The Whispering Woods
Chapter Nineteen
Edward closed his locker, hitting his head twice on it. "She's like your cousin, right?" a nasal voice asked from behind him. "Her mom and yours are like related."
He ignored the pest, barely looking long enough for him to remember who to stay away from; a blonde with what appeared to be a new nose batted her lashes at him. A bandage still on the bridge of it.
"Fuck off." He turned away; a quick look at the map Mrs. Cope had given him indicated his first class was two doors down from his locker.
The girl didn't take a hint, working a bit to catch up to his long stride. "I'm just saying, Bella, is your cousin." Her nose wrinkled; a hint of pain flashed in her eyes. "They say her dad knows what happened to your aunt."
Edward stopped to look at her. "We're not related—I'm adopted. Not that it's any of your business."
She huffed, crossing her arms under her breasts. "Whatever, the point is, I'd stay away from her."
He cocked his head, seeing the loathing in the girl's eyes. His answering smile made her go from upset to inviting, allowing him to lean a little closer. The tip of his fingers barely touched her arm when he got what he needed.
"You're such a bitch, Bella!"
Bella looked bored from behind a podium, propping up her chin in her palm. "Mr. Uley, clearly you chose the wrong person to debate against me."
Mr. Uley stood from behind his desk and sighed. "Ms. Stanley, please head to the office. I've already told you more than once not to utter such language in my classroom."
She gathered her stuff from the podium and glared at Bella. "I'm sure Principal Newton will agree with me."
"Yeah, probably after you suck his dick." Bella pretended to wipe at the corner of her lip, making Jessica do the same, then startle when the whole class laughed.
Mr. Uley nearly screamed Bella's name.
Jessica's eyes narrowed. "I'll make sure he calls your parents; oops, I mean your father since your mother never wanted you."
Bella then popped her in the nose, earning her a one day of suspension, only to have it reversed after blackmailing the principal. Jessica and her parents hadn't been happy, but she had to let it go or else everyone would've figured out why Jessica often had lunch in the office.
"I'm guessing she gave you the broken nose you recently had fixed. No wonder you don't like her."
Jessica stomped her foot, swirling around. Edward laughed as he watched her bump into several people in her effort to get away. He found his classroom just as the first bell rang. He faced the teacher, a Ms. Goff, who didn't even look up from her desk, asking for his form. She signed it quickly and told him to take the last remaining seat.
He felt everyone watching him, which he was used to, but for some reason, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. A shiver crept up his spine. Whispers were incoherent in his ears, and he turned to face the class, hie eyes instantly focusing on Bella.
She sat right beside the empty desk, her eyes on a sketchpad. The only one not staring at him.
He made his way toward her, wondering if it was even possible to stay away from her. Did he really want to? Hadn't he told himself to stop ignoring his instincts?
It was inevitable, wasn't it? "Hello, Bella."
She looked at him from under the curtain of dark hair. "Are you talking to me again?"
Still mad, he guessed, taking his seat. "Yes."
"Fine, but if you walk away from me without at least telling me you need some time to process, or that you'll be back, it will be for the last time."
He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you threatening me?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to get close to someone who finds it so damn easy to run from me."
He swallowed when her eyes glazed with unshed tears. She was showing him the most vulnerable part of her, arming him with the kind of information that could destroy her.
"I'm not good at being friends with anyone."
"Does it look like I am?" She gestured toward the class.
He glanced around and noticed how everyone would flick their eyes toward them, but immediately looked away. As if they feared Bella.
"They're scared of you?"
One corner of her incredible mouth tipped up. "Aren't you?"
"Most definitely."
She tried not to look proud, then pretending to be offended. Her long lashes fluttered. "I'm flabbergasted."
Edward groaned as the last bell rang and Ms. Goff asked for their attention in Spanish.
AN: Please remember they are teens and have mood swings, in this case, they're both giving me whiplash. So now you know how Edward's power works, sort of like Aro in the books, but there's a bit more to it. The thing that happened with Charlie in the coffee shop Bella works at is a very rare occurrence.
Thanks to MC, any mistakes are mine. My husband will be out of town from Saturday until late Monday, the kids all have somewhere to be with their own rides. So I'm hoping I can write all weekend, visit Starbucks for hours and have more 10k words days. I'm updating Perpetual Existence next. See you on Tuesday.