The Twilight Saga Twist

Chapter 5. Finally

UPDATE: 9-9-2013 CHECK THE FAQS PART OF THIS STORY AT THE END IF YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT THE COPYING THING AND SOME STUFF ABOUT BELLA :D

The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to my class routines. By Friday, I was somehow able to recognize half of the students in this school. In Gym, the kids on my team learned not to pass me the ball but make me start the ball.

 Edward Cullen didn't some back to school... Every day, I watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullens entered the cafeteria without him. Then I could relax and join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered on 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. I will have to search if it will be sunny that day...

By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering my Biology class, no longer worried that Edward would be there. For all I knew, he had dropped out of school and I had no reason to care. I tried not to think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I was responsible for his continued absence, ridiculous at it seemed.

My first weekend in Forks passed with not much incident. Lisa worked on Saturday, which meant I was alone at home. I cleaned the house, got ahead on my homework, and wrote Aunt Katrina a more cheerful e-mail. I did drive to the library, but it was so poorly stocked that I didn't bother to get a card; I would have to go to Olympia or maybe Seattle soon and find a good bookstore. Lisa brought me to shopping at Port Angeles the next day. It was cool, I guess. There were some good shops, but I forgot about the bookstore. We talked about our school and work, but she mostly did all the talking. We bought some clothes and ate dinner there. Somehow, it was the greatest time we spent together.

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 not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights, straightforward and 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 smiled. Snow. Can this day get any better?

He looked at me and said, “You seem like you like snow...”

"No... I love it! My sister and I love to play with the snow when we were younger. Especially snowball fights."I told him. It was true. I and Lisa always feel immature when we start snowball fights, but we find it very fun. Aunt Katrina has to stop us fighting like we were children. Too bad I can't play with her, now.

Mike smiled. 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 apparently 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 told him. I didn't want to get involved in their fight, maybe get involved with someone else's, at least girls' fights...

He just nodded his eyes on Eric's retreating figure.

Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; the first snowfall of the year. I actually got into a girls' snowball fight with Jessica, Angela, Lauren and many more girls from our class. We were laughing excitedly to class after then. Lauren's a nice friend, sometimes a chatterer but at least she's good to me. I walked to the cafeteria with Jessica after Spanish, still excited about the fun. Somehow our 'fight' was more fun than mine with Lisa...

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 5 people at the table.

Jessica pulled 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 how I was feeling, with unnecessary concern. 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.

Ridiculous. I shouldn't have to run away.

I decided to permit myself one glance at the Cullen family's table. If 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. Edward, 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. I examined Edward the most carefully. His skin was less pale, the circles under his eyes much less noticeable. His eyes were lighter, like amber - like the color of Aunt Katrina's eyes after she hunted... They probably hunt animals, too!

"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following my stare.

At that precise moment, his amber 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 harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way.

"Edward 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 think he likes 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 was suddenly in no mood in snows right now.

Throughout 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. My stomach did frightened little flips 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 and I was in no mood for snow right now. But when we went to the door, everyone including me groaned in unison.  It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway.

Mike kept up a string of complaints on the way to building 4.

Before I got in, I took a deep breath and opened the door to Biology class...