I don't understand." I con
fessed. What I did understand, however, was that for Charlie to call the school
was very uncharacteristic of him. Either something was very wrong, or I was goin
g to be very angry. Once more, Mr. Johnson seemed to hesitate before answering.
"Bella, this really isn't my place in the school system. I'm supposed to deal wi
th disciplinary matters. However, Chief Swan called me the other day and voiced
his...concerns." "Concerns." I stated, sensing and dreading where this conversat
ion was going. "Yes." he said slowly. "At first, when he voiced that he was worr
ied about how your boyfriend was affecting you, I told him that there was nothin
g that I can do about it. He told me to keep my eyes open for problems. Yesterda
y he called me again, asking if there was any chance that I could discuss the is
sue with you, but as I said, this is not my place. This is for the therapist. I
was surprised that you never broke any of the rules, that is, until this morning
. I was going to do your father a favor, but it would appear that Mr. Cullen isn
't in attendance today."
He looked at me expectantly, and I realized that the entire time my hand was cla
sped tightly to the chair's arm. Charlie had called the school because he didn't
like Edward? He was going far beyond the "concerned father" line and reaching "
paranoid and nosy". "Bella." he stated, bringing me out of my thoughts. "If it a
lright with you, I would like to have a talk with the two of you. Edward and you
, I mean. There would be no punishments and it's completely optional, considerin
g that this really isn't my department. However, I think we'd both like to lay y
our father's fears to rest." Oh, there was definitely something that I wanted to
lay to rest. I was about to agree to a session tomorrow when a buzz came from M
r. Johnson's desk. "Yes?" he asked the speaker. "Mr. Cullen has arrived late to
school, should I send him to your office?" His head snapped back an inch, obviou
sly he was nearly as surprised to hear this turn of events as I was. "Y-yes... s
end him in." We both sat staring uncomfortably at each other as we waited for th
e door to open and reveal Edward. Hadn't Edward told me that he was going to hun
t? Why would he even come to school late? Absently, I looked at the clock. I was
missing lunch. "Mr. Cullen." Mr. Johnson stated as Edward entered the room, a m
ask of confusion on his face. I was confused too, but only from wondering why he
was here. Mr. Johnson pulled his wheeling chair back and looked across his desk
nervously, adjusting his tie after not finding what he needed. "Umm... I'll be
right back. Please wait here." He looked at us worriedly once before quickly lea
ving the office with the door open. Edward chuckled. "After all of Charlie's wor
ries, Mr. Johnson is concerned that we'll be.. intimate... in his office if he l
eft the door closed." I continued to look at him until his face turned from humo
r to serious. "Alice called. She said something about you breaking the dress cod
e and that I would be needed?" I nodded my head mutely, still trying to comprehe
nd everything that had happened. "I'm sorry that I took so long." he apologized,
placing his lips on my forehead. "I didn't think that the school would be too p
leased if I came in wearing clothes that were... grotesque." An image of Edward
covered in blood entered my mind and I shivered involuntarily. Edward noticed an
d moved his lips to my neck. "I do wish that next time you broke the dress code,
however, you'd do it while I was here to witness it. I never would have pegged
you for---" "Ahem." Mr. Johnson announced from the door. "I'm back." Edward chuc
kled before removing his lips from my neck and moving his head back to his chair
. "I apologize, Mr. Johnson. That was very irresponsible of me."
