A/N: This story is rated M for mature themes.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N: Bella and the gang are all 15 years old. They will age as the story progresses.

Midnight Summer's Dream

Chapter 4

Bella's P.O.V

Hair up. Hair down.

Hair up. Hair down.

I sighed. Hair up.

Right?

I looked at the clock that was ticking away on my wall and saw that I had to leave in less than 10 minutes if I wanted to catch the bus today. I looked at myself again. Today I wanted to try something new. Which is why I put all my hair up in a pony tail and wore a little lip gloss to enhance my lips. I have to say, I felt a little embarrassed. I knew my friends would notice and I knew that they would point out why I wore lip gloss today.

It all sums up into one name: Edward.

Talking to Jessica made me realize that I have to try new things. I want to get in touch with my feminine side. I wanted to look mature. Edward was just part of the equation, but certainly not all. I contemplated, however, if my hair up in a pony tail would actually make me look older or if it was making me look younger. I had a baby face still. Plus, it was pretty cold out. I bit my lip, still undecided.

"Bells! It's getting pretty late!"

Hair up.

I rushed down the stairs but hadn't realized that my bag was half opened until its content spilled all over the kitchen floor. Charlie raised his eyebrows at me as he took a sip from his coffee mug.

"Sorry to get you all worked up," he said, "But I don't want you to miss the bus. Also-"

"It's okay, dad, really," I cut him off. "Taking the bus sometimes isn't a big deal. I like it. I get to see interesting people."

He smiled and nodded.

Usually I took rides with Angela in the mornings, but she knew she couldn't go to school today, so I told Charlie I had to take the bus. In reality, taking the bus actually gives me time to get ready for the day. It gives me time to reflect on my morning on the way over to school, and I appreciated that. When I'm with Angela and her parents, I have to get involved in the conversation. Not that I minded anyways; I loved her parents. I just really enjoyed my 'me' time too.

Charlie always worries, though, about me taking the bus. Not because he doesn't trust me or something, but more so because I had an accident back in Arizona in a bus a few years ago. He's still a little bit shaken by that, seeing as I was badly injured.

I waved good bye and started towards the door when I heard him ask, "Are you wearing lip gloss, Bells?"

My face instantly turned red and I thank God I was already about to leave when he decided to ask. "Bye!"

I patted my cheeks as I made my way to the sidewalk. How embarrassing! I questioned if I could handle being called out for wearing lip gloss for the first time by my friends. Is it that noticeable? Ah! I lifted my chin. No. I wanted this. I wanted to try new things, so here it goes!

I was distracted by the sound of voices. I noticed a few moving trucks parked outside of the house next door to mine and stopped. New neighbors?

If that was true, I'm glad we were. That house had been empty for as long as I could remember. Heck, I've never really seen anybody live there. But Charlie has. Apparently the daughter of the previous owner didn't want to rent or sell it after her parents passed away. It's not like it was abandoned either; the house was taken care and cleaned from time to time. It just remained... empty.

A woman came out from the house and met my gaze. She smiled at me and I couldn't help but to smile back. I was about to greet her, when Charlie came out the house.

"Bells? What are you still doing here?"

My face turned red again and I looked at my shoes. Please don't ask me about the lip gloss.

"Ah! Good morning, Mrs. Cullen! Glad to see you settling right in!"

My whole body tensed up.

Cullen?

I looked up at the sound of her voice. "Good morning, Charlie!" She began to walk towards us and I noticed that she had gardening gloves in her hands. She gave me that smile again. "Hello there. You must be Bella."

"Y-yes. Um, I'm Bella. Nice to meet you." I gulped heavily. Okay. Cullen isn't a very common name but I doubt this is his mom. Right? Right!

I couldn't help but look around the house to see if I caught a glimpse of that bronze hair.

"My son goes to Forks High, too," she said to me, making me turn my attention back at her. Still gave me that smile that made me remember my mom. "He left to wait for the bus."

