Chapter 9: Detention (Part 2)

"You know, I usually don't do things like this, but your rebellion is rubbing off on me."

"Edward." I barely had time to stand up before he was standing in front of me. "What are you doing here? Not that I object." Because I certainly did not.

"I didn't like leaving you here. I had to be with you," he admitted. I reached my arms around his neck and hugged him as hard as I could. He hugged me back with as much force, both of us knowing that if he hugged any tighter, he would crush me. But all I could think about was how good it felt to be in his arms.

We held each other for days, weeks, months, (who knew?) the whole time Edward resisting what he needed to survive. The amount of love we had was strange for how long we'd known each other, barely a month, but it only made it that more real.

Time came back to me. I realized that Vanessa hadn't come back in almost ten minutes. And that Edward shouldn't be here when she came back.

"You have to go." I whispered. I didn't loosen my hold on him at all, though.

"Actually, I don't." I looked up to his face and raised an eyebrow. "Let's just say a certain blond brother of mine is a very good actor." Jasper? "Vanessa likes southern accents." (I later found out that Jasper had pulled on a thick accent from his human years and offered to buy Vanessa's car. Which he ended up doing.) I would have to thank him later.

"What did Alice think about that?" I doubted she would like her mate practically, technically flirting with another woman.

"She had a lot of fun dressing him up in cowboy paraphernalia. She didn't mind at all. 60 years together and you really gather trust." No matter how weird the situation was, I couldn't help but become more intrigued with the Cullen family.

"You're acting different today," I observed. I noticed he was more free and acting kind of human.

"It's like I said, you're rubbing off on me." His expression turned serious, all joking gone. "The human in me is slowly coming out every day that I'm with you. Love, jealousy, freedom . . ." Edward looked right into my eyes. "After being like this for over ninety years, you can't imagine how that feels." I smiled. I was just so happy. I never knew love could feel this good.

And we continued on like that for the rest of the week. Vanessa didn't come back, and the new volunteer didn't even care and was never in the room. I could have just left, but it didn't feel right. Plus, the guy supposed to be watching me (since no one else seemed to be getting detention this week) did check in from time to time. Edward heard his approach and was gone in a flash.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Edward taught me to tune my hearing and recognize pitch. He would hum a note, and I really did try, but his voice mesmerized me. Just the sound of him humming made me crazy, in a way. But I got through it and learned a lot. The vibrations of his humming traveled straight through me, the lethargy making me feel at peace.

I was running late on Thursday morning so I didn't recognize the date until second period. February 14. Weird, I felt like I'd been in Forks a lot longer than a month; I felt like I'd known Edward for a year already. Then it clicked: Edward . . . February 14 . . . Valentine's Day. Hmm. I'd never really celebrated Valentine's Day (except for when they made you give everyone in class a card in elementary school), much less with a boyfriend. I wondered if Edward had celebrated it before. I also wondered who, what, where, when, why, how, etc.

Was I jealous? My insecurities from Monday came back to me as I sat in Government. I had to get my issues straightened out with Edward in detention since lunch and Biology were too crowded. I also couldn't wait until I got to my bedroom at night. Edward came to my room every night to say goodnight, but always ended up staying to watch me sleep. But no matter how many nights he was there by me, there was only one guy in my dreams. Jim, my vampire creeper who came into my room probably more than once, was always in the corners of my dreams, laughing silently.

I never told Edward about Jim because, as far as I knew, he didn't come back and whatever psychological problem I had that incarnated itself into my dreams was my problem, not his.

All throughout the school day, there were secret kisses and hand-holding between the couples at Forks High. There were 20 couples at school (I overheard Lauren Mallory talking about it, that's how I knew) and Edward and I were number 20 on the list but number 1 on the 'attention' list. All the people that cared about that stupid list watched us as we walked down the hallways, had lunch, and learned about life in Biology. We weren't really into PDA, apart from holding hands and soft touches, so their watching and waiting was pointless. What, did they expect me to maul Edward in the middle of class? They would be better off doing their schoolwork.

Edward already knew about the list of course, laughing and saying, "Humans can be so trivial." We were walking to the cafeteria when we saw Lauren and her group watching us, yet again. I wanted to give them a dirty look, but decided they weren't worth the movement of my facial muscles. I could feel Edward growing tense beside me as we approached the cafeteria. He stopped us before the doors and guided me backwards to the wall until my back was up against it. He had humor in his eyes and I could tell he was up to something. I was confused, but then I saw that we were in direct view of Lauren and Crew. But I still didn't understand what Edward was trying to do.

His hands were on either side of me on the wall and his face was in my hair. He kissed along my jaw and up to my mouth. Edward kissed my lightly then pulled back. A look of annoyance crossed his features for a second and his eyes flickered to Lauren.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, slightly out of breath.

"Giving them what they want," he whispered back. He gently led my hands from where they were resting at my sides up to his neck. I'm sure that to an outsider this would look very heated because it was sure about to feel that way. Edward's face showed complete control and determination, with an ounce of humor still there. "Now kiss me," he ordered softly.

