For days I wondered on what I had seen in the headmaster's office. It distracted my work at Webber's and my work at the university. I dropped two glasses, scanned three wrong books, and doubled an order of a student's lunch. They paid for it without question, but I still felt guilty over it.
He hadn't mentioned me at all, not what my paranoid mind was expecting. I thought for sure he was going to find some reason to fire me, again me and my paranoid mind. But I hadn't come up at all.
Edward's father was dead and he was still mourning him? But it had been years, or so Headmaster Masen had said. Why was he still upset over it. I wondered if it could have been worse than what had happened to my dad - but I didn't want to think about that. Whatever had happened was tramatic enough for him to hold on to it for this long.
"Bella!" I dropped a dish in the sink, splashing water all down the front of my uniform and soap in my eyes. I wiped at my eyes only to get more soap in my eyes as I turned in the direction of Mr. Webber's voice. I exclaimed in frustration, trying to open my eyes to see my boss.
"I'm sorry, Bella!" He apologized, taking a clean wash cloth and wiped my eyes and then my fingers like a child. "I didn't mean to startle you, I was just thought you'd want to know you've been cleaning that plate three times now. I'm pretty sure it's clean." He wiped the rest of the soap off my fingers and threw the rag over the side of the sink. "What has got you so distracted? The past few days you've been staring into space and dropping my dishes." Even though he said this nicely and very concerned, I still cringed. "Are you alright? You're not sick are you?"
I shook my head, throwing my distractions out with each shake.
"Well, if you're alright, will you please put a little more effort into your job?" He asked kindly. "You're one of my hardest workers." He pat me on the back and left. Eric came in after him, done with his break, giving me a serious look through his black bangs. "What's with you lately? If easy going Boss has to come speak with you, then it's pretty bad."
"It's nothing."
At least it shouldn't have been. Why was I still going on about this? What was with me? The guy had thrown my name out there and labeled me easy, had used me, and then tried to play it off like he hadn't. And I was still holding on to him? I had gone on one date with him and had known him for all of ten minutes before that.
Yes, there was something wrong with me.
"Well, if it's nothing, then get your head out of the clouds and work."
__________________________________________________________________________________
I tried harder at the University and it did go better than it had. The comments were dwindling, but still there. People ignored me mostly when I made errands through the halls. I hadn't realized the past few days. Maybe being out of it had helped.
I was in the back of the kitchen stacking the trays for the next period when students were allowed out. Peter came in with more dirty trays under his arms and shaking his brown head. "Damn kids." He muttered. "If I have to clean one more table of their trash-"
"We don't have a choice," I said, setting aside another tray. "Not if we want to keep our jobs."
"I don't need your sass." He growled. "I get enough out of the brats here."
"Sorry, Peter." I demured.
He shot me a look and said, "What?"
I let out a breath, feeling him standing behind me, breathing. "Sorry, Dad."
He stood a moment longer behind me and then walked away. I shuddered lightly, finishing the last tray of my stack and then working on the stack Peter had brought in. I made sure to not touch where he had.
When Edward had come into his mother's office (I still couldn't believe I hadn't put two and two together) he was different; There was a coldness there that I hadn't seen. What was going on? I remembered when my mother had told me that people have layers and it takes certain people to dig down deep to the others. Is that what was going on with him? But if that was true-
Stop it, Bella, I told myself, it's over, he's not your problem or has anything to do with you anymore. In time he will forget about me and I will forget about him and nothing will become of this.
I tossed my rag and gloves into the sink, ignoring as they sank into the dirty, draining water. Peter was out of sight for who knew how long and the cafeteria was empty so I was going to take this chance to take a quick break. I sat down at the counter by the window, putting my head in my hand and breathed. It was nice outside for once, the sun was faintly shining through the blanket of clouds and the temperature had risen ten degrees since that morning, making it about sixty. I looked around the grounds where some people were spread under trees doing work or maybe just skipping.
I wondered when I would find another job. Times were bad at this time, with jobs disappearing and incomes going down; Sue and I would know. But the income and hours here weren't as bad as outside, and if I left, we may suffer financially.
