**Hey guys I just wanted to let you know that I have some little extras for this story that I can't find a way to add here. If you'd like to see Jaspers "drawings" feel free to join my facebook group dedicated to this story, and anymore I write in the future. We can chat and discuss whatever you'd like, recommend other fics. Whatever you like! just search "superlunar" on facebook and click join, or PM me for the link! It won't let me post the link here***
Chapter 4.
I had decided not to ask Bella to sit with me at lunch, so that I could ease the worry of my siblings. Yet here I was now, sitting alone, with thirty minutes left to spare. I thought briefly about going to join Rose and Emmett in the Jeep, but decided that I should probably just give her some space. I was sure she was on the phone with Carlisle, ratting me out at this very moment. I would just have to suck it up and face the consequences later. I hadn't done anything wrong, nothing that crossed a line. Hopefully Emmett could talk some sense into her.
Bella was sitting at the table in the middle of the lunch room, surrounded by her new friends. Each one of them vying for her attention, like a child yelling out "Look what I can do!" before springing into a cartwheel. I noticed that Mike Newton hardly ever took his eyes off of her, he was captivated. I could feel his crush on her deepening, as superficial as it was. I had to wonder if Bella would even be interested in someone like him. There was nothing special about him, he was completely average. I couldn't imagine Bella being interested in him rambling on about Basketball, or his mediocre grasp on all things intellectual. He wasn't exactly a complete idiot, but he wasn't very deep. Everything about him lived right on the surface, there was nothing to uncover. Eric Yorke was another student who was interested in Bella. I didn't think I had to worry too much in respect to him though, his feelings weren't as strong. I was mostly just getting feelings of fleeting teenage lust, and from what I've felt from him in the past, I figured he was too shy to actually do anything about them. I also didn't think he had the guts to compete against Mike, who was being much more blatant about his liking Bella.
Jessica Stanley appeared to be just as interested as everyone else in Bella, but there was a thick veil of jealousy clouding her. I wondered if she was more jealous of the general amount of attention that Bella was getting, or specifically, the attention that Mike Newton was paying her. Probably a good bit of both. When Jessica had realized I wasn't going to be her victim, she had turned her sights on the boring blonde boy. From what I could tell, he hadn't noticed and didn't feel anything but friendly towards her. Which made her that more angry that he had noticed Bella.
Angela Webber was the only student sitting at the table with Bella, that was acting normal. She wasn't effected by the glitz of having a new student around. She was treating her like she would anyone else. Her emotions were a pleasant mix of friendly, generally good vibes. She had no ill intent towards Bella, unlike Jessica, who's jealousy was only growing by the second. As Jessica's jealousy grew, so did the unnatural smile painted on her face, it was weird to watch. Angela, however wasn't disguising anything, and was being genuinely friendly towards Bella, which made me kind of like her.
I watched as Bella mentally checked out of the conversations surrounding her and her eyes met mine. She gave me a little grin, and I couldn't help but return it with my own. For a brief moment, I could feel that same feeling from this morning. We were one in the same, like all of the sudden the room that held a hundred students, was now empty, and it was only her and I staring at each other from across the room. It was such a beautiful feeling, I wished that she was nearer so that I could let her feel my own feelings swirling with hers.
"Bella. Bella? Bella!" Jessica said, increasing her volume with each "Bella". And just like that the moment was over. I saw Bella blink several times as if she were coming out of a day dream, like she had this morning. I felt her embarrassment simmer over before she acknowledged Jessica. "Come on it's time to go! You have bio next right? Jessica asked her as she picked up her lunch tray. Bella followed suit and cleaned up her own things, not daring to look my way again.
"Uh yeah, with Mr. Banner" Bella answered, following Jessica over to the trash can.
"Yeah, we have that class together, come on Bella, I'll walk with you!" Mike inserted enthusiastically, swelling with hope. I waited anxiously to hear what she'd say. It was a friendly enough gesture, maybe she would agree, just to be polite.
"Um, actually I have to use the restroom, I'll just see you in there if that's cool." Bella said, nervously. She was struggling with her honesty. A smile broke my lips. She was lying. Why would she lie? Maybe she could see through Mike Newton's failed attempts at disguising his crush with friendly gestures. Maybe she was just sick of being fawned over and needed a moment alone. Whatever the case, I was thankful that Mike didn't get an extra moment with her to himself, that she didn't fuel his hopes. He was disappointed, but his ego didn't allow for him to sulk over the declined invitation.
"Sure thing, see yah in there!" he said in a chipper tone, masking his disappointment. He didn't make it but a few feet away from the group before his smile had warped into a frown. I waited for Bella and her friends to exit the lunchroom before I made my way out. I checked my phone for any warnings from Alice before heading to biology. Once again, there was nothing. I sighed and put the phone back in my pocket, and walked into class. I appeared to be the last student in, and there was only one seat available. I grinned when I saw who was in the seat next to the open one, then I broke into a full on smile when I felt Mike Newton's pang of jealousy.
"Ah, Mr. Hale. I see you will be taking your brothers spot, he was due to be paired with Miss Swan, just over in that seat back there." Mr. Banner said to me, before directing his attention to the rest of the class. "Okay today you'll be working on an assignment with your partner. Read through chapter 10 on cell cycle and cell division, and fill out the corresponding work sheet." he said, passing the papers around the room.
