Midnight Sun (Twilight #1.5)(105)

"Hm... I'm not so sure about that," Jacob laughed.

"It's not," Bella said firmly.

"Thanks, Mike - you don't have to do this, you know."

"Don't worry, I'll keep out of your way."

They grinned at each other, and flashes of numerous accidents - always in some way connected to Bella - flashed through Mike's head.

Jacob started chuckling and Bella groaned.

Mike played alone at first, while Bella hesitated on the back half of the court, holding her racket gingerly, as if it was some kind of weapon. Then Coach Clapp ambled by and ordered Mike to let Bella play.

"Why?" Bella moaned, didn't the coach understand yet?

Uh oh, Mike thought as Bella moved forward with a sigh, holding her racquet at an awkward angle.

Jennifer Ford served the birdie directly toward Bella with a smug twist to her thoughts. Mike saw Bella lurch toward it, swinging the racket yards wide of her target, and he rushed in to try to save the volley.

I watched the trajectory of Bella's racquet with alarm. Sure enough, it hit the taut net and sprung back at her, clipping her forehead before it spun out to strike Mike's arm with a resounding thwack.

Jacob was howling with laughed and Bella turned bright red and held her head in her hands. That was a new all time low for her.

"You really are awful," Jacob choked out some time later.

"Yeah, yeah, now can you continue reading," Bella tried to sound as if this wasn't bothering her, but she was still red and her voice was too weak to pull that off.

Ow. Ow. Ungh. That's going to leave a bruise.

"Good," Jacob said, his dying laughter starting again.

Bella was kneading her forehead. It was hard to stay in my seat where I belonged, knowing she was hurt. But what could I do, if I were there? And it didn't seem to be serious... I hesitated, watching. If she intended to continue to try to play, I was going to have to manufacture an excuse to pull her out of class.

"Overreaction," Bella rolled her eyes.

The coach laughed. "Sorry, Newton." That girl's the worst jinx I've ever seen. Shouldn't inflict her on the others...

More laughter for Jacob, but Bella was pleased that the coach seemed to get it better now.

He turned his back deliberately and moved to watch another game so that Bella could return to her former spectator's role.

Ow, Mike thought again, massaging his arm. He turned to Bella. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, are you?" she asked sheepishly, blushing.

"I think I'll make it." Don't want to sound like a crybaby. But, man, that hurts!

"Crybaby," Jacob laughed.

Mike swung his arm in a circle, wincing.

"I'll just stay back here," Bella said, embarrassment and chagrin on her face rather than pain. Maybe Mike had got the worst of it. I certainly hoped that was the case.

At least she wasn't playing anymore. She held her racquet so carefully behind her back, her eyes wide with remorse... I had to disguise my laugh as coughing.

What's funny? Emmett wanted to know.

"You know... if you were in Emmett's Gym class, I bet he would have liked you from the first day," Jacob teased.

"Shut up," Bella hissed at him.

"Tell you later," I muttered.

Bella didn't venture into the game again. The coach ignored her and let Mike play alone.

I breezed through the quiz at the end of the hour, and Mrs. Goff let me go early. I was listening intently to Mike as I walked across the campus. He'd decided to confront Bella about me.

Jessica swears they're dating. Why? Why did he have to pick her?

He didn't recognize the real phenomenon - that she'd picked me.

"Don't go overboard with that," Bella rolled her eyes, it was more of a phenomenon that he had picked her after a hundred years after all.

"So."

"So what?" she wondered.

"You and Cullen, huh?" You and the freak. I guess, if a rich guy is that important to you...

Bella was glaring at the book, she didn't like this assumption at all, but what was really getting to her was how very wrong Mike was... Edward was so much more than just a rich guy.

I gritted my teeth at his degrading assumption.

"That's none of your business, Mike."

Defensive. So it's true. Crap. "I don't like it."

"You don't have to," she snapped.

Why can't she see what a circus sideshow he is? Like they all are.

Bella was glaring more at the book than before, not liking his way of thinking at all.

The way he stares at her. It gives me chills to watch. "He looks at you like...like you're something to eat."

Bella and Jacob both tensed a little at that... it wasn't good that Mike was able to notice that.

I cringed, waiting for her response.

Her face turned bright red, and her lips pressed together like she was holding her breath. Then, suddenly, a giggle burst through her lips.

"You laughed?" Jacob looked at her incredulously.

"Um... the irony of that must have gotten to me," Bella said. "I'm sure it was a nervous laugh if that makes you feel any better."

"It doesn't," Jacob said and then started reading again.