This chapter is a bit short as well, but I don't mind. It gets everything it needs to across. I'm also debating whether or not Eren will play a bigger role in the story. Maybe the love triangle that Twilight is known for? Please review, and constructive criticism is always welcome.
The next month consisted of Bella and I doing our best to handle the spotlight that seemed to be turned back in our direction. It had just begun to fade, but Tyler had to lose control of his van and throw us right back into the beaming light.
Speaking of Tyler, he'd become insufferable. He followed me around, obsessed with trying to make amends somehow. No matter how many times I told him to forget about it and move on, he still came back to bother me about it the next day. It had quickly become annoying, and I was tempted to tell him to fuck off plenty of times. Only the fact that he was basically a friend kept me from being so harsh.
Something else I had to deal with was my thirst. A week after hunting, I would begin to feel an itch in my throat that was only mildly annoying. After another week, the itch would turn into an aching that was impossible to ignore. I also noticed that food became less appetizing compared to the people around me. That was a clear sign that I needed to go hunting again. I was too scared to wait any longer, not wanting to slip up and accidentally hurt someone. I'd come close once more when someone got a papercut in class, but I caught myself at the last moment and went for a walk after school. It was difficult and annoying to deal with, but I somehow managed.
Everything was otherwise normal, besides Edward, of course. He wasn't speaking to Bella more than he absolutely had to in Biology, and he didn't spare so much as a glance in the direction of our table during lunch. If we did happen to make eye contact, we'd look away quickly with narrowed eyes. Seeing him never failed to irritate me. He was acting like a child. It wasn't like I'd asked him to save me and expose his freaky behavior. That was all on him.
His attitude didn't seem to spread to any of the other Cullens, besides Rosalie, that is. Alice still smiled and waved whenever she saw me, and Emmett was still his playful self during English. Rosalie, however, seemed to glare at me whenever she had the chance, and I couldn't understand why. I'd done nothing to warrant her negative behavior, yet I seemed to be at the top of her shit-list. I ignored it for the most part, but sometimes it was hard when she was glaring daggers into my back.
So, other than that, everything continued on as usual. The new topic of discussion around the school recently had been the girls' choice spring dance coming up in two weeks. I wasn't the best dancer out there, but I thought it could be pretty fun. There wasn't anyone who had really caught my eye, but I wasn't against going on my own. It would be a fun time with or without a partner.
As if my thoughts were being broadcast to everyone in the school, a guy I had a couple of classes with, Eren, called out to me in the hall during passing period. "Hey, Addison, got a minute?" I was on my way to lunch, so I wouldn't be late or anything.
Not thinking much of it, I stopped and turned around to face him. "Yeah. What's up?"
He pulled at the straps of his backpack and smiled in a way that I'm sure most girls would fall for. I could admit, he was handsome, but he wasn't really my type. "I was wondering if you were planning on going to the spring dance?"
Seeing where this was going, I couldn't stop my cheeks from flushing even if I tried. "Uh… I was thinking about it, but I'm not sure."
"Well, if you do decide to go and are looking for a date, I'm available, and it would be cool if you asked me. I definitely would not say no." I noticed the slight pink on his cheeks as well, and that made me blush harder. I wasn't exactly used to being asked out by guys. I mean, it had happened before, but all the guys before had been assholes. Eren was a good guy from what I had seen, and I wasn't getting any bad vibes from him.
Smiling shyly, I nodded. "I'll definitely keep that in mind."
His smile widened and he nodded to himself. "Cool. That's cool." We both stood awkwardly for a moment before he pointed somewhere over his shoulder. "Well, I've got to go make up a test, but I'll see you in class."
"Yeah, see you." I gave a quick wave before turning on my heel and making my way to the cafeteria. That had been completely unexpected.
After going through the line and grabbing a tray, I seated myself next to Bella, and she immediately knew something was up. "What happened?" she asked. I glanced at Jessica and noticed that she was silently eating her lunch, which was odd considering she'd normally be eager to join the conversation.
Ignoring it, I answered Bella. "Uh… so, I was kind of just asked to the spring dance."
"I thought it was girls' choice," Bella said. Her eyes were wide with shock, but she still looked confused. I didn't get a chance to respond before Mike was cutting in.
"Did you say yes?" I looked in his direction to see him, Eric, and Tyler looking on with interest. I hadn't thought they'd be interested in such information but decided to answer him anyway.
I shrugged. "I didn't say yes or no. I'm not sure if I'm going or not. If I do decide to go, I wouldn't be opposed to going with him though. He is the only one to have approached me so far, and I don't plan on asking anyone."
