The Urban Princesses: Belle

Chapter 13

Gavin's POV

"The only person she has talked to is the English teacher," I grumbled. "I think you're wrong, I don't think there is anybody she is more interested than me." I sighed as I checked my cuticles. All perfect, as usual.

"It's only third period, just wait." Liam said optimistically. He pointed to Bella's locker, where she was spinning her combination. "Look, check for notes or pictures inside of her locker."

I squinted my eyes as she swung the door open, trying to see. "I can't see anything!"

He jumped a little when I yelled. "Ok, hang on." He started to walk over to her locker, pulling a rubber band from his pocket. I tried to imagine what he could be doing, but my mind was wired for football plays, not spying.

Liam casually, yet roughly, bumped into her, sending her books scattering across the floor. I watched as he apologized and she bent down to gather her books. While she did that, Liam did a fancy rubber band maneuver around the lock mechanism on the locker and finished just as Bella stood up, her face red in exasperation as she slammed her locker shut and walked away. Liam motioned for me to come over and I obliged.

"Open it." He commanded, earning him an angry glare from myself.

The locker swung open with ease without me having to enter a combination.

"I jammed the lock system. Now," he scanned her locker. "Nope. No boys." He sighed. "You'll get her next time." He started to walk away but I grabbed his shirt.

"You don't expect it to be in plain sight, do you?" I seethed. Idiot.

I rummaged through her locker, checking the far back, the top, inside books, in the air holes in the side of the metal, nothing. Not one iota of any boy. "What's next?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "What about her phone?"

I shook my head. "I already had one of the nerds hack into it." I stroked my chin, the wheels in my head turning like there was no tomorrow. We both stood there for a moment, contemplating possible resources, until Liam snapped his fingers with a conclusion.

"We've been going about this all wrong. What if it's not a thing we should be looking for, but a person?"

An epiphany happened for me. "We should ask her best friend!" I happened to know that Dusty and Bella hung out a lot. "I'm a genius!"

"Actually-" Liam tried to protest but I was already walking away from him down the silent hallway. Dusty had the same free period as I did and now I was on a mission to find her.

After searching the entire first floor, I found her in the library typing a report. With charm, I slid into the chair next to her and grinned. "Hello, beautiful."

Her face turned beet red as she smiled, looking away from me and batting her eyelashes. "Hey." She giggled nervously.

"How's it been going?" I stretched my arms out, flaunting my thick muscles.

"Good." I could tell she was refraining from showering me with kisses. They all try to.

"You and Bella been ok? She seems better about her dad lately. Are you helping her cope?"

"Yeah, she's been spending a lot of time with me and it's been helping."

I leaned over so I was about half a foot away from her face, which made her blush even harder. "Is anyone else helping her grieve?" This was it, the moment I've been waiting for. I could feel it in my pecs.

"No." My pecs, and heart sank. "Not that I know of." She looked over at her computer then back at me. "I have to print this report, but I'll talk to you later." She winked at me, which looked more like her eye was having a spaz attack. I grimaced as I walked away from her and back to Liam.

"Anything?"

I shook my head and scoffed. "She's so dumb."

Bella didn't sit with anyone unfamiliar at lunch, nobody approached her, needless to say, I received zero information that day.

That is, until football practice.

"Because I said so." I crossed my arms sassily.

Liam groaned as he made another lap around the football field. He should think next time he decides to talk back to me about strategy.

"Let's work on conditioning. Grab some weights and let's get moving!"

The rest of the football team started walking towards the weight room.

Of course, I planted myself on the heaviest bench station and loaded two, hundred pound weights on each end of my barbel, then continued to do one hundred bench presses. I noticed our wide receiver, Adam, pumping iron impossibly fast.

"Whoa, Adam, easy there." I said as I put down my barbel and sat up. "You're going to hurt yourself." I actually didn't care if he hurt himself, he was being a show off and belittling me.

"Sorry," he grunted as he put down his three hundred pound barbel and wiped his face with a towel. "I've just been stressed lately."

"With what?" I poked my biceps self conciously. I really didn't care about why he was stressed, I liked seeing people struggle, but I never showed it.

"I can't make up my mind." Yup, already bored. "I really want to ask my tutor to prom, but I don't think she likes me like that, and I don't want it to be awkward," he shook his head. "I don't know. It's stupid but maybe I could get your insight on it?"

"It depends who she is and whether or not she will say yes. I've dated almost every girl in the junior and senior class, who is it you're asking?"

"Bella French. Do you know her?"

I stopped poking my biceps and looked at him. In that moment, I probably could've hurled a barbel at him, because he was the boy who was keeping Bella from me, but I didn't.

All I knew, was this means war.

***

I can't believe I'm actually on time. *Pats self on back* I guess you're not a complete let down.

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Next update is hopefully Thursday but it won't be later than Sunday, I promise.

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-RavenclawMaven1198