Aiyanna
More than a month had passed and as Edward had predicted, Bella didn't say anything.
There was definitely something about her that was making us confused. Ever since that accident, she kept on greeting Edward everyday as if she had forgotten what happened. Edward had told me that she had been angry at him that day, because she had felt like he wasn't telling her the truth. But, the next morning, she started acting as if it was already beyond her. With Edward's unability to read her mind, it was impossible to know what she was thinking and what could explain this behavior.
It has been a month already, and coming back to this subject today to find more answers would only raise her suspicions. She had given the same answer to all the people who had asked her version of what happened : Edward had been next to her all along and pulled her out before she could get hurt.
Surprisingly nobody doubted it and everything went back to normal.
Homecoming was this Saturday and I didn't even have the time to think about going or not, because Alice couldn't miss an opportunity to dress me up. She had already seen in one of her visions how I was going to be dressed up, so thankfully, the shopping session hadn't been that long.
Jessica, Angela didn't find their dresses yet, that was why both Bella and I went to accompany them on their shopping session. Apparently, Bella was going to be out of town that day but she still came with us.
Considering the fact that today was a sunny day, the Cullen siblings didn't come to school. The last time I saw Edward was this morning, as he watched me get in my car and drive to school.
The girls and I went to Port Angeles right after classes ended. Since Bella lived the closest to my house, I picked her up this morning, as we were going to use only one car for tonight. As for Jessica and Angela, both of them rode Jessica's car in the morning while I followed them to Jessica's house so they could drop their stuff before we drove off to Port Angeles.
I was already used to have little girls trips with Alice and Rosalie, but now that three girls who were as human as me were sitting around me, it felt quite different. First of all, my driving was safer than any of the Cullen's. And secondly, the conversations were certaintly different from the ones the Cullens and I initiated.
After singing along the Destiny's Child CD that was playing through the car's radio, Jessica started talking about the guys in our group. After diverting his attention from me to Bella, Mike had started to get interested in Jessica. They had diner last weekend, and she was hoping that they would have their first kiss on Saturday.
Bella had confessed that it was her first time in Port Angeles, and that she never even went to these kind of places back in Phoenix.
"Don't tell me you never dated anyone !" Jessica exclaimed, surprised by her revelations.
"I am more of an indoor person." Bella answered as we walked in the first store. "I never had a boyfriend or whatsoever."
"Why ?"
"Guys were not interested in me."
Jessica snorted. "The guys in Forks must have shocked you then. You even have to turn them down."
"Except for Tyler, I guess." I added.
Bella arched her eyebrows. "Tyler ?"
"He keeps telling everybody that he's going to be your dance partner on Saturday."
"What ?!" Bella exclaimed, in shock.
"I told you he was lying." Angela murmured to Jessica.
"That's why Lauren doesn't like you." Jessica told Bella.
"Lauren doesn't like anyone." I added, while rolling my eyes.
My relationship with her hadn't progressed a bit. Not that any of us had tried to make it any better. We just ignored each other, even though we were in the same group.
Edward had told me that Lauren had tried to go out with him a year before I came to Forks, but in vain. Her resentment was motivated by her jealousy that I decided to ignore as long as she didn't do anything against me.
Angela and Jessica found some dresses to try on in the first store we got into, which made both Bella and I to wait for them while they were changing.
To be honest, Bella and I weren't close. If we were put in the same room, alone, I didn't think any of us would find anything interesting to say. If we weren't in the same group, I didn't know if we would have talked to each other at all. Even when we went to La Push's beach last weekend, we didn't talk to each other. The main reason was because Sam and his friends joined us and I ended up spending most of my time with them rather than with the rest of my group.
"Uh...Aiyanna ?"
Hearing Bella pronounce my name with hesitation made me look in her direction so suddenly that I wasn't even sure I even heard her say my full name before I turned around.
Awkward.
"Hm ?" I mumbled, inviting her to say what she wanted to say.
"Is it normal than the Cullens skip school so often ?" she asked without any hesitation this time.
I slowly nodded, a part of me realizing that she was more curious about them than I thought she was. It had been sunny since yesterday, so the Cullens skipped school for two days. As someone who had been as curious as Bella before I found out the truth, I could understand why she asked that question.
"Yeah, they go camping whenever the weather's nice like this." I said, using the excuse the Cullens found to hide the real reason why they never went out in the sun in front of humans.
"Oh, okay."
Before any of us could say anything, both Jessica and Angela came out of their fitting rooms to show us the first dresses they tried on. Jessica had been hesitating between a long sleeveless black dress and a blue one with fringes that stopped right above her knees. The three of us agreed that the blue one was the one. Might as well use the occasion to blow Mike's mind with this dress. Angela settled for a pale pink dress that made a beautiful contrast with her dark brown hair.
