I know, I know, I prolly should've waited to post this but I'm having an extrordinarily crappy dayso I figured, what the hell? Besides, you guys always seem to make me feel better!

(BTW: I did know about Midnight Sun being on her website and may I just say it was...FREAKIN' AWESOME!! But she could have at least stopped after the meadow scene...It would have been better...)


Edward's POV

My hand hurt like hell after punching Mike, but it was nothing compared to the joy I felt with Bella. She was, to put it quite simply, amazing. She never ceased to surprise me with a question or comment or…making me feel wanted. I could only hope she felt the same, though I wouldn't blame her if she didn't. My thoughts reeled with timid questions. I considered, for a fleeting comical moment, writing her a note saying 'Do you like me? Check yes or no.' Too bad third grade behavior wasn't acceptable anymore.

"I can't go out tonight." Bella said, her voice surprisingly cold. It was Thursday afternoon and I was walking her to car, which seemed to have become my usual routine.

Her comment confused me. We'd hung out every night for the past few weeks, never missing an opportunity to be together.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, concerned. She did look a little paler than usual and she'd been very quiet since I'd asked her to Alice's party.

"No…" She replied without thinking, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just really tired, that's all."

Well, I couldn't argue with that. "Oh…Okay. Well, uh, give me a call or something if you change your mind."

She nodded as we reached her truck, but said nothing more. I stood there watching her, hurt. She struggled for a moment to shove her bags into the passenger side of the cab and clumsily hoisted herself up into her seat, revealing a large bruise on her left arm. I could only imagine how she got that one. There didn't seem to be a day where she didn't come out of gym unscathed.

"See ya." I muttered as I walked to the buses, though I knew she couldn't hear me over the unruly noise of her engine. Maybe I was right to keep my distance. Maybe I should have never let my guard down. Maybe…

"Hey, Eddie!" Alice chirped.

I took my seat beside her on the bus.

"Hey." I acknowledged her unenthusiastically.

She scrunched her forehead, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Do people always lie when that question comes up?" She accused me.

I sighed and nodded, "Yes, yes they do." I admitted.

"Well…?" She pressed.

"Bella's acting weird. She hasn't really talked to me since I asked her out to your party tomorrow."

I would have thought that the very mention of her party would get her talking about decorations and how excited she is about it. But never underestimate Alice. Instead she became very quiet and when she did speak, her voice was slow, soft, and full of secrets.

"I think there's more to it than just you asking her to the party." The lines on her forehead deepened, "I talked to Bella about the other day. She is excited to go with you." Her sincere eyes locked with mine, "She really likes you, ya know."

I could tell she was hiding something and I felt the maddening itch to know exactly what she wasn't telling me. If there was something bothering Bella, I wanted to know about it. "What do you mean there's more to it than that? What else is there, Alice?"

She studied my eyes for a long moment. I could practically see the battle she was having with herself.

"Look," She finally said, "I'm not about to tell you things that you shouldn't hear from me. But there's much more to Bella and her past than you know…Things that are really hard for her to talk about. Just know that her mood has nothing to do with you. In fact," She placed her tiny hand reassuringly on my shoulder, "I think that if it weren't for you, she wouldn't be doing as well as she is now. You've helped her so much more than you know."

I tried to make sense of what she was saying, "I'm confused."

"I know." Her voice was pained, "But I've said too much already. The rest of it will have to come from Bella."

The bus was almost to my house, but I just realized…"Wait…You said she really likes me?"

A knowing smile brightened Alice's face, "That's exactly what I said. But I swear to God if you repeat what I said I'm going to kill you." Her face turned to me again, "She really, really likes you, Eddie."

A smile of my own spread across my face and lightened my mood as I considered this. She really, really liked me.

"Thanks, Alice." I said as the bus stopped near my house.

"Anytime, Eddie-boy!" I heard her call behind me as I got off the bus. I needed to talk to Bella. I just needed to hear her voice, make sure she was still real because I still wasn't sure if I was dreaming.

