A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope that you all enjoy it. Thank you for all the reviews, I love getting feedback. Thank you to all of those who have read, favorited, and alerted. I know that I say this every time that I post a new chapter, but I mean it every time. Happy reading!

9. Kiss and Tell

"I got an A!" I exclaimed for what felt like the four hundredth time. Angela had to be getting sick of it by now. We were walking out of the school Tuesday afternoon, and I hadn't been able to get the smile to leave my face, for multiple reasons.

When Mr. Banner had given back our tests, at first I thought that I had gotten the wrong one until I saw my name at the top of it. I never that in a million years I would have gotten a 98.

"I know." she tried to sound excited, but failed.

"I'm sorry," I grabbed her arm, turning toward me, "I just never thought that would happen. I finally understood it."

"I get it, I do." she patted my hand on her arm, "It's just..."

"You wish that I would tone it down?" I finished for her.

She looked guiltily at me, "Yes."

"Don't feel bad, I'll try to keep my mouth shut." I closed my mouth, zipping it and throwing away the key for dramatic affect.

She laughed, "I don't think that anything is going to keep your mouth shut about this."

"You're probably right." I agreed, laughing.

"I can't believe that your mom was as cool as she was about the whole Edward thing." we were just stepping out of the front of the school into the sunny day.

"I can't either, especially after the freeze out that she gave me," I stopped walking for a second, "I was expecting her to tell me that I couldn't see him again, but didn't."

"Do you know how long you are grounded for?" she adjusted her bag on her shoulder.

"No," we started walking again, "she won't tell me. Why?"

"I'm dying not being able to hang out with my best friend." she groaned, "I love my mom, but there is only so much that we can do together before I want to rip her hair out. I don't know how you and your mom do it."

"I don't either. Trust me, we drive each other crazy, too."

"As soon as you can, call me. I want to have a brownie and movie binge as soon as possible. Agreed?" she stuck her pinky, and I took it.

"Agreed. I can't wait for that either."

"I don't know what to do with you grounded."

My mom had never grounded me before, although, before this, I had never given her a reason to. I didn't even know she knew how to say the words. It felt foreign, and I didn't like it.

"I don't either."

"Can I be you for a day?" she motioned her head to the bike rack where Edward was once again waiting for me. "I want all the details, I am living vicariously through you here."

"You don't have to. I like Ben would jump at the chance to go out with you," I teased, making her groan.

"That ship has sailed. I don't even want to hear his name." she plugged her ears and making a disgusted face.

"I won't bring him up again, I promise." I hugged her, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya," she looked at me with a stern face, gripping my shoulders, "remember I want all the details."

"Okay, mom."

She hit my arm, "I resent that."

"Whatever," I put my arms up in defense.

"I am not your mother."

"Whatever stops the tears."

"I am never going to win with you," she surrendered, "you're much better at comebacks then I am."

"You just wish you had my talent."

"You better go," she pushed me in his direction, "you don't want to be late for work."

"Yeah, I don't want another reason for my mom to be mad at me right now." I waved to her as I walked away.

"Hello," he greeted me with a smile.

"Hi." I smiled back, it being contagious.

"Everything okay?" his eyes looked in Angela's direction.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Just girl talk." his hand took mine as we started to walk.

"What about?" his face told me that he already knew.

"Just stuff." I replied coolly.

"It was about me." it wasn't a question.

"You're very cocky." I hit him lightly on the chest with my free hand, feeling the firmness under my hand.

"You're not denying it, so it must be true."

"I didn't say that it was or wasn't."

"But it is."

I decided to play with him, dropping his hand and walking ahead of him, "It's not true."

"You're such a bad liar." he gripped my waist, pulling me tight against his chest so that I couldn't move, the scent of his cologne filled my nose, the smell intoxicating.

"I am not lying!" I laughed.

"I know you better than that, Bella." his arms tightened around me, "Tell the truth, and I'll let you go." his voice was serious.

"Why is this so important to you? Does your ego need that big of a bust?" I teased.

"Yes," he pulled me into an alley a few buildings away from the bookstore. He pushed my back against the bricks, facing him. His face was filled with humor filled expression.

"If I had known you were so egotistical, I would have thought twice before talking to you at the party." the banter between us was so easy, found that I really liked to push his buttons, and he made it so easy.

"I highly doubt that." he smiled down at me.

"Why did you talk to me at the party? You could have just let it go." I asked, all humor aside. Other than the accident, I couldn't think of a logical reason that he would have wanted to talk to me.

