Chapter 8
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"Will you let me take you out?" he asks.
I think I'm blinking or maybe my jaw is twitching, but I don't answer him.
The shock wears off, and my mind has finally processed this information. It's obvious what's going on here. There's only one answer I can give him.
"No."
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"Are you out of your fucking mind!" Alice shrieks in the middle of the cafeteria. People are staring. Awesome. Like I wasn't feeling shitty enough. "He finally asked you out, and you told him no. I can't believe it. Tell me everything. Full details, right now," she demands.
"Geez, am I giving you sworn testimony or something? I hope you're planning to be a judge with that attitude."
I stop being so flippant when she gives me the dirtiest look ever. Seriously. I think I peed a little.
I sigh and give her the facts. "After practice he stopped me and asked if I'd like to go on a date. And I said no." It sounds simple, but it's really not. My stomach hurts just talking about it. Alice's interrogation will only make it worse.
"Was he being a dick when he asked?"
"No."
"Did he say something stupid?"
"No."
"Did he get mad when you turned him down?"
"No. But he did ask why."
"I also want to know why."
I sigh again. "I said that I knew his type and that we wouldn't mix well."
"You wouldn't mix well," she says in a flat voice. "Like you're a fucked up cake batter."
"Well, that's more of a chemical-" I stop talking when she gives me another dirty look.
"I can't believe this," she says looking at the ceiling. "This is the same Edward that you've been dreaming about every night. The one I know you want to date."
"Yes."
"Oh, so you are capable of saying yes. Call him and tell him you had temporary insanity. Lots of people get away with that defense."
"I'm not insane, Alice. He only asked me because I've been staring at him constantly and he probably thinks I'm slutty. I know his type - always looking for an easy lay. Guys who play baseball and look like that don't need to do much to get girls. That's not the kind of person I'm looking for. I'm not easy, and I come with baggage. Heavy baggage."
"It's just a date; he's not going to impregnate you. He is not Phil, and you are not Renee. Find out what he's like; if he's a good guy, go out again. If you don't like him, it's not a big deal."
"I know what he's like, and I already said no. He's probably moved on to the next conquest."
"I think you are way off this time, Bella. You are the smartest person I know, but you don't know anything about relationships and nothing about Edward except that he plays baseball and obviously loves his brother and nephew. You have to take a chance. You think it's easier to remain alone. Well, it's not. It's just sad." Alice gets up and walks away, obviously angry at me.
I wipe at the few tears that erupt after my "talk" with Alice and throw away the rest of my lunch. I hurry to my astrochemistry class. At least that is easy to understand. This dating business is fucking impossible.
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"Hey, Jasper." I walk into the office where Jasper is drawing up a formula for...fuck if I know. He does some crazy experimental stuff. I just hope I'm not around when he blows this place up.
"Hi, Bella. So you and Edward, huh?" he asks.
"What?"
"You're dating or something, right? I saw you guys at practice. You're always looking at each other, and I saw him talking to you afterward."
"Oh, um, no. There's nothing going on." Yeah, Bella. You made sure of that.
He stops what he's doing and looks up at me. "Hmm. You two seemed really intense. Like I get when I'm around Alice. But I guess I was wrong."
"Yeah. Edward isn't interested in me." Anymore.
"Well, if you are like Alice and me, you'll be together eventually. I would never give up on her. I'm almost ready for my big move. She won't know what hit her."
I really hope that it's not an experiment with projectiles. She won't like that.
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I'm sitting at the desk watching an episode of Golden Girls where Blanche does something slutty (which is every episode) when a guy in a ASU baseball shirt walks into the office.
"Good afternoon. May I help you?" I ask as I walk to the counter.
"You're Bella, right?" he says, looking around. "You must be, because you're the only hot girl here."
"Yes," I reply, embarrassed. "I mean, I'm Bella. Not that I think I'm hot."
He laughs and hands me a small box. "This is for you."
"What is it? Why are you giving this to me?"
"My friend asked me to present this to 'the beautiful girl working in the chemistry department.' And you'll have to open it to find out."
"Thank you." I call out as he leaves.
I pull off the top of the box while I think about who could have sent me a gift. Only one person pops into my head, given the evidence. But he wouldn't bother sending me anything, would he?
Inside the box, under the tissue paper, is a small piece of turquoise.
Holy crap. It's the same color as his eyes.
I pull it out and see a paper underneath. My hands shake slightly as I unfold it.
Bella,
You said that you knew me, but you really don't. I think that you need to give me a chance to prove to you that I'm not who you think I am. Just because your brother's dad played ball and was an asshole (Emmett told me – I hope that's okay), doesn't make all of us assholes.
Since you won't date me (yet), I'll have to tell you about myself this way (borrowing terms you understand). I am complex - composed of many different elements.
Element One: I'm majoring in Paleontology, and I think you have a beautiful smile. I wish I could see it more often.
-Edward
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A/N: You are all so awesome with your lovely reviews. I'm sorry I have not replied to many of you.
If you feel like voting, Caught Looking is up for Fic of the Week over at The Lemonade Stand.
Cosmogirl rides in a van with my picture painted on the side while she reads this and tells me what sucks.
Twilover76 and Rtgirl preread and pimp this out because they are TeamGoiterward. And pretty.