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I want to reconcile the violence in your heart

I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask

I want to exorcise the demons from your past

I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires from your heart

You trick young lovers that you're wicked and divine

You may be a sinner but your innocence is mine

Muse, Undisclosed Desires

Disclaimer: I do own a lot of Twilight merchandise, but that doesn't mean I own Twilight, its plot, or its characters. If I did, Cameron Bright would have more than three lines in New Moon and Eclipse. In fact, he'd probably have a whole script for himself ;) Just sayin'. I don't own Hana Yori Dango of Saturday Night Live, either.

Chapter nine left us with Bella forgiving Irina and Edward actually going to class. We're starting this chapter a mere few hours after Bella's lunch with Irina.

Chapter Ten: Your Innocence is Mine

EPOV

It was Tuesday night and I found myself sprawled across the velvety cushions in the common room of our penthouse suite in Blanely. It was just a normal night, keeping with my usual routine, with my usual shot glass reflecting the bright light overhead onto the glass coffee table.

But I was feeling anything but normal. My equilibrium was off kilter, and I felt like I was standing on a tight rope fifty feet off the ground without a pole to keep my balance; I was balanced on one foot and about to fall off the thin rope.

Unfortunately, Emmett noticed this; if that oaf detected my unusual behavior, I must really been wearing my emotions on my sleeve. Well, my tutors when I was younger taught me never to wipe my sleeve on anything, so that phrase was used in a metaphorical sense. I was surprised that Jasper hadn't brought up anything. He would have been a better alternative to Emmett.

"Yo, Edward," Emmett called out to me, hitting me with one of the cushions I'd been resting on. I didn't even bother to retaliate. "What's up with Swan now? You forgive her or something?"

"It's none of your business, Emmett McCarty," I replied, rolling over on the sofa, stretching out my tight muscles. I was badly in need of a massage.

"You're givin' us a bad rep, Cullen!" He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, but he was smiling. "The whole school's going to think we've become softies now! We have a hard enough time covering up Jasper's laxness…" He trailed off, smirking in Jasper's direction. He looked up from his laptop and simply rolled his eyes at Emmett.

"I'm not going soft on you, Em; this is the first and only time this has happened." I tried my best to sound bored, but Emmett saw right through me. Damn, what was up with my inability to keep my emotions at bay?

"So what is this that's happening?" he waggled his eyebrows at me. "You and Isabella, huh?"

"Shut up, Em," I warned him. He simply laughed and stood up from his seat on the coffee table. He stole my shot glass and downed the drink inside. I didn't even know what was in it. Great, now I was even laying off the booze. Something was definitely wrong with me. Emmett sauntered across the suite, toward his bedroom, and turned around.

"So you like her?" he asked curiously, his hands on his hips. I simply stared at him, but he knew.

"Of course he does," Rosalie strolled into the room, purse in hand and still wearing her uniform. "He's smitten, turned on by competition," she added with a flick of her hair. I watched her in shock as she made her way to Emmett, kissed him on the cheek with a loud smack, and strutted over to the bar, swinging her hips provocatively for Emmett's enjoyment. His eyes bulged as he stood in front of his door drooling like a dog. I was momentarily distracted from my current distress by the hilarity that was cock blocked Emmett. It certainly didn't happen often. But what she said sunk in, and I became defensive.

"Rose, there's more to this than…" I started, but Rosalie being Rosalie, she didn't let me finish.

"No, Cullen, there's nothing more than you enjoying this new challenge," she purred, hopping on top of the bar. Jasper closed his laptop and effectively joined the conversation. "Let's face the facts: you're presented with this…girl. She's different; something new. She's poor and someone who is completely…" she hesitated, searching for the right words. "Not your type," she added reluctantly.

