Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything else associated with it.
I had a question from a reviewer about if there would be an EPOV. The question is do you readers want one? I aim to please!
Thanks to all those who reviewed. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
See ya at the end...
Chapter 3- Day 1
The next day, I woke up to the loud, abrasive sound of my alarm clock, climbing my way out of my blankets and hitting the snooze button grumpily. I squinted my eyes, looking at the red digits on the display. 6:30. Groaning, I got up, pushing my mess of tangled hair out of my face. I felt inordinately tired, probably from what had happened the previous day.
I got out of bed, completing my usual morning ritual in my small, cozy turquoise and beige room, then headed downstairs.
"Bella, breakfast," my mom said from the kitchen. I felt myself tense up immediately.
"Good morning," I said, going into the kitchen to give her a hug.
"Good morning," she said without returning it. "Go sit at the table." I followed, walking across the black and white checkered tile to sit at the small table. She brought me my food and sat down. We ate in silence, the only sound the click of our utensils scraping the plates.
"So," my mom suddenly said, "did you do your homework yesterday?"
"Yes," I said, not looking up at her.
"I heard you made an 80 on your last test," she said, her voice a little reproachful. I immediately felt my shoulders tense up, and took a breath to calm myself. I didn't know how she always found out about my grades, but I had gotten used to it.
"Yes," I said cautiously.
"Isabella Swan," my mom said, and I looked up, meeting her stiff face. At one time she could have been beautiful- I'd gotten my brown hair from her, but she had beautiful hazel eyes and daintier features. But her uptight personality made them all seem to draw in on themselves- she perpetually looked like she'd sucked on a lemon.
"Is that really your best?" she asked.
"Yes. The test was really hard," I said. "I still made the highest score, everyone-"
"I don't care how everyone else did. I'm talking about you. You have to keep your A average. You know I can't afford to send you to college. A scholarship is the only way you'll get to go."
I pressed my mouth into a line, knowing it would be useless to say more. "Yes, ma'am," I replied, putting my utensils down, my appetite gone and suddenly feeling stifled. "Well, I gotta go. Wouldn't wanna be late," I said, pushing away from the table to take my dishes to the sink. My slight sarcasm was lost on her, as it always was.
She nodded, waving at me, and I gave a half-hearted, "Love you," before I went out the door. I didn't hear her answer.
~*TEM*~
I pulled up and parked in my parking spot, feeling refreshed after having listened to music on my way to school. There were a lot of students going in, and some standing around talking and listening to music on their iPods. But it seemed it got quiet when I got out and began walking up the walkway to the door. I heard whispers as everyone looked at me, and I adjusted my back pack, feeling uncomfortable. No one paid attention to me usually. Why were they doing it now? I was met with the same as I went in the school and walked down the hallways.
"Isabella!" I heard a voice say, and turned around to see the principal coming from his office, a smile on his face. Everyone started moving, resuming talking and heading to class. The principal was a tall, slim man, still handsome in his early 40's. His hair was still dark and thick with pepperings of gray, and he had a warm, friendly face with kind gray eyes. He was very kind to me, and always felt like someone I could talk to, but he never got my name right, no matter how many times I told him.
"It's Bella, Mr. Dwyer. How are you?"
"Would you mind to come to my office for a minute?" he asked me. I nodded, a little surprised. He had never asked me to his office before. Why was all of this happening now in my life? It had been quiet as usual just yesterday. I followed him, feeling people look at me and whisper again.
He led me into the office, both of us smiling at the secretary before we went in, and he closed the door behind him. It felt just like a principal's office, neat and slightly intimidating, with its stark white walls with plaques on it, a large file cabinet, and a neat desk with a placard with the name Principal Phillip Dwyer written on it. He motioned for me to sit in the chair across from his desk, and I waited until he was seated before I sat myself. He leaned forward, lacing his fingers together as he looked at me, smiling compassionately.
