Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, any of its characters, or Tore the Line. The brilliant Tyler Hilton does.

AN: So, if you haven't noticed yet, I did change my penname from Western to lizzieloo. I hadn't touched my profile in so long and just felt like changing things up (plus I was sick of my old penname—I have no idea why I even chose it in the first place). Anyways, so it's still me, just with a different name. Thanks so much for all of yalls reviews! I was so inspired this week, and had some more free time than usual, so I was able to write a nice, long chapter for ya (the longest yet I believe!). Anyways, hope you enjoy it. And now, without further ado, onto....

Ch. 10: Tore the Line — Tyler Hilton

Now I look out my window
Petrified by everything I've done
So when I look at you baby
Tell me you know just where I'm comin' from
A thousand years of searchin' for the one

Hey, yeah, tonight we sorta kinda tore the lines up
Tore the lines, tore the lines
And hey baby, of course the course of horsin' tore the lines up
Tore the lines, tore the lines, tore the lines

Well, now I'm a fan of photographs
And all those dated members hangin' in my tree
Oh, and if you read grandpa's letters
Put together, sugar, you'd know why you hang with me

But I look out my window
Petrified by everything I see, yeah
And when I look at you baby
Somethin' seems to whisper home to me
A thousand years so what's a thousand three?

Hey, yeah, tonight we sorta kinda tore the lines up
Tore the lines, tore the lines
And hey sugar, of course the course of horsin' tore the lines up
Tore the lines, tore the lines, tore the lines

I was giddy. There was no other word to explain it. Giddy. Like a teenage girl.

Nothing could crush my mood. Not today. In a few short hours I'd be spending some quality time with Bella. No distractions. No teachers. No classes. No Mike Newton. Just me and Bella.

I couldn't wait. I felt like one of those kids in all of those Christmas movies Emmett made me watch that just couldn't seem to wait for Santa.

Now I understood.

I walked in a daze to the cafeteria and sat in my usual chair, working on autopilot. I was racking up a list of questions I wanted to ask Bella, topics I wanted to cover. There was so much I wanted to know.

"What the hell is his problem?" Rosalie's voice barely registered in my head.

"Today's his date with Bella," Emmett said teasingly, trying to get a rise out of me.

I just ignored them.

I did take a second to peek into Alice's mind to catch a glimpse of what I looked like to my family. Something had made Rosalie take notice of someone other than herself.

My eyes widened in surprise.

No wonder she had said something.

My gaze was completely unfocused—it was obvious my thoughts were elsewhere. And I had the dopiest smile permanently plastered on my face.

I shook my head, dispelling the image and, hopefully, my dazed appearance.

The first think I noticed was Alice's know-it-all-smirk.

"Have you come back to join us on planet Earth?"

I started to send her my habitual glare before bursting into laughter at her lame joke. I couldn't help it—I was in way too good of a mood today.

Four pairs of wide eyes stared at me, shocked.

I stopped mid-laugh, caught off guard by their expressions.

"What?" I blurted out, confused as to their reaction.

No one answered, however. They just kept right on staring like I'd suddenly grown a second head.

But their thoughts gave me my answer.

…why's he in such a good mood…

….he never laughs at my stupid jokes…

…what has gotten into him…

….he's usually so annoyed by our little comments…

"What, can't a guy laugh around here without getting the third degree?" I snapped back. Now I was irritated. Their astonishment at my good mood was ruining it quickly.

"No, it's not that, it's just….nevermind. I'm just glad you're so happy!" Alice chirped, changing her comment mid-sentence—and mid-thought.

I just snorted and rolled my eyes in reply.

And there he is.

I turned to glare at Rosalie, who just sat there with a smug look spread across her features.

I shook my head before picking up the lid of a water bottle that was sitting on the table—one of our many props—and spinning it in front of me.

I know I wasn't the easiest person to live with, but I was still hurt that something as simple as me laughing threw them so off balance. Was laughter really so rare with me? Looking back, I guess I glared more than grinned over the years, always finding something to annoy or irritate me instead. Or as Alice claims, I "brood."

I glanced over at Bella's table but her chair was still empty.

I pursed my lips in thought.

How many times had I laughed since Bella entered my life?

The corner of my mouth twitched upward just thinking about it.

If I was really being honest with myself, I don't think I'd laughed so much before. Ever. She was changing my life in so many ways, all of them good.

My ears perked up at that moment, as I caught the soft timbre of her voice.

I glanced at the door automatically and was rewarded with her appearance, Angela at her side.

I watched her step into the cafeteria. Her eyes cut over to our table, only to meet mine. Our gazes locked for several moments, before she broke the trance and looked away, blushing furiously all the way to her seat.

I couldn't hide the satisfied smile that stretched across my face.

