When we pulled into the school parking lot I glanced around, it was packed with cars, none of which I recognized. Save for the Burke family's Chevy Impala.
Carlisle pulled into a spot not far from the entrance. I could see Marie and her parents standing near the entrance, Marie was looking around anxiously and I wondered for a moment did she think I wasn't coming, that I would actually stand her up?
I saw her strain her neck when she spotted the Mercedes. In a town of this size, there aren't very many Mercedes running around, so Marie knew at least Dr. and Mrs. Cullen were here, but I could tell she was tilting her head back and forth, watching as Esme and Carlisle got out of the car. Her face started to fall, as she didn't see me get out with my parents
I slid out of the backseat and shut my door, Esme gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze, as we headed over to Marie and her family, I swear I saw Marie sigh with relief and I chuckled to myself.
"Dr. Cullen, how are you?" Marie's dad exclaimed holding his hand to Carlisle who returned the shake.
"Carlisle and well thank you and you Mr. Burke?"
"Please, Joe" he turned "my wife Anna and our daughter Marie." With the introductions to the Burke's complete, Carlisle turned to Esme and I to introduce us.
"You know my wife Esme," Carlisle said "and this is our youngest Christian."
"Chris," I corrected Carlisle; we exchanged a look, grinning at one another.
"Good to meet you Chris," Joe Burke said shaking my hand "Marie's told us a lot about you."
"Dad!" Marie exclaimed
"Well you have Ri Ri,"
Marie's eyes went wide and her face turned a magnificent shade of red, I didn't think it was possible for someone to turn that red.
"Dad!"
"Joseph, I think you're embarrassing her." Mrs. Burke said. "It's so wonderful that Chris is able to go with Marie and her grandmother tonight." She finished, turning to Esme who nodded.
"Well it was so nice of you to invite him, Chris has been stuck in the house so long with the flu he's been getting cabin fever." Esme lied with smoothness "he needs this out. He has been driving his brothers and sisters up the wall." She hugged my shoulders tight "right Christian?"
"Right mum."
"That is the longest stop light I have ever seen in my life!" a voice called behind the Burkes. "in a town this size, you wouldn't think they would need such a long light"
A woman in her late 60s sauntered towards us, wearing a coat that made her look like she was ready for the Iditarod, I may have a cold body temperature and not know exactly how cold it was, but last I checked it didn't get that cold in March, at least not as cold as this lady appeared to be.
Where was Marie's grandmother visiting from, the equator or the Arabian Desert? I'm only assuming that under that thick coat was a very tiny lady, but it was impossible to tell because she was lost in the material.
"Mom, this is the Cullen family, Dr. Cullen works over at the hospital, his wife Esme and their son Chris." Mr. Burke said, introducing us.
"Carlisle," my father said shaking Mrs. Burke's gently "it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Burke."
"oh please, call me Lucille." Mrs. Burke looked at her watch and it seemed like she gasped in surprise. "We should be going Marie, and you kids better hurry on to your meeting. It will take us about an hour to get to Port Angeles, Marie?" Mrs. Burke asked her granddaughter.
Marie nodded
"Yes grandma."
Quickly I looked at Carlisle, not that he needed to reminded, but it was instinct to make sure he was still going to say something. He gave me a look, telling me he hadn't forgotten and to be patient, something I'm not very good at.
"Oh, Mrs. Burke." Carlisle spoke up, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Lucille," she corrected gently
"Lucille," Carlisle cleared his throat "Chris is just getting over the flu, he might not feel up to eating much at the restaurant, I just didn't want you to be alarmed, I told him he should try something light."
Mrs. Burke looked at me, trying to decide if I really did look sick, if there was one thing I profiled on Marie's grandmother it's this, NOTHING gets passed her. But I apparently passed her eyeing inquisition, because she smiled warmly.
"Don't worry Chris, I won't force you to eat an entire steak," she looked me over again "but you could do with one, a growing boy needs plenty of red meat in his diet." it was all I could do not to snicker on that one. Mrs. Burke paused and smiled at my parents "do we have your address? I can drop Chris off at home on our way back from the movie."
Carlisle and Esme exchanged a look
"It would be better if one of us picks him up, our house is actually about 20 minutes out of town and our drive is long, with many sharp turns and very difficult to find or even navigate during the day let alone at night given there are only a few lights. I wouldn't feel right having you drive all that way just to turn and have to drive it alone." Carlisle interceded "Chris has his cell phone, have him call us when you are on your way back from Port Angles and one of us will pick him up at your house if that's all right." Carlisle finished.
"If you're sure," Mrs. Burke started to say,
"Very much so." Esme said smiling warmly at Mrs. Burke.
"Well then, we should go, don't want to miss the movie now do we?" Mrs. Burke boomed, ushering Marie and I towards the Burke's other car, a Ford Focus.
Inside, Marie and I sat in the backseat. The ten minutes that passed, did so in silence, Mrs. Burke looked at us every couple of seconds through the rearview mirror, but even she grew tired of the silence.
"Will one of you start talking? The silence is unbearable." She complained, "Marie Anne, you are not a chatterbox, but if one of you does not start talking I will subject both of you to my singing, you have faced that Marie, I would hate to torture and scare Chris away." Marie giggled and looked at me, shrugging. I returned the grin, but didn't know what to say, I've never been a great conversation starter.
"So…" I started, see horrible at starting a conversation.
"So."
