The next day was even better then the first.
It wasn't raining but the clouds seemed to be a silent promise of that it would soon. I also know what to expect today, I know after interest is lost in about a few weeks everyone will leave me alone, till then I'll just grin and bear it.
Mike came to sit by me in English, the whole time I just kind of paid more attention to my book. I'm not judgmental but I know what kind of guy Mike is, he is the golden boy I've seen hundreds of them. The all-star in a sport, dates all the girls and is confident he can get any girl he wants. And I'm not just going by his blonde hair and blue eyes, or his Forks Football jacket or his stupid smirk that some girls find attractive.
I was going by what he said, did, and the way he conducted himself. When the overly helpful chess club guy…Eric? Yes Eric, when he was glaring at him Mike did a "I know I'm bad" smirk and tried to put his arm around me. I blocked this with a quick sweep that knocked his arm down.
"Sorry, a fly was bothering me." I used my black hair to hide the fact that I was laughing when that idiot actually believed me. Don't Jocks usually hate Goths, that's how it was in my old school. Perhaps since it's obvious that they don't get new blood much and it doesn't matter if she's a freak or not.
I want to know what is up with Edward Cullen. What is his problem when I didn't do anything to him. The second I get a chance to talk to him I'm going to fly off on him so badly. Grr…that guy annoys me, more then anyone has ever been able to do before. No ones ever been able to do that to me, I don't understand. Their have been plenty of people who have annoyed me but I wouldn't think about it a minute after they left. I have been thinking about Edward Cullen for the last few weeks. No one has effected me like this, ever.
But when I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica-keeping my eyes down while sweeping the cafeteria for my target for the earful that has been steadily building inside me for almost twenty four hours-I saw that his four siblings of sorts were sitting together at the same table, and he was not with them.
Mike intercepted us and steered us to his table. Jessica seemed not to mind at all being herded like cattle, in fact she seemed to elate in the attention. She stood straight as an arrow pushing her chest out as she fiddled with her hair and gave Mike a sexy smile. I, however, despised this.
The lunch hour was spent with Jessica giving the report on gossip. Who was sleeping with who, who was pregnant, who was cheating on their girlfriend. What girls where dressed like a slut (has Jessica looked in a mirror? She's wearing a micro skirt and a tank top, I like the cold but it's got to be forty five degrees this morning.) Who's doing drugs. All of that, it was so annoying.
I walked to biology confident that he must be absent today. Mike, seeming not willing to give up and go with the much more willing Jessica, followed me to class talking adamantly of some kind of sport or other. I walked into the classroom and Edward Cullen wasn't their, I went to my seat. Mike followed, switching from whatever sport he was talking about an upcoming trip to the beach. He lingered by my desk, doing stud like poses somewhat subtly, until the bell rang. He went to sit by a girl with braces and a mom-job perm. Mike seems to be a problem.
In a town like this diplomacy is essential, it is one of the few things I would change about this town. I have never been enormously tactful; no one associated with me so their was no one to be tactful with. I have no practice with boys who don't get the hint that following you around won't work.
I was relived that I had the desk to myself, that I had some form of my precious solitude.
But I don't seem to be able to get rid of this nagging feeling. It feels like that something was telling me, somehow, that Edward Cullen's absence was because of me. It is ridiculous and egotistical to think that I have so much power over anybody. Yet some part of me refused to accept this, some part buried deep down in my subconscious.
When the school day was finally over with, wicked town or not school always sucks, I changed back into my black skinny jeans and Evanescence band shirt. I left the girl's locker room happy that I had avoided Mike. I walked out to the parking lot, it was crowed with students so much I had to push a little. Once I got into my truck I checked to make sure I had everything I needed.
Last night I had discovered that Charlie couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon, and TV dinners. I had requested to have kitchen duty so we could actually have substance without the house burning down. He was more then willing to hand over the key to the banquet hall. I also found out that he had no food in the house, obviously the man doesn't eat at home much. So I have my shopping list and the cash from the jar in the cupboard labeled Food Money, and am on my way to the Thrift Way.
