I do not own Twilight or any of its characters
Special thanks to Project Team Beta for all of your mad beta skills!
I would also like to thank everyone who has reviewed thus far. Your encouragement makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! If you guys can hang on until the next chapter, I promise wonderful things will happen at the football game. It will be a dual pov, and things between BxE will finally get rolling along!
Thursday was the worst day I had experienced at my new school so far. I was so worked up from yesterday's events that I tossed and turned all night. I ended up falling asleep in Biology class, only to be awakened by Alice after the rest of the class had already filed out of the room.
I tried to shake my grogginess as I followed Alice to the lunchroom. After selecting our food we made our way towards the usual table, where I noticed a new presence. To my disbelief, Edward was sitting at the table beside Emmett across from where I typically sat! My heart almost leapt out of my chest as I mulled over the possibility that he could be waiting for me. Then again, I really didn't care what his reasoning was, only that he was here. I took a deep breath, put on a welcoming smile, and made my way to the table.
I paused for Edward's reaction as Jasper got up to pull our chairs out for us. Such a gentleman!
As I made my way to my seat, he looked up at me with his stained glass eyes, and flashed me a crooked smile.
"Edward!" Alice exclaimed as she made her way around his chair, giving him a slight hug from behind. "You decided to grace us with your presence today! I was wondering how long it would take you to come around!"
"Hey," I said weakly. It was all I could muster up now.
"Hey," he muttered, as he picked up an apple from his tray and rolled it between his hands. Was he nervous too? He didn't look nervous. He just looked as he always did, as if he was silently brooding over some unknown injustice in the world while mentally undressing me with his eyes.
I loved that look!
"I heard about you corrupting Bella," Emmett said, giving Edward a slight shove in the shoulder. "Too bad you guys got caught. Rose and I got caught once; but of course, we were doing a bit more than smoking-" Emmett was interrupted by a playful smack from Rosalie.
"Shut up Emmett! They don't want to hear about our public shame any more than I want to be reminded of it!" Rosalie fumed, trying to sound pissed as everyone laughed at the disturbance. However, her expression betrayed her, exposing her obvious amusement to everyone.
Edward remained silent, and I let my mind travel back to our almost kiss yesterday. I wondered if he was thinking about it as well.
"Bella, you never did tell me what you thought of the CD I gave you…" Edward said, twisting the stem of the apple until it broke free from its core, before finally taking a big bite.
I had completely forgotten about that. "Umm, I actually haven't gotten around to listening to it yet," I said, flashing him an apologetic smile. Of course, it's not like I actually had the means to listen to music very often. Thanks Dad!
He looked hurt, like I had just slapped him. I really felt bad, and began searching my brain for some excuse to give him. Lying was never my specialty, so I decided to go with the truth.
"You see, my dad doesn't actually allow me to listen to that kind of music," I began, while fidgeting with my tray. "Well, to any kind of music really."
The whole table grew uncomfortably silent; everyone suddenly abandoning their own conversations to take in the meaning of what I'd just said. I was somewhat embarrassed by the sudden attention, but luckily, no one attempted to make any jokes; which would only make me feel worse about the situation.
"Oh, man that...yeah, that sucks!" Emmett declared, shaking his head.
Edward's face softened up a bit, and I knew I had done the right thing by telling him the truth. The only problem was this kind of confession would probably stir up more questions, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to answer all of those just yet. I gave Alice a soft kick under the table, and it only took her a moment before she intervened.
"Okay, you guys! I need everyone to listen up!" Alice commanded, turning everyone's attention toward her. "We've got to get everything worked out for the game right now; it is tonight, you know! Where are we all meeting up? I figured we would meet by the front gate? I mean, we usually meet there, but if you guys want to meet up somewhere else then we need to plan!"
"Alice, calm down," Jasper smirked. "You get yourself all worked up, and for what? We always do the same routine at every game. Just relax, sweetie, and let it go." He moved his hands to rub her shoulders. Alice closed her eyes and tilted her head down, instantly relaxing at his touch. Jasper knew exactly how to calm the wild pixie. Color me impressed!
"Well, Eddie, are you going to be there?" Rosalie pried as she shot Edward a questioning glance.
"You know I hate it when you call me that, Rosie! But yes, we'll be there," he replied, before turning his eyes back to me and flashing me a dazzling smile.
Did he just say, 'we'll' be there?
I could tell by the shocked expressions around the table that his slip did not go unnoticed. Everyone exchanged knowing glances, but thankfully, no one pushed the issue. I flashed them all a grateful smile before turning my attention back to Edward.
When the warning bell rang I walked out, followed by Edward rather than Alice this time. In fact, he followed me all the way to my locker. As I fumbled with the lock, Edward leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. I couldn't help but pause to stare at him again. He looked so sexy leaning like that, but I wished I could tell what was going through his mind right now. Was he even going to speak? We had barely exchanged more than a greeting at lunch. It was more like we had been having an entire conversation with no words at all. He was so talkative yesterday, amongst other things.
My mind continued to wander as I traded out my books for the rest of the day. I was beginning to think he just wasn't comfortable around crowds of people. That had to be it. That would explain why he normally kept to himself at lunch. It would also explain why he was so open with me when we were alone.
As I closed my locker door and secured the lock back into place, Edward finally opened his eyes and spoke. "So, I guess I'll be picking you up around five then?"
Oh yeah, the football game!
I suddenly remembered he had sort of asked me to go with him. What was I going to do now? My dad would never go for this, especially since I had already told him I would be going with Alice. I could only hope Charlie would understand and continue to be patient with me.
