Gah, I adore you guys.
You and your reviews, I tell ya.
Pretty sure I'd send you all boxes of chocolate if I could.
Trust me, I really would.

So I apologize in advance at how all-over-the-place this chapter is.
It's basically a set up leading up to the next, which I assure you, will be worth it.
Either way, tell me what you think? Please?

Oh, and my new years resolution is to respond to your reviews more.
Really. I'm going to get on top of that eventually, I promise.
So if for some reason I don't respond one week, don't think I'm ignoring you. I'm just busy.
But like I said - I'M GONNA START AS OF NOW.

--Justine.

Bella - Salope

"Will you please stop fidgeting?" I complained, "You're worse than a kid on Christmas."

"I can't help it," he mumbled distractedly, "I'm not sure if I should be nervous or not. . .Tell me about your school?" He asked, staring absentmindedly out the window as we drove to school.

I sighed, diving into every detail he needed to know.

After a long, kissing-up talk with Mr. Snow yesterday, he had agreed to start Edward immediately. Unfortunately, to him immediately meant next week. I ended up getting him to let Edward shadow someone until he actually started. When he had asked Edward if he knew anyone or if there was anyone in particular that he wanted to follow around, Edward caught on quickly and responded with no one other than Bella Swan herself.

We made a great team, him and I.

I pulled into the busy parking lot, pulling into my usual front and center spot. Oddly enough, it was always kept open for me. I turned off the car and turned to face Edward. He was picking at the sleeves of his shirt, staring down at his lap.

I sighed. "Edward." He looked up at me through his long lashes. "You'll be with me the whole day. You don't even have to do anything yet. Stop worrying so much, everything will be just fine." I told him in a soft voice. I grabbed his hand, giving it a tight squeeze before letting it go and stepping out of the car.

I waited for him on the sidewalk as he got out as well, walking over to my side. He looked perfect, just like he always did. His usual sex-hair in a messy disarray, his bright green eyes always noticeable from miles away. He had the slight punk look going on; black skinny jeans that weren't too tight or too loose, and a faded plaid shirt – sleeves rolled up to just before his elbows – that suited him quite nicely against his lean but muscular form.

He was, as he had so graciously put it yesterday, quite bang-able.

The first warning bell rang as we walked through the front doors of the school. There were a lot of stares as we walked through the hallways together, but that was only because our school wasn't very interesting and any mention of a new student was known news to everyone.

I got the usual waves and smiles from passing boys, but it was Edward who was getting all of the attention. Girls were batting their eyelashes as he walked by, giggling to each other and smiling at him. He really didn't seem to notice.

We walked into the office to check him in. "Isabella," the secretary smiled as I walked up to the counter. "And you must be Masen?" she asked Edward. He nodded, giving her a crooked smile. I rolled my eyes. Just because it had that affect on woman didn't mean he had to use it every damn minute.

She looked a little baffled as she turned around to hand him his schedule. "This is for next week," she told him in a breathless voice. "For today and tomorrow you will just be following Ms. Swan around."

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded again, taking the papers from her.

Before we left, we looked through his schedule. Sure enough, Mr. Snow had conveniently placed him in all of the same classes as me. I allowed myself to smile at that, remembering my motives behind the whole arrangement in the first place.

We walked up to the second floor for my first class – Biology. Edward remained glued at my side and silent the whole time. I wanted nothing more than to hear what was running through his head. This all must have been so strange for him; he hadn't been around a ton of people in a long time.

Mr. Berty was preparing his lecture for the day as we approached him. I cleared my throat politely and he immediately looked up from what he was doing. "Bella," he smiled warmly, "What can I do for you, my dear?"

I gestured towards Edward. "This is Masen Collins," I said with confidence. "He's starting here next week, and he's going to be shadowing me for the rest of this week."

He looked over at Edward, holding out a hand. "Mr. Collins," he approved, "It's a pleasure to have you in my class, son." Edward nodded back with a smile.

Tyler sat at my table with me, so Edward ended up having to pull a chair up next to me. I was not about to make him go and sit in the empty seat next to Lauren. Not on his first day – that would be just cruel.

As always, Tyler sent me a large grin when I sat down. "Bella," he said happily, "Always glad I have you to look at first thing in the morning." I rolled my eyes as I took out my books. Tyler was my always hopeful, golden retriever, puppy dog.

Edward remained silent next to me as Tyler proceeded with trying to start a conversation. "Who's the dude?" He asked in a curious whisper, gesturing his eyes at Edward. "I don't recognize him."

