FORK’S CAFETERIA

Angela sat awkwardly, trying to avoid the silent war Jessica was desperate to initiate with the meeting of their eyes. There could only be one winner, and unknown to Jessica, she had already lost.

Though, it would still be made clear.

Ten minutes passed…

“Anyone seen Bella?” Mike asked the question.

“Nope…” Jessica replied. “Maybe she is sick today,” – I hope was the part her mouth skipped but thoughts finished.

“She was in class today,” Eric voiced. “I saw her in History class as I was passing by. She was talking to Xavier.”

‘Sure, passed by?’ Angela’s and Jessica’s minds were simultaneously doubtful.

One does not simply pass a class all the way in a corner of the school. The only people who pass by history class are about to take drugs, or the janitor, or a janitor about to take some drugs.

‘Where is he?’ Angela’s mind spun.

Thankfully, her constant thoughts were answered the next second when Xavier entered the cafeteria, and though he seemed as calm as usual, Angela could tell there was a certain urgency in each of his steps as his eyes scanned the room.

Their eyes met…

Sparks ignited, and Angela breathe a sigh of relief.

On any given day, it would be hard to tell what type of Xavier you would be getting – a dominant, a sadistic joker, a cynical tyrant, a one-track fighter, a lover, a fucker, or, as today, an excited boyfriend.

Angela smiled, and tilted her head, waiting for the prize she knew would come. Though she would not claim to understand Xavier entirely, Angela understood her boyfriend well enough.

A mere glance could tell her how to adjust her attitude for the day.

Today, awesomely, she had free reign.

Xavier slipped into the seat next to Angela, planting a rather sloppy kiss on her cheek as his hands automatically reached for the half-eaten apple on her plate.

“he he…” Angela giggled and was immediately embarrassed by such a childish giggle.

Xavier took a bite out of the apple, making a point to stare into Angela’s eyes as he bit contour for contour exactly where her mouth had been just a few minutes earlier.

A rush of hot air filled her lungs.

Only Xavier could make something as boring as biting an apple into a pending sexual odyssey.

At this point, Angela could be certain of three things – it was a rough fuck day, Xavier would be using apple or apple sauce during the sex, and she would be staying at his place tonight.

“I barfed a little in my mouth,” Mike frowned. “We should get out of here, right Jessica? Jessica?”

“Huh?” Jessica finally had the presence of mind to breathe, previously completely losing herself in the sexual tension between Angela and Xavier.

“I am sorry for taking up your time,” Xavier placed the able back onto the plate, but instead of adding space between himself and Angela, he dragged her closer.

It was a common sight when the duo were still together – at this point, every girl knew that Xavier preferred to keep Angela as close as possible to his person at all times.

Angela brushed her fingers through his hair, tilting her body just a bit to avoid an uncomfortable position that would force her to switch to a more comfortable place which usually ended with Xavier taking her lips.

‘Not at school.’

“Eric, Mike…” Xavier greeted his once-upon-of-time friends. “How have you guys been?”

“Honestly, better without you,” Eric smiled politely and awkwardly as he always did.

“So…” Mike decided to take advantage of the fact that Xavier will be in their circle once more. “I am interested in a redesign for my car?”

Eric and Jessica tossed betrayed looks in Mike’s direction, fully expecting the basketball player to give Xavier the boot instead of welcoming him back with open arms.

“Sure, I can check it out,” Xavier voiced.

“You’re anxious,” Angela noted. “If you weren’t, your hands would have already been at the last stages of examining my legs.”

“While I am very tempted,” Xavier sighed and spoke the truth in a single word. “Isabella Swan.”

Angela’s eyes narrowed.

“Yeah… I lost myself a bit, but nothing major,” He explained.

“She is a new girl from Arizona, eyes The Cullens like a lost puppy since the first day of school, blushes twice for the same compliment, and bonded to you like a cub choosing its mother,” Angela scolded, more upset with Xavier’s carelessness than his possible infidelity. “To a girl like her, everything is major. My gosh, you better smooth things over quickly if it’s a friendship you want to keep.”

“I know, I know,” Xavier groaned.

“No, you don’t know!” Angela grabbed a hold of Xavier’s cheeks in a rather rough manner as she scolded in a whisper. “Bella is not Jessie – yes, I know what you did to Jessie, but she was lost about who she was. Bella is solid, which makes her all the more likely to just shatter.”

