He stared at me.
I was angry. I was mortified. I was frustrated. I was surprised.
He was sitting in MY class. What the hell?! Was he mocking me? I couldn't understand his reasoning as I stared at him in disbelief. Why would he do this to me? Was it my punishment for the stupid letter? Why couldn't he just let it go?
Did he plan to patronize me in front of my students? I grinded my teeth. I was suddenly nervous. I had never been nervous as a teacher. I was always prepared but suddenly the lesson plan for today escaped my mind as I watched the sunset in his eyes.
I quickly broke our stare and looked back down at my planner.
Heathcliff, pure evil, hatred.
Heathcliff, pure evil, hatred.
Heathcliff, pure evil, hatred.
Heathcliff, pure evil, hatred.
Heathcliff, pure evil, hatred.
I cleared my throat; everyone's attention was directed at me. I looked at Edward and he smirked. "I'm sorry Mr. Masen but only students registered for this class are permitted to attend." My voice was filled with authority, I was proud of myself.
"Well Mister Laurent had suggested that it would be a good experience for me to sit in some classes."
I mentally cursed Laurent to the deep fires of hell, but I couldn't argue with him, he was the school's president and could fire me. I was sure Edwards's popularity exceeded mine tenfold.
That sick twisted cruel bastard.
I didn't know if that was directed souly at Laurent or at Edward as well.
"Well if Mister Laurent had suggested that, maybe it would be in your best interest to sit in a class that is more related to your field of study."
Like a history class on the massacres of the French Revolution. Or the history of torture. Or a class on negative thinking…
"Well; 'fiction is the base of all great ideas'." He said with a smirk. He just quoted one of my published papers.
MY PAPER.
I bit my lip so hard I nearly winced in pain.
"Very well, Mr. Masen it's a pleasure for you to join us." My voice had lost all of its authority.
"Call me Edward."
"Mr. Masen." I stared at him with what I hoped was a blank and unaffected expression, but I knew I wore my feelings on my face. And I was feeling annoyed and vulnerable.
A student raised their hand and my eyes left the picture perfect face that belonged to Edward Masen.
"Yes James." I called on him.
"I have a question about the paper."
I lifted my hand asking him to pause. "I will clear up the paper momentarily. But first I have an honest question, who actually started writing the paper already?"
No one raised their hand.
Figures…
"So since no one actually began to write the paper, this change will not inconvenience anyone. I will be moving the due date to February 2nd."
I made a note of that in my planner as the students did too.
"But because of this extra week, I have another assignment due in place of it." Then came the moans and groans from the students.
"Oh hush now." I said teasingly, making sure my eyes never made contact with Edward. I felt his eyes burn a hole through me.
"I'll announce the assignment before class ends it will be due Friday. Any questions so far?"
None.
"So," I grabbed my copy of the book from the podium and moved to the front of the class, "tell me your opinions."
It took a moment for someone to speak.
Kiran, a girl sitting in the middle spoke first; she was usually the first to speak. She was one of those outspoken in your face types. I loved her attitude. She was a leader, not a follower.
"The ending sucked."
"How so?" I asked.
Another student answered, Gary; he was on the track team."It's like she made us feel miserable throughout the story and then tied it up with a pretty bow."
"Yea." Another student, Carry-Anne who was a reporter for the school paper, agreed. "It's like giving herpes as a present."
"Herpes?" Max, a German business major, asked.
"Yea, you have sex…its enjoyable…that's the bow. But you get herpes. That's the present." Carry-Anne clarified.
A few students laughed, and I giggled a bit at her description.
"What do you think of Heathcliffs character?" I asked.
"I liked him in the beginning." Angela spoke.
"What made your feelings change?" I asked.
"At first you sympathized with him, but then he just became so cruel and cold that it was hard to look at him as the good guy." I nodded at her, understanding her point of view.
Kiran spoke again, "I liked him more and more as the story went on. Like what crazy fucked up shit will he do next." I had no problem with vile language in my class, I just rarely used it. "I mean the guys crazy! He's insane. But he's so passionate. Like that extreme desire stuff we talked about."
