A/N: Thank you for reading!

Disclaimers: I own nothing and have no beta. You've been warned.

Chapter 2

After I talk to Jasper, I get myself a soda and sit on the curb in front of the gas station. He's going to meet me here and then we'll head over to Alice's house. I sip my soda and stare at the front of my car, trying to decide if I want to put white headlights in. Right now, they're classic yellow lights, but I think white might look good. It would look sick at night, that's for sure.

When I glance up I see Jasper down the street on his longboard. He's cruising down the little hill and has his shirt tucked into his back pocket. I laugh a little because he has a beer in his hand. He just doesn't give a shit. We're definitely not old enough to drink, but he's not worried about being caught.

When he finally gets over to me I nod my head toward my car and we both get in. I throw it in reverse and glance over at him, he's staring at me.

"What?" I laugh at little because he just keeps staring and it's making me uncomfortable.

He narrows his eyes a little bit, "Nothing. I'm just wondering why you were worried about where Alice was today."

I can tell he's not questioning my relationship with Alice by the way he says it. He knows there's something else.

"I wasn't, I just didn't wanna be in class." I try to shrug it off and act cool. I'm going to look really fucking lame if I tell him I'm going because of Bella.

"Is this about Lauren? Are you guys hooking up again?" It would be so easy to concede and make him believe she's the reason I'm going. He would drop it and I wouldn't have to deal with his annoying stare. But I can't do that. If I do, he's going to expect me to go for Lauren and that's not who I want to go for.

"No, man, no. I am not going back to that. Ever." Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt. That chick is crazy.

"Why don't you wanna tell me what's going on?" He's persistent, I give him that. And annoying as fuck.

"Look, dude. There's nothing to tell. I just didn't wanna be at school and I figured Alice was with you. I wanted to see what was up. That's it." I glance over at him and he looks surer than he did a few minutes ago.

"Alright, man. That's cool. Let's go." He sips his beer with his elbow out the window and I crank the stereo.

Wiz Khalifa's "The Thrill" comes on and Jasper lets out a whoop and turns it up even louder.

I look over at him and just smile, "Dude, this summer is gonna be great. I can feel it."

He nods at me, "Right?! It's gonna be awesome."

Jasper raps along to the song, throwing his hands up into sideways peace signs on the drive to the grocery store. He goes in to buy the beer because he has a better fake ID than I do. His is his actual picture, mine is another guy that only looks similar to me. I get too many questions when I try to use it.

He comes back up 5 minutes later with 30 packs in both hands. His smile is huge.

We pull up to Alice's house and now I'm nervous and my stomach hurts. I'm trying to calm myself down but I really don't know how to act around her and it's killing me.

Jasper jumps out of the car as soon as I've put it in park. He grabs his board from the backseat and jogs up to the front door.

He rings the doorbell about a million times before Alice answers it. He just grins when he sees her and she rolls her eyes but steps aside so he can walk through the door. I follow close behind because I do not want to be left alone right now.

"Bella and Lauren are out back by the pool. Garrett, Kate, and Marcus are all coming over, too. They should be here soon." She grabs beers out of the fridge while she's talking and tosses me one over her kitchen counter.

I tap the top a few times and open it. After I've taken a few huge gulps, I let out a burp and look out the sliding glass door. I can see her sitting on the edge of the pool, her feet dangling in the water. She's in a dark blue bikini and it makes her look paler than she already is. I keep thinking that she's going to burn to a crisp out in this sun. Her skin's never going to be able to handle it. But then I remember that she's lived here for a few years and probably knows to use sunscreen. Jesus, Edward, get it together. She's not a fucking child.

I turn around and Jasper and Alice are staring at me and fuck, they know. They definitely know why I'm here.

Alice is the first one to speak up, "Edward, Bella's a really nice girl and one of my best friends."

I nod my head; I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say.

"Just, just don't do anything stupid, okay?" She stands in front of me now and looks me right in the eyes.

"I know, Alice." It's her turn to nod and she steps around me to pull the door open. It slides open with a whoosh and I can hear music coming from a stereo outside.

She walks out and I follow with Jasper behind me. He carries one of the boxes of beer outside and empties them into a cooler Alice has set up near the pool. Lauren sees me first and gives me a weird smile. I think she's trying to be sexy but it looks forced and not attractive at all. I smile back because I don't want to start shit today. Not with her here.

"Hey Edward." Lauren's voice is really low when she speaks and it makes me laugh. She's definitely going for sexy…and failing miserably.

"Hey." I glance at her and then back to Bella.

It's like slow motion when her head turns and she looks at me. She smiles at me and man, my heart is beating really fucking fast right now.

"Hey Edward." Just hearing her voice is great. Like I could listen to this girl talk all night and not get sick of it. It's that great.

"Hey Bella." I smile back.

