Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Twilight. Although I was considering bringing in a minor character of my own... I'll get back to you on that one.
Chapter 3: Temptation
That night I didn't get much sleep. I couldn't get over my final words to Edward.
If you weren't with Tanya, I would change that no to a maybe.
Honestly. What was wrong with me? I just told a selfish, arrogant pig that I would date him if he dumped my evil roommate. Life is good! Not. I turned onto my pillow, groaning loudly into it.
Two hours later, Tanya's alarm clock hollered. She claimed that waking up early makes your hair shinier. I didn't care. I liked sleeping. But it still hadn't come.
I stood in front of the mirror, yawning widely. I looked a mess. My hair was a haystack, my eyes bagged and I could taste my morning breath, which was worse than usual. Sighing, I began to tame the mess that I called my hair. After a few minutes, Tanya burst back into the room.
"Bella, there aren't enough seats at the lunch table for you today sorry." She shrugged innocently, but she didn't look sorry at all. I rolled my eyes.
"Whatever." I wasn't about to fuss over something I cared so little about. If I didn't have a seat, fine, I would eat quickly then go to the library.
"Oh, and if I catch you talking to Edward again, you'll regret it." Tanya bounced her curls one last time before grabbing her purse, sneering, and stalking back out the door. I yawned widely, and started to change.
"Take it off! Take it all off!" I heard muffled yells from outside my window. Crap. Tanya had opened the curtains, and of course, strange boys would be looking into my room while I was half naked. I blushed furiously, quickly pulling the curtains closed. There was less than an inch left when I noticed a certain dark haired dark skinned person. Why was Jacob telling me to strip? I shuddered, erasing the gap between them, and continuing to dress in peace.
After I brushed my teeth in the bathroom, I returned to my room, and there sat Alice, poised on my bed.
"Hi!" She squealed, leaping out and giving me a hug. "Do you feel better? I was going to come and visit you when Edward brought you back but--"
"Edward brought me back?" I cut her off, looking at her in astonishment.
"Yes, of course. I saw him sprinting towards the nurse's office when you passed the parking lot unconscious. That Newton kid was carrying you, and trying to help some big Indian kid at the same time. Edward took you, and it looked like Mike tried to punch him, but that didn't happen. The kid is a wimp, I tell you. So Edward stays with you until the nurse tells him to bring you back to your room. He stays with you until he's starving– you know boys. Can't keep their stomachs full. Anyways, he told me the whole story during dinner. He told us not to visit you until you were awake, and then he went to his room to pick up some water bottles. I guess he got online and searched for your screen name– mind you, that's very stalkerish. Then he found you online and... I guess you know the rest." Alice smiled brightly after completing her story. My mouth was hanging open in shock. "These walls aren't very thick. That's how I heard about the instant messenger thing and all," She continued. I couldn't speak. So it was Edward who had been caring enough to make sure I was going to recover from seeing so much blood. Huh, maybe I'd have to reconsider this movie tonight with Jacob. After all, he was ogling at me when I was changing.
"Interesting. Thanks for filling me in..." I said, slightly dazed. I ran my fingers through my hair, and then again. Alice touched the collar of my shirt.
"Bella, you look like a prep. It's really weird." Maybe the khakis and baby pink polo shirt weren't such a good idea after all. But it was too late to change. Or do anything more with my hair. "I mean, you look nice, but I didn't see you as a prep. You know?" She took one of Tanya's many hair ribbons, parting my hair to the side, and clipping it in. "There. Okay, lets go." I rolled my eyes, knowing this was a lost battle. I pulled a cardigan over my polo, and followed Alice out of the room.
English was quite the same as yesterday, in the tripping and stumbling department. Some girl named Lauren Mallory started the count when she tripped me when I walked to my desk. Tanya wannabe, I thought angrily to myself, blushing, and sitting in my chair. I didn't look up the entire time.
"Tonight's assignment, summary on the second four chapters," Mr. Hall announced to the class. I sighed, shoving my notebook in my backpack, and desperately waited for the bell to ring. I had no such luck.
"So, hang out with Cullen lately?" A voice shot at me icily, as a girl rested her hands on my desk. I furrowed my brows– apparently I made another enemy.
