Chapter Text
Chapter 2: A Different Book
The next day was better… and worse.
It was better because it wasn't raining yet, though the clouds were dense and opaque. It was easier because I knew what to expect of my day. Mike came to sit by me in English, and walked me to my next class, with Chess Club Eric glaring at him all the while; that was nattering. People didn't look at me quite as much as they had yesterday. I sat with a big group at lunch that included Mike, Eric, Jessica, and several other people whose names and faces I now remembered. I began to feel like I was treading water, instead of drowning in it.
It was worse because I was tired; I still couldn't sleep with the wind echoing around the house. It was worse because Mr. Varner called on me in Trig when my hand wasn't raised and I had the wrong answer. It was miserable because I had to play volleyball, and the one time I didn't cringe out of the way of the ball, I hit my teammate in the head with it. And it was worse because the Cullens weren’t in school at all.
All morning I was dreading lunch, fearing Edward’s bizarre glares. Part of me wanted to confront him and demand to know what their problem was. While I was lying sleepless in my bed, I even imagined what I would say. But I knew myself too well to think I would really have the guts to do it. I made the Cowardly Lion look like the terminator.
But when I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica — trying to keep my eyes from sweeping the place for him, and failing entirely — I saw that their table was completely empty, just like the last few days.
Mike intercepted us and steered us to his table. Jessica seemed elated by the attention, and her friends quickly joined us. But as I tried to listen to their easy chatter, I was terribly uncomfortable, waiting nervously for the moment he would arrive. I hoped that he would simply ignore me when he came, and prove my suspicions false.
He didn't come, and as time passed I grew more and more tense.
I walked to Biology with more confidence when, by the end of lunch, he still hadn't showed. Mike, who was taking on the qualities of a golden retriever, walked faithfully by my side to class. I held my breath at the door, but Edward Cullen wasn't there, either and neither was his brother. I exhaled and went to my seat. Mike followed, talking about an upcoming trip to the beach. He lingered by my desk till the bell rang. Then he smiled at me wistfully and went to sit by a girl with braces and a bad perm. It looked like I was going to have to do something about Mike, and it wouldn't be easy. In a town like this, where everyone lived on top of everyone else, diplomacy was essential. I had never been enormously tactful; I had no practice dealing with overly friendly boys.
I was relieved that I had the desk to myself, that Adam was absent. I told myself that repeatedly. But I couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that I was the reason he wasn't there. That none of them were. It was ridiculous, and egotistical, to think I could affect anyone that strongly. It was impossible. And yet I couldn’t stop worrying that it was true.
When the school day was finally done, and the blush was fading out of my cheeks from the volleyball incident, I changed quickly back into my jeans and navy blue sweater. I hurried from the girls' locker room, pleased to find that I had successfully evaded my retriever friend for the moment. I walked swiftly out to the parking lot. It was crowded now with fleeing students. I got in my truck and dug through my bag to make sure I had what I needed.
Last night I'd discovered that Charlie couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon. So I requested that I be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay. He was willing enough to hand over the keys to the banquet hall. I also found out that he had no food in the house. So I had my shopping list and the cash from the jar in the cupboard labeled FOOD MONEY, and I was on my way to the Thriftway.
I gunned my deafening engine to life, ignoring the heads that turned in my direction, and backed carefully into a place in the line of cars that were waiting to exit the parking lot. As I waited, trying to pretend that the earsplitting rumble was coming from someone else's car. I saw another car leave the parking lot and getting in line in front of me- cutting me off. It was the shiny Volvo. I recognized the car from before but I couldn’t see the driver as I passed it. Stupid shiny Volvo owner.
The Thriftway was not far from the school, just a few streets south, off the highway. It was nice to be inside the supermarket; it felt normal. I did the shopping at home, and I fell into the pattern of the familiar task gladly. The store was big enough inside that I couldn't hear the tapping of the rain on the roof to remind me where I was.
