Hello!
Here is Chapter Two. Things in Italics in the beginning is just what had happened previously. It was more for my benefit than yours, honestly. I'd like to tell you all that have Favorited or subscribed THANK YOU and a BIG thank you to the lone person who actually reviewed.
This chapter is in Bella's point of view, however, I would like to switch to third person ob. for the next chapter for everyone's benefit. I will most likely switch back to Bella's point of view as soon as the next chapter is over.
Enjoy, and as always, I own nothing...
I walked back to my truck and started the engine as it squealed in protest and I began to continue my route to my small house. I parked in my usual spot, spying the shiny Volvo waiting for me, which was unusual. I suppose I was more than 15 minutes late because of Jake.
"What's wrong, where have you been?" Edward asked opening my truck door for me. I jumped.
"Nothing, nothing" I lied. "I just…" My hand touched the muddy square of paper in my pocket, and Edward's ocher eyes zeroed in on my hand.
"I smell it, it smells like them." Edward noted. I cast my eyes downward and pulled it out of my pocket, muddy paw side up. "No, it looks personal. I don't want to invade your privacy Bella." Edward said as he walked to the door and opened it using the extra key. "So, how was your day?" Edward's tone was surprisingly light as we walked into the kitchen.
"Well, boring. How about yours? What did you do?" I asked as I unloaded my Trig book and Spanish book on the counter.
"I played the piano, went hunting with Alice," Edward said absentmindedly, he had a smirk on his face about something.
Chapter Two: Dolphin's Mating Ritual
"What? Did I do something funny?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious about my appearance. I knew my hair was its usual frizzy mess, I was wearing a color that Edward adored, and my jeans didn't rip, did they? I gave myself a once over, and I couldn't find anything wrong with my outfit.
"No," Edward chimed in his musical voice, "but I do want to know what you learned at school." Edward said casually as he folded his arms against his chest.
"Nothing abnormal," I grumbled looking at the subjects that were on the kitchen table. Edward laughed his musical laugh.
"Maybe I'm not referring to a scholarly subject," Edward hedged.
Realization struck and my face turned scarlet before I could say anything. My mind wondered how he could possibly know about Jessica's story. Jessica's private story that she had told Angela and me in confidence at lunch. I knew Edward couldn't read my mind, and I highly doubted Alice would pay attention enough to Jessica's future or Mikes for that matter that something as minimal as sexual decisions would alert Alice.
"What are you talking about exactly? I learned several things that weren't exactly scholarly," I hedged as I bit down on my lip trying to grab the Spanish assignment.
"Jessica Stanley shared some information today, I gather." Edward played with the No. 2 pencil that was laid on the table. I gulped reflexively.
"Were you that close that you could listen in? What if someone saw you?" I scolded him.
"No, I happened across Jessica on the drive here and she was thinking about what she told you and Angela and how she prays you guys won't speak a word of it to Ben or me. She feels kind of… how she put it... Cheap."
"Edward, that's very ungentlemanly of you," I was startled.
"How? What did she tell you?" Edward was eager and genuinely curious.
"You don't know?" I asked looking at him incredulously.
"No, that's why I'm asking." Edward looked at me with a raised, amused eyebrow.
"What did she think?" I asked leaning closer to him, all of the scarlet gone from my face.
"She said: I hope that Bella and Angela don't tell Edward or Ben… I feel so cheap, how could I let Mike do that'" Edward imitated Jessica's voice and used air quotes with his perfect white fingers.
"Seriously?" I laughed to myself as Edward pressed his palms into his sides, hands folded against his chest again.
"So what information did she share?" Edward asked, peering up under his lashes.
"I can't tell you. She specifically thought it," I teased.
"I could always make you," Edward leaned forward, his breath fanning across my face, making me forget how to breathe or how to think. "Breathe, Bella." Edward whispered as his smooth, cold fingers brushed a piece of hair out of my face.
Suddenly the space between Edward and I became large and Edward's pose became less seductive and more formal. Charlie.
"We'll talk about this later," Edward insured, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
"Sure, sure."