I gunned the engine and smiled sweetly at the car as it roared to life, ignoring the heads turning to me in alarm at the sound. I backed carefully into a place in the line of cars waiting to get out of the school parking lot. I saw two Cullen siblings and the Hale twins get into the shiny Volvo. They were all dressed simply yet the clothes seemed to hint at designer origins, more then that it was the way that they carried themselves; they could of worn rags and pulled it off.
They could probably be the kings and queens of the school if they chose to, their isolation must be of their own choice. I have to respect them for that, they looked at my noisy truck as everyone else did but I didn't look at them I looked straight ahead.
The Thrift Way was not far from the school, just a few streets south of the highway. It's nice to be in the supermarket; it felt extremely normal. I did the shopping at home, and the cooking and the cleaning and making sure the bills where paid on time, and I feel into the pattern of a familiar task easily.
When I got home I unloaded the groceries, stuffing them haphazardly anywhere they'd fit. I hoped Charlie wouldn't mind. I wrapped potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake, covered a steak in marinade and balance it on the top carton of eggs in the fridge.
When I was finished with that, I took my book bag upstairs. Before starting my homework, I changed into a pair of dry Emily the Strange sweats and pulled my damp hair into a ponytail. I checked my emails for the first time. I have three.
Bella.
Write me as soon as you get in. is it raining? I'm almost finished packing for Florida. But I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it? Mom.
I sigh, of course the only reason Renee would email me or bother with any sort of contact was if she needed something. Brain dead flake. The next one was sent eight hours after the first.
Bella.
Why haven't you emailed me yet? What are you waiting for? Do you know where my blouse is?
Mom.
The next was from this morning. When I would have been in school.
Isabella Marie Swan!
If I haven't heard from you by 5:30 p. m. today I'm calling Charlie. How hard is it to answer one simple question?
What a bitch. Not even so much as asking how I'm doing. 'How hard is it to answer one simple question?' she asks, how hard is it to add 'how are you doing?' on the end of a sticking email? It's only 4:30 but I might as well email the woman now.
Mom.
Your shirt is in the dry cleaners-you were supposed to pick it up Friday.
Remember?
Of course it's raining. This is Forks. It's makes everything so beautifully morbid. I'm not going to probably be checking my email a lot, maybe once every few days.
Bella.
I decided to read Wuthering Heights, the novel we were currently studying in English, yet again for the fun of it. I was doing that when Charlie came home, I had lost track of time like I usually did as I read about the plights that people put on each other in this book.
I rushed down stairs and took out the potatoes, thanking my usually nonexistent luck that they didn't burn, and put the steak in to broil.
"Bella?" Charlie called out when he heard me on the stairs.
Who else?
"Hey dad. Welcome home."
"Thanks." he hung up his gun belt and steeped out of his boots as I bustled in the kitchen. As far as I know Charlie had never shot the gun on his job, but he always kept it ready. When I came here as a child he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. I guess he considered me old enough not to shoot myself by accident. And not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose, their were…instances. Of me writing about death and scaring the shit out of my parents.
"What's for dinner?" He asked warily. Renee was an…imaginative cook, and her experiments weren't always edible. Which is one of the reasons I took on another responsibility.
"Steak and potatoes," I said putting his fears to rest.
He seemed to feel awkward standing in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while I worked. It seemed so much more comfortable then when mom and her current boyfriend would sit on the couch and wait for me to serve them. Charlie didn't wish to be served, only not to be in the way. I made some salad while the steak cooked.
I called him in when dinner was ready, he sniffed like a starved bear once he was in the room.
"Smells good, Bell."
I just smiled at him before passing him a plate. We ate for awhile in silence, neither of us minded the quiet. We were much better suited for living together then I was with Renee.
"So how was school? Did you make any friends?" He asked as he was taking seconds. I couldn't blame him, awesome or not, he's a dad and as such worries that his daughter would fit in.
"Well I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica, I sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice." That was a lie but it was for Charlie's sake. He didn't need to know that Jessica was a gossiper with the lowest regard to others peoples feelings or privacy. And that Mike doesn't get that I'm not interested. I am a natural born bad liar, but as long as I don't have to look into someone's eyes and they can't see my blush it's usually all good.
