Two

Bella looks in the mirror and sighs, her reflection mimicking the action. The girl staring back at her looks like a stranger. Bella curled her hair, pulling back the top of her hair into a loose knot at the back of her head, creating a casual half-updo. With a light layer of makeup, her reflection looks pretty but unhappy.

Bella can not muster up a smile for even herself, she is so dreading this evening. But her father is happy. He has been worried about her since they moved her because he was afraid that she wouldn't know anyone and would retreat further into herself. His wish was that she make friends and he sees this as that coming true.

She does not want to disappoint him by telling him otherwise, so she is faking enthusiasm for him every time he asks her about her date. Just like she will fake a smile for him when he inevitably brings out the old digital camera to take pictures of her.

Standing up, she gives her full body a look over. Her quick movement startles the sleeping dog at her feet and he jumps up. Turning to face the mirror, she takes in the whole look. She is wearing a black chiffon dress with a fitted bodice and spaghetti straps that flow out into a knee-length skirt. The material is thin and layered, making it appear fuller than it is.

It is the dress that she wore to her mother's funeral nearly three years ago. It was the only dress in her closet that still fit her, thanks to the weight that she packed on in the last year that rounded out her hips, thighs, and ass.

“Bella? Are you ready yet? It is almost six!”

Bella sighs again, hearing the impatience in her father's voice, as well as the excitement. Upon hearing Maury's voice, Spook runs from the room to greet him with excited yaps. Her father will be wanted to get a picture or two of her before he goes back to his 'lab' as she calls it.

Pulling on her black high-top converse shoes, Bella tucks her phone down in one of her shoes and a mini-sized book down in the other. It feels weird and bulky at her ankles, but the stupid dress doesn't have pockets. She takes two steps forward before the book falls to the floor.

“Dang it!”

She bends down to pick it up and pulls her phone out of her shoe. Looking around the room, she tries to find something to put her stuff in. She can not take her backpack to a dance. She would look stupid and everyone would call her crazy even more so than they do now. Thinking hard, she remembers that her grandma bought her a purse last Christmas that she has packed away in her closet somewhere.

She begins pulling out boxes, tubs, and crates from her closet and looking through them, tossing things aside in her haste to find the purse. She hears a knock on the door and then her father calls up.

“Bella? Come on! Your date is here!”

“One second, dad. I will be right down!” Bella shouts back.

She spots something black and leather, with sequins and she gives a victory grunt. “Ha!” As she pulls it from the box, she spills contents to the floor but she doesn't care.

Opening the purse quickly, she throws in her phone and her mini-book. Then she runs to her bedside table, where she grabs her charger, her headphones, a full-size book, and a pack of gum, which she throws in her purse. Then she heads down the stairs, with the hopes that this evening does not go as badly as she thinks that it will.

With the purse swinging from her hand, she skips down the stairs until the living room comes into view. She sees her father standing beside Gus, speaking in a hushed whisper. Spook dances around at his feet. Gus must have heard her on the stairs because he whips his head around to spot her mid-descent.

His eyes widen at the first sight of her and he looks stunned. Like him or not, she can not help the genuine smile in response to his reaction. It is actually pretty flattering, to say the least. Bella has to admit that he looks pretty good too. He is wearing black dress pants and a light gray shirt with a black and silver tie. He had his hair trimmed and styled, making him look amazing.

Bella has always thought that he was handsome, that was not the problem. The problem was his whole way of acting and his attitude. The way that he believe's that he is God's divine gift to women and that he should be treated accordingly.

Gus thinks that he should get what he wants, when he wants it, no matter what. Even if what he wants is a person, with their own ideas and feelings. He thinks that he is powerful enough to change a woman's mind. He has this old-world vibe like he doesn't think that women should have thoughts. He wants them to be willing to do as they are told, no questions asked.

Bella is not that kind of girl and she never will be. So apart from tonight, nothing will happen between them. But maybe there is no reason for her to sabotage the date. It can go bad on its own if it is going to.

“Wow..” Gus breathes out. When she gives him a look, he chuckles nervously. “I mean, uh, that you look really good. Um, pretty.. You look really pretty, is what I mean to say.”

“Thank you, Gus.” She tells him as she reaches the bottom of the stairs.

“I agree with Gus. You look amazing, Bella.” Her father says, coming forward to hug her tightly. She hugs him back just as tightly.

When he pulls back, he is aiming the trusty old camera at her and snapping away. She smiles at him and then gives him a sardonic look. After he gets a few shots of her, he suggests that Gus joins her for one of the classic couple posing pics. It is almost like he is desperate for proof that she actually went to the dance with a boy.

“Shouldn't we be going?” Bella finally asks him after what feels like three hundred and fifty photos for her overly excited father.

“Yeah, let's go. See ya, Mr. French.” Gus says, grabbing Bella's hand in his and heading towards the door. She pauses for a moment to grab her jacket off of the hook and pull it on over her dress.

“Bye, Dad,” Bella tells him over her shoulder, giving him a little wave.

“Bye, you two. Have fun!” Thank God he is not one of those fathers that adds 'just not too much fun' because Bella probably would have died of embarrassment.

The door closes behind them and then it hits Bella for real that she is on a date with her tormentor. But despite the dread she feels, she has to admit that he acts like a gentleman. He holds the car door open for her, he keeps the radio off and he drives slowly to the school. He once again opens the door for her and holds a hand out to her to help her get out.

