Chapter 10

Edward

September 1998

The first week of high school has been full of change and reorganization.

For instance, last weekend my dad stuck me in his office and interrogated me.

The conversation went a lot like this:

"You're turning fourteen soon, son."

"Yeah, Dad. Bella and me both."

He nodded a little, looking all doctor like. "Have you noticed any differences in your body lately, son?"

Sure I had. There's hair in weird spots and sweat pouring from funny places, like my armpits. Bella complains when I sweat too much. She says I don't smell like puppies anymore, but more like a nasty man—a nasty man who needs to go into the house right this second and wash his body. She asked me what the heck was going on. I only shrugged.

"Sure, Dad"

"But do you feeeeel different, son?"

I had no clue what he meant.

"Do you feeeeel a certain ways towards girls?"

I still had no clue what he meant.

"Do you feeeeel funny whenever you see Bella? Do you notice that she's changing, too?"

Bella and I hold hands a lot. Whenever we can, really. Is her body changing? I dunno. She looks the same to me.

"You're almost fourteen, son. It's time we have The Talk."

"But we are talking, Dad."

"Talk about sex, son."

That's where I ended the conversation. I spent that night at the window with Bella, but I didn't tell her about the exchange I had with my dad. I made it a point to look at her body the next morning. Not while I was brushing her hair or when she was getting dressed, but when we were at school.

She looked the same to me; Bella is my Bella.

It wasn't until today that I really notice something is strange. Something is ... off. And it's not because I'm looking for any kind of off-setting. This change is brought to my attention by another—another who has no business looking for change in my Bella.

"Bella sure did develop over the summer, Edward."

I look over where Bella sits in our Biology class. She has her yellow circles glasses on today. Mr. Banner always tries to get her to take them off, but she never does. Unfortunately, she's lab partners with Jasper, and I'm lab partners with Mike Newtown.

"What do you mean?" I ask, bothered.

"Her boobs, dude. She has boobs," he says.

I don't think; I act ... elbowing Mike Newton in the mouth without a second thought as to why. The entire room gasps. Bella stands up with her hand over her mouth, and I see them.

Boobs!

This only makes me angrier. So livid, I scoot my chair back and kick Mike Newton while he holds his bloody nose. I kick him until Mr. Banner pulls me away and shouts that I need to go straight to the Principal's office.

"Straight there and nowhere else!" he demands.

Bella tells me she's calling her dad and everything will be okay.

.

.

I sit in the office, thinking about Bella. How could I miss such a development? Now that I know they're there, I can't stop thinking about them.

Chief Swan is going to kill me.

"What happened here, boy?" Bella stands behind her father. Mike Newton is behind her holding a towel to his nose.

I'm so embarrassed. "He was saying mean things about Bella."

His eyebrow arches, and he subtly shows me a fun sized peanut M & M's. "What did he say, boy?"

I blush. Bella's trying to look past her dad. "I can't tell you."

"There nothing wrong with defending a girls honor, boy."

I shift in my seat. He's going to be so mad.

"Bellahasboobs," I blurt.

"Huh? Speak clearly, boy. I can't hear you."

"Bella has Boobs!" I yell.

I'm so dead.