The next morning the house seemed quieter than usual as I got dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a light pink lace peplum top. Leaving my hair down, I just added a slouch knit cap which I had clipped my old dragonfly pin to. The night hadn't been filled with much after Carlisle came home in the Volvo except for a hunting trip and that didn't occupy much of the silent night. Stepping back into the closet where Emmett was getting dressed, I grabbed a pair of wedges, slipping them on right as a hand took my arm. Unable to hide it, I just frowned up at him and he pulled me into a much needed hug.
"I'm sure he'll be back before the week, ends," He assured in a whisper and I gave a small nod as I pulled back, but I didn't know if I wanted him to come back. He had left because of this Swan girl, because her blood called to him just like that one woman had called to Emmett and while just he had been younger and more inexperienced that Edward was it wasn't normal. And, after seeing how it affected him, I didn't want him to have to go through that every single day. Yes, I hoped my brother came back and I was sad with how he left, but I didn't want him to punish himself to hold up this high school/family thing.
Letting out a sigh, I grabbed my olive blazer off the hanger and we both set off down stairs to wait for the others. Before ten minutes passed we were out in the garage and heading towards the school with me driving my car and Alice the Volvo.
As we pulled into the parking lot, we all headed off towards our classes except for me, as I headed to the office. Greeting Mrs. Cope with a smile, I worked my specific version of charm as I handed her the note which Esme had signed. "Edward won't be in for a few days," I explained.
"Oh, what is the problem?" She questioned as she looked to it.
"He's not feeling well, just mark it down…please," without question she opened up the program and began typing, all to easily falling into the suggestion, because I didn't feel like explaining it anymore.
The day passed slower than usual, especially the start where I didn't have Edward to have silent and drawn conversation with, along with working to aggravate Mr. Varner by always getting the 'surprise' questions right. Then lunch came and I had to work to not irrationally glare at the girl who had unknowingly done this, as she kept looking over to us. By the end of the day, we all moved out of the building, ready to go home as there was a vicious assault on the senses of everyone in the parking lot. For the first time we all looked to her, in the faded red truck that was making the racket. Frowning, I shared a look with Emmett before sliding into the driver's seat.
For a week it passed like that, with really nothing but also everything being different since one of us was gone, then came Sunday afternoon as I was playing chess with Emmett, and gladly winning. "He's coming back!" Alice literally shouted across the house so loud that a human could have heard her in the back yard. Though, I couldn't really comment on her overenthusiasm as I launched across the five boards between us and hugged Emmett tightly around the neck at the relief that he was coming home.
By that morning he was home and we were all once again falling into that comfortable rhythm, even enjoying a small snowball fight with the fresh fall. But, I kept an eye on Edward, not because I was worried about control per say but about his lack of response to the three guys attacking him, which he normally would join right in on. He just wasn't really there, too nervous to concentrate on anything else, which sort of created a domino effect with all of us and amounted to the extent of vigilance that we were giving as we entered the lunch room.
"It's going to be okay," Alice breathed, with her eyes focused in the future with Jasper guiding her as we walked towards our table. Emmett and Noah lead us with Rose and I following behind, tense and ready to react no matter how much it bugged Edward, though Rose was more pissed that worried about something happening.
"Of course it is," He grumbled.
"She's not here yet, but the way she's going to come in…she won't be downwind if we sit in our regular spot," Alice warned despite his grumbles.
"Of course we'll sit in our regular spot," He sighed. "Stop it, Alice. You're getting on my nerves. I'll be absolutely fine." She blinked coming back to the present as Jasper helped her sit down.
"Hmm," She hummed, sounding surprised. "I think you're right."
"Of course I am," he muttered right back as he sat down and I took the chair beside. Letting out a small, half smile to Edward I propped my boots up on the legs of Emmett's chair as he leaned back and placed a hand on my knee and we all settled, going into our normal bored silence. Unable to help it I kept an eye on Edward, noting how tense he looked, he didn't even give the illusion of breathing as he sifted through the thoughts something we had been worried about slightly after the retelling of his last biology class with Bella.
"Anything new?" I asked as I cut the pieces of celery on my tray into thin slices with my manicured fingernail.
"Nothing. She…must not have said anything," He answered curiously and we all glanced over, sharing a bit of shock.
"Maybe you're not as scary as you think you are," Emmett taunted with a chuckle. "I bet I could have frightened her better than that." Both Edward and I rolled our eyes at that and I hit him slightly with the toe of my shoe.
"Wonder why…?" Noah questioned, alluding to the Bella's unique ability to keep him out of her head, an ability we all strived for.
"We've been over that. I don't know," Edward answered pointedly.
"She's coming in," Alice murmured, breaking that bout of tension and switching to a whole new one. "Try to look human."
"Human, you say?" Emmett asked and I saw both him and Noah get identical smirks before raising their fists and revealing two snowballs in their palms. They squeezed their fists and eyed Jasper who had been on the other side of their attacks and vice versa all morning. But then suddenly they threw the ice balls at Alice. Casually she raised her hand, flicking them away so they flew across the cafeteria and cracked the brick wall. The people in the corner turned and just looked to the crumbles of broken ice, all of it having passed to quickly for their eyes.
"Very human you two," Rose said harshly as I pursed my lips to the brothers.
"Why don't you both punch through the wall while you're at it?" I added, narrowing my eyes to Emmett.
