4. headaches and boys
On Tuesday the day went back to normal speed. It was like my whole world had been on fast forward and now someone had hit play. In P.e. I was bored, in English I day dreamed, in calculus I managed to finish the work, at lunch I got my brain cells scrambled quite a few times and in science I daydreamed again. In Spanish I walked in, sat next to Ollie and kissed him quickly on the lips. I got into my daydreaming position, then Edward walked into the room. Suddenly the room fell apart and I wasn't listening to the quiet chatter of our Spanish room, instead it felt like I was being washed away in a current of voices, some louder than others. I grabbed Ollie's hand, only half registering his hand in mine. I felt a headache coming on quickly from so many voices. I squeezed his hand hard and scrunched my eyes shut. I tried to block them out as best I could but there were just to many. A few leaked out still, wanting me to hear them
what's she… the first was Edward
are they talking about… the teacher. I could tell who was who quite well
what the?..
Edward!!! at this I was startled. I focused on this one person what just happened?! she demanded. It was the girl, Alice, I realized. I focused on Edward. Suddenly I saw the pictures.
***
"hello?" she asked. It was me, stood in a wood, lost and confused. "anyone?" I was hopeful this time. "please?" I almost whispered. I droped slowly to the forest floor, as if in slow motion.
***
The vision slowly faded out and I was looking at the class room, sat in the same place. Then the bell rang. I hurried to my car, with Ollie hurrying along next to me.
Why is she going so fast? at that I slowed down to normal pace and tried to block out all the thoughts- as I had realized that's what they were, the thoughts of everyone around me. It didn't work. Instead I focused on Edward's thoughts. For some unknown reason he was thinking exactly what I was. Then he stopped, almost like he was returning to his own thoughts.
how is she DOING that he? he growled in his head. By now I was almost at my car. I took my bag off my back and fished my keys out of my jean pocket. I got in the drivers side and settled in my seat. I saw the cullen's car pull away quickly. As it sped down the road the voices suddenly cut short. I breathed a quiet sigh off relief and started the engine. I had a bad headache now. I turned up the quiet music playing on the cd player- it was Jason mraz. I thought only of the twisting corners I drove down. Ollie didn't speak for the whole journey. He ALWAYS knew when there was something wrong and when you wanted to be left alone. I stopped out side his house. He got out with out a complaint but quickly kissed me on the cheek before he got out. I drove to my house but didn't want to go inside. The silence would press uncomfortably on my ears. So instead I got my bag out of the back of the car and put it on the bench. Then I sat down, slumping into a better position on the wet bench. It was raining lightly so I closed my eyes and tilted my head towards the sky, rejoicing as the cold droplets floated onto my face cooling wherever they touched. I once again listened to the birds singing and the wind stir the leaves of trees, as I had when I had first met Oliver. So I was surprised when once again I felt everything shift. There weren't as many voices, and they weren't as loud this time. It was like the further I got from the person, the quieter there thoughts were. I rubbed my damp temples as I felt the headache coming back quickly. There was just to much for me to take in.
"are you ok?" asked someone next to me softly. I had felt them approach, so I wasn't surprised when they spoke. I hadn't said anything because I had thought that maybe they weren't really there, just my imagination. I took my hands away from my face and sighed, then opened my eyes slowly. Edward was sat on the other side of the small bench, looking at me cautiously like I was about to attack him or something.
"just a headache," I said slowly.
"so you sit out here in the rain?" he prompted.
"its calming, the little birds singing, the trees whispering to me as the wind blows." I answered, my quiet voice conjuring up beautiful images. He smiled and I heard what he was thinking, my voice was conjuring up images for him to. My headache got worse, it was like the high pitched hum that only teens could hear and the adults wont let you turn off the speaker that is making the noise. I closed my eyes and sucked in a quick breath. "think I had better get inside," I hissed through my teeth. He got up quietly and I heard my bag rustle. Then his hand was under my arm. He used his hand to guide and steady my as I walked the way he gently nudged me to my house.