I sighed, knowing there was no way I was going to quit. Surely, in a few weeks the comments would die. And if I stayed - maybe I would figure out more of Edward. I knew that look he had on his face when he was in the Headmaster's office. He kept up a facade of neutral normality when on the inside he was in pain.
Those eyes - if a person looked close enough they could read anything. The depth of green was amazing, getting darker as it reached the pupil. I remembered how intense they were when he was furious at the reservation boy at the restaurant, the look of surprise when I told him I was playing the same game he was, and how beautiful when we had fallen and the darker they became as he leaned in, almost -
"What's up, Bells?" Jake put his hand on me, startling me so hard I almost fell out of my chair, and he sat down beside me chuckling. "What were you thinking about so hard? Bad things?" He nudged me in the side. I felt my face burn. "Were they about me?" He continued to tease. I hid my face in my hands and slumped onto the counter. The empty room boomed with his laughter.
"Bells, you're so easy to tease." He put an arm around my shoulder and shook my shoulders. "So, are you coming over this weekend?"
"I don't know."
"That's what you said last week."
I let out a breath. "I'll try to talk to Peter."
His face turned angry. "Bella, you're nineteen. You're an adult. You don't need his permission to do everything all the time."
I turned my face away. "I know. But I think he needs some sort of feeling of being an authority figure. He never went through being a father."
"Sounds more controlling to me." Jake grumbled, taking his arm back.
I changed the subject. "So what are you here for?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm skipping."
"Jake! You can't!"
"Why not? Skipping is good now and then."
"Jake, you could get kicked out if you're caught!"
"Bella, I'm not gonna get caught. Trust me. If anything, I'll tell them that they're persecuting me because I'm Indian."
"Jake!"
He shrugged and grinned like a child. "Gotta do what you gotta do." I sighed and hit my head twice on the table. "Aw, I'm just kidding."
"I want to go to sleep." I muffled. He laughed. "Not funny."
"Sorry, sorry." He got up to leave. "I suppose I'd better go back to class. I think I've spent enough time in the 'bathroom.'"
I rolled my head to look at him. "You like making me worry over you, don't you?"
He just flashed me his teeth and left out the door. I laid there for a moment longer, then slowly got to my feet. The floor wasn't going to mop itself.
While I was mixing cleaning fluid with water, the door burst open again, Jake coming back in with his hair coming out of the pony tail. I leaned against the mop handle.
"Something happen?"
"Nope. I just remembered that that book I let you borrow, I need it to study. The English book."
"Oh, right. I have it here."
If I had been smart, I would have looked through it more thoroughly to study for the exam I was... hoping to take. I ran for my bag and while sifting through it, tossed over my shoulder, "Oh, I probably won't be looking for another job."
"Why?" He called through the door.
His book was gone.
"Bell? Why aren't you looking for another job?"
I pushed books around, looked through papers, threw out my change of clothes. His book was not here. I panicked and began dumping out the contents on the counter.
"What's the matter? Lost something?"
"Your book!" I exclaimed. "It's gone!"
"Gone?"
"Yes!" I frantically looked through the pockets in front of my bag. "It's not here! I don't know where it's gone!"
Jake looked over my shoulder and moved things around calmly. "It's not that big of a deal, Bella. Maybe you left it at home?"
"But I didn't!" If Peter had found my book, I would have been in trouble. "I always carry it around with me. I don't even take it out unless I'm looking through it!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"And it's not at your house?"
"No!"
"Did you drop your bag at any time?" Why was he being so calm? These books were expensive and he wasn't even supposed to be letting me borrow them to begin with. It was because the books were so expensive that they didn't let students loan them out or leave them in classrooms. If they were caught doing so, they would have to pay double the price. And if you couldn't pay, you were kicked out of the school.
"I don't think so! The last time I last time I even remember is when I was with -"
I dropped the bag.
"Bells? When you were with who?"
The blood drained from my face. "Edward Masen." I whispered.
The place was very quiet to me. This couldn't be happening.
"Are you sure, Bella?" Jake asked; I could hear the tension in his voice.
"I don't know where else it could be." I answered. "The last time I remember looking at it was the day before I went out with him. And I remember that after the reastaurant disaster, when I tried to get out of the car, I dropped my bag. I just started throwing things back in and getting out. He helped me."