When I got home, I unloaded all the groceries, stuffing them in wherever I could find an open space. I hoped Charlie wouldn't mind. I wrapped potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake, covered a steak in marinade and balanced it on top of a carton of eggs in the fridge. When I was finished with that, I took my book bag upstairs. Before starting my homework, I changed into a pair of dry sweats, pulled my damp hair up into a pony-tail, and checked my e-mail for the first time. I had three messages. “Bella," my mom wrote…
Write me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining? I miss you already. I'm almost finished packing for Florida, but I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it? Phil says hi. Mom.
I sighed and went to the next. It was sent eight hours after the first.
"Bella," she wrote…
Why haven't you e-mailed me yet? What are you waiting for? Mom.
The last was from this morning.
Isabella,
If I haven't heard from you by 5:30 p.m. today I'm calling Charlie.
I checked the clock. I still had an hour, but my mom was well known for jumping the gun.
Mom,
Calm down. I'm writing right now. Don't do anything rash. Bella. I sent that, and began again.
Mom,
Everything is great. Of course it's raining. I was waiting for something to write about. School isn't bad, just a little repetitive. I met some nice kids who sit by me at lunch.
Your blouse is at the dry cleaners - you were supposed to pick it up Friday.
Charlie bought me a truck, can you believe it? I love it. It's old, but really sturdy, which is good, you know, for me.
I miss you, too. I'll write again soon, but I'm not going to check my e-mail every five minutes.
Relax, breathe. I love you.
Bella.
I had decided to read Wuthering Heights — the novel we were currently studying in English — yet again for the fun of it, and that's what I was doing when Charlie came home. I'd lost track of the time,
and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil.
"Bella?" my father called out when he heard me on the stairs.
Who else? I thought to myself.
"Hey, Dad, welcome home."
"Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as I bustled about the kitchen. As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready. When I came here as a child, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident, and not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose.
"What's for dinner?" he asked warily. My mother was an imaginative cook, and her experiments weren't always edible. I was surprised, and sad, that he seemed to remember that far back.
"Steak and potatoes," I answered, and he looked relieved.
He seemed to feel awkward standing in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while I worked. We were both more comfortable that way. I made a salad while the steaks cooked, and set the table.
I called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.
"Smells good, Bell."
"Thanks."
We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable. Neither of us was bothered by the quiet. In some ways, we were well suited for living together.
"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds.
"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy,
Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice." With one outstanding exception.
"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid — nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here."
“You know the Cullen family, right?” I asked hesitantly.
"Dr. Cullen's family? Yeah. Dr. Cullen's a great man."
"They… the kids… are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school." Charlie surprised me by looking angry.
"People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him - lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature - I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should - camping trips every other weekend… Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."
It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.
I backpedaled. "They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive," I added, trying to be more complimentary.
"You should see the doctor," Charlie said, laughing. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."
We lapsed back into silence as we continued eating.
“You said their newest foster child, Adam lived in my room for awhile?” I asked, nervously looking down at my food.
“Yeah” he said “A few weeks ago we found him in the woods, it seemed he had a medical emergency and the circumstances were a bit of a mystery- he didn’t remember anything of what happened to him but he knew he’s not from around here so I offered him a place to stay for the time being. He is a nice kid, mostly keeps to himself but I can see why Dr Cullen and his wife took them under their roof- they provide a stable family for kids that don’t have that.”
As I listened to his ramble I realized that perhaps i’d been too hard on Adam, after all my friends told me his behavior in class was nothing out of the ordinary and had nothing to do with me. He was just a loner who didn’t fit in, not even with his own family. An outsider in this town- just like me, the albino. I empathized. But I was also relieved, relieved that I wasn’t the only newcomer in Forks or at school- and certainly not the most interesting by any means.
But I couldn’t forget about his brother - Edward. It was stupid - i’ve only changed looks with him once and it was ridiculous to think his continuous absence could have anything to do with me. After all it wasn’t just him who didn’t come back to school.
“They haven’t been on school lately” I said hesitantly “Adam and his family I mean.”
“Oh” he said, surprised at my words “They’re probably on one of their camping trips, its not unusual for them when the weather is nice.”
We resorted back to silence as we finished eating. He cleared the table while I started on the dishes. He went back to the TV, and after I finished washing the dishes by hand — no dishwasher — I went upstairs unwillingly to work on my math homework. I could feel a tradition in the making.
