A/N: First I want to give a huge, big thank-you to my awesome beta, Charlotte. She keeps me in check, and refuses to allow my comma whoredom. I heart her, cuz she rocks!

I do not own Twilight.

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BPOV

I roughly shoved the last of my purchases into my tiny closet. Everytime I got ready to close the door it would all crash down to the floor. Finally the frustration got the best of me. I sank to the floor and began screaming obscenities at my school supplies. Why couldn't they just behave and stay in the damned closet? Bella, you're not really angry at the books, are you? Yes! Yes I am. Stupid, disobedient books! Ha, keep telling yourself that, Bella.

"Shut up, stupid." I vehemently demanded of my inner voice.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you heard me. I mean, I...ummm." A soft feminine voice replied. Shit...shit...shit. I didn't know that I had said that out loud. Wait! Who in the hell just answered us?

Quickly, spinning around on my knees, I came face to face with a striking young woman. She was taller than me, yet she shrunk away from me. Well, stupid, what did you expect? You just told her to shut up! No! I told you to shut up. Pfft...talk to her you idiot!

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't talking to you." She looked around the room. I'm sure she was trying to see who I had been talking to. When it became obvious to her that I was alone in the room, she turned to me with a quizzical look on her face. Divert! Divert! She thinks you are nuts.

"Well, I mean I was yelling at my books," I attempted to explain. Oh great, that makes you look soooo much better. "Then, realizing that was silly, I told myself to shut up. Swear, I didn't even hear you come in." Yes. Ladies and gentlemen, Bella, for the save. " Can I help you with something?" I asked remembering that I was explaining myself to a complete stranger.

"I'm Charlotte, your new roommate!" Poor girl, she sounded hesitant. She does think I'm nuts. Can you really blame her though? The most genuine smile my face could manage crept onto my face. Then I brought my eyes to hers. Her body relaxed slightly as a stunning smile appeared.

"I'm Bella. Promise I'm not crazy, just a bit frazzled. The stupid books won't listen and stay in the closet." My eyes flashed to the pile of books splayed across my floor.

"Maybe you should be more supportive, Bella." What the fuck was she talking about? "I mean if they want to come out of the closet. You should support their choice." Suddenly, Charlotte gasped. Her hand rushed to cover her mouth in a feigned attempt at disdain. "Bella, don't tell me you're a homobookaphob? I might have to ask for a new roomie."

The laughter refused to be contained any longer. Large bursts of giggles and snorts erupted from my chest and throat. Charlotte had the most girly, high-pitched laugh. Hearing it caused my body to double over, clutching my sides. Charlotte was gasping for air, now sitting in the doorway. She was very pretty, dark hair cascaded down her back. I couldn't tell what color her eyes were, only that they were dark and exotic. Her tanned skinned sat well over her curvy, womanly figure.

When Charlotte and I finally calmed ourselves, I motioned for her to join me on the small couch I had in the room. It was a small loveseat. There were large groupings of flowers all over it. It was hideous, but oh so comfortable. She stood and quickly closed the distance, her long legs and graceful strides making it easy. Her face relaxed then changed suddenly, becoming tight with thought. Charlotte cocked an eyebrow looking down at my couch.

"Maybe, your gay books and I could pick out a slip cover," she said as she plopped down. My face must have portrayed my confusion. "You know, Bella, for your old cat-lady couch." I playfully slapped her arm and we burst back into giggles. I think I might love her. She's great, right?

Basically strangers, we started out with all the usual topics. Easy stuff. She was twenty-one and also an English major. She keeps getting better and better! Charlotte was also starting her junior year where she would be focusing on 'Creative Writing: Nonfiction'; I was more in the 'Advanced Lit' and 'Creative Writing: Poetry. YAY!!! We will most likely have some classes together. My inner voice was exuding excitement at the notion of not having to bear all my new classes alone.

She hailed from Texas, correction....'the great state of Texas! It's a whole other country.' She had told me this with such conviction and pride that I almost believed her. I asked her if she rode a horse and was answered with a gasp, then giggles. Then, she politely informed me...'Bella, you watch too much t.v!' Charlotte told me she had never so much as even touched a horse. Let alone ride one! Silly, Bella. Don't ask her anything else stupid. We continued on for what seemed like an eternity.

