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Three

I pulled my keys out of my exhausted car, I swear I could hear it breath a sight of relief. I'd arrive home just as the rain began to fall so I ran into the house and locked the door behind me. I went over to see what was in the fridge so I could get started on dinner for Charlie and I, hmmm...cheese, meat and bread...sloppy joes? I took out the package of chopped meat along with a jar of half full tomato sauce--simple and sweet; I'd just taken down the sautee pan and turned on the burner when the phone began to ring. I rolled my eyes at my overprotective father's attempts to monitor me the moment I got home from school. I slumped over to the house phone and answered

"Yes, Charlie i'm home." I said plainly

"It's Edward," an etheral yet masculine voice said on the other side. I felt myself letting the phone slip from out of my hands under the blissful thought of him calling.

"How'd you get my number?" I asked harshly

"I called the police station," Edward answered mundanely

"What? You called 9-11?! You told Charlie!" I asked both slightly angry and afraid

"Yeah, well he thinks I'm calling for help with a homework assignment," Edward said chuckling

"...Isn't that why you're calling?" I asked confused

"Not really..." Edward said and held his thoughts

"Do you want to talk?" I asked not believing my situation in the slightest bit

"Sure. What are you doing now?" Edward asked in a smooth relaxed tone

I suddenly looked down at the plethora of food items in front of me and shuddered at the sight

"Ummm just about to start some homework in my room," I said as cooly as I could

"Great. Well, I'll let you go back to your work but I have to thank you for being so nice to me my first day," Edward said and I could feel his warm smile through the phone

"You're welcome," I said pulling at my legs to keep them from turning into liquid

"Alright see you Saturday, right?" Edward confirmed

"Ah ha," I said

When I hung up the phone it was like I had amnesia, I had no clue as to what had just happened. 'Did he really just call me?' I asked in my mind. I went up the stairs and into my bedroom and began to take off my school clothes and mused over the events of today. I went over to my laptop and checked through the several new emails that came, it was mostly just spam but one was from my mother Renee back in Phoenix.

Hey, sweetie just checking up on you. Phil and I are gonna be driving to the Grand Canyon this weekend so if you don't hear from me from Monday don't be alarmed--in fact, I'll bet you'll be relieved! Well, enjoy the weekend...say isn't there a pep rally coming up?

Gosh! Even my mom--in her thousand mile stupdor was in on this stupid pep rally garbage. Well, at least she's not probing into my love life, even if I totally lack one. I laid onto my bed in my baggy tee shirt and box shorts not really feeling like doing anything but listen to the sound of the rain hitting the roof ever so gently like a song beat. I still had so much to think about, my mind felt so fufilled in this moment and I loved it. Usually I had to force my brain to remain busy and now it seemed to be working over time. So many names flew through the canals of nerve endings linking one half of my brain to the other and back again till sensations reached the tips of my toes and down into the pit of my stomach.

growwwwllllll

Whoops. Either I've starved myself or this is one bizarre case of butterflies. I got up from my bed and ran down to the kitchen to resume making the dinner. I chopped the onions and tossed them into the simming pre-packaged tomato sauce and I browned the meat and incorporated it into the sauce. Viola. I set the table and glaced at the clock

'Five minutes' I thought while setting the pitcher of lemonade on the table. I went over to the kitchen counter and leaned against it just awaiting Charlie's arrival so I could dig in and I looked over and saw the phone. The caller ID screen was still aglow with the last caller's number up on it.

'Cullen, Edward' I blushed at the sight of it. It was such a lovely feeling to see his name 'engraved' on something that linked him to me...maybe I was thinking too much.

"Hey Bells," Charlie said as soon as he entered

"Hey dad," I said in my normal tone

"Mmm smells good what ya make?" He asked removing his rain soaked police jacket

"Just sloppy joes. We have to go shopping tomorrow," I said bringing over a loaf of bread

"Well, save it for Sunday the pep rally's tomorrow." Charlie said taking a seat at the table

I rolled my eyes and held my tongue till the red in my face became a darkened shade of pink "Dad, since when have you seen me go to the pep rally?"

"Well, I don't know. I just figured this year you'd wanna go. It's more for seniors anyways," Charlie explained making a sandwich

"I am going to the football game though," I said taking a sip of my drink

"Good, you and Angela gonna go together?" Charlie asked and took a bite into the sandwich

"Yeah but I'm mainly going because there's a new kid on the team," I said just staring at my plate

"Oh yeah, that Cullen boy. The Cullen's are a good family, Carlise--the father, was just over in Bangladesh this time last year helping out. They have a few more kids but only the boy and the girl still live with them," Charlie summed up as if he was the town crier

"Yeah, I met the girl her name's Alice," I said

"Attractive kids, you have a crush on Edward?" Charlie asked cracking the first smile I'd seen from him in perhaps ever

"No dad, I was just assigned to show him around and he asked me to come." I said doing my best to sound convincing

"Oh well that's nice of you. Plus, I don't think I'd like you going with a jock, what's wrong with Mike?" Charlie asked

"Dad for the 1000th time, I will never be anything more than Mike's friend," I said feeling my stomach growl more from the sheer nausea the 'Date Mike' conversation was always apt to produce

"I'm just saying," Charlie said washing his food down with the lemonade

"Well, the game should be fun I mean, there should be a lot of people there and stuff," I said wiping my mouth

"Sure, just wish I had that day off," Charlie said and I felt my stomach turn again at the thought of Charlie there while I gaze at Edward on the field.

"I'm full," I said suddenly

"Really? You didn't even touch your food." Charlie said

"I had a big lunch and plus I'm beat," I said collecting my plate

"Well goodnight Bells," Charlie said

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I ran to my room and closed the door behind me. I had two choices...call Edward or not. I had this unbearably fevrant desire and borderline obsession to call Edward...I had only known him for only a few hours and I couldn't get him out of my mind. What could I say? All I really wanted to do was hear his voice...'I could always call from a private number and hang up' I thought almost in a maniacal manner. I held the phone in my hand and proceeded to dial his number...

'What am I doing?' I thought while the rings began, on the third one he came to the phone.

"Hello?" he said in his sweet voice and repeated the greeting once more while I struggled on the other end not to breath hard into the phone and blow my cover. I hung up the phone before he had a chance to and laid back on my bed and slapped my forehead. I needed a cold shower.