(Peyton's POV)

I waited until Nessie woke up Friday morning to leave. I had made the decision Thursday night to go to school for at least part of the day Friday. I already knew everything that I was supposed to be learning, but I didn't want it to seem like I should be falling behind. I'd had Carlisle call the school to let them know why I had been absent. The story was that the only family I had left had a bit of a crisis and I was needed in New York. Not entirely true. I was the one having the crisis, but the rest was true enough.

It was hard knowing that I was walking away from them again, but I told myself that this time would be different. I was keeping in contact, and I planned on visiting often enough. I decided Friday was as good a day as any to go back because the weather report said it'd be particularly overcast. The real reason that I wanted to go back to Tree Hill, one that I didn't even admit to myself, was because I wanted to see him again. I tried to believe that he hadn't affected me as much as I thought, and maybe I had just overreacted on Monday. I liked to believe that I was strong enough to handle the scent of that particular human. What was one, among many?

So when Nessie came downstairs in the morning, I was already ready to go. She seemed to be able to tell that I was leaving. "I thought you were staying the weekend! We were supposed to go hunting together," she said when she saw me sitting at the dining room table, waiting for her. There was a desperation in her voice and I could tell that even though she really wanted to believe I'd keep in contact, she was afraid I wouldn't.

I offered a smile, trying to ease the tension as I stood, crossing the room so I could give her a hug. She resisted for a brief moment, but then realized it could be her last chance, and hugged me back. "I promise I'll be back, Renesmee," I whispered into her hair, though. Everyone else could hear me too, of course, I was in a houseful of vampires, and a werewolf, but the moment called for whispering.

She clung onto me for a moment, afraid to let go, I could tell, so I just let her. When she pulled away, nodding, she placed her hand on my cheek, and I could immediately feel the mood of her memory. She would be waiting for me to come back. I smiled at her again, letting her know that I would come back as soon as I could, and her brown eyes brightened as she smiled back.

I had already said goodbye to everyone else, so I was ready to go. I playfully hit Jacob in the arm, sending him a stern look that said what words couldn't. I knew the relationship he had with Nessie, and I was counting on him to take care of her. Not that I intended on staying away, but I was unsure of what would happen. After I brushed past Jacob, into the living room, I saw Bella there, waiting for me. I groaned. "I thought we already went over this. I'll be back, I promise," I said, trying to ward off any further goodbyes, or whatever talk she had planned. She had her shield up and I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

I could tell she wanted some privacy, but how do you really get privacy living with vampires unless you get a few miles away. She gestured toward the door and I realized that was what she intended to do. I made sure my bag was secure on my shoulder and I left the house, taking to a run after I had checked to make sure no one was around, and I could hear Bella follow me. Once we had been running for a while, and had made it to a fairly deserted place, she slowed and I did too, although I avoided looking at her.

I could hear her, standing perfectly still, trying to figure out what to say. I wished I knew what she was thinking, so that I could better prepare myself for what I had coming. All I could do, though, was stand with my back toward her, waiting for her to speak. After a moment, I could hear he voice, coming softly, though I could still hear it perfectly. "You are really coming back this time, right?" she asked.

The tension left my shoulders at her words. Bella had been the one I had connected with first, the one who had brought me into this family, back when I had still been a human. She was the one who convinced me that I needed the others, and convinced the others to accept me as well. I'd Things would have been so different if I hadn't met her. She's the reason I'm now a vampire, even if she didn't change me herself. Without her, I'd be dead, and even if I sometimes thought that would have been better, there's one thing I can't deny. Without her, I would never have had a family.

I felt the emotions that came with crying coming on, and I knew that if I had the ability, the tears would have come. The feeling of crying often came with those memories. I forced them all away, once again thankful that I couldn't cry anymore. That was definately a plus. I had always hated crying. I composed myself, and turned to face Bella, but I didn't say anything. I could tell she was stalling, and that wasn't really what was on her mind. I waited patiently for her to find her train of thought and get it running again.

Bella took in a deep, unnecessary breath and let it out slowly. After another moment of silence I was going to prod, force her to say something, but she opened her mouth, just as I opened mine, and I snapped mine shut again. "I know we weren't supposed to bring up the topic of the guy from the drawing for the rest of the trip, but I'd really like to hear what happened, exactly, if you want to talk about it," she spoke cautiously, bringing her gazee up to steadily meet mine. I stayed silent, unmoving. "It's just, sometimes you feel better once you talk about something," she offered.

