A/N: FOURTEEN! (:
haha. OK guys, so I have on my profile the links to what the characters look like, and I'll place up the links to what the Cullens are wearing, as well as what Bella is wearing k? :D
Disclaimer: DARN! I don't own Edward. ):
Chapter Fourteen
There was a snickering coming from somewhere, it was really annoying. It was this supremely repetitive "hehehe" sound that just kept echoing and echoing and echoing. I tossed a little, and my head banged against something hard, something really hard. "OW!" I yelled and tumbled out of bed. The snickering blew up into rambunctious laughter. I scrambled around the floor in a puddle of blankets and located the annoying laughing sound. It was my phone.
I'd probably fallen asleep whilst talking to Edward last night, which meant that he was laughing at something I said! I felt my face heat up as I glared at the phone, before picking it up and mumbling, "WHAT!" OK, so more like growled. Edward was still laughing.
"Oh (haha) my (hahaha) god (hahahahahahaha) 'DON'T KILL THE HAMSTERS!!'" he squealed in a falsetto voice, I felt my face heat up even more. It was unfortunate really, but I talked in my sleep, like… a LOT. Whenever we used to have sleepovers, half the night, the Cullens would spend attempting to stay awake to hear what nonsense I would spout out during my dreams, which was really embarrassing.
"Shut up Edward," I mumbled angrily into the phone, "I'm going to hang up now you crazy, psycho, phone stalker!"
"WHAT?!" He spluttered indignantly, still chortling, "How am I a crazy, psycho, whatever stalker?!"
"Well, let's see," I grinned as I got out of bed, "you stayed up all night on the phone whilst I was sleeping, and you were listening to me sleep, er, yea, I think STALKER covers it!"
"Hey! In my defence, I fell asleep on the phone too!"
"Yea right. BYE STALKER!" I yelled and hung the phone up before stumbling into the bathroom to get ready for school. School, I found myself grinning at that thought, meant Caleb. And Caleb made me grin like crazy.
After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I dragged a brush through my hair and decided to pull it into a messy bun, with wisps of my hair framing my face. Then, feeling decidedly, uncharacteristically, feminine today, I used a little make-up, a little eye-liner and mascara and some clear lippy before heading over to my closet, where I dug a pair of black skinnies out. I paired it with a pair of UGG boots and a random t-shirt with a crazy owl in front of it. Since it felt a little chilly, I slipped on a blue cardigan and tied a green and white striped scarf around my neck, before grabbing my overcoat and bag and dashing down the stairs.
Charlie was gone already, as usual, so I grabbed a granola bar and an apple, before heading out into the rain. The weather today was abysmal, it was frighteningly cold and there was also fog, which was creepy. Fog scares me. I'm always scared that I may bang into someone I can't see, or ride over dead bodies without knowing, in fog. I know it sounds crazy and weird but whatever.
I drove extra carefully today, and arrived with five minutes to spare. As usual, the guys were all standing under the archway to the main building, I braced myself for the inevitable cold and jumped out of my warm, toasty car before running towards the school building, in a desperate attempt to keep the cold at a bare minimum, but to no avail.
My cheeks were probably bitten pink from the cold, and as I neared the guys, my breath was coming out in little puffs of smoke, which was kind of disturbing since it was only September. Forks, I decided, was almost entirely screwed up now, I was sure, because of global warming. It never used to be so cold back then.
"Hey guys!" I smiled, blowing a puff of smoke towards them, Alice squealed and spun around in a circle, blowing the wind about. The Cullen triplets looked scarily alike today, no doubt a result of Alice's over-hyperactive-ness last night. "Where's Jasper and Rosalie?" I asked, noticing that the Hale twins weren't around.
"Oh, they're walking up here now!" Emmett said, grinning brilliantly at something behind me, turning around, I saw Jazz and Rose coming up, they were walking regally and gracefully, almost sashaying down the asphalt path, no doubt a very different scene from the cartoonish picture I must've cut dashing up the same path.
