I'M BAAAA-AAAACK!!!

Hahaha. Miss me? So today is actually the first time I've been near a computer in a MONTH. Yep. No lie. How depressing is that? I'll tell you how depressing: REALLY depressing. So I went on fanfiction for the first time in forever, and guess what I saw? Over a thousand reviews for this little ole story!! AND I SCREAMED, LOUDLY. OMG! Thank you guys so much, never ever ever ever EVER expected that, what a fabulous surprise!! Btw, the reviews are SO AMAZING, seriously, I want to hug you all.

So, this chapter isn't even finished, it was improvised, written very quickly, I had no notes helping me, so I hope anyway it's up to all of yer standards. I just wanted to give ye something to read, since ye've been so good and patient and nice to me. Ye've every right to stop reviewing like. As for the next chapter, I've no clue when it will be up, as I am right in the middle of exams right now (UGH, THE STRESS) and after that I plan on, ahem, celebrating (PARTAAY) and plus the ole laptop is still up the proverbial creek. But I'll do my best ;)

Also, those annoying little 'review' comments at the end of the few previous chapters were not me, they were Jen. :P I find that annoying, personally :P :P :P. Review if you got time, that's what I say. But Jen... you know I care...lol. Eh, and just wanted to clarify, that it's ME who is writing this story, not me and Jen... someone got confused. Jen just updated for me, like the good saint-like woman that she is. Anyway, enough rambling, lets get to Edward!! Oh, and I am disgusted that Adam Lambert came second in American Idol. What the hell happened there?!!?!?!?! Flip's sake. THANKS AGAIN xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Eleven: I Want To Kill Mike Newton

I floated around in a sort of daze for the rest of school, in a dreamlike state. I couldn't concentrate on anything at all, which was not useful to anyone, especially in Gym. More people than usual were hobbling and clutching their heads when the bell went.

I'll see you later.

All kinds of shivers went through me. He wanted to see me later.

Me. Later.

I was hyperventilating at the very thought.

Hmm…

How later was later, though? Was it like later as in after school, later as in this evening, or later as in… tomorrow? Or did he mean it in a casual "see you around" sort of way, which presented no actual time limitations and could mean later in the week?!

Gah.

I hoped he meant later as in after school. I'd even take this evening. But he could not, and I mean not, leave me hanging until tomorrow or any sodding time after that. You can't just tell a girl you're tired of trying to stay away from her and then stay away from her until you decide when it's later. That's just stupid.

Mm… he was tired of trying to stay away from me. I almost melted into a puddle of Bella when he said that.

I couldn't find anything in that sentence that I could have misinterpreted. He meant it the way he said it. He had been trying to stay away from me. But now he was tired of it. And that meant he wasn't going to stay away from me any longer, which was absolutely frickin' fine by me.

Oblivious to some of the slightly resentful glances being thrown my way after Gym, I changed quickly and hurried out, hoping to see Edward and remind him that he wanted to see me later, and make him realise that now was as good a time as any.

I burst through the Gym doors into the corridor outside, and skidded to a halt. Edward was there, pacing up and down, muttering to himself.

I just stood there, frozen with nerves and excitement and a bunch of other feelings that I couldn't quite get a handle on, watching him. He looked smoking hot, naturally, in his tight little jeans and a white shirt with a black waistcoat. His hair was a flop of sexiness and I struggled with a sudden urge to run my hands through it. I couldn't quite make out what he was muttering, but judging by the tone and the pacing, I kind of got the impression that he was… nervous.

Did I make Edward nervous?

I shivered slightly. Just the idea that I had any sort of an effect on him was craziness. I was still getting over the fact that I used to mean nothing to him at all. It felt bizarre, when I thought of how he used to hate me so much and refused to talk to me for days. Now, I cared about him so much and he was finally starting to reciprocate these feelings, and the memory of it having not been like this at all… it hurt.

I coughed to get his attention, and he wheeled around, ceasing his muttering abruptly.

"Hi," I said.

"Oh. Hi."

"Hi," I repeated, like an idiot, panicking because I couldn't think of anything else to say. I could feel the blush rising in my cheeks.

"Yes," he said. "Hi."

I stopped myself from saying hi again, and we just stared at each other for a minute. What came next? What did we have to do now?

He was clenching and unclenching his jaw and staring at me with hooded eyes, looking all sexy and scrumptious, and I was waiting, my heart thumping loudly, when he just held out his hand to me.

I stared at it, paralysed with anxious excitement, and I was just about to accept it when the majority of my Gym class bustled out of the door, discussing weekend plans and the body odour of someone or other. I was jostled out of the way slightly, and Edward dropped his arm immediately and moved to let people by. I waited impatiently for them all to hurry up and move out of the way, when someone suddenly called my name.

"Bella, hey!" It was Mike Newton. Mike was nice; ever since I hit him in the face with a volleyball he had always made a point of starting up little conversations with me.

"Hi, Mike," I said distractedly, craning my neck to see where Edward had gone.

"I was hoping I'd catch you," Mike went on, oblivious. "Listen, I was wondering, if you're not doing anything at the weekend…"

I stopped my Edward Hunt as Mike's words reached my ears. I looked at him, and he was all earnest and shy and hopeful, and my voice died away.

"Bella, I'd love it if you -"

There was a snort, and we both jumped and looked around. We were practically on our own in the corridor now, apart from Edward, who was standing watching us with a sneer on his face. My heart jumped into my throat.

Lord that guy was sexy when he was angry.

"What?" Mike asked him, and Edward threw him a glare that could easily wilt flowers.

"Oh, don't mind me," he said. "The irony is just killing me, is all."

Poor Mike didn't know what to say after that, and I figured it would be best to take control of the situation before it ran away from me.