Or, at least, until our stomachs joined the conversation, causing us to notice the time. We had talked through lunch and well past dinner. Quickly, I ordered us a pizza. I was so thankful they had delivered this late in the evening that I gave him a ten dollar tip.

We kept up the conversation. Just like old girlfriends at a sleep-over. I told her all about Florida and my mom. Phil. I skimmed through the Mike/Jessica fiasco and the aftereffects. Good, Bella, don't scare her away. We talked about Charlie and his pending divorce. When I told Charlotte that I was an only child, she launched into her own sordid tale. She barely talked about her family. I was almost sure that she had at least one sibling, though. Plus, I had deduced that her parents were still married, albeit, not always happily.

However, when the subject of boyfriends came up, she became a different person. Charlotte's whole face lit up, and she became very animated. It was Peter this and Peter that. Where they were going to move after college (back to Texas, the great country that it is!). What job he should take (the head of human resources, at his father's company). Their discussion, recently, on how many kids to have (she wants two, he five). Wow! Peter, give a girl's uterus a break. It didn't take an idiot to see that she was very much in love. A sudden pang of jealousy shot through me. Easily, I pushed it away. I was alone because I chose to be. My choice...My choice. My inner voice kept chanting.

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EPOV

I was impatiently pacing in the den of the fraternity house, pausing only to put pressure on the bridge of my nose. I could feel the beginnings of a migraine working their way behind my eyes, which I was not looking forward to. Another thing to be pissed, at James, about! He definitely was helping this one along. My feet were already in motion before I could let the anger rise again.

Sleep had not been easy last night. Bella had invaded not only my waking thoughts but my dreams as well. She had turned me down; I knew this and was sure I could get over it. The complete one eighty in her demeanor when she did it, however, was something else. Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold" ran through my head. Well, that's about right. That girl was confusing. No, more like infuriating. The fact that I couldn't wrap my head around it was...well, it was disturbing.

Someone behind me cleared their throat. My anger quickly dissipated. I needed to be levelheaded when I made my points known. With one deep breath, I calmed the last of my anger. I pivoted, fluidly causing my body to turn, only to meet two sets of eyes. There, sitting on the rich, brown leather couch, was Emmett. His questioning look soon turned to worry, though, as he took in my appearance. Before he could relay any concerns, the man standing beside him spoke up.

"Edward," said Tyler, the vice president of the frat," I heard that you called a meeting." No shit, Sherlock! "Would you like to inform Emmett and I what's up?" He said it so matter-of-factly that he sounded like one of those stupid infomercials.

"Well," I started out timidly, thinking out the best way to phrase this, "a problem with one of our brothers has been brought to my attention. I want to discuss it with him. There is no need for you two to get involved.....yet." Maybe, James would listen to me. Really? I doubt it, Cullen!

The air around us stilled, all of us in some sort of weird stasis. Thankfully, Emmett's booming voice broke the awkward silence. "Tyler, I need to speak to my brother." Tyler nodded stupidly at my brother. Is he really that dense? Tyler made no move to leave. Yes. Yes he is. "Alone, Tyler." Emmett added sternly. Tyler shot me a look, then left.

I strode silently over to my brother. Emmett and I had not talked since I came back. No doubt Alice had informed him of everything. Probably all the way up to and including her mission to destroy all that is Tanya. Maybe, he just wants a heads up on who you want to talk to. That would make sense; Emmett was the frat's president. Or, el presidente, as he liked to be called.

Sound the buzzer, Cullen, cause you are....WRONG!

"Eddie," I hated that he called me that, "are you okay? Alice told me what happened." He sounded sincere enough. He had (just like Alice) never liked, my cheating (now ex) girlfriend, Tanya. I was about to tell him I was okay, but I'll be damned if he didn't smirk at me. Should have known. Emmett's hardly ever serious.

I curtly nodded my head, wanting to escape the conversation. But noooo. Emmett was going to be Emmett. He liked to joke his way through anything stressful. Refusing to egg him on, I just sat there. Wait for it. Wait for it. It'll come, and...

