I tried to stay up, but the more I tried, the more I began to doze off. My eyes felt burdened by the lack of sleep. The brown thermal turtle neck top stuck to me like a second skin; it was comforting me to an endless dream as Dad's old baggy college sweater gave me an excuse to use it as a pillow, the black jeans I paired it with gave my butt a nice look but also the coverage I would desperately need as Angela had borrowed my long boots and I was stuck with the combat boots. Overall, I felt cozy, which only tempted me to ditch the first few classes and sleep in the car.
Angela had seen this and took charge by driving us to school, which meant no car keys and no excuse to sleep during class. I know I should be annoyed or be the one giving Ang a dirty look, but I was too tired to care or have enough energy to muster any look.
"This is what happens when you decide to read those journals that mom had banned us from reading." She was nagging; it was common for her to lecture me on what I was doing wrong or warn me that the consequences would instill mom's uncontrollable rage once - or my favorite word - if she found out.
"El!" Angela snapped, parking the car near Eric's old Honda Civic. The silver coloring faded, making it look like a light grey or dirty beige; I cringed. "Are you even listening?" She tilted her head to the side as she pushed her glasses up her nose bridge. I sighed, mumbling a "No." and leaning my head against the window.
She groaned, this time annoyed with me. However, I started to feel her curiosity crawl all over me as if wondering what I found fascinating about the journals I had successfully stolen and stayed up reading. This time, it was my turn to glare at her. She was disturbing me without her knowing it. I couldn't sleep peacefully, knowing someone was paying too much attention to me. "What?" I snapped back.
Angela winced, no doubt intimidated by me. It was rare for me to be sleep deprived as I tend to sleep early and wake up early, but when I was, you'd better count your blessings cause I was more than aware of how irritable I was. My bluntness, usually caged in, was let loose as the cage seemed broken and set on fire.
"What did you find in those journals?" Ang's voice came off as meek and inaudible, scared to ask, but her curiosity most likely forced her. I rolled my eyes, shrugging, before closing my eyes again to suck in as much sleep as possible before the bell or Angela decided we should go out.
"Just the usual Brujeria talk grandma would talk to us about." I knew I was mumbling at the end of my sentence, but could you blame me? I was tired. I felt Angela shift her focus on something else before us, but I didn't care enough to look. "Bella's here," She paused. I could hear the jingling of the keys being taken out of the ignition. "I think I'll go talk to her about yesterday." She paused, waiting for me to volunteer. I didn't. She sighed, noticing I hadn't moved from my position. I still had my eyes closed, fully aware of her fumbling with the keys, a nervous habit of hers before she does something she really doesn't want to do.
I snapped my eyes open, the car alarm waking me from my light slumber. I didn't look at Angela as I snatched the keys from her still-fumbling hands. I almost knocked her glasses from her face as I shoved her away from the damn keys. To say I was pissed was an understatement. After only a few seconds, I had prevented the alarm from blasting. I glared at Angela, who was trying to apologize to me and claim it wasn't unpurpose, and how she could have handled it.
I was fully awake now, and any sleep I did want, I knew I wasn't going to get. I grabbed my backpack, slamming the car door shut behind me. Anyone who looked our way was met head-on with my dark glare. I shouldn't have been harsh with Ang, as she tends to take things personally. I was aware I was more at fault for not sleeping when I should have, but at the moment, my brain couldn't accept that. I knew it was an overreaction, but I couldn't have cared. I just wanted some sleep. Anyone who had met my glare had averted their look, pretending to study something else or just blatantly look down; they weren't willing to get chewed out by me.
I could hear Angela get out of the car as well. She kept apologizing, but I didn't care to forgive her. I responded by locking the doors and putting my backpack on both my shoulders, making my way to the appealing Bella swan who parked far away from the peering and loud individuals that Ang was friends with.
I knew if I made my way to Bella, Angela would bail from awkwardly trying to converse with the new girl. Although Angela was nice and friendly to everyone, she wasn't pushy to converse with others. She tended to be awkward with new people, more so than average.
The chill in the air is palpable as I approach Bella and her old Chevy red truck. Despite the cold, I'm relieved to see her and ask what did happen yesterday. The truck's paint is faded but has been well-loved over the years. As I approach, Bella notices me before glancing at where I have come from, giving me a warm smile. We exchanged greetings, the cold stinging our faces and keeping me more awake than before.