Pease enjoy the music while your party is being reached. The automated voice told me.

Don't wanna be an American idiot!

Don't wanna nation to dull the new media.

Hey can you hear the sounds of the stereo?

The subliminal mind fuck America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension

All across the idiot nation—

"Hello?" Bella's voice whimpered. Was she crying? I couldn't tell.

"Hey." I said softly.

"Oh…hey." She sniffled, "Sorry about earlier, I had a lot on my mind."

Oh God, she was hurting! What had happened? "Anything I can help with?" I nearly pleaded with her.

She laughed without humor, "I don't think anyone can help right now," Before I could argue with her she went on, "I have to go…See ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah…sure." I agreed, obvious confusion in my voice.

Click.

Wow. What the hell was going on?

I tried to keep myself occupied, with the only comforting thought being that I would see Bella tomorrow. I needed her to explain everything to me.

Bella POV

I was still gripping my phone, letting the tears flow freely now. I really just needed to be alone for a little while. That was the only way I could think and figure things out. The other day had been so horrifically chaotic. After Edward punched Mike, which I was unbelievably ecstatic about at the time, shit hit the fan.

Mike decided not to skip the entire gym class after all. Instead he stayed close by until class was over…

It usually took me longer to dress than the rest of the girls. My exceptional skill of injuring myself without anything dangerous around me, caused me to be extra careful while getting dressed. So it wasn't unusual that I was the last one out of the girls' locker room.

I'd just climbed into my jeans when I realized I wasn't really alone. Someone cleared their throat behind me, obviously trying to get my attention. I expected it to be Lauren with another snide remark about how big my butt was. I turned to look irritable at her. My heart dropped and I froze. It was Mike.

"I never got use to seeing you with only your panties on." He said with a smug smile on his face. Even from this distance I could smell the alcohol fuming off of his foul breath.

"What the hell are you doing here, Mike?" I spat at him, "I thought Edward made it clear not to bother me anymore." I reminded him of the blood still drying his lip.

He pulled back his lips, growling, "No one tells me what I can and cannot do, you little bitch." Mike crossed the space between us quickly and took a hold of my arm so tightly it made me yelp. "You got that?" He snarled in my face.

"Fuck off." I'd intended to sound much tougher. In its place, however, my voice broke and shook along with the rest of my body. I'd been use to this before. It came back to me now, but I didn't think I could get use to it again.

Mike's roaring laughter echoed throughout the locker room, "What did I just tell you about telling me what to do?" There was humor in his voice, but nowhere in his eyes. He squeezed my arm harder.

"Stop it! You're hurting me!" I cried in pain.

"Good." He chuckled, "Now tell that pussy-ass punk boyfriend of yours that he needs to respect power and stay away what is rightfully mine."

I glared at him in confusion, "What do you mean? What is rightfully yours?"

His face contorted in fury, "You are rightfully mine." He hissed.

My mind went wild with emotion, "I'm not yours in any way, jackass! We're not together, don't you get it? I never was and never will be yours!" I screamed at him.

He laughed again, "Oh, you're so cute when you get angry and lie to yourself." He leaned close to me slowly, pressing his body up against mine, forcing me to back up into the lockers. The locker handles stabbed into my spine, but he kept pushing himself up against me. We were cheek to cheek, his mouth near my ear. The stench of alcohol was overwhelming. "Don't you remember what we had, Isabella? It was so special." His body shook with suppressed laughter. He was enjoying himself, "You will always be mine."

"Yes, I remember what we had." I spat in his ear, "It was nothing but a waste of time. I should have never gotten involved with a cocksucker like you." I could hardly breathe to say the words with his body crushing me.

A growl at the back of Mike's throat should have warned me to brace myself. Where were my reflexes when I really needed them?

He threw me away from him and into some benches by a nearby wall. It was a miracle I didn't crack my skull on the wall when I hit it.

Another boisterous, condescending laugh, "Just remember what I said."

