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Chapter 2

Dashing and Synonyms

I woke up groggy eyed the next morning, and completely dreading what the day had in store for me.

I had cried myself to sleep the night before, torn that Edward would never love me as I so suddenly loved him.

Or not so suddenly, as I feel I have loved him all along, ever since I first set sight on him in his over-sized gumboots and yellow overalls. He had always been quite attractive, even as a seven year old. With those magnificent striking green eyes, that unkempt, disobedient bronze hair and his admirable personality; he really was unique.

Dashing is another way I like to describe Edward, dashing and synonyms!

Handsome, remarkable, attractive, elegant and just plain amazing! Oh the list could go on!

How depressing to realise he could have been mine. All mine had I only acknowledged that I held this veiled love for him.

And now it was too late.

He was in love with another girl; though I find it rather ludicrous to call it love. He couldn't love her. What an absurd thought! Edward was fantastic and brilliant whereas Jessica was just… well she was just a hormone-raging seventeen-year-old girl. She couldn't know anything about love!

Of course, I'm a seventeen year old girl too, but I know that what I feel for Edward is love.

Pure, unconditional, impenetrable, true love.

And I believe- no, I know that somewhere in him, somewhere deep; just waiting to be certified, he loves me, too. I just have to be patient.

I pulled out a pair of my best jeans from my draw and hastily put them on, almost falling over in the process. I caught a glimpse of my radio clock and almost choked on shock at what time it read. Crap, I was going to be late! With just a quick glance around my room I found my blue t-shirt and my black hoodie. I put them on and practically jumped the whole staircase and ran into the kitchen.

I only prayed we had bread.

We didn't. Well, not fresh bread, anyway.

Too late to care about such small things as mould, I picked all the small bits off and ate what little bread was left.

I grabbed my bag that I always kept by the door and my coat that lay on top of it. In a rush to put my jacket on, my arm got caught halfway in a sleeve and I found myself standing with my arms awkwardly behind me. I attempted to yank them free and instead lost my balance, stepped on my own foot and fell onto the door. My head had the good fortune to get first impact.

"Ouch," I said, finally getting my arm free so I could rub my tender forehead.

Angry at the door for being there in the first place, I kicked it hard before I stomped outside and locked it shut. I turned around to head over to my truck.

Which wasn't there.

"Where the hell is my―" I stopped short as images from yesterday ran through my head like a slideshow. Oh, right. It was still at school.

Which sucks because now I have to walk.

Or you could just stay home, a little voice said in my head. I considered it for a moment. What? Stay home and miss Jessica being all over Edward?

Ok.

The first thing I did when I was back inside was call the school and told them I wouldn't be in today, because I didn't want them looking into my absence; for example, calling Charlie.

There wasn't much I could do in the house. Everything seemed pretty clean. I brushed off the bread crumbs on the table that I hadn't bothered to clean up from my breakfast and put them in the bin. The bathroom was in pretty shiny condition, as I had only cleaned it a couple of days earlier on Sunday. Though, I guess it wouldn't hurt anyone if I redid it.

So I did that. I spent the next two hours on my knees scrubbing every nook and cranny in sight.

By the end I was considering banning anyone from using the toilet it was so clean.

My room was in an acceptable state, as was every other room in the house.

I decided to read a book.

Lost in a wonderful world of love and heartbreak, a loud knocking brought me back to present times.

I placed my book down beside me and stood up. I felt really stiff; I must have been reading for longer than I realised. I trudged out of my room, down the stairs and to the door. It was a surprise to see Edward there, his hair dripping wet and his arms across his chest, hugging himself for warmth. I laughed at the sight; he looked like a wet dog.

"What are you laughing at? Why aren't you at school?" He demanded answers.

"Relax, breath, I'm laughing at you and I didn't have a car to get to school."

Edward frowned, "Your truck's at school."

"I know."

"Why is it at school and you're here?" He looked lost.

"It's been at school since yesterday. I forgot about that when you all dropped me off at my place." I placed my hands on my hips and gestured inside. "Now are you coming in or what? Why are you so wet?"

Edward stepped inside my house, muttering a quiet "thank you" and slipping his shoes off. I led him into the kitchen where it would be easiest to wipe the wet floor later and fetched him a dry towel. I came back into the kitchen and threw it to him.

"Thanks," He dried his hair with it. "I ran," he explained.

"You ran? Why didn't you just drive?" I was shocked.

"Couldn't drive. Teachers would see me leaving and I didn't want to risk getting caught. I was worried about you Bella."

His words touched my heart but I was angry at him.

"What about Jessica? You just left her at school."

