"He was staring at Lauren… Anna from trig is certain!" Brianna whispered excitedly to Jessica. She was lying of course; she simply wanted to let Jessica know she wasn't on the top of the 'potential girls for Edward Cullen' list.
My interest in their conversation was minimal, what I was really listening on was Angela Weber's soft voice. Would she say anything about my greeting her today? Would she mention the fact that two of the Cullen siblings actually spoke to her…
I peered into her mind and al I got was her concern over her little brother having a cold.
I don't know why that bothered me so much; her not being concerned or excited that a Cullen had spoke to her. I know I wasn't turning into an egotistic attention addicted vampire but her response interaction was-like her mind-a pleasant surprise. She was currently drawing flowers that resembled a sort of cubism era inspiration… how fascinating watching this through her mind as she stressed innocently over her brother and contemplating supper…
To think there were still children like this; still holding on to their innocence with out much worry and full of clarity and radiance…
…and Ben will be coming over to prep for the Trig test. Ben…
Her voice took on a wistful tone on the name of this Ben fellow; a short boy with a floppy mass of brown hair and bad skin. She liked him…? A strange choice… but maybe it made sense. He was her equal and she thought he was funny and gentlemanly…
"Art has begun!" Mr Freeman announced walking swiftly to the front of the class. He was a tall man with wild greying black hair and a thin etched face. His grey hawk eyes scanned the room and his baritone voice immediately grabbed the attention and respect of the whole class.
"Alright… quite a large group" he murmured, nodding his head in approval of our numbers. Will make group work easier if I had one paired group and the rest in a larger… start with the outcasts…
Group work?
Things could be a lot worse. I could be stuck on a plane were all the passengers succumbed to paper cuts. I could be stuck in a room with Emmett after he hadn't seen rose in two days…
Okay… group project… that's the way to go Mr Freeman thought, rubbing his hands appreciatively at how clever he was at successfully coming up with a way for us to work without disturbing his 'artistic needs'.
"I'm going to pair you" he said, formulating his plan as he spoke. He had the classes attention with his eccentricity, wild hair and generally fearful face. I groaned internally as his mind wandered to the lone pale boy seated at the front-away from everyone else.
"Mr Cullen" he said his voice resounding through the classroom. "Seeing as how you are the only mortal in this class who has a need for their individuality and artistic isolation…"
Good heavens, he was romanticizing my being ostracized from the rest of the classroom…! What a pretty picture he painted in his mind of a beautiful misunderstood boy who didn't quite know how to fit in…
"If you would like to pick a partner for the project please?" he said, the thought overlapping with his audio wording so I missed his mental question and heard the one he said out loud.
"What?" I said, the loudest I had spoken amongst the humans. They were startled by my voice-clear and low. Pleasant to them and it sent more of the humans into a whirl wind of infatuation.
"Uh… Mr Cullen" he murmured, taken aback by my indiscriminatingly handsome face gaping blankly at him with wide eyes. "Chose a partner"
The class was quiet except for the loud frenzied excited thoughts of the children as I raked at them slowly-although I knew already the only choice I had truly-for a partner. A dozen 'pick me's' and 'good heavens' followed by 'so handsome' and 'I'll give him my virginity' greeted me as I prolonged the moment when I would say her name.
"Uh…" I stammered unnecessarily, looking up at the old drugged up man-he had been smoking weed in his office prior to this class-who mistook my hesitation for shyness. What an odd word, shy…
"Angela Weber" I said softly, before gazing out the window=my insides oddly exhilarated at letting that out and my mind a tormented flurry of why's and how's. why Angela Weber and how where you going to go around this project, Edward.
"Ms Weber" he sang, clapping his hands in an odd manner that reminded me of Aro. "Do you take this man to be your lawful wedded partner…?"
I watched horrified through Mr Freeman's mind as Angela's face blanched and Jessica scowled violently beside her. Angela's mouth hung open, her eyes wide and unbelieving.
"Uh… you might want to do prenuptial agreement on this one, Mr Cullen" the teacher murmured loudly to me and I groaned. He was embarrassing her and her thoughts were a series of disjointed images with stammering dictation. She hated the staring, she hated the daggers Lauren was giving her and she did not look forward to the long duration of this project. It sees it was our whole grade for this term.
"Weber, no choice in the matter" Mr Freeman said seriously, quieting the loud whispering. "Class is an odd number, so Mr Newman you can pick two partners and…"
I drowned out the sounds and concentrated on her mind. She was grateful it was me only because she knew I was intelligent and she wouldn't have to be caught doing most of the work like if it were with Jessica.
I didn't like this and it confused me. Her thoughts about me had been pitiful before but a direct contact with me was not wanted? This bothered me… even though I knew it was her instincts warding of the predator… telling her that I was a threat, that I was not good and that I could cause her serious discomfort
"Uh… hi" she whispered, dropping her bag on the floor and sliding into her seat nervously.
Oh god, oh god, oh god
"Hello again, Angela" I murmured, holding my body carefully away and hating every fibre of my vampire body that made her nervous.
"Edward…"she squeaked. "The project…huh"
"Yeah… the project" I said, pushing the single paper with the details of our project towards her. I already knew naturally, from the teachers mind-that this was a trip down memory lane to inspire some art piece.
"Hmm" she murmured, flipping through the stapled paper.
Elizabethan time… inspired art… clothing?
"We have to…"
"Research on inspired art of the time and present our findings dressed in that very time" I finished, startling her a little.
"Yes" she whispered. "It's interesting… I have a thing for the old"
I raised an eyebrow at her and a smile snick up on my lips.
"The Ancient…"she stammered. "I meant the ancient!"
"The Ancient…?" I asked, chuckling lightly at the thought that she was seated next to 'The Ancient'
"Oh gosh…" she whispered , her heart thudding loudly. He thinks I have an old guy fetish.
I wonder what she would do if I asked her if she did?