"Why are you all matching?" Rosalie asked Emmett as soon as she neared us. All three Cullens were wearing plaid jackets with jeans, except Alice had paired hers with a pair of boots, whereas Emmett had on a pair of Nike shoes and Edward had on a pair of well-worn Converse. I stared at those Converses for a little while, noting the ink smudge on the left side, and the faded highlighter marks on the other, knowing that they spelt Bellward BFF. I'd been born one summer and started doodling over his then, clean all-stars. I was surprised that they still fit him after three years.
"Alice." Came the dull, bored reply from both the Cullen males, the rest of us laughed, it was something we were all used to. "Soooo Bella," Rosalie started, giving me an all-knowing smirk, I blushed a little under her gaze, then jumped as an armed snaked around my waist.
"Gahh!" I yelled, jumping around to face the adorably amused smirk of one very hot green eyed god.
"Hey babe," he whispered into my face, I breathed in deeply, his scent, that irresistible, cinnamon, Armani mix and just grinned goofily up at him. He leaned in for a kiss, and I complied, I mean, how could I not? Just like yesterday, our lips tingled as they connected and this warm bubbly feeling erupted within me. I sighed into the kiss again, as his lips parted, and I slid my tongue into his mouth. The warm taste of M&Ms and the sweetness of apples greeted me and I pressed myself closer into him, pulling my body flush against his.
From behind me, someone cleared their throat. Suddenly, I remembered that there was an audience behind and very reluctantly, pulled away from him. Blushing, I turned around to face a very amused Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett and one very irate Edward.
"Come on Bella," Edward started coldly, my eyes widened at the menace in his voice, "we should get to class. The bell's about to ring," then, glaring at Caleb, he greeted, "Matthews."
I felt Caleb tense behind me as his grip on my waist tightened a little. "Cullen," Caleb nodded, "I'll walk Bella to class if it's all the same to you, she is my girlfriend after all." I didn't miss the way the 'my' was emphasized in the sentence, and although it made me feel wanted, I couldn't help but feel slightly irritated at being branded. Emmett and Jasper were both gaping as he said that, and I realized that they didn't know. Alice had probably filled Rose in last night, so her reaction was one of bored interest, Alice on the other hand, was bouncing up and down on her toes as her eyes flicked back and fourth between Edward and Caleb. I was sure that if she'd had popcorn she'd be munching on it too. Trying to cool the situation down, I grabbed Caleb's hand and marched into the building.
"Thanks for reminding me Eds!" I called behind me, turning to smile at him, only to catch his disapproving glare, which caused me to flinch. What the hell was wrong with him? Didn't he promise me he would try last night?
"Caleb!" I growled lightly, "What the hell was that about?" I asked, feeling more than irritated, and turning to look at him, which wasn't exactly the best idea cause my breath caught the moment I locked eyes with him. His green eyes always left me breathless and he looked so small, so hurt, almost as I rounded on him.
His hand slipped into his jean pocket again, a dark, denim today, as he did that super adorable thing where he looked up through his eyelashes, "what?! ME?!" he spluttered a little angrily. "Bella, I didn't do anything, merely reminded him that you are my girlfriend, not his."
I gaped a little at his words. "Why would he need reminding? He knows you're my boyfriend." I didn't really get it, but I had a feeling I'd missed something monumental again. I seemed to be getting those feelings a lot lately, like there was something super obvious sticking out at me, I just didn't really know what it was. Caleb sighed as he looked away.
"It doesn't matter, OK?" He said as he turned to look at me, another dazzling smile in place, "all that matters is us."
His words turned me into mush, even though they were terribly cliched and overused. But like I said, nothing with Caleb ever feels unreal, everything was just so… fairy-tale like, so wonderful, amazing, perfect. I smiled up at him.
"Yea, I'll see you at lunch, k?" I asked, leaning up to kiss him, he bent down and brushed his lips softly against mine, before mumbling "yea, lunch," against my lips and then he pulled away.
