In The Summertime - [A whole summer in Italy with a total jerk? Fantastic] – Chapter 1

Author's Note- I have a question. How many of you don't believe in love anymore or have just given up because of what you've seen? I have. And if it wasn't for this story, I would have still been in my depressed state. This story was originally written by XxAllSmilesxX on quizilla but with her permission, I am posting it on here. SO all credits go to her. For thse of you out there who just want to believe again or want entertainment, this is an AMAZING story for you . (Plus, most of the character's names have been changed.)

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Let's get to the point. Love is overrated, I'm convinced that its total BULL. All that crap about star-crossed lovers, love at first site, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, blah blah blah.

I'm sorry, I didn't believe it.

If you want to go all self help group, alcoholic's anonymous style, here's my confession:

Hi, my name is Bella Swan, and I don't believe in love.

That's right, it's practically against the girl code not to believe in love, trust me, I know. But I just don't, not even a smidgen.

This is what I was thinking in English class in late May of my graduating year of high school as my teacher read an excerpt from yet another tragic and yet so "heart warming" love story:

"To him she seemed so beautiful, so seductive, so different from ordinary people, that he could not understand why no one was as disturbed as he by the clicking of her heels on the paving stones, why no one else's heart was wild with the breeze stirred by the sighs of her veils, why everyone did not go mad with the movements of her braid, the flight of her hands, the gold of her laughter. He had not missed a single one of her gestures, not one of the indications of her character, but he did not dare approach her for fear of destroying the spell."

I snorted, louder than I thought because everyone in the classroom along with my English teacher turned toward me.

"Is there a problem with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Ms. Swan?"

I looked up from the book we were reading from. Love in the Time of Cholera, yeah, you can just guess how that goes.

"Well, with all due respect sir, I think this whole concept is overrated," I said.

"Really? Why would you say that?"

"Come on, the guy waits his entire life to be with Fermina, she gets married and forgets about him and then he confronts her at her husband's funeral decades later, proclaiming 'everlasting love and fidelity' even though he's had affairs with hundreds of women!" I said.

"He has those affairs because he's in pain," he told me.

"That's a typical male excuse," I said, shaking my head. The girls in the class laughed.

"This whole everlasting love concept is just so out there that I can't even understand it," I continued.

He was smiling at me now. "You don't understand yet, you're still young Ms. Swan."

"As far as I'm concerned, stuff doesn't work out the way it does in these novels."

"So little faith," I heard a voice come from behind me.

I turned around and saw Edward Cullen staring directly at me. Don't even get me started on this jerk, yes, he pisses me off that much.

Edward was everything, hot, soccer player, active volunteer in the community, oh and most importantly, top of the class, one above me, and he never let me forget it.

Wait… did I just say hot? Scratch that. If this guy didn't have "jerk" written all over his stone cold exterior I would say so…but lets not get into that.

"And you believe this stuff can actually happen?" I shot back at him. Ha, what a riot.

He shrugged. "Maybe. All I know is that you should learn to appreciate works by authors like Marquez instead of dissing them with your negative opinions all the time."

He waved his book in the air at me while he raised his eyebrows.

I opened my mouth in protest but the bell rang and the class started bustling around.

"ARGH!" I groaned.

"Bell, chill out," my friend Jess said from next to me.

"I can't stand him," I said through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, but you can kind of forgive him because he's so easy on the eyes," she said as she shoved her books in her school bag, flashing me a grin.

Jess had been my best friend forever, she was one of the only people I knew that could put up with me sometimes. She was just like me, I could have the best conversations with her sometimes. But, she was nicer than me. And the comments she made about Edward's looks made me question her insanity once and a while.

Sure Edward was hot, of course I knew that but-

"Maybe your pessimistic views on everything is what makes you only second in the class every year," I heard a voice in my ear.

I cringed, turning around to see Edward and that perfect, stupid face. Take back everything I said, I will not, ever, ever, ever, admit that Edward is hot.

"Maybe if you were less of a freaking robot, people would actually like you," I grumbled to him.

"If you hadn't noticed, plenty of people like me," he sneered back at me.

"Yeah, slutty girls with raging hormones," I said rolling my eyes.

He raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "And why would I object to their needs? I'm always glad to be of service."

"Gross," I said, turning my back to him. "Get lost Edward."

I heard him give a brief, totally infuriating, laugh as he walked out of the classroom.

"I swear, Bell, you guys act like an old married couple."

"Jess," I warned. "Another comment like that and you're dead."

"You and your weird thoughts on love," she said with a grin and then paused. "Um, Bell, you've seemed to have forgotten something."

"What? What did I forget?" I asked, looking around.

She shook her head at me. "Wow, I'm starting to think you forgot your brain…all that flirting with Edward really did get-"

"Jess!" I whined, whacking her with my book. "If you think that's flirting, everyone's doomed to kill each other, because that's how I feel whenever I talk to him!"

"Ok, ok," she said rolling her eyes. "I was just going to tell you that you forgot that your answer to your summer scholarship program should be at the main office by now." "OH MY GOD!" I shrieked. "I completely forgot. I'll see you later!"

I bolted down the hallway, hearing Jess yell something after me but it didn't really register. I was too excited; if I got this acceptance, I was going to be a monitor at a leadership camp on scholarship in Italy for the whole summer along the Mediterranean!

I burst through the office doors.

"Ms. Swan!" The secretary said, looking startled.

"Do you have a letter for me?" I asked, not caring if I sounded rude.

"Actually, I do, it just got here," she said, picking up a letter and handing it to me.

I practically ripped it a part.

Dear Bella Swan,

We are pleased to announce that you have been granted a position at the summer leadership program in Sorrento, Italy. You will be leaving-

I didn't even have to finish reading it.

"YES!" I shrieked. "I GOT IT!"

The secretary was smiling at me politely, she probably had no idea what I was talking about. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you!" I said as I danced out of the office.

I was going to spend a summer in Italy and nothing else mattered right now. Not even my twisted thoughts on love.