In The Right Key

Chapter 3: Burned Down

Chapter 3: Burned Down

After my fifth lesson with Edward, we had become best friends. I was surprised that he had changed over the five days, and that we had so much in common. We sat at a separate table together, away from my friends and his family. It didn't seem like either approved. I hadn't met his family yet, but by the stares they gave us, I didn't really want to.

Even though we sat across the cafeteria from each other, I could still see their eyes. Some were gold, some were black, and the others were caught in between. There were four of them: Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. Everyone was adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen even though they were really young. Jasper and Rosalie Hale are twins and the only actual siblings. They had blond hair, but that was the only thing they had in common in the looks department. Emmett and Alice were both Cullen's, but of course weren't really related.

They were all together, Rosalie and Emmett, Jasper and Alice. Edward didn't have anybody. I felt bad for him. He was amazing and deserved someone just the same.

We were at lunch now and I sat across from Edward. I looked over my shoulder to my friends. Jessica and Mike, who were trying to work out their relationship, started sending daggers with their eyes about a week ago. Since they were starting to get over my new friendship with Edward, those daggers were becoming butter knives. Jess didn't like that I'd abandoned her and Mike was a little jealous. Angela was quickly becoming my friend and I could tell she wanted to come and sit with us. I would have invited her, but I wasn't ready to share Edward. I know, selfish.

I looked over my other shoulder at the Cullen's. They were all looking at us. Rosalie looked disgusted and angry, Emmett looked confused, Jasper looked curious, and Alice looked like she was about to burst. She was like a little ballerina with short spiky hair. Whenever she looked at me and Edward, she was happy, and, something I'll never understand, expectant. I didn't know what would happen when we finally crossed paths.

"Bella, they aren't going to stop staring at us. Just calm down," Edward said. I had been furiously spinning my lemonade bottle on the table and he grabbed it out of my hands and hid it. I was surprised I had even seen it, he moved so fast.

"How do you do that?" I murmured angrily, looking down at where the bottle used to be.

"Admit it, you're jealous." He laughed. His laugh was like something no one's ever heard before. It belonged to an angel. He was an angel. He was nice, sweet, smart, and funny. I thanked the heavens for sending him my way.

"Yeah. I'm so jealous I might have to stop hanging out with you before I burst into flames because of it," I said in a joking voice. Instead of laughing or replying, he stayed silent. He had told me before that we shouldn't be friends. Why? I wished I had known. But that wasn't going to stop me from being around him. He was my best friend and I wasn't going to let him go.

"Edward," I said fiercely, "you're not going to do anything you regret. I don't know why you feel the way you do, but I know you won't do anything wrong. I believe in you. Trust me." Then I reached out and grabbed his hand, which was lying on the table. It was ice cold, but I didn't care. The burn it left on my skin felt good.

For one second, he was livid. I was almost afraid of what he might do. Then, unexpectedly, he grabbed my hand back, as I had started to move it, and held it on the top of the table. The look on his face changed dramatically. It turned from dangerously angry to fervently thankful and soft.

"Thank you. I needed to hear that," he whispered. "I'll explain it to you one day. But for now, eat your lunch and act like nothing just happened." He let go of my hand and I missed his deeply. I wondered what he meant, so I snuck a look over my shoulder. Literally everyone was staring at us. Blushing, I quickly looked back down at the table and ate whatever I picked up. Edward was sitting there across from me, looking bored, obviously acting like nothing had happened. The boy never ate. He said he was on a "special diet," but he didn't look like he needed to lose any weight. I really needed to find out what he was. There was no way this beautiful and strange creature could be human. Maybe he wasn't. . .