.

Disclaimer: *limps in with broken leg and amputated arm* I got beat up today because I told someone Twilight was mine. So yeah. It's not.

A/N: Fun chapter with lots o' Alice and tons o' Edward. Just the way I like it.

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Bella

Alice ran the paintbrush over my nails with perfect precision, her head slightly cocked as she inspected my nails and talked at the same time. And yes, it was an actual paintbrush. She was painting my nails with the paintbrush from her paint-set that her stepfather in New York (whom Edward said she loathed) gave her. It was kind of unfathomable that Alice would hate anyone, and I guess she never said that she hated her stepfather, but Edward knows these types of things.

In any case, I had some dark blue, expensive, New Yorker paint on my nails. It looked great, but I kind of wondered if it was Alice's big 'go to hell' to her stepfather.

Edward was working a later shift today because apparently Alice forcibly took him shopping the other day and now he needed money so he could not starve to death. Of course, I told him it would definitely not be a problem to feed him, but you know how men are with their anti-codependency issues.

Alice said that a 'decent t-shirt and some non-hobo jeans' came out of the trip, but I guess that doesn't really tell me exactly how the trip went.

Edward's been hinting that I'm next on Alice's shopping hit-list, and before today I had scoffed at that because Alice, the Alice, would never take me shopping.

But then she offered to paint my nails as we sat on the curb outside Speedway. Completely natural. Completely at ease. Completely not awkward. She was doing most of the talking, about random stuff and what funny thing Edward did to this chubby 6-yr-old in Speedway and Jasper, who I learned was Alice's boyfriend of two years (as well as a bit of a hippie, from what she's told me).

You'd think that with hanging out with a girl, you'd have to go through most of the motions of talking, getting to know them, visiting their house, getting their cell number, talking on the phone at night, etc….but with Alice, it was like she'd known me her whole life. Her painting my nails and laughing and chattering vividly about her boyfriend.

I suspected maybe she did this with all her friends, but I had the sneaking suspicion that she didn't have too many close friends. So I didn't analyzes it any further, watching the sky turn darker than the color on my nails and enjoying Alice's eerily calming company.

"So what are you going to wear to the pie fight?" Alice asked like it wasn't completely random and out of the blue.

Also, Alice was over at our house the other day. She stayed for a while, and once Charlie came, he was a total goner. Alice had this charm, you see, and I'm pretty sure no one could resist it. Naturally, we were allowed to go the pie fight (with proper ground rules, of course). But for the rest of the week, I hadn't really thought about it too much.

Until now.

"Um, anything I'm willing to lose?" I said like it was a question, shrugging.

"Yeah, I guess that's my issue then," Alice sighed, "There is no item of clothing I'm willing to lose."

I also had the sneaking suspicion Alice could turn any ratty object into the most beautiful piece of clothing you had ever seen. Today, she was wearing a red and white polka dot dress with some black Converses and yellow tube-socks that went up mid-calf.

She smiled up at me.

"Are you excited?" she asked.

"I guess," I laughed as she added little white polka dots to the nail on my middle finger, "I've never been to a pie fight before…"

"Well, that's the fun in it, right?"

"I'm just afraid I'll slip on something and have to be taken to the ER."

"It'll be unforgettable, then," Alice beamed, laughing, "And you'll have the scars to prove it."

"Yeah, how embarrassing," I said, rolling my eyes, "Showing off my battle scars from a pie fight."

"A record breaking pie fight," Alice corrected, poking me with the end of her paintbrush. I laughed and we fell into a comfortable silence. Alice was painting a little pink heart on the middle finger nail of my other hand.

"Hey, wanna see something cool?" Alice asked suddenly, dropping the paintbrush into the paint set and looking at me with a gleam in her eyes.

"Sure…?" I said hesitantly. This made Alice laugh, and she snapped her little wooden paint-set closed, holding it by the handle like it was a lunch box. She stood up, hooked her elbow with mine, and yanked up me. We walked past the nail salon and the little Mexican restaurant, Alice talking about how she was taking her break here with Edward when they had thought of the 'idea'.

