AN: Hello again. It's been such a long time since I've posted anything. I've been promising this one for a long time. I'm really nervous about it, especially because so many people enjoyed the TIL one-shot and I really hope you continue to enjoy it.

Thank you so much to my amazing beta and friend, jayhawkbb, who supports me even when I'm a total mess and, of course, makes sure I don't look like a complete grammar idiot. And to Melee, Lexie, and Debi for pre-reading, constantly encouraging me, and giving it to me straight. I tweaked post edit so all mistakes are mine.

****There are some important points that I need to make sure everyone understands. Without spoiling anything, this is absolutely and E and B story. But they have a long journey to take before we get them to the point they are at in the one-shot. This is alluded to in the o/s, so it shouldn't be a surprise, but IF YOU ARE A VERY STRICT E/B ONLY PERSON, I suggest you either stick with the o/s or just start reading at chapter 9. That's all I will say. Thank you in advance for reading. xxx

~TIL~

Chapter 2:

7 years ago: Sophomore Year

Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap.

The sound was grating on my nerves. I glanced at the clock.

Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap.

Ten minutes left of homeroom.

Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap.

I'd had enough. Reaching over, I grabbed Mike Newton's pen out of his hand and threw it across the room. It hit the wall with a smack before tumbling to the ground.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself, asshole. You're driving me crazy."

"Well you could have just told me that, Bella. That's my favorite pen."

Mike stood up, shoving his chair back aggressively and huffing as he went to retrieve his precious pen. When he returned, he pulled his chair away from me angrily.

I giggled. "Please stop tapping your pen, Michael," I said, batting my eyelashes at him and shifting so that my skirt moved slightly higher on my thigh. Mike's eyes darted down to my bare legs and remained there for far too long.

Teenage boys are all the same. Ruled by hormones and easily influenced by a girl in a short skirt.

"Thank you," I purred sweetly, pulling my skirt back down as far as it could go, which, admittedly, wasn't very far.

When the bell rang, Mike grabbed his book bag and rushed to get to the door, holding it open for me as I passed. I winked at him and kept walking. He tried to follow me through the crowded hallway, but Tyler and Eric, two very large varsity football players, blocked his way when they came up behind me.

"Hey, Bella. You coming to my house tonight?" Tyler asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Why would I go to your house tonight, Tyler?" I asked innocently, knowing full well that his parents were out of town for the weekend and that he was planning a complete rager. But it was fun to mess with his ego.

"Don't play," he pouted at me.

I laughed. "I don't know, Ty. Rose and I were gonna have a sleepover. You know, wear lingerie, do each other's hair, eat strawberries and whipped cream, and have a pillow fight." I glanced up to see him looking at me, his mouth open and his eyes glazed over.

"Oh, man," Eric groaned from the other side of me.

"You could do all that at my house," Tyler said suggestively.

"Fat fucking chance!" I heard as Tyler was forcefully pushed away from me. "If I'm gonna sex up my girl here, I don't need some lustful little boy jacking off in the corner."

Ah, Rose. My gorgeous, intelligent, yet exceptionally foul-mouthed best friend. Always such a way with words. She slid in beside me and wrapped her arm around my waist, kissing me on the cheek.

"Hey."

"Hi," I laughed.

"There is nothing little about me, Rosalie Hale," Tyler smirked.

"Ugh, whatever. Boys, we've got girl shit to talk about," Rose said, effectively dismissing them as she steered me into the girls' room.

"You're gonna send those guys to the hospital with serious cases of blue balls someday." I leaned against the sink as I waited for her to pee.

"Whatever," she snorted. "Like I'm actually gonna give up my v-card to one of them." She flushed the toilet and came out of the stall, adjusting her skirt. "That cheerleader-football player cliché is such bullshit." She washed her hands and pulled some lipstick from her purse. "I mean, I want a guy who's built like a football player, but actually has a brain in his fucking head." I watched as she puckered her lips and lined them with pale pink gloss. "Oh, and by the way, I swear to God, if Jake tries to look down my shirt one more time, I'm gonna knee him in the balls."

I laughed loudly. My cousin Jake was a junior. He'd been panting after Rose for as long as I could remember.

"He's harmless, Rose. You know that."

"Yes, I do, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with his constant drooling. I am not a fucking piece of meat." She capped her gloss and shoved it back into her purse. We made our way out of the bathroom and back into the bustling hallway. "I'll see you at lunch," she said, blowing me a kiss.

