I COULD STILL FEEL MY HEART pumping as I made my way through the hallways. My mind was reeling, the words I said playing like a mixtape on repeat in my head. I couldn't stop thinking about Rosalie's face, too.

     There was a fire in her eyes that, thinking back on it, had been terrifying. The subtle snarl on her lips normally would've been enough to drive me off, yet... I'd stood my ground. I couldn't decide what had gotten into me. Was it Bella's reassuring words from Saturday night? Or something more?

     I shrugged off my self-doubt, instead choosing to focus on my win. I rarely stood up for myself, fearful of embarrassment or conflict. I wouldn't call myself a scaredy-cat, but it was no secret that I suffered from some pretty awful anxiety.

      Daylin said mom had been an anxious soul too, and that sometimes made me feel a bit better about it.

     I was sp deep in thought, I didn't even hear the faint sound of my name being called out. That is, not until I felt someone walk up next to me.

     I blinked, inhaling sharply as Emmett walked in stride with me, his hands shoved in his pockets as he smiled. He wasn't even watching where he was walking - he just stared at me. Eventually, I stopped, and he did too. I stood up against a locker, making sure we were both out of everyone's way.

     "Cat got your tongue?"

     I was unable to answer, I was speechless. There he was, standing right in front of me. I found myself thrown off by his voice. It had been a month or so since I'd last heard it, after all. Nonetheless, it was comforting. Like a weighted blanket.

     "Uhh, no- I mean-"

     "That was pretty badass back there. Nice going, short stuff,"

     I wanted to be offended by his out-of-pocket nickname, but I couldn't. Instead, I smiled. Emmett saw this, his chest puffing out. He seemed to like his own effect on me.

     "Thanks. You, uh... don't think Rosalie's too mad, do you?"

     "Oh no, she's pissed. But, nothin' you can do about it now. Guess you'll have to stick to your word and not avoid anyone, huh?" He crossed his arms, his large form looming over my own.

      It could be considered comedic how much bigger he was compared to me. I know some people would say it was endearing, but I was finding it more annoying than anything. It was like sitting front row at the movie theater, my neck bent upwards just to look into his eyes.

     "Guess so," I mused lightly, my eyes shifting downwards as I began to play with the ends of my cardigan.

     It grew quiet after I spoke, the air around us nearly suffocating me. His eyes felt like the sun, burning deeper into me as he continued to stare.

      Eventually, I looked back up at him. I couldn't help it. He was so beautiful, like some sort of greek statue. Hell, like a greek god. He was utterly flawless, and I could only stare.

     "You have a staring problem, you know that?"

     His words made my cheeks go warm, and out of instinct, I looked away.

     "I could say the same for you. Seems like every day at lunch I look over and–"

     Emmett let out a laugh. It was the type of laugh that made others want to join in, it was infectious.

     "Alright, alright. You caught me. How about this: to make amends, I'll walk you to class. How's that sound, tiny?"

     "I'm not tiny."

     I gave him a playful glare, as his eyes crinkled at the corners. He then nodded his head off towards the end of the hallway, motioning that we should probably get going.

     "C'mon, you don't look the type to be late,"

     Humming in agreement, I began to walk, Emmett following in suit. As we made our way to my first period, we continued our little banter that I found myself comfortable with.

      I was honestly a little shocked. It felt like I'd been so scared to go anywhere near him, and now here we were - joking around like we'd been friends for years.

     A part of me worried that I wasn't walking fast enough for him. It was silly to think about, but he was a giant; his stride was obviously longer than mine. Even so, I noticed that he walked slowly. Maybe it was because he was elegant with the way he moved, just like the rest of his family. But I had a suspicion that it was more than that. It almost seemed thoughtful, the way his pace matched mine.

     I felt dumb, thinking so much about something so minuscule. But didn't I always do that?

     We reached my history class, and I could already feel myself longing to spend more time with him. I wondered if he felt the same since his movements grew even slower as we neared the door.

     Clearing my throat to grab his attention, I held my textbook closer to my chest.

     "Well. This is my stop,"

     "Seems like it."

     We stared at each other. He was searching my face like he was looking for the right words to say. Before he could speak, however, someone coughed loudly.

     There to our left was Tyler, with a look of confusion on his face. It was then I noticed we were standing right in front of the door. I stumbled to move out of the way, bumping into Emmett in the process. My shoulder made contact with his chest, and I instantly could feel the rock-hard surface beneath his white pullover. He really was like some statue.

