Chapter 4:
"Really, Bella, you need to live a little. You'll only be sixteen once and I'd hate for you to look back on high school and regret anything." Renee spoke sternly for once, her voice in lecture-mode.
Bella continued to stare out the window of the car, watching the trees pass by. It should have been dark, but the sun was still shining through the leaves and casting shadows onto the dashboard.
"C'mon Bells. It'll be fun I promise." Renee's voice was suddenly raspy.
Bella looked over at her mother and screamed. Renee continued to drive the car, but she was covered in blood. Cuts on her face bled freely, dripping down her chin and throat to stain her blouse. Glass shards that glittered in the sunlight were embedded in her neck and chest. A bone was sticking out of her thigh and the stark white color made Bella feel sick.
Renee turned her face to Bella. Her normally bright gray-green eyes were glassy and unseeing. Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth when she spoke.
"One party isn't going to kill you."
Bella shot up in her bed, sweating and breathing heavily. The room was still pitch black and the little clock across the room was reading 4am.
It had been a long time since Bella had the nightmares from the accident. For the first few weeks after her mom came from the hospital they were almost a nightly occurrence. With time they had dwindled in number, but they were never less potent. Bella didn't think that she would ever forget seeing her mother all torn up, a bloodied mess.
An uneasiness settled into Bella that put her on edge either from the restless night or the nightmares. She got ready for school slowly and drove well below her truck's speed limit and still she was one of the first at school.
Halfway through her calming music playlist and a knock on the car window surprised her. With wide eyes she saw Jessica and Angela peering in.
"Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" Bella murmured to them irritably.
Jessica merely laughed "I thought you were asleep!"
"We didn't want you to miss the bell." Angela said shyly, obviously bothered by Bella's tone. Bella gave her a forced smile in apology.
"Gosh Bella! You sure look tired today. Partied too hard last night?" Jessica's voice sounded way too loud for a monday morning and Bella proceeded to ignore her as she started talking about the beach trip again from saturday.
Bella moved unenthusiastically through the day. She hardly paid enough attention to the lectures of her teachers and to the conversations of her friends around her. She doodled in her notebook continuously, pausing only to keep track of the assignments and record important information. Bella hadn't even realized someone was trying to get her attention until Mike cleared his throat next to her ear.
"Sorry Mike, I don't know where my head is at today." Bella said, blushing in embarrassment as they walked to their next class.
"Well, Bella, I was wondering if you had a date for homecoming?" Mike looked expectantly at her, waiting for an answer.
"Uh…No I don't, but I'm not going." And definitely not with you Mike.
"Oh, Why not?"
"I'm going to Seattle on Saturday."
"Can't you go another day?"
"No. I really can't." Gosh take the hint. Please!
"Well I was going to ask you to go with me." Mike continued on as if this conversation hadn't already turned awkward.
"I think you should ask Jessica. I think you two would have a lot of fun together." Bella said, sighing. "I'm sure she'll say yes." Bella could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he took in this new information. As if the thought of asking Jessica had never occurred to him.
Bella was thankful to separate to their assigned seats to stop the conversation, but the reprieve was short lived. After class while walking to the cafeteria Bella was stopped by Eric who asked her what her plans were for Saturday. When she explained she was going to Seattle he looked glum, but told her that he had heard that from Mike already.
Her frustration was palpable when she sat at the table. She smiled at the others and pulled out her lunch. Bella let the others dictate the conversation and tried to avoid speaking entirely. She was just simply too tired to attempt being social and her patience was wearing very thin today. The only time Bella perked up was when Lauren mentioned that Edward wasn't sitting with the other Cullens at their usual table. When Jessica reminded Bella that after school they were going to start the posters for homecoming Bella almost told her she couldn't make it, but instead told her she couldn't wait. Her father would be suspicious if she ditched her friends and came home early.
The table was empty in Biology and Bella breathed a soft sigh of relief. She put her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. Sitting next to Edward was intense and she wasn't sure which Edward she would see today.
A thunk startled Bella and she looked up with a glare into honey gold eyes. Her features softened under his gaze in embarrassment.
"Edward. You surprised me." Bella's voice was low and breathy. She cleared her throat as he settled into his seat and tried to calm her heart.
"My apologies."
Bella turned her attention to the lecture, but that didn't last for long. She kept catching herself looking over at Edward, but he was never looking at her.
It's not gonna hurt anything if I just talk to him.
