Author's Note: LadyMystery is back with another video in this chapter. I'll go ahead and let you know there's a link on my profile so when you get to that part you can listen for the full effect if you want. Credit goes to the lovely Marié Digby for this beautiful rendition of Linkin Park's "What I've Done."

I have a challenge for all of my readers. PoaG went on an unnecessarily long hiatus last year and I wanted to see how many of my old readers were still with me. Just click on review and say, "I'm still here!" or something along those lines. Newcomers, don't be shy. You can leave a review as well. I swear I don't bite... hard.

While you're at it. Let me know your thoughts on lemons. Love them? Hate 'em? I was toying with the idea of having one or two in this fic. Citrusy fun was a given seeing as this story is rated M but I have been torn over including a full blown lemon scene. Opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to a few charming reviewers. Pretty much every chapter they leave a comment that makes my day and as a fanfic writer, sometimes that makes all the difference. So, here's to lynettecullen, TheCryingDevil, B. Silverbow, itsanewday, and got10 for making my day pretty much every update. You give me the inspiration to keep writing.


Thinking About You

I, Isabella Swan, was nervous as hell. The rest of the day all I could think about was what Edward and I were going to talk about when he drove me home. My nerves amplified. What if we didn't have anything in common. It would totally suck if we didn't. I was fairly certain that my attraction to him would not go away because of that fact either. Unrequited love. How appropriate that would be. Just add it to the angst pile that is my life, I thought with bitterness.

The clock I had been staring at ticked by at an uncharacteristically fast pace; too fast for my liking. When the bell rang I cringed but my heart fluttered with excitement. Edward said he would meet me after my last class. Did that mean at his car or in the hall? What if he meant by his locker? Oh God! I didn't know where his locker was.

Jamming my fingers through my hair, I slowly took deep breaths and calmed myself. Stop it. He's just your best friend's brother who happens to be giving you a ride home. Chill the fuck out.

After my mental scolding I packed my books and walked out of the classroom. I sighed in relief as I spotted Edward across the hall. He flashed me this devilishly handsome crooked grin and I almost melted on the spot.

"I thought you bailed," he chuckled.

"Huh?" My mind was stuck on his stupid grin and I couldn't process what he was saying.

"It took you a long time in there. I thought maybe you had snuck out early just to avoid me."

"Nope. I just had to finish writing some things down." I lied. Don't let him find out how pathetic you really are.

As I walked by his side through the crowded hallway I noticed his jacket had a hood. That would come in handy. I dreaded the publicity that came with my life and I'd be damned if I subjected Edward to it. "Pull your hood up," I ordered, pulling mine up in the process. He frowned but did as I asked. Placing my sunglasses on my face I was ready to head outside. The paparazzi proved relentless and the flashes began as soon as I stepped over the school's threshold.

I followed Edward to his car and kept my head down. Shouts from the photographers could be heard over the busy parking lot. They weren't allowed on school property so they made up for that fact with huge zoom lenses and loud voices.

"Isabella!"

"Izzy, look over here!"

"Smile for the camera!"

"Who's your friend?"

"Is this your new fuck buddy?"

"What's his name?"

"Isabella, are you wearing any underwear?"

"Show us your tits!"

"Izzy! Kiss your boyfriend for us!"

"What the fuck," I heard Edward mutter. He placed a hand on my back and opened the passenger door, guiding me into the safety of his vehicle. This only fueled the taunts from the paps and the camera clicks sped up. Their vulgar shrieks muffled when Edward slammed the door. He crossed around to the driver's side and slid in hastily.

"I'm sorry," I apologized seeing the annoyance written all over his face. His eyes softened when he looked at me.

"Don't apologize," he stated firmly. "They're assholes. That's not your fault." He smiled, assuring me that he wasn't upset with me. I returned his smile and relaxed, thankful he hadn't held it against me. Yet, a tiny voiced echoed in the back of my mind.

I ducked and covered my face as we left the parking lot and Edward let me know when it was safe to stop hiding.

He was shaking his head with a grim look. "I don't know how you put up with this shit."

"It comes with the territory unfortunately."

"Still, those people are... are..."

"Fucking sleaze bags," I offered.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "That and some other things I shouldn't say in front of a lady."

"Oh, please." I scoffed. "I probably have a worse mouth than you, my friend."

"So we're back to being friends now," he teased, waggling his eyebrows.

"For now."

He snickered but remained silent, concentrating on the road. Light flurries had begun to form. I watched as we turned onto a road that I was unfamiliar with.

"Um, my house is the other way."

"I know," he answered cryptically.

"This isn't the part of a horror film where the unsuspecting female gets murdered in the middle of nowhere by a crazed psychopathic killer is it?"

