Another Fate
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 9
Bella suppressed a growl of frustration as she shouldered her way through the crowded hall. Today, just as she’d suspected, had been a little slice of hell, as most first days at a new school were. ‘And it’s only half over…’ she thought as she looked for the calculus classroom.
Finally finding it, she slipped in and surveyed the room, looking for a place to sit. She nearly groaned when her eyes caught a wildly waving hand that belonged to a girl she’d shared first period English with—J-something…Jasmine…Jennifer…Jessica—yes, that was her name.
Giving her a half-smile, she continued looking, her gaze soon freezing on one of the most beautiful male specimens she’d ever seen. He was blond, curly perfection wrapped up in a sinful as hell bad-boy package, even down to the red contacts he wore that were now pinning her where she stood, gaping.
He smirked and she raised a brow, her mind now made up as to where she would sit.
Crossing the room while steadfastly ignoring Jessica’s calls to sit by her, she slid into the seat next to Mr. Bad and dropped her bag by her feet. She looked over and he still had that ‘I know something you don’t’ smirk on his face as he doodled on a piece of paper. “Hi, I’m Bella Swan,” she said, sticking out her hand.
Slowly, he looked over, one perfect dark blond brow rising as he took her in. “You don’t say,” he drawled in a subtly accented, panty-steaming voice while ignoring her hand.
With a pinched brow, she dropped her hand. “You already knew that,” she stated and he chuckled as he went back to doodling.
“Yep.”
She suppressed a huff. “Well, what’s your name?”
He looked back over, that smirk still in place as he eyed her. “Jay Cullen,” he finally answered before going back to his paper.
“Well, nice to meet you, I guess,” she grumbled, throwing him a glance as he chuckled lowly. Her heart picked up at the sight. He had a dimple in his cheek that just barely showed at the moment. She could tell though, if he really smiled, it would be prominent and part of her longed to see it. ‘Shit, Bella, what’s wrong with you?’ She shook her head and looked around the room, catching a frown from Jessica. She smiled and turned back to study her hands on the desktop before glancing at Mr. Bad from the corner of her eye.
He was dressed in snug looking dark wash jeans, black boots, a black T and a black leather jacket. ‘Yep, Mr. Bad is a good name for him,’ she thought, her heart picking up as that smirk grew on his face, almost as if he knew what she was thinking.
“Today’s my first day,” she blurted. “Any advice for the new girl?”
He laughed lowly and she thought it was beautiful as he turned to look at her. “You’re askin’ me for advice?”
She swallowed heavily at the amused but mischievous look in those red eyes, her chin tilting up as she answered, “Sure, why not?”
Again, he laughed before slowly leaning toward her. “Because,” he purred, leaning in close enough to run his nose from her wildly jumping pulse point to her jaw, “I’m not exactly the epitome of good manners, sweet Bella.” He nuzzled just under her ear while whispering, “Maybe you’d best look elsewhere.”
He drew back with a grin and only then did she remember to breathe. “Jesus,” she whispered, just as the teacher walked in and started the class.
She watched him from the corner of her eye during the class, noticing he didn't crack a book or bother with any of the work. He was truly living up to his rebel image, especially if the frown the teacher kept shooting him was any indicator.
“Mr. Cullen, will you be joining us in completing this assignment today?”
Jay glanced up from his doodles and shrugged. “Nah, that’s all right. You go on without me.”
Bella looked back at the teacher with wide eyes as the teacher’s face flushed. “That wasn’t a suggestion, Mr. Cullen.”
Jay smirked and raised a brow. “Sure sounded like one to me.”
The teacher’s eyes narrowed. “Be sure to stop by my desk for your detention slip before you leave today, Mr. Cullen.”
“Sure thing,” Jay quipped before sending a gaping Bella a wink.
Her mouth snapped closed and she went back to her work. She’d never encountered anyone like Jay Cullen before, always keeping to the straight-laced crowd in all her other schools, but there was just something about him. He intrigued her like no other had before, and even though she’d always been the boring good girl, she found she didn't want to stay away…this time.
The bell rang and Jay balled up the paper he’d been doodling on as she packed her things in her bag. They rose from their seats together and he eyed her with a smirk as she walked to the teacher’s desk with him.
“Yes, Miss Swan?” the teacher asked when they arrived. She shot a look at Jay and shrugged.
“Um, nothing. I’m with him,” she said, jerking a thumb at Jay, who arched a brow but said nothing.
“Yes, well,” the teacher grumbled with a frown while finishing the slip. He tore it off the pad and held it out to Jay who took it and stuffed it in the front pocket of his jeans.
“A pleasure,” Jay said with a final smirk before walking out the door. Bella followed, almost having to jog to keep up.
“Hey,” she called as he cut through the crowd effortlessly. They seemed to part for him while tossing reverent glances like he was some kind of high school god. He paused and looked down at her as she caught up. “What class you have now?” she asked while digging for her wrinkled schedule in the pocket of her back pack.
He chuckled. “My favorite.”
Her brow furrowed as she glanced at the schedule before rolling her eyes. “Lunch,” she grumbled as he grinned. “Now I feel like a dumb-ass.”
He began walking again and glanced at her. “You wear it well.”
“You going to the cafeteria?” she asked as they walked.