"key?" he asked. I fished the set of keys out of my pocket. I dropped them and heard the door unlock. He pressed the keys into my hand gently and I put them back in my pocket. He led me over to the chair in the kitchen and I sat down.
wonder what's wrong with her? He thought. I couldn't help listening, I did it by accident. That was a stupid mistake. I rested my back on the chair and pinched the bridge of my nose. "are you ok? Or would you rather I left?" he asked, his voice sounded really anxious. CAN I leave her here like this? Is that such a good idea? I winced as it got worse, which I hadn't thought possible. Then everything went black.
"how long has she been out?" asked a beautiful, soft voice. But it sounded like it was submerged in water, either that or I was. I was sat down, but not in the same chair. There was a flurry of activity around me. her pulse is still steady, I think she will be fine the same voice thought. I tried to fight, to break the surface of this black river. Suddenly I broke free of its hold. I blinked under a bright light. Anything would have seemed bright compared to that black river, but this was a blinding brightness. "turn the light off, I think she likes the light as much as I do." the voice HAD been real! The light flicked off suddenly and I could see. I man was leaning over me, looking at me curiously. I wonder why she fainted? he thought curiously. I winced as that annoying bussing like headache came back. "are you alright?" he asked, seeing my wince no doubt.
"headache," I told him. My voice didn't shake, it was the same as it always was. He nodded, then passed me a glass of water. "thanks." I drunk the water quickly. It was cold and nice. I looked around me, my eyes were sensitive and so I could see everything even if it was dark.
can she actually see? it was Edward. I looked over to where he leaned against the wall.
"I can, thanks" I replied. He frowned, looking confused then realized I could still here his thoughts.
"your going to get another bad headache if you keep doing that," he cautioned.
"I can't help it! First in class and then after school. And I cant turn it off! I keep accidentally hearing things I don't really WANT to hear, its frustrating!" I was getting annoyed now. That didn't help my headache. "maybe I should go home," I said. He nodded. And motioned with his hand to the door. I let him go first then got shakily to my feet. I leaned on the table in front of the for support. He sighed and steadied me with his hand again. I lent on him slightly so I wouldn't fall over, though he didn't seem to mind. he drove in silence as I not to successfully tried to block out the voices. There were only a few now, and his.
how is she DOING that? he thought furiously.
"I don't know, it just started in class," I answered truthfully. he frowned, thinking. I tried my very hardest to block It out, building an imaginary brick wall around my mind. But some of his thoughts still leaked through.
…when I was around… instead of trying to block out his thoughts I listened to the quite music instead. I closed my eyes and listened to the music. Someone was playing the piano. It was lovely, like being carry away in a current of notes. Piano music had always calmed me down the quickest. The seats in the car were really comfy and the engine was a quiet purring, like that of a cat.
Suddenly I was lying in my bed. I stretched and realized I still had a bad headache. knock knock. that was what had woken me up I realized.
"tess? Are you ok? Come and open the door!" it was Ollie. He sounded worried so I quickly got out of bed and hurried down the stairs. I still had the same clothes on I had been wearing yesterday, only someone had been kind enough to take my shoes off. Edward BESSANT, I realized with a start. I must have fallen asleep in his car. I opened the door. Ollie was stood on the door step looking worried. I smiled weakly at him and he gathered me into a bone crushing hug. When he had finished crushing me he looked at me what I was wearing.
"I have still got a headache and yes I fell asleep in my clothes," I told him. He laughed.
"don't worry, I will just walk," he assured me. "hope you feel better soon," then he walked over to the trees and disappeared into the heavy fog. For the whole day I sat there in a daze, trying to figure out what had happened yesterday. knock, knock. at first I thought it was Ollie but when I opened the door Edward was stood there.
"hi," I smiled weakly at him. I still had a bad headache.
"just checking to see that your ok, have you never heard of painkillers?" his voice was soft, for which I was grateful. I smiled more at that, almost to my normal smile. Then I winced in pain as the murmuring started up again.