"Oh," I stated, elbowing Edward in the shoulder. He turned himself towards the both of us, looking almost annoyed. "Masen, this is Tyler Crowley. Tyler, this is Masen Collins. He's new."

Tyler extended a hand that Edward eventually took. "Nice to meet you," he stated curtly.

Why was he acting like this? Where was the sweet, adorable boy I spent all of my afternoons with? The bell rang in that moment, and I turned my head to give Edward a questioning look. He just shrugged it off, shaking his head while proceeding to stare directly towards the front of the room.

My next class wasn't as bad. He seemed less tense and more at ease. I wondered if that had anything to do with the fact that I no longer shared a table with a guy. I wanted to roll my eyes. The thought of him being jealous was almost laughable. We weren't even together.

Lunch rolled along and as we walked into the cafeteria, I began debating on how I should handle this. Jessica would be a handful, no doubt. If I brought him to my usual table he would be eaten alive, molested with words, and shamelessly eye-fucked the entire time. I shuddered at the thought, feeling sorry for him already.

"Masen?" I asked, using that name for the sake of possible listeners.

"Hm?" He mumbled, sounding distracted as we stood in the salad line. His lack of any conversation at all was starting to piss me off. Maybe I should make him sit with the hyenas. Maybe he'd benefit from some sort of interaction.

"My friends are going to be a little. . .excited about you." He raised an eyebrow, still not looking at me. I narrowed my eyes in the slightest bit, pursing my lips. "Just a warning." He brought this upon himself – not my problem if he didn't listen.

Once we each got a lunch, I led him over to my table. It was already half filled so I found a spot with an open one next to it. I avoided any stares just yet as I sat down. I could tell Edward was doing the same, staring down at the table while also shooting me sideways glances.

I sighed, deciding to just get this over with.

"Ladies," I began, my voice dripping with unnecessary condescension. "This is Masen." I didn't have the energy to go through all of their names and introduce each one of them to him. I was fairly positive that he didn't give a shit either way.

Right before the swarming and swooning began, I mouthed him a sincere, "Sorry."

"Well aren't you the cutest thing, sweetie!" Lauren exclaimed while the others all jumped right on agreeing with her, murmuring their pleased comments. He allowed them one of his infamous crooked smiles to satisfy them all before quick shooting me a grimace and looking back down at his food.

Jess, sitting on the other side of Edward, wrapped both arms around his, leaning into his side. "Honey," she purred, "Whatever you're doing with these," she referred to his bicep muscles, "keep doing it."

They all let out gleeful giggles as I rolled my eyes, unusually pissed off. Were all of their voices always so high and irritating? Why was I just noticing this now?

Edward remained silent again, but this time, I didn't blame him. "So, Masen," Kate began in an attempt to start a conversation, "What brings you to the comforts of our table? Are you new here? How do you know Bella?"

I shot him an exhausted pointed glance, indicating to him that he could be the one answering questions this time. These girls were a headache just waiting to happen.

"I'm starting here next week," he explained. It really wasn't his fault that his voice was incredibly too sexy for his own good – when he talked, the table erupted into another fit of small, pleased giggles. Ignoring them, he went on. "I'm shadowing Bella, so that's how I know her." He shot me a grin and just because I could, I smiled back happily at him.

Jess elbowed me in the shoulder. "So he's available then?" She said in a purposely loud whisper.

"Yes," I said in a tight voice, "He's available."

Maybe Edward and I should have thought into our plan a little more. Maybe we should have made up a fake story about how him and I were dating and madly in love. Not only would that give me an excuse to be even closer to him all of the time, it'd also get these crazy-ass girls out of his hair. It was a win-win for both of us, really.

Too bad I didn't think of it sooner.

I slumped further into my seat as the rest of lunch dragged on in an unbearable pace.

"Well that was interesting." Edward stated simply as we walked out the doors of the school and to the Volvo. I couldn't have agreed more. Interesting was really the only word to describe it. It was over, at least.

I nodded in agreement, ignoring the stares we were still getting as we walked across the parking lot. I was walking with a cute boy. Get the fuck over yourselves, people.

As we approached the Volvo, Jake was parked in the spot next to us, about to get into his car as well. His eyes flashed to mine with a small smile, but were soon on Edward. He furrowed his eye brows together with a curious gaze as he paused momentarily. "Edward?" He asked in an awestruck tone. "Edward Cullen?"

