Today is Friday, it is my day to disappear
To kings and queens and make-believe and the demons in my head
Would you come along, bring me in?

-

We turn the corner as a group and I feel strangely powerful. I've got that sense of invincibility that comes with a group mentality. Or perhaps it's just a sense of belonging.

Either way, it feels good to stride along the path with these people. Our footsteps are in unison and I walk as tall as I can in my snowboots. We're not split into couples or girls vs. boys. We are a solid entity and I wish it could be like this all the time. I want to absorb the confidence and beauty they exude.

Emmett's got his arm slung over Rosalie's shoulder and Jasper playfully shoves Edward into a puddle.

If this was a movie, we'd be walking down a busy hallway in some glossy high school. The camera work would be in slow motion and everyone would turn and stare at us. I'd be wearing a designer ensemble instead of my hoody-slash-school uniform combo and Edward Cullen would be holding my hand.

Life ain't like that. We're navigating cracked pavement and Edward hasn't looked at me since I agreed to go. The only person that stares is a perv in Honda who is checking out Rosalie's ass.

His voice pulls me out of my daydream - more distinctive to me than all the rest.

"See you later, guys." he says with a lazy wave of his hand.

Edward walks straight out onto the road. He doesn't stop or look both ways, he just crosses. And magically, cars slow for him and he gives a slight nod as acknowledgment. If that was me, there is no doubt I'd end up plastered to the ground like the Road Runner and my dad would have to come back from his fishing weekend to scrape me up.

"Where's he off to?" I ask Alice in my best nonchalant voice.

She shrugs but her expression is quizzical. If the boys weren't here she would be squealing and wanting to know why I care.

"Gone to get his stuff." Jasper answers.

The man of few words doesn't really offer much explanation and I don't push, for fear of looking desperate.

My mood has darkened considerably. Odd numbers are no good for dramatic walking but I do my best to be bright. It's Friday evening and I didn't ditch class to pine over a boy. Besides, I'm fairly sure I'm transferring my insecurities and left-out feeling onto Edward. I mean, what makes him so different than the other guys I meet?

I only half include myself in conversation for the rest of the walk.

Emmett lives in a swanky apartment in the centre of town. I guess that's one of the perks for coming from a 'good' family and by good I mean rich. The Swans are good people too, but we don't have floor to ceiling windows and flat-screen TVs in every room. Jasper lives there too but I'm fairly certain Dr. Cullen is the one paying all the rent.

I've been here before. I've ridden in this elevator. I've stumbled down the plush-carpeted hallways and held on to the Magnolia walls for support. I've passed out on his couch and ate hot toast dripping with butter, from the chrome toaster in the kitchen.

But it was different then. It was dark and late. We were drunk and I didn't want to go home.

In the harsh light of day, I feel awkward and more aware of my surroundings. I don't want to spill anything here.

Jasper holds the door while we troop in. It's cleaner than I remembered. The curtains are closed. The room is dark and warm from being shut up. A sliver of light escapes a crack in the shades and I see dust dance in it's spotlight.

The leather couch looks comfy. The TV is huge. There are several bowls of candy on the coffee table and an open pack of chips on the ground. Alice and Rose walk around like they own the place and I follow them into the kitchen. We are to make coffee. I don't drink it but I stay to help anyway.

Alice perches on the counter while Rose rifles through a drawer for a clean spoon.

"Isn't it good that you and Edward get along?" Alice asks. I don't know if there's pity there for leaving me out or if she's trying to set me up again.

I roll my eyes. "He barely said two words to me."

"That's more than he says to most people he doesn't know." replies Rose.

How would she even know that?

"We're meant to be lab partners so he knows me a little. He's only being polite." I say.

"And would you like him to be more than polite?" teases Alice. "Hmm… I bet beneath that respectful exterior there's an animal just waiting to get out-"

I cut her off with a slap on the arm. "Shut up! I don't even like him."

"I think you're protesting a little too much there, Bella sweets. But we'll let it slide for now." Rosalie can kill you with kindness,

I look around for a distraction and pray they don't notice the blush creeping up my neck.

There is food every where in the apartment. Junk food to be specific. Bowls of candy sit on every surface, sweet and sickly and begging to be eaten. Bags of chips loiter near chairs, carefully held together with clothes-pegs. A crate of Coke sits on top of the crate of Corona by the fridge. It's a welcoming feature of the boys home, it's a clear sign they want their guests to be comfortable.