I walked down the hallway to English class as he walked towards Spanish. Before entering the classroom, I glanced once down the hallway at his retreating back, and almost as though he could sense me watching him, he turned around, flashed me a heart-stopping crooked grin and winked and he disappeared around the corner. My felt like it was bursting from the huge mass of emotions that threatened to engulf me. I buried my face within my hands as soon as I settled into my chair at the back of class.
"Is anything wrong Bella?" Angela asked me, sounding concerned, looking up, I smiled widely, feeling completely and totally blessed out.
"Nope, nothing's wrong. Everything's just perfect!" I grinned. Angela grinned back half-amused, still half worried. She probably thought I was high or on crack or something, so I continued by whispering, "I'm dating Caleb Matthews!" and I burst out giggling after that.
"Oh my gosh!" Angela squealed back softly, bouncing a little in her seat, her face lighted up with genuine happiness for me, "I'm so happy for you!"
"Thanks!" I grinned back, still with that stupid, goofy smile and she squeezed my hand.
"Ladies!" Came Mr. Lloyd's voice from the front, we both snapped to attention, and blushed as the eyes of our classmates focused on us. I saw Jessica's deep frown, and recognize the look she had in her eyes, it said 'I know something is up. Tell me EVERYTHING', and I sighed quietly as I thought of the Spanish inquisition I would no doubt have to answer to in trigonometry. But even so, not even the thought of Jessica interrogating me could burst the happy bubble that I was enclosed in. A very happy bubble that revolved around one very hot, extremely sexy, Caleb Matthews.
I'm not sure what Mr. Lloyd talked about. He could've been speaking in Gaelic for all I cared and knew about, all my thoughts were centred around Caleb's eyes, Caleb's hair, Caleb's clothes, his voice, his arms, that feeling I got when he wrapped his arms around me, that incredible safe, heart-thumping feeling, and his voice. God, his voice, that smooth, velvety tone that just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Angela poked me in the side and I jumped up. "Ow. What?" I snapped, which I immediately felt bad for because all she did was point toward the front, where Mr. Lloyd stood, with his hands on both hips, glaring at me. The image would've been comical had I not been afraid of getting into trouble.
"Ms. Swan?" He asked, his eyebrows raised, he was clearly not amused.
"Erm. Sorry, I wasn't paying attention?" I squeaked, feeling rather foolish and very, very embarrassed at having been caught thinking about my boyfriend. Boyfriend, that thought made me feel all mushy and gushy again, until I remembered that I was in trouble with Mr. Lloyd.
"Obviously," he said from the front, "but the question was do you think Sylvia Plath is best remembered for her works or for her life?"
He continued staring me down and I sweated a little under my scarf, Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath, that was easy.
"I think Sylvia Plath is best remembered for her life, sir."
"Oh really?" That damn eyebrow rose again. "Why is that?" he asked, his tone patronizing and condescending. I was a little freaked out.
"Well sir, Sylvia Plath's works are mostly influenced by her life, and some of her best works are about her heartbreak and her father, as well as her cheating husband, Ted Hughes. Most people remember all of that, that her husband left her for a woman named Assia, and that she gassed herself but saved her children."
"But," Mr Lloyd interrupted, "couldn't you also say that a lot of people remember her poetry as well?"
"Yes sir, but see, her works are so influenced by her life, that we often see more of her life than anything else."
"What makes her a brilliant poet then?" he asked, as though he were genuinely baffled. I almost smirked; the question was too easy.
"Because her works are still relevant till today, sir." Mr. Lloyd looked genuinely impressed, giving me a tiny twitch of his lips, which I took as a smile; he turned back to the front and continued reading Lady Lazarus.
The rest of the lesson passed in a blur of Caleb, and then it was time for the inquisition to begin. Jessica strode alongside me down the corridor, even in heels; she only came up to about my shoulder, although her huge, frizzy red hair probably made up a quarter of her height.