His eyes grew wide and he looked at me incredulously. "I'm disappointed that you think so low of me, Bella! Being the charming gentleman that I am, I thought I would drive around for awhile. Maybe that would confuse some of your adoring entourage."

I laughed. "If only. Now you have probably spurred them on. I can only imagine the stories they will be thinking up now. 'Isabella disappears with local hot shot to make out!'"

Edward's grin fell and he pulled over. "I'm sorry! I didn't think about that. I'm turning around. Fuck. I'm so stupid."

"Hey," I said, placing a hand on his arm. "Don't worry about it. I appreciate that you wanted to help. The truth is, you can't win with those people. You just have to let it go."

He forced a smile but I could tell he wasn't completely satisfied with my assurance. "I didn't mean to make more trouble for you, honest."

"You didn't." I said with finality.

Edward made a U-Turn putting us back on course for Charlie's house. He remained silent until we reached town. "There's this diner here in town." He pointed to a small building with a red and white striped canopy over the entrance. "Would you- Can I take you there Friday night?"

Shocked, I sat back in my seat and stared at him. "Are you asking me out on a date," I asked, my verbal filter failing me. Groaning, I slapped my hand over my face.

"Well, you don't have to say yes," Edward mumbled, mistaking my reaction for rejection.

"I'm sorry, Edward. Sometimes I just talk without thinking about what I'm really saying. It's a flaw of mine. I would love to go with you. That is, if you still want to."

"Yeah, I'll pick you up at six?" He questioned eagerly.

"Can I meet you there?" I asked, considering the media. "It's just... this." I trailed off, motioning to the mob that we had driven up on at my house.

He nodded, pulling slowly into the driveway. "Sure."

"Okay, well thanks for the ride home. Tell Alice to feel better for me and I'll see you at the diner on Friday night."

"Six o'clock," he reiterated as I climbed out of the car.

"Got it!" I called over my shoulder, running to the door. I turned around and waved. He waved back, motioning for me to go inside before he left. I unlocked the door, immediately running to the window. Peeking outside I watched as he backed out into the street, carefully avoiding the cameramen.

I giggled, running up to my room. I have a date with Edward!

"I can't make this a long one," I spoke into the camera. "I have things to do and people to see! Yes, this move hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. I'm actually reconnecting with my dad. He's pretty fuckin' cool, but don't tell him I said that." I winked dramatically.

"This is just a cover of one of my favorite bands, but it spoke to me earlier when it played on my iPod. I wanted to share with you all how I've been feeling lately and this song just explains everything so well... Okay, enough rambling. Here it is."

In this farewell
There's no blood
There's no alibi
Cause I've drawn regret
Through the truth of a thousand lies
So let mercy come and wash away

What I've done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done

Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty
So let mercy come and wash away

What I've done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done

I paused at the end, distracted by the buzzing of my cell. It was a text from Alice.

I feel better! -A

Smiling, I thought about Jasper's crush on Alice. They would make a cute couple. Suddenly, a melody entered my mind and I gasped.

"Inspiration just hit, bitches," I chuckled into the lens. "So much for my plans. I've got to get this one out!"

Cutting off the camera, I uploaded the Linkin Park cover and texted Alice back quickly.

Yay! Lunch 2morrow? -B

Then I immediately turned back to my keyboard and played the tune that was stuck in my head. The words flowed effortlessly after.

There's a girl
Who sits under the bleachers
Just another day eating alone
And though she smiles
There is something she's hiding
And she can't find a way to relate

But she just goes unnoticed
As the crowd passes by
And she'll pretend to be busy
When inside she just wants to cry
And she'll say

Take a little look at the life of Miss always Invisible
Look a little harder
I really really want you to
Put yourself in her shoes

Take another look at the face of Miss always Invisible
Look a little closer and
Then maybe you will see why she waits for the day
When you'll ask for her name

At the beginning
At the first weeks of class
She did everything to try and fit in

But the others
They couldn't seem to get past
All the things that mismatched on the surface

And she would close her eyes
When they laughed as she fell down the stairs
And the more that they joked
And the more that they screamed
She retreated to where she is now
And she'll sing

Take a little look at the life of Miss always Invisible
Look a little harder
I really really want you to
Put yourself in her shoes

Take another look at the face of Miss always Invisible
Look a little closer and
Then maybe you will see why she waits for the day
When you'll ask for her name

Then one day
Just the same as the last
Just a day spent counting the time
Came a boy who sat under the bleachers
Just a little bit further behind

I stretched, happy with the outcome. My eye caught my web cam but I shook my head. This was too personal to share just yet. I wanted Alice to be the first to hear it.