Bella tried to reason with herself, but in the end she didn't say a word. A flashback to this morning's nightmare made her chest tighten, but instead of Renee it was Edward's beautiful face covered in blood and his lifeless eyes beckoning her. So lost in her thoughts that Bella was again startled when Edward spoke, but it was merely to answer Mr. Banner's question.
What felt like an eternity passed before the bell rang. Bella's thoughts were still so consumed that when she tripped over a chair leg it was a surprise that she hadn't hit the ground. When Bella looked up she saw it was Edward who had caught her. His grip on her arm was light, gentle even, but it was cold where he held her. She felt the difference because her entire body became overheated at the closeness to him and it showed with the dark flush to her skin.
"Um. Thank you." The words came out more of a mumble than Bella intended, but Edward seemed to understand them.
"You're welcome Bella." His voice was like velvet and the way he said her name scrambled Bella's brain. He was dazzling, there was no other word for it and as much as Bella hated it, the butterflies returned in her stomach with vengeance.
It was only when the other students came walking into class that Bella managed to pull herself together to escape. She was still dazzled over an hour later when she met Jessica in the cafeteria.
There were several others there dispersing craft supplies to different tables. Bella recognized a few of them and smiled grimly when she was handed a pack of markers and a flier. Apparently the goal was to make festive posters outlining the theme of this year's dance which was 'Under the Sea' and then to start making the decorations.
Bella sat at an empty table while Jessica chatted with some of the other girls. Her focus was completely engrossed in trying not to spell anything wrong when a voice startled her. She looked up for the second time today to golden eyes, but these were distinctly different.
These golden eyes were framed with long dark lashes and set in an oval face. Her pitch black hair was styled into waves that stopped just under her chin. There was an expectant smile on her face as she raised her perfectly formed brows. It was then Bella realized that she was waiting for an answer.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Bella said hurriedly. This was one of the other Cullens, but she couldn't quite remember what her name was. The only one that held Bella's interest was Edward.
"I asked if I could join you?" The girl smiled again and pulled out a chair next to Bella without waiting for an answer this time. "I'm Alice, it's nice to finally meet you Bella." Her voice was just as beautiful as Edwards, but instead of velvet it was like the tinkling of windchimes.
"Uh, you too." Bella turned back to her poster awkwardly. She was aware that they were getting odd looks from the other kids in the cafeteria and some were whispering softly to one another.
"So you moved here from Phoenix, that's pretty cool. I bet it's such a big change. We moved here a couple years ago from Alaska and honestly I like it so much better here." Alice talked as she worked, keeping the conversation light. Bella found that she actually enjoyed talking with Alice and she almost forgot that Edward was her brother.
"-they almost called the fire department when the stove went up in flames. I swear that it was the last time our mom let Emmett try to cook anything at all. I'm not even sure she lets him use the microwave!" Alice said with a laugh, encouraged by Bella's grin.
"This was when?" Bella asked.
"Last year!" Alice smiled back. "Emmett never backs down from a challenge so when Jasper bet that he couldn't make pancakes for Mother's day he just had to prove him wrong. Or rather right in this case."
"So he ruined Mother's day breakfast for a bet?"
"Oh no, Edward saved the day by buying coffee and pastries. He's the more level headed brother of mine." Alice glanced slyly at Bella.
"He seems really intense." Bella muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Alice asked, leaning toward Bella.
"Oh, nothing." Bella shook her head and smiled back at Alice. "How's your poster going?" She glanced over at the paper in front of Alice and gaped. The information was written in calligraphy script and was complete with drawings of fish and seashells in the corners of the page.
"Does it look alright?" Alice tilted her head as she looked down. "I'm kind of a perfectionist and I love to draw."
"It looks better than anything I could come up with." Bella showed the poster she was working on to Alice.
"I love your handwriting. It's so unique." Bella rolled her eyes at Alice, but she sounded genuine and her laugh was infectious.
"Gee thanks." Bella looked around and saw that they were one of the last ones left. One girl Bella didn't know was stacking all the posters in a pile and another girl, Katie, was packing away all the art supplies in a bag. "I guess everyone else left already."
"Oh I guess you're right." Alice said looking at her watch surprised. "I didn't even realize how late it was."
In the parking lot Bella noticed at once that there was no silver volvo which meant that there was no Edward. She couldn't decide if she was happy or disappointed.
"Oh drat!" Alice exclaimed next to Bella. She was looking at her phone with an annoyed look on her face. "I forgot the guys were going to Port Angeles. I thought they were going to pick me up." Alice sighed as she typed on her phone, tucking a thermos into the crook of her elbow. "I guess I'll just have to wait until Carlisle can come get me."