"I'm guessing from Angela's flushed face it was your guys' car blaring." I sighed, annoyed, before leaning against her car as my hands skimmed over the pigtail braids I had done to sleep in last night and was too lazy to undo. "It was an accident. Angela wanted to see how you were doing." I responded, glancing at where my sister was. She was surrounded by Angela and a few friends she made in the journalism class. Jess noticed me looking at Angela before mouthing a 'fuck you.' No doubt Angela was telling them what had happened. I rolled my eyes at Jess, sending her a smirk that infuriated her and made me even more happy.
I can hear Bella chuckle. "She really hates you, huh?" I looked at Bella, shrugging. Her dark hair was in its natural wave, and her lips pursed as she thought. "Ehh, it's mutual. I think we have an understanding not to mess with Angela - she's like neutral ground or something." Bella didn't seem to understand, and I wouldn't elaborate more. Jess and I were not - in any way - friends, everyone knew that, but she wasn't a horrible person, especially to Angela.
It was quiet between us as Bella's focus was now on her school books. She kept tapping her fingers on the book before she abruptly closed it. "Uhmm..." She paused. She was still determining if she should continue with what she wanted to ask. I gave her my full attention, raising an eyebrow as if to prompt her to do so now or forever hold her peace. "D-Do you know if Edward ever had a problem with anyone at the school?" I raised an eyebrow from her random question about the guy. I shrugged, answering as truthfully as possible, "I'm not so sure; I don't pay attention to drama concerning anyone, but if you want," I stood up straight, feeling the chilling sensation. My anger seemed to have dissipated as fast as the feeling overcame me.
I paused, realizing all of Bella's focus was on the Cullens entering the school. Rosalie was driving a red cherry sleek Mercedes convertible. At the same time, the Cullen boys came in a silver jeep that seemed as big and bulky as Emmette himself. The cars stood out more than the usual silver Volvo they would drive in. I furrowed my eyebrows, watching and scanning each one of the Cullens. Although families in Forks had their quirks and charms, the Cullen family were literally the definition of vogue models who had finished off a shoot or were currently filming an ad.
Alice was the last to get out of the Mercedes, holding onto Jasper's arm. She looked over her shoulder at both of us - giving us a small smile as if knowing we were watching her and her family. Bella turned her attention back to me, unaware of Alice's observance or not caring enough to speak about it. But I couldn't shake the feeling that Alice knew what we discussed.
"What were you saying?" She returned to our conversation as she grabbed her backpack and threw her books inside. I tightened my grip on mine. I cleared my throat, "I can check to see if Edward had any problems with anyone, but he seems pretty nice-ish." I trailed off as Bella tensed at that. This piqued my curiosity even more. I felt her uneasiness and touched her shoulder to comfort her. "What happened yesterday?" I asked as we began our trek to the schoolyard. "What do you mean?" She asked, trying to play dumb. I knew that move all too well and was a master at it.
I paused before her locker, "You seemed upset; was it Edward? Did he say or do anything to make you upset?" I asked. Bella shrugged, "I'm not sure." She placed a few books in and kept a few for her class. I had to remind myself Bella wasn't anything like Jessica in that she didn't like being in the spotlight, nor was she okay with really opening up about herself regarding her moving here and any minor problems she had. If she had any, and if she did, asking her wouldn't let her open up quickly, so I did what I knew best. I minded my own business.
This time, I nodded. "Listen, if you don't want to talk about it. I won't force it out of you, just know I'm here to talk. If you want. I'll see you in class-" I was about to leave before Bella slammed her locker loudly, causing her to blush at the sudden attention she was receiving and grabbing my arm. She was leading me away from the peering eyes of the other students. Her long fingers pressured my forearm, pulling me near the secluded buildings commonly used for sneaky make-out sessions or smoking.
"I think it's just me, but I felt like he couldn't bear sitting next to me in Biology," she paused, letting go of my arm and fidgeting with the sleeve of her jacket. I licked my lips, pondering why Edward would act that way, "Did he say anything?" Bella shook her head, her chestnut-like eyes zeroed in on any reaction my face would give her as if confirming she was the problem. I shifted my weight to my right leg, pondering why he'd act that way towards the new girl. It didn't make any sense. "He didn't say anything, and when I went into the office, he was trying to change classes, and I don't know. It felt like I was why he wanted to leave the class so badly." I shook my head, "It's probably not you," I paused, trying to think why he would be that way.
"Maybe he has severe social anxiety? I don't know if you've noticed, he only hangs out with his family," I licked my lips, reeling in any and all information I've heard from Jessica and others. "I'm not sure if you remember, but they're adopted. No one knows what happened to their biological parents. Maybe his anxiety stems from that?" I asked, but I had a sickly suspicion that may not be why the Cullens stayed away from interacting with others.