"What makes you think that?" I didn't look up at her as I spoke.
"Everyone saw you two yesterday. He was like, carrying you. I knew you were a slut– you already did it with Edward Cullen. And his girlfriend is your roommate, my sources tell me." Lauren cackled, and one of her cronies, Jessica, I thought her name was, giggled nervously.
"I think you need new sources," I shot back, looking angrily up at her. To no surprise, her eyes were ice blue. I was wondering if all these girls had the same parents. Their attitudes sure matched up. "I would never sleep with Edward– one because he's dating my roommate, and two, because he's an asshole. And yesterday, I fainted and he was just bringing me to the nurse. That's all that happened. So butt the hell out." The bell rang and I stumbled out of the room, leaving an astonished Lauren behind me.
"I love a girl who tells someone off," A musical voice greeted me. I jumped, my hand automatically reaching for my mouth. "Scare you?" He chuckled, a sound so alluring and enchanting, I could feel myself start to sweat.
"You seriously need to get a new hobby. Stalking the new girl must get boring." I sighed as Lauren and Jessica stalked past, shooting me looks. I childishly stuck my tongue out, which got them whispering. "Oh, and if you hear people talking about us, please slap them."
"Why would I slap them?" Edward inquired as we started off towards Government.
"Because I asked you to. And I don't want rumors starting."
"But slapping them would keep the rumors going. And who says they're rumors?" He had a mischievous glint in his bright green eyes that I found both annoying and delicious.
"Edward, I don't particularly want to date you. Remember, you're an arrogant pig," I pointed out, poking him on the shoulder with my index finger.
"Thanks so much. I'm really offended, Bella," He did look offended, but I caught the sarcasm in his voice. I heaved a deep sigh, and leaned against the wall, turning my body to face him.
"Listen Edward. People hate me because I talk to you. People talk about us because I talk to you. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy talking to you when you're not being a jackass, but if I'm going to be hated because you're telling people that we're together or whatever, I don't think I could forgive you. And I'm normally a very forgiving person." I looked around awkwardly. My little speech was absolute truth (and straight from the heart), and I didn't particularly want other people hearing it. The hallway was deserted apart from us. I turned my gaze back to him. "I still want to be your friend, but at the moment, I don't want anything more." Edward smirked.
"At the moment." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. At the moment." I sighed, not bothering to argue with him. The bell rang, but neither of us moved. "I suppose if you give me time..." I looked down at my feet. Why was he so easy to talk to? I felt myself admitting things I certainly didn't want him to know, including that I was willing to date him– with time.
"I have all the time in the world," He whispered, placing a cool finger under my chin, and tilting it up to look at him. "All the time," He reminded me. I nodded slowly, my eyes not leaving his. They seemed to be darker than usual, and filled with emotion. I searched desperately for a word to describe them– but instead of finding a word, I found flecks of gold. My heart rate and breathing both picked up. Edward smiled his perfect crooked smile– come to think of it, I had never seen him use it with anyone other than myself. I noticed that his face was inching closer to mine, and I wasn't cringing away.
His full, perfect lips were inches away from mine.
"Cullen! Swan!" A booming voice burst our bubble. Edward's head snapped towards the voice, and I couldn't help but stare at his flawless profile. His emerald eyes lightened slightly, as the atmosphere cleared. "It's the middle of second hour, and I just happen upon you and one of your girls. And from what I hear, and I hear a lot, this isn't even your girlfriend." Headmaster Alistair barked. Edward straightened up, running a hand through his bronze hair.
"Yeah, about that..." He mumbled, looking down. About that? About what? One of his girls? Girlfriend? The thoughts swam through my mind as if there were sharks chasing them. Alistair nodded, his beady eyes flicking between us.
"Just get to class," He muttered, turning on his heel and walking back the way he came.
"I was thinking about skipping, to be honest..." I whispered as soon as Alistair disappeared. Edward turned back to me, his eyes darkening a shade as the crooked smile spread across his perfect features again. "But I don't know if I can..." I continued, just as quiet. "It's only my second day, and I don't want my teachers to get a bad impression." He looked let down, but his gaze never left mine.
