Ever After You

To him, Dover High was just another school. Dover was just another rainy town full of staring mortals and idiotic teenagers.

Edward detested the first few months at a new school. The students, the teachers, the administration, and the janitors all stared. He and his siblings were the shiny new object to talk about. Being the adopted children of the wealthy new doctor in town, they were the most interesting subject the small town had to offer to its inhabitants. It seemed that the students of Dover High had nothing else to talk about except the three Cullen children.

His classes were boring, as he had learned all of the information numerous times before. His math teacher droned on and his history teacher seemed fonder of going off on tangents unrelated to the material than actually teaching.

Everywhere, he found the mind-numbing thoughts of his peers. Although years had passed, the thoughts of teenagers were always the same. He had already heard more than one too many fantasies concerning himself. He’d already too many about Emmett for his own mental stability and way too many concerning Rosalie to keep him sane.

Just as always, they were already causing a stir in the hallways. Edward and Emmett were gaining the admiration of the girls, Rosalie the boys. Edward and Emmett were also gaining glares from the guys of the school and Rosalie the girls. They inspired crushes and jealousy wherever they went.

Already, Emmett and Rosalie had broken numerous hearts with the discovery of their relationship and Edward had already had to politely turn down starry-eyed hopefuls who had asked for dates.

But Dover was no different than any other high school they’d been to in their lifetimes and no doubt there would be many more just like it. Eventually, their appeal would lessen to the point of being manageable; hopefully it wouldn’t take too long.

- x -

Having returned home from school on Thursday, Edward found himself smiling as he flipped through the well-worn copy of Sense and Sensibility.

The door to their new home on the outskirts of Dover opened and in walked Emmett and Rosalie since they happened to drive just a little slower than Edward, who thirsted for the thrill and speed of a fast car.

“What are you reading, bro?” Emmett’s voice boomed in their quiet home.

“Nothing.” He muttered, dodging the grab for the book that he knew Emmett would try.

He came late to class, knowing that as a new student he wasn’t expected to know his way around yet, even though he already did.

The teacher turned to him. Edward chuckled internally at the dazed look in the teacher’s eyes.

Smiling he said, “Are you Ms. Henry?” knowing she’d stare at him all day if he didn’t say something.

“I uh…I um…”

“My name is Edward Cullen,” Edward heard an infatuated giggle come from one of the girls in case.

“Uh…ye-yes…we were expecting you. Next time…try to be on time to class…alright, Mr. uh Cullen?”

“Of course, ma’am.” He smiled at her again just to give himself more amusement.

“Oh…well…it’s quite alright. Well…You may take the empty desk next to Jane. Jane please raise your-”

Seeing the image of Jane’s face in Ms. Henry’s thoughts, Edward turned and found the empty desk next to the girl.

Making his way down the room, his eyes moved quickly to take in ‘Jane.’

She was a tiny, slim girl who seemed to swim in her sweatshirt. Her short brown hair framed her pale face. Surprising him, this Jane dared to do what no one else at her school had dared to do. She met his eyes with her own wide, grey ones. Instantly, he felt his stomach tighten. That was new for him.

What struck him most about her features was how childlike they were; she looked very young. But what struck him most about the girl herself was that when he attempted to read her mind, he heard nothing.

He must’ve had an unpleasant look upon his face, as she raised an eyebrow questioningly, almost mockingly, before turning away.

Suddenly, the book was pulled from his grasp; Rosalie tossed it to Emmett. They threw it back and forth while Edward half-heartedly tried to get it back.

“Whose book is it, Eddy?” Emmett asked while he waved the book taunting in front of his brother.

“No one’s.” Edward said as he tackled his brother to the ground and snatched the book from Emmett’s hand.

“Who is she?” Rosalie asked as she sat down on the couch and was soon joined by Emmett.

Edward sighed and responded only because he knew his siblings would never drop the issue.

Today, he saw her as soon as he entered the library for study hall. She sat alone near the back of the room, reading. It seemed that she was always reading. Unable to get control of himself, he walked swiftly to where she was and sat down at the same table. She didn’t even look at him.

He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know why he felt the need to say anything at all. He knew he should just leave the girl alone, but he couldn’t. “Aren’t you a bit young to be in a junior English class, or in high school for that matter?” He asked curiously. That was all he could come up with.

