Second Thought

"Good morning, Bella," Mr. Bill greets me with a wrinkled smile when I get on the bus, holding a Starbucks bag out to me.

"Morning," I reply, forcing a smile. Despite the fact that my day is sure to be a crappy one, I can't help but be kind to him. Mr. Bill might be the kindest person I've ever met.

And the fact that he often shares his food may or may not contribute to that idea.

Being the first person to get on the bus in the morning has to have some kind of upside to it.

I sit down in the seat behind him so we can talk.

I'm not interested in interacting with any of the other assholes on this bus.

I reach in the bag and take out the chocolate muffin he got for me and take a big bite.

"So," he starts, "How are you feeling now that the dreaded day is finally here?"

I sigh, holding a hand in front of my full mouth as I reply, "Surprisingly well, thank you."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Mr. Bill asks.

"Me having to wake up to Newton's face every morning . . . with a feeling of happiness running through me," I answer, shivering at the thought.

That might be the worst thing about this whole 'pre-set mates' idea; the fact that I could go from hating someone so intensely to not being able to live without them in a day's time.

"Well, do you feel a burning in your stomach right now?" he inquires, raising an eyebrow at me through the rearview mirror.

"No."

"Then it's not him, so your day can only get better from here," he smiles cheekily.

"How do you know?"

"Whenever you are near your mate, an intense burning fills your stomach. And we are almost to Michael's stop now," he says.

I look around the bus, noticing now that it is nearly full, and I ignore Mike as he boards the bus, eagerly waving his hand in my face before moving to the back of the bus to sit with his friends.

I chew on my thumb nail for a moment, the question that has been brewing since I last spoke to my mother filling my mind. "Mr. Bill?"

"Yes, Bella?" he looks at me in the rearview mirror again.

"What will happen if I . . . well, you know, reject my mate. Like . . . if I refuse to spend time with him or whatever?" I watch his features closely.

"You can always take things slow, you know. Not every relationship takes the same course –"

"Mr. Bill," I interrupt him, "Please just answer the question."

He sighs, stopping the bus in front of Forks High. He waits to answer my question until every other student is off the bus. "Are you asking what will happen to you, or what will happen to him?"

If I'm the one rejecting him, why would I be hurt?

It doesn't even make sense for me to ask that question.

My brows furrow, "Him. Why, will something happen to me?" If I'm the one rejecting him, why would I be hurt?

"Bella," Mr. Bill begins, "If you are worried that he might suffer, and you haven't even met him yet . . . this man who you are so sure that you will have no feelings for what so ever . . . then maybe you should give a second thought to whether or not you want to put yourself through so much trouble to stop the process."

"That doesn't answer my question," I murmur weakly.

"Maybe not . . . but it did answer mine."

My brows furrow, "What question?"

"The one that I'll be asking you tomorrow morning . . . just as I do every other," he says before nodding to the open doors of the school bus, "You'd best be on your way now. The first bell is about to ring."

A/N: I decided to take off the last couple of chapters . . . they were too choppy. I'll try to get one or two more chapters out tonight to make up for them though. :)

Let me know what you think of my version of Billy.

~ Madison~