I turned back to my family, only to find them once again staring at me, this time with matching grins.

"What?" I asked again, this time amused instead of annoyed.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Jasper responded, before leaning over to kiss his wife's cheek.

"Hey Bella," I greeted her cheerfully as I slid onto the stool beside her.

Her startled chocolate eyes turned in my direction.

"Hey…Edward."

I frowned slightly. Bella was apparently as surprised by my jovial mood as my siblings were.

"How was your lunch?"

"Lunch was…fine," her brow furrowed as if she were trying to decipher something.

"Good, good." I knew what I must sound like, but I couldn't help myself. The words were just pouring out and I didn't feel like filtering them today. "So we're still on for working on the project today, right?"

"Yes, if that still works for you. You can just come over after school if you'd like."

I nodded my head. "Sounds good."

So that Cullen guy's going to her house, huh. He better not ruin what I've got going with Bella.

Bella turned to pull out her notebook and I took the opportunity to glance in Mike Newton's direction. His eyes widened as he realized I'd caught him eavesdropping. I glared menacingly at him and he quickly dropped his gaze, finding the tabletop suddenly fascinating.

Satisfied, I turned back to Bella, only to find her staring at me, that quizzical expression back in place.

I wasn't left wondering what she was thinking about for long.

"Are you bipolar?" She suddenly blurted out. Her eyes widened the moment the words left her lips and she flushed scarlet, obviously not meaning to have said that aloud.

I was stunned speechless, her question completely catching me off guard, before I erupted with laughter. That was about the funniest thing she'd ever said to me. That anyone had ever said to me. She should wish that I was only bipolar.

Bella's gaze dropped to the desk. "I'm so sorry, I don't know why I said that," she said apologetically, never once looking up.

My laughter finally died down and I turned back to her, wanting to quell her mortification.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. That's actually a fair question to ask, with the way I must seem to be all over the place. But to answer you in all seriousness, no I'm not." I couldn't help cracking a grin. This was just too funny. "And I don't have any other serious issues either. Promise."

Well, minus the one. The big "v" word.

Between the odd looks I give her when trying to read her mind and my reactions from reading other people's minds—like vile Mike Newton's for example—I'm surprised she doesn't think that I am completely crazy.

"Although I think living with Alice would make anyone at least a little bit, well…insane? Eccentric? Wacky?" Trying to find only one adjective for my sister just wasn't possible.

Her lips curled into a small grin at my lame joke, obviously getting it since she knew my rambunctious sister. She lifted her eyes from the table and met my gaze, her little grin stretching into a brilliant smile.

I matched her expression and we continued to look intently at one another, enjoying the moment.

The bell rang, loud and obnoxious, shattering our little world yet again. I was really beginning to despise that annoying contraption.

Mr. Banner began his lecture and Bella's gaze instantly focused in on him. After a few minutes, I managed to drag my eyes away from watching Bella take notes, finding that infinitely more interesting than whatever information we were covering today.

I let my mind wander back to my list, adding a few more questions to it for our time together.

I was leaning against my car, waiting for Bella to emerge from the building, when my pixie sister appeared by my side, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh this is so perfect!" She squealed, clapping her hands together in delight.

If I could blush, I would be completely scarlet by now. I was beginning to feel like a kid set up by his mother on a date or something. Or that's at least how Alice was acting.

"And I prefer 'bubbly,' thank you very much."

"What?" Confused, I quickly realized she was talking about my adjectives for her. "Oh, okay shorty, whatever you say."

Alice opened her mouth to retort, before her eyes suddenly glazed over as she was pulled into a vision. I waited patiently, watching her facial expression for some clue as to what it was about.

A few seconds later, she blinked and focused her sight on me, her grin widening even more if that was possible.

"Say yes. Always say yes."

"Um, what?"

"Just trust me. Say yes to any question."

"Okaaaaay," I drew out the word, puzzled by her cryptic message.

Satisfied, my sister shot me a wink before spinning around and skipping across the parking lot to Emmett's Jeep.

I didn't have long to ponder over Alice's random clue. Bella stepped through the doors in the next moment, her eyes glancing around the parking lot until she spotted me.

I gave her a little wave and she smiled, setting off in my direction.

When she reached me she glanced into the car then back at me, looking slightly confused.

"Where's Alice and Rose?"

"Oh, they rode home with Emmett today. It's just you and me."

A light blush tinted her cheeks. "Oh, okay," she said softly before heading to the passenger side.

I went around the front of the car, beating her there, and opened the door for her to slip through.

"Thanks," she whispered, sending me a small smile.

I nodded my head in response before walking to the driver's side and sliding into the seat.

"So how was the rest of your day?" I asked, starting the car and backing out of the parking spot.