"I must be going mad, can swear I can hear your thoughts." I winced as someone got mad and there thoughts got louder.
your not mad, just crazy, Edward comforted with his thoughts. I burst out laughing. That didn't help. I swayed when I managed to straighten up, almost toppling over before Edward caught me.
"I think you had better get to the hospital," he hinted. Just then the voices stopped. I sighed in relief as the voices shut off. My headache immediately stopped.
"I'm ok," I told him, surprised. he smiled then suddenly he grimaced like he had tasted something truly sour.
"see you tomorrow, bye." then he left. He looked rushed too leave. When Ollie came through the still open front door five minutes later. I was still stood in the exact same place, rejoicing that my headache was gone. I smiled at him and dragged myself towards him.
"hey!" I said to him, completely back to normal now. I kissed him quickly and he seemed distracted. Just then he focused on me. "my headaches gone!" I told him happily. He smiled half heartedly.
"that's good, are you going to school tomorrow?" I knew It was a stupid idea but I just didn't want to stay in this empty house for any extra day I could help.
"yeah," I told him softly. I put my hand gently on his cheek. Then he pulled away, stepping back a single step. I looked at him blankly.
"I'm sorry," he choked out. "I can't do this anymore, goodbye Tess." then he sprinted flat out towards the woods. I never thought I would see him again after that ever. That night I cried myself to sleep. I woke up the next day, my eyes dry. I would never get over Ollie completely but I could at least forgive him and on the odd occasion even forget him. When I got in my car I turned the music up and listened hard to it, no thinking about anything else. I was soon at school. It was the last day before Christmas and there was a certain feel of freedom in the air, so strong you could almost taste it. But I wasn't happy. It was a freedom to nothing, freedom to go where ever you wanted to but I had nowhere. I would sped Christmas alone, like every day before and after too. I didn't care anymore. The whole day went very slow, when ever I day dreamed the images I saw were dark and gloomy so I soon gave up. I sat on my own in ever lesson and at lunch to. In Spanish Edward didn't even talk to me. I felt so alone. It was true what people said. You feel most alone when surrounded by a group of people. I drove home slower than usual, now dreading my lonely Christmas. The weekend and the rest of the next week for that matter was slow and boring. I only just registered the fact that it was Christmas eve, or even Christmas for that matter. The only way I realized it WAS Christmas was because of the old movies on TV. I watched them absently, not really seeing. New year was much the same, though I did stay up till 12:30. I was soon at school again, in the same boring monotone as before. I didn't get another headache, neither did I hear anyone else's thoughts again. Ollie never came back to school either, and I didn't want to go to his house for fear of what I might find. Weeks passed and still there was no sign of Ollie so soon I stopped looking up every time the door opened and gave up hope. No-one else tried to make friends with me after what had happened to emily at the start of the year but I didn't care at all. I was to wrapped up in my own world to even notice. Weeks went by and I didn't really notice. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I would work for a couple of hours and every other night I would watch the TV. blankly. I would talk to mike while we worked- about homework projects and things- but not for very long. I would answer his questions, ask some of my own and also make myself smile all the time but I wasn't very good at making small talk and was nervous around him. I think mike could tell but every week he tried. I got better and realized what he wanted to talk about quicker and quicker. I got the idea that he liked me more and more and in the month I had worked there we were laughing and joking. I got a pay check each week- I had asked for it to be every week not month- and used some of the money to buy food and put the rest in the bank. I was collecting quite a lot even though I had taken almost all of it out to buy my car. Soon I might be able to buy the house I was renting at the moment. It was a really good job I had paid the rent for the whole year. News that a new boy was coming to the school the first Monday of February flew round the school. Then suddenly it WAS February. I might not have been caught up in the moment but I was a bit excited. As I drove to school for another boring day at high school, I felt like something different was about to happen. Maybe it was just the fact that everyone was expecting something different to happen because there was a new boy coming to the school today, or maybe it was something else. As I came out of my daydream I saw an ice blue car parked in the car park. Since there was no other spaces left-I was later than usual- I had to park next to it. I felt ashamed of my own car, with rust in some places and the paint was getting a bit flaky.
