Sitting in maths class, idly watching the rivulets of rain chasing each other down the cool paned window, I felt my phone buzz in my warm jeans pocket. Checking that Mr Bailey was still busy scrawling unfathomable simultaneous equations on the blackboard, I slid my phone out and checked the message under the desk:
Text message from Alice: Hey Bella, Carlisle's taking Edward hunting tonight, fancy coming to a club with me?x
A hot smile flooded through me, instantly flushing my face. I let my hair fall from behind my ear over my face, so as to avoid Jessica's questioning scrutiny from the desk beside me. A club... with Alice. A stunningly beautiful, highly intelligent, ferociously strong, future-seeing vampire is asking me, Bella Swan, to a club on a Friday night. I'm four years under age, and the daughter of the Forks Chief of Police for starters. Let alone that I've never been to a proper nightclub, can't dance, haven't a clue what to wear... The phone buzzed in my hand, making me jump.
Text message from Alice: Don't worry, I have everything covered, and you won't have to dance if you really don't want to.x
So very Alice, knowing my thoughts instantly, although she's on the other side of the school right now. So no chance of my making excuses then. Not that I wanted to. Of course the idea of it all scared the hell out of me, but the energy that had already started thrumming inside of me was only part nerves. And I knew, that when Alice said she had everything covered, she meant it, all I needed to worry about was having the confidence to enjoy the experience.
"Bella?" Mr Bailey boomed from the front of the classroom, shaking me from my racing thoughts. I looked at him searchingly, "The value of 'y' if 'x' is 12?"
"Err, 3?" I had no idea.
"That's correct, surprisingly." He grunted begrudgingly. Must be my lucky day...
The school bell rang and we were released from class, Jessica started chatting at me immediately as we made our way out into the crowded corridor towards the cafeteria for lunch, something about a movie she was hoping to see at the weekend with Mike, and how she hoped it would teach him a little about grown up romance. I muttered the right responses in what I hoped were the right places, lost in my own whirlwind.
A thrust of lightning snapped around my waist, bursting through me, cold as ice but impossibly full of fire. Warmth spread through me and fizzed on my skin. Alice.
"So, you're gonna come?" She smiled hopefully, keeping her slender arm loosely around my waist. She was on my other side to Jessica who was trying to subtly peer round me to find out what Alice was talking about. I looked into Alice's eyes, a myriad of amber hues, imploring me to say yes. She must already know my answer, even though she thankfully can't clearly see the future when it involves me directly, she must know I'd love to.
"Sounds cool," I smiled with feigned nonchalence, perhaps partly for ever nosey Jessica's sake. Alice beamed and her eyes literally sparkled in an almost unnerving way. "I have to go now, can I pick you up 6pm? We'll get ready at my place."
"Yeah, great, er..." A tumble of questions tied my tongue, as she started to move away,
"I told you," Alice said, already snaking her way through the students in the bustling corridor, "don't worry! We'll sort everything when we get back to my place." She flashed me one last grin and was gone, for the rest of the school day.
"She's so slim and so pretty," Jessica moaned wistfully, "it's a good job she's so pale and kooky or all the guys in this school would be after her!"
I couldn't find the words to follow that up, so I just followed Jessica into the cafeteria in silence, a secret smile buoying me along.
Our lunch table was busy with chatter of weekend plans, so I avoided any questioning from Jessica and was free to quietly try to eat my cheese salad whilst butterflies hatched in my stomach.