I couldn't speak for a minute. So, this was why she followed me away from everyone else. She thought that if we were alone, I'd feel more inclined to talk about it. "There's nothing to talk about," I murmured defiantly. She pursed her lips and continued staring at me, not believing me for a second. I desperately wished that I believed myself, but I knew that I didn't either, so I couldn't blame her for not falling for my lies. "There shouldn't be anything to talk about," I corrected my statement.

It was true. I desperately wished there was nothing to talk about. I wished that I had never met him. That I had chosen somewhere different. That I could change the way he smelled to me. I couldn't, though. I couldn't change any of those things, and I knew that I had been sucked into something that I didn't want to deal with. Something that he was a part of, too, no matter how much I wished he wasn't. There was no going back now, no changing the past, I could only sit back and be taken along for the ride, forcing him to come with me. We had both been picked up by a high tide, and we were thrown into this vast ocean, together, and he didn't even know it yet.

Bella was still waiting for me to continue. "Bells, I don't know what to say. I feel like I've lost control. I mean, I've never been forced to run before, you know. Most of the time the scent of humans has been, while somewhat enticing, extremely easy to ignore. I didn't want to taste their blood, so I just didn't. With him, the second time I laid eyes on him, the first time I smelled him, I was swept away, immediately intoxicated by the scent. I had never wanted anything more, and I knew that if I hadn't seen him at lunch, if I hadn't been taken in by those striking blue eyes, I would have lost all control. I don't want to change those blue eyes. I don't want to take the life out of them, and I don't want to change their color," I broke off, unable to continue with that train of thought.

I took a deep breath, letting the air fill my lungs, and just held it in. Bella stepped closer, sensing that I still had more to say, and placed a tender hand on my arm. It's hard to think of something with the consistancy of stone as soft, but she placed her hand lightly on my arm, barely touching it, just making her presence known. "I feel like I've lost control. The minute I saw his eyes, they swept me away, and I haven't been me since. It's like he took who I used to be, and I don't know how to get me back. I don't even know if I want me back. I wish I could stay away from him, but he's such a mystery. He's an enigma and I know I can't stay away, as much as I know it would be better for him," I said, the words coming quickly out of my mouth. I couldn't control them. They just spilled out.

Bella casually rubbed my arm as the words flooded out of me, and when I was done, she wrapped me in a hug. "You can't stop Fate, Peyt. Believe me, Edward tried in the beginning, but eventually he just gave up, stopped trying to fight it. I'm so glad he did. My life would have meant nothing to me if he hadn't. I probably would have found someone to fall in love with. I probably would have settled down, and had a family, and a life. I would have assumed that I was happy. I wouldn't be truly happy, though. I wouldn't be complete, like I am now. Edward is my true love, my soul mate, though he believes our souls are lost. He is my other half, and instead of a happy life, I get a happily ever after, for the rest of my existance. I wouldn't trade that for anything, ever," she said, trying to reassure me that I was doing right by going back.

I still felt that I was ending his life, forcing him to do something I wouldn't even have chosen for myself. I couldn't help it though. I was in too deep, and I'd never even talked to him. Even though I knew that, I still wished that I was wrong though. Maybe I had been imagining things, and all I had to do was get through the year without succumbing to my desire to taste his blood. If that was the only direction I would be tugged in, I was fairly sure I would be able to handle it.

After a minute I pulled out of the embrace. I offered up a genuine smile, which was hard to come by these days. "Thanks for making me talk, Bells. I really did need it. Maybe next time you can force me to talk again," I teased, sticking my tongue out at her playfully. She had brightened my mood a bit, and I did feel a bit better after getting that off of my chest. I also knew that Bella would be the one person able to keep my feelings a secret. Everyone else was susceptible to Edward, and he'd pull my feelings right out of their thoughts.

I was also ready to get back to Tree Hill. I had to see if Monday was real, if he was real. If those feelings were real. It had been so long since I had really felt anything, for someone who wasn't part of my family. It was different having feelings again. I knew that it was going to be difficult, extremely painful, and uncomfortable, but I knew I could deal with it all, take the good with the bad, just to be able to feel. I was tired of being numb. I said goodbye to Bella and started running, as fast as I could.

I made it back to Tree Hill around 11 and I entered the house I was living in. It was empty and silent and nothing like a home, but it would have to do. I knew where my home was, and this wasn't it, but it was good enough for now. I made my way to my upstairs bedroom, and took a shower that wasn't exactly necessary. I liked the feel of the hot water against my cold skin, though.