“Nope.”
“Don’t you eat?”
He smirked. “Not in the traditional sense, no.”
She frowned. “Then what do you do at lunch?”
He grinned and looked down at her. “I’ll be out back, smokin’.” Her stomach growled and his brows shot up. “Sounds like you need food though.” He nodded to the right. “Cafeteria’s that way. I’ll see you around, Candy girl.” With that, he disappeared in the crowd, leaving Bella to make her way to the cafeteria alone.
When she pushed through the doors, Jessica pounced, almost as though she’d been waiting on her. “Oh my god! What the hell was all that in Calc, Bella?!”
Bella’s brows inched up as they walked to the food line. “What do you mean?”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “You’re joking, right? Jay Cullen!” She sighed, her eyes glazing. “Isn’t he just…god, what I wouldn’t give for just one night…”
Bella’s brows climbed higher. “Yeah, he’s pretty hot.”
Jessica looked at her and smirked. “He is. So’s his adopted brother. One straight-laced good boy and one rebel bad boy. What more could a girl ask for?”
Bella glanced at her as she slid her tray toward the cashier. “He has a brother?”
Jessica grabbed her arm. “Oh yes. Wait until you see them. Come on,” she said, tugging Bella to a table after they’d paid. “Stick with me and I’ll fill you in.”
They sat down and Jessica introduced her to a bunch of people whose names she’d probably forget. “Bella, this is Lauren, Angela, Ben, Eric, and Mike.”
Bella gave a half-hearted wave at the murmured hellos and began unwrapping her sandwich when a flash blinded her. She looked up and blinked the spots from her eyes as Angela lowered a camera. “Sorry, just needed a shot for the feature.”
“Uh, no,” Bella said. “Feature something or someone else.”
Angela’s face fell. “Oh, sorry, I just thought…”
“Yeah, I just don’t want to be the center of attention, you know?”
Angela smiled. “Got it. Sorry for not asking first.”
She was just about to pick up her sandwich when Jessica clamped onto her arm and leaned in. “There they are.” She nodded to the patio entrance just as four of the most attractive people she’d ever seen walked in.
“Wow,” she muttered as a grinning Jessica nodded beside her.
“Yeah, told you. See the one with reddish hair? That’s Edward Cullen, the good boy,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers. “Isn’t he gorgeous too?”
“Yeah,” Bella agreed. She’d yet to take her eyes off him as he pulled out a chair and sat, his siblings doing the same, with the notable exception of Jay.
“The short girl with the spiky hair? That’s Alice Cullen. Watch out for her. Anyone who gets too close to Jay makes it onto her permanent shit list.”
Bella raised a brow. “Why?”
Jessica grinned like she had secrets to convey. “Well, see, the big guy and the blonde? That’s Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale. They’re also Dr. Cullen’s adopted kids, but they’re together—like, together-together. Some of us think Alice wants the same arrangement with Jay, but he doesn’t seem to be down with it. Still, she acts like she owns him.”
“Yeah, it’s all pretty weird,” Lauren threw in with a curled lip.
Angela sighed. “It’s not like any of them are related you guys.”
“Yeah, but still, they all live together. It’s weird,” Jessica finished with a wrinkled nose.
Bella glanced over to the Cullen table and felt her stomach drop when she locked gazes with Edward. He watched her for a beat, then turned back to speak to his siblings just as she remembered to breathe again. He was gorgeous, and something in her had clicked when their eyes met. Something that hadn’t happened when she’d looked at Jay, even though he was just as attractive.
She was still intrigued by the rebel bad boy, but the straight-laced Cullen brother… Just that look had done things to her insides—something that had never happened to her before and she had to wonder at it. It almost felt like some kind of…connection.
With a subtle shake of her head, she turned back and concentrated on her lunch as the people around her talked. “Did you guys hear Jay Cullen already got an in-school suspension this year?” Lauren mentioned with a smirk.
“For what?” Jessica asked before popping a baby carrot in her mouth.
Lauren’s smirk grew. “He had Leslie Jones, you know that varsity cheerleader, pinned up against the lockers when Mr. Creedy walked by. Christy Brown told me he was grinding on her and his hand was on her boob.”
“Oh god,” Jessica nearly moaned, “lucky girl.”
“Right?” Lauren laughed. “Wonder when my turn will be.”
Jessica’s brow creased and she waved her fork as she spoke. “I wonder why he never kisses anyone? Have you ever noticed that? He’s always nuzzling necks, but he never kisses.”
Lauren shrugged. “His uncle’s a doctor. Maybe he’s afraid of mono.”
Jessica shrugged and nodded. “Makes sense, I guess. Still, you’d think he’d make an exception some time.”
“Who cares? I’d give anything just to have him pin me. I think I could die happy then.”
Jessica giggled. “You and me both.”
The bell rang and Bella picked up her tray as she thought about the earful of gossip she’d just heard. Seemed Jay Cullen really was a bad boy in every sense.
“What class you have next, Bella?” Angela asked, breaking into her thoughts about Jay as she slid her tray onto a stack of dirties.
“Uh, biology.”
“Oh, me too,” the girl said with a smile. “I’ll walk with you.”
