Yes, I was being foolish, ludicrous even. I knew that, but my legs kept moving, increasing my speed without even thinking about it. I wasn’t planning on giving up any time soon - not with my shoes and stockings already dusty and splattered with mud, not with my hair wild as it blew loose in the wind, and certainly not with my heart pounding with excitement and thrill.
Of course I knew I was being absurd as I dirtied and exhausted myself to chase a silly yellow hair ribbon that blew away in the wind as I was tying my hair back, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t giving up after all this. I knew that, and I was sure my friends were well aware. So, why did they keep shouting after me as they attempted to keep up with my steadily growing pace?
“Please, Bella!” I heard Alice shouting at the top of her lungs in a hoarse, drained voice. She was never much of an athlete, and the pursuit was too much for her. “You must stop this instant or your mother will murder you!”
Even more closely -I could tell because the voice was louder, not because I turned to look - Rosalie was pleading, too. “Bella, stop! You’ve ruined your dress! Besides, you’ll never catch it.” She cried, and then more softly added “can’t even see it anymore...” in a lower tone that she probably didn’t think I’d hear with my attention almost completely absorbed by the yellow strand a couple of yards away, now caught on a branch, thank goodness.
“It’s right there - on that tree!” I bellowed and dashed to it as quickly as I could. It was stuck on a thinner branch of leaves of an old looking oak tree, not impossible to get, but far too high to touch with my hands.
Alice and then Rosalie finally caught up with me and paused to catch their breath before staring up at the branch in speculation as well. Alice was still sucking air in noisily and heavily, clearly unfit to move any longer. She plopped herself on the ground and rested her back on the trunk of the tree, enjoying the shade. I’m not sure what my face must have given away, but it must have been calculating, planning, because right away Rosalie jumped, making me flinch, and squealed, “Please, Bella, for the love of God, let us just go. This is ridiculous.” Alice groaned, reluctant to move at the moment.
“Let me just shake it down. We got this far. It would be nonsensical to just leave it there now, don’t you think? We can go in a minute.” I said. Alice moaned again and put her head in her hands at the idea of having to get up.
“You are the most unyielding and unreasonable being I have ever met.” Rosalie huffed with an amused and also irritated smile to me and went to sit down next to Alice, sighing in contentment at the immediate shelter from the blistering mid day sun. I hadn’t really been thinking about it, but I suddenly realized I was sweating bullets. It got awfully hot in the small town of Chicago during July.
Just as I was deciding whether or not to take hold of the branches and wiggle them until the ribbon came loose, a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere, making my hair fly around my face as if it was alive like Medusa’s. I quickly pulled it together with my hands to get it out of my eyes, just in time to see the ribbon unravel from the oak’s limb and soar off yet again in the surprisingly powerful breeze.
“No!” I cried as I sped off after it, not even bothering to see if Rosalie and Alice would protest. It was so close now, and gravity worked in my favor as it came closer and closer to the earth, almost low enough for my fingers to reach up and clutch it.
All of my focus was on that insignificant hair ribbon. My eyes zeroed in on it and I couldn’t hear anything but my heart pounding in exhilaration. Yes, I was silly indeed for chasing after a ribbon with such devotion. I stretched my arm above my head, still running to keep up with it, and grasped the end of the fluttering lace. It danced around my two fingers as the wind threatened to pull it from my grasp again.
I was overcome with the joy of victory when I slammed into him, so hard it sent us both flying to the ground.
“Miss?” He whispered, stunned and flustered.
“Oh my god! I am so sorry about that!” I muttered as I tried to upright myself. I was straddled on my back over him in the very improper and awkward position we had landed in after he tried to brace my fall, even in the abruptness of the accident. My hair was sprawled around me like a brunette halo. I managed to get myself off of him, only to fall make over onto the ground because of a fierce head rush.
He laughed at my bewildered expression and I felt him roll over on his side next to me to face me.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
I turned my head to see that it was Edward Masen lying beside me, prompted up on his right arm. His slightly too long bronze hair was falling around his emerald green eyes, untidy from the fall. The corners of his lips were turned upward in an almost welcoming smile, but his expression seemed to be a mixture of disorientation and amusement. His proximity baffled me for a moment. When I didn’t respond, his face turned concerned.
