An Impossible Reality
Chapter 9 – I Should Have Skipped
Disclaimer- I unfortunately, after much therapy and depression I have understood that I don't and won't own twilight or the saga so I can love instead. (My story though!)
Alix POV
Mr. Banner wasn't in the classroom when I arrived, thank god for that; I was so sure I would be late. I hate being late, he would pick on me for it in a heartbeat. I looked at Mike's distraught face, filled with hurt as of the seating arrangements at lunch. Yet when I looked at Angela, awe was reflected to me. Was it that hard to get Cullen to look at you, let alone sit with you?
Seconds later Mr. Banner swooped in taking me out of my internal question time whilst juggling three huge boxes. He shoved them on Mike's desk and wiped his forehead. He told him to pass out the stuff in the boxes and it was blatantly obvious that it was rhetorical.
When I saw the equipment that was being handed I knew I should have skipped. Took Edward up on his offer and get more information from him to help me determine what he was. It really was a mistake not going with him. It had never occurred to me that NOT going somewhere would be regrettable but yet here I was. Blood-typing.
I was fine with my own blood to a certain extent. The prick of the finger I could handle. It wouldn't create too much of an issue for me, just four drops of blood, how difficult would that be to handle? Very when you don't like other peoples blood. Just times those 4 measly drops of blood and multiply that my thirty... 120. 120 different drops of freaking blood and I would have to sit through it.
Once Mike had finished handing out the equipment he tried to sit down but was stopped by the teacher. "Mike let me use you as an example please?" another rhetorical question. He nodded reluctantly and stood back up and walked next to Mr. Banner. He held up an almost invisible needle to make the 'most precise and minimal cut' he had said. The pin went into Mike's finger and my eyes narrowed onto his tanned finger, the red surfacing around the tiny needle. I watched it slid out of his flesh and red didn't surface. But then the whole ordeal sped up and Mr. Banner had quickly pinched his finger till four equal sized droplet oozed out of his finger.
My vision began to blur slightly and I knew I was either going to puke, or I was going to faint. Either way I didn't want any to happen. I hate being sick and I just feel so vulnerable when I am incapacitated in any way. He explained the instructions as he demonstrated on Mike, but all I heard was a distinct buzzing noise, it was nasally and monotone in my head.
Mr. Banner was going round the class distributing water droplets onto each sector of the card and then he saw how I was. My sweating forehead was now pressed to the freezing table and I was desperately trying to feel better. "Alix?" he asked me. "Are you okay?" I shook my head slightly and he nodded. "There is always one. Can anyone take her to the nurses' office?" of course Mike was at my side in a second.
"She didn't even prick her finger." I heard some people say and Lauren sneered something about me being such a drama queen. Even if I was faking she would just be jealous that she didn't think of it. I don't care if I don't know blood type till the day I die, I will find out with a doctor not a frigging science teacher.
"Can you walk?" Sir asked me, I nodded weakly and stood up. I was amazed I could still stand but I could none the less. I walked on with Mike hovering close beside me.
Once out into the cool air I felt a little better, for about a second that is. Then I felt woozy again and began to drop to the kerb to sit down but Mike threw his arms under my arms and kept me up right. "Please let me sit down?" I pleaded and he nodded, setting me down. He sat down next to me his hands still in his pockets. "And keep those hands where I can't see them." I pointed to them and he nodded.
I answered the urge to lie down on the pavement with a hell yes and once I had done it, I was thankful. The feeling of the freezing, damp and surprisingly clean cement of the pavement on my burning cheeks felt like a god send. "Wow you look green Alix!" Mike pointed out. Great I feel like crap, and now it is truly official that I look like crap too. Woo... hoo...
"Alix?" I heard a new voice enter. They sounded anxious and worried. Hold on a minute; please tell me that that voice is not the voice of who I think it is? Because if it is, I am gonna cry. This is not the kind of situation you want to be in to be told 'I told you so.' Or something stupid like that. "What's wrong- is she hurt?" this wasn't directed at me this time.
"I think she passed out, but I don't know. I mean she didn't even prick her finger." Mike explained.
Suddenly I felt a cold hand on my shoulder and a voice against my ear. "Alix, can you hear me?"
"No!" I groaned. "Go away." I located his face and made a feeble attempt to push him away. He chuckled at this and restrained my hand.
"I was taking her to the nurse." Not only was the tone in his voice making me feel like an object but he added emphasis to the 'I' in his sentence making it sound like he assigned this job like he the only one who could take me there. "But she wouldn't go any farther." He admitted, this making him sound feeble at this simple task. Undermined by a girl. A sick girl at that.
