Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, any of its characters, or Undeniable (Mr. Matt Kearney does).
AN: Here's another chapter for you guys! Thanks so much for all of your wonderful reviews—I'm glad yall are enjoying reading the story as much as I am writing it. So as a little treat for your reviews that make me so happy, a little bit longer of a chapter! Hope yall enjoy it! And now, without further ado, onto....
Ch. 7: Undeniable — Matt Kearney
It's undeniable how brilliant you are
In an unreliable world you shine like a star
It's unforgettable now that we've come this far
It's unmistakable that you're undeniable
I was put out that I would have to wait until lunch to interact—or at least see—Bella again. But thankfully, even though I seemed to be unable to hear her, I could at least monitor and watch her through the eyes of my siblings. She had Spanish next with Alice. And knowing my exuberant sister, she would practically force Bella to talk to her.
Hopefully Alice would have better luck than me not freaking her out on the first day.
I had hurried to history and after introducing myself and getting the textbook, settled in the back row to enjoy the show.
I couldn't help the smirk that appeared on my lips as I listened to Alice's excited thoughts. She had gotten to class early too, anxious for the chance to meet Bella.
Don't worry Edward, you didn't scare her too much.
I was startled when that random thought entered her head amongst all of her exuberant ones.
Trust me, she actually will talk to you in Biology.
I'd have to thank my sister later for that comforting thought—it was a relief to know I hadn't screwed things up too badly.
Alice's thoughts continued to focus on the first words she was going to say to Bella, but all of her practiced phrases flew out the window the moment she spotted her.
There she is, there she is, there she is! My sister practically screamed in my head. I physically winced at her squealing.
Please sit by me, please sit by me. I should get her attention! Smile, big smile. Not too big, don't want to freak her out like Edward…Alice mentally giggled while I scowled….Yes! She's coming over here, it worked!
I ignored all of the stares from the other students as they entered my classroom and focused on Bella through Alice's mind.
Alice was right—her friendly smile seemed to have worked because Bella was heading in her direction. I watched as Bella tripped on a desk leg as she turned to walk down the row to my sister, which sent her sprawling forward. Alice almost sprung forward to catch her, but remembered at the last second not to blow it.
Bella managed to catch herself by grabbing onto the nearest desk, but sent her books flying in the process. She pushed herself upright, her face flushed bright crimson. She was obviously embarrassed.
Alice jumped from her seat—at a human pace—and gathered the books that had landed a few feet in front of her, placing them on the empty desk next to her. She wasn't leaving Bella much of a choice on where to sit.
Bella closed the gap between them and sat down gingerly in the seat. She was obviously trying to avoid any further accidents.
"Thanks," she said softly to Alice, her blush receding.
"No problem," Alice chirped in her usual, cheerful voice. "I'm Alice."
"Bella."
"It's nice to meet you Bella."
"Uh, you too. So are you new here?"
"Yup," Alice replied, popping the 'p.' "My family just moved here."
Bella nodded her head. "I think I might have met your brother last period. Bronze hair?"
"Oh, you must mean Edward."
"Yeah, that's the one."
"We have three other siblings here too. I'm sure you'll see them at some point today."
Sooner than you think, Alice added mentally.
Bella nodded her head again and offered Alice a small smile before directing her attention to the teacher, who had just entered the room as the bell rang.
Señora Sanchez instructed the students to pair off and practice conversing in Spanish for the first ten minutes of class as a warm up exercise.
The second she told the class to begin, my sister instantly turned to Bella and ignored all of the teacher's directions.
"So Bella, do you like shopping?"
I watched and listened to Rosalie's conversation with Bella in their photography class, and although Rosalie seemed a bit awkward conversing with our human, she did manage to draw some information from Bella that pleased me. She loved reading and music.
And seeing her in Pre-Calc with Alice and Jasper was just plain entertaining. The two had practically snuck up on the poor girl, crashing into the empty seats on either side of her, effectively trapping her between them.
Alice had introduced Jasper as her boyfriend. I almost laughed as I watched Bella's confused expression began to shift to shock. Alice, realizing her error, rushed to explain that we were adopted and thus not related, to which Bella instantly showed her relief.
As much as I wanted to spend more time with her at lunch, we had to remember not to push ourselves onto Bella. Although we had technically known her for years, this was the first day she had met us.