“Am I all right? How about you? I almost killed you!” I retorted. His expression turned joking.
“I’m perfectly fine. You just seem dizzy.” He pointed out. Slowly, he pulled himself off the ground and put his palm to the side of his forehead. “Alright, not perfectly fine, but not severely damaged in any way.” He laughed and reached down his other hand to pull me up.
His eyes raked over my disheveled appearance. My dress’s hem was drenched in mud and my hair was loose and falling over my shoulders. I must have looked outlandish. I blushed as his eyes zeroed in on my hand. Then he looked up to return my gaze.
“I’m Sorry, I’m Edward Masen.” He stated.
“I know.” I blurted out before I realized that I sounded silly. “I mean…it’s…a pleasure to meet you. I’m Isabella Swan.” I stumbled to correct my slip.
"Well, Isabella, I’m glad to see that you got what you were chasing after.” He chuckled. I gazed back, puzzled as to what he could possibly mean.
“Your ribbon.” He clarified. “I saw you reaching for it. I’ve never seen a girl running so fast, or most boys for that matter. You must really love that ribbon.” He snickered.
I gazed down to my left hand. I hadn’t realized in all the excitement, but my hand was still clutched rigidly around the yellow ribbon in a needlessly tight hold.
“Oh, not at all. It’s just a silly ribbon.” I laughed and felt my face flush. His mouth turned into a beautiful crooked smile. I tied my now wildly curly brown hair back behind my head and wondered why I’d really tried so hard in the first place to catch it.
“Well, I must be going, but it was a pleasure to meet you, even though it was very unconventional.” He snickered.
“I’m so sorry. Are you sure you’re alright?” I asked, hoping he would stay just a bit longer.
“I’m fine, I promise.” He assured. “I hope I’ll see you soon, Isabella Swan.” He added a bit more seriously.
“Yes, but next time you’ll have to fall into me.” I joked. He laughed and nodded.
“I’ll keep that promise. I’m sorry, but my mother’s going to rip my head off if I’m late. Goodbye!” He said and turned to wave over his shoulder at me before taking off towards town in a hurry.
I was in a daze when Alice and Rosalie caught up with me.
“Oh, thank goodness you found it. Now let us see if you have a head to use it on after your mother sees what you’ve done to yourself.” Alice chirped.
“Yes, we should go back for dinner.” I sighed, but all I was really thinking about was Edward. I don’t know why, but I felt instantly infatuated by him. I had seen him many times in the market place or at a party, and listened to my friends gossip of his extraordinarily handsome features, but I had never spoken to him. Now I suddenly wanted to know him.
I never liked any boys, and boys didn’t particularly like me. My friends said I was pretty, but I was the very definition of plain. I had brown hair, brown eyes, and faded freckles splashed across the face of my uncommonly pale complexion. I was skinny, but my body was long and shapeless. When we first moved to Chicago, boys would come up to me and flirt, much to my dismay, but soon after they realized I wasn’t the simple lady of their imaginations, most decided I wasn’t worth their time. Besides, boys were intimidated by my witty tongue and masculine vigor. My mother constantly told me to put down my books or stop playing soccer and start acting like a lady if I ever wanted hope of marrying. Not that I ever dreamed of marrying any boy I had ever met.
So why did I suddenly feel so besotted with this stranger? I had no idea. I’m sure he wanted nothing to do with a plain middle class girl who just tackled him covered in muck I had made a complete fool of myself.
And even if he did like me... I stopped myself from thinking that. I couldn't let myself entertain the idea or I might become hopeful. There was no way we could ever be together. I was poor and plain. He was of a much higher rank in society, of a wealthier family, and of course much too handsome, witty, intelligent and perfect.
And, even though I had only talked to him for a minute or so, the decision I came to made my spirit feel feeble. I would just have to avoid Edward from now on.
And so I did.