“I don’t know what to say to her,” Xavier admitted. “I could always manipulate them to do what I wanted, but I have never been able to help someone get their emotions together.”

“The truth is all she needs,” Angela encouraged. “I will be expecting you to come home a bit late, and definitely not smelling like Bella and blood.”

“I wouldn’t…”

“But she would,” Angela quirked her brows. “Emotionally vulnerable, remember? Romance for innocent girls comes in all packages, even emotionally manipulative ones like you.”

“I will try not to let that hurt my feelings,” Xavier groaned and rose from the seat, pressing a silent kiss on Angela’s cheeks.

“Drive slowly,” She advised.

Xavier smirked. “Who said I was driving.”

۞۞۞

Xavier walked until the coverings of the large trees blocked him from sight. Then, he felt for the gravitons that were ever-present in the atmosphere.

The Gravitons were compact.

The Gravitons were solid.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

The Gravitons vibrated at a constant 9.8 times per meter distance.

Scientists all over the world sought the mysteries of gravity, and here Xavier was, capable of seeing all the mysteries of gravity, but for him, it was just another day.

He couldn’t even understand what Gravitons were.

Xavier could not find theoretical research about Gravitons, so everything he had managed to figure out thus far has been by his own experimentation.

The first thing he learned was the fact that he had limited control over gravitons.

The second thing he learned was that his limit was to fly, float objects around, or levitate someone else to a limited degree. It wasn’t that impressive but Xavier appreciated the ability nonetheless.

Flight was a problem Xavier took several weeks to solve.

At first, he had tried to force the gravitons into a range of motion outside their compactness, but when little was influenced, Xavier realized that he had been going about the flight the wrong way.

It was only during his battle with Sam that he realized how to manipulate gravitons the correct way – it was as simple as spacing gravitons and bringing them together.

Spacing gravitons freed Xavier from the constraints of gravity, and compacting the gravity, tighter than it already was, would increase linear acceleration to unheard-of levels.

Xavier was uncertain of his top speed, but that was mainly because he gave up exploring any limits when a loud boom shook Forks about a month prior.

Yes, he had broken the sound barrier.

Of course, such an experience did Xavier, inexperienced as he was, more damage than good. The sharper Graviton cycles upon breaking the sound barrier made it impossible to slow down, forcing The Eternal to crash into a nearby river.

Rivers tended to be as hard as a rock when someone is moving at 343 meters per second.

But Xavier managed to find his balance, and he had been keeping that balance ever since. The Eternal took a deep breath, extending his sense into more than just sound, sight, taste, and smell… but into the very fabric of reality.

There it was – a thin layer of something blocking everything.

There was no need to break through that layer – it was enough to simply wrap it around himself, a new coat atop his already existing sweater.

The gravitons spaced and Xavier rose into the air.

Five feet…

Ten feet…

Twenty feet…

Xavier selected a direction and pulled the gravitons together in a simple pattern of space, compactness, and space, and suddenly, the world became blurred.

WHOOOOOSH

Unlike Superman, Xavier felt unnatural unless both his arms remained at his side, limiting the surface area upon which the gravitons had to act.

WHOOOOOSH

The wind brushed past…

Freedom was tangible…

Xavier spun in the air, keenly aware at all times of how his body was being manipulated.

There was no feeling of directional loss – he was always able to tell the ground from the sky, always able to find the briefest modicum of balance even before a nasty crash landing.

It was a sense of its own.

As birds could tell the north from the south, Xavier could tell the ground from the skies, and what needed to be done at every time during the flight.

Still, with more practice came better, smoother movements.

Xavier lowered his altitude as the thick of the forest was becoming lesser, burying himself between the trees. This was the best part about flying in Forks – the challenge of dodging the trees.

The Eternal rotated his body, placed his foot on a tree to help shift his momentum, and compacted the gravitons as he shot off in another direction.

The entire range of movement took a split second.

WHOOOOOSH

Side to side – up and down.

Nothing could touch Xavier as he followed the road, hoping to catch up to the emotionally unstable Bella before an accident could occur.

Not that one was guaranteed to happen, but better safe than sorry.

GRRRRMMMM

The smooth tumble of the engine echoed in Xavier’s ears, and he knew that he had finally caught up to Bella’s truck. The Eternal increased his speed, becoming a blur faster than his previous blur.