"The bus!" I remembered. "I-I have to take the bus, too. Um, nice meeting you!" I repeated like an idiot.

I didn't wait for her or Charlie's response, I quickly darted my way towards the bus stop. I stopped in my tracks. Wait. Edward is taking the bus? I bit my lip. Okay. Edward freaking Cullen is going to take the bus. But I wondered why he would. I've never seen him get out of the bus in the first place.

Will he be okay in there, with all those girls? I wondered, my cheeks still very hot.

I started walking again.

"Okay, Bella," I began. "If he's there, and if he's Mrs. Cullen's son, and if he's going to be your neighbor... You-you got this! He's just a guy. A normal... beautiful... guy." I came to a halt when I saw him standing there, waiting for the bus. I swallowed hard. Yep. That's him.

Okay, Bella. You can do this. Just walk up to him. It's not that hard. The bus will be here in any minute.

I awkwardly stood besides him and instantly got hit by a wave of cologne. It smelled soft, a little bit earthy, a little bit like ... a forest? Jessica would be laughing at me right now. I didn't know I was this bad at identifying smells. I groaned mentally.

"It's you," came a voice.

I felt my face instantly turn red. "Oh, hi!"

I gave myself a slap in the face. That was way too high-pitch.

Edward was starring at the road, his bronze hair wild as always; even wilder now that the wind was blowing, giving us cold kisses all over. I shivered a bit and snuggled into my oversized sweater. Edward wore a burgundy colored sweater with a navy colored scarf. He looked so...

so...

hot.

He looked at me and I was pierced by his green eyes. "The bus is running late."

"Y-yeah," I chuckled nervously. "I really thought I was going to miss it."

He looked at the road again. "Maybe we did," he said. "And now we have to walk all the way to school."

Green eyes met brown eyes.

I smiled at him. "We'd get tired, though. Won't we?"

Just as he was about to reply, I saw the bus come around the corner. I got bummed out. I wanted to talk to him more.

The bus stopped in front of us and opened its doors. Edward motioned me to go in first, and as I looked around to find a seat, I somehow wished he sat next to me. I quickly noticed the girls' reactions when they saw Edward get in.

"Ohmygosh!"

"He's actually taking the bus with us!"

This is what we look like to him, huh?

I made my way to an empty seat and to my surprised, Edward sat next to me. Instantly his cologne hit me again, and I welcomed it with a smile. I shifted in my seat, starting to get nervous again but at the same time, I felt warm. Edward may seem completely unreachable, but maybe he really isn't.

He took his scarf off even though it was still chilly inside the bus. He handed it to me.

"You seemed cold," he said.

My eyes widened. I was so dumbfounded that I didn't take the scarf at all; I could only just stare at him. I heard a few girls that were sitting besides us gasp and whisper.

"But why..." I started, but stopped mid sentence. I couldn't even ask him. But why are you giving it to me?

"You can give it back at the end of the day," he said and I grabbed it slowly, somehow thinking this was a nasty prank and he would yank it away from me. But at the same time, I always knew Edward was too mature for that sort of thing.

At the end of the day, he said.

So he means that we're going to talk again?

"I'm so jealous!" I heard a girl say.

"Aren't you going to get cold?" I blurted. I could feel my cheeks get extremely hot, but I ignored it. Surely he noticed.

And then he gave me that smile. The smile that I've never actually seen. The smile that Jessica, Angela and I always dreamed about. The smile that instantly made me melt.

The bus stopped suddenly, making me jump. I looked out the window and noticed that we arrived at school. When I looked back at Edward, he was already making his way out of the bus; a group of girls following him. Giggles and all.

I looked at the navy colored scarf that remained in my hands and blinked. He gave me his scarf. And it smells so much like him.

Edward Cullen gave me his scarf.

Oh, Jessica... Angela... I think I'm in love.

A/N: I hope you are all enjoying this story. Leave me your thoughts :)