Chapter 9: Bella and Edward at School

Despite the fact that I didn't sleep well the night before, I struggled to fall asleep once again. I should have been exhausted, but my brain was racing. The conversation I had had with Edward in the woods kept replaying through my mind. I tossed and turned in bed and by the time daylight was finally breaking, I begrudgingly threw the covers off the bed and resigned to get ready for the school day.

After brushing through my hair and pulling it into a haphazard ponytail, I brushed my teeth, pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and stumbled downstairs. I found Charlie, seated at the kitchen table, nursing a steaming cup of coffee. He was looking at the morning paper. I smiled curiously as I walked towards him and noticed the large plate of eggs and toast in the middle of the table. "You made breakfast," I said in mild surprise, grabbing two plates from the cabinet.

Charlie glanced at me and then frowned dramatically, as if I had hurt his feelings. "I have been known to do that from time to time," he said with a rueful smile.

I passed Charlie his plate and then dished myself some eggs. "Well, thank you," I said with a small smile. "This is… nice."

"Yes," Charlie murmured, grabbing a piece of toast, "it is." A comfortable silence settled between the two of us as Charlie returned to the morning paper and I worked my way through a hearty helping of eggs and toast.

"Anything interesting in there today?"

Charlie grunted and then set the paper on the table. He sighed. "Well, a construction worker at a plant a few miles north of us got killed this weekend."

"Oh, wow. How did he die?"

"Police aren't sure. Looked like some type of wild animal attack, but…" Charlie shook his head.

"But what?"

"I know one of the officers that's working on the case and the injuries he described… I don't know of any animal 'round these parts that can do that."

"Hmm," I said, finishing off the rest of my food. "Well, hopefully whatever it is stays far away from here."

Charlie mumbled in agreement and then returned to his paper and coffee. I deposited my plate in the sink and then slung my backpack over my shoulder. "Bye," I called to Charlie as I made my way to the front door. "And thank you for breakfast!"

I was just about to root around in my coat pocket for the keys to my trusty red truck when I realized there was a car parked on the road in front of the house. Not just any car, I suddenly realized-but a slick black Volvo.

I stared blankly at the car as Edward emerged from the driver's side, an unsure but playful smile on his lips. "Hello," he called, walking around the front of the car to approach me.

"Um… hello," I said sarcastically, waving a hand in the air, as if to ask: What the hell? "What are you doing here?"

Edward glanced behind him and then back at me. "I thought I might… pick you up. Give you a ride to school."

I frowned. "And you didn't think to ask me if I wanted to be picked up?"

Edward's smile faltered. "I-I thought it would be nice. And it would give us a chance to talk some more."

I eyed him up curiously, still trying to unravel the mystery of Edward Cullen. He merely stared at me, his lips parted just slightly. I realized suddenly that he was trying to figure out what I was thinking. Right. The mind reading thing. How did I keep forgetting that?

I shrugged and rolled my eyes. "Fine," I sighed playfully, "but I'm driving." At this, Edward frowned. He stared at me intently, once again trying to figure me out. I smiled, suddenly realizing how fun it was going to be to keep Edward guessing.

Turning my back on Edward's pondering form, I pulled out my keys once again and unlocked my door. "Are you coming or not?" I called as I lugged my bookbag into the middle of the seat. I crawled into my familiar red truck and waited patiently while Edward moved to the passenger side of the car, tucking his car keys into his pocket as he did so. He crawled in beside me and was nearly silent in doing so-an incredible feat, given how rusty and creaky my old truck was.

He shut the car door and then gazed at me. I met his honey gaze and realized that his eyes were slightly darker today than they had been during our conversation yesterday. I opened my eyes to ask why, but then thought better of it. I put my keys into the ignition and the truck roared to life. Edward, however, had clearly sensed my curiosity; as I backed out of the driveway, he quietly asked me, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I answered with a small shake of my head.

