Rosalie moved first, slipping into the cafeteria without a word, her chin lifted just enough to suggest she wasn't looking for company, but also wasn't opposed to it. She carried herself with a kind of deliberate calm, a smoothness in her steps that made it clear she never rushed for anyone.
Her black boots clicked faintly against the linoleum floor as she weaved through the clusters of students, making straight for the table where a small group had already gathered.
She sat down beside the pixie-haired girl Aiden had nearly collided with earlier in the hallway. That girl's pale, almost delicate features sharpened under her cropped black hair, her movements quick and precise as though she was always three steps ahead of everyone else.
Across from her sat a broad-shouldered, dark-haired boy, built like an athlete, his casual sprawl in the chair radiating a confidence that came from knowing people usually listened when he spoke. Next to him, a mocha-skinned girl gestured animatedly as she talked, her voice bright, her laughter spilling easily into the space.
On her other side, a honey-blonde guy, Aiden recognized him from American history, leaned forward, wearing his charm like a second skin, his grin practiced but effective.
At the far edge, a boy with reddish-brown hair sat back in his seat, posture deceptively relaxed, but his eyes were sharp, scanning the room in the same way Aiden did: quietly, as though he noticed more than he let on.
The group was a mixture of ease and edge, like they belonged together, yet each carried their own presence too strong to be ignored.
Aiden drifted through the lunch line with no rush, his tray balanced effortlessly in one hand. His face was unreadable, his shoulders squared, steps measured. The noise of the cafeteria pressed in around him, voices, laughter, the clatter of trays, but he filtered it out as though it were only background static.
When he reached Jessica's table, her face lit up immediately. She shifted in her seat, waving him over with the kind of enthusiasm that carried across a room.
"Hey! Aiden, this is Bella," Jessica said quickly, like she'd been waiting all period to make the introduction. Her voice carried more than usual, pulling a few curious looks from the nearby tables.
Aiden's gaze followed her gesture.
Bella looked up, hesitant, her dark brown hair sliding slightly forward as though to shield her face. Her skin was pale, paler than Rosalie's even, with a softness that seemed almost translucent under the fluorescent cafeteria lights.
Her eyes caught the light in a way that made them shimmer faintly, and though her posture was shy, withdrawn, there was an understated allure in the way she occupied her space without trying. She wasn't striking in the conventional sense—not like Rosalie's sharp, commanding presence, but there was something about her that drew people in anyway.
And people had noticed.
The boys at the table had already angled themselves toward her, their trays pushed aside, their chairs subtly shifted closer.
"So, Bella, where'd you move from?" the honey-blonde guy asked, his grin wide and easy, his chin resting on one palm like he'd cleared the stage just for her answer.
"Do you like Forks so far?" came from the broad-shouldered one, his tone smooth but edged with competition, like he wanted her to give him the better smile.
"What classes are you in?" added the boy with reddish-brown hair, his voice quieter, more measured, but his attention never leaving her face.
The questions came layered, almost tripping over each other, each one trying to stake a claim to her time. Their energy swirled around her, loud, eager, insistent.
Bella, for her part, answered softly, her voice almost fragile under the press of attention. She smiled faintly, polite, but her posture was drawn inward, shoulders slightly hunched, hands tight on her tray. She was overwhelmed, though she hid it as best she could.
Ben sat at the far end, his presence muted compared to the rest. He picked at his food with deliberate slowness, his irritation subtle but visible in the tight set of his jaw, the way his eyes flicked once toward Bella, then quickly away. He wasn't part of the competition, but his silence carried its own weight.
Aiden approached without urgency, sliding into the empty seat between Jessica and Angela. He set his tray down, unbothered by the energy buzzing across the table.
"This is Bella," Jessica repeated, just in case he hadn't caught it.
Aiden gave the girl a brief nod, expression steady. Bella's lips curled in a tiny wave of acknowledgment before the boys reclaimed her attention.
Angela shifted beside him, fidgeting with her camera strap. She glanced at him, then down, then back again before blurting out, "Sorry about your jacket…" Her voice trailed, sheepish. "I washed it and then, I don't know, I misplaced it. I couldn't find it afterward."
Jessica perked up immediately, eyes wide. "Wait, what jacket?"
Angela hesitated, then gave the explanation: "He walked me home the other night. My grandma asked him to."