"Or they could be in a cult, maybe something crazier," I heard that can happen with families that close. I chuckled at my own joke as Bella gave me a dead look. She doubted either reason would incentivize Edward to wish to leave Biology. "C'mon," I nudged her to lighten the conversation. Hoping to ease her mind away from Edward's weird reaction. From what you're saying, you didn't do anything wrong, Bella. Maybe it's just him?" I suggested. She shrugged, fixing her hair away from her face.
We began walking down the hallway towards our classes. "Maybe, your right." She didn't seem convinced, which gave me the idea to volunteer myself even though I didn't want to. "Look, you're not the only one that gets these weird feelings about the Cullens. We can snoop to ease our minds, but I will be brutally honest here. Those who snoop usually don't find anything they like. As a matter of fact, they always find the complete opposite of what they expected." I shuffled my feet, hearing the bell ringing in the background, warning students to head to class. My anxiety pumping at the thought of being late.
I chastised myself for reacting in such a way as I was not so long ago, hoping to sleep in the car and skip the first two classes. As the thought popped up, the keys to the car began to feel heavy around my neck where the lanyard attached to them hung. I decided against it, watching a few students run towards their classes. "We'll talk more later," I said absent-mindedly. I didn't hear Bella's response, too preoccupied with climbing up the stairs to Spanish class, where I knew what to expect.
Once at the Gym, Bella and I talked more about Edward's weird behavior. We were sitting on the bleachers, as I had bruised my hip so badly that I had a note claiming to let me sit out from a few gym classes. On the other hand, Bella was given the golden card of being very clumsy that the teachers had taken upon themselves that it would be best she sat out from classes that would cause her harm.
We were decked in the school's uniform clothing for the gym. Red baggy shorts and the grey oversized t-shirt that announced what school we were representing. Once pristine white, my sneakers were starting to look like its sister, shady gray. Bella was smarter, wearing black athletic shoes that did look worn but not faded. I tapped my shoes together as I leaned back on the bleachers. My feet were on the seat in front of us.
"It's not much, but apparently, they don't talk to anyone in other classes unless they are forced to be paired with them for school work or the occasional greetings. From what Angela also heard, they're brilliant as well. Not overly smart but enough to be high ranked." I added sourly. When Angela informed me about Edward, I expected something like a social anxiety dork who couldn't even converse. So, to my shock and great annoyance, when she mentioned that Edward was too close to my school ranking, it didn't sit well with me. If anything, it rubbed me the wrong way how he would smirk at me each time we finished our quizzes simultaneously. I rolled my eyes, annoyance once again washing over me.
Bella nodded, watching our class run laps around the field. "Angela and you, okay? You guys seemed to be avoiding each other this morning." She mentioned. I was now aware of how closely observant Bella was. More so than I gave her credit. I wrinkled my nose in distaste of my behavior this morning.
Angela seemed genuinely happy when I spoke to her during the passing period, which was much calmer than before. Did I apologize? Nope, but we never apologized to one another; we just moved on. Seeing how glad she was that I wasn't upset with her made my stomach sink. I rarely got upset with her, but when I did, it wasn't for long, nor was it over something worth holding a grudge. However, Ange is notorious for holding grudges, which is ironic given how nice she is with others.
"We're sisters. We usually get over things pretty quickly." Bella raised an eyebrow. "Usually?" It wasn't a question I needed to answer, but with Bella, I didn't feel the need to seclude her from my lonesome circle. I could already hear Mom's voice in the background, gloating that I was finally making friends instead of tagging along with Angela and her imbeciles. "Believe it or not, I'm not the one you should watch out for when holding grudges. Angie is." Bella snorted, finding it hard to believe, given how quick I am to anger versus Ang.
I smiled back, laughing with her. Bella's smile slowly went away as she pondered over our conversation. "So basically, what you've found out is Edward gets along with everyone?" I bite my lip, "That's what it sounds like." Bella's eyes darkened with determination, and her hand found its way to my left shoulder, squeezing it. "Then I'll have no choice but to confront him." She seemed dead set on doing that. I licked my lips, thinking of a way to let her know she was better off not confronting a guy who was praised by girls and apparently by teachers.
"Do you think maybe you should wait it out? Maybe the dude will apologize?" it wasn't a question. From the look, she was giving to the thinness her lips were beginning to shape into. She had made up her mind Edward was going to hear from her. The question was when.