"That's a good sign," she nodded. "Was she pretty?"
"Very pretty—and probably like thirty or thirty-five."
"In her prime," Jessica concluded with a nod. "Even better. He must like you."
"I think so, but it's hard to tell. He's always so cryptic." I threw in for his benefit, sighing.
"I don't know how you're brave enough to be alone with him," she breathed.
"Why?" I was shocked, but she didn't understand my reaction. How could she have known? Maybe Jessica was more on the ball than I'd thought.
"He's so... intimidating."223 She said. "I wouldn't know what to say to him." I laughed. She was so pathetic! She made a face, probably remembering this morning or last night, when he'd turned the overwhelming force of his gold-black eyes on her.
"I do have some trouble with incoherency when I'm around him," I admitted modestly, as though I wasn't above being razzle-dazzled by the best razzle-dazzler in the whole Forks High School.
"Oh well. He is unbelievably gorgeous."224 Jessica shrugged as if this excused any flaws. Ugly people always think beautiful people have it so easy.
"There's a lot more to him than that," I defended. I didn't want him to hear me talking about how he was just my man candy. He might beat me— or worse, break up with me.
"Really? Like what?" It looked like she was on the edge of her seat, almost falling off it in excitement. I could only imagine how many people she was getting ready to tell this to.
I wished I had let it go. Almost as much as I was hoping he'd been kidding about listening in...
"I can't explain it right... but he's even more unbelievable behind the face." The vampire who wanted to be good—who ran around saving so many lives so he wouldn't be a monster... I stared toward the front of the room, where I imagined us slow-dancing in the moonlight. Soon enough, Bella. Soon enough...
"Is that possible?" She giggled.
I ignored her, trying to look like I was paying attention to Mr. Varner.
223. And a vampire.
224. And a vampire!