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Time in the cafeteria slipped by with that lukewarm inertia of school lunches: laughter, crosstalk, the metallic sound of trays and cutlery, the indistinct smell of reheated food. Nate remained seated across from Bella, pushing the last remnants of his lunch with his fork, more out of reflex than real hunger. He watched.
"No one's asked me to the spring dance yet," Jessica blurted out, casting the sentence into the air like a net across the ocean. She didn't look at anyone in particular… but the hook was obvious.
Nate wasn't the only one who detected the immediate tension. Mike and Eric shifted in their seats as if an electric current had run down their spines. But what was most interesting was how, instead of reacting directly to Jessica, they both shifted their gaze—in almost identical and synchronized fashion—to Bella. The gesture was brief, but Nate captured it with surgical precision. It wasn't just attraction; it was hope, doubt, and calculation. They were waiting for Bella to look at them. For her to decide. Jessica was just the trigger.
Nate barely looked up from his tray. He faked a stifled yawn.
"Is it prom season already? I thought we still had weeks left," he said, his tone deliberately light, almost distracted.
He noticed how Bella, almost instantly, looked at him with silent gratitude, as if he'd deflected an arrow before it could land. Grateful for the detour, she let herself be drawn into the conversation, which Nate naturally redirected, asking her about a movie she'd mentioned the day before. The conversation resumed its comfortable pace, and the atmosphere softened.
Until the bell rang.
The group rose almost as an organic unit, dragging backpacks, closing trays, exchanging pleasantries and hurried goodbyes. Nate led them to the fork in the hallway, where their paths diverged… and he led them directly to English class.
With Alice Cullen.
He felt that uneasy anticipation stirs in his chest. It was different from common social anxiety. It was almost biological. As if his body knew something his mind was only just beginning to understand. He'd felt it before, to a lesser degree, with Rosalie. But she'd at least made it easy for him: she'd been cold, distant, clearly hostile. That helped. The explicit disdain tempered any attraction. Nate couldn't stand haughty people, and Rosalie was a wall of icy pride.
Alice, on the other hand… no.
He entered the classroom before it filled. He chose a seat near the window, seeking abstract relief from the gray light outside. It wasn't just a good location; it was a shield. As he settled in, he took a deep breath, trying to remember how he'd contained that visceral tingle in the cafeteria, that strange feeling under his skin when one of the Cullens was near.
The students trickled in. And then, as if the air had changed texture: her.
Alice Cullen crossed the threshold with that feline lightness that seemed part of her essence. She didn't walk; she floated. Her haircut, at once uneven and symmetrical, framed her face with an effortless elegance. She sat down next to him without asking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Hey, Nate," she said, her voice drifting through the words like soft music. "Since you couldn't get Edward's government notes... would mine work?"
The tone was warm and charming. But also measured. There was something rehearsed about that sweetness. As if she were playing a strategic version of herself.
Nate smiled calmly. He was already used to reading people. He'd spent his life observing, and deciphering gestures, tones, and silences. And in that instant, he understood: Alice was watching him too. They were both playing the same game. A subtle competition to see who would let their guard down first.
"That would be perfect, thank you," he replied, matching her tone. A courteous smile, with just the right amount of controlled charm.
"Aren't you going to tell me my haircut is nice today?" Alice asked, tilting her head with a playful sparkle in her eyes.
He felt a slight warmth rise in his cheeks. Touché. He remembered that phrase. It had slipped out of his mind the day before, under the spell of his first impression.
"You can't live clinging to the past," he replied quickly, using humor as a shield.
Alice let out a soft laugh. It wasn't a laugh; it was a contained, almost tactile sound. Nate felt the atmosphere soften, though he didn't let his guard down entirely.
"And what's someone like you doing in a place like Forks?" she asked as if the question had been casual. Nate didn't believe it.
He smiled with an expression that didn't say much but suggested more.
"I propose a deal," he said, leaning his elbow on the desk. "A game. You ask a question, I answer. Then I ask. And so on."
"Do you always make deals with people you barely know?" Alice replied, amused.
—Only with those who make me curious.
She studied him with narrowed eyes. Then she nodded graciously.
—Okay, I'll start: What do you think of Forks?
"Damp. But interesting," he replied with a smile. "My turn: What are your parents like?"
—Carlisle's a doctor, and Esme... she's like a heart on legs. Very kind. Very generous.
Nate sensed the response wasn't forced. At least, it didn't seem that way. The tone was compelling and warm. Which compelled him to respond with a degree of honesty.
—And yours?
His expression changed slightly. For a second, he considered lying. But Alice had responded without reservation, or so he thought, and Nate hated owing emotional favors.
—My dad was from Forks, but my mom and I moved to DC. They both died recently—according to what they said, it was an animal attack.
The silence that followed was different. Thicker. Alice fell silent, and for the first time, her charming facade cracked. She no longer seemed to be acting. Her face softened, her lips slightly parted. It wasn't an act.
"I'm so sorry," she murmured. And there was something in her gaze that disarmed Nate. A compassion so genuine it almost hurt.
He shifted in his seat. He wasn't looking for pity. Just observation. Just answers. But that sincere gesture broke through his defenses. So, as if the topic was burning his fingers, he looked for something to divert the conversation.
Yesterday, when I touched his hand… I felt something strange. Cold. Like a total absence of warmth.—he looked at her out of the corner of his eye—. Do you think some people can see the future?
Alice blinked. And for a split second—a split second so tiny that only someone like Nate could notice—she hesitated. Nervousness. Not panic. But a crack.
—Why do you ask?
"Because I know how to read palm lines," Nate said with a crooked smile. "Do you want me to try?"
She relaxed. Immediately. Nate saw relief on her face. For a second, she'd been scared.
—Go ahead, I guess.
He extended his hand. Nate took it carefully, noticing the cold again. It wasn't subjective. It was physical. That temperature didn't belong to something living.
"According to this line… you will have a long life," he said, keeping his tone light.
Alice laughed. A soft, enveloping laugh.
"You might have a talent for this, Nate," she murmured with a spark of complicity.
Nate looked at her closely. Her eyes were calm pools… but with something else beneath the surface. An echo. A whisper of something that didn't quite fit.
Before he could say anything else, the bell cut their conversation short. They both began to gather their things, unhurriedly.
"I guess we'll continue the game another day," Alice said, winking at him before disappearing into the hallways.
Nate sat there for a few more seconds, staring at the gap she'd left.
And for the first time since he arrived in Forks, he felt like he wasn't the only one analyzing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Author's Notes: I've been getting a lot of feedback, mostly good, but some pretty bad. I'm not asking you to love the story, but at least give it a chance. If you read to the last chapter and don't like it, I'll understand, but if you're just getting to the first few chapters, be patient. I swear I have a plan for most of the questions you ask me (or where you say they're inconsistencies). For everyone else, thank you very much for the support! Especially those who support on Patreon, thank you very much.