"How are you doing, Is- Bella?" he asked me, a bit of concern in his voice.
"I'm doing good," I said a little cautiously, wondering where he was going with this.
"I just noticed that you came to school late yesterday, that's all," he said, and it was all solved. I sat back, a little relieved. "You're never late, so I thought maybe something was wrong. Is everything okay with your family?" he asked.
"Yes, everything's okay, Mr. Dwyer," I said, smiling at him reassuringly.
"That's good," he said after a second of looking at me. It was quiet for a moment, during which I looked around a bit uncomfortably. "But did something happen at school?" he asked me, and I looked back to see him leaned back, still looking at me.
"At school?" I asked.
"Yes. I noticed everyone staring at you as we went down the hall. Did something happen?" he pressed, leaning forward again, his gray eyes boring into mine.
"Oh, it was nothing, sir," I said, dropping my eyes from his. It was a lie, yes, but it's not like I could spill everything about my personal life to him.
I felt his eyes on me for a bit longer before he sat back, breaking his pose as he smiled at me. "Well, that's good then," he said. "I can't have anything happening to my best student," he continued as he stood up. "If you have a problem with anything, just remember you can talk with me."
"Thank you, Mr. Dwyer," I said, standing as well and grabbing my backpack.
"Well, then," he said, taking a breath and walking to open the door for me. "Head on to class."
I nodded, walking out the door. As I went around the corner, I looked back to see him still looking at me, an unreadable expression on his face.
~*TEM*~
I came in the classroom, noticing how everyone quieted as soon as I stepped in, their talk turning to hushed whispers. Clearing my throat, I went to my seat, sitting down slowly. No one talked to me, as usual, but it felt different- even if they weren't talking, they were still looking at me. Trying to mask my discomfort, I reached in my back pack, picking up my book and trying to immerse myself in it. I tried, but I could still feel the stares and hushed whispers of those around me. What is going on?
"Ex-excuse me," a voice from beside me, and I turned to see the girl I had asked about the handkerchief sitting in her seat beside me, turned toward me. I took a good look at her the first time. I just looked at her, not surprised anymore. So many people were talking to me today that it had lost its novelty.
She cleared her throat, saying, "So, you found the owner of the handkerchief."
"Yes," I said simply.
She nodded, then leaned forward. "You do know who he is, right?" she asked me, concern in her eyes.
"Edward Cullen, right?" I asked confusedly, wondering where she was going.
"But do you know who he IS?" she asked. I shook my head no slowly, the book in my hands totally forgotten.
"Well ,do you remember the incident last year, when there was a huge fight in the parking lot and some student got hurt?"
I did remember. I remember seeing one of the students. His clothes had been torn, his face already swollen with bruises. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as she said, "The guy who did that was Edward." I caught my breath. "Also, he almost never comes to class, and when he does, he never does his work. He stays alone, and no one dares to talk to him. If you do, you don't know what he'll do to you," she continued. I barely heard her, feeling my heart start to pound. "I'm telling you this to warn you. It's better for someone like you to stay away from him," she said. I nodded vaguely. I had already gotten myself in a situation that I couldn't get out of. "And, he-" she continued, but the bell rang and the teacher came in, motioning for us to get to our seats.
I barely paid attention as the teacher spoke on, teaching us about balancing chemical equations. That was him? Of all people, I had to get involved with him? Why me? I felt myself getting frightened, and took a deep breath. Well, at least I'll have this class to prepare myself, I reasoned, turning my attention to the teacher. I comforted myself with her familiar talk. "So, to balance the chemical equation SnO2 + H2 → Sn + H2O, you need to-" she was saying, just as the door flew open.
I and the rest of the class looked up at the sight before us. There stood Edward, his coppery hair perfectly styled, his school uniform carelessly disheveled. His face looked bored as he surveyed the class casually. I gulped as his green eyes came to rest on me and a small smirk came on his face. He looked away and toward the teacher.
