Story Note: The tension between them has started to build and neither one has the good sense to take it on-but what else is new?

Kind of like Grover from Sesame Street "near...and…far…." Oh heck, I may as well confess that I love Fraggle Rock and The Muppets too. Yes it's embarrassing and now I have officially dated myself! Back to our regularly scheduled program….

Thank you my beta. (Struckatthesky). You are so patient with me and all my anxiety, lol. You rock girl-I am looking forward to your next installment of "Fair Warning". (That one's going to be an interesting one for sure)

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the saga, I'm just passing through.

Chapter 3

One month later…

It was Sunday night and I had been fortunate enough to spend most of the weekend thinking endlessly about Edward Cullen, wishing I was in very close proximity to him. Charlie had gone on a rare weekend fishing trip that could be more accurately described as a carefully planned military assault with fish being the intended targets. Billy and Jacob Black had joined him.

I was feeling edgy and randomly paced back and forth across my room. I really needed to get some rest. Ugh. Stupid English essay. I considered ditching tomorrow, but my nature wouldn't allow it without a really good reason. I didn't have one. And the thought of school without Edward being there added to the gloom.

I miss you. Are you thinking of me? Do you know I miss you? Do you even know that I exist? Could I ever tell you? God, why do I miss you so much? I've probably only spoken a total of fifty words to you.

Edward Cullen. Edward. Cullen. I can't believe I let myself become this obsessed with a guy I barely know!

I looked out my window into the darkness that threatened to engulf me. Dressed only in an oversized t-shirt I shivered from the chill and walked back over to my nightstand, sighing as I pulled the covers back and sat down on the edge of the bed. This isn't 3rd grade.

That was the most troubling aspect of this whole thing. Why was I feeling so strongly for someone I didn't even know? Well I do know his sister…

Alice Cullen was a petite ball of explosive energy, literally. She was dangerous, well to a mall maybe. She would make the ultimate weapon of mass destruction if she was not able to shop. She earned her nickname of "The Shopping Nazi" from her own family. Alice was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

I think all the government would have to do to ensure her cooperation is to close all the malls within a 500 mile radius and tell her that she could spend 24 hours alone in the store of her choice when the mission was completed.

Money didn't seem to be a problem for her family, nor were they obvious about it. Her father was some hotshot surgeon and her mother was a very successful interior designer who also restored historical buildings as a hobby.

I heard some rumors about them during my first week at school and was hesitant about asking Alice about them. She was quickly becoming a close friend and I did not want to hurt her feelings. I think they were based on spite and envy. Envy from the guys and spite from the female population.

The most discussed rumor in the Cullen Mill was the one centering on their relationships. Supposedly, the kids in the house were paired up in serious relationships. Except for the one brother, Edward, who was completely self absorbed and standoffish. It was said that he was too good for any girls in this area. I thought maybe that they were just misunderstood and really close.

I was hesitant when Alice introduced herself to me my second week. She had walked her brother Edward to Biology and I had run into the doorframe, once again not watching where I was going.

She asked if I was ok, and I mumbled something about being a direct descendent of Murphy. She gave me a brilliant smile and her eyes were laughing; like she was one great big ball of happy. I thought it would be annoying but I actually thought I would like her.

She invited me to sit with her at lunch but I was intimidated by her family and their looks of irritation whenever I was with Alice. I was sure that I would get shanghaied by some classmates rescuing me from the "Stepford-Brady Bunch". Kind of weird, but who am I to judge?

Alice made me promise to sit with her later that week. We would sit at our own table and she didn't care what her family thought. I was looking forward to it.

She'd told me that although she loved her brothers and sister, she needed intelligent conversation and that I was her choice because I did not seem shallow like the "children" around here. Kind of a funny thing to say, but it was just probably Alice being Alice. Don't get me wrong, shopping was ok when it needed to be done, but was not my favorite pastime by any means. I preferred a good used bookstore.

Emmett, Alice, and Edward Cullen, not related by blood but they took the Cullen name. Rosalie and Jasper Hale were twins. They were distant relatives of the doctor and had wanted to keep their family name.

Emmett was dating Rosalie, Alice was dating Jasper, and Edward was alone by choice. If he changed his mind, that would be a welcome opportunity for several lovesick girls. Their parents were Dr. Carlisle and Esme Cullen.

Alice told me their story and my opinion was that it was a horrible situation that miraculously ended well. Edward, Emmett, and Alice had all been adopted over the years from orphanages. Rosalie and Jasper were distant relatives whose parents had died in some accident.

Then it made sense to me. They were probably so close from all the emotional upheaval they had experienced. They were also close in age.

I did notice a few odd things about them though. They seemed to occasionally communicate without words; just a nod or small movement and sometimes just a look, and they always had food, but never seemed to eat it.

Why was I even paying that much attention to them? They just want to hang together, a tight family.

Their physical appearance was different too. Their skin was much paler than the already light skinned residents of Forks. Alice said that it's because they lived in Alaska for so long. I can't see sunbathing in a bikini in 80 below weather. It didn't explain their unusual eye color though.

At first I thought they were a light hazel, but when I first got close enough to Alice I was shocked to see that they were a liquid golden topaz. One day they seemed to be a buttery gold, but decided it was probably some genetic flaw. Then I realized that they all had those incredible colored eyes. It must have something to do with their years in Alaska from the lack of daylight. I just found it really fascinating.

I did have English with Alice. We were not able to sit together but we tried to catch a few minutes before and after class. Then there was Edward.

Alice had introduced him to me after English and it turned out that we had Biology together. I was late starting that class due to a stupid schedule mix up, but I was able to show that I qualified for placement at the advanced level. He nodded his head to me and then walked off. Wow!

