The field trip was officially over. Kids shuffled onto the buses like they'd just survived war, arms full of brochures they'd never read, pockets full of rocks they'd "totally use for science projects," and enough chatter to make the ride back unbearable.
I, naturally, plopped myself onto the school bus, sliding into the seat by the window like I owned the place. My mood? Immaculate. My vibe? Untouchable. My patience for Forks High? Questionable.
The drizzle streaked across the glass as the bus pulled away, blurring the endless green trees into watercolor smudges. And me? I couldn't stop smiling.
Why? Because Bella Swan, my dear cousin, had just experienced her very first "Edward Cullen teenage temper." The one where he got cryptic, broody, and about as helpful as a Magic 8-Ball stuck on Reply hazy, try again.
I snuck a sideways glance at her. Bella sat stiffly beside me, arms crossed, radiating the frustration of someone who'd just been denied a seat on a vampire's bus. Her brows were knit, her lips pressed into a stubborn line, and her whole energy screamed auditioning for Brooding Heroine: The Series.
It was adorable, really.
Which only made me smile harder.
Bella noticed. Her eyes snapped to mine with a silent message clear as daylight: Stop looking at me. Then she huffed, turned toward the aisle, and gave me the cold shoulder like I was the one being dramatic.
I almost laughed out loud but settled for smirking at my reflection in the glass. Forks zipped by outside, tall trees bending in the drizzle, shadows stretching across the road. The whole world looked like a moody indie film.
And yet for once it felt… nice. Cozy, even. Maybe it was the fresh air. Maybe it was the satisfaction of watching Bella stew in her very first taste of vampire drama. Who could say?
Still, my inner monologue refused to play nice: This is what happens when you try to befriend a 117-year-old immortal teenage boy with emotional issues stacked taller than the Olympic torch. No one told you vampires come with baggage, Bella? That's on you.
I grinned at the window, the glass catching the curve of my smirk.
Bella groaned beside me, shifting like my happiness physically offended her. Which, to be fair, it probably did.
And honestly? That made me even happier.
I could practically feel her thoughts radiating into the bus seat between us: "How dare she breathe the same air as me and still smile like that?" It was the kind of silent telepathy only cousins share the universal "stop existing so loudly" signal.
Bella nudged me suddenly, probably annoyed at my sheer existence. "You're awfully cheerful today," she muttered, like it was a personal insult.
"Am I?" I tilted my head, batting my lashes in the picture of innocence. "Maybe it's the weather. Or maybe it's watching someone get shot down in real time. Hard to say."
Her whole face scrunched up. "Can you not?"
"Can I not what?" I asked sweetly. "Be happy? Smile? Exist?"
"Yes all of it," she snapped, sinking lower in her seat like she could disappear into the floor. But the tips of her ears betrayed her, turning pink.
I gasped theatrically. "Wow. Anti-happiness, anti-life. Should I call a doctor? Or maybe a priest? Clearly, you're possessed."
Bella smacked her forehead into her palm so hard I winced. "You're insufferable."
I leaned back against the seat, basking in the glow of her irritation. "Well, sorry to inform you, cousin, but my happiness is not refundable. It comes with a no-return policy. You're stuck with it."
She gave me a glare that could curdle milk. I responded with my brightest, most angelic grin.
Honestly, if I bottled this feeling, I could sell it as Happy That You're Not Happy No. 5. A fragrance with top notes of smugness, middle notes of forest pine, and a long-lasting base note of ha-ha-you-got-rejected-by-a-sparkly-boy.
Bella muttered something under her breath probably a curse involving me falling into a puddle but I was too busy enjoying my glow-up moment to care.
The bus rattled along, rain drumming against the roof, windows fogging slightly. I let my gaze drift outside. The drizzle smeared the trees into streaks of green and silver, and for one rare moment, Forks didn't feel suffocating. It felt alive, cinematic even.
Maybe that was the perk of surviving near-death accidents and petty vampire drama you started to appreciate the little things. Like rain on glass. Or Bella's very obvious sulking right beside you.
I sighed happily. "You know, Bella, this is one of those days I'll tell my grandchildren about."
Her head whipped around. "What? Why?"
"Because joy this pure only happens once in a lifetime," I said solemnly. "Watching you brood because Edward Cullen wouldn't save you a seat on his fancy kids bus? Priceless."
She groaned again and smacked my arm, but weakly, like even she couldn't summon the energy to fight me properly.
I clutched my arm dramatically. "Ow! Abuse! Someone call the principal domestic cousin violence in progress!"
Bella finally cracked a smile, shaking her head. "You're ridiculous."
"I prefer the term delightful," I said, flipping my hair like I was auditioning for a shampoo commercial.
That earned me a laugh short, but real. "You're so annoying," she muttered, but she was grinning now.
"Annoying and charming," I corrected. "It's a package deal."
Bella rolled her eyes. "More like a curse."
"Please. If I'm a curse, I'm the fun kind. Like a glitter bomb. Unexpected, messy, but secretly amazing."
That finally made her snort. She tried to cover it with her hand, but it was too late I caught it.
"Ah-ha!" I pointed at her triumphantly. "Bella Swan laughed! Mark the date, history has been made. Tell the newspapers."
"Stop it!" she hissed, but she was laughing harder now, trying to hide her face against the seat.
"Never," I said smugly, leaning back with my arms crossed. "Your suffering fuels me. Your laughter validates me. It's the perfect balance."
Bella shook her head, still chuckling. "You're insane."
"Insanely lovable," I said with a wink.
She groaned again, but the smile stayed this time.
By the time we pulled into the school lot, I was practically humming with energy, radiating like a solar panel plugged straight into her misery. Bella, on the other hand, stomped down the aisle like the bus had personally wronged her. Honestly, if the asphalt cracked under her boots, I wouldn't have been surprised. Somewhere, the bus sighed in relief the second she stepped off, like, finally, the storm cloud has left the building.
I trailed after her, biting my lip so hard to keep from laughing that I was in genuine danger of injuring myself. Every stomp of her foot was like music to my soul the soundtrack of petty victory.
Note to self: happiness really is best enjoyed at someone else's expense.
And if that someone happened to be my cousin with questionable taste in sparkly immortals? Well. Even better. Honestly, it was the gift that kept on giving. Bella could mope, Edward could smolder, and I'd just sit here, reaping the entertainment like the universe had written this sitcom just for me.
She shot me one last side-eye glare as we hit the pavement, like she could feel the laughter bubbling in my chest. I gave her my brightest, most innocent smile in return the kind you'd expect from a saint, not a menace.
Her eye roll was so violent I thought she'd strain a muscle. Which only made me grin harder.
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