Chapter 13

BPOV

The next morning, I got ready for school on autopilot. Getting ready in the bathroom, I ran a brush quickly through my hair. Sparing myself a quick glance in the mirror I noted that the small cut on my cheek from Charlie throwing the plate was barely visible. Just barely a scratch on the surface.

Throwing my coat on and grabbing my car keys from the bowl on the hall table I locked up and left the house. Driving to school was a slow process. The roads were slick from the rain last night, and it was starting to sleet with snow. Taking a mental note to check my tires for these sorts of conditions when I got home from school tonight.

Finally pulling into the school's carpark I quickly found an empty spot. I sat in my car for several minutes as I was a bit early and had no desire to interact with anyone before the bell rang. I was just getting my iPod out of my bag when a quiet tap came from outside my driver's window making me jump.

Looking up I saw Edward. When he saw me looking at him, he grinned and opened my car door.

"Bella," he greeted.

I sat forward with my head bent, an unconscious movement to help keep my face covered. "Hi."

"Are you going to sit in here all day?" He asked.

I just stared at him.

The slight smile that he had dimmed slightly at my lack of response. His eyes looked past me, and I turned my head slightly to see Alice and Jasper standing on the grass outside my passenger's side window. Looking Jasper his eyes were on me like Alice's were, but he looked like he was in pain. Or he could have been glaring at me. Probably the latter as he looked as fit as the rest of his family.

Looking back at Edward, I noticed that his jaw was clenched, and his hand was fisted tightly around the edge of my car door. His eyes were glued to Jasper, and if I didn't know any better, I would have thought that he was communicating with Jasper telepathically. The whole look was giving him a deadly edge, making me subconsciously pull back. His eyes snapped down to look at me, and I noticed that his eyes were black again, not the golden brown that they had been when he first opened my car door.

My lips parted, to say what? I wasn't sure. But I knew for whatever reason I was glued to my car seat. Unshakeable fear had taken root and my hands were trembling slightly in my lap. A small gasp left my lips with my effort to communicate.

Just like that, it was like a flip had switched. Edward smiled at me as his hands loosened around the edge of my car door. "You know, we could just ditch today. We could play hooky and get something to eat?"

His easy smile had me relaxing in my seat, and I felt my muscles loosen as the anxiety left me. "It does sound like a great idea, but I don't know if I can. We have that paper due in English today, remember?"

Edward groaned playfully before reaching across me to grab my backpack off my seat. "Well, we best be moving then."

I smiled back at him, and Edward took a step back to allow me room to slide out my car. As I turned my back to him to lock my car, I noticed that Jasper sent Edward a small nod of his head.

Turning back around I made a move to take my backpack off Edward, but he just started walking forward at a slow pace that was easy for me to keep up with. Casting me a small glance, I noticed his attention stayed riveted on my face. I casted him a quick shy grin before my head lowered and I watched my feet as we approached Alice and Jasper.

"Hi Bella!" Alice chirped as soon as we were close enough.

I looked back up smiling slightly at her enthusiasm. "Hi, Alice."

"What period do you have first?" She asked.

"Uh, English I believe."

My eyes slid sideways to look at Jasper who has taken to stand next to Edward. His eyes were still set on me, and nervousness bubbled up inside me as it felt like he was seeing straight through me to my core. Realistically I knew I was being irrational. But Jasper had an air of strength about him, as well as a sense of a 'no bullshit' type of attitude.

Looking back down again I noticed my hands starting to tremble with my anxiety in meeting Edward's brother for the first time. Shoving my hands in the pockets of my coat, I forced myself to look back up.

They were all still looking at me. Something that I was beginning to realise was just normal behaviour for them. Social outcasts from the rest of Forks teen population like myself. I could deal with Edwards attentive gaze, and Alice's curious one, but Jasper's felt interrogating. It was only his gaze that was putting me on edge.

As if he suddenly felt this, he looked back out across the carpark watching as a monstrous Jeep approached. My body sagged with relief, and I took a good lungful of refreshing air. Immediately feeling better. My hands loosened from their tight fists, and I pulled them out from my pockets just as the first warning bell rang.

"This is Jasper, who I'm sure you've seen or heard about," Edward spoke quietly in my ear.

Jasper looked back at me. But this time it was a more friendly rather than a piercing look.

Giving him a small nod of my head, I felt even more of my anxiety leave me as I smiled at him. "Hey Jasper. Nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise, Bella," He drawled with a southern accent.

Looking past him, I noticed that Rosalie and Emmett were climbing out of the large Jeep that had pulled in beside Edward's Volvo.

Feeling a light grip take a hold of my hand I flinched slightly as I glanced back at Edward to notice that he was watching me with a grimace on his face from seeing my flinch.

"Let's head off to English, Bella."

