EPOV: Chapter 21
Get the damn ball. Fuck. Pass the ball to Bella. Pass Bella the fucking ball. What is it with this team that they so blatantly ignore people who are open? Lauren Mallory needs to get the fuck over herself and pass the damn ball.
If you’d asked me, a few months ago, what I knew about field hockey, I could have probably told you it’s a game women play in the United States. In England, men play, I think. They use a stick. There is a ball. That was the extent of my knowledge.
Now, I can tell you there are 11 players on the field at a time, and Bella’s team uses the 3-3-3-1-1 model, where they have three forwards, three midfielders, three defenders, a sweeper, and a goalie. Bella is a center midfielder, considered to be the most physically demanding position, as you must both drop back to play defense every time the ball moves to your end, and push up with the offense to score. My girl is in great fucking shape.
When you put your body between the ball and the other player, it gets called for obstruction. Stupid fucking rule, right? I know. The damn whistle blows constantly when FHS is playing a shitty team. If your stick hits another stick it’s hacking. Bella doesn’t hack. She plays with finesse.
And right now, she’s fucking open and no one is passing her the ball.
I look over at the Harvard scout, who is on the other side of the field. He’s younger than I expected, but I guess maybe they have a lot of young scouts who travel afar to check out new recruits.
God, it would be amazing if Bella chose Harvard. My family has a house there that they’ve kept for investment purposes for years. Unfortunately, I can’t tell Bella about it. I don’t want her to feel like I’m swaying her decision. Ever since she said Harvard was coming. I’d been thinking about telling her. I could go with her on her official visit. We could stay at my family’s house. But then, I realize if we do that, I might be subtly encouraging her to go there. The move would be easy. I wouldn’t have to sell my house.
My mother warned me on Sunday about this. She urged me to let Bella make her own decisions, so she wouldn’t resent me down the road. But that wouldn’t happen, would it?
Yes! Alice has the ball. Bella is sprinting to get in front of her. Go, go, go, baby. She’s flying down the field, so much faster than any of her teammates. Stick in one hand, she surpasses the defenders around her quickly, positioning herself in front of Alice, wide open for the break away.
Alice sees it. I swear those two have a sixth sense about each other on the field. The ball is flying up—shit, it’s moving faster than Bella was expecting, but it’s at the right angle.
Bella’s body moves swiftly, the stick an extension of her arm. The ball is immediately in her possession, never slowing as she heads toward the goal.
The only defender in her way is passed effortlessly, as Bella taps the ball between the girl’s legs and meets it on the other side, as if the obstacle was never there in the first place. The goalie comes out from the goal, ready to meet Bella at the top of the circle.
The goalie is charging right for her, and Bella’s not backing down. Fuck, be careful! The goalie drops to her side, attempting to slide into her, but Bella anticipates it, and easily flicks the ball up, into the air, and over the goalie’s body.
Bella’s legs get caught in the process, though, and she stumbles trying to get over the large, bulky pads.
One leg over the goalie, the other still trapped, Bella stretches her whole body out, legs lunging and arms reaching, toward the ball, which is almost out of reach.
With a smooth, swift, sweeping move, Bella has reached the ball, sending it flying into the goal. Yes! That’s my girl!
She’s so talented. So few people are truly well rounded, excelling at a variety of things, and yet, Bella does it with such ease, and she doesn’t even realize it. When my mother heard that she played field hockey, potentially at the collegiate level, she was incredibly impressed. Bella is such a tiny, fragile looking girl and yet, tougher than anyone I know. I smile as the game ends, and I see Bella celebrate with her teammates.
Before long, I notice the Harvard scout heading toward Bella. He had to be impressed with that play. Bella was unstoppable today. Harvard is a long way from Forks, but the change could be so great for her. Bella would thrive in a new environment.
I wait for Victoria to finish praising the girls for their performance. She knows I’m listening, so she is playing it up, but I know how she really talks to them. Most of the time she is berating, belittling, and vicious to them, but whenever she thinks I’m listening, she turns on the charm.
Bella is glowing as she stretches, her lean, strong body releasing as she moves. God, she’s flexible. Son of a bitch… I’m hard. I adjust myself quickly, hoping no one has noticed the pervy teacher ogling the field hockey team.