"Need to paint that," I muttered to myself as I opened the stiff door and got out. I closed the door, wincing at how loud it sounded in the almost empty car park.
"You know," said a soft voice behind me.
"God!" I squealed, dropping the books I was holding on the damp ground. Bending down I muttered "shoot" under my breath and picked up the books I had dropped. I wiped the wet patches with my sleeve then rolled it back up.
"Anyway ,like I was saying, you know that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness?" he asked in the same hushed but irresistible voice. Finally I turned round to face the boy who had startled me.
"Morning, can I help you?" I asked pleasantly, wondering if this was the new boy, and if that car was his. The only reason I wondered that was because no-one talked to me, apparently I wasn't interesting enough. He had the same paled face as the cullen's, and dark red eyes. I gasped in shock but managed to keep hold of my books this time.
"I've finally met someone else who is paler than me! Apart from the cullen's…" I trailed off, looking at his face. It brightened as I said this. He pushed his sleeve up to his elbow and put his arm next to mine but not quite touching.
"Wow! Your right!" he replied happily. The difference was so miniscule you could hardly notice that there was any. I dropped my arm and looked up at his face. He had the darkest blonde hair I had ever seen, with a hint of red almost as deep as mine underneath and he had an open friendly face. His cheeks bones were high but not very prominent and his face was slightly rounded, the same as most of the boys in sophomore. He looked up at me with the same expression on his face that I did, as if assessing my looks. It was making me feel awkward so I turned away from him- towards the school buildings-and pushed a shaky hand through my hair. It was getting longer now, a couple of inches down my back. As I walked to my first lesson the boy followed, silent as if he were my shadow. As I started to walk faster he called.
"Hey, wait up! What's your name anyway?" I was tempted to walk off, but curiosity won out so I hung back instead.
"Tess Shilton," I answered "what have you got next?" I asked, truly curious.
"P.E." he replied. Although I didn't want to admit it I was secretly pleased we both had the same first session.
"me too!" I said trying to keep my voice from sounding ecstatic and failing miserably. Laughing at the enthusiasm in my voice he walked in front of me and then turned to face me, still walking. Just then someone walking parallel to us and daydreaming walked straight into him. The look of sheer surprise was so funny that I couldn't help but start laughing hysterically. Then he and the girl were tangled up on the ground. Looking at his face was the wrong thing to do, because I just laughed more. The girl got up, dusted herself down and walked away, blushing a deep shade of red. Then he burst out laughing, presumably at me. We were still laughing-only now I was on the floor too- when the head came to see what the problem was. Seeing us both on the wet ground laughing made him furious, especially since lessons had already started.
"GET TO CLASS, BOTH OF YOU!!" he bellowed at the top of his voice to us. Some of the kids sat in the surrounding buildings looked up at the sound of his voice, but hastily looked away when they saw who the culprits were. By then I had managed to calm down and got up. After brushing off my hands on my jeans I leant him my hand, but instead of taking my hand he jumped up. Ignoring the head completely he turned to me.