"You're really thinking about going?" Bella asked, as of the very idea of going to a dance disgusted her, which it probably did. She wasn't anywhere close to coordinated and was quite possibly one of the worst dancers I had ever seen, so it was obvious that she wasn't going to be attending. I could probably convince her to go with me if I tried, but I knew she wouldn't have fun being there.
"Yeah. I mean, it'll be nice to experience as much as I can during my last year of high school. I'm on the fence about it because trying to find a dress and accessories and being around a bunch of people doesn't sound the best." Being completely honest, I was scared that someone might hurt themselves and start bleeding around me. Dancing could be pretty dangerous, and I didn't want to ruin the night by killing someone.
The topic was eventually changed to the beach trip Mike had been planning for a while in La Push. I couldn't imagine how a beach in this part of Washington could compare to the ones in Phoenix, but I was willing to give it a shot if the plans didn't fall through. I wasn't even completely against trying out surfing since Mike was hyping it up so much. It would be a new and exciting experience.
The rest of the school day went by normally. As I was walking out of the building and towards my car, thinking about the homework I had to do, I heard a familiar voice call out to me. I froze and slowly turned to see Edward Cullen standing in front of me. His eyes weren't guarded as they had been for the past month, and I regarded him curiously.
"Oh? I thought we'd had an unspoken agreement to hardly look in each other's direction. Are we on speaking terms now?" I asked, unable to hide the slight venom in my tone.
His lips twitched, fighting a smile. "No, not really." Irritation flared within me, and rather than play whatever game he was playing, I turned around and began to continue my way to my car. "Wait." I stopped and turned back to him with a huff.
"What do you want, Edward?" Annoyance was clear in my voice.
"I'm sorry. I'm being very rude, I know, but it's really better this way."
I sighed. "What are you talking about?"
"It's better if we're not friends," he explained. "Trust me."
I stared at him, trying to comprehend what he was saying. He approached me… just to say we shouldn't be friends? What kind of crap was that? Steeling my features, I nodded. "Alright then." This time, I walked away without caring to look back at his expression. I had a feeling that hadn't been what he was expecting.
As I approached my car, I noticed Eric leaning against it, to my irritation and Bella's truck already out of the lot. "Hey Eric," I greeted, opening my door and throwing my bag in so he couldn't hold me up for long.
"Hi, Addison."
"So, what's up?" I asked, standing behind the door so I could make a quick escape if need be.
"Uh, I was just wondering… if you would go to the spring dance with me?" His voice broke on the last word. I could tell he was nervous and more than a bit awkward, and I felt kind of bad.
Not wanting to hurt his feelings, I smiled and joked, "Weren't you at the table when we talked about it being girls' choice?"
He blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yeah, but I heard how only one guy had approached you and… well, I wanted you to know that I'd want to go with you too, so you have more than one option."
"Uh, thanks for asking, but I'm sure I know someone who would love to go to the dance with you more than me." His eyes widened, surprised.
"Who?"
"I'm not going to say a name because it's not my place, but I have a feeling she's just working up the courage to ask you." Angela hadn't been the best at hiding her small crush on Eric. I saw the looks she would give him during lunch and how she'd perked up and glanced at him when the dance was brought up. I wouldn't betray her friendship by going with him.
He still looked downtrodden. "Oh," he said. "Well, save me a dance if you do go?"
I gave a half-hearted, "Sure," in response. He slouched away, and I hated being the reason for his mood. He'd get over it eventually, though.
I was just about to escape into my car when another voice called out to me. I was tempted to pretend like I couldn't hear him, but decided against it and sighed. Almost as if he'd been lying in wait, Mike came over to me and proceeded to ask the exact same question as Eric. More than ready to leave, I forewent the guessing game.
"I think you should go with Jessica. She seems to really like you." The girl was so obvious it almost hurt.
He faltered as if that wasn't the answer he was looking for. "Yeah, she already asked me, but I said I'd think about it just in case you wanted to ask me."
My eyes narrowed. "Well, that's pretty rude. You shouldn't keep her waiting. I think you should go with Jessica." Thoroughly discouraged, he nodded and slouched off as well. Not wanting to deal with anyone else, I jumped in my car and hurried to start the engine and pull out.
I could see Edward's Volvo beginning to pull out in front of me, no doubt to wait for his family, so I sped up a bit to get in front of him. It was a close call, but I just barely cut him off, and I couldn't even find it in myself to feel bad. I knew he was looking at me, but I didn't even spare him a glance as I sped out of the parking lot, eager to get away from any and all guys. There was only so much I could handle in a day.