CHAPTER FIFTEEN
❝ unintentional ❞

JESSICA WAS UNDOUBTEDLY jealous that Mike was focusing his attention around Hayden Marris. Every now and then, as they say around the circular cafeteria table, Jessica would sneak a glare to Hayden while the blonde boy wasn't looking. Hayden didn't really mind it though, as she would reply back with a kind smile. It was a means of letting Jess know that the brunette didn't care about her strong hatred. Emmett watched from afar, his seat placed between Edward and Joseph. With a long sigh, he runs his hands down his face in repulsion.

"I hate seeing her near him," Emmett grits his teeth. "Why won't she just come and talk to me already? It's obvious she's not enjoying that kid's lame attempt at flirting."

"Because she doesn't understand why you left her this morning," Bella states, popping a carrot into her mouth. "Clearly, you can't keep your chill. It wasn't her fault that Mike called while you were having an important conversation, right? You can't get upset about something that she couldn't control."

"She didn't have to answer it." Emmett frowns, glancing over to their table again, his eyes narrowed into slits. "It's not like he's all that important, anyway. We almost kissed, for goodness sake! The least we could've done is talk about it without an interruption."

"Well, it could've been an emergency," Edward takes Bella's side. "What if Mike needed her and she didn't answer him? That would've been a conversation that would inevitably happen anyway. It's not like you can't wait until tomorrow, or some other convenient time."

"If there was an emergency, he would've called an ambulance first. Hayden isn't permitted to heed his every command because I would rip him apart for it. I won't allow him to treat her like that; calling solely because he doesn't feel like he's been getting enough attention lately. That's my job."

"So you're saying you are attention-seeking?" Alice tilts her head to the side, a wide grin spreading across her perfectly sculpted lips as she sends a wink towards Bella.

"Well," he seems flabbergasted for a moment, before rolling his eyes. "I guess. But only for Hayden. The rest of you can kiss my ass for trying to embarrass me in front of her. That was a mean move, you guys. And you can't try and steal her away from me with your charms, Alice. She's not the type to go shopping for dresses everyday."

"But when prom rolls around," Alice clicks her tongue with a shrug, "we'll see who takes her dress shopping. You know, Em, I do think Mike might ask her first‒ do you see the way he's looking at her right now?"

Jasper nudges her with his elbow lightly, shaking his head as he laughs. Emmett, however, looks anything but amused. Edward sighs, sinking into his seat as Emmett launches from his. In a matter of seconds, the Cullen boy is at Hayden's table, breaking up the conversation she was currently vested in.

" . . . and I just kinda stood there until Angela showed up for carpool." Erik finishes, his smile as bright as ever as he tosses a french fry towards the raven-haired girl. "Such a rough morning for me. You know, I'm starting to think that bad luck is always following me around, especially in the bathroom because‒"

Erik suddenly stops, his eyes growing wider as Emmett appears at their table. Hayden, who's back was facing him, looked confused as to why Erik had urgently discontinued, before turning her gaze to the beautiful soul behind her. "Oh, Emmett, what are you doing here? I thought you were upset with me."

"Can we talk? In private?" Emmett raises an eyebrow, his eyes grazing over the flabbergasted teens that Hayden called acquaintances. "We can go somewhere so we can finish our conversation from this morning."

"Actually, I think she'd rather spend some time with her friends. She hasn't gotten to spend too much time on her friends," Mike cuts in, studying Hayden with intensity. "Right, Hayden?"

Hayden opens her mouth to speak, but Emmett takes a threatening step forward and talks over her. "You don't make decisions for Hayden. She can choose to go wherever she wants with who she wants. You might want to hide your jealousy a bit more, Mike."

Angela swallows at his tone, retreating as she visually moves closer to Erik. Jessica seems quite shocked, and stays put in her place as she watches the disaster unfold. Hayden flinches as Mike jumps from his chair, sending it to the floor with a loud crash. Now the whole cafeteria was quiet and staring profusely as Mike Newton began to sign his death wish. The shy and introverted Mike that everyone knew had cracked out of his shell so quickly that it could've given someone whiplash if they stood too close.

