Soleil

6.5 EDWARD'S POV

4. HIS APPLE

Edward found himself running to catch up to Jessica and Bella as they walked to the cafeteria for the lunch period. He was forced into the enemy's territory, so he was at least grateful to only have to talk with Jessica as he focused his thoughts on how to deal with Bella.

It was too soon for his own liking that Jessica had invited Bella to their conversation. Edward knew it was coming as he saw Jessica pull on Bella's arm when she stopped moving in tandem with them down the lunch line.

Edward's eyes flicked to the area he last observed Bella staring before she had turned off. His eyebrows furrowed as he reviewed that the Cullen posse was back to full capacity. Edward himself momentarily froze, there was an odd familiarity to the scene.

"Hello? Bella? What do you want?" Jessica asked Bella.

He did not care, but muttered the words anyways, "What's wrong with Bella?" Edward was thrown off by the genuine concern apparent in his voice.

"Nothing," Bella answered, obviously flustered. "I'll just get a soda today."

"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked. Edward could not comprehend why girl's skipped lunch. Food was AMAZING. Delicious. Something to never ever be taken for granted. It should be savored. Even if that food was chicken nuggets, corn, a half pint of 2% milk, and an apple. The fritos bag in his backpack was also a bonus to add to his meal today. Enjoy your soda, Edward mocked Bella in his head. Downplaying his frown that should have instead been a smirk.

"Actually, I feel a little sick." Edward rolled his eyes. Always the master manipulator. She even had him duped. What game was she playing? Edward was not oblivious to her eyes obsessing over every morsel of food on his and Jessica's lunch trays. She just sipped on her soda, pretending it was placating her hunger. To test her, twice he had asked how she was feeling. It was his prompted line anyways. The test was her reaction to the sincerity in his words. Her reply each time was that it was nothing.

Edward was weary of how to figure out her backstory. How much did she know? Was she a part of this cruel world and an enforcer? Why would she want to participate? He was struggling to figure out his enemy. But at least what made the struggle tolerable was the delicious food he was consuming. Every meal almost seemed like his last, that he would never have another opportunity to eat ever again.

In the midst of enjoying his food, "listening" to Jessica gossip, and dissecting all of Bella's previous actions with him, he was robbed. Edward's eyes widened in horror mid-chew as Bella's dainty, thieving hand swiped his apple.

Edward's mouth parted open in offense, but he could not call her out despite catching her in the act. His mouth widened open further in shock when Bella waved the apple in front of his face before running her poisonous tongue over its red surface and taking a bite. Edward clenched his jaw, suppressing his surprise. He somehow managed to calmly continued to finish his lunch while Bella sported a wicked smile between each bite of his apple.

He had nothing to say over such an overt action by her? That seemed impossible. How could he not at least even joke to her about it, even if his character was not supposed to be mad over the stolen apple? Was it…another unscripted action? Like how she handed him the note? Was she testing him further to ensure he would not break his predetermined course of action?

"Bella, what are you staring at?" Edward frowned at Jessica's interruption into his thoughts. Edward's shoulders slumped down, reviewing Bella with Jessica. From what he could tell, Jessica had just intruded on Bella's love affair with his apple. Was Bella trying to make a point? Why deny being hungry just to steal his apple? Edward was no longer bothered by Jessica's question. He too was curious about Bella's defense as he rested a hand under his chin and leaned his elbow on the surface of the table, drawing nearer to Bella.

Edward stifled a laugh as she rolled her eyes in response. She was trapped and could not escape now.

"Mike Cullen is staring at you."

Edward whipped his head back to Jessica, unsure he heard her correctly. He had been glowering at Bella for the last minute as she worked on his apple. Nothing in that time had diverted her attention from the apple. Was Jessica implying Bella had been staring at Mike or had she used the subject of staring to steer the conversation towards him? Processing these interactions was causing Edward a headache because he still had a part to play on the outside despite his inner thoughts.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" Edward watched Bella cringe through narrowed eyes.

"No," Jessica replied, sounding confused. "Should he be?"

"I don't think he likes me." She had not sounded that upset. Perhaps, even slightly elated.

Edward was forced to interrupt Bella and Jessica and turn the conversation to the upcoming snowball fight. He and Jessica discussed the plans while Bella remained mute. His apple was eaten to the core and her soda was sucked dry. She had nothing else to occupy herself with, but she offered no opinions. On the contrary, her expression screamed she was dying to say something. Anything. Perhaps Mike's return had caused her discomfort after all. The Cullen kid had not had a warm reception to her last week on her first day.

