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Chapter Two: Clearly This Isn't The Bathroom

Alice invited me back to her house after school, and I agreed for three reasons. One, because Charlie, my dad, wouldn't be home until late and I would be just bored until then. Two, because I did want to be friends with Alice, and I was pleasantly surprised someone was even bothering to make an effort with me this early on. And three, even though it was crazy, I wanted to see Edward again.

There was something about him that just intrigued me.

I was nervous, of course, when Alice walked me to her car (I was planning on picking my truck up later). Edward was waiting by their car, leaning against the boot, listening to his iPod. He looked up at us when we approached, and he actually rolled his eyes at me.

It pissed me off. I did absolutely nothing to offend him, but he obviously had some sort of problem with me, and I was dying to have it out with him. Too bad I didn't have the guts.

He got into the back seat and I sat up the front with Alice. He ignored us both the whole way home, and I tried to ignore him as successfully as he was ignoring me. I chatted with Alice easily, unable to help fidgeting.

Alice and Edward lived in a massive house just outside of town, at the end of a seemingly never-ending drive. The minute Alice had parked the car, Edward climbed out and stormed straight into the house. I grumbled to myself as I watched him go - there was also something about him that made me want to hit him.

"Your house is really amazing," I told Alice, as we headed up the front steps.

"Thanks," she beamed. "My mother is really into interior design and stuff - wait until you see the inside."

True enough, the interior was stunning. I felt so out of place, but Alice made me feel at home pretty quickly.

"Come on and see my room," she squealed, and practically dragged me up the stairs. I took one look at her room, which was pink and girly and had cushions everywhere, and I shook my head. How she could be related to Edward was a mystery.

"Cute," I commented, and she laughed.

"Thanks. It's totally me. I never really grew out of that pink and girly phase," she said, turning on the radio. I sat down on a cushion-covered beanbag, looking around. "So Bella," she said, sitting cross-legged on her bed and grinning at me. "Have you seen any guys in school that you think are cute yet? Because I could totally set things up! You just can't have Jasper, obviously," she grinned, putting her hand over her heart, "or Emmett, 'cause Rosalie would tear your head off…"

"No, no," I said, shaking my head, smiling. "They're both good-looking, but not my type."

My type appears to be a gorgeous emo boy with an attitude problem, aka your brother.

"Who would be your type, then?"

"Eh…"

A distraction arrived in the form of Edward storming into the room, with which I was grateful for about one second, until my mind went totally blank. Had anybody ever told him those jeans were too tight? Maybe someone should tell him? No, I told myself, dazedly. That would be a crime… let him wear the jeans…

"Have you seen my hair gel?" he demanded of Alice, folding his arms. I realised with a shock, that it was the first time I had heard him speak, and he had a smooth and velvety voice. Damn. I was expecting some sort of growl, but he sounded like he had just drunk of bowl of chocolate. Why, oh why, did I find this jerk so hot?

"Nope," Alice shook her head. "Oh, and by the way, I want my black eyeliner back."

He glared at her. "I do not wear eyeliner," he huffed, and stormed out of the room.

Alice looked at me and we both giggled.

"He so does," Alice said. "He just won't admit it."

So he wears makeup. That, and the fact that he was the Biggest Jerk Ever, was still not enough to put me off him. I was an idiot.

"Where's your bathroom?" I asked, feeling the need to splash water on my face and snap me out of these thoughts.

Alice gave me directions, and I set off down the spacious, long hallway, trying to remember that it was the fourth door on the left. I peered into each room anxiously as I passed them, admiring the beautiful décor at the same time. Then I stopped.

A door was left ajar, and the room inside it was nothing like the elegance and sophistication of the rest of the house. Posters of heavy metal bands adorned the walls. The bedcovers were dark grey and strewn around untidily. There was a black electric guitar leaning against the wall, and a pile of multi-coloured Converse on the floor.

Edward's room.

"What are you doing?"

I nearly had a heart attack, and whipped around to see the guy himself shuffling up the hall towards me.

"Oh! Er, well, I need the bathroom," I stuttered.

Oh, well done, self. He doesn't need a bladder newsflash, for God's sake.

"Well, clearly that's not it," he said condescendingly, and brushed past me into his room.

"Yeah. Sorry," I mumbled, trying to ignore the way my skin was tingling from the almost-contact. I stumbled away and finally located the bathroom, and considered drowning myself. When I passed the door again on the way back to Alice's room, it was closed.

Alice looked up when I re-entered her room. "Wanna watch a film?" she asked.

"Sure," I shrugged.

"Horror or teenage rom-com?"

"Horror," I said immediately. I was so not in the mood for a bloody romantic comedy.

"Cool," Alice said, and we spent a few minutes deciding on which one to watch. "We'll watch it in the living room."

