It was lunchtime when I saw Bella again. The cafeteria was more crowded than usual due to the downpour of rain outside. The sound of rain and hail splatting harshly against the windows filled the room.
"El!" I heard Angela call out. She was sitting with a disgruntled Jessica, who was busy fixing her soaked hair and jacket. "I saved you and Bella a seat." She gestured to the open seats next to her.
I placed my lunch on the table and sat down, unzipping my jacket to make myself more comfortable. The cafeteria was alive with the chatter of students seeking refuge from the storm, their voices blending into a steady hum. The fluorescent lights above flickered slightly, casting a pale glow over the tables crowded with groups of friends. The air smelled of wet grass and the usual cafeteria fare—pizza, fries, and something indeterminate but vaguely savory.
Angela looked up at me with a smile, her eyes warm despite the gloomy weather. Jessica, on the other hand, wore a scowl that deepened with every failed attempt to smooth out her frizzy hair. Her jacket, still damp from the rain, clung awkwardly to her shoulders, and she muttered under her breath about the unpredictable weather.
"Thanks, Ang," I said, settling into the seat. The plastic chair was cold against my legs, but I ignored it, more focused on the steaming tray of food in front of me. I unzipped my jacket, letting the warmth of the cafeteria seep into my clothes. Bella arrived shortly after, shaking off her umbrella at the door before making her way over. She looked slightly flustered but managed a smile when she saw us.
"Did you hear about Edward?" Jessica almost spat, her tone dripping with disdain. She was now seated, her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail as she gushed about the latest gossip. I cringed inwardly, regretting having asked Angela anything about Edward. No doubt, she had relayed our conversation to Jessica, who was already obsessed with the guy.
"What?" I asked, though I didn't look at her.
Jessica's voice droned on about Edward's absence, how he was a no-show in class, and how nobody knew why. I didn't see anything wrong with that and couldn't care less why it was such a big deal. Bella took the vacant seat beside me, setting her lunch tray down with a soft thud.
"Hey," I murmured, hoping to be discreet. "You okay? You look kind of down." I noticed her facial features had softened over the past few days, a significant departure from the angry fierceness she exuded every morning.
"Edward wasn't in class... again," she responded, trying to keep her voice low. Jessica snorted loudly, pretending to fix flyaways in her ponytail.
"Of course not. He's absent." Jessica's eyes narrowed on Bella, daring her to ask if she knew anything about Edward's absence.
Bella, however, wasn't one to fall for Jessica's stupid gimmicks and instead kept to herself, her gaze dropping to her lunch tray. This didn't deter Jess from continuing to speculate about Edward's whereabouts.
'Mysterious?'I thought, catching snippets of her ramblings. I really felt pity for the guy. Having girls like Jess pining for him must be a nightmare. I sat up, moving my tray to the side, my appetite long gone.
"Can we talk about something other than Edward?" Although it was phrased as a question, it was more of a demand. I sighed in annoyance when no one immediately responded. The Cullens weren't far from hearing our conversation, and Angela's blush confirmed she'd noticed my discomfort.
Her eyes flicked from me to the Cullens' table. "Like anything?" she tried, her voice tentative. I smiled, appreciating her effort.
"Yes. How's the yearbook club going?" I didn't actually care about the answer; I just wanted to shift the topic away from Edward. Bella didn't seem to enjoy the conversation either.
The rest of lunch passed more peacefully. Everyone finally moved on to discussing the latest movies and the new boutiques opening up in Port Angeles. The cafeteria buzzed with a more relaxed energy as students chatted about their weekend plans, the rain outside temporarily forgotten. It was a hive of activity, students clustered in groups, their voices mingling with the sound of trays clattering and the persistent patter of rain against the windows.
Once the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, I walked with Bella through the crowded hallway. The noise of students chatting and shouting over each other made it difficult to hear, but I caught Bella's worried question: "Do you think I scared him off?" I glanced at her, resisting the urge to laugh.
The idea that Bella, with her shy demeanor and gentle nature, could scare anyone off—let alone Edward Cullen—was absurd. Bella, tall and slender, had the demeanor of a lamb rather than a wolf ready to devour her biology partner. The thought made me snort involuntarily.
"No, you definitely didn't scare him off," I reassured her, shaking my head. As we walked, I dumped my trash into a bin and set my tray in its designated spot.
Bella gave me a small, relieved smile before waving goodbye and heading to her class. I watched her go, noting the way she seemed to blend into the crowd despite her height. The hallway was filled with the usual end-of-lunch chaos: lockers slamming, laughter echoing, and the scuffle of feet on the concrete floor. The rain had stopped by the time everyone was outside, maneuvering themselves to their next class. The air felt fresh, and the ground glistened with leftover droplets.
