"Hello, Edward Cullen." I stuck my hand out. "Bella Swan. I don't think we've officially met." He shook my hand gently, looking, quite honestly, amused.

"See, I have a bit of a problem, that I think you might be able to help me with." I tried to keep up the sweet-as-sugar smile while I continued.

"Well, it seems that, amongst all the life saving and flirting and whatnot,"

"That wasn't flirting." He cut in.

My smile dropped. I'd had it. But I'd still be polite.

"Okay then. Well, anywho, during these…" I tried to find the right word. "exchanges, I seem to have developed a bit of a infatuation with your… strangeness. My friend says it's a crush." I gestured behind me to where I knew Jess to be sitting. His eyes flickered to her for a few seconds and I imagined her ducking behind her book. Served her right. "I would like to prove her wrong. So, please, be a jerk to me, then, based upon my emotional reactions, Jessica with either nag me about you forever, or drop the subject. I promise not to take any of what you say to heart. And yes, I have been trying to figure out what to say for like, the last two days, so please don't ask any questions I have to answer with complete sentences."

"You just called me a strange jerk, but you want me to do you a favor. Note that was not a question."

"Look, I don't like confrontation so—it can't be too hard for you to be a jerk, since you've proved that time and time again. And you are strange."

"More insults."

"Actually, I simply restated the same insults. Please, say something else ignorant or arrogant. I don't think you've evoked an emotional reaction yet."

"Evoked? Who the hell says 'evoked'? It's like the stupidest word ever, and you use it like an everyday term."

"Who says 'term'? Other than a high school teacher, of course."

"Of course? Who says 'of course'? You are so weird."

"Oh, like you're any better!"

Alice POV

And so it begins.

"See, she thought he was flirting too." I am always right. Emmett needs to learn that. "Pay up." Easy money.

I honestly can't understand what either of them are saying anymore, because they're both talking so perfectly over one another. They're perfect for each other. I wish they could see that. It'd make health class a lot easier for everyone (and more boring for our lovely Mrs. Truno) and life better for both of them.

"No!" I heard Bella say, which was apparently what ended this particular argument. She stomped back over to her friend and said, in a surprisingly calm and normal voice, "See Jess, my heart feels fine. Maybe a bit remorseful for disrupting class, but that's it." And then she sat back down in her seat, and shot a glare at my wonderful brother.

"Did you ask her?" Emmett said, all mischievous.

"What did you think the 'No' was?" Edward replied. He looked calm, too. It clicked. He planned it.

"You jerk! You wanted to get an answer, and so you make her yell it so Emmett was listening, so you wouldn't have to say it out loud, but in a way that the rest of the class won't hear what you asked her!" Brilliant, really.

"Thank you." He muttered, taking his seat next to me. "Emmett, you owe me. Big." He added. Hah. He didn't like asking about that stuff.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Emmett waved it off." Can we go to Spanish now? I'm good at that class." The bell rang right then. Great. He's gonna brag about that forever—the mystical timing and all that crap.