"I'll take her." I could hear a smug smile evident in his voice. The way the words came out but I was not going to open my eyes, it would just make me a billion times worse. "You can go back to class."
"No." Mike's voice raised an octave as he defended me from Edward. Nothing to defend really. "I'm supposed to do it." Supposed to do it? Supposed? WTF! I am not some job, I am ill you little brat!
As that thought crossed my mind the ground disappeared from underneath me, this caused my eyes to open. The examination was me, pressed roughly yet gently into his chest. I gasped at this and began to pound his chest in protest.
"No Edward! For god's sake put me down!" I yelled and before I had even properly started my sentence we were on the move. He smirked a little like he always seemed to do when I touched on an inside joke between him and someone else. They seemed to centre on food and religion. Oh dear god, I hope I am not sick on him, that would put a huge downer on the trip to Seattle.
"Hey!" Mike yelled after us. What a helpless little child. His face didn't do anything for making him seem tough, and to be perfectly honest, the blonde hair, blue eyes, tan face, baby face and the smaller frame he had just made him look more thirteen than seventeen or sixteen.
Edward seemed to ignore him; like he didn't even hear him and I know for a fact that that is impossible, since he manages to hear the tiniest of whispers and snarky comments. "You look awful." He grinned.
"Oh lovely!" I hissed, "Just what a girl wants to hear. Now put me down on the pavement, I CAN walk. I DO have feet you know."
He just totally seemed like he used no effort at all at this particular moment in time. He held me like I was a feather, and walked without a falter in movement, or a wince in my unnatural heaviness. I think I'm fat but people say I am normal. There isn't any way in hell can someone my weight be considered normal is there? "So, you faint at the sight of blood?" this seemed to entertain him a lot, add the topic of blood to the list. Food, religion and blood. "And not your own?" this must be like watching Michael McIntyre (British comedian) for him.
"I didn't prick my damn finger Sherlock!" I groaned, "but yeah, you're right." The atmosphere got really warm and I realised we were at our destination.
"Oh my!" one of the nurses gasped.
"She fainted in biology." Edward stated. I was in no state to argue but I didn't bloody faint! I felt queasy and closed my eyes but I never left this world. I in fact have never fainted, to this day but you never know.
The air changed and I opened my eyes to see me in Edward's arms striding through the office towards the nurses door. Though I doubted Edward would need it Mrs. Cope the redheaded front office assistant opened the door for Edward to simply glide on through the door. The greying nurse shot up from her smutty romance novel of something only a bored literature nerd would bother to read. Edward placed me gently on the crackly paper covering the brown vinyl mattress on the one cot. He then shifted from my side to stand against the far wall. The look in his eyes was almost excited.
"She's just a little faint." He reassured her as he continued to stare at me. "They are blood typing in biology."
The nurse nodded sagely. "There is always one." Edward stifled a snicker at this. Of course there is, and I am that one. "Just lie down for a second honey; it will pass."
I let out a huge sigh. "I know." They are telling me this like I am incapable of knowing the simplest knowledge. Edward must be telling people of my 'low intellect' or something.
"Does this happen a lot?" she asked and I waved my hand in the air a little to show a yes but a no at the same time.
"Sometimes. I am not usually around blood a lot though." I excused and Edward coughed to hide yet another laugh. I am so done with him laughing at me. Next chance I get I am going to laugh him into the next century, he will rue the day he laughed at me over 10 ten time. Although that may be just a guess I can assume I will make him laugh way more before the day is done.
The woman turned to attempt a stern glare at the stunning Edward Cullen but it faltered but her tone did not. "You can go now." He shook his head in protest and looked at me.
"I am supposed to stay with her." He smirked and the woman looked taken aback. She had been mouthed off to by a teenage boy who had basically everybody but me wrapped around his little finger. She pursed her lips but refused to take it further by the sudden silence to the conversation.
"I will go get you some ice." She smiled then fluttered out of the room leaving me with Edward. He was right. Dang it! I wish he wasn't but he so was, if I had skipped with him like he offered I would have never gotten sick, never lay on the ground, never had to spend unnecessary with Mike Newton, my stalker to some extent.
"You were right." I sighed.
"I usually am- but what about in particular this time?" he smirked. The smug little...nerd. God I need some better insults.
"Skipping really IS healthy." I groaned again.
"You really scared me for a minute." I scoffed. How could I scare him? "I am serious; I thought Newton was dragging your dead body off to the woods." I laughed.
"Like he could kill me, or drag me for that matter. Weakling." I muttered the last word and he still managed to hear it somehow, he has bat hearing!
"Honestly- I have seen corpses with better colour. I was worried I would have to avenge your murder." I raised my eyebrows and smiled a smug smile. "What?" he asked puzzled.