"Well... yes... Mr. Cullen. But I have here your record." he stated as he pulled
a folder from his jacket. From Edward calm face and what I knew about him, his
record shouldn't have been a problem. But the expression that Mr. Johnson wore w
arned us of more. Chapter 5 Edward Your grades, Mr. Cullen, are very exceptional
." he stated as he opened the manilla folder. "However, we do have a problem." E
dward's forehead furrowed besides me as he obviously heard what Mr. Johnson was
about to say. "Your attendance has much to be desired." Edward and I sat in quie
t wonder at that statement. It was true, of course. But would our principal thin
k the same way if he knew that the only reason that Edward wasn't in school was
to spare his students' lives? I'd think so. "You have a tendency to miss school
once every two weeks. Now we aren't here to be punished, but I would like to kno
w why that is." I could nearly hear the gears turn in Edward's head as he tried
to come up with an excuse on the spot. "My father spends a lot of time in the ho
spital. He's a doctor, as I'm sure you know. Because of that, we hardly ever get
to see him. Every couple of weeks, however, the hospital allows him to take tim
e off of work and we enjoy to go camping as family. He only allows it when we ar
en't missing any work, though. Carlisle takes school very seriously. As a matter
of fact, I had spent this morning touring the hospital and becoming aquainted w
ith the procedures that occur there. It was very inspiring, considering that not
hing would make me happier than being a doctor." I looked at Edward's angelic fe
atures with disbelief. If I hadn't paid so close attention, I wouldn't have real
ized that he'd managed to turn him being lectured on attendance, to his noble as
pirations and family values. It was unbelievable. "That is an extraordinary work
ethic you have, Mr. Cullen." Mr. Johnson announced, visibly impressed. As he cl
osed the folder it would appear as if he had forgotten his original concern alto
gether. "I'm impressed with your dedication." "I prefer Edward, sir." The princi
pal smiled at the sign of respect. This was his ideal student. This was the had
working, awe inspiring Edward Cullen. The three of us sat quietly for a few mome
nts as the principal tried to remember why we were even here. Edward realized th
is. "Bella has told me that you are talking to us on behalf of her father?" Edwa
rd offered off hand. Her father. He wasn't just Charlie when Edward was trying t
o impress somebody. "Oh. Of course." Mr. Johnson stumbled. "Yes. I can't underst
and what his fears are but he seems to think that you aren't a great influence o
n his daughter." Edward leaned forward, making a show of wanting to get to the b
ottom of this. Edward was very much aware of why Charlie didn't like him. He kne
w that Charlie hadn't forgiven him as I had when Edward left me. I'm sure that a
large part of that was because Charlie didn't, and couldn't, hear the entire st
ory. "And why is that?" Edward questioned.
"Honestly, I don't know. The only flaw that your entire record has is your atten
dance. Bella's attendance is okay, so I know that you aren't... influencing her
into doing anything of that sort." After that brief statement, I was well aware
of what was going to come out next. I was also well aware that Edward's respectf
ul, ideal facade would probably crumble. "While you were touring the hospital I
confronted Bella about her wardrobe choice today. It does break dress code." he
emphasized the word 'does' so that there would be no arguing that particular det
ail. "I am also aware that many girls wear clothing that is unfit for school, bu
t Bella has never been one of them. Keeping Charlie's warning in mind, I sent Be
lla to Ms. Cray briefly, hoping that perhaps she'd be able to understand a teena
ge girl better than I ever could." Edward's grip on the chair increased slightly
. The increase wouldn't be enough for a principal to notice, but it was enough f
or me to see the irritated edge that was sure to be in his voice. With the man's
thoughts also swirling in Edward's head, any tactful rephrasing that he did was
also pointless. "And what did she say?" Edward answered, his voice mildly annoy
ed. "She thinks that Bella's clothing style is meant as a way of gaining notice.
