Thank you Fire1!
I was going to make you wait until Sunday for this, but I have a very busy weekend ahead and I didn't want to forget, so I'm giving it to you now. I also want to get moving with WSI, and I didn't want to work on that until I got this finished!
Let's get to it shall we?
~~NoT~~
Bella's POV:
There was silence between Edward and I as the others left us behind. That silence however did not include the rest of the schools population. The entire parking lot was filled with whispers as they pretended not to stare at us.
"Do you think she's trying to ask Edward out?
"He'll just turn her down like the rest of us." Two girls murmured to each other as they passed us.
"Dude, Bella is hot. I hope Cullen isn't into her.
"No way man, from what my ex told me he thinks he's too good for the girls here."
"Yeah, but Bella is from Arizona."
I could feel myself flush as the two boys went on about whether Edward would be interested in me just because I was hot. I swear, every single guy in this town needed glasses. I was just a plain everyday girl; at least in the looks department.
"What are you thinking?" Edward asked. I looked into his eyes and there was such a mix of emotions swimming in them. There was amusement, frustration, curiosity, weariness, and shy kindness.
"Everyone is looking at us and gawking. Everyone knows I am too plain for you to be interested in me." I knew I was blushing like crazy, but I couldn't do anything about it.
"I know my being new here and you being… well, let's face it… every girls dream man. It's going to draw a lot of attention. Add the fact that we basically just told everyone we are together, people are going to be gawking at us for some time now, and I hate attention." I groaned out at him.
Edward ran a hand through his messy hair and let out a small sigh.
"You know Bella, you're being absolutely absurd," He smiled down at me. "You must not see yourself very clearly. Every male in this school is seething with jealously because you have chosen to speak to me over them." I just shook my head at him. He was the one being absurd now.
"May I hold your hand as I escort you to your first class Bella?" He asked with a smile. The thought of touching him again sent a wave of pleasure through my body.
"Yes, you may. I am your girlfriend after all." I said with a rather giddy grin and giggle. I held out my hand for him to take. Once our hands were connected the electric current ran through me again, this time it wasn't quite as strong.
"You should know that Jessica overheard what Alice told Tyler and is waiting to interrogate you in trigonometry." Edward informed me as we began making our way to my first class.
"Oh? What do you think I should tell her? I mean… about getting to know each other and everything? We haven't really even… talked before." Jessica loved gossip more than life itself, and though I hated to admit it Edward and I were going to be a hot topic for a while.
The truth was, I knew very little about Edward, and the same went for him. We had only just formally met each other ten minutes ago. What the hell was I going to tell Jessica? She wouldn't be satisfied with me just repeating what she heard from Alice already.
"Let's see… you were homeschooled until high school right?" Edward dropped his voice lower and lower until only I had a hope of hearing it.
"No, I was homeschooled until the start of this school year." I whispered back just as low.
"My brothers and sisters, and myself were homeschooled until we moved here to Forks. You could tell Jessica we talk a lot about that, because we have it in common. Make some stuff up I guess." We were almost at the English building now.
"So, what do you like to do for fun?" He asked me, still using the low whisper.
"I do lots of things, but I mostly like to read. My favorite book is Wuthering Heights. I love listening to music, and I am a fan of all types. When I am having a bad day, I like to listen to Clair De Lune. It seems to have a calming effect. But I don't play anything myself." I added hurriedly, before he could ask.
I was about to ask Edward what he does for fun, when I realized he had stopped walking and was looking at me with astonishment.
"You know Debussy?" His voice was full of surprise.
"Yes, my mom always played classical music around the house. I only know my favorites though."
"It's one of my favorites too." He said with a crooked smile. That smile took my breath away and made me blush.
We had started walking again, and now at the door to my classroom. I could feel the eyes on me as my classmates stared at us.
"I should head off to my class now. I'll meet you here afterwards." I didn't want him to go, and I knew that was bad. Even though I knew it was dangerous to let people get close to me, I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.
"Okay, see you then."
I was on autopilot all through class. I was taking notes, but my mind was everywhere else. I came to the realization that the Cullen's were different in many ways, and in some ways they were different like me. However, they were completely different than me, different from everyone.
The cautious part of me was telling myself off for letting them know my hearing was far beyond what it should be, but there was another part of me that wanted to tell them everything about myself. All those things I could never share with anyone. They are different too wouldn't they of all people understand?
There was also that spark of electricity that was there between Edward and I. what could have caused that? So here I was, wishing I could be with him and feel it again. What was up with that? I had only just started to get to know him! Also, lets add the fact that there was no way a guy like Edward could fall for someone like me. Oh god! What is going on? Was I falling for Edward?
I was still lost in my thoughts when I suddenly noticed the classroom was nearly empty. Butterflies filled my stomach when I remembered that Edward had told me he would meet me after class. I was suddenly in a rush to get out and see him.
He was there, waiting, just like he said. He was leaning up against the lockers with that disarming crooked grin, aimed directly at me.