"God you sounded like you were in love with me then. Why on earth would you have to avenge my murder? Even if it is highly unlikely that anyone besides your humongous brother Emmett could kill me."
"I am one for justice." It seemed pretty out there, because if he witnessed a mass murderer get killed, I can bet he wouldn't avenge his murder. Hypocrisy 101.
"Sure, sure." I said feeling slightly better at this moment. "Besides, if Mike wanted to kill anyone right now, it would be you."
"Yeah, he absolutely loathes me."
"Nah! I bet he is just mad because you stole me from him in one literal swoop of your arms." I chuckled. I was so calm and easy going around him, not as much as Jake, I liked to mess with him but with Edward the words kind of flowed, but not like word vomit, more like something I cannot even describe. It is like I can't seem to lie to Edward; I just can't find the will or the power. "You can't know he doesn't like you anyway."
"Yes I can, I could see it in his face."
Then it hit me like a ton weight, and it should have been my initial question but I didn't seem to be able to keep my train of thought. "How did you find me anyway? I thought you were ditching."
"I was listening to music in my car." So normal, very human. I can't keep it up, there are so many aspects of him that point away from the human race, although his exterior outline screams human enough, when his face and body comes into view he looks like a god. He talks like he is from the 19 hundred and he does random acts of chivalry that I have begun to notice.
The nurse interrupted my thoughts again with a cold compress in hand. "Here you go sweetie pie, oh you are looking better." She cheered. She was so happy yet in a place and atmosphere that screams depression. Rain is always compared with depression. I nodded and placed it on my forehead. It no longer soothed me like it would have before, I must have cooled down.
I sat up as my head met the cold compress and I sighed, just my ears rung, there was no moving walls and warped shapes. The fading mint green walls stayed plotted where the blue prints said they should. "I think I'm fine now thank you." I smiled sweetly and I could tell she was about to make me lay back down, but then miss cope opened the with an almost irritated look on her face, like it was the next poor souls fault they do not enjoy blood too much.
"We've got another one." She groaned. In response to that I hopped off to free up the cot for the next poor unfortunate soul. Next thing I saw was Mike staggering in with a green looking lee, I think his name was but I wasn't too familiar with this boy in particular.
"Oh no." Edward muttered. "Go out to the office Bella." I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of letting him order me around but I could smell it. That disgusting rusty salty smell, like when you hold a penny for too long. I gave him one last look before I practically ran out of the door. "You did as I asked you to." He said sounding truly shocked.
"Yeah, well I could smell the damn blood. That is what got me into this mess remember." I tapped his temples lightly and turned to the chairs and plonked myself down in one. I sighed a laid my head to rest against the back of the chair.
"People cannot smell blood." He contradicted.
"Well I can Sherlock, that is what makes me ill, plus the sight just sends me off my internal rocker." I am pretty sure he was stunned due to the lack of witty and irritatingly accurate comebacks he normally shot my way. I tilted my head slightly so his face was in view, and his expression was one of the unfathomable kinds, like I had grown an extra head. "What?"
"It's nothing." Then two seconds after that Mike re-emerged alone and approached me and Edward. The look in his eyes confirmed Edward's accusation that he loathed. He did. He looked and his eyes went from loathing to glum.
"YOU look better."
"Yeah I am thanks." I retorted to his cheeky and uncalled for comment. He had no right to think that Edward did anything special. Did he assume we had some crazy make-out session or something? Cos I can I tell him right now we didn't.
"You going back to class?" idiot.
"Yeah, of course I am, I just thought this little back and forth was great exercise." I said sarcastically. He had peed me off and was getting payment for it. "Sorry, I get grumpy when people make assumptions." He nodded and looked away. He was, as was I, completely uncomfortable.
"So... are you going this weekend? To the beach?"
"Duh! I said I was in!" I laughed he chuckled a little too. This was the issue with me, I can't hold a grudge, if I want to, and I have to think about it constantly.
"Cool, then we are meeting outside my dad's store at ten." His eyes flickered to Edward again before back at me. It almost looked like he was trying to see if Edward was giving any signs of showing up at the beach. Mike's body language reeked with an unwelcome feeling, invitation closed as long as Edward was concerned.
"I'll be there."
"See you in gym then." Oh crap! Gym! Oh ill one minute then bouncing around trying to score or whatever the next, I'm not in the mood. He looked at, with a pout on his face and I felt really bad for him. And myself. I would have to see his sad face and I just can't deal with that.
"Gym!" I groaned. Putting my head back again to lean on the back of the chair.