"by the way, im Bradley!" he said happily. P.e. was fun for the first time in quite a while. We were starting badminton this week so me and Bradley teamed up. I knew people were secretly happy that they wouldn't have to par up with me. Mike usually paired with and seemed happy enough doing it but I knew that secretly he really didn't want to. Bradley was surprisingly good, though he looked bored out of his mind. He could hit it really far- right to the end of the court- and he was agile and fast. He was really fit too, like he went to the gym three times a week or something. I let the side down slightly but Bradley didn't seem to mind. We won three of the four games we played and by the end he was smiling even more. He didn't look breathless in the slightest though, which I was just a bit confused about. We were both in the same English class so Bradley waited for me as I got changed. since there were no spare seats next to me Bradley had to sit next to the girl called Elisha. Their table was two in front and one to the left of mine. I was worried that Bradley would like Elisha more than me and go off with her at the end of the lesson, but before the lesson started he stood at my table and they didn't talk for the whole of the hour. Third lesson was calculus and Bradley was in a different class from me. The lesson went slower than usual and I thought it might never finish but in the end it did. I realized it only seemed to go even slower because I a something to look forward to, somewhere I wanted to be. I got to the cafeteria a couple of minutes late and, after getting some food I looked around to find all the tables reasonably full. I looked again more closely this time to see which table was the most empty and found Bradley waving at me from a table he had all to himself. I blushed, embarrassed. How long had he been waving at me without me noticing? I walked over to him looking down and sat opposite him on the little table. When I had put my tray down on the table and got comfortable I realized that Bradley was sat really close to the cullen's table. I had completely forgot to tell him that the cullen's didn't talk to anyone, not even me. As I watched Bradley shifted his chair so he could talk to whoever was nearest him, it happened to be Alice. Edward looked up from his food to stare at Bradley. He looked startled by something but Bradley hadn't said anything yet. Then he looked at me. He was confused by something, but the second he looked at me I looked down- at my food- so I didn't see anything else.
"hi Alice, how are you?" Bradley asked.
"im great, you must be Bradley, right?" she asked, completely at ease and not at all suspicious of him. It was startling the difference between her and Edward. It was a good job she was the most friendly of the cullen's and the hale's. (jasper hale Is also fostered and has been going out with Alice since they moved here if your wondering.)
"yep!" replied Bradley, turning back to me and picking his piece of pizza to bits.
"are you actually going to eat that?" I asked curiously, looking at the pizza. Alice was still looking between me and Bradley, then looked at Edward as if he could answer every question she had.
"no, im not hungry." he replied. The rest of the day past in a blur and I was soon walking towards the car park and talking to Bradley who was next to me, I don't think he will try walking backwards anytime soon.
"where did you used to live?" I asked, watching the expression on his face. It didn't change, he was still smiling as he had been the whole time I saw him. He looked away for a minute then and I thought I had upset him and he wouldn't answer.
"Canada, in the far north," he replied softly. I had obviously upset him so I decided to drop it. When I looked away from my feet and glanced at his face, for the first time he wasn't smiling. It didn't look right, and there were smile lines imbedded in his cheeks so it just made it worse. Just then I got to my car.
"see you tomorrow" I said, then got in my car and drove to work without a backward glance, It was Monday. I never did ask about his family again, afraid I would upset him. The days past in much the same way. Meeting in the car park and talking on the way to P.e. and sitting together at lunch. Lunch time was difficult for me sometimes. Bradley asked me allsorts of questions, some personal and difficult to answer and some only needing a couple of words. He asked about England, my parents, my house, if I get lonely and other questions such as do I like my parents. Some I blushed at, others I laughed and a few I had to look away, sad. Within a month he knew me almost as well as I knew myself, but he never seemed completely satisfied with my answer, as if he thought I was hiding something from him. But he always smiled. Every morning I wondered whether he would be there, worried he might become bored of me and chose another person to ask questions and hang round with. But the worry was for nothing because each morning I would be greeted with the same breathtaking smile as the day before. Before I knew it a whole month had flew by and still he sat with me. It didn't bother me that the only thing I knew about him was that he came from Canada and I never got suspicious of his ever changing eye colour, I didn't even notice anymore. One warm Friday, however, Bradley wasn't there when I pulled up in the car park. It was just beginning to get warm and this was the first day the sun had shined, but that was only because it was march. I walked to P.e. alone, not bothering to wait for him as he was probably just late. For the whole day I sat alone, waiting for him to walk through the door and apologise to the teacher for being late, and for the whole day he didn't. on Saturday it was another surprisingly warm day and I cleaned the house, having been neglecting my chores and spending the weekends with Bradley instead. By the end of the day I was exhausted and even though I hadn't finished all of my chores I fell asleep instantly. On Sunday I finished the chores I hadn't got round to doing, then started my homework. I lay on the lounge floor with the books spread around me for about 6 hours before I was finished, I even managed to do my project that didn't have to be in for another couple of weeks. I was bored then so I decided to read, and soon lost myself in my book. Looking up disorientated I noticed for the first time since I had sat down on the sofa that I was starving and it was 10:45 pm. I made some pasta and ate it without really tasting it, only just realizing I had scorched my mouth and that it was to hot when I had finished. I jumped up and quickly poured myself some water, drinking it quickly until finally my mouth had cooled down. I breathed a sigh of relief and picked up my dishes, putting them in the sink. I stomped up the stairs and quickly drifted into a dreamless sleep.