Edward frowned. "Excuse me? Jessica?"

"Yes. Didn't you think about how she would react to this? About you being here with me? Honestly Edward," I scolded.

Edward still looked hopelessly confused. "Bella," he said. "What are you talking about?" His voice went slightly higher as he said those last two words.

I frowned. "Aren't you and Jessica," I twirled my two index fingers around each other, trying to silently say together. Edward just raised an eyebrow. "Going out?" I added finally, sighing.

Edward stepped away from me, appalled. "God, no! What the hell made you think that?"

I felt myself relax with relief, but I couldn't let him see that. "So you and Jessica…?"

He grimaced. "No," he said, disgusted.

"Ok, right… my mistake. Moving on," I said lightly, desperate to change subject now that the whole Jessica issue was out of the way.

Edward stepped towards me, making me slightly nervous. "Bella?"

I smiled innocently. "Yes?"

He stopped. "Why did you think Jessica and I were…" he seemed to be choking on the last word, "together?"

I bit my lower lip. "No reason," I said quickly. "Just a little misunderstanding on my part. Not a big deal, really." I looked at him desperately, "Can we just not talk about this. I'm really embarrassed."

Edward laughed; the sound music to my ears. "Why are you embarrassed? Just tell me." He shrugged, "I won't judge."

I glared at him, but decided it really wouldn't hurt to tell him. After all, he was my best friend. I always told him everything.

I figured I should probably sit down first. Edward did the same. "Well," I started, thinking of the best way to put this. "Yesterday, when you went to… feel how cold the water was…" I looked at Edward and saw that he was frowning slightly.

"I really am sorry about that," he said. "Just finish saying whatever it is you're about to say and then I'll explain why I… ditched you like that."

I nodded and continued speaking. "Well, yeah you basically ditched me… for Lauren and Jessica. And when you came back you were practically all over her! Jessica, that is."

Edward laughed but his face turned serious. "If I tell you, will you promise not to be mad?"

I thought for a moment. "How can I promise not to be mad?"

Edward frowned. "Say, 'I promise I won't be mad'?" He suggested.

"But what if it affects me, Edward? I can promise I won't be mad, but I can't help it if I become mad and then I'm breaking my promise even if I didn't mean to."

Edward sighed. "It doesn't affect you, Bella." He stared at me for a moment, "Just promise," he ordered.

"Fine," I snapped. "I promise."

Edward shifted slightly so that he was more comfortable.

"Two weeks ago I went to Port Angeles by myself. I was just going to shop for clothes and some new magazines, CDs," He waved his hand flippantly. "You know all that jazz. Anyway, I ran into Lauren, Jessica and," He paused. "Jessica's cousin."

He laughed, "Don't hate me, I know this sounds shallow but she was the hottest girl I had ever seen. It was what I like to refer to as love at first sight.

"Jessica saw it right away. That's why I wanted to be with her alone yesterday... I didn't want Lauren there but Jessica said she knew everything. Anyway, she said she could maybe invite her cousin over again and we could meet."

I felt myself start hyperventilating. Breathe, I told myself. Breathe!

"And what," I struggled to say. "What's this girl's name?"

Edward smiled. "Kristina."

I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. What had Edward said?

'It doesn't affect you, Bella.'

It affected me alright. Edward had just admitted that he was hopelessly in love with this girl. He had even organised to meet her again!

What was the other thing he had said? That she was the hottest girl he had ever seen? I knew it shouldn't disturb me; I usually wasn't bothered by such trivial things as appearance.

Especially my own.

Oh, look what this boy was doing to me! He was driving me crazy!

"Are you alright, Bella?" Edward asked, concerned. "You look a bit…pale."

I blinked and looked at him, surprised to see him there; I had completely forgotten about his presence.

"I'm fine," I said. "Just feeling a little...feint," I laughed cheaply. "Maybe it's a good thing I didn't come today. I must be coming down with something."

I stood up, my chair scraping against the floor. I could feel my hands shaking so I quickly tucked them under my arms.

"I think you should go," I said quietly. I wanted nothing more than to be alone right now; for that's what I was- alone. Edward or no Edward- he wasn't mine the way I wanted, the way I needed him to be. I so badly needed to distract myself from this mess; from him. "Or you won't make it back to school in time." I said.

"No Bella I can stay." He smiled then, his eyes reflecting a hint of trouble, "Screw school. We can just hang out. I'll face the consequences."

I shook my head. "Go to school, Edward. I'm probably just going to want to sleep anyway."

"Then I'll watch you," He smiled warmly as he often did when he spoke about our childhood years together. "I always thought you were interesting in your sleep."