We got to the end of the strip mall and walked behind the scuba-gear store where there was grass peeking out from the concrete and dust and, more importantly, huge garbage bins.

I raised my eyebrows at Alice who grinned at me.

"You'll see," she promised, leading us to an abandoned, rusty, metal garbage bin that was as wide as my wingspan. She tossed a mischievous and amused look up at me as she unhooked her arm, grabbing the bin and turning it on its wheels so that the back was facing forwards.

"It's our own little makeshift scrapbook!" Alice chirped, clapping her hands together as I looked at the back of the bin.

There were polaroids. Not too many, but there were a few. They were taped on the back. Of course, the first one I noticed was the one of Edward giving the camera (which Alice was probably holding) the middle finger. There was another of some pink and blue cupcakes in a package, another of Alice sticking her tongue out at the camera, one of an old lady with a biker's jacket and a blue Mohawk, another of some little kid licking the bar of a shopping cart, one of Edward's ratty Converse-covered feet standing next to Alice's fluffy pink bunny slippers, one of me sitting on my kitchen counter with my legs crossed with a salad mixing bowl in my lap and my face turned towards an open window, and one of Charlie with his coffee mug in his hand and his wrinkly-eyed grin.

I smiled at all of them and then pointed to the one of me.

"When did you take that one?" I asked curiously.

"I didn't. Edward did."

"Really? When? And how did I not notice?"

"He's stealthy. Being an adolescent criminal and all."

"Did Edward take that one too?" I asked, pointing to the one of Charlie.

"Probably. I mean, I didn't."

"I wonder how he got Charlie to smile that early in the morning…"

"Kid's a charmer."

I laughed, still inspecting all of them with a grin.

"Wow," I said at last, leaning back from my inspection, "That's amazing."

I was touched that there was a picture of me in their little behind-the-trash-can memorabilia.

"I got the camera sometime last week, and just started taking pictures," Alice explained, pointing to the one of her sticking her tongue out, "And when Edward took this one, I decided to keep all the pictures. A scrapbook seemed so…official…and it didn't really fit, you know? So I found this place during break and we taped up the pictures."

"And Edward has the camera now?"

"Yeah, he's a camera hogger," Alice replied, rolling her eyes, "We're supposed to take turns."

"Your boss doesn't mind?"

"Nahhh. As long as we don't break or steal anything or assault the customers, he doesn't give shit."

I was still looking at the picture of me, this time with more curiosity. Why did Edward take one of me? And what made him want to take a picture of me like that?

"Alice?" I heard Edward's voice call out from around the corner. Alice and I looked up to see Edward walking towards us with the camera around his neck. He smiled when he saw me and my heart pounded like always. I had almost gotten used to the heart palpitations by now.

He was wearing a yellow t-shirt with what appeared to be words written in black sharpie around the hem and around the collar-area. He still had his green Speedway vest on and a thin white dish towel tucked into the front pocket of his jeans.

"You like it?" he asked me, walking over to us. I nodded and smiled.

"When did you take this one of me?" I asked, pointing to it.

"I think it was a Tuesday…" he said, his eyes up to the sky as he pondered this, "I don't remember. But I thought for sure you would catch me."

"Yeah, my reflexes are real cat-like," I said, rolling my eyes. He laughed and raised a polaroid up between his fingers, smiling his lazy crooked smile.

"New one," he said simply. Alice and I leaned in closer to look at it. It was of a baseball with a fork stabbed through it. Alice snorted and I smiled.

"Some little kid was throwing a tantrum in the silverware aisle and stabbed his baseball with it. His mother got pissed, obviously, and threw the ball away."

"So you picked it up," Alice finished. Edward simply grinned at her.

"Here, I'll put it up," Alice continued, snatching it out of his fingers and popping open her art kit. She pulled out a roll of scotch tape and taped up the picture next to the one of Charlie.

The three of us looked at it, seeing how it fit. And it did. So I smiled again.

"Bella?" Edward asked, breaking the silence and looking at my hands, "Why did you let her do that to you?"

