Chapter 10

Author's note: Hello everyone! I outlined the next few chapters this past week and I'm excited where the story is going to go. I did have trouble with this chapter though. As I veer farther away from the book, I get a little strapped for ideas on conversations for the characters to have. I hope it's not too terrible of a read. There is a small content reminder for the end of the chapter. Remember this is rated M, people. Anyway, enjoy! :)

The next morning I had a hard time convincing myself that I hadn't actually gone insane and that the previous night wasn't an extremely elaborate delusion. But as I got dressed for the day in a heavy sweater, my shopping bags and the lack of a jacket were ample evidence that the conversation I had about Edward Cullen being a vampire had, in fact, occurred.

I ate a hurried breakfast of a granola bar and a few swigs of milk straight from the carton. Charlie had already left for the day and I was running late. It was foggy as hell outside so I'd have to drive a little slower than usual, which was already pretty slow.

I carefully drove the few miles to school shivering slightly and parked in the full parking lot. As soon as I stepped out into the fog, Edward appeared at my side. I jumped a little when I saw him.

"Whoa, where did you come from?" I laughed nervously.

"Good morning to you too," Edward smirked. He gave me a once over look. "Where is your coat? Aren't you cold?" he asked, immediately taking off his own gray leather jacket and silently offering it to me.

"I accidentally left it in Jessica's car last night. I didn't realize until I got home," I replied, raising my hands in front of me, palms up in protest of his offering. Edward scoffed.

"Don't be silly. You must be cold. Here, turn around." He held the jacket up. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. If it'll shut you up," I whined. I took off my back pack, turned my back to Edward, and slipped my arms into the sleeves. They were too long and I had to push them up to expose my hands. "Thanks," I said lightly as I put my back pack on. The jacket was giving off a sweet aroma that was positively mouthwatering. I found myself wishing I could bottle the smell as we started off toward the campus.

"How did you sleep?" Edward asked as we walked along in the surrounding fog.

"Fine, I guess. How was your night?" I smiled over at him.

"Also fine." He exhaled and smiled wider. "It's such a relief that you know. It's nice not to have to lie about the smallest things like sleeping." He looked over at me with an exuberant gaze.

"I'm glad," I replied, returning his smile.

"It's refreshing to be able to be myself around someone other than my family."

"I can imagine. After 80 years it might get a little tiresome," I agreed amiably.

"So, I told my family about you," Edward hedged. I gulped. The other Cullens. We hadn't talked about them much… or at all, actually. Edward sighed before he continued. "They were furious when they found out you knew about us." My stomach dropped and my hands went cold and clammy. "They fear exposure and also…"

"What?" I asked in a small voice when he didn't continue.

"They worry I'll accidentally kill you." He didn't meet my gaze. "And that by being your friend it would put me—and therefore the whole family—under suspicion."

"Well that's just silly," I choked out attempting a bravado I didn't think I quite pulled off. "I have complete trust in you not to kill me. And you can trust me completely with your secrets," I told him in earnest.

"And I do. I do trust you, Bella." He looked back at me then with fervor in his voice. "It would be so much easier to convince them to trust us if Alice could just see which future outcome is certain."

"Um, what now?" I asked, flabbergasted. The future?

"Oh, I suppose I haven't told you about Alice yet, have I?"

"No, you haven't. She can see the future?" I asked completely in awe. Vampires were so damn cool. Edward chuckled a little.

"I'm afraid it'll have to wait." He gestured over to the building we were fast approaching.

Jessica was standing under the shelter of the cafeteria roof's overhang holding my jacket. Edward and I hurried over to her and her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when she saw our approach. They then shrewdly appraised the fact that I was wearing his jacket. Shit.

"Hey, Jess! Thanks for bringing my jacket!" I exclaimed when we reached where she stood. I hastily divested myself of Edward's coat and shoved it at him a little too hard in the hopes that Jessica wouldn't think too much of the fact that I was wearing his clothes—especially after Edward and I had dinner together the previous evening. God. Jessica wordlessly handed me my jacket. "Thanks," I said again after putting in on.

