A/N: I apologize for the wait! Things have been a little crazy for me lately and I didn't really have time to sit down and work on this for a while, and I also had a bit of writers block for awhile ^^;;... Anyhow, I hope you enjoy!

Also! Tatokat noticed that I originally said Edward was allergic to dairy, but in chapter 8 he was eating pizza. So, I made a mistake, which I will correct, but I'd like to let you all know that Edward is allergic to milk but can eat other dairy products. So if you've read Break Me, shake Me (my other story) it's the same as that.

I am following the way my high school did things; so let me explain myself. At my high school we had seven classes and we called them periods (i.e 1st period, 2nd period, do you get the picture?) and they were each about forty-five minutes long (school ran from 7:50 am to 3:15 pm) except we had homeroom first thing in the morning and it was only 15 minutes. The purpose of our homeroom was for getting paperwork done and such. But 5th period, the class in the very middle of the day, was different as you either had lunch before 5th period, in the middle of 5th period, or after 5th period and that is why 5th period was the longest class of the day as there are three different lunch periods. We also had about six minutes between class changes. Does that make sense? I certainly hope so...

Edward trembled with fear, his heart racing as he sank down to the floor. The touch of the cold hardwood floor was comforting to his sweaty skin, but it did little to ease his racing heart. He wasn't quite sure what had scared him; it always varied. Sometimes it was the neighbor's dog, a big German Shepard that frightened him. Other times it was creepy sounds the house made.

Alphonse had tried to comfort him, trying to ease his older brothers fears as always. But Edward had shunned him, rejecting any sort of comfort Al was offering. His younger brother shouldn't be comforting him, it was wrong, Edward should be the one comforting Al, easing his little brothers fears, telling him that monsters aren't real and that there is no reason to fear the dark. But instead, Al was the one who had to reassure his elder brother that there were no monsters and that nothing was hiding under his bed.

He heard the sound of water running in the kitchen. Peering his head around the corner he saw his mother standing at the sink washing the dishes. She was wearing her favorite dress, a simple lilac colored piece that went a little past her knees, and her long chestnut hair rested in a low ponytail, the wavy locks nearly falling out of the lose hair tie.

Edward watched as his Mother turned the water off, the sink now empty and all the dishes placed on the counter to dry. She turned towards the stove, drying her hands off with the towel that hung on the handle of the stove. She then turned towards the doorway, a wide smile on her face. Golden eyes met with warm chocolate orbs and a chuckle escaped the woman's lips.

"There's my little man!" Trisha said with a smile, "Come give your Mom a hug!" She said, taking a few steps towards the entryway.

Edward smiled, moving from his hiding spot to the doorway. After a few seconds his smile widened, a silent giggle escaping his lips. He rushed from his spot in the doorway and launched himself into his mother's arms. Once he felt his Mother's arms wrap around him he felt all his fears subside. His mother always made everything better, even if she didn't know he was scared.

"That's my little man." She said, lifting the boy up into her arms. "I love you, Edward." She whispered into the boy's ear. Wrapping his arms around her neck, Edward laid his head in the crook of her neck. A content sigh escaped his lips. 'I love you too, Mom...' he thought.

Edward blearily opened his eyes. Long blonde lashes fluttered as he tried to get the sleep out of his eyes. 'Mom...' he thought, realizing it was all a dream. A soft smile grew across his face as he thought of his Mother, thinking through the memories of his childhood. His Mother was his rock, his anchor, the one who understood him best. Edward missed her; there was still an ache in his heart as it had not quite been a year since she had passed.

Sitting up, Edward looked over at the alarm clock that sat on his nightstand. The glowing red digital numbers on the clock told Edward that it was only five fifteen in the morning. Edward let out an annoyed puff of air, knowing there was no chance he'd fall back to sleep now. He needed to be up in half an hour anyway, as today was their first day of school and Edward had a meeting with Maria at seven.

'Might as well get ready.' Edward thought, getting up from his bed. He walked over towards his door and flipped the light switch on before walking to his dresser.

Opening the bottom drawer, he pulled out a pair of dark wash jeans and set them beside him. Closing that drawer, he opened the drawer above it and began to rummage through it. He began to dig through his hefty amount of shirts, trying to find the absolutely perfect top to wear on his first day of his senior year. Finally, he settled with a short sleeve V-neck shirt that was a vivid red color. Moving to the top drawer, he quickly opened it and pulled out a clean pair of boxers.

