Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Twilight Saga.
The next day the rumors were still circulating – didn't this town have anything interesting to discuss? No, of course not.
By the time my art class came around I was bored as fuck from the lack of innovative topics, and dying for a distraction – ideally appearing in the form of Edward Cullen. Hot.
We greeted each other pleasantly, testing how yesterday's conversation had changed the way we communicated. At least that's how I viewed it – he probably thought it was just any other day.
walked into the room then, carrying a huge container full of canvas paper.
"Afternoon, my children! You will be members of the excellent lesson I have planned for you all, my little guinea pigs. Oh yes! It is brilliant." He practically sang, as he handed out the paper and boards to the reluctant students. I grinned at him, excellent fellow; we needed some unique minds in this school.
He continued. "Yesterday we explored the realms of drawing faces from memory, today we will draw the faces that we see: everyone turn to your desk partner." I bit the inside of my cheeks to hide my grin, as I turned to face Edward; excellent.
He gave us further instructions on suggested mediums, and instructed us to begin. I picked up my board, placed the canvas paper on top of it, and picked up a light HB2 pencil to begin with; as did Edward.
How was I supposed to draw this sex god? I could only draw ugly things, or at least human things – he was beyond that. I began to lightly sketch out his face shape, trying to draw only the negative space around his head.
"So" he began casually, looking through his pencils. I wondered idly what he was trying to find. "I've been wondering" He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "These rumors, how many are true?"
I was glad we were past all the hypothetical shit – do me now! "Well, there are a lot of rumors; I doubt I've heard half of them"
"Please?" He breathed, looking up at me through his startlingly long and thick eyelashes. I was jealous of them, actually. His gaze was suddenly intent, the dark gold of his iris' boring into mine. My breathing hitched for a moment; this was even more intense than the eye sex! Brilliant!
Of course I would never dream of saying no to that face, but I wanted more information out of him; why was he so interested in whether these trivial rumors had some substance behind them? "Why is it you're so interested in them?" I asked, keeping my voice light, but actually really curious about why he was interested in my mundane life.
He sighed and glanced at the overcast sky out the window. "I'm finding myself…interested in what you're involved in. And I'm not sure whether to judge you on some things that I've heard."
"Oh, so you're wondering if I'm a slut" Glad we cleared that up. Ish.
He smirked. "Not exactly in those words, but that might be the essence of what I'm asking."
"Well then, tell me some of what you heard, I'll answer, and you can judge me from there" I said, working on his left eye, now that I had shaded around where his features should be on the paper.
"Hmm" He studied his drawing for a moment, glancing up at me with a smile and adding something. "You arrived in lingerie"
I laughed at that one. "False, I looked like a banana; I was wearing a bright yellow dress – not that there was much fabric" I added as an after thought. "Would you have preferred it if I had arrived in what I was rumored to be in?" I asked feeling bold. What's the worst that could happen? He would be disgusted and walk away; oh well. When girls took themselves too seriously they would throw a fit if a guy said one thing they disagreed with. Being oversensitive was a waste of time in my books.
He chuckled, and was suddenly absorbed in his drawing. He finally looked up at me, still amused. "I doubt it; I wasn't there."
"Good answer" I murmured, hiding my grin. "Next"
"You, were kissing Eric Yorkie while, er, giving a lap dance to Mike Newton." He nearly growled out their names. Whoa.
"No, that would take serious talent though, but there were no threesomes or anything like that." I said, nearly blushing at the question and the reaction to it. Blushing! Imagine that Alex.
"Okay good, that cancels out the next three questions" Edward sounded almost relieved. Was he embarrassed asking these? Or was he worried about how my answers would effect what he thought of me.
"You did however, make out with Eric Yorkie, correct?" He sounded slightly disgruntled.
I tried to remember, ew, Eric Yorkie. "Er, to tell you the truth I can't quite remember…I think so. Maybe. Yeah, ew, I think I did. But, he taught me a dance, and I wanted to thank him, somehow." I sounded surprised by myself.
"And naturally the need to thank him in a non-verbal way was much more appealing than any other form." Edward stated sarcastically.
"Naturally." I grinned up at him. He was still about a foot taller then me, even sitting in a chair – and I had good posture.
"Alright. You hooked up with Tyler Crowley under the pool table." He said, focusing on highlighting parts of his drawing with an eraser.