Edward smiled. "I may not be able to read your mind, but I am very good at reading people. You were going to ask me something."

I rolled my eyes and then begrudgingly said, "I was going to ask about your eyes. They're darker today than they were yesterday."

"Ah," Edward said with a small chuckle. "Very observant." He took a breath. "Our eyes change as we feed; it's an indicator of our thirst."

I pursed my lips, considering this. We hit a bump in the road and I gripped the steering wheel to steady myself. Edward remained still as stone, completely unphased. "So yellow is good?"

Edward chuckled. "Sure. Yellow is good."

"And bad?"

"Black," Edward said, his tone suddenly shifting. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I, uh… I can't ever be near you when I get to that point."

I considered this carefully and then asked, "Is this difficult?" I nodded between us. "Being in the car with me now?"

Edward pursed his lips and then glanced out the window. "A bit," he answered, voice soft.

"Hm," I hummed with a small nod. "What can I do to make it better?" We rolled up to a red stop light and I stared at Edward waiting for a reply.

His expression sent a bolt of lightning through me. Edward's eyebrows were pulled together; his golden irises swam with deep gratitude, appreciation, and… another emotion that I couldn't quite place. For a moment, it looked as if he was about to lean closer to me. My heart skipped a beat in my chest and I was once again struck by just how intensely gorgeous Edward was. "What?" I asked, my voice soft. I didn't even glance at the light to see if it had turned green.

Edward held my gaze and shook his head. "I just… never expected…"

A car behind me honked and I suddenly realized the light had, in fact, turned green. I tapped on the gas, mentally cursing the car behind me, creeped forward. I focused on the street ahead, hoping that my staring would help Edward feel comfortable enough to continue. It seemed to work.

"You just keep surprising me, that's all."

I chewed at my bottom lip, trying to hide my smile. "Well, having an unreadable mind will do that, I suppose," I said lightheartedly.

"Indeed," Edward replied. Though my eyes were on the road, I could hear the smile in his voice.

As we neared the school, a realization hit me. "Shit," I muttered under my breath as I joined the line of students waiting to turn into the high school parking lot.

"What?" Edward asked, glancing around the car, clearly confused as to how he had missed something that my human skills had noticed.

"People are going to lose their minds," I said, resting my head on the steering wheel, "and I am going to have so much explaining to do." I groaned in annoyance at the thought of trying to explain to Jessica why I had not only missed school yesterday but was now rolling up with Edward Cullen in my car.

I lifted my head from the steering wheel and, as it was my turn, pulled into the parking lot, mentally bracing myself for the onslaught of questions and stares. I glanced at Edward and saw an amused smile on his lips. "What are you so happy about?" I asked scathingly. "It's not like you're going to have to answer a barrage of questions or exist under the scrutiny of self-absorbed, self-conscious high schoolers."

"Maybe not. But I do have my family to worry about," Edward said, his voice a strange mix of amusement and exhaustion. He was staring at a particular spot in the parking lot. I followed his eyes and the pit in my stomach fell through to my feet. I had completely forgotten about the other Cullen family members. I felt the blood drain from my face when I realized they were all out of their cars, staring at my red truck with mixed expressions. Alice, per usual, had that dainty grin on her face that suggested she knew more than she was letting on. Rosalie, arms across her chest, looked as if she spent much of her spare time plotting out my murder. The Cullen boys generally seemed to mirror the expressions of their significant others.

"Oh God," I groaned as I carefully rolled into my designated parking spot. "They hate me."

"No," Edward murmured, his voice surprisingly soft and gentle. It took me aback. "They just… struggle to understand."

I paused. "Why do I feel like there's a story there?"

Edward smiled. "There is." I started to probe more, but he held up a finger and said, "Later."

Though this annoyed me, I understood; I grabbed my bookbag, slung it over my shoulder, and slid the keys out of the ignition. As I stepped out of the car, I could already feel the eyes boring into the back of my head. I ducked my head and met Edward at the bed of my truck. "May as well get this over with," I muttered, pulling the hood of my jacket over my face. Edward and I trudged towards the front of the school, Edward smiling broadly, and me making every attempt to hide any distinguishing features.