Bella looked out at the darkening parking lot to her truck which was one of the only ones out there. I can't just leave her here, that's such a jerk move. Edward wouldn't be at the house if he's supposed to be in Port Angeles. Even if he is, it's not like I have to get out of the car. I'll just drop her off and head home. No harm there.
"Let me give you a ride." Bella looked at Alice. "I can't just leave you here."
"Are you sure? I live kind of far. I don't want to put you out." Alice's pretty face was marred with worry and Bella let out a small laugh.
"You know my dad is Chief of police right? He'd kill me if I just left a friend stranded." Bella said, leading Alice out towards her truck. "Just get in and tell me where to go."
The drive was longer than Bella thought it would be, but she trusted Alice even though it felt like they were driving straight out into the wilderness. In between directions, Alice kept the conversation going by telling Bella more about her family and asking questions. Bella found it was easy to talk to Alice about her life in Phoenix and the move to Forks. She left out all of the details about why exactly she needed to leave and everything about what happened to her mother.
"Turn right down here and my house is at the end."Alice pointed towards a break in the trees up ahead. "I'm so happy you moved here." Alice said lightly, her eyes drifting out to the window. Bella couldn't tell exactly what she was looking at, but Alice stilled suddenly.
"And why is that?" Bella asked.
"Oh, well you know, I think we're going to be great friends!" Alice had tried to sound excited, but the answer sounded evasive. She pulled her thermos up and put her hand up to unscrew the lid.
Bella bit her lip in indecision. Tell me the truth.
Alice continued on speaking, but her eyes were wide. "I'm pretty sure that my brother is in love with you and-" She slapped her hand over her mouth.
Nervously Bella kept her eyes on the road. Edward in love with me? "What makes you think that?"
"He's always thinking about you and he's been different since you moved here." Alice struggled to get the words out as if she was fighting to keep silent. "This is you, isn't it? I heard Edward talking about your gift, but I didn't realize how powerful it was."
Bella felt like she had been drenched in ice water. Edward knew. He had told someone. They know what I can do. Bella gripped the wheel tighter. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't you Bella?" Alice sounded exasperated now. "The way you two are tiptoeing around each other is ridiculous."
Bella pulled up the drive and parked in front of a giant three story home. Nestled between the gigantic pine trees it looked out of place and oddly perfect at the same time. The wrap around porch was glowing from the many windows that were lit from the inside. She put her truck in park, but kept her eyes on the house.
"Alice, It's better if Edward and I aren't friends. He should stay away from me." Bella spoke quietly and avoided the other girl's gaze.
"Why?"
"Trust me. It's better this way."
"But, Bella-" Alice started.
"Have a good night Alice. I'll see you tomorrow." Bella said in obvious dismissal.
The truck creaked as Alice climbed gracefully out of it. She opened her mouth to speak, but must have thought better about it because instead Alice just turned toward the house and walked up the stairs. A figure met her at the doorway, it was a woman that Bella didn't recognize, but knew must be their mother Esme. Esme waved at Bella with a smile and turned to speak with Alice and gestured back toward the truck.
Bella couldn't hear what they were saying, but by the way Esme kept looking at her she assumed that they wanted Bella to come up to the house. Before they could say anything to her, Bella threw her truck in reverse and as quickly as she could manage she backed down the driveway to the main road.
Friday morning dawned overcast and gray with a chill in the air as September ended. The week had not been kind to Bella. It was as if the universe had felt Bella's impending depression and planned accordingly.
Bella had anticipated some backlash from her words with Alice on Monday night, but when she arrived at school the following day none of the Cullens or Hales were there. It had been one of the last few warm and sunny days they would have before fall finally set in. Jessica had informed Bella that Dr. Cullen was 'super' into outdoor family activities and was always pulling the kids from school to go camping or hiking. That followed up with a dreaded word by word account of Bella's interactions with Alice and what the Cullen house looked like.
Annoyed with the way her friends spoke about the Cullens, Bella spent her lunch hours out in the sun reading or daydreaming. Everyday Edward didn't show up to school was another day Bella's mood darkened. She was angry with herself for being so obsessed with him and when silly things made her think of him. What bothered Bella the most was how empty her table felt in Biology when he wasn't there sitting next to her. She didn't even have a valid reason as to why she wasn't paying attention to Mr. Banner.
Bella feigned headaches to avoid finishing the decorations for the dance with Jessica. It was mostly to dodge the excessive questions Jessica was prone to. That girl had no shame or filter when it came to gossip.
