Hello! I have a challenge for anyone interested: I was rereading the series while I was sick all week, and I'd forgotten how much Bella uses Mike as a comparison to her other relationships ("I'd rather die than be with Mike Newton," "Well, that just sucks. I guess I'm stuck with Mike Newton after all,"etc.) Anyway, if you have a favorite Mike-related quote, I'll try to incorporate it :)
Additionally, I might be a little slow in my replies this weekend because A) I'm sick and B) I'm going to a Muse concert!
Enough from me - enjoy!
Chapter Eight: Awkward
BPOV
I soon forgot my irritation with Mike when he saved me from being hit with a basketball.
"Thanks," I gasped, pushing my hair out of my face. The existence of gym class was how I knew that there was a hell. That was half the motivation for my boringly straight-edge lifestyle: fear of an eternity of P.E.
"No problem," he panted, racing off to claim the ball again.
I watched Jess' eyes follow Mike before she sidled up to me.
"Soooooo," she prompted. I stifled a groan, and tried to keep from glancing toward the exits. I wonder if I could somehow get a hold of the ball and accidentally-on-purpose hit the fire alarm with it. I sighed. My aim wasn't that good.
"Hey Jess," I said glumly.
"How was your date?" Her poor attempt to downplay her raging curiosity would have been funny, if it wasn't directed at me.
"It was okay. Nothing happened," I assured her. She looked visibly relieved; though she'd already heard as much at lunch, she seemed to take my word for it one-on-one.
"Did you want it to happen?" she asked suspiciously.
"Not really," I admitted. "But don't tell anyone I said that," I added hastily.
Solemn-faced, she held up her right hand and crossed her index and middle fingers, presumably mistaking it for the Girl Scout's honor sign. "You can trust me," she promised. I tried to ignore the irony.
When I provided no further information, Jess tossed out another question, or demand, really.
"Describe the date in one word."
"Awkward," I muttered, half a second before my filter kicked in. "I mean, nice. Awkward-nice." Well done, Bella. Jessica – 1, Bella – 0.
Her dark eyes narrowed shrewdly as she tried to decipher the meaning behind my not-so-cryptic flub. I still wasn't sure of how I felt about Mike, and although I had seen some of his finer points, all of this attention being paid to my feelings and his feelings about the date wasn't really helping his prospects.
Fortunately – or more aptly, inevitably – another ball slipped past Mike's defenses to conk me on the head. Though he apologized profusely for not being a better guard, I was secretly happy to have an excuse to leave Jessica and go change early, since I refused an icepack.
As a result, I was the first one out of the building, and I briefly considered driving straight home to escape everyone, before I realized that girls like me didn't leave people in the lurch. Besides, Mike had his good points. I couldn't just dump him like a piece of trash.
The sight of Edward Cullen leaning casually against the brick wall of the gym brought me up short. "He's not my boyfriend," I blurted childishly, for the umpteenth time that day. Edward grinned as he straightened upright, moving to my side as I walked toward the parking lot.
"Me think the lady doth protest too much."
I groaned. "Drop it, Edward – I don't even like him that way." I froze, surprised by my own outburst. I pivoted to make sure no one else was remotely within hearing distance. "I didn't mean that," I whispered "well, not mostly. Partially. I mean…what?"
Edward seemed just as bemused by my ramblings. "That's a shame," he murmured. "Poor Mike certainly does seem to like you 'that way'. Jessica Stanley is under the impression that he intends to make a move on you at your truck."
"How – how do you know that?" I demanded.
He shrugged, offering no more answer than a half-smile.
"Well, that's just…stupid. I mean…normal. I mean…oh, for Pete's sake, I don't know what I mean. Stop doing that!" I griped, swinging my body around furiously to face him, and stumbling in the process.
Edward's long arms shot out and caught me, holding me securely against the bed of my truck, which I hadn't even realized we'd reached. "Do what?" he smirked.
I glowered as he set me back on my feet, half lost in the feel of his muscular arms as they had contorted around me, the barest patches of our skin touching with electrical effect, like cold.
He glanced away from me, back to the school, as if called. The doors to the gym opened and Mike came out, swinging a heavy duffel bag. He hadn't spotted us yet, but I knew that true to his promise, he would be making a beeline for me.
"I should go," Edward said softly, placing one of my fallen books into my hand. I hadn't noticed it falling when I had; Edward must have caught it at the same time.
"'kay," I breathed, almost reluctantly. I blew at a strand of hair that had stuck to my uncharacteristically applied lip gloss. The corner of Edward's mouth twitched as I gave up and just moved it with my fingers.
"Enjoy your afternoon, Bella,"
I watched him walk smoothly away into the woods, and jumped when Mike appeared next to my shoulder.
"Whatcha lookin' at, Bells?"
"Nothing…there was a squirrel." I cursed myself inwardly for my clear inability to produce a half-way decent lie.
"Must've been some squirrel," he commented, looking at me like I was crazy before laughing and ruffling my hair. I didn't like people ruffling my hair. It was a privilege only one person had, and that person was Charlie Swan. Still, I was glad Mike bought my stupid fib, so I let him.
"So, Bella, since you have so much work, I thought I'd give you something to remember me by."
"Oh?" I was ambivalent about anything Mike could give me. The thing I hated most about gifts was the expectation to reciprocate; sometimes, it was out of my control.
"I just want you to know, that I think you're a really special girl, Bella. It's true what they say that when a guy really likes a girl, he can spend hours practicing what he's going to say, and then forget it as soon as he's with her. But I won't forget this," he assured me as he leaned in to kiss me.
I sincerely hoped that Edward Cullen had gotten into his stupid, shiny Volvo, and driven far, far away. The thought of him bearing witness to this event was too horrible for words.
Mike's lips met mine once, twice, three times, so quickly I couldn't really judge the quality of the experience, only the quantity. I could, however, feel the slight burn of his stubble where he'd neglected to shave, and smell the slightly overpowering scent of his cologne.
"Three's not a good number, let's go for four," he panted. I tried very, very hard not to roll my eyes or wince. And then it was done.
I knew Mike wanted to kiss me, but somehow I felt that the timing was more out of pressure from Tyler and Austin than romance. It was awkward, and short, and the whole time I kept wondering when it would be over. Though I had never been a tiara and barbies sort of girl, my favorite stories were the classic romances: Wuthering Heights, Jane Austen, Romeo and Juliet…I couldn't help thinking that this shouldn't have been what my first kiss was like.
I thought of Edward Cullen, of his disarming eyes and crooked smile, and I wondered what his lips on mine would be like. I smiled as I slid into the driver's seat of my truck, looking right through Mike as he said goodbye.
I was so going to P.E. hell.
A/N - I hope you liked this chapter! Reviews would be really nice...