"I can take care of that." He whispered in my ear, I hadn't even noticed he had gotten so close. He was like the mouse in the Christmas stories, where there's not a creature stirring not even a mouse, that mouse. "Just stay here and look pale." I chuckled, since I had come to forks I was looking paler by the second, and today with the illness I was like a ghost. Plus with the thin sheen of sweat covering my head it looked even more real. "Ms Cope?" he smiled and I heard her gasp at the silky voice uttering her name.
"Yes?" she purred, trying to sound seductive from what I could hear. Badly, I might add.
"Alix has gym next hour and she doesn't feel up to it. In actual fact I was planning on taking her home myself. Will you excuse her from class?" Ms Cope frowned at my mentioning and sent me a small glare before nodding.
"What about you Edward? Shall I excuse you to?" she said, still in that supposedly seductive tone. I saw Edward cringe which meant he wasn't as oblivious to women's signs as I thought he was.
"No I have Mrs. Goff she won't mind." He brushed off Ms Cope and came back over to me. "Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?" he smirked with a sarcastic look on his face.
I began to laugh an obviously fake laugh and bent over slightly to clutch my knees in fake laughter. "Ha-ha, no! I think I will walk." Then I walked in a dodgy way to make me look ill still. He opened the door for me and for the first time since I was born, I was thankful for mist and rain, it washed of the sheen of sweat I gained in my fleeting illness. I took in a deep breath of fresh air and smiled at the better feeling I was getting. "Thanks, you know I think it was worth feeling like crap to get out of gym. She reminds me of the teacher I had back home in my third year of high school." I chuckled and he followed close behind me.
"Anytime." He said whilst staring intently at me. It made uncomfortable yet safe at the very same time. He is like lemon meringue, sweet but sour at the same time. The caring side is the meringue but the sour or the opposite effect is that he is staring at me like a stalker.
"So, you definitely not up for going to the beach on Saturday? It's your last chance." I teased as we strolled through the misty parking lot.
"Let's you and I not push Mike any further this week. We don't want him to snap now do we?" he asked with a mocking tone that he once again found a way to worm out of doing something I asked for him to.
"Mike Schmike, he can get over it." I huffed. I noticed my car was over to the left so I swerved only to feel a strong cold arm wrapping itself quickly around my waist, chilling me through my jacket. Where was he when I was waiting for my ice pack? He could have done it himself.
"Where do you think you are going?" he asked outraged at me wanting my own car.
"Um, going home, like I want to stay here for my time off." I said sarcastically and confused.
"Didn't you hear me promise to get you home safely? Do you think I am going to let you drive home in your condition?" I scoffed and folded my arms.
"What condition? How about this, if I can walk in a straight line then you have to let me drive my own way home, kay?" he nodded, curious for my attempt at walking in a straight line. I was doing well but got to over confident and lost footing, sending me sliding back wards almost falling on my arse but to be caught and bridal lifted. "Edward! I slipped on ice that doesn't count!" I protested.
"Alix, there is no ice."
"The water then!" I carried on.
"Face it Alix, you are getting a ride with me?" he laughed as he walked me to his car. I was cradled against his chest but I couldn't feel or hear a heart beat when my ear was pressed to him. Weird.
"What about my car?" I pouted, clearly defeated since the only floor I was going to touch would be the floor of his car till I got home and my car was back in my possession.
"Alice will take it back for you."
"Ugh fine! You pushy little... little... pleb!" damn was that what he reduced me to, calling him a 'pleb' if only my friend Alice could see me now, she would cringe at me. He laughed and slid me into the passenger seat.
He strapped me in like a baby in a car seat and I felt so small and belittled. I was so determined to give him the silent treatment when he put on Clair de Lune and turned the heating up. "Clair de Lune?" I asked and he nodded.
"You know Debussy?"
"Not really, just that song." I smiled to myself. "It is one of my favourites."
"It's one of mine too." Wow, something in common, he probably likes Debussy a lot more than me.
"I'm more rock and the odd splash of pop but I cannot be labelled by music. I love too much of a wide variety. It helps me write music." Damn did he know?
"I like classical more than anything." I figured.
"My mum and I share the same interests."
"What is your mother like?" he asked randomly. What did it matter? I thought initially but before I knew it I was blurting out my response.
"She is great. A total bookworm and has bookcases covering a room in our house, stacked full of books. The ones she doesn't want anymore she sells in her store. It's quite a chain if you ask me. She has ginger hair, and green eyes. She is called Lynn and is a total mother, but is cool at the same time. I am so sure she is waiting to spring the full wheel of embarrassment on me though when the day comes when I get a boy worthy of taking to meet her, if that day ever comes." I muttered the last bit, having a bad feeling it will never happen.
