Author's Note:

Here's chapter two! And I would like to personally thank all three people who have reviewed so far!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All credit goes to the amazing Stephenie Meyer!

Two

Cute, quaint, family-oriented. The adjectives that describe Silver Sands' wholesomeness were endless. But sometimes you just had to cut loose- live life on the wild side.

And that meant only one thing; cruising Atlantic Avenue strip in Virginia Beach, preferably on wheels, and a convertible, but on foot if needed. The main boulevard is lined with hotels, tourist shops, restaurants, and filled with cars pulsating to blasting music coming from their speakers, and teenagers hanging their arms and legs and other various body parts out rolled-down windows.

Edward and Bella were in the thick of it all. They'd parked the Volvo on one of the side streets and were weaving their way through the crowds that filled the sidewalks. First-night tradition meant stopping by at least three fast-food places. Salads and fruit-smoothies were forbidden— if it wasn't deep-fried or liable to cause tooth decay, forget it!

"Remember, you've gotta eat this fast, or it'll blow away," Edward cautioned, pulling a chunk of sky blue cotton candy out of its plastic bag. He had offered Bella the bag.

"Don't worry," she said, ripping off a huge piece and stuffing the whole damn thing in her mouth. "It'll be gone in a minute!"

Edward was having a great time walking and talking with Bella, filling her in on all that had happened since they'd last been together. Edward loved that about their friendship; they could go ten months without seeing each other… but then they'd pick right up where they'd left off.

"By the time we get to Waves and Waffles, you'll be ready for more." He licked the sticky residue off his fingertips. "Unless you're too full."

They'd already had fried oysters at Pete's and hot-fudge sundaes at Marnie's.

"And miss out on the greatest, most cholesterol-filled fries this side of the beach? Bella shook her head. "I don't fucking think so!"

Edward sidestepped a large man standing outside a shop, holding up a t-shirt that read Fall in Love…With Virginia Beach.

"It feels so fucking awesome to be on our own," Edward said as he tossed the empty cotton candy bag in the trash can.

"No being dropped off and picked up, no more nights being trapped at the house," Bella agreed as they walked on.

"I wouldn't exactly say being back at the house is a bad thing,: Edward said, a little hurt. That was one of the things he liked best about summer— spending the nights lying around the house with Bella, watching TV and hanging out.

Bella put her hands up to his neck and massaged it. "I didn't mean it that way, Eddie. I just meant that it's nice to have freedom to come and go as we please."

"Hey! Don't call me Eddie! And that sounds better," Edward told her, mollified. They approached the grease-filmed take-out window of Waves and Waffles.

"Hey, don't fucking stop!" Edward protested when Bella stopped rubbing his neck.

Bella laughed. "How am I supposed to wolf down these fries if I'm busy giving you a massage?"

Edward shrugged. "You don't have to eat," he tried, scrunching up his neck and attempting to look as if he was in extreme pain.

"Tell you what," Bella started. "I'll give you a rain check for tonight, if you promise to give me a massage later this week."

"Well…" Edward considered this.

"That means you're getting two massages and I'm only getting one," Bella pointed out.

"Okay. But I can't make any promises that it'll be good."

Bella took his hand, which was still slightly sticky from the cotton candy. "It's all in here." She tugged on one of Edward's fingers.

"Ow! What the fuck?" Edward yelped, yanking his fingers back. "They are attached, you know!"

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Bella said, interlocking her fingers with his hand and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Edward squeezed back, hard.

"Ouch!: Bella cried, attempting to shake him loose.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Edward said mimicking Bella, and smiling.

The sand was soft and cold, and the incoming breeze off the water made Edward shiver as he and Bella walked along the beach. If it weren't for the lights from the boardwalk, and the hotels bathing parts of the beach in a pale glow, he wouldn't be able to see anything. The crash of the waves sounded like thunder, and in the distance tiny lights blinked and flickered. Edward checked for discarded glass lying about, then sat down on a small sand dune.

Bella did the same, first unwrapping the sweatshirt she'd tied around her waist and pulled it over her head. "Chilly out here, huh?"

"Perfect sleeping weather." Edward took out a pink tablet from his pocket and picked off a piece of lint. "Tums?"

"Thanks." She popped it in her mouth and began to chew. A breeze picked up the long, silky hairs that framed her face, blowing them back.

"Hey—did you hear that Alice Brandon got her tongue pierced?"

Edward wasn't surprised. "You can always count on her for something radical."

Bella nodded. "That's definitely true."

"Have you ran into Jasper at all? Edward asked.

Jasper Whitlock was a good friend of theirs who was working at a local bike rental stand that summer.

"Yep. He was giving some tourists a hard time for blowing a rim on a tandem."

"Is he still sporting that goofy haircut?"

Bella giggled. "He had a baseball hat on, so I'm afraid the answer might be yes."

Edward sighed. "The guy never learns."

"On the bright side, at least he has hair. You won't believe what those Yorkie brothers did. They're so obsessed with swimming that they shaved their heads to increase their speed. I haven't seen them, but that's what Cora said."

Edward tried to imagine Tyler and Eric Yorkie without any hair. It wasn't a pretty picture. "I'm sure they look fucking ridiculous."

Bella wiggled her toes in the sand. "Hey!" she said, snapping her fingers. "You never told me how the prom went. You said in one of your rare emails that you finally got up the nerve to ask… what was her name? Brittney?"

"Brie." Edward winced as an image of Brie's tight black curls and even tighter black gown flashed into his head.

"So? How was it?"

"I try not to think about it."

"Why?"

