Not Me!

After the Fact

(Y/N)'s POV

I let out a sigh of relief, exiting the school's double-door entrance. My arms ached from playing the violin for so long. The parking lot was mostly clear, aside from the occasional car.

One that drew my attention first was the expensive car that had to be Edward's. It stuck out amongst all the other vehicles with its shine. The Cullen's vehicles looked like they just got them from a car dealership before school every day.

I usually don't pay them much mind, but I guess I have taken more notice in some form. He's stranger than I thought. I stared at his car longer than I thought as I heard the faint sounds of van doors slamming and the close-by sound of the door behind me opening and closing.

The person behind me bumped my shoulder as they passed; I turned to see Edward. He only stopped for a second with a glance at me before speedily going down the steps. He smelled somewhat strongly of expensive cologne.

'Didn't he have allergies?' I didn't have much time to put thought into it as I heard Mike's voice shout, "Wanna hang with the cool kids, Violin Player?!" He held a dopey grin, dropping his hands to his sides after his declaration.

I set that last thought aside in favor of going to the van. Like this morning, the sun hid behind clouds, and everything caught a bluish-gray hue.

"Alright! Does this mean you can come with us?" Eric poked his head out of the van.

"Yeah, I can go. Where do you guys plan on going first?" I fished through my bag to get my keys. "I'll have to follow along in my car because, you know, it's over there." I pointed to my dark blue car.

"Oh, yeah, right!" Mike looked at the car in question.

"Let's go to the mall and then maybe to a cafe." Jessica pulled herself forward in the backseat to be visible from the wide-open van door.

"There's a couple of movies showing at 7:30. We could go to one of those?" Jessica suggested also following Jessica's actions. Everyone else in the van agreed. This was our usual plan anyway, so there was no losing.

"Alright, let's get going." I walked to my car as Mike returned to the van, and they set off.

As I was about to enter my car, I glanced and saw Edward's car still there, and he was about to enter his car. I could see his brows furrowed in this confused expression. His gaze met mine quickly, like he had been staring at me all along. He jumped into his car and left with no incident. I did the same; he kept proving to be odd.

"Why are you buying so much stuff with no smell?" Jessica appeared behind me, freaking me out. "Look at this, Angela: Shampoo, Conditioner, body wash, deodorant. I didn't even know that they make deodorant without a smell!" Angela appeared shortly after.

"We have only been here for 15 minutes, and this is the first thing you look at?" Jessica raised a brow at me, holding the shampoo bottle. "You want to smell like nothing?"

"Edward said he has allergies to strong-smelling things like this." I pulled the shampoo from her hands.

"Oh, right! So is Edward as cute as he looks?" Jessica started to adjust her clothes and hair as if he would suddenly appear there.

"He fits the mysterious and quiet bill for sure. He is talented on the piano, as you would expect." I continued the stroll of the dimly lit aisles.

Edward's POV

I walked up the rain-slicked steps to the front door and entered. With each step, I question more and more on why I chose to perform at the prom for purgatory prisoners. The plan was to be like outcasts, forgettable. Rosalie would surely remind me.

Though I have heard the anxious whispered and thought of chattering about Mr. Scott. I would draw more attention to myself if I went against his wishes, like a public execution. I need to go along and keep low, be equal to them.

I would draw attention if I were better or worse.

"Where were you?" Alice dropped with a soft thud onto the balcony and went through the open door. Jasper followed behind her, and I could tell from her thoughts she already knew.

"I'm playing the piano for prom," I responded flatly. Many thoughts rushed through my head on whether I made the right decision here. I watched her face morph into shock, knowing this might be worse for us.

Her thoughts rushed with visions, her eyes losing focus yet remaining focused all the same. Jasper gently held onto her shoulders as soon as he felt her anxiety.

A large thud sounded behind me; Rosalie dropped a heavy book, hearing the news. "Do you realize how this affects all of us?" She spoke with a strong dose of venom. She worried but us all in her head, going on about my stupidity.

My worst nightmare rapidly played out before my eyes. The risk of being found out was thick in the air.

"Mr. Scott has a stubborn dream to bring people together," and I was a victim. "So you know how far he would go to get that."

"If this goes badly, it will affect everyone." Her voice's venom doubling.

"I will not let it happen. As I keep my distance, I'll be an equal." I walked past her towards my room.

"Who's this other person? What if they find out and they tell everyone, Edward?" She followed after me, her mind racing with questions and worries.

"Mr. Scott picks those that keep to themselves all the time. He wants strong connections." I'm just a few more steps closer to the guillotine.

She seemed to step away slightly, not wanting to argue more, especially after I closed the door.
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1002 Words