A/N: Hey guyzzzzz hope you all had a hangover free holiday season. Mine was great, can't remember much, but I felt great the next day, lol!
So, first and foremost, I want to thank whoever it was who rec'd my story on ADifferentForest. It truly means a lot that readers love my story. You guys keep me motivated to write, so THANK YOU!
Secondly, I participated in a contest that I can't name at the moment, hence the reason for the chapter delay.
And thirdly, I have a facebook page now where I will post snippets and pictures of coming chapters. The link is: groups/1513022999028191/
Disclaimer: Well duh! If Twilight were mine I'd be a freaking millionaire. Batman is also, sadly, not mine.
Special thanks to my ass kicking Beta SarcasticBimbo and funny proof-reader wildlotus1 for polishing this chapter.
Leave me your thoughts!
Chapter VII: Burning Sensations
Well this is a fucking surprise.
Bananahead is sitting at our desk with headphones on listening to music while rocking back and forth on the hind legs of the stool. He has a genuine smile on his face making him look far more handsome than should be allowed.
It really is a sin to look that handsome. He is wearing a white V-neck t-shirt with Batman's logo on it. And oh look! His black leather jacket is on the table.
Fuck! Could he get any sexier?
Apparently he can, when he decides at that exact moment to run his hand through that crazy hair and make it look as if he's been freshly fucked.
I think my ovaries just throbbed.
Yeah, I would love to give him a freshly fucked look. Girl, you need to get on that sex stick soon. It's been a while….
I am not fucking McAsshole just because he looks sexy in a v-neck that is perfectly accentuating his broad shoulders and showing those strong looking biceps.
I look down. Ladies, calm yourselves.
As if you aren't fantasizing about holding on to those biceps and rocking his world.
Yeah, well, even if I am, he's still an annoying asshole and we hate each other. We can't mix, just like oil and water.
Keep fooling yourself, girl.
I shake my head to get rid of the onslaught of fantasies and sit at our lab table. I try hard to ignore his annoying presence by working on my calculus assignment-which is proving to be quite difficult. Ugh, I despise calculus. Well, right after asparagus. Who in their right mind would eat that nasty thing anyway? It makes your pee smell funny.
So while I torture myself over this calculus assignment, I don't notice carrot top leaning over me and looking at the assignment that I'm struggling with.
"Do you require assistance with that?" he asks.
I freeze in my place upon hearing his voice only few inches away from my ear. His unnaturally cold but sweet breath causes a slight shiver to run through me.
How is it possible that it's so cold?
In addition to that, the intoxicating sweetness renders me delirious.
"Excuse me?" I reply in an incredulous tone that sounds breathy to my ears. I blink twice to get out of the daze he has put me under.
He replies with a dazzling crooked smile. "I asked if you would want assistance with-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah I heard you the first time. Thanks, but no thanks," I snap, returning my gaze to the assignment. I can't help acting rude towards him, especially when he looks at me with those captivating golden eyes. His provocative presence brings out the bitchy side of me. His stare is enough to get under my skin and make my stomach feel funny.
I hear a faint growl of anger from him.
I think at this point questioning the impossible with Edward is useless.
My heart skips a beat upon hearing that sound then begins to beat fast. Raising my head, I see that Edward is sitting up to his full height: chest prominent, his body looming over me, and a faint succession of growls emitting from deep within his impressive bat-logo-covered chest that is a few inches away from my nose. Both his large hands are extended to his sides; one clawing at the table and the other clenched to a fist with the tendons sticking out.
His stance is dominating and intimidating. The temperature in the room suddenly feels suffocating and an electric buzz hums in the air. My body responds by flushing as I realize he not only is invading my personal space, but also asserting his dominance.
Surveying his masculine body inch-by-inch, my eyes slowly rise to his face. I flinch back from the intensity of his dark menacing glare. His eyes have shifted to black and his upper lip is curled over teeth that appear to be sharp upon closer inspection.
That wild stare causes my heart to pound so hard I fear it would burst out of my chest.
The exact moment my heart pounds Edward hisses.
I glare back at him, trying to keep my physical reactions at bay while fisting my left hand in order to refrain from reacting rashly.