The rest of the night went on as it usually did. I made lasagna, dad talked very little and claimed to be 'bushed'. He retired to the living room until 10 when it was time for Edward to leave. Edward watched me do my homework and I grumbled under my breathe about his stupid fast reflexes and his knowledge of the content that homework needed even though he wasn't even at school today. Edward smiled at me whenever I was stuck on identifying a feminine or masculine verb and would point to an M or an F on the other side of the worksheet. I'd glare and look at my book for confirmation, and he was typically right.
"Alright, curfew," Charlie's rough voice came from the door way from the kitchen to the living room. I stood up as Edward did, and he packed his books in his backpack and smiled at my father as he did so.
"Thanks Charlie," Edward smiled politely, "I had lost track of time."
I peered over at the stove top where the clock was and I saw that it was 10:05. He was five minutes late, but I was sure that it wasn't an accident. He was waiting for Charlie to kick him out. He's been relatively good at leaving, even without a que from Charlie, but tonight he looked like he was up to something.
"Goodnight," Edward said at the door, brushing his fingertips against my cheek bones.
"I'll see you soon," he said as his eyes tightened with hidden meaning.
As I walked into the living room dad had already taken up his spot watching or pretending to watch the TV. He eavesdrops on Edward and I, and Edward always knew he was listening for a fight.
"Billy said you passed Jake on your way home," dad mentioned. I sighed. I didn't want to talk about Jake.
"Yeah," I mumbled, lingering in the door way.
"Said Jake's been really down and it brightened up his day to see you," Charlie commented, a small smile on his face.
"Good," I said quietly. "I'm going up and taking a shower, I've got a lot on my mind." I walked to the stairs before he could comment on anything about Jake. I missed Jacob, no doubt about that, but he was the one who drew these lines. Not me. And as much as I hated to admit it, Edward was going along with them.
I let the water cascade down my back and unknot the uneasy muscles in my back. I took a deep breath and inhaled the heat and the smell of my body wash. I swallowed hard, thinking about what Edward would demand to know and if he'd know I was lying if it was dark in my room. Surely he wouldn't see my blush in the dark? But who knows what he could see in the dark, his senses were a lot more finely tuned than my human ones were. I begrudgingly stopped the day dreaming in the shower and tried to apply conditioner to my bush of hair before the hot water supply was depleted. I rinsed my hair of the conditioner and brush the knots that were deep in my hair along the nape of my neck. My fingers untangled the knots like a professional and I turned off the now luke-warm water. I looked at myself in the mirror naked, my eyes scanned my body as if I were nothing special, because I wasn't. My breasts were C cups, if I was lucky. My hips were rounded like a woman's would be, but I looked little like a woman and more like a child. Edward wouldn't want to explore my body like Mike Newton explored Jessica's, or how Ben explored Angela's body. I swallowed hard, reaching for a towel and covering my dripping nakedness up. Patting down every single surface of my body and even taking the time to towel dry my hair and placing it in an intricate French braid down the middle of my skull made the time hit almost a quarter 'til Midnight. Charlie knocked on the door.
"Er.. Bells, can I use the bathroom?" He sounded gruff, like he had fallen asleep on the couch. I grabbed my hair brush and opened the bathroom door, smiling and blushing.
"Sorry dad, I got caught up in proper haircare." I laughed to myself, thinking Alice would be proud, and walked to my bedroom, shutting the door tightly. Edward sat in the corner of my room in the rocking chair, his preferred seat. I smiled at him as I placed my hairbrush next to my computer and sat down Indian-style on my bed. Edward put his long pointer finger to his lips and looked to my door. It began to open and as soon as my eyes were off of Edward he disappeared.
"Night kid," Charlie said peering into my bedroom at me. I smiled and nodded my head, pulling at my quilt.
"Night Dad," I said politely, and with that, the door closed quietly clicking as it latched shut. I heard the rocking chair creek quietly and I looked to see Edward sitting as though he had never moved.
"He's very tired, he'll be out like a light soon," Edward said smiling.
"Why is he so tired?" I wondered out loud.
"Missing person's case and a lot of worry about the mass killing and the disappearances that are happening in Seattle coming here to Forks," Edward shrugged as if it was no big thing.
