Edward never would have given the thought of wanting to make friends with a human. He, despise his own voice of reasoning, made the choice in returning to school the day that follow. he made it a mission to look for Malachi decker, eyes scanning over the faces in the cafeteria from where he sat at the table which his 'siblings' anointed.

his face begins saddening— not noticing Malachi had entered through the main entrance.

Alice all knowing, about her brother stubbornly not wanting to admit, the reason of to arrive to school early was for Malachi. She could easily, in her own eyes, perceive the immediate connection Edward was feeling. It did not take ignorance to know, and see a change in his behaviour. No matter how much Edward was in denial. posture changing, to a roll of his shoulders and pressing down both elbows to where his ribs are position— the ghost of a smile he wanted to show, Edward could smell the familiarised scent of blood which belong to Malachi.

" dude, you could not be more indistinct and subtle." Emmett gives a shit-eating grin, flicking a piece of carrot that Rosalie was 'eating' at Edward's face. pressing his upper lip down on his teeth, and making a grunt— sounding his annoyance at Emmett.

he flicks the vegetable directly at his nose, Emmett makes a pretend pained sound, " dude." he whines.

Malachi pulls on the chair, for Bella— allowing her to sit in her place she had made hers. He is made aware of someone staring in his direction, flickering his eyes over his left shoulder to see Edward looking fixedly to where he sat.

" if you do not mind, Bella. i have to see what it is, to which who is Edward Cullen, wants. and why he is staring at us."

The size of Bella's eyes grow, taken aback. " Kai, Kai."

Jasper hale was first to notice of how alluring the smell of the boy— Malachi, blood was to him. It did not, in a perception which he normally would react to the smell of a humans blood with the thought of violently draining the body of the blood, make him become rigid with unease. No, in correlation, he became alleviated in feeling the need to be on alert.

So when the scent returned, Jasper looks with an expression of curiosity— to Malachi, to who had a waltz in his step. Edward could hear Malachi first, it being easy when he starting talking. " hello there, Edward. to what is the pleasure, in which you are staring at Bella and I?". Emmett jaw loosens, hanging down in slight disbelief.

" if I didn't think any better, I would say I am staring at an Angel. woah. rose! Look at his face. Ow! what was that for?".

Malachi stares, incredulously, at Emmett. Rosalie's face etches in a scowl, at her husband talking a loud his intrusive thoughts. " you said those words a loud, idiot." but he was not wrong, Malachi did have no imperfections when it came to his beauty. she was astonish at his beauteous appearance, it being one she would adamantly admit to.

It came as a surprise, to Edward, hearing how Rosalie was praising and admiring Malachi— only to roll his eyes in his mind when she resorted to back to her self-centred attitude.

" thank you, I suppose. you have a nice appearance, too." Malachi nods, Emmett's grin returns. " you hear that, rose. Babe! I look nice." Rosalie drags a hand down the front of her face, trying to hold her growl of annoyance in. Alice grins, enjoying how her 'brother' was embarrassing Edward.

" I am sorry about my siblings. they, at times, do not know how to show their ages and their immaturity sometimes bests them."

Edward spoke, eyes showing discomfiture of how his 'siblings' were acting.

" no need for the apologies. Back to the topic on hand, I have a grievance to speak of. you were staring, at Bella. just yesterday. Like she had offended you." Malachi posture changes, folding his arms over his chest and leering down, placing his body down on the surface of the table. Alice and Rosalie could feel the tension forming, touching their husbands on the arms.

" I think it's best if we leave Edward, to talk alone with Malachi." Alice is the one to speak, Rosalie did not need to have her 'sister' ask again— relishing the discomfit which he was displaying.

In the moment Edward had the inability to hold eye contact. finding the piece of fruit, a banana, left behind by the likes of Rosalie and stares at the senescent splotches on the skin, with his 'siblings' leaving the table. It was an out of the ordinary behaviour for Edward, being he was never the one to feel overawe of intimidation from a human. but he meets Malachi's eyes, now hardened with Steel.

" I don't have an excuse to how I acted, i myself don't know why I was behaving such a way." Edward explains, trying to focus his practiced breathing, using air quotations on the word, techniques he taught himself over the time as a vampire. It was proving a problem, at the proximity of how close Malachi sat.

" Bella is a nice girl. She was upset and told me you were glaring at her, and I am serious when it comes to Bella. I don't like seeing her upset. So when I was made inform of your stares, I just wanted to come over and ask what the deal was."

At the point of their conversation, there was whispers circulating the cafeteria. Girls were left mouth agape to Edward talking to the new boy, and the male students spoke in a not-so quiet way about 'the new kid has Cullen shocked.' They couldn't comprehend or believe he was saying actual words to someone that was not his siblings.

" I will give Bella my apologies when I see her in next hour of class." That was a lie

The next hour came and there was no sign of Edward. He had left the school, going straight to his car and leaving. It had made Malachi scoff, 'that was an asshole move. Cullen' is all he could thought of saying. That is how it went for the next several days, of six consecutive no shows from Edward for school. Then the following week he arrived back to class.