I was going to get Jake kicked out of school. After all his hard work in getting into the school and paying for it, I was going to ruin it all.
"I'm so sorry, Jake."
"I'll get it back." His face was like set in stone. I cringed away from it.
"No, Jake. I'll get it. There's a better chance of me begging for it than you trying to get it back by force. He has to know it's not my book and it was in my possession. And if my worst expectations came true, he would not only have me fired but Jake would be kicked out faster than he had a chance to explain himself; not that his explanation would hold anything here but still it was all my fault-
"I'll go talk to him. Now." I took my apron off, wadding it and throwing on the counter. "Right now. I'll get your book back, Jacob."
"Bella, you don't have to-"
"No, I do have to. I will not have you kicked out because of me. Me and my idiot idea that I could get out of here and I - I'll get it back."
"Bella!" Jacob called, but I ignored him and moved fast enough so that I could have the advantage. I went in the first door leading into the building, racing down the hall until I came to a turn down another hall and stopped. What class was he in? Was he even in class? I peeked into the nearest classroom through the window in the door, but once a student made eye contact with me, I disappeared.
"Damn it," I whispered harshly. He was avoiding me just as hard as I was avoiding him, there was no way he'd come to me. But he wouldn't. He'd go straight for the headmaster and tell her what he thought to be true, whether it was or not, and she'd believe him.
The bell rang shrilly, scaring the daylights out of me. Doors were thrown open and students thronged the halls, pushing past me as they went. I had to get back to the cafeteria or face Peter. The next moment I had, I'd find the book. I'd do whatever it took to get the book back.
__________________________________________________________________________________
I listened carefully as I gave out orders, serving and charging. If I listened hard enough, maybe I could find where Edward was. His friends still came in for food now and again, not as often as before and never with Edward, but always with the same girl or two. Later that day, when Peter put me on cleaning duty, I made sure to stay near that group, finding any excuse to clean around them.
A tiny girl, sitting beside the blonde boy, was playing with an apple, tossing it back and forth from her hands, spinning it every once in a while. I heard her tinkling laugh as she nudged the blonde boy and said, "So, we're meeting Edward outside after school?"
Her companion turned his attention to her; the way he looked at her said she had his complete an undivided attention. "Yes. We're going back to the house to pack."
"But we're meeting him right outside the school? At three?"
Blonde raised an eyebrow and nodded. She smiled dazzingly and thread her fingers through his.
In front of the school at three. I could do that; I could sneak away from Peter for ten minutes and be back in time before he knew I was gone and still have the cafeteria cleaned on time.
"Excuse me?" A voice like a wind chime made me look up. The astonishing blonde girl sitting beside the huge bear like man was leaning towards me, both her perfect eyebrows raised, and her mouth set in a firm line. "You've been over here three times already. Is there something you need or is that table really that dirty?"
The entire table had turned to look at me. I felt my entire face go up in red heat. "Sorry." I said, quickly balling my rag and walking away as fast as I could. I heard their murmurs behind me and felt my face heat even more.
But I had what I needed.
Two thirty came around. By that time, Sue had joined us and I asked her if I could leave for a minute, that I would be right back.
"Of couse." She said. "I'll tell Peter you went out on an errand for me."
I was across the grounds in no time and nearing the front of the school in even less time. My legs ached and my breath was coming harder than normal, but no one was around and that's the way I wanted it.
But when I got there, literally no one was there. I scanned the whole area and no one. I ran my fingers through my hair and sat down on one of the benches. I could wait, unless he was going to show up at three; I didn't want another scenerio like the last one.
I sat there for ten minutes and still no one came. I was getting scared and paranoid at that point. What if he was in the headmaster's office now? Or what if he had seen me here and left? Many different outcomes plagued my mind that I was oblivious to the approaching footsteps.
"Is there something you need?"
After weeks and still I could recognize his voice. Biting down hard on my lip to keep my calm, I turned to face Edward. The wind was blowing his already messy hair, and the coldness was putting color in his cheeks, accenting the green on his eyes -
What was the matter with me?
"Im here to get my book back from you."
His eyebrows rose. "Your book?"
I swallowed. "Well, it's my friend's book. See, he left it at my house and I was going to give it back to him but kept forgetting and when I dropped it when I was out with you, you must have taken it and now I need it back."
