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Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer
Chapter Two
"Thanks so much Frankie. I've had a tough day: it's just been awful."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Frankie was about forty and in her third marriage, her first happy marriage. She'd definitely had more than her share of romances, both good and bad.
I would have loved to talk to her, but I couldn't. If I told her the truth, that my ex-boyfriend is still 17 and is now my student, she would have me committed. "Yes, but not today. I'll call you, alright?"
"Yeah, that's fine." Frankie was one of my only real friends in New Jersey. I still kept in touch with Angela, but only saw her when I went to Forks to see Charlie. I still e-mailed her. She was a psychologist and guidance counselor for Forks High students. She was happily married to Ben and expecting her third child.
Frankie was my real confidante, though, she was close enough that we could have private conversations, and I was secretly hoping that Alice would marry Colin in the future; he was a great little kid.
I extracted Alice from Frankie's house, bringing her home.
"Hey sweetheart, how was your day?"
"Good. Guess what?"
"What?"
"Colin says that he's gonna buy me a present for Christmas!"
"That's great Alice!" I didn't mention that Christmas was three months away and by that time, Colin would have forgotten all about it. I didn't want to upset her, and I was sure that she wouldn't remember by then either.
When we pulled up to the house, it was already dark. Alice had already eaten at Frankie's house, so I gave her a bath as soon as we got home. I dressed her and brushed her teeth before putting her to bed. I wanted to stay up and grade or write lesson plans, but I didn't feel in the mood. I skipped dinner but instead went to the freezer and cut myself a huge piece of ganache torte. The decadent chocolate filled my mouth and overloaded my taste buds. I turned on the TV to watch reruns of various shows. Nothing was on, so I ended up turning to HBO and watching an old version of Robin Hood. But I wasn't really watching. I was trying to understand why Edward would stay behind and talk to me. I didn't see why he would be sorry. I had moved on. He wasn't the central focus of my life anymore, just like he had hoped. Maybe he was sorry for coming back and complicating my life even more. Well, I was sorry too.
But there was one thing that I was proud of. I had moved on, forgiven him and his family for leaving me like that, and embraced my human life. The one thing I hadn't done was forgotten. When he stood in front of me earlier that day, the reason that I had to leave school was not because all of the memories came back to me. It was because I realized how exact and flawless my memories were. I could not ignore it. My human mind was not a sieve; it was just as good as any vampire mind. The only explanation that I could come up with was that I really had been meant to be a vampire.
I strongly believe in fate, and I knew that Esme was fated to become a vampire. From what Edward had told me before they left me I had figured out that every event in Esme's short human life led up to her being turned into a vampire. The same was for Carlisle, Rosalie and Jasper. And looking back, I had long since decided that it had been in my fate to become a vampire. But Edward was placed in my way by the powers that be, and thus that was one reality that never came to pass. Like Alice's visions, that future had changed. I knew it.
Alice, my daughter, became my future. I was no longer on a one-way track to immortality. I was glad of it, too. I couldn't doom Alice to having a non-changing mother that thirsted for her blood. I was no longer inclined in any way to become a vampire. I had wished it for a while, wanting to scare Sam Uley who had 'stolen' Jacob away for a few weeks and wanting to run after Edward, to reclaim him. But Jacob had put my pieces back together and closed the hole in my chest with his spectacular mechanical talent. And I no longer thirsted for such a future. But the Cullens had left their mark on me. I would never give them up even if the hope of a possible Bella Cullen had left Forks with them. Bella Swan was still living, and living strong.
But that brought me back to the original question: What was Edward's reasoning for coming back to talk to me after school. I thought for a few moments and thought of only one reason. It was guilt. I wondered if Alice had told him about how Victoria tracked me and almost killed me one night. I wondered if she told him how Jacob had immediately phased and called the pack. I wondered if she told him how they pulled her off of me as she was sticking her needle sharp fangs into my skin. I wonder if she told him how I tried to keep Jacob from saving me, I wonder if Alice told Edward how the pack had to hold me down to get the venom out. I was dating Jacob, but my wish to be a vampire was so strong that I would have done anything.
It had been the ordeal with James all over again, but a thousand times worse, because I wanted to be a vampire so much more. But I had told Jacob how Edward sucked the venom out of my bloodstream in Phoenix already and Jacob had done the same thing, but he hadn't swallowed any of my blood. Suck and spit. I had gone into a deep depression for months after that, again. But Jacob helped me see why becoming a vampire would be bad. He reasoned with me that Edward would not want me any more or less if I was a vampire. He reasoned with me that I would be leaving everything I ever held dear; he reasoned with me that I had an entire life left to live.
So if Edward was guilty, why didn't he apologize better? And if he was guilty enough that he would disturb what little peace I had left by coming here, why didn't he just say so! And if he was going to stay in my class, how would he communicate that guilt to me?