How was I going to explain this to Edward? I didn't want to hurt his feelings, especially after the earlier CD incident, but there was no other way. My dad would probably throw holy water on him or something if he showed up right now. Worst of all, he would never let me leave the house with him. "Well, actually, Edward-"
"You change your mind?" Edward interrupted, his eyes darkening from their normal hue.
"No, it's just…well…Dad," I rambled as I felt the panic sink in. "Can I just meet you there? You know, at the front gate with everyone else?" I pleaded.
He stared at me for a minute, and I braced myself for every possible answer. "Yeah, I guess so" he said, looking slightly annoyed. He turned and abruptly walked away. I figured it was best to quit while I was somewhat ahead, so I headed off to class.
That afternoon I caught up with Alice and Jasper and laid out my transportation problem.
"See, this is why we have to plan things out!" Alice proclaimed as I joined them in Jasper's truck. I could tell by his expression he thought she was adorable when she knew she was right.
"Baby, it's fine, I got this," Jasper assured her while directing the truck away from the school. "I'm dropping you guys off at your house so you can grab your car. You two can leave together from Bella's house, I'll meet up with Edward, and we can all reconvene in front of the main gate."
Alice leaned over and smashed her lips into his cheek. "Oh Jazz, this is why I love you so much!" she mumbled, in between kisses.
"Well, I hope that's not the only reason," Jasper replied as she pulled away. With a sure smile he added, "I'd hate to think you were just using me for my mind!"
At that point I reached into my bag, pulled out the CD from Edward, and inserted it into Jasper's CD player. The first song, Candlelight, came on and my mind returned to images of Edward.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at Alice's house. We said goodbye to Jasper and made our way into her yellow Volkswagen Beetle. She remained silent during the drive, but I could practically see the gears in her head turning again, and I wondered what she was plotting this time.
By the time we got to my house, I was determined to find the underlying cause of it.
"Alice, what's up?" I asked casually, as I pulled out my keys to unlock the door. "I'm sorry you have to drive me, but are you really upset with me?"
"Bella, don't be silly! It's all good; I'm not upset," she chuckled. She followed me into the house and immediately pulled me towards my room so we could get ready for the game. "I was actually just thinking about you and Edward."
"What do you mean 'me and Edward'?" I asked as we began rummaging through my closet. "I mean, there really isn't anything to think about," I denied as Alice retrieved my best, slim-fit jeans. I chose a royal blue blouse with a plunging neckline to pair with it.
"Not yet I suppose, but things are changing!" she declared, selecting a top for herself. "Edward likes you."
"Alice, you couldn't possibly know that!" I mumbled, afraid to let myself believe her. I quickly threw on the jeans and top, and started searching for my old Converse sneakers.
"I just get a felling about things...and I'm not blind," she said as she discarded her school clothes on top of mine.
"Sounds more like wishful thinking to me," I teased as I laced up my shoes.
"It is happening, right before your eyes," she said knowingly. "You two have obvious chemistry, and will complement each other well. He's just so anti-social and, well, broken. Then there is you: the product of the lost Dad from that creepy Carrie movie! You both are searching for something, and I think it is each other."
"Well, he did almost kiss me yesterday." I shivered as the memories of our almost-kiss flashed through my mind.
"See? When will you realize that Alice knows best?" she teased. The girl did have a point.
"In that case, Alice, will you help me with my makeup?" I asked, bringing her attention back to our immediate task. I rarely wore much makeup, but this was a special occasion.
"Of course I will!" she squealed, clapping her hands as she made her way to my bathroom. "Oh, and I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable talking about this, so I'll try not to do it anymore," she added as she tore through my makeup selection.
"It's okay," I replied, not wanting to linger on the subject. "You're just being Alice."
I walked over and gave her a quick hug after she applied the finishing touches for tonight. We had barely finished when I heard the front door opening.
"Bella, I'm home," Charlie yelled as he made his way into the house.
"Hi Mr. Swan!" Alice chirped as she waved at him furiously from the doorway of my room. I had told her not to bother, but she refused to accept defeat. She was going to win him over or die trying.
"Hello Alice. What's going on here?" Charlie asked as he made his way towards my current position by the kitchen. He didn't sound too pissed, just not entirely pleased.
"Hey Dad, Alice and I were just getting ready for the game tonight." I began, watching him eye me suspiciously. "Remember? We talked about it the other day," I added. He hadn't said no although, he hadn't exactly said yes either.
Charlie folded his arms across his chest and stared at me for what felt like an eternity. "Yeah, I recall something about it. I suppose it's okay, but is so much makeup necessary?"
Here we go, I thought to myself, trying to think a way to diffuse the situation. "Dad, please don't-"
"Just be sure to come straight home afterwards," he said abrasively as he shook his finger in my face. "Do you understand me, Bella?"
"Yes sir," I answered, trying to remain perfectly still. I had learned that trick from a National Geographic specail about bear attacks.
"And, Alice," he said, shifting his finger to point at her. "I expect her home in the same condition she leaves in," he demanded. "Do you understand as well?"
"Yes Mr. Swan," she said sweetly. "Don't worry; I'll take good care of her. The game will be heavily chaperoned and I have a clean driving record. Besides, my parents expect me back at a reasonable hour as well."
"Well, that's good. Sounds like my kind of parenting." With that, he went to the den and left us to our privacy.
I quickly laid out some leftovers from the previous day on the table, and then Alice and I headed out to the game.
Thanks for reading.
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