"Good morning, Jessica," Edward said politely.

"Er… hi." She shifted her wide eyes to me, trying to gather her jumbled thoughts. "I guess I'll see you in Trig," she said with a meaningful look. I suppressed a sigh. What was I going to tell her?

Jessica walked away, pausing twice to peek back over her shoulder at us.

"What are you going to tell her?" Edward murmured, leaning in toward me.

"Hey, I thought you said you couldn't read my mind!" I hissed, nudging my shoulder into his playfully.

"I can't," he said, startled. Then understanding brightened in his eyes. "I can, however, read hers—she'll be waiting to ambush you in class." I groaned. "What are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know." I bit my lip. "What does she want to know?"

He shook his head, grinning wickedly. "That's not fair."

"Not telling me what you know—now that's not fair."

Edward deliberated for a moment as we walked. We stopped outside the door to my first class.

"She wants to know if we're secretly dating—behind Mike's back. She wants to know how you feel about me," he finally said.

"Well, shit." I did not want her thinking I was cheating on Mike. What if a rumor got around to Mike? We just became official, I didn't want something like this to break us up. Edward was scrutinizing my expression. "Thanks for giving me the heads up." I gave him a weak smile, my mind preoccupied.

We said our goodbyes and I turned into the classroom. Mike was already in his seat next to mine and I took it with a warm smile on my face, all traces of dread falling away at the sight of his returning smile.

"Morning," Mike mumbled in a tired voice. His eyes were still heavy with sleep and his hair was un-gelled, a sign of waking up too late and not having the time to get ready for school.

"Good morning," I replied with a small laugh. "Late night?"

Mike stifled a yawn. "Yeah. I had to stay up late to finish the Macbeth paper."

"How come? I thought we worked out all the details on Monday."

"I, uh, got distracted…" he said with a sheepish grin. "There was a 24 hour Steven Segal movie marathon on TV." I groaned. Boys.

"Ugh, Steven Segal? He's the worst!" I gagged.

"What, no way! He's the best. There's nothing like a good action B-movie with a guy making the same face in every scene." We laughed together. "So how did the trip to Port Angeles go last night?"

"Oh, it was great," I replied airily. I hoped his line of questioning wouldn't go too far. I wasn't sure what I was going to tell Jessica, let alone Mike. "We all found dresses." I blushed remembering the girls cooing over my dress and saying how Mike was going to lose it when he saw me in it.

"What's with the blush?" Mike asked with a smile.

"My dress." I lowered my gaze, embarrassed. "It's… pretty. Very girly. Red." I glanced back at Mike. He raised his eyebrows.

"I can't wait to see it," he replied with a smile. Mr. Mason called the class to order then, asking us to turn in our papers.

Mike walked me to my next class hand in hand when English let out and we parted ways with a warm embrace and a hardly restrained kiss. I spent the hour during government agonizing over what to tell Jessica and wondering if I would have time to ask Edward to corroborate whatever story I might have to invent. It wasn't until class was finally over that I realized I wouldn't have to do that—he'd be able to read her mind and know what I told her if she confronted him.

I inwardly reveled at the ease with which I thought about Edward's telepathy. How bizarre was it that I had a vampire for a friend? What are the odds that I'd move from Arizona to Washington and bump into a supernatural family? I was so busy in my revelations that I completely forgot about Jessica. She was sitting in the back row in Trigonometry nearly bouncing off her seat in agitation. I almost considered sitting somewhere else just to bug her, but I reluctantly took my customary seat beside her instead.

"Tell me everything!" She commanded as soon as I sat down.

"What do you want to know?" I hedged.

"What happened after we left?"

I shrugged, looking innocent. "He bought me dinner and then drove me home."

She glared at me, her expression still skeptical. "How did you get home so fast?"

"He drives like a frickin' maniac. It was terrifying," I replied in earnest.

"Was it like a date—did you tell him to meet you there?"

"What? No. Jessica, I'm going out with Mike. I'd never do that to him."

