Guys, this is a repost of Chapter 7. I just had to correct one minor detail, thanks to Wanda W for pointing it out. So, this isn't a real update. Just a chapter reposting.

Thank you for all the reviews guys. They made my day. :))

First, to answer a few of your questions. Some of you said that Bella was crying too much. Well, she has her reasons. One of which is that she is EMBARRASSED. Bella has lived a very sheltered life and this is the worst humiliating thing she has experienced. Also, as was mentioned in the previous chapter, she is ashamed of herself in front of Edward. I'll leave it to you to find out why she's embarrassed in front of him cause it's kinda obvious. The other reasons are too early for me to bring out in the open. They're needed in the future of this story. But, come on guys, it's obvious, kinda cliche even. So, I hope that cleared things up.

Enjoy this chapter!


Edward's POV:

10:30 PM THURSDAY: Finally. Finally, I'll be able to sleep soundly tonight. After much dreaded anticipation, I finally did it. I talked to Bella. And, it didn't involve nervous jitters and sweaty palms. I was just me.

I didn't expect it to be so easy. I feared that I would stutter, lose words or be speechless even. But, no. Those didn't happen. Thank God. There was still a drawback though. I made her cry. I knew it. I knew in my mind I was somewhat the cause of her tears the past few days. Thinking back on the words I said, I didn't remember saying anything provoking or rude. So, why did she cry? Ugh. I knew it was me all along.

I was too insensitive to say that I'd help her get through this. Of course, that was provoking. Of course, Bella wanted to stand up for her own self. I knew enough of Bella to know that she was very independent, rarely a company-seeker (not that she was a loner, of course), and one who always stood up for what was in her mind. Of course, she didn't want anyone else to help her, especially me, because she wanted to assert her independence. Now, I understand. Now, I know how to help her. Scratch that. I now know how to support her. That wasn't the same as pure help, right?

Despite settling things with Bella, although only a little bit, I knew had one more thing left to do. Jessica Stanley. This was going to be hard. I had to admit, I didn't want to fight with a girl, no matter how annoying or displeasing she might be. 'Cause if I did, I would've killed my sister by now. But, no. I was too much of a gentleman. I had no idea how I was going to deal with her without wringing her neck. Okay, maybe I was overreacting just a little bit. But then I remembered what she was capable of and I remembered how my sister dealt with her the other day. No, I can't let Alice get dragged into this. So yeah, I'll be ready to strangle her at the next best opportunity.

One thing was for sure. Jessica Stanley's gossip mouth was going to be stopped. I didn't know how and I didn't know when. And with that thought in mind, I finally succumbed to sleep.


12:00 PM FRIDAY: I was lucky enough not to encounter any "situations" up till this point. I haven't talked to Bella again, although I planned to do it some time soon. Besides, I still had another mission to accomplish. My sister and I sat at our usual spot with Emmett and Jasper. Jasper was my best friend since we were kids, besides Alice. Emmett was Jasper's friend before and me and Emmett became friends because of him. The four of us became a tight circle eventually.

As I sat down, I was still pondering on how I could best confront Jessica. As if on cue, the little devil came strutting towards us. God, can she read minds too?

She sat down next to me, not waiting for any welcome remark or anything. She acted like she really belonged there. Alice quickly gave her the death glare she usually gave me. Jessica was oblivious to all of these of course. Her eyes were dead set on my face. I knew that look. She was giving me the flirty look. It was the look she used when she was interested in someone. Okay, here's the thing. A while back, maybe two years ago, I was vaguely aware of Jessica's interest in me. I knew she was flirting with me every time we interacted and talked, because Alice told me so. I believed my sister of course and she told me to stay away from Jessica cause she was making her "moves". They were still friends back then. Then one day, Alice confronted Jessica about Jessica's feelings for me. That's when the gossip started about Alice. Jessica spread gossip throughout the school about Alice's supposed interest in me. Her own brother. And, that's when their friendship ended. Alice was pretty devastated. I wanted to kill Jessica back then too, but Alice stopped me. Thankfully, the whole school has forgotten about that by now. Alice had a certain charm and people had a hard time believing anything bad Jessica said about her.

"Hello, Edward," Jessica greeted me in an overly enthusiastic voice that screamed TROUBLE.

Alice suddenly piped up before me. "What are you doing here, Jessica? Too bored without any new gossip to spread, huh?"

I looked at my sister and gave her the I'll-handle-this look. She shook her head. I turned back to Jessica. "Excuse us for a second, please."

Jessica nodded complacently and started checking out her nails. I looked back at Alice. "Don't you dare drag yourself into this. Don't you remember the last time Jessica almost ruined you reputation?" She looked at me with a pleading look in her eyes. "Look, I know you haven't completely let that go yet but please, don't use my problem as a solution to yours. It'll just create bigger trouble. Never solve a problem by creating another problem, remember?" Alice nodded and went back to her food, although I was sure she wouldn't be able to finish it now. I returned my attention to Jessica.

"What is it Jessica?" I asked.

She dropped her hands and looked at me with a mischievous smile on her face. "Oh nothing really, Eddie. I just wanted to ask what has gotten into you. You know, making Bella cry and everything."

I ignored the nickname jibe but my mind exploded at her words. Made Bella cry? What the hell? I suddenly rose from my seat and towered over Jessica still sitting there as if she were enjoying the view.

"Stop it Jessica! Just STOP IT!" I knew all of the kids in the cafeteria were staring at me now. I didn't care. "Do you have any idea on what you are doing?! You are such an insensitive bitch whose mouth is bigger than than all the craters on the moon put together!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jessica retorted, standing up.

"Obviously you know what I mean! Are you that uncivilized to think that you can survive high school on gossip alone? Well let me tell you this. When I finally get you to stop spreading evil rumors about everyone, I promise you, you'll look worse than a fish out of water!"

And with that, I grabbed my tray, dumped it in the trash and stormed out of the cafeteria.


Bella's POV:

12:15 PM FRIDAY:

"Obviously you know what I mean! Are you that uncivilized to think that you can survive high school on gossip alone? Well let me tell you this. When I finally get you to stop spreading evil rumors about everyone, I promise you, you'll look worse than a fish out of water!"

I had to admit it, I was amazed. Ever since Edward started yelling at Jessica in front of everybody, I couldn't help but think about how heroic he is. There was simply no other word for what he was doing right now. I couldn't believe how brave he was to stand up to Jessica like that. More so, I remembered that he was doing it for the two of us. I was remembering the words he told me yesterday about how he was going to help me get through. He was true to his words. Here he was, risking his own reputation because he wanted to help me out of this situation. Edward Cullen was, for the lack of better words, starting to become my hero.


Okay the part of Bella's POV came out of nowhere. Seriously, I never planned on writing those thoughts she had. That last sentence, literally, blew me away! Same thing for Edward. What was he thinking?!

Hope you guys liked this little action-packed chapter. CRITICIZE, COMMENT, and INSPIRE me in your reviews! Let's try to reach 30-35 okay!

PS: Who can guess what happens next? Anyone who answers correctly will get a great big hug from me! REVIEW guys! :))))