perfect times → EMMETT CULLEN ✓

e i g h t

CHAPTER EIGHT
❝ your hatred ❞

MIKE WAS DISAPPOINTED when Hayden told him she was sitting with the Cullens. In fact, his face fell, and his smile dropped into a frown. But he composed himself quickly; topping off the rejection with an understanding expression, and dismissing her. Hayden felt bad that she was leaving him once again, but she had already promised Bella.

"You and Mike have something going on?" Bella teases, raising an eyebrow. "I've never seen him so upset about having to sit with Jessica before."

"As if," Hayden shakes her head as she sits down at the table. "He's perfectly fine without me. Jessica may be a bit annoying, but I'm sure Angela or Eric could talk over her if they tried."

"She's louder than you think," the blonde girl at the table, Rosalie, says. Her eyes weren't focused on Hayden, but on Jessica, who chatted away at the distant table.

Hayden barely noticed the presence of the others at the table, seeing as though they were all silent. Rosalie was attached to Joseph, Alice to Jasper, and Bella to Edward. That left Emmett and Hayden, sitting at a comfortable distance from each other.

The girl had to admit- Rosalie must have some pretty good hearing, because she couldn't hear anything Jessica was saying. And even as she focused, she could only see the girl's lips moving as she wildly gestured about something.

"So what are you doing after school?" Bella interrupts Hayden's thinking. "Have any plans for the afternoon?"

"Paul and I are going out for lunch," the girl hesitates, stealing a quick glance at Emmett to see his reaction. "He'll be picking me up later."

"Do you like him or something?" Edward asks, taking Hayden by surprise. "I mean- you've just been spending some time together recently."

"He's a friend." Hayden states, still startled that he would ask such a question.

But now that she thought about it, she had been around Paul pretty often. In fact, she spent the last three afternoons by his side, talking about nothing in particular. That didn't mean anything; she only found a connection to him, of which she thought she could open up and he would listen to all her problems.

It wasn't a bad thing. Now that Hayden was in Forks, she had made more friends than expected. In the beginning, it proved to be hard- seeing how she had to try and keep Mike happy, and stay out of Jessica's way. But she could finally feel a little bit more comfortable, now that she had grown closer to people like Paul and Bella. And Hayden was thankful for that.

Edward watched her intently; silent as he studied her face. Hayden felt offset about the way he seemed to read her mind, nodding at her after she spoke.

"What all have you guys planned?" Bella smiles a bit, swaying the topic again.

"I'm not really sure," she shrugs in response, Emmett relaxing beside her. "He's the one with all the ideas, I guess."