"He loved Cathy so much." Rin spoke, she worked part time at my favorite grocery store. "It's not fair what happened."
"Life's not fair." Max said.
"Women do that." James commented.
"Like life would be fair without woman." Kiran said rolling her eyes.
I spoke again, making sure they stayed on track. "What kind of love did he have for Catharine?"
"True love!" Answered Samantha, she was usually the one who lived in the fantasy world of perfection and she was a French major.
"That's not true love. That's psycho lust." Gary spoke again.
"No, it was infatuation." Kiran said.
"It's hard to say what it is because we don't know the base of their love. I mean what made them side together." Alexander spoke, he was a marine biologist major and got me a Fighting Fish for new years – it died in a day.
"It doesn't matter what their base was. It wasn't strong enough." Carry-Anne said.
"Money beats love any day." Max spoke bitterly.
"For woman." Gary said, and the rest of the men in the room nodded in agreeance.
"That's not true. There are plenty of girls out there that don't care for money." Samantha said.
"No woman like that exists." Tom, a member of the school gymnastics team said.
"Sure, my lady doesn't care for gifts much." Richard, a music major said.
"That's because she doesn't exist." Carry-Anne joked. Richard flipped her the birdie.
Again, I brought them back to the topic at hand. "What do you think was the most powerful characteristic of Heathcliff?"
"Love." Samantha answered immediately.
"Insanity." Gary said.
"Revenge." Carry-Anne said leaning back in her chair, obviously assuming her answer was the best one.
"What else?" I asked hoping someone would get to hatred. I hated giving it away because then everyone felt like they had to agree with me.
"Vanity." Alex said.
"Disappointment." Kiran said.
I rephrased my question, "What do you think drove Heathcliff to do what he did?"
"Resentment." Rin said.
"Hatred." Edward spoke. I looked at him, he wasn't supposed to participate, and clenched my jaw angrily.
"Yea he's right." Max agreed. "He hated everyone so badly."
"But he loved Catharine more than he hated anyone." Alex said.
"He hates everyone because everyone hated him first." Richard said.
"Everyone only hates him because he's gypsy looking." Samantha said.
"No, everyone hates him because he's evil." Kiran said.
"He wasn't evil until Linton treated him like crap." Gary said.
"Linton was the first person Heathcliff hated." Max said.
"No, it was Catharine's brother." Rin disagreed.
"What did his hatred do to him?" I asked.
Now the debate was going in the direction I wanted. It continued for another 20 minutes with many good ideas flying out of everyone's mouths. Edward didn't speak again after that.
After it seemed that everyone exhausted all decent ideas worth mentioning, I called attention to the class.
"Good job everyone. The main thing that everyone noticed is how easily this story can relate to anyone. Your new assignment will be to write a story – real please, about how your actions in a certain event relate to Heathcliffs'."
Alex raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"Does it have to be a single event?"
"It can be anything you want. It could be a single event or a number of events leading up to a certain scene, or a certain time that you acted Heathcliffianish. If everyone does a good job, I'll cancel the next paper. Also don't forget to get started on the next novel. Any questions?"
Kiran raised her hand. "When is it due?"
"Friday, wait no. Make it Monday. Put some effort into it. Any other questions?"
No one raised their hand or said anything.
"Okay, class dismissed. I'll see everyone Friday." I said returning back to my podium, writing in my planner the topic of the new paper. Everyone walked out of the class saying goodbye to me.
I looked up when I was done expecting to see an empty class but Edward was sitting in the same seat, not having moved an inch. He looked like a statue.
I didn't say anything as he stared at me. I wished I could have read his expression but the second my eyes met his, I felt my cheeks heat up. I looked away and stacked my items up, and left the class without saying anything. He infuriated me.
I took the short cut back to my office, for some reason I felt light headed and my heart rushed at a hundred beats a second. I reassured myself it as a reaction to my passionate dislike of Edward and the uncomfortable position he placed me in by sitting in for my class. I opened my office door to find Jasper with a red pen in hand marking up a paper. He looked up and smiled, then his face dropped as soon as he saw me. I placed my material on the desk and with a huff and puff sat in the chair next to him with a pout on my face and my arms crossed. I must have looked ridiculous.
