Moving Forward - J. Black

i.

EDITED

"Who are they?" Bella Swan nodded from her seat in the cafeteria at the Cullens as they passed by the large wall of windows. "The Cullens." Angela smiled at Bella's curiosity as Jessica turned toward the family. "They're-um-Doctor and Mrs. Cullen's foster kids. They moved down here from Alaska, like, a few years ago." Jessica grinned at the chance to gossip to the new girl. "They kind of keep to themselves." Angela commented nicely. "Yeah, 'cause they're all together. Like together, together." Jessica gossiped as she glanced over at Rosalie and Emmett entering the Cafeteria.

"The blonde girl, that's Rosalie, and the big dark-haired guy, Emmett, they're like a thing," Jessica jolted her thumb in the direction of the couple who were smiling at each other as they held hands. "I'm not even sure that's legal." Jessica's grin grew with her judgment. "Jess, they're not actually related." Angela defended the people she didn't know very well. "Yeah, but they live together, it's weird!" Jessica looked back at the couple, who were now facing away from the group's table.

"And, okay, the little dark-haired girl's Alice. She's really weird." Jessica moved on to the next couple as Alice spins herself in Jasper's open arms. "Um, she's with Jasper, the blonde one who looks like he's in pain." Jessica pointed out the second half of the couple as Alice guides the emotionless dirty blonde to a table.

"Um, Doctor Cullen's like this foster dad\matchmaker." Jessica laughs in a slightly off-tone. "Maybe he'll adopt me." Jessica joked as she grinned at the two couples that were now seated. "Who's he?" Bella pointed out Edward Cullen's entrance, causing Jessica to sigh. "That's Edward Cullen. He's totally gorgeous, obviously." Jessica allowed her eyes to wander the Cullen. "But apparently, nobody here's good enough for him." Jessica looked at the approaching member of the family. "Except maybe her, the blonde, that's Eliza." Jessica glared at the curly-haired girl who entered a few seconds later with a lunch tray and latched herself onto Edward's arm with a smile. "Like I care, you know?" Jessica tried to play off her bitter tone, Angela looking at her friend amused.

"You're listening again, aren't you?" Eliza laughed as she saw the amused, yet focused look on Edward's face. "She's jealous." Edward glanced over at the table of girls behind him. "Jessica Stanley? I'm shocked." Eliza rolled her eyes as she took a seat at the table. "She's staring." Rosalie glared at the new human who was looking at Edward intently. "Not my problem." Eliza shrugged carving designs into her apple with a knife. "Edward's staring back," Emmett teased his sister. Eliza narrowed her eyes at the burly vampire but remained silent. No matter how long the two 'siblings' had been seeing each other over the years, they weren't together and Eliza had no right to be jealous.

"I can't read her mind." Edward continued to stare in the human's direction. "Well stop staring at her, you're going to freak the girl out. I'm sure Mike Newton already scarred the poor girl by touching her ass." Eliza scolded her lover. Edward took Eliza's word into consideration and turned back to his family, but his mind was still on the human girl.

Lunch passed and the family split up as they ventured to their next class. Eliza had English, but she normally picked Edward up from his Biology class after. The girl leaned against the lockers as the bell rang, her hair blowing as Edward's form stormed past her. Eliza furrowed her eyebrows and watched the vampire enter the guidance office. Eliza remained on the wall and listened in on the hushed conversation between him and the receptionist with curiosity. "There must be something open. Physics? Bio-Chem?" Edward begged the receptionist, who was probably already overly stressed with other students' schedules. Bella Swan, the same new girl from the cafeteria, came out of Mr. Molinda's classroom. "No dear, every class is full. I'm afraid you will have to stay in biology." the receptionist sounded sympathetic to whatever Edward's cause was.

"Fine. I'll just-I'll have to endure it." Edward stormed away from the receptionist and nearly hit Bella Swan, who had just entered the office herself. Eliza watched the bronze-haired vampire continue to storm down the hallways.

"Oh wise one, tell us our future." Eliza collapsed onto the couch, gently laying her head on Alice's lap. Alice raised an eyebrow at her 'adoptive sister'. "You want to know where Edward is?" Alice spoke the words that Eliza wouldn't. "I didn't say that." Eliza brushed off the comment. "When are you going to tell him you're in love with him?" Esme looked at Eliza sympathetically. "When he tells her." Emmett laughed at the idea of his two naive housemates. "Sounds like a good plan to me." Eliza pointed her thumb toward Emmett. "He went to visit the Denali's." Jasper answers the question, Alice giving him a look of disapproval. "This is why you're my favorite." Eliza grinned at the dirty blonde empathetic. 

"I thought I was you're favorite." Emmett looked at the blonde offended. "You make fun of me." Eliza pouted at the burly vampire. "I told you it's not nice to bully your sister." Esme looked at Emmett unimpressed. "But she makes it so easy." Emmett defended his actions and Eliza huffed, rolling out of Alice's lap. "Maybe you deserved to get mauled by a bear." Eliza narrowed her eyes at the vampire. "Eliza!" Esme looked at the blonde wide-eyed, but Eliza simply shrugged.

Edward hadn't returned for weeks and Eliza tried her best not to be bitter when he finally appeared at her doorway. "Can we talk?" Edward knocked lightly on the bedroom door, pulling Eliza from the book she was reading. "Oh, we talk now?" Eliza kept her gaze on her book. "We've always talked." Edward gave the blonde a pointed look. "I prefer when we don't talk." Eliza remained stoic. "Seriously, Eliza?" Edward yanked the book out of her hand. 

"Hey!" Eliza looked up at Edward in offense. "What is your problem?" Edward looked at the blonde in annoyance, but Eliza remained silent. "What happened with Bella Swan?" Eliza finally spoke and now it was Edward's turn to be silent. "What did Alice tell you?" Edward looked down at the blonde softly. "Alice didn't tell me shit because she's a loyal sister." Eliza narrowed her eyes. 

"Then why do you look like you already know?" Edward took a seat on Eliza's bed. "Because I'm not stupid and in your absence, I've had time to come up with various possible scenarios, plus you left the girl looking like a kicked puppy." Eliza answered his question honestly, remembering how Bella would glance constantly at Edward's empty spot. "Eliza, you know I love you-" Edward began with a soft sigh, but Eliza quickly intercepted. "Please, no. We have sex, this isn't a tragic end to some highly romantic relationship." Eliza deadpanned, both vampires internally wincing at the harsh comment. 

Edward stared at Eliza and she could tell the vampire was debating looking into her inner thoughts. "Don't you dare." Eliza glared at the bronze-haired vampire. "You're right, Bella is my mate." Edward let out a sigh as he confirmed Eliza's suspicions. "Great, enjoy human sex." Eliza grinned at the vampire, who only looked more annoyed at Eliza's childish behavior.