Poisoned Blood ↠ Edward Cullen ✓

04 ; girls ask guys

[ in order to skip around a love triangle between bella/edward/caden, i changed a few things about bella's character and her attraction towards edward - thanks. ]

"It's a dance Caden,"

The young Heims boy looked up from where his chin had been resting on his arms. Lauren was looking at him, an expectant look in her blue eyes. Caden shied his eyes away, looking at the other members of their table.

"Its girls ask guys," Lauren continued, and Caden ignored her stare on the side of his face. "I think that's very inventive don't you think?"

Around him, his friends nodded in agreement to the blondes words. All of them besides Bella, who was sitting awkwardly in between Lauren and Jessica.

"I don't do dances," Caden spoke, picking at the black fabric of his hoodie sleeve. "Me and music don't really mix well together."

"Maybe you've never had the right partner," Lauren said, and Caden worked hard to suppress a wince at her suggestive tone.

"I have work that night too," Caden quickly added on, barely choking over the lie. He looked up and gave a faint shrug at the obvious disappointment that was flaring over Lauren's face. "Can't really skip that responsibility. Maybe next time though."

"That's terrible, but you're right, maybe next time," Angela said, cutting off Lauren who had opened her mouth to say something.

Caden gave the brunette a tiny smile, before Jessica was slamming her manicured hand in front of him on the table. A gasp slipping past her lip-glossed mouth, "Caden, you're friends with Mike right?"

Thinking for a moment, Caden nodded his head, "I've walked with him to class a few times-"

"Do you think you could talk me up to him?" Jessica asked, completely oblivious to the sad expression that fell upon Bella's face beside her.

However, Angela seemed to notice and placed a comforting hand onto Bella's arm, giving it a brief squeeze. Apparently Jessica wasn't the only one trying to grasp Mike Newton's attention - though Caden didn't know why anyone would want Mike as a boyfriend.

"I could try," Caden said, trying to be helpful. "But I don't think we're close enough that he'd actually take my words underneath consideration."

"Thanks," Jessica chirped, biting into her apple with a proud smile on her face.

Caden frowned, hating that he'd agreed in the first place to help Jessica. He liked his group of friends fairly well; but sometimes he wondered if he only put up with them because he didn't want to be alone. Then Caden thought of Angela and Bella and decided that they weren't so bad, and that he enjoyed their company genuinely.

The bell rang, signaling Caden and the girls exit from the library where they shared their free period together. The next block Caden would share with Mike, so he'd have to bring up the dance somehow to the blonde boy.

Shrugging his bag onto his shoulder, Caden moved through the doors of the library and into the hallway. His sneakers squeaked wetly against the linoleum as he tried to look for the familiar head of spiky blonde hair that normally signaled Mike.

Upon finding the male, Caden called out, "Hey Mike, wait up!"

The blonde male stopped, turning to see Caden weave through the people in the hallway in between them. Once Caden was at his side, Mike began to walk once more.

"Hey, what's up?" Mike asked, shoving his hands into his letterman jacket's pockets.

"I was wondering if you'd heard about the dance yet?" Caden asked, trying to transition fluidly onto the topic.