"You are enjoying this aren't you?" I whispered out of the corner of my mouth.

"Immensely," Edward drawled with a boyish grin.

I scoffed and quickened my pace.

Finally, amid the barrage of whispers and stares, I made it to my locker. Edward leaned against the wall, a few feet away from me as I reluctantly removed my jacket and shoved it into my locker. "I take it you don't like attention, then?" he asked, trying to hide his smile.

I threw him an icy glare. "Keep it up, see what happens."

Edward laughed.

Once I had gathered all of my items for my morning classes, Edward and I walked to my first class. "Well, thank you for the most mortifying school-based experience of my life."

Edward nodded. "It's been a pleasure." He tucked a hand into his pocket and I tried very hard not to notice how it stretched his t-shirt over his chest. "I'll see you in Biology." With a rueful smile and a knowing glance, Edward mouthed,"I'm sorry," before turning and heading down the hallway for his first class.

Lunch was just as I had expected it. I could sense the hostility at my familiar lunch table before I had even made it through the lunch line. I took a seat next to Angela, the only one I could count on to be rational, kind, and understanding.

"Oh. My. God," she whispered intensely as I sat down, wrapping both her hands around my arm and giving me a gentle shake. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to be driving Edward freaking Cullen to school?" she whispered before the others made their way to the table.

I shook my head in embarrassment, but couldn't quite hide my smile. "It was… a bit last minute," I said nonchalantly. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Edward's familiar form entered the cafeteria and took a seat at the table with the other Cullens.

"Oh my Goooood," Angela mouthed once again, but silently this time. Her grin was huge and it put me at ease. Which was helpful because at that exact moment, Jessica and the boys took a seat at the table across from me with matching expressions of disdain and disappointment; it looked as if they had planned it. I scooted slightly closer to Angela, feeding off her positive and supportive energy.

"So, you and Cullen," Mike said almost immediately. I felt my blood pressure rise as he shook his head. "I don't like it."

I scoffed. "Excuse me? How the hell-"

"And since when is Bella's love life any of your business?" Angela asked, her kind voice cool and measured. Everyone stared at her, myself included. I had to stop myself from grinning.

"Well, it's not, but-"

"Then I suggest you focus on your own problems, Mike."

Mike's expression dropped. A silence fell between all of us at the table. I glanced at Edward, who I could see silhouetted between Jessica and Mike's seated forms. His body was tilted just slightly in our direction. Though he appeared to be engaged in a discussion with his siblings, I suspected he could hear our conversation and was very amused.

"Well, it's not like I-I wasn't trying to," Mike stumbled. Eventually, he trailed off, realizing the conversation was not going to end in his favor.

I gave Angela's arm a gentle squeeze of silent thanks. She smiled at me and then nodded in Jess's direction. I followed her gaze and saw that Jess was very aggressively prodding at her food with her fork and purposefully avoiding eye contact.

"Jess?" I asked, trying to disguise any smile in my voice. "How are you today?"

"Oh, I'm just fine," she said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Are you?" Angela asked, staring intensely at Angela. She was also trying to hold back a smile; I noticed how she was chewing at her bottom lip with her teeth.

"Yup!" Jessica stabbed a floret of steamed broccoli with her fork and ate it hastily. She continued to stare aggressively at her plate.

Angela and I chatted for the rest of the meal, while Mike and Jessica pushed their food around on their plates with their forks. I felt a little bit sorry for Jess, but if she had been willing to have a mature conversation with me, I would have gladly explained the situation to her. As much as I could, anyway; I would have had to have been careful to leave out the mind-reading vampire part, but otherwise…

Mike, on the other hand, I felt no remorse about. He was just being an asshole.

