A/N: Sorry, it's a pretty short chapter. I just felt like I need to get some of Edward's thoughts out there. I was going to have the date included in this chapter, but it would have been extremely long. I have the next chapter finished though, so I'll be posting that within the next day or so.
Hope you enjoy it. :]

Disclaimer: All characters belong to SMeyer. I'm just playing with them for a little while.

Chapter Three.

BPOV.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Rosalie muttered, as she unlocked the door to our apartment and we walked inside. She shot me a disgusted look as she took her coat off and tossed it onto the couch.

Why couldn't she understand why I couldn't go out with Edward Cullen?

I scowled at her. "Rose, you don't understand. I basically told him he's a rich snob, I totally pissed him off. I'm sure he never wants to see me again, much less go out on a date with me!"

"But you have to come!" She protested.

I sighed, going into the kitchen. So what if it was almost midnight. I needed coffee!

"Please, Bella? I know it'll be really awkward for you, but Emmett's really important to me, I have to go out with him. Please, just do it for me. You won't have to see him again after tomorrow night," she was begging.

"Fine, I'll do it. But you owe me big time, Rosalie," I groaned.

She grinned, hugging me. "Thanks Bella! It won't be that bad, I promise!"

Yeah, it wouldn't be that bad. It would probably be even worse.

----

EPOV.

I found it hard to enjoy the rest of the party. It was two hours later-I was home-and I was still fuming over my conversation with Bella Swan.

It was ridiculous to be so upset over a short conversation with someone I had just met, and would never see again. I was used to people saying things like that, assuming that me and my family were nothing but snobs, and it rarely bothered me. They didn't know us, they didn't know me. And I suppose it was an easy conclusion to come too, if you had never really met us, just read the papers and such.

So why was it bothering me so much now? Why did it bother me so much that she had said it? She was just some girl, just a reporter.

I didn't like to admit it to myself, but I knew that I had been taken with her the moment I had walked over to them. She was gorgeous, a classic beauty with dark hair, and deep brown eyes. I had been drawn to her right away. Rosalie introduced her as her best friend, her roommate, Bella Swan. She was a writer for the same paper. While Rosalie and Emmett stared at each other with lovesick expressions that made me feel somewhat ill-it was no secret that he had a crush on Rosalie, not that he had ever done anything about it-I had offered Bella a dance. I had never done that with a reporter before, and I could tell she found it out of the ordinary, but after minute of hesitation she had agreed, and allowed me to lead her to the dance floor. While we danced we had some friendly conversation, questions for the newspaper piece, I'm sure, and her congratulations for my success before we'd fallen into a comfortable silence. She was extremely pleasant, and I had been just about to ask her some questions, to get to know her better, when she'd started muttering something about lawyers and money. I knew from the tone of her voice that she was implying that being a Cullen I would get the best cases, I wouldn't have to work for it. It was obviously something she hadn't intended to say, I had seen that from the way she suddenly stopped talking, and a red blush had covered her cheeks.

Knowing she hadn't meant to speak the words aloud hadn't made me feel any better though, she was still thinking those things. I had stiffened automatically. I really was used to those comments, and a lot of times I had to admit they were true. Our name did give us a whole lot of advantages. But it had hurt that this girl who I was quite taken with would have such a low opinion of me. Maybe she hadn't been all that great, after all.

When the dance was over I'd asked if her if that was it, and, still blushing, she had reminded me she needed some pictures for the piece too. I had agreed, posing and smiling for the paper. It was second nature for me, to pick that fake smile up whenever I needed it, no matter what I was really feeling. She snapped the pictures and thanked me, starting to leave.

And stupid me, I had to push the issue. "Is that really what you think of me?" I had asked her. Of course that's what she thought of me, she had no reason to think differently, and I wasn't helping change her mind. In the end I'd made her angry, and my mother had called me over to meet one of her friends or business acquaintances, and I'd had to leave. When I had finished being introduced, I had looked around the room for Bella. I'd wanted to apologize, or something. I had been rude. But she had been gone.

"What's your problem?" Emmett muttered, passing me in the hallway as I waked to my room.

I scowled. "Nothing." I glanced over at him, and he was grinning. "Why are you so happy?"

"I've got a date."

"Really," I murmured, uninterested. He always had dates, nothing unusual about that. As much as our mother wanted me to find a wife, they wanted Emmett married even more. Mom was worried about grandchildren or something.

My response wasn't what he wanted though, and he frowned at me. "Aren't you going to ask who it's with?"

What were we, five? I shook my head. "No."

"You really are in a bad mood, aren't you," he grumbled, then brightened again. "Rosalie Hale."

That took me a bit off guard. Wow, he'd finally asked her out. I'd begun to think there was nothing more than flirting going on there. "Really?"

He grinned. "Yep. We are going out tomorrow. A movie and dinner and all that. Keeping it casual," he explained, then looked at me, studying my expression.

"That's great," I said. "Why are you are staring at me?"

"Well, see, I figured it would be easier if we kind of went on a...double date. We'd each bring someone. So I figured I'd bring you along."

"Oh you did?" I scowled. Any other night I would have been much more agreeable to this sort of thing.

He shrugged. "I didn't think you'd mind."

I frowned. "I guess I don't. Who's Rosalie bringing?"

"Bella Swan."

"B-bella?" I stuttered out. The girl I had just been incredibly rude to, and probably hated me now. That Bella?

He nodded. "Yeah."

Oh. Great. Just great. "I can't go."

He glanced up at me sharply. "Why not? You're free."

"I can't go out with her, Em."

"Why not?" he demanded again. "I figured you'd be happy, you looked pretty into her while you guys were dancing."

"I am into her!" I almost shouted, and I glanced around the house to see if anyone had overheard my outburst, but the house seemed quiet with the exception of Emmett and I.

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that...I made a jerk out of myself, and well, I just can't go out with her."

He grinned. "Just think of it this way, Edward, it's a great chance to apologize to her. Because you're going, like it or not."

A/N: As always, thanks for reading. And reviews are love. 3