"I don't think so. I fell by the pool table, and some guy picked me up and we – yeah. Um, what does he look like?" I asked, racking my brain again.
Edward shrugged, as many guys do when you ask their opinion on another guy's appearance. "Blonde hair, grey eyes, arrogant, a senior, and he won't stop talking about you."
I bit my lip. "Oh…him. Yeah, well, like I said, I was pretty toast, and I fell and he was helping me – or completely taking advantage of me – whatever you prefer."
Edward snorted. "Okay, you kissed more than 10 guys within a few hours."
"False." I said confidently. "Half that amount."
Edward nodded absentmindedly, raising his perfectly shaped eyebrows. "Jessica Stanley found you nearly naked underneath a certain 23 year old college football player."
I smiled at the funny memory, that must have been an awkward encounter for her – I wasn't that bothered by it. "True."
Edward's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, but he hid it quickly, bending over his paper to adjust the lighting.
Now that I thought about it – and about last night – I wasn't sure about Ryan's and my relationship. Usually I didn't give a crap about it, as long as a guy kept me laughing and entertained, I would be fine. But now, with my "open relationship" with Ryan, I was suddenly worried. Was it so wrong for me to hook up with him, and lead him on if I was trying so hard to casually seduce Edward Cullen? I bit my lip, and brushed my hair out of my eyes to examine my drawing. It was okay, but it held none of the beauty that Edward obviously possessed. I hollowed his cheeks slightly, and added shading on his neck to define his obviously well bred jaw line.
"Okay class, I would like you to trade pictures with your desk partner" Mr. Kettel interrupted my brooding.
I grudgingly exchanged my picture with Edwards – I was oddly excited and nervous about how he had depicted me, but I didn't want him to think my drawing was how he looked, it had no comparison.
I examined his drawing, attempting to keep a poker face, as I was secretly thrilled. And surprised; the girl on the page was really quite beautiful. And though I didn't consider myself to be too unfortunate looking, this was an exaggeration of my good(ish) features. The girl had long wavy hair like mine, but with more volume and life. She had had wide slanted eyes, which I did have – though I usually thought of them as being thin and squinty – but here they were beautiful, framed by great eyelashes, and even on the paper possessed a look of intelligence and joking flirtatiousness. Her nose was well proportioned and cute – unlike my honker, sitting between the girl's prominent cheekbones, which were placed over the hollow skin below. And her lips were full and wide, a hint of a smile playing at the edges – ready to spill secrets and stories of lust. That feature was correct – I was constantly smiling.
I glanced over at Edward; he too was scrutinizing the portrait of him, a slight crease between his perfectly shaped eyebrows. Did he pluck those? Or get them waxed or threaded? They were nicer than mine. Nicer than any girls or guys in this school. Everything about him was better than all of us.
"What do you think?" He asked, seeing that I was staring at him.
"It's really nice. I suppose that you forgot who you were supposed to be drawing though – this girl is hotter than a deep fryer on an American holiday." I said.
His frown deepened. "I drew you Alex, as I and any sane person see you."
"So are you calling me insane or hot?" I asked slyly.
"Probably both, I think."
I grinned at him. He glanced down at the drawing in his hands, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Sorry, it doesn't really resemble you at all." I said apologetically.
He seemed to disagree. "Alex, this is quite extraordinary." He murmured quietly.
"But you're like the definition of sex, and that doesn't work up to your looks at all." I explained, adjusting my low cut Urban Outfitters off the shoulder t-shirt.
Edward's eyes zeroed in on my neck, and I suddenly realized that I had forgotten about the hickeys; oh shit.
We were both distracted for a moment, and awkwardly looked away from each other. I was grinning; I loved awkward moments. A couple minutes later Edward glanced back at me, a sarcastic expression on his perfect, angular features.
"Sorry, what was it you defined me as?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Sex." I said simply, gazing intently into his wide eyes. He rolled his in response; he looked amused, but slightly wary as well.
"Why is it you would say that?" He voice was almost disapproving.
"Quite obviously you have captured the interest of at least every strait and bi girl in this school – probably some of the gays as well. You're tall, fit as a flea, have a great smile, are sexy as hell, and from what I can tell – brilliant and nice. What's not to like?" I asked rhetorically.