The rest of the week at school was spent having lunch with Alice; Jasper refused to join us and remained part of the background. I was fairly certain she didn't even realize he was back there. Then Edward would drive me home, relieving Rosalie of the duty. She seemed disappointed until I informed her that I would still need a ride every morning if she wouldn't mind. Her demeanor brightened significantly as she insisted that she would be happy to escort me to school. After all this, she still loved the attention. I would never understand that.

Every day after Edward dropped me off I would speed through my homework so I could sneak over to Jasper's for practice. By midweek, Charlie had noticed my absence.

"Where are you headed every day?"

"To a friend's," I answered shortly, ready to leave. Charlie got up from his chair and met me at the door.

"Is this friend a boy?"

I sighed, seeing his stance by the door. There was no way he was letting me out unless I talked to him.

"Yeah, dad. Jasper Whitlock. Do you know him?"

Charlie crossed his arms. A stern expression replaced his inquisitive one. "Don't you think it's a little late to be going to a boy's house? Are his parents home?"

"Dad! It's not like that. I'm..." I hesitated, deciding if I should tell him about the band. He had been supportive of everything else so far. "Jasper has this band and they've asked me to join. I've been practicing with them all week. Jane and Alec, the McCarty twins are also there. His mom is usually home by now but it's not like we ever go inside. They have a setup in his garage. It's awesome. We haven't been able to book any gigs yet but-"

"Slow down," Charlie chuckled. "You seem happy about this." His statement came out more like a question.

"Oh, I love it!" I exclaimed.

Charlie turned stern once more. "In a garage, huh? Drugs?"

"No."

"Alcohol?"

"Absolutely not."

"Pot?"

"Dad! Would you like to come with me? I promise we're just high on music. That's it."

"Alright," he relented. "Have fun, but not too much fun!" He called as I raced out the back door.

I plucked a few chords on Alec's unplugged electric guitar while Jane sat on the floor of the garage tapping her drumsticks absently against her legs. Alec sat on a crate, humming the theme to Jurassic Park. We had been waiting on Jasper for the past hour. Jane informed me that his mom told him he wasn't to step foot in the garage until his room had been picked up.

"That sounds cool," Jane commented. "Is it finished?"

"No. It just came to me. It makes me want to growl." I laughed, repeating the cords and growling for the effect. "Raaaaa! Something like that. I don't know what it's supposed to be yet." I shrugged.

Jane's tapping joined as she followed the beat, her head nodding in unison. Suddenly she jumped up and sat down in front of her drum set, joining in. Alec's head began bobbing to the tune. "Do the growl thing again," he requested.

I snorted, obliging him with another growl.

"Freaky," he chuckled.

Something clicked and words started forming in my head. "That's it," I mumbled, collecting my thoughts.

"We are the freaky people," I sang, changing a few chords. Jane altered her beats and fell back into step easily.

"We are the freaky people," I continued, testing out the lyrics. "That make the world go around." I began humming, waiting for the next verse to hit me but I was drawing a blank. "Shit," I huffed. "What sounds good with 'around'?"

"I got it," Jane's eyes lit up as she took over. "We are the freaky people, the freaky people that make our world go round. We take the stuck up posers and status-quosers and we burn them in the ground!"

"Fuck." I swore. "That's good!"

Jane blushed at my compliment and Alec stood up and reached for some paper, eager to write everything down.

Jasper stuck his head out into the garage, peeking back behind his shoulder to make sure he wasn't spotted. "What's that?"

Alec ignored him, writing furiously on his paper. "We are writing our first song as a band," Jane shouted over her drums. "Hurry the fuck up and join us, slacker! You're missing out."

Jasper looked torn. His eyes flickered determinedly and he placed one foot out of the door.

"Jasper Nathaniel Whitlock, get your sorry behind back in this house!" His mother roared from inside. "I can still see a pile of your filthy clothes on the floor."

"Shit," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Give me two minutes, guys."

True to his word, Jasper was back in record time and an hour later we put the finishing touches on our first song we wrote as a band.

We are the freaky people
The freaky people that make our world go round, round
We take the stuck up posers and status-quosers
And we burn them in the ground, ground

I knew a girl, she had telepathic dreams
She saw things they didn't want her to see
So she turned away, looked to the sky
And then she said "fuck it I'm gonna let my freak flag fly" because

This is the time of our lives (you freaky people!)
Let out the freek inside (get freaky, people!)

I knew a boy, wanted to be free
So he watched his father to learn how not to be
You can't change the system but you can change inside
I've got a new religion, it's called "no more lies"

We are the freaky people
The freaky people that make our world go round, round
We take the stuck up posers and status-quosers
And we burn them in the ground, ground

"So," Jasper started. "I think we have a name for our band now. It only makes sense. We are freaks. We don't see this fucked up world like everyone else. It fits."