She thinks that it's either for you or, because she chose the day when you were
n't present, for the attention of the rest of the male population." Even I was g
etting infuriated with Mr. Johnson. The way that he said "the male population" m
ade it seem as if I was looking for attention from anybody that would give it to
me. It was downright insulting! "If I may, I do have a question." Edward announ
ded sternly. "Of course." "What is Ms. Cray's specialty when it comes to teenage
rs?" Edward was leaning forward slightly in his seat and I wished that I would b
e able to send him messages through my mind, just this once. He couldn't start a
battle with the principal. "Although she tends to speak with teenage girls, I'd
say that she has the most insight with relationships. Before attaining this job
in Forks High School, Ms. Cray was a marriage councilor. Because of that, I tak
e anything that she says seriously, which is why I'll be taking Charlie's concer
n seriously." Mr. Johnson was talking as if him and Edward were on the same leve
l, colleagues instead of teacher and student. I could feel Edward become irritat
ed beside me. "If Ms. Cray is such an expert on relationships, may I question he
r marital status?" he rebuttled. This was not going to help the argument. Mr. Jo
hnson looked like he'd been punched in the stomach. He hadn't expected this stat
ement to come from the perfect student that was Edward Cullen. "I mean, her name
is Miss Cray. If she knows as much about relationships as she claims she does t
hen I can't see how that would be an issue." Once more Mr. Johnson seemed at a l
oss of words. "She... was married. She recently had a divorce." "I see. So it wo
uldn't be far from the truth to say that her relationship didn't work out? " Edw
ard challenged. His voice seemed cool and collected, as if he were in a battle o
f wits
with a brother. However, I was aware of what was going to happen. Edward's tempe
r was getting the best of him. The only way that Mr. Johnson would be able to sa
ve himself the mental abuse from another Cullen would be to back down. "And if i
t didn't work out, then what right does she have to be discussing what is right
for other people?" "It's her job to try and help, Edward. Nobody is perfect, but
she simply voiced that she thinks that Bella dresses to impress boys." That was
n't what she said, exactly. "Perhaps the boys are attracted to you so much becau
se of the type of clothing that you wear. It's common knowledge that boys, espec
ially in the period of growth that they are in now, are especially interested in
the...figure of a young woman." "Actually," I began. "she said that the only re
ason boys asked me out was because of the way that I dressed." Mr. Johnson opene
d his mouth to defend himself but nothing came out. "Perhaps you two would like
to have a word with Ms. Cray?" I wanted to, because with Edward beside me I knew
that she wouldn't have the ability to make snide remarks that were worded as he
lpful. To be truthful, I was excited to go. She wouldn't get the best of me. "No
." Edward stated. "We're here because you're doing Charlie a favor. So go ahead
and question whatever it is that you have to question." Edward settled back in h
is seat and waited patiently for our principal to speak. "He thinks that you're
influencing Bella.." Mr. Johnson stated quietly. "To do what?" Edward pressed. T
here was a long silence. "I wasn't told, but--" "So you called Bella from her cl
ass to discuss something with her that you didn't understand? Do you realize tha
t now Bella has extra work that she'll have to do because you didn't think throu
gh the appointment of yours?" he questioned with a polite voice that contradicte
d the words that were flowing from his mouth. "I'd say that that was quite carel
ess and intruding." "Well... I had planned on exempting her from the work that s
he missed because of this... of course... I was aware that she was missing out o
n work... and I merely wanted to get the opinions from the two of you on this pr
oblem, although I can see now that it wasn't much of a problem..." "No, no." Edw
ard stated, refusing to be dismissed. "You were concerned about Bella's clothing
. I, myself, am not aware of the entire story, but I'm sure my sister is." Mr. J
ohnson perked up at the offer of talking with somebody other than the witty Edwa
rd. He, as well as I, was confident that Alice wouldn't be as cut throat. "Just
call Rosalie in here and we'll sort this entire issue out." Edward finished. Mr.
Johnson's face paled as he remembered the latest visit she had made. "No... I t
hink that we realize now that Charlie was in the wrong here... you can go back t
o your class..." Edward and I both peered at the clock. It was sixth period.
"Bella missed her lunch period." Edward stated. "Well, you two are both welcome
to eat lunch in here if you'd like." By in here, I'm sure he meant in the waitin
g room of the office. Edward shook his head. "I prefer to eat in a more airy are
a. Although I guess that the cafeteria is closed..." "You can eat in the courtya
rd." Mr. Johnson stated, just about willing to hand over his first born child to
get him out of his office. "I'll write you both a pass. Twenty minutes is fine,
right?" Edward nodded his head. "I appreciate this, Mr. Johnson, and I'm glad t
hat you were able to voice all of your concerns." I followed Edward out into the
hall, waiting a few minutes before finally speaking. "Edward, Mr. Johnson is go
ing to need therapy after that." He chuckled. "I think that he actually needs to
get his eyes checked, not only didn't you break the dress code, but it should b
e against the law to hide your beauty like you have been." I blushed as we took
our seats in the courtyard. "Shouldn't you go and get a lunch?" he questioned, e
yeing my empty hands. "No, I'm really not hungry. We can actually go to class no
w if you want." I stated. All of the drama that had occurred today had made the
afternoon go by extremely quickly, far too quickly to gain an appetite. "Well yo
u've already been excused from all of your work, and we have the rest of the day
to spend here." he stated, wrapping his arm around my waist. "We only have twen
ty minutes." I corrected. Edward chuckled before pulling a pen out of his pocket
. He carefully altered the numbers on the pass to show that we were free to stay
in the courtyard until school was out. The pass looked extremely valid and I kn
ew that nobody would question it, especially not Mr. Johnson. "Oh, yes. I'm a re
bel." Edward stated, lifting his head in a gesture meant to show superiority. "O
ut of everything that you've done in your life, this is the thing that you consi
der rebellious?" He merely shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I supposed com
ing into school late, bullying our principal, and spending the rest of the after
noon with the indecent Bella should count as something." "Such a rebel." "Yep."
