A/N: Let the funny high school/hormonal teenagers interactions with the Cullens begin!
P.S. Some of this is repeated in the beginning, because it's in Edward's POV. But only the office scene and the one in Spanish class.
Disclaimer: SM owns it all.
POVs: Edward, Bella
______________________________________________________________________________
Edward's POV
Bella was incredibly nervous for her first day in Forks High. Not only was she going to be in high school as a human for the last time, she was also going back to the little town where she was born.
I had seen the conversation she'd had with Rosalie in her mind, and I could hear Jasper's thoughts on her raging emotions in his.
To calm her down slightly, I had gotten her a new charm for today. The others were already in Rose's M3, waiting for Bella and I. She had dashed up the stairs, tripping three times along the way, to her room. Alice had seen that she was getting her charm bracelet. The one that I had given her.
I knew she only wore that whenever she felt she needed luck.
I smiled, fingering the charm I had gotten for her in my pocket. I caught up with Bella too easily. She was in her room, her jewelry box open. She had already worn her bracelet, and was holding it in front of her eyes, staring at it.
I loved the soft smile that made its way on her lips as she scrutinized every charm. Her eyes finally fell on the crystal angel I'd given her. It was the last charm on the bracelet. I'd put it on the bracelet when she was asleep, when we were apart.
I shoved away the negative memory and called out her name. Bella jumped and turned around. When she saw me, her heart sputtered and went wild. I smiled wider and stepped into the room. Bella blushed, looking down shyly.
I wondered if she knew that I could hear her heartbeat. I'd never told her that I could, that I found it soothing. I didn't think the others told her they could hear it as well. I probably should, but it would only embarrass her, I knew.
"Do you wish for a little luck today, Bella?" I asked, stopping directly in front of her.
She looked up and smiled a little at me. She looked slightly abashed. Why was that? Was she embarrassed at blushing when I entered? Or at being caught looking for her bracelet?
"Yes," she replied, biting her lip. She always did that whenever she was nervous. What was she nervous about? "I'm nervous, I suppose."
I smiled, pulling the charm out of my pocket and placing it on her bracelet. My movements were too fast for her human eye to catch so I supposed it would have looked as though I had merely touched the bracelet and nothing more.
When I pulled away, though, Bella could see the new charm I'd gotten for her. She raised her arm so that she could have a better look at the charm. It was a four-leaf clover I had bought for her. It was made entirely of diamonds.
A beautiful blush crept back to her cheeks and I stared at it, amazed by her beauty. "Thank you," she whispered.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and led her out of the room. "Trust me, Bella," I said softly. "There's nothing for you to be nervous about." I leaned in and pressed my lips to her hair. I inhaled the sweet, intoxicating scent of Bella. Strawberries in her shampoo and freesia.
Bella blushed a deeper shade of scarlet and I smirked to myself. It was good to know I could cause this reaction from her, even if she couldn't fathom why.
We met Esme and Carlisle in the living room. Carlisle was getting his things ready for his trip to the hospital. Esme hugged Bella and kissed her good luck. Carlisle did, too.
When we went to the garage, Rose's M3 was still present. The engine was running, but the car was stationary. They were waiting for us.
I reluctantly let Bella go, and pulled open the passenger door. She glared at me, pouting her lips in that adorable way of hers, then slid inside. I chuckled to myself and moved at vampire speed. She had gotten so used to us moving this quickly that it took a lot to scare her. Even Emmett couldn't startle her anymore.
Finally, we pulled away from the garage and made our way to Forks.
******************************************************************************
Due to our driving, or as Bella said 'maniacal speeding down the road, not caring if you hit a squirrel or create a trail of fire behind', we arrived at Forks High in a few meager minutes. Alice and Jasper led the pack, Jasper's arm slung protectively around Alice's shoulder. Emmett and Rosalie were in the middle, hands entwined. Bella and I walked behind them.
I sensed that Bella was anxious and wary about people looking at us. It was probably because of the cars and because of, well, our beauty. I didn't want to sound vain, but it was true. By being a vampire, our features were changed slightly. We became beautiful to lure our victims easily, to captivate them enough to draw them in and kill them, ultimately.
And then there was Bella. She was so beautiful, so pure. How could they not stare at her? Her mahogany hair, her warm brown eyes, her strawberry lips, her creamy skin…If that didn't draw you in, I didn't know what could.
She was, dare I say, even more enticing that the most beautiful siren in the world. She was enchanting.
And that was why, along with the usual thoughts on my siblings and I, I heard the lurid thoughts on Bella.
Bella sidled closer to me, almost as if she, too, was uncomfortable with the thoughts around us. I knew she couldn't hear the minds of these incompetent children, but she had always been perceptive.
We stepped into the office, which was much warmer than I had anticipated. There were pots of plants in ever corner of the room.
A woman in her forties, maybe, was sitting behind the desk. We stepped closer to her. Alice leaned both her elbows on the desk and greeted her.
The woman looked up, startled by Alice's chiming voice and her sweet scent. I would have laughed but it would have just seemed inappropriate.
I watched in amusement as her eyes took in the sight of us. Six beautiful teenagers. Her eyes were wide as she took in the sight. Then she saw me, and her heartbeat quickened. Emmett stifled his laughter, but I could hear the rumbling in his chest, too low for a human to hear. He nudged me in the ribs, cracking a silly smile at me, as if to say 'Your admirer?'
I ignored him.
"Hello," Mrs. Cope, the receptionist, stuttered out.
Oh, God. So beautiful…How is that even possible? He has to be a model or something. Unless I'm dreaming again. My God, this is so unreal. Who's that girl he's got his arm around? Oh, my. Are they together? Dear, dear. Take a hold of yourself! He's seventeen years old, for crying out loud! Your own son is older than him! But he's so…
I grimaced, tuning out her thoughts. It wasn't so easy considering she was practically screaming them in her head.
Bella didn't need to be a mind reader to know what was going on in Mrs. Cope's mind. She turned her head and pressed her full lips to my shoulder.
I held back a gasp, looking down at her. She was so beautiful, so warm…Her lips were pressed against my shoulder. I hadn't felt that since that night at the pond.
I knew she was only doing it now to keep herself from laughing out loud, but I couldn't help but want to lift her up and kiss her soundly.