I pulled a random outfit from my closet, something I knew Alice would approve of, though I knew it would be a little too punk for her taste. It was perfect for me. Once I had applied my lipstick and made sure my hair didn't look horrible, not that it really could, I got into my Comet, a classic car, that was completely me. It didn't go extremely fast as Edward liked, it wasn't huge, the Emmett prefered and it definately wasn't a sports car as Rosalie or Alice would choose, but it was my car, one I had always liked.

I made it to the school just a few minutes after lunch had began. I didn't feel like facing the cafeteria, and him, just yet, so I went to the library instead. I had been avoiding my sketchbook, and decided that it was time for that to stop. I really did love to draw. I took a seat at a table toward the back of the library, hoping to avoid humans altogether, especially him, and took out my sketchpad and my special charcoal pencils. I put the earbuds from my Ipod into my ears and set it on shuffle before putting it in my pocket and picking up a pencil. I lost myself in the music and the paper, the pencil in my hand moving almost of it's own accord.

It wasn't ten minutes later that I heard someone approach. Over the loud music pounding in my eardrums I could hear a shuffling. I knew who it was because when he stopped in his tracks, all I could hear was my music and the cound of pencil on paper. I kept my gaze firmly locked on what I was drawing, waiting for him to speak. He didn't. I contemplated what to do. Did he want to sit next to me? Did he want to turn and leave without speaking to me? Better yet, what did I want him to do? For his sake, I knew he probably shouldn't sit down. But that didn't mean that I didn't want him to.

I quickly grew bored of the silence, and had to break it. I was sure he thought that I didn't know he was there. I really wished I could know what he was thinking, so I could have some insight. If he was thinking he didn't want to sit with me, well, that would be good for him, and I would leave him alone. No matter how hard that would be for me to do. I held my breath in case any wind blew in from the open windows, and looked up, meeting his gaze. I had to make sure he was there, that I wasn't imagining him. It was so disconcerting to be unable to hear someone's thoughts.

I lowered my gaze quickly so I could watch my pencil move across the page again. "Are you going to sit down, or stare at me like a stalker for the rest of the period?" I asked, my soft, lilting tone sarcastic. Sarcasm was something I had perfected over the years. I had been good at it as a human, and now, after the extra years of practice, I was great at it. I wanted to give him the opportunity to say no. I was going to let everything that happened from here on out be by his choice, and only his choice.

He stood still for a bit longer, and I almost thought he actually was going to say no. I wanted to be more inviting. I wanted to look up and smile, a real smile, anything to get him to sit down. I forced myself to keep my gaze down, though. I wouldn't force myself on him, and, to be honest, I wasn't exactly sure that I would be able to handle him being that close. Could I sit next to him and not lose my self-control? I thought of those clear blue eyes and assured myself that I wouldn't lose control.

I heard him take a few steps, then the chair next to me pulled back, and he sat down in it. I could tell he was going to speak and I cautiously drew in another breath so that I would be able to speak. I heard him open his mouth and looked up sharply at him. I pulled my headphones out of my ears as I opened my mouth. "Listen, I don't care what you do, but I prefer no talking when I'm drawing," I said sharply. I needed to just sit next to him a little bit without talking, so I could see if I could get used to the smell and the aching in my throat. A frown formed on his lips and I instantly felt bad. I didn't need to offend him. He moved and I could tell he was going to leave. I decided that I couldn't allow that to happen, so I held out one of my earbuds toward him. "Do you want to listen?" I offered.

I could tell he realized what I was doing. It was kind of a truce. I was letting him in through my music, as long as we could sit without talking. He reached out and hesitantly took the earbud from me, slipping it into his ear. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he heard the song playing. I was surprised that he liked the music, not that I would have offered to put something else on if he hadn't. I put the other earbud back in my ear and picked up my pencil, indication that the conversation was over.

He pulled a book out and opened it, but I could feel his gaze flick to me often as I kept my focus on my drawing. I was trying to get used to his scent, taking a breath in every so often, almost enjoying the rush as my throat burned with thirst. I knew I was in control of it, for now, and I liked the feeling of control. After a while, he handed my earbud back, telling me that lunch was going to be over soon. I carefully put my sketchbook into me, trying not to smudge the drawing I had finished.

My curls fell down in front of my face, and I could feel his gaze boring into me again. I abruptly sat back up, snapping my gaze onto his. I could tell he was startled by my quick movement and I had to remind myself that I needed to slow down. I felt like I needed to be myself around him, just me, and not the facade I used every day. I held onto his blue eyed gaze for a moment, and then the question slipped from his lips. "Did you get contacts?"