Even Charlie felt her bad mood and commented on how irritable she was. Bella claimed it was "that time of the month" and Charlie abruptly changed the subject, dropping that line of questioning altogether.
It didn't help that Bella's dreams kept her from sleeping restfully through the night. A mix of Bella reliving the car crash and falling into honey gold eyes. Bella struggled with her feelings for Edward, but after several nights of dreaming about him Bella was ready to crack. She felt that she was becoming obsessive about him and annoyed at herself for being this way. Every day he wasn't at school made her mood worse.
Renee had called almost everyday after school and although Bella hadn't said a word to her about Edward everything she said made her think of him. Before the accident Renee was always telling Bella to grab onto life with both hands and it seemed that afterwards she was all about not waiting until the last minute. Bella guessed that in the face of her own mortality that her mother had decided not to live with any regrets.
Would this be a regret of Bella's? To not have seen where it could go with Edward? If he even liked her back because maybe Alice was wrong. If he didn't have any feelings for her then that would be the end of it and although Bella would be left feeling embarrassed then at least she could move on with her plans for her future. Yet if he did have feelings for her….was she ready to admit that maybe she deserved to have someone care about her. Was she ready to see if she could handle it? To keep her gift in check?
Apparently he had already discovered what she was able to do so at least she should ask him to keep it a secret. That he and his sister should both keep it a secret and if they couldn't then she knew that she could just compel them to forget. It had worked before so maybe that was just the easiest way to deal with them. Bella just had to find out if they had told anyone else about her gift first.
Friday morning showed overcast skies and Bella was eager to go to school, hopeful that the bad weather would chase the Cullens back to class. When Bella finally got to school and saw a familiar silver car out front she cracked a smile that probably made her look deranged. With her spirit lifted, Bella chatted excitedly with Jessica during class and let her go on about the dress she had picked out to match Mike. Bella wasn't even bothered in a later class when she was called on, but unprepared with the answer.
As soon as Bella entered the cafeteria she sought out the table the Cullens and Hales usually sat at. It had been completely empty the last few days as if people were afraid to offend the family by sitting there. Today though Bella saw all the faces except the one she wanted to see. Her mood dipped and the urge to sit in this crowded room interacting with people evaporated. Although the weather outside was threatening rain, Bella considered it to be the lesser of two evils.
Bella walked out to the now familiar picnic tables where she had spent the past few days. If it did rain she could go and sit in the library, but that was on the other side of the school from her next class.
There were several tables scattered throughout the courtyard next to the cafeteria. It was almost always empty on chilly days when the students would seek warmth inside. Only one table was occupied today and the familiar bronze hair made Bella falter in her steps.
The perfect moment seemed to have fallen in Bella's lap. Edward was alone and they had ample time to talk before class. First Bella would bring up her gift and figure out if that was the end of this conversation. If Edward wasn't weirded out then…Bella tried not to get her hopes up.
Straightening her back Bella continued up to the table Edward was sitting at. She must have been louder than she thought because Edward soon turned in her direction. He looked up at her through impossibly long lashes that framed his honey-gold eyes. Bella felt too-warm even in the cool air. Edward looked like a model from a magazine from how perfect he looked in his clothes to how he was perched on the bench. The breeze mussed his impeccably tousled hair and Bella felt the straggling wisps from her braid whip about her face.
"Hi, Edward." Bella said softly. Her voice sounded strange to her own ears. Did it sound strange to Edward? Was she bothering him by being out here? Did he want to be out here alone? Bella slowly began to panic until Edward spoke.
"Hello, Bella." He nodded to the bench across from him. "Would you like to sit?"
Bella hesitated for a moment. Was he just being polite? Should she sit or decline and leave him alone? In the end curiosity won and Bella walked over and sat herself across from him.
"Are you speaking to me now?"
Bella blushed in response to his question. He had obviously been aware of the lengths Bella went to keep them apart. Embarrassment flooded through Bella as she decided how to answer him.
"No…Yes…I don't know yet." Smooth Bella. You're trying to convince him that you're not crazy!
Edward cleared his throat. "Alice told me you didn't want to be friends."
"I don't think we should be friends. Not that I didn't want to be." Bella looked at the table, unwilling to see what Edward made of that. Bella could actually see herself being friends with Alice and they probably would be if Edward wasn't her brother. If this didn't end well with Edward, Bella wouldn't be able to bring herself to continue that friendship.
"Why shouldn't we be friends Bella?" Edward's voice was soft like velvet, caressing each word as he said them.