"Okay..." Edward murmured. He hesitantly lifted his hand, then lightly ran his fingertips along my cheekbone. I closed my eyes, enjoying his touch. When he moved his hand away, I was very ready to grab it. "See you around, Bella," He turned away. He was walking away.
"Edward wait!" I hurried to catch up to him. Edward turned to look curiously at me. "I.. I er... I..." I stumbled over my words.
"Don't hurt yourself," He chuckled, still looking at me. I made my decision.
I swiftly kissed him on the cheek.
"See you around, Edward," I blushed furiously, before I turned, and hurried towards my class.
"Miss Swan, I would greatly appreciate if you didn't show up in the middle of the class without a late pass." I couldn't even remember the teachers name, so I nodded stupidly, trudging over to Alice. She looked about ready to explode. However, she didn't get the chance to badger me until after class.
"BELLA!" Alice screamed as soon as the bell rang. I jumped up, and started towards the door. She trotted after me. "Mind telling me why you were late to class?" She batter her eyelashes. I rolled my eyes.
"No good reason. Just... dawdling," I knew that she wouldn't believe me. There was a smirk on her face and a glint in her eye. "More details later," I finished, well aware that she would wheedle the information out of me sometime. Alice clapped cheerfully as we waited outside the door for Mr. Turner to show up. Tanya showed up a minute later, chatting animatedly to Lauren while Jessica shot me menacing looks. All my effort went into keeping myself from laughing. Therefore, it was a surprise when a musical voice penetrated my walls.
"Hey Bella." I couldn't help but smile. There he stood, looking more godlike than ever. Tanya just gaped at us.
"Hi." I managed. Edward smirked, then turned to Tanya. He was murmuring to her, and I strained my ears to hear their conversation.
"Tanya, there's something I need to say. I don't think this is working out," Edward sighed, running a hand through his tousled bronze hair. Tanya continued to gape.
"What isn't working out?" She choked, her eyes confused.
"Us. I can't be with you anymore," He patted her gently on the shoulder.
That shook her awake.
"YOU'RE BREAKING UP WITH ME?!" She screeched. Edward winced, but nodded. "ME?! TANYA KATRINA DENALI?! NO ONE BREAKS UP WITH ME!" Tanya whirled around, pointing a finger at me. "YOU! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! EVERYTHING WAS FUCKING PERFECT BEFORE YOU CAME YOU WHORE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU CONNED MY BOYFRIEND INTO THINKING THAT YOU LIKED HIM, SO HE COULD BREAK UP WITH ME! SLUT!" With that, she stormed off. Lauren and Jessica flitted after her. I stood there for a moment, stock still.
Then I burst out laughing.
"Bella are you okay?" I nodded, gasping for breath between laughter.
"It appears that she has some hearing issues. Thus, Tanya's words did not have the desired effect." Edward chuckled. I continued nodding, knowing he was right. The second bell rang, announcing that we were free to go. I didn't think I could stand in front of my classmates for a moment longer– they were staring at me like I was a lunatic. I trudged down the hallway, crossing my arms in front of my chest, deep in thought. I hardly acknowledged Edward and Alice whispering behind me, a feat within itself. For one, Alice never whispered in the hallways, and two, I didn't know they were on speaking terms. The security guard looked at us.
"This hour was cancelled for us– Trigonometry..." I flashed him a smile. He nodded a bit, letting us leave.
We exited the building and crossed over the bridge to the quads. I was still leading the way, but not paying complete attention to where my feet were leading me. I ended up at the edge of the gardens in front of the administrations building. I paused, drinking in the beauty.
It was any romantic's dream come true. Roses, tulips, lilies, and many other flowers including freesia and irises. Along the outer edge were apple trees, some of which had a few apples still clinging. This was surprising, as apples didn't usually last until January. These apples were vibrant red. I took a tentative step forward, and looked behind me. Edward and Alice were there, but not speaking anymore. They were watching me with interest. I grinned a little, before walking further into the school's version of Eden. I slowly made my way to a tree with the brightest red apple, and gazed up at it. The scene reminded me of stories I had heard in the Bible school I was forced to attend when I was younger.