I took in shallow breaths, focusing on the wall in front of me. I should think of things that weren't alluring in any way.
How about mud wrestling with Jasper and Emmett? One of Alice's crazy shopping sprees during Christmastime when she would drag us all out to the mall so we could be a part of the madness? Or Emmett's endless teasing about my being a sexually repressed male…No, no, go back to Alice's crazy shopping sprees!
Bella saw my discomfort and reached out to take my hand. Her soft warm fingers gripped my cold hand and squeezed softly. I was just about driven insane by now.
Jasper could feel the emotions raging in me and laughed in his mind. Control yourself, man. You're acting like an actual human boy overcome by hormones, he teased.
I growled low in my throat, but he merely ignored me, and used his gift to calm me down. I tipped my head slightly in his direction to thank him.
You're welcome.
Rosalie cleared her throat, interrupting Mrs. Cope's ogling, and told her that we were the new students. Wouldn't that have been obvious? In a school so small, surely she knew practically every student that attended Forks High.
Apparently, our beauty had rendered her speechless. Out loud and in her own mind. So much so that she had forgotten the new students were arriving today.
She handed us our schedules, maps of the school ground and slips of papers for the teachers to sign.
Honestly, he's too young…Isabella Hale? Hmm, I wonder. Wasn't there an Isabella Swan who was adopted…I'd have to check with Daisy and see if she remembers. Oh, poor thing. I wonder if he's her brother. Then, maybe…Too young!
We finally stepped out of the office, and I sighed in relief. Bella noticed and giggled, an amused expression on her face.
My annoyance at Mrs. Cope immediately vanished, only to be replaced by the desire to make Bella as happy as humanly - and inhumanly, in my case - as possible.
So I scowled at her playfully. "You didn't have a forty year old woman arguing with herself about how attractive you were in her mind," I said, crossing my arms across my chest, as if I were being defensive.
Bella smiled mischievously at me. "It would be incredibly strange if I did, Edward," she said sweetly, and laughed.
I rolled my eyes and shot Emmett a look. "I hope you know that you're to blame for that smart mouth of hers," I said to him, in a voice too low and in a pace too fast for Bella's human ears to catch.
He smirked at me. I'll take it as a compliment.
Bella and Alice were sophomores, like me. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were juniors. I compared my schedules to Bella to see if I had any classes with her. I had English, Biology and Spanish with her.
I would have to try and get Mrs. Cope to change my schedule so that it was identical to Bella's.
I could always get what I want, of course, simply by charming my way through lies. It was a part of being what I was. But the thought of flirting with Mrs. Cope was incredibly disconcerting.
I had first period Calculus and Bella had homeroom with Alice, so I waved them off sadly. I decided to keep an eye on Bella throughout the day. Who knew what sort of dangerous thoughts would come out of the human males in the school? It was bad enough with Rosalie and Alice, but I knew those two could handle themselves. Emmett and Jasper always scared odd the children, anyway. But Bella was so fragile, so weakly human. I needed to ensure that she was safe.
I followed her with Alice's mind as I made my way to Calculus, not really seeing where I was going. I walked quickly and slid into my seat five minutes before class.
I saw the lustful looks the boys were giving Bella, and clenched my jaw angrily. How dare they look at her like that? I could only imagine what it was like in their heads.
"Hi," I heard someone greet Bella.
Alice looked up and saw the stranger. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like a little boy to me. His features were too boyish.
"Hello," Bella replied hesitantly. I saw her exchange a look with Alice, worried. I quickly peeked into the boy's head, growling quietly as I did so. Luckily no one around me noticed.
Wow, she's just so…Pretty. I bet I could get her to go out with me. Yeah, I mean I've got looks. I'm Newton, for God's sake. Just step up to the game, man. I can do this. I am a hunky dude. I'm a badass hunky dude!
I rolled my eyes at his inane thoughts, but my fists clenched involuntarily at the idea of someone else asking out my Bella. Would she accept? What if this was the kind of boy she'd prefer? What if she liked his blonde hair and his blue eyes and the way his eyes were looking at her…
I really needed to stop myself from jumping out of my seat, barging to Bella's homeroom class and snapping the boy's neck. How dare Newton think of her that way? How dare he place her in one of his vile fantasies?
"I'm Mike Newton," he introduced himself to Bella.
My brows furrowed in confusion. Was that a hint of pride in his voice as he said his name? A moment later, his thoughts informed me of why he felt so prideful. His parents owned a sporting goods store in town. Apparently, that was a big thing in Forks. He was, also, quite popular in school. I supposed he thought his popularity would gain some attention from Bella.
I noticed from the way Bella looked that she, too, didn't understand why he was so proud of his name. But she didn't question it. Instead, she shook his outstretched hand and said her name. Mike Newton held on to her hand longer than a casual handshake would require, and Bella pulled her hand back, blushing.
Someone I hadn't noticed walked up to me and leaned forward. I blinked up at her. It was a blonde girl, smiling at me in what I supposed was a coy manner. I fought the urge to run out of the classroom and duck for cover.
"Hi," she said, her voice low. I raised an eyebrow. "My name is Lauren Mallory." Oh, my God. He's so totally hot.
"Edward Cullen," I said curtly, not bothering to show any politeness, nor hide the annoyance that she had interrupted my spying time on Bella and this Newton kid.
She smiled wider, as if getting my name in return was some sort of accomplishment for her. "Do you play sports?" she asked, her beady eyes running up and down my upper body. "You look like you play sports." If I snag him first, Jess would be totally, like, mad. Ha! As if she stands a chance when I'm here. He wants me.
I shrugged. "I don't," I answered, to her question and to her unspoken thought. Not that she could know that, of course.
She started asking me something else, but I tuned her out. I didn't want to listen to her voice, nor did I want to listen to her thoughts. They were too disturbing for me.
I started the connection again, and saw that Bella had hid her face with her curtain of hair, and had begun doodling. Even through this child's mind, I could see her red forehead. She must have felt extremely grateful that Alice had let her wear her hair down to school today.
Newton wasn't done talking to her, though. "So, you're new here?"
I rolled my eyes. Of course she was new here! Had he ever seen her before? In a school this small, surely even a nitwit like him would have noticed that she was new.
