Midnight Sun (Twilight #1.5)(94)

"Hello," I said, my voice a tad curt.

Her face got brighter. "Hi."

She didn't seem inclined to say anything else, so I led the way to the cafeteria and she walked silently beside me.

The jacket had worked - her scent was not the blow it usually was. It was just an intensification of the pain I already felt. I could ignore it more easily than I once would have believed possible.

Bella was restless as we waited in line, toying absently with the zipper on her jacket and shifting nervously from foot to foot. She glanced at me often, but whenever she met my gaze, she looked down as if she were embarrassed. Was this because so many people were staring at us? Maybe she could hear the loud whispers - the gossip was verbal as well as mental today.

"Argh," Bella groaned, she wasn't sure if she noticed the other people or not, but she didn't like hearing it now. Then her mind drifted as she thought about the attention she now knew she was going to get in soon on her first day of school.

Or maybe she realized, from my expression, that she was in trouble. She didn't say anything until I was assembling her lunch. I didn't know what she liked - not yet - so I grabbed one of everything.

"What are you doing?" she hissed in a low voice. "You're not getting all that for me?"

"Why are you complaining... it's free food," Jacob said, incredulously.

Bella shrugged, she was sure he wouldn't understand her reason.

I shook my head, and shoved the tray up to the register. "Half is for me, of course."

She raised one eyebrow skeptically, but said nothing more as I paid for the food and escorted her to the table we'd sat at last week before her disastrous experience with blood typing. It seemed like much more than a few days. Everything was different now.

She sat across from me again. I pushed the tray toward her.

"Take whatever you want," I encouraged.

She picked up an apple and twisted it in her hands, a speculative look on her face.

"I'm curious."

What a surprise.

"Yes... it is rather shocking," Jacob chuckled and Bella rolled her eyes.

"What would you do if someone dared you to eat food?" she continued in a low voice that wouldn't carry to human ears. Immortal ears were another matter, if those ears were paying attention. I probably should have mentioned something to them earlier...

"Oh great," Bella said, suddenly looking very self-conscious; she had a feeling the others weren't going to like this.

"You're always curious," I complained. Oh well. It wasn't like I hadn't had to eat before. It was part of the charade. An unpleasant part.

I reached for the closest thing, and held her eyes while I bite off a small bite of whatever it was.

"I wasn't actually asking you to eat it," Bella rolled her eyes. "A verbal answer would have been enough."

Without looking, I couldn't tell. It was as slimy and chunky and repulsive as any other human food. I chewed swiftly and swallowed, trying to keep the grimace off my face. The gob of food moved slowly and uncomfortably down my throat.

I sighed as I thought of how I would have to choke it back up later. Disgusting.

"That is disgusting... and something that we didn't need to hear about," Jacob said.

Bella's expression was shocked. Impressed.

I wanted to roll my eyes. Of course we would have perfected such deceptions.

"If someone dared you to eat dirt, you could, couldn't you?"

Her nose wrinkled and she smiled. "I did once...on a dare. It wasn't so bad."

Jacob laughed at that. "Why?"

"It was a dare," Bella said as if it was obviously, the all too common blush was coloring her checks again.

I laughed. "I suppose I'm not surprised."

They look cozy, don't they? Good body language. I'll give Bella my take later. He's leaning toward her just the way he should, if he's interested. He looks interested. He looks...perfect. Jessica sighed. Yum.

I met Jessica's curious eyes, and she looked away nervously, giggling to the girl next to her.

Hmmm. Probably better to stick to Mike. Reality, not fantasy...

"Yeah, you do that," Bella said.

"Jessica's analyzing everything I do," I informed Bella. "She'll break it down for you later."

I pushed the plate of food back towards her - pizza, I realized - wondering how best to begin. My former frustration flared as the words repeated in my head: More than he likes me. But I don't see how I can help that.

She took a bite from the same slice of pizza. It amazed me how trusting she was.

"Why? Is there something wrong with the pizza?" Bella wondered.

"I doubt it, he wouldn't give you anything that could have the slightest possibility of being dangerous," Jacob chuckled.

Of course, she didn't know I was poisonous - not that sharing food would hurt her. Still, I expected her to treat me differently. As something other. She never did - at least, not in a negative way...

I would start off gently.

"So the waitress was pretty, was she?"

She raised the eyebrow again. "You really didn't notice?"

As if any woman could hope to capture my attention from Bella. Absurd, again.

"If you don't say things like that to me, how am I supposed to know that's what you're thinking?" Bella muttered.