After closing the remaining drawers, Edward gathered his clothes into his arms and walked out into the dark hallway. Walking into the bathroom, he turned the light on and sat his clean clothes on the counter before he shut the door. He quickly began to undress, throwing his dirty pajamas into the laundry basket.

'Time for a quick shower.'

The hot water felt good, so good it nearly lulled Edward back into the clutches of sleep. It relaxed his muscles, getting out every ache Edward hadn't noticed. The warmth was so deliriously good that Edward never wanted to leave the steamy shower.

'I have to get out soon.' He thought to himself, scrubbing his body with his fluffy loofah sponge. Soap began to cover his sun kissed skin, and the musky scent of mandarin and wood filled the shower. The bathroom slowly heated up, steaming up the small space.

Edward did his usual shower routine: shampoo, rinse, condition, rinse, and repeat. He then rinsed his body off once more, watching as the foaming bubbles went down the drain. After that he lingered for a few more minutes, enjoying the warm water running down his body. After a few seconds he reluctantly turned off the water and watched as the remaining droplets slid down the drain. The cool air chilled his skin and he quickly hopped out of the shower and grabbed his fluffy towel. He quickly ran a towel through his head, not wanting the water to get all over the floor. After towel drying his hair he ran the fluffy cotton all over his body until he felt dry before he tied it around his waist. He then ran a hand over the mirror, wiping off all the steam until he could see his reflection. As usual, he looked like a drowned cat. Reaching over to a small basket that sat on the counter, he grabbed a brush and bottle of hair detangler. Spraying the product meant for small children all over his head, he quickly brushed out his long blonde locks till they fell into straight strands that fell just below his shoulders.

He quickly got dressed and tied his hair back into a low braid and threw the dirty towel into the hamper before he ventured downstairs.

Downstairs was dark and empty, as Ed had suspected since it was only five forty-five in the morning. Al wouldn't get up until six fifteen. Ed knew it because Al always woke up at six fifteen regardless if they had school or not. He truly was their Mother's child, and he shared many of her traits. Ed was more like their Dad, as much as he hated it.

Walking into the kitchen, Edward flipped the light on and walked over towards the fridge. Opening the door he began to eye the drinks, trying to decide what he wanted. He settled for orange juice, deciding it was better than the disgusting milk or Winry's precious soda. He pulled the juice out of the fridge and sat it on the counter while he dug through the cabinets for a glass. After he poured his drink and put the bottle back in the fridge he began to plunder through the cabinets looking for something to eat. Edward wasn't quite sure what he wanted; he just knew he was hungry. There were many options: cereal, oatmeal, toast, waffles; the choices were endless. After pondering for several minutes, Edward decided that toast with jelly sounded like a good choice.

In a matter of ten minutes, Edward had made his food. The bread came out perfect, a nice golden brown color, yet not too burnt. Edward spread a nice mix of butter and grape jelly on it; it tasted delicious. By the time Ed was done eating it was five after six, which meant Al would be up in ten minutes.

Edward quickly wrote a note to Al, telling the younger teen that he had left early and that he was taking their car. Leaving the note on the table, Edward quickly grabbed his backpack and ran out the door, carefully shutting the door so Den wouldn't bark.

The morning air was cool, a nice comfortable temperature that was neither too hot or cold. The sun was already peaking out and casting a soft glow on everything. The sky was clear and there was not a cloud in the sky. Edward loved mornings like these, especially ones that he could enjoy in solitude. As much as he loved Al and Winry, they could be a bit overbearing at times. Always worrying about him, treating him like a child at times…

Edward let out a sigh as he slid down onto the drivers seat, glad that he was finally able to drive the car that was his. 'Mom gave me this car, I don't know why Al goes around thinking that it's his.' Edward thought, letting out a puff of air as he shut the door. 'I'm older, I've had my license longer, it's rightfully mine.' Ed thought as he pushed the key in the ignition, a soft purr from the engine signaling the car had turned on. 'The title is in my name, I've made the payments on it, all Al's done is run the gas down.' Annoyed, Edward stole a glace at the gas meter as he put his seat belt on. A peeved sigh left his lips when he noticed the car was almost on empty. 'Good thing I left early.' Ed thought, pulling his phone out to look for the nearest gas station.

