A Beloved’s Bittersweet Torture

Summary: Bella Jacobs has been burned by unrequited love. After her first heartache, she vowed to not let the same guy (or any guy) hurt her again. When she sees James Parker again and spends time with him, Bella becomes confused – does she love him, or hate him for what he did? Just when she is ready to forgive, and ready to put give her heart again, she discovers his secret and learns to love the very guy who broke her heart.

A/N: Hello, readers! It’s me again! I’m back from writing hibernation (hehehe). Hope you all like this one!

Cheers!

+read, enjoy, review+

Chapter 1 – New Beginnings

Isabella Jacobs was excited. She was going to be a high school junior! No more having to worry about being a dork, or being a loner, or being totally unpopular. And she was excited to see her friends after not seeing them for two months!

            Staring at her full-length mirror, she surveyed her first-day-of-school outfit – white tank top with a yellow halter, and a pair of jeans shorts. Her black hair, one of her best features according to her friends, was tied up in a high ponytail.

She wasn’t the type of girl who put on makeup but she did put on lip-gloss and smacked her lips together. Then, she smiled at herself.

            “Bella! Breakfast!”

            Bella cringed inwardly, not liking how that sounded. “I’ll be down in a minute, mother!” she hollered.

            She put on her favorite silver Fossil watch, given to her by her mom. Then she put on her earrings and also her favorite silver key necklace (the pendant was a key), something she always wore whenever she left the house. It was her first ever necklace, one the she owned and not her sister or her mom. Over the years, Bella didn’t know why but it gave her a feeling of security.

            She surveyed herself once more in the mirror, already wearing her white Skechers, and satisfied with what she saw, she grabbed her black buddy bag and went downstairs to the kitchen.

            “Good morning!” she sang.

            “Well, good morning to you,” Lauren Banks greeted, smiling at her daughter, her brown eyes full of warmth. Linda had auburn hair, something Bella had wanted but instead, she got her black hair from her dad.

            Nicolas Banks looked up from his newspaper and smiled at Bella. “Excited for the first day?”

            “More than,” Bella answered, sitting on the wooden chair of their (wooden) dining table. Her mouth began to water at the sight of the ham and eggs, and she placed some on her plate. Her mom placed then placed two pieces of toast. “Thanks.”

            “I can’t believe you’re going to be a junior now, Bella,” her mom said, her back turned to Bella as she rinsed the pans. Then turning around, she smiled wistfully. “All my children are growing up so fast!”

            “Darling, I’m here,” Nicolas said, reaching for his wife. “I’ll never leave you.”

            “Oh I know, Nicky, darling,” Linda said softly as she took his hand. “And I’ll never leave you.”

            Bella rolled her eyes and made gagging sounds, before she took another bite of her toast. Ever since her sister and brother had left for college, she’d been used to witnessing her parents acting like this.

            “Bella, that’s so unladylike,” her mom chided, reaching over the table to chuck Bella under the chin. “And doesn’t my youngest just look so sexy and beautiful today, doesn’t she Nicky?”

            Bella felt self-conscious as her parents gave her an once-over, and she rolled her eyes for the second time that morning. “Mom, please.”

            “What’s wrong, Bella? It’s true,” her dad said, the newspaper completely forgotten in his hands. Then he furrowed his brow. “Do you have a boyfriend? Are you keeping some boy hidden inside your room?”

            Bella choked. “Dad!”

            Linda went around the table to the counter, and set a glass of apple juice in front of her daughter. Then she sat down next to Bella and said, “Now, you know how we feel about dating and about your studies. You know which should go first.”

            “Mom, I know,” Bella began, as she took a sip of the juice. After swallowing, she continued, “Books before boys because boys bring babies.”

            Her mom beamed. “Couldn’t have put it better myself,” she said while Nicolas chuckled heartily. “You know, when I was your age my parents, your grandparents, didn’t allow me to date.”

            “And that’s how you met dad?” Bella teased.

            Linda laughed. “I met your dad very much after high school. And college.”

            “Yeah, yeah, you met him when you were defending some tycoon businessman from Timbuktu and your eyes met across the court room and it was love at first sight,” Bella droned.

            “It was LA, not Timbuktu,” her mom chided. “And it’s not us we’re talking about, it’s you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get the picture,” Bella said, finishing up her plate. “If it weren’t for Marissa, we’d still be stuck with the no dating rule. Not that it made any difference.”

            Marissa was her oldest sister, by six years. She was now working, and she was the one who had begged her parents to allow them (to allow her) to date.

            “You mean, you’re still not dating?” her mom asked, in feigned shock.

            Bella cocked her head and gave her mom an exasperated look. Her mom smiled instead, and bent over to kiss Bella on the forehead. “I’m sure my youngest is definitely going to be the attention of the entire universe when she walks out this house.”

            Right on cue, a car horned outside.

            “Venus is right on time,” Nicolas said, looking up again from reading his newspaper. “Have a good first day, and an excellent year, Beauty,” he added, smiling at Bella.

            Bella grinned back. ‘Beauty’ was her dad’s nickname for her, from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ where Beauty was named Belle…Belle from Bella. She stood up and grabbed her bag from the floor. “By parents! I’ll see you tonight!”

            “Be back before dinner!” her mom hollered as Bella rushed out the foyer to the front door. “Don’t go having too much fun on your first day!”

            “I won’t!”

            Bella went out the door and breathed in the fresh morning September air. She looked down at the driveway and waved at her best friend, Venus Carson. She trotted down the cemented steps and hopped in the car.

            “Bella!” Venus screamed (brown hair, silver earrings, black shirt, jeans and her favorite red Converse) as soon as she got in. “We’re juniors!”

            Bella laughed. “Relax, V,” she said patting her shoulder.

            “This is just great,” Venus babbled as she pressed on the accelerator. “We can totally eat off campus! Enough of that disgusting and never-ending menu of pasta and chicken! And what’s more, we have a better schedule! And, better parking spaces! And no more having to worry about being bullied by the upperclassmen, because we are the upperclassmen!”

            Bella laughed again. “I really did miss you the entire summer, V! Junior year is definitely going to be the best ever!”

It’s such a cliché chapter, but, well…I couldn’t think of anything else! Next chapter coming up!

Review please! :)