"She obviously hates your guts because you're unattainable and, well, an ass," she laughed softly to herself. "You like that you've met a girl who does something other than shoving their tits in your face. In fact, she even punched you. So, you think you like her, but it's just temporary; it's not even worth pursuing this relationship anyway, since it's not going to work out," she stated coldly. She turned around to face Jasper and he shook his head in my direction. Did that mean he didn't agree with her? I was going ask him later. I turned my attention back to Emmett as Jasper and Rosalie conversed about their parents and Thanksgiving plans; Rosalie's mother was a meticulous planner.

Emmett still stood leaning against his doorframe, gazing at Rose with a curious expression. I lay back down on the couch, surfing through the TV channels, and when I heard the door close, signaling Rosalie's departure, Emmett pounced.

"Hey Whitlock, why's your sister such a tease?" he deadpanned. Jasper laughed.

"She's just waiting for you to make a move, Em. You do all this flirting, but you never actually do anything about it. Don't tell her you got this from me, though," he held his hands up, grabbed his laptop, and escaped into his room with a "goodnight" over his shoulder. Emmett seemed to contemplate this for a while before nodding his head seriously, thoughtfully, and retreated into his room as well after clicking the lights off. I was left in the common room by myself, supported by plush pillows that caressed me; I was comfortable. Suddenly, the thought of going into my room seemed very unappealing, so I lay there, motionless, feeling bare under the intense glow of the TV. I felt oddly… naked. Stripped down.

I needed to know Isabella Swan. I wanted to strip her down and educate myself about her. And as that thought popped into my head, not once did I consider any sexual connotations. Which worried me. So I texted Jasper.

Is Isabella worth it?

Worth what? He answered quickly.

All this…trouble. What Rosalie said about how this relationship is not worth pursuing.

Do what you think is best, but I still stand by my condition. Hurt her and I'll give you a black eye… I sighed. Was it inevitable that I would hurt her? I powered down my phone and closed my eyes, eventually falling asleep to some music channel that I'd stopped at on the TV.

Saying that I'd overslept was an understatement. Not that it really mattered; my teachers weren't expecting me to go to class, anyway. But it was almost lunchtime and I was determined to get to know Isabella, so I got my ass off the couch and went into my room for the first time in twenty-four hours. Though I lived in the renowned Blanely Hall, where students had the freedom to decorate their rooms to their liking, my room was sadly nondescript. The colors were muted and safe. And I wanted to keep it this way.

Blanely wasn't my home. My home wasn't where Elizabeth lived, either; that was my house. I had no real family to determine my home. There was just me. So I never felt the need to, well, make myself at home here. I had a king-size bed pushed against the far wall and a desk that I never used just to the left of it. The only personal items in the room were on my desk: a framed picture of Emmett, Jasper, and me from freshman year, my laptop, some postcards from my friends' travels all around the globe, and a single novel, face up, but strategically hidden under the picture frame. These were the items that I wasn't able to part with for my life. My friends, my laptop, and my past. I shook off the dark thoughts and went into the walk-in closet, changing automatically.

It wasn't until I was walking out of the front doors of Blanely hall, taking in the bright sky, that I noticed that I was wearing my school blazer. I wasn't even aware that I owned it. It was too snug for my shoulders, which was extremely uncomfortable since I was used to perfectly tailored clothing. Whatever, I was only going to lunch anyways. I passed by the green house and the arts department some of the least frequented spots on campus. They happened to be my favorite. During freshman year, I thoroughly enjoyed living right next to the pools because of all the swimsuit-clad girls, but by sophomore year, I'd tired of that pastime. It got old, fast, since I had to watch the boys in speedos, too, which made me uncomfortable.

I entered the lunch hall and made a beeline for the staircase, but on my way there, I caught sight of Isabella sitting with that bitch, Irina. I still didn't forgive her for hitting me in the head with a damn soccer ball. There was also something about her that made me think of that 3OH!3 song, "Don't Trust Me." Don't trust a hoe, and all that. I ignored her big eyes following me across the room until I came to a stop in front of their table.

"Hello, Isabella, I have you're having a good lunch," I said, smiling in what I hoped was a friendly way. She startled and looked up at me wide-eyed, apparently not having noticed that I was there.