A few minutes passed as Edward carefully read the directions to the gas station that the GPS promised was only a five-minute drive away. He was determined to learn his way around the city before September, since he did not enjoy having to look up directions to every damn place in Resembol. Depending on the GPS made him feel useless and he hated feeling useless.

He set his phone in the cup holder and put the car into drive, slowly making his way off his home street ten minutes later than he wanted to. Damn Al for making him go get gas for his car.

Getting gas took a total of fifteen minutes. If he wasn't mute it would've taken him five.

The clerk was ignorant, his mind must've been fogged with sleep and working the nightshift of a shady looking gas station that looked as though everyone avoided it like the plague. Said clerk didn't seem to understand why Edward slid him a slip of paper that had the amount of gas Ed wanted written on it. He scratched his head idiotically and had to read it several times over before he understood Edward's request, charging Edward twenty-five dollars for half a tank of gas. Edward decided against filling the car up, deciding that if Al liked using up his gas so much then he could pay the forty or forty-five dollars for a full tank.

It was only six-thirty, half an hour before his meeting with Maria, and he was left with nothing to do. Sitting in his car idly, he hadn't yet pulled out of the gas station as he pondered what to do. He was craving a cup of coffee, his mind still fogged with sleep. But being mute was difficult and he didn't feel like having another incident like he just had at the gas station so going to a coffee shop was out of the question. He knew he could have Al bring him one to school, but Al was probably mad at him for taking the car.

He could always text Roy, ask him to get him a cup of coffee and promise to pay him back. Roy would understand his situation, and he always said he could ask him if he needed a favor and it honestly didn't sound like that bad of an idea.

Picking his phone up, Edward pulled up the 'Messages' app and selected Roy's name, typing in a short messages that read 'Can you do me a favor?' and sat his phone back in the cup holder. Deciding that it was just a waste of time to sit at the gas station and wait for Roy's reply, Edward put the car in drive and began to slowly pull out of the small business. As he sat at the red light he picked his phone up, looking at the GPS to make sure he knew how to get to the school from the gas station.

As he read through the directions, watching the red light out of the corner of his eye, his phone went off. A banner at the top of the screen showed that Roy had texted back, so he quickly clicked it and watched as he was taken to his messages. The text read 'Of course, what is it?' Edward let out a sigh of relief because after waking up at five in the morning he was in need of a caffeinated beverage.

He replied quickly, knowing that the light would change at any moment and that he wasn't suppose to be texting and driving anyway. His fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, 'Can you please get me a coffee? I'll pay you back.' The light changed just as Edward tossed his phone into the cup holder. He quickly turned and anxiously awaited Roy's reply.

As he drove, Edward took in the small city of Resembol. It was a little town, a good alternative to a busy city like Central. Edward loved it; it was nice and quiet and everyone seemed so happy. As he pulled up to another stop sign his phone went off again, so he quickly grabbed it and pulled up his messages to read Roy's reply.

'Sure, what would you like?'

Edward typed quickly, 'just get me a French vanilla drink, no milk though.'

Edward got to the school in ten minutes and the parking lot was empty aside from several teachers' cars. Ed got a nice spot in the front, right by the main entrance. He put the car into park and happily pulled the keys out of the ignition. Roy had agreed to meet him at his speech pathologist's office to give him his coffee and Edward had never been so excited to get a caffeinated beverage.

It was six forty-five, meaning he only had fifteen minutes till his meeting with Maria. Edward decided that it did no harm to be early to the meeting, so he grabbed his backpack from the passenger seat and got out of the car. As he walked towards the entrance of the school Ed pressed the lock button on his keys, the car replied with a beep signaling that it had locked.

Edward cheerily walked through the school, glad that he and Al had gotten a thorough tour of the place a week prior. The building was silent and with every step Edward took on the linoleum floor the sound echoed and bounced off the walls. The silence was slightly eerie, which bothered Edward in ways he didn't really understand, but he brushed it off, turning down the lengthy hallway that he knew housed Maria's small office.