"Hey, how was class?" He asked as I made my way over to him, blushing from his grin.
"It was alright. You?" I asked back, lost for real words.
"Fine. Bella, are you a fast reader by chance?" He asked as he playfully grabbed my hand and forged the way to my next class.
"When I have to be… why?" I responded confused about where he was leading me.
"Well, Jessica is in your next class and she's planning on asking you how I asked you out." His voice dropped to a low whisper. "Since Alice's story didn't include this detail, I wrote it out. Hoping you could read it quickly before Jessica could start asking you all her personal questions. A lot of people are trying to listen in on us, so I figured we couldn't talk about it out loud. I know we could whisper, but it would look odd if people thought we weren't talking." My stomach lurched at the mention of our similar hearing capabilities.
We were at my next class by the time Edward finished telling me all of this. We had stopped just outside the door when he reached out and took hold of my other hand, passing me the note with no one the wiser. When he let go I curled my fingers around it, making sure that his charade would continue to pass muster.
"I'll see you after class Bella." He said as he started to walk away. And I wondered if he was planning on walking me to every class.
Luckily, Jessica was not in her seat yet. I unfolded the note under the table and started reading.
Bella,
Had the story my sister told actually happened, this is how I would have asked you to be my girlfriend.
I would have ran outside after you in my pajamas and slippers, in hopes that you hadn't left yet. I would have found you by your truck, and asked you if I could speak to you for a moment. I would try to not be so nervous, and failing at it completely. I would have ran my hands through my hair in frustration at my inability to express myself, trying to figure out just how to ask you.
I would have simply ended up saying that I enjoyed talking to you and that I was hoping you'd consider being my girlfriend, and that if I was going too fast for you, then you would agree to get to know me better first.
I have no idea what you would have said to me. I'll leave that for you to figure out. However, I would have been sporting the biggest smile of my existence if you had said yes. (According to Alice, you did, but again I don't know how you would have said it.)
I hope this helps when Jessica won't stop questioning you.
I play the piano music is my biggest passion. I have been playing all my life. I would love it if you'd let me play for you some time. My favorite color is blue. I look up to my adopted father and I hope to someday be as good as a man as he is.
Sorry about that, I just realized that you don't know much about me. There are so many things I would love to ask you about. At lunch perhaps?
Well, have a nice class. I hope yours will be more interesting than mine. How can it not be with Jessica pumping you for information?
Yours,
Edward
I couldn't help the small smile that crept onto my face after reading his note. He had clearly put a lot of thought into the note. And the way he wrote it was like something you would see from a classical novel. He didn't have messy writing like most boys did; it was neat and easy to read.
"I would be smiling too if I had snagged Edward." Jessica said in a huff as she sat down next to me. "You have to tell me everything! Who asked who and what was it like? And have you kissed him yet? If so, how good of a kisser is he?" Jessica was practically falling out of her seat as she shot questions at me in rapid-fire succession.
"Calm down Jessica, seriously. I ran into Alice and her mother on Saturday, and ended up going over to their house. Alice and I had hit off when we met last week," I added quickly when confusion crossed her face. "You know how Edward had been sick all last week? Well, when we got there he was apparently feeling better and was down stairs listening to music on the couch. Alice and I sat down and just started talking with him.
"Edward and I started talking about music and books, and about being homeschooled most of our lives, things like that. When it started to get late, I had to head home and make dinner for my dad, so I went to leave.
"Just as I was about to get in my truck, Edward called out to me and asked if I would be his girlfriend. He said he had a lot of fun talking to me, and wanted to get to know me better. And… well, I also had a lot of fun and found him to be a very interesting person. So I said yes. And that's about all there is to tell. We're still working on getting to know each other.
"But have you-?" Jessica's next question was cut off when Mr. Varner called the class to order.
When class was finally over, I walked out to find Edward right where I knew he would be. Jessica was seething as I left her in preference for him. We took the long way between my classes so we could talk more. I told him what I said to Jessica, and asked him if he would play the piano for me sometime.
My next class was much the same as the rest, I was too lost in thoughts of Edward, but managed to take notes. And he was there again, waiting to walk me to lunch so I could sit with him and the rest of his family.
Lunch with the Cullen's was a lot less awkward than I had feared it would be. I sat between Edward and Emmett, trying not to be squished. None of them ate or drank anything, so I just sipped on my iced tea.
Alice insisted that I go with her, Rosalie, and their mother Esme after school sometime to find new curtains for my room. I found it next to impossible to say no to one of Alice's pouts. Emmett teased Edward and I about being a couple, and his teasing got worse when I admitted that I had never dated before, nor have I ever been interested in anyone before now.
Edward and I left the cafeteria hand in hand to head to biology together; almost the entire school was staring and whispering after us. It was getting old, and fast. When we made it to biology Mr. Banner asked us to meet him after class so he could go over what he expected us to do for our paper.
As we waited for class to start, Edward pulled a sheet of paper out of his notebook, and started writing something down along the top, then passed it to me.
