The First Drop Of Rain

Chapter Sixty Eight

Bella showed up just after the new year, starting school that first Monday back. I hadn't had the chance to see her before school started, none of us had, and to my horror I walked in and saw her sitting next to Jessica and Lauren in the lunchroom. I looked at Edward with nervous eyes, and he simply placed an arm over my shoulder as we followed behind Jasper and Alice towards the table. Rose and Emmett had already crashed into the little seats and I was too busy trying to not stare at Bella. In my feeble attempt to not stare I caught Emmett laughing, and shot an angry glare. "What." I hissed, and he rolled his eyes before leaning forward.

"Jessica is just telling Bella how it makes absolutely no sense why Edward wouldn't date her, and instead choose you." Emmett smirked in the way only a best friend would when talking about the downfall of a rival.

"Oh, she's back on the hating me train?" I grumbled, looking around the room for Gaia, who had promised to join us for lunch so we could go over her chem notes.

"Only because she couldn't get with Edward after you two broke up." Rose scoffed, shoving Emmett back in his seat. Edward didn't seem to like the topic of the break up coming up twice as much as I didn't enjoy it, so with a slight hiss from him they dropped it.

"Sorry I'm late!" Gi appeared from virtually thin air, causing me to jump and turn to look at her. Unfortunately that gave me the perfect chance to catch Bella's watchful eyes, though I couldn't tell if she was staring at me or Edward. "Here are those notes you asked for Ari."

"Thank you!" I smiled, dragging my eyes from Bella's, which seemed to only be darker now that we were older. "I will get these back to you after study hall." I smiled as I added them to my chem book. I wouldn't be able to transcribe them for a little bit because Chemistry was my next period, but I would do my best regardless.

"So what are you guys talking about?" Gi asked as she plopped into the seat next to me.

"Bella." I groaned, tapping the cover of my book with nervous hands.

"Oh yeah! I have to get an interview with her for the school newspaper." She spun in her chair and began scanning the crowd. "I should pin her down now, since I don't think we have any classes together."

"We still do that interview?" I asked with another groan.

"As long as the school requires it." Gi rolled her eyes and jumped up from her seat. "Now if you will excuse me, I have some black ops shit to do for my best friend." She grinned.

"Black ops sh- Gaia no!" I spun as she pranced away.

Edward began to chuckle and leaned close to my ear as I stared in horror. "She wants me to tell you it's for your own good." When I looked at him with blazing eyes his smile only grew. "And she says 'haha you can't catch me.' So there's that too."

"I am going to burn her alive." I said, no joy or love left in my voice.

Jasper bristled and Emmett's jaw dropped. "Remind me to never piss you off." Emmett said as he cast a glance at Jasper's nervous expression. I spent the rest of lunch watching Gaia chit chat with Bella, nervously ripping apart a napkin that had been sitting in front of me, as Edward stroked lazy circles along my shoulder blades.

When lunch finally ended, I was gladly walking hand in hand with Edward toward Chemistry when my entire parade came to a halt. The singlehanded most unfortunate thing I could have ever witnessed happened just then. Bella Swan was walking into my Chemistry class, and even worse she would be sitting right in front of Edward and I since there was only one open seat left. What the hell is this? What kind of torture. They will probably separate us because you test at the highest level so Mr.LeGrand always thinks I'm cheating. I thought desperately at Edward as we walked to our seats and I tried to avoid Bella's gaze.