After what seems like hours- which were probably a few seconds, could have been a minute tops- Edward growls, YES growls.
"Never attempt to dismiss me in that rude manner again or the consequences will be dire, I assure you,"
His answer causes my retort to get stuck in my throat. It's not the threat that intimidates me so much as the feral look.
He is deadly serious.
Yet, me being me, I just can't back down from his "threat." He can't scare me with that bullshit.
"Listen here dickhead, you can take that 'threat' and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. I know that I acted rudely and I apologize for that. But don't ever think for one second you can scare me with that crap, and don't you ever dare pull that shit again! Got it?!" I hiss back furiously.
His response is a menacing growl that frightens and simultaneously excites me. From the corner of my eye, I can see the hand clawing at the table twitch.
"You are gravely mistaken if you think my intentions are to scare you, little girl." He smirks arrogantly. His dark eyes shining with fiery mischief.
My eyes go wide. I'm shocked at his admittance. I wasn't expecting a response like that.
This time, my heart pounds with actual fear.
He continues to hiss. "For someone claiming to not fear my threats you are certainly exuding it."
I decide to keep my mouth shut on his last observation because he's right. Regardless, I have to know what his intentions are.
"What are your intentions, then?" I whisper for some inexplicable reason.
His menacing black eyes slowly change back to the warm golden color that I adore.
ADORE?! What the actual FUCK?!
WHAT?! HAHAHAHAHHAAHHAH, well fuck me! That was sudden!
SHUTUP! I DON'T adore him, okay?!
Who said anything about adoring him? I was under the assumption you felt that way about his gorgeous eyes.
I- It's just an expression I didn't mean anything by it. People throw that word around, doesn't mean it carries any significance, okay?!
Jeez! Calm the fuck down. You can't have a mental breakdown right now. Besides, you don't have to justify yourself to me especially when you don't mean anything by it, right? So get your shit together and focus!
I hate you.
Grouch.
Thankfully, I manage to pull myself from that millisecond-lasting mini mental breakdown before making an ass out of myself in front of him.
Edward's eyes turn soft as he looks at me. He holds my own with a tender gaze that pierces my soul, causing me to feel bare and vulnerable.
I don't like it one bit.
I don't know how long he keeps staring at me like that, but I begin to feel nervous and shaky under his deep inspection.
After a while he softly murmurs. "To make you feel."
What's that supposed to mean?
But, before I can ask him that he adds with a smile. "And I accept your apology, beautiful."
I blush at his compliment and dart my eyes away from his stare.
I can't handle it when he looks at me with such tenderness. It makes me self-conscious and uncomfortable.
Fortunately, the bell rings a second later dissolving the electricity, relieving the tension in the room.
I turn around to the front, letting out a breath I wasn't even aware of holding in and feel my body relax as a result.
A low chuckle comes from Edward.
Ugh, what an ass.
I give him a dirty look then roll my eyes.
For the next hour, I can feel Assward smiling throughout the entirety of the class.
~E&I~
Gym was interesting to say the least.
Pixie is in my class now. Greeaat!
Throughout class, she kept staring at me weirdly, sometimes zoning out for a few minutes then giving me this knowing look. It was really frustrating.
At least with Pixie acting weirdly, I wasn't thinking about Assward's words to me a couple of hours ago.
However, I'm still irritated that his presence could be felt everywhere. Even if he wasn't here, his sister's presence reminds me of him.
Damn Cullens.
Seriously, what was that "make me feel" statement about? God, he's so confusing, frustrating, annoying-
Don't forget sexy!
Ugh.
I can't help but be suspicious that she intentionally switched her gym schedule to, I don't know, spy on me, perhaps? Then, I remember that I'm being a delusional nitwit and discard the suspicion. I mean really, why would she change her schedule for me? I'm not someone important to them.
Then why is it that I still, deep down, feel my suspicions to be correct?
Gym class is seriously not the place for deep ponderings. Particularly now, when the smell of sweat permeates the air and assails my nose making my body shiver with disgust.
I can't express my relief when the final bell rings. Dashing into the lockers, I change into my black pants, navy-blue sweater, and camel-coloured boots. Then, I put on my winter-coat before practically running out of the class while zipping my bag closed.