"You watched me sleep?" I asked, shocked.

"Frequently. Remember when we used to sleep outside? In the tent Charlie brought you for your birthday?"

I laughed, "Yeah. Those were good times."

"Good times, yeah. Anyway you used to keep me awake at night. You talk like crazy, you know that, right?"

I gasped. "You never told me!" Why didn't he tell me? I could have stuffed a sock in my mouth or something! Anything! Oh I can just imagine the things I said!

"What's wrong?" He asked.

I looked at him wide-eyed. "What did I say?" I asked, terrified and unsure if I even wanted an answer.

Edward was thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm… mostly it was just nonsense- a bunch of sounds. Other times you would actually form words and small sentences… but it was all random. It always made me wonder what you dreamt about."

I glared at him. "But you didn't tell me. What did I actually say?"

Edward laughed. "Oh! I see. You're embarrassed, but you don't need to be. You never actually said anything…well, nothingthat meant anything to me."

I sighed. Thank god. Though it didn't slip my notice that he hadn't actually told me what I said.

"Hey, Bella," Edward said, his eyes staring at the corner of my kitchen table where he picked at its edges as a distraction. "What would you say to sleeping in that tent again?"

I laughed nervously. "I don't think we would fit in it anymore."

"But it would be fun, wouldn't it? Just like old times."

"I… I guess it would be nice… like old times." I was lost for words as my thoughts were on an entirely…well not an entirely different planet. It was just the thought of sleeping next to Edward again. I mean, it was different when we were ten.

"Tonight," He smiled widely. "Let's do it tonight."

"Edward, we would freeze!" Actually, that could work to an advantage…

"You're right. I didn't think of that," he laughed. "Just getting ahead of myself. Something we can do in the summer then?"

I smiled, "Yeah. Sure."

Edward held out his hand. "Promise?"

I shook it. "Promise."

"Of course," we smiled wickedly. "I probably should warn you..."

"What?"

"I sprawl."

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Edward didn't go back to school. Actually, it turned out I didn't need him to leave so I could give myself some sort of distraction. Edward, funnily enough, was as good as anything at distracting even if the distraction is needed to distract myself from him.

We sat in the living room, pigging out on the sofa and sharing a few laughs about the fishing trips we both hated so much, how we would nick our fathers catches just to make them paranoid about bears. We even confessed little things we had done that we hadn't been aware of at the time and until this present day; I found out it was Edward who had placed that horrifically large dead spider in my sleeping bag one unpleasant night.

He deserved that bruise; I still check my bed for creepy-crawlies.

"Oh! Look at the time, I'd better get dinner ready," I said, standing up. Edward stood up too and followed me into the kitchen.

"Can I help?" He asked.

I shook my head. "That's ok, just make yourself comfortable," I said and gestured to the kitchen chair. "Am I making for three?"

Edward thought for a moment before answering, "Sure. I'd better let my mum know though."

I nodded and started boiling some water while Edward used the phone.

"Hey mum? Yeah, it's Edward."

Without meaning too I realised I was trying to hear what he was saying.

"Uh huh. No, that's alright." A pause, "Well, yes that's why I'm calling. Is that alright?" Another pause, "Thanks mum. See you later, bye."

I heard the phone click back in place as he hung up.

I tried to look innocent as he came back in. "What did she say?"

Edward smiled, "She said yes of course."

"Great."

I was just placing mine and Edward's dinner on the table as Charlie walked through the door.

"Hey Bells," he sniffed the air. "Mmm, what smells so good?"

"Just Macaroni Cheese- I wasn't feeling very creative today."

Charlie shrugged, "Fine by me, as long as it tastes as decent as it smells."

We all sat around the table, the first few minutes past in silence.

"Shoot," Edward muttered and I raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed, "I just dropped a bit of pasta on me, and it's left a small stain."

I laughed. Edward always made big fusses over the smallest of things. Now, if it was a ketchup stain…

"Edward, it's hardly a stain. It will come off."

Edward smiled at one corner of his mouth, not completely convinced.

"So what did you kids get up to at school today?" Charlie asked through a mouthful.

I looked at Edward quickly, trying to send a message through my eyes pleading him to answer this one; he knew how much I hated lying.

"Well, Bella was sick this morning so I just came around after school."

My hero.

Charlie looked at me and said, "Really Bella? Why didn't you call me? I would have come home."

I shrugged. "I didn't want to bother you. It was nothing serious, I just didn't feel well enough to cope with a whole day of school," I assured him. That was partly true.

Charlie seemed convinced. He turned his attention onto Edward.