"Not even for Edward Cullen?" She teased.

"Of course not. I really like Mike and it's important to me that he doesn't think I'm secretly dating someone else, so just drop it, okay?"

"Jeez, sorry." Jessica backed off but was clearly disappointed. "So, what's his deal? Why is he hanging out with you?"

"Gee, thanks," I scowled.

"Oh, you know what I mean," she scowled back. "He never speaks to anyone but his family. Why is he branching out all of the sudden?"

"Beats me," I said, shrugging. "He did keep saying he was afraid I was going to go into shock from almost being run over. Maybe he just bought me dinner to make it up to me."

"Maybe…" she replied, the wheels in her head clearly spinning. "Man, you have the worst luck, though, huh? Almost being hit by a car twice in, like, three months?"

"Tell me about it." We laughed a little.

"So what did you guys talk about?" She asked in a hushed tone. Class had started but Mr. Varner wasn't paying close attention and we weren't the only ones still talking.

"I don't know, Jess, lots of stuff," I whispered back. "We talked about the English essay a little." A very, very little. I think he mentioned it in passing.

"Please, Bella," she begged. "Give me some details." She bounced a little in her seat, kicking her feet like a child.

"Okay, okay… I've got one," I said, placating my child-friend. "You should have seen the way the waitress was flirting with him. Completely over the top."

"What did he do?" she asked wide-eyed.

"Nothing. He barely noticed her."

"Was she pretty?"

"Very—and probably 19 or 20."

"Even better. Bella, I think he likes you."

I blushed, inwardly cursing the stupid capillaries in my face for betraying me. "I don't care about that, Jess…" I said and looked away. "We're just friends."

"I don't know how you're brave enough to be alone with him," she breathed shaking her head. She must have missed my blushing or I was sure she would have pounced on the deeper meaning of it.

"What do you mean?"

"He's so… intimidating. I wouldn't know what to say to him." She made a face, probably remembering this morning or last night when he'd turned on the overwhelming force of his charm on her. I laughed a little at her expression and she scoffed.

"You just have to learn to look past his face… and that body…" My thoughts started to drift. I looked over at Jessica and, to my amusement, I could see her thoughts had drifted as well. I cleared my throat claiming her attention again and we smiled at each other bashfully. "He's just a regular guy behind all that." I shrugged with nonchalance. "There's more to him than his looks." The vampire who wanted to be good—who saved lives so he wouldn't be a monster. I felt a little ashamed I ever thought of him as anything but.

"Is that possible?" Jessica giggled. I gave her a look and I was about to retort when Mr. Varner called on Jessica for an answer. Thankfully we didn't get the chance to talk any further for the rest of the period.

When the bell rang, I took evasive action before she had the chance to start of the subject of Edward again.

"So, how's Joseph?" I asked while we gathered our books.

"Oh my God, Bella, I forgot to tell you about the amazing conversation we had over the phone last night!" she exclaimed. I mentally twiddled my figurative evil mustache when my plan worked so well—Jessica launched in to a complete breakdown of her five minute long conversation with Joseph. It lasted through most of Spanish class and the walk to the cafeteria at lunch. I didn't have to contribute much. I may as well have been a wall for her to bounce her words off of for all she cared. This girl was my friend, but man alive could she talk! I just said the "hmm's" and the "yeah's" in all the right places and she propelled the conversation forward all on her own. Edward Cullen was, thankfully, the farthest thing from her mind.

As we stepped through the doors of the cafeteria, my eyes immediately made a beeline for the Cullen's table in the corner. I made eye contact with Edward and smiled. I waved in greeting when he returned the smile. Just before I turned away, Alice turned in her seat and made eye contact with me as well, a wide and lovely smile on her face. She waved enthusiastically at me. It surprised me—I'd never had any interaction with any of Edward's siblings before. I blushed and gave a small smile in return. I thought Edward said his family didn't like me.