Swinging open the gym doors, I deeply inhale the cool, icy air a few times to get rid of the putrid smell in my nose.
Relaxing slightly, I slowly walk to the parking lot towards Bob when suddenly, I sense a pair of eyes on me. The heat of the gaze envelops me, warming me and demanding that I look back.
I don't need to though because I already know who the person is.
The heat increases as I reach Bob and pat him on the hood, smiling as I do so.
I really am happy that Charlie got him for me. It's the best gift I've ever received.
Without thinking, I look up with the stupid smile on my face when my eyes instantly lock onto a pair of intense dark golden eyes.
Edward is standing a few cars down from where I've parked. He is leaning back on the hood of his Volvo, arms crossed over his chest, one leg crossed over the other and a scowl marring his perfect features.
What's up with him now?
Maybe he's bipolar.
Makes sense to me.
However, remembering the tenderness I saw there, I look away and open the passenger door placing my backpack and coat inside when I hear a strange sound: A high-pitched screech that is quickly becoming awfully loud.
I look up, alarmed. The sudden adrenaline kicking into my system allows me to perceive several things simultaneously.
Out of the sea of faces, Edward's face stands out; full of shock, horror and agony. While on the other hand, a dark blue van that is skidding, brakes screeching, and spinning dangerously across the ice of the parking lot is going to crush me against Bob.
No!
I barely have time to close my eyes before impact when something, or rather someone, hits me hard from a different direction. Someone solid and cold has me pinned to the icy black ground with one of their hands on the back of my head. A sudden humming envelops me and pulses between me and the solid cold form of the person against me. Instead of hearing the smashing crush of the van against the back of Bob, the van jerks to a stop as a familiar white hand, his hand, shoots out protectively in front of me. This makes a deep dent on the side of the van's passenger door while the back hits Bob's front which causes the headlight to shatter.
Then, for one long second there is absolute silence before the chaotic screaming begins. Over the pounding of my head, I could hear the confusion of people calling out my name, and I think, Tyler's.
I'm not really sure at this point because the pounding in my head becomes so painful that I have to close my eyes. Whether from the imminent shock or the stressful day, I'm not sure, but my headache is getting worse as people continue to shout in panic, their voices becoming muffled by the pain.
Through the painful haze, one clear and frantic voice breaks through it and speaks lowly to my ear. A voice that I didn't want to hear at the moment.
"Bella, Bella? Are you alright?"
Opening my eyes, I am met with the most frantic, sad, but slightly hopeful golden eyes I have ever seen. I am surprised by the level of relief I see on his face.
"I'm fine." I reply hoarsely.
Edward growls in frustration and runs his hand through his hair.
I decide to ignore it and try to sit up. It proves to be impossible though, since he is holding me down in an iron grasp.
Noticing that I want to sit up, he slides his strong cold arms under me and slowly lifts me up to a sitting position all the while holding me close to him.
A shiver runs through me from the coldness of his body. Without thinking, I place my forehead in the crook of his neck. It is surprisingly cold but soothes the pain in my head. Taking in a deep breath through my nose, I detect a heavenly, but familiar scent of cinnamon, leather and pine. I don't remember where I've come across it, but that scent, together with his cold skin, helps the pain in my head to slowly abate.
Edwards pulls me into him with both arms, holding me to his hard body.
Shivers of shock from the incident run through my body. I feel goosebumps erupt across my skin. Edward probably mistakes it for being cold because he shrugs off his large leather jacket with one arm and drapes it over my shoulder.
He's comforting me.
The jacket is also cold. Why is it when he was just wearing it?
He rubs his hands up and down my back in an attempt to warm me. My body reacts by relaxing into his touch. Acting on impulse, I bury my face deeper into the crook of his neck and close my eyes.
The chaos around me disappears and the sounds become a buzz in the back of my mind. The only thing my brain registers is Edward's powerful presence. Only Edward and his comforting, strong arms around me, his hands still rubbing my back. My body warms up at his ministrations and I sigh in contentment.
We stay like that for a few blissful seconds until the voices of the crowd shatter our little bubble.