Instantly, she narrowed her grey eyes in his direction; he watched as her face flushed in embarrassment. It hadn’t been his intention to embarrass her. He just didn’t know what to say.

“How young, exactly,” Jane was angry; he could tell by the tone of her soft voice and the force with which she pushed her glasses further up on her nose. “do you think I am?”

He smiled because he had finally heard her voice; he had finally spoken to her, albeit it wasn’t the best conversation. “Well, you look twelve-”

Edward instantly knew that he had said the wrong thing. He did not know what was wrong with him. He was acting abnormally but he couldn’t stop the words from flowing out of his mouth. He was acting stupidly; he was acting like a teenage boy with a crush.

“I’m sixteen.” She snapped; her grey eyes flashed with anger. Then she looked away and he mourned the loss of her eyes.

He couldn’t control himself as he took the book of her hands; he almost smiled when her gaze returned to him.

“Hey!”

“First of all, you need to lower your voice. You’re in a library.” Oh god, was he flirting? “Second of all, you need to relax.”

“And you need to give me my book back,” was her quick reply.

“Are you always this high-strung?” The words fell from his lips and he regretted all of them.

“Are you always this annoying?”

He glanced up at her and closed her book. Tucking it under his arms, he rested his forearms and the table and leaned in. “Only on Tuesdays.”

“It’s Thursday.” Her arms were crossed in front of her, he noted. She was on the defensive. So he leaned back away from her, deciding he had invaded her personal space enough from today.

“My name is Edward Cullen.”

“I know.”

“And your name is Jane.”

“Congratulations, you win a prize.” She wasn’t intimidated by him. That was a first among humans. He found it surprisingly alluring.

Suddenly, the bell rang before he could respond.

Standing up and sending the tiny girl a smile, he said “I’ll see you later Jane.”

“Wait! Aren’t you going to give me back my book?”

He didn’t turn to look at her as he threw his response over his shoulder. “No.” Smiling, he left the library quickly.

“Obviously,” Emmett began in jest, “you’ve got a crush and you should ask her out. Our little Eddy is growing up.” He said with a large smile as he reached out to pinch his brother’s cheek.

Swatting his brother’s hand away, Edward rolled his eyes. “I don’t have a crush. I simply…find her…interesting.”

“Well, what does she think of you?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Emmett repeated with his eyebrows raised as he put an arm around Rosalie’s shoulders.

“I couldn’t read her mind.”

“Edward,” Rosalie began seriously. “That could be a problem. You need to stay away from—”

“She’s not a threat.”

“Aw, don’t ruin his fun, Rose. The boy’s in love.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Edward muttered, “How did I go from having a crush to being in love in five seconds? Besides, I’m not in love, nor do I have a crush. The girl is simply a puzzle.” He gave his best attempt at a convincing lie.

“What does your puzzle smell like then?”

“Nothing that stands out.”

“So you’re all bothered about a girl whose blood doesn’t even particularly attract you?” Emmett asked with a stupid smile on his face. “You are in love!”

“Shut up Emmett. I’m not in love.” Edward stood up, taking the book with him, and went to the door. “I’m going hunting.” He called over his shoulder at his two siblings on the couch who watched him with curious eyes.

“Come on bro, I was just kidding—” The rest of Emmett’s shout was cut off by the door, although that didn’t stop Emmett’s thoughts from flowing into his mind.

Jane confused him. She didn’t act like any other girl. Her blood didn’t call to him anymore than anyone else at the school. But he’d barely spent two seconds in her presence before she changed his behavior.

Emmett was right. He was acting like a teenager in love towards a girl he’d barely even spoken to!

It was only a few days into the school year and Edward already found himself wishing that Jasper and Alice were with them. Jasper had decided to stay in Alaska so as to further cement his control and Alice, of course, stayed with him.

Edward desperately wished for his sister’s clairvoyance so that she could aid him in his decisions. He wished for Jasper so that he could tell him what Jane felt and so that Jasper could tell Edward what he felt himself.

Edward would not be at school on Friday. Although, Jane’s blood didn’t call to him, he needed time to clear his head which meant time spent away from Jane. Much to his dismay though, Edward found himself dreading the long weekend before him. He found he just wanted to speak to Jane again.