He was silent for a moment, one eyebrow still raised. "And why doesn't he come to get it back?"
I thought for maybe a moment too long. "Because he doesn't know you. And I told him I knew you and would come get it."
"Bella, you are a terrible liar."
"I'm not lying." I said quickly.
He smirked and reached into his bag to pull out the book. I reached for it, but he took it out of my reach and started flipping through it. "Correct me if I am mistaken, but this book says it belongs temporarily to a Jacob Black. Yet, this handwriting," he showed me the page with my writing in pencil, "is obviously a female's. And by how hard you are trying to get it back, I would assume this handwriting is your's. I would also have to assume that you are borrowing this book from him, which is against our rules which I would also assume you know, and that you must get it back to him before anyone can catch you and possibly kick him out of the school. Am I correct?"
I didn't want to dignify that with an answer.
"Now, Bella, I would assume you really want this back, correct?" He handed the book closer, but I waited for the catch before I reached for it. "Take it, Bella."
I kept my eyes on his eyes, watching for a sign of falseness or deceit. But I didn't see any, only blank sincerity. I thought that maybe he wasn't so terrible after all.
Until he caught my hand with his when I was in reach. When I tried to yank it back, he wouldn't let me. He only stepped closer.
"Bella, I want you to listen to me. I want to make something very clear: I did not say anything about you after our day out. What ever you had heard was only the distortion of the little I did say. I am not the type of person to spread rumors around about someone like you."
I just stared at him, wondering if I stared hard enough if I could set his beautiful hair on fire.
He sighed and let go of my hand. But when I tried to snatch the book, he jerked it out of my reach.
"Edward, give me back the book."
"You have to do something for me."
I was going to regret this.
"What?"
"This Friday, I want take you out again."
I tried to reach for the book again, but he took it farther out of my reach. "No."
"If you will please let me take you out again, I will give you back the book."
I gave an unladylike snort. "Sure. After you've told your mo- the headmaster about it." I wondered how mad he would be if he knew I knew his mother. His eyes did narrow, but his voice was calm as he said, "If I had wanted to get you in trouble for this, would I not have already done so?" Good point. "However, if you continue to be so opposed to giving me another fair chance, then I will go to my mother. I may not give your name, but I cannot do anything about this Jacob Black."
My eyes narrowed and, with ernest, I tried to light his hair on fire. "Don't you dare."
"Agree, then."
I looked from his face to the book and back again. I weighed the options: go out on another date with him and possibly get the book back, try to reach for the book now and not succeed, or decline and find some way to sneak into his bag later on. I sighed.
"Fine." I mumbled. I didn't want to look at his face. "What time?"
"I'll come get you at about six." He tucked the book back into his bag.
"Hey! Give my back the book!"
"No." He grinned. "I'll keep this as guarantee that I will be seeing you again." As he tucked it away from my sight I bit down on my tongue to keep the unladylike words to myself. "I'll need your address tomorrow to come get you."
"I'll just meet you somewhere." I grumbled. "Easier on both of us."
He declined. "No. I will come get you. I asked you, I will take all the responsibilites." I stared long and hard into his face, wondering where the catch was. If it wasn't here, it was sure to be somewhere down the road.
But for Jake, I'd take the catch and the consequences, as long as he was safe.
I sighed again and rubbed my arms. The chill was worse with the wind blowing. I was going to freeze walking home.
Distracted as I was, I felt the heaviness of an already warm coat. Edward was backing away from me, his coat around my shoulders. "I don't want you to catch sick." He said simply at my dumbfounded stare.
"I don't need the jacket." I said, feeling the burn down my neck and wishing it would just go away. His hands stopped mine and I realized how close we were. "Keep the jacket in return for the book. Give it back to me when I give the book back to you. It's your guarantee that I'll keep my word."
I was stunned with how close he was. I felt the heat from him surrounding me and a smell too wonderful I wanted to bury my nose in it. But I stopped myself. I only turned away and walked back to the cafeteria, coming up with a story to tell Peter as I went. Right as the bell rang, I turned around, wanting to see Edward before I turned the corner. I caught one glimpse of him staring back at me, a smile on his face before people filled the gap between us, and he disappeared from my sight.