Apparently Marie is not much better
"Fine, if the two of you are going to leave it at that." Mrs. Burke paused "Chris, Marie tells me that you are originally from London?"
"Uh, yes ma'am, just outside of London, about an hour or so."
"And you came to the states when you were?"
"Five, my…my parents were actually killed in a car accident, the Cullens are my godparents, they were given legal custody of me right after the accident and I came to live with them."
Mrs. Burke looked in the mirror quickly,
"Oh. I am so sorry."
I put a hand up to stop her
"It's all right," I told her, "I really don't remember much about them." I finished looking over at Marie who smiled gently.
"I must say Chris, I have never seen such blue eyes on someone, they are very distinguishing."
Don't remind me, I thought, keeping a smile on my face. I glanced out the window, I haven't been in a car that went this speed in a long time, like I've said, Esme never comes close to the speed that the rest of us reach in a car, Edward especially, but she doesn't turtle anywhere either and here we were, hitting a whopping top speed of 55.
I must have been making a face, because Marie reached over and put a hand on my shoulder,
"Chris, are you getting carsick?"
"What?" I said raising an eyebrow I don't get car sick, air sick maybe, but certainly not car sick.
"You look like you're going to be sick."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm fine, not going to be sick, I'm just worried about what Jones is going to tell my parents, they won't believe him anyways, but I can only imagine what he's telling them."
"Jones…" Marie's grandmother spoke up "isn't that, that horrible little teacher who didn't believe that your grandmother has been the dinner guest of many world leaders, such as President Kennedy, President Mandela, and Prime Minister Blaire?"
Marie nodded, and I stared at Mrs. Burke trying to figure out if she was telling the truth on that, and if my profile was right, she was.
"That's him grandma, he doesn't like Chris at all."
"And why is that?" Mrs. Burke looked at me through the rearview mirror, she didn't look like she was going to accuse me of anything, but she did look curious, like she was trying to figure out how a teacher might not like me. "You don't remind me of a troublemaker Chris, nor do you come off as…" she looked at Marie "what did your grandfather always call your father; oh yes…a smart ass."
I chuckled at that one, in my seventy-nine years of life, I had never heard a grandmother call anyone or even say the phrase 'smart ass,' it was amusing as it was refreshing.
To answer her I shrugged,
"I have no idea, my father thinks its because I'm really good at history and can answer nearly anything he asks the class. I don't try to be a know it all, but he asks fairly basic questions that if people just paid attention to the lecture or even read the book they could answer."
Mrs. Burke looked at Marie, who nodded in agreement. We may not have Jones at the same period, but he treats all his classes the same, he expects the class to sit there and listen to him and does not expect anyone to be paying attention.
The only reason he asks questions is for the chance to catch someone off guard and humiliate them if they aren't paying attention and therefore answer the question wrong.
You'd think that finding some students who are paying attention to the point that they can answer his questions easily, would be a sign of accomplishment and even joy to a teacher, yes, to your normal teacher, Mr. Jones however is FAR from normal or even interested in his students.
In fact he really hates students who do well in his classes, just because they may perhaps know more than he does.
"What a sad way to go about teaching. A teacher should take pride in their work. Why ever would he go into teaching if he cannot master the oldest and most basic reason for teaching: sharing your knowledge for those under your care to learn." Mrs. Burke replied, shaking her head. "Does he do the same to you Marie?"
Marie shook her head,
"I don't talk in class," she admitted quietly, I don't think her grandmother heard her, but I sure did, I looked over at her quickly and she returned the look before putting her head down.
"Well, at least you both only have to deal with him for another few months, then it is on to high school is it not?"
We both nodded.
"Yes ma'am," I replied
I was looking forward to high school, much more than Marie was, but my reasons were based only on the fact of Alice and Edward being there to hang out with. I think if I was entering the situation alone, like Marie would be I would be feeling the same way.
"So Marie, did you tell Chris the movie that we picked?"
I looked over at Marie quickly, she grinned shyly, silently admitting that she knew all along what movie we were going to, but had kept it to herself.
"No, I was waiting."
"Marie, tell him, because if he doesn't want to see it we will pick something else, I will not subject him to boredom like that."
"Really Mrs. Burke, anything is fine for me, I'm pretty easy when it comes to movies."
"Well I certainly hope that is true, because my granddaughter wants to see Phantom of the Opera,"
I looked at Marie and she shrugged innocently, a smile creeping across her face.
"Phantom of the Opera huh?" I whispered, reading her body language, Marie was hiding something and I kept my grin to myself as I waited for her to admit it.
"I saw the play last year for my birthday." She looked worried for a moment "are you sure your ok with it?"
"Marie I'm fine with it, I told you that whatever you guys picked was cool with me."
"Even if it's a chick flick?"
"I wouldn't call Phantom of the Opera a chick flick perse. More like a musical." I paused and grinned "and Marie don't forget, I have two older sisters."
"Marie stop teasing Chris," Mrs. Burke looked in the rearview mirror "Phantom of the Opera wasn't playing until 10:00 tonight, and since you both have school tomorrow we're going to see Hitch."
As carefully as I possibly could, I nudged Marie's shoulder and gave her a grin which she returned.
"Opera huh?" I whispered
"Had you going didn't I?" She replied a smug look on her face, that really didn't fit her, and as I figured it didn't stay long.
If there's one thing I've learned about girls from having Rosalie and Alice as sisters and the Denali girls as extended sisters, it's always best to admit their right, so I nodded
"Just a bit." I replied.