Edward's head involuntarily snapped up, and before he could even respond to his name I was shooting him the most profound warning looks I could manage. With my wide eyes, I was instructing him silently to not blow our cover.

All I wanted to know was how the hell Jacob even knew Edward in the first place. What are the odds? Of course he would be the one person to recognize someone who technically wasn't suppose to even exist.

Instead of responding to his real name, he looked back at Jake with a questioning stare. He rose an eyebrow with believable surprise. "Excuse me?" He asked him.

Jake was now looking a little unsure of his assumption. He hesitated for a moment in awkward silence. "Aren't you. . .Edward?" He asked, less confident than he had started out to be.

I felt bad for making Edward fly solo on this one, so I quickly stepped in. "Jake, this is Masen." I corrected in a hard but friendly voice. "Masen Collins. He's new here, and I'm showing him around town." Why did I have the instinct to laugh out loud whenever I said his fake name? It was just amusing I guess, because even if it was his middle name, I could never see Edward as being a Masen.

Jacob's face fell slightly at my comment. "Oh." He said in a disappointed tone. "Sorry, man," he quickly apologized to Edward. "Thought you were an old friend." Edward nodded with sympathy, though his eyes were far off and I knew that familiar thoughts were running through his head.

"No problem," he quickly responded with a half-grin.

Jake looked down at his feet awkwardly. "Well. . .I guess I'll let you guys go." He said in an uncomfortable voice. I allowed him a small wave as he got into his car and drove off.

As soon as we got into the Volvo and were pulling out of the parking lot, I let my questions flow freely. "How the hell do you know Jacob Black?" I demanded, still completely surprised by all of this.

Edward shrugged as he decided to match my tone. "I didn't know that Jacob Black was the crazy ex you're always referring to!" He said, equally defensive. "Otherwise I would have said something. . ." he grumbled quietly to himself.

We would get nowhere with this conversation unless one answered the other's questions first. I sighed, realizing that it would have to be me to began. He was the stubborn one. "Yes, Jacob Black was the ex-boyfriend I'm always referring to with Alice." I pursed my lips. "I didn't realize you remembered the name. How did you even know that that's who it was?"

He shrugged again, but I could tell that there was much more to the story than his casual shrug. "Before the incident," he began in a reserved tone. "I used to go to this small private school in this small town about a half hour from Chicago. Jake and I were like best friends up until sixth grade when I left to go to France with my mom for a couple of years. I never saw him after that. . ."

I smiled to myself, thoroughly satisfied with the answer I had gotten. Edward never realized that he always unintentionally ended up telling me more than he initially planned on.

I realized I was being the biggest bitch lately. All he was doing was trying to help and protect me. What was I doing in return? Insisting that I didn't need said help, throwing in snide comments here and there, and bothering him till no end about his tragically broken past.

Way to go, Bella. Those methods will definitely get you far.

The least I could do was tone down my ridiculous tantrums around him. I wasn't usually this bitchy though – it was that time of the month. And I think he knew it too. Otherwise he would have probably kicked me out on the street a long time ago. At least, that's what I would have done if I were him.

My resolution – starting now – was to be nicer and more grateful for having him around. Sometimes I really didn't understand what got into me. I promised myself I would learn to control it better from now on though.

Feeling like I had lifted a weight from my shoulders, I let out a relieved sigh.

"So," Edward hedged, trying to come off as bored, but not succeeding in the least. He was far too interested in the conversation than entirely necessary. "Why did you two break up anyways?"

I was about to snap at him, when I remembered my new goal. I took a deep, long breath just to be sure I wouldn't explode, resulting in one of my infamous bitch-outs. Those were not pleasant. At all. He would no – he's experienced several of them.

I got asked this question all of the time. People always expected it to be such a interesting, confusing, long story. It really wasn't. It was actually pretty simple.

I sighed. "I know your expecting some elaborate, far-fetched answer. I really can't give you one." I glanced at him only to find his green eyes staring intently at me. They were too pretty. I couldn't drive or think while he was looking at me like that. I quickly looked away again. "I guess I just lost interest over time. I mean, he just sort of. . .changed after a while. It was like he thought of me as more of a possession or something. I don't know, I guess I felt too claustrophobic in the relationship."

He no longer had that serious look on his face. Instead, it was like he was trying to hold back a smug smile. "So your afraid of commitment is basically what your saying then, right?"

"I am not!" I quickly snapped back at him, narrowing my eyes defensively.