Immediately, I realize that I'm sitting on Edward's lap, my body flush with his, face in the crook of his neck, hand on his chest and enveloped in his arms. Realizing our proximity, I feel a sudden wave of embarrassment and anger at myself flow through me. My body freezes and I look up from my place on the crook of his neck.
Noticing my sudden change in demeanour his worried eyes stare into my shy ones and he reluctantly stands up placing me upright on the ground.
I become aware that his jacket is still around my shoulders so I take it off and hand it back to him.
He becomes irritated and, I think, a little sad when I give it back. Why is that?
Before I can thank him someone shouts.
"Someone get Tyler out of the van."
"Is Bella okay?" Someone else yells.
"I'm fine." I croak loudly.
While the crowd is busy panicking I recall what happened.
"How did you get here so fast?" I ask incredulously.
He looks at me with confusion. His eyes, however, harden slightly.
"I was standing right next to you Bella," he says smoothly. Too smoothly in fact.
His obvious lie infuriates me.
"The hell you were! I saw you by your car just a few seconds ago." I say indignantly. Is he trying to insult my intelligence?
His eyes flash in irritation but he quickly composes himself. "It's common to confuse what you thought you saw in such situations, Bella."
"Don't tell me what I saw, Cullen! I would've felt your irritating presence next to me if that were the case," I hiss angrily.
Wait, did I just say the last part out loud?
His cold stare turns intense as he looks at me with unfamiliar emotions brimming in his topaz eyes, which makes my heart pound again.
I take a deep breath through my nose to calm myself down and to clear my thoughts.
"Look, I know what I saw-"
"And what exactly do you think you saw?" He interrupts me with a cool voice that doesn't match the heat in his gaze.
Before I could explain the impossibility of what I saw, I hear sirens approaching quickly.
"We'll talk about this later," I say abruptly.
"Fine," he snaps angrily.
It took a while before the EMTs could shift the van far enough away to bring the stretchers in. Edward and I both vehemently refused because neither of us was injured. His holding the back of my head saved me from hitting the icy blacktop. At this instant, I feel very grateful that he did so.
Then I hear Assward telling the EMTs that I was in shock from the whole ordeal.
That drove the gratefulness right out of the window.
"Jerk," I mutter under my breath.
I see his lips twitch and I give him a dirty look as they put me on the stretcher in front of the entire school. This could not get more embarrassing.
Apparently it could, because Charlie arrives seconds later before they could load me into the back of the ambulance
"Bella!" he yells in panic when he sees me on the stretcher. He rushes my way and stands by me checking for any damages.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" he asks worriedly.
"Dad, I'm completely fine," I sigh in exasperation. "Don't worry about it."
"Like hell I won't," he grumbles angrily and turns to the nearest EMT for a professional opinion.
I tune him out and look around.
Tyler's bloodied form is being loaded into the back of the ambulance. I can't make out the extent of his injuries from where I am. But he looks really bad.
I examine my surroundings. The crowd is still gathered, many of them have tear-stained faces. Some look scared while a bunch of morons have their cell phones out recording everything.
I try very hard not to look for Assward, but my eyes are immediately drawn to his tall form, talking with Principal Greene. As if he can feel my stare, he turns his head towards me with a foreign, but intense, emotion in his eyes. His face is a mask of calm.
I look away from his burning stare and look somewhere else. And because Karma seems to hate my guts, my eyes land directly on the Cullens.
Unlike the rest of the crowd, they are standing to the side, looking on from a distance, with expressions that ranged from worry to giddiness to fury.
Why is Pixie vibrating with excitement?
Not wanting to dwell on Pixie's eccentric attitude, my thoughts go back to the incident.
I try to think of a logical solution that could explain what I just saw. One that excludes that I'm going insane, but to no avail.
Sighing in exasperation I lie down on the stretcher, closing my eyes and zoning everything out.
After a few seconds, my stretcher is loaded into the back of the ambulance.
The sirens blare loudly as the ambulance makes its way to Forks Hospital.
Umm, yeah, that was intense.
Also, check out Looks bad on paper by wildlotus1.
It's a quirky story and fun to read.