"I know you told your sister about me. About what I can do." Bella couldn't bring herself to look at Edward. To see the shock or distrust on his face as she brought up her most private secret. "There's things I've done…some things I'm not proud of." She hoped that Edward wouldn't ask her to explain. She wasn't ready to show him the worst just yet if she hadn't chased him away already.
"We all have regrets Bella." His voice was softer than Bella expected.
"You don't understand." Bella shook her head and looked up at him. Edward leaned forward slightly, listening intently to her every word. "I don't regret the things I've done. That's what makes me a monster."
Renee's face flashed in Bella's mind. Smiling and carefree. Bloodied and cold. Bella focused on Edward in front of her to keep any other faces from making an appearance.
"I don't think anything you could do would be monstrous."
"You don't think it's weird? Crazy or creepy?" Bella crossed her arms and used the table to stabilize herself to keep from falling apart. A hole in her chest split open for a second in remembrance of the last time she had opened up about her gift to someone. It had ended badly and Bella wasn't so sure that this was a good idea anymore.
"If I were to keep your secret, would you keep mine?" Edward leaned in closer and so Bella copied him. "I have a gift as well. Only I can read minds."
Bella immediately pulled back. He's mocking me! Bella dared to talk about her secret and he was openly making fun of her. She tried to yell at him, but before she could he flashed her a crooked grin. She was momentarily dazzled which gave him the opportunity to stand.
"I can prove it to you." Edward held out his hand to her as he smiled.
"My hands are cold." Bella said quickly, but still grasped his hand with hers. He must have been sitting out far longer than she had thought, his hand felt like ice.
"Mine are as well. Perhaps you could warm it for me." Bella felt her pulse flutter in response and if she could blush any harder she would have.
Edward pulled her from the bench and waited for her to grab her bag before leading her inside. Bella hadn't even heard the bell ring for class, but it must have since the halls were flooded with other students. She thought about taking her hand from his and putting space between them, but it just felt so right.
When they reached Mr. Banner's class Bella assumed that Edward would pull away from her, but instead he grasped her bag in his free hand so that she could sit. Bella was grateful both for his help and that he hadn't pulled his hand away from her. She held it like a lifeline to keep her grounded in this reality.
"Thank you."
Edward claimed to be able to read minds. This was both astounding and frightening. Had he read Bella's mind and what had he heard? Bella thought back to the day she had accidentally stopped him from being able to talk to her. She had realized right then that there was something different about Edward, but this was something so out there that she never would have guessed. That same day when Bella left the office and saw the way he was looking at her, he had known either what Bella could do or that she was trying to stay away from him or maybe in this case both.
"My pleasure." Edward's velvet voice followed by his lopsided smile brought back the butterflies. Warmth flooded Bella's core and she didn't have time to feel embarrassment over it. "I don't want to alarm you, but they're talking about us."
Bella sat up straight and her hand twitched in Edward's grasp. Looking around quickly she leaned toward him to whisper. "I can't hear anything. You can really hear what they're thinking?" Dark brown eyes met honey gold and Bella felt warm all over again.
"I can. Do you want to know?" Bella glanced around at her classmates quickly. She had often wondered what people were thinking and although it probably would have been easy enough with her gift, Bella had never felt the inclination to use it.
"Wouldn't it be an invasion of privacy?" Bella spoke quietly unsure if Edward had read that very same question in her thoughts. She pulled her hand away and faced the front of the class hoping that nothing embarrassing would come to mind. Like how often she dreamt of him. Or what some of those dreams entailed. "To tell me what they're thinking?"
"It's not something that I can turn off. I'm sure that you can understand." Bella could understand. Some days were easier than others in keeping her gift in check and though she had been practicing control for years sometimes it did escape her. "I wouldn't share anything that they wouldn't say themselves. I would never share anyone's deep dark secrets."
Riley
Bella looked quickly back to Edward's face. Shame and guilt made her tongue heavy. Could he see everything Bella had done? Could he see the devastation Bella had left behind her in Arizona? Could he see Riley? Bella was pulled sharply from her thoughts by an annoyed sounding Mr. Banner.
"Mr. Cullen! Can you repeat the question I just asked the class?"
Bella felt flushed as the rest of the class chuckled. She had been unaware that he had even been speaking let alone what he was talking about, but Edward didn't seem phased by the question.
"You asked if everyone had read chapter six of the textbook. Especially the section on blood typing since we're skipping that lab activity." Edward responded smoothly. When Mr. Banner turned to the rest of the class Edward leaned in close again, close enough that his breath fanned over Bella's cheek.
