I had Biology after lunch. I walked in with a bunch of students quick on my heels.

I looked around the room looking for an empty seat and not finding much as most of the students were already seated or paired up. All but one.

I swallowed hard around the lump forming in my throat. There was a vampire in this class.

Not just any vampire though, it was the best one, the glorious one with the hair. And the only available seat was next to him.

My eyes widened as I contemplated. Surely this was not okay. I was supposed to observe from afar not from beside the vamps. And what would my reaction be to sitting beside one of them, to sitting beside him especially?

It was one thing to remain calm when passing them in the hall but I doubted my restraint at being this close.

I bit my lip in agitation.

I was staring at him and he was staring at me now having seen me deliberating in the doorway. I watched his lips part as he saw the panic stretch across my face.

Did he not honestly not know what I was?

The butterflies in my stomach felt like they were dancing. I closed my eyes. Why, if I had to share a class with one of them, did it have to be him?

I didn't like the emotions he invoked in me or that he made me feel anything at all. It was confusing being around him. And I didn't like it one bit.

"Miss Swan," the teacher said looking up from the mountain of paperwork his head was buried in. "You may take your seat." Damn.

My lips thinned but having no other option, I took my seat in the only available one.

I all but fell in my chair. I pretended to dig into my book bag to give me a moment to check myself and my reaction to being so close to him.

I could feel my breathing quicken but more out of stress than the need to shift. Hmm. I felt fine.

I could physically feel his stare as I took out a notebook and pencil. His cold skin almost hummed beside me. I knew he was listening to the racing of my heart and the deep breaths I was taking.

I straightened up and tried to shake out my tense muscles. I may not be on the verge of shifting but I couldn't relax either. Not with his penetrating stare or his sinful, sweet scent invading my senses.

I inhaled more. Sam always said the vampires smelled like poison, like rotten garbage. I didn't know what vampires he had been sniffing but the boy beside me was intoxicating and if not for me being so stock still, I would have leaned into him for more.

Thankfully Mr. Molina called the class to quiet down so he could begin the lesson.

"Ladies first." Said the boy beside me. His voice was calming. I blinked. Did they all have an almost melodic tone to their voice? It was hypnotizing.

Not able to resist any longer, I looked over at him. I was still tense from being so close to one of them, uncertain of what would happen and my shoulders were incredibly hunched from the mix of emotions bouncing around inside of me.

I did not feel comfortable in my own skin. But he just looked on with a softened expression.

"I'm Edward." He said. "And you're Bella." He stated.

Inside my body was practically vibrating from the sound of his voice. And knowing his name.

I tried to lessen the mood by making a joke hoping to dispel the rising anxiety between us. "I see you've heard of me."

A smile stretched across his face as he looked toward the front of class where Mr. Molina was handing out the assignment.

"Hard not to. You have the whole school buzzing." I grimaced. I had noticed. Edward's smile grew bigger. "In a small town like this it doesn't take much to entice this bunch."

He hadn't included himself in that and the thought was depressing. "But not you?" I asked.

The smile stilled on his face. It was a bold question to ask and it slipped out before I could stop it. I shouldn't care if he noticed me or found me enticing. Not at all. But I did because my eyes had sought after him all day and his had always been on mine.

My chest squeezed at the thought. The teacher finally showed up at our desk with our project before he could answer and I was grateful.

I looked away and focused my eyes on my own work for the rest of class. I could feel Edward beside me many times trying to subtlety gain my attention or get me to look over at him.

But I couldn't. Something was happening to me. I felt hurt inside over something I couldn't explain. My chest ached and I felt ill inside.

I needed air. To take a calming breath, to think and not be fighting inside with every gasping breath I had.

I was out of my seat before the bell even finished ringing. I didn't dare look back to see what the class thought of my odd behavior or Edward.

It took every ounce of my concentration to get out of there. What felt like a balloon was swelling inside me filling me up and I felt on the verge of exploding.

I didn't know what was happening but it wasn't good. And the more I tried to fight it, the worse the feeling got. I had to get out of here for everyone's safety and mine.

Edward had triggered something in me, something foreign. I wasn't close to shifting but I felt out of control.

I almost cried when the fresh air hit my face. I was outside. This was good. I'd wait in the truck until Seth came and then figure this all out later.

The important thing was just getting out of here before I erupted.

But of course fate had different plans because it hated me. There was a large group formed down the steps blocking my path from a quick exit.

I could hear catcalling as I tried to push my way through. And what sounded like a grunt from a very familiar voice.

What the Hell.

I made it to the center of a crowd where an ashen Angela stood while my brother was being cornered at the back of my truck with 5 other jocks. And standing in the middle of them with his hands on Seth's collar was the head dick from earlier at lunch.

And suddenly the large crowd made so much sense. They were here anticipating a fight. My brother against five others.

All I saw was red.

"Hey,"I screamed, gaining everyone's attention. My voice echoed all around us, I was that pissed off.

Even worse for them is my control had slipped and now I was grenade whose pin had been pulled.

I could feel it in my bones.

I was seriously going to fucking kill them.

One of the other boys broke away from my brother and approached me as if I was a lion he was fixing to tame.