"Uh, yeah, I am… how are you?" she asked me, composing herself.

"I'm fine. Do you want to join me for lunch today? I think we're having steak sandwiches today," I asked, turning my back on Irina who was sitting across from Isabella to exclude her from the invitation.

"Well, yeah, sure; thanks," Isabella stuttered.

"I'll see you upstairs, then." I was up the stairs and seated before Isabella even started to gather her things. I chuckled; it was fun to catch her off guard.

Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie weren't surprised to see me at the table since it wasn't a rare occurrence for me to show up anywhere as I liked. However, after some kid took our drink orders, the table grew quiet, and I looked up from my Blackberry, giving them a quizzical look. Jasper's smile grew, but then faltered after a moment. I turned in my seat to see Isabella walking up the stairs, followed by Irina. What was the bitch doing here? Was my coldness toward her not subtle enough?

Isabella gave our table a shy smile when she reached the top step, and Emmett immediately greeted her.

"Hey there, Isabella! Are you sure you want to sit with this asshole?" he joked. I rolled my eyes at him, and he winked at me. Jasper stood up from his seat and pulled out a chair for Isabella, and I trained my eyes on Irina, who was standing there smiling like we were old friends. I quirked my eye at her.

"I don't remember inviting you up here," I noted, enjoying seeing her smile waver. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, and I shooed her with my hand. She slowly turned around and walked down the stairs. I tilted my chair back a little to see the crowd's reaction to this rejection. I wasn't disappointed as I saw that the entire cafeteria whispered about her walk of shame.

The whole time, Isabella was making conversation with my friends in the seat next to mine, but she glanced at me with her eyebrows furrowed. Thankfully, nobody said anything, but I could tell that Isabella was waiting until later to ask me about Irina.

I rejoined the conversation and tried to catch up on what they were talking about.

"So you're saying you don't have any Halloween plans?" Rosalie asked with a horrified tone.

"No, I don't. I usually just stay at home with my best friend and watch movies. I've always wanted to hand out candy, but since I live in an apartment, that's not really possible," she stated sadly. Rosalie took a bite of her sandwich- she usually opted for healthier food, unlike Emmett, Jasper, and me. Emmett was chowing down his steak sandwich that appeared while I was occupied with my exchange with Irina, while Jasper was carefully cutting his sandwich into pieces.

"So who's your best friend, Isabella? Do they go here?" I noticed that Jasper hadn't specified the gender of this friend. Maybe she had a male best friend. I unexpectedly became angered by this. What if she did have a boyfriend? What right did I have to say anything against it? I bit into my sandwich with unnecessary force, and steak sauce splashed onto my chin. I wiped it off and tried to tone down my emotions. Thank God Isabella didn't notice this, but Rosalie quirked her eyebrow at me.

"No, she doesn't," Isabella said, and I relaxed. Then I bristled, because why was I feeling so comforted by the fact that her best friend was a girl? "Her name's Alice, and she goes to Crawford High School. Well, technically, she's my co-worker, but we met at work. We both work at Carmen's bakery, which is here in Tacoma." Damn, I learned more about her in the last thirty seconds than in the day we spent talking yesterday. How did Jasper get her to talk?

"Crawford High? You mean the public school? I've never been there, but the girls are pretty slutty," Emmett remarked.

"Em," I growled. Was he insinuating that this Alice girl was a slut?

Emmett looked sheepish as he tried to correct himself. "Oh! I wasn't assuming your friend was a slut! I was just saying, from my experience…" he trailed off, giving her an apologetic look. She waved him off.

"No, I've met the girls there too, and yeah, I'm pretty scared of them. Well, frankly, I'm afraid of the girls here, too," she laughed. Rosalie leaned forward.

"Are you afraid of me?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Isabella seemed to consider her answer for a few moments.

"Yes, I am terrified of you, Ms. Snowqueen. Don't you know the whole school is?" she replied honestly. Rosalie's eyes lit up for a instant before she got up from the table, not even finishing her salad.

