It was clear that Bella wasn't going to take my advice. Instead of hanging out with the Emo/Goth crowd where she belonged, she remained a loner. Her nose in a book or her iPhone in the cafeteria.
"I mean, what if this daywalker crowd comes to Sunnydale?" I asked Angel, pacing back and forth in my room. My mom was downstairs, so I couldn't yell. All my anger was trapped.
Angel caught me on one of my paces. "I'm not entirely sure that what she says is true. About the daywalking, I mean. But if it is…"
"If it is, we're in deep shit." I threw open the lid to my trunk and began sharpening the stakes.
"Well, maybe."
"What do you mean, maybe?"
"I mean, we don't know anything about these Washington vampires. If Bella's boyfriend really is one of them, then it's clear they don't intend to harm humans and – " He knelt down beside me and moved my stake hand and the knife hand apart.
"If it's true than that means there might be a way for me to be out during the daytime. And spend more time with you. I wouldn't have to sneak out anymore before the sun comes up."
I laughed. "That would be nice. But you would still have to sneak out before my mom came upstairs."
I could see his point though.
"So when is your boyfriend coming to visit?" I sidled up to Bella in the hallway as she was digging through her locker. She pulled out textbook and slammed it shut.
"Why? Are you planning on staking him?" I could hear the anger….and the nervousness, in her voice.
"I was." I snapped my gum. "But now I just want to meet him."
Bella let out a sharp ha and started walking briskly.
"Look," I said, walking quickly to keep up, "I know I said those things, and I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight." I turned to stand in front of her, blocking the way. "Why don't we four go on a double date when he gets here? Me, you, your bf and Angel. You met Angel. He's not gonna hurt another vampire unless he has to. And I won't either."
"I don't know…."
"You have to understand that we're curious. We've never met vampires who could walk in the daytime."
"Fine. He'll be here next week. You make the reservations." She stepped to the left and started walking again.
"I'll have to look up the sunset schedule, but that should be fine. I…" I swallowed the lump in my throat, which I think was pride, "I look forward to it."
I picked The Olive Garden because with unlimited salad and breadsticks it would be easy to hide the fact that Edward and Angel wouldn't be eating. Angel ordered wine, which must have been awkward for Edward because even though he was over 100 years old, he still had the ID of a seventeen year old.
Edward was a skinny jean kind of kid. He was pretty. Bella sat next to him, barely touching her food, looking at him with moony eyes.
"Well, I guess I'm the only one who's eating tonight," I said too loudly, grabbing another breadstick. At least Edward laughed at my joke.
Hell, I couldn't blame anyone. This was awkward as hell, and it made it even weirder that Bella had suddenly turned into a ball of mush. "So Edward, "I said, "can you really walk in daylight?"
If anyone but me was eating, they might have choked on something. "Yes…." he said with only the slightest rise of his eyebrows.
"How?" Angel asked.
"I don't understand," Edward said. "I just do."
"So, when you walk outside, you don't burn up and turn to ash?"
Edward shook his head.
"He sparkles," Bella said breathlessly.
Angel and I laughed.
Edward glanced down at his hands, seemingly embarrassed by his girlfriend's admission.
"Really?" I said. "That's it?"
"As you can imagine, it's hard to remain incognito. So I don't go outside much anyway."
"Yes, but you can."
Edward nodded.
"And the other vampires you know, they can go out in daytime as well?"
"Yes."
"But you don't have any idea how that's possible?" Angel was almost angry at their ignorance. He proceeded to tear his napkin into tiny pieces inch-by-inch. "You do understand that this isn't normal?"
Edward shrugged. "As far as I remember, it's always been this way."
I grabbed Angel's hand under the table and spelled out G-I-L-E-S in his palm, hoping he'd understand.
"Check, please."