Jasper opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off.
"I hate him!" I shouted.
"Who?"
"You know who!"
By Jasper's expression…he really had no idea who.
"E-d-w-a-r-d." I said sounding out every single letter of his name. Then I just let the rage pour out. "Edward fucking Malen!"
"What? Why?" With Jasper's reaction I knew he had no knowledge of Edward planning to sit in for my class.
"He sat in for MY class!"
"You just planned to sit in for his lecture." He pointed out.
"That's different" I stood up on my feet and did circles around my room.
"Really?" Jasper said, his eyes following me with a gaze of worry.
"Yes! He patronized me! He judged me!" I screamed, I felt my eyes blur, tears were threatening to pour out at my angry state of mind.
"You judged him first." Jasper reminded me. I ignored him.
"His eyes burned through the very essence of my soul!"
"Okay Shakespeare." Jasper said putting the pen down and raising to his feet.
"How could he have the gall to do that to me?!" I took a deep breathe trying to compose myself and then continued on my rant. "Why couldn't he just tear up that god damn letter and just pretend some crazy ass psycho wrote it."
"You are acting very psycho at the moment." I continued ignoring him as I paced with my arms folding tightly against my chest.
"Instead he has to come here to ruin my damn life!" I really was sounding paranoid, and crazy.
"You don't really have much of a life to ruin."
"EXCUSE ME!" I stopped in my steps, I was so angry that Jasper was not taking my side.
Jasper stood in front of my and put his hands on my shoulders. "Bella breathe. Just breathe."
Waves of relaxation coursed through me and my heart rate went down to a controllable beat and my breathing regulated itself.
"He's more evilier than Heathcliff." I said pouting.
"I'll call Webster and ask them to add Edwards picture next to the definition of evil."
"Why can't he leave me alone?" I asked looking up at Jasper, tears were spilling out from my eyes. I was crying like a 3 year old.
"You didn't plan to leave him alone." Jasper reminded me, and before I could respond his phone rang in a ring-tone I never heard before. He took his cell from his pocket and turned his back to me and walked two steps away as he answered it.
"Yea, hey."
"Okay"
"I can't tonight."
"Let's do it next week."
"Yea, don't worry about it."
"Me too. Bye."
During that conversation I had used the sleeve of my sweatshirt to dry my eyes. I felt incredibly immature for crying in front of Jasper. I was supposed to be the older more mature out of the two yet I behaved like a kid who just got thrown off the monkey bars by another kid. I just had never felt that way before, and could not even make sense of my emotions.
He shut his phone off and put it back in his pocket and turned around to me.
"Who was that?" I asked.
"Nobody." He answered
"You're lying to me."
Two lies in one day.
"Drop it Bella."
I didn't want the topic to return to me because I feared my eyes would turn into water works again. I wanted to forget my mini display of insanity. On a NORMAL day nothing like this would have ever happened...
"How do the papers look?" I asked and we both returned to our seats and he handed me a purple pen.
"Good, I went over some of them. I liked the Broadway one it was hilarious. There's one about a business man that put me to sleep."
"I assigned another paper in place of the other one for Novel class." I told Jasper as I grabbed an ungraded paper from one of my Creative Writing students.
"What is it on?" Jasper asked.
"Relating a real life moment or event to Heathcliff."
"That should be interesting. Half of them will lie."
"And the other half wont."
"Which half will have the better story?"
"The lying side of course. The truth is boring." I said smirking.
We went back to grading papers in silence.
Two papers later for me, and five for Jasper it was time for my next class. Creative Writing went by smoothly. Edward wasn't there.
I reminded the class that Friday was the last day they could hand in their paper and no late works would be accepted. I dismissed them 5 minutes early. I hurried out of the room knowing that Alice and Jasper were always 10 minutes early and I hated to keep them waiting.