"Oh," I grumbled as I began to pull the covers over my body, laying down into the pillow that smelled of Edward.
"So, you owe me some information," Edward peered up through his lashes, I blushed and turned off my lamp next to the bed. "Uh- hu. I want to see your face," Edward turned it on swiftly. I bit my lower lip.
"What do you want to know?" I shrugged looking at my quilt, I couldn't meet his ocher eyes.
"What did Jessica tell you that made her feel cheap?" Edward asked smiling at me, as if I didn't know exactly what he wanted to know.
"I can't tell you," I said in a hushed voice.
"Did you promise?" Edward's face was stern, but he looked as though he was having a poke of fun at me. I grimaced, he had me there. I didn't promise Jessica anything, nor had Angela, but they didn't ask me to, either.
"Well no," I whispered as my eyes peered down at my fingers that I began to knot together.
"So tell me!" Edward laughed his musical laugh and I sighed, braving a look through my lashes at him. His breath was blown into my face. That was Edward's attempts at charming the answer out of me, and that wasn't fair.
"Edward…" I covered my face with my hands and quilt. His icy fingers slowly pried the quilt and hands away from my beet red face.
"Isabella, what could you possibly be this embarrassed to tell me about?" Edward looked at me incredulously. I bit my lip, and peered up at his ocher eyes through my lashes. I took a deep breath and sighed. If I was going to put on my big girl pants, I guess there was no better time.
"Jessica was telling Angela and I about what her and Mike did the other night." I paused to take a gulp of air, "her and Mike did some exploring," I finished.
"They went hiking?" Edward asked confused.
"No," I paused and looked down at my knotted hands.
"Oh," Edward paused and came closer to me, his eyebrows knit together. "Intimate exploring?" Edward asked.
"Yes…. Jess said that Mike and her have been 'hooking up' off and on since their break up and she said that Mike decided to go down on her last night," I said in a fast jumbled mess. As soon as the last part was out of my mouth my whole body was turned over and my face was in my pillow, embarrassed beyond measure.
"Went down..?" Edward said, I peeked up from my pillow to see his face above mine.
"Yeah…" I said looking at his confused look.
"I'm not familiar with that term," Edward put his index finger to his lips.
"Oral, ya know…" I rolled my eyes to try and convey the more intimate meaning of anything oral. We aren't talking about some report or a dental check-up after all.
"OH! I've not heard that one yet." Edward said laughing; his hands clutched his ribs as his chest shook with humor and entertainment.
"Edward, can't you be serious?" I grumbled into my pillow.
"I'm sorry, but why were you embarrassed to tell me? It's not like it's something that is unheard of, especially in our high school. If only you knew how many of those kids are doing things like they're dolphins." Edward shook his head at his own joke.
"Hardy-har-har." I rolled my eyes. I got his joke. He didn't say rabbits because rabbits usually mated for the purpose of reproduction. Dolphins and Humans were the only known mammals known to have sex for the pleasure rather than to reproduce.
"Like who?" I suddenly became curious.
"Jessica, obviously does. Angela does some stuff, but she's kind of closed off to anything more. Lauren has done things and I do mean THINGS with most of the baseball team.." Edward began to tap his lip with his index finger. "Mike Newton is actually a virgin, and so is Eric. Eric is surprisingly very inexperienced considering his graphic mind." Edward shivered as he recalled something, "I blame porn."
"Wait, so you know who is doing who in our school?" I laughed sitting up to get closer to his face.
"Well… yeah." Edward shrugged, "it never made much of a difference to me. It's like a soap opera in front of my face but I'm not really watching." It had never really occurred to me to ask Edward who was doing what or ask for any juicy details of someone's personal mind or personal thoughts.
"That is so not fair," I grumbled, my lips finding his marble ones. Edward's lips reciprocated a soft kiss and he pulled away.
"Sleep, it's very late and you need to sleep for the debate we'll be having in English tomorrow." Edward chuckled to himself. I sighed and pulled the cover up to my shoulders as he laid down next to me, his rock body comforting me with the chill of his marble skin.
