IX. A Serial Killer, a Beauty Queen, and a Corkscrew Mane

I was surprised when Edward deigned to show up to biology. Albeit, a minute late, but Mr. Banner was too busy setting up the overhead projector to notice. I was curious, but I had a feeling that his brief absence had something to do with his murderous older sibling. I had no doubt that whatever plans Jasper had made for Bella in Midnight Sun, also applied to me in my current reality.

"Isabella?" I jumped slightly and Edward turned towards me with a concerned look. "Are you alright? You're very pale."

No duh. Your vampire family wants to murder me. Why the hell wouldn't I be? "I'm part albino," I bit out, although I couldn't recall if that particular line was from the book or the movie. Maybe both?

"Really?" the amusement in Edward's voice coupled with his softer expression helped me unwind.

"Yes," I said, pulling my shoulders back from their hunched position, once I realized he wouldn't be interrogating me at this very second. "It's one of my many charms."

There was something sweet in Edward's smile when he said, "I don't doubt it."

Our moment was abruptly ruined when Mr. Banner clapped his hands loudly, garnering our attention. I found myself disappointed when I realized we wouldn't be having one of our usual group activities. Instead, Mr. Banner spent the next hour lecturing while I begrudgingly took notes.

"I'll walk you to class?" Edward offered. The uncertainty in his gaze was startling, but seeing he wasn't about to start his line of questioning, I hesitantly agreed.

"Okay," I nodded, buttoning my coat back up while Edward took my bag.

I was acutely aware of the stares that followed us while we walked. The silence between us felt awkward, so I blurted the first idiotic thing that came to mind, "Is Jasper really a serial killer?"

"What?" Edward appeared alarmed for one second, before he burst out laughing. That only served to garner more attention.

"Just a rumor the girls from gym wanted me to confirm," I shrugged as we stepped out. I'd done a pretty good job of ignoring them yesterday after they bombarded me in the locker room, but June had managed to corner me long enough to ask me about Jasper.

Edward unfurled his umbrella before we continued, the downpour from this morning still relentless. "If you could do me a favor? Please tell the girls in your gym class that Jasper has been reformed," Edward suggested, with what I could only describe as a devilish grin.

I squinted up at him. "Only if you can guarantee my safety."

"Not only can I guarantee your safety, but Alice and Emmett will do so as well," he confirmed.

"Fine," I shrugged. If Jasper could plan my murder behind my back, then this was the least he deserved.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow?" Edward said once we reached the entrance to the gym.

"At the earliest," I agreed, retrieving my bookbag.

Edward suddenly pulled me towards him in a brief, gentle hug, before backing away and hurrying off. I blinked, before trudging inside, the squelch from my rainboots loud against the hardwood of the gymnasium floors. My entrance into the locker room was not so different from yesterday. The expectant gaze of every girl landed on me, and I looked around before I met June's eyes.

"June, I asked Edward," I began, "And he says Jasper has been reformed."

It wasn't until that moment that I realized how far spread June's conspiracies were, because every girl abruptly paled with horror.

"R-reformed?" one girl squeaked.

"You mean, he really…?" another girl trailed off, expression aghast.

"That is all I can say," I shrugged.

For the rest of the day, all anyone could talk about was Jasper. I felt a little bad, but not enough to take it back. Not when I was finally not the topic of conversation.

I sunk deeper against the arm of Jessica's couch, unearthing my hand from beneath my blanket long enough to grab a handful of popcorn. "And then I told June that Jasper had been reformed, so now everyone believes he really was a serial killer."

Across from me, on the other end of the couch, Jessica was crying with laughter. "O-oh my gosh," she gasped, "You and Edward are evil."

I shrugged. "I got tired of their gawking," I said around a mouthful of popcorn.

"Don't ever let me get on your bad side," Jessica continued to laugh. Once she calmed down long enough to take back her popcorn, she ordered, "Now you have to tell me everything that's been going on with you and Edward since yesterday."

I scowled. "It's kind of a lot...The short version is, he asked me out on a date and I rejected him. But then we got into an argument. And then we hung out after school and resolved it. He confessed his feelings and asked me out on a date again, but I said no. And then this morning we got into another argument. We resolved that too, obviously."

"Whoa, whoa," Jess said slowly, sitting up and gaping at me. "Isabella, get ready to camp out, because we are going to unpack this."

I groaned. "But I don't want to," I whined.

"No, none of that!" Jessica threw a handful of popcorn at me. "You can't tell me all that and not expect an interrogation!"

I whimpered pathetically.

"Let's start again, from the top..."

Jasper Hale was still the talk of the school the following morning and I had yet to be brutally murdered, so I was feeling pretty good about myself. That is, until I made a pit stop at my locker before trig, only to be accosted by the wrong Hale. Rosalie was so stunning, it hurt to look at her―her slim, symmetrical face; her tall, regal silhouette; her cascading waves of flaxen locks. It was the type of beauty kings went to war over.

