Opposites Attract

By Junaberry

Every school quarter, on the second last Wednesday of the term, the hardy teachers of Forks High School cast either a wary or conniving look at their equally hardy students. The students all know what's coming and brace themselves against their desks, sharpening their pencils relentlessly and checking that each of their ball point pens is working in prime condition.

"Good morning, class. Term exams, here we come!"

Ah, the dreaded words that cause every Forks senior to shudder with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

The first term of my second year at Forks, I received my first term exam in Government with Jefferson. This class, I shared with Edward. We took our places at the back of the class as per usual and shuffled our books out of our bags and onto the table. Prior to the nasal-sounding bell, Jessica had come up to me, confidently and anxiously. Confidently in the sense that she rarely made an active effort to contact me while I was with Edward but anxious in the sense that she was clutching her binder tight to her chest and walking rather rigidly.

"Hi, Bella." She barely took a breath before continuing or waiting for a reply. "Term exams today! So, totally nervous. Are you?"

"Yeah, but we've just gotta do our best," I patted her arm reassuringly and left some pretty unhelpful advice with her. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I know you've been studying."

"You're probably right. It's just with senior year and all. These marks are really gonna count, you know?" Jessica breathed deeply and brought her binder even closer to her, shifting her feet uncomfortably on the damp grass. "What about you, Edward? Nervous at all?"

"A little, I suppose. It's hard to not be nervous." He spoke tersely and gave up little information. I shot him a hurried look of protest but he ignored me. He was always slightly difficult whenever anyone other than his family or I was around.

"Well, I'll see you two later then. Good luck!" She bade us farewell and scurried off into her first class, leaving both Edward and I shell shocked by her display of rather non Jessica-esque like behavior.

"I'm going to hand out the Term Papers now. I want none of you to turn them over until I advise you to do so. Get out a working pen. No notes and if I catch any of you cheating, all marks will be deducted." Jefferson fixed a steely glare on all of us before shifting his gaze to the task at hand.

He flipped each exam over so that a blank side was facing up then placed it on the desk. I shivered a little by the tense atmosphere in the classroom. It dawned on me that my knowledge of politics was really going to make a large impact on my near future and distant future. I immediately regretted all those times I had slacked off to either gaze at Edward from the corner of my eye or whisper to him surreptitiously across our desks. Jefferson came to us finally and turned around briskly back to the front of the room as soon as our exams landed on the desks. Squarely and perfectly in true Jefferson style.

"Good luck, Bella," chuckled Edward without even glancing towards me.

"You too," I replied even though I was sure he would not need it.

"Begin."

I flipped the exam over and fixed my eyes on the words in front of me, defiantly. This term, I would pass with flying colors, I told myself and brought the pen to paper.

Two weeks later and I was still musing over my exam marks. We hadn't received our report cards yet of course but I had a fair judgment as to whether I had passed or flunked out. Government wasn't as difficult as expected and the other tests were also easier than Jessica had made them out to be. Nevertheless, being the rather shy person that I am, I was nervous still, reading over my textbooks and trying to remember as many questions as I could so I could connect them with the appropriate answers.

"Bella, relax please. It's hard styling your hair when you're jumping all over the place," whispered Alice quickly into my ear, yanking a knot out, not too hard but hard enough to get her point across.

I was spending my morning at the Cullen's, midway through Spring break. Alice was trying, unsuccessfully may I add, to tease my hair into a French braid while Edward and Jasper were outside, reluctantly gardening with Esme. Emmett and Rosalie were nowhere to be seen and even Carlisle had said that he would rather not know what they were up to.

"I can't help it, Alice! I'm so nervous. Our report cards are coming today or tomorrow," I whined back and clasped my hands into my lap.

I faintly heard Alice grumble a little and bent down to clamp a lock of hair between her lips. I ignored her complaints and allowed my eyes to roam over the pretty collection of pressed flowers, pasted on a piece of show card, hanging over Alice's vanity table mirror.

"I used to collect them when I was human, Carlisle thinks. He found them in my trunk," she commented in a distracted manner, sensing what I was looking at.

Pansies, daffodils and ivy leaves were spread out over the card and they added a touch of Alice to the room even though their room hardly needed anymore. It was clear that she was the dominating personality in her and Jasper's relationship.

"They're pretty."

My last words seemed to end the conversation and Alice immersed herself in perfecting my French braid. I must have fallen asleep because when my eyes opened next, I could hear the boys coming in and Esme cursing them lightly for trampling over her petunias.

"Jasper! Edward! I worked long and hard on those. You should be ashamed." Her chastises were no fiercer than a baby seal's wail for milk.

I blinked rapidly and stretched my legs, pointing my toes into dancers' feet. Alice was no where in sight so I stood up and walked into the hall. Outside the arched, full length window at the end of the corridor, I spied Alice at the mailbox that was built into the brick wall, surrounding the property. In her hand were a stack of envelopes and she was considering one particularly. All of a sudden, her gaze flickered upwards, towards me and she grinned broadly, showing all her teeth and waved at me gleefully.

I finally understood. The envelopes were the Cullen's report cards.

I knew it was rude to do what I did but I think I may have quite possibly died from anticipation if I had waited any longer. I darted down the stairs and grabbed my jacket from the coat room near the front door.

"I gotta go, Esme! I think the report cards have come," I called out to her as I swept past her hunched form, tending to her precious, trodden petunias.

I heard her fluttery laugh and she called out a good luck to me in her gentle voice.

Down the leafy path that led to my truck and the road, I passed Alice who was walking back, still smiling hugely. I jerked back, suddenly curious. Maybe she knew what my marks were… I was weighing up my options; ask her what I got or judge by her facial expression.
"So," I began thoughtfully, "Any idea what you got?"