My next class was Algebra II. We had a test, so it went by quickly. In English, we were discussing Their Eyes Were Watching God.I found myself spending the majority of the time trying to figure out how several of my fellow classmates made it into an honors class. When the bell rang, I made my way to my locker and grabbed my Biology book, shoving it into my bag.

Walking in, I was greeted by the howling laughter of Jacob and his pack of friends.

"Oh, Cullen! Dude, this is perfect," Jake snorted. I looked over and saw Edward Cullen bowing his head. I scowled over at Jake. Sometimes he could be such a bully. I didn't know Edward that well. He and his parents had moved to Forks in the middle of freshman year. He seemed to be shy and he definitely gave off the geek image. But that didn't make it okay for my cousin to torment him.

I huffed and walked towards where Edward was sitting in the back of the classroom. Pulling a chair up in front of him, I sat down.

"What did he do to you?" I asked, putting my hand on his knee.

Edward was bright red, refusing to look at me. "Nothing."

"Seriously, Edward, I know he did something. Just tell me."

He glanced up, looking at me with a startled expression, and then looked down again to where my hand was.

"He didn't do anything, Bella."

Obviously, I was going to have to turn on the charm.

"Edward," I cooed, leaning into him and sliding my hand a little bit further up his thigh. "Please don't insult me. Despite the airhead stereotype, I'm quite intuitive and pretty damn intelligent, too. Spill."

I heard him suck in a deep breath. I smiled at him and bit my lip coyly.

"He, uh, he dared me to kiss the next-girl-that-came-into-the-room." The words slid from his lips fast and nearly silent, but I heard them just fine.

"And that was me?" I asked the question even though I already knew the answer. He nodded and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "He can be a real shit sometimes," I sighed. Then I smiled. "Let's make sure youwin that bet then."

"What?" He gaped. I could see the metal bar of his retainer across his teeth and I frowned.

"You're going to have to take that thing out, though."

He continued to stare at me like I was crazy.

"Take out your retainer, Edward. There's no way I'm kissing you with that thing in your mouth." I tapped my foot and smiled at him. He swallowed and put his hand over his mouth, slipping his retainer out under cover. "That's better." I waited for him to make a move, but he didn't. He didn't do anything. "Are you gonna kiss me?"

"I. . . I . . . can't," he stuttered.

"Yes, you can. Jake's not going to accept it if I kiss you first." I licked my lips. "Is it really that bad of an idea?" I asked, sticking out my lower lip.

"NO!" he blurted. "I just. . .Okay?" He closed his eyes and puckered his lips like a six-year-old getting ready to kiss his mother.

Yeah, I don't think so.

His lips touched mine and I shot forward, landing my ass on his knee. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my hands through his hair. He whimpered and almost pulled backwards, but I was holding him to me. I kept my eyes open so I could see his reaction. His own eyes were closed tightly, his mouth was tight. I needed to loosen him up a little.

I swiped my tongue across his lower lip and watched as his eyes shot open in shock. He gasped and I plunged forward. If I was going to do it, I was going to do it right.

I was nearly taken off guard when I felt his hand on the back of my neck and his tongue began to move with mine. For a split second, I forgot where we were and who we were. I moaned, pressing my body against his.

The whistles and catcalls coming from across the room brought me back to my senses. I pulled back and pressed my forehead against his.

"That should do it," I panted.

Edward's chest was heaving and when I shifted my weight I could feel him. He was incredibly hard. And fuck me. . . if I was feeling him correctly. . . much bigger than I ever would have imagined.

"Yeah," he coughed. "Probably."

He lifted his knee and I slid off, adjusting my skirt and getting up to take my seat. The whole room was cheering and clapping. I did a little curtsy and laughed before turning back to wink at Edward. He was, once again, bright red.

The rest of class was uneventful and at the end, I stood up and walked out without a second glance at anyone else in the room.

"What the fuck, Bella?" Jake asked as he chased after me.

"What?" I asked, pretending I had no idea what he was talking about.

"You lost me a bet. You're family. You're supposed to help me out."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I shook my head, smiling.

"I can't believe you let your mouth go anywhere near him," he grimaced. "That's like kissing a dirty toilet seat. Gross."

"Actually, it was kind of nice," I mused. "He tasted like cinnamon."