Malachi had chosen to ignore his greetings, sitting in the place he was assigned in biology. todays weather was over cast, the rain clouds darken with a light sprinkling of rain falling on the windows of the classroom. it was the weather which Malachi was not enthusiastic of. he did miss the Los Angeles sun.

Edward, twiddling the push button of his pen, decided he found the weather interesting. " it's raining, today. I am rather fond of these conditions. how are you finding the weather? do you like.. the rain?" He wanted to cringe of how ridiculous he sounds, with his query if he liked the weather— which was the same three hundred and sixty five days that made a year.

" you are serious, asking me about the weather." Malachi couldn't help his laugh, keeping the volume of his laughter down to not cause any distraction. " I am from Los Angeles, I much prefer the presence of heat and the sun." his answer made Edward further curious, at the new information. " you are from California? and you are now here. In forks. Why? If I am allowed to further inquire."

" you are the inquisitive boy, aren't you. Cullen." Malachi chuckles, but allows a smile to show. " I actually moved here, to be with Bella." That was not the answer Edward he hope to hear, his mouth turning down in a frown.

" are you, if I am may be informal, Bella's boyfriend?" The word 'boyfriend' sounding foreign, like it was venomous.

" oh, no. No, I could never see Bella in that way. no, she is my best friend." Edward felt a relief at his words, his chest falling with a sigh he didn't know he had even held in. " we should really begin to study these. We don't wish for Mr. Molina to fail our asses now, and I do not wish for my mom to call and scold me." Malachi begins using the microscope, twisting the lenses to stare at the onion root cells.

" don't think I forgot of how you left and didn't say an apology to Bella. Cullen."

Edward touches his own cheeks, at the curving of his lips. He was smiling. Watching Malachi concentrate but is chary of his words. " oh, I won't forget."

School was over for the day. The time where students heave a sigh of alleviation knowing they could leave, and it was the day before the weeks end. One topic was prom and plans to go to Seattle, or the nearest city, where they wouldn't find the prettiest of dresses. Malachi walks to where he left his car in, Bella's Chevrolet truck adjacently parked to the front. he uses his keys to press the unlock option, the motion unlocking the car automatically.

Bella, having to hurriedly navigate the patches of ice on the ground of the parking spaces not wanting to be in the way of leaving cars, smiles to Malachi. She had to be cautious, prone to slipping, which meant for her to fall behind Kai. He was always the fast pacing Walker. " you have to remember I am not the greatest at walking, Kai."

Edward was gazing over the opposite side to the parking lot. Fixating his stare on Malachi, about to enter his car, then high frequency screech of a car is heard. a horn loudly rung out, to which grows loud in sound. Tyler's van was moving out of control, manoeuvring to the side and Tyler panics as he tries in re-gaining his car wheel and truck. the air and time moves slowly, horror sets in the faces of Bella and Edward.

" Kai." Her shouts are heard. Malachi eyes widen a fraction, as the shock registers in his head at the fast moving van. Then everything fades to a slow moving speed, the van was slowing and his uncle amenadiel appears— hand thrusting out right and stopping the vehicle from impacting his Nephew.

" uncle amen."

He spoke, recovering from the disbelief of the van speeding his way. Amenadiel cranes his neck, signalling for him to move out from behind where he stood. " move. And don't worry about your car, Malachi. worry about the reality I just stopped this boys automobile from crushing you."

" you know, it wouldn't have severely injured me. Uncle amen." He breathes a chortle, moving his leg to the right— stepping from behind his uncle. Amenadiel had to give a smirk, at his reply. " you do know I will have to tell your mother and Lucifer about this happening. Correct." it was not a question but only a assertion of words. he indeed would get a call from his mother in the coming hours.

" thank you for saving me from the impending wound of my ego, uncle Amen." he fakes a bow, then waves his fingers in a motion of 'bye'. Time moves normally, again, and he recoils to the sight of Tyler's van touching his car with only a light dent forming. A void of sound, silence as the faces of the students shift to where malachi stood. Dumbfound he stood with no physical injuries.

Bella, not questioning how her best friend is standing with no cuts or bleeding, runs to where he stands and embraces him. " Kai!" she cries.

That is when it settles in, the screaming. Everyone comes running, to his aid and Tyler. questions are asked about what happen, how he was uninjured when just seconds early and away from a van barrelling to end his life.

But all Malachi could feel and see was the burning gaze of shock from Edward.

-

Author note;
Sorry about the late update. My grandmother is not doing well, she has contracted coronavirus. She is on oxygen and was tested this morning, for me Australian standard time, as positive for the virus.

To add on, I saw this ridiculous tiktok on my for you page which was explaining how to not write a story or start a chapter, and it was the most basic points which I half agree with but my point stand is, how are you going to shame an author for how they want to write their story then say you are trying to 'help'.

It's a shame how some think their opinion is needed.

Sorry for my ranting.