4.

School was painful after that accident. The second I arrived the next day, I knew that I would barely make it through eight hours sane. Everyone bombarded me with questions about the accident. I did my best to shove attention away from me by mentioning Edward, but no one took the bait. It seemed that the people of Forks High could hardly care whether or not Edward Cullen was a hero. They refused to approach him anyways. I was asked about Tyler's condition probably, well, once for every student attending the school. By the end of third period I wanted to scream- I didn't know about Tyler's condition, but my head was killing me.

Thankfully, Angela- the quiet, brunette girl in my Biology class, seemed to understand. "Jess, Mike, hush," she told them gently at lunch. "He's obviously got a headache, leave him be."

They both stared moronically for a second. "Oh, sorry," Mike finally mumbled, and Jess smiled supportively, patting my hand. I wouldn't call either of them very intelligent, but Jessica and Mike were both okay people.

I rubbed my temples a few times, and tried to block out the continuing noise around me before I finally couldn't take the noise of the cafeteria anymore. I stood up to leave just as the bell rang.

"Saved by the bell," Mike quipped as he fell into step beside me and we headed to Biology class with Angela just behind us.

"Right," I agreed, but then thought of sitting next to Edward for 65 minutes and cringed.

Edward was already there when I got to the classroom, and I sat awkwardly and silently next to him. What on earth was I supposed to say? I ran over what had happened yesterday in my head. I remembered insisting that I thought I'd seen him move a van with his bare hands. God, I must have sounded like an idiot. Thankfully, I'd let it drop... Then again, I thought, squeezing my eyes shut and concentrating on the memory, if he hadn't moved the van, what had happened? I was certain that I'd seen that dent in the van... just where Edward's hands were, just in the shape of them.

We sat in silence as the lesson began; Edward clearly had no intention of striking up a conversation. I wondered why, worried that I had offended him with my suggestion. But, I thought again, his dad is a doctor and he obviously saw that I hit my head quite hard... If Edward knew that I might have been seeing things, why was he bothered? I glanced over, noting again Edward's angular features, his pale skin. I thought of how cold his skin had been when I touched it. Instantly I knew that I hadn't been imagining things. Edward Cullen had definitely performed an amazing feat of strength yesterday, and didn't want me to know about it... I suppressed a shudder, thinking suddenly of the graceful way I'd seen his giant brother move, or the strange appearance of the entire family. Clearly, Edward wasn't the only Cullen harboring a secret.

I sat through class nervously, wondering what I should do. Near the end of the class, Mr. Banner assigned work and the room was filled with quiet chatter as students began the assignment.

I turned to Edward, who had practically half finished his in about a minute, and ventured, "Thank you... for pushing me out of the way."

He looked up and smiled tightly. "Dropping the lifting the van story?" he joked lightly, but with a hint of tension in his voice.

I couldn't stop myself from saying, "No, actually." The rest tumbled out before I could smack myself, even as I registered the annoyance bordering on anger that flickered across his features. "I stand by what I saw, but..."

The bell rang and I gratfeully grabbed my things, rushing from the room. Gym passed horribly. I must have hit everyone in the class with a volleyball, at least once. I couldn't keep my mind off of Edward Cullen and the fact that I had just admitted to knowing- or guessing?- that he could do unnatural things. As I wandered to my truck at the end of the day, I wondered if I was even being realistic. I mean, how ridiculous was it to think that he could do something like that? What was I suggesting? That the Cullens were aliens, or mutants? I cursed my own stupidity as I pulled open the door, turning to toss my things in- and caught the Hales staring at me across the parking lot. I noticed how dark their gazes were, and hurried to start my truck. Maybe there was something strange about that family.

If there was, I thought, the best course of action was to stay as far away from the Cullens as possible.

For the next six weeks, I avoided Edward Cullen like the plague. I didn't speak to him or acknowledge him in Biology, and he seemed quite content with that arrangement. I avoided going anywhere near his family members at all costs, averting my gaze when I happened to glance at them. Once Alice Cullen flashed me a tiny, reassuring smile, which mostly left me confused, but it was clear that I wasn't getting the same friendliness from the Hale twins, who were both glaring at me everytime I noticed them. Whatever was going on with the Cullen family, I did my best to make it clear that I didn't care what it was and meant in no way to bother them.

It worked well, for six weeks. Of course, with every day that passed I felt more and more sorry for myself. I hated Forks; the Cullens made it even worse than the nightmare I thought it would be. I missed Phoenix, I missed my friends, I missed... So many things.

I felt awful, and I was literally ill by the time six weeks was up. I took my usual seat next to Edward in Biology, sighing and squeezing my eyes shut. I hated pitying myself, but couldn't fight back a moan.

"Are you okay?" a rich voice prompted. "You smell ill."

I blinked, staring at Edward Cullen in shock.

He paused before saying, "I apologize, I meant sound. You sound ill."

Looking humiliated, Edward smiled tersely.

"I smell ill?" I repeated, still not able to get over it. How could he mix up smell and sound?

"Yeah. No. I mean- that's what I said. Not what I meant." Edward looked totally flustered. "You smell wonderful." He paused. "I mean- not like. I don't mean that in a weird way... Just trying to make up for saying you smell ill."

I thought of watching the Cullens drift gracefully around the school.. and then contrasted it to Edward now. I felt the first smile of the day cross my face.

"I get it."

"Good." Edward rubbed his forehead.

An awkward silence settled between us and then I laughed.

"That made my day," I told him.

He paused and then confessed, "That was the most humiliating moment of my life. I have never said something so embarrassing to another person... So, the dance is coming up. I suppose being the new toy around here the girls must be desperate for you to go with them."

I smiled at his quick change of subject but then thought of his comment.

"Well, a few have asked." I remembered those moments with horror. I hated rejecting any girl- especially the good looking ones- but... "I just... don't do school dances."

"You don't like dancing?"

"I have nothing against dancing. I like dancing..." If you consider bumping to a deafening bass line dancing. "Just not at school dances... I suppose that's the only kind of dances there are around here, huh?"

Edward chuckled, "There are no raves, if that's your scene. We're definitely not a city."

"I thought you said I was hard to read."

"You are. It was just a good guess."

I wondered how his guess was so accurate after only one, and remembered again that dent in the side of the van... The teacher strode in through the front door just as I was about to reply, and in that instant, Edward Cullen turned away. Our conversation was over.