"Good. I like you, Isabella. Stop by my room sometime," she said, touching Isabella's shoulder briefly. Isabella looked stunned. So did the whole table. Emmett laughed and clapped his hands together. Rosalie started walking down the stairs, and he called out to her.

"Hey, Rosie, wait up! I need to ask you something!" Emmett walked down the stairs with her, presumably to ask her out like Jasper suggested. I chuckled at his antics. Jasper looked amused.

"I'm confused. Are they actually a couple?" Bella asked curiously. Jasper and I shrugged.

"They tease, they flirt, but they don't really do anything about it," I told her. She nodded and played with the food on her plate. I cleared my throat.

"So, how's your day been?" I asked.

"It's been surprisingly…good," she hesitated. "People are nice to me, and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that Jasper," she looked at him as she spoke, "is like, my guardian angel." He smiled at this. I frowned. I didn't know their relationship was that good.

"Yeah, probably," he admitted, and they smiled at each other. I felt really out of the loop.

"Hey, Edward, I didn't see you in pottery or newspaper today," she had a strange twinkle in her eye when she said this. "What were you doing, sleeping in?" she laughed to herself.

I chuckled self-consciously. "Hah, no, of course not." Isabella let out a laugh that seemed to come from her stomach… did people call this a belly laugh? I stared at her in wonder. She looked back at me, appearing to feel self-conscious. Jasper stood up from the table.

"I think it's time for me to get to class," he announced. Melancholy washed over me when I realized that I had to part with Isabella. I sighed and stood up.

"So are you coming to at least one class of not?" Isabella asked, gathering her backpack from the ground and slinging it over her shoulder. I couldn't help but notice that her blazer was a little bulky for her small frame. That needed to be fixed; it couldn't be comfortable. What was I, now, her guardian angel?

"I don't think I even know what class I have…" I answered.

"Oh! You have English with me," she stated cheerfully. I couldn't believe my luck; I didn't even have to change my schedule or sneak into classes unannounced to be with her.

"Well, then, we should go together, because we have the class together and, uh…" I didn't want her to know that…

"…and you don't know where the class is?" she said playfully.

"Of course, it's in the English department. I'd be an idiot not to know that," I defended myself. She looked at me skeptically but shook her head.

"By all means, lead the way, then, Mr. Cullen," she teased.

"I'll see you guys later, then," Jasper saluted us and walked down the stairs before us. I signaled for Isabella to follow me, and I walked ahead of her as we descended the staircase.

JPOV

I hummed to myself while I crossed the dining hall, smirking a little at the stares that followed Edward and Isabella who were a couple steps behind me. Edward was most likely not aware of the attention he was receiving, but I was almost a hundred percent sure that Isabella was squirming under the intense stares from her peers. I scanned the dining hall to see if there was someone who wasn't gaping, and my eyes rested on Irina, at a table by herself. She had a murderous look in her eyes that almost made me stop in my tracks. What was her problem? When she caught me staring at her, though, her face transformed into a sickly sweet smile. I gave her one last glance and sauntered out the door. This was some new information; Irina didn't like Isabella being with Edward, but why? I wished she had friends I could talk to- her glare was actually frightening. But for now, I just passed it off as jealousy; who knew exactly how many girls here pined after Edward? Irina was probably one of them.

But I was still worried about Irina and Isabella's relationship.

EPOV

Isabella seemed like a different person than the one I'd declared war on. The little bit of sun that shone through the clouds highlighted the red in her hair and her pearly white teeth when she smiled. She smiled a lot, actually. Considering I wasn't a very pleasant person to be around, this came as a surprise to me.

She eased up around me, but then again, we were only talking about easy topics. At the moment, we were discussing the latest Saturday Night Live skits. Neither of us watched much TV- I only surfed the channels when I didn't feel like dealing with anything. We found that we both made an exception for SNL and its dirty humor.