His quiet snickering made me grip the steering wheel tightly in frustration. That was not the case. I knew myself better than anyone to know that his accusation was not right. It was just that Jake got too clingy, that's all. I was not afraid of commitment.

At all.

I knew I wasn't.

At least, I thought I wasn't. . .

"What makes you think so?" I decided to respond in an irritated voice. "How do you know that my explanation isn't a valid enough reason for dumping him?"

I glanced over at him – he was pursing his lips with a thoughtful expression on his face. A few moments of silence passed before he finally spoke. "Okay," he began in a matter-of-fact tone. "The way you act around people is what gives you away. You walk around with nothing but confidence and sureness of yourself. At least, that's what you make people think. You don't let people see into you. On the inside, you crave for company. You're terrified to be alone, so you constantly need someone to be there for you. You're also afraid to get too close to someone. You're afraid that if you do, you'll be crushed in the end, and that confidence will never be there again – you're afraid that trust will eventually become your downfall."

I was speechless with his conclusion. Not because it was far-off, but because it was spot on. I blinked a couple of times, shaking my head. "How do you know that?" I whispered in a shaky breath.

He didn't speak until I finally locked my eyes with his. They were piercingly heartbreaking, only for once, completely vulnerable. Completely free of any walls from blocking me out from the miles and miles of deep green, going straight into his soul.

"Because," he responded in a whisper. "That's how I am too."

Edward

I would be lying if I said that those first two days were enjoyable. Quite the opposite really. They actually made me appreciate finishing high school online, and that was definitely a first.

At the same time though, nothing unpredictable ever occurred there. Except running into Jacob Black, of course. Bella acted just as I expected her too. Everyone responded to her just the way I knew they would. All of the guys looked at her, just like I had predicted from the start.

After that first day, I handled all of the ogling a lot better. Not just from my end, but from Bella's as well. The girls here were annoying as hell, and I wondered how Bella even stood them. Their constant staring and giggling drove me up a fucking wall.

The same could be said with all of the guys as well. They were all the same – immature, naïve, and disrespectful. Granted, I'd be the same way too if my life had ended up normal. But it hadn't, and this was reality. So when every class we went to containing multiple guys having obvious fantasies about Bella while the teacher lectured on, I was a little tense.

Bella and her mother were seated about four tables down from us. She had told me earlier that day her and her mom had dinner plans. I debated with her a short bit about canceling and how it was a risk, but of course, she was completely against that.

So instead we came to this compromise. I brought Al and Jazz with me to this fancy little restaurant that none of our asses could afford. Well, other than a couple of fancy, over-priced milkshakes.

She had asked me at first if I wanted to just join her and her mom all together, but I quickly denied. I wasn't about to enter the fickle path of touch and go with her mom judging on whether Bella and I were an item or not. Because her mom definitely seemed like the judging type.

Besides, I wanted her life to go on normally, without me constantly in her presence.

Saturday Bella went shopping with Emmett. Why? I had no clue until the next thing I knew, Em was hauling in a brand fucking new futon in my house. I then understood why she took Emmett along and not me – I did not approve of her throwing away more money because of me when she had already wasted so much on my account already.

On the plus side, I had gotten to see her in her little blond disguise again. Em never questioned any of that shit, just following along in Bella's stride as she ordered him where to put it.

At first I had been sad to get rid of the old one, but eventually gave in to her countless puppy-dog pouts. Admittedly, once I felt the new one, I no longer felt sorry about the other one. She had gone all the way and gotten a full-out tempurpedic futon. I didn't even know they made those. After that, she had gone home to spend some time with her dad. I didn't protest because I knew she would be safe with him around.

Sunday was a bad day. I had woken up early morning to the irritating rings of my cell phone. It hadn't been hard to guess who had been calling me.

So I had ended up making a call to Bella's at seven in the morning – which was far too early – instructing her to get her ass over immediately. If they were hunting, there was no way in hell I was gonna let her out of my sight until the day was over.

She had driven her Volvo like I told her, completely sleep-deprived, drawing her hood up over her head while wearing a pair of over-sized sunglasses and parking two blocks away.

When she had taken off her glasses as soon as she got inside, her eyes were red and puffy, and I knew she had been crying. As soon as she had gotten in, she crashed on the couch, going back to bed before I even had time to ask.

She stayed over night Sunday and again, I was too big of a pussy to ask to sleep with her. This time though, we both slept out in the main room. That was progress, wasn't it?