Jessica and I took our seats at our table after we got lunch—me at Mike's side. Conversation was easy and time passed quickly as we laughed and ate our mediocre cafeteria food. Angela didn't pester me about my evening with Edward, for which I was grateful. Someone suggested we all go out to the 24 hour diner in town after the dance this Saturday. It was shaping up to be quite the shindig and I was becoming more and more excited for the weekend to arrive.

I kept taking quick peeks over at Edward and the other Cullens, observing them with my new knowledge. Edward had said that vampires have special abilities—amplifications of traits they may have had in their human lives. That must be what he meant about Alice. Edward can read minds and Alice could see the future. I found it all terribly fascinating. I wondered what the other Cullens could do. Telekinesis? Laser beam eyes? I chuckled softly to myself at the idea of vampire X-Men.

At the end of the lunch hour we made our way to biology class, Mike and I hand in hand. When we entered the classroom, we noticed A/V equipment set up at the head of the room. Mike left me at my seat where I was alone at the table. My heart began to sink thinking Edward might skip class again. I was about to muse as to why I felt that way when Edward strode through the door and swiftly took his seat next to me just as Mr. Banner shoved a tape in to the ancient-looking VCR. I tried to hide my elation when Mr. Banner snapped off the lights and started the movie. I would have to analyze these emotions later. For now, I would just have to enjoy Edward's company.

"Hey," I whispered over to him with a smile. I saw him smile back in the dim light of the opening credits of the movie.

"Hey," he replied. "So, the waitress was pretty?" he asked with a smirk. I gasped.

"You were listening?" I hissed. Edward gave a low chuckle.

"I couldn't help it."

"But how?"

"How what? You know I can—" he dropped his voice even lower—"read minds."

"I know, but I didn't think you could do it from far away." I replied, annoyed.

"I have to be fairly close," Edward admitted. "But the more familiar I am with someone's… 'Voice,' the farther away I can hear them. But still, no more than a few miles."

"Jeez," I breathed.

Edward was thoughtful for a moment. "It's a little like being in a crowded hall where everyone is talking at once. It's just a hum—a buzzing of voices in the background. Until I focus on one voice, and then what they're thinking is clear.

"Most of the time I can tune it out—it can be very distracting, it's much easier to appear normal—" he frowned at the word—"when I'm not accidentally answering someone's thoughts rather than their words."

I chucked a little at the idea; I found it incredibly amusing. "How often does something like that happen?"

"I haven't made that mistake in a long time." Edward chuckled too.

"So, you really didn't notice? The waitress, I mean?" I asked.

"No. I wasn't paying attention. I had a lot on my mind."

"Poor girl," I teased. Edward rolled his eyes.

"So, Alice wanted me to clarify what I said earlier about my family not trusting you. She wants me to let you know that she trusts you completely. She's a bit miffed at me, actually, for implying she didn't."

"Oh," I said. I remembered her friendly smile and wave.

"She saw no betrayal on your part and she's been trying to convince the others."

"Meaning?"

"Some in the house think only disaster will come of our friendship. Rosalie and Jasper, mainly—and since Emmett needs to remain loyal to Rosalie or he's looking at the royal end of a hissy fit—he's siding with Rose. Carlisle and Esme are supportive of all their children equally—think of them as Switzerland," he whispered with a lopsided smile. "But Alice is officially on my side now when it comes to you. She says she's almost certain it will all work out in the end."

"What does that mean?" I asked, curious.

"Well, the future isn't set in stone. You can always change your future; you just have to change your choices. Alice foresaw two outcomes when you and I first met. I would either… kill you… or we would all be good friends in the end—herself included. Alice foresees that you and she will be very close friends."

"Wow," I said in awe.

"So, she has just been trying to convince everyone of her certainty that I will not kill you and the happy ending will very likely take place instead. She says she's 90% sure."

"What, that you won't kill me?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," Edward replied with reluctance.

"Well, I will just have to have a chat with her about that. I am 100% sure you will not… you know, kill me or whatever," I mumbled. Edward laughed.

"I'm sure she would like that very much. She's very eager to begin your epic friendship." I smiled at the thought and I wondered what Alice was like as a person.

"So, what can the others do?" I asked then.

