September
Bella's POV
I scowled at my paper as I hastily wrote down the extra credit work on the board. One month into the school year and I already felt like I was drowning. Six classes probably wasn't the best idea. I checked my watch and growled in my throat. I had fifteen minutes to get the kids.
"Hi, I'm Mike."
I looked up, startled at a pair of friendly brown eyes set in a smiling freckled face. I stared at the guy blankly for a beat. The grin widened.
"This is the part where you introduce yourself," he teased.
I flushed. "Sorry. Bella." I glanced back at the board to make sure I'd gotten everything then started to shove my things in my bag. I realized he was still talking.
"I'm sorry?" I looked up at him apologetically.
He grinned again. "I was commenting on how much more difficult this class is than I thought it would be."
I stood up and slung my bag over my shoulder. "Yeah, math was never my strongest subject anyway. Luckily I've only got to have three semesters of it." I started towards the door. He was right behind me, pulling on his own backpack.
"So I've seen you around campus. You live here?"
"I live in town with some roommates," I explained. "Since I'm paying out of state tuition, it was cheaper to live in my grandparents' old house."
"Out of state, cool. Where are you from?"
"Texas."
He grinned. "Awesome. Do you like, have a ranch down there?"
I rolled my eyes. "No, no ranch, no horses, no cowboy hats. My mom grew up here and she and my dad only moved down there about 20 years ago."
"Oh cool. So, hey, can I get your number and give you a call sometime?"
I froze and looked up at him. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Your number. Maybe we could go on a date, dinner or a movie or something."
"Oh." I stood there, feeling confused. "Um, ok."
I held out my hand for his cell phone and quickly punched in my number and hit send so I would have his number too. I looked up at him and smiled. "I've got to run. Nice to meet you."
Luckily we were at my car at that point so we parted ways and I hurried to get the kids.
It was a quiet day for me, they had swimming lessons until 4, so I sat in the parents' area and worked on the extra credit math problems. I was about halfway through when their lessons ended and we piled into the car.
"Do you know how to swim, Bella?" asked Hillary.
"I do. My big brother taught me when I was Todd's age."
"Is Jasper your brother?" asked Todd.
"No, he's my cousin."
"Like Riley's our cousin?"
I had no idea who Riley was. "Sure."
We pulled up at my house and the kids ran next door as was the routine. I followed behind them and opened the door. Buster nearly knocked us over in his excitement. Todd dropped to his knees and started playing with him while Hillary ran upstairs to change. I headed into the kitchen to put together their snack. After swimming they were always ravenous, so I made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and poured glasses of milk.
"Snack time," I called. Todd came running in and threw himself into his chair, reaching for the sandwich. I raised my eyebrows. "Hands."
He groaned but headed off to the half bath to clean up. Hillary passed him in the dining room. "I already washed my hands," she announced, holding them up for my inspection.
I waved her to the table. "Do you want windows or puzzles?" I asked as I picked up the knife to cut the sandwich.
"What's that?" she asked confused.
I laughed. "It's how my mom would cut my sandwiches. Saying squares or triangles was boring so she would say windows or puzzles."
"Oh. Can I have puzzles please?"
I grinned. "Of course."
"I want windows," announced Todd, holding his hands up to me.
I set their sandwiches down and they dug in. I ate my own standing up at the counter while I cleaned up the little bit of mess I'd made.
When the kids were done, Todd went to change and Hillary started on her homework. I retrieved my bag from the living room and joined her at the table in the attic. Todd joined us shortly after and settled down to his own homework. We sat in quiet company for the next couple of hours while we worked.
I was packing up my things when my phone rang. I frowned, not recognizing the number. I answered it anyway.
"Hello?"
"Hey Bella, its Mike."
"Mike," I repeated, drawing a blank. Then it clicked. "Oh Mike. Hi! I didn't expect you to call so soon."
He laughed. "Sorry, I just couldn't wait. I've been working up the courage for the last month to ask you out so I figured I should do it before I completely lost my nerve."