"Ewww, I don't want to hear that," Jake said, sticking his fingers in his ears. "You're gonna ruin your reputation if you go around kissing skinny, little geeks like him."

I stopped abruptly and turned to face Jake with an indignant glare. "I don't give a rat's ass about my reputation, Jacob. I never have. It's all you stupid jocks who think way too highly of yourselves who care about shit like that. He's a nice guy." I started walking again. "And I'll kiss whoever the hell I want to, so mind your own business."

I could hear him mumbling under his breath behind me before he ran to catch up again. "You're such a bitch," he growled.

I looked up at him and stuck out my tongue, making him laugh. Jake and I were easy like that. He was practically my brother. Our mothers were sisters and we'd lived two blocks from each other our entire lives. We couldn't stay mad at each other for very long.

We dropped our things off at our lockers and I shoved my lunch into my bag.

"You want something to eat?" he asked as we approached our table in the cafeteria. Just as I was about to sit down, and before I could answer him, Ashton Hiller, a senior who was quarterback for our football team put his hand down on my chair, grabbing my ass and actually touching my cooter.

I screamed and jumped up. "You asshole," I spit, punching at his head.

He dodged my fists and laughed. That is until Jake got his hands on him. He yanked that fucker up by the back of his shirt and threw him to the ground.

"You ever touch my cousin like that again," Jake snarled, "I will make sure you qualify to play on the girls' basketball team this season."

"Dude, I was just messin' around," Ashton defended, his hands up in surrender.

"Go mess around with one of the slut squad and keep your hands off Bella."

I looked around to make sure that there were no teachers about to nail Jake, but instead was caught in the mesmerizing gaze of Edward Cullen. Even with the glasses on, his eyes seared through me. I looked down, feeling my mouth curve into an involuntary smile, and my face got all warm.

Since when did I become shy?

I heard Ashton grunt as Rose stepped on his stomach while walking towards me. He reached up for her leg, but halted when she spoke.

"Touch me and die," she growled.

"Bella? Something to eat?" Jake asked, returning to his previous question.

"No, thank you." I shook my head. "Mom packed me a lunch this morning," I said, holding up my backpack.

"Rose?"

"Nope. I'm on a diet."

Jake rolled his eyes. "What the fuck are you on a diet for?"

"Because this," she said, running her hands down her sides from her boobs to her hips, "does not come easily."

Jake followed the movement of her hands hungrily, but then totally ruined it by scoffing before he walked away to get his lunch.

"What's this I hear about you tongue wrestling with Edward Cullen?" Rose said, snagging my bag of carrots as I set it on the table.

"Already? Shit, word travels fast."

"It's true?" she asked, tilting her head and biting down on the carrot. Her face didn't hint at what she was thinking at all.

"Yeah, so what?" I shrugged.

"What for?"

I took a deep breath. "Jake was being a dick. He dared Edward to kiss the next girl to walk into the room and it was me."

A wide grin spread across my best friend's face. "Jake lost?"

I nodded and took a bite of my turkey sandwich.

"Awesome. So. . . what was the kiss like? Did you feel up his retainer?" She smirked.

I choked on what was in my mouth. "No!" I laughed. "I told him to take it out. But it wasn't that bad actually."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Hmm. Anyway, Tyler won't let up on us coming to this party tonight. Are we in or out?" I loved that about Rose. She never stayed on one topic longer than was necessary. I thought about it for a minute.

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

Jake joined us again, dragging along some of his buddies, and we finished lunch. I caught Edward staring at me two more times, but he immediately averted his eyes, and then bolted from the lunch room ten minutes before the first warning bell rang.

At the end of the day, the school emptied out like it usually did. I took my time getting my stuff together. Jake was driving me home, but I'd seen him chatting up Kelly Cooper outside the art room, so I had no idea how long I'd be waiting.

I closed my locker and started walking down the hall, but stopped when I saw Edward leaning down at the water fountain.

"Edward?" I called. I must have scared the bejesus out of him because he jumped back about three feet and dropped his bag. "Hi." I smiled at him, watching his ears turn red and his eyes dart around nervously.

"Uh, hi," he mumbled.

"Sorry about today. I just know my cousin. He can be a real asshat sometimes. I thought it was about time someone beat him at his own game."

"Oh, uh, that's okay. I just. . . I didn't know what to do."

