I'm only up when you're not down,

Don't want to fly if you're still on the ground,

It's like no matter what I do…

Well you drive me crazy

Half the time, and the other half I'm only trying

To let you know that what I feel is true.

And I'm only me when I'm with you.

-I'm Only Me When I'm With You, Taylor Swift

BPOV

I watched Alice drive away, her face twisted up in anger, remorse, melancholy, and determination. For what, I didn't know, but I didn't bother to stick around and watch. I unearthed the painting, throwing the cover into the hamper, and rushed back to my desk.

Insane of Mind,

Bella Swan, eh? I don't know if she's good enough for you…

Seriously, you've been complaining about your girlfriend for a while now. She's not stupid, she has to have noticed how you don't really care for her anymore. But you're not one of those guys who treats girls like paper planes: good for fun, yet disposable. Make sure that you don't give her (your girlfriend) that impression.

And don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone, so don't lose any sleep over it or anything.

Quite Clumsy

EPOV

The phone kept ringing ominously. Of course, Tanya's backringtone would be Britney Spears. "Womanizer" resounded in my eardrums like a dirge. Was that supposed to mean something?

"Hello?" Tanya answered. I could hear the gum smacking around in her mouth.

"Hey, Tanya, it's Edward."

It took her a minute. "Oh, hey Edward! How are you?" Her voice mocked me; it was like she was talking to a three-year-old.

"Um. Actually, I just called to say something really quickly."

"Mhm…" She was only half interested. Probably caught up in the MTV drama. "And what might that be?"

"Tanya," I said slowly. "Listen. Serious talk, here."

"What is it, Edward?"

There's that true attention.

"I think…" I took a deep breath and tried again. I was too nice for this! "I think we should break up."

Silence.

Screech.

"Ungh!"

I flinched away from the phone.

"I'm sorry, Tanya. I mean, you're beautiful, and you're-" I cut off, about to say smart. "And you're stylish and witty, but you and me just don't work out."

Tanya sighed. "I knew this was coming. Is this about me and Kate egging your best friend's car?"

She did what now?

"Erm. What?"

"Uhhhh," Tanya stalled. "Nothing. Nothing, really. But Jasper was just really getting on our nerves, and it was just sitting there…"

Jasper? I breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't Bella, who was really my best friend (and more).

Shut up, brain! I screamed to myself.

"Uhm, that's alright, Tanya," I said. "But we can still be friends, right?"

Please say no, please say no…

"Sure thing, Eddie!" Tanya chirped, back to being partly concerned. Her attention was focused on the television again.

"90210?" I guessed after a silent moment.

"Nah," said Tanya, laughing. "The Office."

"Ah," I murmured, my thoughts elsewhere. Like on the desk in the corner of my room, where the latest letter from Bella/Quite Clumsy sat. Quite Clumsy. Ha. Bella's penname was laughable. Of course Bella would pick something to do with being a klutz. I should have known from the beginning.

"Well, Carmen and Eleazar will be here soon," Tanya hedged.

"What? Oh, okay. Bye, Tanya." I hung up, feeling a little remorseful. That didn't last long. I sauntered to my desk and pulled out the most recent epistolary.

Quite Clumsy

I just broke up with my girlfriend. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, so that's good.

How have you been?

Insane of Mind.

I wanted to know how well she was coping. I folded the letter into an envelope and went to deliver it.

BPOV

The next day I went to visit Edward, as I owed him some explaining. I retold him the story of Mike from the dinner, and by the end I was crying again, just simply remembering it. He held me and tried to soothe me with a somewhat pained expression.

"What?" I demanded through my blubbering.

"It's nothing."

"No, really, Edward. What is it? Is it me ruining your shirt?" I asked, remorseful. "I'm really sorry about that…" I fluttered my hands uselessly and got up, noticing embarrassingly that I had been sitting on his lap while he rocked my tears away.

"No, no, Bella, it's fine. It's just-" Edward hesitated, and I could tell he was editing what he was originally planning on saying. "-It's just that I really want to put Mike on the Endangered Species list."

