It's a snow day today, so I decided to write this up. :)

(Added note: Sorry if me redoing one part of this chapter sends a notice to those of you with story alerts, but I can't let my error go. :/ It's bothering the heck out of me! I caught it after I posted, of course. Stupid me. Sorry!)

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Edward P.O.V.

"Alice," I began, not really liking what I was about to say, "I think you're going to have to tell Bella you're sorry."

Her eyes got big at me, and I felt intimidated, even though she's smaller than Bella and was wearing her Tinkerbell pajamas at the time of me telling her this. But I had to say it. Even if Alice was going to kill me. Something about the strange feud between the brat and my sister bothered me, and I wanted it to stop.

"There is no way! I shouldn't have to apologize to her!"

I quirked an eyebrow at my sister.

She started making whatever rational excuse she had formed in her head and stopped, sighing. "You know what? I'm still not going to say sorry." She straightened up. "That girl is such a kid," she muttered, walking past me and stomping down the stairs. "Getting Edward to butter me up… my own brother…"

I decided it would be better if I didn't tell Alice that I had come to her on my own. It might give her a seizure if I told her otherwise.

Well, I tried; I shrugged, and went to my room.

I looked around, remembering the day before when, in my anger, I had made the biggest mess my room had ever had to suffer. I had had the most disturbing dream, involving Bella and me kissing, and I had woken up definitely not happy.

My records, sitting on my desk, unharmed, were fucking mocking me, like they always did. Reminding me of her. I imagined her blonde hair and sharp green eyes, her damn laugh, and I ground my teeth together, picked up a record, and was about to fling it at the window when my door opened and Emmett screamed:

"PARTY!"

I faltered, and to my embarrassment, I fell, my record safely hitting the ground while I struck it with both knees, hard.

"Shit, Emmett!" I yelled, getting back to my feet awkwardly. "What are you yelling about?"

He grinned, waltzing in, picking up the record and placing it back on my desk. "You, my friend, need to party," he did a ridiculous swinging motion with his hips and continued, "party hardy!"

I smacked my forehead with my hand and let it drag down my face.

"Dude, seriously," he insisted, putting an arm around my shoulder and leading me out of my room, "we need to do something! Dad is gone for, like, another week, and mom is doing that big conference in Denver this weekend! We totally need to throw a gigantic party! And invite everyone we know!"

I rolled my eyes, but decided to humor him. "Uh-huh. Sounds fantastic."

Emmett twirled me, then, I kid you not, and said, "It sounds way bettah than fantastic! Gimme something to work with here, my brother! Let loose a little, man!"

He stopped spinning me around and stared at me seriously. Then he whispered, "And we can invite hot chicks."

"You're embarrassing me," I whispered back.

"Like Rosalie," he added, waggling his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and pulled away from him. So that's what he was up to, poor guy. He had a major crush on Alice's hair stylist. It was pretty cliché. It's not like I didn't think she was hot, she just seemed very high-. Which is possibly the most least-appealing quality in the world.

"You're forgetting something," I said. "We live in a cul-de-sac. If anyone, say, Bella's grandparents, decide to notify Mom and Dad of our little excursion, then we would be screwed."

He looked so broken-hearted that I wanted to laugh at him. But once Emmett got an idea in his head, he usually didn't let go of it. "Then we shall find somewhere else to hold the party! Somewhere classy!"

"Like Crazy Mikes?" I snorted sarcastically, chuckling.

But Emmett got really excited, and I wish I hadn't said anything.

"Dude, that is so perfect! We can have a get-together there, and maybe go see a movie with everyone! Oh man, this is going to be great!"

I rolled my eyes, and said, "Okay, yeah. You make those plans, and I'll be in my room… not making those plans." And I slipped away before he could nab me again.

He whooped. "We can even invite Bella!"

I hated having siblings sometimes.

I locked my door once I was in my room. (I had switched it around when Bella had come over the past three days, but I changed it back because Emmett discovered that he could lock me in there if he so wished to, damn brat.) And then I collapsed onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. I was worn out, and it was only ten o' clock in the morning. Almost time to go pick up the brat.