And she was livid.

The contorted twists of her wrathful face didn't make her any less exquisite, it just gave her the appearance of a vengeful angel.

"How did you know?" she hissed. The song of her voice was a bewitching melody. When I failed to reply at once, she continued, "How could you possibly know that Edward was listening in on your phone call?"

I paused for another second, because Rosalie had just given me a brilliant idea. Oh dear Jesus, please let this work. Tilting my head to the side, I smiled benignly. "Simple," I chirped, eyes creasing, "I know things. It's a gift."

Rosalie's wrathful aura faltered, for just a second. "You know things," she repeated flatly.

"Sure," I agreed, "I look at you, Rosalie Hale, and I know things."

Now, Rosalie was on guard. "What do you know?" she demanded once more.

A little more confident now, I brightened my smile. "Are you sure you want me to say it out loud? You might be embarrassed," I needled her.

"Tell me," she hissed, leaning closer.

"I know," I whispered, "that you're jealous of me."

She recoiled, as though my words had been a physical blow, before regaining her composure in a split second. "Jealous? Of you?" she sneered, looking down on me with a sniff of disdain.

I lifted my shoulders in a delicate shrug, my smile not faltering. "Yes," I said, "You're jealous. Of me. Because unlike you, Edward finds me desirable." Rosalie's features twisted with fury, but I pressed on before I lost my momentum, "I did warn you that you might be embarrassed. Would you like me to continue?"

Rosalie clenched her teeth so hard, her jaw worked. Before she could decide on the best possible way to kill me, Edward appeared close behind me. "That's enough, Rosalie." The tone of his voice had me on edge; an apprehensive and pained sound that made even Rosalie falter. Without another word, she turned on her heel in one graceful twist and marched off. It wasn't until I was sure she'd disappeared that I turned to look at Edward. By now, the hall had emptied, but when I met Edward's shaken gaze, attending class became my last priority.

"What did you see in me?" Edward whispered, "What did you see, the first time you saw me."

I suddenly recalled the flat pools of black that had glowered at me so hatefully. And then I remembered, not necessarily the exact words from Midnight Sun, but the way he'd battled his inner monster. Planning my death and the death of our classmates. Different plans, different methods. Anything to appease the monster until he could get away. Until he could get as far away from me as possible.

My silence was telling and Edward's face crumpled with self-loathing.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, casting my eyes down, unable to meet his agonized gaze any longer.

"You're sorry?" he laughed, a broken sound. "Preposterous."

And then, just like Rosalie, he was gone.

Edward disappeared for the rest of the day. And again, the next day. Out sick, according to his family. It was certainly a reprieve from all the scrutiny I'd been under for the past week, but recalling his crushed expression only caused regret to curdle in my gut.

Jessica ceased her questions, simply making the assumption that Rosalie tried to scare me off, too excited for her own date tonight with Mike. She'd roped me, Ange, and Lauren into following her home after school.

I lay across Jess' bed, sprawled on my belly, flipping through one of her Seventeen magazines, ankles crossed and raised, swinging lazily. Below me, Lauren was painting her toenails meticulously. Angela was slumped on Jessica's desk chair, having momentarily given up on calming Jess down, simply allowing her to continue flinging clothes around like a madwoman.

"Wow, I can't believe we used to dress like this," I muttered, gaping at some of the more outlandish fashion tips. 2005 was something else.

"Watch it, Jessica!" Lauren snapped, catching the tunic Jessica slung in her direction before it touched the wet nail polish.

"I have nothing to wear!" Jess cried in despair.

"You've been planning this for a week now, Jess. I thought you were going to wear your lavender blouse," I chided, unimpressed with the heap of clothes concealing the carpeted floor.

"I was. But it makes me look fat," she pouted.

"We were literally just shopping last weekend," I rolled my eyes and flipped another page, "Wear something new."

Jessica pouted. "I wore most of it this week…"

Lauren snickered, "I doubt Mike even noticed. Boys are oblivious."

"Ugh, don't say that," Jessica whined, dramatically collapsing onto the floor in a tangle of limbs.

"Why don't we go through the rest of your blouses, Jess?" Ange suggested, now that Jessica had calmed down.

Angela, the saint, patiently helped Jessica pick an outfit. "Did he tell you where he's taking you?" I asked, trying to distract her from her nerves.

"No," Jessica shook her head, "He said it was a surprise. Isn't that so romantic?"

"Of course, Jess," Angela smiled encouragingly.

"If you're done, hurry up and take a shower. It's already five," I said, glancing towards the digital clock on her nightstand.

"What?! Already?" she shrieked, hightailing it towards her bathroom.

