Technically, the wait wasn't a week long, because I updated last Saturday night. (Your probably saying "Yeah... Right.") I know, I know, I got your hopes up and promised another chapter on Sunday. But there was a factor that I completely forgot about: School. I had piles and piles of homework to get done, and I didn't get a chance to update. More info about updates at the end of this chapter, because I don't want to keep you from reading.

Song: Lucky by Lucky Twice

Just the main chorus has to do with this chapter. I'm so lucky lucky... sorry its catchy. Read on! :)

I gasped, and finally processed what just happened before my eyes. I locked eyes with everyone in the cafeteria. Some people were glaring, some looked happy for me. Others were hopeful, many were shocked. A few were… disappointed? But everyone was frozen solid. No one moved a milimeter.

Then I locked eyes with him. They were bright, glowing emerald green. His eyes were vibrant, pulsating with color. I felt myself being drawn to him involuntarily. He smiled encouraginly at me.

"Watch." He mouthed. I obliged.

Then, he brung his hands together and made a barely audible clap. He repeated the motion again, but very slowly.

"Be-lla. Be-lla." He chanted. I smiled at him.

Alice joined in immediately. Then Ben, and Emmett. Jasper, Rose, and Angela were next. The table next to us clapped, at the same speed. Pretty soon, the whole entire west side of the lunchroom began to chant, joined by the north, the south, and all the people on the other side of the lunchroom, who were barely within view. The chant was slow, but slowly building up…

The chant started to speed. Slowly, but surely, it increased in tempo. I looked all around me, dumbfounded. It gained momentum, and the rhythm got faster.

"Be-lla! Be-lla! Be-lla! Be-lla!" people shouted. I broke my gaze from Edwards hypnotic eyes to look at the cafeteria. The chant broke free.

People whooed, whistled, and cheered. The feeling was ten times worse than I ever imagined. I stared at the floor, blushing deeply. I concentrated on the effect the white tile was having on the fluorescent light placed highly above my head. As the cheer started to die down, I heard a wolf-whistle next to me.

"YOURE HOT! DO YOU WANNA GO OUT?!" a voice boomed next to me.

I rolled my eyes, and slapped Emmett on the arm. He let out an anguished scream. He held his arm, and gasped in pain. He swayed to the side, and made a show by collapsing on the cafeteria floor dramatically. He held his heart, and exhaled slowly. It looked like he was dying. I had spent too much time with him to be embarresed by this. It was practically ritual. His eyes fluttered open, and he winked at me. I raised one eyebrow at him. He regained his casual post on the chair, and mimiked me poorly. He raised both eyebrows and fluttered his eyelids. I giggled.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"You're my friend, and you're a girl. Girl-friend. How about that date? Saturday... 8 ish?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Very mature, Emmett." Before I could process what was happening, I was being held into a bone-crushing hug. I felt the air whoosh out of my lungs.

"Em-" was all I was able to whisper with the bubble of oxygen remaining on the tip of my tounge.

"Emmett, you're gonna kill her!" Rose scolded. She tugged his arm against the hold.

"Right, right." He let go. I welcomed back the chance to breath, and was glad to be away from Emmett's famous, 'Deadly hug of Doom'. Honestly, I didn't know how Rose could deal with something so… enormous.

"Be-lla!" Alice sang, and threw her arms around me. I smiled into her spiky black hair. I inhaled her citrus scent. Sometimes it was so easy being friends with Alice.

"Congrats! Your'e gonna do great!" she shrieked in my ear. I winced at the sound, my ears started ringing.

"Thanks, Alice." I giggled. She released me to look into my eyes. As soon as she let go, the hugging began.

She disappeared from view completely, obsured by the mob of people fighting for my attention.

I lost track of who was hugging me, there were too many people. I wasn't even sure if I knew that many people. They all ranged from freshman to cafeteria workers. I gave a genuine smile to everyone. I still couln't believe this was happening, it was more dream than reality. I only registered a few hugs, enough to know the person by face. One embrace I did detect was a little awkward. Lauren Mallory blabbered at me like we had been best friends since birth.

