try to slip past his defense without granting innocence
A couple weeks had passed quietly for Claire since her less-than-venomous conversation with Edward. Between studying, juggling Jessica and Mike and the drama between them, and dealing with the secret that continued to grow increasingly complicated to keep, it was mostly a blur. A really unpleasant, cold and rainy blur.
Being lab partners wasn't as bad as she'd expected from that first day, and even if he was a little … eccentric, to put it politely, at times, he was still better by a landslide than the rest of her classmates. Which was … well, good and bad. She didn't exactly dread going to school, but there was a second edge to the blade of being able to act a bit less like robot barbie around Edward Cullen.
The problem was that she wasn't allowed to be Claire Bennet, and that problem wasn't going away. The fact that for one class period a day she could be something closer wasn't reassuring. It meant she was keeping things from her supposed friends as well as her family, because her dad would transfer her out of the class so fast her head would spin. Heaven forbid she actually ask someone to come to her place to study.
Pulling the rogue up to the school, she sighed and put it into park, shooting a narrow look into the passenger seat at Lyle. Having her own car? Bonus. Having to drive her troll of a little brother to school every day while he remained glued to his PSP the whole time and tried to mess with her stereo? Not a bonus. She snatched the gaming handheld out of his grasp and hucked it into the backseat.
"Get out," she ordered shortly, letting the car idle for a moment. It was at least ten times warmer in there than it was outside and she was not braving another awkward conversation with Mike Newton if she could help it. No, definitely safer inside. Maybe when Lyle was out of her hair and she could keep the facade of having a real social life while actually scampering to class with the hopes of avoiding awkward confrontations. Yeah, that sounded like her best gameplan.
Except for the part where everyone and their mom was still filtering into the parking lot. They were early enough that there was no way to get out of it. With a groan, she pushed open her car door, shutting the vehicle off quickly to do away with the beeping. The cold rushed in, unwanted, and had her skin prickling with goosebumps immediately.
She hated Forks.
Driving with the ice on the road was bad enough, but walking through that weather? Worse. As soon as her foot hit the slick, slushy cover over the asphalt she slid forward a little, wincing as she bumped her elbow on the car doorframe. Pulling herself out of it, she grabbed her bag from the back seat and shut both the front and the rear door with a satisfyingly loud slam. Welcome back to Hell frozen-over, Claire Butler.
Being lab partners wasn't as bad as she'd expected from that first day, and even if he was a little … eccentric, to put it politely, at times, he was still better by a landslide than the rest of her classmates. Which was … well, good and bad. She didn't exactly dread going to school, but there was a second edge to the blade of being able to act a bit less like robot barbie around Edward Cullen.
The problem was that she wasn't allowed to be Claire Bennet, and that problem wasn't going away. The fact that for one class period a day she could be something closer wasn't reassuring. It meant she was keeping things from her supposed friends as well as her family, because her dad would transfer her out of the class so fast her head would spin. Heaven forbid she actually ask someone to come to her place to study.
Pulling the rogue up to the school, she sighed and put it into park, shooting a narrow look into the passenger seat at Lyle. Having her own car? Bonus. Having to drive her troll of a little brother to school every day while he remained glued to his PSP the whole time and tried to mess with her stereo? Not a bonus. She snatched the gaming handheld out of his grasp and hucked it into the backseat.
"Get out," she ordered shortly, letting the car idle for a moment. It was at least ten times warmer in there than it was outside and she was not braving another awkward conversation with Mike Newton if she could help it. No, definitely safer inside. Maybe when Lyle was out of her hair and she could keep the facade of having a real social life while actually scampering to class with the hopes of avoiding awkward confrontations. Yeah, that sounded like her best gameplan.
Except for the part where everyone and their mom was still filtering into the parking lot. They were early enough that there was no way to get out of it. With a groan, she pushed open her car door, shutting the vehicle off quickly to do away with the beeping. The cold rushed in, unwanted, and had her skin prickling with goosebumps immediately.
She hated Forks.
Driving with the ice on the road was bad enough, but walking through that weather? Worse. As soon as her foot hit the slick, slushy cover over the asphalt she slid forward a little, wincing as she bumped her elbow on the car doorframe. Pulling herself out of it, she grabbed her bag from the back seat and shut both the front and the rear door with a satisfyingly loud slam. Welcome back to Hell frozen-over, Claire Butler.