Paul walked over to her seat, placed his bag down and sat down in the one next to it.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"…Isn't that, what's her name's seat?" She finished; he wiped his large hand over his face and chuckled.
"It was Luke's place who by the way is a boy but I asked him to swap with me." He told her, she didn't look embarrassed for not knowing at all.
Bella took a seat and rested her head in her hands; she thought with eyes open so that she wouldn't get into trouble with the teacher.
"What are you thinking about?" Paul whispered to her; his hot breath tickled her ear.
"My next masterpiece." She murmured.
"What do you….?" He was cut off.
"Mr Meraz, Miss Swan, is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?... No? Then kindly stop talking." Mr Anderson berated; Bella didn't even acknowledge it.
"…As I was saying, your partner for the assignment will be whoever you're sitting next to now." That brought Bella back to earth.
"What did he just say?" She asked as she turned to Paul who was wearing the biggest grin ever.
"He said, we've gotta write an essay on the use of facts and opinions in the media…. And you're my partner; we only have a week so we have to get started today." He sounded suspiciously excited about the last part.
"Oh joy." Was all Bella could say.
"So your house or mine?" Paul asked, wiggling his eye brows suggestively; Bella blinked twice then sighed in relief as the bell rang.
"Yours." She replied; he smiled and took her hand, leading her out of the classroom; she wasn't quite sure what to do.
Maybe this was what all friends did? She looked around; no one else was holding hands.
Oh wait, yeah they were but those two were kissing too; she was sure that the guy was from Paul's group of friends. Embry was his name, right?
"Hey!" He called; Paul stopped immediately and turned, asking Bella to wait while he went to speak to the guy; she agreed and watched from afar.
The two of them had quite an animated discussion but she couldn't make out the words, it was like they were mute to everyone else but each other.
Before Embry left, he placed something in Paul's hand; it was a small square rapper.
Paul looked down at it for one second and then he started to shake a little.
"I thought I fucking said that it isn't like that with her, you fucking asshole!" Everyone heard that.
Bella's eyes widened as she walked over to them, she stood right next to the both of them.
"Dude, relax it was just a joke." Embry answered, throwing both of his hands up and taking the small rapper from Paul's hand.
Bella tried to get a look in but he hid it well.
Paul was still shaking.
Bella placed her hand on his arm and looked at him; his eyes snapped to hers.
"Are you okay?" She asked sincerely; he calmed immediately.
"Huh? Yeah. Embry's just being an ass." Paul dismissed as he grabbed hold of her hand again and started off in the opposite direction; Bella slithered out of his grasp, it felt weird to her.
There were tiny sparks where their skin had contact.
He led her over to his car and opened the door for her; she thanked him before getting in and settling in the passenger's seat.
She giggled for the first time in a long time as Paul got in, the whole car tipped.
~~~3~~~
Bella froze as she got out of his car; he looked at her expectantly.
"What's wrong?" He asked her; she shook her head slowly.
"I've never been here but I'm pretty sure this is 'Déjà vu." She answered; he smiled softly and held out his hand. She frowned at it and walked past him, towards what was a mansion by La Push standards.
Bella looked around as Paul took her on a tour of his large bachelor pad which was right on the outskirts of La Push, almost bordering on Forks.
It was decent, clean which was surprising; there wasn't much in it though, it was minimalist, only containing the basics.
"You live here alone?" She asked him, noticing that she'd only seen one bedroom; he smiled sadly and handed her the water she'd asked for.
"Uh yeah, my dad's abroad with business a lot so…." He replied; she nodded her head slowly.
"….But there's the help moving in and out all week so it's not like it's lonely or anything." He told her; she nodded again. 'Help' huh? No wonder the place was so clean.
Paul set his English supplies out on the coffee table, she did the same and they got to work.
He put pen to paper and Bella's eye brows furrowed; she stared down at his hand.
"What?" He asked her gruffly; she blinked and shook her head.
"Nothing." She replied; he exhaled and put his hand down.
"Seriously Bella, what is it?" He asked her.
"It's just that you're left handed; why are you writing with your right?" She asked him; Paul looked amused at the random deduction.
"Why do you think I'm left handed?" He challenged; Bella shrugged.
"It's obvious; all I have to do is look around this place." She told him; he raised an eye brow.
"Yeah?" She planted her hands down on the coffee table.
"This table's on the left hand side." She pointed over at the windowsill in the kitchen.
"….That coffee mug handle is pointing to the left; you use the left power sockets the most. The pen and paper is on the left side of the phone because you pick it up with your right hand
…and take down messages with your left and there's a knife on the bread board in the kitchen with butter on the right side of the blade because you must use it with your left hand…. So why're you using your right?" She explained; Paul's mouth was ajar, he recovered quickly.
"I'm ambidextrous; it's just that I mostly use my left. What about you? How did you pick all of that up?" Bells shrugged again.
"Photographic memory… if I'm actually paying attention, I can remember so much." She replied as she removed her black biro from her pencil case.
"That's amazing. You should get some good grades with that." Bella shook her head.
"Nope." She answered, popping the 'p'. "I'm failing everything except Art."
Paul choked on his own spit; he used to think she was a little challenged in the learning department but he didn't think it was that bad.
"What? Why?" Bella shrugged again.
"I dunno, I just don't apply myself; I honestly don't see the point with filling my head with all the useless stuff….. So I guess I just turn off." Paul shook his head.
"School isn't useless Bella, you need an education to get somewhere in this world; I'll admit that some of the things they teach are useless but other things stay with us throughout life. Like how to add and subtract or that the world revolves around the sun." He explained, Bella eye brows furrowed and she looked a little shocked. Paul shook his head.
"Please tell me you knew that, Bella." He pleaded; she bit her bottom lip and nibbled a little.
"Bella." He groaned; her eyes narrowed and she sat up a little straighter.
"Oh hell, what does it matter? So we go around the sun…. if we went around the moon or…. Round and round the garden like a teddy bear, it wouldn't make a difference, would it?" She justified; Paul wiped his hand over his face.
"But she remembers the nursery rhyme." He murmured.
"Huh?"
"What? Oh nothing." He answered; Bella's eyes narrowed more to the extent that they just looked closed.
"You know what? It doesn't even matter; I've gotta go." She grumbled as she began to pack her things away into her bag; Paul placed a hand over hers and it stilled.
"Don't leave yet Bella, I'm sorry." He told her; she pulled her hand from his and stood up anyway, making her way to the door.
"I said I've gotta go; tomorrow we're meeting at my house." She grumbled; he tried to hide a smile and stood.
"I'll see you at school." Paul called as she slammed the door behind her.
Thoughts?
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Thanks for reading.
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