300 Days With The Alpha Beta Triplets
END OF SEMESTER

Bella:

"I... I didn't mean to."

I choked out the words as I inhaled deeply.

Ryder grabbed me, pulling me into a hug and patting my hair gently.

"It's okay, Bella. We don't have to continue the training," he said, and I nodded as I let the tears hanging in my eyes

fall.

I thought my mother hating me was bad, but replaceing out that my father wasn't innocent was taking a toll on me. I wanted to leave, bury my head in a pillow, and bawl my eyes out like I had been doing in silence for the past few days. But I had exposed myself to them, and although I appreciated their help, I didn't want to feel like a burden.

When I pulled away from Ryder, Hazel stared at me, her face drawn down.

"Hazel, please, I don't mean to make you sad or anything. I'll be better soon," I said, and she threw her arms around

me.

"I'm trying so hard not to cry, Bella. You've been like this for a while now, and it's affecting me too," she said, and I wrapped my hands tightly around her. "Maybe we should talk to a therapist."

"No!" I pulled away at once, my face crumpling.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Bella. But..."

"Hazel, no. I'm fine, really. I just need to stop thinking about him, and I'll be okay," I said to her, and she sighed. "Look," I forced a smile on my face, but the four of them peered at me oddly.

At that moment, Hazel's phone rang.

"Riley is here," she announced, and I glanced at her, the smile still on my face. "Your smile is creeping me out, and it's best if you stop. You need help, Bella. It's either that, or you actually confront your dad," she said, causing the smile on my face to vanish.

"Hazel is right, Bella," Kai chipped in.

"Yeah, you talked to my mum, and your mum. Now you no longer hold anything against your mother, so I think you should talk to your dad," Ryder added, causing my brows to wrinkle, almost reaching the top of my nose.

"I stand with them," Finn added, and I glared at him, my eyes wide. "It's not that I don't support you, Bella, but the reason you feel this way is that you held your father in high regard. He was this saint, and when you found out things about him, it changed everything. So maybe have a talk with him."

"It happened with my mum. I hated her, but then I understood her," Ryder said, and I scoffed.

"My father raped my mother, and that's what I'm talking about. Did any of your dads rape your mum? No! So it's not the same, Ryder!" I yelled at them, which I instantly regretted, but it was too late because the words were already out. "Fuck!" I put my hands over my lips. "I... I'm sorry," I said to them, and they shook their heads.

"We're worried about you, Bella, but it seems like all we do is waste our time. We have feelings too, and you don't just get to yell at us, then apologize, and everything will be fine!" Ryder yelled, causing my heart to skip a beat.

"Guys, what's the fuss about?" We all turned to see Riley coming up the mountain trail.

"Maybe you should ask Bella," Kai said, turning away.

The others followed him, except Hazel, who stood by me without a word.

"Did I overdo it?" She nodded, and I took a deep breath.

We watched the triplets pack up the broken dummy and other items they had brought. Riley walked up to us.

"Is no one going to fill me in on anything?" he asked, and Hazel glanced at me.

"You can talk," I said to her, and she leaned into his ear, whispering what had happened.

"Oh," Riley said, then he glared at the triplets, who had finished packing.

Ryder held a bag, and Finn clutched the body of the dummy while Kai held the head.

"Come on, guys, you can't stay mad at her forever," he said to them, but they all ignored him.

I placed a hand on my forehead.

"Are you coming or not?" Ryder asked.

Hazel tilted her head toward me, signaling for me to go with them. I sighed and walked off, following the triplets. Riley and Hazel trailed behind us, and as we walked, I prayed the ground would open up and swallow me. Their silence killed me.

Soon we reached where Ryder had parked his car. Kai opened the door to the back seat, then looked at me. I got into the car, muttering a thank you, and he shut the door. They all stuffed the items in the trunk before getting into the car, with Ryder and Finn in front and Kai beside me. For a while, we were all quiet, and it cut deep into my soul.

"Are you guys seriously never going to speak to me again?" I asked, glancing at their faces for answers. They stayed silent, so I shrugged. "Fine, let's be mute then," I said, folding my arms and throwing my head against the back of the seat.

"You're being ridiculous right now, Bella, and you know we're going to speak to you, but you're making things difficult for us. We get you have a lot going on, but you keep making us look like fools," Finn said, and I sighed, running my hand through my hair.

I sat up.

"I'm sorry, and I truly don't mean to do it on purpose. Sometimes, when I get into that mood, it's hard to leave it.' "Then let us be there for you!" Ryder interjected.

"We want to help you, Bella, but you keep drifting away from us, and it's killing us," Kai said, and I stayed quiet.

"I don't think you guys are stupid, and I really appreciate the fact that you're always there for me, even though I'm... shitty."

"You're not..."

"Don't," I cut Ryder off. "If I say I'm shitty, then I'm shitty. I'm a piece of shit!" My voice came out high-pitched, earning a chuckle from the three of them.

A smile spread across my lips at once, then I leaned toward Kai, kissing his cheek.

"Are we good?" I asked, and they all nodded.

"But we need our kisses," Finn said, and I pecked him and Ryder simultaneously.

**

It was Monday, the last day of exams for the semester. As we handed in our papers, the students went into an uproar, screaming like they were about to graduate.

"What's the fuss? We still have an entire year and a semester left," I said to Hazel, and she shrugged.

"They're always like this," she said, then she linked her elbow with mine, leading me out of the classroom. In the hallway, we met the triplets, who wore bright faces.

"So, one semester left," I said to them.

"You know it!" Kai clicked his fingers.

"I would kill to be any of you," Hazel said, and I looked at her from the corner of my eye. "What? If I'm Ryder, then he'd be me, and he would be in the same class with you, so you wouldn't be alone."

I was about to speak when Finn kept his gaze on my shoulder.

"She's here, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," I heard my mother's voice, causing me to turn around. "Hello, boys, and Hazel." She waved at them with a smile.

"Good day, Principal Evelyn," they chorused, and my mother looked at me.

"My office, now."

I groaned as I followed her. As soon as we got to her office, and I shut the door, she leaned against her desk; her smile fading.

"Your father tells me he hasn't been able to reach you. Did something happen to your phone?" she asked, and I shook my head. "Bella?"

"Fine, I blocked him. I've been having these mental episodes because of him, and no, I don't need therapy. I think I'm getting better, but I don't want anything to do with him ever again," I said to her, and she scoffed.

"You better change your mind because I've decided you'll stay with him for Easter." My mouth fell open.

"What?"

"Let me help you," she walked toward me, lifting my jaw, and I sighed.

"Mum!"

"No, Bella. You'll go to your father, or do you hate me now too? Because I'm used to it," she said, and I stared at her, trying to steady my breathing. "Your father has done nothing wrong to you."

"But he..."

"He did it to me, yes. And I have forgiven him. He has been nothing but a good father to you, and I don't want you to inherit my pain. Your grandmother was evil, but your father is a good man. He just isn't right for me. We could never work out," she said, looking into my eyes.

The tears in my eyes formed quickly, threatening to fall. My mother wiped them away with her thumb.

"Your father made sure you had a good life, and I don't care if I was made the villain in the story, but my daughter turned out just fine. So please, don't ruin the relationship you have with your father," she said, and I glared at her.

I threw my arms around her, and she pulled me into a hug.

"Promise me that if I don't feel comfortable, I can always return."

She pulled away from me, then held my hands. "I promise you. If you make one phone call, I'll be on my way to that

pack." I nodded at her words, then I let out a forced laugh, which she echoed.

There and then, I decided I would face the biggest problem in my life at the moment-my father.