"Well, like I said before, Carlisle believes a prominent trait we possessed in our former lives manifests into something stronger when we are changed. Sometimes those traits transform into abilities like my telepathy and Alice's foresight. But for others, the trait only becomes amplified. Rosalie, for example, was very beautiful in her former life. When she changed, her beauty magnified exponentially."

"I can believe it," I breathed, picturing Rosalie's devastating beauty. Her pale skin, red lips and cascading blonde hair all set on an hour-glass figure that most women would kill for, myself included. "And Emmett?"

"Strength," Edward whispered. I nodded picturing Emmett's broad shoulders and hulking frame. It was hard to believe anyone accepted these people as high schoolers. "Carlisle brought with him his exceptional self-control," Edward continued. "Which is how he can stand being a physician. Esme brought with her her enduring compassion. She loves us all as though we were her natural born children." The tenderness with which Edward spoke of his adoptive mother was heartwarming. "And Jasper… Jasper has an ability that's quite unique. He has the ability to not only sense the emotional state of those around him, but to also influence and manipulate their emotions."

"Wow," I simply said. What else was there to say? I was awed by the incredible things Edward was telling me. How was it possible that all of this was real and no other living soul knew about it? Oh, yeah, I thought suddenly. I knew why. Because the majority of vampires kill anyone close enough to know their true nature and those that don't, like the Cullens, usually kept their distance from humans so no one ever would know about them, I supposed.

My thoughts drifted to the Cullens' diet; hunting animals and drinking their blood. I couldn't picture it—these beautiful specimens taking down… what animals exactly did they hunt?

"So what sort of animals do you guys normally hunt?" I whispered over to him.

"We prefer carnivores to herbivores, but we try not to overhunt any one species. We also like to travel to places that might have an overpopulation problem of a certain species," Edward whispered back. "Emmett's favorite are bears."

"Bears!?" I gasped and Edward chuckled.

"Grizzly bears, to be precise. He likes to hunt them in the early spring when they're just coming out of hibernation and they're more irritable." His voice was offhand, though his eyes were scrutinizing my reaction. I tried to keep it equally aloof.

"Nothing more fun than an irritated grizzly bear," I agreed, nodding. "What's your favorite?"

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Mountain lion," he replied simply, the corners of his mouth turning down, trying not to smile.

"Ah," I whispered in reply. "Hey, wait. So you were poaching at the Goat Rocks," I teased. "It is not bear season, you know. You could get a big fat fine. Possibly jail time," I quipped.

Edward rolled his eyes at my sarcasm. "It's not as though we use rifles and traps. We are but animals ourselves, hunting to sustain ourselves… unless, of course, you would prefer we hunt our usual prey?" He leaned in close, raising an eyebrow, a playful smirk on his lips. I caught a whiff of his sweet aroma and my face felt fuzzy and warm; my head abuzz for a moment. I snickered and turned my head away to fill my lungs with fresh air. How could such a dangerous creature be so damn intoxicating?

"What's up?" Edward asked when I didn't turn back to him right away. "Did I frighten you? I'm sorry," his hushed tone was wrought with concern.

"No, no." I turned back to him with a heavy blush on my cheeks. I would not, under any circumstance, ever tell him he had this effect on me. I wracked my brain for something witty to say or some way to change the subject.

"It's so frustrating when you do that," he complained under his breath.

"What? Think? You're so impatient, Mr. Instant Gratification," I taunted. Edward scoffed with indignation. "Besides, I always tell you what I'm thinking anyway." I hope I never tell him this particular gem, I thought to myself.

"You edit," he accused.

"Not very much."

"Enough to drive me insane."

"Enough to keep me sane," I retorted with a playful nudge of my foot against his.

"So," he whispered. "Please indulge your spoiled friend and tell me what the edited version of your thoughts was." Umm…

"Oh, you know…" I ran my fingers through my hair, shaking it out, stalling for time. I peeked at Edward who seemed to be leaning away from me slightly looking stiff and uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. It seemed to catch him off guard.