"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid-nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here." Hmm…Charlie's right it is Mike Newton. Newton-newt, hahaha. Nice kid? Not really, he was the player of the junior class, told to me by Angela Weber bless her soul. I don't believe family really matters when it comes to a person, if I don't like someone every person in their family can be saints dating back to the Roman days and I still wont like them. Newton Outfitters, I figured the owner was of some relation to Mike, and I suppose that the owner would make a good living, nothing extravagant but good.
"Do you know the Cullen family?" I asked honestly, I have never been one for gossip but I wanted to know what could possibly make Edward Cullen so angry at me.
"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."
"It's nice that I'm not the only new student this generation. They don't seem to fit in much, everyone seems to either talk about them ,or ignore them, never to them." Charlie looked angry at this news.
"People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world and make ten times his salary. We're lucky to have him-lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of his kids are well-behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought I might have some problems with them but their all very mature. That's more then I can say from some of the kids who's family has lived here for generations. And they stick together, the way a family should, camping trips every other weekend. Just because their newcomers people have to talk."
I have never seen Charlie make such a long speech. He must have heard more then I have.
"They all seemed nice enough to me. They keep to themselves, quiet bunch. The way everyone made them out to be was stuck up, but I don't think that's true. That's not the kind of read I got off of them." I added as our family joke, I was usually able to tell people's nature. They called it my horse sense, horses could sense evil, and I was usually able to tell from looking into someone's eyes if they were generally a good person or not and sometimes get a feeling. That all it was, a feeling: greedy, sad, nice, needs help. The scary thing was they were almost always right, and the one's that were wrong were always close to being right.
We didn't say anything more for the rest of dinner. Charlie cleared the table and put the leftovers away while I washed dishes. He went to watch TV while I hand washed the dishes and then headed up to do my math homework. I could feel a routine building, and that was good I enjoyed routines. I had spent all my life, except the time I'd visit in Forks, never having a routine because all my time was trying to get Renee not to be a dumb ass. A impossible mission.
The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine in classes and people were starting to back off of me and go back to their own lives. In gym, the other kids learned to not pass me the ball and step in front of me if the other team would try to. I was happy to stay out of the way, throwing balls with similar characteristics of heat seeking missiles at each other seemed incredibly unnecessary. Unnecessary and stupid.
Edward Cullen didn't come back to school.
Every day I watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullens entered the lunch room, without him. For all I know, Edward Cullen has dropped out of school.
Everyone continued making plans for the trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I agreed to go because the only way that someone would agree to go to the beach meant their must be a fire and I nursed the hope of horror stories around the fire. Maybe I could hear some new ones to add to my collection of horror stories.
By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering biology. I always knew Edward Cullen wouldn't be their. I couldn't totally stop the strange feeling that his abstinence had something to do with me. It was more ridicules then those Friday The 13th kids were but I still couldn't shake it.
My first weekend in Forks passed without incident, Charlie wasn't used to staying home on the weekends for "family bonding" so he was at work most the time. I cleaned some of the house wanting to do what I can for him, I love my dad but he's like a terminal bachelor. I did my homework as well as worked ahead on some of the classes, I emailed Renee some stupid crappy emails because she got in some sewing circle and they were intrigued with me for some reason. She had only been a part of it for a day, give it a few more and she'd have no more reason for my emails. I drove to the library one day but their wasn't anything good, and everything that was good I already owned, so I didn't bother getting a card. I entertained the idea of visiting Olympia or Seattle soon to find a good bookstore, but unfortunately my truck wouldn't make the drive. It may be awesomely wicked but the thing is probably older then my parents…wait, the truck was made in the early fifties. Say 1953. I was born 1987, Renee was born eighteen years before me in 1969 and Charlie was born in 1968 so the car was about roughly fifteen or sixteen years older then them. Yep, no way was that car going to be any good in gas mileage sense.
At English on Monday Mike sat beside me, I ignored him. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights straight forward and easy, Mike complained about it though. It wouldn't of been hard if you read the first few chapters of the book, I thought but didn't bother saying.
I loved Forks, I haven't ever felt this comfortable. Life in Forks was easy and nice and honestly it was so much better. The kids were gossipers, true but compared to the kids at my old school they weren't that bad. But beside that it was really good. I wasn't planning on growing old here and having any kids here, but I did enjoy it.