He was too hot for words; extremely handsome, beautiful even, and tall. He wasn't too built, but looked solid and like he could handle himself. Alice wanted to hand me a bucket for my drool. I retorted that they should be standard issue for the incoming female population. She chuckled but didn't say anything. An oddity for me, I was feeling a twinge of curiosity towards him.

There was no way I was going to tell my new almost-best-friend that I was attracted to her brother. That would be the recipe for sudden friendship death. It wouldn't be pretty.

I figured I was just reacting to his looks like the rest of the girls and there was a quick fix for that. I would try to get to know him in biology and that would take care of the illusion he projected and kill the hormonal response I was having. Yep, that had to be the cure. Then I could continue uninterrupted with Alice.

He had the most incredible head of wild bronze hair: Sex hair. It was not a look that could be duplicated.

What I could do with that… I am so not going there.

Sitting next to Edward in biology started events in my life that would take me places that I would never have imagined.

I started blushing when we sat at the lab table and felt self conscious. I started hiding behind my hair and began to sneak glimpses at him. This is getting ridiculous. Snap out of it, Swan!

I felt attracted to him from day one, but never expected my feelings to develop so intensely so quickly. I started getting nervous before class and was devastated if he was absent. He never talked to me and rarely looked at me either. When he did look at me, it was with disdain, like I had some contagious disease or something. So much for being good lab partners. My grade was going to be in jeopardy if something didn't change. I was pathetic.

After another week of being ignored I asked Mr. Banner about changing classes due to a schedule conflict. He said he'd see what he could do for me. He looked at Edward with a strange expression and said, "Couldn't handle being next to someone who is as smart as you, Cullen?" and walked back to his desk.

For the first time since the semester started, he finally looked at me. He was angry!-too bad, so sad. I had not meant to make him look bad or embarrass him. I hissed at him, "What the hell is your problem?"

He just continued to glare at me. He actually moved his chair as far away from me as possible and faced the front for the rest of the class.

I only wanted to preserve my sanity and do my work and was not going to let my grade suffer because an egotistically-impaired jerk refused to own up to his part.

I wish he would just take me, ravage me, hurt me, and let me die happy already! It can't be as bad as this continual torture. Holy crap! Where did that come from? I need to get out of here now and not come back until my class is changed.

I also had to admit to myself that I was hurt. Still mad, but hurt. I had found myself becoming attracted to him from the first day I'd seen him. But I never did anything about it because he is so way out of my league. I figured I could settle for being friends and maybe getting to know him. Maybe he could hang out with Alice and I sometime. Sigh. Looks like that's a big fat zero. I decided to employ the tactics of basic civility and see if that helped to tone things down a bit.

How does that saying go? Insanity is trying to do the same thing a different way and hope is succeeds? I was being so pathetic, yet I couldn't help myself. How could I get to know him since he appeared to hate me like month-old sauerkraut? I resolved to be calm and rational tomorrow when I saw him in class.

The next day I felt the familiar heat rising in my cheeks and sank as far down in my seat as was possible. The glare bored into me. I don't know how much more of this I could take. I wanted to jump up and scream in my loudest voice to stop staring at me. Of course that was not a good idea if I wanted to maintain invisibility status quo.

Friday. He just wouldn't quit! I could feel the heat from his glare and fought to keep back the tears that tried to gush out. I couldn't even look at him anymore. I repeat: this is a guy I barely know and can count on one hand the coherent sentences we have spoken between each other.

My request to transfer classes had been rejected. I sighed. I think I'm in trouble.

I was upset with myself because I had started having really torrid dreams about him. Whenever they were outside of class I had started feeling a physical ache and knew it was time to stay away from him at all costs. It didn't stop the dreams though.

They made me feel restless and caged. The tension that had been building was becoming incredibly torturous with no relief in sight. The dreams would not let me go until they'd had their way with me. It just didn't make any sense. They seem so real.

I was getting beyond frustrated; I needed to figure out something soon or I would end up imploding. I could see the headline, "Police Chief's daughter spontaneously combusts from extreme sexual frustration." I am so insanely pathetic.

Relief. Sort of. Edward was away. For three whole days. Alice said that the weather predicted three days of sun which was practically unheard of in Forks and they decided it was a perfect time for the entire family to go camping.

They always stayed out of school on sunny days and did outdoor activities. I guess their parents were big on nature.

I sighed in resignation. Sadly it was hard to sleep when Edward was always in the back of my thoughts.

Three long days…..

I needed to stop thinking about him and get some sleep! I'd had a previously unpleasant experience from using cold medicine as a sleep aid and did not repeat it. I tried to think of other options that did not involve sedatives or counting leaping sheep.

There was a time when Renee had suffered from a pretty serious case of anxiety and a very particular fear of clowns. You would never see her at a circus. Her doctor had suggested that she try yoga and meditation to reduce at least some of the stress in her life.

Renee always had good intentions, but I always ended up being the one to remind her to meditate each night and get to her yoga sessions.

Sometimes I had to do damage control on my mother's behalf. That was the worst. I could deal with the clowns. Bring it on, Bozo. I'll show you one hundred and one things you can do with a clown nose.

I couldn't remember the particulars of the meditation or if it even worked but found myself wondering if I should have paid attention to that one.

I also remembered someone saying that using the sleep function on a clock radio being very effective. Something about helping to distract your mind so you could fall asleep better. I was willing to try anything at this point. And of course the more I thought about it, the more anxious I got.

I tried a couple of stations before finding one that was tolerable. I found myself slowly relaxing, and was relieved that it might actually work. I tried not to concentrate on being away from him, but rather picturing his face when he returned to me. Yeah, I wish.

Chapter Notes:

Any guesses where this is going to go? What would you like to see happen in this story? If you like it, please tell me why. If you don't I'd like to know that too. I can't become a better writer unless I get some feedback