Chapter 2

"I heard a rumor" (edited/extended version 2023)

Bellas POV

The hour in class passed quite swiftly and after overcoming his first rather weird reaction to my being there Edward was all friendliness and seemed at ease. We juggled a couple of different ideas for our project and then later agreed on a schedule so as to be able to finish the project in time. Ever so often Edward would break the seriousness of the conversation to jokingly give me little tips on how to please the different teachers at the school and how to charm my way to good grades.

"Our english teacher, Mrs. Keats, just looooves H.P. Lovecraft for example, which is quite sinister and weird in my opinion. I once noticed she had a copy of one of his books in her bag and mentioned that I liked the novel "The Shadow over Innsmouth ''. Next thing I know the janitor is knocking on the door, asking us to leave because he wants to lock the front door. Never making that mistake again!", Edward said and laughed heartily.

And I laughed too, feeling at ease in his company, because even though his at first quite off-putting behavior had thrown me off a bit he was starting to grow on me now with his friendly manners. It would be nice to have at least one friend who acted like a real person at this school, as opposed to the clones I'd been hanging out with the past few days. Sure, Jessica and her gang were nice and all, but they seemed like a quite shallow bunch and I was already growing tired of having Mike Newton drooling over me like a rabid dog, and Jessica glaring at us every time we happened to be in the same room. That would get old pretty quickly... Angela on the other hand seemed like a genuine person, but I assumed hanging out with her also entailed having to hang out with the rest of the bunch. Maybe I should bet my money on Edward and his suave gang of siblings instead?

"Well, showing too much interest in a teacher's life can never be good I suppose? Just look at Mary-Kay Letorneau '', I said laughing and he smiled at me.

"You remember that? I thought everyone had forgotten that old story. So you're into teacher-student-romance I presume? Because rumor has it that the gym teacher doesn't frown upon that either", Edward said laughing and threw me a daring look.

I laughed and nudged his arm, resenting the accusation. "Um, no!", I blurted out, blushing a bit. "That's so not my thing! Gross! My mom used to work as a substitute teacher when I was younger and she was all frantic about that story and how anyone in a position of authority could do such a thing. But by the way, aren't all gym teachers a bit creepy? There's gotta be something fundamentally wrong if you choose a profession that entails torturing students to the brink of madness?".

"I suppose you've got a point there", he said, smiling at me and holding my gaze just a bit too long. The spell he supposedly was trying to cast on me was broken by the sudden ring of the bell.

"Okay, I hope you've all managed to get a pretty good idea of what you're going to do with your projects. I'd like a first draft of your ideas on my desk on Friday!", Mr. Simons called out as the students started to gather their belongings and quickly headed for the door.

Edward coolly started collecting his things and I did the same, though probably in a whole lot clumsier way. I briefly wondered if I would ever catch a break from being uncoordinated and clumsy and be able to walk around like normal people, not always stumbling and falling over myself? Edward waited at me by the door and walked along my side out in the corridor.

"So maybe we could meet someday after school and complete the draft?" Edward said as I stood by my locker, fumbling for the keys to my locker in my bag, "And I could let you in on more of Forks High's well-hidden secrets?" He watched me with a wry smile, waiting for my response.

"Sure, that sounds like a good plan", I said, putting my books into my locker, "I'm making dinner for Charlie tonight, but maybe tomorrow after school if you're available?"

"Tomorrow is great. Maybe I could come over to your house? My parents are renovating the living room right now and everything is just covered with dust, it's a mess", he said, suddenly looking a bit uneasy. I wondered if he looked nervous because he thought I'd frown at the fact that he and his family probably lived in a luxurious mansion or if the renovation excuse actually perhaps was true.

"Sure, that's fine, I'm sure Charlie won't mind. He'll probably be working anyway", I said, looking at him and trying to decipher why he'd gotten all weird again at the mention of his house. He met my gaze and held it steady, and even though I didn't quite buy his sudden composure I decided it was none of my business what was going on at his house.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then", Edward said and shot me a killer smile before turning around and heading down the corridor.

I felt my cheeks catching fire once more and I waved my book in front of my face, trying to make the red tint leave my skin. I was pretty sure that Edward was well aware of the effect he had on other people looking the way he did. I'd have to learn to ignore those smiles.

"Bye", I mumbled as I watched him disappear. I'd learned how to smell trouble at an early age after my mom's numerous boyfriends and I got the sense that this guy might be a heap of trouble too. Who did he think he was fooling?