Bella looked uncomfortable as she answered, though I caught the amusement in her eyes. "As is my sister," I heard her blurt out, nodding to Alice. I knew she hated the attention. If she had hated it when Carmen, someone she knew dearly, wanted to draw her portrait, what more when people she didn't know suddenly decided to pay attention to her?
She would hate that aspect of being a vampire. Everywhere we went, people would stare. Questions, admiration, lust…It was all a factor. I'd heard it all in their thoughts. Bella was already exquisitely beautiful as a human. I couldn't even begin to think how amazing she would look when she was one of us.
I controlled my unneeded breathing which had gotten heavy and labored all of a sudden and got back to listening in.
Newton looked at Alice for a brief second. His eyes showed his admiration for her, as did his mind. Whoa, she's hot. She's so pale, though…Paler than Bella, even.
Alice chose this moment to smile widely at him, showing him her white, sharp teeth at the same time. I could practically feel the fear running through his veins. I laughed silently to myself.
I would have found it all much more amusing - had he not focused on Bella again.
"Do you need any help around the school?" Newton asked eagerly. "I could always show you around, help you with homework and stuff." Oh, yeah, baby. I can definitely tutor her…Privately. Maybe if I offer her to come back home with me to 'study'…
Bella looked horrified, but Newton was too caught up in his lust and his horrid fantasies to notice. "Thanks for the offer, Mike," I heard her said shakily. "But I-"
The teacher in Bella's class interrupted her declination of his offer. She shrugged at him, and turned to focus much too intently on the teacher.
Newton turned back in his seat some time later, but he was still a little stunned. But? Did she say 'but'? Damn the teacher. Why did they always have to have bad timing…Maybe she just has some other plan. She just moved her after all. But I didn't even tell her when. Ugh, I hate this. I wish I could just read her mind and tell if she likes me or not.
I smirked to myself.
Then I realized that Lauren had taken a seat next to me and was desperately trying to catch my attention. It was easy to ignore at first, but then her hand was running down my arm.
My heard turned to her, and my eyes flashed. Lauren retracted her arm and settled back in her seat, alarmed.
I turned away from her and stared absentmindedly at the clock. Just a few hours and I'd be with Bella again.
******************************************************************************
The day was pure torture. Bella went from homeroom to World History, Newton tagging along. Apparently, he had the same class as her. Alice had French class, so she couldn't keep an eye on Bella like I wanted her to. I ambled to my next class without really paying attention.
I was too busy staying connected to Newton's mind. The child annoys me to no end, but I couldn't just stop listening in. I had to know if was planning on trying anything inappropriate. His fantasies were too explicit for my liking, though. I kept jumping to other people's minds whenever I could.
It was hard enough to keep up with the thoughts surrounding Bella, but the teenage girls around me were making it harder still. Their thoughts made me incredibly uncomfortable.
Oh, my God. I can't believe how hot he is.
I'll take a picture on my cell and post it online.
I can't wait to talk to Lauren about him - I know she has the inside scoop.
Maybe if I ask him out…
Bella had sat herself down in World History, but class hadn't started yet. To my extreme irritation, Mike Newton was still with her. He had sat himself at the edge of her desk boldly.
Out of nowhere, a tall, dark skinned boy came up to Bella and smiled at her. "Hi," he greeted. "I'm Tyler Crowley. You're Isabella Hale, right?"
"Bella," she corrected. I smiled gently. I knew she hated being called 'Isabella'. It was too formal. It, also, reminded her of when Esme, Rosalie or Carlisle were angry with her. They used her full name whenever she pulled pranks with Emmett and ended up getting into a lot of trouble.
This Tyler boy opened his mouth to say something but a nasal voice spoke first. My brows furrowed. I recognized that nasal voice. "Weren't you Isabella Swan?"
Bella flinched visibly, and turned to see a blonde girl. I gritted my teeth. Lauren Mallory! Why did I have to be so mean to her? She was probably doing this because she hated that I hadn't paid attention to her.
I quickly jumped into her thoughts to sneak a peek. She's ordinary compared to Edward Cullen. Well, they're not related, so…But talking to my Tyler? Unacceptable!
I sighed, frustrated. Her Tyler? Wasn't it her who had been more than willing to go out with me just less than an hour ago?
Lauren stopped at Bella's desk and draped an arm possessively around Tyler's shoulder. She looked Bella over as if she were some disgusting piece of meat. I growled low in my throat, and the guy next to me shot me a wary look.
Tyler, on the other hand, wasn't so appreciative of Lauren all over him. He shrugged her off gently, which only angered Lauren more. God, I hope Bella doesn't think Lauren and I are together. That'll just ruin my chances with her.
"Not anymore," Bella said. Her voice might have sounded polite to anyone, but I knew the anger and sadness behind them. I gripped the edge of my desk tightly. I wanted to go to Bella and wrap my arms around her, comfort her and just be there for her.
Lauren introduced herself, her voice cold. Bella looked confused as to why Lauren was acting so angry towards her.
Look at her. She's so…Ordinary. But all everyone's talking about is her and her siblings! They're taking my spotlight!
So vain. She would hate Rosalie, too, no doubt.
"So, what, like, you're adopted?" Lauren asked Bella, her voice dismissive.
"Um, yes?" Bella looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but where Lauren was.
I heard another voice, also familiar, and realized that it was that Jessica girl. "Oh, back off, Lauren," Jessica said, standing next to Mike Newton. I didn't miss how she leaned in closer to him, and how he leaned slightly back. "Jessica," she introduced herself.
She's only been here for a few hours, but all everyone's talk about is her, her siblings and the Cullens. I wonder if she'll become friends with me. I'll outrun Lauren in the spotlight for sure if she does.
I huffed. Was there anyone in the entire school who wasn't out to get something from Bella?
The second bell rung, and Newton, Jessica, Tyler and Lauren all went back to their seats.
Once second period was over, a girl with curly brown hair came up to me. She had an excited look on her face, but it was nothing compared to Alice's whenever there was a shoe sale at the mall.
Shoe sale? I mentally smacked myself. I really should start hanging around my brothers instead of my sisters. But Bella's alright. I wanted to be with her all the time if I could.
Which brought me back to my schedule and how I wanted to change it to match Bella's identically.
"Hi!" she greeted me.
I looked down at her and forced myself to smile politely.
"I'm Jessica!"