I walked out the front door of the building to see Jasper with Alice in hand waiting. He was wearing a silk collared shirt tucked into black slacks along with his black leather shoes. All Pixie stamped no doubt. His hair was slicked back and his expression was slightly nervous. Alice was tapping her pointy little red shoe to the ground impatiently as I walked towards them. She wore a simple tight strapless red dress that reached her knees. Around her neck she had a single star shaped diamond necklace and matching earrings that Jasper got her for their anniversary. Her arms were folded across her chest and I couldn't tell if it was from the cold or from anger.
I opened my mouth to greet them but Alice beat me to the punch and then some.
"Hello Bella." Her eyes flared with anger. "Thank you for letting your best friend know what kind of life you've been living. How could you not tell me how naked for clothes you were! I mean come on! There was like 10 items in your closet! 10! How could you do that to me!?" She seriously sounded heartbroken. I had no idea how to comfort her.
How do you comfort someone who's hurt by your sense of style….
"Bella! I worry for you! And to find out you live like that…oh, what a bad friend I have been!" I thought she was about to burst into tears.
"Please Alice calm down, thank you for showing me the error of my ways." There was just a hint of sarcasm. "I am very grateful that you took it upon yourself to throw out all my possessions and replace them with Pixie stamps." Now that overflowed with sarcasm.
Alice made a humph noise, but her expression proved that I was forgiven. We began to walk towards my apartment arms intertwined. Jasper was silent as Alice hummed a silly tune.
"Well come on now. We have to get you dressed. They're meeting us in the restaurant." Alice said adding a little skip in her step.
"They?" I asked.
"Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward. Oh Jasper you did tell her didn't you?" She turned to look up at Jasper.
My face froze into a horrified expression.
"I told you that you'd hate me." Jasper said to me.
Alice turned her attention back to me. "Oh dear. You look sick."
I used that to my advantage. "I think I am getting something. Maybe I shouldn't come. You guys go on without me. I'll just go home, and get some hot tea in my system and go to bed early."
"Oh, I knew you'd do this." Alice said giving me a disapproving expression. "So…dead cat."
"What?" I raised my eyebrow at her as we crossed the dark empty street.
"You killed my cat."
"What? When?" Then I realized what she was talking about. "That was like in second grade!"
"You killed my cat." She repeated herself.
"It committed suicide!"
"Cat's don't commit suicide."
"Yours did!" I was shouting. I really didn't want to go to dinner.
"You killed it. And I'll never forgive you unless you go to dinner with us." She smirked.
"No."
"You heartless murder." A tear streamed down her face, she was one hell of an actress. Jasper held her close to him. I couldn't stand to see her sad face.
"I don't want to."
"You killed my cat."
I cursed at her silently and whispered, "fine." I wondered how many other pieces of blackmail Alice had up her sleeve.
"Yay! So I picked out this lovely blue dress. You'll look fabulous in it! Its cotton, but there's a silk one too if you want."
I rolled my eyes. "I plan for my life to go back to normal by midnight tonight."
Alice ignored me as she talked about a design that she was working on that would look just lovely on me. Not forgetting to mention it only consisted of two tiny clothes to cover the breasts and a sad excuse of a skirt. It sounded like hooker clothes...tasteful hooker clothes.
When we walked into my apartment, I noticed two dresses spread across the leather coach. Alice asked Jasper to step outside, and he waited outside the apartment without complaint.
Alice asked me to try on the clothes in the living room. She told me she didn't want me to go into my room just yet.
I was grateful; I knew whatever she did would probably give me a heart attack. I would have to go shopping for a few pairs of cheap jeans just to keep my sanity.
The silk dress made me feel naked; it clung to my body like a second skin and made me feel insecure about every curve and bump on my body. It was a dress that Alice or Rosalie could pull off without a problem. It wasn't my type of dress. I settled for the cotton version, it was soft but still tight. At least it felt like clothes and not a second skin. I tried to pull it down a bit, but it wouldn't go past my knees. I heard a disapproving ahem from Alice.
"I like it. The silk ones better though. You look divine in it."