"Ehmagawd, Bell-uh!" she gushed. "I'm sooo happy for you. Aw-nestly, I knew you were like gonna be famous sooner or later." She gasped, and placed a hand on her chest daintly. I was watching her in disbelief. My eyes bugged out of their sockets."You just HAVE to take me to the set! It'll be soo much fun! We can hang out with B, so we can like all be BFF's! That would be like sooo ah-mazing. Would you really? Aww. You're the swee-tehst. Great! Pick me up at 7:00! Done! Laytah. Heart you!" She strut away, waving at me and smiling deviously. I heard her impossibly high Choos clacking away from 20 yards across the lunchroom.

"What the hell was all that?" I spluttered when I regained my head. Everyone cracked up. Whatever facial expression I was wearing had to be hilarious. Normally, I would be concerned about this. But right now, I simply didn't care. My blood boiled with anger. I felt like I was a volcano that was going to erupt any second.

"I think you just made a date with your new Biffle Lauren tonight." Edward smirked. He brung up his hands to make little quotations at the word, 'BFFL'. I scowled at him.

"That's not funny! Creepy, maybe, but not funny. She didn't let me say anything and went all Massie Block on me! A congratulations could of worked. Or none at all; better for me." I protested. He grinned at me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alice tugging at Emmett and Ben's shoulders. She whispered something in their ears. They backed away, bringing Angela, Rose, and Jasper with them. Now that the whore was away from me, hopefully a mile away at this point, I could control my wild emotions. I went from fuming to calm in half a second. Edward and I experienced a minute of awkward silence. I was the first to talk.

"Speaking of congratulations…" I trailed off suggestively.

"Sorry, I was a bit absorbed. Would you like a hug?"

"Say the magic wo-ord." I sang.

"Magic words for… what again?" he teased. I scoffed at him.

"Say it!"

"Fine, I give in. Congratulations. Though, I have to admit. For a big Hollywood movie, you think Jasmine would sing outstanding, not like a half-drowned cat. Audiences everywhere are gonna be pretty disappointed...

"So… how about that hug now?" He had his arms outstretched, ready for me. First I felt sadness, then anger. I settled for irritation.

"Oh, that makes me feel great. What a pep talk. No hug for you."

He sighed. "First, at the dorms, you tell me your voice sucks. Then when I lie, and tell you it stinks, your'e mad at me. I don't get you." His teasing smile was gone now, replaced by a mask of seriousness. He frowned at me, looking a bit confused.

"It's called reverse phsycology." I snapped. I broke free of his gaze effortlessly, searching for something to stare at. I saw Ben and Alice talking from a distance. They seemed to be arguring about something. I locked eyes with him again, ignoring them. How did I ever get sidetracked by looking at him? I had no idea.

"How am I supposed to know about that? I don't exactly-"

I felt something shove me from behind, forcing me to lurch forwards. Normally my reflexes were fast, but this caught me completely off guard. The only thing standing in between me and the floor was… Edward. I winced in preparation. Involuntarily, I fell into his arms.

The static I felt before when touching him was gone. Now it was replaced by warmness all over. His arms, his neck, his hands, everywhere. His skin was soft, like velvet. Perfectly smooth. I didn't want to let go. I clutched him closer. That was a bad sign, but I wouldn't think about that now. I just clung to him, inhaling his sweet scent. It wasn't cologne… I wasn't sure what it was. But it smelled good. Luckily, before I could do anything else, he broke free, and I straightened up.

"Good God, that was irritating to watch. I had to do SOMETHING. It was getting ridiculous." Ben growled from behind Edward. It seemed like he had been pushed too.

"Ditto!" piped up Alice's soprano near my ears. I blushed and looked down at the pearly white tile. To my surprise, Edward laughed.

"If she would have stopped talking about reverse phsycology…" he teased. I scowled. He seemed amused by my expression, or by someone next to me. I cocked my head to the side. Alice looked unhappy.

"Uff. Bella! Look at your hair! You'd think after all I did… nevermind. It seems like you don't care if your hair looks frizzy. I swear; any bigger, and it's gonna become an afro." She huffed. I rolled my eyes at him, my parting command. He smiled appreciatively. It didn't look like he was ready to see me go though.

"Come on, Bella. We have a LOT of work to do. Let's get to the dorms so I can get started."

"Sure thing, Alice." I grinned at her. I didn't bother with the whole anti-makeover thing anymore. She always got her way. There was no point in arguring with what she wanted.

"Bye, Bella. See you in a little bit." Edward smiled.

"Bye."