I wondered for a brief, uninterested moment if this was the Jess Lauren Mallory had talked about. "Edward Cullen."
"So, you're, like, totally new here, right?"
Well, I could see the similarities between her and Lauren. "Yes."
"I was kinda wondering if-"
"Oh, Edward?" I turned towards this new voice in relief. It was Jasper, standing by the door, looking amused. From his thoughts, I saw that Alice had sent him. Apparently, Jessica would have stuck to my side chattering incessantly until I would most likely kill her if Jasper hadn't shown up.
I made a face but pulled it back into my composed mask before Jessica or any other human could see. I mentally thanked Jasper, knowing he could feel my gratitude. "Hey, Jasper," I said coolly. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Jessica," I said politely, and made my way out of the classroom with him as quickly as I humanly could.
"You alright, man?" Jasper laughed, clapping me on the back. "There's a lot more disgust coming from you today than any other first day of high school."
"Fine," I snapped.
Bella was now currently being introduced to yet another boy, Eric Yorkie, by Jessica. He was a tall, lanky boy with greasy black hair and an unhealthy complexion. His thoughts were only on how incredibly pretty Bella was, and how he wanted to date her…And do things that boys did to girls on dates.
I groaned, shaking my head. Seriously, are you okay?
I opened my eyes just as I was about to crash into a freshman. She looked stunned, and absolutely love struck. I gave her a small, apologetic smile and continued walking, ignoring her thoughts altogether.
"Bella's got boys surrounding her," I said through gritted teeth. Jasper was still confused. So what? "Boys who want to…To…" I thought of a more appropriate way to say it. "Date her," I finished. It was a very huge understatement to say that all they wanted to do was take her out someplace nice.
Jasper laughed. "Edward, relax. You know she won't fall for their human tricks. She's too smart for that," he said. When his words didn't work, he started to use his gift on me. I snarled at him low enough only for him to hear and shook off the calming waves he was sending at me.
Jasper shrugged, and we went into the Spanish classroom. We sat down at the back. The thoughts of the students and, dare I even say, the teacher hit me like a ton of bricks. I was sure Jasper wasn't doing all that well with all the lust and admiration coming off of them.
Man I wish Alice is here.
I rolled my eyes and slapped him on the head to shake him out of his fantasies. He grinned sheepishly at me, apologetic.
Not long after, Bella rushed into the classroom. The thoughts coming from the students were even worse when they saw us. There was envy from the girls, and lust from the boys.
Bella slipped into the empty seat next to me. I was too busy trying to control my temper so I wouldn't kill anyone, but Jasper noticed her expression.
"Horrible first day so far?" he teased her.
I had already seen her first day so far, so I knew it hadn't gone smoothly at all.
Bella shook her head, refusing to answer. She raised an eyebrow at the look on my face. "Edward?" her soft, melodic voice brought me back. "Are you okay?"
I was still too angry to answer. If I unclenched my jaw, the only thing that would come out of my mouth was an outraged roar. The thoughts of the boys in the room were filled with sexual fantasies about Bella. Jasper, too, was irked that people were thinking like that about his baby sister. He was hiding his anger much better than me, though.
"He gets like this every first day in a new school," I heard Jasper said. I realized that Bella must have asked him why I was acting so strangely. "The thoughts of hormonally charged teenagers get to him. A lot," Jasper was chuckling by now.
Well, that wasn't a complete lie. They did get to me, and I normally was uptight in a new school. But this was different. This was magnified about a million times.
I scowled at Jasper, annoyed. I tried to focus my breathing, and control my temper. My eyes were narrowed into angry slits. The humans who looked at me now only felt fear.
I felt something poke my arm, and realized that it was Bella. "At least you don't have three guys following you around everywhere, and a girl who hates your guts," she whispered conspiratorially. Her voice was so comical, as was her face, that I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
I smiled at her, my anger vanishing. Jasper was snickering in his mind, amused by my reaction to Bella, but I ignored him. "At least we have lunch next," I said.
When we stepped out into the hallway for lunch, Alice appeared at Jasper's side. Their fingers entwined with each other's and they smiled at one another, leading the way to the cafeteria.
I grinned a little at the love between my siblings. I used to hate being the odd one out in a family full of lovebirds, but knowing that Bella and I would be together so soon made me feel a lot happier about it.
Bella wanted to put some things into her locker, and Alice insisted I went along with her and Jasper to the cafeteria. I couldn't understand why, and Jasper didn't know either. Alice was translating her French textbook into Korean in her mind, so I had no idea what vision she had had.
"Alice, if she's in trouble…" I growled.
Alice rolled her eyes and glared at me. "Do you really think I'd let my own sister deal with trouble on her own?" she snapped at me. "Just relax, Edward, you're killing my happy mood."
We waited for Bella outside the cafeteria, while I anxiously checked the minds of whomever was near Bella. Jessica was right next to her, chatting away about some girl neither Bella nor I knew or were interested in knowing.
I saw Eric Yorkie going up to her, and leaning against the locker next to her as she slipped some books out of her backpack and into her locker. He completely ignored Jessica.
"So I was thinking if you wanted to go out with me sometime-"
"Hey Bella! Hey, Eric, hey Jess," Mike Newton said, as he approached the three. Yorkie's making his move on Bella? No way. This is my girl, my opportunity. Not his!
Eric stood up a little straighter and grinned at Newton. "Hey, Mikey. You met my home girl, Bella?" he asked smugly.
Newton's thoughts were plagued by jealousy as he answered. "Oh, your home girl?" he teased, but his mind was red with anger.
Before either Eric could answer, or Bella could blush, Tyler ran up from nowhere and kissed Bella on the cheek. "My girl," he said, grinning. He leaned away from a shocked Bella, and pushed Newton into Eric before running past them into the cafeteria.
Jessica recovered from her shock first and said, "Oh my God. It's like the first grade all over again and you're the shiny new toy."
It took both Emmett and Jasper to restrain me from going after them, especially Tyler. They didn't understand why I was so angry, of course, until Alice told them. By then, all three of us were angry, as was Rosalie.
Bella came around the corner and saw us. Jessica's eyes widened at the sight of the five of us, and she giggled as she passed me. Emmett and Jasper shot me amused looks, but my eyes were only fixed on Bella. She was still blushing red from the encounter with Tyler.