"Do you know what you have unleashed on that girl? Alice is out for blood. Literally, out for blood." I had to smile at that. Not that I wanted any physical harm to come to Tanya. Yeah right. You hope Alice has her knee capped. No. That's sick. Why would I even think that. She likes to be on her knees, though. Alice will just help her stay down there. I am a horrible person; I couldn't help but laugh loudly in response.

Emmett suddenly smiled a huge toothy grin, complete with dimples. I instantly felt all the tension leave me. Em accepted my thankful smile with his customary head nod. He was always good at diffusing a situation. Likewise he was always good at instigating one.

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"Alright, little bro. Tell me who you want to talk to and why." Emmett's tone completely one-eightied. Apparently el presidente has returned..

He shifted on the couch turning his massive frame towards me. Time to get down to business, Edward. I looked at him once more. My brain needed another moment to formulate the right response. I needed to tell him enough to allow me to handle this on my own. If I overstepped and told him too much, he would involve the frat council, and I knew that would be a mess. My thumb and fore finger pinched the bridge of my nose fiercely, the pressure able to relieve my brief apprehension over this.

I masked my eyes, replacing my anger with a stern, serious look. "Em, let me tell you the why first, okay?" My big brother cocked his head before giving me a nod. If I had told him it was about James, I wouldn't get past the who part. "When I came back to campus this weekend, I broke up a fight at the tavern," I explained, the words gushing out of my mouth in one quick breath.

"Edward," he started in a condescending tone, "that's hardly a reason to get your panties in a twist. Guys get in fights all the time. So, what's the problem?" Emmett was back to smirking at me. And he was right. There wouldn't be a problem if it was just some guys. But it wasn't, Cullen. It was James. Plus, his actions fucked the rest of your weekend. Tell him the rest! My inner voice had gotten more demanding.

"Therein lies the problem, Emmett. It wasn't a couple of the guys." Wiped that smirk right off your dimpled face, huh? "I broke up an argument with one of our brothers and..." I trailed off, not sure how much detail to go into. Emmett's large hand shoved my shoulder, pushing me to continue. "Well, he was arguing with a girl. And let's just say that she didn't particularly appreciate how hard he was holding onto her wrist." I tried for nonchalance, but gazing at Emmett's bright red face, it definitely hadn't worked.

"Who?" Emmett demanded of me. When I didn't blurt out a name, he got even redder (if at all possible). Our parents had raised us with proper morals in place. The first of which was: you never, never put your hands on a woman without her consent. Ever. "Edward," he fumed, "I'm going to ask this one more time. Which one of our brother's is a complete imbecile? Whoever it is will have to deal with me." Shit, shit, shit! I had wanted to deal with this. How can I get him to agree? Think, Cullen, think.

"Em, let me first say that I stopped it before it got out of hand..." A booming, angry Emmett interrupted me.

"Tell. Me. Who. Edward. NOW!" Oh, shit he's pissed! Ya' think?

"James." I said quietly as I waited for the walls to start shaking.

Have you ever seen those cartoons, when someone gets really mad? You know, cherry red, eyes bugged out, veins ripping through their features? Yeah, I knew this was going to happen. Emmett had suddenly become the personification of angry cartoon, grizzly bear. The grizzly analogy became even more clear as he roared, "WHAT? That little piss ant has gone too far now. And you, Edward, are going to tell me exactly what happened. Start to finish."

Fucking craptastic. I would never get the chance to talk to James now. With how Em looks, you'll probably never see James again. True. Virtual steam is coming out of his ears. And are those huffs of imaginary white smoke I see? I just had to tell him everything. Then, I could try to coax him into letting me handle James.

I took Emmett step by step through my evening encounter with James. "I went to the tavern for a quick drink. It was almost closing time. But after I broke it off with that cheating bitch, Tanya, I needed a drink. James was just sitting there. He went to get us a drink, from the bar. A really drunk, incoherent girl caught his attention, though." Emmett's jaw was in rapid motion now. Clench. Unclench. Clench. "One of Angie's girls stepped in. Basically, she told James to beat it. Then, that she, Bella, would put the drunk girl in a cab. Needless to say, James, did not appreciate her interference. He grabbed her and I stepped in." Nicely done. Good thinking, not telling him you got turned down by said drunk girl,savior. Shut it.

