Dusk

#3

Bella

The next day was better...and worse.

It was better because it was raining, not that I would've minded. It would take me some time to finally get used to the wet weather. It was easier because I knew better what to expect of the day. Mike sat next to me in English and walked with me to my next class, with Jessica flirting with the both of us the whole way there. I didn't get as much stares today unlike yesterday. I began to feeling like I was treading on water instead of drowning in it.

It was worse because Mr. Varner called on me when I didn't have my hand raised, and I had the wrong answer. It was worse because I had to play volleyball and the one time I didn't dodge out of the way, I hit two of my teammates in the head. And it was miserable because Rosalie Hale wasn't in school at all.

When I walked into school the next morning with Mike--trying to keep my eyes from sweeping the place for her and failing--I saw that her four "siblings" were sitting together at the same table. Emmett saw me looking at their table and gave me a large smile, his teeth blinding against his dark skin, and waved. I waved back at him but noticed that Edward glared at me. The scrawny boy wasn't intimidating at all.

She didn't come, and as time passed I grew more and more irritated. Did I do something to offend Rosalie? Hell, we barley had a whole conversation. But no matter what, I couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that I was at fault of her not being there.

When the school day was finally done,  I got into my truck and dug through my bag to make sure I had what I needed. I figured out last night that Charlie couldn't cook much, so I offered to be assigned kitchen detail for the rest of my stay. I had my shopping list and the cash Charlie gave me, and I was on my way to Thriftway.

####

"Do you know the Cullens?" I hesitantly asked Charlie over the dinner I made. It was a silent dinner, but neither of us minded. It was comfortable.

"Dr. Cullen's family? Yeah, they're nice people. Why?"

"The uh kids seem...that they don't fit in very well. But they all seem nice enough to me." I quickly added on to my sentence, removing the glare he had on his face. "They're all very...attractive."

He chuckled. "You should see the doctor. It's a good thing he's happily married. Most of the nurses have a hard time concentrating with him around."

We lapsed back into silence as we finished eating. I cleaned the table while he did the dishes. When we were finished, Charlie went back to the TV and I went upstairs to start on my homework. I could feel a tradition in the making.

 The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the kids at school. In Gym, people on my team learned to keep the ball away from me at all times. I stayed out of their way.

Rosalie still didn't come to school.

For all I knew about Rosalie, she dropped out. I watched, everyday, pretending that I wasn't looking until the rest of her family entered the cafeteria without her. And everyday I slumped in disappointment but joined into a conversation. Mostly it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was planning. I agreed to go.

"It's snowing," Mike said, smiling at the sky. He probably saw the slight scowl on my face when the little cotton balls fell on the sidewalk. "What, don't like snow?"

"Not really." I tried to quicken my pace inside, but he was taking his sweet ass time.

"Have you seen snow before, Arizona?"

"Yes." I paused. "On TV."

Mike laughed. And then a big, wet ball of snow smacked the back of his head, making us both turn. I suspected Eric, who was walking away, his back to us--the wrong direction for his class. Mike grabbed his own snowball, not glancing in my direction when I walked off.

Jessica walked with me to the cafeteria after Spanish. She thought I was hilarious, protecting myself with a binder from the mush ball flying everywhere. Something in my expression kept her from throwing one at me. Mike caught up with up as we walked in the doors, laughing, his usual pale face flushed because of the snow. He and Jessica talked excitedly about a snowball fight after school, making me sigh. Out of habit, I turned to the table in the corner. I froze at what I saw.

She's here. Rosalie was finally sitting at the table.

"Bella?" Jessica's voice broke my focus on her. "You gonna get something?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm not that hungry." I grabbed a lemonade and waited for them to get their lunch. I turned my head away but glanced at them from the corner of my eye. None of them were looking this way.

They were all laughing. Alice and Rosalie's hair was slightly damp thanks to the snow. Edward was leaning away from Jasper who was shaking his dripping hair towards them, while Emmett laughed. Just like everyone else, they were enjoying the snowy day.

"Whatcha staring at?" Angela asked, making my head duck down. "Rosalie Hale, huh?"

"Shut up," I grumbled, making her snicker but she didn't comment on it again.

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It's Black History Month! You know what that mean: Public Schools are forced to teach us something other than what we already know about history. And that we respect  black people (EVERY) this month!

But that's highly unlikely to happen!

And to all you Bellice lovers, check out the new story: Roommates.

Bye!