Together, they wove their way into the crowds heading toward biology. Bella huffed at being shoved and jostled and Angela shot her an understanding smile while clutching her book to her chest. “Don’t worry, you get used to it.”
At that moment though, she couldn’t help but think back on the ease with which Jay Cullen had cut through the crowds and she huffed as someone stepped on her foot. “Shit,” she muttered while tossing a dark look at the culprit; some laughing, jostling jock that was too busy messing with his friends to even notice.
“Problems, Candy Girl?” a familiar voice purred in her ear. She held back a gasp as she was expertly maneuvered over to the wall where she found herself pinned by a delicious smelling, t-shirt and leather clad body.
Her eyes tracked up from the firm chest to lock with a pair of mirth filled red ones accented by his seemingly ever present smirk. “Jay Cullen,” she said and he grinned before dipping his head, drawing a gasp from her as he nuzzled her neck.
“The one and only, sweet Candy Girl,” he murmured, his lips warm and soft against her skin as his hands glided up her sides, his thumbs just grazing the underside of her breasts.
“Oh god,” she breathed, tilting her head on instinct as her eyes dropped closed and something in the center of her being throbbed and ached.
She heard him draw in a deep breath, then he chuckled and it was dark and low—too low for anyone else to hear. “Damn,” he breathed against the tingling skin just under her ear, “aren’t you the responsive one, sweet, sweet Candy Girl…”
His thumbs brushed a little higher, just barely grazing her nipples and she bit back a moan. “Shit,” she breathed before rubbing her cheek against his silky blond curls. “What the hell are you doing to me?”
He chuckled again and it brought goosebumps to her skin as his warm, sweet breath gusted over it. “Playin’ with you, sweet Candy,” he drawled. “Just playin’.” With that, his head rose and he smirked before disappearing into the dispersing crowd.
Slowly, she came back to herself, realizing with some amazement that the hall was just about empty. With a cleansing breath in and out, she pushed off the wall and walked to the open door of her next class.
When she walked in, the class was just about full, so she made her way to the teacher’s desk to have her slip signed. He smiled as she handed the wrinkled slip to him. “Welcome, Isabella. Grab a book,” he said with a wave toward a low rack off to the side, “and find an open seat. Class will start in just a bit.”
“Thanks,” she muttered, “and it’s just Bella, please.”
“Sure thing,” he answered while shuffling papers as she chose a book from the rack.
Turning, she skimmed the class for somewhere to sit and nearly groaned when the only open spot was next to one gorgeously tousled Edward Cullen. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing, especially considering what his ‘brother’ had just done in the hallway. Would Edward prove to be just as forward? ‘Guess you’re about to find out,’ she thought as she cut through the aisles toward his lab table.
“Hi,” she said as she dropped her bag and slid onto the high stool. She stuck out a hand. “I’m Bella Swan.”
He glanced at her, his eyes dark as his brows drew into a frown. His lips thinned and he gave a sharp nod while ignoring her outstretched hand. He turned back toward the front while scooting away from her and she huffed and dropped her hand. “At least your brother had the decency to speak,” she muttered while digging her notebook from her bag. She glanced at him and he rubbed his brow, a pained expression on his face.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I just don’t feel well today.”
She frowned. “Oh, sorry to hear that.” He stayed silent and she bit her lip before trying again. “So, what’s your name?”
His gaze flitted to her and he inched a little farther away. “Edward Cullen,” he muttered before turning back to his book.
She canted her head, studying him a moment. “You seem shy…”
He gusted a laugh and shook his head while looking out the window, his grip on the desk tightening as her scent lit his whole being on fire.
God, he wanted her; wanted to grab her and slake this thirst that positively raged through him. He’d never felt the like in all his years and it was taking every ounce of his control not to drain her on the spot, secrecy and Carlisle’s good regard be damned.
He took a small breath and nearly growled as her scent entered his system, scorching its way into his lungs like so much molten lava, but that’s not what really got his hackles up. No, it was the heavy layer of Jasper’s scent that he could now tell she was layered in that had him gripping the desk so hard it began to splinter.
Through supreme will, he loosened his grip while searching for his dear ‘brother’s’ thoughts. When he found them, he focused which was probably a mistake as it added anger to the overwhelming bloodlust he felt.
He was thinking of her—the sweet, Candy Girl, as he called her—while also thinking of a very graphic kill he’d made in the past, the girl resembling Bella to a startling degree.
He clenched his eyes shut as a pain he’d never experienced knifed through his chest at the thought of his Bella, eyes lifeless and body drained of its sweet life-giving flow.
“Hey, you okay?”
A hand, its warmth scorching through the thin shirt he wore, laid upon his bicep as she leaned toward him, nearly drawing a whimper of pain from him at her proximity. “Maybe you should go to the nurse’s office. You don’t look so good.”
“Please,” he said, his voice just above a whisper. “I’ll be fine. Just…leave me alone for now, okay?” Gently, he shrugged off her blistering touch and moved even farther away as she scooted back to her side of the table.
“All right, sorry,” she said while going back to her book.
With a pinch to his brow, his mind frantically searched for his sister’s, wanting…needing support of some kind…any kind, that would help him through this without having to bolt. Soon enough, he found her and would’ve sighed in relief if doing so wasn’t so painful at the moment. “You’re okay, Edward,” she spoke in her thoughts. “I know it’s hard, but you’ll be fine. You won’t hurt her. Just try to take in as little of her scent as possible and I’ll meet you by the car after class. Don’t worry, I have a plan; one that will work, so don’t you dare run.”