When my class dismissed and we all walked out the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitements. What was so great with snow? The rain was beautiful, especially thunderstorms, this mass of white was…I wouldn't use the term ugly but defiantly not beautiful.
"Wow," I heard Mike say beside me. "It's snowing." He said it with such reverence, like it was water and he was dying of thirst. He grew up in Fork only ever left once or twice, yes sometimes I actually paid attention to what these people said, he had seen snow every winter all his life. This was my first time and I didn't see what the big deal was, perhaps snow was an acquired taste?
They looked like little cotton fluffs that were building along the sidewalk.
"Stupid snow." I muttered and that had Mike turn to me.
"Don't you like snow?"
"Not really that means it's too cold for rain."
"Do you want me to warm you up?" Mike said with a smirk that I suppose was supposed to be sexy. He looked really stupid to me.
"No thanks." I rolled my eyes and turned to the nice girl, Angela, who asked if I ever saw snow before.
"No, isn't it supposed to be in flakes, all unique? These look like the ends of Q-tips." I was honestly disappointed, if each would be unique I'd enjoy snow more. Where was the individuates? I guess their wasn't anything that being an individual would be easy.
"You really have never seen snow fall before have you?" Angela asked.
"Sure I have, on TV." Angela laughed at this, but it wasn't a mean laugh, she found it genuinely funny.
"TV isn't exactly known for showing the real way things happen."
"True."
Then a big slushy wet snowball sailed between use somehow nearly hitting us both. We instantly turned and saw everyone engaged in a snowball fight.
"I'll see you at lunch kay?" I told Angela beginning to walk away. "Once people start throwing things I go inside."
"Same here, see ya." Angela waved heading the opposite direction of me for her next class.
Through the morning the snow was anything anyone would talk about. I resided myself to simply read, I was in the middle or rereading Emma.
I walked into the cafeteria after Spanish with the gossip queen, Jessica, beside me. Snow balls were flying everywhere and I kept a binder in my hand for protection, or to beat the crap out of anyone who may be unfortunate enough to actually land a snowball at me. Perhaps both.
Jessica thought it was hilarious but I had already told her, in no joking voice, that if she threw a snowball at me I'd beat her with my binder. When she didn't seem that afraid I added that I'd cut her hair off the next time she fell asleep in Trig, with my special scary voice I think that the grudge would have if she had a voice, that scared her.
Once we got in Mike ran up, wet from snow. Jessica immediately engaged him in talking about the epic snow fight. She did things like fiddle with her blouse till some of the buttons came undone and fluffed her hair anytime she thought Mike's attention waver. I pretty much ignored both of them and got in line for my food.
I happen to turn and froze. At the reclusive Cullen Table sat five people. Jessica ran into me.
"Hello? Earth to Bella!"
"What? Oh sorry. I just remembered I forgot something in my locker." I quickly lied, it was so horrible if I did it to anyone with an IQ over ten it wouldn't of worked but luckily I told it to Jessica.
I didn't feel hungry anymore so I just got a soda.
"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked in her gossip hunting voice that I seriously doubt she even knows she uses.
"Actually I feel a little sick." I didn't look at her as I said this instead staring at the floor. I waited for them
I sipped my soda and wondered if I should skip biology today. I banished that notion the second I thought it, why should I run away? I was staring at the ceiling over their heads daydreaming, I wasn't sure about what. Edward Cullen seemed different, he was laughing with his family probably about some snow fight. He was flushed and less bags were under his eyes and their was something else I couldn't pinpoint.
"Bella what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded my daydream.
"Nothing." I said dropping my head. He had turned the instant she said something and even though I wasn't staring at him. Okay maybe a little, but only a little, it could easily of looked like that. But his eyes were different they weren't harsh or unfriendly when they met mine as they had last time. He seemed merely curious and unsatisfied in some way.
"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica giggled into my ear, great the gossip hunter was back on top of everything else.
"Does he look angry?"
"No…should he be?" Jessica asked her curiosity piqued even more.
"I don't think he likes me," I told her thinking how it was an understatement at the same time.
"The Cullens don't like anybody." Jessica stated easily. "…Well they don't notice anybody enough to like them." She added when I glared, "but he's still staring at you."