The next day I was strangely happy, then realized with shock that it was because I hadn't seen for three days. Since he had got here we hadn't been away from each other for more than a single day and my life suddenly seemed strangely empty without him. It was true, you never do miss what you've never had. It was cold and raining as I went outside, so I pulled my hood up and locked the door. When I turned round to face my car Bradley was stood there. He was half way between me and my car, ten or eleven short strides away and was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and jeans. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows and as he stood there he didn't move, didn't shiver, didn't even breath. His eyes were almost completely black today, but that was not what had caught my attention. It was the fact that his eyes were cold, unloving. I approached him cautiously, thinking that maybe he was hurt, or something bad had happened. His smile was gone, it was even worse than when he had first stopped smiling after I had asked him where he used to live. He was mocking me. I stopped two steps away from him and looked anxiously at his face. He smiled at me, flashing his brilliant white teeth that were to sharp and too long to be comforting. There was a loud snarl from somewhere in the trees. I stumbled back a couple of steps and turned to see what had made the noise. Edward jumped out from the cover of the fog and then vanished. There was a scuffling noise beside me and I turned to see Edward pinning Bradley to the floor. There was a lighter growl, softer and more playful and I realized that it had come from Bradley.
"no" growled Edward, so low I could hardly hear. Somehow that only made it more intimidating. "you cant" Edward was gone before his voice hade finished. As I stared suddenly Bradley was stood in the same place as before, smiling as he would at school.
"can I come in?" he was pleasant as always and it made me think that maybe I had been dreaming it.
"um…" was all I could manage, still tongue-tied at what I had just witnessed. Then I gathered my thoughts. "what about school?" I asked, not wanting to be left alone with him if I could help it.
"one day couldn't hurt, besides how many sick days have you taken this year? One?" I didn't know how he knew but he was right.
"oh, ok, come in." I knew I couldn't stop him without arousing suspicion. I unlocked the door and went into the lounge. There was an armchair and a sofa in there. I perched on the edge of the sofa and he flopped into the armchair. His hair was wet with rain but he didn't complain that he was cold. We sat there, watching each other for at least five minutes until I finally gave into the deafening silence. I got up and hung my coat next to the door. When I got back he was sat in exactly the same place, seemingly frozen. I perched once again on the sofa and watched him. He sighed and got up slowly. Then he knelt in front of me and put his hands on my knees. I was surprised by this, because even from that first day he had never touched me, not once. His hands were as cold as if he had been stood outside all day and night, not sat in a warm house for the past five or six minutes, even through my jeans.
"are you warm enough?" I asked, truly concerned.
"I'm fine" he replied, taking one hand off my knee and gently placing it on my cheek. It was like he was made of ice. He bent his head forward, towards my neck and I thought he was going to kiss me. There was a sudden gust of wind and I noticed I was upstairs on my bed, lying down. Then I felt a searing pain and my whole body was on fire. I screamed in agony, then everything went pitch black and the only lingering image was Bradley's worried face as he leaned over me.
Should have said before.
Disclaimer--- yeah I own twilight. I also own harry potter, my own personal slave and a factory that makes nutella just for me!
Yeah, I know that was long, and I promise to keep updating regularly. But with my other three stories it's a little hard to keep up. Im also hoping to put up my friends story that is a sort of add on to this one, from someone else's point of view. Though not yet cause it will ruin it! Please check out my other stories and review!!!