"No," Bella shook her head.
"What happened last night?"
"He bought me dinner, and then he drove me home."
The chuckling got louder now. "You really are going to annoy her... and Edward, too, of course."
And then? C'mon, there has to be more than that! She's lying anyway, I know that. I'm going to call her on it.
"How did you get home so fast?"
I watched Bella roll her eyes at the suspicious Jessica.
"He drives like a maniac. It was terrifying."
This time both Jacob and Bella were chuckling.
She smiled a tiny smile, and I laughed out loud, interrupting Mr. Mason's announcements. I tried to turn the laugh into a cough, but no one was fooled. Mr. Mason shot me an irritated look, but I didn't even bother to listen to the thought behind it. I was hearing Jessica.
Huh. She sounds like she's telling the truth. Why is she making me pull this out of her, word by word? I would be bragging at the top of my lungs if it were me.
"That's not Bella's style," Jacob shrugged.
"Was it like a date - did you tell him to meet you there?"
Jessica watched surprise cross Bella's expression, and was disappointed at how genuine it seemed.
"Well there's one good thing about having an open face," Jacob said and laughed when Bella stuck her tongue out at him.
"No - I was very surprised to see him there," Bella told her.
What is going on? "But he picked you up for school today?" There has to be more to the story.
"Yes - that was a surprise, too. He noticed I didn't have a jacket last night."
That's not very much fun, Jessica thought, disappointed again.
"Ah... poor Jessie not getting anything fun out of you," Jacob laughed.
I was tired of her line of questioning - I wanted to hear something I didn't already know. I hoped she wasn't so dissatisfied that she would skip the questions I was waiting for.
"So are you going out again?" Jessica demanded.
"He offered to drive me to Seattle Saturday because he thinks my truck isn't up to it - does that count?"
Hmm. He sure is going out of his way to...well, take care of her, sort of. There must be something there on his side, if not on hers. How could THAT be? Bella's crazy.
"Why does everyone have to question my sanity in this book?" Bella huffed.
"Because you're crazy!" Jacob laughed.
"Yes," Jessica answered Bella's question.
"Well, then," Bella concluded. "Yes."
"Wow...Edward Cullen." Whether she likes him or not, this is major.
"I know," Bella sighed.
The tone of her voice encouraged Jessica.
"Damn," Bella said, she really wished she could have gotten out of this without revealing anything.
Finally - she sounds like she gets it! She must realize...
"Wait!" Jessica said, suddenly remembering her most vital question. "Has he kissed you?" Please say yes. And then describe every second!
"Do girls really care about that crap?" Jacob rolled his eyes. "Talking about kisses and stuff like that?"
"I guess," Bella shrugged, she wasn't one to talk about something like that unless it was pulled out of her painfully like Jessica seemed to want to do.
"No," Bella mumbled, and then she looked down at her hands, her face falling.
"It's not like that."
Damn. I wish... Ha. Looks like she does too.
Bella blushed again, and of course Edward was listening to that.
I frowned. Bella did look upset about something, but it couldn't be disappointment like Jessica assumed. She couldn't want that. Not knowing what she knew. She couldn't want to be that close to my teeth. For all she knew, I had fangs.
"Um... this guy does realize that if you like someone you probably think about kissing them, right?" Jacob said.
Bella shrugged at that.
I shuddered.
"Do you think Saturday...?" Jessica prodded.
Bella looked even more frustrated as she said, "I really doubt it."
Yeah, she does wish. That sucks for her.
Was it because I was watching all this through the filter of Jessica's perceptions that it seemed like Jessica was right?
Bella rolled her eyes.
"Slow as always, man," Jacob said.
For a half-second I was distracted by the idea, the impossibility, of what it would be like to try to kiss her. My lips to her lips, cold stone to warm, yielding silk...
And then she dies.
Bella rolled her eyes and Jacob flinched at that.
"You really have to take that seriously, Bella," Jacob said. "He's getting used to you... but it's got to be harder for him if he's close to you like that."
"I'll be careful," Bella said, but that didn't change her mind about wanting to be close to him like that.
I shook my head, wincing, and made myself pay attention.
"What did you talk about?" Did you talk to him, or did you make him drag every ounce of information out of you like this?
"A little of both," Jacob chuckled.
I smiled ruefully. Jessica wasn't far off.
"I don't know, Jess, lots of stuff. We talked about the English essay a little."
"Um... you did?" Jacob questioned.
"He mentioned it," Bella shrugged.
A very little. I smiled wider.
Oh, c'MON. "Please, Bella! Give me some details."
Bella deliberated for a moment.
"Well...okay, I've got one. You should have seen the waitress flirting with him - it was over the top. But he didn't pay any attention to her at all."
What a strange detail to share. I was surprised Bella had even noticed. It seemed a very inconsequential thing.