Edward decided to leave that alone while routine at this point dictated he walk to Biology with Bella. Along their path, he covered her from any surprise snowball attacks. Edward muffled a string of complaints, whole heartedly agreeing with his words of annoyance.

Nothing was said between them as they parted ways in Biology.

"Hello." Edward glanced across the aisle and noted Mike was now on speaking terms with Bella. "My name is Mike Cullen." Edward's lip twitched when he watched Bella turn away from Mike to face the front of the classroom. As if she did not care about his introduction. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan."

"H-how do you know my name?" Bella stammered. Edward's left hand flung over his heart that had stammered as well with her response. She was nervous, but why did he care?

He had been caught. Bella locked eyes with him. Her stare seemed to be challenging him to say something. He raised an eyebrow in question. Not caving into what she wanted.

Mike resumed speaking to Bella, oblivious that her attention was still on Edward. Edward was not in his right mind as he tore piece of paper from his biology notebook and scribbled down the first thought that had popped into his head.

Are you okay?

He was not sure why he had asked it. But impulse demanded he needed an answer.

"No!"

His heart resumed to stammer, unsure of himself and the enemy in front of him. Had he been wrong about her?

"I meant, why did you call me Bella?"

Edward's heartbeat quieted to a steady, regular rhythm. He was so focused on its change of pace that he missed out on the tears pricking the bottom of her eyes that disappeared with a quick flick of her fingertips.

Edward did catch Bella shaking her head. But he knew it was not meant for him but Mike.

Mike sounded confused as he asked, "Do you prefer Isabella?" Edward was confused too, but for different reasons. He forced his face to the front of the room, giving Bella and Mike the privacy to their continued conversation as class began.

5. HYPOCRITE

It took everything in Edward's willpower to ignore Mike and Bella. It was more difficult when he finished the lab for him and his partner in under ten minutes. He had beat Mike and Bella by three minutes. They only lagged because they shared the microscope versus him doing the worksheet himself. His partner had not minded in the least.

It wasn't until Mike made a particular bold statement that Edward no longer wanted to pretend he wasn't overhearing their entire conversation. "You put on a good show," he overheard Mike say. "But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone else see." When Mike paused, Edward looked over to Bella for the first time since class had begun. Bella looked like someone had squeezed the life out of her.

"Am I wrong?" Mike followed. Was he? Edward too wondered to himself. And so, he scratched out his original question and held up the note in the air to Bella that asked, Is he?

Edward blinked when Bella's middle finger responded on her behalf.

"I didn't think so," Mike followed up, smugness smothering his words.

"Why does it matter to you?" Bella's inflection on whom she was addressing caused a stir in Edward. Was she answering him this time instead of Mike? If she was, he would answer in kind.

He wrote in response, it doesn't. Mike's response was more altruistic. "That's a very good question." Bella appeared displeased with both answers as she scowled, returning her attention to the blackboard in the front of the classroom.

"Am I annoying you?" Edward was amused by how much Mike was amused with Bella's dismissal. Even Edward got the hint that Mike was either ignorant to or chose to ignore Bella's actions.

"Not exactly," she replied to Mike, hissing through her teeth. "I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is easy to read – my mother always calls me her open book."

Edward begged to differ and agreed with Mike's response that Bella was difficult to read.

"Good," Bella muttered. Edward's head jerked back at the light glowing in Bella's chocolate eyes at her snarky response. She was…. excited or proud? Edward could not help but bare the slightest of smiles at Bella's outburst.

"You must be a good reader then." If Bella had not flashed an obscenely victorious smile before breaking Edward's ear drums with a high-pitched cackle, he would have thought those two sentences were supposed to go together.

"Usually," Mike replied, too pleased with himself despite Bella's current display.

Bella continued to hoot, very un-lady like, similar to a villainous just finishing the reveal of her evil master plan. Shortly when her excitement tapered off after Mr. Banner's disapproving stare, the bell rang. Mike disappeared like a bat out of hell and Edward did not seem to mind his course flowed him back to Bella's side. He meandered to her desk, ready to initiate his chivalry phase as he bent over to retrieve her books. Before his hands made contact with the stack, Bella's black boot was covering the top book.

Edward felt lighter. Like something was snipped and he was not going to be made to wait until she removed her foot to complete his progress forward. To his supreme delight, Edward took a step back while raising his hands in the air, suggesting his innocence. He too would not freely choose to carry her books.