     "S-Sorry, Tyler. Um- sorry," I felt myself retreating back into the shell I always seemed to be in. At my words, Tyler merely shrugged and gave me a halfhearted smile.

     "No problem, babe. Hey, wanna partner up for that project today? You know, the one Mr. Stuart was talkin' about yesterday?"

     I found it odd how he ignored Emmett. Despite this, I tried to act natural.

     "Yeah, no, uh- totally. I'd love to,"

     He seemed pleased with my answer, his smile growing. He then looked up at Emmett, giving him a small nod. I saw a gleam of something in his eye, something I couldn't place.

     "Nice. Can't wait."

     He winked at me, before walking into the room. I let out a breath and turned back to Emmett. We were much closer now, the proximity of our chests almost intimate, in a way.

     "Babe, huh?"

     I'd been so focused on our closeness that I failed to notice the way his eyes narrowed and followed Tyler like a hawk. His once dopey smile had gone flat, his jaw clenched.

     I'm sorry, but was I sensing jealousy?

     "Oh, uh- no, Tyler's just, you know, a friend. He always does that-"

     "Does he know that?"

     "Know what...?"

     He dropped his chin, chest rumbling with a chuckle.

     "Never mind. I need to head, but I'll be here when the bell rings. Sound good?"

     I caught my bottom lip in between my teeth, still caught up on the idea of Emmett Cullen being jealous.

      All Tyler had done was call me a silly little nickname, and invite me to be his partner for a project. Maybe there was some underlying "dude" thing I wasn't comprehending. I mean, the way Tyler looked at Emmett after I said yes... Perhaps that glint had been one of victory like he won something.

     Yet again, I was probably overthinking things. I certainly was not someone to be fought over.

     "You're starin' again, short stuff."

     I snapped out of my thoughts, my ears growing warm from embarrassment. Was he always going to catch me zoning out?

     "Sorry, I was thinking. Um, what were you saying? A-About the bell ringing...?"

     "God, you're lucky you're cute," he snorted, "I said I'll be here when the bell rings. Now get in there, your friend is probably wondering where you are."

      Was he still bothered by Tyler?

     "When are you going to move on from that?" I couldn't help but laugh.

     "Move on? Pfft, can't move on from something that doesn't bother me."

     Emmett crossed his arms over his chest, an arrogant look overcoming his face. But, it faltered into a boyish grin as soon as I raised my eyebrows in a look of disbelief. I could've stood there all day, going back and forth with him, but the one-minute warning bell had other plans.

     Saying a goodbye seemed wrong, so instead, I settled for a shy wave. Emmett seemed content with this and returned it with a steady nod. He backed away, his arm moving up so that he could scratch the back of his neck. His eyes remained on me, almost like he was waiting to see me off first. I rolled my eyes as I moved into the classroom.

     Even as I sat down and pulled out my notebook, my thoughts were completely centered around him.

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     He hadn't been lying. As soon as the bell rang and I exited my class, Emmett was there, leaning against the lockers like some young James Dean. He didn't spot me at first, his eyes glancing down the hall as he waited. But when he did look over, his face lit up. It made my heart race.

     That day, Emmett Cullen made sure to escort me to each class I had.

     Rosalie was less than pleased by this. I knew this from the way her eyes burned into my back as Emmett dropped me off at my botany class. She even made sure to violently nudge into him as she entered the room, Alice following her with a tiny snicker. Emmett only scoffed, not looking too affected by his sister's anger.

     And oddly enough, I found it easy to ignore her glares during the lesson. Alice spoke to me here and there, our desks diagonal. She had questions about Emmett, and it was expected. She wasn't too intrusive, yet I knew it was only a matter of time before she would be.

     I didn't sit with him during lunch, but I didn't think I'd be ready for that anyway. I was surprised I wasn't anxious beyond all belief when it was just the two of us, but something told me the pressure of being around his family would change that. I was only able to function with one stunning Cullen at a time, as far as I was concerned.

     By the end of the day, I had grown used to Emmett's company. I'd grown to enjoy it. Things felt natural and as weird as it felt to admit, easy.

     Socializing with new people was rarely easy for me.

     I was descending the front steps of the school, my feet hitting each stone step with a soft thump. Pulling out my phone, I was looking to see if Daylin had texted me when I felt a familiar presence.

     "Already trying to run away, tiny?"