"Oh, um… you shook your hair out. It, uh… you smell… good," he mumbled, obviously chagrined. If he could, I was sure he would be blushing. I wanted to laugh but suppressed the urge.

"Is that good or bad?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Edward looked up at me through his dark lashes, his eyes like two pools of honey—he looked guilty.

"A little bit of both," he breathed in his angelic voice. I blushed furiously.

"Oh," was all I could muster.

We looked away from each other, equally embarrassed, though we refused to put into words why. Moments passed agonizingly slow and we didn't say another word or even look at each other. Then Mr. Banner turned off the television and snapped the lights back on, announcing we would finish the film tomorrow.

Edward cleared his throat while the classroom came alive around us. Students were scraping their chairs along the floor, putting their books away, zipping up their backpacks, and starting conversations while making their way to the door. I looked over at Edward who looked back at me with a strange look on his face. It looked like restraint.

"I apologize, I really shouldn't have—" he started to say.

"Don't be silly, you have nothing to apologize for," I interrupted.

"But I—"

"Really, Edward. Just forget it," I said with a reassuring smile. He returned it reluctantly.

"Alright," he said finally. "I'll see you later, Bella." He gestured behind me and I turned to see Mike making his way over to our table. I turned back to Edward, but he was gone.

"What a boring movie, huh?" Mike said when he reached where I stood. Yikes, I hadn't watched a single minute of the movie. I didn't have the slightest idea what it was about.

"Totally. What a snooze fest," I agreed, feigning a look of disgust as we made our way to gym class.

"So you and Cullen seemed chatty today," Mike said as we walked through the rain.

"Yeah," I replied. Shoot, I hadn't told him about dinner with Edward last night. I kind of didn't want to because I was afraid it might make Mike jealous, but if I didn't tell him and he found out from someone else, it might seem like I was trying to hide it from him or that it meant something it didn't. I steeled myself. "Edward and I are friends," I told him.

"Really? I thought he was a jerk. That's why you haven't spoken to him in, like, three months."

"Well, he was," I laughed. "But after dress shopping last night, I bumped into him in Port Angeles and he joined me for diner." I threw a quick glance at Mike. He looked surprised.

"He had dinner with you, Jessica, and Angela?"

"Well, no. Just me." I went into detail about how I had gotten lost, how I was almost run over by Edward's car, and how when we made it back to the restaurant Jessica and Angela had already eaten. "So Edward and I stayed to eat and then he drove me home," I finished quickly, leaving out the many, many details Edward and I discussed.

"Oh," Mike said, his voice hard. "And so now you're friends."

"Yeah, I mean, we're friendly." I tried to ignore the hardness in his tone.

"I don't like it," he said finally, turning to me just as we reached the girls' locker room entrance.

"Don't like what?"

"I don't think he's a good friend for you. I've seen the way he looks at you… like you're something to eat." I barked out a guffaw of laughter. I quickly covered my mouth. He had no idea how on the mark he had been.

"Don't be absurd," I recovered. "We're just friends," I shrugged off his comment.

"I'm not being 'absurd.' He likes you more than just a friend. I'm a guy, Bella, I can tell," he replied sharply, getting angry.

"So what?" I retorted, getting angry myself. "So what if he does, Mike? What, you think if he makes a move on me I'll just fall into his arms and forget all about you? Don't you trust me?" I fumed.

"Of course I trust you, Bella, it's him I don't trust."

"Your trust in Edward isn't the point. It's whether or not you trust me to turn him down or slap him in the face or whatever if he were to ever make a move on me." I stared Mike hard in the eyes, unyielding. Mike folded, his bravado crumpled.

"I guess I do trust you to do something like that." He kicked at the ground. "I know you can take care of yourself." He looked up at me with an apologetic smile on his handsome face. My expression softened.

"Good," I smiled back. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders and pulling his warm body against mine. He snaked his long arms around my waist pulling me even closer. I held his gaze as I leaned in for a soft kiss. Mike pulled away quickly and looked me full in the face.

"But you better tell me if he does so I can go kick his ass." I giggled.