I chuckled. "All month, huh? Am I that intimidating?"
Hillary looked at me curiously. "What does intimidating mean?"
I covered the mouth piece with my hand. "Scary."
"Oh." She went back to her math problems.
"Hello?"
"Sorry Mike, you caught me at work. Can I call you back in about an hour? I should be done by then."
"Oh yeah, sorry. I really just wanted to see if you were free tonight."
"Tonight. Wow, that's soon."
"Yeah, why draw out the agony any more, you know?"
I grinned. "Let me check and see if my roommates have anything planned for the evening and I'll get back to you."
"Cool. You've got my number so I'll talk to you later."
"Ok, bye." I flipped the phone closed and grinned at it. This was actually kind of exciting.
"Was that your boyfriend?" asked Hillary curiously.
I laughed. "No, I don't have a boyfriend. That was just a boy in my class at school."
"Ok." She went back to her schoolwork again.
Todd looked up at me thoughtfully. "Do you kiss boys, Bella?"
I felt my face flare up. "Sometimes. Why?"
"I'm just wondering. Sometimes Mom and Dad kiss. And people in movies kiss. And I saw some big kids at school kissing."
"What's kissing like?" asked Hillary.
I felt like a fish out of water. How was I supposed to explain all this? "It's hard to describe," I said finally. "You kind of just have to experience it for yourself. But neither of you are old enough. You have to be at least a teenager."
Hillary rolled her eyes. "I'm almost a teenager. I will be next spring."
I grinned. "Well, then you'll get to talk about all sorts of stuff with your mom and kissing might be on that list."
She sighed. "I think it embarrasses her. I asked her once where babies come from and she started talking about birds and bees. What do bugs have to do with babies?" she looked up at me puzzled.
I stifled a laugh. "Well, it's just a complicated process. And sometimes moms and dads get confused as to what is the best way to explain it."
"Oh." Todd's brow was furrowed. "When do you think they'll try to tell me?"
I shrugged. "My parents told me and my brother at the same time and I was seven and he was ten. I think it's different for different families."
I was saved from further questions by Anne arriving. The kids gave her hugs before getting back to their homework.
"Anne, can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked as I pulled my bag onto my shoulder.
"Sure," she said with an uneasy smile. "Is everything ok?"
"Yeah, everything's fine," I laughed softly, pulling her downstairs. "I had a call from a friend of mine earlier and after I hung up they started asking me about kissing and that led to where babies come from." Her face paled and her eyes widened. "I didn't tell them anything," I said quickly, "but I think you should know that the talk you had with Hillary really just confused her and Todd is getting curious, too. So…it may be time to…go there."
She sighed. "I've been dreading this. I'm not good at that kind of conversation. My own mom just gave me a book."
"If you're honest I think they'll be fine. They're smart, good kids. They just want to know what's going on in the world and how things get there."
She nodded. "Thanks for letting me know. Have a good evening, Bella."
I grinned and headed down to the first floor while she headed back up to the attic.
As I was crossing the yards my cell phone rang again. I checked and rolled my eyes. Mike again. "So are you stalking me now?" I teased as I answered.
He laughed. "I'm impatient, what can I say."
"Well, I'm just now getting home." I dropped my backpack on the couch in the living room. "My roommate Edward is here somewhere. Let me see if he knows what's going on, hold on a sec." I pressed the phone to my chest.
"Edward! Where are you?"
"My room," he called back faintly.
I groaned and headed upstairs. I was out of breath by the time I got to the attic. He was sitting at his desk working on his laptop. He turned and raised an eyebrow at me. "I always knew I could make you breathe heavy for me," he teased.
I rolled my eyes. "Do we have anything going on tonight?"
He shook his head. "Not that I know. We've all gotten a little swamped with homework so I guess it's that. Why, you have an idea?"
"No, a possible date."
He sat back looking stunned. "A date?"