Emmett bounded down the hallway; I heard his giant steps as he leaped down the stairs, and then Alice squealed, so I assume he picked her up or something like that.

"Party on Saturday night!" He shouted.

"Put me down, Em!" Alice demanded. She was always in a bad mood in the mornings. Definitely a night person.

I sat up and made a decision on what I would be doing until I had to go pick up Bella. I grabbed my Xbox controller and put my mic on, ready to play some Halo. "Hey, Em! Come help me kick some noob ass!"

Bella P.O.V.

I walked down the stairs in my cleaning attire, ratty t-shirt and sweatpants, my hair put up into my sorry excuse for a ponytail. When I reached the bottom, my face turned about five shades of red, because there were about six old men - including my grandpa - sitting at the kitchen table, all holding playing cards in their hands.

Crap, it was Grandpa's poker day.

I ducked back onto the staircase and hoped that none of them had seen me. I didn't think so, since the eerie silence they had still held.

Then I jumped, because one of them suddenly yelled, "Whoo! Got me a good hand here!"

"Yeah, yeah, Phil, dream on."

"He's always bluffin'."

"Heh heh, you're one to talk, Harry."

My Grandpa spoke up, "All of you hush up! My wife is still sleeping!"

There was a chorus of "Oooooohs," and I smiled because they were like little kids or something, teasing their friend.

One with a ragged voice commented, "Man, Peter, I gotta tell you that that wife a' yours is still quite the looker."

I shuddered.

There was a light smack, and the ragged voice exclaimed, "Ow! I'm just sayin'!"

"James, you're still quite the asshole," an extremely deep-voiced one said.

Grandpa shushed them all, and it got quiet again. Then I heard him barely whisper, "My granddaughter is on the stairs, so watch what you say."

Oh come on! How did he see me?

"Come on out, Bella. Let me introduce you."

I stood up and grimaced, adjusting my ponytail and scratching my arms. Then I started back up the stairs, and it creaked in betrayal.

"Don't even think about scurrying away. I want you to meet the boys," he said, and it was echoed by the old men's' grunts of approval.

I sighed. "But I have to leave soon," I excused.

"You leave when I say you leave," he griped, finally getting impatient. "Just get down here!"

Defeated, I stomped down the stairs and turned around the corner, waiting for whatever the old men were going to throw at me.

One of them whistled at me, which made me mentally cringe. He had a bald head, with large, bushy eyebrows and a sagging face. When he spoke, his voice was ragged. "I'm James," he said, and made a weird face.

Another man, with coffee-colored skin and black eyes, smacked James on the back of the head. "You're disgusting," he muttered, probably trying to make it so I didn't hear him. He looked at me and smiled, something that made him look very handsome, for an old man. He looked Native American. "Hello, Bella. I'm Billy. We've heard so much about you."

Oh, great. There was no telling what horror stories my Grandfather had chosen to bestow them with.

Grandpa introduced them all. The other three were named Sam, Harry, and Phil. Sam was the youngest of them all, still old, though, and he was one of the nicest. He had skin as tanned as Billy's, and a kind smile, though he didn't talk much. Harry was actually Sam's brother, which made sense to me. They had the same nose. Then there was Phil, who wasn't so bad, even though he had memory problems and false teeth, the oldest of the group.

My favorites were Billy and Harry, though. They were the kindest of the six, and that other, not-as-good ratio included my Grandpa, the asshole.

I smiled wryly at them all, except for James, who seriously creeped me out a little. "Hi," I said. "It's nice to meet the men who my Grandpa wastes time with every week. Nice to know he's spending time with such good company rather than his wife," a hint of sarcasm went into my greeting that I hadn't meant to add.

Surprising me, they all busted out laughing.

"She's got your mouth, Peter! Ha!" Phil laughed, slapping his knee.

They calmed down after a few minutes, but I suddenly felt awkward, since I hadn't meant to make them laugh. I wrung my hands together and sent my eyes downcast, inching away slowly, trying to make my escape without being noticed.

