A Heart of Ice

Backstage

BPOV:

After gym, I was in the girl's locker room finishing up so that I could get home. I was the last person there and as I put my bag over my shoulder and shut my locker door, I heard somebody come in.

I turned around to see Jessica and Lauren standing there, glaring at me. I put on a fake smile. "What can I do for you?" I asked pleasantly.

"You can stay away from Edward, that's what you can do, bitch." Lauren snarled.

I held onto my smile. "I'm afraid that won't be possible, sweetheart. We are partners for the biology project." I made myself laugh breezily, musically. "Silly, I can't believe you forgot."

Jessica then made the stupidest mistake she could possibly have made. She shoved me against the lockers. "Look, you little slut. If you don't stay away from Edward—" But I had gotten tired of hearing her speak, and I spoke over her, smoothly, my voice no longer polite, playful or breezy. I made it colder than ice, and dangerous like a snake about to strike.

"Did you just push me?" I straightened up and turned cool eyes on her, my cold fury flickering in their depths. Jessica actually took a step back and Lauren looked scared.

"N-no," she stuttered out.

"I think you did," I said softly, advancing on her. "And I don't like it when people touch me. I think I'm going to show you just how much I don't like it." I hadn't even touched them yet and already, Jessica turned around and ran, screaming, to the door. Lauren followed her, screaming pathetically:

"You'll see! You shouldn't mess with us Bella! You shouldn't!"

I stood still for a second then doubled over in laughter. I tried to get myself under control as I left the lockers and was still hiccupping when I rammed into something hard.

"Oof—dammit!" I said as I bounced back and lost my balance.

"Careful," He said as he steadied me. "I don't want you to end up in the hospital." He dropped his hands from my shoulders before I could tell him to and I looked up into bright green eyes.

"Edward," I acknowledged him. "Sorry for bumping into you like that."

He grinned. "No problem, no blood, no foul."

I hid a smile. "Well, see you later!" I tried to go around him, but he blocked my way.

"Wait! Do you want to come over to my house? You know, for the project?" He looked a bit nervous and his brow was wrinkled.

I looked up at him through my lashes. "You can come to my house. I don't exactly trust you yet. You'll have to follow me there."

He grimaced. "Can't," he said. "I drove my siblings here. Maybe I can ride with you? That way they get home, and we don't waste time."

I rolled my eyes, "Sure, whatever. Come on." He followed me out to the parking lot to my car.

EPOV:

I was in Bella's truck, riding shotgun and we just sat in an awkward silence. She looked tense, her shoulders were stiff and her posture was rigid. She stared straight ahead at the road and drove at an agonizingly slow sixty miles an hour. I tried not to watch her, but I couldn't help it. I kept glancing at her out of the corner of my eye, her pale skin, dark hair, the way she was biting her lip unconsciously…

I shook my head. Look out the window. Watch the trees. There's an unusual amount of forest in this state. I peeked at Bella. Eyes on the trees, boy.

Finally, I couldn't stand it, and turned back to her. "Do you mind if I turn the radio?"

She didn't look at me. "Not particularly. No Pop, Rap, Country, or Reggae."