Bonus Chapter, Bella POV, flashback
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It was stupid. As a smart girl, she knew it was stupid, but still she walked around the tiny town of Forks, looking for him. The way Renee talked about Edward, she half expected a monument in the town square. Except there was no town square. A few dreary shops putting up banners for 'Small Business Saturday', the small library, only open four days a week, a hardware store, a camping equipment place. At least there was a decent coffee shop. She sipped from the paper cup as she searched fruitlessly for the redheaded genius in whose shadow she'd spent her whole life.
When she discovered that Edward was indeed real, matching his achievements became her goal. Chess champion? Check. Win the State Science Fair? Check. Graduate early? Double check. He became the fox to her hound, the rabbit to her greyhound, him ever a pace ahead, she, always on his tail. There was resentment a plenty when she was younger, but over the last few years something else had developed.
When your mother packs you up and drags you from home to home, there isn't time for goodbyes. Whatever fledgling friendships she started were destroyed whenever Renee decided that this 'one' was not really 'the one' she thought him to be and they were off. Bella suffered through endless placement tests since Renee always bugged out in such a hurry there was no time to take her daughter's school records with her. There would be a week or more of phone calls and faxes, during which time Bella sat in classrooms with her age peers. The torture of sitting in a classroom being taught addition made her long for her last school where she had been working on calculus with the principal, a Harvard educated mathematician. Renee, or her current boyfriend, never had enough money to send Bella to a private school, so she learned how to zone out in the classroom, reading on her own, until her placement results came in and she could sit in the library all day since none of her schools could accommodate her. She begged Renee to just let her stay at home instead of wasting time at an institution where no one was qualified to teach her, but Renee cited the law, and the fact that she was working and couldn't leave a nine year old home alone. When the revelation came, that Edward was real, Bella began to imagine that he, of all the people in the world, would understand her. He'd understand her loneliness, he could commiserate with having no friends, understand what it was like to have a mind that worked so much faster than anyone else, that she became impatient waiting for them to catch up. She began to plan to someday meet him, to thank him for being the guiding light in her life.
Now she was close. When Renee started making noise about moving, which must have been Charlie's influence, because in the past Renee just started packing, when the town of Forks came up in conversation, it seemed too good to be true. Of course Edward was away at medical school, but surely he'd come home to visit the beautiful Esme and brilliant Carlisle, also major characters in her childhood narrative. When Renee's husband got the sheriff position in Forks, Bella didn't want to appear to concede too easily. She was taking college courses, so at last she wasn't bored at school. She'd spend the last few years building up a business for Renee, to give her some sort of independence when she left for university. She wasn't sure she had the energy to start it all over again, but Charlie had been surprisingly helpful, finding a storefront, negotiating a lease and filing all the permits, things Bella had done (with her mother as her mouthpiece, town clerks still didn't listen to eleven year olds no matter how precocious). All that was left for her was finally meeting Edward. Walking into her mother's store, she saw her mother laughing with a woman. She looked familiar, could it be?
"Baby," her mother yelled. "Get over here and meet Esme."
The beautiful woman gasped, "Oh Rennie, she's all grown up!" She spread her arms, "How 'bout a hug?" Folded into the arms of Edward's mother, Bella felt one step closer to home. "I have a meeting tonight, but you'll have to come to dinner tomorrow night, no question about it."
Dinner at the Cullen's? Dare she ask if Edward would be there? Renee, while she had many faults was extremely useful in situations like this, because she'd say whatever was on her mind.
"Will Edward be there?"
"Yes, he's home for summer break. He only gets two weeks so he's been a bit of a slug."
"We don't want to put you out."
What was her mother saying? At last she was going to get a chance to meet Edward and now her mother decided to be polite?
"Nonsense, it'll be like old times. In fact, come over early and you can show me that new ratatouille recipe. My boys eat way too much meat."
And it was set. Esme left with maple syrup, three kinds of jams, beeswax candles, and a bottle of essential oils.
It wasn't too much, she hoped, that when they finally met, Edward would recognize something in her, that he could be her true friend, equally ambitious and driven. She imagined how casually she'd try to play it. 'I've heard so much about you. Tell me, would you be interested in a joint research project?' and Edward, might he be a hugger like his mother? Or would he reach out and shake her hands with both of his, saying, 'Bella, I've been looking forward to meeting you. At last, my intellectual equal. Let's discuss…'
Now she'd lost her mind. All the behaviors she'd mocked in high school girls were coming back to bite her in the ass. Love at first sight was a myth anyway. She didn't want him to want her body, she wanted him to want her mind, at least half as much as she craved connecting to his mind. She'd been waiting to meet him the last seven years of her life, and now suddenly they'd meet tonight. It was almost too much to hope for, that at last she'd meet her true companion. She had dreams of them being like Marie and Pierre Curie, discovering elements together, or Mary and Louis Leakey, searching the world for new fossils. She and Edward, their combined brain power could fuel new medical discoveries and treatments.
"Baby, I left one box in the truck, would you go get it?"
Her mother had parked down the street, hoping that by leaving a space open in front of her shop they'd attract more customers. It had only attracted the shop owner next door, who parked her van directly in front of their store. It felt good to stretch her legs, even though in her shorts it was chilly compared to Arizona. On the way back from the truck she heard honking and squealing brakes, but luckily no crash, just two drivers shaking fists at each other.
Back in the store she started unpacking the box. She heard her mother squeal in happiness, "Ewok!"
Ewok was the nickname her mother had called Edward. Could he be here already? Was he so anxious to meet her as well that he couldn't wait for dinner that night either? She straightened her shirt and pushed her hair behind her ears.
He was staring at her. She put out her hand but he didn't reach for it. His eyes did that full body assessment she loathed, scanning her up and down. He was far from the first male to do so; she wasn't stupid, she knew she was physically attractive, but that's not what she cared about. Physical beauty faded, she wanted a man who loved her mind. She put her hand back at her side. Just to be sure, in case there was another Edward in Forks that her mother failed to mention, she asked, "He's the one in medical school? Or was that someone else?"
When her mother answered affirmatively, she realized something she hadn't expected. He had no idea who she was.
Her entire life she'd been schooled in Edward anecdotes. He'd inspired her, driven her, but he'd never even heard of her.
Stunned at the disappointment, she busied herself putting jars on the shelves. He brought over the rest of the carton. Sure, she'd seen this behavior before. He was hitting on her for her physical attributes. She was angry, angry at her mother for not telling her, angry at Edward's mother for not mentioning her to his son, but most of all she was angry with herself. Why had she built up her hopes again? Since they'd left Florida, she hadn't been anywhere long enough to find a friend. She thought that at least, Edward would be her friend, would have known about her struggles, and at least have some respect for her. She was a smart girl, and what she'd seen of relationships was that people were only nice to you while they had something to gain. Why had she fancied there could be something different when she'd seen the proof in her mother's many relationships and breakups? She was practicing bad science, ignoring the evidence for what she hoped the answer would be. That was that, she'd never make that mistake again. She grabbed the duster and started cleaning the already clean jars. Her mother chased her out of the store, Edward behind her. He tried to catch up, offered to show her around town. She knew what older guys wanted out of younger girls. Since he knew nothing else about her that had to be all he was interested in. No thank you, Mr. Dream Crusher.
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A/N: Unbeta'd, just a little peek into Bella. Back to Edward's POV next chapter