‘Run,’ he thought with a mental scoff. With his brother around, that was hardly an option. No, if he left, even for a few days, he knew his trouble-making brother would take full advantage, and he couldn’t let that happen. His gaze cut to the beautiful girl next to him and his eyes closed as that pain ghosted through his chest again. No, there was just no way he would risk her. Come hell or high water, he was staying—for her.
After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang and he was up and out of his seat before Bella had even packed her bag. “It…it was nice meeting you, Bella,” he said from a few feet away before spinning on his heel to stride from the room.
She blinked at his abruptness, then shrugged. The guy wasn’t feeling well and she wouldn’t hold it against him. Besides, she thought with a faint smile as she shouldered her bag. He’s drop dead gorgeous, and had spoken to her—more than he did with anyone else if Jessica and Lauren were to be believed, so she considered it a win.
At the end of the day, she stowed her unneeded books in her locker and slammed it closed before making her way to the parking lot. She’d made it through the rest of the day free of any Cullens and it had been a bittersweet reprieve. Part of her was relieved but another part missed the adrenaline the brother’s seemed to cause to surge through her veins. There was an edge to them—both of them—that she was quickly becoming addicted to.
She approached her truck, her head down as she walked, as was her habit. It helped when you’re so clumsy, you tended to trip on shadows. When she got there, her nose picked up the scent of cigarette smoke and she looked up, her brows rising at the sight of Mr. Bad, all leaned up against the side of her truck, a smoldering cigarette held between lazy, pillowed lips as he squinted through the curling, blue cloud of smoke.
Reaching up, he plucked the cig from those sinful lips as he smiled. “Well, hello Candy Girl. Enjoy the rest of your day?”
She raised a brow and stuck the key in the lock to open the door. “I did, actually. Thanks for asking.” Skirting around him, she threw her bag in the passenger side and went around to get behind the wheel.
She’d just got the truck started when he slid in next to her while moving her bag toward the middle. “What are you doing?” she asked with a smile as she blinked at him.
He shrugged and flipped his cigarette butt out the door before pulling it closed. “Takin’ a ride with my Candy Girl. That all right with you?”
She arched a brow. “Don’t you have detention or something?”
He grinned. “They’ll never cage me, Candy Girl.”
She shrugged and pulled out, maneuvering the old rusted truck onto the road as he propped his arm on the edge of the window opening. “So, where we headed?” he asked as he rested his head back, those piercing red eyes closed to half-mast as he rolled his head over to look at her. He looked so relaxed, like some kind of lazy jungle cat and she couldn’t help but marvel at the differences between him and his brother.
“Just home,” she said while making at turn at the intersection, the steering on the old beast protesting as she cranked the wheel.
He turned his head back, his lazy stare now focused to the front as he muttered through a smirk, “To Chief Swan’s house we go then…”
Her eyes narrowed as she chanced a quick glance. “You know my Dad?”
His grin was slow as he answered, “Maybe.”
She huffed, a frown creasing her brow at his non-answer and he looked over with a dimpled grin, causing her heart to pick up speed at the sight. “Yeah, Candy Girl, we know each other. Can’t say we’re friends though. He don’t seem to like me much.”
She smirked and side-eyed him. “I can’t imagine why not.”
He gave her the most forlorn look she’d ever seen. “Me either, Candy. I just don’t understand it.” That look was so earnest, it almost made her heart ache at the injustice of anyone thinking anything negative about him.
Still, she laughed, throwing an incredulous look at him as she pulled into her driveway. “I bet,” she quipped, not buying his bullshit for a minute, despite his considerable acting skills.
“Well, this is it, Mr. Bad. End of the ride. Now what are you gonna do?”
“Now?” he purred as a slow grin curved his lips, his head lolling to the side as he stared from under heavy lids. The next second, he was across the cab, his face buried beneath the cascading curls of her hair as his nose and lips slowly dragged over her silken skin from collar bone to jawline. “I’m glad you asked,” he breathed as her heart took off, beating wildly in her chest.
“Jay?” she questioned, her voice breathy as she struggled to remember how to draw air.
“Yeah?” he responded, as his hand moved up her jean clad thigh, coming to rest on her hip, his fingers gently kneading perilously close to her ass.
She shoved against his chest and he moved away, his smirking gaze now locked with hers as her eyes narrowed. “You’re bad news and one hell of a tease and I refuse to be your toy.”
He buried his face against her neck again, relishing in the sound of her hitching breath and racing heart as he grinned against her warm, sweet smelling skin. “But you’re so fun to play with, sweet Candy Girl.” His hand ghosted up to lightly knead her breast and she moaned. “And I do so love to play…” She felt the curve of his lips as he muttered darkly. “….especially when the game includes more players.”
She was just about to ask about that comment when the passenger door of the truck was wrenched open and the sound of a familiar angry voice shot through the fog in her brain.
“Just what in the hell is going on here?!”
With wide eyes, she shot up and stared over a smugly smirking Jay Cullen’s shoulder. “Ch…Charlie!”