I could tell by how her smile broadened that she knew what I was really asking.

"No idea and I'm not telling your marks. You can go home and find out yourself."

"Fine," I rumbled and stalked off towards my truck that stood out from its surrounding like a tanned, buxom blonde in Forks High.

"Bye bye, Bella."

I didn't reply but then I remembered my manners. "See you."

I had driven home at record speed; okay, just as fast as my truck would let me, and fled to the mailbox as soon as I had the thing parked in Charlie's driveway. The letter was there, sealed with my name on it, printed in clear capitals. The envelope was thin, yellow paper and crinkly from being rained on then dried. The lights in the house were off so I assumed that Charlie wasn't in yet. I took the opportunity to fumble with the keys and fling the door open, take out bread, ham, pickles and fish fingers of all things and slam the sandwiches haphazardly onto the griller.

I breathed a sigh of relief; at least Charlie wouldn't get suspicious when he came home to no dinner. The thought that he would think I was off frolicking with Edward all day came to mind, even though that was just what I did but I didn't need Charlie riding my back.

I had planned previously to conjure up a magnificent dinner, the night my report card came but I suppose I hadn't envisaged the date properly so I wasn't prepared in the least. You could call it insurance, just in case I got bad marks. Charlie couldn't get angry at me if I had cooked him anything special, could he? In any case, I doubted the local Thrift way stocked fresh scallops and oysters. Charlie's special seafood dinner would have to wait. The envelope containing my future was brought up to my room and left on my dresser. It c

ould wait until I was showered and Charlie was home. With the few minutes I had left before the sandwiches burnt, I took a shower, scalding my scalp and back in the process.

Halfway through the process, once I had added a little cold water and rinsed out the shampoo from my hair, I heard Charlie come in the front door. I assumed he heard the shower running; he didn't call out for me as he usually did. With his arrival, I quickened my pace and toweled off roughly. I could feel my heart slamming against my chest throughout. It was surprising how nervous I really was. Maybe getting ravaged by a sadistic vampire didn't make that big a difference to my nerves.

"Hey there, Bells," rumbled Charlie as he saw me traipse from the bathroom to my bedroom upstairs.
He was in the kitchen, lifting the corners of the sandwiches to check that they won't burning and sniffing them a little.

"Hi, Dad. Could you plate them up for me; I'll be down in a minute," I requested and saw him nod in reply. "Thanks."

There wasn't much to do in my bedroom except pull my brush through my wet hair. There was only so much stalling I could do even if I changed into pajamas or pretended to lose the report card. With my long awaited envelope in my hand, my place was taken in the kitchen. He had the plates at our designated seats, coincidentally mine in front of me (there you go, some true Phoenix sarcasm), and was pouring two glasses of cold water for us both.

"Dad, I got my report card this afternoon." I braced myself for whatever would come next; I wasn't entirely sure.

Surprisingly, he smiled ruefully, quite out of character, and brought the water to the table before taking his seat.

"Well, have you opened it yet?"

"No, I was gonna let you do the honors."

"Oh, honey, I'd rather not. You go ahead."

I murmured my acceptance and pulled the top of the envelope off and blew on the opening to flare it wide. After I had dipped my hand inside and pulled out the paper, I felt Charlie's eyes on me.

"Nervous, aren't you, hon?" He seemed to find this funny and laughed softly into his sandwich.

I felt a burst of love and respect for my father then as I watched him take a gigantic bite from his meal. It was nice living with someone who accepted me and loved me but didn't loiter around my room while I was reading all day.
"A little," I replied honestly and returned my attention to the paper…

I had achieved an array of A's and B's except for PE in which I had gotten a lousy C- but it mattered very little to me. My ability to throw a softball wasn't going to affect the choice of universities I had.

"Wow, this is great, Bells," Charlie said as his eyes appraised the paper I handed him. "Well done."

"Thanks, dad."

The twinkle in Charlie's eye that I had grown to know and love in the time that I had stayed with him returned as he praised me and I returned the gesture. In some ways, I was happier living with Charlie than my mom. If I was with Phil and mom, Renee would have either made a big fuss of my marks or said she way disappointed with the various B's I had received. Neither Phil nor Renee would have been much disgruntled by what I had gotten for PE. They both knew me much too well to care in the very least.

After dinner and an hour of Sports Tonight with Charlie, I returned to my room to meet a sullen Edward who was sitting on my bed. It wasn't that much of a surprise to see him there in all his glory but even after two years, it still brought a flurry of activity in my heart. Ah, finally, my own personal Greek God. I refused to pay attention to his gloominess and jumped into his lap eagerly.
"Hello, sweetheart," he murmured into my almost dry hair but said no more.

His depressed state was starting to rub off on me and the high I had gotten from my marks began to wear off.

"What's wrong, Edward?" I ventured; I wasn't really listening though. I was disappointed that he wasn't begging me to tell him what my marks were. After all, he was the one that was insistent on Plan B: the college route.

He needed no second request to speak.

"I got a… B." He sighed dramatically and played with a loose strand of hair from the long braid that twisted down my back.

I couldn't resist the knowing smile that crept to my lips. Of course I had gotten numerous B's in my education. A B wasn't terrible anyway. It was still an acceptable mark. More than acceptable even

"What did you get the B for?"

A moment of silence filled the air and Edward's eyes visibly darkened. "PE…"

He trailed off, ashamed and stared out the window; perhaps a trait brought over from his human days.

"PE? Oh, Edward! Don't worry about PE."

"It's just so much of a surprise, Bella… I've never gotten anything less than an A before. It feels… surreal."

Surreal for Edward was getting a B for PE; surreal for me was finding out that the strange yet perfect group that sat in the corner of the cafeteria at school were vampires. It made me think about just how different Edward and I were but then again, opposites attract.