He frowned in reply, seemingly ignorant of the obvious facts. "If you think that about me, then you should hear what all the males – probably some of the females are saying about you."
I considered that briefly, smiling. "Huh, fancy that." Was all I could come up with. He nodded absentmindedly. "All the guys" I pondered. "Does that include you?" I asked slyly. I knew I was pushing the limits – that's why I did it; for the embarrassing reaction or uncomfortable answer. I was not prepared for his curt nod and slight smirk though. Damn; yummy stuff.
"Well then" I said, resisting the urge to jump up and down in excitement – or to throw myself on Edward and start ripping off his designer clothes – "I guess we're just two sexy people sharing a desk in art class; how intimate." I smiled up at him.
He sighed and fiddled with his watch, like I was a hyperactive cat that one would have to wait patiently to calm down. Hm…
The rest of class dragged on, and I was practically bouncing in my seat the whole time, bored and full of energy. I used the opportunity to get as much as I could out of gym, sprinting across the gymnasium and sliding on my knees to bump impossible balls.
It began to drizzle as I walked home, and continued through the night. My parents were staying late in the city, so once I was home from dance, I prepared some curry and naan, and sat down with my cat. She stared at me through the entire meal, purring and occasionally attempting to steal my food. I loved my cat; I was closer to her than anyone.
Once I had eaten, I caught up on neglected homework and e-mails. The English essay that was due the following day was simple, as well as the page of math; emailing my friends however, was proving difficult. I missed them a bit, but not enough to write a heartfelt essay either. They had emailed me, updating me on the gossip at my old school, and how they missed me and such. I composed a group e-mail to a few of my closest friends.
Hello my sweet little pieces of mint,
I miss you all like a chocoholic misses Easter in July. I'm pretty good – glad to hear that you all are enjoying yourselves. Forks is…small. Not as abysmal as I had initially predicted, but I'm still adjusting. The school is okay; quite boring, and the teachers treat us like we should worship them – not like our equals. It's quite shocking, but I'll survive. My drawing teacher is okay – quite eccentric really. Also in art, is my desk partner: Edward Cullen. He is the single sexiest piece of sex out there. Actually, I'm so serious; it practically hurts to look at him knowing you could never have a chance with someone like that. He is tall (of course you all know I go for the ones over 6': P), I'd say around 6'3" or 4". He's really fit, like seriously nice muscle, although I've only seen him with clothes on – hopefully that can change in the near future though ;). I know I'm acting like a stalker, but he's incredible; really angular defined features and sexy tousled bronze (!) hair. Breathtaking.
Last Friday one of the seniors or juniors had a back to school party which I attended. It was pretty fun, got with a few people, and one of them I'm sort of in an "open relationship thingy" with now. He's pretty cool, 23 years old (I know! I'm not a slut though – yet), plays football in college, rides a motorcycle, fit, hot, etc. He's cool, but not very interesting – unlike Edward Cullen, who's pretty much brimming with mysteries. I'm pretty obsessed, hopefully I'll have made some progress with him soon, but I don't want to seem too forward too soon.
Goodbye my munchkins,
Xoxo, Alex
They would send shocked e-mails back probably within the hour, demanding details or joking about my sluttiness. I was too tired to reply again, so I brushed my teeth and went to bed.
The rain had continued through the night, and I woke up to its pattering sounds in the morning. It was getting chilly, so after I showered and moisturized my shaven legs, I dressed in my favourite pair of zebra print jeans, paired with a dark eggplant coloured three quarter sleeved scoop neck tight long shirt.
I put some bread in the toaster, and encountered my mom waiting for me in the sitting room.
"Alex, we've all been so busy lately, that I haven't a chance to see how you're, well, adjusting to Forks. How is it for you?" She seemed concerned.
I spread some Earth Balance and raspberry jam on the slightly burnt toast, and looked up with a smile. "I'm fine mom, the transition hasn't been as difficult as I had predicted. The people at school are pretty nice in general, sort of typical teenagers trying to fit in with each other – which you know I can't stand – but there are plenty of attractive guys." I grinned at my toast as I took a bite.
I heard her sigh behind me. "Alright, but be careful, they're probably older and, well, more worldly. They may want different things from you than you want from them." Uh, fat chance.
