A Rose

*

He's not sure how it got there.

Or why.

But the fact remains, when he had walked to his locker, wanting to throw his books in so he could go to lunch, he'd found it.

A rose.

Stuck through the lock.

Pulling it out he holds it up, wondering if it some kind of practical joke one of the other boy's are trying to pull on him.

But why would they use a rose?

He can't help but smell it, the rose's scent mixed with another one that he can almost recognize.

"Hey, Jake, I was won … What is that?"

He looks over at Bella, almost surprised to see her before he remembers that they combined the two schools, Forks and La Push, for a month; while Forks High is being fumigates, or rebuilt, or something.

He didn't really pay that much attention to the explanation, had just been happy that his best friend would be going to school with him.

The idea that Bella might have put the rose there goes out of his head almost as soon as it entered.

Why would Bella give him a rose? And why would she then pretend not to know what it was.

"Hello? Jake? Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah," he replies, shaking his head, looking down at the red rose in his fingers, noticing that there aren't any thorns on the stem.

"Well?" she asks, looking at him expectantly.

"I … don't know," he says, looking back up at her and shrugging, opening his locker and putting his books inside; while still holding onto his rose.

"A secret admirer?" Bella asks, her eyes shining.

"Maybe," he replies, shrugging again.

As he enters the cafeteria, he feels eyes on him, the sensation no longer as uncomfortable as it once was. Or not in the same sense anyway.

He can't help but feel a thrill run through him as the eyes follow him. He resists looking up until he's sitting down and has his food.

Taking a bite from the sandwich he glances up, his eyes meeting curious copper ones. He watches as the eyes slowly drop to the table, and he realizes when he looks down, that the other boy is looking at his rose.

Frowning, he looks up again, sure he'll see mocking or a superior look, what he sees surprises him; a smile reaching the other boy's eyes, as well as amusement, followed by a wink.

Edward turns away before Jake realizes who it was that gave him the rose, a fluttery feeling entering his stomach as he looks down at the rose, a smile crossing his face against his will, as he finally recognizes the scent on the rose as Edward's.

*

A/N - Let me know which one (if any) you would like to see next - singing in the rain, pain, "I love you", notebook; diary, hug!, take a gamble, "I really hate you", look my way; glance, denim shirt, pause, chocolate, gossip or loser.