"Sorry I'm late, teach," he said in his deep voice, walking- no, more like a sauntering lazily- over to her and handing her a sheet of paper. She read it quickly, then looked back at him. "Welcome to my class, Mr. Cullen. Now," she said, scanning her eyes over the seats, "Now, where to sit you…" she began, but he cut her off.
"I know where I'll sit," he said, starting to walk down the aisle, his eyes on me. I felt my eyes widen, my throat dry as he came to my seat, smirking down at me, before he turned to the girl beside me. She jumped, her eyes wide. I felt everyone's eyes on the scene as he leaned down over her. "Would you mind if I sat here?" he asked, his voice low, looking directly in her eyes as he smiled down at her. I wasn't even the one he was staring at and felt my face heat up. He might be a jerk, but he was a handsome one. She blinked quickly, her face turning red, as she stood up, gathering her things.
"O-of course not," she said a little breathlessly before turning around and walking toward the back of the class.
He sat down in the seat, slinging his back pack on the top of the desk and slumping down, spreading his legs and planting them on the ground on either side of the legs on his desk, looking straight forward with a bored expression on his face.
"Then," the teacher said in the silence that followed, "Miss Swan?"
"Yes?" I said, tearing my gaze away from him to her.
"Would you share your book with Mr. Cullen for today?" she asked, but it was more of an order than a request. Unable to do anything, I nodded, feeling like everything was getting out of my control, my head spinning a little. I got up, scooting my desk closer to his, then sat down, feeling his body heat coming from him not two inches away from me. He smelled just as good as he did yesterday. I swallowed as I pushed the book in between us, careful not to touch him.
"Thanks," he said, and I looked up to see him smiling knowingly at me. I just sat there, wide eyed. "What, the Princess doesn't have manners?" he asked. "I said thanks."
"H-how did you-"
"It's simple. Two words. You're welcome."
"You're welcome, but how did you..."
"So she does have manners. Good to know."
"Of course I have manners, but-" I shook my head, realizing that I'd gotten off track. "How did you get in my class?"
He opened his mouth right as the teacher said, "Okay, class. Back to the problems on page 182." He settled back with a smug grin on his face, shrugging his shoulders in a helpless gesture. I made it through the glass in a fog of disbelief and confusion, painfully aware of him shifting in the seat beside me. When class ended, I shot up, slamming my books and papers into my backpack. Without saying a word to him, I walked out. By the time I got to second period, I could breathe better. I sat down with a relieved sigh, closing my eyes as the sound of students coming in filled my ears. This was English. This was where I could relax. There was no way he would-
There was a loud bang on my desk and I shot up, my heart pounding. I stared up wide-eyed at an angry-looking Edward leaning against my desk, his face near mine. I tried to back up and he followed; did he have no concept of personal space?
"Hey, Princess," he said.
"E..Ed-ward? What are you..."
"Funny thing about you being mine," he said, standing up. I watched as he moved around and took the seat next to me. The skinny guy who usually sat there said nothing, shuffling to the other end of the classroom and taking the empty seat there. Edward simply sat down and slouched, leaning back and resting his foot on his desktop. "Mine means that you don't walk off and leave before I say you can. I had to carry my backpack all on my own, and that doesn't get you any closer to paying me back."
I gaped at him and swallowed down my anger, taking a deep breath. "How many of my classes are you in?" I asked in a shaky voice.
He smirked and shrugged. "All of them." I gaped and his smile grew as the bell rang and the teacher called for everyone to sit down. "I told you, Princess, you're mine. Take some good notes for me, will you?" With that, he closed his eyes and sat back, letting out a deep sigh. I could only stare as every semblance of my peace was destroyed by one copper-haired, green-eyed boy.
I couldn't believe this was happening to me.
So... How you guys feelin'? Any thoughts or speculations?
Would love to hear from you. Thanks for reading...