I was confused for a moment and, in that confusion, I answered the truth. I shook my head, slowly. He continued before I could think of something to say. "Oh, your eyes look lighter," he added. I realized that it was because I had hunted, and I should have said yes. I couldn't believe how stupid I had been. I wanted to back track, but he never gave me the chance. "I didn't know you were at school today."

It almost sounded like a question, but it wasn't phrased like one. For a minute, I didn't know what to say. My instincts were screaming at me to tell him the truth, but I couldn't. I told the lie that I had made up. Now would be as good a time as any to start telling it, and I could use the practice. I didn't really like lying, though my life was pretty much based on lies now. Well, my existence. "Well, I kind of just got here. I've been in New York this week. The only family I have left lives up there, and they needed me. I just got back today," the words flew from my lips with a well-practiced ease. I had gotten used to lying now, even if I hated it.

I saw him pause for a minute, as if wondering if I was telling the truth. I thought I had gotten better at this lying thing. Why didn't he trust me? I kept my face a calm mask as my insides swirled with anxiety. He finally seemed to come to the conclusion that I was telling the truth. Or maybe he simply didn't care whether or not I was lying. I hated not knowing for sure. "What do you have next?" he asked, effectively changing the subject.

I was sitting still, I hadn't taken a breath in a while. I wasn't sure I would be able to handle his scent right now. There was a breeze blowing in from the window behind him that would blow his scent right into my face if I took a breath right now. I had no air to speak with, though. I didn't know what to do. Do I take the risk or sit her without responding? I decided to just stand up, on the pretense of looking at some books on a shelf nearby. Once I had calmly walked over to the shelf, I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of dusty books.

Then I turned to face the table again, and walked back to my seat next to him. "I basically have a free period," I answered once I had sat down. I wondered why he had asked. Did he want to walk me to class? Did he just want to get away from me? I decided to stop speculating, because it was getting me nowhere. I was also well aware that I was thinking like an actual teenaged girl, instead of a mind-reading vampire. It shouldn't matter to me why he asked me something. It shouldn't, but it did.

I realized his smell really was getting to me now. I found myself wanting to taste his blood more and more. I gripped the edges of the table as I realized he was going to ask to spend some more time in such close contact with me. I realized I couldn't handle it. I didn't want to put him at risk. I noticed his gaze dart down to my hands as I spoke. "I have to run home really quick, though. There was something I forgot to do. I'll see you in English," I tried to speak calmly, but I was running out of air, and didn't want to breath in his scent again.

I grabbed my bag and, with a measured carefulness, walked out of the library, much too slowly for my taste. The bell rang and I had to stop myself from running to my car because of the people. Once I made it to the parking lot, I sat in my car, breathing in clean air to get the smell of him out of my system. I let down the boundary in my mind and could hear Edwards thoughts. 'I believe I owe you an apology,' I thought to him.

It took a second for him to think back. 'Why?' his thought sounded a bit amused, and also curious. From his thoughts I could tell he was sitting next to Bella, in the living room, and Alice was also with them. 'Bella says hi,' he added a few seconds later and I knew he had told them that I made contact with him. 'Alice wants to know if you made it to school yet, and what you wore.' I could hear the annoyance in his thought and I knew he had rolled his eyes when Alice had asked him to say that to me.

I chuckled, glad to have my mind filled with something other than him. I thought about what had happened and waited as he told them about it. Once I was sure he had explained it to them, I continued. 'I owe you an apology because I never thought it would be this hard to resist sinking my teeth into someone. I'm sorry I never believed how potent Bella's smell was to you,' I thought, then put the boundary back up. I still didn't want the constant contact. I didn't like him being able to look around in my mind.

I debated going hunting, just so I could build up a resistance to the thirst, but knew I wouldn't have enough time. There was no where close enough to go. Besides, I had just hunted last night, a lot, so there was really no excuse. I knew I would be just as dangerous to him whether I hunted five minutes ago or five days ago. Nothing would stop the urge I felt for his blood until I learned to control it. It had to be mind over matter, that was all there was to it. I tried to spend the rest of that period convincing myself of that, and by the time the bell rang for class I was feeling somewhat more confident.