Bella suppressed a growl of frustration as she shouldered her way through the crowded hall. Today, just as she’d suspected, had been a little slice of hell, as most first days at a new school were. ‘And it’s only half over…’ she thought as she looked for the calculus classroom.
Finally finding it, she slipped in and surveyed the room, looking for a place to sit. She nearly groaned when her eyes caught a wildly waving hand that belonged to a girl she’d shared first period English with—J-something…Jasmine…Jennifer…Jessica—yes, that was her name.
Giving her a half-smile, she continued looking, her gaze soon freezing on one of the most beautiful male specimens she’d ever seen. He was blond, curly perfection wrapped up in a sinful as hell bad-boy package, even down to the red contacts he wore that were now pinning her where she stood, gaping.
He smirked and she raised a brow, her mind now made up as to where she would sit.
Crossing the room while steadfastly ignoring Jessica’s calls to sit by her, she slid into the seat next to Mr. Bad and dropped her bag by her feet. She looked over and he still had that ‘I know something you don’t’ smirk on his face as he doodled on a piece of paper. “Hi, I’m Bella Swan,” she said, sticking out her hand.
Slowly, he looked over, one perfect dark blond brow rising as he took her in. “You don’t say,” he drawled in a subtly accented, panty-steaming voice while ignoring her hand.
With a pinched brow, she dropped her hand. “You already knew that,” she stated and he chuckled as he went back to doodling.
“Yep.”
She suppressed a huff. “Well, what’s your name?”
He looked back over, that smirk still in place as he eyed her. “Jay Cullen,” he finally answered before going back to his paper.
“Well, nice to meet you, I guess,” she grumbled, throwing him a glance as he chuckled lowly. Her heart picked up at the sight. He had a dimple in his cheek that just barely showed at the moment. She could tell though, if he really smiled, it would be prominent and part of her longed to see it. ‘Shit, Bella, what’s wrong with you?’ She shook her head and looked around the room, catching a frown from Jessica. She smiled and turned back to study her hands on the desktop before glancing at Mr. Bad from the corner of her eye.
He was dressed in snug looking dark wash jeans, black boots, a black T and a black leather jacket. ‘Yep, Mr. Bad is a good name for him,’ she thought, her heart picking up as that smirk grew on his face, almost as if he knew what she was thinking.
“Today’s my first day,” she blurted. “Any advice for the new girl?”
He laughed lowly and she thought it was beautiful as he turned to look at her. “You’re askin’ me for advice?”
She swallowed heavily at the amused but mischievous look in those red eyes, her chin tilting up as she answered, “Sure, why not?”
Again, he laughed before slowly leaning toward her. “Because,” he purred, leaning in close enough to run his nose from her wildly jumping pulse point to her jaw, “I’m not exactly the epitome of good manners, sweet Bella.” He nuzzled just under her ear while whispering, “Maybe you’d best look elsewhere.”
He drew back with a grin and only then did she remember to breathe. “Jesus,” she whispered, just as the teacher walked in and started the class.
She watched him from the corner of her eye during the class, noticing he didn't crack a book or bother with any of the work. He was truly living up to his rebel image, especially if the frown the teacher kept shooting him was any indicator.
“Mr. Cullen, will you be joining us in completing this assignment today?”
Jay glanced up from his doodles and shrugged. “Nah, that’s all right. You go on without me.”
Bella looked back at the teacher with wide eyes as the teacher’s face flushed. “That wasn’t a suggestion, Mr. Cullen.”
Jay smirked and raised a brow. “Sure sounded like one to me.”
The teacher’s eyes narrowed. “Be sure to stop by my desk for your detention slip before you leave today, Mr. Cullen.”
“Sure thing,” Jay quipped before sending a gaping Bella a wink.
Her mouth snapped closed and she went back to her work. She’d never encountered anyone like Jay Cullen before, always keeping to the straight-laced crowd in all her other schools, but there was just something about him. He intrigued her like no other had before, and even though she’d always been the boring good girl, she found she didn't want to stay away…this time.
The bell rang and Jay balled up the paper he’d been doodling on as she packed her things in her bag. They rose from their seats together and he eyed her with a smirk as she walked to the teacher’s desk with him.
“Yes, Miss Swan?” the teacher asked when they arrived. She shot a look at Jay and shrugged.
“Um, nothing. I’m with him,” she said, jerking a thumb at Jay, who arched a brow but said nothing.
“Yes, well,” the teacher grumbled with a frown while finishing the slip. He tore it off the pad and held it out to Jay who took it and stuffed it in the front pocket of his jeans.
“A pleasure,” Jay said with a final smirk before walking out the door. Bella followed, almost having to jog to keep up.
“Hey,” she called as he cut through the crowd effortlessly. They seemed to part for him while tossing reverent glances like he was some kind of high school god. He paused and looked down at her as she caught up. “What class you have now?” she asked while digging for her wrinkled schedule in the pocket of her back pack.
He chuckled. “My favorite.”
Her brow furrowed as she glanced at the schedule before rolling her eyes. “Lunch,” she grumbled as he grinned. “Now I feel like a dumb-ass.”
He began walking again and glanced at her. “You wear it well.”
“You going to the cafeteria?” she asked as they walked.