I nodded and held up the phone before pressing it back against my chest. "A guy in my math class wants to know if I'm free tonight and I just wanted to make sure I wasn't skipping out on anything here."
"Um, no, not that I know of." The smile that had been on his face when I came in was gone now. I wondered about it but Mike was still on the phone. I headed back down to my room.
"Mike?"
"Yeah."
"Sorry about that. The only one home is the one who lives in the attic. I'm free tonight if you're serious about doing something."
"Completely. Pick you up at 7?"
"Ok." I gave him the address then flipped the phone closed. I thought about my backpack downstairs then looked up at the ceiling. I sighed and headed back upstairs.
Edward was still sitting at his desk but he wasn't working anymore. Instead he was scowling at the screen.
"Computer being uppity?" I asked as I sat down on the bed and leaned back on my elbows.
He looked up at me with annoyance. "No. Just frustrated. School is starting to get to me."
I quirked an eyebrow at him. "So is that everything that's bothering you?"
He frowned at me. "Why would you think there was something else?" he demanded.
"Because of the way your attitude changed when I was up here earlier." I studied him for a moment. "Oh my lord, are you jealous that I have a date?" I gasped.
He scowled. "No." I was so right.
I swallowed a smile. "So you're jealous I get to go out tonight while you're stuck here with homework?"
His jaw worked like he was trying to keep himself from saying something. "Maybe," he finally allowed. "Seriously, I'm just frustrated."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I muttered. I stood up and stretched. "Well, I've got about 30 minutes before Mike shows up so I need to go make myself look cute." I gave him a shoulder hug as I passed.
Alice and Jasper were coming up the stairs as I descended. Alice raised her eyebrows at me. "I've got a date," I announced, cutting off the inevitable teasing questions. "A guy from my math class. He'll be here at 7."
Alice grinned. "Oh, I'm so helping you get ready." She shoved her backpack at Jasper and hurried down the hall. She grabbed my arm and pulled me into my room.
She quickly dressed me in tight jeans and a flirty top with some black heels. I swiped on some mascara and lip gloss while Alice played with my hair a little.
"I wish I had more time," she tsked. "When did he ask you out?"
"A couple hours ago."
She laughed. "So you're using him to get at Edward, right?"
I rolled my eyes. "Hardly, though I think he is somewhat jealous."
She grinned. "Fuck yeah he's jealous. He wants to be the one taking you out."
I stuck my tongue out at her in the mirror. The doorbell rang then and my heart skipped a beat.
"Cripes," I muttered. "I haven't been on a date in months. Maybe this isn't such a good idea."
"Whatever. You'll be fine. Just don't put out on the first date. Makes you look cheap."
I laughed as we headed down the stairs.
Mike was standing in the living room, talking to Jasper and Emmett. He had on khaki pants and a blue polo shirt. I noticed for the first time that he had short blond hair. He grinned up at us.
"Hey, Bella, you look great."
I smiled. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself."
We headed down the steps to a waiting truck outside. Mike helped me in and we headed out.
"So are you from any part of Texas I might have heard about?" he asked conversationally.
I grinned. "Most people have only heard of Dallas and Houston. I was born in the Dallas area but most recently I hail from the Austin area."
"Where's Austin?"
"South of Dallas about 3 hours."
He frowned. "How far is 3 hours?"
I laughed. "I forget everyone else generally gauges distance by miles instead of hours. It's around 180 miles pretty straight south of Dallas."
He nodded. "So have you ever been to the South Fork Ranch?"
I stared at him in confusion. "The where?"
"South Fork. You know, from the TV show 'Dallas.'"
"Oh. I never saw it and I was pretty young when we left Dallas. Whenever I go up there, we generally just do some shopping or see something like a play or a movie or whatever. There's not tons of touristy stuff there."
"What about the place where JFK was shot?"
I shook my head. "I haven't been there, either."
He frowned. "So where have you been that I might have heard of?"
