Silence Is a Virtue
No Secret
As I left the classroom, I spotted Emmett and Jasper walking down towards me.
"Whoa, Bell, you're red. What's wrong?" Jasper asked me, placing his hand on the small of my back. I shook my head, looking anywhere apart from his face. With horror, I watched as Edward Cullen left the classroom slowly, holding a piece of paper. He looked up and caught my eye. I quickly looked away. Emmett and Jasper were smirking.
"Oh, so you've met the new kid?" Emmett grinned. "What's his name?"
"Edward Cullen." I mumbled.
"Hey Edward! Come over here!" Emmett called. Jasper was laughing, his grip on my arm like a vice. I couldn't escape.
Edward nervously approached us.
"You've met my sister, Bella, right?" Em asked. Edward nodded, glancing at me. I was watching them carefully through my lashes. "So do you wanna sit with us at lunch?"
Edward's eyes never left mine. He nodded again.
"Don't be shy, you can talk to us. We aren't that mean, you know." Emmett winked playfully. Emmett's solemn expression didn't change, but anger flickered behind his eyes.
I tugged on Jasper's sleeve. He leant down to me.
"He's a mute." I whispered, and Jasper's eyes widened. He stared at Edward then touched Emmett's arm.
"Dude, he can't speak." Jazz murmured. Emmett blushed.
"Oh, man, I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
Edward grinned and shook his head. Emmett's face immediately brightened.
"Awesome, so we'll see you at lunch then, Cullen." Jasper grinned, waving at Edward as he walked away. I smiled timidly at him and his answering smile was brilliant.
Emmett and Jasper were smiling at me expectantly.
"Oh shut up." I snarled, walking away from them. They laughed loudly and followed me.
"Bells, slow down, where are you going?" Jazz snickered.
"To see Alice, she went to the nurse." I called. Jasper's laughter immediately ceased and he sped up to match my pace.
The nurse's office was on the other side of the school, and the whole way there we didn't say a word. I hadn't realised how worried I was about Alice.
When we arrived Jasper and I burst into the room, our worried eyes scanning the area for our friend. She was sitting on a bed in the corner, her head in her hands.
"Alice!" Jasper ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her, pressing kisses to her hands and her head. She looked up - her colour made me gasp. She was white, paler than Edward, with a greenish tinge to her normally bright and glowing features. I slowly approached her and took one of her slender, trembling hands.
"What's wrong?" I asked her quietly, brushing her spikey hair off her face. She shook her head.
"I've got a fever. Maybe I caught something." she murmured. Her voice sounded as weak as she looked. I hugged her loosely.
"You missed Biology - I met the new kid." I said as lightly as I could, smiling. Her eyes brightened.
"Tell me everything."
I explained to her that he was a mute, that he was gorgeous and that he was sitting with us at lunch. I missed out the fact that he had electrocuted me, and that I hadn't been able to stop looking at him the whole time he was there.
"Awesome!" she grinned, then her eyes flickered. "Whoa..." she began to slowly fall to the side and I quickly grabbed her.
"Lie down, honey." Jasper gently pushed her back down onto the bed. "I'll take you home, just let me find the nurse." he left the room and closed the door behind him.
"So?" she whispered. I looked down back at her. "What do you think?"
"I think he's gorgeous. And he's a really nice guy. I think maybe I could like him. I think he's different." I whispered back. She beamed at me.
"I'm so happy for you." she took my hand and squeezed my fingers weakly.
Jasper quietly entered the room, realising he had interrupted something.
"Oh, sorry, girls... Alice, I can take you back, sweetheart." he smiled at her, worry and love evident in his grey eyes. She sat up slowly, using my hand for support. He picked her up with ease in his long, muscular arms.
"Put me down, don't be stupid." she smiled, her eyes closed. Jasper stuck his tongue out at her although she couldn't see him.
"I'll be back at lunch, Bells. I wouldn't miss it for the world." he grinned, winking at me as he left the room.