"I had seen you before, Bella." he stepped back, leaning against the opposite wall, "I started working at my brother's theater last summer and I saw you and Angela there, a lot. You caught my eye, which I know you don't think is possible because I can see it written all over your face now, but you did. I spent the whole summer trying to figure out a way to talk to you, but I chickened out every time. When I turned the corner and realized that I had run into you, it just gave me an excuse to start a conversation. I just didn't think that it would be a Newton's party."

I tried to think back to the summer, I must have seen him, I mean he saw me, but I couldn't remember him.

"Where did you think that it would be?" I finally asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know," he shrugged, "It's a small town, I figured I could find you easy enough. I deduced that you were in high school because of the backpack. The closest community college is an hour, and you looked a little too young for that."

"You have good problem solving skills." I looked at my feet. "I don't remember seeing you."

"I sold you tickets on multiple occasions, Angela paid most of the time."

He sold me tickets? This Adonis sold me tickets, I didn't remember it? I was really that clueless.

"I don't believe that you sold me tickets, and I don't remember it."

"I don't think that most people remember who sold them tickets, don't feel too bad." he smiled.

"You're just trying to make me feel better," I looked at my watch, I still had ten minutes before my shift started, "I should go clock in soon. I don't want my mom to have another reason not trust us together. I thought that she was going to have a coronary when she caught us kissing."

He pushed himself off of the wall, walking toward me, "You think that was a kiss?" he was standing so close to me that feel him breathing.

"Yes?" it came out as more of a question as I gulped, my heart racing in my chest. It tends to do that a lot when he's around.

"I think that I need to change that," his hands came to the sides of my face. "First kiss redo." his voice was soft.

I closed my eyes as his face came close to mine, holding my breath.

His lips were just as soft as I remember. My hands gripped his shirt as our lips moved together, pulling myself closer to him. My mind went hazy we stood there, his hand going to the back of my neck, holding me to him. I panted as he took my bottom lip between his, sucking lightly. His breath was just as erratic as mine as kissed me lightly as few times before putting his forehead against mine.

"You're going to be late." he sighed.

"Yeah." was all I could come with, my mind still cloudy.

"Come on," he took my hand, leading me to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." he kissed me lightly before I walked inside.

"You okay, Bella?" Jane looked at me as I walked in, "You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine." I placed my bag behind the register as always, "I'm going to go clock in."

&7&

"How was work?" my mom watched me get into the car.

"Good." I yawned. I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before and it was starting to catch up with me.

"Did Edward walk you?"

"Yes," I looked at her, "That was the agreement."

"I know." she simply said.

"You can trust him."

"I don't trust anyone with my babies," a sad smile came to her face, "but I am trying, kid."

"I got an A on my Biology test."

"That's great! I am so proud of you!" she took my hand, squeezing it.

"Edward helped me study, he's really good at it." I commented, gauging her reaction.

"Oh." was all she said. She was going to have to take some convincing. Considering everything, I am surprised that she was taking all of this as well as she was. I had lied to her, therefore, I was going to have to gain her trust back. I never thought that I would see the day that she doubted me.

The rest of the drive home was quiet, neither of us knowing what to say. It was just starting to rain when we pulled into our driveway. I ran to the door to unlock it as my mom got Tyler out of the backseat.

"I put your dinner in the microwave," mom placed Tyler on the ground, taking his coat off.

"Thanks." I took my backpack off, putting it at the bottom of the stairs. I went to the kitchen, heating up the plate that she had put in there for me.

"Do you have any homework?" she sat at the table, watching me stand there.

"No, I got it all done at work."

"I'm not mad anymore," she started, getting my attention, "I'm still disappointed, but I am not mad." she looked at me, her eyes sad, "I just always thought that when you liked a boy, you would come to me. I never thought that you would lie to me."

"I didn't either." I sat across from her at the table, the microwave dinged, but I ignored it.

"Next time, come to me please," she took my hand.

"I will. I didn't like lying. It didn't feel right."

"Good," she stated matter-of-factually, "You're not grounded anymore. You don't know how to be grounded anymore than I know how to ground."

"It did feel weird. Angela wants me to go over to her house. She's missed hanging out. I'll tell her the good news tomorrow." I got up to get my food out.

"Just promise me one thing, please?" I looked at my mom, "Don't ignore your friends. They will always be there when a guy won't be."

"I promise."