That night it was finally quiet. I fell asleep quickly, exhausted.
The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school. In Gym, the kids on my team learned not to pass me the ball and to step quickly in front of me if the other team tried to take advantage of my weakness. I happily stayed out of their way.
Edward Cullen and his family didn't come back to school at all.
Every day, I watched anxiously until their seats remained empty. Then I could relax and join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I was invited, and I had agreed to go, more out of politeness than desire. Beaches should be hot and dry.
By Friday I was perfectly comfortable going to school, no longer worried that Edward would be there. For all I knew, he had dropped out of school or they extended their camping trip, or perhaps his family moved back to Alaska. I tried not to think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I was responsible for his continued absence, ridiculous as it seemed.
My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. I cleaned the house, got ahead on my homework, and wrote my mom more bogusly cheerful e-mail. I did drive to the library Saturday, but it was so poorly stocked that I didn't bother to get a card; I would have to make a date to visit Olympia or Seattle soon and find a good bookstore. I wondered idly what kind of gas mileage the truck got… and shuddered at the thought.
The rain stayed soft over the weekend, quiet, so I was able to sleep well.
People greeted me in the parking lot Monday morning. I didn't know all their names, but I waved back and smiled at everyone. It was colder this morning, but happily not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. It was straightforward, very easy.
All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel here.
When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.
"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing."
I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face.
"Ew." Snow. There went my good day.
He looked surprised. "Don't you like snow?"
"No. That means it's too cold for rain." Obviously. "Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes — you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips."
"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" he asked incredulously.
"Sure I have." I paused. "On TV."
Mike laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us - in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike appatently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of the white mush.
"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" I kept walking as I spoke. "Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside."
He just nodded, his eyes on Eric's retreating figure.
Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the new year. I kept my mouth shut. Sure, it was drier than rain — until it melted in your socks.
I walked alertly to the cafeteria with Jessica after Spanish. Mush balls were flying everywhere. I kept a binder in my hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. Jessica thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept her from lobbing a snowball at me herself.
Mike caught up to us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting the spikes in his hair. He and Jessica were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. There were five people at the table, but Edward Cullen wasn’t there. Jessica pulled on my arm.
"Hello? Bella? What do you want?"
I looked down; my ears were hot. I had no reason to feel self-conscious, I reminded myself. I hadn't done anything wrong.
"What's with Bella?" Mike asked Jessica.
"Nothing," I answered. "I'll just get a soda today." I caught up to the end of the line.
"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked.
"Actually, I feel a little sick," I said, my eyes still on the floor.
I waited for them to get their food, and then followed them to a table, my eyes on my feet.
I sipped my soda slowly, my stomach churning. Twice Mike asked, with unnecessary concern, how I was feeling.
I told him it was nothing, but I was wondering if I should play it up and escape to the nurse's office for the next hour.
I decided to permit myself one glance at the Cullen family's table. If Edward was there now and he was glaring at me, I would skip Biology, like the coward I was.
I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little.
They were laughing. Adam, Jasper, and Emmett all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow.
Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else - only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us.
But, aside from the laughter and playfulness, there was something different, and I couldn't quite pinpoint what that difference was.
"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following my stare.
At that precise moment, Adam’s eyes flashed over to meet mine.
I dropped my head, letting my hair fall to conceal my face. I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that he didn't look as tense or anxious as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked merely curious again.
Adam Cullen is staring at you," Jessica giggled in my ear.
"He doesn't look angry, does he?" I couldn't help asking.
"No," she said, sounding confused by my question. "Should he be?"
"I don't know if they like me," I confided. I still felt queasy. I put my head down on my arm.
"The Cullens don't like anybody… well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you."
"Stop looking at him.” I hissed.
She snickered, but she looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that she did, contemplating violence if she resisted.
Mike interrupted us then - he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Mike left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested. I kept silent. I would have to hide in the gym until the parking lot cleared.
For the rest of the lunch hour I very carefully kept my eyes at my own table. I decided to honor the bargain I'd made with myself. Since he didn't look angry, I would go to Biology. I felt awkward and uncomfortable at the thought of sitting next to him again.