Monday morning rolled around and I was absolutely dreading school. I took back saying I needed more to do – Now my evenings would be occupied with a lot of unnecessary stress and a shit-load of homework. Great.

Bella was even less thrilled than I had been.

She refused to get up at the trilling of the alarm clock. Rubbing my eyes and running my hands through my hair, I got up and walked over to her sleeping form. "Bella," I yawned, "Get up."

She groaned loudly, pulling her blanket completely over herself, shaking her head while remaining in her comfortable position. Rolling my eyes, I lightly shook her. "Wake up, Princess." I said in a sarcastically annoyed tone.

She refused once again, rolling over so that she was facing away from me. Instead of trying to pry her from the couch, I decided to take my shower first. Once I was finished and fully dressed, I walked back out to find her in the same position I had left her in.

This was ridiculous.

And there I was a couple of weeks back, thinking that she was this bright and happy morning person. I picked up my pillow, throwing it at her sleepy form with not too much force. "Get your lazy ass outta bed, Bee." I smirked loudly as she groaned once again, finally sitting up and scrunching her eyes open.

We pulled into the school parking lot, and the stares were just as bad as they had been last Thursday. Couldn't people get over themselves? I really wasn't that interesting.

By Wednesday, the stares eventually died down. My fan club, on the other hand, did not. It was led by Bella's supposed 'best friend', Jessica Stanley. I had seen oranges with less color than her face. It was quite ridiculous, along with her loyal band of desperate followers.

Bella was quite amused by the whole thing. Especially when I'd use her as my shield to hide behind.

One day, I had made the mistake of saying something French to Bella in front of them. Of course, they would not get off my fucking back until I would say another word. I cleverly responded, "salope," to each in every one of them in different tones of affection. When asked what it meant, I quickly responded with "beautiful." They couldn't stop squealing and giggling.

Little did they know that beautiful was the last thing I would actually call them. Try another word that started with a B. Bella was quite amused when I had told her the actually meaning of the word.

"So, Edward," Carmen pressed herself to my left side. I cringed into Bella, who was on my right side. "You should really come with us to the mall this Sunday. Like, there's gonna be so many people there, and we'd all like love to have you, ya know?" According to Bella, these girl's lives consisted of two things: shopping, and money.

I continued thanking my lucky stars that Bella wasn't like that.

Thursday was another bad day. They had texted me during the middle of World History, and I had no choice but to be tense and on the edge of my seat the whole day. I half expected them to come here and kidnap her. I was still trying to determined whether they were now after Bella, or still just me. I hoped to God it was still me.

On top of all of that, I had to deal with Jake's longing stares directed at Bella all day. Well, his and twenty other guys. It was frustrating till no end, even though it shouldn't have bothered me so much. I'd be lying if I said it didn't though. A lot.

Ever since last week when I had accused Bella of being afraid of loneliness and commitment, she had gotten a lot quieter since then. It was either because she agreed with my words and the truth scared her, or she wanted to be in denial for as long as she could.

I knew I was right though. Like I had told her – I was like that as well.

It was an oddly comforting fact, knowing I wasn't the only one like that. Granted, we were both like that because of completely different reasons, but still. Having someone to relate to after having no one for so long tended to raise my spirits just a bit.

Thursday was Bella's bad day. It was a mixture of too much stress and irritation with the world, topped off by the anxiety of knowing that the Volturi were hunting.

I could tell this because as always, she was trying to do the exact opposite her emotions showed. She distracted herself by talking to literally everyone in the hallway, starting up conversations to me about pointless things, and wearing a big, fake smile the entire time.

She even decided it'd be a good idea to throw a party tomorrow night.

I was less than thrilled when she had told me about it. I held in my complaints though, knowing she'd just get even more upset if I expressed my disliking of the idea. I wanted to humor her so she could feel better about this whole damn hiding thing.

I really didn't want her to have one though, so without actually expressing my complaints, I cleverly disguised it as concerned questioning.

"What about your parents?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows together as we walked to lunch. "Don't you think they'll not be too thrilled with the idea of having a hundred wild teens trashing their house?"

She waved a hand, rolling her eyes. "Edward, please. They could care less, in fact, they like the aspect of social interactions involving large gatherings. They're out of town this weekend anyways on a business trip for Charlie."

Well damn. I was beginning to run out of subtle hints begging her not to have this party. "Doesn't that seem like too much work though? I mean, you won't have much time to plan it or anything. Just have someone else have it at their house." I suggested in a hopeful tone.

