To Love Again

The first three classes of that morning went fast enough. I wasn't with any of the Cullens for those classes. Edward had reluctantly left me to go off to his own class. His protectiveness surprised me. Not just that but it I was surprised at how much I liked it. I wasn't suppose to, it was wrong.

I was with Jodie for double Biology and I was with Paul, Joe's best friend, for Spanish class.

Joe had text me earlier that morning, just before I went into my first class to tell me he wouldn't be in today. He was sick. I didn't bother to text back, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I never wished sickness on anyone, but I couldn't stop the feeling of relief that he wouldn't be smothering me with his presence today.

After stuffing my books into my over crowded locker, I headed towards the lunch room. I probably should have been prepared for it because they had already told me that they would see me at lunch, but that did not stop me from having to catch my breath and wait for my pulse to slow down as I saw the blonde beauty, known as Rosalie, wave in my direction. There was something about her. She gave me the impression that being nice was new to her. Almost like she felt uncomfortable with doing it. But she seemed nice so far.

The Cullens were already standing out in the school. It was a bit hard for them not to. They were all so beautiful, so graceful and just so different. I had never seen anything like them.

The boys in the school drooled over the Rosalie, Alice and Nessie, as she likes to be called. And the girls were practically glued to the three guys. None of them seemed interested though. They all seemed happy the way they were.

I smiled in the direction of where they were sitting and made my way across the lunch room towards them.

"Oh hey Eleni." Alice chimed, her high pitched, musical voice filling my ears.

"Hi." I replied, a bit stuck for words.

"Eleni come sit here, I need to ask you something." Nessie tapped the seat next to her.

"I gotta get going. Jodie and Melissa are waiting for me over there."

"Oh." She said sounding disappointed. "That's ok. I just wanted to ask you if I could borrow your notes from throughout the year. I need to catch up. You know with us starting late." She smiled.

"Of course." I nodded. "I don't have them with me now, they're at home."

"I can call by later if you like?"

"Ah, I won't be home. I have to bring Suzie to her dance class but I could drop them off on the way back." I offered. And I was intrigued to know where they lived.

"I don't think you will be able to find us." Edward interrupted, smiling up at me.

Damn that man! I had to remind myself to breathe.

"Where is it?" I asked, finally looking away from him.

"It's in the forest." He answered, his eye's raising.

I folded my arms and stared at him. "The forest is a big place. Specifics would be nice." I smiled without humor.

Nessie grunted and darted a look towards Edward who just rolled his eye's. "Do you know where St. Peter's Lake is?" She asked.

I smiled widely, probably scaring her. Of course I knew that lake, my father used to take me up there all the time when he would go fishing. Or sometimes he would just bring me up there so we could take in the beauty of it. You could see the snow topped mountains from that lake. And the water was ice cold and dark blue. It was a image from a postcard.

"Yeah, I know that lake."

"Well if you continue up that pathway without turning for the lake, there is a house." She explained.

"Oh my God, do you live in that house?" I gasped.

"You know the house?" She asked, looking stunned. Actually, so did the rest of them. They were all staring at me looking confused and intrigued.

My father showed it to me a few times, when there was nobody living in it. I never saw the inside but the outside was spectacular.

I called it my dream house. Something I always wanted.

"I used to visit the lake with my Dad and we passed the house a couple of times." I explained, leaving out the fact that I had always wanted it.

"Oh." They answered in unison. Looking astonished. Edward was right though, if I was any other person, I wouldn't of had a hope in hell of finding that place. It was practically the middle of nowhere. I was even sure most of this school hadn't even heard of St. Peter's Lake.

"Well, if that's ok, I'll drop the notes off around seven?"

"Great." Nessie smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth.

"I'll see you then." I smiled before turning to walk away.

"Hey, wait a second." I heard Edward's voice call after me.

I turned around to his glistening topaz eye's. His tall toned body was standing right in front of me. I had never seen anything like it.

"Where's your," He stopped for a moment and swallowed hard. "Your boyfriend today?"

"He's out sick. I don't know really what's wrong with him, I didn't ask. He just text me this morning to let me know he wouldn't be in." I explained.

"So your ok?" He asked, concern written in his eye's.

"Yeah I'm fine." I said, looking around the lunch room, sounding awkward.

"How's the pain?"

"Edward, stop it! I hate people fussing over me. I'm fine. I survived this long, I am sure I can survive a bit longer on my own. So just stop worrying about me. Please." I almost begged. It was the truth, I did hate people fussing over me. It annoyed the hell out of me.

"I can't help it." He whispered, staring straight back at me as if he could see into me for miles.