“Nope.”
“Don’t you eat?”
He smirked. “Not in the traditional sense, no.”
She frowned. “Then what do you do at lunch?”
He grinned and looked down at her. “I’ll be out back, smokin’.” Her stomach growled and his brows shot up. “Sounds like you need food though.” He nodded to the right. “Cafeteria’s that way. I’ll see you around, Candy girl.” With that, he disappeared in the crowd, leaving Bella to make her way to the cafeteria alone.
When she pushed through the doors, Jessica pounced, almost as though she’d been waiting on her. “Oh my god! What the hell was all that in Calc, Bella?!”
Bella’s brows inched up as they walked to the food line. “What do you mean?”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “You’re joking, right? Jay Cullen!” She sighed, her eyes glazing. “Isn’t he just…god, what I wouldn’t give for just one night…”
Bella’s brows climbed higher. “Yeah, he’s pretty hot.”
Jessica looked at her and smirked. “He is. So’s his adopted brother. One straight-laced good boy and one rebel bad boy. What more could a girl ask for?”
Bella glanced at her as she slid her tray toward the cashier. “He has a brother?”
Jessica grabbed her arm. “Oh yes. Wait until you see them. Come on,” she said, tugging Bella to a table after they’d paid. “Stick with me and I’ll fill you in.”
They sat down and Jessica introduced her to a bunch of people whose names she’d probably forget. “Bella, this is Lauren, Angela, Ben, Eric, and Mike.”
Bella gave a half-hearted wave at the murmured hellos and began unwrapping her sandwich when a flash blinded her. She looked up and blinked the spots from her eyes as Angela lowered a camera. “Sorry, just needed a shot for the feature.”
“Uh, no,” Bella said. “Feature something or someone else.”
Angela’s face fell. “Oh, sorry, I just thought…”
“Yeah, I just don’t want to be the center of attention, you know?”
Angela smiled. “Got it. Sorry for not asking first.”
She was just about to pick up her sandwich when Jessica clamped onto her arm and leaned in. “There they are.” She nodded to the patio entrance just as four of the most attractive people she’d ever seen walked in.
“Wow,” she muttered as a grinning Jessica nodded beside her.
“Yeah, told you. See the one with reddish hair? That’s Edward Cullen, the good boy,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers. “Isn’t he gorgeous too?”
“Yeah,” Bella agreed. She’d yet to take her eyes off him as he pulled out a chair and sat, his siblings doing the same, with the notable exception of Jay.
“The short girl with the spiky hair? That’s Alice Cullen. Watch out for her. Anyone who gets too close to Jay makes it onto her permanent shit list.”
Bella raised a brow. “Why?”
Jessica grinned like she had secrets to convey. “Well, see, the big guy and the blonde? That’s Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale. They’re also Dr. Cullen’s adopted kids, but they’re together—like, together-together. Some of us think Alice wants the same arrangement with Jay, but he doesn’t seem to be down with it. Still, she acts like she owns him.”
“Yeah, it’s all pretty weird,” Lauren threw in with a curled lip.
Angela sighed. “It’s not like any of them are related you guys.”
“Yeah, but still, they all live together. It’s weird,” Jessica finished with a wrinkled nose.
Bella glanced over to the Cullen table and felt her stomach drop when she locked gazes with Edward. He watched her for a beat, then turned back to speak to his siblings just as she remembered to breathe again. He was gorgeous, and something in her had clicked when their eyes met. Something that hadn’t happened when she’d looked at Jay, even though he was just as attractive.
She was still intrigued by the rebel bad boy, but the straight-laced Cullen brother… Just that look had done things to her insides—something that had never happened to her before and she had to wonder at it. It almost felt like some kind of…connection.
With a subtle shake of her head, she turned back and concentrated on her lunch as the people around her talked. “Did you guys hear Jay Cullen already got an in-school suspension this year?” Lauren mentioned with a smirk.
“For what?” Jessica asked before popping a baby carrot in her mouth.
Lauren’s smirk grew. “He had Leslie Jones, you know that varsity cheerleader, pinned up against the lockers when Mr. Creedy walked by. Christy Brown told me he was grinding on her and his hand was on her boob.”
“Oh god,” Jessica nearly moaned, “lucky girl.”
“Right?” Lauren laughed. “Wonder when my turn will be.”
Jessica’s brow creased and she waved her fork as she spoke. “I wonder why he never kisses anyone? Have you ever noticed that? He’s always nuzzling necks, but he never kisses.”
Lauren shrugged. “His uncle’s a doctor. Maybe he’s afraid of mono.”
Jessica shrugged and nodded. “Makes sense, I guess. Still, you’d think he’d make an exception some time.”
“Who cares? I’d give anything just to have him pin me. I think I could die happy then.”
Jessica giggled. “You and me both.”
The bell rang and Bella picked up her tray as she thought about the earful of gossip she’d just heard. Seemed Jay Cullen really was a bad boy in every sense.
“What class you have next, Bella?” Angela asked, breaking into her thoughts about Jay as she slid her tray onto a stack of dirties.
“Uh, biology.”
“Oh, me too,” the girl said with a smile. “I’ll walk with you.”