I laughed shakily. He laughed with me.

"But really, are you alright?" True concern laced his tone, more so than it had on the night Mike had attacked me. I looked at Edward's eyes, searching for words to go with that expression.

His eyes were brimmed with shining apprehension and sincerity, while the inside was aglow with... lust? Tenderness, feeling? I didn't know. But looking at him look at me that way brought back the inferno that raced through my veins.

"I'm fine," I breathed quickly, not meeting his eyes. He put two fingers under my chin and coaxed my face up to where I was looking him straight in the eye. He assessed my expression before sighing and letting my gaze plunge back to the floor. I was suddenly very interested in my shoes.

"I'm going to go," I said, heading towards the door.

I could feel his eyes watching me leave all the way down to my truck.

Insane of Mind,

Good for you! Phone call? That's how my friend did it as well. He said it worked out better than he had planned, and so that reminded me of what you said, and I thought that was kind of cool.

I'm… getting by. Mainly, I've been "feeding" off your letters, my friends, and my art. I'm certainly not ready for school to start back. Are you?

Quite Clumsy

EPOV

Bella's voice, her face, her touch, everything. Her name echoed in my mind like the pulse of blood beneath a bruise.

Thud, thud, thud. Bella, Bella, Bella.

Her latest letter made me laugh. "Phone call? That's how my friend did it as well. He said it worked out better than he had planned…" She didn't have to know that we were the same person. She'd been "feeding" off my letters. Ha. That made her sound like a vampire or something. Ha, ha.

Quite Clumsy,

I'm glad I've been able to help you.

No, I'm not looking forward to school, either. I'm going to miss sleeping in, no homework, and, most dominantly, my friends. Classes are so boring, but at least this will be our last year. Only two weeks left of summer, right? I'm going to use it in the best way possible. You know, enjoy the moment and all that.

Insane of Mind

BPOV

I'm pretty positive that Alice knows about my art. I've been painting every day lately to get my mind off things, and she always happens to drive by every time I do. So I rush to cover it up while she drags me to last-minute shopping trips. We've been on about – ah, what was it? Four? – four "last minute" excursions.

Insane of Mind,

I agree. Classes are stupid. But the good thing about school could be that we would be friends! But, knowing that we've shared everything together, that might be kind of awkward…

Have you decided what college you're going to yet?

Quite Clumsy.

EPOV

"You're head over heels for her, mate," noted Jasper.

"Yeah, just tell her, Edward," supplied Alice.

"Yeah?" I practically snarled. "How in the world am I supposed to tell my best friend that I'm in love with her?!"

Alice sighed, mumbling words like "Jesslyn" and "relationships" under her breath. "I just have a good feeling about this, Eddie."

I scowled and shoved them out of the room.

Quite Clumsy,

I really want to go to Dartmouth, because that's where my father went. But Washington University works, too. What about you?

Insane of Mind.

Dear Bella,

I would really like it if you could meet me by the lake tonight at nine o'clock. There are quite a lot of things we need to… go over.

Insane of Mind.

BTW: Yes, Edward really did send the letter above addressed to BELLA and signed by Insane of Mind. The next chapter (or maybe one or two more after that) will be the end of book one. I'm not making a sequel, because that's just a waste of document space (I still don't know how to work those), so I'm just making a "book one" and a "book two". So, yeah.

A/N: Uhm. Chapter Yay!

Next chapter's gonna be exciting!(: It'll just take me a while to write it. Patience, grasshopper.

Song: Breathe, Taylor Swift ft. Colbie Caillat

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Ha.

GermX: "Do not apply on any body part other than hands."

*drop lands on Lacey's foot. She screams and freaks out, grabbing her cell phone and dialing the Help number listed on bottle*

Random GermX Lady (sickly sweetly): Hello, can I help you?

Lacey (serenely): Hello. If I drop your product on my foot, will I die?

REVIEW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. Whatcha wanna see next chapter, eh?