I got to school early that Friday morning; I was planning on confronting Edward. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but I knew it was going to be something along the lines of 'What was your problem yesterday?' I was sure it would turn into an apology, because he was so intimidating. His perfect features, that one smile that I almost thought was imaginary, would be sure to catch me by surprise.

But that silver Volvo never came. I sat in my Sentra that Charlie and Renee had given me as a graduation present, anxiously trying to see through the rain beating down on the wind shield. I chewed on my lip, growing more and more timid as the minutes passed.

I was startled when I saw Alice knocking on my window. I pulled my hood over my head and got out of the car.

"Hey Bella!" She hugged me before I was completely out of the car. Her embrace was slightly chilly through her fur jacket. "I'm so excited about this afternoon. Are you sure you don't want to hit the mall before the movie?" She stuck her lip out in a pout.

"Sorry Alice. I can't be put through that kind of torture today. Maybe another time," I muttered with a smirk. Another time, more like never. Never, never, never.

"Fine then." She crossed her arms, and then nudged me with her elbow playfully. I noticed that Jasper wasn't with her.

"Where's Jasper?" her expression saddened. The question was more like, 'Where's Edward?'

"Him and Edward went to visit our parents, in Forks," she murmured. "I'd just like to apologize on Edwards's behalf. His behavior yesterday was inexcusable, and he feels terrible. He's actually quite fond of you," she said sincerely. I wondered if these were his words or Alice's.

"What do you mean, quite fond," I asked curiously. She giggled.

"Edward's very old fashioned, Bella. But in words you can understand, he thinks you're brilliantly beautiful." I blushed the deepest red ever to cross my cheeks.

"Um, I—well," I stuttered nervously. Brilliantly beautiful, those exact words could be used to describe him. "That's nice."

"Don't be embarrassed Bella, like I said—he's really old fashioned."

"If he's so old fashioned, why was he treating me like the plague yesterday?" I sneered. I saw Alice flinch out of the corner of my eye.

"He's sorry about that, Bella," she said quietly.

"I'd like to hear that from him. When will he be back?" I grew confident in as my anxiety faded.

"Tomorrow, hopefully." She smiled. "What if we had a girl's night, and then you stayed over. Our house is plenty big. Then you can speak to him in the morning."

"That sounds perfect," I said. I could imagine it now, him groveling for forgiveness for his hostility. The image itself was funny, but rude. My mind drifted to an image where my hand was in his…

"Ha." Alice chimed. It was almost like she could read my mind. I quickly retracted my thought and moved back to the helpless grovelling.

"What?" We were at the door of the school, and she leaned against the wall.

"Oh nothing," she mumbled. And then walked through the doors. "See you in class, Bella. I'm going to sit by you since Jazz is gone, save me a seat!" she yelled, and skipped gracefully down the hall. Grace I could never have.

I sat down in a desk farther back in the room. I put my backpack in the seat I was saving for Alice, so that nobody would take it. And then she came skipping into the classroom, waving to me erratically from the door.

I moved my bag from her seat, and she sat down. But she was so hyper, jumping up and down in her seat.

"So," I murmured. "When's the big day?" I pointed to her left hand, which on the ring finger was a colossal diamond. Jasper's family must be rich.

"Oh, I already picked out the perfect day in April," she mused.

"How could you know it's perfect? It's nearly seven months from now," I added.

"Oh, I have reliable source." I was growing tired of their families strangeness. So I just decided not to mull over it.

"I see." I started doodling random lines on the corner of my notebook. "How did you two meet?" I glanced up to her, and she was beaming a grin.

"Jasper and I were in the same foster home," she chimed. "Carlisle and Esme, were our parents. I know it sounds a little weird, since we grew up together, but he's my soul mate." I nodded. I could understand the pull towards someone, and you don't even understand why. "There are a total of five children that the Cullen family adopted. There was Jasper and his big sister Rosalie Hale. Then Emmett, Edward, and I took on the Cullen name.

