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un-betaed

Prompt: hopeful

Emmett looked at me expectantly.

"Um, yeah?" I said stupidly. "I mean, yes, I'm Bella."

"I'm Emmett McCarty," he replied with a friendly smile. "I'd noticed you before,-"

he's noticed me before!

"—and then I saw you Thursday night at the house party—"

oh… great.

"—and you just totally flew out of there before I could say anything…" He trailed off, politely pausing for an explanation.

I gave him a tight nod but of course my red face told him everything.

"Yeah, Edward can be a jackass sometimes but he's really a good guy," he said in a determined voice. "So try not to hold it against him or anything."

I scowled. "Why does everyone care what I think about Edward? I don't plan on ever seeing him again."

"Yeah, I don't blame you. But he's been obsessed with you the past few days—"

"What? I mean, why? He doesn't even know me. If he feels guilty or whatever, tell him it's fine, he can forget about it. Seriously." The last thing I wanted was to have to endure Edward Cullen while he made himself feel better. No matter how cute he was.

"Yeah. I thought you'd say that." Emmett leaned back with a sigh, switching his attention toward the front of the room.

"Well, when—"

"Shhh! Here she comes…" He straightened in his seat.

I looked to the front as the graduate assistant walked on stage. I glanced at Emmett and sighed. This was only the third time this lecture had been in session but it was obvious that whenever Rosalie Hale was slated to appear, the male population gravitated to the first few rows.

And if Emmett was infatuated with Rosalie Hale then I might as well give up.

When the professor began to deliver the lecture, Rosalie sat off to the side and unexpectedly glanced our way every so often. Her long legs were crossed as she studiously pecked away, her laptop light glinting off the little glasses perched on her nose. Emmett was restless until his phone buzzed. He smiled and fired off a response, looking straight at her as if to gage her expression.

My attention began to shift from the lecture to the communication between Emmett and Miss Hale. She had guts to be texting right there on stage where the professor was teaching!

"Are—are you texting the graduate assistant?" I whispered.

"Yeah," he said quietly, with a note of amusement. "She wants to know who the hell you are."

"Oh gosh. I'm nobody. Tell her we're just… I don't know," I said, unsure if Emmett considered us friends.

"I already told her we were just friends." He whispered as a warm smile lit his face. "She gets a little insecure sometimes." He shook his head. "Silly girl."

Silly? The girl was freaking insane if she was ever worried about someone like me stealing a guy from someone like her.

"We're keeping this on the down-low, okay? I mean, since she's kinda the teacher." He was gazing wistfully at his phone again.

I settled back in my seat. It surprised me that I wasn't really jealous, just… melancholy. I was probably about to start my period or something.

To my surprise, Emmett stayed with me when class was over.

"Where you going next, B?"

I couldn't help but do a little cheer on the inside. I'd known this guy for 50 minutes, 40 of which were spent in silence and he'd already given me a nickname. That was kind of awesome.

"I was going to walk to my dorm room," I shrugged.

"Cool." He paused, then, "Let's get coffee."

"Coffee?" With me?

"Yeah. Or hot tea, or whatever that shit is girls drink."

I laughed. "Sure."

I found out soon enough why Emmett wanted to get coffee with me.

Brouhaha was a tiny out-of-the-way coffee shop/blues bar a few blocks off campus. I hadn't seen it before but I immediately fell in love. The coffee room was lined with bookshelves stuffed with paperbacks and trinkets and any wall space left was packed with artwork.

I followed Emmett up to the counter, fumbling in my coin purse for a few quarters.

"Hey," I mumbled, quickly counting the coins in my hand, "do you guys have—"

I trailed off when I looked up and saw the guy behind the counter. His green eyes gazed at me calmly but his hands betrayed him, flexing open and closed as he waited for me to speak.

"Uh," I said intelligently, looking at Emmett in confusion. Why would he bring me here? Was he playing a joke?

"I really don't think I'm thirsty any more, Emmett," I said faintly, squeezing the coins tight in my hand. I made a concerted effort not to look back at Edward. "But thanks anyway."

As soon as I turned to leave Edward scrambled out from behind the counter.

"Bella, wait." He moved to block the door. "I just wanted to say that I was sorry." He seemed sincere… and hopeful?

But I shrugged and mumbled that it was okay and he let me leave. I was such a coward.