"Stop looking at him." I practically growled. Jessica was too scared to not obey, I know she'll probably spread some nasty rumor about me as a rebuke for the way she's backing down now but I don't care.
Mike interrupted us then, wishing for attention to be back to him. "I don't get those Cullen freaks. They think their so much better then all of us." Mike did this with an attempt to throw and arm over my shoulder which I promptly blocked.
"What's everyone's hatred to them?" I meant it to be a rhetorical question but Jessica answered anyway.
"Their just not right, I don't know but they just aren't."
"Why? Because they keep to themselves? Doesn't sound that bad to me, in fact I much prefer it. Their's some other people I wish would keep to themselves," I said this with a glare at both of them. "How about everyone stop acting like immature little children and let people live the way they want, their not hurting anyone by refusing to be in the social light. I envy that they can stay out of it because every time I try to read a book you just have to gossip and you just have to drone on and on about things that I don't want to know." I breathed deeply. "Why not you two just grow up? You might want to open up your mind because the world is not going to narrow down for you."
I got up and headed towards the library, and smiled as I saw it was raining. Washing the white away replacing it with gloom. I smiled through my black lips and headed to the library to finish the last five minutes of lunch.
I told myself I was imagining the spark of eyes following me.
Mike found me as I left the library. Looks like my luck has ran out, I never had much of it to begin with. "Wow, you really stood up for the Cullens. Why?" Mike asked as if it wasn't a normal thing for someone to do.
"Because they never did anything to anyone. Thiers no point in gossiping about them because they don't go to parties or whatever it is you people do."
"That's not it, it's…" I looked at him as I walked waiting for him to say something that could possibly excuse anything that he and gossip queen had said.
"Exactly." I said after waiting for him to talk all the way from the library to building four.
When I got in my table was empty and I quickly sat in it. I refused to watch the door and instead started doodling a black cat.
"I think it could use some more shading here." I heard a musical voice while a long pale finger pointed to a grey spot standing out on the black cat. I looked up surprised.
Beside me sat Edward Cullen. His chair was angled toward me and his hair was wet and disheveled looking dark brown almost black. His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his full lips. But his eyes were careful. Had I imagined the hostility weeks ago? No, it might have been awhile ago but I did not imagine it.
"Hello, my name is Edward Cullen. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan."
"Yes." I said mentally noting that he knew I preferred Bella to Isabella, no one else knew that.
Mr. Banner then started class. Today we were doing a lab, the slides in the box were out of order. Onion root tip cells into phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. No books, twenty minutes, he would check.
"Ladies first, partner?" Edward asked and again I was stunned with his gentlemanly quality, no one ever said ladies first anymore. "Or I could start, if you wish." He asked probably contemplating if I knew how to do the lab. If he only knew what I was thinking.
"No I'll go ahead."
I saw the cell had no nucleuses. Prophase.
"Prophase." I shrugged, I had done this lab before and even the first time I didn't have trouble with it.
"Do you mind if I look?" His hand caught mine as I moved to remove the slide, his fingers were ice cold. I didn't mind that he wanted to check, I probably would to. I nodded pulling my hand away, he glanced at it.
"It's prophase." He agreed.
"Like I said." I smiled to let him no I was joking. He smiled in return and pulled out a second slide, glancing at it.
"Anaphase."
"May I?" I kept my voice indifferent. He smiled pushing the microscope to me.
I saw the chromes pulling to different sides of the cell. Anaphase.
"Slide three?" I held out my hand not looking at me. He handed it to me quickly and I snapped it into place.
The spindle fibers were starting to emerge. Interphase.
"Interphase." I said not even requiring for him to ask for the microscope before I pushed it to him. He took a swift peek and wrote it down, I didn't bother asking to write, I may write stories but my handwriting was atrocious.
We were finished before anyone else was anywhere close.
I tried not to look at him, instead steadily memorizing the tabletop, but I couldn't keep it up and looked at him. He was looking at me, still the same look of frustration, why I had no idea.
"Did you get contacts?" I blurted out without thinking, his eyes were a golden brown now, last times they were black.
He seemed puzzled at the random question. "No."
"Hmm, strange, I could of sworn their was something different about your eyes."
He just shrugged and then steadily looked away.