I didn't really want to walk to class with Mike as usual — he seemed to be a popular target for the snowball snipers — but when we went to the door, everyone besides me groaned in unison. It was
raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I pulled my hood up, secretly pleased. I would be free to go straight home after Gym.
Mike kept up a string of complaints on the way to building four.
Once inside the classroom, my heart stopped. Edward Cullen wasn’t there either. His brother Adam was sitting at my table again. There was no reason for me to feel uneasy and nervous about Adam. He hadn’t been outright hostile, and the curious look he given me earlier wasn’t threatening. Still there was something about him- about all of them- that kept me on edge.
Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I kept my eyes away from his seat, putting my books on the table and started doodling idly on the cover of my notebook.
Just like last time he wasn’t speaking to me at all, just staring in front at him and sitting as far away from me as the space between us allowed. I tried to remind myself that this was just how he behaved, but I couldn’t help but think it had anything to do with me. Ridiculous, again. There was no way I could affect anyone this deeply, let alone these boys. It had to be something else.
The silence dragged on and started to become uncomfortable as I continued doodling on my notebook.
“Do you like the weather?” I blurted out as I felt my cheeks burn from embarrassment. Why did I have to speak to this unusual boy that may actually not like me at all and make a fool of myself?
As I glanced through the curtain of my hair I thought I could see him smiling.
“I do actually. Winter is my favorite season” He said in a gentle voice and smiled, turning his head to look at me. I was shocked that he actually replied and entertained my stupid question. He also seemed nice and not awkward or hostile at all, did I just make it up?
“How about you?” He continued when I didn’t reply immediately.
I shrugged “I don’t really like the cold. Or the wet” I said, scrunching my nose at the thought of it.
I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else. I was still trying to dislodge the stupid feeling of suspicion, and I couldn't concentrate.
He bit his lip, trying to contain his smile as if there was something funny about what I said. It made me feel slightly annoyed again.
Then he turned to look at me again, this time there was more curiosity in his expression- behind his dark eyes.
“And you moved here despite having a disdain for anything cold, and wet?” He asked, his question sounding more like a statement- to my annoyance.
No one had asked me that - not straight out like he did.
I looked up at him to meet his eyes for a moment “Charlie hasn’t told you?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. I would have expected Charlie to have been blabbering about my arrival for weeks, especially to a guy living under our roof.
He shook his head “No.”
I looked away, down at the noodle on my notebook to hide my eyes before they could give away how I was feeling.
“It’s complicated” I sighed, my voice sounded sad even to myself.
“I have time, you can tell me if you want” He said in a serious tone, his voice and eyes intense.
Again I couldn’t understand why my life story could possibly be so interesting to him.
I looked at him, meeting his gaze “My mother got remarried. Last September” I blurted out and looked away quickly, coloring the patterns on my notebook.
“Why couldn’t you stay to live with them?”
Why was he suddenly showing an interest in my uninteresting life after ignoring my existence before? I couldn't fathom his interest, but he continued to stare at me, as if my dull life's story was somehow vitally important.
"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living." I said, forcing a half smile.
“So you came to live with your dad, so your mom can travel with him” he said, making it sound like an assumption again rather than a question.
I turned to stare at him, into the void behind his warm, brown eyes. I wanted to get annoyed at him and tell him to mind his own business but in reality, the person I was annoyed at was myself. My face was always so easy to read.
He stared back st me with the same intensity in his eyes. His stupidly handsome face and the stare he was giving me made it hard to get angry, and that was very stupid.
I looked back at my notebook, fidgeting with the pages as I fought back the tears that were threatening to invade- a lump forming in my throat.
“I’m sorry if I said something wrong” He said after a moment of silence.
“It’s not that” I sighed “But my face is so easy to read — my mother always calls me her open book”
“That’s okay” He said softly “I’m kind of an open book as well” he licked his lips, giving me a small smile “So, why didn’t your mum stay with you while he traveled?”
"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy… so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie”. I said, my voice breaking as I spoke.
Mr Banner came to check up on us, saving me from his invasive questions and the strange curiosity about my boring life. Mr Banner wanted to know why we were talking and not working, and told us to get started, sounding frustrated and as he walked away I felt the blush in my cheeks from being confronted in the middle of class.