Maria reminded him of his Mother, and despite the lengthy months it had been since she passed- ten months and six days- it still hurt Edward to think of her. The fact that she was no longer there watching over him still made breathing painful. It almost made it hard to be around Maria, she was so much like his mother and he still missed his Mother so much...

A sigh passed through Edward's lips and he slid a little further in his chair. Maria had stepped out of the office to get some papers and Edward finally felt like he could breathe. His day had started out a little rough with waking up at five in the morning and memories of his Mother suffocating him to the core, and Roy still wasn't there with his damn coffee. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket but he made no notion to get it. He knew it was a text message from Al going off on how he did not enjoy riding to school in Winry's old beat up Chevy truck and how it wasn't very nice of him to take the car without asking. Did Al truly forget that the car was in Edward's name?

Glancing up at the analog clock that was in the corner, Edward saw that it was just seven o'clock. He mentally groaned. 'Today is going to be a long day' he thought wearily.

It was then that a soft knock sounded, waking Edward from his thoughts. Turning around, he wasn't surprised to see Roy standing in the doorway - after all, why would Maria knock when it was her office? - with a Styrofoam cup full of delicious coffee in his hand.

Edward smiled, motioning for Roy to come in. Roy sent him one of his signature smirks as he sauntered into the room. "Did someone ask for some coffee?" He asked, his voice holding a slight smug tone to it.

Edward just shook his head at Roy's behavior, raising his hands up in a way that said 'just give me my damn coffee!' Roy chuckled at the blonde's behavior. "Careful, it's hot," he warned as he gently handed the cup to Edward. Edward carefully took it into his hands, not wanting to spill any of the blistering liquid on his hands. Moving the cup into his left hand, Edward signed 'thank you' to Roy.

Roy, who still was only in the simple phrases of sign language, understood what Edward was saying and mimicked the motion, 'You're welcome' (1). Roy didn't need words to understand Edward, and he truly didn't even need sign language to read Edward because Edward was like an open book, his eyes were windows to what he was feeling. He watched with great interest as Edward took a small sip of the coffee, not wanting to burn his tongue. Things between the two of them were a little hesitant, more hesitant than anything after the almost kiss that took place a week prior. Roy had backed off a little, after realizing that he was coming on a little too strong- well Maes really told him that- and decided to be subtler. He'd let Edward decide things, wait for Edward to pursue him, wait for Edward to understand his feelings.

"Do you know your class schedule yet?" Roy asked, suddenly breaking the silence between the two of them.

Edward shook his head, pointing to the empty desk in front of him. A silent way of attempting to tell Roy that Maria had gone out to make a copy of it. He knew it probably came off wrong and that Roy was no different than the annoying clerk at the shady gas station that he swore he'd never go back to. Roy was not his Mother who never needed sign language or hand motions to understand him. Understanding him was something that came natural to his Mother. Even when he lost his voice she understood him.

"Did she go to make a copy of it?" Roy asked, leaning against the cream colored wall, his hands pushed deep into his pockets.

A smile broke way on Edward's lips. Roy never failed to amaze him. He nodded his head, taking another careful sip of his still steaming coffee. It tasted of sweet French vanilla and warmed Edward's taste buds in the best way possible.

"I hope we have a class or two together." Roy said, his voice soft as a hopeful smile spread across his lips. He already knew his schedule; he'd known it for a week now. As a senior his class schedule didn't differ from any other schedule he had during high school. Being a senior wasn't that different than being a junior. It just meant that you had somehow made it through twelve years of schooling. He'd only be excited for his classes if he knew he'd share at least one with Edward.

Edward nodded, 'me too.' The silent words echoed in his mind and never left the tip of his tongue.

Roy stole a glance at the clock, five minutes after seven. He heard the sound of high heels clanking against the tile floor and he knew the footsteps belonged to Maria. "Well, I'm going to head to my homeroom now." Roy said, taking a few steps towards Edward. "Have a good day Edward," He said, his fingers tempted to brush against Ed's shoulder like he did the week prior. "I'll see you later." He said, his voice falling into a low and husky tone.

Edward nodded, sending Roy a warm smile. He signed another thank you to the teen and reluctantly watched as he exited the office. He could hear Maria's high heels echoing through the hallway and he knew his lengthy meeting was about to begin.