Both girls paid for their chosen dress before we went to another store for shoes and accessories. The same one Alice, Rosalie and I went to last week. As I was stepping into a familiar place, which I enjoyed going to for its diversity in accessories, I showed them the ones that I found pretty when I first came here.
The shopping session ended sooner than I expected. Since it was quite early, we all decided to eat in the only italian restaurant in town. I suggested the girls to go back to my car so they could put away their stuff before we walked to the restaurant we settled for. Bella, on the contrary, decided that she would go to the library instead before joining us at the restaurant. We offered to go with her, but she prefered to go alone and meet us an hour later.
However, an hour had already passed and Bella was nowhere to be found. Angela tried calling her, worried since it was getting dark, but it looked like her phone had been turned off. After sitting around our table for 30minutes, still waiting for Bella under the annoyed eyes of the waitress who had been waiting for us to order, we decided to eat, anxious. Did something happen to her ? We probably shouldn't have left her alone in a town she didn't know.
When we came out of the restaurant, two familiar faces were coming out of a Volvo I knew too well. A sense of relief had filled us when we saw Bella, but surprise was quick to take over this feeling when we saw Edward beside her.
"Bella, where have you been ?" Jess asked her as if she was talking to her child.
While the girl's attention were on Bella, mine was on Edward. My eyes went from her to him, and I tilted my head, trying to find a reason as to why they were together.
"I met Edward in the library I went to. Is it okay if he joins us ?" Bella asked, enthusiastically.
I looked at Bella whose face expression seemed to have lightened compared to earlier.
"Actually, Bella, we ate while waiting for you." Angela confessed.
"Oh. Then...do you guys mind if I eat with Edward and go back home with him ? I don't want to make you wait for me." Bella suggested, looking at everyone but me. "Edward you...you didn't eat too right ?"
My eyes kept going back and forth between the ones who talked as if I was watching a movie. As if I wasn't a part of this conversation. As if I was invisible to them.
The furtive glances thrown my way, or the pressure of Edward's gaze on me made me think differently though. I wasn't invisible to them. On the contrary, they were waiting to see my reaction.
"Well..." I started, not able to hide my discomfort despite the smile I tried to put on my face."I guess we'll see you guys tomorrow, then."
Bella nodded and smiled while she waved at us. "See you tomorrow, guys."
The girls nodded, and walked towards my car leaving me standing in front of Bella and Edward.
"Do you mind waiting inside for a minute ?" I asked Bella.
Bella nodded. "Sure." she answered before she looked up at Edward. "I'll find a table for two." she told him.
Edward only smiled politely at her before he looked back at me. I waited to hear the door close behind Bella as she went in, to talk.
"What are you doing here ?" I asked Edward.
"I was watching over you."
"And yet, you came back with Bella ?"
"I noticed she was missing and that you were worried." he said. "Some guys tried to..."
I noticed how he stopped himself from ending his sentence and how his hand turned into a fist. I quickly understood the meaning of his words. No matter how uncomfortable the situation we were in right now was, deep down, I was glad that Edward had been there for her.
I nodded.
"Aiyanna." Edward called me. I arched my eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "There's nothing to be uncomfortable about."
This was one of the moments where I wished I had a barrier to prevent him from reading my mind. Deep down, I knew there was nothing to worry about, but I couldn't help it.
"I know. Sorry." I sighed.
Edward made a step forward and kissed my forehead before he hugged me and rested his chin on top of my head.
"Don't be." he said. "When I'm done here, I'll come find you."
"Okay." I agreed.
"Be careful on your way back. Text me when you're home, please."
Why was he pleading me ? Did something happened ? "Okay." I agreed.
I met Jessica and Angela on the way back to my car. They both sat silently in my car and even the sound of the radio didn't help fill the silence. The high tension of this afternoon seemed to have died down, suddenly.
When I parked in front of Angela's house, both girls looked at each other before they looked at me.
"Are you okay ?" Angela asked me.
I frowned my eyebrows, confused.
"Yeah, why ?"
"So you mean to tell me, knowing that Edward and Bella are eating together, intimately isn't bothering you right now ? Like, it's all okay to you ?" Jessica asked.
"Don't say it like that." I sighed as I rolled my eyes. "I trust Edward."
"Me too." Angela added, which made me smile.
"What about Bella ? Can we trust her ?"
"I appreciate that you guys are so protective over my relationship with Edward, but I trust him. And even if Bella tries to get in between us, I want you to trust me to not let that happen so easily." I reassured them.
My smile had died down as I ended my sentence, which was probably what persuaded Jessica.
"Okay, I believe you."