Bella's only response was to wave her finger at him in rejection before snapping her fingers. Her actions were dizzying since he was not familiar with total freewill over his body. There were tiny, miniscule moments. The best one thus far being when he ripped up the note she had handed to him. Oh, how the tables had turned in such a short amount of time. Edward thus decided to shove his idle hands in his front jean pockets, ready to resume what came next.

"That was awful," he spoke carefully while testing the waters of wriggling his fingers in his pocket. It was a relief they were no longer itching to hold her books. What was awful though? Her conversation with Mike? Oh…of course, the lab. "They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner." And then he snickered because he did not mean a lick of what he just said. He finished the lab like he had performed it dozens of times before.

Bella scoffed. "I didn't have any trouble with it. I've done the lab before, though."

"Cullen seems friendly enough today." It was true. But he really did not care. Bella was his focus.

"I wonder what was with him last month." But she also sounded like she did not care about this subject topic either. "Like I care," she snickered, confirming his suspicions.

Again. She was going off script again. She had to! Not just with her actions, but her words. How did she do it? Edward tilted his head to the side, frustrated he could not directly ask her about it. He felt validated when Bella too had a surprised expression on her face. She opened her mouth and seemed to move her lips as if she was speaking. But Edward did not read lips, so he just shrugged in response, unsure of her intent.

Edward's meaningless chatter along their path to Gym vexed him when far better words should have been exchanged with Bella while she was by his side. He scowled upon realizing he was going to give in to his backup plan. Before he parted ways from Bella, he slipped a note in her hand.

Edward knew he was a hypocrite as he pushed open the door to the men's locker room. He was performing, not by choice, his life as if he were living on a stage for others to view. He did not live for himself. He was Edward Newton on the outside, but something else lurked beneath his skin. Another version that did not sit well with his chosen role. He too deserved the hypocrite title when he had chosen to pass on his third question to Bella during the day. It was just one word, to play it safe.

How?

Because he was positive she had truly broken character in class and had continued to confirm it once Biology was over. However if she had not and he was mistaken, his question could easily be misdirected with a different intent.

6. NOT HER

She did not provide him a response in P.E., even after he diligently shielded her from ever touching the ball, aside when she was obligated to serve. That was a disaster but Edward had become aware, along with the rest of the school already, that Bella was no athlete.

The next day, he was sure he would have one answer or another. He hoped it was the one he wanted though. He arrived at school eager enough to watch Bella pull up to the parking lot with snow-chained tires on her junky truck. Her preparation for handling the weather impressed him, considering where she had moved from.

His freewill was not what it was the day before though. He was glued in place by her car, prevented from going anywhere near her as he waited for them to cross paths. She was studying her tires when Edward became aware of Tyler's van, skittering on the ice, out of control. On a direct path towards Bella.

"Bella!" Edward shouted, dragging his body forward against the force holding him back. A high-pitched screech masked the devastation in Edward's voice as terror took hostage of his body. He locked eyes with Bella, understanding it was his final moment to share with her. Not her! All Edward could do was look at her with horror-struck eyes despite his consciousness thrashing against the notion he could not save her. To his core, deep in his soul, he knew she was not meant to die here, now.

In the moment Bella should have been wedged between her truck and Tyler's van, a miracle occurred. Edward blinked. She was on the pavement, someone hovering over her, as the van skittered around the place of impact, secluding Bella and… Mike?... from public view.

Mike had saved her?

Edward followed the crowd to surround the scene of the accident.

Bella had lived.

Mike had saved her.

After being forced to watch Tyler be assessed, the crowd shifted to focus on Bella. It blew his mind that she had not been the first concern due to her almost being smashed to pieces by a van.

Relief spread through Edward's chest, soothing the terror still threatening to choke him out. A fitting punishment for only being a bystander as Bella almost died right in front of him. He was not allowed to approach her, but he watched. He was rewarded when she returned his stare. Perhaps even telling him everything was okay. He would have bought it too if there was not a hostile atmosphere charging between her and Mike despite the bustle around them. As she was forced to go to the hospital in the ambulance, she offered Edward one last glance. Her cold look cut him deep.

Her eyes read, a little too late, as in coming to terms with no, she was not the enemy. She was actually on his side. All along.

Author's Note: So-so on this. I feel my descriptors are repetitive and that is more just sign of my lazy writing. Also, posted this early since I remembered Easter is on Sunday, so it messed with my intended update schedule of Fri/Sat/Sun.

Ch 7 & 8 I really like as some more bigger revelations occur. This might be the last e pov I do for awhile until it becomes necessary again. The next chapters will be posted Fri/Sat. ~pixelephant