AP Chemistry, AP Psychology, AP Calculus, AP English, AP Biology, AP Government, and two classes that Maria knew Edward didn't even need to take but needed to put on his schedule so he had a total of seven classes.

With a schedule like that, Maria still found it hard to believe that Edward needed her. But as she watched Edward fidget in his seat, seemingly detached from the conversation they were having, she knew he wasn't a delinquent teen who didn't want to speak. But yet, he truly didn't know how to speak. Someone had stolen his voice, the man who held him hostage as a child had set fear deep inside Edward and the anxiety still showed at age seventeen.

The signs of abuse were obvious, not just in the scars but in Edward's behavior.

Denny Brosh had finally showed up, ten minutes late with a tie hanging around his neck and an uncombed bedhead. He went to introduce himself to Edward and Maria watched him visibly tense. Denny noticed it too and immediately retreated to his desk in the corner, knowing that he would have to ease into Edward.

Their meeting hadn't taken too long, a glance at the clock told Maria that it was only seven-thirty. She watched Edward carefully as he played with the piece of paper in his hand, just waiting to be dismissed. Her eyes lingered on him, eyeing the many scars that grazed his body. The large scars that ran across his cheek, the thick band of scarred skin around his neck, the pink skin that peeked out from the sleeve of his shirt... The sad look in his bright golden eyes.

"Are you alright Edward?" Maria asked, her voice soft like a mother comforting her child.

Edward did not lift his head, acting as though he did not even notice her presence. His fingers stayed busy, fiddling with the piece of paper in his hand. Maria was just about to repeat the question, thinking Ed had not heard her request, when Edward nodded his head in the slightest way. Looking up, he locked his golden eyes with her chocolate colored irises. 'May I be dismissed now?' he asked, his hands moving so quickly that she barely understood them.

"In a minute you may." Maria said, "Edward, we got along so well the last time we met, what happened?" She asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. It seemed the best way to deal with Edward was to be blunt.

Edward's eyes darted away from hers, his eyes becoming thin golden slits. Maria watched with a careful eye, moments like these always helped her understand her students. She watched as Edward's brows furrowed and he took a breath that looked like it pained him to do so. Another painful looking breath escaped his lips before he turned his attention back to Maria. 'You-' he faltered, stopping just for a moment as he rubbed his eyes and a sad smile spread across his lips, 'remind me of my Mother.'

"Al told me you two were very close." She said, "I'm very sorry, Edward I know you must miss her."

Missing her was an understatement, he missed her so much no one else even understood. Only Al, only Al understood his pain and why the first few months after she had passed it hurt him to even move. Even at ten months and six days- oh dear god, had it been that long?- since she passed it still hurt to even think about her. 'You don't even begin to understand.' Edward signed, sending her a look that almost looked like a glare.

"Edward," Maria began, folding her hands under her chin, "over the course of the year we will be spending a lot of time together, and I'd like it if we got along." Her eyes focused onto Edward's molten gold eyes.

Edward said nothing for a moment, merely studying Maria as if he were looking for a sign of something. But after a few seconds passed his face relaxed and a small smile broke through. 'Yes, I understand.' Edward signed, his hands moving slowly for once. 'May I please go now?' He asked.

"Yes, you may." Maria said with a sigh, her hands falling into her lap. "I will see you tomorrow, have a good day Edward."

Edward smiled and signed a quick thank you before rushing out the door.

"He's a case, isn't he Denny?" Maria said as she shook her head.

Denny lifted his head up from his work and nodded, "We're going to have quite the interesting year."

Maria said the teachers 'understood' he couldn't- didn't- talk, and they did.

But that didn't mean the students did.

They all tried to talk to him, make small talk and ask about Central like it was some foreign country. When Edward didn't reply, they sent him glares and all Edward could do was sigh and brush it off. It wasn't like he hadn't dealt with this before, yet he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when the bell rang and the first half of the school day was over. A lunch break was much needed.

As he walked through the crowded hallway he thought about whom he would be eating lunch with. He already knew Al would be there. Al made it his mission to have lunch with his brother, so that 'he wouldn't be lonely'. Edward merely rolled his eyes when Al told him that. He didn't need Al to keep him company- he enjoyed solitude and Al just didn't seem to understand that.