"You'll find someone." He assured me but I was still sceptical. "Would she approve of anyone you brought back, regardless of who they are?"
"I like to think so."
"No one too scary then?"
"Depends on the type of scary. Do you mean like the equivalent of a biker dude or do you mean scary 'I am gonna go slit my wrist' scary?" I joked.
"That is one definition I suppose." He smiled.
"What is your definition?" I pressed. Q and A with Edward Cullen, who would have thought it eh?
"Do you think I could be scary?" he smirked and I had to think about it. I will give him the fact that he can make people feel uneasy and he probably did have the potential to be 'scary' but I don't think he would, he likes to stay out of the lime-light and people are attracted to scary.
"I think you COULD, but that fact that you would is different. I don't think you would no." I mused and his smile faded.
"Are you frightened of me now?" he was so serious, and angel like.
"No!" I answered quickly. It may have sounded stupid but if you tell someone you are afraid of them then you kind of lose the connection. I am afraid of not him, but losing him. I don't think I can live without it now I have touched perfection. No one will ever compare. He smile returned after getting such a quick response. "So tell me about your family. It has to be more interesting than my family."
He tensed up and became wary of his answer. "Well, what do you want to know?"
"The Cullen's adopted you?" I verified.
"Yes."
"Well, I am not one to pry and cause pain to others so if you don't want to answer I completely understand but, what happened to your parents?"
"They died many years ago." He said it like it was like a hundred years ago.
"I'm sorry. No one should have to lose their parents when they are young." I soothed and he warmed his face a little.
"I don't remember them that clearly. Carlisle and Esme have been my parents for a long time now." He was smiling warmly at it and I wondered what thoughts lay behind that smile. It was almost, like most things, like an inside joke.
"And you love them, I can tell." I smiled letting my dripping wet hair drape down my back and onto the seat of the car.
"Yes, I couldn't imagine two better people."
"You are very lucky you know?" I asked looking out of the car door window.
"And your bother and sister?" he glanced at the clock on the dashboard and it was almost time for final period to be let out.
"Yes, my brother and sister, and Jasper and Rosalie for that matter are going to be quite upset if they have to wait in the rain for me."
"I guess you better go." I sighed. "Sorry for keeping you."
"I suppose you want your truck back before your mom gets home so you don't have to tell her about the incident." I nodded and laughed at how well he already knew me, even if I was hard to read.
"Somehow, I get the feeling by the time she gets home she will have already heard it by some of the bookworms in this town. For people who come across so shy, they sure can gab to fellow book lovers." He chuckled and nodded at me.
"Have fun at the beach... good weather for sunbathing." He said looking at the sheet of rain falling.
"Definitely not coming, I would give you another theory." I teased and he shook his head. "See you tomorrow?" I asked.
"No, Emmett and I are going to start the weekend early." He excused. Lucky bugger my mum and dad would NEVER let me do that. He was luckier than I thought apparently.
"What you boys going to get up to?" I giggled, trying really hard to mask the disappointment in my voice. I'm a friend so I can ask him that, can't I?
"We are going to be hiking in the Goats Rocks Wilderness, just south of Rainier." He answered, phew definitely friends then.
"Well then have a good time." I smiled and the ghost of one played at the corner of his lips.
"Will you do me a favour please?" me? Do him a favour? I just nodded. "No offence intended but you seem to be the equivalent of a danger magnet so... try not to fall into the ocean or get hit by a car while I'm away, okay?"
I did my fake laugh and nodded to his request. "Fine, fine, I won't fall or get hit by a car. Well I will try at least, but I don't have dreams of dying forever yet." I winked and walked off toward my house. I heard the sound of burning rubber and then his Volvo was gone. Dang he was a fast driver.
I got in and shook the rain out of my hair and cleaned my face. I looked normal now instead of a drowned rat and picked up my mobile phone. "Hey Jake, you busy?" I asked.
"Nope, you tossing rocks into the ocean, getting soaked to the bone. Why?" he said lazily.
"Wanna come over and watch a movie, I am bored and I got sent home. We were blood typing and I got faint." I laughed and he did to.
"Yeah sure, be there in a half hour kay?" I nodded and made the sound for a yes. We said our goodbyes and hung up the phone. I wonder why it would take so long now, normally he would speed his arse off to get here... this is different indeed. I really should have skipped.
FINALLY! I think the clearing of my maths GCSE helped me a little bit. Hehe I think I did okay FYI and thank you so much for the support you made it so much easier! (Sarcasm) jokes no I didn't honestly expect it just would have been nice. Well enjoy this and please review it, I need it.
Chapter 10 coming soon!