Edward
"Did you sleep okay?" My mother asks a few weeks later. I'm laying my head on my arms, minutes before I have to leave to school but I have no energy to move.
"Not really," I said, lifting my head up in time for her to place a plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs in front of me.
"Everything, okay?" She asked, concerned. She places the back of her hand to my forehead. "No fever." I keep myself from rolling my eyes. I'm too tired to defend myself if she decides to slap me upside the head.
"I feel fine," I groan, pulling away from her. "Just tired. Have you heard any news?" I ask, a little too hopeful.
"Sorry, no." She frowns, giving me a pitying look.
As soon as I got over the shock of Bella's latest news, I rushed to tell my parents. But as the days turned into weeks, there wasn't any news on if our neighbors had returned home. I hadn't been able to sleep comfortably, feeling anxious and twitchy. Her words had to have meant that she was finally coming home. Right?
I try a bite of my pancakes but I can't taste it. For once, I'm grateful to hear the sound of James insistent honking. I give my mother a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door, ignoring the worried lines on her face. The whole way down the driveway I'm staring at the neighbors house, looking for any sign of movement, but there's nothing.
.
We're stuck in traffic, a block away from school. Some genius thought it was a great idea to place Chaplin High and Chaplin Elementary across the street from each other. The block is packed with kids wearing colorful backpacks, braces on their teeth. Kindergartners crying. I'm getting a headache. A Perfect Circle is playing on a loop through James speakers, and it ain't helping. I hate APC, but its his car so what can I do. I can't help but stare out the window, my eyes watching everyone pass by, waiting to see if I can catch a glimpse of her. Not even sure about what I'm looking for.
Surely, if Bella were back home, she'd have signed up for school. I start giving myself a mental pep talk. Bella hinted at coming home, but she never said she actually was. For all I know, she could have been saying that I was her home. Or that she missed home. And if she were coming home, I would have no clue as to when. Starting now, I was going to focus on my life the way it was before I had gotten that photo. I wasn't going to let this anxiety, this tightness in my body stay with me. I took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out.
Nope, no luck.
Easier said than done I guess.
We pull into student parking, Alice already heading towards us, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed.
"Tanya's right behind me," she says to us after we get out of the car. "Quick! Run!" James laughs, but I know she's not really kidding. I look behind her to see Tanya and her posse walking my way. I grit my teeth and ready myself, already on defense. Its too early for this shit.
"Hi, Edward!" The girls say, as they pass me, they're hips moving in an over exaggerated way. The shorts barely covering their ass cheeks. She can talk shit about the crap that I supposedly do, but she won't say shit when Victoria eye-fucks me. Of course.
"Hey, Victoria?," Alice starts, her voice sounding too friendly. "Is that a tampon string hanging from your shorts?" Victoria stumbles a bit, turning her head as far as she can to check, her hands patting frantically. We cant help but bust out laughing. "Sorry. Was that too loud?" Alice asks innocently when Tanya turns and shoots her a look. But soon her attention is back on me, huge smile and all. She pulls on my shirt and, standing on her toes, kisses me. I feel like an asshole for thinking, Fake ass bitch. But soon, I'm responding. She may be a bitch and I know its not right for her to take her aggression out on me but- nope. Can't find an excuse to give her, but hey, she's still my girl. And she still makes my heart squeeze, when she's not making me miserable.
.
"Grr, I can't stand her." Alice spits out, slamming her locker shut. "I hate her with a passion, I swear. She looks so fake, and she acts so fake. She's probably just dating you to piss off her daddy. Or so she can say she's dating the neighborhood bad boy." She rolls her eyes.
"Hey!" I say, laughing, playfully pushing her shoulder.
None of that is true. My dad is a doctor, and though we are not rich, I've never had to want for anything. Bad boy? Because I'm in a band? And I listen to death metal? Please. This leather jacket that I wear? My grandmother gave it to me last Christmas. I wear everything my grandmother gives me, even the fuzzy socks and dorky sweaters. In Public! I love her that much and I am not ashamed. I have a 3.0 GPA. I don't smoke or drink. I'm not thin, or a meat head, but I'm fit. At 6 foot 2, I look good. And I'm not saying that in a conceited way.
"Put those claws away, already," I say, leaning against the locker. "We haven't seen her since this morning."
"Meow," James said, hissing and pawing like a cat.
"And this dumb ass right her," she points towards me.
"What the hell did I-"
"You just stand there and start kissing her! Like, her lips have the power to excuse her for her fucking crazy ass behavior! You may not see the fucked up way she treats you, but I do." With a huff, she storms away.
