Equinox

To All The Girls I've Loved Before

Angela wanted to tell people about the existence of vampires except nobody would believe her. She didn't even believe Edward when he told her until he crushed a cinder block like a cracker. She couldn't provide proof that the Cullens were vampires that couldn't be explained away. And she knew this because she had been explaining away their sheer oddness for the past two years like everybody else in town.

If Jessica or Lauren had come up to her and insisted with every fiber of their being that one of their classmates was Dracula, she wouldn't believe them. She would laugh and call them silly. She would say they were being mean by spreading rumors. She would reiterate that vampires weren't real until she was blue in the face. She would be wrong.

Having to keep the Cullens' secret to herself made her essentially mute as she feared blurting it out in the middle of the hallway or class. She might say it to the camera as Eric was filming a video. She might see one of the Cullens and greet them with "Hello Mr. or Ms. Vampire". All scenarios were bad.

She had to resort to telling her everyone she had a sore throat and didn't want to talk. English class was awkward. Angela could practically feel Edward's eyes on her and the few times she looked over her shoulder, his sad, sulking face was making her feel guilty and confused. She still didn't know where she stood on vampirism.

And she didn't know how to feel about his feelings for her. Truth be told, she never thought of him that way. Edward Cullen had spent two years creating a façade of superiority that discouraged any girl in school from trying to get his attention without being soundly rejected. The story of his rejection of Jessica in Freshman Year had spread and they all learned to stay away.

Not that they didn't look at Edward Cullen. He was too handsome not to be seen. They admired him like a painting in a museum. To be seen but never touched.

But now after all these weeks of seeing glimpses of what Edward hid beneath his façade, Angela liked what she saw. Despite her reservations, she was aware that most couples had awkward beginnings. Theirs just happened to be vampirism and Edward's terrible social skills. She didn't know how long he'd been alive in this world but she guessed he didn't spend that time talking to a lot of people.

Class ended and Angela gathered her things. She nearly jumped as an origami duck landed on her table. She got a glimpse of Edward's back leaving the classroom and she unfolded the paper duck. She noted that Edward's pretty, loopy handwriting was even prettier than hers.

Hi. As I said, take all the time you need. I do want to clarify that you're right. I have not spoken to a lot of people. And I've been around a while. – E

Smiling, she tucked the paper into her textbook and left the classroom.

Angela kept herself from saying anything about the supernatural by stuffing her face with food. Even if she said anything, it would come out as unintelligible noises. Eric was filming with his camcorder again and she was in the background of the footage, chewing her food as slow as she could. Eric had just shut off his camcorder when Emmett Cullen came over.

"Hi!" He greeted, cheerily. "I don't think any of us have ever been really introduced. I'm Emmett."

Eric warily stared at the other boy's hand. Emmett stood over him like Goliath staring down at David except Goliath was smiling and friendly. Eric shook his hand and made no comment about how cold Emmett's hands were. Another vampire trait Angela had missed was the temperature of Edward's skin.

"I'm Eric," Her friend swallowed. "Nice to meet you."

"No, man, nice to meet you!" Emmett took a seat at their table, right between her and Eric and she moved back to accommodate the giant. "I love your channel! I watch FLOSH every morning on the way to school."