Chapter 3: Burned Down

After my fifth lesson with Edward, we had become best friends. I was surprised that he had changed over the five days, and that we had so much in common. We sat at a separate table together, away from my friends and his family. It didn't seem like either approved. I hadn't met his family yet, but by the stares they gave us, I didn't really want to.

Even though we sat across the cafeteria from each other, I could still see their eyes. Some were gold, some were black, and the others were caught in between. There were four of them: Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. Everyone was adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen even though they were really young. Jasper and Rosalie Hale are twins and the only actual siblings. They had blond hair, but that was the only thing they had in common in the looks department. Emmett and Alice were both Cullen's, but of course weren't really related.

They were all together, Rosalie and Emmett, Jasper and Alice. Edward didn't have anybody. I felt bad for him. He was amazing and deserved someone just the same.

We were at lunch now and I sat across from Edward. I looked over my shoulder to my friends. Jessica and Mike, who were trying to work out their relationship, started sending daggers with their eyes about a week ago. Since they were starting to get over my new friendship with Edward, those daggers were becoming butter knives. Jess didn't like that I'd abandoned her and Mike was a little jealous. Angela was quickly becoming my friend and I could tell she wanted to come and sit with us. I would have invited her, but I wasn't ready to share Edward. I know. Selfish.

I looked over my other shoulder at the Cullen's. They were all looking at us. Rosalie looked disgusted and angry, Emmett looked confused, Jasper looked curious, and Alice looked like she was about to burst. She was like a little ballerina with short spiky hair. Whenever she looked at me and Edward, she was happy and, something I'll never understand, expectant. I didn't know what would happen when I finally met them.

"Bella, they aren't going to stop staring at us. Just calm down," Edward said. I had been furiously spinning my lemonade bottle on the table and he grabbed it out of my hands and hid it. I was surprised I had even seen it, he moved so fast.

"How do you do that?" I murmured angrily, looking down at where the bottle used to be.

"Admit it, you're jealous." He laughed. His laugh was like something no one's ever heard before. It belonged to an angel. He was an angel. He was nice, sweet, smart, and funny. I thanked the heavens for sending him my way.

"Yeah. I'm so jealous I might have to stop hanging out with you before I burst into flames because of it," I said in a joking voice. Instead of laughing or replying, he stayed silent. He had told me before that we shouldn't be friends. Why? I wished I had known. But that wasn't going to stop me from being with him. He was my best friend and I wasn't going to let him go.

"Edward," I said fiercely, "you're not going to do anything you regret. I don't know why you feel the way you do, but I know you won't do anything wrong. I believe in you. Trust me." Then I reached out and grabbed his hand, which was lying on the table. It was ice cold, but I didn't care. The burn it left on my skin felt good.

For one second, he was livid. I was almost afraid of what he might do. Then, unexpectedly, he grabbed my hand back, as I had started to move it, and held it on the top of the table. The look on his face changed dramatically. It turned from dangerously angry to fervently thankful and soft.

"Thank you. I needed to hear that," he whispered. "I'll explain it to you one day. But for now, eat your lunch and act like nothing just happened." He let go of my hand and I missed his deeply. I wondered what he meant, so I snuck a look over my shoulder. Literally everyone was staring at us. Blushing, I quickly looked back down at the table and ate whatever I picked up. Edward was sitting there across from me, looking bored. The boy never ate. He said he was on a "special diet," but he didn't look like he needed to lose any weight. I really needed to find out what he was. There was no way this beautiful and strange creature could be human. Maybe he wasn't. . .

Or maybe I was crazy.

The way my heart was beating you would think it was going to explode. That touch. . .

I shook my head so I could calm down. I looked back up at him and he was smirking. It was obvious he knew my heart was beating erratically. I had a theory that he was some kind of superhero, super speed and super hearing. He could probably read minds, too. I would never tell him these things, though. I didn't know how he would react.