"Er, sorry, Mike, but I'm in a sort of rush…" I trailed off pointedly.

"Oh!" Mike said, scratching at his head. He opened his mouth, and then frowned, and looked over his shoulder at Edward, who was gazing at him murderously.

"Eh, can I talk to Bella on her own, please?" Mike asked, tentatively.

"No," Edward said. "I have every right to stand here in this corridor at this present moment."

I had an almost overwhelming urge to laugh.

"OK, then," Mike muttered, annoyed. He turned back to me, rolling his eyes as if to say what a freak. I felt a stab of annoyance.

"So, Bella," Mike said, pretending Edward wasn't there. "I was wondering if you… wanted to go out with me sometime?"

Edward stiffened behind him, and I was surprised his glare wasn't burning a hole through Mike.

I blushed at the ridiculousness of the situation and looked down awkwardly. "Eh, well, thank you for asking me, Mike, and I would love to go but I'm kind of… interested in someone else. I'm sorry," I said sincerely, to his face.

"Oh," he said, disappointed. "Are you sure?"

"She's interested in someone else. Deal with it."

Mike wheeled around, furious.

"Excuse me, but what business is this of yours, Cullen?"

"Mind your own business."

"I'll make it my business if you don't -"

"Hello?" I said nervously, not wanting things to get any more heated than they already were. They both stopped bickering, and Mike seemed to have had enough of his current situation.

"Right. I'm going home," he said.

"Bye!" Edward said sarcastically.

Mike threw him a glare strong enough to match one of Edward's best, and stormed away. I watched him go, fidgeting. When I looked back at Edward, he was glaring at me instead.

"What?" I demanded.

"What?" he retorted.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not looking at you like anything."

"Yes, you are. You have your serial killer expression on your face."

"Well, I want to kill Mike Newton."

"Why? What did he do? And you didn't have to be so rude to him before, either."

"Sorry, I didn't meant to upset your BFF."

"Edward, you're being immature."

"I am not."

"You are too."

"I am not."

I sighed exasperatedly. God, he could be so annoying. I just stared at him in a hoity-toity way, and he glared back at me for a while, but eventually his expression began to soften, and he dropped his gaze onto the ground.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It's fine," I said, anxious to let this go and pick up where we left off earlier. I waited, and he eventually spoke again.

"Bella…?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Yes?" I said eagerly.

"Were you just saying that to Mike so that he'd leave, or did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"That you were interested in someone else…?"

"Edward," I said, as though I were speaking to a four year old child. "Is it not fairly obvious by now who I'm interested in?"

He grinned suddenly, and my heart nearly stopped.

"I suppose," he agreed, his eyes alight with a spark I had never seen there before. He eyed me for a moment, and I stared back, trying not to collapse with nerves and excitement. With a slight smirk, he held out his hand to me again, and I didn't hesitate this time. His hand held mine tightly, as though he never wanted to let go.

He started walking, and I let myself be towed along, my skin tingling.

Oh my freaking God, he was holding my hand.

My hand. Holding it.

I was almost overwhelmed with all kinds of good feelings, as well as the nerves and anxiety. I was afraid I'd say something stupid, I was afraid this was a dream and any minute now I would wake up, I was afraid this was all a cruel joke orchestrated by the entire school, I was afraid that he would disappear and I would be grasping thin air… I was afraid I'd lose him, for whatever reason. Amidst all the good, happy feelings, there was that fear.

I took a few breaths, and tried to keep my head.

I had been entertaining fantasies of Edward whisking me away to someplace fabulous, but I was getting ahead of myself. He brought me to the school car park. Almost everyone had left, apart from the few stragglers and loiterers, who kept throwing glances our way. I tried to keep a neutral expression, as though Edward holding my hand was an everyday occurrence.

I wish.

I hope…

I was dying to know what he was planning, and I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"Where are we going?"

He looked at me. "Where do you want to go?"

Anywhere, as long as you come with me.

"I don't mind," I said, leaving the decision up to him.

"Right," he said. "I just had a thought."

"Did it hurt?" I joked.

He rolled his eyes.

He brought me to a meadow.

Well… I almost died before we made it. The energy between us was pulsating in the car, and I used all my willpower not to pounce on him, even though I really wanted to. I was practically dying from excitement and nerves, wondering where he was taking me, and wondering what could happen when we got there.

And then there was this ridiculous trek through the forest before we reached the damn meadow, and I made quite a holy show of myself. If there was a branch or a large stone in my path, and even if I tried to avoid it - even if I walked fifty yards away from it to avoid it - I ended up tripping over it. I fully expected Edward to tease me or just decide that I was too much of a hazard to be with, but he kept helping me up and holding my hand and throwing me small smiles.

We didn't speak, for the entire journey. I was waiting for him to say something first, because I knew that if I made up my mind to speak first, something stupid would come out.

"So, nice weather, huh?"

"Do you come here often?"

"Mike Newton works in a shop."

"Do you know where the toilets are?"

They were all frightening possibilities, so keeping my mouth shut was just vital.

When we arrived at the meadow, I was intrigued. It was so pretty and picturesque, and I wondered how he found it. I wondered why he brought me here. All I could really think of was the fact that we were in a meadow in the middle of nowhere all by ourselves, and my brain was going haywire with all the possibilities.

Of course… he could still hate me. This could be some master plot to get me on my own in the middle of nowhere, and I had walked right into it. Maybe he was planning to murder me.

Oh, just shut up, brain.

He lay on the ground, doing nothing to quell the urge I still had to jump on top of him. I stared at him for a moment, taking in the sexy clothes, and his thoughtful face; his green eyes, which were staring up at the sky, transfixed.

And I lay down beside him.