Alec and Jane exchanged glances and then they looked at me. "We are freaks. What about just 'Freaks'? It's easier to remember."

"The Freaks." Jane suggested.

"Yeah," Alec agreed with his sister. "But it shouldn't be F-R-E-A-K. It should be F-R-E-E-K. Purposely misspelled."

The four of us smiled and silently agreed. Our band finally had a name. The Freeks.

Jasper sent me a text at lunch on Friday.

Need 2 talk. NOW -J

Rolling my eyes, I turned around and glared at him from the back of the bleachers. Alice noticed and turned around as well.

Jasper's eyes widened and he tried to avoid looking at us. "Come on, Alice. There's someone I would like you to meet." I spoke loudly, snickering when Jasper started to fidget.

Alice hesitated, staying put. I draped my arm over her shoulders and whispered. "He's cool. I promise." Still unsure, but trusting me all the same, she walked with me over to where Jasper was sitting. He stood awkwardly as we approached.

"Alice, this is Jasper Whitlock. Jasper, this is Alice Cullen."

Both of them blushed, dipping their heads shyly. Jasper held his hand out first and Alice shook it hesitantly.

"Jasper and I have been hanging out a lot after school," I explained. Alice's eyes widened, her blush deepening. "Jasper and the McCarty twins that is."

Alice's eyes got bigger. "You hang out with Jane McCarty," she asked in awe. "She doesn't talk to anyone. No one but her family," Alice whispered, her gaze flickering to Jasper.

"She's not that bad," Jasper chuckled lightly, still not looking directly at Alice. "She only wants you to think she is. Once you get to know her, you find out she's a big softy."

Alice obviously didn't believe Jasper and she looked back at me expectantly.

"It's true." I admit. "We have this band and we've been practicing -"

Jasper's coughs interrupted my explanation. "I thought you weren't going to tell anyone."

"Alice isn't just anyone. I can trust her. Will you tell anyone, Ali?"

She shook her head furiously.

"See." I said smugly. "I don't keep secrets from my best friend."

Alice beamed, her blush returning. Jasper's eyes glazed over as he stared dreamily at Alice. It was my turn to cough.

He blinked and cleared his throat. "We got a gig!"

"What," I asked completely surprised. "When?"

"Tonight! In Port Angeles. We'll leave around five. Mom said we can use her van."

"Oh," I sighed, my smile faltered.

"Do not 'oh' me," Jasper pleaded. "You have to come. We need you!"

I barely registered nodding my head, agreeing to come. Jasper let out a sigh of relief while Alice studied my resigned expression. She called me on my mood as we returned to our lunches.

"Spill." She said simply.

"I have a date with Edward and now I can't go," I said quickly, my words jumbling together.

"You what?" She shrieked.

"Edward asked me out but now I have to cancel, or I go out with Edward and disappoint the band. I can't win!"

"Edward asked you out," she giggled. "Wow! That's so weird." She backtracked when my face fell. "It's not weird that he would like you, it's just weird that he asked you so quickly. He usually analyzes things to death before he makes any decisions. Tell him about the gig. Maybe you could invite him."

"Yeah," I muttered, thinking to myself. "Maybe."

As I entered the Biology classroom, my palms began to perspire. Edward saw me and flashed me a shy smile. Knowing that I couldn't tell him about the band, I only had one option: Break our date. Telling Alice had been pushing it already. They had made it clear, Jane especially, that the band did not want to ride on the coat tails of the Pop Princess, Isabella.

Edward's smile faltered. I had not been quick enough at hiding my emotions. As I sat down he didn't even look at me. "You're ditching me?"

I sighed. "Edward, it's not -"

He faced me, his eyes piercing. "Don't give me that shit. 'It's not you, it's me!'" He mocked, slamming his book down in his bag. "I should have know. You're a good actress too. I thought you were into me but..." He got up quickly, looking away. "Do you get off on playing with people?"

"No! Ed -"

"Don't bother," he muttered, cutting me off. "Just don't hurt my fucking sister. Trust me. That, I won't let go."

I watched, stunned as Edward rushed out of the door knocking into the teacher. Mr. Banner gaped as his papers fluttered down around him. Finally snapping out of his stupor, he ran after Edward. "Mr. Cullen! Stop this instant. I hope you know you will have detention for the rest of the week, young man. MR. CULLEN!"

Students snickered as Mr. Banner's voice faded. I could already hear the whispered rumors forming. Swift fingers flew across tiny buttons and texts were sent out immediately. I wanted to cry but several pairs of eyes were trained on me so I stoically sat, eyes forward, ignoring all the questioning gazes from my peers.

