Bella's POV
Country music booms through the radio sitting on a tall wooden stool inside the gym. The sound of clumping feet stepping to the beat of country music fills the room as our square-dancing ruinte carries on. Edward and I shyly smile at each other.
When class started, we had to do our warm-up stretches, which proved to be dangerous for me. Since then he and I have been stealing glances at one another, which is nice. But dancing close to him like this is intimate in a way, and I like it.
"This is fun, isn't it?" Edward asks, as if he can read my mind.
I'm not sure why, but during the car ride with his siblings this morning, I got the feeling that he could do just that; read minds. That sounds ridiculous, I know. I try to shake off that thought; it's something I plan to ask him later. For now, I try to concentrate on not tripping over my own two feet.
"Yes." I grin, answering his question.
A crooked grin appears on his angelic face; his golden eyes twinkle, and his tousled hair bounces with each movie he makes. His bronze hair is so beautiful, and given the chance, I'd like to run my fingers through it. I imagine how his hair would feel beneath my fingertips. So soft and silky.
I keep looking at his hair. In a way I can't explain, it seems to be the most human thing about him. Not that I mind that he's not human because I don't.
"Are you okay?" Edward wonders, keeping his voice down and his eyes on me. "You keep looking at me. Wait, you're not going to faint again, are you?"
"No." I blush. I wish he would forget I fainted this morning.
He sighs but doesn't say anything else. We continue to square dance in the back of the gym, away from the rest of our class.
"You're doing great, class," Coach Clapp calls out. "Time to switch."
Everyone else but Edward and I, switch partners. I feel lucky that no one else is brave enough to dance with us, so I get him all to myself. After all, who would want to partner up with a klutz like me?
Throughout my life, well, ever since Kindergarten, I had figured out that I wasn't a fast runner like other children. I also had a challenging time staying steady on my own two feet without bumping into others. I'm not athletic by any means. I'm clumsy, and because of that, I never liked recess time or gym class. Especially after I moved in with my dad and learned that my Elementary school required all grades to have gym class every day. That was not fun for me, and by the time I was ten, I had come up with many different ways to get out of gym class.
Sometimes, I got lucky and even succeeded.
In sixth grade, my gym teacher was Polish, so I decided to brush up on my history about Poland and started telling her everything I knew about her homeland. She was so interested in the facts I knew that she let me sit out the whole week of dodgeball while we had long conversations about everything that had to do with her homeland. It was actually fun and much more educational than having a red ball tossed at me by my more athletic classmates. One of the highlights of that week was that I even learned how to speak a little Polish, and I didn't scrape my knees like I usually did in PE.
In seventh grade, I found out that if I complained about period cramps, my gym teacher, who was a man, would get all squeamish and let me sit on the bleachers. That worked until I got carried away and used that excuse one too many times. My teacher became very concerned when I had cramps for two and a half weeks. He sent me to the school nurse, who immediately called my dad, telling him I needed to be picked up early and taken to the emergency room along with the reason why. That was so embarrassing.
I never used that excuse again.
In eight grade, I tried to fake a sprained ankle without success. By that time, getting out of gym class had caught up to me, and it wasn't so easy. I'm sure the gym teachers from previous years got together and swapped stories about students like me who tried to get out of class. At least that's what I thought since my teacher never listened to any excuse I had to offer.
As the song on the radio comes to an end, I'm thankful that I don't have the need to do that this year; to make up crazy excuses to get out of gym class. That's because ninth-grade gym class is something I look forward to, and that thanks to my vampire boyfriend, who I get to spend time with.
I smile at him now as Coach Clapp lets us know it's time to go to the locker rooms and change.
Edward's hand reaches out, gently touching my hair, tucking it behind my ear. A surge of electricity hums between us, and I wonder if he can feel it too. My heart begins to hammer in my chest as kids walk out of the double doors of the gym.
"Um, well, see you at lunch?" Edward says it like a question.
His voice is so soft and smooth and makes me forget my surroundings. How that always seems to happen, I don't know.
"Lunch. Yes." I say, trying to collect my thoughts.
"I'll meet you by the water fountain." He says, turning to leave.
With his words, I remember all the questions I want to ask him. Well, especially one in particular. Before he can leave, I grab his hand, and he turns around.
"Wait, can I ask you a question?" I wonder, feeling my face heat.
"Can't you wait until lunch?" He wonders with a little smile.
I shake my head, no. This question is very important to me, I must ask it now.
"All right. One." He says.
I open my mouth to speak but can't seem to get the words out. Maybe my question is silly. Will he laugh at me?
Suddenly Edward turns his head as if someone had called his name, but I didn't hear anything. I turn to see what he's looking at. It's our coach, standing by the boombox with a clipboard in his hands. He glances up in our direction and shakes his head.
"We better get out of here before he gives us a warning," Edward suggests, talking about our coach.
There I go, getting that feeling again; the one that he can hear people's thoughts. So I take his warning seriously. I start walking, and he falls into step beside me.
"So, what did you want to ask me?" He says as we walk out of the gym doors.
"Oh," I say, feeling a bit embarrassed that I had almost forgotten that I wanted to ask him something before we got to the cafeteria.
"Well?" He prompts.
"Garlic." I blurt out.
He raises one eyebrow in confusion. "What about garlic?"
All I can think about is what if I get something that has garlic in it, and he can't be around it. In elementary school, I read a book called, The Adventures of The Bailey School Kids: Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots. In that book, I remember that the new teacher, who secretly was a vampire, was allergic to garlic. Any time she was around it, her eyes would get red, and she would sneeze uncontrollably. I know that's just a kids' story, but I don't want Edward to be uncomfortable.
"If I get something to eat that has garlic in it, will it bother you?" I need to know.
With a teasing grin he shakes his head, no. "Not at all. You can't get rid of me that easily."
There's a hint of sarcasm in his tone that makes me giggle. With a crooked smile and a promise to meet me for lunch, he turns and walks off, heading to the boys' locker room.
Trying to be quick but at the same time trying not to trip over my own two feet, which is something very easy for me to do. I rush off to the girls' locker room to change into my normal clothes. By some miracle, I am able to get out of my dorky gym clothes and into my comfortable jeans and T-shirt in record timing without falling, which is truly amazing for me.
My heart drums against my chest as I exit the gym with a bunch of other girls. Right away, I see Edward standing by the water fountain. He looks so handsome, like a Greek God instead of a high school boy. I'm not sure why, but I get the feeling he's older than me. After all, he's very tall.
"Were you in a rush?" Edward says as I walk up to him. A beautiful smirk is on his flawless face.
"No. Not really." I lie.
"Hmm." His eyes dance with mischief.
"Why?" I ask, wondering what has him acting mysterious like he knows something I don't.
His hand reaches up to the front of my shirt. He touches something, and I look down to see what it is and it's a...tag. Oh no. Seeing that I want to hide my face.
"Because you seem to have put your blouse on inside out and backward." He laughs and drops his hand.
"Oh darn." I mumble.
"I'll wait here if you want to go fix it." He offers. "Unless you're going for the backward day look."
"No. I'll go fix it," I say, feeling bashful.
"I'll be waiting right here." He promises.
Feeling mortified, I rush off to the girls bathroom. It's not bad enough that I'm so clumsy in front of him and never know the right things to say. But now it seems that I don't even know how to dress myself properly. If he weren't so cute, I'd probably consider hiding out in the bathroom until it's time for our fifth class because I'm sure I'll end up embarrassing myself some other way before lunch is over.
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