My attempt failed.

"She's sneaking away!" James laughed.

"We're scaring the poor girl," Harry chuckled.

Grandpa laughed, too, which scared me. He never showed emotion in front of me or Grandma, but he would laugh so heartily in front of his friends? He was actually pissing me off a little bit.

"How old are you?" Harry asked.

"Sixteen," I said. "Seventeen in October."

"She's only a year younger than your grandson," James bumped Billy on the shoulder, laughing in his awkward way he had.

Billy nodded. "She and Jacob would get along, I think."

Grandpa suddenly raised his eyebrows and looked at me, contemplating. "That's not a bad idea," he noted.

I didn't like the look on his face. It looked like he was plotting something again.

"Jacob is a good boy," Grandpa nodded, almost to himself, though he was still staring at me. I fidgeted where I stood, badly wanting to leave. "He would set her right, don't you think?" He asked Billy.

Billy rolled his eyes. "My grandson has been acting up lately. I don't think forcing Bella to hang out with him would be such a good idea, anyway, Peter."

"But it would help a little, don't you think?"

I wanted to rip Grandpa's throat out, the way he was talking about me and I was standing a mere five feet away from him. "I'm right here, you know," I griped. "Besides, I'm having enough hassle dealing with the Cullens, so you can just fuck off, Grandpa!" I shouted, not caring that it was in front of his friends, two of whom I actually liked. He deserved to be humiliated.

I spun around on my heels and marched toward the front door. I was out of there.

"Isabella Marie Swan!" I heard him call in his you-are-so-dead voice. I ignored him dutifully and opened the front door, slamming it behind me with a grunt.

I stared at the wood, almost waiting for him to come after me with a vengeance, but then there was a familiar chuckle behind me and I sighed.

"What did you do this time?" Edward asked.

"Nothing," I grumbled, raising my head, deciding not to be ashamed of my behavior. It was my Grandpa's fault, anyway. "Let's just go get this day over with," I said, turning around and almost running into Edward. "Gah! Why are you standing to close to me?" I asked, starting to go around him.

He put his arm against the wall, stopping my progress. "Why do you insist on acting like us Cullens are awful? I thought you liked Emmett, anyway."

I felt my face flush slightly. Had he heard me?

"And you even told your own grandfather to 'fuck off,'" he noted, staring at me incredulously.

"Mind your own business," I muttered, about to go around him on the other side, when he put his other arm against the door. He had me cornered.

I huffed. "Edward, seriously," though my breath didn't come out as even as I had intended it to. His green eyes were penetrating me, making my breathing hitch. In that moment, I wanted to slap him and kiss him at the same time, a strange combination.

He smirked, staring at my hair. "You know, you actually look better with short hair. Makes you look cuter." He reached up, and before I realized what he was doing, he had undone my pony tail, letting my chin-length hair go free. I tried to keep my breathing even.

Moving his face closer to mine, he smiled, and I thought that for a second, he was about to kiss me, but he surprised me by going to my ear, saying, "A lot cuter," in an extremely soft voice.

That's when realization slapped me in the face. Something about his behavior screamed that he and Emmett had some sort of bet going on, and of course I had been roped into it. I rolled my eyes, broken from his spell, and snatched my rubber band back from him, ducking under his arm hastily. He didn't stop me. "Let's just go," I said, ignoring the heavy beat of my heart, starting to walk to his house. I heard him follow behind me after a few steps.

I put my hair back up, the word cuter bouncing around in my head, his soft voice accompanying it. My face flushed slightly, and I wanted to punch Edward for making me feel like that, even if it was only for a few seconds.

He took a few long strides so that he was walking next to me, and I tried to keep my eyes away from him, but he was staring down at me with an amused look on his face, so I stopped walking. "What is your problem?" I demanded.

He stopped as well and put his hands into his pockets. "Nothing, dear Isabella."

I gaped, fumed, and then smiled, getting an idea. "You know, back there, it seemed like you were going to kiss me." I grinned. "I bet it would have been just as bad as the first time."

