A/N: Update on a regular schedule? Why would I do a thing like that? I wanna update now. I like seeing what these crazy kids get into next.

Mucho thanks to my commenters. I check my phone with paranoid glee thanks to you.

C9

Bella couldn't drag herself to school on Monday. It was partially due to the hangover that was going strong on two days. Driving back Sunday had been the worst road trip in the history of road trips. Roughly every hour they had pulled over for more Gatorade, more Advil, and another bathroom stop so someone could hurl. Bella's head had felt too big for her skull and her stomach felt like someone had poured acid in it. Monday morning the headache had subsided into a dull throb and she was able to sip some juice without it coming back up. She probably could have struggled through a day at school. But she couldn't handle seeing him.

They hadn't passed more than ten words on the ride home. None of them had been the usual bitching but there was awkwardness. Oh buddy was there awkwardness. Her eyes kept skating down to his hands even though her brain told them not to. Then they would slip to his lips. Lips that kept smirking at her; making her blush. She eventually turned the rearview mirror so she couldn't get any more glimpses of him.

And maybe she could have handled a little bit of awkwardness at school. A little bit of smirking here or maybe some lip licking there. It was the thought of the other option that convinced her to pull the covers back over her head when the alarm went off. The thought of everything staying exactly the way it had been. The thought of him being the same bag of dicks when they had shared a moment. A boozed soaked, hormone driven moment. She knew better than to really expect anything. She knew that liquor and horniness had just gotten the better of both of them. But she couldn't squash the tiny little speck of hope. Hope that he would be at least be a decent fucking human being since he'd had his hand down her pants. She laid in bed groaning until her mom finally came to check on her and gave the school a call on her behalf.

**FVP**

The ride back had been hell for Edward too. As usual the war between the two sides of his brain was raging. There was the side that was relishing in flashes of the previous night that hadn't been erased by the whiskey. That side was enjoying the replay of soft wet skin and the taste of candy. He wasn't a romantic. Girls didn't really taste like candy. But fuck if she didn't. Strawberry fucking candy. It was the most surreal thing he'd ever experienced.

But then there were the realistic part of his brain, the real him. That part couldn't believe how stupid he had been. He couldn't even begin to imagine how bad shit would get at school if word got out he had banged a scholarship girl. It would be complete social suicide. No more parties. No more getting fucked up for free. No more easy fucks at charity balls. No more anything. No way in hell he was giving everything up for some low rent pussy.

But, God, the sounds she had made. He remembered that more clearly than anything else. That pleading whimpering. That was not a sound the bitchy tough girl he was accustomed to would make. Nope, that had been the sound of a girl who abandoned everything when she was hot. He would bet his trust fund she would scream like a banshee if she got a real good fucking.

And there were the glances in the rear view. She couldn't keep her eyes off him. He couldn't read the look. It was some sort of crazy cocktail of apprehension, lust, and confusion. That was the crazy chick trifecta. That was the last fucking thing he needed. He dreaded Monday.

**FVP**

Alice had only prepared for one hurricane. Her family had stocked up on supplies and set up all the protective measures they could around the house. Then they had gotten the hell out of there. The storm had barely touched their neighborhood but Alice remembered what the days before the storm had felt like with precise clarity. There had been worry deep in the pit of her stomach but she hadn't been able to fight her optimistic nature. Waiting for the Bella/Edward fallout felt the same way. Just without the optimism.

She knew something had went down Saturday night but she wasn't sure what. She had downed her fair share (and probably a couple of other, bigger people's fair share) of drinks that night. She had also passed smooth out in the middle of trying to seduce her boyfriend with sexy dancing. How could she be expected to keep track of everyone else's love life when she could barely handle her own.

But Monday she set up all the protective measures she could. She headed directly to Bella's after school. Sure there was still some hangover going around but Alice knew boy dodging when she saw it.. She made multiple mentions of what an ass her brother could be. She suggested getting Changs for dinner the next day after school. She even threw out the idea of skipping all together to go for a spa day. Bella had only shrugged.

Then the storm came. When Bella hit the front gate Tuesday morning Alice jumped from the bench she'd been sitting on and darted toward her friend. She wasn't quite quick enough.

"Hey, scholarship!" Vicky catcalled from the main steps. Her screechy voice rang out over the busy quad like an air horn. "Had to cash the welfare check yesterday? Line for food stamps extra long?"

The other plastic bitches cackled like it was the funniest shit they'd ever heard and the meathead assholes chuckled along with them. Alice saw Bella narrow her eyes as she looked up at the crowd. And she saw the snappy comeback die on her friend's lips when she found Edward among them.

"Fuck them." Alice said slipping her arm through the other girl's.

Bella gave Alice a small tight smile. Alice didn't miss how her eyes slipped back to the crowd, to him, for just a second.

"Yeah." Bella agreed. "Fuck them."