"Edward!"

A voice called his name, but Edward ignored it. Not because he was being rude, but because the hallway was too crowded to even turn around to see who it was. So, Edward merely kept trudging through the crowds of people and tried to keep up with the flow of traffic in the hallway.

"Edward!" The voice shouted again, its tone smooth like melted chocolate and warm like velvet. "Hey, wait up!"

Roy, it had to be Roy calling his name. Ed didn't know anyone else with a voice like his, like chocolate and velvet. Turning around, a smile tugged its way onto Edward's lips as he caught sight of Roy racing through the crowd with a big grin on his face.

He met Roy halfway, ignoring all those who sent him a snarl for messing up the hallway traffic. They'd just have to deal with it; besides, he wasn't the only one doing it. Roy's face lit up when he finally got to where he wanted to be- standing beside Edward. "Hey." Roy said, slightly breathless from trying to catch up with Edward. Edward merely smiled at Roy, signing a simple 'Hi' to Roy.

"Want to sit together at lunch?" Roy asked as the two maneuvered their way through the packed hallway. Edward merely nodded, happy that he'd have someone to talk to other than his overprotective brother.

At lunch Roy introduced Edward and Alphonse to his group of friends, all of which seemed very nice. There were three of them, all of which seemed very different from the other, yet they all seemed to compliment the other.

First, there was Heymans Breda, a stocky built guy who was loud and proud. Edward could easily tell he was a football player; he was built like one and was loud like one. Then there was Jean Havoc, a tall guy who seemed rather laid back. Ed and Al both agreed he fit the country boy look with his shaggy blond hair and loose fitting clothes. Jean seemed to be good friends with Breda, the two seemed glued at the hip. Then there was Kain Fuery, who didn't seem to fit with the other guys. Kain was a small guy, thin and short compared to Jean and Roy. He also seemed more on the nerdy side with his thick black glasses, but he seemed rather intelligent.

After their introductions the three sat down across from Edward and Al while Roy sat on the other side of Edward. "Now guys," Roy said after he took a bite of his food "There is one thing I didn't mention about Edward…" Roy trailed off, looking at Alphonse for a bit of help and ignoring Edward's glares. Al merely nodded, understanding Roy's looks.

"My brother is mute." Al said rather bluntly, "He doesn't speak, but I can assure you he's a great listener when he wants to be." A chuckle escaped his lips. He hoped his attempt to lighten the seriousness of his former statement worked. Al stole a glace at Edward, only to be met with a deep scowl.

"So that's why you didn't say anything in AP Calc!" Fuery exclaimed, his voice holding a tone of excitement at the realization. "Almost everyone in the class wondered why you never said anything, since usually the teachers have new kids introduce themselves but Mr. Falman didn't make you."

Edward shrugged, not bothered by the fact his classmates were essentially gossiping about him. He was used to it, he was always the black sheep in school.

No one else spoke for a minute. All was silent while the others soaked up the information.

"That's ok, I like quiet guys." Breda said, a warm smile on his face. His tough football player attitude diminished for a minute and one could see the nice guy that hid under his tough exterior.

Havoc remained quiet for a minute, and it took a hard nudge from Breda to get him to speak. "You're different." Havoc said bluntly, "I like it." A smile broke across his face in an attempt to lighten his bluntness.

Edward took a glance at all the people that surrounded him: his brother, Roy, Havoc, Breda, and Fuery. Everyone was gathered up in their own conversations, taking about their plans for the new school year. Edward, as usual, remained distant. His thoughts lingered on the people that surrounded him and how different his life was now than a year ago. A brush against his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts, lifting his large golden eyes from his food up to meet with Roy's black orbs.

"You okay?" Roy asked, a genuine look of concern on his face. "You seem kind of out of it."

Edward nodded, a large grin forming on his face. His life in Resembool was very different than his life in Central in more ways than one. But the most profound difference between Resembool and Central was for the first time in Edward's life he felt like he had friends.

The thought of his new friends only made Edward's smile widen.

(1) - The sign for 'thank you' and 'you're welcome' are the same :)

Ahh that was so boring, I'm sorry! I promise the next chapter is more interesting. Please review!

Also, thank you Camila for being an awesome beta reader!