"Alright, everyone, pay attention. We're skipping the lab because too many students fainted last year." Almost as soon as Edward whispered the words to Bella, Mr. Banner spoke those same words to the rest of the students. "Instead we're going to watch this short video on blood types and then move on to the next section."
Any further doubts of Edward's gift dissipated. He had plucked the words straight from Mr. Banner's head moments before he uttered them. Edward could read minds.
Bella shuddered as the lights went out. The class fell away and Riley's face was all that Bella could see. Renee, lying lifeless and splattered with blood both hers and Bella's.
"Is this too weird for you? Too crazy?" Edward's voice was almost too low for Bella to hear. He sounded vulnerable like he had been left exposed and was waiting for Bella to have some great and terrible epiphany about him.
"Not at all." Bella turned and placed her casted hand at his elbow. How could Edward be so concerned with what Bella thought of him when every awful thing Bella had ever done was running through her brain? Couldn't he see that she was worse than he could ever be? Bella was almost afraid to hear the answer to her next question.
"Can't you hear it from me?"
"So far, you're the only one I can't read." Edward was watching her carefully in the faint light. She only felt relief and guilt at being so thankful.
"Would it be wrong of me to be glad?" Bella held his gaze with her own. "To be the one you couldn't read?"
"No, I suppose that if anyone else were to know that they would wish the same. Is there something bothering you?"
Besides two people talking about some crazy superhero abilities?
Bella looked over at the video where a nurse was drawing blood from a patient. Her stomach knotted painfully and that nauseous feeling before someone was to vomit appeared.
"I don't do well around blood. I bet that I would have been one of the students to faint if we were to do blood typing in class." Bella swallowed around the lump in her throat. "Even this video is making me feel queasy."
"You can ask me questions to distract you. I'll answer anything."
"Does your family know? I can't imagine it would be easy to hide."
Edward laughed quietly. "Yes, they all know. It's hard to keep secrets in our family."
Bella pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She wondered what it would be like to not have to keep secrets from her family. "My parents don't know." Bella waited for Edward to ask more questions, but Mr. Banner turned the lights back on and started speaking again.
They didn't have the chance to finish their conversation during the lecture in biology. Mr. Banner seemed to be keeping a close eye on their table and called on Edward frequently for answers which of course Edward knew every single one.
When the bell rang Edward grabbed Bella's bag and put it over his own shoulder.
"I've got gym next." Bella said hesitantly, but Edward gave her another heart-stopping smile.
"I know." He tapped a long finger to his temple and Bella blushed.
"So, how much of my schedule do you have memorized?" Bella asked, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jacket.
"Just about all of it." Edward was taller than Bella by half a foot and had to duck his head close to her to whisper. "I find you very distracting."
"Sorry to be such a bother."
"Not at all Bella." The way he said her name made her shiver. "I'm all the happier for the distraction.
"I'm pretty sure my brother is in love with you." That's what Alice had said when Bella was taking her home. It had seemed very unlikely at the time that Edward had any feelings toward Bella besides curiosity. Now though…. Bella wasn't so sure.
"Why do you find me distracting at all? I'm nobody." Bella asked, slowing as they walked closer to the gym. Edward seemed to think about the question for a moment before responding.
"To be honest, after the first moment we met, before we had even spoken to one another I was drawn to you. I am drawn to you, even now. You're not nobody." Edward's voice was quiet, too quiet for anyone around them to hear, but Bella heard each and every word. He sounded very convincing and if Bella hadn't had her own thoughts so utterly consumed by him she might not have believed him. Would it really be so far-fetched though that this model handsome apparently gifted boy had been captivated by her?
"I uh… have to get to class now." Bella said awkwardly. It was going to be impossible to focus on anything except Edward for the next few hours.
"I would rather like to finish our conversation Bella." Edward handed over her backpack reluctantly. He pulled a permanent marker from his own bag and held Bella's left arm so carefully he almost wasn't touching her at all. "May I?" He dipped his head to her arm.
Bella nodded slowly and watched as Edward pushed up the sleeve of her jacket. Quickly he wrote something on her cast and pulled the sleeve back down to cover it. He gave Bella another dazzling smile and walked off towards his own class as the final bell rang.
Dazed, Bella pulled her sleeve back up as she wandered into the girls locker room. A phone number was written above Edward's name in flawless calligraphy. How he had been able to write so cleanly on the rigid plaster was a mystery, but the heart that was drawn underneath it all made Bella's heart flip in her chest.