One bowl looks untouched. It's practically overflowing with grass-green and skin-pink candy. I feel sorry for it, sitting all alone and neglected and pick up a piece out of curiosity.

"Bella, no!" shouts Jasper.

I jump and drop the candy. I hadn't noticed them come in.

"What the fuck?" Alice slaps him lightly on the shoulder. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry," he tells her with a sickening kiss. "But that shit is nasty. I was looking out for Bella."

I am still confused.

"Seriously," agrees Emmett. "That bowl's been sitting there since we moved in. No-one ever eats it."

"What did you do to it?" I ask, knowing well the pranks they can get up to house parties. I once saw them oven bake a shoe for fun.

"Nothing. It's just a gross rhubarb and custard flavour. It reminds me of an old folks home."

"That is so ageist." Rosalie chastises him half-heartedly.

I pick up another piece and pop it into my mouth. It's not so bad, the bittersweet taste appeals to me. Everyone is watching me, wide-eyed and mouths agape. I eat another just to bug them and refuse to speak with my mouth full.

"Well?" asks Jasper.

I shrug. "I've tasted worse."

They all break out into a relieved laugh and I am happy to join in. We make our way back into the living area and Emmett claps me on the back when I pass him. The force almost knocks me over.

The door opens and in walks Edward. How could I have forgotten how gorgeous he is in such a short time? My heart lurches at the sight. His cheeks are tinged pink from the cold and his hair is windswept.

"What's going on?" he asks, picking up on the buoyant mood.

Emmett points at me. "She ate one of the Rhubarb and Custards."

"Really?" says Edward. His face holds a mixture of admiration and disgust.

I nod kind of sheepishly. But he's not looking at me anymore. His eyes are on the dining table and his face drops.

There are books and papers strewn all over the glass surface. Passages are highlighted and there's an open copy of Ulysses with green scribbles in the margin. I've been struggling with my paper on that all week.

I realise then, that this is could often be the place Edward goes instead of school. How simple. I spot a familiar striped tie draped across the back of one chair. I am wearing a matching one underneath my hoody. He walks over to the table and begins to tidy away his stuff.

As Alice and Rose squeeze into an armchair and Jasper and Emmett sprawl on the couch, I don't quite know what to do with myself. I can hardly plop myself in between the two boys. I decide to drag a dining chair over.

Edward is hastily shuffling loose pages together and shoving things into a folder. When he sees me beside him, he stops and gives me a sheepish smile that says the jig is up. I wonder why he seems to be hiding this.

I stand with my hand on the back of the nearest chair and finger the poly-silk blend of our school tie.

"It's a coincidence, isn't it?" he asks. "Us being lab partners and Emmett and Rose getting together."

"A small world." I agree.

"I've never seen Emmett like this before, to fall for a girl like he has for Rose." Edward says her name with such familiarity. I knew her for a year before I called her Rose.

I nod and hazard a glance in their direction. No-one will hear us over the din of the PS3 anyway.

"He's good for her," I agree. "I can't imagine anyone else would know to buy her the box-set of Top Gear for their one month anniversary."

We share a laugh and gain the attention of the others. Emmett looks strangely proud. Maybe he heard me.

"How are you getting on with the English assignment?" he asks me. We're making small talk again and I wrap the tie around my index finger.

Mr. Berty, the English teacher is a sadist. There is no other explanation for it. He has challenged my class to the most impossible assignment and this is coming from someone who likes English.

I scrunch my nose. "It's hard. I'm reading it but I don't really get it. It's not due 'til Wednesday so I'm not even gonna think about over the weekend."

"Sounds like a plan," Edward smiles. "I'm don't want to look at these books again for a long time."

"Did your class get the same paper?" I ask, anxious to prolong the conversation.

He smirks at me. "I'm in your class, Bella."

I am confused. I've never ever seen him there or heard mention of him. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

How could I have not noticed him? I snake the school tie around one forearm and cast my mind back.

"I've never heard your name during role call." I tell him.

He shrugs. " I get marked present though. The teacher doesn't like me. Apparently having opinions about English literature equates to an attitude problem. He's happier when I don't challenge him and I'm happier when I don't have to listen to his remedial teaching. It's a win-win situation."

I forget sometimes, that I only moved here two years ago. All the rest have this history that I am not part of. I try to imagine a gangly pubescent Edward showing up the ignorant teachers and think it would have been nice to see that.

"You teach yourself?" I question, curiosity overtaking my social propriety.

