The Learning Curve: Chapter 41
Forks High School Cafeteria
I walked to lunch with Edward as usual, and when we reached my usual table, Rosalie was sitting there with Alice and Jasper. Alice was talking her ear off, and to my surprise, Rosalie was actually smiling. I felt a twinge of jealousy that Alice had earned her approval so easily.
When I sat down with Edward, Alice was quick to greet us. "I was just talking to Rosalie about making a major shopping trip to Seattle some weekend."
I groaned. "Do you remember what happened the last time we tried that?"
"You mean when you fell asleep in a dressing room for three hours and they thought you were a homeless person because you were wearing that awful hoodie?"
I narrowed my eyes, annoyed that she'd spilled. "Among other things."
"You fell asleep in a dressing room?" Edward laughed. "That's cute."
Well, at least I had one less reason to be embarrassed.
"So if we bring Rose, it'll be like having an extra babysitter for you," Alice said with a grin.
Edward laughed at that. "You don't want Rose to babysit. She has the maternal instincts of a cat."
Something about Rose's expression made me think Edward had hurt her feelings.
"Cats are very maternal," I said, shooting a look at Edward. "And I'm sure having Rose on a shopping trip would be great." I refrained from saying I much preferred having no shopping trip at all.
Emmett turned up then and completely took over the conversation in what I was guessing was typical Emmett fashion. Lunch went smoothly after that. Everyone got along better than I would have expected.
Near the end of the lunch period, Jasper got up to throw his tray away and took Alice's with him. Edward and Emmett exchanged a look and took Rose's tray and mine with theirs, unwilling to be outdone in chivalry.
"Bella," Rose began as soon as they'd left, and I nearly fell out of my seat in surprise. She hadn't addressed me personally once. "You need to be careful with Edward."
I gaped at her. Was she really going to warn me away from him?
"He's a good guy," she continued, "and his last girlfriend really hurt him, so if you're not in this for him, you need to end it before it gets serious."
I swallowed, feeling Alice's eyes on us. "I am in this for him," I said, meaning it. The real question in my book was whether he was in this for me - but I thought he was.
"Okay," Rosalie said, sitting back, and she finally cracked a smile.
The boys returned then, and Edward looked at me with a thoughtful frown. "What's up?" he asked, putting an arm around my shoulders.
"Nothing," I said innocently, leaning into him, perfectly content.
A/N: Sorry for making you wait longer than usual for this one. Next update in around 22 hours, I think.