Jasper was late and I was already pissed. "What the hell, Jasper? We've been waiting on you for twenty minutes now!" I complained as soon as he met us in the garage.

"I know! I know! My mom made me give her the play by play and... You know what, let's just get on the road."

"Thank God!" Jane exclaimed, opening the van's side door. "We've already loaded the equipment asshole."

"I love you too, Jane." Jasper sighed, climbing into the driver's seat. Alec called shotgun so I was stuck in the back with a disgruntled Jane.

After awhile, Jasper couldn't take her silent treatment anymore so he directed her foul mood on to me. "Bella told Alice Cullen that she's in our band."

"What. The. Fuck." Jane whirled and gave me the worst eat shit and die look. Alec glanced back with the same identical expression but with a softer, more forgiving look. "You agreed that we would keep it low key! I already told you I'm out if this shit is going to be an issue."

"Alice is my best friend and she won't tell a soul. She and Charlie are the only ones who about this and I trust that they'll both take this secret to the grave."

"They better," she spat. "Or you're the one going into an early grave."

"Is that a threat," I challenged, angry that she was questioning my judgment. Jane had warmed up to me considerably since I first showed up at the garage. However, there were still times when her more prickly side would make an appearance.

"Girls," Alec and Jasper warned simultaneously.

"Shut up!"

"Stay out of it!"

We yelled at the same time. I was exasperated by this point and my voice came out more whiney than I had intended. "I had a date with Edward Cullen tonight and I canceled for you guys! I wanted to tell him so at least he could come and not think I was just stringing him along, but nooooo!"

Jane gaped at me, her mouth hung open in a wide 'O'. We started laughing at the same time.

"Do you know how lame that sounded?" She guffawed.

"Leave me alone!" I cried, trying to curb my own laughter.

"I had a date with Edward Cullen," she mocked in a high pitched voice. Another fit of giggles erupted. Jasper sighed heavily from the front seat while Alec just shook his head. "Dude," he whispered loudly. "I'll never understand women."

"You know," Jane said seriously, her laughter fading. "I can still tell who you are, even with that red wig and those hideous geeky spectacles. Did you steal those from Harry Potter?"

"Har, har!" I rolled my eyes, pulling out a mirror to check. She had a point, I noticed nervously.

"Let me do your makeup," she suggested. "I can plump up your lips and go heavy on your eyeshadow. It might help. I'll contour your face a lot too. It'll make your bone structure look a little different."

"I didn't know you were a makeup artist."

"Meh," she shrugged. "I'm a woman of many talents."

Alec snorted.

Our arrival in Port Angeles was silent and the tension in the van was stifling. Jasper pulled up in a dingy back alley. A flashing neon sign that read 'Bob's' flickered above a rusted steel door. We piled out of the van and set to work on unloading our equipment.

Jasper lead us to the old door and beat his fist loudly. It swung open immediately, Jasper barely moving out of the way in time. A short, stubby man with a green fedora hat looked us over before ushering us inside.

"I talked with you on the phone. We're 'The Freeks'. When should we be ready for our set?" Jasper called out, trying to keep up with the little man. The man stopped, causing Jasper to almost topple over on top of him.

"Your set?" He asked strangely. "It's fucking open mic night. I hired you to go on when there's no one occupying the stage. Our terms are the same as what I explained to you on the phone. You each get one food and one drink item free of charge tonight. Don't try to trick the bartender, I'll know if you do. Your pay is fifty bucks. I'll leave it up to you to split it among yourselves. You can have a tip jar but I'm not responsible if it mysteriously disappears. My name is Lil' Bob and I'm stuck in this shithole for the rest of the evening so if you need anything else, come find me." He droned on in a bored tone. He took off again with us struggling to keep up and handling our instruments at the same time. Lil' Bob jumped up on a small stage in the back corner of the bar and made a dramatic flourish with his arms. "This is where you can set up. Now, I'm done holding your hands. Figure out the rest on your own. I need a drink..."

We watched as he sidled over to the bar, climbed up on a stool and snapped his fingers. A fresh beer was instantly in front of his fingers. Jasper sighed, bring our attention back to him. "I know it's not ideal but it's something," he offered sheepishly.

"Alec, did you bring the set list in?" He asked, attempting to get things rolling. We all tackled our own instruments and then Jane and I hung back while Jasper and Alec argued over the amp wiring. As we finished setting up, the small bar had filled up considerably. I watched as Jane chewed nervously on her fingernails.