Alice stuck her tongue out, hopping up and grabbing the camera from around Edward's neck. She then kicked him in the shin and skipped off in a huff. Edward and I laughed, walking after her. He reached over to me, hooking his finger around the belt loop of my jeans and pulling me towards him so we fell into the same step. I noticed, from growing a casual friendship with him in the past week or so, that he did things like this. Carefree or happy or just mellow, he'd tug at the hem of my shirt to get my attention or pull me by my belt loops. He did the same thing Alice, and I noticed it was completely normal and friendly and playful and the way Edward was. Like hooking arms with a best friend or walking with your arms around each other's waist.

That didn't stop the fact that it still made my heart pound and my palms sweat.

But I played it off well. God, Bella, he was just being friendly. And I should've been overjoyed that he was being casual and carefree with me now, because that meant our friendship was growing. I was. But apparently my adrenal glands didn't get the message.

Story of my life, right?

"Sorry for keeping you late," he said, "I should've told you I was working the extra shift."

"It's fine," I said, "I got to hang out with Alice."

"Yeah and you let her molest your nails."

"Well, I think it's pretty."

"Is that a heart on your middle finger?"

"Um….yes," I laughed.

"That's ironic. And completely Alice."

I smiled, glad Alice left a part of herself on my nails. Because I realized I rather liked hanging out with her and Edward. It was fun, and I don't think I've ever been so laid back in my life. They were just so easygoing and different from the people in Forks. And I felt a strange sense of freedom when I hung out with them. Must be the vibe they gave off.

"What are you getting for dinner?" I asked him, noticing we were walking with our hips brushing since Edward pulled me closer.

"Well, it's getting kinda late," he sighed, "Wanna go pick up some food at the Mexican place over here?"

"That sounds good. I'll pick up something for Charlie."

When we got to the front of the strip mall, I noticed Edward's backpack resting on the roof of my truck. I was about to ask, but then Alice came skipping up to me, kissing me on the cheek.

"I'll call you," she chirped in a genuine Alice-way. She turned to Edward, patting him on his cheek before pinching it and wiggling it around like a great-aunt would. Edward swatted her hand away and Alice laughed, skipping away.

"Bye!" she called out to us as she made her way to her Porsche with a messenger bag covered with newspaper swinging around her shoulder.

"Ow," Edward mumbled, rubbing his cheek, "Did she leave a mark?"

He leaned closer to me and damnit, Bella, he's asking you a question and all you can do is inhale his pretty and exhilarating scent.

"No, you're unblemished," I ensured, "But I don't think your backpack is."

I pointed to it where I saw green words painted on it. Edward looked over, laughing and cursing in one breath.

We walked over to it and saw the green painted letters in Alice's handwriting on the backpack:

I'm smelly.

"Wonderful," Edward sighed. I could only laugh. Because Alice did things like this. And it made the day more alive.

"It's okay," I said, "I don't think anyone will notice. And if they do, I don't think they'll really bother you about it."

"Why do you think that?"

I gave him an incredulous look. How did he not know half the student body was scared to death because he was such an enigma? Plus the rumors going around were so crazy I didn't even give them a second thought.

Which was a step forward for me, I guess. I wondered why exactly I didn't bother to listen to them…and I realized it was because my brain was all lax-ified by hanging out with Edward and Alice for the past few weeks. It was nice. Refreshing.

"You didn't hear that kid in Bio talking about how you chopped some kid's head of with an ax in your old school?" I asked, gaping.

"No," Edward said with a laugh, "Well that sure is a new one."

"Obviously. And they're afraid of you."

Edward just grinned smugly in response. I rolled my eyes and opened the door of my truck so I could grab my wallet.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked with a teasing smile as we walked towards the Mexican place. But I wasn't exactly how much of his question was teasing.

I just scoffed in response because I wasn't afraid, not of his friendship. What I was afraid of, however, was my reaction to his touch. That scared me to death.