"Didn't know what to do?" I questioned, tilting my head. "Have you ever kissed a girl before, Edward?" I asked quietly. He hesitated, pushing his glasses up further onto his nose before shaking his head slightly. "Really? I was your first?"

He nodded, still refusing to look me in the eye. And just like that, I felt horribly guilty.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I should have figured, but . . . I didn't. I mean, your first kiss shouldn't have been like that."

His head snapped up, his green eyes finally meeting mine. "No! It was good." He swallowed and I watched his Adam's apple bob. He really wasn't that bad looking. Yeah, he was skinny and dorky, but kind of cute . . . in a way. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" I laughed. "You're a surprisingly good kisser. Especially if that's the first time you've ever done it. I'm impressed." I reached my hand up and ran it through his hair.

"You didn't have to do that, Bella, but I appreciate it. If . . . if there's anything I can ever do for you, just let me know. I'm good at math and biology too. I'm not as good in English, but I can try."

Silly boy thought I needed help with schoolwork. I didn't need anything. Or did I.

"Weeeeellllll," I sang, twisting a lock of hair around my finger and toeing the ground. "There is something."

"What?" he asked quickly.

"Take me to the winter formal?"

"Huh?" he gaped.

"The winter formal. I know it's like six weeks away, but I need a date and I don't want any of the usual meat-heads trying to feel me up all night. Will you take me?"

Edward looked stunned.

"Please?" I begged in my most convincing voice.

"Oh, uh, sure. Yeah, I guess."

I lunged for him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, burying my face into his neck.

"Thank you," I breathed. He smelled good, too. His body was rigid, though, his arms straight out as if he were afraid to touch me.

"So," I said, pulling back. "There's this party tonight at Tyler Crowley's. Wanna go?"

"I don't . . . I don't think that'd be a good idea," he said, shaking his head.

"Why not?"

"I don't exactly fit in with that crowd."

"Whatever. It's them that don't fit in with you." I shrugged. "They don't fit in with me either."

"Then why do you hang out with them?" he asked, looking slightly confused. He seemed to be gaining confidence the longer we talked.

"Because they're my friends; I mean, not all of them are, but a lot of them. Just because we don't always fit in with each other doesn't mean we can't hang out and enjoy each other's company." I grinned, happy I'd come up with something so . . . inspirational.

He stared at me for a few seconds. I hoped he understood that I wasn't just talking about other people. Something about Edward Cullen intrigued me. It wouldn't be so bad to get to know the guy. He shook his head back and forth.

"Maybe some other time?" I asked.

"Yeah, maybe," he murmured.

"Bella," I heard Jake call from down the hall. I turned my head to look at him as he gave me a 'what the fuck' motion with his hands.

"I gotta go. But . . . we'll talk about the dance, yes?"

"Yeah," Edward said, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile.

"Cool. See ya."

"Bye."

"We going to Tyler's tonight?" Jake asked, putting his arm around me as we walked out the door.

~TIL~

Over the next several weeks, I noticed Edward a lot more than I had in the past. He drove an old, red Volvo, which was weird, because I knew that his parents were wealthy. Not that they ever flaunted it, but everybody knew. He usually got to school right before the final bell rang, forcing him to run to homeroom. He had a bad habit of biting his nails when he was concentrating and running his hand through his hair when he was nervous. He chewed cinnamon gum and he had good hair – thick and silky.

We didn't really talk, but we didn't ignore each other either. Before I knew it, it was December. My outdoor football cheerleading uniform had been replaced by a much skimpier indoor basketball cheerleading uniform. That only meant that the boys were staring all the harder hoping that some sort of wardrobe malfunction would cause my boobs to fall out during the games.

Edward and I hadn't talked about the dance at all, but I was serious when I asked him. My freshman year, I went to senior prom with a guy named Leo who could not keep his hands to himself; or his mouth. And at the end of the night, he took me to a hotel and expected me to put out. I was fifteen for God's sakes. He was eighteen. I reminded him of that fact and found myself dumped on my doorstep faster than I could blink. At first, I worried that he was pissed and would spread rumors about me, but he didn't. He didn't talk to me anymore either, but that was okay with me.

When the posters with the paint and the glitter started showing up announcing the dance, I figured it was time to confirm our plans. I cornered Edward's ass in the hallway after school.

"Hey," I whispered as he had his head buried in his locker.

He jumped.

"You have to stop doing that," he grumbled.

"Sorry," I laughed. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't. You just startled me."