Lil' Bob made his way towards the back where we sat off to the side of the stage. "Sometimes we get lots of drunk ass college kids who think this is a karaoke bar and then there are other nights where the more serious crowd comes in for the angsty poetry shit reading. Either way, dead air is inevitable at some point so that's where you come in. Feel in my gaps, Freeks!" He called over his shoulder as he climbed back on stage.

"Is everyone having a good night," Lil' Bob shouted into the mic. A loud string of replies answered him accordingly. "Good! Tonight as some of you already know is Open Mic Night!" He paused as several drunk girls at the front hooted and hollered. "I see we already have some volunteers for tonight," he teased them as they booed. "No? Well then, who will be first up? Don't be shy."

Tonight was obviously the drunk crowd. Several people had staggered to the back for their turn on stage. Most of the time they sung off key and didn't even know half of the words. All but one of them didn't even have an instrument and the one who did had no idea how to play his.

Jane groaned. "I'm so effing bored!" We all silently agreed with her.

My stomach clenched as a flash of unruly auburn hair caught my attention. I would have passed it off as a coincidence if he hadn't turned around and confirmed my suspicion. Edward Cullen was here. My eyes widened in fear as he made his way towards the stage. I turned my back to him as he came closer and saw that Jasper, Jane and Alec had seen him as well.

I gulped as he stood a foot away from my chair. Recognizing my bandmates, he waved in greeting before throwing the strap from his guitar over his shoulder and jumping on stage. Pulling up a stool, he adjusted the microphone, his deep chuckle rumbled through the speaker directly next to me. I shivered with delight. Jane snickered. "B's gonna have to change her underwear."

I blushed. "Shut up!"

"I haven't been up here in awhile," Edward began, strumming a few chords on his guitar. A few people from the crowd replied, mostly women, about how they missed him. I rolled my eyes and Jane's snickering started up again.

Edward appeared awkward, his fingers threading through his hair. Then he started to play. My eyes lingered on his talented hands and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I watched his long fingers stroke each string.

Lyrics to Radiohead's 'Thinking About You' filled the room. I blushed when he became more passionate during the hook.

I've been thinking about you, so how can you sleep
These people aren't your friends, they're paid to kiss your feet
But they don't know what I know, and why should you care
When I'm not there

Jane huffed. "You guys deserve each other."

Jasper and Alec laughed while I pouted. Edward received a hefty applause and he thanked them before leaving the stage. We waited for a few minutes but no one seemed to want to follow his performance.

"Guess we finally get to jam!" Alec jumped up, ready to go. We grabbed our instruments and huddled in front of Jane's drums.

"Let's do covers tonight," Jane said. "I don't think this crowd would appreciate the original stuff. We should save that for another gig."

Nodding my head, I agreed with Jane. "I think you're right."

"So, what's a good bar song to cover? Jas? Hey, dude!" Alec was waving his hand in front of Jasper's blank expression.

He stared into the crowd, his complexion pale. "She's here."

"Who's here," Jane asked, craning her neck over us to see.

I followed his gaze and found Alice. She was sitting with Rosalie, Emmett and Edward. Jasper glared at me. "You told her where we were going to be?"

"No! I didn't know. You didn't tell me until we left, remember?"

"Shit," he muttered, pulling at his collar. "I can't... I-I..."

"Hey man," Alec clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Me and B got this. Right?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it Jasper." I assured him.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on," Jane hissed.

"Later," Alec brushed her off. "The crowd's getting antsy. What's it gonna be?"

"The Kills," we breathed together. Laughing, we took our marks onstage. I was in front of Jane flanked by Jasper on my right and Alec on my left. Taking another quick peek I noticed that Alice had spotted us. She mouthed the word 'sorry' and waved. I checked on Jasper who had turned a sickly shade of green.

"You okay," I asked, covering the microphone. He shook his head, insisting he was fine. I didn't believe him. Alec and I exchanged glances and he shrugged turning to the crowd.

"Hi," his voice cracked, making it sound as if he was just now going through puberty. He coughed, cringing as the patrons laughed. His hands shook and I chuckled to myself. Alec seemed to have caught stage fright. Thankfully, this was my element.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" I laughed with them. "I assure you, we play better than we look up here in these godawful bright lights. Where did Lil' Bob go?" I asked them, placing a hand over my my eyes so I could see into the crowd. I pointed as I found his fedora hat sticking out in the crowd. "There he is. Say, Lil' Bob. Can we dim the fucking lights just a little? Damn." The crowd tittered and whooped.

When the lights faded to a nice glow I thanked the little man and started to introduce the band. "I'll make this short and sweet. We are The Freeks." I played a simple tune, looking back at Jane. She slapped her sticks together and counted off.