As I walked, a prickling sensation of being watched made me look around. That's when I noticed Alice Cullen leaning casually against one of the pillars, as if waiting for a long-lost friend. Most students were minding their own business, though a few eyed her suspiciously. I gave Alice a questioning look, and her face brightened in response.
Reality sank in: she was waiting for me, which unnerved me. I tried to recall if I had ever seen her around this part of the school before but couldn't remember. Deciding to pay more attention to my surroundings, I continued towards my class, feeling the tingly sensation of cold marble where her gaze lingered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice bend down to grab her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder. I didn't wait for her, determined to keep moving. Yet, I couldn't shake the sensation of her presence, like a ghost haunting my peripheral vision.
I glanced over my shoulder again. Students who weren't already in class seemed very interested in the prospect of me conversing with a Cullen. Alice's smile remained pleasant as she noticed my glance. She withdrew her hand once she had my attention, her movements fluid and graceful.
Her pixie-cut hair was styled and moussed perfectly, framing her delicate features and making her golden eyes stand out even more. She wore a blue puffer jacket that looked too big for her petite frame, giving her an almost ethereal appearance against the gray backdrop of the school building. The jacket's bright color contrasted sharply with her pale skin, making her look even more otherworldly. Her presence was both magnetic and disconcerting, and I couldn't help but wonder what she wanted from me.
"Eleanor, right?" Her voice was chime-like, almost musical.
I shook my head automatically, ready to correct her. "Eleanor, actually," I said. It took a second to realize she had said my name correctly, and I blushed, internally groaning at my idiocy. Many assumed I preferred to be called Ellie or El because of Angela's constant use of those nicknames. "I'm sorry, force of habit," I quickly apologized, folding my arms defensively.
I could still feel the peering gazes of our peers. Conversing outside their family wasn't typical for any of the Cullens. Alice seemed to sense the attention as well, smiling as if she knew it was unusual.
"I was wondering if you could collect Edward's homework from Mr. Varner?" she asked. I couldn't respond immediately, my mind grappling with the idea that Alice was asking me to get Edward's homework even though she could easily ask the teacher herself. I bit my tongue to hold back any sarcastic remarks.
Alice took my silence as a no and continued, "Edward doesn't want to miss out on anything, nor does he want to fall behind." I sighed, rubbing my temple as a headache started to form. I didn't care enough to pry into her family's affairs and ask where Edward was.
"Sure, I don't mind. Do you want me to give it to you at your car or...?" I trailed off, uncertain. She gave me a huge smile, her teeth pearly white and flawlessly displayed.
"I can just meet you after your class," she suggested. I nodded.
"Okay, I'll see you then." Alice smiled, patting my right arm before skipping away.
I stood there for a few seconds, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling of the conversation. Gathering my bearings, I headed into class, still aware of the curious gazes lingering around me. Some were whispering amongst themselves; no doubt, this would be spread around soon. I snorted to myself.'Typical.'
Entering Mr. Varner's class, I made my way to my usual seat before being stopped by Ben. His dark hair, usually styled into tight, seamless coils, was now puffy and out of place, clearly in need of a cut. It didn't suit him, and from the way he desperately tried to fix it, he knew it too. Ben liked to sit behind me, claiming it was to "see better," but in reality, it was to cheat off me during quizzes and tests. I was also aware that Mr. Varner was getting close to catching him.
"What?" I asked, shoving his leg out of the way so I could get to my seat. Ben groaned as I angled his leg out of the way, sitting up straighter.
"I saw you with Alice. What did she want?" His hot breath hit my ear as he leaned over his desk, whispering to avoid attracting much attention. I didn't turn around, rolling my eyes as I took out my notebook, textbook, and homework.
"Nothing that concerns you," I replied curtly. Ben continued to poke my shoulder persistently, trying to get me to budge, but I refused to give him the satisfaction. I moved my seat slightly to create more distance between us. Undeterred, Ben kept trying to annoy me, hoping to extract information.
Thankfully, Mr. Varner was okay with my seat being closer to the front than usual and began the lesson without commenting on my new passed out worksheets for us to practice while he graded work from his previous class.
Not wanting to give Ben another opportunity to glance at my work or bother me, I walked up to Mr. Varner's desk. "Can I help you?" he snapped, his voice sulky and annoyed at being interrupted.
I cleared my throat, drawing his attention from the papers in front of him. Mr. Varner was generally a favorite among students for his gentle nature and understanding demeanor. However, he clearly had his favorites and not-so-favorites. Mr. Varner's curly, usually unkempt red hair gave him a boyish look, contrasting with his neatly trimmed beard, which was just as red. His brown eyes often seemed to reflect orange or red hues. Standing tall, he looked like a stereotypical lumberjack, often sporting different colored flannels in class. All he needed was a pickaxe and a tall tree to complete the image. His small, beady eyes widened underneath the square frames he religiously wore to read.