I rolled my eyes. "Same thing. Anyway, what time are you picking me up next Friday?"

"Huh?"

"For the dance? Are we gonna pre-party or do you just want to go out to eat?"

Edward adjusted his glasses.

"Did you forget that you said you'd take me?" I asked, sticking out my lower lip a little.

"Uh . . . no. I just. . . I didn't think you were serious. Why do you do that?"

"Why do I do what?"

"Try to be all cute and coy all the time."

My eyes widened and my mouth fell open.

"I . . . I didn't mean it like that," he stuttered. "You are cute, but . . . nevermind."

"No, Edward. I want to hear what you have to say," I urged, a little exasperated.

He took a deep breath and stared at his feet. "I just meant that you don't have to do that with me," he said quietly. I narrowed my eyes. No boy had ever called me out on my teasing before. Most of them liked it and I doubt they even knew what I was doing. "You don't have to go through with it, Bella. I'd understand."

"You think I'm doing it for you?" I snorted in a very unladylike manner. "I thought I already explained this. Taking me to the dance is a favor that you're doing for me."

He looked up, studying my face as if trying to tell if I was lying to him. I had no doubt that if I had been, he would have been able to tell because I was a horrible liar. Luckily, I was telling the truth. I saw the corner of his mouth twitch, but it was gone just as quickly.

"I can pick you up. Did you want to go somewhere first?"

I smiled widely. "A few people were talking about meeting at Eric Yorkie's house beforehand. Like around six or seven. His dad's got a new girlfriend who lives in Port Angeles and Eric says he's been spending most of his weekends with her. Wanna pick me up at six and we can go together?"

Edward looked skeptical.

"They're not gonna mess with you. I promise. And if they do, we'll leave."

I didn't want Edward to feel uncomfortable with my friends. He really was doing me a favor.

"Okay. I guess I'll pick you up at six then."

"Yay!" I clapped, throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him. He stiffened minutely and I felt his hand touch my back lightly just before I pulled away.

"I gotta go to practice. I'll see you later."

Thank God I'd settled that, because not two hours later, Ashton Hiller was practically foaming at the mouth to ask me. He was definitely one who wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself. He couldn't do it on a regular day, much less hopped up on alcohol in a crowded, dark gym with gyrating bodies.

"I've already got a date, Ashton," I smiled sweetly as I pulled my coat on.

"Who?" he demanded. I wrinkled my nose at his tone and walked out the door with him hot on my heels. "No, really, Bella. You're bruising my ego here. I wanna know whose ass I gotta kick for getting to you first."

"You're not gonna kick anyone's ass," I scoffed. Except Ashton probably would and I wasn't about to let Edward get hurt. "You're just gonna have to wait and see."

"You going to Yorkie's before?" he asked, touching my face with the back of his knuckles.

"Yep." I was going to pull away from the intimate gesture, but before I could, my gaze shifted and I saw Edward. He was standing across the parking lot next to his car watching us. I grabbed Ashton's hand and pushed it back towards him.

Jake came barreling through the door seconds later, saving me. I looked around for Edward, but he'd already left. For some reason, I felt guilty.

Over the next week, I fielded all sorts of questions about the dance and who I was going with. I chose not to answer them. It's not that I was embarrassed, I just didn't trust anyone not to harass Edward.

~TIL~

The night of the dance, my parents were making dinner together when the doorbell rang.

"Moooooom, can you get that?" I shouted from my bedroom.

"I'll get it," I heard my dad call back.

Shit.

My dad wasn't one of those gun-toting, threatening fathers, but he liked to pretend he was to my dates.

My hair was ready, my make-up was done. All I had to do was slip into my dress, which I did as fast as humanly possible. Poor Edward was probably pissing himself. I didn't bother to put on my heels. I just picked them up and raced down the stairs. I stopped short when I got to the bottom. I didn't know what the hell I'd stepped into, though.

Edward was standing in my kitchen drinking a glass of water with a big goofy grin on his face. My dad was laughing, my mom giggling like she was a freaking teenager. I stood there for a moment completely speechless.

"Oh, hey, Bells." My dad smiled at me when he realized I'd joined them.

"Uh. . . hi?" I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of the scene in front of me.

"You look nice," he said, coughing in a way that made me think he was actually covering a laugh. I frowned at him.

"Oh, honey, you look beautiful," my mom chimed. "I'd give you a hug, but my hands are covered in chicken guts.