The tree of good and evil. I vaguely remembered reading that apples were not to be picked from the apple tree. The vibrant red fruit was torturing me– the temptation was very strong, but I could resist it. It took all of my efforts, but I turned away from the tree, and looked back towards Edward and Alice. I gasped.
Edward was my apple. Edward was my temptation. And I knew that before long, I would be led into temptation.
I strode quickly from the red apple, and away from my own temptation. I didn't know how long I could resist before I cracked. I walked through the freesias, caressing each petal carefully with my fingers. I could faintly smell Edward next to me. I looked up at him, and noticed Alice examining the roses.
"These flowers are beautiful," I noted, stepping away from him and deeper into the freesia. "The smell sort of familiar," I continued conversationally.
"The flowers are nice," Edward agreed half-heartedly. "But I wouldn't say beautiful with you standing here in comparison," He gave me that heart-melting crooked smile of his. I blushed, turning away, only to have my hand caught in his gentle grasp. He lifted my wrist up to his nose, and took a light sniff. "And it smells familiar because you smell exactly like freesia... and a little bit of strawberry too," He admitted, his grin turning sheepish. My blush, impossibly, grew darker. He was so horribly tempting. Edward pulled me gently towards him. I leaned against him, inhaling deeply.
"You smell like honey and the sun," I admitted quietly. He chuckled. "I noticed the first time I met you."
"Nobody's ever smelled me before," Edward said cheekily.
"I could say the same thing," I replied in the same tone. He gave my hand a light squeeze.
"Bella come look-- oh, sweet Jesus. It's time for fourth hour. Edward, I think you should probably go to class this time. You know, skipping two periods in a row isn't very clever," Alice's voice drifted over to us. I sighed, leading Edward back to Alice, before heading back to the class building.
"I'll save you a seat in lunch," Edward said with a wink, before lightly squeezing my hand again, then dropping it, and walking away. I exhaled slowly as I walked to Spanish.
"I'll be waiting for you in our dorm after seventh hour. I expect you to come out with the full tale." Alice demanded, before trotting off to her next class.
Spanish was dreadfully boring. I couldn't pay attention– my mind had bigger and better things to concentrate on. Edward, for one. How could I break it to Jacob that I didn't want to go to the movie tonight? How would I tell him that I wanted to go to the party that Edward had mentioned yesterday.
I was gazing blankly out the window when a tiny miracle occurred. A large, dark figure was hunched over, trudging across the pathway to the infirmary. I would know that glossy black hair anywhere. I shot my hand into the air.
"Puedo ir al bano por favor?" (A/N: I don't take Spanish, so thanks for correcting me :D)
"Si. Prisa detrás!" I nodded, and bolted towards the door. I reached the security guard that had let me leave last time.
"My friend is getting sick and my teacher told me to go and help him. We saw him from the window," I invented wildly. Only part of it was true. The guard took my blush for concern, for some odd reason, and let me pass. I was an awful liar. I tripped and scraped my knee as I ran for the infirmary, and burst through the door. "Jacob? Jacob? Are you alright?" I gasped, clutching a stitch in my side. He looked up at me– his russet skin was paler than usual.
"I'm really sorry Bella, but I'm not in any shape for the movie tonight. I'm so, so sorry. When I get better, I promise I'll make it up to you." Jacob's husky voice was weak with the effort he was exerting. The nurse ushered me out, and I quickly said goodbye to Jacob, adding that I hoped he felt better. Luck was on my side. I could go to the party tonight, and not hurt anyone's feelings. I wasn't much of a dancer, but I could still have a little fun, no?
I walked slowly back to Spanish, digging my hands into the pockets of my khakis. I didn't know what had possessed me to wear this preppy outfit, but obviously, it did something for me. Edward wasn't being selfish, and Jacob was getting sick. Not that I wanted him sick, I just wanted a reason to ditch him tonight.
Oh god, I was a horrible person.
Nothing could have prepared me for lunch. I quickly paid for my pretzels and sandwich, and let my eyes scan the crowd for my friends. I saw Alice, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Tanya and... ew, Lauren. I certainly wasn't sitting there. But among them, I didn't spot a flash of bronze hair. My eyes wandered, and I noticed someone waving at me. I smiled weakly, making my way over to the godlike creature who was too beautiful to be human.