Then, he shot towards the skies, examining the route Bella’s car would take – the winding road meant she would have to move around a small hill.

That would be his chance.

Xavier shot towards the ground, flipping at the last second to land on his feet before breaking into a run down the hill – his feet moved as if a blur, though nowhere near Makkari’s level.

------------

Bella wiped the tears from her eyes a hundred times. She had to fight to remind herself that Xavier didn’t allow things to progress to the point of no return, so he had that going for him.

Still, it hurt so much to be deceived, even unconsciously, by the first friend she made in Forks.

“I guess I have to ask mom to leave as soon as possible,” Bella grumbled. “Even if it hurts Charlie. I don’t think I can stay after this.”

“SLOW DOWN!”

Bella was confused – she thought she heard a voice yelling for her to slow down.

“SLOW DOWN!”

Bella heard the voice again, and this time, she was able to determine more or less where the voice was coming from – and there she saw him.

Xavier dashing down the hill, just a little lean forward would lead to a tumble of disastrous consequences for him – yet, he continued to run.

Bella instinctually sped up the truck.

Thankfully, Xavier was able to react in time – The Eternal met the road just as Bella’s car was about to pass by, and with unmatched acrobatics, he threw his body through the small gap in her passenger’s side window.

WHOOOSH

With a bit of help from gravitons and gripping the steering wheel, Xavier was able to flip himself into a standing position before crashing into Bella.

Then, he simply used one arm and his inhuman strength to grasp Bella’s waist, sliding her out of the driver’s seat and into the passenger’s seat.

“Didn’t you hear me yell – slow down!” Xavier ranted as he took control of the car. “What would have happened if you ran me over?”

“You deserve to be run over!” Bella’s lungs burst with vigor, causing a shout that stunned even Xavier. “You’re lucky I didn’t know you were coming or I would have aimed for you.”

Silence…

Silence…

“Hahaha,” Xavier burst into a laughing fit.

Bella’s cheeks puffed as red embarrassment crept up her neck, but she would not give Xavier the satisfaction of seeing her squirm.

“We are taking a detour,” Xavier announced in a tone that said no arguments. “I am taking you somewhere – we are gonna talk this out like friends should.”

“Like friends should?” Bella’s question was both valid and mocking. “Were we friends when your tongue was down my throat and you were moments away from making me, what? Girls number seven?”

“Seven?” Xavier quirked a brow. “I am surprised you would judge me so low… and yes,” He paused and turned to meet Bella’s eyes. “We are friends and we always will be, which is why I didn’t allow myself to make that mistake – not on me. I am not worth it.”

“I thought that was my decision to make,” Bella grew less pouty the more they talked.

“A lot of times we don’t make the decision we think we do,” Xavier explained, turning the truck down a dirt road that cut through the forest. “Fate makes that decision for us.”

“Where are we heading?” Bella inquired, her heart speeding up a notch.

“Don’t worry. I promise I’m not a serial killer so calm your heart,” Xavier explained.

Bella lowered her head for a second then raised it and looked Xavier dead in the eyes. “Fear isn’t the reason my heart is beating so fast,” She stated.

Xavier sucked a breath of air to calm himself, lest he stops the car, turn Bella around and take her from behind at this exact moment.

“How about this?” He compromised. “If you still want to kiss me in two weeks’ time; then, I will break up with Angela and make love to you.”

Bella blushed. “And who told you I wanted to make love to you?” She asked.

“You don’t want to make love to me,” Xavier quirked a brow, refocusing on driving on the road that was only becoming worse. “You want me to make love to you – there’s a difference.”

Bella slowly nodded her head, afraid that once the opportunity passed, it would never come around again. After all, in her eyes, she was all too ordinary compared to the gorgeously edgy and rich character that is Xavier.

He was as beautiful as Edward Cullen, and it was clear Edward already hated her – it would be too much if the two hottest guys at the school hated her.

Harder if the hate came from her first friend, and now, the first person to taste her lips.

‘Hopefully, last too.’ Bella couldn’t help but think.

“We’re here,” Xavier exited the car, walked to Bella’s side, and opened the door. “Just beyond those trees,” He gestured. “And you will see one of my best-kept secrets – that should be enough.”

“Enough for what?” Bella stepped out of the truck, carefully arranging her feet in the damp soil as she did.

“To show you I care,” Xavier offered Bella a hand which she happily took.

They walked through the foliage together.