Just as the Harvard scout is closing in on Bella, her team starts singing.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BELLA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!”
What the fuck? I look at Bella, who is blushing profusely and looks up at me, an apologetic look on her face.
Today is her fucking birthday? She didn’t tell me it was her birthday? What the fuck? Why wouldn’t she tell me?
Her whole fucking field hockey team knows it is her birthday, and her boyfriend doesn’t? I’m such a fucking idiot. How serious can things honestly be between us if she doesn’t even tell me it’s her birthday? Here I am, picking out new fucking paint colors for the Cambridge House, and Bella won’t share basic information about herself.
I feel a little sick. What does that say about the state of our relationship? Am I inventing this deep connection I thought we had? Fuck, fuck, fuck. Great. Now I’m the ass who didn’t know it was his girlfriend’s birthday. I’d thought about her birthday before, knowing it was coming up, and how we might celebrate it. None of it included finding out by watching her get serenaded by her field hockey team. What the fuck, Bella?
I should leave. If she doesn’t want to celebrate her birthday with me, fine. I don’t need to stay here and force myself onto her. I run my hand through my hair. Fuck.
I feel a tapping on my shoulder, and turn to see Charlie Swan, smiling. Shit.
“Hey, Charlie,” I say, trying to smile.
“Edward, how are you?” he asks, shaking my hand.
“Good, thanks. You?” I take a few deep, shaky breaths, trying to calm myself.
Charlie nods. “Good, good. That was one hell of a game, huh?”
“Yes. Bella played exceptionally well,” I say. I’m pissed at her, but it’s true.
I glance in her direction. She’s watching me, mouth open. I’m sure she’s wondering what Charlie wants. What does Charlie want?
“So, look, Edward, I know this is last minute, but as I’m sure you heard, today is Bella’s birthday,” Charlie begins. Yes, Charlie. I just heard. “Anyway, I’m having a little dinner for her over at the lodge, and I’d love it if you could come.”
“To Bella’s birthday dinner?” I repeat, making sure I’ve heard him correctly.
Charlie nods. “You’re her favorite teacher. Bella isn’t close to a lot of people, you know? She’s got a small group of people she lets in. You’re important to her, I can tell. I think it would mean a lot to her if you were there.”
I smile at Charlie. His affection for his daughter is apparent in everything he does. “Of course I’ll come, Charlie.”
“Great. It’s at The Lodge. The reservation is for 6:00. I’m gonna take my time getting over there, but as soon as you can be there would be great,” he says.
“Sure thing,” I say.
“Also…I know this isn’t your area of expertise, but I mean, you’re at school with her all day,” Charlie begins, he has an anxious look on his face. Where is this going? “Do you ever see her with any…boys?”
“Boys?” Where are you going with this, Charlie?
“Yeah, I mean, is she friendly with any boy in particular?” Charlie looks so uncomfortable asking me this, but no more than I am answering it.
“Um, no…not really, no. No, I don’t think I’ve seen her with any boys during school. She’s usually with Alice.” That’s true. And I’m not really a boy anymore, so technically, it’s not a lie. “Why do you ask?”
“A few weeks ago she had said something about seeing someone…I thought maybe I could invite him if he was here,” Charlie says, gesturing toward the crowd of students on the sidelines. God, I hope Charlie doesn’t hate me when he finds out what I’ve been doing with his daughter. I really like him.
“I don’t think he’s a student at Forks,” I say. “I haven’t seen her with any of the boys at school.”
Charlie nods, satisfied for now. “As long as it’s not that Newton boy. What a fuckwad that kid is,” he says, shaking his head.
“Hi Dad,” Bella says then, approaching from behind me. “Hello, Mr. Cullen.”
“Hey Bells!” Charlie beams.
“Hello Miss Swan,” I say. Although Charlie took my mind off of Bella’s birthday for a bit, seeing her up close makes me angry all over again…and now, I get to go celebrate with Bella, Charlie, and whomever else Charlie considers a part of Bella’s inner circle. Excellent.
I take a deep breath and run my fingers through my hair, trying to figure out what I will say to Bella, and how I will make it through dinner without saying it to her. As I watch her talk about Harvard, I realize it won’t be easy.
But then again, nothing with our relationship is.
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