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As he left the English classroom, Nate felt a strange calm that hadn't been there before. As if a subtle almost hormonal pressure had dissipated. It wasn't that he was no longer attracted to Alice, but whatever the Cullen women radiated that magnetism that seemed a mix of pheromones and hypnosis no longer took him by surprise. Now he could identify it, dissect it, and therefore, resist it. He'd felt it with Rosalie too, though in her case it was easier to ignore: there was something about her silent hostility that acted as a repellent.
People like her those who judge before they speak repulsed him. Nate didn't trust those who put up walls without bothering to find out what was on the other side. That helped. It turned the almost inevitable glare into a nuisance. It made it more bearable.
As he walked down the hallway toward the gym, Nate couldn't help but smile a little wryly. Both sides he and the Cullens were doing the same thing: smiling, adjusting, feigning comfort. They were studying each other. Like chess players who greet each other before the opening, knowing that every move counts even if there are no pieces in danger yet.
And without realizing it, the Cullens had already confirmed what he needed to know. Not with words, of course. None of them had said anything concrete. But the silences, the overly measured glances, and the way they tried to make him feel comfortable… spoke louder than any confession. They weren't just weird anymore. They were aware they were weird, and that said it all.
He wished Edward was there. Something about him his suppressed intensity, his involuntary expressiveness seemed easier to read. Impulsive, probably prone to mistakes if pressed. A guy like Edward was like a floodgate that wasn't properly closed: if you knew where to push, you'd bring him crashing down. But it didn't matter.
Someone in that family will slip up. They always do. It's just a matter of time... when you know how to observe.
He entered the gym with the same feigned reluctance as the rest of the group. The artificial light bounced off the polished floor, and the teachers' voices and whistles were already beginning to fill the air with an energy more physical than intellectual. He stretched his shoulders as he scanned the room. Everything looked the same as the first day, except he wasn't anymore.
Mike greeted him instantly, throwing him a basketball that Nate caught without even looking.
-Ready for another rematch?- Mike said, with that mix of camaraderie and competition that seemed to be his native language.
Nate lazily bounced the ball a couple of times and gently returned it.
"I'll stop by today," he said, not bothering to explain too much. "I'd rather watch the girls play this time. More entertaining."
Mike frowned, not out of real anger, but out of instinct. It had been clear to Nate for a few days now that Mike Newton didn't tolerate being ignored, let alone pushed aside, well. There was something about him that needed constant validation and that... it was starting to get tiring.
-Are you going to look back on the whole period like a retired grandfather?-
-I think so today,- Nate replied with a half smile, his back already turned to him.
From the sidelines, the gym looked like the scene of a predictable play. The boys were fighting for the ball with more ego than real enthusiasm as if each basket demonstrated something beyond their accuracy. On the other side, the girls' team was beginning their volleyball practice. Bella, as always, seemed to navigate the world with the clumsiness of someone carrying a magnet for disaster.
And as if the universe wanted to confirm it, less than five minutes passed before a ball she threw bounced into the net and hit Mike square in the head.
Nate gave a short, stifled laugh.
-Bella's quite nice,- he muttered to himself, still smiling.
It wasn't just the accident. It was Bella's way of accepting it. No frills. No strategies. For someone like Nate, a person like that was like a breath of fresh air.
Shortly after, Bella red-faced and defeated left the court and slumped onto the bench next to him. She exhaled heavily as if she'd just survived hand-to-hand combat.
-Are you having fun watching me die in slow motion?- he asked with tired sarcasm.
-A lot,- Nate replied, staring straight ahead. -But I appreciate your courage. Most people would have faked an injury by now.-
"I considered it," Bella said, and they both laughed a little.
The silence between them was comfortable.
Then his cell phone vibrated. Nate reluctantly pulled it out. A message.
Jacob: Do you want to go for a walk around town later? I'm hungry and I don't want to eat alone like a loser.
Nate smiled. He responded quickly, with a simple:
Sure. Where do we meet?
Bella glanced sideways, more out of reflex than real interest.
—Important message?
—Jacob Black. He invited me to go for a walk and maybe get something to eat.
Bella blinked. For a second she looked confused, then mentally corrected herself, as if something clicked.
—Oh, sure. That makes sense. They know each other... our parents were friends.
—Yes. Your father introduced me to him a while ago. I liked him quite a bit.
Bella nodded, and then—perhaps not wanting to go home alone or to have something to kill the excessive free time she had since moving to Forks—she asked:
—What if I go with you?
Nate looked at her, surprised but not annoyed. He even smiled.
—Good idea. You should come. We'll pick him up at The Lodge. It's one of the few decent places you know of in Forks, right?
Bella, almost repentant, tried to back out.
—You don't have to force yourself. I don't want to interrupt anything either.
-You're not interrupting. Besides,- Nate added with a touch of humor, -I'm not going to tell him you're coming. I'm interested in seeing his reaction.-
Bella pursed her lips, suppressing a smile. Finally, she nodded.
—Okay. But if Jacob gets upset, you'll owe me a coffee.
—Deal.
The class was almost over, and the students were beginning to gather in line to hear the teacher's final instructions. Nate jumped up when he saw Jessica approaching from the right side of the gym, with that eager gait and barely concealed smile.
-I'm going to the bathroom,- he said quickly, already walking away. -I'll pick you up later, and we'll go get Jacob.-
As he crossed the door, he thought quietly, almost with resignation:
—If I pay attention to her one more time, I'll never get rid of her...
And he disappeared behind the door, leaving behind the whistles, the scattered laughter, and Jessica with a confused expression right in the place he had left seconds before.