"Are you stalking me?" Bella asked as I took the seat next to her. She didn't feel uneasy though, rather amused, with a little excitement, though she was trying to suppress it.
"No, I guess I just got lucky." I said to Bella, grinning. I could hear her heartbeat increase as her face grew redder. A scratch in my throat caught me off guard, but I was quickly able to get it under control. I swallowed a bit of venom and said "So, let's see what you know about cell division Miss Swan." I had to keep focused, and so did she. If we kept busy then maybe we could avoid anymore of those moments where time seemed to stop. After all, maybe they were just in my head. She hadn't gone out of her way to be friendly to me, we just happened to be in some of the same classes. Was it possible that this was all just some delusion I'd created?
"Actually we were a few chapters ahead in Phoenix, this should be easy." she said, confidently. Great. It looked like we weren't going to be that busy after all. Though, she wasn't aware that I had been through this several times already. Maybe we could remain busy though, if she thought I still needed to learn.
"Cool, maybe you can teach me a thing or two then." I said, regretting it instantly. Why the hell did I phrase it like that? Jesus, I might as well have winked too. The innuendo didn't go unnoticed. I felt her embarrassment, and her cheeks flushed that lovely rose color once more as she looked away. Dammit. I felt the venom flood my mouth. The scratch in my throat deepening. I swallowed hard and tried to conceal my discomfort. I wasn't going to let this get the best of me. I wanted to keep her safe. I'd be damned if I was going to be the one putting her in danger.
"Um - I - Uh - yeah, maybe." She said stumbling over her words, nervously. It wasn't her blood specifically that was taunting me. Nothing about it sang to me over the others. She had a lovely scent of course, but it wasn't that alone that was making me thirsty. Vampire's didn't need to breathe. We did however need to breathe in order to speak, which I hardly did at school unless it was completely necessary. However today, since meeting Bella, I had been talking much more frequently. With each sentence I took in the scent of every surrounding human. This was no reason to panic. This was natural, my reactions and maintaining my control were the critical factor.
"Ladies first." I said, through gritted teeth, trying to relax. Motioning for her to begin reading the chapter out loud. I tried to focus on her reading the painfully boring text to center myself, and I was surprised to find that it helped. There was something so soothing to me about Bella, and I hadn't been ready for it to end.
"Okay you're turn." she said pushing her book towards me so that I could read the rest of the chapter to her. Crap. Just as soon as I had got myself together, I now had to breathe again. I looked into Bella's eyes. Something in them gave me the strength to do it. I knew myself, and I knew I wasn't thirsty enough to let this be the worst case scenario. I had just fed last night. It was just an uncomfortable moment I had to work through. Had this been any other day, and any other human, Alice would have already made sure I didn't have to worry about such a thing. She would have pulled me aside and told me to leave after lunch to avoid a problem. Which left me all the more curious as to why she had been radio silent all day. What was she trying to tell me? As I read the chapter aloud to Bella, I realized that I was fine. Uncomfortable yes, but I remained in control and focused on Bella. Not hurting her was the only thing I was worried about now.
I finished reading the chapter, and we began working on the worksheet. It was simple, and we got finished quite early. There was still about 10 minutes remaining before class was over. We sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes before either of us spoke.
"So have you done anymore doodles today?" Bella asked me shyly.
"No, I usually only draw when I'm bored, and it's been a pretty interesting day." I said, giving her a grin. Expecting her embarrassment and preparing for her skin to flush. It was right on cue. Why did every little thing about her have to be so endearing. I hardly even noticed the thirst that time.
"Why do you say that?" she asked, pulling her bottom lip up between her teeth. Her big brown eyes staring right into mine. This time her nerves didn't get the best of her, but I heard her heart rate pick up. The moment between us was beginning to grow once more, and then just as fast as it came on, the bell rang, breaking it's hold. Bella blinked and gulped. Her embarrassment seeping back in.
"I guess you could say I've just had some good company. I'll see you around Bella." I said, grinning and walking out of the room before the pull to stay near her could take over. I headed off to my English class in a fog, that class had also been unaffected by my schedule change, so I went and took my usual seat towards the back. I had a lot to reflect on now that the day was coming to a close. I held my breath and settled in for the hour, letting others read aloud and answer questions. Masking myself in a cloak of indifference so the teacher would leave me be. That's probably what I should have done with Bella all day. It had actually been the plan until the moment she bumped into me in the hall and all of my logic flew out the window. One thing I did need to be aware of, was how many times I'd been caught off guard today. I was doing well with my control, but she'd snuck up on me twice. If I was going to keep her safe, I'd need to be a little more alert. I couldn't let my infatuation with her cloud my judgement.
I wanted to get to know her, to be near her, to protect her. So much so, that I would work as hard as I needed to, to make sure that she never had to feel unsafe around me. I suddenly had the realization that I would be hunting a lot more frequently, it wasn't even a question. I'd go every day if I needed to, just to make sure that I was prepared to talk with her. It had been stupid of me before to only go hunt when I was told, or when the rest of my family was going. Why did I ever feel the need to be so stubborn? It was selfish. Pride would not get the best of me anymore, because the best of me was now reserved for a small human girl with chocolate brown eyes.