"Anyone who'd choose you obviously doesn't have their priorities straight," Mike clenches his jaw. "What's wrong with you anyway, huh? Why do you think you can run this school because of your looks? Because you have got another thing coming if you think I'm gonna let Hayden leave with you‒"

"Mike, now is definitely not the time to try and rip someone a new one," Hayden frets, standing carefully from her seat, and stepping between them. She places her hands on Emmett's biceps, her eyes pointed upwards as they try to find his. "Emmett, look at me. Look at me. You're not gonna fight Mike over something like this, okay? It's okay, everything is okay."

Jasper doesn't seem to think the same as he gestured for Edward and Joseph to get onto their feet and move to where the three of them are. Emmett, with little to no self control, looks down to meet Hayden's gold-filled eyes. "Fine."

"So you'll back down like that?" Mike taunts, resting his hand to Hayden's shoulder as he moves her from their path. But the Marris girl wasn't expecting his sudden action, and tripped over the chair behind her.

Before anyone could register what was happening, the brunette had fell, her head smashing against the table before her body hit the floor. Hayden cries out after the impact, holding the gash on her forehead as blood begins to fall from the wound. Alice and Rosalie are by her side instantly, Bella following suitly. Emmett looked over her damaged state, a menacing expression washing over his face as he turned back to face Mike. The boy looks just as shocked as everyone else, almost wincing as he hears Hayden's cries.

"Emmett!" Hayden calls out. "Please don't‒"

But Emmett had already pulled his fist back, slamming it into the Newton boy's jaw. He falls immediately, tears springing to his eyes. But, despite the fact that a vampire had knocked him to the ground‒ but not with too much force because that would be suspicious‒ Mike had sprang back up, and had attempted to hit Emmett with every ounce of force that was fueled by his anger. Before the fight could go on any longer, Jasper and Edward were jerking Emmett back, and Erik and Joseph had Mike in their grasp.

"Right now is not the time to fight." Jasper looks Emmett in the eyes, trying to get ahold of his strung-out emotions. "Hayden needs you, okay? And I bet the principal is on his way as we speak. You need to calm down before you kill him."

"I am going to rip his head from his body, Jasper!" He growls, his fury evident from the glint in his eyes. "He hurt her! He can't just get away with it!"

"Don't you think that the staff need to handle this?" Edward mutters to him. "If you make any irrational choices right now, we'll have to leave Forks and you'll never see Hayden again. Just listen, alright? Do you hear her?"

Paramedics burst through the front cafeteria doors, staff shoving past students to get to Hayden. But beyond all of the chaos, Emmett can hear her soft voice; still as enchanting and angelic as ever. "Is he okay?" Hayden asks Alice, her bottom lip quivering. "Please tell me they're both okay, Alice."

"Stop worrying about those idiots," the pixie soothes her, placing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "The medics are here and they'll take you to the hospital. I'll call your parents, okay? Now, who do you want to ride with you in the ambulance?"

"Emmett," she says without an ounce of hesitation. "I want Emmett with me."

Emmett stops in his spot, going completely rigid. "She's asking for me," he murmurs, shoving Edward's arms off of him. "Tell the principal I'll suffer the consequences later. I have more important concerns at the moment."

Shoving hastily past Alice and Rosalie who linger over the brunette, he gently positions his hands on either side of her face. He runs his thumbs over her skin cautiously, her hands falling on his own. "Are you okay?" She asks promptly. "It wasn't bad, was it?"

"Don't worry about me," he breathes, placing a kiss on her temple. "You scared me to death, I almost killed him. I never want to see you cry again, Hayden. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have let him get to me‒ now look where we've gotten."

His heart‒ even though it could no longer beat‒ felt as though it was shattering at the mere sight of the tears falling from her eyes. He easily wipes them away, swallowing back the guilt in his throat.

"I'm glad you're okay," she whispers as a gurney is layer down beside of her.

"You, Hayden Marris," Emmett pauses, lacing his fingers in hers as the medics prepare to lift her, "are the purest person I've ever met."

There was an aching in Hayden's skull that lingered; it burned fiercely, as if her brain had been lit on fire multiple times. Yet when he had come into view, when his perfect brown eyes had found hers and his skin lit a spark in her veins, it was all gone. It was as if the pain had never existed in the first place.

And that's the moment when Hayden Marris knew she was unintentionally, inevitably falling in love with Emmett Cullen.

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