Edward shrugs again. "Sometimes. It's more challenging that way. Other times I get recordings of classes."

He gestures to the iPod on the table and I figure he must listen to classes on it. How lonely.

"You know Ben?" he asks. "He records the stuff and sends it to me sometimes. It's nothing I can't figure out on my own but it gives me a clearer idea of what to focus on for exams."

I love listening to his melodic voice. He could have a career in radio though it would be a waste to hide that pretty face away But even more, I love that he is revealing some of the mystery surrounding him. To me. This wouldn't be so fun if it was just Alice filling me in.

I use the tie to make a figure of eight around my wrists. Edward is still speaking rapidly though we're not really making eye contact.

"Like, I found out the hard way that high school history teachers don't want in-depth analysis of the political causes of World War II. They just wants facts and figures, names and dates. Like the way you wanted to write that piece on Sunny the prostitute and our sadistic pea-brained teacher made you write that crap about the metaphor of the cliffs,"

I blink and the tie starts to cut off circulation in my wrists, I pull it so tight. We studied The Catcher in the Rye 6 months ago and I had gotten into a slightly heated and apparently recorded debate over the homework content.

He's still talking. More words than I've ever heard him speak.

"So if you know what you're up against, it's a lot easier to contend with. And it draws less attention from those darned authority figures which is always a bonus."

He flashes a wicked smile and I think my heart skips a beat.

"Why?" I ask, doing all I can do to prolong this interaction. This is so worth skipping school for. "Wouldn't it be easier to just pick up what they want you to and regurgitate it back?"

This has always been my method for approaching school and it hasn't failed me yet.

"Oh Bella," he sighs. He says my name like he cares. "Do you really trust what everyone else tells you? If you know the whole story you can make up your own mind. I like to find out things for myself. To figure out what's true and what's worth knowing and what's really important."

I am a little overwhelmed. He is so much more than a rebel without a cause. Edward is intelligent, almost intimidating so. He's an enigma I want to get lost in. He is making me question my own attitudes as a result of a brief conversation.

And he's looking at me with such intensity that I will myself to avert my eyes but nothing in me will let me. I want to keep questioning him. I want to unravel every thread in the world he has weaved for himself and knit myself back in. I want to ask him does he really feel the conviction he spoke those words with.

But I am afraid that if I open my mouth I will confess my raging desire to lick his Adams Apple.

Rosalie's no-nonsense voice suddenly slices through the tension. "Bella, get your ass over here and check this out."

I don't move. I still can't look away as I search in vain for the answer that Edward is waiting for.

He reaches forward and I actually feel the movement through the charged air. It sends sparks my way, ones that singe my skin.

Swiftly, he pulls the tie that I have wound around my fingers. It comes loose easily, the softness glides against my skin. Then it is gone. Edward shoves it in his backpack and the moment is over.

I drag the chair over to the girls and my head feels foggy. I peer at the computer screen to see the latest update on our favourite gossip blog. I concede that it is funny but I am harbouring resentment towards Perez for pulling me away from Edward.

"What were you two talking about?" whispers Alice.

"Just school." I tell her, truthfully and noncommittally.

I watch Edward plonk himself on the couch and challenge the winner to game. Jasper and Emmett look surprisingly intimated.

"Wait 'til you see who poked Jane." says Rosalie, frantically clicking the mouse and I pretend to be interested.

We spend the next little while nosing online while the boys play. We bore easily though, and are soon distracted by the trash talk coming from the couch. Their enthusiasm and competitiveness are almost childish but it is infective.

Edward is kicking his brothers ass and Jasper is teasing them both, trying to distract them from the race or shootout or whatever it is.

"Shut up cock-breath!" shouts Emmett and I have to laugh at his creative insult.

Edward is winning and Emmett is pissed. He stomps his foot like a toddler and elbows his brother in the ribs.

"Sorry," says Jasper, drawing out the last syllable. "I'll leave you alone."

"Please do," replies Edward. "I want to beat Emmett fair and square, none of this technicality shit this time."

"Hey girls," Jasper turns his attention towards us. "Did you ever see that movie Last Tango in Paris?"

We watched it out of curiosity one night in Rosalie's. I couldn't put butter on my bread for about a week after.

"Yeah," Rose replies suspiciously. "Why?"

Jasper's are glinting with mischief and he says "Don't the couple in that remind you of Carlisle and Esme?"