Together, they wove their way into the crowds heading toward biology. Bella huffed at being shoved and jostled and Angela shot her an understanding smile while clutching her book to her chest. “Don’t worry, you get used to it.”
At that moment though, she couldn’t help but think back on the ease with which Jay Cullen had cut through the crowds and she huffed as someone stepped on her foot. “Shit,” she muttered while tossing a dark look at the culprit; some laughing, jostling jock that was too busy messing with his friends to even notice.
“Problems, Candy Girl?” a familiar voice purred in her ear. She held back a gasp as she was expertly maneuvered over to the wall where she found herself pinned by a delicious smelling, t-shirt and leather clad body.
Her eyes tracked up from the firm chest to lock with a pair of mirth filled red ones accented by his seemingly ever present smirk. “Jay Cullen,” she said and he grinned before dipping his head, drawing a gasp from her as he nuzzled her neck.
“The one and only, sweet Candy Girl,” he murmured, his lips warm and soft against her skin as his hands glided up her sides, his thumbs just grazing the underside of her breasts.
“Oh god,” she breathed, tilting her head on instinct as her eyes dropped closed and something in the center of her being throbbed and ached.
She heard him draw in a deep breath, then he chuckled and it was dark and low—too low for anyone else to hear. “Damn,” he breathed against the tingling skin just under her ear, “aren’t you the responsive one, sweet, sweet Candy Girl…”
His thumbs brushed a little higher, just barely grazing her nipples and she bit back a moan. “Shit,” she breathed before rubbing her cheek against his silky blond curls. “What the hell are you doing to me?”
He chuckled again and it brought goosebumps to her skin as his warm, sweet breath gusted over it. “Playin’ with you, sweet Candy,” he drawled. “Just playin’.” With that, his head rose and he smirked before disappearing into the dispersing crowd.
Slowly, she came back to herself, realizing with some amazement that the hall was just about empty. With a cleansing breath in and out, she pushed off the wall and walked to the open door of her next class.
When she walked in, the class was just about full, so she made her way to the teacher’s desk to have her slip signed. He smiled as she handed the wrinkled slip to him. “Welcome, Isabella. Grab a book,” he said with a wave toward a low rack off to the side, “and find an open seat. Class will start in just a bit.”
“Thanks,” she muttered, “and it’s just Bella, please.”
“Sure thing,” he answered while shuffling papers as she chose a book from the rack.
Turning, she skimmed the class for somewhere to sit and nearly groaned when the only open spot was next to one gorgeously tousled Edward Cullen. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing, especially considering what his ‘brother’ had just done in the hallway. Would Edward prove to be just as forward? ‘Guess you’re about to find out,’ she thought as she cut through the aisles toward his lab table.
“Hi,” she said as she dropped her bag and slid onto the high stool. She stuck out a hand. “I’m Bella Swan.”
He glanced at her, his eyes dark as his brows drew into a frown. His lips thinned and he gave a sharp nod while ignoring her outstretched hand. He turned back toward the front while scooting away from her and she huffed and dropped her hand. “At least your brother had the decency to speak,” she muttered while digging her notebook from her bag. She glanced at him and he rubbed his brow, a pained expression on his face.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I just don’t feel well today.”
She frowned. “Oh, sorry to hear that.” He stayed silent and she bit her lip before trying again. “So, what’s your name?”
His gaze flitted to her and he inched a little farther away. “Edward Cullen,” he muttered before turning back to his book.
She canted her head, studying him a moment. “You seem shy…”
He gusted a laugh and shook his head while looking out the window, his grip on the desk tightening as her scent lit his whole being on fire.
God, he wanted her; wanted to grab her and slake this thirst that positively raged through him. He’d never felt the like in all his years and it was taking every ounce of his control not to drain her on the spot, secrecy and Carlisle’s good regard be damned.
He took a small breath and nearly growled as her scent entered his system, scorching its way into his lungs like so much molten lava, but that’s not what really got his hackles up. No, it was the heavy layer of Jasper’s scent that he could now tell she was layered in that had him gripping the desk so hard it began to splinter.
Through supreme will, he loosened his grip while searching for his dear ‘brother’s’ thoughts. When he found them, he focused which was probably a mistake as it added anger to the overwhelming bloodlust he felt.
He was thinking of her—the sweet, Candy Girl, as he called her—while also thinking of a very graphic kill he’d made in the past, the girl resembling Bella to a startling degree.
He clenched his eyes shut as a pain he’d never experienced knifed through his chest at the thought of his Bella, eyes lifeless and body drained of its sweet life-giving flow.
“Hey, you okay?”
A hand, its warmth scorching through the thin shirt he wore, laid upon his bicep as she leaned toward him, nearly drawing a whimper of pain from him at her proximity. “Maybe you should go to the nurse’s office. You don’t look so good.”
“Please,” he said, his voice just above a whisper. “I’ll be fine. Just…leave me alone for now, okay?” Gently, he shrugged off her blistering touch and moved even farther away as she scooted back to her side of the table.
“All right, sorry,” she said while going back to her book.
With a pinch to his brow, his mind frantically searched for his sister’s, wanting…needing support of some kind…any kind, that would help him through this without having to bolt. Soon enough, he found her and would’ve sighed in relief if doing so wasn’t so painful at the moment. “You’re okay, Edward,” she spoke in her thoughts. “I know it’s hard, but you’ll be fine. You won’t hurt her. Just try to take in as little of her scent as possible and I’ll meet you by the car after class. Don’t worry, I have a plan; one that will work, so don’t you dare run.”
