Short and sweet - should update again by latest Wednesday night :D
We stared each other down for a moment. He had a look of calm, confusion, and a meekness that I hoped was guilt. I'm sure my face displayed only heated embarrassment and accusation. He folded his fingers together and sighed. His eyes stayed on my face but mine moved once again to his lips.
"I have… gathered… over the limited time I've spent with you, that unless people catch your attention or speak loudly enough, you don't seem to hear them. At first I thought you were being rude, but I observed a little more, about the way you interacted with Chief Swan at the hospital, and the way Angela nudges you if she needs to talk." He took a breath and unfolded his two index fingers so that he was pointing towards me. "You, I have assumed anyway, have some sort of hearing limitation. I wasn't trying to be rude or too obvious today; I just wanted to make it as easy as possible."
He knew. A boy who had all but hated me, who had spent the better part of several weeks adamantly ignoring me, and he had figured it out. My head turned back towards my friends. How many of them had -? My musings were cut off by a gentle touch to my sleeve. I snapped my head back towards him.
"Only Angela knows. From what I can tell anyway. I will not divulge a secret that is not mine to share." His lips smiled tenderly and I searched his eyes. I had never seen such sincerity radiate from a person before. "Please tell me what you're thinking. The silence is killing me." I hadn't realised that I had been completely silent since he started to explain. What was I supposed to say? I'm glad you know and can keep your mouth shut. I'm angry you know, and you need to forget right now. Neither of those seemed to fit.
"Did your discovery affect your indifference towards me?" I whispered.
"I don't understand the question," he frowned back at me.
"Did you start talking to me again, and offering rides to Seattle, because you pitied me?" I hoped I hadn't spat back too harshly. He recoiled in disgust, actually sneering slightly.
"My opinion of you has not changed since the day you swore yourself to silence on my behalf. That was by far the most character proving act you have committed. Your ability, or lack thereof, to hear all of the things going on around you makes no difference to me."
I remained silent, digesting. I had after all kept his super strength and speed a secret, and it was quite likely that he was going to keep mine in return. I hadn't questioned him any further, and once again, it was quite likely that he wasn't going to press the issue with me. He seemed truly distraught that I was upset with him for finding out, even more so than when I asked to drive us to Seattle.
"Okay then." I looked down at my lemonade bottle again, drunk a sip and looked back up. Edward looked confused and frustrated again.
"That's it?" he asked.
"You know something about me I'd rather not spread around. So technically we're even on that score. And I'm still driving us to Seattle, so my plans haven't really changed. So yeah." There was the issue of my truck however. "I'll have to ask Angela if we can trade vehicles for the day, since you seem to despise the tank that I drive so much." This time it was me offering him the out. He took a second to relax, and then sat back into his chair, nonchalantly, spinning my lemonade lid in his fingers.
"You don't need to worry about endangering Angela's life with your 'tank' as you call it. You can drive us in the Volvo," he smirked, and looked up at his siblings. I risked a glance. Emmett and Jasper were staring at us in shock. They couldn't possibly have heard us; they were half a cafeteria away.
"And what are they staring at exactly?" I looked back to Edward for his response.
"I had informed Alice of our plans, and I suppose they must have just found out we were headed to Seattle together." He looked like he was sharing some private joke.
"And you hanging out with a girl is akin to miracle work? Poor you. Love life been slow?" I teased. He looked back at me sardonically.
"Actually, I never let anyone drive me anywhere. Let alone, in my own car." He was serious. I felt slightly ashamed again, that it was necessary in the first place, and then also kind of honoured.
"Secret keepers get special privileges?" I joked.
"Well then surely that would offer me some?" he shot back with a smile.
"Sure does. You get to navigate, and you even get dibs on the radio."
"In my own car? I'm flattered."
I finished the rest of my lemonade, and looked around the cafeteria. People were filing out. I must have missed the bell ring. I started to stand, and noticed that Edward wasn't moving.
"We're going to be late for class." I prompted.
"I'm not joining you today Bella."
"Why not?"
"It's healthy to ditch class now and then." He looked peaceful with his resolution.
"Well I miss enough in classes I'm actually attending to account for that healthy dose of ditching. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Would I? I hoped I didn't sound too hopeful about that fact. Would this new, charming, and banter-filled Edward still be present tomorrow?
"Of course," he nodded back, still focused on the lemonade bottle lid.
I managed to get to class in plenty of time, and even managed to avoid bumping into a relatively annoyed looking Mike. I sat down at my empty, but not strangely so, desk and focused on the front of the class. Mr Banner came in seconds after I had just pulled my bag onto the desk.
"Hello class! I have a surprise for you today. No more boring lectures on cell phases and structures and yadda yadda yadda…" he took a large cardboard box out from under his desk. He then spun around to the board and began to draw a chart. A. AB. B. O., were spelled out on the board, and then a quick positive/negative beside that.
"-with blood types you never know what you'll get unless you know your parents'." He pulled out a smaller box, a needle, an indicator card, and motioned Mike up to the front. My stomach dropped. Needles and blood. That was our class today. Banner stuck Mike's finger and squeezed out a drop of red, and my vision started to blur. I spun out of my chair as quickly as possible, and made it to the door in seconds.