A/n: To make up for that crappy chapter a few days ago, I wrote the ALL IMPORTANT chapter that sets the tone for the rest of the story.

And, yes, this chapter is based on a song (which I will not reveal, for it appears in chapters to come). Let me know if you get what it is!

Chapter 12: Shameless

BPOV

I sat on the couch next to Edward, waiting to hear the reason for his mid-semester transfer to Winston.

Waiting for the reason he'd come here.

He'd almost told me in the parking lot of the restaurant, but the wind had blown and I had shivered, causing him to postpone his explanation until we'd caught a cab back to campus.

On the way, he'd explained that he was… asked… to leave his dorm. So we headed to my room.

We snuck in the back way, since the rules stated that no boy was allowed in the girl's dorm, and vice versa for the guys'.

"Well?" I prompted. My patience only lasted so long.

Edward sighed. "It's a really long story."

I rolled my eyes. "In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." I gestured to the blanket around my shoulders and the hot chocolate in my hand.

"Right." he began, " Alice and I, being twins, were joined at the hip for our entire lives. I was sick of it, and when the opportunity came up for us to go to boarding school, I picked one as far away from here as I could. Britt."

I nodded. Britt was a school on the other side of the country.

" I loved it there at first. The feeling of freedom was tremendous. I could eat when I wanted, study when I wanted, never sleep at all.

Nevertheless, I studied hard and worked after school for money. People called me a nerd and a geek, and I didn't care. Until she came."

My heart stopped. It had never crossed my mind that he would have left school because of a girl. I waited with baited breath for the rest of his story.

"Her name was Tanya Denali. She walked into the library one day while I was studying. I was so entranced by her that I didn't notice she was talking to me. She snapped her fingers in front of my face and asked me if I was stupid or something. I shook my head no and she asked me what my name was.

"After that day, I constantly followed her around, learning more about her and studying her. She was new here, she came from Winston. A senior."

It registered in my head.

A girl named Tanya had dropped out at the end of last year, wanting to get tan and happy in California. She had been a snooty, show-offish rich girl who saw herself as too good for Winston.

I had always envied her, wanting to have all the popularity.

"I started going to the dances, and the parties. Wanting to show her how cool I could be. She would talk to me and make me feel wanted, make me feel like I was worth something to her.

I took her to fancy restaurants, bought her gifts. She loved the constant affection. One day, after lunch, she asked me if I wanted to see something she had in her room. I followed her like a lost puppy finding his was home.

"She led me up to her room in the dorm, and…. Well, we started… You know."

I sat as still as stone. This was almost too much to bear.

This, the man I… liked, telling me about a hook up only a few months ago.

I blushed, something I normally tried very hard not to do.

"I didn't hear from her after that. I assumed she was embarrassed. I was in love with her though, and I waited for her call. I woke up at 2 AM two weeks later to see that maybe I should go to her. I took the small ring from the top of my dresser and.. Bella?" he asked.

I was shivering. He had wanted to marry her. After one hook up, he had wanted to marry her. I think I saw where this was going.

"I'm fine." I replied stiffly, "continue, please."

"Well, I made my way in the dead of night to her dorm room. I ran up the stairs, remembering that fateful day only a week earlier. I knocked on a door, only to have a person I didn't recognize answer. I apologized and asked where Tanya's room was, I wanted to ask her something important. The girl snorted and said that Tanya didn't believe in love.

"I didn't believe her. It was impossible. How could the butterflies in my stomach be this big if what we had shared meant nothing? If we weren't meant to be? I asked the girl again where Tanya's room was, and she gave me the number reluctantly.

"I ran down the hallway, to the right room. I rapped my knuckles on the door, and yet another girl I did not know answered. I asked if she was Tanya's roommate, and she replied with a chuckle. I took it as a confirmation and tried to enter the room, but the girl stopped me. She said that Tanya wasn't in. In fact, Tanya had moved out earlier that day. She was going back to her old school."

"Winston" I replied bitterly.

"Yes. I thanked the roommate quietly and left the dorm. I walked outside and it started to rain. It was a perfect match to my mood. I broke down when I passed the library. The first place we had met. I sat on a bench and cried until dawn.

"I walked solemnly back to my room, thankfully a single. The phone had a message on it. I pressed play and was surprised to hear my Tanya's voice. I still remember every word she said;

I'm not sorry.
We had a good thing going, and I
Just couldn't handle the love you were willing to give
Me. Please forgive my leaving you, but I needed a
Change in scenery. I'm not coming back.
Goodbye, Edward.

" I tried to kill myself that day. If it hadn't been for Alice calling me, I would have taken those pills, and I wouldn't be here now. I told Alice an abridged version of what I told you, and Alice recommended that I go home. But I didn't want to go home, I wanted to come to the one place I thought she might be. I put in my papers for transfer to Winston… And her I am now. All the girls a guy could want, except for the one I need to feel complete.

"I still dream about her. But I know now that everything she said and did was a lie. She played me like a fiddle, and that's on me. It's my fault that I was so ignorant to what people said, and how people acted around her. I swore to myself that I'd never make the mistake of falling in love again." he concluded.

Tears were streaming down my face. I had never realized just how much my former lifestyle could hurt someone. Edward had nearly taken his life, and the cause could have been me, had Edward come to Winston instead of gone to Britt.

"But, Bella?" he whispered.

I looked up.

"I think I want to break that promise."

My heart seemed to suddenly start back up again, thundering rapidly in the chest.

He leaned in for a moment, stopped to see my reaction, and smiled softly.

And then we touched.

It was like no kiss I'd ever had before. It was soft and passionate, smooth and sincere.

"Isabella Marie Swan, will you be my girlfriend?"

A/N: This chapter should get a lot of reviews (hinthintwinkwink)!!

And for those of you who thought I should have just had Edward tell Bella last chapter, do you understand now that it's better this way?!