"Whats her problem?" I say to James, who's kneeling down rummaging through his backpack.
"I don't know." He shrugs. "Shes probably on the rag," he laughs.
I shove his shoulder with my tip of my shoe. "Sick fuck!" I laugh. "But she's not wrong."
"What do you mean?" He looks up, a questioning look on his face. Whatever he's looking for is forgotten as he stands up.
"I do see the way she treats me," I mumble, picking at the seem of the strap on my backpack.
"That's pathetic man." James pats me on the shoulder, his head shaking in disappointment. "Really."
.
I'm walking through the D building, studying the flash cards I made for the quiz in Spanish next period when Mike Newton calls for my attention.
"Hey, Cullen!" he call outs, slapping me on the shoulder. "You hear the talk of the town?"
"Talk of the town?" I asked, a bit confused.
"Yeah, Mrs. Cope said that there's this girl in town, a 'ragamuffin' she says. Our age. Saw her coming out of the Motel 6, dressed like a prostitute.."
"No way!" I call everything she says bullshit, only because she thinks that all girls that wear tank tops are sluts. She's very old fashioned that way. Very. She gave my mother a lecture for wearing a halter top. In the middle of the grocery store.
"Well, that's what she told Mrs. Mallory, who told my mom." His eyes excited. Leave it to Mike to this hard up about something this small. Something that probably wasn't even true.
"Which means you told everybody else?"
"Ha! No. I only told Jessica."
"Who then told..."
"Probably everybody else." He shrugs.
"Whatever. See you at lunch, man."
"Yeah, see ya- whoa! Watch out."
There's that quick moment, before you fall, where you know you're gonna bite it but you still ready yourself. You arms fly out and you do your best to catch yourself before you fall and look like a doofus. Yeah, well, I still ate it. Hard.
I don't remember my head hitting the floor, or losing my Spanish cards. There goes another F. Or Mike yelling that this person should be watching where she's going. All I notice are the gray eyes that are staring at me, brows wrinkled, lips pursed, obviously concerned. She's talking to me, her fingers worrying over the back of my head, but all I hear is the blood rushing through my ears. Feel the pain radiating form the back of my head to my forehead when she hits a tender spot. She must not have notice me wince, or chose to ignore it, her fingers are still right there, pressing hard. She looks shaky and scared, but before I have a chance to assure her that I'm fine, she's shoved out the way by Tanya, hard. What is she doing here? I ignored the slight guilt at that thought. I crane my neck, my eyes searching wildly. "Bella?" I whisper.
"I can't hear you," Tanya says. Her voice hard, despite the concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"You okay, man?" Mike says, helping me up. I'm steady on my feet but my head is throbbing. "That chick came out of nowhere. On a skateboard. Can't she read the signs."
"Shut up, Mike!" Tanya snaps.
"Where did she go?" I ask. I shrug Tanya off, and I regret it the moment I see the hurt look on her face. "I'm fine, babe. Really. Just... shocked." I mumble. Understatement of the year.
She smiles at me, before her face hardens. "That crazy bitch took off, the psycho headed towards the main building. I've never seen her before but I swear I'll find out who she is and beat the crap out of her."
But I know who she is.
Bella was home.
I don't see her for the rest of the day, and it leaves me on edge. And confused. Where the hell did she go? And why the hell did she leave?
Again.
.
I'm on tweaker status the moment I get home. Looking out the windows every time a car drives by, every time a shadow passes behind the curtains.
"Chill out, dude!" Alice says, from the kitchen table, throwing her pencil at me. She invited herself over to do homework, but I can't focus on that right now. "Are you going to study for your Spanish exam or what?"
"I already failed my report, the exam won't help any."
"Well, can you at least sit down? You're making me nervous." I plop myself down across from her, my fingers tapping rapidly on the desk. She give me an annoyed look. "Would you relax already? You're not even sure its her."
I give her a look, "It was her. Trust me."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Those eyes," I say, leaning in.
"Do you know how many people have gray eyes in this world?"
"Yeah," I lean in closer, "but her left eye is crazy. Like, there's this dark spot next to her pupil. And it looked so weird when we were younger that sometimes I would just stare at it. It always creeped me out. Like she had two pupils."
She's quiet for a moment, studying me, before she laughs. "You're fucking weird."
"I'm serious. I just know its her." I shove out of my chair, and I'm back looking trough the window.
"And now you're itching to get your next fix."
"Shut up." But she's right.
I can't wait to see her again.