High School Sweetheart [Jacob & Edward]

five.

a/n: hopefully my edits were saved. i'm just gonna post this before the internet drops again. 

Jacob feels like he's playing pretend. He feels like some stranger, like he's masquerading as someone else. He can see the joy on Bella's friend's faces as they plop down at the table with their trays and gossip about whatever happened over the weekend, and he feels like he doesn't belong here. He can see Jessica's eyes light up as she whips around to tell Mike something that she learned about some insignificant girl on a forgettable afternoon. Meanwhile, Angela and Eric talk about the clubs that they're in and how they're doing. 

Bella's "participating" throwing small smiles their way and speaking when she's spoken too. She's pretty good at feigning interest in people Jacob's not sure she even particularly likes. She pokes at her food and glances around every so often and it eventually dawns on Jacob that she might be pretending to be happy too.

She doesn't want to seem like she's having a good time. The only time she does drop the act is when the Cullen's do their daily strut into the cafeteria to grab some arbitrary items from today's lunch selection. Everyone's eyes follow them as if they can't help but watch. 

He watches as Bella's eyes follow their every move, sees as she tries to read their lips. It's ridiculous. How could she even care about what they were up to? Though, things are much simpler when your dad's sitting at home. 

 Jacob heads for the nearest exit.

There they are. The group walks in as if they didn't have a care in the world, giant smiles on their faces as they converse with only each other. Their eyes don't even acknowledge that the entire cafeteria is at attention. Everyone is ogling them, studying them to see what their next move will be. Bella can hear a couple of swooning sighs coming from her table alone, but she's locked in. 

They'd been late this morning, so she hadn't had the time to get a good look at what each of them was driving, but they were here now. There didn't seem to be an ounce of guilt between them as they all but drifted into their seats to pretend to eat their lunch.

She's so invested in them, that she forgets to check in on Jacob. 

Jacob's headed for the doors of the cafeteria when he finds himself almost colliding into a figure that's a head taller than him. 

"Hey, sorry," he hears followed by a little chuckle. 

He whips his head up ready to rip whoever it is a new asshole only to find himself staring at Edward Cullen. He's got a sheepish, little smile on his face and, any other day, Jacob would be intrigued. He'd be curious as to why someone who rarely acknowledged the general public was even speaking to him, but he wasn't even in the mood for that. Jacob glanced at Edward with the same reverence as a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of a desk as he glided past him.  

He doesn't stop walking even as he steps out of the school's parking lot. He just keeps going, hoping that he'll eventually get to somewhere that hurts a little less. He can hear thunder rolling, feel the first drops of fresh rain hit his skin as he mindlessly makes his way through town. 

When he looks up, he's in front of the shack. He reaches for the old, rusted knob only for Leah to throw the door open with a knowing look, stepping aside to let him in without a word.

Bella spends the rest of the day on autopilot, faking smiles until she's standing out in the parking lot. She can hear Angela, Mike, Eric, and Jessica joking and playing behind her, but her eyes are glued on the Cullen's as they pile up near their vehicles. They've only arrived in two today. A jeep and a car. They weren't the same as the ones she'd seen last night. There's no dent, no evidence that they could've possibly collided with another vehicle.