“What an ass” I heard the voice next to me whisper playfully and a giggle escaped my lips, making me feel even more embarrassed.
“Well, ladies first?” he proposed while shoving the microscope already towards me.
“Sure” I said quietly, the warmth in my cheeks burning from the self conscious feeling that creeped up on me. I shove the first slide under the microscope, adjusting the lens to the correct angle before studying it briefly.
“Prophase”
“Prophase” he repeated after me, writing the answer in his notebook.
“Do you want to take a look?” I asked.
“No I trust you” He smiled.
I nodded affirmatively and interchanged the slide with the second one, before studying it briefly again.
“Anaphase” I said and just like before he wrote it in his notebook. I got very confused about why he was just trusting me on this instead of double checking the answers for himself.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take a look?” I said as I frowned in confusion.
“Well, your dad mentioned you’re smart when I was living with him for awhile, so I’m taking his word and trusting your genius on this”
His words caught me off guard and I felt my face burn tomato red “Okay I-I guess” I stammered like a moron before snapping in the last slide, taking another very brief look at it.
“Interfase” I said, speaking quickly. He wrote the last answer in his notebook and looked around to scan the other students in the class, who were struggling a lot more than we had- even though I was the one who did all the work.
I was left with nothing to do but try to not look at him… unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look in his eyes.
“Well. That was quick” he chuckled “Have you taken this lab before?”
“I have. Back in Phoenix” I admitted sheepishly.
“I have too. Back on my old school”
We fell back into silence for a moment and I realized that I hadn’t been able to ask him the questions that burned on the back of my mind yet because of the unrelenting interest he kept showing.
“So how about you? Ch- my dad said you’re also new in town” I asked.
“Yes I am. I moved here from New Jersey”
I turned to look at him “New Jersey?” I asked “What made you want to live in Forks?”
He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question “Um.. I thought it was time for a change of pace and scenery. I like the quiet and peace of rural Washington. Being away from the loud and buzzing metropolis that is New Jersey” He paused briefly before continuing “I also kind of enjoy the rain” he chuckled.
I listened to him attentively before turning back my attention on my notebook, continuing the doodle.
“You haven’t been on school a lot lately.”
“We, my adoptive family and I went on a short vacation and then today I slept in.” He chuckled, a bit nervously as if what he was saying wasn’t the full truth.
“My name is Adam. By the way” He introduced himself, offering his hand.
“I know” I answered, shaking his hand awkwardly and smiling at him “Bella.”
“I know” he said, smiling back.
“But I assume Charlie- my dad has probably been calling me Isabella behind my back. That’s what everyone at school seem to know me as” I muttered, flushing in embarrassment.
He stared at me intensely for a moment, as if I said something strange or unordinary and my words had struck him in a way. It deepened the blush in my cheeks.
“No actually, he hasn’t told me your name at all. But he did tell me a bit about you” He said.
“What did he say?” I asked, silently praying that Charlie didn’t say something that would make me want to run out of the classroom and hide forever.
“He said that you’re beautiful, and that you take a lot after your mother in that regard. He also said you’re very smart and kind.”
I looked away from the hold his eyes were having on me, playing with a strand of my hair.
“And for what it’s worth. I think he was right” He added.
“Thank you..” I said quietly and blushed.
The teacher, Mr Banner came to the table check up on our progress. He looked over my shoulder to study the answers in Adam’s notebook. Then glanced to see I didn’t write anything in mine.
“So, Adam, didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?" Mr. Banner asked.
“Actually sir. She identified all of them I just wrote the answers” He answered.
Mr. Banner turned to looked at me; his expression was skeptical.
"Have you done this lab before?" he asked.
I smiled at him. "Not with onion root."
"Whitefish blastula?"
"Yeah."
He nodded. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"
"Yes."
"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners." He mumbled something as he walked away.
I started doodling on my notebook again, trying my hardest not to look up and meet his gaze, concealing my face with my hair and twirling a strand of hair around my finger.
“Bella. Can I tell you something?” He asked suddenly.
“Sure.”