I followed her down the stairs into yet another beautifully decorated room, and took a seat on the couch. I tucked my legs up under me as Alice fiddled with the DVD player.

"Where are you going?" I asked her, as she suddenly started skipping out of the room.

"Oh, I'm just gonna ask Edward if he wants to watch it with us," Alice trilled. "I know he likes this film."

I swallowed nervously as she left the room. That may be true, but for some reason he had taken against me, and I highly doubted he was going to join us.

So imagine my surprise when he shuffled into the room after Alice a few minutes later.

I tried not to look at his gorgeous, moody face, or the jeans… I stared straight ahead of me, at the TV screen, and watched Alice press play.

I fidgeted the entire way through the movie, a combination of the tension emanating from the film, and the fact that Jerk Boy was sitting only a few feet away from me. I managed not to look at him for a whole hour, and was priding myself.

But before I could catch myself, I had glanced over at him. My eyes locked with his for the shortest second before he looked away quickly again, and my heart did a funny jump when I realised that he had been staring at me. I didn't know what to make of it.

I didn't dare glance at him again.

The movie was almost finished when a glamorous brunette stuck her head in the door.

"Dinner's almost ready, guys," she announced, and smiled warmly at me. "Hello, dear, I'm Esme."

"I'm Bella," I said shyly.

"I know," she grinned. "The whole town's been talking about your arrival for a while now."

I rolled my eyes, and she laughed, and left the room.

The moment the end credits rolled, Edward was out of his seat and out of the room. Alice got up and skipped into the kitchen, and I followed her, feeling awkward. I was hit by an appetising smell, and breathed it in, my stomach growling.

"Bells, grab some glasses out of that cupboard, will you?" Alice asked, pointing, collecting plates from a shelf. I wasn't sure how many to get, so I just pulled six out, but in typical Bella fashion I managed to drop one, and it shattered on the ground.

"Oh, shoot!" I muttered, and immediately started picking up shards of glass. "Sorry, Alice…"

"Oh no," she said sadly. "That was Edward's favourite glass."

"Oh God," I said, mortified. Great. Now he had another reason to hate me.

"I'm just teasing you," Alice giggled, arriving with a dustpan and brush and proceeded to sweep up the remaining glass. I rolled my eyes at her, and she shook her head. "You like my brother," she accused, her eyes twinkling.

"I do not," I protested vehemently. "He glares at me for no reason and he's judgemental and moody."

"Don't forget handsome," added a familiar velvety voice.

I turned my head slowly, my eyes closed in horror, and opened them to see Edward glaring at me from the doorway. He shuffled in and smiled sarcastically at me, before grabbing a handful of cutlery and walking back out.

"Oh no," I breathed.

"You do like him," Alice said matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes again and rounded on her.

"Did you set me up for that?" I hissed.

"No, honest!" Alice said, her eyes wide. "I had no idea he was there."

"He hates me," I sighed.

"He hates everyone. Don't let it bother you."

God seemed to be working against me today, and I founded myself seated next to Jerk Boy at the dinner table. He treated me like an empty seat, blaring his iPod. I could make out a load of guitars and drums, but I couldn't quite discern the band.

Also at the dinner table was Edward and Alice's father, Carlisle. I could totally see where Edward got his good looks from, anyway. Carlisle was warm and friendly and gave me some sort of idea of what Edward would look like if he was chirpy. A chirpy Edward appeared to me as some sort of myth, or legend.

I didn't say much, only speaking to answer Esme's questions on how I found The Big Move and how I was finding school and how I was adjusting, and the usual questions adults want to know the answers to. Alice was animatedly explaining a fashion design course she had come across to Carlisle. It made sense to me, that Alice would pursue something in designing. Clearly she had gotten the skills from her mother.

Esme sighed at Edward suddenly.

"Edward, must you listen to your iPod at the table?" she asked exasperatedly, but Jerk Boy didn't look up. "Edward!" Esme called. "Edward!"

I would have tapped his arm to get his attention, but I was afraid of the glare I would no doubt receive.

"EDWARD!" Esme and Carlisle and Alice all yelled at the same time. He looked up and glared at them all, and slowly pulled one of his earphones out of his ear.

"What?"

"Must you listen to your music at the table?" Esme demanded, and he sighed loudly, as though he was being mistreated. He turned the music down, but kept one earphone in his ear. Esme rolled her eyes.

This guy was really impressing me… NOT.

He stayed at the table for about five more minutes, before announcing that he was done, picking up his plate, and leaving.

Esme watched him go, sighing. "I hope Edward hasn't been rude to you," she said to me in a low tone of voice. "He's been going through a phase lately…"

In my peripheral vision I could see Alice rolling her eyes.

"Oh no…" I shook my head. "He's been… nice," I finished lamely.