Rosalie, Emmett and I had chosen an empty table in the corner to sit at, our prop food already laid out before us. Rosalie was relaying her conversation with Bella to Emmett while my eyes remained glued on the door, waiting for her to enter.
A few seconds later, she walked through the door, flanked on either side by Jasper and Alice. I heard her kindly invite them to sit with her friends at their table, and Alice thanked her for the offer but said they were going to sit with the rest of her family.
Bella nodded and said that she'd see them later, before walking to a table in the middle of the room and taking a seat between a blonde haired boy and a girl with glasses.
I watched as she pulled a sack lunch from her bag and withdrew its contents, arranging them on the table before her, as she chatted with the other people at the table.
She was mesmerizing to watch. Despite her apparent clumsiness and lack of coordination, there was such an easy grace about her as well.
The blonde boy had monopolized her attention for the moment, relaying a story about some kind of prank he and some other guys had pulled. My eyes narrowed when he reached out to touch her arm in a seemingly innocent gesture.
But I knew better.
He wanted Bella to be his girlfriend, and was hoping that by playing his cards right, his dream would be fulfilled soon.
I wanted to rip his head off.
"Edward," Alice hissed from beside me. "Stop staring!"
I jerked my head away from Bella, and turned my attention back on my family, only to be met with five very inquisitive faces.
"Umm…" I was embarrassed I'd been caught staring—yet again.
"You really need be more careful," Rosalie cautioned. "Act normal. She's beginning to notice and I think you've creeped her out enough for one day."
I sent Alice an annoyed glare—she had obviously informed the rest of the family to my earlier staring problem.
But I heeded Rosalie's warning. And she was right. Once I got out of Mike's head, I realized that my observing hadn't gone unnoticed.
"The new kid was staring at you Bella." The curly headed girl at Bella's table was telling her. But then again, maybe he was looking at me… she thought to herself, obviously a bit conceited.
"Oh. Really? Um, right." Bella sputtered as a response. She obviously wasn't too thrilled about having me stare at her again. I'd really have to rectify this in Biology. I wouldn't even spare her a glance—or at least try not to.
As if to prove this to myself, I shifted my chair to an angle where Bella wasn't in my line of vision. But I couldn't help listen to her conversations and the thoughts about her.
As my family discussed their interactions with Bella and I pretended to pay attention, my mind was discovering more about our little human. And I realized she needed some better friends.
I didn't like Jessica.
I didn't like Tyler.
I didn't like Lauren.
I really didn't like Mike.
Ben and Angela made up for the others, however. They at least had kind thoughts that matched their words and actions. Unlike the others.
I was thrilled when the bell rang, dumping my tray and rushing out a goodbye to my siblings as I hurried of to Biology.
I wanted the opportunity to speak with the teacher before class. If I pulled this off correctly, I could get Bella as my lab partner.
Mr. Banner cheerfully welcomed me to his class and said that I shouldn't have any problems catching up. Here was my opening.
"I hope I'll be able to do well. I enjoy Biology, but let's just say Science is not my strongest subject…" I trailed off, hoping to inflect the right amount of hopeless struggle into my tone.
Hmm, he seems like a bright enough kid but maybe I should help him out. I should pair him with Bella—she's the best student in the class.
I tried not to crack a smile at his thoughts—this was working out too perfectly. I figured Bella had to be one of the better students, knowing how intelligent she was, and I was taking a chance that he'd pair me with her.
Bella picked that moment to stroll through the door—with Mike at her side. I stifled a groan. He would be in this class too.
"Ah Bella, come join Mr. Cullen and I for a moment."
Bella parted from Mike and walked over, glancing at me for a moment before directing her attention to the teacher.
"Yes Mr. Banner?"
"Since Mr. Cullen has missed a few weeks of class, I was hoping to partner him with you for our labs so you could catch him up to speed. I know you usual work with Mike, but I hope you wouldn't mind switching, at least for a while until Mr. Cullen feels comfortable with the assignments."
I almost failed to mask the triumphant smirk that tried to work its way across my face. Not only was I getting Bella as my partner, but I was taking her away from Mike. Win-win.
Bella cast me a quick side-glance and it was easy to read the uncertainty in her eyes. But she turned back to Mr. Banner with a smile on her face.
"Sure Mr. Banner. Sounds great."