Bella shrugged. "It was fine. School, you know. Although I have to say I think Emmett really enjoys gym way too much," Bella muttered the end of her sentence, obviously put out about something.

I was intrigued. I hadn't really been watching her lately in her classes, feeling like I should at least give her some semblance of privacy.

"Why do you say that?"

"Oh, just a hunch," she trailed off, not elaborating further, as she glanced out her window.

But I wanted to know.

"What happened?" I asked, grinning broadly.

Bella turned to face me, blushing.

Now I had to know.

I could easily get Emmett to tell me later, but I really wanted to hear this story from her.

"Oh, just kickball." She finally said, like that answered everything.

"Kickball?"

"Yes, kickball."

"And what about kickball?" I pushed, wanting her to continue.

"Promise you won't laugh?" Bella watched me expectantly, apparently waiting on my concurrence.

"I won't laugh. Scout's Honor."

Satisfied, Bella turned her gaze back to the window.

"I kicked the ball."

"But that's what you're supposed to do…" I trailed off, confused.

"I kicked it backwards."

"Well that's….something," I was really holding in the laughter now.

"It hit Mike."

I cheered internally. I didn't know what it was with Bella and hitting Mike with things but I have to say I loved it.

"Okay."

"He was on my team. Sitting in the dugout."

I snickered.

Bella snapped her head toward me, her eyes narrowed in a glare.

"You said you wouldn't laugh."

I controlled my laughter until I was just smiling. "You're right, I'm sorry, I did promise. But you have to admit, that's just too funny."

Bella gazed at me for a moment before finally cracking a smile.

"You're right, it is pretty funny."

A few minutes later and I pulled up to Bella's house.

She hopped out before I could open the car door for her so I trailed behind her to the porch and followed her inside once she unlocked the front door.

Throwing her bag on the floor, she instantly wandered off to the kitchen.

"Do you want something to drink?" She called out.

"No thank you. I'm good." I replied, letting my gaze wander around the room. It was so strange to be on the other side of the walls for once. A room changed so much once you were actually in it, instead of standing outside looking in.

You could tell that a man lived here, with the simple furnishings, comfy lounge chair and the TV standing proudly in the center of it all, obviously the prized possession. However, a woman's touch was evident in the colorful throw pillows on the couch, the framed photos along the tables and shelves and the other splashes of color from the little decorations around the room. Whether that woman's touch was from Bella or her mother, I had yet to discover.

That question was at the top of my list—the topic I'd been the most curious about.

Bella reentered the room with a glass of water and tilted her head slightly, indicating for me to follow her.

She led me to the small dining room table, plopping down in one chair while I took the other.

"I figured we could work on it in here. Spread out more and everything."

"Sounds good," I replied, pulling my things from my backpack.

"Oh, let me go grab my stuff." She jumped up from the table and came back moments later with her notebook and copy of Jane Eyre.

Getting straight to business, Bella opened her spiral and glanced over her notes.

"So I was thinking we could…."

We worked on the project for almost a good hour before I realized how easy it was. I needed to slow things down; at this rate we could probably finish it by tomorrow. I wanted to stretch out our time together, making it last for as long as possible.

I glanced over at a picture sitting on a shelf in the corner of the room. A pretty brunette woman was holding a toddler in her arms, which I assumed to be Bella.

Nodding my head toward it, I asked Bella who was in the picture.

Bella followed my gaze and stared at the photo. I could just make out the corner of her lips curl upward in a smile.

"That's me. And my mother," she said quietly.

Bella's eyes remained on the photo for several more moments before she pulled them away and looked at me, a soft smile on her face.

I was struck by her tender expression. She seemed so fragile in that moment, so delicate.

"Where is she?" I asked softly, hating to press this but desiring to know.

"She's gone." Bella dropped her gaze to the table.

I waited quietly, giving her the opportunity to talk about it if she wanted too.

A minute later, Bella's sweet voice filled the silence.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Bella lifted her gaze to meet mine, searching my eyes for something.

Was this the "yes" Alice was talking about earlier?

"Yes."

Bella nodded.

"She loved to hike, was always walking around in the woods. I remember she'd take me sometimes. I was really little, I dunno, two, maybe three when she started letting me tag along. She'd take me on the trail beside the house, on nature walks as she always called them. She loved it."

Bella smiled fondly, reliving the memories, her eyes becoming unfocused as they stared at a spot over my shoulder.

"I was five. I'd been at a play date at Angela's house when her mom dropped me off. I remember all the flashing lights. Dad had shown them to me before, but there were so many this time. So many lights. I knew something was wrong. Mrs. Weber told me and Angela to wait in the car and she disappeared. We waited for what seemed like forever before she returned with my dad, both looking distressed. The second I stepped from the car my dad pulled me into a tight hug. I'll never forget the way it felt, like he was holding on and never planning on letting go. Like he was afraid I was going to disappear."

