All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer
I couldn't stop fidgeting as I entered the library. I didn't know where I was supposed to meet Edward and started to look around. The library was not that big and it didn't take long to locate him at a table in the back. As I approached I saw that he had already started researching; there were several books resting on the table before him.
He looked up at me as I drew near and smiled. "Hello."
"Hey." I answered back. I set my bag down on the floor and took the seat across from him.
"Find anything good?" I asked.
He shrugged. I was not prepared for what he said next. "Bella, I really can do this myself. You don't need to be bothered. It will go much faster if I do it alone."
I stiffened. My eyes grew wide as his words sunk in. Did he not think I was capable? What did he mean it would go faster if I weren't helping? I may be a klutz but I am a hard worker and always get my assignments done on time and with hardly any mistakes.
My jaw tensed and I narrowed my eyes. "Sorry I'm such a burden to you, but Mr. Banner assigned us both this project. I don't cheat. I prefer to earn my grades thank you very much." I snapped.
He frowned slightly. "Don't be ridiculous." He chided, infuriating me further. "That's not what I meant."
"So if you didn't mean to imply that I am a burden to you what did you mean?" I questioned scathingly.
He glared impatiently at me. "I know perfectly well that you are capable of putting this booklet together on your own. I only meant that I tend to work faster than the average person. It would simply get done faster if I did it myself. And I can assure you it would more than meet Mr. Banner's expectations." He grinned at his last statement.
My fists clenched at my sides as I stood up from my chair. How arrogant could one person get? I wanted to punch something—no him! Why did I always feel so violent when I was around him? He was the only person I knew that could get me this angry in such a short amount of time.
"I am not ridiculous." I hissed. "I am also capable of creating something that would exceed the assignment."
His brows pulled together. "I don't understand why you're so upset. You're blowing everything out of proportion and twisting my words." His tone was condescending and it was the final straw that pushed me over the edge.
"You…Grrrrrr." I growled at him stomping my foot out of anger, too mad to form a coherent sentence.
He looked shocked and blinked his eyes a few times before he burst out laughing louder than I had ever heard anyone laugh before. My mouth dropped as I watched him take humor at my expense.
I glared at him for a short moment, which only proved to make him laugh harder, if that were even possible, before I turned on my heel and stormed off in the opposite direction. I needed space; I needed to get away from him before I said or did something I would truly regret later on.
I pulled the drawer open roughly to the card catalog and began thumbing through it. I quickly found what I needed and went off in search of the books. I could still hear him laughing in the distance.
Lucky for me the library had a lot of books about wetlands. By the time I had accumulated a few books the library had once again become quiet. As I turned to find an empty table to review the books I found I was hoping Edward had simply left, but was disappointed to find him standing at the end of the isle looking gorgeous as always, leaning against the books smirking.
I pursed my lips deciding that I would simply ignore him. I kept my head high, my gaze forward as I walked by him never once acknowledging him. I could sense him following behind me, but I continued on my way as if he weren't there. I sat down at an empty table and instantly began reading one of the books I had found. I heard him pull out the chair across from me and sit, but I simply ignored him. We sat like that for a while before I heard him sigh.
"I'm sorry Bella. That was not nice of me."
I turned the page of the book I was reading and continued my research as if I had heard nothing. He was not going to get off that easy.
"It was just when you growled at me…" He stopped. I could tell he was fighting laughter and I stiffened, clenching my jaw. "I'm sorry." He said again after taking in my reaction. "You just surprised me. Not many people are able to do that." He admitted. He sounded almost frustrated by that fact.
"Forgive me?" He asked.
I bit my lower lip and chanced a quick look at him. He really did look repentant. My resolve instantly melted away as I stared into his sorrow filled eyes. I slumped my shoulders and exhaled, "fine." Did he always get his way, I wondered.
He smiled triumphantly. "I never meant to offend you. I was only trying to take the burden of this assignment from you. I didn't think you would want to work with me after making your feelings clear before class today."
He smiled through his explanation but it never did reach his eyes. There seemed to be an emotion there I could not identify. I shrugged it off. "Thank you, but as I said before, I like to earn my own grades."
"Fair enough," he grinned. "Where should we begin?"
We spent the next few minutes discussing what should and shouldn't be added to our booklet finally deciding to simply split the project into two equal parts. He would handle all the informational sections, while I was left creating the games and word searches. It seemed fair enough.
"Should we meet again soon…I mean I want to make sure that my games cover all the information you plan to put into the booklet."
"I will research my portion tonight and get back to you tomorrow. Is that soon enough?"
"Sure." I guess he wasn't kidding when he said he worked fast.
"Until tomorrow then." He smiled standing from his chair.
"Yeah, tomorrow." I breathed too late as I watched him gracefully walk away.
As I gathered my books I couldn't help feeling guilty. I was more excited for what tomorrow would bring than I had any right to be. I found myself smiling the entire drive home, and whistling as I made dinner. Just the prospect of talking to him again, even if it was to just study, made my heart flutter.
As I climbed into bed for the night I purposely banished all thoughts of my previous decision to ignore him from my brain. For the first time since moving to Forks I felt truly happy and excited, and I didn't want to lose that feeling just yet.