"So, how are Edward and Elizabeth doing?"

I never let Edward have a moment's peace without reminding him that his name was the same as his father's. I found it hilarious to no end at how his family were so old fashioned.

"They're well. Mum's started having art lessons, and dad's been cleaning his car a lot."

Edward's father used to be a lawyer, though he's retired now. He recently just brought himself a brand new Alfa Romeo and spends most days giving it some tender loving care and showing it off to all their friends. Edward said that if he plays it cool until his birthday in June, his father will consider buying him a new car; Edward hated his junky Toyota.

"How nice," Charlie said, stuffing another mouthful of macaroni in his mouth. "Tell them Hi for me, will you?"

"Of course," Edward said.

I finished my dinner and waited for the other two to finish theirs before stacking all three plates and heading over to the sink. Edward came up behind me and reached for one pink rubber glove that I wear when doing the dishes.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, trying to take the rubber glove. Edward moved his hand away quickly and reached for a scrubber with his other one. "Hey!" I complained.

Edward chuckled, and for a second I was dazzled by his green eyes. "I'm going to help you with the cleaning up," he eyed Charlie quickly as he left the kitchen for the living room. "It's about time you had someone do it."

I shook my head. "Charlie does enough for this household. I'm just keeping up my part, now give me that glove!" I jumped up for it as Edward had held his hand above his head. Of course, I was too short; I felt ridiculous so I gave up.

"Good. Now, where do we start?"

I pointed to the edge of the sink where piles of dishes were stacked including the three plates from tonight's dinner. Edward reached for a plate, while I filled the sink with warm, soapy water.

With the two of us at it we finished a lot quicker than I usually do on my own.

"I just realised something," I said while I wiped down the sink and the area around it where splashes of water had managed to reach.

"What's that?" Edward asked.

"Your car is still at school. And so is mine."

Edward laughed. "What do you say to going for a walk down there?"

"I'd say alright."

I grabbed my jacket and car keys, Edward following behind as I walked out the front door. I realised I hadn't told Charlie I was leaving.

"Dad," I called out. "Edward and I are just going down to the school to get my truck, because I got dropped off yesterday."

I just faintly heard his reply; obviously something exciting was happening in the game.

The wind had a biting chill to it, a result of the recent downpour. The road glittered as the street light's glow reflected off the tiny puddles in the road's cracks.

A swift breeze ran down the back of my collar. I shivered and hugged myself tightly in attempt for a little warmth.

Edward walked beside me, looking down at the ground. His shoulders were slouched slightly and he had his hands in his pockets. His bronze hair was as usual in a chaotic but styled-liked state. Of course, I knew Edward didn't style his hair; it was naturally gorgeous. I blushed realising what I had just said. Edward looked at me and smiled, causing my cheeks to burn up even more at being caught staring.

"I spy with my little eye," Edward said, though he sounded like he was singing. "Something beginning with…" He thought for a moment. "D."

I sighed. "You know how much I hate this game." When he didn't say anything, I looked around me, "Drain?" I guessed.

Edward whistled, impressed.

Silence again.

I tried to think of something to say, anything. Suddenly, without my permission, I was curious about Kristina.

"Tell me more about Kristina," I said casually. "I want to hear about the girl who stole Edward Mason's heart."

Edward chuckled, but then he sighed. "She has the most wonderful eyes. I can't decide whether they're green, blue or grey. And her hair, it's so long and it just flows." He smiled. "She's so unique. Just everything about her is perfect."

I was curious about her hair. "What colour is her hair?"

"Blonde," he answered.

I looked at a strand of loose hair out of the corner of my eyes with newfound distaste. "What's she like?" I asked.

"I don't know her very well yet, but I just have this feeling she's right for me. Everything I like in a girl."

I felt like an idiot now; why did I want to know about this girl? I knew it would just depress me hearing Edward talk about everything he loved in a girl- everything I'm not. So why did I ask these questions?

I felt tears at the edges of my eyes. I quickly wiped them away.

"She sounds nice, Edward," I said, trying to control my voice. "I'm happy you found her. I hope she's everything you want."

Edward looked at me then, and there was a something in his expression that I couldn't quite place. Some sort of understanding? But an understanding for what, exactly?

Whatever it was he seemed to decide to just forget about it as he shook his head and looked back at the ground.

We arrived at school then. I made way over to my truck but Edward grabbed me by the arm.

"I'm picking you up tomorrow morning. Leave your truck here," he ordered. I stared at him, stunned.

I shook my head, clearing it. "What?" I asked finally.

"Leave your truck here. I will pick you up in the morning," he repeated slowly. I nodded my head, understanding.