“Now I don’t know you that well but it seems you’re willing to sacrifice everything to make other people happy, but you forget you deserve to be happy too” He said, his voice deeply vigorous.
I glanced up at him, the tears welling up in my eyes and sighed.
“Why do you care?” I answered snarky.
I was annoyed at how easily he saw through me, even though I tried my hardest to keep my true feelings hidden from everyone. The facade didn’t seem to work with him. It made me feel exposed and vulnerable.
“Good question.” He answered and collected his thoughts before continuing “I guess it’s just something I noticed about you”
I grimaced at him, resisting the impulse to stick out my tongue like a five-year-old, and looked away.
“It doesn’t matter” I answered, the sadness evident in my voice. “Didn’t anyone ever told you? Life isn’t always fair”
“Yeah.. I do happen to know a bit about that.” He agreed.
Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and I turned with relief to listen. I was in disbelief that I'd just explained my dreary life to this bizarre boy who may or may not despise me. He'd seemed engrossed in our conversation.
I tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated, with transparencies on the overhead projector, what I had seen without difficulty through the microscope. But my thoughts were unmanageable.
When the bell finally rang, Adam turned to me.
“Well it was nice to have met you, Bella” I said as he smiled at me “I hope we’ll talk again soon”
He gathered his stuff, opened his backpack to put it in then swung it over his shoulder and left. And, like last Monday, I stared after him in amazement.
Mike skipped quickly to my side and picked up my books for me. I imagined him with a wagging tail.
"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked exactly the same”
"I didn't have any trouble with it," I said "I've done the lab before, though.”
"Cullen seemed normal enough today," he commented as we shrugged into our raincoats. He didn't seem pleased about it.
I tried to sound indifferent. "I wonder what was with him last Monday."
I couldn't concentrate on Mike's chatter as we walked to Gym, and RE. didn't do much to hold my attention, either. Mike was on my team today. He chivalrously covered my position as well as his own, so my woolgathering was only interrupted when it was my turn to serve; my team ducked warily out of the way every time I was up.
The rain was just a mist as I walked to the parking lot, but before I could get into my dry cab I heard hurried footsteps coming from behind me.
“Bella.” I recognized Adam’s voice from a distance as he called out my name under his breath. I turned around to look at him, confused about the rush he was finding himself in.
He stopped his run in front of me, trying to catch his breath as if he just had a workout.
“Hi Adam” I said. “Is there something wrong?”
“I forgot to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“This might sound strange but.. I don’t think you should come to school tomorrow” He said, his voice shaking slightly.
My heart sunk and I stood frozen- staring at him for a long time. The tone of his voice and horrified expression implied that he meant it. It sent shivers up my back.
“Why?”
“I just have a bad feeling. Besides they say it’s going to be freezing cold so I figured.. you’d rather stay warm in your bed”
I giggled at his joke, assuming he was just playing around with me but his serious expression remained.
“Wait are you being serious?” I asked.
“I’m afraid I am” He answered, his voice trembling
I didn’t answer, the words were stuck in my throat and my brain was puzzled- unable to figure out what was happening or come up with a rational reason where his strange request was coming from. My mind went blank.
But I knew there was something different about him and his family, and maybe this was part of the reason why.
“Just promise me” He said when I didn’t respond.
“Sure.. I’ll see what I can do” I said quietly before getting into my truck.
I was happier when I was in the dry cab. I got the heater running, for once not caring about the mind-numbing roar of the engine. I unzipped my jacket, put the hood down, and fluffed my damp hair out so the heater could dry it on the way home.
I looked around me to make sure it was clear.
Adam’s words were still dancing around in my mind when I noticed a still, white figure was leaning against the front door of a Volvo, three cars down from me, and staring intently in my direction. It was Edward Cullen.
I swiftly looked away and threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in my haste. Lucky for the Toyota, I stomped on the brake in time. It was just the sort of car that my truck would make scrap metal of. I took a deep breath, still looking out the other side of my car, and cautiously pulled out again, with greater success. I stared straight ahead as I passed the Volvo, but from a peripheral peek, I would swear I still saw him staring. And when I looked into the rearview mirror I realized the Volvo had been following me for awhile.