Téméraire: A Rosalie Hale Fanfiction

CHAPTER XIII: BLUE MONDAY

The staring was back as the two girls stepped into the overpopulated corridor, the sound of Jules' laughter fading off into the buzz of loud chatter that invaded their senses. Jules couldn't help but roll her eyes after turning away from Rosalie, shifting her backpack around to her front so she could slip her umbrella into the water bottle pocket. "See you in homeroom?"

"I could walk you to your locker if you'd like." Rosalie was looming over her as they walked together, hovering.

"I'm not running away." Jules rolls her eyes again, ignoring the multiple gazes she feels on her skin. "You seem pretty adamant on your stupid decision to volunteer your precious free time on a busted truck. If that's the hill you wish to die on, fine. Who am I to stop you?"

"You're vexed." Rosalie's amused, having her way as she seemed to always manage to as they walked together through the parting crowds to Jules' locker right by their homeroom.

"You're vexing." Jules shoots back.

"No, it's more than that. You don't enjoy not being in control of the situation, do you? That's why you wanted to get rid of me. You don't enjoy someone else being in charge." Rosalie hits a nerve, Jules' jaw twitching at being psychoanalyzed. The blonde seems proud of herself for unearthing a secret. "Touchy, touchy."

"Bite me." Jules growls at her playful taunts.

Rosalie laughs, but there's a bitter edge to it. "Oh sweetheart, that's the last thing you'd want."

Jules grumbles, twisting at the combination before pulling her locker open, setting her coat inside it first. She'd dressed simpler than usual that morning, a pale pastel blue button down shirt rolled up to her elbows and tucked into the hem of her high waisted 501s, showing off her figure for Rosalie- not that she would ever admit to it. If she hadn't been in school she would've painted her lips red, but this might have been too obvious. The blonde at her side was clearly interested in fashion, and she oddly craved her approval. She hated that she craved her approval."Are you ever going to leave me alone?"

"We have all our classes together."

"So you did notice." It's a small triumph, but Jules celebrates it nonetheless as she fixes her hair in the little mirror she had taped to the inside of her door amidst the clutter of her polaroids. She begins to unpack her backpack, sorting quickly through what she needed and what she didn't. "Fun fact? Friends don't smother new friends."

Rosalie rolls her eyes. "Would it be so terrible to allow me to get to know you? I'm curious. Let me be curious."

"You have until lunch before you start to get on my nerves."

"You could never tire of me." Rosalie rolls her pretty gold eyes.

She hates that she might be right. Jules had struggled to understand the intensity of her feelings for this girl when they had been perfect strangers, but now that she was adamant in spending so much time with her, it felt like overexposure. Everything was suddenly too much, and she felt as if her skin was on fire. The entire situation just felt wrong, like she was trapped in someone else's story. It didn't make sense, none of it did. Why did the blonde care so much? Why couldn't she leave her alone? Why was her whole family watching her? The questions were endless, a storm brewing within her mind- a repeat of Saturday's showers. Her every thought had flickered back to sweeping golden hair then, but now Rosalie was here, right in front of her, and her sickly sweet scent was overwhelming her.

She hadn't noticed the blonde herding her without touch into their shared homeroom, too busy readjusting to her new reality while battling her own morning brain-drain. She had never enjoyed socializing this much this early, least of all when she felt as tired as she did. She felt like her nerves were exposed.