"Ok," I said and we made our way over to Edward's car.

Edward's car was a poor red colour, fading with age. Its doors squeaked in complaint as we opened them to get in.

The seats were relatively comfortable I had to admit. Edward turned on the heater and radio before backing out of the parking lot and towards my place.

"Are you sure you want to pick me up before school tomorrow?" I asked, fidgeting with the buckle of my seatbelt. Edward looked at me like I was crazy.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I don't mind," he looked back at the road.

"Ok," I said lamely, and bit down on my bottom lip.

We arrived back at my house and Edward stopped the car.

I looked at Edward and all his celestial beauty. "Thanks for driving me," I said quietly. Edward only smiled in reply. I undid my buckle and opened my door. Edward said something just as I was stepping out.

"I'm sorry Bells," he said. I turned to look at him.

"Excuse me?"

But he just shook his head, obviously thinking he'd just made a fool of himself. "Nothing," he chuckled. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

I nodded and slammed the door closed. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."

I didn't bother watch him drive off; I just walked back inside.

"Bells, you're back," Charlie said coming down the stairs. He was wearing his blue, white-striped pyjamas and was holding an empty glass.

"Yeah, sorry it took a while. Edward walked here after school."

"So I noticed. Where your truck? I didn't hear it coming."

"Oh," I rubbed the back of my neck guiltily. "Yeah, Edward's picking me up tomorrow morning."

"Something wrong with your truck?"

"No, no," I said. "The truck's fine. Edward just…wanted to, that's all."

"Oh okay." Charlie said, and walked into the kitchen. "Well, see you tomorrow them sweetheart."

"G'night dad," I said and rushed off upstairs to go to bed, eager to have a goodnight's sleep.

------------------------------------------

I didn't sleep well at all that night. I woke up several times during the night and finally decided it was because my room was too stuffy. I got up with some struggle and walked over to my window. It was difficult to see anything in this kind of light, though my eyes were starting to adjust slowly. I tried to push open my window.

It wouldn't budge.

I studied the edges closely and came to the conclusion that it was stuck. Well duh, my mind told me. I thought about opening the door but saw that it was already open.

What do I do now?

I considered just trying to go back to sleep again but figured I would probably end up just lying there till it was time to get ready for school.

I decided to get some fresh air by going for a walk.

It was drizzling slightly when I stepped out the door. I had my rain jacket on even before I knew it was spitting just as a precaution for another downpour; you never know with Forks. I was thinking about where I could go when I saw the trail that led into the forest.

It was quiet in the forest. Not much could be heard besides the crunching of the dirt beneath my feet and the trees moving with the wind high above my head. Their branches interlocked with each other, forming one big light-blocking canopy. Only here and there would the moon's light penetrate through a small gap, providing me with enough light to see the trail.

Though I could not see too much detail, I could just make out the tangled foliage covering most of the forest's surface, the moss on every tree's trunk and where the light would touch, raindrops would mirror the glow, causing a sparkling effect.

The forest calmed me.

I sat down on a nearby log. I didn't want to walk too far into the forest as I might get lost, knowing me.

I took a deep lungful of air. It was cold but refreshing and I found myself holding my breath.

I noticed that deeper in the forest, where I am now, there was no breeze; the air was almost completely still.

I closed my eyes and just sat there, perfectly still, perfectly calm.

This peaceful moment was mine and mine alone. Right now I was the only one in the world. Time had no meaning, life had a meaning. For right now I felt this moment was what people live for; this moment of peace where you are at ease with the world, no matter how tough reality is.

Because reality cannot touch me here.

Unless, of course, there are mosquitos around.

Bzzzzzzz, SLAP! Miss. Where is the damn thing? I felt a little prick on my arm and I whacked myself. I thought I'd had it until I heard that irritating buzzing sound again.

I sighed and stood up, defeated.

The walk back to the house seemed a lot faster than what it had been on when I was walking into the forest. I reached my front door and opened it quietly, making sure I made no sound whatsoever when I closed it.

I slipped off my shoes and shrugged off my raincoat before I tip-toed back to my room and lay on my down on my bed; I was suddenly exhausted.

Sleep swept over me in an instant. And then it was time to wake up.

"Morning sleepyhead," a familiar voice said.

I sat up, but I couldn't see who it was as my vision was all blurry. I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear them.

"Edward," I asked, squinting. "Is that you?"

Alrighty, hope you enjoyed that!! Now review )

I'll try and update ASAP of course and I'll try do the same with my other story... sorry that it's taking so long for Injected, I haven't completely forgotten about it P