"SO!" Jessica began, her eyes shining with a sheen of malice, I very nearly turned and ran away, but my trigonometry date kept me walking along with her. "What's going on? She asked a little snootily, before I could even open my mouth, she continued with, "and don't bother saying nothing because I know something is up!"
I groaned, figuring I might as well deal with it right now, thankfully though, Mr. Beadle surprised us all with a pop quiz, which was met with an enormous groan.
"But sir!" Tyler Crowley called from the far end of the classroom, "It's only the second day of school man!"
"Which means that you've had the entire summer holiday to study your trigonometry, I'm sure," Mr. Beadle stated evilly from the front, this weird, manic grin in this eyes as he passed out the quiz papers.
"Do it. Do it well. And no talking," he emphasized, "that means you, Stanley!" he pointed at Jessica. I had to duck my head to hide the little grin that was threatening to show on my face, especially when I glanced up and caught Jessica's outraged expression. It was almost as though the gods were helping me out today.
The quiz was thankfully easy, something that I'd again covered with my private tutor. I'm starting to wonder if I'm super advanced or something, or maybe the Forks curriculum was just slow?
The end of the lesson rolled about and I hurried out of the classroom before Jessica could catch up to me. Thankfully, that was the last class I had with her until gym, last period. I spent the rest of the two period before lunch in a daze, probably with a goofy grin stuck permanently on my face, just daydreaming about Caleb.
As the lunch bell rang, I jumped to my feet and was almost to the door when Caleb poked his head in. The moment was too perfect, framed by the light streaming in from the hallway, he looked as though he was glowing; perfectly deliciously angelic. I couldn't help the smile that broke across my face, and I noticed the way his eyes lighted up the moment he saw me too. My heart melted and stopped and started beating in overdrive all at the same time as he pulled me into his arms.
"I missed you," he whispered into my ear, I shivered against him and he pulled away from me looking concerned. "Are you cold?"
"No," I shook my head, wrapping my arm around his waist and he bent down and kissed the top of my head, "I missed you too."
As we neared the door of the cafeteria, Caleb chuckled lightly, I looked up at him, wondering what he was so amused about. "It's just, all the guys are jealous that I'm with someone so perfect, they keep glaring daggers at me."
I blushed as he referred to me as 'perfect', then glanced around curiously, I'd been so wrapped up in the Caleb-Bella bubble that I hadn't noticed the other people in the hallway. I didn't see the guys glaring daggers at him, but I did see the girls glaring at me, which was rather amusing because they looked torn, as though they couldn't decide whether to fall at my feet and worship me for being Izzy Swan, or stab me with their pencils for being with Caleb Matthews. I couldn't help it, I laughed too.
There was a sudden hush as we walked into the cafeteria, almost everyone glanced up and stared in wonder and amazement, everyone that is, except Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, and of course Edward and Tanya, who were both glaring at us. Looking at Tanya, I smirked and wriggled my fingers at her in a wave.
The look of outraged disbelief was almost too much, and I smiled widely, grinning as she exploded at Lauren. The rest of the cheerleaders were gaping at us as were the rest of the football jocks. I didn't really understand what Edward was annoyed about, but as I neared a their decidedly foreign table, I realized that I didn't care.
"Er, Caleb?" I questioned we pulled nearly flushed with their table, "why are we sitting here?"
"I always sit here," He said, tilting his head, looking puzzled. I looked around at the gaping faces of guys whom I didn't recognize, and the cheerleaders, who up close, I could see, really wore too much make up, and the angry glares of Tanya and Edward and I gulped.
"Like, oh my god," came the nasally whine of Lauren's voice, "what is she doing here, Caleb?"
I felt my blood bubbling as she draped her hand around Caleb's shoulder, to my immense satisfaction, he shook her hand off and turned to glare at Lauren.
"Bella is sitting here because she's my girlfriend." He stated simply, Lauren's eyes opened so wide, I thought they were going to pop out. Tanya looked strangled and I couldn't resist the jibe that bubbled up my throat.
