Girl In Red (R.HALE)

3

"Bella!" 

The brunette turned around just as Leigh caught up with her, hair billowing out behind her as a gust of wind slapped them both in the face. 

"Hey," Bella said, still a little shy. 

Leigh smiled, but didn't say anything else. Both girls headed toward the office to hand in their signed slips, but Bella stopped dead in the doorway. Leigh barrelled straight into her back, cursing in surprise, until she saw what Bella was staring at. 

Edward Cullen, the 'obviously' gorgeous bronze-haired boy from the cafeteria, was whispering feverishly to the chirpy desk-lady, a thunderous expression on his pale face. She seemed a mixture of irritated and besotted with him. 

"I'm sorry, Mr Cullen, you'll have to stay in Biology." 

Leigh blinked in confusion, seeing the hurt flash across Bella's face as Edward turned to leave in frustration, clapping eyes on the two girls blocking the doorway. 

"I guess I'll just have to live with it," he spat through his teeth, charging for the door and slipping past them as Bella cringed out the way. 

Leigh watched him go in shocked outrage. "What's his problem?" 

Bella's bottom lip began to tremble, but she set her jaw and pushed her shoulders back. "Me." 

Leigh spluttered in surprise. "What?" 

Bella shook her head, turning to storm out of the office. Leigh snatched her paper slip from her hand, practically throwing them onto the desk and muttering an apology to the lady behind it, before tearing out the door and after her. 

"Bella, hang on a minute, will you?" 

The brunette kept walking, but Leigh caught up with her in a few strides.

"What's going on?" she demanded. 

"He hates me," Bella said, face a shade of red that Leigh had never seen before. 

"But, why? Have you even spoken to him?" 

"He's my lab partner in Bio," Bella said, making a beeline for a garishly red truck in the corner of the lot. "We didn't talk, he literally moved his chair away from me when I sat down, and now he tried to change classes. Because of me." 

"What a dickhead." 

"I don't get it," Bella mumbled, digging her keys out of her pocket and promptly dropping them to the tarmac, letting out a groan of frustration. 

Leigh ducked down and swept them up off the ground, holding them out to her. Bella let out a defeated sigh and gave her a small smile of thanks. 

"Ignore him," Leigh said simply. "If he wants to act that an ass, that's on him." 

Bella's face scrunched up in discomfort, but she seemed to agree. 

"Listen, I've got to go," she said, reaching out and gently patting Bella on the arm. "But I'll see you tomorrow." 

Bella nodded. "Okay." 

Leigh turned on her heel, jogging across the parking lot to where Tammy was squatted. She couldn't help but smile as she looked over her car, despite its scruffy appearance that cowered in comparison to the sleek, silver Volvo parked beside it. 

Just as she was throwing her bag into the passenger seat, she found herself distracted. 

The Cullens were moving in a graceful troop across the lot in her direction. It was surprisingly intimidating, especially since a few of them were looking at her. They weren't threatening, but there was something about their lithe beauty that made Leigh feel like a garden gnome in comparison.