But my reason, guilt, didn't go very far. I really, honestly, could only think of one reason why Edward would come back to me. And I refused to let myself think that. I was not that much healed.
When Robin Hood was over I turned off the TV and got ready for bed. Alice was already asleep. I shut off her light and took a book out of her bed. She liked pretending to read. She was actually learning that way. I, being an English teacher, encouraged her to be around books as much as she wanted. She only was allowed to watch TV on weekends and if she wanted something to do, she would read, or pretend to read. I went back to my room, I was exhausted even though I'd had a physically relaxing day. The mental stress was killing me. Maybe I'd take a day off from school tomorrow. I'd have to see in the morning.
I woke at five-thirty and stumbled blindly into the bathroom. I checked on Alice on my way to my room after I was out of the shower, she was still sleeping soundly. I had this odd sense of foreboding, though. It felt like someone was watching me. Thankfully the feeling disappeared soon.
It was cloudy and raining. Not unusual weather for the middle of September, but awful to me. I hated the rain, but I hated it especially when Edward and the Cullens were in town. Did I really just think 'Edward and the Cullens'? That would make a good band name, actually. I smiled at the thought and turned on the morning news as I dressed and dried my hair. I pulled my unruly brown tresses into a quick bun and speared it with two chopsticks. I went to wake up Alice.
"Ali! Alice, dearest, it's time to get up!" It was the same routine every morning. She remained perfectly still with her eyes squeezed shut. "How many more minutes do you want, Ali?" I asked.
"Ten!"
"How about five?" We were early today, and thus I could afford to be generous.
"Alright. That's more than two!" She was so pleased. She was my pride and joy. I just loved her with all I had. The entire force of my love was fantastical. I loved her more than I ever loved Edward or Jacob. I loved her more than both of those irrational loves combined, because this was real. I knew that she loved me, and I knew that she couldn't leave me. Not ever. And I wouldn't leave her for anything.
I went to pack my bag. I placed into it a few extra things, but didn't really need to do anything, as I hadn't unpacked it from the night before. I brought it to my kitchen and set it on the table. I screamed.
Edward was sitting at my table.
Alice had heard my scream and woke up. She started yelling. "Mommy! Mommy!! Where are you!! Mommy!" I heard her close to tears.
"I'm coming sweetheart!" I ran up the stairs to her room. She wasn't there. "Where are you, Alice!?"
"I'm here Mommy!" My little girl was in my room, obviously having run to my room after I screamed.
"I'm sorry Ali, there was a spider downstairs and it scared me."
"Oh."
"Well, hey, you're awake now. Why don't we get ready for the day?"
"Fine." My daughter huffed and crossed her arms.
"Come on, let's go." I prodded her gently toward the bathroom door. She stomped the rest of the way. I brushed her hair and teeth; I pulled her hair back into two short braids and dressed her in a small pink dress with white tights and handed her a pair of shoes. "Put these on, alright, and then come down for breakfast!"
She reached for the shoes and I flew down the stairs toward the vampire sitting in my kitchen. "What the hell are you doing in my apartment?" I hissed at Edward. "You really scared Alice; I don't know what you think you were doing by coming here, but get out, now. You are my student, remember? "
"Yes. I remember, but our conversation ended badly yesterday. I wanted to apologize. I was trying to hide my emotions from you, but I ended up seeming like a jerk."
"Edward. There is something I want to make clear to you." I was seeing red. How dare he come into my house, and how dare he bother me. And, most of all, how dare he disturb Alice even one bit! I used to be his girlfriend, but now I am his English teacher. "I am your English teacher, and you are my English 3 student who just moved here from, where, LA?"
Edward's jaw tensed.
"And let me tell you something about that conversation ending badly yesterday. It ended. And it ended for good. If I want to talk to you, I will talk to you. If you want to talk to me, come before or after school. I don't want you at my house. Ever. And stay away from Alice. If you even look at her I will kill you. And I have Jacob's number on speed dial. He could be here in four days if I asked him to be. And he could rip you limb from limb. Now get out, Alice is coming downstairs."
"Can I ask you one question?"
"Yes. One."
"Is she yours?"
"Alice? Alice is my daughter, yes. Now get out. I'll let you out the door, so that you don't have to go through the window as I'm sure you did last night."
His lips pressed together. I heard Alice's footsteps coming down the stairs. "Get out." I whispered between gritted teeth, "And if you ever talk to me as anything other than your teacher again, I will have you destroyed."
He saw himself out. I quickly got together a bit of cereal for Alice and put together a sandwich and a banana and a drink for her lunch. We hurried off to school.
I didn't go to Starbucks that day. I went to a different café for lunch. I was pleased that my morning had been uneventful. A few people asked if I was alright. My abrupt departure from class the day before had apparently made its way around the school. Nothing is a secret at Montclair High School.
I was dreading my last class of the day.