Alice is sitting on the diving board with Jasper next to her. They both have a beer in their hands and she's whispering in his ear. I roll my eyes at them, so fucking cheesy.

I grab another beer and sit in one of the patio chairs. I finish my first one and crack open the new one, immediately taking 2 huge swigs.

Lauren is in the water talking to Bella. They're laughing about something and I'm just staring at the spot where her bikini sits on the middle of her back. It has these brown beads on the ties and they touch together when she laughs really hard. The whole thing is very interesting.

At least, that's the excuse I'm giving myself for staring.

Bella swings her legs out of the pool and walks over to turn the stereo up. She glances over at me while she's bent down and smiles at me.

"Why are you so quiet today Edward?" She smirks a little bit and I chuckle.

"Umm, no reason, I guess. Just observing." She laughs at my response and walks over to the shallow end of the pool.

She slows walks down the steps and into the water. It comes up to her waist and her bikini bottoms are completely under the water. She watches me while she does it and I don't try to hide the fact that I'm watching her right back. The fact that she's staring right at me gives me a little bit more confidence.

I don't know why I'm so shy around this girl. I don't know what it is because normally, I'm not like this. Normally I'm all about the sexual innuendos and my hands on their hips and they know I want them. But with her, I'm just not sure what to say.

But this right now, her staring right at me, it gives me the boost I need. I get out of the chair and pull my shirt over my head. My shoes slip off my feet and I reach down to pull my socks off. I unbutton my jeans and I'm staring at her the whole time. Her eyes widen a little bit when I push them down my legs. And then, I'm in nothing by my briefs and she's looking right into my eyes.

I don't go to the stairs like she did. I just walk to the edge of the pool and jump in near her. There's somewhat of a splash and when I open my eyes, her hands are shielding her from the spray of the water. I laugh out loud, I can't help it. She's so fucking cute.

In that moment, I decide to just go for it. Because really, fuck being scared. Fuck being nervous and fuck being a pussy. I want to know what her lips taste like and there's only one way I can make that happen.

I smile and reach out and push her wet hair away from her face. My fingers linger for a few seconds longer than necessary. I'm just happy that I'm touching her. That I'm finally getting this connection that I've been thinking about for so long.

She smiles back at me and man, this feels really good.

It just seems impossible to be this excited about the idea of this girl. I don't even know her that well and I'm freaking out. I really need to get that shit under control.

And then Lauren speaks and the moment is ruined. "I need another beer." And I know, I know, without even looking at her, that this statement was directed at me.

I glance over at her and she's staring right at me. Us. Bella. And fuck, this is not good.

But, Alice is amazing and my savior. "I got it, Lauren." I watch as she reaches into the cooler and pulls out a beer. She shakes the remaining ice off the can and raises her eyebrows at Lauren. When Lauren holds her hands up, Alice tosses it to her.

Then, Alice looks at me and gives me a look. I'm not completely sure what this look is supposed to say, but I nod my head like I do.

Bella must have been watching this exchange because she starts laughing and I look over at her and she rolls her eyes. And then I laugh, too.

I dip myself under the water to avoid conversation and swim toward the deep end. I grab on to the edge of the diving board to keep me above water. It bounces a little bit with my added weight.

I reach my hand out toward Alice and smile, "Please." She digs in the cooler again and hands me a beer. I swim toward the side of the pool and set the beer on the concrete. I pull myself out of the water and sit of the ledge while I drink my beer.

I watch Bella and Lauren race back and forth across the pool and laugh a little bit when Bella floats on her back in the water. Jasper and Alice never get in the pool, even though Alice is in a bikini. They sit on the diving board and then in patio chairs and drink. They laugh a lot and they're always touching.

It's late afternoon when we finally pull ourselves out of the pool. I dry myself off and sneak into Alice's room to change back into my clothes. When I open the door to leave, Bella is leaning against the wall next to the door. She's wrapped up in a towel now and is holding her clothes in her hands.

I smile at her and step to the side so she can go in. But I change my mind at the last minute and I go for it. I have to.

"Would you wanna hang out some time, Bella?" And I'm standing really close to her and it would be so easy to just lean forward and kiss her, but I don't. I'm trying to be casual.

"Umm, I'm actually about to go on vacation for a few weeks. I'm going to Washington to visit my Dad." Her voice is quiet when she responds.

And damn, this feels like a rejection.

But then, "I'll be gone for 3 weeks after graduation. We could do something when I get back?" She says it like a question and I hope she really wants to. I hope she's not thinking this is just a couple of friends hanging out.

"Definitely." I smile at her one more time before I walk down the hall and leave her to change into her clothes.

I go home and lay in my bed and think how great this summer is going to be. I get anxious. I want it to be here already. I want that feeling back. I had it last summer and it slipped right through my fingers.

I remember the lights the most. The flashing. Red, white, and blue.

A/N: If you haven't, go check out my other stories. Anything that isn't finished is being regularly updated as of now.