I rolled my eyes. "Heard of Chicago, New York, D.C.? I've been to all those places and more. When a place is your home state you just generally don't do much sight-seeing there."
"You've at least been to the Alamo, right?"
I laughed. "Yeah, a few times. San Antonio is close to Austin."
"What's San Antonio?"
I groaned. It was going to be a long night.
Edward's POV
I scowled at the screen. I couldn't focus on anything. I'd been rereading the same damn thing for three hours now, ever since Bella left on her date. And where the hell did they go that they were gone for three hours?
I growled and ran my fingers through my hair. I was tired and just needed to get to bed. I had an 8 am class in the morning and I wasn't looking forward to the drive. I stripped down and hopped in the shower, hoping the hot water would relieve some of the tension in my shoulders.
Twenty minutes later I was lying in bed trying to sleep. I couldn't. I'd gotten spoiled sleeping next to Bella every night, or most nights. Every night I was without Rosalie anyway.
The house was quiet. Everyone was either sleeping or studying. Or out. I thumped my pillow and rolled over. Why was this getting to me so much? Why was I so bugged about her being on a date with some guy? I didn't have any real claim on her. I was just her friend. A friend who shared her bed most nights, and wanted to fuck her senseless but a friend. I'd made that clear and she'd stuck to the boundaries. Besides, I shouldn't care if she was dating if all I wanted was sex, right?
I heard footsteps on the stairs up to my room and I sat up, wondering who the hell was coming upstairs. Bella's head popped up above the floor. She smiled when she saw me sitting up in bed.
"Waiting up for me?" she teased.
"Fuck no, I was doing homework. Plus, I'm in bed, as you can clearly see."
She grinned. "So are we sleeping up here or separately tonight?"
"Well, I'm already in bed here."
"Ok. Give me a minute to change and brush my teeth and I'll be up." She disappeared downstairs, humming to herself.
I scowled. Apparently the date had gone well. That only made me angrier. She reappeared a little while later wearing shorts and a camisole that I absolutely loved. They were made of some soft silky pale pink material. Her hair was in a long braid and her face was freshly scrubbed.
She pulled the covers back and crawled in next to me, sighing softly as she settled against the pillow. She looked over at me expectantly.
I looked back at her. She almost looked like a little kid with her face all shiny and her hair braided like that.
"Well?"
"Well what?" I asked.
"Aren't you going to ask me how it went?"
I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't aware I was a junior high girl."
She punched me lightly in the arm. "It was fun, for your information. He took me to dinner at Chili's and then we went to the drive in."
I bristled. "The drive in?"
"Yeah. Some lame movie was showing so we spent the time talking." She yawned. "He's pretty boring, but nice. I might go out with him again."
I laughed. "If he's boring why go out with him again?"
She gave a one shouldered shrug. She was falling asleep. "Cause he's the only one asking, I guess. I need to do more than work and school and cook for y'all. I need some kind of outside social interaction, right? And I'm not about to join a sorority."
I grinned. That's my girl.
"So, for now anyway, it's Mike."
She was falling asleep fast, so I kissed the top of her head and pulled her against my chest. "Well, just make sure he knows we'll kick his ass if he hurts you. Or if you just want us to."
She smiled and pressed a light kiss against my chest.
"My hero."
I studied her for a moment. "Bella?" I whispered.
"Mmm?" she murmured, clearly almost asleep.
"Did you kiss him?"
"No. I don't put out on the first date. Makes you look cheap." Her voice was slurred slightly.
I chuckled softly. "Kissing isn't putting out."
"I didn't do that, either."
I grinned into the darkness. That made me happier than it should.
***
Tali: Yes, I know. Three chapters in like, 24 hours. I've got tons written and I'm eager to get it published. (Seriously just took three tries to type that and all included the letter g.) I haven't written up the later chapters yet, so I'm trying to pace myself so I don't catch up resulting in a lull. I spent the last couple of hours after work doing some rewrites that I think make it a little more interesting...we shall see...hehe
Enjoy!