After lunch, I made my way to Biology, disappointed in myself that my heart was pounding faster than usual. "Chill out," I muttered under my breath as I ducked into Mr. Molina's classroom. I caught sight of Edward sitting in his assigned seat and smiled to myself, pulling in my lips to conceal it. I walked nonchalantly passed the other students in the class, who weren't even attempting to hide their shock and confusion. I could feel their eyes on me as I set my bookbag on the floor and took a seat next to Edward. I purposefully ignored him for a moment, choosing instead to lock eyes with every single person who was still staring at me. My annoyance with their shocked expressions was starting to embolden me. After all, I was starting to get a bit offended-was it really so out of the realm of possibility that somebody like me could have attracted the attention of someone like Edward Cullen?

Once I had stared down most of the class, I took a breath and then glanced at Edward.

"Nicely done," he murmured, his voice deep and quiet. He nodded vaguely at the room around us.

"Thank you," I replied even quieter, knowing his keen senses could hear me. "They were pissing me off."

"You don't say."

I smiled in spite of myself and chuckled and then sighed deeply. "How has your day been?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Well, I would say the highlight was definitely lunch," Edward said playfully.

"Oh God," I mumbled, massaging my forehead with my hand.

"Jessica is… not very happy with you," he continued with a laugh that sent butterflies bolting through my stomach.

"You don't say." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "She was probably plotting at least 27 ways to off me."

"I only saw three," Edward said cheekily.

I put the back of my hand to my mouth, trying to stifle the sound of my laughter.

"What?" Edward asked with a small chuckle, though it was clear he didn't know what I was laughing about.

I shook away the laughs and then held his curious gaze. "It's just… absolutely ridiculous."

"What is?"

"Everything!" I gestured grandly from side to side. "The fact that I'm sitting here with you-knowing what I know-chatting casually about Jessica's murderous thoughts, all while the entire student body stares at me as if I've just dis-embarked from an alien ship." I shook my head again. "And here I thought I could blend in."

Edward made a small hm sound, as if he were considering what I'd just said.

"Good morning, everybody!" Mr. Molina called as he bustled into the room, arms full of the remnants of his lunch and copies of the handouts we were going to receive today.

"How about you?" I asked quietly while Mr. Molina got ready for the class at the front of the room. "How was lunch at your table?"

I could sense a change in Edward's body language next to me. He was guarded again, careful.

"Oh, you know," he said flippantly.

"No, I don't actually. That's why I asked." I saw Edward's jaw tighten out of the corner of my eye. Touchy subject, then. I wanted to know more. "We can talk later," I said, sensing I wasn't going to get anywhere with Edward right now and noticing that Mr. Molina was ready to begin class.

Edward met me at my locker after school, a single hand draped casually in his pocket. "Hello," he greeted with a little smile.

"Hello," I said, raising an eyebrow at him. "I'm driving you home, then?"

"If you could." I could sense the smile in his voice.

"I assumed one of your lovely family members would be keen to drive you back."

"They're not too happy with me at the moment," Edward said, shifting uncomfortably against the wall of lockers.

I stopped packing up my locker and levelled him with a steady gaze. "We're coming back to that in the car," I said firmly. Edward merely stared at me. I saw his eyes shift briefly to the ground and then back to me.

With the rest of my items packed and my bookbag over my shoulders, I pushed my locker shut and asked, "Ready?" Edward simply gestured down the hallway to the front door.

We walked to my car in relative silence. Though the day's stares had filled me with enough boldness to stare them down, I was rather ashamed that I was not bold enough to stare down the Cullen clan, whose eyes I could feel burning into us as Edward and I made our way to the car. Edward had positioned himself at my side in a way that mostly shielded me from their view. Though I usually couldn't help but steal a glance in their direction, today I gladly let Edward take the brunt of their gazes.