She dragged me out of the lunchroom, into the bright sunlight. I looked back, and saw all the boys waving me goodbye. Including Edward. I waved back, but only at him. He smiled in response. I didn't look away from his figure until he was out of sight.

See him… later? I processed his last words, trying to figure out what he meant, all the way to the dorms.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Perfect!" Alice clapped. "You look amazing! Not even Bridget can top you now!"

I didn't want to give her an honest answer, knowing it would break her happiness. I wouldn't exactly be a good best friend if I wanted to hurt her feelings. I decided to tease her.

"You mean… like… aaaah-mazing, right? Rate me Ahl-ice 1-10. It better be hawwt." I said, mimicking my best Lauren tone. I held my nose, producing an annoying nasal sound. She snickered. She did the same, copying me.

"Ehmagawd Be-llah! 9.8, and that's a given! I double dog heart that. You look ah-dorable girly girl!"

I dropped the hold on my nose and giggled at her. "Girly girl's a bit too much, Alice. I don't think anyones used that word since the early 80s."

"Try 70's. My mom says it." She laughed with me.

"Proving my point."

Her tone was soft now. "Look at the mirror, Bella." She half-whispered. I obliged.

I looked into the full length mirror attatched to the back of the closet door. I gasped.

Her hair was done into loose curls, framing her face beautifully. Her rich, chocolate hair cascaded down her back elegantly. And her face… Her face looked similar to an angels. Bronzer was applied to her cheekbones, giving her a glow. Her lips were a natural shade of pink, but glossed to deliver shine. She looked… beautiful. There was no other way to describe it. My eyes traveled down past her angelic face to her clothes.

She wore a elbow-sleeved, short, forest green dress. It fit her figure perfectly. She looked like she was made to fill in the dress, or the dress had been created to be worn by her. It accented her curves nicely. The brown leather belt was a great accessory. I scanned down even further, looking at the light wash blue jeans and her brown Uggs. I liked Uggs. They were very simple and comfortable. This girl dressed a lot like me. I would expect someone this gorgeous to be modeling for Dior or Chanel. I lifted my head up to look into the goddesses face. She looked slightly awed, as if amazed by something. Slowly, I brung my hand to touch her face. She copied my movement.

My fingertips brushed the cold mirror. I completely forgot it was there. Realization hit me.

That was ME.

"That's…. me?" I whispered, not dispatching my eyes from my reflection.

"Have you ever looked in a mirror, Bella? Seriously. You sound like youv'e never seen the sun before. I put less makeup than ever. And you never believe when I say you look pretty…" she muttered almost to herself at the last bit. I gaped at her.

"Then you should have shoved a mirror to my face! Look at me!"

"Hmm. You get used to it after 3 years. I was scared of you the first two seconds after I met you. You were too pretty. I really did mean it when I said you could model someday."

"Not like Rose though."

"To me, you both are extremely beautiful. But if I had to choose one to model, I would choose Rose. She has great fashion sense, and she walks with confidence. No offense."

"None taken. That's actually a relief."

She didn't answer, just looked at me with her lively eyes. I glanced at my watch, for something to look at. I inhaled sharply.

"Alice, I gotta go. It's almost 7:30!" gasped. I grabbed my brown coat and Louis Vuitton handbag. She stared at me, confused.

"Psh. In what car? Yours?" she scoffed.

"Obviously. Unless you want to drive me. But really, iv'e had a full tank for the last two weeks. Iv'e always ridden with you."

"I'm not taking you, and your'e not going in your ancient Chevey. I talked to Edward, and your'e going together." she drawled in a bored tone. There was the slightest lightening in her ocean blue eyes. I gasped, and almost felt myself smile at her words. I hid my grin before she could catch me though.

"Why? When did you call him?" I said casually, and a bit confused. I tried to contain my excitement. Sounding confused was very good, it added a touch to my act, which I was having a hard time keeping. If Alice knew I liked Edward… I shuddered at the thought.

"It makes sense. He's in the play too. So I told him to pick you up. Didn't you hear me at all at lunch? I mean, before your little incident? So, yeah. Your riding with Edward. That's not a problem, is it?" she pouted. His words in the lunchroom held better meaning now. I looked quizzically at Alice. She cooked this scheme up well. Too well.