Jessica waved goodbye to Bella, and went inside the cafeteria.
Once she was out of earshot, Rosalie shot to Bella. She cradled Bella's face in her hands. "Oh, my baby!" she cried.
If possible, Bella's face reddened even more. "Alice saw, huh?" she mumbled.
I cleared my throat, deciding not to give myself away. I highly doubted Bella would appreciate the fact that I had been spying on her the whole morning. "Yes," I answered quickly.
"Are you alright?" Rosalie asked, concern evident in her voice and her actions as she smoothed back Bella's hair.
Bella rolled her eyes and attempted to push Rosalie away. "Mom!" she cried, embarrassed. "Stop it! It was a harmless kiss. It wasn't like he tried to kill me or anything."
"Rose, a little discretion," Alice giggled.
Rosalie composed herself, but couldn't help from smoothing Bella's hair once more and kissing her on the forehead.
Emmett and Rosalie held on to each other's hands as they led us into the cafeteria. Alice and Jasper went next. I went up to Bella and wrapped my arm around her. She sighed and rested her head on my shoulder. "Are you alright?" I asked her, worried.
Bella nodded and smiled tiredly. "Yeah, it's just…Weird. I've never been to Forks High before, obviously, but just being back in Forks…I can't remember all that much, but it still feels weird," she said, biting her lip.
I rubbed my hand up and down her shoulder soothingly. "It'll be alright, Bella," I said gently. "It'll get easier."
She nodded, walking with me in silence. I saw Emmett and Rosalie making a beeline for the lunch line. Alice and Jasper followed suit. While walking, Jasper twirled Alice around once, making her giggle. I rolled my eyes, sharing a smile with Bella, and walked behind them.
"Isn't this a total waste of food?" she asked, as all of us got trays of food.
Emmett snickered as we headed to an empty table. Well, almost empty. There was a small boy who was reading a comic book at the end, but that wasn't a problem. He was wearing glasses and a tweed jacket. He looked even easier to scare than the rest of the humans, and I didn't think that was possible.
"Well, now we've got you to finish it," he said, smiling at her.
Bella rolled her eyes. "I don't eat that much, Em," she reminded him.
"Why not? When I was human, I ate a lot more than this."
"Of course you did."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emmett frowned. We reached the table, and the small boy looked up at us. He was clearly intimidated, pushing his glasses up his nose with shaking hands. Emmett bared his teeth at him, making him shake more. "Move," he growled.
It was the fastest I had ever seen a human run. I snorted uncharacteristically, but Bella frowned at Emmett. "Em! Did you have to be so mean?" she chided.
Emmett shrugged, "It's fun."
We took out seats next to our respective mates. In my case, next to my future mate. She hadn't gotten a tray of her own since I'd gotten one. She hated wasting food. She reached over and took the lemonade from my tray, twisting the cap and sipping from the bottle.
"So how's today been?" Rosalie asked. From her thoughts, I saw that she was concerned Bella had been reminded of who she had been. I winced, knowing that it was true.
Bella shrugged, not answering as she traced lines on the faux wood grain printed on the table top. "Okay," she answered softly.
Rosalie didn't buy it for a second, and reached out to clasp Bella's small hand in hers. "Bella," she said seriously. "Remember what we talked about?"
Bella swallowed and nodded her head. "I know, I just…"
"Lauren made you feel bad?" I guessed. My eyes widened as I realized my mistake.
Bella's head snapped to me, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How could you possibly know that?"
"Uh, Alice saw it," I said quickly.
But Bella could see through my lies any day. "No, she didn't," Bella glared. "Were you listening in?"
I bit my lip and looked away from her.
My family were amused. Emmett was laughing in his mind, Busted, dude. Alice was planning a shopping trip to make Bella 'feel better'. Rosalie was trying to see how far I could go before telling Bella the truth. Jasper was betting with Rosalie.
"Edward," Bella called out angrily. I turned to look into her frustrated eyes and sighed.
I supposed Jasper would win the bet. "Yes, alright?" I said, defeated. "I was listening in."
Bella looked outraged. "Edward!" she gasped. "How could you do something like that!?"
I shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure you had a good day," I said sheepishly. I smiled at her, knowing that her resolve would melt the moment that I did. She might have learnt how to get me to do anything for her by pouting her lips, or giving me an innocent look, or just by being…Her. But I knew how to get my way, too.
Bella covered her eyes. "Don't even try the smile, Edward. I'm not forgiving you that easily," she said, turning away from me. "You know, you might not know the meaning of privacy, but I like it. I can't believe you just went around today-"
I took her by the shoulders and spun her around slightly so that she was facing me again. Before she had the chance to cover her eyes, I held her hands and spoke lest she shut them on her own accord.
"I'm sorry, alright?" I said quietly. "I really just wanted to make sure you were having a good day. I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to make it better if you weren't. I knew it was hard for you to come back here," I explained.
Bella sighed, looking down. According to Jasper, her anger was ebbing, leaving nearly no trace of it whatsoever.
"Am I forgiven?"
Bella thought about it, her nose wrinkling in that way it did whenever she was seriously considering a question. "Yes," she said finally. "If you follow me to the mall for Alice's crazy shopping trips for a month," she finished, cracking an evil smile. "And you stop listening in, of course."
I groaned, shaking my head. "You've spent too much time with Emmett," I told her, smiling back. It was too infectious not to.
She shrugged, but narrowed her eyes at me while she smiled. "Do we have a deal?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
I considered. "How about if I just follow you to the mall?" I bargained. She glared at me, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. "Please? You know I can't help listening in…It's my nature," I grinned.
Bella rolled her eyes at me. "Fine. Mall. Two months!" she threw her hands up in the air.
I nodded my head. "It's fine by me," I said quickly.
Rosalie was huffing impatiently. "Now that that's all cleared up," she interrupted us. "What exactly did this Lauren do?"
Bella shrank back into me, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. She turned to me, and laid her head in the crook of my neck. "Nothing, mom," she whispered. "Don't worry about it."
"Bella…"
"Really. I felt bad for about two seconds, then everything's fine. Really," she said again, one hand coming up to rest at my torso, gripping my shirt in her fist.
"Rose, just drop it," I said, meeting her angry glare coolly. "She is fine about it," I assured her. Bella was much too mature to let things like that bother her. And even if they did bother her, she would talk to me about it later on when she was ready.