I could hear Mike turn to leave and listened to his loud footsteps going down the hall. Once I knew I was safe, I began to ache all over. I couldn't stop my groaning and gasps as I tried to stand up. My nerves were shot, my arm and back hurt like hell, and I was in a murderous mood I knew I'd have to get rid of before I saw Edward.

I wanted to call Edward back, tell him how sorry I was for today and that I wanted to see him as soon as possible. But I knew it was best to be alone.

I looked at the clock. Four o'clock. My family, if you could even call them that, would be home in a little bit. So, I took off. I left to find the only place which still held some peace for me.

Edward POV

I tried to keep myself occupied, but nothing worked. Studying held no benefit. I would simply start thinking about Bella and completely forget the last few pages I just read. I also attempted to play games on my computer. I lost every single game. The television never held much interest for me, so that was out. I couldn't even play the piano I was so distracted and bewildered.

I left my house, not knowing exactly where I was going, but the chilled air of wintery dusk felt good. I'd walked all the way to town before the sun started to set. That's when I realized where I was headed. I was going to the spot Bella and I would always go to when we hung out. To the swings by the river. It seemed to be the only place which held some sense for me now. Maybe I could figure out what was going on with Bella. That was all that was of any real importance to me.

I passed the no-name pizzeria and reluctantly smiled, remembering when Bella and I first hung out there. I wish she were with me now. She'd probably say how my black olive and pepperoni pizza was disgusting and I'd make fun of her pineapple pizza. Fruit on pizza is just wrong. I laughed silently. That's probably exactly what I would have told her too, just as I'd done dozens of other times. Then she'd start rambling on about how fruit makes pizza healthy.

I was just past the pizzeria when I saw her. Bella. She was sitting in her typical spot on the swings, staring out into the gleaming orange water. But I couldn't take my eyes off of her. As I got closer I could see her blotchy face, puffy eyes, and a stray tear racing down her cheek. I restrained myself from running to her, holding her in my arms, and attempting to kiss her tears away. I wasn't sure what I should do. She hadn't wanted to see me today for some reason. I still couldn't understand why.

I was fairly close to her and still at a loss for words. But she'd heard me and turned slowly to face me. Emotion filled her expression, allowing more tears to come, as she jumped off of the swing and leaped into my arms. Bella shook and trembled and sobbed with my arms wrapped tightly around her.

"What's going on, Bells?" I asked her after a few moments when I thought the tears had finally subsided.

She looked up from my wet-spotted jacket at me and bit her lip. "I want to. I jus…"

I pulled her hair out of her face and behind her ears, "Why won't you tell me?" I whispered softly.

"It's hard."She admitted, biting her lip again.

I nodding in understanding, "I know what you mean. But I think we need to get everything out. I now I do." I sighed, "I'm ready to confide in you if you are."

We sat in our spots on the swings as she told me everything. She told me about Mike and his struggles with alcohol. How he hit her…how he manipulated and lied to her. She even told me about Mike finding her in the girls' locker room the other day. I felt my blind rage pulling my hands into fists, ready for another fight with him. I was ready to kill. I don't think it would have bothered me if I'd killed him, it would have been a justified murder, a righteous kill. Every time she would mention his slaps or punches, I thought of ways to make him pay for what he'd done to her. Mike hurt Bella. That's all I needed to know. Everything else he had done, (the verbal abuse, the degradation), fueled my desperate need for revenge.

"Oh, Edward, it was terrible." Bella nearly sobbed through clenched teeth when she was done.

I could not let her suffer anymore. I swiftly took her in my arms, trying to protect her from the one thing I couldn't: her mind. It seemed as though her legs just refused to hold her slight figure upright any longer and I crumpled with her into the cold hard grass. I held her as close to me as I possibly could in our tangled awkwardness.

We were silent for a long time, sitting there holding each other. I ignored my cramping, burning muscles. I would hold her for all of time if I could have.

"Please," She begged into my jacket, "Tell me. Tell me about you. I want to know everything."

I nodded. I knew what she meant, which part of my life she wanted me to tell her. And for the first time, I was ready to tell it.