We reached my truck and I unlocked the driver's side with my key and then unlocked Edward's door. He crawled in and waited for me while I threw my bookbag next to his legs. As I lifted my right leg to get into the truck, my left one, which was settled atop a small patch of ice slid out from under me. I started to fall backward, fully prepared that I was about to fall backward onto the ground. Before I had time to squint my eyes closed in preparation for the hit that I knew was coming, I felt Edward's icy fingers wrap around my wrist. His body stretched across the length of my truck, Edward pulled my upright with remarkable gentleness. We both waited in the moment, my outstretched arm clothing the length between us. I could feel Edward's fingers tighten just slightly.

"Thank you," I murmured after a moment of hesitation. Edward gently released my wrist from his slender fingers and then returned to his side of the truck. I cleared my throat as I (safely) crawled into the truck and brought it to life. I eased the truck out of the parking lot and then started the familiar route back to Charlie's house. An uneasy silence had settled between us and I didn't like it, so I turned on the radio, settling on a local news station. Eventually, I cleared my throat and then said, "That's a bit spooky, you know."

Edward pursed his lips.

"Does the rest of the world move in slow motion?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Edward shook his head. "Not quite."

"Then how can you keep doing that?"

"Well, I wouldn't have to keep doing that if you were a bit less clumsy."

"Hey, now," I said in a warning tone. "I've always been clumsy. It's a part of my DNA, so you're going to have to get used to it." I shrugged. "So if it's not like slow motion, then what's it like?"

"It's difficult to describe."

"Try me."

"I can… move very fast."

This was curious. "How fast?"

Edward was staring at me with that guarded expression I had seen so many times before. It was as if he was worried that the more he revealed, the more likely it would be that I would leave or reject him. Hoping to put his worries at ease, I said, "You know that I'm in this, right? Whatever we are, I'm in it for the long haul. You're not going to get rid of me easily."

Edward, who had started to stare out the window, took a breath and then said, "I could easily outpace this car if I wanted to. Any car, for that matter. Keep in mind, I have to hunt wild animals with relative ease."

I grimaced playfully. "Right. I forgot about the wild animals part." I took a breath and then asked, "You don't eat pets, do you?"

Edward's expression was equal parts offended and mortified.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" I said, grinning at him. I reached across the cab of the truck to playfully punch his arm, but nearly knocked myself over when he didn't budge at all. "Ow," I said, shaking my hand in the air and then rubbing my knuckles. "You really need to work on this whole light-hearted human thing. We humans do have fun sometimes, you know."

Edward chuckled. "I'll work on it."

"Good. So then, about your family. It's because of me that they're not happy." It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Edward rumbled.

"What did I do?"

Edward shook his head. "It's not that simple."

"Well, I must have done something. They've been death glaring at me since I came here." I suddenly remembered Alice's kind expressions each day and added, "Except for that pixie-haired girl. She seems friendly."

"Alice," Edward murmured, a faint smile playing over his lips. There was an expression in his eyes that I could quite place. I knew there was more between them that I would have to inquire about later. I made a mental note that Alice might be the only Cullen family member that did not currently hate me. I pulled into Charlie's driveway, put the truck in park, crossed my arms, and stared at Edward, waiting silently for him to continue.

Edward obliged, continuing with a misty expression, "My family is… we're very close-we have to be. I was Carlisle's first change. And for many years, it was just the two of us. Being a vampire can be...very isolating. But Carlisle and I had each other. And for many years, that was enough; Carlisle trained me to control my thirst and I took it upon myself to help others of our kind transition to animal feeding. I felt as if I was contributing something good to the world, like Carlisle was doing with his medical skills. As our family grew-first with Esme, then with Rosalie and Emmett-I started to feel lost. Rosalie and Emmett thrived after the change. They had each other and adapted to our new... lifestyle remarkably well. I, having tracked down and convinced as many vampires as I could to transition, grew listless. By the time Alice joined our family, I had grown quite unhappy. I struggled to see my future." He chuckled at this, as if he had just shared an inside joke, but then continued without pausing to explain. "For a short while, I thought I had found a kindred spirit in Alice-someone who was seeking something greater. But she was merely waiting for Jasper. The last few decades have been… dark for me. Everyone else in my family, they have some sense of purpose with this life; Carlisle has his medical practice, Esme has us, Rosalie and Emmett have each other, and Alice and Jasper are both focused on his integration into human life."