"Shut up and kiss me," I chortled.

…

I walked into the locker room light headed and wobbly from the quick but passionate make out session I had with Mike in the doorway, changing in a trancelike state, only vaguely aware of those around me. Any attraction I had toward Edward seemed to pale in comparison to what I felt when Mike and I embraced; hearts pounding, breath coming in gasps, a yearn in my core that pulsed and ached with every caress, every kiss. Reality didn't fully set in until I was handed a racket. It wasn't heavy but it felt very unsafe in my hand. I noticed a few of my classmates eyeing me furtively. Coach Clapp ordered us to pair up.

Mike's chivalry was unfailing; he came to stand by me.

"Want to be a team?"

"Aw, my hero. But you don't have to do this, you know." I grimaced apologetically.

"Don't worry, I'll stay out of your way," he grinned and playfully swatted my butt with his racket. I yipped and jumped away, stumbling a little.

It didn't go smoothly, needless to say. I somehow managed to hit myself in the head with my own racket and clip Mike's shoulder on the same swing. I spent the rest of the hour at the back of the court with my racket safely behind my back. Mike seemed to be doing just fine without my help; he won three games out of four singlehandedly. He gave me an unearned high five with the coach finally blew his whistle signaling the end of class.

"You're so cute," I laughed as he did a victory lap around our badminton court, his racket held high over his head.

"You know it, baby," he said, jogging back to where I stood. I rolled my eyes and laughed again as we walked over to return our rackets.

"See you outside?" he gave me a quick peck before we parted ways.

…

I went to bed that night after dinner, homework, and writing a lengthy email to Renee. Writing to my mom was always the perfect catharsis. It was a lot like writing in a diary; she was the perfect secret keeper. I wrote to her about finding the perfect dress in Port Angeles, how much fun I had with my girlfriends and bumping into Edward. I refrained from telling her just how I bumped into him—I didn't want her to worry about me almost getting run over… again. I told her about how it had sparked our friendship. I wrote to her about how Mike had officially asked me to be his girlfriend. I told her about how he was getting jealous of Edward. I purged myself of my confused feelings about Edward—how attracted to him I was but that I really just wanted to be his friend and that I was happy to have Mike as my boyfriend. I anxiously awaited her response. She always gave great insight and support.

I slept easily enough at first… that was until my shapeless dream shifted into something else. Something hot and intimate. Something sweaty with skin on skin, breaths coming quick and heavy, the air thick with pleasure. In my dream, Mike and I kissed in the sunshine on the grass. His hands trailed my body, caressing every pleasurable inch, his kisses taking my breath away, the sweat on our bodies glistening. My heart raced as my fingers traced the muscles of his back, tasting the salt on his skin as I licked the sensitive skin of his neck just below his jawline. A throaty moan escaped his lips and that's when I realized it wasn't Mike beneath my fingers and lips. It wasn't the sun we were writhing beneath but the moon. And it wasn't hot and sweaty, it was cold. So cold.

Edward was kissing me under the stars. Edward's hands roved my naked body. My hands travelled the hills and valleys of Edward's hard and plentiful muscles. I gasped and winced beneath his chiseled body, hard as marble, as he left a scorching trail of icy kisses down my body. His large white hands gripped the pert mounds of flesh on my chest, teasing the goose bumped skin there; my nipples hard as pebbles. A low moan of ecstasy escaped my lips when he raked his frosty tongue over my nipple's puckered surface…

I awoke with a jolt, snapping upright in bed, my breathing heavy and my heart pounding in my chest.

"Holy shit," I gasped. I was too hot. Panting, I angrily kicked the covers off my legs and I wiped the hair from my sweaty neck. I need to cool down, I thought and my brain promptly thrust the image of Edward's icy body against mine unbidden. I winced away from the dream and groggily got to my feet with the intent to get a glass of water.

"Fuck," I said under my breath as I descended the stairs. What the hell did that mean?

Hey! Thanks for reading my 10th chapter! Let me know what you think! I always appreciate your responses! :D