My eyes were narrowed into thin slits now, my jaw so clenched I could have snapped steel between it.

I went to kick my foot through his rib cage when he turned at the last pivotal moment making my foot graze his side instead.

It hadn't packed quite the punch the fury in my veins demanded but even so, with my werewolf strength, it sent his ass flying into the rest of them.

The head dick turned as he stumbled and grimaced.

"Just the girl I was looking for." He seethed. His own anger seemed to amplify my own.

"In case you haven't noticed, my brother and I aren't into you so leave us be." I spat. I could hear the whispers and the snickers moving through the crowd we had drawn. Not a single one made a move to intervene. Angela cowered on the side. How did she get in the middle of this? Was she with Seth?

The jackass ignored me and started to limp my way. "Due to your antics in the cafeteria I can't play this Friday because I have four bruised toes that I can't put any pressure on." Well maybe that would teach him to not be such a jackass.

Not even a little bit of me cared about him or his precious football game.

"If you have a problem with me then leave it between us and leave my brother out of it." I gritted.

"Oh, I have a problem all right. And your brother was just going to deliver a message."

I started toward him and from the widening of Seth's eyes where the others still held him told me murder was dwelling withing them.

"Bella don't!" Seth cried.

The werewolf within me didn't listen. It begged for retribution at one of my own being in danger.

"Yeah?" I asked as I started toward him. "Well I have one to deliver of my own." I was going to break my fist on his face.

Out of nowhere, literally nowhere Edward appeared. His strong and cold arm wrapped itself around my waist holding me back. I could feel his muscles bunch under his shirt with the effort to keep me contained.

Edward's cold skin was like a balm to me and I was able to come down from the high of vengeance. I blinked trying to clear my head.

Still breathing heavy, my eyes squinted as the douche bag kept coming forward ready to lay me out. Edward's grip tightened and his skin on mine was like cold water splashing me in the face to clear the haze of rage inside of me.

"That's enough." Edward growled. The jock seemed beyond listening the way I was moments before. He raised his arm anyway and Edward threw his arm up to block while simultaneously holding me back.

The boy cringed as his arm collided with Edward's vampire steel skin and he clutched it to his stomach. I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

The crowd was starting to disperse as finally some teachers had seen the commotion and were calling out for everyone to break it up.

Seth, finally free pushed his way through those who had let him go. He went to Angela's side and stood there in front of her as the others made a hasty retreat.

I wiggled out of Edward's vice like hold drawing his attention away from the douche wallowing in pain.

I inhaled deeply before letting it back out. He smelled even better outside. He had come to my aid even after the weirdness that had overcome me in Biology.

That feeling was gone now. All I felt was him.

"Thank you." I breathed. Truly, I meant it. More than he could understand. Not for intervening like he probably thought I meant. I was in no danger. I could handle myself. But because he saved me from shifting, and from hurting those cowards....or worse. "How did you know?"

"I followed you out because you left your book bag in class." I looked around and saw it was sitting beside him where he must have dropped it before he grabbed me.

I slipped the strap over my shoulder, giving him a soft smile in thanks.

"Are you going to be okay?"He asked.

I laughed in relief as the school parking lot started to clear out. My eyes lingered on Edward's family. The big, burly one wasn't standing far from where we stood. Was he going to jump in too to help his brother? I shook my head. What a catastrophe this could have been?

The beautiful blonde standing behind him still looked like she had been sucking on something sour. She did not seem pleased about any of this, and definitely not me. Couldn't really say I blamed the vampire.

This was all wrong and very bad. I was supposed to be protecting the humans from the vampires, not being saved by the vampires from the humans.

"I'm fine, thanks to you. I'll be okay." I said walking backwards toward my brother who was talking to Angela. The tips of Seth's cheeks were pink again.

Edward's eyes tracked my every step. " So tomorrow?" I asked. "I'll see you in Biology."

His lips curved up. "Looking forward to it."

By the time I made it to Seth's side my cheeks were as pink as his. And that was going to be a problem.

Angela pulled me into a hug. I let out a little laugh. "I can't believe any of that just happened. I ran into Seth in the hallway. He walked me out." Oh he did, did he? I looked over at him and his face was beat red. I smirked. Somebody had a little crush. And he wasn't the only one.

I gulped and focused back on Angela and less on my jumbled thoughts. "And then he was jumped from behind by Aro and his pack of heathens." That was the losers name. Hmph. "Thank goodness for Edward. He came out of nowhere. Which is surprising." She added on after second thought.

"How so?" I asked.

"He never gets involved in anything here." Really, he looked at lunch like he was seconds away from coming over then too. "You will notice that the Cullen's tend to keep to themselves." I hadn't noticed which was bad because it was my job to notice.

I could hear Seth placating Angela by telling her he was fine and then looking her over to make sure she wasn't harmed while my eyes went to the back of the parking lot where the vampires had been standing. A really expensive silver Volvo was pulling out as I watched it drive past.

I let out a deep breath. How in the world was I going to explain any of this?

< & >

Happy Sunday. I hope to see you in the next chapter. Have a great week. Feel free to vote or comment if you like.