I wrinkled my nose. "Gross, Mom."

She shrugged and turned back around. It was then that I noticed my date, standing silently, eyes wide, mouth agape.

I smiled at him. He was wearing black slacks and a dark green dress shirt. "Hey, you."

A few noises came out of his mouth, but none of them sounded remotely like a word. I set my heels down on the floor and slipped my feet into them. Edward was still wordless.

"Bells, you didn't tell us that Edward Cullen was your date tonight." My dad spoke up.

I looked at him confused. "I. . . Do you know him or something?"

"I know of him. Well, of his father actually."

My dad took a few steps towards Edward and patted him on the back before walking over to my mom. Edward finally snapped out of his daze and shook his head.

"Uh, yeah, my dad's in commercial real estate."

"Like an agent?" I ask.

My dad and Edward both laughed. "No, not really. His, uh, his company buys up struggling commercial real estate and either manages it or sells it for a profit," Edward said, still sounding slightly nervous.

"So he's in acquisitions," I stated rather than asked.

"Yeah, exactly," he answered, sounding surprised.

"I've been meaning to meet with him about the possibility of doing some work for him," my dad said.

"Huh, cool. Are you ready to go?"

"What time do you plan on having my daughter home, Edward?" my dad voice was calm and easy, not the least bit intimidating. I wasn't sure what was going on. He'd always tried to scare the shit out of my dates.

"I'm not quite sure, Mr. Swan."

"Her curfew's midnight. Call if you're going to be late . . . And call me Charlie."

I narrowed my eyes at my father. "I must be in the Twilight Zone," I muttered, grabbing my coat. Edward helped me slip it on.

"Wait, wait, wait," my mom squealed, running into the room. She was wiping her hands on a towel and had her camera cord in between her teeth. "I have to take a picture."

She threw the towel down and snapped a few shots while Edward and I stood uncomfortably next to each other. Edward must have grown a little because with my three inch heels on, I was only slightly taller than him. That made me feel better. I'd been worried about towering him.

"Okaaaay, Mom. We gotta go."

"Have fun, you two."

I stepped outside and gasped. "What the heck is that?" I asked, taking in the sight before me.

"My dad let me borrow his car. I figured you probably didn't want to be seen in mine."

Parked in my driveway was the sleekest, sexiest, little silver car that had ever been driven along the roads of Forks, Washington; maybe in all of Washington.

"Wow," I breathed.

"It's my dad's midlife crisis car," he laughed. "He bought it last year, but only takes it out on special occasions."

"And this is a special occasion?" I asked, looking over at him.

"His one and only son is going on his first date." He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it's special."

My heart sped up a little. God, I had given this boy his first kiss and now his first date. I liked Edward, but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be giving him any more firsts.

Edward hit a button and the car doors popped up. Not open . . . up.

"That's like the car in Back to the Future," I squealed.

Edward snorted. "That was a DeLorean. This is a McLaren."

"Whatever. It's cool."

He offered me his hand and I took it, allowing him to lead me to the passenger's side. I slid in and the door shut down. A few seconds later, Edward climbed into the driver's seat. I was in awe of everything around me.

"Are you sure you're not going to get in trouble for driving this? I feel like I'm sitting in something very expensive."

"You are sitting in something very expensive, Bella," Edward laughed. "It's fine. My dad trusts me."

"So I guess you're not going to be drinking tonight?" I asked, a little disappointed that I wouldn't be seeing him loosen up.

"No," he said forcefully. "My dad would string me up by my balls if I even thought about tasting alcohol while driving his baby. Maybe another time, though," he said, his eyes never leaving the road.

When we got to Eric's, Edward was careful to park the car away from all the others.

"Doesn't this thing have like . . . a force field or something?" I only sort of teased.

"No, but that's a good idea," he bantered. "Maybe that's how I'll make my first billion dollars; inventing a force field for really expensive cars."

"No stealing my idea, Cullen. Maybe that's how I'll make my first billion."

When we got to the party, Edward kept close, but not too close. We took off our coats and set them in a pile with a bunch of other coats. It took approximately five seconds before the whispering started. Edward shifted at my side.

"Relax," I whispered, wrapping my fingers around his bicep. He tensed up for a moment and sucked in a deep breath. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Fine."

I said hello to a bunch of people as we walked through the crowd. I didn't hear Edward say hello to anyone. When we stopped, I turned to face him. His face was tight, his body tense. I could tell he was getting uncomfortable.