"Esme, she wasn't able to have children," Alice grimaced. "So she and Carlisle just started taking others in. Some people used to tease or family because it was more like a match-making service than a foster home. Rosalie and Emmett got married and are on their honeymoon. They're a year older than we are." It did sound like a matchmaking service, but when you found someone, you couldn't deny them.

"What about Edward," I murmured. She shook her head in sadness.

"Edward's kind of a loner. He never really found anyone he cared much for, until you," she giggled.

"He cares about me? He doesn't even know me," I laughed.

"It's weird, I know. But he took an interest in you." He was interested. In me. Unbelievable. I couldn't imagine someone so beautiful looking at me like I was more than just a normal girl. I looked at him, and the whole world just seemed to fall into place. I missed seeing him, even though I was angry.

"Oh, I think class is about to start," Alice whispered quickly and sat erect in her seat. I turned my notebook to the first blank page and started to write notes from Ms. Gregory's never ending lecture.

Unlike the day before, Alice lingered in the classroom, waiting for me to have all my things together.

"Let's go Alice," I said in a peppy voice, a voice that didn't fit me. I looked at Alice, and she was just staring into space. "Alice? Are you alright?" She snapped out of her stare, and shook her head. She pulled out her cell, it not even ringing. She just looked at it.

"Edwards back." She walked next to me, a big smile on her face. "And so is Jasper." She dropped me off at the classroom door, still smiling.

"Is there anything else I should know?" I asked worriedly. She was all happy for some reason.

"Yes. Don't be mean to my brother," she muttered hopefully, and then took off.

Surely, he was sitting at our desk, eyeing me carefully. Just confront him, just like you practiced. I was careful not to trip on the way to my desk this time. His expression stayed cool, blank.

I sat down in my chair, and slung my book bag to the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him with the crooked smile on his face. So angelic, so beautiful. I didn't want to look away. I spun around in my seat, trying to make myself look angry, but trying not to cry too.

"Hello Edward," I muttered sternly. He pulled his lips over his teeth, and then looked over to me.

"Bella," he said smoothly. His velvet voice made my heart flutter nervously. "Please, please, forgive me for my behavior yesterday," he spoke softly. "It was horrible." His deep golden eyes flickered with sincerity, which only made my heart beat faster.

"It was," I agreed. "But Alice has convinced me to forgive you." He smiled again.

"She's quite the character, isn't she?"

"Yes, but I think your bizarre mood swings give me a new angle of being bipolar." He chuckled.

"I can assure you that I'm not bipolar, it's just yesterday was a very bad day for me." His smile eased my anger.

"Would that happen to have anything to do with me?" I watched him expectantly.

"I don't think it would make a difference if it did," he mumbled. "Now that I'm being nice."

"Okay," I laughed sarcastically. "Next time, just warn me before the angry monster creeps up on me." His expression went hollow. Had I said something that upset him?

"Sure," he murmured. Then class began, and he barely said a word.

Class was over, and he didn't leave as quickly as before. As he walked away from the desk, I reached out for his arm. He wasn't going to leave without goodbye, if he was truly being nice.

He turned around before my skin touched his. But I was overcome by the iciness of his skin. It felt oddly soothing. Before I could take in the full feeling of his skin on mine, he ripped his arm away from my grasp and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't be," I whispered, as I stared into his eyes. He turned around again, and this time, I followed him by his side.

"Do you wear contacts?" I asked curiously. I had seen his golden eyes, and then they were pitch black, and now they were gold again.

"No," he muttered. "Why?"

"It's just…your eyes—they change colors." He nodded. I was paying so much attention to his face that I stumbled right over my own feet. I put my hands out reflexively to catch myself, but I never hit the linoleum floor. Edward's arm was protectively over my chest, his face in a grimace.