There was a long pause before she whispered. "Like my mom did."

"At first they thought she'd just gotten lost in the woods and they'd find her once it was daylight. But they searched all that night and all the next dayt. For a week the entire town searched. And then, just my dad and his friends. And finally, just my dad. Day after day and night after night, searching. He never gave up. I think that's why we never moved either. I think he's always held on to the fantasy that one day my mom will come strolling out of the woods and into the yard, like she'd never been gone. That's what he holds on to."

I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. So much sorrow for one little family. I couldn't imagine the devastation, to have the one you love just disappear instantly. And never knowing what had really happened to them, never having any closure.

"I'm...I'm so sorry Bella."

Bella eyes focused back on me, giving me a slow, sad smile. Tears were forming in the corners of her beautiful eyes.

"It was a long time ago," she shrugged. "They think it must have been an animal, but they never found a trace of her so who really knows." She laughed cynically. "My father wouldn't let me set one foot in the woods for years, even though I begged and pleaded. The outdoors felt like the only connection I had with my mom anymore. He finally started letting me explore a little in the last year or so, but even then I'm never allowed to go far and never off the path."

So that explains why she'd never seen our house before. She'd never gone far into the woods at all.

She shrugged her shoulders again. "Which I can understand his worry, but he can't protect me forever."

He may not be able to, but I sure as hell was going to.

Bella's gaze dropped to her lap and she started twisting her fingers together. "I—I've never told anyone that before. I mean, everyone in the town knows but just from the news or gossip and stuff. I've never actually told anyone the story."

I hesitated for half a second before reaching over and placing my hand on top of her fidgeting ones. I waited for her to meet my eyes.

"Thank you for telling me."

She smiled beautifully before nodding her head.

Our gazes locked for several seconds before she turned her hand under mine, startling me when she wrapped her warm fingers around my cold ones.

"You're hands are freezing!" She exclaimed, pressing her free hand on top of mine, effectively trapping my hand between her own, trying to warm it up.

"Oh, yeah, um, poor circulation," I muttered lamely. "Always happens."

She gave me a curious look before we heard a car pull into the driveway. Bella's eyes widened and she turned to glance at the clock on the wall.

"Oh wow, I didn't realize how late it'd gotten." She thankfully released my hand and shoved her scattered papers into a misshapen pile. "I think we've gotten pretty far on the project so what do you say we call it a night?"

I agreed, pleased to drag it out for at least another day or two.

A blush instantly formed on her cheeks, piquing my curiosity. What was she about to say?

"Um, so my dad got a pizza and I was—I mean we were—wondering if you'd like to stay for dinner. I'm so sorry I'm just now inviting you, I mean I completely understand if you have plans with your family or something, but it just slipped my mind until now…" She trailed off in her rambling.

I was curious to see if she'd offer that invitation. I knew her father had given her permission to invite me to stay for dinner, but I wasn't sure if she would even ask. I really wanted to have a chance to officially meet her dad though, and to sit down with both of them for a meal, like a real family. Instead of looking in through the window, I'd have the opportunity to be part of it.

I'd just have to hide the food. I'd done it before.

But was this the "yes" Alice was talking about? Either way, I wasn't turning this chance down.

"Yes, I'd love to stay for dinner. That sounds great," I smiled.

Bella smiled back. "Great."

We heard the front door open then slam shut, followed by heavy footsteps heading in our direction.

Bella hopped up the instant Charlie appeared at the doorway, a foul-smelling pizza in one hand, smiling as she greeted her father with a hug.

I stood up from the table as well.

Charlie looked over at me, a friendly smile in place, but I could see—and hear—that he was evaluating me, as any overprotective father would do to any boy that was around his daughter.

"Chief Swan, it's a pleasure to meet you sir."

I met his stare and held out my hand.

Surprised by my manners, Charlie grasped my hand within his own, greeting me.

I think I like this kid already. Nice looking boy with great manners, a department these kids around here are definitely lacking in….

"Nice to meet you too Edward. Are you joining us for dinner?"

"If it's alright with you sir, I'd love to."

Charlie smiled broadly. "Well alright. What are we waiting for? Let's go eat then."

But instead of heading toward the kitchen, Charlie took the box back into the living room. Seconds later, we heard the TV being turned on.

Bella rolled her eyes, smiling at her dad's antics.

"There's a game on."

Sooo, thoughts? I debated about breaking this chapter into two, but just decided to give you it in it's entirety. So now you know what happened to her mom...kind of that is (you know there's gotta be more to that story...) And there's more Edward/Bellaness in the next chapter too....so yay for that! Thanks so much for reading!

Until next time,

lizzieloo