I didn't want to push her to talk, especially not in a cafeteria full of students.
"Hey, Bella," I heard someone call. Bella's head moved about a fraction of an inch, but she didn't move away from my embrace. I smiled, wrapping my arms around her tighter and kissed the top of her hair.
Two people approached our table. I recognized them as Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley. Mike was eyeing me with envy and Jessica was eyeing Bella with envy. I shared a knowing look with Jasper and smirked.
"Hey, guys," Bella smiled at them, her head still rested on my shoulder.
I supposed she felt so comfortable doing this because we had been in each other's embraces for years. But did she feel the difference? Was it why her heart fluttered so wildly in her chest? Or was it for another reason?
"So, Bella," Jessica said, smiling at the rest of the table. Her eyes came back to me, though. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your family?"
Bella nodded her head slightly. "Sure. That's Alice and Jasper. Rosalie, Jasper's twin, and Emmett. And this is Edward," she lifted her head up slightly from my shoulder to smile at me. I smiled back at her, captivated by her sparkling brown eyes.
When her head dropped back to my shoulder, I turned my head slightly to rest my chin on the top of her head.
"That's nice…You're all from Alaska, right?" Newton asked, his eyes flicking to our pale faces.
"That's right," Alice chirped, her tinkling laugh followed shortly. Jasper pulled her closer to him, kissing her full on the mouth.
Jessica's eyes widened at that, and even Newton stopped staring at Bella long enough to gape.
Bella cleared her throat, interrupting Jasper's and Alice's make-out session. I sighed. Leave it to my siblings to start showing too much affections around one another in public. Emmett and Rosalie were already looking at each other like they usually do before…Well, before the action behind the scenes took place.
Alice giggled, batting her lashes at Jasper. Ooh, I love my Southern man, she sighed in her thoughts.
"You're, like, together?" Jessica asked rudely.
Bella nodded her head. "Yeah. Jazz and Alice are together, and Em and Rose are, too," she waved her hand in Emmett's and Rosalie's direction. Rosalie grinned and draped her arm around Emmett's shoulder, kissing him on the cheek. Emmett turned towards her with a predatory look in his eyes.
Bella sighed and smiled at Jessica and Newton. "You'll have to excuse them. Their control is pretty much nonexistent," she joked, trying to divert the humans' attention.
"Is that even legal?" Jessica asked, eyes still glued to the two couples.
"Rosalie and Alice aren't related to Emmett and Jasper. Only Rose and Jazz are related, so it's okay," Bella explained.
It's still weird…Wait, is she with Edward Cullen, then? I mean, at first I thought it's like a sister hugs a brother. I mean, it looks like more, but they're all adopted by the Cullens, right? But if Rosalie and Alice are with Emmett and Jasper…I'll ask her.
Before she had a chance to, Newton sat in the empty chair next to Bella and smiled at her. Let's see how she resists the Newton charm!
"So, Bella," he said in what I supposed was his attempt at being seductive.
Bella looked at him in alarm and shot me a 'help me' look. I chuckled quietly. As sadistic as it was, I was glad Bella was suffering instead of enjoying being in Newton's company. I hated that he was around her at all.
Newton didn't catch on to her obvious discomfort. "Do you think we could maybe go to the movies this weekend? Lauren-" Bella winced slightly at Lauren's name. "-also has a party this Friday…Maybe you want to come and-"
"Are you hitting on my sister?" Emmett boomed.
Half the cafeteria turned to look at us.
"Emmett!" Bella hissed, her face turning red. "Jasper, do something!" she said, pleading, as Emmett started to stand.
To her surprise, Jasper helped Emmett. I was the one who pushed Emmett back into his chair. "I think you should walk away, kid," Jasper growled.
Newton looked intimidated by them, but his thoughts were spurred on by the fact that Bella had protested her brothers' behavior towards him. He placed a hand on Bella's arm and leaned forward.
I growled, shoving his arm away and glared at him. He recoiled and stood up so quickly, I thought he was going to have a head rush. "Do not touch her," I snarled.
He nodded his head, turning to walk away as quickly as he could without embarrassing himself by tripping or wetting his pants. Jessica smiled at Bella, waving, before walking away.
Wow, look at his reaction to Mike asking her out…They're definitely into each other. I'd have to ask her in gym.
"Guys!" Bella groaned, shaking her head. "Why did you do that?"
I looked at her, shocked and hurt at the same time. "Don't tell me you actually wanted to go on a…date with him?" I asked, scowling.
Bella shook her head. "Of course I don't. But you've got to let me handle it. You were yelling and growling. It's not even normal," she glared at the three of us.
"Bella," Rosalie said seriously. "You're lucky Edward didn't kill the boy, you know?"
Bella shot a look at me. "Yes, what was that, Edward?" she asked, bewildered. "You looked so angry. And why are your eyes black? Didn't you go hunting yesterday?"
I sighed, closing my eyes and forcing myself to relax. I gripped Bella to me tighter and focused on her scent. Jasper, sensing my anger, sent me calming waves.
I felt the anger ebbing away and opened my eyes. Bella looked into my topaz eyes and smiled a little, satisfied.
"I'm sorry," I smiled at her. "I just feel very…Protective of you," I frowned, thinking of the boys in gym, and any other class I wasn't taking with her.
Bella laughed. "No kidding," she teased. With sparkling eyes, she leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. If I could have blushed, I would be redder than Bella was at the moment. "Thank you," she smiled.
Bella stood up and walked over to the lunch line to get a pudding - she had gotten a sweet tooth because of Esme's constant baking, but Rosalie had forbidden us all to get the pudding to satisfy Bella's craving. She had flinched at the idea of Bella devouring five puddings.
I had laughed at it. Rosalie might be concerned about Bella eating healthy, but I wanted her to be able to enjoy every human thing possible before it all ended for her.
I heard her bump into someone accidentally. "Oh, sorry!" they both said at the same time. All five of us looked up to see who it was.
It was a girl with brown hair and kind brown eyes. She smiled brightly at Bella, who returned the smile. "I'm Angela Weber," she introduced herself.
Bella shook her extended hand. "Bella Hale."
"Hey, I know you might not remember me at all, 'cuz it was a long time ago and all, but we went to the same pre-school when…Well, you know," Angela said, shifting uncomfortably. Her kind smile was still in place, though.