I finished my toast, brushed my teeth, grabbed my text books, stuffed them in my vintage over the shoulder bag, grabbed my beige trench coat, and walked outside into the rain.
I was uncharacteristically unfocused during the lessons, my mind wandering to yesterday's conversation with the sex god. How could I get him to do more than talk? With a few drinks maybe; I could throw a party. He didn't come to Jason's, but from what I could tell, the Cullen's kept to themselves – apart from Edward talking to me. I nearly squealed like a pig with excitement at that thought. I wouldn't want to throw a party right away, there had been one last weekend and Forks didn't seem like the party every day and night type of place. I didn't want to seem too desperate, just average flirting for now. Perhaps make him a little jealous to see that I don't have my eye only on him.
Throughout lunch I made sure to speak to most of the guys at my table that would ever have a chance with me. I occasionally glanced at the Cullen's table – and was glad to see that he would occasionally be scowling at the object of my attention.
After I put my juice squeeze in the recycling, and grabbed my books, I was approached by Tyler Crowley. He didn't look as hot as he had when I had been drunk, but he was still pretty nice eye candy.
"Hey Alex" He said, looking around sheepishly.
"Hey, how are you?" I asked, noticing Edward walking towards the doors, about 7 or 8 meters from where I was.
"I'm pretty good, you?" Tyler asked looking more confident.
"I'm pretty decent." I smiled flirtatiously. Edward was about to walk through the door now, right beside us. I raised my voice slightly as I said coyly "Sorry for leaving you alone in that room last Friday, is there any way I can make it up to you?" I asked in a sultry voice.
From what I could see of Edward's flawless face, he looked displeased. Tyler looked slightly surprised and was attempting a reply. I ignored him; now that Edward was gone I could drop the façade. "Right, I'm going to be late for class. I'll see you around."
He nodded, still looking for words. I smirked, redid my messy bun, swept across my blonde bangs, and walked towards the classroom confidently.
Once in the class, I walked through the rows to my seat, enjoying the stares as people took in my eccentric outfit. I flashed a smile at Edward, who had looked up at the board. His answering nod was confident and aloof; I bit my lip to suppress a smile.
"Wow, nice pants, Alex" Mike Newton said in an appreciative voice.
"Thanks, Mike, want to get in them?" I asked jokingly. He stuttered, and looked at his sketchpad, blushing. Oh dear, the sad gullible people at this school.
I glanced at Edward with curiosity as I took my seat next to him. He was glaring daggers into the back of Mike Newton's head. Amazing.
Mr. Kettel spent the entire class looking through our portraits, commenting on them, and holding them up for the class to see. Most people ducked their heads when he brought up theirs. I wanted to when he held up mine, having to draw Edward had not been fair, who could fully capture the face of perfection? Maybe him. But I had slightly more dignity than the others, and kept my back rim rod strait as always.
When the teacher held up Edward's drawing of me, I was reminded of the point of our conversation the previous day. "Edward" I said quietly "What conclusion did you come to regarding yesterday's conversation?"
He tilted his head towards me, interested. "I decided that you are not the full fledged thing, merely provocative enough to plant that seed in people's minds."
"So not a slut, a flirt?" I asked smiling. He sighed at my language like an adult would, but nodded.
At this point Mr. Kettel had passed out the drawings to us, and I went to hand one to Edward. His had brushed mine during the transition, and I nearly gasped at the temperature. His hand was freezing, and hard, like a block of ice. A sexy block of ice, mind.
"Sorry" he murmured, so quietly I could barely understand him. He took his hand away, and grabbed the other side of the paper. My hands and body was always cold – side effects of being anemic and not having much fat – but I could feel the extreme temperature difference with just a quick brush of my hand. Instead of feeling slightly repelled, I was feeling oddly…turned on? Or, at least I wanted to feel the rest of him.
That night after pointe class, I decided to watch Interview with a Vampire – now that I had finished reading it for the 5th time. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and fangs. Why not? I'd always had a thing for vampire stories; there was something very fascinating and alluring about the undead, immortal villains and – in this case – protagonists.
I was suddenly startled by the acute physical resemblance between Louise and Edward. They both had pale skin, bruise like shadows around their eyes, and an air of mystery and age about them. Maybe that was why I was so attracted to Edward, he reminded me of a vampire.