AN: I AM SO SORRY! What was meant to be a brief break turned into a much longer hiatus. Posting chapters will still probably be touch and go for a while, but I'm going to punch out several here too keep you satisfied. I'm going to push the story forward so we can get to the good stuff! Please, review and comment! Once again, I do not own any of the characters created by Stephanie Meyer. Thank you!
I've never hated the weekend more. Edward didn't meet me after class so I didn't get a chance to ask him if he wanted to get together sometime. I had no way of contacting him so I'd have to wait until Monday to talk to him again.
Abby hadn't waited for me either, so I ran by myself to my car in the pouring rain.
The dreary weather continued into Saturday. Any outdoor activities were out, but I still called EJ around ten in the morning to see if he wanted to go see a movie in Port Angeles or maybe do something down in Olympia, it didn't matter. I got his voicemail. The message was short, just asking him if he could call me back when he was free. I considered calling Alex and Graham as well, but decided I didn't want to be a pest. I felt bad considering I'd been so preoccupied by Edward that I hadn't even sent a text to EJ to see how his week's been. Now who's the jerk?
He never got back to me. I figured his dad had him doing chores on the rez. Abby never called back either, though her a pestered a little more with a few extra texts. Monday before English I would have to get back on her good side.
I made sure to be ready and in the classroom early that day. Just as I guessed, Abby went straight to her desk and sat down, refusing to look at me. Sighing deeply, I leaned over the aisle and tapped on her desk repeatedly, purposefully trying to be annoying.
"What?" Abby hissed, finally giving up.
"Are you really mad at me?" I pouted. In all honesty, I wasn't exactly sure what she was mad about, but right now it was just better to make peace.
"It's not exactly like you to ditch us during lunch," she bit.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I wasn't exactly planning on it. But I couldn't just leave him there." That definitely couldn't be the only reason she was mad. "Is this about Edward in general?"
"You're spending an awful lot of time with him."
I frowned, "I'm just trying to be his friend."
"To satisfy your curiosity," she countered.
A huff escaped me. "Maybe at first, but he's not bad to talk to. I enjoy it. But why does that make you upset? I'm not ignoring you. I tried to hang out with you this weekend." Okay, so she wasn't my first go-to, but she wasn't a last resort, either.
"Okay," Abby sighed. "It just feels like you're not telling me something."
I laughed. "Oh my goodness, Abby. I'm not keeping anything from you. This isn't a drama."
She sent me the finger. "Fine. Just don't forget us little people."
"Ha ha." I stopped the conversation. Alice was skipping into class. When our eyes met, I threw her a bright smile. The smile I received back wasn't as bright, in fact I seemed to confuse Alice. After she sat down, Abby glanced at me, an eyebrow raised. I just shrugged.
When class ended, I gathered up my materials and walked out alone.
"Sloane."
My heart jumped and I dropped my phone that I had just dug out form my pocket. A pale hand snatched it before it landed on the hard tile.
Edward held it out for me and I quickly returned the device to my jeans.
"W-what are you doing?" I stammered.
"Seeing a friend to class," he said nonchalantly. "Is that all right? I wasn't sure since I didn't see you this morning."
I stopped walking. "You were waiting for me?" When he didn't answer, I smiled. "Hm."
"Did you have a nice weekend?" Edward asked as we neared the photography room.
Not wanting to seem pathetic, I lied, "Yes. Very thrilling and spontaneous."
Apparently, that didn't fool him. "Mine wasn't exciting either. I'm sure we did more or less the same thing."
Outside the classroom, I crossed my arms. "Look at you, acting like you can read me so easily."
"You like green."
I stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Green," he repeated. "It's your favorite color. You wear it most often. It goes well with your hair." He gestured to my top.
I looked down. Today, under my heavy jacket, I was wearing a plain green shirt with a front pocket. "Huh. And I thought I was the one with the observation skills."
"I doubt you're as observant as you think you are."
Not to be out done, I gave him a once over and smirked. "Your eyes are going black again."
"What?" His voice was like a whip, snapping and cracking at the air. The anger in his voice wasn't from my simple statement – how could it be? – there was something more underneath it that alarmed him.
I learned that when this happened it was best to just let him be. "The bell's about to ring. You should get to class." Without waiting on him, I fled into the classroom.
Edward wasn't waiting for me after photography or trig, or even Spanish. Worry began to set in that I had really don't it this time and all the progress I'd made just went up in smoke.
I kept my eyes on the food while going through the cafeteria line. It wasn't until after I paid for my meal that I dared to scan the tables. Sure enough, there he was, sitting alone. Causiously, I walked to the table and hovered over the seat across from him.
"Am I allowed to sit down?" I asked timidly.
Edward looked up at me, confused. Why was that look so easy to accomplish, but a simple smile was so damn hard I've only been able to do it once? "Of course. Why else would I be here?"