he allowed. "I must confess, though, that Ms. Cray sure is amazing." I looked at
him in disbelief.
"The only reason that I'm attracted to you is because of the atrociously indecen
t clothing that you wear. She caught me." Chapter 6 Revenge I was eternally than
kful when the end of the day came and I was able to relax at the Cullen house. E
dward stayed respectfully quiet about the whole ordeal the entire drive to our d
estination. "Bella!" Alice chimed, running out to greet me. "What happened?" She
took the hand that wasn't already occupied by Edward's and tried to pull me to
the door. Edward let out an exasperated sigh. "Alice, is this really the time?"
"Of course it is!" she shouted, winning the battle as she dragged Edward and I i
nto the living room. "I was trying to see what was going to happen with the meet
ing but there were too many of you all deciding on different things! And Edward.
.. I can only hope that you didn't act on half of the things you had decided to
do..." I peered at Edward curiously. What had he planned on doing? I was about t
o question this when Emmett walked into the room. "What meeting?" he asked casua
lly, sitting on the arm of the couch. I could feel my face begin to heat up and
hoped that it wouldn't show. Emmett raised a brow and eyed Edward, waiting for h
is question to be answered. "Bella broke the dress code." Alice answered casuall
y as she continued to throw questions at Edward. "Our school has a dress code?"
he asked me. I couldn't explain why I felt the way I did, but that statement mad
e me angry once more. Not only did a lot of people break the dress code, but som
e didn't even know about it. Emmett's eyes briefly scanned my outfit. "Did you c
hange your clothes or something?" he questioned, clearly disappointed that I had
n't gone all out nude in school. I couldn't even imagine what his reaction would
be if he had witnessed the entire event unfold. "Geez, if you show any skin at
all then they just tackle you to the ground, huh?" he peered over his shoulder c
autiously before continuing. "Frankly, if that is breaking the dress code then I
can't even imagine how many red flags Rosalie would raise." I was touched and v
ery surprised that he had taken the entire event as seriously as he did. Even wh
ile in the office with Mr. Johnson, I was dreading returning to the Cullen house
for fear of the ridicule that Emmett , especially, would dish out on me. I was
impressed. "So what are your plans, Edward?" Emmett asked, turning his attention
to his brother that was dodging the flood of questions from Alice. "Plans?" he
questioned. Emmett's face dropped in disbelief. "You know... plans." Edward cont
inued to look at him in confusion until his brows suddenly rose and his face bec
ame stern. "No." "What? Are you serious? You are seriously just going to let him
walk off Scott free?"
The two continued their conversations in their mind, leaving me to try and figur
e out what it was that they were talking about. What plans were Emmett talking a
bout? And why would Mr. Johnson walk off "Scott free" if these plans weren't put
into action. "You want to prank Mr. Johnson?" I accused before thinking. Edward
's head snapped in my direction as he sternly said "No." I would have taken him
on his word if Emmett wasn't nodding his head while Edward was facing me. "What
kind of prank does Emmett want to do?" I questioned, ignoring Edward's blatant l
ie. "It really doesn't matter because there isn't going to be a prank." he state
d in a tone meant to end the conversation. "A prank?" a new voice asked from a d
ifferent room. Edward pinched the bridge of his nose as this rumor spread and Ro
salie walked into the room, clearly extremely interested. "Is this revenge for M
r. Johnson?" I must not have been able to contain the surprise on my face becaus
e Rosalie quickly backtracked. "He did take me out of class. I wouldn't mind hel
ping you but he also affected me. So what are the plans?" "There are no plans."