"I'll go get us some drinks. Do you want water or soda?"

"That's supposed to be my job."

I laughed. "You didn't know who you're taking on this date, did you? I've got a secret for you." I leaned in close to his ear and licked my lips. I was so close that the tip of my tongue slid over the shell of his ear. I think I might have heard him groan a little. "I'm not your typical girl, Edward. Don't ever expect me to act like one."

I left him standing there, only slightly hoping he was watching me walk away. When I got to the kitchen, Jake was hanging with Ashton, Tyler, Eric, and a few more of the popular guys in school. Ashton was glaring at me.

"No way. Bella? No. Fucking. Way."

"Yes way. Now be nice or Edward and I will just have to go and have our own private party." I smirked up at him and ran my hand across my collarbone, trying to distract him. It worked for a second, but then Ashton looked back up at my face. He was pissed. Jake's face was a mixture of shock and disgust.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "Is it like a pity date?"

"Yep," I answered. "That's exactly what it is."

I heard someone clear their throat behind me and Ashton's face broke out into a nasty grin. I twirled around to find Edward standing there, his eyes trained down.

"I, uh, I thought I'd come and see how you were doing with the drinks," he said quietly. "Is there a bathroom?"

"Over there, bro," Eric said, pointing to a small hallway off the kitchen.

The second Edward was out of sight I let go of my fury. "You fucking assholes!"

"You're the one who said it, Bella," Ashton laughed arrogantly.

"I didn't get to finish, jerk! I was gonna say that it was a pity date for him. I practically had to beg him to accept. Believe it or not, so far, it's the best date I've ever had and it's barely even started."

"What-the-fuck-ever, Bella. How could you possibly have fun with a guy like that? He probably hasn't even gotten his first hard-on yet."

I'd had enough. I grabbed the front of Ashton's shirt and pulled him to me like I was going to kiss him. Instead I put my mouth to his ear. "I can personally attest that Edward has, in fact, had a hard-on. A very, very impressively large one," I growled. I pushed him away from me, making my way back to the bathroom.

"Edward?" I called out, knocking on the door.

"What?" he asked from my left. I jumped in surprise and turned quickly, facing him.

"I thought. . . I'm sorry," I apologized. "You didn't hear everything."

"Yes, I did."

"You did?"

He nodded and smiled sadly. It broke my heart. I was the one that had put him in that position. I should have known better. Maybe if I had told them who I was going with. Maybe that would have given them the chance to get over it before we showed up.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"For what?"

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. His soft, warm lips lingered and I closed my eyes.

"For defending me."

I shook my head. "I was just being honest, Edward. We shouldn't have come here. These guys are assholes."

"It doesn't matter. I kind of expected it. Do you want to go get something to eat?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling and reaching for his hand. "Let's get out of here."

I didn't leave Edward's side at all the rest of that night. I didn't care about what people said. It didn't bother me in the slightest. He made me laugh. He was a horrible dancer, but he got out there and danced with me anyway. We had fun. He never tried to grope me, and at the end of the night, he kissed my hand. It was awesome.

~TIL~

Over the next few months Edward and I started spending more and more time together. We talked on the phone, we studied together. I tutored him in English. My parents absolutely adored him. Even Rose found herself enjoying his company. The guys at school still weren't happy with him, but they got used to his presence at our lunch table. Mostly they just ignored him, but occasionally they gave him shit. On those days, we found our own table.

By the end of our sophomore year, we were pretty much inseparable. Until Edward's parents stole him away. A month before school ended, Edward's grandmother passed away in Chicago. Carlisle was the executor of her will, and he had no idea how long it was going to take to settle her substantial estate. Edward took his finals early, and then they just left town. I was miserable.

I moped around for weeks, driving not only my parents, but also Rose crazy. Edward e-mailed, called and texted me almost every day, but it wasn't the same.

Finally, after eight, long weeks, I got the phone call I'd been waiting for. The estate had finally been settled and the Cullens were coming home. They were taking the first flight out, arriving in Seattle mid-morning and back in Forks shortly after lunch.

It was almost dinner and I still hadn't heard anything. It was making me antsy. Rose was painting my toenails on the living room floor while we watched a chick flick movie marathon.

