Past Time

23

I was looking at Edward with a grin on my face in our English class. He picked me up for school this morning, opened the car door for me, and as an added bonus, he grabbed my hand in front of everyone. To my surprise, everyone seemed shocked that we were together, but Edward took it all in stride. He sneered at all the guys who looked at him with envy, and I smiled sweetly at the girls who shot me mean looks.

"Bella seems really happy for us," I said to Edward.

Edward looked up at me from the work he was doing. "Why does that surprise you?"

"Well, she use to have a huge crush on you, I just thought she'd be a little hurt," I explained while doing my work.

"From what I hear, things are going well with her and Jacob. She has no reason to be jealous of what we have," Edward told me.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "Have you talked to her lately?"

"She calls from time to time," he said, going back to his work, too.

"And what does she say?" I asked him, my pencil tapping furiously on my desk.

"Nothing. We just talk, since we don't really talk at school." Edward said, his eyes not leaving the paper on his desk.

I suppose you could say that I was afraid Edward still had feelings for Bella. I felt that maybe he regrets choosing me and letting her go. It's a fear that will grip me, hopefully for only a short time. If I let this gnaw at me for so long, I'll ruin this short-lived relationship with Edward, and I don't want that. I want anything but that.

The bell rang, dismissing us for whatever our next class was, which was Spanish for me. I never liked Spanish much, but it was a necessary language for me to have. When you travel as much as a normal vampire does, it's great to know a handful of languages. 

I sat next to Bella, who was sitting next to Jessica. Jessica glared at me for a moment, before plastering a fake smile on her face. As always, I ignored her and talked only to Bella.

"How's Jacob doing?" I asked Bella, knowing how much it aggravated Jessica that I never start a conversation with her.

Bella smiled at me. "He's doing good, we're doing good. But, well... he's been acting weird lately. Ever since we all went out to eat, actually."

"What's wrong with him?" I asked her, feigning innocence. 

Of course, I knew what was wrong with Jacob. He's a shapeshifter, turning into a wolf when vampires are around. The only reason why he's never shifted before is that he's never actually been around vampires before, that is until he went on a double date with Edward and me. I wonder if he plans on telling Bella about himself. Or if he was going to push her away again?

"I'm not sure," Bella said slowly, giving me a curious look. "He's not sick anymore, and he's talking to me, but he seems to be hiding something."

"Oh, well, I'm sure he'll tell you about his little secret sooner or later," I assured her. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

Bella continued to look at me, and I could see from the look in her eye that she knew I knew what it was he was hiding. As much as I wanted to tell her, I couldn't. It wasn't my place, and I knew Edward would be disappointed in me if I told her anything. I wouldn't let it slip what we were, but I know it would be easier on her to at least know what was truly going on with Jacob.

"Yeah. Maybe you're right," Bella finally said and turned to face the front of the room.

"It'll be okay," I said, patting her hand.

Bella jerked her hand away, looking at me with wonder. "You're so cold."

I blinked at her, then smiled shyly. "Poor blood circulation. But I'm sure you've heard that old saying, cold hands mean you have a warm heart."

"Right," Bella said, still looking at me with that same look in her eyes.

"Actually, you know what? I'm not feeling so great. Must be something going around," I muttered, rubbing my hands together while I stood up from my seat. 

"You do look kind of pale," Bella noted, looking at my face.

I nodded my head and was already walking towards the door. "I should go see the nurse. I'll see you later."

As soon as I got into the hallway, I rushed to the nurse's office. Coming up with some lame excuse about how I felt like I was going to throw up, and that I need to go home. She let me go, saying she'd let my teachers know what was going on. She even recommended that I go see Dr. Cullen, saying he could probably give me something that'll help right away. With a smile, I thanked her, and I left the school.

I did as the nurse recommended, and went to the Cullen's house. Though I didn't exactly go to see Carlisle, it was more to wait for Edward until he got home.  

"I didn't know your kind could be so loving," I heard a voice come from behind me where I was sitting on their porch and turned to see Jacob.

"There's a lot you don't know." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why are you here?"

Jacob looked at me for a moment before saying anything, there was a weird look on his face. "There's a vampire crossing over onto our land."

"It's not me, and it's not the Cullens, either," I told him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah, we figured that out already. I was just wondering if you knew who it was?" Jacob asked me. "Bella really trusts you, so I kind of trust you, too."

I snorted a laugh. "No, you don't. There's no need to lie to me."

Jacob studied my face before finally nodding his head once. "Bella speaks highly of you, you know that?"

"She speaks only good things of you, too. She really likes you, the reason why is beyond me. You reek of dog," I said to him, wrinkling my nose at him for effect. "But I have to wonder when you plan to tell her what you are."

"When do you plan on telling her what you are?" Jacob countered. 

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I can't do that. If I did, it could get Bella killed, or I would have to turn her. Like me, I'm sure you don't want either one of those scenarios happening. But you can tell her your secret without causing any harm, and she does need to know. I'm not the one dating her, you are. Besides, she knows you're hiding something from her."

"I'm afraid to tell her," Jacob admitted to me, looking uncomfortable. 

"You have no reason to be. She'll accept you for anything that you are," I told him.

"You really think so?" Jacob asked me.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I do. Bella is a very accepting person."

"Yeah," Jacob smiled. "I know."

"Then don't hesitate on telling her," I advised.

"Yeah," he repeated himself, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "Well, I should go. I should be in school right now, anyways."

"Right. Well, I'll see you around." I said, and he didn't say anything as turned on his heel back home.