"Ah, Eleanor. My apologies. Did you need to use the restroom?" His tone abruptly shifted to his familiar kindness as he reached for the wooden pass he had made for the class to use when leaving.
I shook my head, shifting my feet awkwardly. "Actually, I was asked by Alice... Cullen, Edward's sister, to grab any assignments he may need to work on before coming back to school. He doesn't want to fall behind or miss anything," I muttered.
Mr. Varner's expression softened, and he set down the pass. Mr. Varner's lips spread into a smile, revealing his bucked teeth. "Of course, you can. I've been meaning to hand them off to Rosalie, but she's always gone before I get the chance." He chuckled as he rifled through a stack of papers on his desk, his large hands deftly sorting through the clutter.
I glanced around the room, noticing the curious glances from my classmates. They were clearly wondering why I was at the teacher's desk and what I could possibly be discussing with Mr. Varner. Ben, in particular, was leaning forward, trying to eavesdrop without appearing too obvious.
Mr. Varner then handed me a stack of clipped packets with detailed instructions for each one. "I honestly didn't know you and Edward were close," Mr. Varner continued, flashing another, bigger smile. I opened my mouth to shut the idea down but was stupefied by his assumption.
"I kind of thought you two would get together." He leaned back in his computer chair, nodding to himself. "Enemies to lovers. I told my wife about it," he added, seeming very proud of himself. "She thinks I'm trying to play cupid." He snorted, rambling about Mrs. Varner, a nurse at Forks Hospital.
I gave him a small smile that didn't reach my eyes, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. "No need to do that. It's not like that. Just a friend helping... another friend out." I wasn't too sure you could call us that, but I wasn't going to feed into his delusions. The thought of a rumor about Edward and me being romantically involved was almost as horrifying as the idea of Dad hearing about it through the gossip mill.
I shivered from the cold and the unpleasant thought of Dad interrogating me over nothing. Mr. Varner seemed oblivious to my discomfort. He raised his thick eyebrow at me while fumbling with his red pen, a skeptical look in his eyes. I could tell he didn't entirely believe me, but I didn't care.
I quickly thanked him and escaped to my desk, shoving Edward's assignments under my book until I could hand them over to Alice. I huffed, trying my best to focus on finishing the day while Ben continued to kick my chair for attention.'Kill me now.'I thought.
Surprisingly, the day seemed to pass quicker than I anticipated, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me as the final bell rang. I was eager to hand over Edward's work and be done with it. However, Alice hadn't shown up after class, nor did I spot her while passing the buildings to get to my last period. In fact, I hadn't seen any of the Cullen family members. I internally groaned at my naivety, thinking she would actually show up to collect Edward's work.
"I should have said no," I muttered to myself, constantly worrying that I had accidentally forgotten the assignments or, worse, that they were crumpled or ruined from the rain. The thought of seeming like I was sabotaging Alice or Edward gave me anxiety. Though the temptation to toss the packets in the trash and pretend I had forgotten was strong, my conscience won out.
"Hello!" I blinked, moving Angela's hand away from my face. "Did you not hear me call for you?" she asked, linking her arm with mine as we walked down the stairs.
"Sorry, kind of had a long day." I waved the packets in front of her, noticing her confused expression. "Homework," I said, nodding towards an awaiting Alice, who stood near the entrance, her pixie-like features framed by the fading daylight.
Angela looked at Alice and back at me, understanding dawning on her face. She noticed me first, her smile dazzling as she waved frantically at me. Angela was gaping like a fish out of water, shock plastered on her face. I unlinked my arm from hers and headed towards Alice to hand over her brother's work.
Alice was accompanied by Rosalie, both girls looking like Prada models, making me regret not putting much effort into my appearance today. My coconut-oiled hair was slicked back into a messy bun, and I sported worn-out green cargo pants paired with a baggy black thermal shirt. My dad's old raincoat was left open since I had been in too much of a hurry to leave school and get home.
I blushed when Alice greeted me with a hug. Her light fragrance was intoxicating, making my cheap Victoria's Secret body spray seem utterly inadequate.'Of course, they smell good,'I thought, trying my best to seem unfazed by the embrace. I wasn't used to close contact from anyone other than my family.
"Is this it?" Rosalie asked, gesturing to the packets Alice held in her hands. I nodded, clearing my throat. Despite never feeling outright intimidated by Rosalie, I sometimes had a creeping suspicion that she felt superior to me, which rubbed me the wrong way and enticed my witty remarks. Still, my gut told me it wasn't worth it.