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Edward

The white Styrofoam cartons were open and spread across the coffee table, the taste of Mexican hot sauce thick on my tongue and the smell of beef taco lingering in the air. Bella and I were sitting on the couch, Bella sitting horizontally and leaning her back against the armrest with her knees bent, the soles of her bare feet on the couch cushion. I was lying upside, my feet crossed and my heels resting on the top part of the couch, my back against the couch cushion, and my head dangling upside down.

Bella was doing homework, her laptop in her lap. She was idly talking to me, sometimes half-talking to herself, and I was just twiddling my thumbs and turning the dials on the little radio that I rested next to me on the couch cushion.

But mostly I was watching the way her mouth moved and the way her eyes traveled across the page and the way she smiled when I said something that made her amused or happy or giggly. She had this serene look on her face, and the windows were open to get the smell of Mexican food out, the wind blowing against her hair and rustling the loose parts of her shirt. It was almost angelic, and I felt myself swallowing nervously. Like it was already judgment day and I hadn't gone to Church nearly all my life.

She had warmed up to me in the past week, which I was thrilled about. She'd gotten a little less on edge after getting to know me, I guess, but I still had this strange urge to figure her out. She teased me about being so mysterious, but it was her with the occasional distant smiles and saddened eyes that frustrated me to know end because I wanted to know what caused them.

I wanted to know why she got this scrunched up look on her face when someone said something during class that she didn't agree with, but didn't speak up. I wanted to know why she got this fire in her eyes when she saw Lauren pushing some freshman boy around the other day, but didn't say anything. I wanted to know why she blushed when I pulled at her belt loops or accidentally kicked my foot with hers. I wanted to know every detail about her and then more.

It was border lining obsession. But I ignored that. Rationalizing and saying I was merely curious.

Merely. Ha.

I almost felt selfish at times for wanting to ask so much about her and not willing to share anything about myself, so I often bit my tongue when I was around her. I also didn't want to sound like a stalker, creepy, psychopathic freak because I had only just made her a friend, and I didn't want to scare her away, right?

"So what are you going to wear to the pie fight?" she asked as I blinked out of my haze. I realized I was still staring at her as I internally rambled.

"Anything. All my clothes are crap."

"Even the ones Alice made you buy?"

"Those are crap too. Pricey crap."

"Have you been to a pie fight before?"

"No."

"Neither have I."

I grinned at her and she grinned back.

"That's nice. So then we're pie fight virgins."

"Guess so," she chuckled/sighed.

She ducked her head back to her homework, a blush on her face now. I was still looking at her when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I sat up, swiveling myself around so I was sitting upright on the couch. I answered my phone.

"Hello?" I said.

"Edward," I heard Carlisle's voice say, sounding pleased, "How are you?"

Actually.

I lot better than I thought….I looked over at Bella again, who was giving me a puzzled look.

"Fine," I said, my voice returning to the curt tone most exiled people take with their exile-ers.

"Get into any trouble?"

"Is that why you're calling?"

"Edward," he sighed, "I'm checking up on you. Your mother and I miss you."

I flicked at the imaginary dust on my pants, scowling at my fingers.

"Well, I'm fine. All my body parts are intact, as well as the body parts of everyone I've met here. I'm well fed, the house is great, school is school, yes I've made friends, and I have a job," I said, huffing, "That cover it all?"

I didn't know why I was being an ass, but part of me was pissed because I feel like talking to Carlisle reminded Bella why I was really here, and in doing that, I'm afraid it was pushing her away from me. Surely she figured out who I was talking to be now. So, I wanted to be as quick as possible.

"Are these friends…"

"Law abiders? Yes."

"And how are you. Really. Be honest, son."

"Honestly," I huffed again, "I'm fine. Better, even."

"Better?"

"Believe it or not."

"All right….well, keep it up and we'll have you home in no time."

Home….?

"Okay."

"Bye, Edward."

"Bye."

I hung up, gazing at the cartons on the coffee table and watching, out of my peripheral vision, Bella shift around a little.

"Was that your dad?" she asked. I nodded with a sigh, smiling at her.

"He's just checking the death toll in Forks."

