Chapter Two - He Smiled at Me
I spent the rest of the day in a daze. I didn't remember what the other teachers said, I silently sat through lunch with a blank look on my face, and I didn't even participate in Jessica's update on the gossip. As I munched on my salad and stared off into space, my thoughts spun around one name: Edward Cullen.
From what I gathered, Edward and his family moved down to Forks only a few weeks before, which explained why I didn't recognize the name. The group consisted of five siblings: Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. Their foster father. Dr. Cullen, had adopted them when they were just youngsters. Rosalie and Jasper, the twin blondes, were the only ones that were actually related. From where I sat with my friends, I could see them sitting at the table furthest away from the others. They sat silently and picked at their food, not bothering to speak to anyone but themselves. It felt weird to even look at them, but the way they sat with aloof expression on their faces, their food barely touched. I guessed they didn't like the cafeteria food, just like everyone else.
I tried to keep my focus on my salad and caught bits and pieces of Jessica's babble. She was gushing about the boys down on the La Push reservation, a topic which didn't delight me at all. My friend, Jacob, lived there and even he wasn't impressed with the ogling. I tried to keep the smug smile off my face as I sipped my soda and glanced up at the Cullen's table again. The blonde girl, Rosalie, was bent over and murmuring to Edward. Her eyes would fervently flicker to our table as she spoke in harsh whispers. His expression, on the other hand, was unfathomable. He didn't look at me.
I felt my face flush with embarrassment as I sipped my drink, my hand beginning to tremble. I didn't even know this guy, and he already had my stomach twisted in knots.
"Bella....BELLA!" someone shouted, and I jumped, spilling my soda on the table. Jessica hopped up and helped me mop up the mess. I looked to see who had called my name.
Mike was staring at me with an odd expression, and I asked, "What the hell, Mike?"
"Eric and I are planning a trip to Seattle. You wanna come?" he made his puppy dog eyes and pouted his mouth. I laughed. For the past few months, they begged me to join them on their weekly excursions into the city. Usually it ended in underage drinking and hangovers. I recalled the last time Mike took a group up to port Angeles, which ended with him puking all over her dad's couch. It smelled like fish and whiskey.
"No, but thanks anyways," I replied, trying to keep the mental picture out of my head, "I'm busy this weekend. Maybe some other time?"Mike nodded his head sadly and turned back to talking with Eric and Lauren.
I threw the soaked napkins I'd used to soak up the soda into the trash can and headed for my next class before the bell rang. I had P.E. next, which was going to be a nightmare. Since Forks required four years of P.E. instead of one or two like any other state, I was stuck tripping over my feet and slamming my racket into someone's face. I could already see the regret on my team's face.
After I changed into my gym clothes, I walked into the gym and froze, nearly knocking into one of the teachers. Edward and Alice Cullen were sitting at the top of the wooden bleachers, laughing and smiling as they chatted with a couple of girls I recognized from the cheerleading squad. The girls would giggle every time Edward opened his mouth, which seemed to annoy Alice. She merely frowned and ran her fingers through her spiky, black hair.
I watched them with a fever running over my cheeks, and I stumbled to the bottom of the bleachers and waited for the instructor to give us orders. I could still hear them laughing and chattering away behind me while I sat quietly, my blush a fiery red.
It was silly, but I felt like his eyes were on me. Every so often, when the coach wasn't looking, I would peek behind me and see him glance down at me, his eyes curious but cautious. His sister ignored me altogether, but she ignored the cheerleaders equally. Her face remained the same way, bored and annoyed, as the teacher split us up into teams. We were going to play volleyball, which was the worst of my evils.
The teacher called out our names, replied with cheers and groans, until it was only Edward, myself, and three girls that sat in one corner and chewed gum. I internally groaned and trudged into position, feeling my stomach do flip flops as I watched Edward stand opposite me. He didn't say anything as he served the ball.
Apparently, the girl on my team was good at this sport, because she spit her gum on the floor and spiked the ball back to the other side. I watched and occasionally gave my best at hitting the ball over, which luckily went over the net without killing anybody. I started to get the hang of things and my swings became more precise, my shots bouncing just inside the court while avoiding Edward's confident hands. His face became concentrated as he focused more on the back of the court, which amused and frustrated me.
I started to get too cocky with my moves, and the last serve I gave almost smacked Edward's partner in the stomach. I felt my nerves kick in again, and I nearly tumbled over my own feet in chagrin. I stood back and let my partner take over for a bit while I watched Edward eyeing me from his side of the net. His forehead was slick with sweat, but it was his expression that shocked me. It was amazed, as if he's never seen a girl play so well at a sport. I gave him a weak smile and he returned it, which sent my heart racing. I looked away from him and found myself gazing at a volleyball heading straight for my face. In a rush of energy, I spiked it awkwardly with my fist and watched in terror as the ball bounced over the net and right into Edward's face.
At first, I felt like throwing up. I observed the ball smash into his nose, then bounce to the floor where it idled by his feet. His hands flew up to his face and blocked it from view, but I still caught the look of pain and horror capturing his features. I rushed beneath the net, ignoring the other gasps from the other students. My frantic hands wrapped over his face gingerly pulled them from his face. I saw the color rise on his skin, the blood sticking to his nostrils, and the purple shade of a bruise forming. I felt my own face drain of blood as I mumbled apologies.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see the ball coming and I wasn't paying attention to where I hit it. That was stupid of me, I should have paid attention to what I was doing and-"
"It's okay," he replied softly, his lips pulled into a crooked smile, "Happens all the time."
I offered to escort him to the nurse for an ice pack and tissue, all the while peeking at him from the corner of my eye. He truly wasn't upset with what had happened, and his smile never left his face. He merely held his nose to keep it from dripping blood and asked me random questions about Forks. We talked about the weather, the school, and some of the stuff people in the area did for fun. I didn't bother bringing up the trip Mike told me about. Newcomers wouldn't want to be subjected to his crap.
"The whole 'small town charm' is bullshit," I confessed to him once we got to the nurse's office, "It's cold and wet and boring here. Why did you decide this place over Forks?" The question sounded rude, but it was odd to get a doctor to move here willingly.
"My mother. Well, my foster mother. She loved it when she first saw it, so my dad applied at the hospital. He's grateful he got the job, considering my past," Edward's voice was sad at the end, which made my eyebrows scrunch together.
"I'm not a good friend." His voice was definite, as if the words were written in stone.
I stood silently, my face rooted in shock and hurt, and the emotions on his changed. He smiled again and held out his hand.
"It's silly how we haven't introduced ourselves. I should at least know your name. I'm Edward Cullen, but I guess you already know that."
"Yeah," I said, extending my hand, "My name is Bella."
That was when I knew I would know who this boy was, no matter what he thought.