"Yeah, Mr. Varner wrote down his email, just in case Edward needs help with something," I mentioned, my voice trailing off as Rosalie snorted. I raised an eyebrow, silently questioning her on what she found amusing.
"Edward will be fine on his own," she remarked, her tone bordering on rude. On any other day, she would have definitely gotten a reaction from me. However, I noticed Angela shuffling next to our car, waiting for me, and decided to let it slide.
"If he needs it, it's there. It never hurts to have help," I added, trying to diffuse the tension. Alice nodded in agreement, her genuine concern evident, and patted my shoulder as if we'd been friends for ages. It was a gesture so natural that, from the outside looking in, we could have easily passed as long-time friends. Despite the involuntary muscle tenses my body would jerk into whenever she touched me, I managed to maintain my composure.
"Thank you, Eleanor. Also, sorry about today," Alice said, shaking the packets in her hand to reference what she meant.
I shrugged, trying to downplay the situation."No need to explain," I replied, though in truth, I just wanted to go home.
I faked a smile at both of them, then turned to leave, making my way towards the car. Angela said nothing as I unlocked the door and turned on the heater. Her eyes gleamed with curiosity and unspoken questions, ready to bombard me as soon as I settled in.
The quiet that ensued in the car didn't last too long. Angela, true to form, asked as many questions as possible. I could only answer some of them, as I also didn't have answers for many—like why Alice didn't ask Mr. Varner, or why she didn't have Rosalie ask him during her class. It didn't sit well with me. All these questions were left unanswered, swirling in my mind like leaves caught in a whirlwind.
"Well, it was nice of you to help her out," Angela remarked, picking up her bag from the floor of the car as I parked in the driveway. "You tend to be selfish," she teased.
I rolled my eyes, refusing to let her know I almost threw Edward's homework in the trash multiple times. "I am not selfish," I denied. Angela snorted loudly, making no effort to hide her amusement. "I'm not!" I fumbled with my backpack, trying to catch up to her and plead my innocence.
"Dad!" Angela called out as she headed inside. The door was unlocked, indicating Dad had arrived first.
"In the kitchen!" she continued inside.
I shoved Angela out of my way, desperate to get Dad to side with me. "Dad," I wasted no time dropping my bag on the floor as I sat on the barstools before him, furrowing my eyebrows.I watched him clumsily try to dispose of something dark from Mom's pans.
"What are you doing?" I tiptoed on the step of the stool to get a better view of Dad's crime.
"Nothing," was the response Angela and I got as Dad tried to evade our prying eyes.
"Did you try to cook?" Angela asked, standing in front of the kitchen entrance with a better view. I chuckled at her remark, seeing Dad's chiseled face turn red from being caught. He cleared his throat, realizing how futile it was to hide the evidence.
"I was trying to do something nice," he confessed, lifting the pan to show us the burnt spaghetti noodles he had attempted to cook. Angela placed her hand over her mouth, stifling her laughter. I smiled, making my way around to Dad.
"You couldn't have waited for us to cook?" I asked, a hint of amusement in my voice. I grabbed the pan and set it into the sink, turning on the hot water to let it soak and loosen anything stuck to the pan. I could hear Dad release a tired sigh, no doubt exhausted from work and now this culinary mishap.
"It's been a long day, Ellie. I've been helping with funerals. Too many people have been getting attacked recently. Too many, if you ask me," he remarked, his voice heavy with concern. "They don't know what it is, but I know it's not just one animal. Too many for one creature to maul." As he spoke, he grimaced, glancing through some paperwork he had laid out while cooking, giving me the impression that may have been why the noodles burnt on the pan.
Realizing that Angela and I didn't need to know any of that, let alone indicate that we knew about it, Dad's back tensed, a sure sign he wouldn't divulge any more information. He started to shuffle his work into a file and placed a few books on top of it, a subtle indication that the topic was closed for discussion.
His mouth tilted into his signature grimace while his eyes hardened, his infamous dad look. It didn't scare us now, but it certainly would have scared five-year-old Ellie and Angie. I turned off the faucet, breaking the silence.
"What?" I asked, my eyes wide from shock, while Angela's were wide from curiosity.
"Don't worry about it. Just focus on school and stay away from the woods," Dad warned us, taking it as his cue to grab his things and leave us with the kitchen.
Angela and I shared a look, both of us unsure of what was going on around us. I was too stunned to think about anything besides what Dad had said.
On the other hand, Angela had no problem ranting about what could have happened or if this was newsworthy for the school. I swallowed, trying to avoid having a dry mouth as thoughts of mauled people on the ground surfaced in my mind.
I shivered at the gruesome images my mind conjured. I didn't have the stomach to know what was going on. Trying to distract myself, I grabbed the first water bottle I could find, tucked it into my backpack, and headed upstairs. Maybe a quick nap and some light reading would help.