"Oh?" Bella laughed. Then she gave me a sincere and sheepish look.

"It sounds like he cares," she said plainly, making me do a double take.

"Yeah," I mumbled, picking at my jeans again, "I guess I'm lucky."

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"Are you bringing the camera to the pie fight?" Bell asked as she pulled out of the driveway, glancing at me.

It was another morning. Friday morning, actually, and tomorrow was the long-awaited pie fight. I couldn't tell if I was more excited for the actual throwing of pies, or the fact that Bella would be there as well as the throwing of pies. It should have alarmed me or notified me of the fact that I was forming a crush on Bella, but of course, I was too busy focusing on her blue, chipping nails on the steering wheel and her baggy plaid button down shirt that she stole from the cop when he grew out of it many years ago. She had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her hair tied in a pony tail that fell and rested on her right shoulder

I wanted her to wear my shirts.

Whoa where did that come from?

I shook myself out if it, reminding myself we had recently become rather close friends, and sexually assaulting her would not be a good idea. God, Edward, you fucking cavemen. Must be one of those mornings.

"Probably," I said, refocusing on answering her question as I rested my elbow out of the open window, "But I don't know how I'd carry it without it getting raped by pie bits…"

"True," Bella said, smiling lazily as she drove, her eyes on the road. She glanced up at me shyly, because maybe she saw me staring at her from the corner of my eye.

We both looked away, me smirking like a fool as I drummed my fingers on the side of the window and let the breeze blow through the car.

I thought back to when I was in California, riding in James' convertible with the top rolled down and our cigarettes dangling in our mouths because we thought we were so goddamn cool. The wind felt almost the same. Just apprehensive and cautious, as if it was a warning to me. But it was a bit brisker here in Forks, and suddenly I realized I hadn't been tempted to reach for my lighter since…since Bella and I started getting closer.

It should have struck me as strange, but of course, it didn't. We were friends, right? Good friends, maybe, and good friends help you get out of addiction.

Or start one.

I looked over at Bella as the scary thought crossed my mind. I looked away quickly, out the window, listening to her hum to herself because she was lost in her thoughts too.

And they always did warn me that addictions were bad.

But somehow, I decided it was too late. I was a bad seed when it came to listening. And by now I was too far gone.

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Bella

I had recently gotten into the habit of sitting next to Alice and Edward during lunch. It happened around last week or so, when Angela said she was sitting with Ben, her recent boyfriend. She asked if I wanted to join, of course, but I didn't want to intrude. The old, sickening, I-have-nowhere-to-sit feeling crept up through my skin and into my gut, but quickly went away when Edward bumped my hip with his, having heard Angela's and mine conversation, and asked if I wanted to sit with him today.

Completely casual. Friendly. Normal. I could do normal.

So I did. And now it'd become a regular occurrence.

Alice had fries, today, and already drowned them in ketchup and mayonnaise as Edward and I watched with similar expressions of disgust.

We sat across from her, our elbows on the table, subconsciously leaning away from Alice's gross food habits, and scrunched up faces.

"What?" Alice said when she saw us, popping open a champagne-shaped bottle of pink lemonade. She poured it into a pink plastic cup with a lemon sticker on it, and I decided not to ask.

"It looks like cat vomit," Edward said bluntly, his face still scrunched up.

"Oh ye of little faith," Alice said, not in the least bit offended because I'm guessing people have had this reaction before, "If thou dost not tryeth, thou shalt not taste deliciousness…eth."

"If thou speaketh of cat vomit, thou hast lost their fucking mind," Edward quipped. Alice just grinned at him.

"Bella will try it," she said.

"Nope. No, I definitely will not," I said immediately, shaking my head with wide eyes, "I'm rather against food poisoning."

Alice took a dramatic slow bite of a fry, but thank God she was using a fork. Edward and I cringed, Edward letting out a noise that sounded like 'disgusting'. Alice just laughed.

"Oh come on," she laughed again, "How will you two survive getting hit with pies if you can't watch me eat ketchup and mayonnaise-d fries?"