     "No, Emmett. And I told you not to call me that,"

     "I know, that's why I like sayin' it so much~"

     The corners of my lips turned upward, and I tried to hide it. My attempt at this failed, as Emmett seemed to marvel in my smile.

     "See? You like it,"

     "Are you always this cocky?"

     "Only every day of my life, short stuff."

     Leaning up against a nearby wall, I watched as he copied my movements. Standing next to each other, it was hard not to take in his profile. His features were so strong and prominent. His skin was absolutely flawless, to the point where even I was a little envious. No pores, no pimples, no acne scars... Just perfection.

     His body mirrored this idea of perfection. Even with a pullover on, I could still see his muscles rippling like waves. It was unfair. Good looks, tall, fit, and disgustingly charming.

     It was hard to believe he was even human.

     "Staring~"

     "Shut up. So, you're adopted?"

     "Wow, straight to the good stuff, huh?" He seemed entertained by my forwardness, "Yeah, I am. Carlisle is a physician at the nearby hospital, and my mom keeps things in order back home. She's real great,"

     I nodded slowly, taking in the information.

     "And you like them?"

     Emmett nodded, his face softening almost immediately.

     "Yeah, 'course I do. They're good people. They look out for us,"

     I was happy to hear that Dr. and Mrs. Cullen were good people. I wasn't expecting anything less, but it was nice hearing it from Emmett himself.

     "What about you?"

     I faltered at his question, but I reminded myself that Alice probably hadn't told him about my parents. I appreciated her silence on the matter.

     "My dad wasn't really, um... a part of the picture, I guess. And my mom died when I was pretty young,"

     I could see him regretting his words.

     "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

     "No, no. It's okay, you didn't know. Besides, I've got Daylin," I quickly reassured him, "he's my older brother. He looks out for me."

     "So, it's just you two? That's gotta be pretty cool, right?"

     "It would be, if he didn't act like he was my dad," I snorted, waving off the idea that Daylin was my laidback, hip older brother.

     "Protective?"

     "You don't know the half of it,"

     "Bet he wouldn't like seeing us like this, huh?"

     Confusion hit me as I looked up at him.

     "Like what?"

     As soon as I asked that question, Emmett moved his back from off the brick wall, his forearm hitting the surface next to my face. He leaned over, his own face now inches from mine. His other arm remained at his side, hand in pocket.

     My breathing hitched. My whole body felt like it was tingling, my heart thudding in my ears. I could feel my face glowing red, but all I could do was stare up at him with wide eyes.

     His face, for once, wasn't readable. Up until that point, he'd been so emotive. Now, there was something in his eyes that I didn't understand.

     And then it hit me.

     Hunger.

     Emmett was staring at me with want. And I had no idea what in the hell to say, or do.

     I felt the butterflies in my stomach going batshit insane, and I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take. He was so close. Closer than he'd ever been.

      I noticed details I wouldn't normally even think about. But at that moment, he didn't blink, didn't breathe; I could tell by the way his chest ceased to rise and fall.

     "Emmett..."

     "You... drive me... crazy."

     His words came out slowly, and with the closeness of our bodies, I could practically feel his voice, low like thunder. His words stirred in my mind like warm honey, and my knees grew weak.

     His face moved in, just barely, and I clenched my fists. It was like a magnet was pulling us together, and I didn't want to stop it. I wanted to fill the gap between us, and feel his lips on mine. Over a month of being totally enamored with this boy, and here he was.

    But just before anything could happen, my phone let out a demanding ring.

    Emmett exhaled, pulling away at lightning speed. It'd been so fast, I blinked and he was gone. Strangely, I missed the way his body fit so perfectly with mine. Was that creepy?

     I fumbled to take out my phone, still beyond flustered by his little stunt. Once I picked it up, I was met by Angela's voice.

     "Hey, where are you? I've been waiting in my car for like, fifteen minutes,"

     Shit.

     "I-I'm sorry Angela, oh my gosh- I-I got sidetracked, I'm coming now. I'm so sorry, I-"

     "You're fine, Evelyn. See you soon~"

     Hanging up, I was relieved that she didn't sound upset, and grateful that she hadn't left. But when I looked up, my heart dropped.

     Emmett was nowhere in sight.

     It took me a few moments to pull myself together, but within no time I found myself sitting in Angela's passenger seat, listening to her rant about the school's newspaper. I couldn't focus, though, and didn't really try to. There was only one question playing on repeat in my head:

     Was I falling for him?

—unedited

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