Not one to disobey, I pressed my lips to his. And man, did it feel wonderful. The ever-present electrical current crackled as I pushed myself closer and he put his hand in my hair. Our lips moved in synchronization and I may have moaned softly. We were losing control, something neither of us had allowed before. I wanted so bad to open my mouth and deepen the kiss, but I knew it wouldn't, couldn't happen, even if it was Valentine's Day. I didn't care that I couldn't breathe as his cool lips assuaged all my thoughts away, but he amazingly seemed to remember that we were still at school. He pulled away and turned his head to the side, oddly out of breath himself. We breathed quickly while I regained my mind. I knew we had gone too far.

But as we assessed Lauren and Crew's performance rating, we realized it was just the right amount. We got a 10 out of 10. Isn't that just great.

As they entered the lunchroom to gossip, I stared at Edward. We were at a whole new level now. I knew that, he knew that. We looked into each other's eyes. My stomach coiled, my breathing became erratic. My eyes traveled down his body, stopping at some points. What am I doing? I can't be thinking about Edward that way! Especially not at school. I suddenly wanted something more from him, something I'd never experienced before, something so much more physical and emotional.

My hands moved off of him and behind my back. They ached to touch him. I could feel a pull to get closer to him coming from the middle of my body. Stop stop stop. I can't be doing this.

So I ran.

I muttered something about going to the bathroom and went exactly there. I knew he wouldn't follow me. I walked into the first stall and sat on the closed lid.

What am I doing? Running from him? Ugh. I'm 17, this hormonal side is normal. There's nothing wrong with wanting Edward that way. Every other teenager wants that. So why do I feel so out of place?

I'm not pretty, I'm hardly beautiful. I'm just average. Despite what Edward says the boys at school think of me, I don't think it myself. Because Edward is the key. What he thinks of me is the most important thing. How do I know he's not playing with me, messing with me heart for his own sadistic entertainment? After all, isn't that what vampires do? Mess with humans and destroy them?

It just doesn't fit. Vampires don't go around falling in love with boring, inconsequential humans. They play them then rip them apart and drink their blood. How can these golden-eyed creatures exist?

Oh, my God. What am I thinking?

I ran my fingers through my hair and felt my stomach growl. I had to go out there into the lunch room with Edward and the rumors surrounding us because I was hungry. Inconvenienced by my own self, I stood up and left the stall. I avoided looking at myself in the mirror when I left. I looked down the hallway to see if Edward was waiting for me, but I caught the retreating form of the elusive Mike Newton. I hadn't seen him until now, since he decided to 'attack' me then lie about it to Jessica. My body wanted to confront him and ask him what the heck he was thinking, but my mind was too tired. Just when I thought my day couldn't get any weirder, Mike turned his head around without stopping and winked at me. He was winking and smirking at me like something was funny but I hadn't gotten the joke yet.

More questions than I could deal with popped into my already too filled head. This would be about the time when teenagers get into drugs and alcohol to try to ease their problems. Thank God I had more common sense. I filed the whole Mike situation away for later contemplation when my brain wasn't so compressed and confused. I walked back towards the cafeteria and found Edward standing at the same spot that I left him. I gulped and kept my eyes to the ground, knowing that the want I had suppressed in the bathroom would come rushing back if I looked at him.

"Are you alright?" He asked when I approached him. He looked like he had been dealing with his own issues before I had interrupted his thoughts. He looked worried but also . . . I couldn't name the second expression.

"Yeah," I lied, and lifted a fake smile on my lips. I was tired of putting on façades. How much more drama could happen today?

I shouldn't have asked that.

When Edward and I finally walked into the cafeteria, all eyes were on us, even those who hadn't cared before. I was quickly losing my patience with the human race. It wasn't hard to imagine that if we were the talk of the school now, we were soon to be the talk of the town. The new girl who hit people and the loner of the loner family.

As usual, Edward went into the lunch line with me and bought food that he wouldn't eat. We went to the separate table that had become our refuge after the hours apart. Now I was dreading the awkwardness of our new intensity. Barely after we sat down, Angela and her boyfriend Ben appeared in front of us.

"Hi, Bella. Do you mind if we sit with you? A couple of freshmen took our seats," said Angela. She didn't sneer 'freshmen' like other upperclassmen would. That was a good thing about Angela; she was whole-heartedly nice. It also meant she wasn't involved in the vicious rumor mill that was circulating through school. She and Ben would also relieve the awkwardness that was sure to fall between Edward and me.

"Sure," I smiled. I would have looked over to Edward to make sure it was okay with him, but looking at him would erupt something forbidden inside of me.

All four of us had a polite conversation while I scarfed down my meal and Edward pretended to eat. When I accidentally looked up at him and he caught my eye, there was no uncomfortability. I paid that tribute to my welcomed interlopers.

In Biology, I was afraid that the electricity between us that was now an electrical fire would finally make the awkwardness appear. It never did. While completing a worksheet on meiosis, I could feel him solidly beside me, but it only felt normal, right, and even better than before.

