Next class was math. Michelle silently walked in and sat in the back, like always. She placed her books down and took a seat. Soon the class flowed inside, filling every available spot.

"Um.." Michelle's head shot up, fast enough to cause a whiplash. A teen, not older than 17 smiled sheepishly at her. "Is this seat taken?" She gulped and stared at him for a second before she shook her head and quickly cleared her stuff. The seat creaked as the boy sat down. The teacher started talking and Michelle tried her hardest to focus on him, but the stare the boy was giving her was getting very annoying. She finally turned her head.

"What?" She whispered. The boy looked taken back but smiled.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I've very noticed how interesting you are" Michelle frowned.

"What?"

"Yeah, I mean. You're face has like a thousand freckles and it looks super soft." Michelle's face turned beet red and she quickly looked down. The boy snickered. "I meant is as a compliment" Michelle nodded, not looking up. "I'm Mike, Mike Newton" He whispered, holding out his hand. Michelle looked up trough her hair and very slowly reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Michelle, Orchard" Mike shook her hand before he released it and smirked.

"I know. You're kind of a celebrity here" Michelle turned red again as Mike laughed. "Is it true that you have like, a gazillion siblings" This did bring a smile on Michelle's face. She nodded.

"Yes, I have."

"I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine the bedroom struggles that must cause" Michelle laughed but quickly covered her mouth with her hand before the teacher could hear it.

"Wait... did I just- I did dint i. I made THE Michelle Orchard laugh. Oh, this needs to be recorded. Does anyone have a pen!?"

-

"My lady" Mike bowed dramatically. Michelle giggled and stepped past him into the room. Mike patted her shoulder and walked away, to a seat in the back, next to a girl. Michelle turned to the teacher and handed him her class slip. He smiled.

"Ah, Miss Orchard." He handed her some stuff. "Welcome to the class. Here are your stuff and I've got a seat for you right over here, so come over" Michelle send him a kind smile and walked over to desk he was pointing at. The teen who sat there glanced at her before his hand flew to his nose, almost panic like. Michelle exhaled and looked down, pushing her seat to the edge of the table.

"Today we'll be observing the behavior of planaria, a.k.a flatworms. " Mr. Molina placed two perti dishes on their table and walked away. "We're going to cut them in half, then watch them regenerate into two separate worms." Michelle glanced up to the teen but he was trying to look everywhere but her so she sighed again and took a petri dish. "Yes, folks, zombie worms! They just won't die."

The class ended and Edward, the boy next to Michelle, sprinted away. Michelle just shook it off and turned in her worms. Mr. Molina was stunned to see the worms already separated and still alive. Michelle just shrugged and left. She entered the administration office but froze in the doorway as she noticed Edward sweet talking with the administrator.

"There must be something open sixth period. Physics? Biochem?"

"No, every class is full. I'm afraid you'll have to stay in biology. I'm so sorry." She gave him a apologetic smile but stopped and noticed Michelle. She held up her finger and Michelle nodded. Edward straightened up and glanced at Michelle, an icy look in his eyes.

"I'll just... endure it." He barked and strode out. Michelle stepped back, giving him space.

-

More than a week past before she saw Edward again. He seemed to have disappeared from school. The other Cullen kids would always stare at her as she passed. Some disapproving some confused and some happy? Michelle did find new 'friends'. Mike, who insisted on calling her Mich, had introduced her to his friends. Eric, Angela, Jessica and the other new girl, Bella.

Michelle stepped inside the classroom and froze as she noticed Edward sitting behind the desk. She inhaled deeply, gathering courage before she forced herself to walked to him. She placed her bag down and sat down. This time he didn't cover his nose, which did sooth Michelle a bit. She kept her head down, took her notebook and started scribbling.

"Hello" Mich froze. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. My name is Edward Cullen." She slowly looked up, meeting his eyes. Her green eyes found his now yellow ones, her eyes wide as a deer caught in headlights. "You're Michelle, right?" Mich nodded. After seconds of staring into his eyes she blinked, averting her gaze.

"Yeah, that's me" She collected herself and looked back. "I'm sorry if I did anything to upset you. If I did, I didn't mean it." Edward squinted his eyes, looking confused.

"Onion root tip cells!" The teacher injected. "That's what's on your slides. Separate and label them into the phases of mitosis. The first partners to get it right, win... the golden onion!" He held up an onion. When no one laughed he sighed. "Come on, people. Tick tock." The class slowly started to focus and Michelle wrung her hands underneath the table, wanting to do the same.

The microscope was pushed into her eyesight. "Ladies first." Mich met his eyes again and nodded. She gently took the microscope.

"Thank you" She skilfully flipped the first slide in and adjusted the lens.

"You didn't do anything wrong" Mich looked away from the microscope and frowned.

"You were gone" Edward smiled.

"Out of town. For personal reasons." Michelle nodded, averting her eyes back on the microscope.

"Prophase." She whispered to herself and jolted it down.

"May I look?" She looked up and nodded, sliding the microscope towards him. He looked through it and smiled.

"Prophase, you are really good at this" Michelle smiled for the first time.

"Thank you" Edward wrote the calculations down before he looked at her again.

"Enjoying the rain?"

Michelle frowned. "Are you asking me about the weather?" Edward looked up from the microscope, as if caught.

"It appears." Michelle stared at him for a second before she smiled.

"I do like the rain. It helps me think." Edward watched her, a small smile on his lips. "I like everything that falls out of the sky; snow, water." Michelle rambled before she noticed what she was doing and stopped, looking down. Edward glanced at the microscope.

"Anaphase." Michelle snapped out of her stare.

"May I?" Edward nodded, sliding the tool over to her. She looked through the lens and smiled. "Anaphase, you are good at this" She joked. Edward gave a breathy chuckle and wrote it down. Michelle watched him for a second before she took the next slide and placed it in.

"If you like the cold, you did pick out the best place in the U.S." Mich smiled.

"I hope so. Metaphase." She explained. "Wanna look" Edward smiled and gently took the microscope again.
"I like your siblings" Michelle blurred out. Edward looked up. "I mean I have never talked to them, or been within 100 meters of them but they seem... nice" She gulped and looked down at her work. Edward smiled.

"Do you have siblings?" Michelle nodded.

"Yes. Lots of them, but we don't get along like you do"

"Why?"

"It's complicated"

"I think I can keep up."

"Well, my three younger sister... moved out and that made my... father angry. Thing's changed after that"

"Hands up!" The teacher declared. Edward and Michelle broke their stare and looked up. "As far as I can tell. Not one of you managed to complete the assignment." Students murmured and the teacher sighed.

"Sir." Sam said quietly. "We're done" The teacher stepped over to them and eyed their work.

-

"Why did your sister's leave?" Edward asked Michelle, walking with her to her locker. Michelle was shocked to say the least. She liked Edward, yes. But she had expected him to leave again after class was done but he hadn't. So with the golden union in her hands (Edward had insisted she kept it) Edward walked her to her locker.

"They couldn't stand being in a room together because of an argument. Father tried to sort things out but it was inevitable. And than me and my younger sister snapped. She was... thrown out of the house." Michelle stopped at her locker and opened it. Edward frowned.

"But now you're unhappy." Michelle looked up, alarmed.

"No, I..." Michelle swallowed, her mouth feeling very dry.

"I'm just trying to figure you out. You're very hard to read." Edward tried to explain. Mich nodded. She tried to turn her attention back to her books but she found his eyes instead.

"I like your eyes" She blurred out. "Yesterday I thought they were black but now I see they're honey brown." Edward looked away and blinked.

"It's just the fluorescents." He then turned around and stalked off. Mich frowned, seeing his hands clench into fists.

Michelle exhaled deeply, turned to her locker and rested her head against it, with a soft tud.

-

'I'm such an idiot' Michelle shook her head and stepped out of the school. Her heart nearly thudded out of her chest as she passed the Cullen's. They all stared at her while she kept her focus on the ground. She stepped foot onto the pavement but froze as a car wavered down the parking lot, straight towards her. She dropped her books and held up her hands, shielding herself but nothing came. Slowly she opened her eyes. They widen. Edward turned to her, his arms still around her. His back was pressed against the car, which had a huge dent in its side.

Before she could question him, he was gone and the warm tingling feeling as well.

Teens sped to her, helping her off the ground, asked if she was alright while others called 911. The next thing she knew she was in the hospital.

"Are you alright?" A man asked. Michelle snapped out of her stare and looked up. An officer with a mustache and kind eyes stared at her in concern.

"I'm fine, officer. It wasn't his fault" Tyler, the driver of the car looked up from the other bed. Unlike Michelle, who was completely unharmed, he had a minor head wound.

"I'm so sorry, Michelle. I tried to stop." Sam nodded.

"It's okay, Tyler. You didn't touch me"

"You can kiss your license goodbye." The cop closed the curtain, a stern look on his face. A man with blonde hair and a lab coat walked inside the room and smiled at them.

"I heard the youngest Orchard daughter was here." The cop nodded at him.

"Dr. Cullen." Dr. Cullen turned to the nurse.

"I've got this one, Jackie." 'Jackie' nodded and left. Doctor Cullen reached out and touched Michelle's head. "Well, Michelle, looks like you took quite a spill. How do you feel"

"Fine, I guess." Doctor Cullen nodded and held up his index finger.

"Good, look here" Michelle did as told and he shone a small light in her eyes. "You might experience some post-traumatic stress or disorientation, but your vitals look good. No signs of any head trauma. You have a hard head." Michelle nodded

"I'm so sorry, Mich. I'm really –" Tyler tried, still hidden behind the curtain but the cop stepped past it, towards him, shutting him up.

"It would have been a lot worse if Edward hadn't... knocked me out of the way." Michelle muttered, taking the icepack Dr. Cullen handed her.

"That's surprising"

"It was like he appeared out of nowhere. He was nowhere near me." Dr. Cullen smiled.

"Sounds like you were very lucky." He left her after that. The cop returned and told her she was good to go so she did. She took her bags and walked out. She stopped when she reached the last corner, hearing Edward's voice.

"I couldn't just let her die"

"This isn't just about you, it's about all of us"

"Let's take this in my office." Michelle looked up from her books to see them staring at her. Michelle gripped her bag, and stood her ground.

"Can- can I talk to you for a moment?" Edward glanced at Dr. Cullen and he nodded. He and the woman walked away. Edward exhaled before he walked over to her. Michelle swallowed. "I wanted to thank you" Edward looked taken back. Had he expected something else? "For saving me"

"No- No problem. How's your head?" Michelle smiled.

"Not a scratch. Apparently I have an hard head" Edward smiled. "How did you get over to me so quickly?" His smile disappeared.

"I was standing right next to you."

"I know what I saw." Edward's eyes turned icy.

"And what, exactly, was that?" Michelle looked taken back but didn't back away.

"You stopped that van. You shielded me from it."

"No one will believe that." Sam frowned.

"I wasn't going to tell anyone" Edward stared as her for four long cold seconds, registering what she had just said. " I just want to know the truth." Edward snapped out of his train of thoughts and shook his head.

"You're not going to let it go, are you?" Michelle shook her head, her gaze, slowly hardening.

"No."

"Then I hope you enjoy disappointment." He hissed and walked away.

"Why did you save me then?" She called after him.

"I don't know." He muttered to himself, exiting the room. He hadn't expected Michelle to hear it but she had and it gave her hope.