He pulled me out of my thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" He seemed pained now. Maybe he couldn't read minds.

"Uh . . . Cold Fusion?" I blushed. Again.

"Seriously, Bella," he said, annoyed. Then he literally smoldered right in front of me. I think I stopped breathing. "Won't you please tell me?"

I gave in. There was no way I couldn't. "I was thinking that you're a superhero," I whispered.

His onyx eyes--which changed all the time to gold and back again; I accused him of contacts but he just laughed and made an excuse, something lame like "It's the fluorescents." Whatever--turned hard as he thought about that.

He scoffed. "Hardly," he said bleakly.

"Edward, remember what we just talked about? Stop putting yourself down." He really needed to stop that.

"Right. Sorry." He looked sincere. But he was a good liar.

I went back to eating my lunch even though all I could concentrate on was him. I looked at his face and saw that he was surprised. I was confused until he pulled a shiny cell phone out of his pocket.

"Edward. . . "I warned jokingly. He smiled and held his finger to his mouth as he opened the phone and put it against his ear. He turned slightly to hide the phone and answered.

"Hello? . . . Good. How are you? . . . What? Really? . . . Is everybody okay? . . . I'll tell her. Thank you. . . Bye." At this point, I was scared. What happened?

"What happened?" I tried to hide my panic. It didn't work. I didn't know why I was so scared.

"That was Rick. Reynolds was burned down today. Margot, the receptionist you harassed, lost her mind and set fire to the building. Everybody who was in there didn't get hurt. Although, Margot is in the hospital. A mental hospital." I was shocked. But apart from the destruction, I found what Margot did hilarious. I started laughing.

"Bella, are you okay?" Edward said, probably concerned that I was becoming like Margot.

I calmed myself down. "I just find it funny that I caused that."

"You didn't cause it. She was crazy before that." He tried to reason with me but I refused.

"Yes, but I bought it out. She lost it and it was my fault." My voice changed from giggly to depressed in my realization. I couldn't believe myself when I pulled the prank and know I hated myself. Edward saw it on my face.

"Bella, it wasn't your fault. Please believe that." I looked into his eyes and I immediately did. I sighed and agreed with him. Just one more thing we had in common. Then I was reminded of piano lessons.

"Wait, what about lessons?" I was freaking out now. What if I didn't get to play anymore?

"We'll just have to have them at my house," he said nonchalantly. Now I was really freaking out. Go to his house? Meet his family? I didn't think my brain would be able to take anymore.

"Um," I cleared my throat, "okay." I smiled faintly and he laughed.

"It will be alright, Bella." I loved it when he said my name. I would only be alright if he stayed next to me. My mind was in a jumble so I didn't realize that lunch was over. We got up and he threw out the food. He looked at it with a disgusted look on his face. I wondered what that diet was of his, yet again. We left the cafeteria and headed to Biology.

After school, we went straight to his house. He let his family go home in the Volvo and drove the truck and me to his house. I was afraid of seeing where he lived and having to meeting his family. We drove on a forest road to a place I had never seen before. Suddenly, we were parked in front of a monstrous white house. It was beautiful and modern. I gasped. He looked over and smirked at me.

We got out of the truck and headed towards the front door. Edward, looking as beautiful as ever, held the door open for me. I walked in and refrained from gasping again. A big glass wall was on the backside of the house so you could see the vast forest behind it. The walls had amazing paintings and the furniture was also white. Edward was standing next to me, watching my reaction.

"Do you like it?" he asked. I nodded; a sound like "Mm-hmm" came out. He smiled. He looked to the right and I mimicked him. A young couple whom I'd assumed was his parents were standing there casually, smiling.

"Mom, Dad, this is Bella Swan."

A/N: Will describe in next chapter. How do you like it so far? If you don't review, I won't want to write. Please remember that. I also wrote a poem about this story, so if you want it, review or PM. Thank you soooooo much!

P.S. Who saw the new Eclipse trailer? What do you think?