Disclaimer: Last time I checked, (which was about five minutes ago) I still didn't own anything Twilight.

I DID ask my family for the audio cassettes for Christmas, though, so at least I've got that going for me... anyway... here it is.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and that yours went without a hitch, unlike mine...but that's a whole other story...

Ch 9

My next two classes flew by with me sleepwalking through most of it. I hadn't been called on to answer a single question and I was thankful for that. I was happy to stay lost in my dream world. My mind wandered until I found myself back in Edward's arms, reliving the scene that had taken place, last time I'd been with him. I was hardly aware of the passing of time.

I went through the motions and everything continued along, with me wonderfully oblivious, until the bell rang and the bittersweet spell had been broken. Fourth period. Lunchtime. I was so anxious and nervous at the same time that I didn't know if I would be able to eat anything.

After checking to make sure my shoelaces were tied, I started off toward the cafeteria. I walked briskly, but didn't chance running. I knew if I ended up falling flat on my back right now, Edward would be quick to make the connection and would go back to treating me with kid gloves. I needed to prove to him that I could still function in the real world after the intense exchange we'd had. I'd have to if I wanted more of it.

When I had arrived safely in the cafeteria, I took a second to catch my breath. I scanned the room quickly, hoping to steal a few exclusive minutes with Edward before I would be forced to serve my sentence. It didn't take long for me to realize that he wasn't here yet. My heart sank even further when I accidentally made eye contact with Mike who was already in the lunch line, holding his tray.

Mike started bouncing up and down and waving me over to him in an obnoxious way. If he flapped any harder, he probably could've taken off, I thought. I debated over sneaking to the back of the line, but with the spectacle he was making, I knew he would never believe that I hadn't seen him. I sighed and hung my head as I walked slowly to my doom.

"There you are!" he called out. He pulled me in around my waist and placed me in front of him when I became close enough. His hand rested carefully on the small of my back. "Come on. You can get in with me." He sounded ecstatic. I was uncomfortably aware that his hand lingered, deliberately, and I felt my skin start to crawl. I convinced myself that I didn't need to endure his overly-friendly gesture to keep my end of the bargain.

As if someone had read my mind, divine intervention came in the form of me being pushed forward, promptly, by a pair of ice cold, steady, hands. My physical link to Mike had been cut off and someone stood in between us. A faint voice whispered in my ear. "Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood vampire-man. Who loves ya, baby?"

"Edward does!" I answered him, and laughed light heartedly. "But thank you, Emmett. I owe you one."

"I know and I should probably start to keep tabs if we're gonna go on like this, but instead, I might just think about this whole thing in great detail and let Edward pay me...with...oh, I don't know... Does your X Box sound like a good enough payment?!" he asked distinctly to no one in particular, but I knew that the intended recipient would have gotten the message.

Emmett's smile grew wider each time Mike grunted with disappointment at being stuck behind him. He sprinted ahead in little bursts and then would stop abruptly, causing Mike to almost run into him every couple of seconds.

I grabbed a bottled water along the way and when we reached the end of the line, I loudly called out my order to our elderly lunch lady, Eleanor, who gently tapped her spatula on the edge of a bubbling pan. "I'll take the chicken parmesan." I said.

"And I guess I'll take some garlic bread!" Emmett continued enthusiastically. "You know how much my family adores garlic, don't you Bella?" His eyes danced, playfully. I was glad one of us was having a good time.

Mike looked distraught as he placed his order. "I'll just have whatever it was that Bella ordered." he mumbled. Lunch lady Eleanor turned up her hearing aid and leaned across the counter until she was almost on top of Mike. "I'm sorry. You'll have to speak clearer. I didn't catch that!" she screeched.

Emmett could barely contain his excitement as he cut Mike off and answered her in a booming voice. "Whoa, Eleanor!! You'd better be careful, there! Rumor has it that Mike is quite the ladies man around here and he LOVES to throw himself at older women, if he thinks he stands a chance with them. You're sending some pretty confusing signals to that young man."

"Well, I'm flattered, Mark, but honey, you could be my Grandson and I don't really think you're my type anyway!" Eleanor sweetly answered Mike who was mortified. She then spooned up a heaping plate of spaghetti and placed double orders of chicken parmesan and garlic bread over the top. "Here you go, Mark. You look like you need a little more meat on your bones so you can get big and strong like him." she gestured to Emmett.

Mike's face was crimson as he caught up with me and herded me to our table by my elbow. I shook my head incredulously at Emmett as we parted and yelled "Enjoy your garlic bread. Make sure you eat all of it, now!"

A/N: Yes, I'm still having some fun at Mike's expense. What can I say? He is just so easy to pick on. And I know - there was no Edward in this whole chapter. You guys know that was hard for me, right? (I had the paper bag right next to me in case I felt like I was going to hyperventilate ) But not to fear. Mike and Bella haven't even sat down yet and our favorite vampire isn't going to miss lunch...