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Edward was on a very good mood that morning.
He had finally convinced his parents to let him take the car to school. It was his, after all. It had been a birthday present from his wealthy, estranged grandfather, who as of late had been trying his best to lure him to his side with extravagant presents, such as Audis and expensive college tuitions.
But Carlisle and Esme Cullen, his pretentiously named parents, thought it was rather ostentatious to have a car like that in high school, even if Saint Marvin School was plagued by upper-class-wanna-be middle-class residents, and was a bit pompous in its ways.
"Promise not to speed," Esme begged.
"I won't speed," Edward intoned in a slightly exasperated voice.
"Promise you won't pick up strangers," she continued to beseech him, undeterred.
"There are no strangers in Arlentown, mom," he reminded her.
"Regardless. Promise it." Esme tapped her nails on the table and waited for her son to comply.
Edward stood all soldier-like and vowed, "I solemnly swear that I will drive within the lawfully speed limits and that I will not pick up any helpless souls that might need my assistance."
He had been staring at a smear of peanut butter on the wall, and when he finished his tirade, he peeked at Esme and saw she hadn't found his mockery amusing.
"Mom, relax. I do promise to be sensible about owning and driving a car. But if you don't let me go now, I will be late to school, and I'm not sure if I'm more scared of death by car crash than of Mr. Anuar."
His mother relented and waved her goodbyes to her son until she could no longer see his car.
A couple of blocks from school, Edward had been feeling happy about his splendid driving skills when his self-congratulatory mood was interrupted by a flash of blinding orange on the side of the road that his rear-view mirror revealed to be a girl. Noticing that she was wearing the school's uniform, he had been tempted to stop, but Esme's pleas came to the front of his mind.
There was no one in St. Martin with that hair color, so that girl was certainly a stranger. An utterly beautiful and vulnerable looking stranger, but a stranger nonetheless.