I blushed again, smiling to myself, and I left the nurses room as the bell for the second lesson rang.
"Whoa, Bell, you're red. What's wrong?" Jasper asked me, placing his hand on the small of my back. I shook my head, looking anywhere apart from his face. With horror, I watched as Edward Cullen left the classroom slowly, holding a piece of paper. He looked up and caught my eye. I quickly looked away. Emmett and Jasper were smirking.
"Oh, so you've met the new kid?" Emmett grinned. "What's his name?"
"Edward Cullen." I mumbled.
"Hey Edward! Come over here!" Emmett called. Jasper was laughing, his grip on my arm like a vice. I couldn't escape.
Edward nervously approached us.
"You've met my sister, Bella, right?" Em asked. Edward nodded, glancing at me. I was watching them carefully through my lashes. "So do you wanna sit with us at lunch?"
Edward's eyes never left mine. He nodded again.
"Don't be shy, you can talk to us. We aren't that mean, you know." Emmett winked playfully. Emmett's solemn expression didn't change, but anger flickered behind his eyes.
I tugged on Jasper's sleeve. He leant down to me.
"He's a mute." I whispered, and Jasper's eyes widened. He stared at Edward then touched Emmett's arm.
"Dude, he can't speak." Jazz murmured. Emmett blushed.
"Oh, man, I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
Edward grinned and shook his head. Emmett's face immediately brightened.
"Awesome, so we'll see you at lunch then, Cullen." Jasper grinned, waving at Edward as he walked away. I smiled timidly at him and his answering smile was brilliant.
Emmett and Jasper were smiling at me expectantly.
"Oh shut up." I snarled, walking away from them. They laughed loudly and followed me.
"Bells, slow down, where are you going?" Jazz snickered.
"To see Alice, she went to the nurse." I called. Jasper's laughter immediately ceased and he sped up to match my pace.
The nurse's office was on the other side of the school, and the whole way there we didn't say a word. I hadn't realised how worried I was about Alice.
When we arrived Jasper and I burst into the room, our worried eyes scanning the area for our friend. She was sitting on a bed in the corner, her head in her hands.
"Alice!" Jasper ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her, pressing kisses to her hands and her head. She looked up - her colour made me gasp. She was white, paler than Edward, with a greenish tinge to her normally bright and glowing features. I slowly approached her and took one of her slender, trembling hands.
"What's wrong?" I asked her quietly, brushing her spikey hair off her face. She shook her head.
"I've got a fever. Maybe I caught something." she murmured. Her voice sounded as weak as she looked. I hugged her loosely.
"You missed Biology - I met the new kid." I said as lightly as I could, smiling. Her eyes brightened.
"Tell me everything."
I explained to her that he was a mute, that he was gorgeous and that he was sitting with us at lunch. I missed out the fact that he had electrocuted me, and that I hadn't been able to stop looking at him the whole time he was there.
"Awesome!" she grinned, then her eyes flickered. "Whoa..." she began to slowly fall to the side and I quickly grabbed her.
"Lie down, honey." Jasper gently pushed her back down onto the bed. "I'll take you home, just let me find the nurse." he left the room and closed the door behind him.
"So?" she whispered. I looked down back at her. "What do you think?"
"I think he's gorgeous. And he's a really nice guy. I think maybe I could like him. I think he's different." I whispered back. She beamed at me.
"I'm so happy for you." she took my hand and squeezed my fingers weakly.
Jasper quietly entered the room, realising he had interrupted something.
"Oh, sorry, girls... Alice, I can take you back, sweetheart." he smiled at her, worry and love evident in his grey eyes. She sat up slowly, using my hand for support. He picked her up with ease in his long, muscular arms.
"Put me down, don't be stupid." she smiled, her eyes closed. Jasper stuck his tongue out at her although she couldn't see him.
"I'll be back at lunch, Bells. I wouldn't miss it for the world." he grinned, winking at me as he left the room.
I blushed again, smiling to myself, and I left the nurses room as the bell for the second lesson rang.