Of course, she just flat out refused that idea as well. "That's ridiculous! I have the best party house there is. Besides, people count on me throwing the good parties. I don't need much time to get the house ready, so it's no big deal."

The way her eyes kept darting anywhere but mine was another dead giveaway that I had been right about the whole 'covering up her real emotions' thing. Because she knew as well as I did that if I looked into her eyes, I'd be able to decipher that hidden emotion just perfectly.

Though, I did have a few pretty good ideas as to what it could have been. It really wasn't hard to guess what had her so anxious and frustrated all of the time.

I could no longer hide my desires not to go. "Do you want me there?" I asked in a glum tone, hoping she'd give me a more creative answer than just a simple yes. I didn't get why I had to be there.

"Of course!" She quickly responded with a smile, "Why wouldn't I want you there?" I shrugged. "I want you, Jazz, Rose, Al, and Em there too! Will you invite them for me?"

I rose an eyebrow. "You'll see them tonight, won't you?" She always came over after school.

She shook her head remorsefully. "My dad's taking my mom and me out to dinner before they leave. And I guess I have a party to plan after that," she grimaced a little, and once again, I silently questioned her motives behind having it.

I sighed, nodding in defeat with the whole thing as we walked over to our normal table, though I was less than thrilled to have to deal with the plastics at the moment. I had zero tolerance for any bullshit what so ever, and those girls' lives were based around bullshit.

Bella must have read that in my face, because she suddenly halted, steering us in a different direction to an empty table. I gave her a graciously genuine smile as we sat down by ourselves.

We began eating our food in silence. I glanced over at the table we usually sat, noticing all of their eyes darting to us every now and then. I almost wanted to snort. They were nothing without their fearless leader.

"Why are you even friends with them?" I asked – a question that had been in my head since day one here.

She tried to hide a grimace, but ended up just shrugging the whole thing off. "I don't know, I guess." Was her incredibly detailed response.

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, Bee. Anyone in the whole school would die at the chance to be your friend. Why do you pick them? You're so much better." Sometimes I couldn't stop the truth from escaping my mouth.

She seemed appreciative of what I said though, so I didn't regret it. "Thanks," she mumbled, looking back down at her food with what seemed like almost a blush.

As my eyes continued to roam, I noticed Jacob Black glancing over in our direction as well. His eyes were on Bella, as always, with a wary stare. It was obvious that he missed the shit out of her. It relieved me that she never gave him that look back, obviously over the whole relationship.

At first I had been completely surprised by the whole reasoning behind their break-up, just like Bella said I would. I had been expecting this long, meaningful story and all I had gotten was 'she lost interest'. Yeah right. I knew high school relationships better than to think that was the actual case.

I sighed. "Bella," she slowly brought her eyes up to meet mine for the first time that day. What I saw certainly didn't surprise me. Her big brown eyes gazed sadly into mine. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see what was going on here. "You cannot possibly have a party and spend all of your time trying to make a bunch of people happy while you're not happy yourself."

She continued to hold my gaze with a thoughtful expression. "Why not?" She challenged, rather than denying my words once again.

"Because," I said in a low voice, "It's unbearable for me to watch."

Bella was the girl who always had some sort of response to everything. Whether it was a clever comeback, a disagreement, or a passionate subject on the topic, she always had something to respond with. For the first time I had ever known her, she was out of words.

We ate the rest of our lunches in silence, and it almost seemed like she was fighting off tears. If we weren't in a crowded lunch room, I totally would have held her. I learned from early on that it was what she liked.

The whole time she was thinking deeply to herself about something. I refused to let my curiosity get the better of me, and left her the hell alone. The last thing I wanted was her to be pissed at me.

So I kept my mouth shut, figuring my words would only do more harm than good.

As we were about to get up and leave the cafeteria, she finally looked up and met my eyes once again. "I'm having the party tomorrow," she said in a guarded tone and a serious expression on her face. As I held her gaze, I watched her seriousness slowly fade into warmth. There was apparently something about my stare that calmed her down.

And I knew that I had to go to this damn thing. Because for some reason, I could tell that this party was important to her. After all I had put her through in the past few weeks, it was the least I could do.

I cracked a small smile. "Okay, I'm in."

CHAPTER SONG: Misery Loves Its Company - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Fits with Bella at the moment, does it not? I think it does. In fact, Edward works with it pretty damn well too.

FRENCH TRANSLATION: Salope - "bitch"

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