‘Run,’ he thought with a mental scoff. With his brother around, that was hardly an option. No, if he left, even for a few days, he knew his trouble-making brother would take full advantage, and he couldn’t let that happen. His gaze cut to the beautiful girl next to him and his eyes closed as that pain ghosted through his chest again. No, there was just no way he would risk her. Come hell or high water, he was staying—for her.
After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang and he was up and out of his seat before Bella had even packed her bag. “It…it was nice meeting you, Bella,” he said from a few feet away before spinning on his heel to stride from the room.
She blinked at his abruptness, then shrugged. The guy wasn’t feeling well and she wouldn’t hold it against him. Besides, she thought with a faint smile as she shouldered her bag. He’s drop dead gorgeous, and had spoken to her—more than he did with anyone else if Jessica and Lauren were to be believed, so she considered it a win.
At the end of the day, she stowed her unneeded books in her locker and slammed it closed before making her way to the parking lot. She’d made it through the rest of the day free of any Cullens and it had been a bittersweet reprieve. Part of her was relieved but another part missed the adrenaline the brother’s seemed to cause to surge through her veins. There was an edge to them—both of them—that she was quickly becoming addicted to.
She approached her truck, her head down as she walked, as was her habit. It helped when you’re so clumsy, you tended to trip on shadows. When she got there, her nose picked up the scent of cigarette smoke and she looked up, her brows rising at the sight of Mr. Bad, all leaned up against the side of her truck, a smoldering cigarette held between lazy, pillowed lips as he squinted through the curling, blue cloud of smoke.
Reaching up, he plucked the cig from those sinful lips as he smiled. “Well, hello Candy Girl. Enjoy the rest of your day?”
She raised a brow and stuck the key in the lock to open the door. “I did, actually. Thanks for asking.” Skirting around him, she threw her bag in the passenger side and went around to get behind the wheel.
She’d just got the truck started when he slid in next to her while moving her bag toward the middle. “What are you doing?” she asked with a smile as she blinked at him.
He shrugged and flipped his cigarette butt out the door before pulling it closed. “Takin’ a ride with my Candy Girl. That all right with you?”
She arched a brow. “Don’t you have detention or something?”
He grinned. “They’ll never cage me, Candy Girl.”
She shrugged and pulled out, maneuvering the old rusted truck onto the road as he propped his arm on the edge of the window opening. “So, where we headed?” he asked as he rested his head back, those piercing red eyes closed to half-mast as he rolled his head over to look at her. He looked so relaxed, like some kind of lazy jungle cat and she couldn’t help but marvel at the differences between him and his brother.
“Just home,” she said while making at turn at the intersection, the steering on the old beast protesting as she cranked the wheel.
He turned his head back, his lazy stare now focused to the front as he muttered through a smirk, “To Chief Swan’s house we go then…”
Her eyes narrowed as she chanced a quick glance. “You know my Dad?”
His grin was slow as he answered, “Maybe.”
She huffed, a frown creasing her brow at his non-answer and he looked over with a dimpled grin, causing her heart to pick up speed at the sight. “Yeah, Candy Girl, we know each other. Can’t say we’re friends though. He don’t seem to like me much.”
She smirked and side-eyed him. “I can’t imagine why not.”
He gave her the most forlorn look she’d ever seen. “Me either, Candy. I just don’t understand it.” That look was so earnest, it almost made her heart ache at the injustice of anyone thinking anything negative about him.
Still, she laughed, throwing an incredulous look at him as she pulled into her driveway. “I bet,” she quipped, not buying his bullshit for a minute, despite his considerable acting skills.
“Well, this is it, Mr. Bad. End of the ride. Now what are you gonna do?”
“Now?” he purred as a slow grin curved his lips, his head lolling to the side as he stared from under heavy lids. The next second, he was across the cab, his face buried beneath the cascading curls of her hair as his nose and lips slowly dragged over her silken skin from collar bone to jawline. “I’m glad you asked,” he breathed as her heart took off, beating wildly in her chest.
“Jay?” she questioned, her voice breathy as she struggled to remember how to draw air.
“Yeah?” he responded, as his hand moved up her jean clad thigh, coming to rest on her hip, his fingers gently kneading perilously close to her ass.
She shoved against his chest and he moved away, his smirking gaze now locked with hers as her eyes narrowed. “You’re bad news and one hell of a tease and I refuse to be your toy.”
He buried his face against her neck again, relishing in the sound of her hitching breath and racing heart as he grinned against her warm, sweet smelling skin. “But you’re so fun to play with, sweet Candy Girl.” His hand ghosted up to lightly knead her breast and she moaned. “And I do so love to play…” She felt the curve of his lips as he muttered darkly. “….especially when the game includes more players.”
She was just about to ask about that comment when the passenger door of the truck was wrenched open and the sound of a familiar angry voice shot through the fog in her brain.
“Just what in the hell is going on here?!”
With wide eyes, she shot up and stared over a smugly smirking Jay Cullen’s shoulder. “Ch…Charlie!”
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.