I shrugged as I shook up my salad, sliding into the plastic chair. "I figured you were mad at me."
He shook his head. "No, I'm not mad at you. Just myself."
"Pause." I threw my hands up in a time out "T". "I'm pressing the skip button on this conversation. I already know where it's headed."
"Maybe it's a conversation we need to have," he pressed.
"Not today," I said in between bites of Caesar drench lettuce. "I'm not in the mood."
Edward scowled at me, but he didn't continue to push. His eyes drifted down to my salad. "Why are you always eating that?"
I froze. "This?"
He nodded. "Don't you enjoy eating other foods?"
Staring down at my tray, I stabbed the lettuce a little too harshly. "Yes, I enjoy other foods, but I have to watch what I eat."
"Why?"
"I just do, okay!" I snapped harsher and louder than I had meant to, but I kept seeing old images of me from middle school in my head. I ate in silence for several minutes. Edward just watched me, the crease between his eyebrows telling me he wasn't sure of what to say. Dropping my fork, I covered my face with my hands, utterly embarrassed at my outburst. "I'm sorry."
"No, Sloane, I apologize," Edward countered, every word completely sincere. "I shouldn't have continued."
I looked up at him, thinking about how I must look to him now. "It's just a touchy subject."
"Of course. I won't mention it again."
"Besides," I quipped, picking the plastic fork back up, "if we're going to talk about anyone's diet around here, we should talk about yours."
Edward stiffened, locking all his muscles in place. "Why?"
I snorted. "You never eat anything. At least at lunch. That's not healthy for you. You need to digest something to stay strong."
And that's what did it. Edward let out a genuine, but short laugh that actually left a smile on his lips. And it was beautiful.
He caught me staring. "Sloane?"
I blinked. "Sorry. What?"
"We should probably get to class."
I grinned. "Yeah. Let's go."
Edward picked up my tray and threw the contents away. Though the full smile was gone, the corners of his mouth were still slightly turned up as we made our way to class.
Again, Edward sat in the desk beside mine. Today, Shawn was not sick, but when he walked in, without a sideways glance or hesitation, he walked past the front row to Edward's old spot in the back.
Frowning, I muttered as I sat down, "I hope you didn't threaten him to switch with you."
He just laughed again. This one was only marginally longer than the first, but he seemed to be loosening up and it made me feel giddy. Abby shook her head at me when she arrived, but the smile on her own face told me it was only playful. Things seemed to be settling down and for once I wasn't drowning in misery as the bell rang and Mr. Shetler stood at the front of the classroom, beginning the lesson.
The next several days began to form a routine. In the mornings before class, I spent with Abby, occasionally comparing homework or going over the new gossip I had somehow missed. She still bombarded me with questions about Edward. In between classes, Edward was always waiting for me. Our chats were all over the place, but nothing that every really got me under his surface. However, I looked forward to them.
But then Friday came. It was the day before Edward was supposed to come over and my brain had just decided to remember this as I pulled into the parking lot. Groaning, I knocked my forehead against the steering wheel a few times before turning the engine off and running to class.
Abby and I were so focused on comparing trig homework that I hadn't noticed that the seat in front of her remained empty even as the bell rang. All throughout the period I kept glancing at the desk, as if Alice would magically appear there any moment.
It wasn't the first time Alice had been absent, but this day it particularly bugged me. I figured I could just ask Edward if she was sick after class, but when the bell rang signaling the end, my usual walking partner was nowhere to be found. Outside, I scowled at the sun that, for a rare day, shine bright and wasn't accompanied by a single cloud in the sky. Silently, I apologized to the giant star. It wasn't its fault that I had been ditched.
I went through the rest of my day exactly as I had before the physics project had even come into existence. Lunch was no exception.
The table that become familiar to me was empty, devoid of any brooding but beautiful teenage boy before being taken by a brave freshman. The usual Mason table was also empty.
So they're all gone today?
Hiding a pout, I sat with my friends.
"Look who's gracing us with her presence today," Jackson crooned.
I balled up a napkin in my hands and threw it at his face, hitting him right below the left eye. "Shut up."
Jackson just laughed it off.
"So, where are you on the project?" Tanner asked between bites of his sandwich.
"We're pretty much done," I shrugged. He wasn't really something I wanted to talk about right now. "All we need to do is put the presentation together." As long as he didn't forget.
Abby huffed. "Seriously? That is so not fair!"
"Good for you guys," Tanner congratulated sincerely.
The conversation drifted from topic to topic. I barely followed along. Talk about the school's basketball team and their odds of winning the game next Tuesday just didn't have the same pull as who might have actually written Shakespeare's works (a conversation that had occupied most of my time with Edward on Wednesday). However, that being said, I have missed Abby's fiery speeches and Jackson's idiotic comments that he thought were genius.
So, I enjoyed this time and pushed the Masons out of my head, at least for the rest of the day.