"Careful," he said through his teeth. I thought I'd told him to warn me before the monster reappeared. He must have read my expression because he muttered, "sorry about that," under his breath. I just nodded.

He stopped in front of my classroom door with me.

"Do you have this class next, too?" I wondered.

"No, just dropping you off." He smiled again. "Goodbye, Bella."

"See you, Edward." I turned to enter the classroom. But nothing could hold my interest, just remembering his icy skin, and his irresistible face kept me from falling asleep.

After my shift at the bank, I drove slowly back to school. Alice would be waiting to ambush me with pleads to go shopping for sure. Shopping…uck. She'd find a way to direct me to some stores, maybe luring me with a book or something.

I pulled into the parking lot, and she was leaning against her little Porsche, talking on her cell. She waved at me, and then hung up.

"Bella!" She shrieked. She ran up to hug me, yet again. This time, I noted her skin was ice cold, just as Edward's was earlier. "I'm so psyched! We're going to see a romance, it's about a guy and a girl…well I'll let you figure it out."

"Fun," I said quietly as I got in on the passenger's side of her car. "What is Jasper doing tonight?" I asked. I knew he'd probably be doing something with Edward. Alice saw right through me and smiled.

"He and Edward are just hanging out at our house," he chimed.

"So you all live together?"

"Yup. Dr. Cullen bought us a town house here in Portland. It's…a little too big for three people, but it's beautiful." She drove down the road smoothly. I glanced over at the speedometer, and it read eighty mph.

"Holy Crow, Alice!" I yelled, cringing back into the seat.

"What?" She glanced over to my panicking arms, clenching to my seatbelt.

"Keep your eyes on the road! And slow down!" The car suddenly slowed, Alice's face tensing.

"Sorry about that," she giggled.

"My mother taught me to drive slowly, so I guess it was my bad." I relaxed in my seat, trying to slow my heart rate.

"Cullen's drive fast." The engine growled, intensifying the tease.

"Swan's drive slow," I mumbled.

"I noticed. It took you ten minutes to get from work to school. It would have taken me two." She smiled. She relaxed in her seat, driving smoothly, always making it past the traffic lights before they turned red.

"I spoke to Edward," I murmured.

"I heard. He told me all about it."

"Really?" I asked, maybe sounding a bit too desperate. "He wasn't angry or anything was he?"

"No, not at all. It's just Bella this, Bella that. No offense." Could it be possible that he really did see me the way I saw him. How did I see him? Beautiful.

"I want to know more about him." The words slipped from my mouth, and I regretfully tried to reel them back in. "It just seems like we barely know anything about each other, though there is just something weird going on when I'm around him." Alice beamed.

"Maybe you guys could talk tomorrow. You know since you're staying over tonight," she mumbled slyly. Had she predicted this, in some bizarre method of intuition I was going to be in their house. His house. With him.

"Yeah, sounds good." I gulped loudly, and Alice let out a bell-like laugh.

"Can I ask you something, Alice?" I hesitated on the wonderings that have been passing through my mind ever since I met their odd family.

"Sure."

"Is…there something your hiding from me? Something you're not telling me?" Her expression went blank.

"Everyone has their secrets, Bella."

"I don't mean to pry, it's just it seems like there is something you're not telling me. Something I should know, but am being denied the right." I worried that I had made the wrong assumptions. Their odd beauties, change in eye colors, change in behaviors even, all confusing me. And their skins, so cold, so hard like marble.

"There…is something. But it's not my secret to tell right now," she mumbled. She was unsure, like someone didn't want her to tell.

"Okay, that's fine." I knew I needed to stop right there.

"I'm sorry!" she cried in a high voice. "I bet you'll know soon enough, so don't get all worked up, okay? Let's just have a girl's night!" Her excitement electrified through the bouncing car. We pulled up into the movie theater parking lot, it didn't take us long to get there with Alice's erratic driving. Alice held me in her cool arm, and it didn't bother me.