But then that is where the gentlemanly behavior ends. Because he sees Stacey Hamby in a short, red dress and he practically drools as he checks out her ass. He stares at her ass as she walks away and Bella rolls her eyes.

This is why she does not like him. Because had she actually felt a modicum of anything for him, she could have been devastated by the moment right there. It could have ruined her night and made her question herself, comparing her attractiveness to Stacy, only to find herself lacking.

But Bella does not buy into that. And she does not care that Gus is a lecher and a creep. She just wants to get this night over with. She promised him that she would give it two hours ad she will. But that does not at all mean that they have to be spent with him.

They have just barely entered the dance when Gus moves over to chat up Heather Gamble and Bella takes that opportunity to slip away. Heading to the bathroom, she moves into a stall and shuts the door. Pushing the lid down, she sits on top and takes out her phone, earbuds, and book. She settles in for a while.

Bella is not sure how long has passed before someone is calling her name, knocking on stall doors. “Bella French. Bella, are you in here?”

Pulling out an earbud, she stands up to open the door. “Yes?”

“Bella?” Bella nods at the girl. “Your date, Gus, is looking for you.”

“Ew, why?”

“Ugh, why?”

Bella's voice mixes with that of another girl's. She turns her head to find a bleached blonde with big boobs on full display and too much eyeliner giving her a stank look. Clearly, the girl has a problem and Bella plans on addressing it.

“Do I know you?” Bella asks her.

“You should, you little nobody. But since you are nothing in the hierarchy of the school, you wouldn't know the who's who of the place. Basically, you are just a little dumbass.”

“And you are a teen movie cliché. My God, have you been studying the John Hughes handbook? I am sorry that I left my inner Molly Ringwald at home, so I can't play along with this little bantering bit that we have going on.” Bella says, moving past her. Before she leaves though, she stops to tell the girl, “By the way, I can see your nipple.”

“No, you-” She looks down and then adjusts her dress quickly. As Bella walks out the door while rolling her eyes, she hears the girl mutter 'bitch' beneath her breath.

“Skank.” Bella mutters back.

She finds Gus leaning on the wall across from the bathroom talking to some of his friends from the football team. It takes him forty-seven seconds (yes, she counted) to notice that she was standing beside him. He even looks surprised to see her there.

“Bella!” His eyes widen. “I have been looking for you everywhere.”

“Clearly,” Bella says dryly. “I can tell that you were really worried.”

“Yeah.” Gus agrees, not registering her sarcasm. “So, you wanna dance?”

“Uh, not-”

“Good. Let's go.” Gus grabs her hand, leading her down the hall, to the decorated gym.

Bella dances two dances with him before she tells him that she needs to get home. He tries to persuade her to stay, even going so far as to flirt with her. But he finally gives up and agrees to take her home when she tells him that she is suffering from cramps.

The way that boys get so squirrely about women and menstruation, he does not ask any follow-up questions. He gets so flustered that he holds her arm as they get to the car as if he might keel over at any moment. He treats her as he would an elderly grandma as he helps her in the car.

On the way to her home, he makes random conversation, but he is stilted about it. Anytime he mentions the words red, blood, period, he clams up and apologizes. Bella can not help but find the situation amusing. He might be a neanderthal, but when he is flustered he is entertaining, she will give him that.

As he turns on the street leading to her house, she breathes out a sigh of relief. She is ready to get home, kick off her shoes, ditch the dress, and fall into her bed.

When he pulls up outside of her house, she tells him that he does not have to walk her to her door. “Thanks for bringing me home and everything. Uh, I guess I will see you at school.”

“I can-”

“Bye!”

She gets out of the car quickly. A white, fluffy flake hits her nose and she grins. “Snow. It's snowing..” Bella says to herself quietly, with a grin. The snow blows around her as she walks up the walkway to her front door.

She had no idea that it was supposed to snow tonight but that is most likely because she never checks the weather report. Neither does her father, for that matter. He sometimes gets so caught up in his work that he has no idea what is going on around him.

When Bella pushes open the door, Spook greets her with excited yelps and clamoring. Dropping to her knees, she hugs him to her, stroking his fur. “Hey, handsome. How is my good boy?”

He barks quietly and she chuckles. “I missed you too, baby.”

Spook licks her hand and nuzzles into her chest. She cuddles him for a few minutes longer before she stands up and kicks off her shoes and shrugs off her jacket, which she drapes over a chair. Walking over to the fridge, she pulls out a bottle of water and twists off the cap, taking a big gulp.

About that time a loud boom comes from the garage. Running to the door with Spook at her heels, she pulls it open and the acrid stench of smoke wafts towards her face. Fanning a hand in front of her face, she tries to see in the room through the thick cloud.

“Dad? Dad are you okay?”

She hears him coughing, before he answers, “I'm okay. Give me one second-” Clangs and clatters are heard as he moves through the room, then the sounds of a motor, as the garage door lifts open.

The smoke clears a bit, but there is a fire on the table that keeps the room from being completely clear. “What happened, Dad?”

“I am not sure.” Comes the harried reply. The fire is getting bigger and burning hotter, and Spook is beside himself beside her feet. When the blaze flares up and the sound of glass shattering fills the room, Spook whimpers loudly and darts from the room.

“Spook!” Bella runs after him.

“Bella, no!” Her father shouts but she does not listen. She has to get spook back. She hopes that she can catch him so she follows him as he runs faster.

Into the woods.