I nodded turning to say a final goodbye to Alice and Jasper. Jasper once again had that look of pain on his face.

Edwards hand came up and before I could even blink his thumb was gently caressing my cheekbone. My lips parted on a soft inhale as my gaze locked with his. His black eyes glancing over each feature as his thumb never stopped that slow stroke back and forward over my cheek.

Huffing roughly, Edward dropped the hand that had bee stroking me to start leading us off to English class. I frowned at the sudden change in his mood as we began walking.

It wasn't until we were climbing the steps into the building that I realised that he had be caressing the cheek with the small cut on it.

The one that had been hit by the plate last night.

.o.O.o.

The rest of the morning passed quickly until we were once again sitting at out usual table for lunch. Looking around I noticed that Edward and the rest of the Cullen's were seated at their table already.

Placing my food tray down on the table that held a small bottle of water and a sandwich, I took the seat that was between Jessica and Angela.

"Hey! The Push baby, are you in?" Eric shouted as I sat.

I pulled a face. "Should I know what that means?"

"The Push beach down at the Quileute Rez." Mike leaned in, taking a stick of cucumber off Jessica's plate.

"And I don't just surf the internet!" Eric laughed.

Mike jumped up on his chair, pretending that he was riding a wave as him and Eric started goading each other.

"Eric, you stood up once and it was a foam board!" Jessica shot at Eric in looking very unimpressed.

"There's whale watching too, you should come with us," Angela said softly beside me.

"Come on Bella, It's La Push" Eric said again imitating a very badly done Italian accent.

"Ok I'll go if you stop saying it like that." I laugh. I was already thinking ahead in how I was going to be able to go without getting into more trouble with Charlie at home.

Looking back at the table I realised that I had left my vegetable salad up by the salad bar. Muttering to Angela that I would be back in a second I went over to grab it. Thinking to myself as I walked over and grabbed my salad. Maybe I could say that I had a project with Angela this weekend so I was going over tonight to study being a Friday, so that I was home to work and do anything else over the actual weekend.

Just as I was reaching for an apple to add I heard a quiet voice speak beside me.

"Edible art."

I gasped taken by surprise. Knocking the apple off the edge of the table as I turned, I watched as it fell towards the floor. Only, it didn't hit the ground, it bounced off Edwards shoe and he caught it between both hands. Holding it out to me, I took it back after a stunned second at his coordination skills.

When I looked up at him, He grinned back at me in greeting.

"Bella."

I exhaled as I picked up the apple and moved around to the other side of the bar.

"You know, you give me a bit of whiplash when you do that," I said.

Edward chuckled. "Sorry, I'll try to keep that in mind."

I just pulled an exasperated face at his amused tone. "I need to get a bell or something for you."

Edwards smooth chuckle floated around me as he laughed. "Well, I think we can arrange that."

I just shook my head as I picked up my now full bowl. As the next idea came to mind, I had the distinct feeling of ants crawling under my skin as nerves shot through me.

"What are you thinking so intensely about?" Edward asked quietly as he stepped closer.

"Why don't we hang out after school?" I asked feeling bold and refusing to think about what Charlie said to me about boys. It's not like I was asking Edward to be my boyfriend or anything crazy.

Edward smiled softly. "What did you have in mind?"

"Everybody is going down to the beach. You should come. You know have fun." I huff out laughing a little.

The smile started to disappear from Edward's face as a frown took over. "Which beach?"

I looked back at my table to see that everyone was watching us. Mike looked like he was glaring at the back of Edward's head.

"La Push."

Edward's frowned deepened as he pushed away from the salad bar. Taking a step away from me and putting more distance between us. For some reason that I didn't want to think about too much, it hurt.

"I don't know about that one." Edward said.

"Is there something wrong with that beach?" I demanded still feeling annoyed at myself over the brief moment of hurt.

"It's just a bit crowded for me. I'll see you later ok?" Edward said, stroking the back of my hand gently before he turned to go back to his seat.

Feeling dejected I grabbed my salad bowl and apple and headed back to my own table. Away from Edward Cullen.

Hello my lovelies! I'm so sorry it has been so long since my last updates. Work, life and everything in between kept me busy. Plus I've been reading up a storm after work. How are we all going with our yearly reading goals now that the year is almost over?

Thank you for all the kind words and Kudos on the last chapter as well as the ones that DM'd me directed to check in for an update. It all means the world to me and shows that people do want to read what I write.

The next chapter is already in progress and will feature that talk with Jacob that will get the ball rolling on the Cullen's secret as well as some other little tid bits of drama.

Keep following along and save the story for future updates, as I will continue writing until I finish this even if updates are quite slow – especially coming into Christmas soon. (I work full time as a store manager in retail – it gets hectic)

Love you guys, I'll update again soon!

~ Sarah.