I could swear his eyes were black the last time he glared at me. It was striking against his pale skin, his eyes today were an ocher color they reminded me of butterscotch almost. I must of struck a nerve, his hands were fisted.
Mr. Banner came to our table then to see why we were not working. He looked over Edward's shoulder to see the completed lab then checked the answers.
"So, Edward, didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?" Mr. Banner asked, he was wrong about Edward hogging the microscope but I could appreciate the gesture. I'm new here and many don't know what my abilities are, and Edward is obviously a good student and it was his handwriting. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch for someone to think that he didn't even let me come near the microscope.
"Bella," Edward corrected automatically, thank you Edward. "actually, she identified three of the five." Edward said this with almost a proud note in his voice, I know that it was probably for proving his innocence but I couldn't help but wonder-okay maybe it's more like hope-that he was proud of me.
"Have you done this lab before?" Mr. Banner asked me.
"No with onion root." I said sheepishly.
"Whitefish blastula?"
"Yeah." I said, I normally wouldn't remember but man was that a weird name. When I got home the day I did the lab, I goggled images to find out how it looked since the teacher went over nothing before hand. Turned out it was basically whitefish's cells during mitosis and meiosis.
"Were you in the advance placement program in Phoenix?" Mr. Banner asked looking between me and Edward skeptically.
"Yes."
"Well, I guess it's good you two are lab partners." He mumbled before going to help other students.
"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked. I have a feeling he's forcing himself to make small talk. I have this feeling, though I know it's impossible, that he heard my discussion with Jessica and was trying to prove me wrong.
"Not really," I answered honestly. For some reason, I don't know why, I felt like I didn't have to put up a front with Edward. It felt like I could be who I was and he wouldn't judge me. I know these don't have any evidence but I cant help it.
"Really? Everyone else seems to be disappointed."
"I'm not everyone else."
"No, your not." He said with a far off look in his eyes. "Tell me, then, why don't you like the snow?"
"I never liked snow, I prefer the rain."
"Really? How about the sun?"
"Never was a fan." I said truthfully again, I am sharing too much with him. Yet I don't seem to be able to stop myself.
"Interesting." He whispered. "You must love Forks then."
"Not really."
"Hmm…why?"
"I don't like small towns with people who gossip more then they breath, but compared to other places I've lived this isn't so bad." He seemed fascinated by this. He looked at me making a rolling motion with his fingers that seemed to say to go on. His face was a distraction so I only looked at it for the base of what common courtesy absolutely demanded.
"Forks isn't exactly my cup of tea but it's a place to live." I wasn't lying either, with him I'm being more honest then ever. More honest then I've been even with myself. Forks isn't the perfect place I keep making it up to be in my mind, it's still a small town with people that have small-town attitudes. I never allowed myself to really notice before.
"Why did you come here, then?" He asked, no one had asked it like that. It seemed demanding no one was that straight with me which I admired.
"It's…..complicated." I said, I still can't really figure out everything that's happened. I keep the mental saying view the goblet half full because it's the only way I know.
"I think I can keep up," he pressed. If anyone else did this I would know they were fishing for gossip, but he wasn't I knew I don't know how but I did. He seemed genuinely interested.
"My mother remarried." I shrugged.
"That doesn't sound so complex." If he only knew Renee. "When did that happen?"
"Last September." I sighed, September 13th to be exact. My seventeenth birthday and no one could be bothered enough for a simple 'happy birthday Bella.' That's all I wanted. Instead it was all congratulations for Renee and Phil, I know that it was their wedding day and I can be sympathetic to that. Yet would it of been so hard for Renee to add a stupid 'happy birthday Bella,' to that? I was her personal servant for the day anyway it wouldn't of killed her. 'Bella I think my dress is torn in the back. My hair's coming undone. Could you be a dear and go and get me a drink…oh yeah, Bella happy birthday.' Am I really so selfish for wishing for that?
"And you don't like him." Edward summarized, jumping to a completely wrong conclusion.
"No, Phil is fine. Far too young, but nice enough."
"Why didn't you stay with them?" I didn't understand his interest, as if my dark existence was of vital importance. Even more scary then that was the feeling that I could tell him anything.
