Asteraceae

THIRTY SEVEN

She couldn't even look at him. While her face did look a mess, and Charlie had demanded to know who 'punched' her, she couldn't help but recede back into her room. She didn't have the heart to tell her father she had hurt herself, and the embarrassment she had experienced when Edward stared straight into the bruise like it was some contagious disease made her feel even more like shit than she currently did now. That bitch could've killed her during that game, and the coach did nothing but brush her off as if she was being over dramatic.

It was just a game her ass

She knew the man was playing favorites. She had heard a lot about him letting Alice and Rosalie wander around the school during his class period whenever they wanted. He didn't force them to play his stupid 'games' either and even yelled at a girl for almost hitting Rosalie in the stomach. Wasn't it part of the game to throw balls at people? So why was she excused from it?

Pervert

She groaned, the pack of cold peas resting against her cheek as she tried relaxing while she could before the next day of school rolled around. She would have to face Joshua with this face, he already thought of her as a fool, and he might think of her even worse if she showed up with a busted face from her own actions...she wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment.

She blushed, just a bit. Just a tad bit considering Edward showed great concern over her injured face. He seemed to genuinely care about what happened, but she wondered what he would do knowing that her sister technically was the cause of such injury. Would he be upset, or would his concern disappear? She had met guys who would side with their evil sisters, they didn't care if they were the problem, and maybe for once she was jealous of those girls for having a family that would back up their evilness.

She only had her mother who utterly understood where she came from. She had been a survivor herself of being tied down to a man that can't do much for her, and she didn't want Bella to experience it. She liked Phil, but the two of them knew that if he didn't make it soon then it would be a no go again this time around. She would have to break things off, or she might've already broken things, but she knew her mother wasn't planning to stay with another broke man.

"Bella seriously, is something going on at school that I need to be worried about?" Charlie had his benefits, though his downsides seem to weigh down upon him than anything else. He was nice, not rich, just nice. A nice guy that would make you feel loved, not be loved. He had nothing going on for him, and this tiny home in need of some serious renovations was a major setback.

"I'm serious dad, no one hurt me." And while she did wish to bring the wrath down upon Rosalie Cullen, she felt like it would get her nowhere with many people supporting beauty. And the changes she would have with Edward might decrease. She needed him.

"I know you just worried, but I only got hurt during gym. You know how clumsy I am." And she said that confidently with a flushed appearance as her father nodded along to her little excuse.

"So, you're not going down with your friends to La Push? I know Jacob invited you to hang out during the bonfire and was wondering if you were attending that also?" He awkwardly shuffled in his spot. "No rush or need to go just asking since I'm going out by myself tonight."

"A date?"

"No, nothing like that, got some work that needs to be done." Looking at it now, he seemed stressed. Tensed like he was overworking himself to the bone just to figure this case out.

"Something wrong?" She didn't care that much, but if the tension was obvious then why not ask.

"Nothing, much just a cold case gone warm after some information was left by an anonymous person." They had pictures, notes, and even receipts about some shady work that had happened a few years back. At that time, Charlie was nothing but an officer, but now he was the Chief in charge of getting to the truth of a case once gone cold. "Just be careful, and don't drink anything without a seal on it." Interesting. She wondered what that was all about, though so much information could be revealed to the public. Was it something dealing with someone she knew, someone Charlie knew, or was this just some everyday case that had nothing to do with any of the people she bothered to acknowledge in her life?