As we performed I was thinking about anything but the song. I kept glance back to the table where Edward sat. He wasn't really paying attention to us. Emmett was busy engaging him in conversation that included lots of hand gestures. He seemed excited. Rosalie sat with a bored expression while Alice was enraptured by the band. I did a double take. No, not the band. Jasper.

I grinned, winking at Jasper who was looking at everyone but the cute little pixie.

When the song ended, my attention fell on a sign Lil' Bob held up. Try to get people on stage! I groaned and looked at Jasper. He held up his hands to say he had no clue what to do. Alec wouldn't look at me and Jane was shaking her head her eyes wide with fear. I was left to my own devices again.

Scanning the crowd, my eyes were drawn back to Edward's table. Emmett's crazy hand gestures had stopped but his guffaws now rumbled through the bar. I smirked.

"Alright, folks. Who's next? We have heard from some interesting people but the night is still young!" I paused, letting everyone cheer and clank beer bottles against one another. When no one offered I took my chance. "How about you, big guy?" I pointed to Emmett and several guys including Edward and Emmett looked between one another warily. I clarified. "Yeah, you with the pink shirt."

Rosalie snorted and Emmett looked spooked. "It's salmon, not pink!"

"What's that?" I asked, cupping my ear in his direction.

"It's- Nevermind. I don't sing."

"It's open mic. You can do whatever you want. You look like a guy who likes to tell jokes. Am I right?"

Emmett looked sheepish and he nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess I know a few jokes but I don't want to... Just pick someone else!" He waved me off and turned to his companions.

In a mocking voice I asked, "Are you a chicken?"

Several balks from the crowd rang out and laughter ensued. Emmett's cheeks flared and he stood up muttering obscenities, walking to the stage.

"Let's here it for the guy in pink!" I clapped relinquishing my spot on stage. Emmett staggered up and snatched the mic from it's stand.

For the love of... It's SALMON. Not pink! The sales lady said so." Everyone laughed and the cheering seemed to encourage his inner ham. He immediately jumped into a set of jokes.

"So, this guy walks into a bar..."

I plopped down in an empty chair across from my bandmates. Alec cracked some peanuts open and munched loudly. Jasper studied his hands, a light blush lingering on his cheeks. Jane would not meet my eyes.

"Are we going to talk about this or not?" I asked them.

"Talk about what," Jane replied.

"Oh, I don't know," I bit a little too harshly. "Perhaps we should start with the obvious stage fright that you guys seemed to have tonight." I quirked my eyebrow expectantly.

Jasper sighed. "This was officially our first performance," he admitted. His whisper was drowned out by Emmet's obnoxious laughter but I caught the gist of it.

I sat back in my seat. "Jesus. Why didn't you tell me? We could have worked on it or something!"

The three of them continued to avoid eye contact with me, remaining silent. "It gets easier," I assured them.

A resounding slap on the table startled me and Jane stood. "This fucking sucks! One thing we're good at and we can't even talk to a group of people."

"Sit down, Jane. Please." I motioned for her to take her seat. "The first time I was on stage I was scared shitless. I froze and then just ran off." I chuckled at their unbelieving expressions. "It's true, I swear it. My mom found me in the bathroom and she gave me some advice that I'm about to share with you three. She told me, 'Baby girl. You have nothing to be scared of! Think of it as a conversation. Pick out one person in the crowd and speak to them. Don't worry about anyone else.'" A lone tear trickled down as I recalled the fond memory with Renee. I wiped it away quickly. "It fucking worked like a charm. She always knew what to say."

I turned back to the stage watching as Emmett impersonated a drunk cowboy and continued. "Just try it. If that doesn't work for you then we'll figure something else out."

Lil' Bob swaggered over and Alec groaned. "What does that little fucker want now?"

"I have a suggestion," he slurred, somewhat drunk. "Why don't you kids do separate acts. I want a drum solo from Miss Attitude," he demanded pointing at an annoyed Jane. "And you!" He stumbled over his feet trying to get to Alec. "You should definitely pull some strings on your geetar." Lil' Bob snorted, finally clapping his stubby hand on Jasper's shoulder. "As for you two, I like the way you sound together. Can anyone say duet? Make it good!"

"I'm finding our next gig," Jane muttered darkly as Lil' Bob retreated back to his spot at the bar.

Emmett finished with a grand applause and thankfully several more intoxicated girls decided to grace us with their karaoke skills so we had time to plan. Jane knew instantly what her solo would be and Alec just shrugged and said, "I'll shred." That left me and Jasper.

"You know that song of yours that you let us hear last week? We should do that one." Jasper nodded, his mind already made up.