I walked into the room and most of the class was already seated, Edward included. I divided the class into groups of five and one group of four and set them to discussing Romeo and Juliet. I sat down at my desk to do the grading that I had missed the night before. I pulled out my reading glasses and placed them on the tip of my nose. Until now I'd thought nothing of it, but now with Edward in the room I felt very old. But, of course, he was older than I. He must have been over 120 by now.
I started to grade.
In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin, Mr. Darcy is a haughty arrogant…
They went on and on. I usually enjoyed reading what my students had to say, but it was getting tedious.
"Alright, class." I said, after the bell rang for the last period of the day, "We have only eighth period to do something fun, what do you suggest?"
One kid, Henry, raised his hand. "Yeah?" I asked him.
"How about we play pictionary?"
"Alright." I said. It was something that I had done that the beginning of the year and the kids had liked it. I went into my copy of Romeo and Juliet to find some fun vocabulary.
I called two kids to the board. Angelo and Rachel both tried to draw pictures of a Friar. Kaylie was the first to guess. Edward was staring at me the entire last period. It was very disconcerting, but I had better things to worry about. I was confident that he wouldn't bother me again.
When the bell rang for the end of school at 2:33 all of the kids rushed out of class. All except for Richard and Edward.
"I'll be right with you, Edward." I said.
Richard was asking about the homework. I answered his sparse and general questions before he left. "Yes, Edward?" I said pleasantly. I was determined to treat him like any other student.
"Alice wants to talk to you." He said.
"My daughter is at school."
"You know who I mean. She's devastated. She wishes that she were in your class. But she's pretending to be a sophomore this year."
"She'll be in my class next year, then. I'm sure that she'll live. She has who?"
"Mr. Athian."
"Oh, he'll be a good teacher for her." He was young and fit and energetic.
"I know. But you'll be even better."
"Thank you. What did you want to talk to me about? Oh, of course, I have to give you various assignments and such." I dug through my bag and handed Edward a syllabus for his parents to sign along with a few assignment papers and a rubric. "This," I gestured toward the syllabus, "Is for your parent and you to sign. I want it back on Monday." He raised an eyebrow, I ignored him. I pointed toward the grading rubric and explained that to him. He seemed less than pleased.
"Bella." He interrupted me.
"I am called Ms. Swan at this school, Edward." I was being harsh, but I had no desire to become involved in something that was only going to break my heart again.
"Ms. Swan, then, are you just going to ignore my sister's plea to you? We're all suffering, but her most of all."
"I'll talk to her. When is her lunch period?"
"Sixth."
I laughed, "That's underclassmen lunch." I commented.
"She knows, she's upset."
I laughed again, "I'm sure that she is! Tell her to meet me at Starbucks tomorrow during 6th lunch. I'll drive her back to school."
"Thank you. From all of us."
"You're welcome Mr. Stewart. Oh, hey, hold on a minute." I dug in my purse and found a recent picture of Alice and wrote on the back of it 'Alice Renee Swan'. I handed it to Edward, "Give this to Alice. I'll see you tomorrow." I took off my reading glasses and put them in my bag. I closed out various applications on my computer and tucked my papers away. It was then that I noticed the syllabus sitting on my desk, already signed by Carlise. Edward had forged it. Jesus Christ, I was ready to shoot him, if only wooden stakes could actually kill vampires. I had to call his parents now. It was school policy. Oh boy was he going to regret this.
The phone was answered after two rings, it was a male voice, I recognized it to be Emmett, but I ignored that. "Hello?"
"Hi, is this Dr. Stewart? I'm Edward's English teacher, Ms. Swan, and I –"
Emmett cut me off, "Bella?"
"Ms. Swan." I corrected him sternly, "I take it that you are not Edward's father."
"No, Bella, I'm Emmett, remember me?" He spoke very quietly.
I clenched my fist. "May I please speak to Edward's father?" I couldn't lose my professionalism. If I did, I would break down into tears.
"Yes," Emmett whispered, "He's right here."
"Hello?" said a voice that was distinctly Carlisle.
"Hello, is this Dr. Stewart?"
"Yes."
"I'm Ms. Swan, your son Edward is in my period 7/8 English 3 class, and I handed him a syllabus today for you to sign. I assume that you did not see it, because it was turned in to me, signed, seconds later." I could hear my voice becoming angry. "Dr. Cu– I mean, Stewart, that is not acceptable behavior, and I wanted to make sure that you knew that foraging another person's signature is a federal crime."
"Ah," Carlisle was overcome with some emotion that I did not recognize, "I did know that. I'm terribly sorry. I shall have a few words with Edward when he comes home."
I wanted to ask where he was, but I restrained myself, "Thank you, and Dr. Stewart,"
"Yes?"
"I will be sending home another syllabus, and if you don't see it, please give me a call. If you call the Montclair High School office, they'll give you my extension."
"Alright, thank you Ms. Swan."
"Thank you." I hung up.