"Well, you are going to have to try."

"Look, Eleni I know you are scared but..."

"You don't even know me. And I don't know you, so don't you dare try and tell me how I am feeling. You know nothing about me. So just drop it!" I spat before walking away. I knew the whole place was looking at us but I didn't care. I already had one guy hovering over me, I didn't need another one. Even though I knew Edward was doing it for good reasons, it still didn't stop me from feeling suffocated.

"What was all that about?" Melissa asked, as I sat down.

"Nothing." I huffed.

"Since when are you friends with the Cullen dude?" Chris asked. He was Joe's other friend and I could be guaranteed that Joe was going to hear all about my little "meetings" with Edward.

"I am allowed to have other friends, Chris."

"I don't think Joe will be too happy about it, though." He said under his breath.

"You know what? I really couldn't give a shit what Joe thinks or how happy he will be. He can't stop me from having friends. So you can go and run to his house like a little girl after school and tell him all about my misbehavior while he was away. Because you know what I really don't give a damn." I could feel my voice rising.

"You go girl." Jodie hollered, waving her fist in the air with a wide smile plastered across her face. "You told him." She laughed, making a face at Chris. I couldn't help but laugh at her. Chris seemed to shut up after that.

Unlike the first three classes, the rest of the day dragged. I tried not to look at Edward when I walked into math. I knew looking at him would make me feel guilty. So instead, I chatted to Nessie for a little bit and avoided looking in his direction and for once I actually did work in maths.

But there was one class I could not avoid looking at him. It was English and it was last class of the day and his seat was right next to mine.

He was already sitting down when I walked into the class. He was scribbling something in his notebook.

I put down my bag quietly and sat down, feeling my heart pound viciously in my chest. But I think that was because I was sitting beside him, not because I would probably have to talk to him.

Today, for once I hoped my English teacher gave us piles of work, so I wouldn't have to talk to him.

Then, my worst nightmare came true. A small, thin woman walked into the room. She wasn't my English teacher.

"Hello class. Ms. Crimmons is out today. Unfortunately, she picked up some bug. So you can talk amongst yourselves." She told us.

Was she serious? I felt like screaming.

I took one deep breath and turned to look at him. There is was, the mountains of guilt I had been waiting to fall down on me. It was because when he tried to be nice I had thrown it back in his face.

"Edward." I said, my voice low.

"Eleni." He answered, looking back at me.

"About this morning." I began.

"Honestly, don't worry about it. I should have thought of you."

"You were thinking of me and I got mad. I know you are just looking out for me but it just feels weird. I just don't think I'm...."

"Used to it." He finished my sentence.

"You could say that." I smiled gently. "I just want to say sorry."

"I never blamed you Eleni so you have nothing to be sorry for. I'll back off a little." A smile playing on his perfect lips. "I heard your conversation at lunch with some guy at your table. Someone can get feisty." He joked nudging me playfully.

"Yeah, he is extremely annoying." I breathed. "Don't be surprised if you hear rumors that I am cheating on Joe with you. Believe me this place gets a good kick out of humiliating people." I warned.

"I'm sure I can take it." He said, looking straight ahead. We stayed silent for a few moments, then he turned to me. "So tell me about you."

"What do you want to know?" I asked, my pulse beating twice as fast. He really didn't want to know about me. But I didn't want to be rude to him again.

"You said your Dad used to bring you to the lake by my house all the time. You must be close to your Dad?" I could feel my throat tighten.

"I was. He died a couple of year ago."

"Oh Eleni, I'm so sorry." He apologized.

"Don't be. You didn't know. But yeah, I was close to my Dad."

"How about the rest of your family?"

"I'm close to my Mom too. We have our ups and downs but we get through it." Our ups and downs were more like mountain peaks but I wasn't going to tell him that. "And then, there is Suzie. My six year old sister. Well, I'm convinced it's a twenty-six year old woman trapped in a six year olds body." I laughed and he joined in.

We talked non-stop for the rest of the class. I asked him about himself and his family. He told me a lot but I couldn't help but feel that he was keeping something back.

With that, the bell rang and I felt more disappointed than I thought I should.

Before I could stand up he was standing behind me, my bag swinging from his hands.

"Can I have my bag?" I eyed him up and down suspiciously.

"Of course." He laughed, placing it on my shoulders. Again, I had to remind myself to breathe.

We walked out together in silence. But it wasn't an awkward silence, it was something we both appreciated. I could see his whole family huddled together standing around his car.

"I'll see you later than." I smiled. My car was in the other direction.

"Looking forward to it." He winked before I walked away, my heart pounding in my chest with excitement.