"It would look more impressive if you did it, honey," he replied, squeezing my knee gently and I rolled my eyes at him but couldn't stop the small grin from showing. With small grins from everyone, I once again glanced to Edward along with the rest and watched as he looked to the lunch line where all of us were aware of her making her way through. Slowly his grin turned to a horrible form of it, so he looked more pained and even sick than happy. With a laugh, and most likely thought from Emmett though, he looked away and switched it back to the effortless grin.
Out of the corner of my eye, with the rest of them I watched as she moved to a table with her new friends, Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton which thankfully wasn't downwind like Alice had predicted. Just then Alice, who had been keeping an eye on the future, elbowed Edward and I watched as he tensed even more.
"Ease up, Edward," Emmett sighed. "Honestly. So you kill one human. That's hardly the end of the world."
"You would know," Edward murmured as I once against hit the toe of my shoe against Emmett's leg, actually moving him this time as a warning to try and rein in the blunt statements.
He laughed, sliding his hand down onto my thigh slightly, squeezing it gently and I narrowed my eyes to him. "You've got to learn to get over things. Like I do. Eternity is a long time to wallow in guilt." Just then I saw Alice raise her hand and seconds later I was splashed with ice as a handful hit Emmett on the face, just as another hit Noah.
"Alice!" I giggled as I wiped at my face and shirt.
"You asked for it," Emmett leaned forward, across the table and shook the ice out of his dark curls towards her. Noah soon joined as I pulled my blazer up to shield my face from the spray over the table.
"Ew!" Rose complained as we all let out laughs, and Alice held up her tray for a shield. Whipping off a puddle from the table, I flicked some at Edward, to help keep up the perfectly orchestrated human event and playing along he retaliated by doing the same, but I raised my jacket to block it as Emmett plopped back into his chair. Propping my feet back up on the chair I listened into the conversation between Bella and Jessica to see if the ploy had worked and just caught her voice above the other babble. "He doesn't look angry, does he?" She questioned and my worry increased slightly, because that meant she had noticed something.
"No," Jessica answered. "Should he be?"
"I don't think he likes me," Bella whispered.
"The Cullens don't like anybody," Jessica reassured her, though she wished, I'm sure. "Well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you."
"Stop looking at him," Bella said impatiently.
'You stop staring at her,' I shot to Edward along with a look. 'No matter how much you stare at her I don't think it's going to work,' I added, talking about his non-ability to read her mind and with a small bit of reluctance he turned back to us.
For the rest of the hour, it continued as normal. The small act of fun had helped to hold the worries at bay, though as the bell rang we didn't move even as the human filled out. We all were wondering what Edward would do. Would he go and sit by this girl for the full hour, or just skip out which there really wasn't a reason not to.
"I…think it's okay," Alice voiced hesitantly. "Your mind is set. I think you'll make it through the hour."
"Why push it, Edward?" Jasper asked, knowing how it felt better than all of us. "Go home. Take it slow."
"What's the big deal?" Noah shrugged. "Either he will or he won't kill her. Might as well get it over with, either way."
"I don't want move yet," Rose complained. "I don't want to start over. We're almost out of high school, Noah. Finally."
"I can stay close by," I offered hesitantly, if he should need me to stop him from doing something
"No, guys, I think it really will be okay," Alice said a lot more confidently. "It's…firming up. I'm ninety-three percent sure that nothing bad will happen if he goes to class." We all looked to Edward, waiting for his final decision.
"Go to class," He decided and pushed away from the table. Without a seconds hesitation he turned and walked away without looking back, leaving us all with mixed opinions, mine drifting more to worry for the family and how Edward would feel if this didn't go right.
I moved towards the gym a little cautiously with Emmett lagging beside; slower than what would be needed in order to stay near to Alice in case she should need me and then we could just race back to the Biology classroom, but time came that I had to go change. Though, almost as soon as I started to relax, in the middle of a match I saw Alice outside of the window. Quickly she gestured for me to come and purposely I missed the ball before making an excuse of going to the bathroom. Without changing, I zipped out the side door and moved a little faster than humanly possible to catch up to her.
"When?" I asked, because we both knew what was going on and I watched as she zoned out a little but then quickly grabbed my arm just as we were about to head into the building.
"It's changed, he pulled it back," She answered and both of us shared a small smile, glad we weren't going to have to do something, but stayed outside the door until the bell rang just a few minutes later so we didn't have far to go.
Once it did I could almost feel the worry leave my mind because if he could make it through this and keep the thirst under control he had made it over the crest. From now on it should only get easier to be around her, if he kept up his newer diet and even after a while he wouldn't even have to keep that up and that meant he would stay.
At the end of the hour, Noah and I separated, him going to meet Rose at her class while I just headed out to the parking lot with keys in hand. As I stepped out again the horrid sound of the decrepit truck attacked my senses again, including the new sound of squealing breaks and I looked over to see that Bella had almost run into the back of Erin Teague's car. Raising a brow to it, I just continued down and over to where we had parked only to see Edward there alone and watching the girl with an actual smile.
Quickly my slight amusement turned to confusion as I moved around the cars. He was actually watching her with interest, a smile, and even a laugh as she drove past him, and that look he was giving her was almost a ghost of the look I knew all so well because it was the look Emmett gave me all the time when he first woke up. It was almost infatuation.
Not wanting him to see it in my mind, I drove it to the back and locked it in the vault as I put a smile on my face. "What are you laughing at?" I questioned as I moved around the side, looking over the my car at him, wanting to see if he would say.
"Nothing," he quickly faded off and I just gave a small skeptical nod in response, but accidently let the image of the faded red truck pass in my thoughts. "It's nothing," he defended, catching it and again I gave the same nod as the others caught up.