I hurried to class so I could get there right after the bell rang. I wanted some time to sit in class before he got there. Even with as much as I hurried, though, I was only in my seat for a few seconds before he walked in. I had gotten my sketchbook out again and I had my headphones in my ears. I was sitting in a seat right in front of him, thanks to the alphabetical seating chart. I wished I had changed my last name when I came to school here. I should have used Cullen, then I could have sat on the opposite side of the room from him.

At the same time, though, I was glad that I had used my last name. It was like an indulgence, something I shouldn't be allowed to have, but I let myself have contact with him anyway. If he was even remotely smart, he would turn and run in the opposite direction, away from me. He didn't realize how dangerous I was to him yet, though, and I wasn't in a hurry to tell him. Until that moment when he realized what a danger I was, not that he ever really would, because I didn't plan on letting him in on my secret, I would keep spending time with him.

The teacher started class by giving a brief introduction. Then we were asked to split into pairs as the project we were assigned was explained. As soon as the words left the teachers mouth, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to look at him. He asked if I would be his partner. I was briefly distracted by the redheads thoughts. She had been making her way across the classroom, to ask him to be her partner, when she had seen him ask me. I knew that working with him meant a lot of time in close proximity, especially since we would have to work on the project over the weekend, because it was due Monday.

I couldn't help but be selfish, though. I wanted to see if I could figure out a way to break through the barrier and read his thoughts. I wanted to know if all this trouble would be worth it in the end. Maybe I could convince him of how dangerous I was over the weekend. If I could find a way to do that without hurting him. Either way, I really couldn't find a good enough reason to say no. He seemed to want me around, for now, so I guess I would hang around.

I nodded and we turned our desks to face each other. I noticed, with some triumph, that the red head who seemed to like him got stuck being partnered with a girl she hated. Glancing over, the girl didn't look like as much of a geek as the red head thought of her as, but I wasn't entirely sure that the hatred didn't run deeper than looks. I couldn't focus on them for long, though, because I locked gazes with him again. I met his green eyes and found my thoughts getting just a little dazed. "What are we supposed to be doing, exactly?" he asked, and I realized his thoughts were just as distorted as mine. Actually, since he's human, his thoughts are probably more distorted than mine.

I was glad that I could pull the assigment right from the teachers mind, and I gave him the exact wording. I guess it might have been a bit too much, but I didn't feel like paraphrasing. He laughed, and I found that I liked the sound. "Have you always been a teacher's pet?" he asked. I didn't like the question as much as I liked the sound of his laugh. I sent him one of my worst glares, one that always has people, human and vampire a like, cringing away.

I noticed his breathing stop and I shrugged it off, unable to keep holding onto my glare for any longer. I decided to shrug the comment off without replying and we started working on our project. He did send me quite a few personal questions while we worked, and I did my best to answer them as truthfully as I could before sending him a question of my own, trying to turn the subject onto him.

I thought we did make a bit of progress, though. Toward the end of the period, he looked up a me, a look on his face that was a bit too confident. He opened his mouth to speak just as I finished putting my stuff away. "Hey, my brother's throwing a back-to-school party tonight. You should come," he said, writing something on a post-it note and handing it to me just as I stood up. "I look forward to seeing you there," he said, a bit cocky, and that threw me off guard. Was I ready to go to a party? Did I even want to go?

I debated for a few moments as we stood there, too close for my liking. He was too close for me to give the subject the amount of thought it deserved. Should I go or not? The bell rang and we were still standing there as he waited for my answer. I needed to get away from him, so I could think more clearly. "I'll think about it," I said honestly before darting out of the classroom, which had suddenly gotten too stuffy. I needed to put some distance between myself and him, and I would need an outside opinion before I could make my decision.

A/N: I know I promised some Haley, and I actually fit her in, in case you didn't notice. She's the somewhat geeky girl that Rachel was paired with. I will make her part bigger in this fic, and she and Peyton will become friends. Next chapter will probably mainly be the party, and I'll probably attack it from the POV of many different people, although I'm not sure I'll try Lucas's POV again. I don't think I really do it justice. I think I'm better at female Point of View. Let me know what you think and whether or not I should try to do Lucas's POV again. Thanks to the people who have reviewed, as few as you are. I really do appreciate it.

Special Thanks: I've never done this before, but I thought I'd thank the people who have reviewed every chapter of this fic so far, and who have also read and reviewed some of my other work. So, thanks to: Lostand1TreeHillfan, HJS-NS-23, kylielink, biyo, and Tweetiebird86. Thanks a lot, guys. I really appreciate the support, and the reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I owned either One Tree Hill or Twilight, do you really think I would be here, writing fanfiction? Probably not.