The rest of the day passed with me ignoring all of the stares. Detention came with a fleeting glance from the volunteer before he rushed outside to smoke a cigarette. I never learned his name or anything about him, but I could tell he had been cajoled into doing this. I felt bad for the person who got the whiplash of his nicotine-induced anger.

I plopped into a seat, waiting for Edward to arrive when a single red rose appeared on the desk. I picked it up and held it to my nose, smelling the rich scent. Edward is romantic, too? I bet human boyfriends around the world are throwing in the towel.

"Thank you," I whispered into the air. Whoever heard it, Edward, the gods, would know that I appreciated everything.

"You're welcome." A sweet voice ghosted out from nowhere. I turned around. Edward was sitting in a desk in the corner of the room, looking heavenly. I hated myself for ever thinking he was playing with me. I'd never been a spiritual person, but I found myself wanting to go to church and sit in the pews, silently thanking the lord for my good fortune.

"I'm sorry for what I did today." He continued whispering. "In the hallway," he clarified, "I was angry and I took the situation too far."

"You don't have to apologize. I understand," I whispered back. "I might have done the same thing." Okay, probably not, but I didn't want him to feel bad.

He got up and walked towards me at a human pace. He sat down in the chair next to me languidly. "Bella, do you feel the new energy between us?" I nodded as he took my hand to heighten the feel. "It occurred right after that scene in the hallway. It tells me to touch you, to hold you closer . . . but I can't. If we were to . . ." He trailed off.

He feels the same things I do, the same yearning.

"If we were to go that far, I could kill you." I gasped. "You're just so fragile, Bella. We couldn't risk it." I swallowed hard. I understood, though. He was strong and inhuman while I was weak and human. We had to be careful. I nodded again.

"Yeah."

Friday came and went. Saturday arrived with a new outlook, but was soon crushed when Edward told me that he and his family were going on a 'camping' trip on Sunday and Monday. Camping = eating. His eyes were getting dangerously dark, though, so he had to go. We have to be careful. My thoughts from Thursday came back to me.

We were on equal footing and our fellow students got over our new relationship. Unfortunately, almost everyone in town knew and even more unfortunately, so did Charlie.

After dinner on Friday night, Charlie said he wanted 'to talk' to me about something. He had concerned parent face and everything. I was too afraid to even know what his concerned parent brain would want to say now that I was sure he knew about me and Edward, so I said something like, "I have a term paper due and I haven't even started it yet!" and ran up the stairs. Admittedly, I shouldn't have lied, but I was still irrationally afraid that they would meet and it would end badly.

Turns out, that fear was rational.

Edward came over to pick me up for a piano lesson on Saturday before he had to leave. My father was home at the time and was the one to open the door when Edward knocked. Luckily, because I ran down the stairs, I got to the door right after Edward's face could be seen.

"Hi, Edward." Breathlessly, I let him inside while Charlie fought to conceal his scowl. Before this could get any more uncomfortable, I formally introduced them.

"Edward, this is my dad. Dad, this is Edward Cullen—"both of their eyes were telling me I'd better say it—"my boyfriend."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief Swan." Ah, my boyfriend, the polite vampire.

Charlie snorted throatily. "Yeah, right. Don't act so polite when I know that you're sexing up my daughter." My eyes widened.

What. The. Hell.

"Chief Swan, Bella and I aren't planning on going in that direction right now." They're gonna have to start charging me money for how many times I've thanked God recently.

"Planning," Charlie scoffed. "Do you know how many teenagers have ended up—"

"Bye, Dad!" I grabbed Edward's hand and ran as fast as I possibly could out the door and into his Volvo. We sat in the car for five seconds before Edward started laughing like a madman. I had to admit, the whole situation was comical.

"Let's get out of here before he comes out and starts preaching to us about STD's," I said, laughing.

We went to his house where I thanked Jasper for his recent help, hung out with Alice, tried to avoid Rosalie and Emmett and failed, and talked to Esme and Carlisle. I also started learning a new song that Edward was teaching me. The horrible start to the day lead to a great ending.

The Cullen's left that night to go find some tasty animals to brighten their eyes. I didn't realize how lonely I could feel without Edward. I spent the sunny Sunday and the partially cloudy Monday moping while avoiding Charlie and his 'wise' words.

Monday afternoon after school, it finally rained. I went outside to bask in it, knowing that Edward would be back in a matter of hours. I walked on the forest's edge, loving the feel and smell of rain. I'd never welcomed it so much in my life. I was just about to head back inside when the man of my dreams showed up.

Jim.

A/N: Wow. Anyways, go check out the Avant Garde Fanfiction Awards at twilightfb-awards(dot)blogspot(dot)com. Just remove the parentheses and make the dots periods. You'll see my name on the side, saying that I support it, cause I do. You can nominate undiscovered fanfics, just read the guidelines. *wink wink* Did you know that Edward also survives on reviews and that if you leave one, he'll come back faster? Trufax ;) Thanks for reading.

-Kj