"Like, oh my god, Tanya," I started, using Lauren's phrase, "blue is like, such a great colour on you!" the table burst into laughter, and Edward looked choked, trying to glare and yet laugh at the same time. I grinned as both Lauren and Tanya spluttered then turned around to face Caleb.
"If it's all the same to you, I'm gonna sit with my friends," I said, leaning in to peck him on the cheek, he pouted than grabbed my hand as well as his tray and turned to me.
"I'll sit wherever you sit," he smiled softly, and I felt my heart stop again. Such perfection shouldn't exist! Guys like Caleb Matthews belonged on the front pages of Vogue, dressed in tailored Armani suits, not in the jock, brain-dead infested world of high school. All I could do was silently nod as I made my way through the still deadly silent cafeteria and settled down next to Alice.
Emmett and Jasper both looked up a little wearily as we sat down, they were both a bit guarded, and eyeing Caleb in a way that could only make him gulp, so I did what every good girlfriend would do, I tossed him to the sharks and turned to talk to Rosalie and Alice.
They were both squealing in delight along with me and ogling my totally hot boyfriend, whilst Emmett and Jasper stared him down.
"What are they doing?" I whispered to the girls, both of them looked at me and rolled their eyes and Alice replied in a very 'duh' voice.
"They're giving him 'the stare'," she said, in a mock macho voice, "trying to eye him down to see whether he'll be good for you!"
Rosalie giggled, "yea, Emmett had to endure it from Jasper when we started going out and vice versa." I laughed as the image of Jasper, who was slightly lankier than Emmett, who was all brawn and Greek-god like, staring down at Emmett popped into my mind.
"After the stare," Alice continued, "they'll give him 'the talk'."
"Yeap. The 'if you hurt her, I will hunt you all the way to Nantucket and rip your insides out and barbecue them before feeding them to wild dogs." Rosalie said nonchalantly as she thumbed through the latest edition of Girlfriend.
"Nantucket?" I questioned, an involuntary grin spreading across my face. "Is that even a state in this WORLD?"
"No clue." Both of them replied, bored with the conversation already, until Alice flipped to another page and saw a really cute peep-toe, purple Steve Madden stiletto.
"WOW! LOOK AT THAT! I HAVE TO HAVE IT!!" she squealed as Rosalie vehemently agreed. I chuckled quietly to myself before crunching into my apple, feeling slightly sorry for Carlisle's credit card.
After a while, rambunctious laughter burst from the guys' side of the table, and we glanced up. I caught Caleb's amused stare, and he winked at me. I felt my face heat up again as my head swirled, Alice and Rosalie both giggled at me and went "ooooh", to which I blushed harder and just giggled along with them.
"So, is he a good kisser?" Rosalie asked, matter of factly after a while. I had a feeling she'd been dying to ask that since yesterday night, because she had this gleam in her eyes. Blushing, and cursing the fact that I blushed so easily, I grinned and bowed my head down.
"The best," I gushed and they squealed along with me. Then the guys scooted their chairs closer to us and Caleb placed an arm around the back of my chair.
"What's up baby?" Emmett asked Rose as he did the same thing. Rose rolled her eyes as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"Nothing, just girl stuff, you know? Aunt Flo and tampons," we all laughed as Emmett turned bright red and scooted as far away from Rose as possible. "I was kidding you big nitwit!" she chided affectionately, placing a kiss on his handsome face. Emmett grinned as though he'd just won the lottery and I couldn't help but feel at peace with the world.
I was back home, with my best friends surrounding me, with an amazingly perfect boyfriend, and everything was perfect. Except, if everything was so perfect, than why did my thoughts keep wondering back to a pair of green eyes that were burning holes in the back of my head?
I glanced over my shoulder and my eyes connected with his smouldering green eyes and for a second, my breath hitched, before Caleb stole my attention again.
A/N: REVIEW! (: