six, bella and edwardo (?)
twilight

The cafeteria buzzed with the usual Monday energy, loud conversations, the clatter of trays, the smell of questionable mashed potatoes hanging in the air. Clover sat at the lunch table next to Juno, across from Bella, her unopened sandwich sitting on her tray. She wasn't exactly hungry, but she wasn't ready to admit it.

Bella was stirring the straw in her drink absentmindedly, staring toward the table where the Cullens usually sat. It was empty. She had been the first to notice when she pulled into the parking lot this morning. Only some of the Cullens were leaning against their vehicles.

"They're not here," she murmured to anyone who was listening. Someone was always listening, she just wasn't sure who would reply. Jessica always wanted to hear about the Cullens, she loved the drama that surrounded them, gosh, she wanted to be them.

Clover followed her gaze, eyes narrowing slightly. It was weird — not all of them were missing, just two. Rosalie was still here, Jasper too, along with Alice. But Edward and Emmett? Nowhere in sight. It made her wonder if they were sick, but if two were, wouldn't more be?

"They always sit together, don't they?" Clover asked, still learning all the information that surrounded the students of Forks High. In her two weeks here, she had learnt about the Cullens to some extent, and she had learnt about the sports teams, and then the drama club, and so forth. "Do they normally miss school?"

"Yeah they always sit together and they don't miss school," Bella nodded, still watching their semi empty table. "It's just odd that Edward and Emmett are gone, but the rest of them are still here."

Juno leaned forward, interested now. "Didn't you have a project with Edward?"

Bella sighed, finally looking away from their table and focusing on the group that sat around hers. "Yeah, we were working on something for bio. He was really focused, actually. But then suddenly he said he had a family emergency and had to leave."

It was a good assignment, worth twenty five percent of her grade. If Edward continued to be away for much longer, than she'd probably get a failing grade and have to work even harder to pass the class.

Clover tilted her head to the side slightly. "And he didn't explain anything? Well, he didn't have too, but has he reached out to work on the project or left you to do it?"

"Nope," Bella answered, frowning a little. "I mean, I guess it makes sense if it was serious, but... I don't know. It's just weird. I've been working, but I having gotten anything from him."

Juno smirked slightly, popping a grape into her mouth. "So, how close are you and Edward? Like, actually?"

Bella blinked, taken off guard. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glancing toward the table and avoiding eye contact with her cousin. "We're not close. We've just been partners."

"Uh-huh." Juno leaned back, crossing her arms and popping another grape into her mouth. "But you've had lunch together a few times, right? To talk, hm?"

Bella hesitated, then nodded, her cheeks rosy and the tip of her ears too. "Yeah. Just as friends. He's interesting, he always thinks about something in another way."

Juno watched Bella carefully, noting the way she chose her words. "Interesting, huh? Maybe a little cute too?"

"No!" Bella spluttered out, glancing down at her tray and avoiding her cousin Juno. "I don't know. He's nice. But also kind of distant, like he's holding back from everyone. It's hard to tell what he's thinking half the time, unless he shares it."

Juno raised an eyebrow. "Sounds complicated." He sounded weird. What kind of teenager didn't share everything? What was he hiding.

Bella laughed softly. "It kind of is."

Before the conversation could go any further, Eric dropped into the empty seat beside Clover, sliding his tray onto the table. "Alright, Clover, I've been meaning to ask, how do you feel about joining the math team?"

Clover blinked at him, caught completely off guard. She didn't even know there was a math team, and she knew there was an art after school group. "The math team?"

"Yeah! It's not super serious or anything," Eric explained. "Just a few competitions here and there. Nothing life or death."

Juno snorted. "Math is absolutely life or death."

Eric ignored her, causing the twins to frown. "You're good at it. I mean, you help Juno all the time, right? You'd be perfect."

Clover hesitated, tapping her fingers against her tray. "I don't know. I mean, I like math, but I've never thought about doing competitions."

"You don't have to think about it," Eric said, grinning. "You just have to do it."

Juno rolled her eyes. "Eric, stop trying to recruit my sister for your nerd squad."

"It's not a nerd squad, it's a strategic alliance, Juniper." Eric shot back, eyes narrowed, though he looked slightly playful.

Clover laughed, shaking her head. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask," Eric said with a triumphant nod. That was all he needed. With Clover on his team, maybe they'd be able to do more activities, bigger events, anything.

The lunch bell rang, cutting their conversation short. Students started gathering their trays, heading toward their next classes.

Clover looked down at hers and blinked. She hadn't eaten anything.

Not even a bite.

Juno nudged her as they stood up. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Clover said, stuffing her untouched sandwich back into her bag. "Just got distracted."

Juno didn't press her, but her eyes lingered for a moment longer before she turned toward the hallway. She knew Clover got a little anxious of what others thought of her, she did too before she realized it wasn't something she could control.

Clover sighed, following her out. The missing Cullens, the math team, the untouched lunch — it was too much thinking for a Monday. She was tired of thinking, she wanted to dive head first into a book and forget about the world for the rest of the day.