"Ugh, can we just get this over with?"
"You act like I'm taking you to your funereal."
"You might as well be. Hold on, let me get my purse." I said turning around, but she stopped me by grabbing my arm with her thin stick like fingers.
"You won't need it, I have your keys in my purse, and I'm paying. Let's go." Alice said tugging me along.
I followed her out the door, I didn't bother locking up. There was no such thing as robbers in Forks. When we got outside, Jasper pulled out an umbrella, it was raining – hard. I was surprised I didn't notice when the rain started. It was so dark outside I could hardly tell that it was raining except for the loud noise made when the rain droplets hit our umbrella.
We all huddled around Jasper as he led us across the street towards his car. A sleek black BMW that Alice got him for his birthday last month. All I got him was a copy of Pride and Prejudice and a dorky clay ornament that I made every year for my friends birthdays. This year I made him a fairy ornament that was supposed to be Alice.
We climbed into the car and Jasper immediately turned on the heater. Alice sat in the passenger seat next to Jasper; they held hands as Jasper drove with his left handed.
"Why do you hate him?" Alice asked as we pulled got onto the highway.
"Hate who?"
"Edward."
"I don't know. But I didn't like his writing, and we just didn't hit it off."
Alice seemed to think about my answer, as Jasper sped 100 miles down a 50 limit high way. This no longer bothered me, I used to freak out but Jasper's reflexes were amazing and I trusted him. Somewhat.
Alice turned her head to look at me, "I remember when you read his vampire chronicles. You just about orgasimed from them."
I stared at her with disbelief.
"You became obsessed with him. Reading every book he wrote. Then you read that one thing and you absolutely loathed him."
I composed myself but my brain wasn't fast enough to think of a response.
"I can't wait to meet him!" She squealed and turned around looking ahead again. "Plus I have some business to attend to with Emmett and Rose."
"Business?"
At least this topic wasn't about me.
"Yes Jasper wouldn't tell me what Rose looked like so I looked her up online. She's pretty enough to model my adult line! And Emmett could do my sports line. I haven't figured out all the kinks, but I am considering magazine ads."
"You started a sports line?"
"Yeah, might as well. I have every other line. And I can't use Angela for my female adult line, she looks too sweet and innocent. The teen look fits her much better."
"You said sweat pants were the devils creation."
"My sports line has taste."
I rolled my eyes.
Probably diamond studied running sneakers and emerald buttoned pants.
We chit chatted about class, and clothes till we finally arrived at the restaurant. Jasper remained silent. It was an Italian restaurant located 8 exists off the highway, it was a few miles away from Forks and near Alice's store. And Alice approved of everything in that neighborhood, probably because she owned half of it.
The rain had subsided slightly. Jasper got out of the car first and opened the umbrella and then ours doors. Alice loved his charming chivalry and always let Jasper be the gentleman, never uttering a word about female independence. It was probably because Jasper knew when Alice wanted to do things on her own without his help. They were so perfect it made all other relationships in comparison seem lacking. Maybe that's why I didn't date anymore.
I looked at Jasper and Alice as we walked into the restaurant. Jasper held the door and when his eyes met hers there was a certain fiery connection. The way he looked at her was indescribable. It proved that he would not only kill for her, but he would die for her. Nothing mattered except her. That's what the look read. And I never got that look from anyone, and I never would. I became accepting of that. But because I see them looking at each other that way every single day, I refuse to settle for anything less. So I'd live my life alone. Forever. Sadly, I couldn't even be that crazy lady with cats…animals hate me. So I'd live alone, in the complete and totally essence of the word.
Jasper hung the umbrella on the hat rack and we were seated right away, apparently the other half of our party was already there. We were put into a secluded part of the restaurant all the way in the back by a wall sized window, no doubt by Alice's request. The view out the window looked out into the deep dark forests.
I hope your still intersted in the story!
I know it's a bit slow but I really want to build the characters up.
Also "the look" I talked about is actually one of my desires in real life. I think "the look" is a very vital part of every good relationship. How can you love someone without "the look"?