"Yeah, I'm actually starting at Amherst in a couple weeks. I'm visiting some family first before orientation" It's not a complete lie, I am spending the last two weeks before junior year at my grandmother's house in Amherst. Since I'm there, and I love everything I've read about the school, I'm taking a tour. I won't have many other opportunities because I live in Washington, and who knows the next time I'll be able to fly across the country?
Edwards looks incredulous at my answer. He laughs, a huge smile on his face and says, "No way, me too! We'll have to meet up!"
Oh shit.
"Wow…Who'da thought?!...That's such a coinkydink!" I purposely avoid the second part of his statement.
Stupid stupid stupid stupid STUPID! Of course the first time I actually try lying it blows up like Hiroshima. Guess that should be a lesson in why not to lie…
I just said coinkydink.
Edward's laughing at me again.
"Do you know what residence hall you're staying in?" he asks, still chuckling a little.
Oh dear god. I'm not good enough of a liar to lie, because it seems like a bunch of them will always have to follow it.
"Um…no…"
Think fast Bella. You can do it girl, you're an honor student.
"I uh… got my paperwork in right at the deadline so some things got messed up that they're still working out." That's reasonable, right?
"Oh." His face falls a little, but then he says, "I'm in Harrison Hall. I guess it's one of the more rowdy ones." He pulls his spectacular grin. Swoon.
"So where are you from?" I ask, desperate to change the subject to things I don't have to make up.
"Uh, Seattle actually. I went to a prep school there. Cities are good and all, but I was looking for something more rural," he replies. So he can run trails through the woods and climb mountains, preferably with me over his shoulder.
We chatted surprisingly comfortably for the next hour or so, about what we did for fun and what we were thinking of studying in school. I don't really do anything extracurricular outside of school except for the flute, which I'm pretty good at, and I'm pretty sure I want to major in English. Although, I have two more years to figure that out, but Edward doesn't know that. He's a three sport athlete: soccer, hockey, and baseball. Hott. With two t's, like Christina Aguilera puts two r's in "dirrty". That's also part of the reason he's going to Amherst-- they want him on the soccer team. As if it isn't enough that he's genuinely nice, smart, and athletic, he's going pre-med because he wants to be a pediatrician. He's perfect.
I hadn't notice the slight drops and shaking the plane had been making, but an enormous, gut-suspending one brought it to Edward's and my attention. We both reached out to grasp our armrests, our fingers jolting away from each other a little at the contact. The change in elevation surprised me, but I wasn't worried about it. I looked over at Edward and his mouth was set in a tight line. I hadn't noticed it before, but now that I thought about it, he'd gotten increasingly more tense from the start of the turbulence. Guys just seem to get worked up about flying. Hoping to add levity to the proceedings, I raised my arms up a little in the air and caught his eye.
"No hands!"
He let out a bark of laughter and visibly relaxed a little, lifting his finely sculpted arms into the air next to mine. I'm so happy he chose to wear a t-shirt this morning. My ovaries and I. What a pair. The stuffy looking people sitting next to us, who I'd been completely unaware of because of the specimen next to me, look annoyed. And worried. The turbulence is worse than any I'd ever been on before. I look out the window next to me and watch the impressive bolts of lightning flash across the sky and disappear, only to be followed in immediate succession by another.
It is while I am looking out this window, with my arms still raised a little in the air, that the plane takes the biggest lurch yet. Unable to brace myself with my uselessly positioned hands, my head cracks into the side of the plane.
Dizzy, blurry, darkness… gone.