The memory of that dismal night still depressed him. "Well, I thought going to the prom would be fun."

"Fun?" Bella tilted her head back and laughed. "That shows how much you know."

"Yeah, well, I know now. Not only did I pay an insane amount for dinner and monkey suit rental, the couple we shared the limo with were fucking obnoxious."

Bella looked ready to be entertained. "How?"

"We had to drive around town for an hour just so people we didn't know could see us in the limo. Brie's friend Emily sneaked in a flask of vodka, and she barfed before we even got to the prom."

"In the limo?"

Edward nodded.

Bella wrinkled her nose. "Ewwwww!"

Edward nodded again. "And once we were there, Brie spent most of the night running in and out of the bathroom with her phony friends while me and the other guys stood around in our tuxes and wondered what we were fucking there for."

"To pay for everything and look good," Bella said hopefully. She hesitated for moment. "Why did you ask her?"

"You mean to prom?"

"Duh."

That was a question Edward had asked himself over and over. The simple answer was that a bunch of his friends were going, and Edward thought it would be cool to go too. And even though he hadn't really known Brie, she was cute and seemed pretty friendly. She'd even hinted to him that she'd like to go to the prom with him. But it didn't take long for Edward to realize that he was basically just an escort—and meal ticket.

Edward shrugged. "She was cute."

"Cute?" Bella stuck her tongue out. "But is she nice?"

"Nice? I guess so."

Bella tucked her chin behind her folded elbows and shot him a curious glance. "Did you…?"

Edward looked at her, puzzled. "Did we what?"

Even though it was dark, Edward could see Bella's cheeks flush.

"You know," she said.

"Jeez, Bella!" He gave her a shove. "Talk about blunt!"

"What? What's the big deal about telling me? It's not like I don't know that you're a—"

All right, all right, it's no big deal," he cut in, surprised to feel his own cheeks flushing. It wasn't as if Bella didn't already know everything there was to know about his so0called sex life. Still, he didn't need to hear her say the v-word aloud. Especially in reference to him.

"No. We most definitely didn't…you know.," he continued, shaking his head. "Not even close. I'm well—"

"Me too."

"Oh." Feeling an odd sense of relief that he and Bella were still of the same sexual status, Edward picked up a fistful of clumpy damp sand and let it run through his fingers. "I'm never going to another prom," he said vehemently. "One night of torture was enough."

"Not even next year?" Bella gasped, as if he'd just told her he was going to join the nearest monastery. "But you'll be a senior—you have to!"

Edward reconsidered his statement. "Well, not unless I get someone cool and normal to go with me."

Bella tucked her arm un his and squeezed. "Listen, if you're in a prom jam, I'll make a personal trip up to Forks to be your date."

Edward smiled at her, touched that she would do something so thoughtful. "Would you really?"

Bella paused, taking her arm back. "As long as you promise not to puke on me in the limo."

"No, seriously. That's really sweet," Edward told her.

"Hey, you're my friend." Then she giggled. "Besides, I love a good excuse to go shopping."

"Gee, thanks." Edward laughed. "You know what? This is going to be an awesome summer."

"What makes you so sure?" she asked, picking at the tiny, frayed wristband she wore around her left wrist.

"A, I can drive, B, I've got a job, and C—"

"You've got me,: Bella put in, smiling.

"Exactly." Edward finished.

They talked for another hour or so before Edward finally stoop up, brushing off the sand on his legs. "I guess we'd better get back," he said, extending his hand and pulling up Bella. He'd had plenty of energy before, but what with the drive, the beach, and the three thousand calories he'd consumed, crashing on his bed was suddenly sounding really good.

Bella gave him a sleepy smile. "Yeah."

As they climbed up the wooden steps, Edward stopped to shake the sand out of his shoes.

"Don't do that!" Bella squealed, reaching out to stop him. "You've got to leave some in your shoes."

Edward rolled his eyes. The local folklore was that if you left the beach with sand in your shoes, you'd be sure to come back the following year.

"I don't want to get sand in the Volvo," he explained.

"Bella gave him a stern look. "Now, what's more important: a clean car or you here next summer?"

Edward pretended to think about it. "Umm…"

Bella socked him on the shoulder. "I'm serious!"

"I know, that's what's scaring me." But just to be on the safe side, he did as she asked.

The drive home was a short one, and before he knew it, they were at Bella's door.

"G'night." Edward gave Bella a half wave.

"Night." Bella yawned, arching her back.

Edward didn't doubt that she was very tired, but that was a fake-out gesture if he'd ever seen one. Trying to look as casual as possible, he walked the few feet to the low fence that separated their yards, hopped over it, and trotted up the steps to his back porch.

Then he raced up the stairs, two at a time.

He didn't quite remember when it started, but he and Bella had an unspoken contest that whenever they said goodnight they'd race to see who could get to their room first.

And I'm going to kick her ass this time, Edward thought, thundering down the hall to his bedroom.

His hand swiped the light switch ad he bent to look over at the Swan's house.

Bella's heart-shaped face, illuminated by her bedroom lamp's soft glow, grinned back at him.

Edward swore under his breath. How had she gotten up there so fast? Giving her a final goodnight wave, he pulled the drapes closed, kicked off his shoes, and padded down the hallway to the bathroom.

With life as crazy as it was, it was nice to know that summer would always stay the same in Silver Sands.

Just like his friendship with Bella.

Chapter Notes:

So, I PROMISE things will start to pick up next chapter! I'm kinda hit a bit of writer's block for chapter three, but no worries! I think I'm getting through it, and should have it finished either Wednesday or Thursday.

And you know what to do, R&R!