Lauren and I snickered and Angela shook her head, leaning down and picking up Jessica's clothes. "Honestly, Angie, you're too nice," I sighed, sliding off the bed and helping her hang Jessica's clothes back in the closet.

"How should we do her makeup?" Lauren wondered, capping the bottle of red nail polish.

"No blue eyeshadow," I automatically said. Blue eyeshadow had been one of those regrettable trends you cringed at whenever you revisited old pictures.

"Duh," Lauren huffed, "Jessica has blue eyes. Pink is her color."

"Good. Let me blow dry her hair before you get started," I suggested, folding up one of Jessica's scattered jeans.

"Oh, sure. Think I have time for a manicure?" Lauren stared critically at the chipping polish on her fingernails.

"If you do only one coat," I recommended, digging around the floor until I found a hanger.

I nearly tripped when Lauren asked, "So...what's the deal with you and Cullen?"

If anything, I should've been more surprised Lauren hadn't asked earlier. Even Angela turned to me with curious eyes. "Uh, he likes me," I shrugged, downplaying the disaster that it was dealing with teenage vampires.

Lauren rolled her eyes so far back, only the whites of her eyes were visible. "Uh, duh. What about you?"

"It's debatable," I replied. Unlike with Jessica, I didn't trust Lauren to keep her trap shut.

"Oh, shut up, Swan. How can you not be into him?" Lauren demanded.

"I'm not blind," I retorted. "But there's more to a relationship than just looks."

Lauren's face scrunched up. "That's what ugly people say."

"You are shallower than a puddle," I laughed.

Lauren didn't even take offense, simply flipping her hair back. "Whatever. You can't play hard-to-get forever. He'll get bored."

She sounds like Renée. "We're not playing any games," I told her. But even I didn't know where any of this was heading, not that I really wanted it to go anywhere. Eventually, I settled on, "We're getting to know each other, for now. I don't want to rush into anything that's not going to last." Or worse, rush into something that will last an eternity.

"Ugh, you're so outdated, Swan. Just hook up with him already," Lauren snapped, rubbing furiously at her nails with a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover.

Angela must have misinterpreted my horrified expression, because she was quick to jump in, "Ah, Lauren, intimacy isn't always necessarily the answer." Which was nice of her to say, but I had been thinking more along the lines of a demonic, half-vampire baby ripping its way out of my uterus.

"Trust me, Mallory," I said, "Edward and I will not be hooking up."

"Look, I know everyone thinks you're a perfect, goody two-shoes, but you can drop the act."

I laughed, "Is that what people really think?"

"Of course not," Angela came to my defense, shooting Lauren a scolding look, "Everyone really likes you, Isabella. You're very friendly."

Based on the sneer twisting Lauren's lips, I had the impression that the feeling was not universal. "It's okay, Ange," I shrugged, bouncing back on Jessica's bed and flipping open her magazine. "Yours is the only opinion that matters."

"Will I have time to finish getting ready?!" Jessica suddenly demanded, bursting back into her room, wrapped in her bathrobe and hair twisted into a lopsided towel turban.

"Calm down, Jess. An hour is plenty of time," I reassured her, a little exasperated, before standing and plugging the blow dryer into the outlet by her desk. "Now, sit. We'll take care of the rest."

By the time we were done, Jessica's appearance was striking. Somehow, I'd succeeded in unravelling every last curl on her head, until the feathery ends brushed her back in a smooth, dark waterfall. And Lauren had managed to emphasize the deep blue of Jessica's eyes with soft shadows and smudged eyeliner.

"Oh my gosh, you guys are like my fairy god mothers," Jess squealed, peering closely into her hand-held mirror.

I rolled my eyes. "Get dressed, Cinderella. Mike's gonna be here in five minutes."

"So soon?!" she shrieked, stumbling to her feet. Fortunately, Angela was there to hand Jess her predesignated outfit.

"Well, my work here is done," I announced, dusting my hands off. "See you girls on Monday."

"Wait! Lauren, didn't you invite her?" Jessica demanded, shooting Lauren a glare.

Lauren heaved a sigh and turned towards me reluctantly. "Tyler's having a bonfire party at his place tomorrow night. You're invited."

"Ah, don't sweat it," I shrugged, "I already have plans to go book shopping. Night girls!" I hightailed it before Jessica could convince me otherwise, ignoring the hissed argument that erupted between the two of them as soon as I turned my back.

So highschool, I mentally snickered.

A/N: Next chapter the book is finally going to make an appearance! (But don't worry, so will Edward's nosy butt lol)

I cannot believe it's been a month since I published this story! Am I updating too fast? Honestly, I should probably slow down before I go crazy from writing so much. But thank you for everyone's support! :D

Also, just realizing a bunch of you probably live on the east coast. Hello, from the west coast. Sorry this update is so late at night for you (or would that be early morning?) lol! Regardless, sorry about that! Haha, let me know what you think once you get a chance to read the chapter! :)