Jessica's mouth dropped open. "Ohhh."
Across the table, Ben's fork paused mid-air. His jaw flexed once, irritation flashing before he forced his expression neutral again. Aiden caught it in the corner of his eye but let it pass.
"It wasn't a big deal," Aiden said simply, his voice flat but not unkind, dismissing it with a shrug.
Jessica leaned in, clearly fishing for more, but Angela quickly redirected by adjusting her camera, muttering something about lighting.
Meanwhile, the boys around Bella hadn't let up. Their voices rose, overlapping as they pressed for more details, more smiles, more of her attention.
"Have you been to the diner yet? Best burgers in town."
"We could show you around, Forks isn't much, but"
"Do you like hiking? There are some amazing trails."
Bella's laugh was soft, nervous, as though she didn't quite know how to refuse any of them. Her gaze flicked briefly, just once, toward Aiden. A second of contact, measuring, testing, as if she'd noticed he was the only one who hadn't joined the chase.
But Aiden didn't return the look. He focused on his tray, his movements calm, detached. He was present, but not involved.
Jessica tried to spark conversation again, but Aiden answered her in short replies, his attention elsewhere. He ate without hurry, listening without appearing to.
When he finally stood, sliding his tray back with a quiet scrape, the cafeteria had already started to thin. Some students had scattered, the noise dipping just enough to notice the change.
"Bathroom," he said simply, voice steady, offering no further explanation.
Ben looked up sharply, eyes narrowing before he masked it with another slow bite of food. Jessica hummed distractedly, and Angela gave him a small nod of acknowledgment.
Behind him, the laughter of the boys still swirled, Bella's soft replies threaded within it. The noise followed him as he walked away, unhurried, shoulders squared, leaving the table and the buzzing energy of competition behind him.
[Minutes Later]
The bathroom was cooler than the cafeteria, the fluorescent lights humming faintly above cracked tiles and the faint drip of a leaky faucet echoing in the silence. Aiden pushed open the door with one hand, letting it swing closed behind him. The solitude was welcome, at least for a moment.
But he wasn't alone.
Ben stood at the far sink, shoulders hunched as he splashed water over his hands. When he glanced up, their eyes locked in the mirror, brown meeting steel-gray. For half a second, neither moved, the silence stretched taut.
Then Ben straightened, wiping his wet hands across the thighs of his jeans before turning. His broad frame seemed to take up more of the narrow space than it should have.
"You think you're slick, don't you?" Ben's voice was low, controlled, but there was a hard edge under it.
Aiden leaned against the tiled wall near the sinks, expression unreadable. "Not sure what you mean."
"Walking Angela home. Giving her your jacket." Ben took a step forward, jaw tight. "You trying to make me look stupid?"
Aiden's smirk was small, sharp, but his tone was calm. "Didn't realize basic decency was about you."
Ben bristled, fists flexing at his sides. He wasn't the type to back down, but he wasn't reckless either, there was calculation in the way he shifted his stance.
"You don't know how things work here. Stay out of it."
Aiden tilted his head, the faintest glint of amusement in his eyes. "Or what? You'll glare at me until I get the message?"
Ben's face darkened, and for a second, it looked like he might swing. The tension crackled sharp between them, like a live wire about to snap.
But before either could escalate, the bathroom door creaked open, and the sound of shoes squeaking against tile cut through the air. A teacher stepped inside, adjusting his glasses, oblivious at first to the charged silence hanging between the two boys.
"Bell just rang," the teacher said, his voice carrying authority without effort. "You two should already be heading to class."
Ben clenched his jaw, eyes still fixed on Aiden, but he didn't speak. He turned sharply, brushing past the teacher without a word.
Aiden pushed off the wall with lazy ease, smoothing the front of his shirt as though nothing had happened. He caught the teacher's brief, curious glance but ignored it, slipping out into the crowded hallway just as the flow of students surged toward their next period.
Inside his head, the dark entity stirred, voice curling like smoke in the back of his skull. You should've broken him. One strike, and he'd never test you again.
Aiden's jaw tightened, but he didn't answer immediately. He let the noise of the hallway drown the voice, his expression calm, almost detached. Finally, he muttered inwardly, firm and cold: Shut the fuck up.
For once, the entity fell silent.