Edward stated. "Nobody was punished and everything ended up alright." "Yeah, rig
ht, no plans, so what should we do?" Emmett questioned, ignoring Edward. "Well,
Mr. Johnson is basically terrified of Rosalie, so we should definitely use her."
Alice chimed in. "Oh!" Rosalie announced standing up from her seated position.
"We're going to need Jasper. I have just the plan!" XxXxX 's POV Wednesday at la
st. Wednesdays were my favourite day out of all of the weekdays. Nothing stressf
ul or overly exciting happens on Wednesday. It was this day of the week that I w
as able to spend quietly in my office. "Mr. Johnson." the secretary called from
her desk. "You have mail in your mailbox." So maybe something did happen. There
goes my Wednesday. Grudgingly, I rose my chair and walked to the wall of empty c
ubbies. With mine being the only one with paper inside, it was extremely easy to
find. "Thank you." I stated before retreating back to my office and opening the
folded white paper. Dear Mr. Johnson, It has come to our attention that a stude
nt (Rosalie Hale) has placed a complaint on an aspect of your teaching/ schoolin
g/ behavior/ etc. Although this occurence will not be acted upon at this current
time, it is still important to make you aware of your offenses. Rosalie Hale st
ated:
Mr. Johnson has made many girls in Forks High School uncomfortable with his "wan
dering eye". I speak on behalf of nearly all of the female population of this sc
hool when I say that Mr. Johnson has a tendency to "check out" girls that expose
any part of the their body. Just the other day, Mr. Johnson called a quiet girl
that had no offenses to her record to his office and discussed her clothing. As
a result, he then called my sister and I to come, but sent us out when I threat
ened to expose his unprofessional and extremely disturbing tendencies. We hope t
o solve this problem in the next Board of Education meeting this Friday. It is o
ur wish that you appeal to the Board about this issue before the meeting begins.
I could feel my face pale as I read this. "I'd appreciate knowing what you plan
on doing about this situation. It's important to report problems immediately, y
ou know. We wouldn't want the Board of Education having to replace anybody on sh
ort notice." Ms. Hale had stated. I hadn't had a discussion with her like I had
promised. As if on cue, I saw Rosalie Hale walk by the office in the shortest sk
irt I had ever seen worn on a minor. XxXxX Friday's Board of Education Meeting B
POV "Are you sure that we are allowed to be here?" I questioned Alice. "Of cours
e. The public is always allowed at these meetings." she stated. "Then why are we
the only public here?" "Just because the public is allowed doesn't mean that th
ey actually come." "Are we ready to begin?" a voice announced to the room. Rosal
ie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and I were seated quietly in our seats. Each of the Cu
llens had a perfect mask of indifference about them. I was still amazed at how w
ell this plan had gone so far. I was worried about the document that Jasper had
forged stating that Mr. Johnson would have to appealed at the meeting. However,
it would appear that Mr. Johnson had believed it because he walked up, unannounc
ed to the microphone, flashcards in hand. I heard Emmett chuckle quietly as Jasp
er whispered "Oh my God" in an amazed voice. Mr. Johnson cleared his throat unco
mfortably before speaking. The man that had called the meeting to attention was
looking at him in an irritated way. "I was told to appeal at this meeting becaus
e of my tendencies to "check out" girls that are wearing indecent clothing. This
is not the case, however, because---" "Mr. Johnson?" an older woman asked. "Yes
, Mrs. Vertare?" he questioned, loosening his tie uncomfortably. "What are you d
oing?" she questioned, her forehead furrowed in confusion. "I-- I'm supposed to.
. talk to the Board.. I received a complaint and---"
"Sit down, Mr. Johnson and be quiet. This meeting is not a joke. We can talk abo
ut your... "tendencies" at a later date." A few members of the Board exchanged h
umored glances and I thought that Mr. Johnson was going to die on the spot. "Y-y
es, Mrs. Vertare. My apologies."