Bella,
Sorry that everyone kept trying to listen to what we were saying at lunch. I thought that passing notes would help keep people from gossiping about what we say.
So… you told me you're not fond of cold or wet weather. Forks must be a difficult place for you to live. May I ask what made you move here?
Yours,
Edward
I slid his note towards me, and wrote as neatly as I could underneath.
Edward,
It's true; the weather here in Forks is hard to deal with sometimes. But I didn't have to move here per-se. It's a little complicated.
~Bella
He glanced to the front of the classroom where Mr. Banner was gesturing emphatically at the Periodic Table.
Bella,
Does it look like we have anything better to do?
Yours,
Edward
I chuckled at his question. I could definitely split my attention.
Edward,
I guess it all started when my mother remarried a few months back. Don't get me wrong, Phil is great, he has to travel a lot and having me around meant that my mom couldn't go with him. You know I was homeschooled all my life, and my mom was the one who did the schooling. When I started going to public school at the beginning of this year, I think she was worried about me fitting in and making friends, so she didn't want to uproot our lives to go traveling with Phil. It was really sweet and self-sacrificing of her of course, but it made me feel bad. Long story short, I volunteered to come here and live with my dad. That's about all there is to it.
~Bella
I passed the note across to him, hiding behind the brown veil of my hair. I knew it sounded stupid and cowardly, just because of the way I had written it, but there was no other way to explain it. There was a long pause from the other side of my hair, but then his pen began scratching quickly… too quickly.
He had just stopped when Mr. Banner called from the front.
"One person from each table needs to come to the supply closet and select a microscope, then please collect a box of samples from my desk."
"I'll get the samples." I mumbled on a sigh.
"Then I'll get the microscope." I couldn't tell if he sounded disappointed by the interruption or not.
When I got up to Mr. Banner's desk and saw the samples we were working with I groaned lowly. I had already done this lab in Phoenix, and it was one of the boring ones. Basic classification. Oh joy.
Edward had the microscope set up by the time I returned to our table in the back, and I must have been projecting my dejection on my face, because he looked at me quizzically.
"Is something the matter?" He asked curiously.
"I've done this lab already, that's all." Of course I didn't mention that the microscope and data sheet was unnecessary. I could see the slides with my naked eye. But I couldn't let Edward know that.
"It's not one of the more exciting ones is it?" He asked, reminding me of what was going on.
"No, it's really not." I said wryly
He shrugged a little and smiled. "We'll probably finish quickly then."
He was right; he was quicker than I was at identifying the phases. Neither of us had to peer down into the lens for more than a half a second before we agreed on which one it was. Within five minutes we had completed the data table and we were able to kick our feet up and start again with the notes.
Bella,
That's amazingly compassionate of you. You sacrificed your own happiness for your mothers. I've never seen anything more kind hearted, and I'm humbled by it. Judging by your body language you're embarrassed about it somehow, and I just want to tell you that there is absolutely no reason for you to be so. You're a generous person, and you shouldn't feel bad about it.
Yours,
Edward
I blinked away a sudden inexplicable rush of tears. He had somehow seen straight to the heart of the matter, and reassured me that it wasn't my fault. When was the last time someone was able to do that for me? I glanced at him gratefully, and he was staring right back at me. His ocher eyes alight with compassion. I bent over the page, my face felt like it should be a deep shade of maroon.
Edward,
Wow… Thank you very much. I wish I could say how much that means to me. It's like you knew exactly what to say. Do you always read people's minds?
~Bella
I scribbled my note quickly, and added the last part only to lighten the mood a little bit, because the atmosphere suddenly seemed choked with emotion.
I glanced over at him to see of he would laugh, but found his expression to be one of horror, it made me feel like I had been slapped. A few seconds passed and I sat stunned by his expression. I shook myself out of my stupor and whispered to him lowly.
"Edward? Edward I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Edward? I was kidding… are you okay? Edward…"
He suddenly shuddered, coming back to himself. The note, when she shoved it back across the desk forcefully simply said:
Bella, I really hope you were kidding!
Before I could respond Mr. Banner – master of bad timing- called the class to order, telling everyone to put the slides and microscopes away. For a while a sort of organized chaos reigned, but then the classroom was empty except for Mr. Banner, Edward, and myself. We stood there before his desk, but I was distracted by my confusion at Edward's reaction I couldn't even look in Mr. Banner's direction as he explained what he wanted us to do.
It turned out that we were both so advanced that we should be in a more advanced class, but Forks didn't offer one. I tried to hide my scorn, but I wasn't too sure I succeeded. Mr. Banner didn't notice, so I wasn't overly concerned.
"Bella, I have to say you're just like your Aunt Nikki. I would suspect your parents tell you that all the time. I know Renee and Nikki were twins, but you look just like Nikki, and you're a better student then she was, and that's saying a lot. But I'll see you two tomorrow okay?"
I would have agreed, but his words nailed me to the floor. What did he mean, 'just like Nikki'?
The world around me faded away. "She's just like…"