Recapping the events of Saturday night didn't take very long, though, and it certainly failed to calm my brother down at all. I took the fact the he was beyond irate and used it to get what I wanted. I quickly explained it to his anger-filled, tense frame.

"Emmet, let's look at this logically, okay?" Emmett huffed, crossing his arms. "You're clearly too upset about this to handle it properly. I, on the other hand, have had time to step back from the situation and handle James diplomatically. Plus, Tyler is one of James' lackeys, and you know that he'd try to lighten the blow. I'm completely objective, and I'm not on the fraternity board. I mean, do we really need the dean's attention on the frat any more than usual? If you handle it, the fraternity council automatically gets involved. And if the fraternity council gets involved, we could risk probation or suspension." That sounded reasonable, right?

Emmett still looked pissed, but he allowed me to try and reason with James first. "Come back after lunch," he finally agreed. "James isn't around now, and I need to think of some way to avoid Tyler's questions. You know he's going to want to be involved. Maybe I could find a way to distract Tyler out of the house when you 'talk' to James?" Emmett had conceded.

"Thanks, Em. I'll be back in a few hours." I stood, ready to leave, but Emmett gripped my forearm.

"Really? At Angie's bar?" I smiled and nodded. "I'm genuinely shocked that bastard still has his balls." Yes, Emmett always knew how to diffuse a situation. Chuckling softly, I left the house to gather up some nerve to finally confront James.

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I returned to the house just after one o'clock. I strode into the foyer where I found a huffing, angry Emmett. His body leaned against the closed door of the 'study room,' which was rarely used for its namesake. He beckoned me towards him with a flick of his head. As I began to close the distance between us, I noticed a change in atmosphere. I could feel the waves of anger he was emitting. My hand found its way to his shoulder and squeezed gently in a gesture of comfort.

Emmett leaned towards me. "He's waiting inside. I told him someone needed to speak to him and he was to stay put until then." My brothers jaw clenched then released. Again, the fog that was his anger washed over me. "Edward," he began, "can't we just take him out back and teach his ass a lesson in manners?" Was he serious?? I looked into his eyes and deduced, 'Yes'. Emmett was very serious. You can't let that happen, Edward; he'll regret it later. Emmett...regret? Okay, probably not. But on the off chance he would...

"No, Emmett, we can't. If anyone found out, you'd be taken off as president. Not only that, but you could also lose your eligibility to play football. This is your senior year. Don't waste it on his stupid ass." I grinned boyishly at him. It was true, if Emmett was caught fighting, he wouldn't be allowed to play. "Let me handle this one, big brother. If he chooses not to listen...well...then, do what you must." We both knew that he wouldn't listen, but my brother needed to cool down before he stepped in.

I turned away from my hulking, angry sibling and opened the door. James was pacing next to the window on the far side of the room. He had his cell phone pressed to his ear firmly. I caught the tail end of his conversation with someones voicemail...no, wait...Tyler's voicemail.

"Ty. Call me as soon as you get this. What the fuck man? How could you not give me a head's up about whatever this is. I feel like I'm on fucking death row. Shit. Call me back, Ty." He slammed his stubby finger down on his phone and shoved it in his pocket. His blond hair looked disheveled, and his clothes were wrinkled. Quite frankly, he looked as if he had just rolled out of his bed. But he hadn't been here in the morning. Well, he rolled out of someone's bed. I giggled as the list of possibilities ran through my head.

James turned just as I was stifling my laughter. "Cullen! Thank God. What the fuck, man? Do you know what's going on?" Wow, did he not remember what happened? Maybe he didn't think what he had done was wrong? All the more reason to bust his ass! Agreed.

"James, why don't we sit down. I would like to talk to you for a minute." I did my best impersonation of a concerned party. My inner voice began ranting at my calmness as I pulled out a wood and leather chair. I motioned to the seat across the table from me, implying that he should sit. He just stood there, gaping at me. Bad dog. I said sit. "James, please." I pointed to the chair now, and he sat. YAY!! What a good boy you are, James.

"Talk." He demanded, arms crossed tightly over his chest.

The speech I had been reciting echoed in my head. I needed to let him know, in no uncertain terms, that his behavior had been appalling. But, as I had witnessed his temper, I needed to tread carefully, ease into it so that he would listen. Fat chance, Cullen.