For the first time, the mention of her past didn't led Bella to flinch. Instead, she looked curiously at Angela. "Oh, well…I think I remember a little, but nothing significant, though. I'm sorry," Bella said. She really did sound sorry, too.
I peeked inside Angela's mind to see what she was thinking. Poor Bella. But she looks happy, though. Her new family must be really nice. They all look really beautiful. Bella fits in with them. I hope we get to spend some time together. It has to be hard being back here, after all that has happened. I should ask her if she needs any help or anything…
I smiled at her kindness. She reminded me of Bella a little. It didn't surprise me if she and Bella had been friends before, even at a young age. It would only make sense that two people so alike would be friends with one another.
"Yeah, me neither. I just remembered your name. My mom remembered more, so she mentioned it at dinner. I guess your arrival was kind of the gossip of the week," Angela laughed.
Bella grinned a little. "How'd your mom know we were coming?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.
"My mom works at the hospital. She's a nurse. Your dad works there, right? Dr. Cullen?"
Bella nodded her head. "Yes. That's him," she confirmed.
Someone called Angela's name and she turned around to wave at them. "Listen, if you need anything, you could always…You know, ask me," Angela said awkwardly.
Bella blushed and smiled at Angela. "Thanks. It was nice seeing you, Angela," she said, waving as she came back to the table with a cup of pudding.
Rosalie smiled at Bella as she sat down. "Feel better?" she asked.
Bella nodded and peeled open her pudding cup. "Yes, actually, I do," she smiled at me.
******************************************************************************
Bella's POV
Mike was in my Biology class, as well, but since Edward was in it and sat next to me the whole time, he didn't dare come up to me.
Angela, too, was in Biology, and walked together with Edward and I. I kept remembering bits and pieces of my time with her. I remembered playing with her, holding hands with her on a class field trip due to that buddy program, going to her house to play while our mothers chatted…She was the dark haired girl I remembered.
I was glad that she was a kind person. I remembered being friends with her a little, but people changed in time. I was glad Angela was still a friendly girl.
I sat next to Edward, naturally. Mr. Banner didn't force us to stand up and recite our names and a mini introduction to ourselves, so it was fine.
Because Carlisle was my father, I had learnt a lot about Biology growing up. Due to this, I had been in an advanced placement program back in Alaska. As I flipped through the textbook, I realized that I knew most of the things. What I didn't know, I could understand quite easily.
I exhaled. This would be quite a boring year for Biology. Edward noticed my expression and leaned closer towards me. "What's wrong?" he asked.
I turned my head slightly to answer him, and was immediately caught in the intensity of his topaz gaze. His sweet breath washed over me like a tidal wave. I stopped breathing, my heart pounding faster. I broke out in a cold sweat, and my eyes blurred.
"Bella?" he asked, worried and confused.
I gasped, breathing in and out again. I looked away for a moment, then looked back at him. Great. Now he would think that I was insane or demented, or both.
"I'm fine," I said quickly. "Sorry, I was just thinking of…Something."
He didn't seem to buy that, but he let it go. Thank God.
I nodded towards my Biology book. "I was just thinking that I already know most of the stuff in there. It would be boring to do everything all over again," I sighed, leaning my elbow on the counter and cupping my hand around the side of my throat.
Edward laughed, though I thought I saw his eyes flash momentarily towards my throat. "Try having taken the class fifty three times," he whispered, leaning closer to me.
I grinned, still light headed from his scent. I wondered why that was. I knew that vampires have a sweet scent that drew humans in for the kill. I was familiar with the scents of my entire family. But none of theirs compared to Edward's, not even by a little.
He smelled so…Heavenly. And when he leaned in like that…
I shook my head. I was clearly going insane. This was not the way to think about my best friend. Who had seen my grow up. Since I was six.
I could only be thankful that he hadn't found me sooner when I was still in diapers.
Mr. Banner started the class. It was the first day of school, so he only went through certain things, and let us watch a video. Nothing productive whatsoever.
After Biology, it was time for gym.
I could see Mike coming towards me, to ask me if I would walk with him. Maybe he had gym, too.
Edward must have read something in his mind that he didn't like, so he draped an arm around my shoulder and growled. "I'll walk you to gym, Bella," he said to me.
I nodded my head, grateful that I wouldn't have to endure Mike's puppy dog eyes. I really had no idea what to say to him. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he seemed too friendly for my liking.
Too soon, we were in front of the gym. Edward smiled at me reassuringly and squeezed my shoulders once.
I turned to look at him seriously. "Edward, I know it's your nature and all," I said sarcastically. "But could you not peek during gym?" I pleaded.
"Bella-"
"I know I'm going to get hurt. We both know how clumsy I am. I'd just prefer it if you wouldn't see it, please?" I asked, pouting my lips at him.
He stared into my eyes, considering. "Yes, fine," he agreed before I could say anything else. Not that I could actually form a coherent sentence the way his eyes were penetrating me. "But-" he called out, before I could go through the doors in victory.
I groaned and turned back to look at him. "Just tell me if you're hurt later on, alright?" he pleaded.
I sighed, and nodded my head. "Fine. No peeking!" I tapped his nose playfully, and smiled.
Edward chuckled, then leaned down to kiss my forehead lightly. I felt my heart pound faster and the heat rushing to my face. This seemed to amuse Edward and I scowled at him, going through the door.
Why was I reacting like that? I sighed, shaking my head. This was just too confusing.
It was raining today. Shocker. Forks was the rainiest town in America, probably. I remembered it raining day in and day out when I lived here.
Coach Clapp wanted us to play volleyball in the court. I winced. Someone, excluding myself, would get seriously injured if they stood too close to me.
I changed quickly and got out onto the court. "Hey, Bella!" I heard Mike greeting me.
I sighed and turned to look at him. He was already in his shirt and shorts. "You excited?" he nodded towards the volleyball net.
I shook my head, laughing. "Most definitely not," I replied. He looked confused so I explained, "I'm not very graceful. Just a warning-stay very far away from me during the game unless you want to get hit."
Mike grinned. "Aw, come on. It can't be that bad."
Of course, twenty minutes later, he found out that it was that bad. He still stuck by my side, though, refusing to go anywhere. Not that I wasn't grateful for his friendship, I just wished he only had friendship on his mind.