Spinning around, she headed toward the rows of desks. I grabbed the textbook from Mr. Banner and followed behind, assuming she was leading us to our seats. I almost laughed when she walked right by Mike, who already had her seat pushed out, ready and waiting for her. I saw Bella mouth "sorry" to him before passing by. She missed his downtrodden expression but I was fortunate enough to enjoy it, smiling cheerfully as I followed Bella. Mike's thoughts were full of curses.
Bella stopped at a table in the back row, throwing her bag on the tabletop and taking the seat closest to the window.
I slid onto the stool beside her, setting my things on my side of the table.
"So, we meet again."
I mentally cringed. Geez, could I sound any creepier? I really needed to think before I spoke around Bella—the words just seemed to fly out of my mouth when I was around her.
"Um, yeah, I guess so," she replied softly, casting me a wary look.
I would give anything to hear her thoughts now. But try as I might, there was still nothing. Not a peep.
"So what were you learning in your last Biology class?" Bella asked, filling the gap of silence that had lapsed between us.
I really didn't really want to discuss school with Bella right now. There was so much more I wanted to ask. I had nine years of her life to catch up on. But if this was a topic she was comfortable with, I wasn't going to waste a chance to talk with her.
"We hadn't really gotten very far before my family moved," I lied as I glanced at her. Our gazes locked.
I was easily lost within her beautiful eyes, watching the various emotions fly through them in a matter of seconds. We continued to stare at each other for several prolonged seconds, losing ourselves in the moment.
A stool scraped the floor as a girl sat down at the table in front of us, shattering the connection.
Bella jerked away first, blushing furiously, while I mentally cursed the student for interrupting the moment. I could have stared into those chocolate depths for ages.
Bella's gaze was now glued to her notebook, as if plain green cover was extremely fascinating to her.
"So what are you learning about in here now?" I didn't care if we talked school—I just wanted, no needed, to keep her talking. To here the soft timbre of her voice.
She turned her head to face me, although not quite meeting my gaze.
"I think today we're going to do the onion root mitosis lab and next week is blood typing."
I didn't miss her shudder when she mentioned blood typing. I made a mental note to remember to skip class next week.
"You don't like needles?" I guessed the reason for her reaction.
Bella blushed again. "No, I just don't like the smell of blood."
My eyes widened slightly in shock. "Humans can't smell blood," I blurted out.
Bella slowly raised her gaze to meet my surprised expression. "I can," she whispered, before focusing her eyes back to her notebook.
My mind was still whirling. She could smell blood. Humans weren't supposed to be able to. We could, obviously, but humans…my thought trailed off as I resisted the urge to groan aloud.
Yet another sign that Bella wasn't completely human.
Aro had said that with special talents, humans often developed better senses. Better sight. Better hearing. Better smell.
The bell rang in that moment, effectively distracting me from the dread that was settling in the pit of my stomach. Mr. Banner began class, and sure enough, began describing the onion root lab for today. I tried to concentrate on his instructions, but my mind kept drifting to this latest development.
Only when Bella turned to me, handing me a slide to place on the microscope on my side of the desk, did I snap to the present.
"Um, right," I mumbled, taking the delicate slide from her hand, successfully avoiding touching her. The last thing I needed was to freak her out even more with my icy hand.
We completed the lab quickly, trading off identifications. I tried not to inhale too much of her tantalizing scent when she leaned close to peer into the microscope, but more than once I had to swallow the venom that instinctively pooled in my mouth.
Mr. Banner came over to check our work, and satisfied, collected the page and told us we could have free time until the bell.
Bella pulled out a book from her bag, but I wasn't going to allow that. I wanted to keep talking to her.
"So, have you had any of my siblings in your classes?"
Bella set the book down and angled herself to face me. "Um, yeah, actually. Alice, Jasper and Rosalie."
I pretended to look surprised. "Wow, you've almost met the whole crew. There's just Emmett left." Which would be rectified soon…
She nodded her head.
"So what did you think of them?" I couldn't help but ask. Although I had initially thought not being able to read her mind to pull the answers to my questions would be annoying, I was now seeing it as some sort of challenge. It made me more…normal. More…human. Plus it gave me a reason to keep talking to her.
"They're all very nice, very easy to like. Rosalie was very sweet," I almost snorted at this. Rosalie being nice to anyone that wasn't family was hard to imagine. But then again, I did know she had a soft spot for Bella. We all did. "And Jasper was very polite. And Alice, well…" I smiled as she tried to find the correct word for my crazy sister. "She was very energetic," she finally settled on.
"That's putting it lightly," I said, chuckling.
She smiled, clearly warming up to the topic. She leaned her elbow on the table, propping her head in her hand as she turned to face me completely. "I like them all very much though. I swear, it's almost like I've known them for years."
Oh if only she knew.
"You'll like Emmett too," I assured her. "He's like a big, goofy kid."
She grinned at the image. "I hope I meet him soon then."
"I bet you will."
We shared a smile, before another silence fell over us.
"So has Alice already talked you into a shopping trip?"
Bella laughed. It was such a beautiful, musical sound that I vowed to make her laugh at least once every time I talked to her, just so I could hear that wonderful sound.
"Yes, she has. Within the first five minutes of meeting her actually."
"Well good luck with that. She's a maniac in a mall."
Bella had just opened her mouth to respond when the bell rang, signaling the end of class.
Bella hopped off the stool, shoveling her things into her book bag. I frowned, upset that our time together had come to an end. And things had been going so well…
I made a show of getting my things together while I waited for Bella. I didn't want to leave before her.
Bella slipped her bag strap over her shoulder and stood, facing me. She shuffled from foot to foot slightly.
"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Yes, see you tomorrow." I mentally cringed. Is that the best parting I could come up with? I sounded so lame.
"Okay, well, bye," she said, stepping around me and heading for the door. I frowned when I noticed Mike waiting for her at the front of the room. He glanced at me over her head, narrowing his eyes slightly, before they both left.
I sighed, dragging my feet to my next class. Without Bella.
I have to say, gym was going to be my favorite period. Well, Bella's gym class anyways.
She was too amusing. I actually laughed out loud in my math class, causing several students around me to cast worried looks in my direction.
But I just ignored them. I was having too much fun.
I was irritated to discover that Mike had gym with Bella too.
But the minute Bella had entered the gym, Emmett had made a beeline for her, causing Mike to take a few steps away from his intimidating form. Emmett had introduced himself, explaining that Alice had already told him so much about her.
Bella smiled broadly at Emmett, apparently liking him immediately, just as I figured.
And that's where the fun began.
The class was learning about basketball this week.
I suppose the coach had already been clued in to Bella's clumsiness. While the rest of the class played a scrimmage, he had told Bella that she could just throw free throws on the other side of the gym, to which she looked grateful for, as did the other students.
However, that still didn't prevent her from injuring others.
Despite being on the other side of the gym, by herself, she still did damage to others.
I snickered as Mike ended up getting hit in the head—twice—by Bella's ricochet shots.
She also managed to tip over an entire cart of basketballs, sending them bouncing in between the legs of her classmates playing basketball, causing about half of the students to trip and fall over them.
And for the finale, she had gotten a ball stuck on a ceiling rafter towards the beginning of class. And with ten minutes left in the period, the ball rolled right off the beam and, who would have figured, fell on Mike's head. It was perfect. I couldn't have done better if I had planned it myself.
By the end of the class, Bella was flushed scarlet with embarrassment, Emmett was practically rolling around on the ground laughing, and Coach Clapp kept wondering how Bella had managed to survive all of these years.
I found myself wondering the same thing.
History was less entertaining, but I gleaned from her conversation with Jasper that although she loved Forks and it was her home, she was hoping to get a scholarship from a college on the East Coast somewhere. And that she wanted to travel and see the world someday.
At the end of the day, while waiting for my siblings to emerge, I leaned against my car and watched Bella make her away across the parking lot to her monstrous red truck.
She must have sensed my gaze, because before she opened her car door, she glanced in my direction.
I raised my hand up in a wave, which she returned, along with a quick smile, before sliding into her car.
I watched as she gingerly backed her behemoth truck out of the parking spot, before driving out of the lot and disappearing down the road.
I smiled to myself.
All in all it had been a great day.
So I know nothing too exciting happened, but I think it was important to show Bella meeting and interacting with the other Cullens on their first day of school (and of getting to actually meet the human they have loved for years). I hope yall enjoyed the chapter and it didn't disappoint any first day expectations you guys had! Thanks so much for reading. Have a wonderful rest of the night.
Until next time,
Western