Edward picked up the polaroid camera from its resting spot on the seat next to him and snapped a picture of her, the camera making a loud 'zzzzzz' noise as the picture was taken and the polaroid came out. Alice, with a soggy, mayonnaise and ketchup drowned fry dangling from her lips, just scowled at Edward as we laughed, hard, at Alice's dumbstruck expression in the developing picture between Edward's fingers.

She snatched the camera from Edward's hands, but I only half-noticed because I was transfixed with Edward's eyes when he laughed, and it wasn't like my normal ogling today because we was staring back as we grinned at each other.

Snap. Zzzzzzzzzzz.

I jumped, looking over at Alice who had the camera to her face and the picture coming out. She stuck her tongue out at both of us and waved the picture away when Edward tried to snatch at it.

"You know," Alice said, grinning like the boy who avenged his father, "Jasper's got a chainsaw."

"Of course he does," Edward mumbled.

"So you two better watch yourselves," Alice said, pointing a finger at the both of us.

"Oh, I think we can handle Jasper," I laughed as Alice raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, we'll become his new soul mates when he sees this beautiful picture," Edward said, also laughing.

Alice flapped her own picture in our faces, flailing her arm so fast I couldn't even see what it was exactly of, but I knew it was of Edward and me.

She sat back down, crossing her arms to our quizzical gazes.

"Blackmail," she said plainly, "Bitches."

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I pulled my jacket closer to me, watching people roll in and out of Speedway with groceries and other random objects their children convinced them to get. It was getting dark, but this time Edward had warned me he was working late again.

I was early on purpose.

Alice wasn't working tonight, so I was leaning against my truck with one ear bud of my iPod in my left ear, tonight's reading for English in my hands. But I could hardly focus, so instead I watched the grey clouds in the sky turn into streams of air and back again, my mind wandering freely to nowhere. I was doing this a lot, I noticed. Dazing off and wistfully watching the clouds past. I wondered what had me so six feet under the stars instead of planted firmly in the ground.

I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, deciding to go visit the Trashbook, as Edward so lovingly nicknamed it. I shoved my hands in my pockets, leaving my reading inside my truck, and walked behind the end of the strip mall.

There was a single light bulb on the top of the wall, illuminating the metal trashcans back here. I stepped over fallen bins and avoided the beer bottles and soda cans on the ground. I got to the trash bin and turned it the way Alice had, trying to make as little noise as possible as I looked over my shoulder.

When I turned back, I noticed the picture of Alice already added, her eyes wide and her expression stupefied. I chuckled to myself, and was about to turn around when I noticed another addition to the Trashbook. It was of Edward and I in lunch, the one I expected Alice took. We were smiling at each other, our elbows on the table and Edward leaning towards me.

I was looking pretty pathetic, my eyes glued to his in a slightly (oh so slightly) adoring way that had me wondering if I always ogled at him like that. I hoped I was the only one who noticed my forlorn ogling, at least. I sighed at myself, and looked closer. Edward was grinning too, his eyes dancing in a way that, even in a stupid picture, had my heart pounding all over again. But there was something else too, something that mirrored mine. Like there was more here…

Something more than just casual friendship.

I nearly jumped when I felt someone tap me on my shoulder. I turned, and found Alice grinning that psychic's grin at me, all knowing and mystical.

"Oh Bella," she laughed, patting the side of my cheek, "I've known for a long time. Ever since the first day of school."

"What are you- I thought you weren't working tonight."

"I wasn't," she replied, her eyes shining with a far away gleam as she looked at the Trashbook, "But, you know, I had a feeling you'd be early."

She tossed a grin at me, looking innocent and joyful and chillingly correct.

"I still don't…" I tried.

Alice hooked her arm with mine, leading me away with a skip in her step.

"Come on, let's go inside. It's getting dark, and I made you green tea with apple scones."

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I love fries with ketchup and mayonnaise. It's pretty strange, I know, but I also love Oreos with peanut butter.

Anyway, enough about my odd food habits. Next chapter is the pie fight! Yay!

Review if you want Edward to tug on your belt loops…..