The two Cullen heads whip up and a twin look of disgust stretches their features. I hear an awful screech and their cars crash into a wall.

"You're a dick, Whitlock." declares Emmett, reaching around the back of the couch and swatting him on the head.

Jasper responds by pucking him in the shoulder. There's going to be a fight. I can taste the testosterone in the air - all musky and dry.

Edward slides off the couch in one smooth motion and sits on the ground. In the very same instant, Emmett lunges at his provoker and the pair tussle on the couch.

The girls giggle and shriek at them to stop. Edward looks bored; he has the air of a person who has witnessed this many times before. I watch, fascinated and unaccustomed to such displays of roughhousing and pure boyness. Is this what it would be like to have brothers?

They have the most innovative insults I've ever heard. They use words like plank and pussy and bagel and each one is dripping with venom and fun. I begin to understand why people watch wrestling on TV.

Edward is diligently reading the ingredients in Doritos. Do they contain anything other than flour and orange dust?

Jasper gains the upper hand and pins Emmett's hands behind his back.

"Give it up, bitch." he taunts him.

Emmett concede with a dramatic sigh and just like that, the fight is over. "I'll win next time, fuckwad." he vows.

"Promises, promises." goads Jasper.

"If you kids are done playing," Edward stands up and addresses the boys. "We're going to put on a DVD."

Everyone starts talking at once. Apparently there is a history here of poor choices. No chick-flicks. No action. No foreign films. Nothing with Kiera Knightly or Scarlett Johansson. Everyone's got an opinion and my mind is struggling to take in the scale of passion incited over this.

"Bella should pick then," announces Alice. "It can be her turn since we've all had one."

I panic. Pressure and performance anxiety pound in my chest. Surely I'll pick wrong. I shake my hand and tell them I don't mind in a small voice.

Collectively they dismiss my protests and point me in direction of the impressive DVD collection.

I stand in front of it like a deer caught in headlights until I feel a presence behind me and a calloused hand cover my eyes.

Edward's voice washes the blood that rushes in my ears. "This is how we pick," he mutters. "Close your eyes and point. No pressure."

He smells like dust and ink and smoke and I tremble as blindly jut my index forward until I feel smooth plastic at it's tip.

Behind me, Edward leans forward and the string on his hoody brushes my neck. He plucks the DVD from the shelf and finally removes his hand from my face. His fingers sweep through my hair.

"What did she pick?" calls Emmett from the couch.

I slowly turn around to face my choice and my helper. He's already walking away and telling them I picked American History X.

They voice approval and I exhale in relief. Positions have shifted. Rose is now snuggled next to Emmett on the couch and Alice and Jasper are holding hands across the armrest of their seats. For me to return to my chair would mean breaking them apart, so I decide to sit on the ground at Alice's feet.

We watch the movie but we are not quiet. Things to be said cannot wait and I am no exception. We comment and laugh and gasp in all the right places. When I look around for someone to make eye contact with - the way you do to affirm your reaction- I always find Edward in the dark and he is watching my responses.

Halfway through, he finds a cushion for himself and tosses me one too. It makes the hardwood floor infinitely more comfortable.

Alice plays with my hair the way I love. She loves it too, since her own hair is always too short to mess around with.

I am relaxed and happy. I want to stay in this world that feels like home forever.

But the movie comes to an end and someone turns on the light. I stretch awkwardly and blink to adjust my eyes to the light.

They talk about what to do next and I am reluctant to admit I just want to stay here and watch another movie and listen to my friends laugh.

Edward goes out to the balcony and I watch his back through the glass. He leans on the balcony and the red tip of his cigarette glows in the dark. I don't really listen to what plans the others make.

"Beach?" Rosalie asks me.

"Huh?" I reply, half-wondering if she called me a bitch.

"Bonfire on the beach tonight. Everyone's gonna be there. You up for it?" she speaks to me like I'm retarded.

"Where did you hear that?" I ask. No-one said anything in school.

"Leah. Twitter." she replies. "Yes or no?"

I hesitate again. I suppose it would be better than going home to an empty house.

"Why not?" I reply and just like that we have plans for the night.

I hope too hard that Edward will come too. I imagine his hair would look quite spectacular in the firelight.

Thanks for reading! And for reviewing my silly story, it always makes me smile to see the same names who read everything I write. If people see mistakes, feel free to point them out. Some things always slip past my lazy self. Questions are cool too.
And for those of you who do review, expect to see a little excerpt in your reply.