"No, I don't mind going with Edward at all. It's just… well… I think Edwards a bit… ummm." I tried to look like I was hesitating, waiting for her response. Alice fell into my trap.

"Oh my God! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! You like him! AAH! You should totally go out! I'll teach you how to flirt with him, and then you'll fall in love, and get engaged, and then when your married and have pretty little bronze haired babies, you can call me to dress them up!" she clapped her hands together excitedly. "It's perfect! If it's a girl, I was thinking of naming her Arabella. You know like, Bella with an Ara. Pretty, right? And then for a boy it should Brandon. The ABCs… get it? And when you have identical girl twins-"

"Woah! Woah woah woah woah woah! Did you just say-" I chocked out the words. "BRONZE HAIRED BABIES?! Iv'e known him for what? 5 days? Alice, are you nuts? He's a nice guy and all but… what the hell? How did you come up with this?"

"WAIT! You DON'T like Edward?" she gasped in shock. She grabbed two fistfuls of hair in her hands and moaned.

"Where did you get that from?" I demanded. She shrinked back, surprised at my response and anger dripping from my voice.

"Well, Emmett could have dropped some hints. And Rose too. And Angela. And Ben. And Jazz. And would you be mad if," she gulped. "If I told you that we all have a secret scheme so you can… y'know…"

"WHAT?!" I exploded. I glared into her terrified blue eyes, mine burning with fresh anger. "Are you insane?!"

She looked up at me, looking completely afraid for the first time. Her eyes darted frantically. I heard a vibrating noise coming from her back pocket. She whipped out her cell phone and turned away from me. Her shoulders were still hunched, her voice low and frantic.

"Yeah? Alright. Umm.. Jazz. Bella found out about.. the Bedward thing. Not a very good time. Gotta go!" With that, she hung up, and turned around to face me. She slid her tiny cell slowly into her back pocket.

"Bedward?" I asked, curiosity burning beneath my furious shaky tone.

"Bella and Edward together." she squeaked, and winced. "Don't hurt me! Emmett came up with the name!" I huffed, and just settled for glaring at her with cold, hard eyes. After a few moments, she spoke up.

"Edward's on his way. He should burst through the doors in 3..2..1."

Right on cue, he creaked the door open slowly. I looked at Alice, completely bewildered.

"Freaky.." I muttered.

"Lucky guess?"

"I'll feel better when I believe that, which I don't."

Edward walked in. He looked as god-like as ever, with his tousled bronze hair and leather jacket. He stopped where he was at, and stared at me, gaping. His eyes widened at the sight of my face. I don't know how long we stayed there staring at each other.

"Go guys! Your'e gonna be late!" Alice hissed. She shoved us out the door forcefully. "Bye Bella! Bye Edward! Good luck!" the last glimpse I caught of her was hopeful. All shrinking fear she had before looked completely erased, like it had never been there. Before I could respond, or see anymore in her expression, she shut the door in my face. Talk about rushed. I turned to face him slowly.

"You look-" he struggled for words. "Nice."

"T-t-thank you." I stammered. I felt the sudden urge to punch myself in the gut for stuttering.

The rest of the walk was quiet. It was a good thing the journey was short, because I couldn't stand anymore awkwardness. I felt like saying something. Anything. But I couldn't find words.

When we got to his Volvo he pulled open the door for me. I smiled at him warmly.

"Thanks."

"No problem. That's kind of what I do."

"I kind of noticed."

He grinned back at me. When he turned on the car, the first thing that played was Claire de Lune. I stared wide eyed at him. He cocked his head to face me and winked.

I didn't worry about conversation the rest of the ride.

Dun. Dun. Dun. I sure know how to write a cliffie, right? lol. And yes, the language Lauren used? That's from the series of books called 'The Clique.' Just thought I should throw that in there. Anyways, about updates. I'm starting school, so they should be less often. This is a really important school year for me, because i'm taking my entrace exams for high school. That means alot of studying, and less time for writing. :(. Updates can range from a minimum of a chapter a week, maybe on Saturdays or Sundays. If I don't have a whole shitload of work to do, I can probably throw in another chapter. In other words, updates per week are min:1 max: 3.

Here's the question. Would you like longer chapters and longer updates, or shorter chapters and shorter updates? Don't PM me, because my email is retarted and won't process anything coming from this site. Don't ask me why.

So review! :D (on both the story and updates)