"You mean Down?" I had written Down a couple of years ago when I realize that Bart never had my best interests at heart. I wanted to breakaway but I was afraid of failing on my own. The song was full of longing, having dreams but not knowing if you deserved to fulfill them. I felt that it wasn't quite complete either. "I don't know, Jas. It's not really finished."

"It sounded complete to me," he insisted. "Plus, I can't get it out of my head!"

A peanut pelted off my arm and the twins snickered. "Just do it!" Alec pressured lightly, Jane nodding in agreement.

"Alright," I relented.

The stage was empty again and Jane got up warily. "I guess it's my turn."

"Remember what I said," I reminded her. "You'll do great!"

She marched up the steps and sat down pulling her sticks from her back pocket. She looked to the side and I gave her a thumbs up. Jane gulped and adjusted the mic that hovered over the set. Taking a deep breath she scanned the crowd and settled her gaze on the front row.

"Hi guys. Jane here. I don't usually speak through words, just beats. So... here's my song."

I stood up and placed my fingers in my mouth whistling as she began her solo. Jasper and Alec joined in on my cheering. "She did so good!" I shouted over the drums.

A few minutes later, a breathless Jane joined our cheering squad as Alec took his turn on stage. Jasper and I hugged Jane. We started shouting once more as Alec plugged into his amp.

His eyes stayed focused on his guitar and he introduced himself. "I'm Alec." He flashed a quick peace sign and he was off. His fingers were a blur.

Before I knew it, Jasper and I were up and I took my place in front of the keyboard. I winked in encouragement and he cleared his throat nervously. Smiling, I saw him scan over the crowd, noticeably avoiding the section Alice occupied. He finally settled on a secluded couple in the back. "A-Are you guys tired of us yet," he chuckled awkwardly. A surprising 'NO' filled the small space and his eyes widened in shock. He grinned, catching my eye and I was happy to see that he had gained some confidence with their answer.

"My name is Jasper and this is B. We're going to sing a song that B wrote so I hope you like it." He turned to me and gave me the cue to start. I began the simple haunting melody and Jasper joined me shortly with his guitar. Jasper took the lead and started singing on the first stanza. The song took over and seemed to silence the crowd, or maybe that was just me getting caught up in the lyrics.

I don't know where I'm at
I'm standing at the back
And I'm tired of waiting

Waiting here in line
Hoping that I'll find
What I've been chasing

I joined him at the chorus.

I shot for the sky
I'm stuck on the ground
So why do I try
I know I'm gonna fall down

I thought I could fly
So why did I drown
I never know why
It's coming down, down, down

I'm not ready to let go
Cause then I'd never know
What I could be missing

But I'm missing way too much
So when do I give up
Of what I've been wishing for

I shot for the sky
I'm stuck on the ground
So why do I try
I know I'm gonna fall down

I thought I could fly
So why did I drown
I never know why
It's coming down, down, down

Oh I am going down, down, down
I can't find another way around
And I don't wanna hear that sound
Of losing what I never found

I shot for the sky
I'm stuck on the ground
So why do I try
I know I'm gonna fall down

I thought I could fly
So why did I drown
I'll never know why
It's coming down, down, down

Me and Jasper shared a look as we closed the song. Laughing, we clasped hands, bowing to the crowd. Jane and Alec were calling out, clapping loudly as well as most of the people in the bar. A silly grin appeared on Jasper's face. We jumped down and fell into Jane and Alec's hugs.

Unfortunately my bliss was short lived because when I looked up, an angry Edward Cullen was stalking towards us.


Author's Note #2: I have lots of credits this chapter. Links to songs and solos will also be posted on my profile. Check it out!

Bella covered Linkin Park's "What I've Done" on her YouTube channel that was inspired by Marié Digby's cover.

The song she wrote is called "Miss Invisible" which is an original of the lovely Marié Digby's.

The song the band wrote together is called "Freeky People" by Kidneythieves.

Edward covered Radiohead's "Thinking About You" (Yes, he was thinking about Bella. That's probably why he chose it.)

The Freeks sang "U.R.A. Fever" again, by The Kills. (The same song from Chapter 7 Hope for the Hopeless.)

I imagined Jane's drum solo to sound like one of Misia Vessio's.

Alec's shred probably sounded like Arnaud's Melodic Shred.

And lastly, the duet Bella and Jasper sang was a song by Jason Walker called "Down." The only video I could find that had a good quality version of the song was a Damon/Elena fan vid. Anyone like Vampire Diaries?

Again, all these links will be on my profile page so you can listen to the songs if you'd like. I'm sure you noticed this chapter was extremely lengthy. I basically gave you guys two chapters since you waited so patiently. Severe weather took out my electricity so I was unable to upload on time. Hope you liked the treat!