I went through gym like the klutz that I was. I managed to hit three people four times, and myself five times. I was limping when coach finally blew the whistle.
I went into the changing room to change back into my clothes. I had mussed up my hair and I knew Alice would freak out, but who cared? I wanted to go home and soak myself in the tub. Filled to the brim with ice.
"Hey, Bella," Jessica greeted me as she came in.
I had just finished changing clothes and was getting a scrunchie out of my bag to tie my hair up. "Hey, Jess."
She opened her locker and got out her bag and clothes. She turned to me, a curious look on her face. "Are you dating Edward?"
I felt the familiar blush creeping on my face. "What?" I spluttered. "N-no! What gave you that idea?"
Jessica shrugged, a disbelieving look on her face. "Just the way you guys are with each other. I mean, I thought he was like your brother…He's not, right?"
I considered this. Edward? My brother? No, we'd never had a brother-sister relationship, not even when I was six. I'd always considered him as my best friend.
He was…Like my other half, to be honest. Nothing romantic about it, considering I was six years old. He just knew me better than I knew myself.
And I understood him. I didn't go through any of the things he did - hunting, feeling like a monster, his past. But I understood his feelings, his reasons, his ways. It was just the way it was.
And would a brother really have kissed his sister on the mouth? And would a sister have responded so eagerly before pulling back?
I shook my head at Jessica to answer her question before I got too caught up trying to explain my relationship with Edward to myself. "No. He's not my brother. Jasper and Emmett are, though. He's more…My best friend," I finished.
Jessica nodded her head. "So, does he have a girlfriend?" she asked slyly.
A shot of jealousy went through me and I was more than glad that Jasper wasn't here. Our little conversation had drew the attention of the other girls in the locker room. Whether they were discreet or crowded around us, it still made me uncomfortable.
Did Edward always attract this much attention from girls? Not that it bothered me. No, not at all, retorted the sarcastic voice in my head.
I pushed it back and stood up, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
I really didn't want to be a part of the conversation. "No, he doesn't," I answered. "I have to go. Edward's waiting," I said, adding the last part as a small gratification. For what, I didn't know.
I could already see Jessica's attraction to Edward. I could already see the plan forming in her head, to 'get' Edward now that she knew for certain he was single. It annoyed me.
Before I could step out of the locker room, though, a girl I recognized as Monique Fisher stopped me. She was blushing as she asked, "Is Jasper single?"
I shook my head. I thought Jessica would have spread the rumors by now. "No, he's with Alice," I said.
Monique's face fell slightly. "Well…Could you just tell him I like him?"
I fought back my laughter. "Sure."
It must be hard to look at the Cullens' inhuman beauty and not fall for them, I realized. But did they really have to fall for Edward, of all people?
I shook that thought out of my head, and went out of the locker room. I wanted to leave before Mike saw me. I heard someone called my name and groaned inwardly. Too late.
"Bella!" he huffed, as he caught up to me. "Do you want a ride home?" he asked eagerly.
I shook my head quickly and threw him a small smile. That only spurred him on. "I already have a ride," I said, hoping to dissuade his attempts.
"Well, ditch your ride. I'd really like to-"
We had reached the gym doors and I burst through it. Edward was leaning against the wall, an annoyed look on his face. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper were also standing there. But they merely looked amused.
"Edward!" I exclaimed, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. Maybe he could growl a little more and scare Mike off. He was really starting to get on my nerves with his insistence. "How was math?"
Edward cracked a smile at my obvious discomfort at Mike's flirting and I scowled a little at him. Here I was hoping he would distract Mike and he was laughing at me? Great. Just great!
Edward reached forward and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Boring," he replied smoothly, his velvet voice causing shivers to run down my spine. "How was gym?"
"Painful," I winced as I rubbed a tender spot on my forehead.
Edward laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement. I realized that he could probably read the events that transpired in Mike's head.
"Uh…Bye, Mike. See you tomorrow!" I waved at him, tugging at Edward's hand to move faster.
Edward was still chuckling. "Just so you know, I didn't do it on purpose," he told me, smiling. "When I asked about gym, your boyfriend there just thought about it and-"
"He's not my boyfriend!" I said, irritated. Was it just me or did Edward just smiled triumphantly for a second?
I remembered Monique's request and turned to Jasper, who was walking next to me. "Monique Fisher has a crush on you," I told him dutifully.
He raised an eyebrow at me, confused. "Who's that?" he asked blankly. Alice giggled next to him, kissing his cheek possessively.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to tell her you said that," I said under my breath. They, of course, heard me and burst into laughter.
As we reached the parking lot, we saw a group of students standing around Rosalie's M3 and Edward's Volvo, admiring both cars. They parted slightly as they saw us approaching, to give us room to our cars, I supposed.
One guy, a senior from the looks of it, leaned against Rosalie's M3 and grinned cockily at her. "Hey, babe," he nodded at her. "How about you and I go for a ride?"
Emmett wrapped an arm around Rosalie's waist and growled at the kid. "What did you say?" he snarled.
I thought he was going to have a heart attack. I shook my head. "Run," I advised him.
And run he did. I shuddered as the students surrounding the car thinned and disappeared. "Wow, that was so…Disconcerting," I said.
"What?" Jasper asked, frowning as he sensed my discomfort.
"Watching my mother getting hit on by boys my own age…That was weird," I said, shivering again.
They laughed, obviously amused. Rosalie flipped her blonde hair and winked at me over her shoulder. "You'd better get used to it, baby," she purred, drawing Emmett to her for a kiss. Well, a kiss might be too…PG-13 for what they were doing.
I covered my eyes. "Mom!" I hissed. She laughed, letting Emmett go and sliding into the driver's seat of her M3.
"Let's go," Edward smiled at me, nodding to the Volvo.
I sighed as the soft purr of the engine started up. I thought about Esme's sweet face, Carlisle's concerned demeanor, and the comfort of my own room…It was good to be going home.
______________________________________________________________________________
Well that's the new chapter. Sorry it took so long. It was almost entirely in Edward's POV because I just had too much fun with his jealousy. I hoped you enjoyed it. Please review and tell me what you think.
Also, if you have time, please check out my new story Taking Over Me.
Thank you.
Juliet.