"Phil travels a lot, he plays ball for a living." I give a half truth instead, it was true that Renee hated being away from Phil but that only cemented my decision.
"Have I heard of him?" Edward asked with a smile.
"Probably not, he doesn't play well. So far only minor league, he moves around a lot, still, though."
"And your mother sent you here so she could travel with him." He said assuming again.
"No." I said raising my chin, I stopped allowing Renee to say where I go and how I dressed long ago. "She didn't send me here, I sent myself." I glared daring him to say something wrong.
"I don't understand," he said knitting his eyebrows together. He seemed extremely frustrated by that fact.
Why was I even bothering explaining this to him? He had been glaring at me with a death stare the last time I had seen him.
"She was unhappy when she stayed with me and away from him." I said simply, and when Renee was unhappy she made sure I was unhappy.
"But now your unhappy." Assuming again, something is wrong with him.
"And?" I didn't even bother challenging him about me being unhappy. I don't even remember what happiness feels like. Forks is as close as I'll probably ever get.
"That doesn't seem fair."
"It isn't. But life's not fair, some people have it so much worse." I said simply, I know I might be a monster for saying it but it always helped to know that however miserable I am theirs someone who has it off worse.
He continued to look at me with an intense expression.
"What?"
"You put on a good show. But I'm willing to bet that your suffering more then you let anyone know."
I turned away from him stricken, I have hidden my feelings of being an outsider from everyone including myself. I had hidden the pain that goes along with knowing no one understands you that no one ever noticed. How can he just comes in and understand me so completely?
That's when another thought hit me.
Maybe he is just like me, that'd explain why I didn't wish him away and enjoyed when he talked to me.
"Am I wrong?" He asked, "didn't think so." He added smugly when I was too shocked to speak.
"Why does it matter?"
"That's a good question."
He didn't say anymore and neither did I.
"Am I annoying you?" He asked suddenly.
"No."
"Your annoyed." He stated, an observation.
"More at myself, I'm much too easy to read."
"On the contrary." He said leaning over to brush a strand of hair out of my face without touching me. "I find you quit difficult to get a read on."
"You must be a good reader then." I said as my heart seemed hell bent of busting out of my chest.
"Usually." He said and smiled as if he could hear my heart.
Mr. Banner called the class to order then and I could not allow myself to look at Edward Cullen. I can't believe I had just basically spilled my guts to him. When the bell rang he rushed for the door.
Mike skipped to my side like a little girl and tried to take my books for me, I picked them up just a half second before he could grave them.
"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked exactly the same. Your lucky you had Cullen for a partner, he always knows the answers."
"I didn't have any trouble with it, it's pretty easy once you get used to it." Take that you jackass. I am not a dumb bimbo, talk to Jessica if you want one of those. On second thought do that even if you don't and leave me alone.
"Cullen seemed friendly today." He said it with a bit of jealousy, like he had any right.
"I wonder what was up with him last Monday, oh well." I shrugged, "probably personal reasons."
"Yeah, the all the Cullens need some serious time in the nut house." Mike laughed trying to be funny. I just shot him a dirty look and started walking faster, stumbling over a few invisible things. "Hey, wait up!" Mike called to me.
"No, I can't believe how you are, just leave me alone you Neanderthal." Mike just stared at me trying to decrypt what Neanderthal meant. "Neanderthal means caveman, undeveloped, not understanding some people just don't want to be near you, annoyingly macho take your pick." I said before pushing my way through the girls locker room.
I changed into my long black pants and black shirt decorated with little skulls along with black and red converse sneakers. I stayed out of the way on the court and Coach Clapp ignored me, already knowing that if I did participate it'd mean ER visits all around.
After gym I went to my truck and didn't jump at all to the sound of it roaring to life. I put the hood of my Nightmare Before Christmas jacket and fluffed my hair for the heater to start drying.
While I was looking to make sure no idiot got behind my truck when I tried to back out I saw Edward Cullen leaning against his Volvo door three cars down. He was staring intently at me, I quickly looked away and nearly hit a Toyota Corolla in my haste to get away. Lucky for the Toyota, I stomped on the brakes that car was the exact type this truck would make scrap metal. I looked again and pulled out easier this time.
When I passed Edward and his Volvo, I could swear I saw him laughing.