"Stop twitching or I'm going to fuck this all up," she scolded.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"You're pathetic. Maybe he met some cute little nerd-girl and decided to run away with her. Maybe they'll have cute little nerd babies," she laughed. I glared at her, which caused her to throw her head back in amusement. When she righted herself, her eyes widened.

"Ho-ly shit!"

I turned my head to see what she was looking at. Edward was standing at my patio door. He looked different, but he still had a big, goofy grin on his face. I jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open and launching myself into his arms. I had to aim upwards, so I knew that he had grown.

"Hi," he laughed.

"Hi," I breathed into his neck. "I missed you."

I felt his hand slide up my spine, resting between my shoulder blades and holding me tightly. "I missed you, too."

"Well hello, sexy stranger. What the hell happened to you?" Rose asked bluntly.

Edward laughed and blushed. "I got contacts."

"No shit, Sherlock," Rose teased, getting up off the floor and peeling me off of him so she could embrace him. "Wow, I don't even have to bend down to hug you anymore," she laughed. "Jesus, Eddie. How tall did you get?"

"Five-ten," he said shrugging. "Or something."

"Or something." Rose grabbed his chin. "Open your mouth."

"What?"

She pursed her lips and squeezed his cheeks.

"Ouch!" he whined.

"You lost your metal?"

Edward pulled her wrist away from his mouth. "Yeah, that, too," he grinned.

Rose turned around, her eyes telling me what I already knew. Edward had turned into a hottie.

"Are you gonna let me in?" he teased.

"No," I pouted. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I forgot to turn off my phone on the plane and it died."

I gasped playfully. "You could have made the plane crash! Why didn't you use your mom or dad's?"

Edward looked at me sheepishly. "I don't have your number memorized."

"Get out."

"What?"

"How can you not have my number memorized? Get out of my house!"

Rose was snickering behind me and I was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"You're such a brat." Edward lifted me up over his shoulder and carried me, upside down, into the house. I screeched and began pummeling his back.

Less than a minute later, I landed on the sofa with an "oof." Rose and Edward flopped down on either side of me.

"So what are we doing tomorrow then?" I asked. Edward sucked in air through his teeth causing both Rose and me to look at him. "What?"

"I got a job."

I scowled at him. He was gone for two months and he comes back and tells me he can't hang out because his rich ass has to work?

"You working for your dad or something?"

"Nah," he shrugged. "I'm working for your dad."

Rose busted out laughing. I wasn't as amused. He had to be kidding.

"How the hell did that happen?"

He shrugged again. "Don't know. My dad told me I had to get a job and Charlie was offering a spot on his crew."

"His construction crew?" I asked in shock.

"Yep."

"Working construction?"

"Uh . . . yeah," he laughed.

I stood up. "I'm gonna go talk to my dad."

Edward grabbed my arm and pulled me back down. I landed on his lap. He grunted a little, and then shifted, but kept me firmly situated on his thigh. "I need this job."

"Whyyyyy?" I whined.

"Because my dad says I have to work. Your dad's offering me a good deal. We can hang out on my off days."

His eyes were pleading for me to understand. I didn't understand why his rich parents were making him work, but I did understand that he didn't want me to screw it up for him.

"Fine," I acquiesced.

He kissed my cheek and stood up, dumping me on my ass. "Good. I'm gonna go get a drink. Anybody want one?"

Rose and I shook our heads.

When Edward was out of the room, I picked myself back up and sat back down on the sofa, my arms folded firmly across my chest. I wasn't happy. I could feel Rose's eyes on me.

"What?" I grumbled. Rose's lips started to twitch and she pressed them together tightly before speaking.

"Not a damn thing, Bella. Not a damn thing."

~TIL~

AN: Thank you again for reading.

For those wondering what happened to DiMD - in short, last year I gave birth to my daughter who had some pretty complicated medical issues. She required transfer to Children's Hospital NICU and surgical intervention shortly after birth. Unfortunately, our insurance isn't very good. At the time, our focus was on our daughter surviving and not how we were going to pay for her medical treatment, but we really hadn't anticipated the possibility that our baby would be sick. I am not good at asking for help. I am not good at letting people see my vulnerabilities. But I had to do something. I published in hopes that I could relieve some of the financial stress on my family. If you're interested, great, the information is on my profile page. If not, I completely understand. Thank you to everyone who kept us in your thoughts and prayers during one of the hardest times in my life. Today, she is healthy and thriving. She is the light of our family and I couldn't imagine my life without her. :-)