"Did you watch Taylor Swift's monologue? I'm not really a fan, but her monologue song…" she started laughing, and I stared at her, captivated. "I couldn't stop laughing for a good five minutes!" I really wanted to hear her laugh again, so I quickly thought of something that might be funny.

"I like glitter and sparkly dresses, but I'm not going to talk about that," I started singing with as high a voice as I could manage.

"In my monologue!" she finished for me. We both laughed. Before I knew it, we were in the English department building, and Isabella suddenly stopped in her tracks. I was about to ask what was wrong, but she gave me a serious face.

"So, you claim to know where our class is," she reminded me. I blanched, but quickly composed myself. I strode down the hallway, expecting to see placards on each door, but only found names of donors who paid for the building. I scratched my head in annoyance and frustration. Fuck, there was even a second floor! What was I supposed to do, pop into each class? Then I realized that I could text Jasper; he wouldn't give me hell like Emmett for not knowing where my fucking class was.

"Want to call up a friend?" Isabella teased. I turned around and was about to make a snarky comment, but she just rolled her eyes and went to stand in front of a door I'd already passed. Not only was I frustrated, but I was also… embarrassed. That was new.

I mustered up some dignity and wrenched the door open, making Isabella jump back. I gave her a small apology for startling her and we both went into the room, her walking in front of me. When we sat in adjacent seats in the back of the classroom, everyone turned in their seats to stare at us; we were late, but the teacher wasn't about to get mad at me. And, by association, he couldn't reprimand Isabella. I sat back in my seat, quirking my eyebrow at Mr. Berty, daring him to say something. He didn't; smart man. I winked at Isabella, and she gave me an exasperated look. We didn't talk the rest of class, but we passed notes.

I couldn't follow the material, since I'd never bothered doing the reading, so I decided to play a game with Isabella. I wrote the first question on a fresh page in her notebook, sliding it toward me as I wrote.

Siblings?

I slid her notebook back on her side of the table. She grinned and wrote in it.

Yeah, a brother. You?

I found myself feeling jealous that she had a sibling.

No. What's your brother's name? How old is he?

Joshua, and he's fifteen, a freshman. Just put me in an interrogation room with bright fluorescent lights, why don't you?

I laughed at her comment, which earned me a few looks.

Trust me, I would much rather be doing that than listening to Berty take out his frustration passive aggressively through teaching.

She was better at hiding her laughter with coughs than I was, so no one turned around this time.

"Wanna ditch this class?" I whispered in her ear. She stopped breathing for a few moments, and I became worried. Was she that prudish about attending class? "Are you okay, Isabella?" I whispered, and she relaxed her clenched fists.

"Oh, yeah. No, I was late to class; I don't need to make Mr. Berty upset by leaving his class abruptly!" she whispered back to me. I was close enough to smell her hair, which was an appealing mixture of citrus and honeysuckle. It reminded me of my one true home, my happy place… I sighed.

I tolerated another three minutes of Berty's rambling, but couldn't take it anymore.

"Now I know what I've been missing the last two months of school," I said sarcastically, leaning toward Isabella. "If you're okay with being subject to Berty's monologues, by all means, stay, but I think I'm done here." I stood up abruptly and walked down the aisle, heading for the door.

I had to admit that I was a little disappointed when Isabella didn't follow me out. I headed for the front door, but turned around when I heard quick footsteps echoing down the wooden hallway. I couldn't help the wide smile that spread across my face when Isabella caught up to me. She folded her arms across her chest.

"You could have at least given me a little warning, Edward," she huffed.

I ignored her statement. "Please tell me you gave him a little attitude when you left the room," I chuckled.

"Hah! No, I asked him if I could use the little girl's room," she replied.

"Good girl," I practically cooed at her. She smiled up at me and we left the building together. I was sure I'd just created a new Mount Marcus rebel.

For every review, Renesmee's hair grows an inch. Okay, icky, I know…

I warned you guys about the lack of updates! However, I'm endeavoring to write a TON during the holidays! Some love for my first 4000+ word chapter?

Thanks again to cruiz107 for her kind ass kicking