Edward turned to me suddenly and there was a gentle appreciation in his expression that momentarily knocked the breath out of my lungs. "And then you moved to Forks. That first day, I didn't think much of you. I'll admit my curiosity was piqued when I realized I couldn't hear your thoughts, but when you entered that classroom and I…" Edward closed his eyes as he trailed away. "Alice hadn't seen you coming, which is why I was so blindsided. But the second I escaped that Biology classroom on your first day here, she found me." Edward opened his eyes again and his gaze burned into mine. "And what she showed me made me feel like I had a purpose again."

"Me?" I asked, my voice just an incredulous whisper. "I'm giving you purpose?"

Edward nodded. "Yes."

"How?" I shook my head, not understanding. "How do I give you purpose?"

Edward's head shook imperceptibly from left to right-a silent cue that he was not going to tell me.

A pit settled firmly in my stomach. I could sense that Edward was withholding something for my own good. I decided to change the subject. "How did Alice show you that? What did you mean?"

Edward's gaze softened; clearly, he was relieved that I had not pushed the subject anymore. "Alice can see the future."

I blinked at him several times in quick succession. "I'm sorry-what? Like… the actual future?"

He shrugged. "Kind of. It can be hard to predict the future because the future changes based on people's decisions, but for the most part, yes; she can see future events that haven't happened yet."

"How did she not see me coming, then?"

Edward smiled. "You know how I can't read your mind?" I nodded. "Well, it would appear that blocked you from Alice's initial visions. She can see you now, but she has to focus specifically on you to see anything."

I was taken aback. What the hell was wrong with me? First, I'm immune to Edward's mind-reading capabilities, now I'm hard for Alice to read? I jumped when Edward cleared his throat. "What?" I asked. Then I suddenly realized that he had been studying my facial expression, trying to decipher what I was thinking.

Before I could call him out on it, Edward said, "You have to understand how incredibly difficult it is not to have access to your thoughts. I've been eavesdropping on people's thoughts and desires for almost a century; it's become a bit of a crutch. It's remarkably challenging to be unable to discern what you're thinking."

I smiled. "Welcome to being a human."

Realizing this was all he was going to get out of me at the moment, Edward sighed. I did so as well, trying to process all of the information he had thrown at me.

"Well, I suppose I've rather overstayed my welcome." Edward patted the seat of my truck, and then nodded at me. "Thanks for the ride." He started to let himself out of my truck and then, pondering something, turned around. "Same time tomorrow?" he asked. It was clear from the way one of his eyebrows was quirked just higher than the other that Edward wasn't sure what my reply would be.

I couldn't help but smile warmly at his question and nerves. "Same time tomorrow," I said quietly and with a small nod.

Edward pressed his lips together, concealing a smile, and then shut my car door. As he made his way back to his car and drove off, I sat glued to the spot, still trying to process everything I had just learned about Edward Cullen. As the silence of my truck became deafening, I shook my head, trying to shake away the overwhelming urge I had had to reach out and hug Edward while he was talking. Gathering my bookbag, I trucked up the steps to Charlie's house and let myself in.

As I got ready for bed that night, I found myself re-playing our conversation from the car. How in the world could I give Edward purpose? Was he destined to save me from falls and car accidents for the rest of my life? Because that did not sound very purposeful. Also, I knew I would grow very annoyed if Edward followed me everywhere waiting for the slightest slip, fall, tumble, or spill. I couldn't understand it. I needed to know what Alice had seen. Knowing that Edward would not willingly share Alice's vision with me, I resigned that my best bet was to go right to the source. I needed to talk to Alice directly.