His Heartwarming Secret

CHAPTER 7

The conversation between Jedd and I whirls round and round in my thoughts all night. I don't sleep much but when I finally manage to nod off, the sun begins to rise, peeping through my curtains.

I finish lacing up my converse and stand off my bed, stretching. A dull aching pain flares up in my sides and I wince, placing my hand over it. I walk over to my mirror and gingerly lift my hoody, examining the tender area. A light bruise is beginning to form, looking alien against my pale skin.

Now I'm tired, grumpy and in pain. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Great start to the day Bella.

I reach for my backpack before heading out of my room quietly. The plan is to leave the house before Dad and Jedd wake up. I don't want to be interrogated further and an awkward car ride with Jedd is the last thing I need today.

I tip-toe down the stairs, avoiding the creaky ones that will alert Jedd of my presence. I reach the bottom of the stairs and turn to walk towards the kitchen to grab some breakfast. A shadowy figure moves on the other side of the glass door and I immediately duck, mimicking something out of a action movie. Abort Mission Bella!

I crawl the opposite way, heading straight for the front door instead. Opening the door without making noise is a difficult task however after a minute or two of fumbling with the locks, it springs open. I let out a sigh of relief before darting outside into the crisp morning air.

I sprint down the road, my converse slapping against the concrete floor. A small smile appears on my face that eventually widens into a grin as I realise I left without being seen.

Watch out James Bond, Bella Winters is in town.

*****

I'm halfway through class when my phone begins to go crazy inside my pocket. The vibration surprises me, causing me to jump up in my seat. I throw an apologetic look to the person next to me who's staring at me as if I've sprouted another head.

I warily pull it out of my pocket and glance at the screen. Three unread texts from Jedd and two missed calls. I physically wince knowing that he's mad at me for ditching him this morning. Whenever Jedd is mad at me, he lets me know why and then will proceed to ignore me for days, weeks even until I whole heartedly apologise.

I unlock my phone underneath the desk and read the texts quickly —

What the hell Bella? Where are you?

Not cool. You could have at least told me you'd rather walk to school.

Hello? You're actually impossible.

I instantly feel guilty, knowing I should have let him know I was walking to school. I quickly lock my phone, deciding to reply back to him later.

"Belinda Winters, is that your phone underneath the desk?" The teacher says loudly, causing me to snap my head up in her direction. She's staring straight at me, her eyebrow raised and I hear sniggers erupt around me.

"My name is Bella." I say quietly, my eyes glued to the desk in front of me. I feel my cheeks heat up in embarrassment and I quickly stuff my phone back inside my pocket. The teacher pauses and stutters a little, realising that she'd gotten my name wrong.

No biggie Miss. It's not like you've been teaching me for the last year or anything. . .

"Miss Winters, hand over the phone please."

She holds out her hand and tilts her nose in the air as if she's above and beyond the rest of us in this class. I can't help noticing she doesn't even try to use my first name. Anger and annoyance curses through my body and I sit up straight, staring at her firmly.

"I wasn't on my phone." I lie, fully aware of the entire class staring straight at me. An uncomfortable silence falls upon us and I feel the tips of my ears burn red, spreading down to my cheeks.

"You know the rules regarding phones."

"I was checking the time, that's all." I murmur, my voice growing quieter. I can feel multiple sets of eyes on me, causing me to squirm under their gaze.

"That's a lie, I saw her. She was texting underneath the desk.”

Beatrice’s voice fills the silence in the air and you immediately freeze.

Oh, no she didn’t.