Chapter 4, in which Edward sees Jacob drop Bella off at school

The following week, on Thursday, I had just parked in the school lot and was walking towards class with my siblings, automatically scanning the lot for Bella's red truck. I didn't see it, but just as we were reaching the steps up to the school buildings, I caught sight of Bella hopping out of a black Volkswagen. I craned my neck to see who was driving it. It was some guy I didn't recognize. She closed the door and was walking away when the guy popped out of the car and called to her over the roof.

"Hey, I'll see you Saturday, right?"

It felt like a wrecking ball had just hit me in the chest. Who was this guy? He was good-looking, olive-skinned, tallish, muscular. Looked a little young. Was he her boyfriend? My siblings were walking ahead, oblivious to the little drama that was unfolding in the parking lot, or at least in my head. OK, calm down. Maybe he's not her boyfriend… I clutched at straws. Maybe there's something wrong with her truck, and he's a neighbor who dropped her off? Next I was hoping he would turn out to be a relative, but he didn't look anything like her.

I couldn't stop dissecting it in my head during my first couple of morning classes. As soon as she sat down next to me in Chemistry, I launched in.

"Is something wrong with your truck?"

She stared at me. Color flooded her cheeks. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I liked it.

"Uh…yes."

I let out a whooshing breath of relief. "What's wrong with it?"

"Jesus, Edward, you haven't said two words to me all week. Why are you so worked up about my truck?"

I smirked. Hearing her say my name gave me a little thrill of pleasure. "I'm not worked up. I was just wondering how long that ol' hunk of junk was going to last." Her truck was a big, old red behemoth that looked like it dated from the 1940s.

"Don't disrespect the truck. That truck is old enough to be your grandpa." This reminded me of the party last Saturday night, out in the garden when she was finally talking to me. I had gone back onto unfriendly autopilot at school on Monday morning. I hadn't meant to, but that morning I had jacked off twice before school to filthy thoughts about Bella, once while still in bed and once in the shower, imagining her naked and getting thoroughly fucked by me in various delightful positions in both locations, and when I actually saw her I felt too wound up again to even try to speak with her. I didn't want to end up trying to quietly get myself off in the boys' bathroom again like last week after English class. So I ignored her.

"What's wrong with the old guy?" I asked, more gently now.

"Nothing too serious. He just needs new brake pads. I got my mechanic working on it." She chuckled as if this were some sort of inside joke.

"Your mechanic? Is that the guy who was dropping you off this morning?" Shit. Should not have said that. Clearly he was too young to be anyone's mechanic, plus now she knew that I had noticed that he had dropped her off.

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact. Not really…he's a friend. A family friend," she clarified. "He's almost like my cousin. I've known him my whole life."

This was not especially soothing to me, since I lived surrounded by loving couples who were like cousins to each other.

"Where's he go to school?" I definitely hadn't seen him around.

"He goes to the tribal school. He's Quileute."

Oh, of course. "I wonder if my dad knows him."

"What? Why would your dad know him?"

"Oh, he volunteers as a doctor on the reservation. It's part of a goodwill effort to get the tribe to embrace his work."

"What work?"

"He is gathering genetic samples as part of an archaeological dig in Strawberry Bay. He's trying to get proof of the exact timing of the migration here by the Northwestern tribes, and their exact place of origin."

"Oh, don't they already kind of know? The land bridge over the Bering Strait during the last ice age?"

"I guess that's up for debate. It might have been earlier. And there is this question of Clovis arrowheads…"

She nodded. "Oh yes. I saw a National Geographic article about that."

"You read National Geographic?"

"Only for the articles."

I busted out laughing at this, only to draw the irate attention of Mr. Banner, who immediately asked me to list the noble gases for the class. Helpfully, he had them written on the board behind him so I was able to answer without missing a beat.

As soon as he was done with me, Bella whispered, "So all that is probably kind of controversial for the tribe."

I nodded. "They don't much care for anyone digging up their grandfathers or reworking their creation story."

"That's interesting, though, your father's work." She sounded approving. "It would be so cool to be on an archaeological dig." I made a mental note of that.

"So what's Saturday?" I asked, further exposing my eavesdropping. Who cares, I was already letting it all hang out.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Saturday. I heard you say you were going somewhere on Saturday?"

"Oh, that." She glanced up at me appraisingly. "First Sonics game of the season. My dad is going to La Push to hang out with Jacob's dad and watch the game. I don't go along that often but I said I would for this."

"Jacob? Is that his name?"

"Yes."

"Well, he must be thrilled. I hope he knows what he's doing with your truck."

She gave me a funny look. We didn't speak any more for the rest of class.