"Hi," Edward greeted me quietly, beaming. "Glad you could make it. For a second I thought you would take your chances with Lauren and Tanya. They're about ready to rip your throat out. I understand Tanya's reasoning, but Lauren?" He shook his beautiful head. I turned, and saw Jessica Stanley sitting in the last empty seat at the table. Alice looked about ready to stab her. I laughed quietly, and Edward joined me.
"So, earlier, in the gardens. That apple seemed to intrigue you..." He stated curiously.
"Yes, it's a very interesting fruit." I replied, my cheeks flushing a light pink. Hopefully, Edward didn't make the temptation connection– but he was smarter than I had originally given credit for. Perhaps he wouldn't piece together the fact that my gaze had lingered on him immediately after the apple.
"The trees always remind me of the garden of Eden." Edward started, playing mindlessly with the cap of his water bottle. "The brightest fruits are always so tempting." Crap. Crap, crap, crap. There went my life, down the drain. He looked up at me through his thick lashes. I could feel myself sweating profusely. I gave a noncommital jerk of the head, and he chuckled.
"I understand where you're coming from." I answered, not looking up at him.
"You do?" His voice was curious. Had I just said that I understood where he was coming from? I was going from bad to worse. I nodded a little, taking a large bite of my sandwich to shut myself up. It seemed my luck had run out for the day, as I nearly choked. Edward half rose from his chair, preparing to do the finger sweep to get the food out of my mouth. That would be embarrassing. I managed to swallow, and gave him a small smile.
"All better, see?" I swallowed again, making sure I had gotten all the remains of my food out of my mouth, before opening my jaw wide, and showing him my clear throat. He simply chuckled.
"Good, because I couldn't bear to see a beautiful girl choking," Edward murmured. I froze– he had a knack of making me feel ridiculous. I was about to speak, when he looked up at me. "Anyways, I heard that a certain Jacob Black is sick. Wasn't he the person you were going to the movies with?" Edward asked innocently. I didn't recall telling him Jacob's name, only... Alice. Damn pixie.
"Yes... and we postponed our plans for a later date," I stated formally. He smirked. "And yes, that does mean I'll be free tonight for that party you were talking about," I rolled my eyes before he could even respond to that.
"Great!" He looked like he wanted to say something more, but thought better of it. I decided I would press him further during Biology, as I had suddenly become ravenous.
After situating myself behind the black lab table, I turned to Edward, folding my hands in my lap. I smiled innocently at him.
"So tell me, what were you going to say at lunch?" I inquired, batting my eyelashes to see the effect. Edward was staring blankly at the whiteboard.
"I said everything that I planned on saying," He replied evenly, but I could see the faintest hint of a blush creeping along the hollow under his ear. I leaned forward.
"You don't have to hide these things from me, Edward," I whispered. Before he had a chance to respond in any way, Mr. Roche entered the room, and started lecturing. Of course, he had no idea on how much trouble he was in with me. I was so close to getting information from Edward, and he had to ruin it. I started to doodle idly on my paper. Edward nudged me with the side of his notebook. I turned to stare at him, but he was glaring intently at the top of his page.
You're very good at wheedling information.
I scrawled back my own message.
I try, dear friend. I try.
He rolled his eyes, writing another note in his elegant script.
Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?
He looked up at me, his eyes slightly worried. I gazed deeply, losing my train of thought. Those gold specks made his eyes different from any other pair I had ever seen... I looked back at the notebook, and remembered that I was on a mission.
Okay.
He grinned brightly. "I'll come by your room at seven. The party starts at eight. I figured we could go with Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett as well," Edward whispered, excitement evident in the velvety folds of his voice. I nodded, smiling like an idiot.
Apparently, I had given in to temptation sooner than I had expected.
Authors Note: Ahh, temptation. I thought this went perfectly with Bella and Edward's developing relationship. Obviously, I got the idea from Stephenie Meyer. But who would blame me.
PS: I like rebels, and therefore, I made Edward skip two classes in a row. Oh baby.
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