His face hardened instantly, and he stormed forward, grabbing my face in his strong hands and putting his face close to mine again.

It was so fast that I had no time to say or do anything.

"You asked for it," he almost snarled, putting his lips to mine roughly.

Edward P.O.V.

Well, hey, she did. Basically, anyway.

This time, though, the kiss didn't last very long, because Bella wasn't exactly compliant.

She kneed me in a very bad place.

I instantly let go of her face, and my voice shot up a few octaves when I cried out in pain, keeling over and holding my injured goods.

She was breathing heavily, like she had just run a marathon, and all I could see was her feet. It looked like she wanted to kick me, the way they were positioned, but she didn't, huffing and marching over to my house. Detachedly, I heard Emmett whooping from the front door. Great. A witness.

I stood up. There was pain. I hobbled over to the front door where Emmett was laughing away, giving Bella a hug that I found very unnecessary for the situation. Why didn't she knee him in the nuts?

Making my way to the living room, I opted to ignore what the two of them were talking about, since it seemed to revolve around how dumb I was, anyway.

Alice was sitting on the couch when I got to it, reading some magazine, and watching one of her seasons of Gilmore Girls. I rolled my eyes, and sat down anyway.

"So, why'd you kiss her?" She asked, scaring the crap out of me.

I groaned, still in quite a bit of pain. "I don't know. It was on impulse."

"Again?"

"Not the same as last time. She just drives me crazy," I whispered, so Bella and Emmett wouldn't hear in the front room.

Alice peeked at me over her magazine. "She drives you crazy as in," she made an angry face, "she drives you crazy, or," she waggled her eyebrows, "she drives you crazy?"

I rolled my eyes. "The first one, obviously."

"I don't know, Ed," she looked at the TV, "I wouldn't discount the latter."

I was about to tell her how stupid that even was when Bella walked into the room, hands on her hips. That was her signature stance, and I knew she was about to lay into me or some crap.

"You're such a pig," she hissed. She didn't look in Alice's direction, so I assumed she was still ignoring her, which kind of pissed me off.

Bella continued, "Seriously, Edward! I get that the first time was because of a bet, but why would you try to kiss me a second time?"

I ignored her, staring at the TV like I was actually paying attention to it. But I was gripping the edge of the couch so hard my fingers were starting to hurt. She was pissing me off.

"What the hell compels you to act like such an idiot?"

"You do, you irritating girl!" I shouted, surprising even myself as I stood up. Bella tried to keep on her tough façade, but I saw her flinch slightly, her expression falter. "You stand there, giving me crap, but you were the one who pushed the wrong buttons! And I'm just supposed to sit here and take all the blame? No fucking way!"

I stared down at her, glad for once of my height. I was a head taller than she was, giving me something to work with, to intimidate her with.

Alice, behind me, coughed. "Bella, you need to give Edward some space." She said, putting down her magazine. "He's not exactly sure what to do with you when you're around."

I hated that she was speaking like I wasn't there, but it still made me happy that Alice was sticking up for me, in some way.

Bella rolled her eyes. "It sure as hell doesn't seem like that," she hissed, glaring at my sister. "And who are you to talk, anyway? I don't want anything to do with you, either."

Alice sighed and stood up. "You still don't get it? I did that for your own good. If you keep acting out and getting away with it, then you'll never stop being how you are. You'll always be immature, Bella."

The brat was fuming, clenching her fists. "I'm seriously tired of people talking to me like they know everything. You don't know shit, Alice, so just shut up!"

And with that, she stormed out, stomping up the stairs. I had expected her to leave the house entirely, but once again, Bella the Mystery Brat had done something unexpected again.

I sat down on the couch, tired. Gilmore Girls had just ended, and was back on the main menu.

"Are you gonna change the disk?" I asked.

"No. There's enough drama in this house without watching fake versions of it," she sighed, turning the TV off. "I'm gonna go talk to her," she said.

"Good luck." I offered, hoping she wouldn't need it.

:)

Asta-la-bye-bye!