high school is kind of boring really

[self_composed]

School plods along. Bella is native-quality fluent in Spanish, professor-level at math, well and thoroughly versed in the workings of the United States government, capable of doing actual independent research projects in biology, and she's been speaking English since she was one. Alas, these skills only make classes easier for a short time. After the novelty wears off they're just tedious. Bella winds up squaring her homework done more often than not so she can work out the kinks in her design for telekinesis, or play music, or attend soccer practice, or write little computer games, or read, or just fly around. This works out fine. Magic is pretty good at homework.

She winds up not attending most of the dances, but she does want to go to the end of year one, as she will be leaving Forks High School forever and it has some good points. Alice promised her a dress...

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[edgeofyourseat]

Maybe. Maybe not. It's not like he would've stuck around to take the heat. In fact, he'd have been likelier to end up dead on the streets than in jail.

Anyway, if all that had happened, he'd never have met Bella. And that would just be immeasurably tragic.

[self_composed]

Pet, pet, pet.

[edgeofyourseat]

[I love you,] he adds. He really really does. She doesn't have to do this; he could just go off and be sad and conflicted and generally emotional by himself. But she's helping, and he loves her.

[self_composed]

Bella leans down to kiss the top of his head. [It's not like I've got anything to do in the morning.]

[edgeofyourseat]

He presses his face into her stomach and loves her some more.

[self_composed]

Bella stands there, petting and reading and waiting in silence.

[edgeofyourseat]

[Can I sleep on your floor?]

For that matter, can he sleep in her bed? Because he really, really wants snuggles.

[self_composed]

Bella contemplates this - that would certainly be awkward to explain to Renée, who is as likely as not to poke her head into the room at seven in the morning and offer waffles. Finally Bella triangles the alarm clock into setting itself to go off quietly at six-thirty - she's too tired to figure out the controls - and pulls him into the guest bed with her. [You'll have to skedaddle first thing in the morning.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Okay,] he says agreeably, and squares himself cuddly pajamas, and snuggles up.

And loves her. But he never really stopped.

[self_composed]

Bella decides to see if feedback-looping is a useful sleep aid.

The answer: yes.

At six-thirty in the morning the alarm clock cheeps quietly and she opens her eyes.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice is still sleeping, curled up around her, dreaming about flying on silver wings.

[self_composed]

She prods him in the ribs. [Alice, sorry to interrupt, but my mom will wake up any minute. She keeps school-ish hours even in summertime.]

[edgeofyourseat]

He blinks awake.

[G'morning,] he says, and yawns quietly, and kisses her shoulder, and de-cuddles. He never stopped being invisible, so all he has to do is slide out of bed and float out the window. So he does that.

[Thanks,] he adds on his way out.

[self_composed]

[No problem.]

Bella closes the window lazily with a triangle and naps another half an hour.

And then Renée pokes her head in. And offers waffles.

Bella has hers with strawberries and whipped cream on it.

After one week in Jacksonville, Bella flies to Washington, finds Tegu in the parking lot, and zooms home to Charlie.

[edgeofyourseat]

And Alice zooms home to his mom and Hilary, both of whom feel the need to hug him at least ten times in the first hour after he walks in the door. He hugs them back. Hilary decides they are going to bake a pie, so they do.

[Want some pie?]

[self_composed]

[Maybe. Can Charlie come?]

[edgeofyourseat]

"Why don't we invite Bella and her dad?" suggests Alice.

Hilary raises her eyebrows at him. "Oh, is she back from Europe?"

"One way to find out," Alice says cheerfully.

"Sure!"

[Yep!]

[self_composed]

[Are you planning to actually call us?] Bella asks archly. [We don't want to be known to be telepathic.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Yeah, that was the next step,] he says, and goes to find his phone where he left it in his room.

Ring, ring.

[self_composed]

Bella picks up her cell, in full view of Charlie. "Alice! Hi. What's up?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"Pie," says Alice. "Pie is up. Wanna come have some? Your dad's invited too."

[self_composed]

"Ooh, lemme check," says Bella. "Hey Dad! Wanna go over to Alice's and have pie?"

"Sounds good to me," Charlie says.

"We'd love to," Bella tells the phone. "When should we be there?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"Soonish? The pie'll be done in like half an hour."

[self_composed]

"Cool. See you soon," Bella says. She hangs up.

"Wasn't he out of town," Charlie says, "somewhere?"

"Yes," Bella says.

Charlie fixes her with a bit of a look. "Did that boy go to Europe with you, Bells?"

"Yeah. He didn't get a ticket on the same plane or anything, but he was in Europe at the same time and we went around together a lot," Bella says. Pause. "I think we might be sort of dating? A little? Not exactly? It's weird."

"Weird's right," mutters Charlie. "Er... I know you just spent a week with your mom... maybe she covered this..."

"Dad. Mom covered the birds and the bees years ago. I am fully informed," Bella says loudly.

[edgeofyourseat]

If only Alice knew of this, he would be giggling so much.

Instead he is... having a remarkably similar conversation with Hilary, actually.

"So, you knew she'd be back."

"Mm," says Alice.

"You went to Europe with her."

"Mm," says Alice, and adds a shrug for good measure.

"Are you two...?" She makes a vague cyclic gesture with both hands.

"Screwing? Nope," says Alice.

"And that is simultaneously both more than I wanted to know and less than I asked. Congratulations."

"Heh," says Alice.