"Do you remember what happened over at Blue Moon?" I figured I'd see what he could recall. A knowing look dawned on his face. So he did remember.

"Is this about that little cock tease who works there? If you hadn't interrupted I would have had her." Delusional much, James? He smirked at me before he continued his rant. "That bitch hasn't taken notice of one guy all summer. She's turned down everyone. But I would have had her." He smiled confidently now. Wait, she turned down everyone? How many guys were vying for her attention? Stop it. Focus.

"Bella. James, her name is Bella," I sighed. "And yes, that's what I need to talk to you about." I focused a stern look on him, willing myself not to leap over the table and pummel him. He really had no idea that he fucked up. "The way you behaved towards her was wrong. It not only put you in a bad light, but it reflected poorly on the whole fraternity. Under no circumstances are you ever to violently put your hands on a woman." There, I got it out without hitting him.

James sat and grinned at me through my whole speech. When I had finished, he started. "Ah, Cullen...you mad because I got to her first? Want to make a bet that I can fuck her first, too?" Stupid, motherfucking, retarded ass James! He thought I was playing with him...that it was all a big joke.

" I don't want to bet. You will stay away from her. What if Angie had been the one to break up your little argument?" His face contorted into a mask of mock horror. Oh, is it setting in now? "I'll tell you what would have happened. Your balls would be impaled on the bar's ice pick. Then she would have kicked your ass. Then...then she would have called the school. Do you understand what ramifications there could have been? Not only for you, but for the whole house?"

James' head lowered slowly until his forehead was pressed against the table. Maybe, just maybe I had gotten through to him. Wrong again, Cullen. Geesh. When will you learn? James raised his eyes to meet mine. I saw no remorse in them what-so-ever. They were filled with anger. What the fuck was wrong with this guy?

"Listen, Cullen. I will not be told what to do by you. Do you understand? That little bitch had it coming. She should not have interfered. And neither should have you! Angie did not call the school, and I would like to see that cunt try to kick my ass. So, fuck you very much for your concern." It was clear by now that James was simply a cocky, ignorant son-of-a-bitch. So, I had no other choice.

I stood and pushed my chair away from the table. My eyes were cold and hard, but I forced a smile to my face. "Fine, James, have it your way." The hardness in my voice was very audible. I turned and walked towards the door. My hand clasped down on the knob. I wouldn't sit and listen to his petty anger anymore. As I drew my fingers around it and began to twist, he spoke.

"By the way, Cullen, bet is on. I'll fuck that bitch two ways to Sunday before you can even spell out 'ramifications.'" At that, my hand dropped away from the door. My thoughts were yelling at me to beat him down where he sat. All I wanted to do was stand over him and make him admit he was disgusting.

I hadn't even taken two steps towards my new, human punching bag, and he was on his feet. Suddenly, my body was thrown down into the leather sofa. I breathed in the rich deep smell before any recognition of what had just happened hit me. I turned my face slightly, catching a glance at the scene unfolding before me.

James' face was pressed hard against the table. I could see blood welling in a small pool under his nose and mouth and a clean split in his upper lip. His body was jerking violently. It almost appeared like he was having a seizure. His voice carried through the room, filling it with muffled obscenities; his face was pressed too hard on the wooden surface, making it hard for him to speak at all. My eyes traveled away from his face and up to the force that was holding him down. Emmett.

My brother's eyes darted back and forth between James and me. Emmett was, uncharacteristically, screaming. Fan-fucking-tastic, he had heard the whole thing. My eyes danced across the room. Great, not only him, but half the house, had heard. A few of our frat brothers were aiding in 'teaching manners' with Emmett. A few were trying to pull them off of James, unsuccessfully. The rest just stood at the door. Half amused, half terrified.

I knew that they had never seen Emmett this way. Their president was known for his cool, relaxed demeanor. This...this was not what anyone would expect of him. That made it so much worse. Emmett showed it and I knew it, shit, the whole frat knew. For him to behave this way, James had to have fucked up...and fucked up big time. Now what are we going to do about it, Cullen?

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Alright, my lovelies, what do you think? Please review and tell me! B&E together again, next chappie? Maybe.