--WARNING: The following chapter contains severe amount of embarrassment. Proceed with caution--

CHAPTER 12: LOATHING HORMONES

I awoke Friday without a headache, but I still felt exhausted. Anthony had startled me from an amazing dream two hours prior. It had been difficult to go back to sleep, and I was only faintly drifting off when my alarm went off.

I recalled my dream, remembering precise details. It had been a rare sunny day in Forks, and I was in Edward's backyard. It was just like it had been when we were kids: the sandbox was still intact and Emmett hadn't broken the swing set yet. I was sitting on the ground laughing contently with Edward who was building a sand castle. We were chatting away, laughing every once in a while, and we could be no older than eight. Suddenly he leaned forward and morphed into the older teenage Edward. His eyes in my dream tinkled, and I found myself allured, trying to get closer to him. He whispered how beautiful I was in my ear, and I blushed. His lips came down on mine and my dream was ruined as I jumped with a start. Anthony's cries broke the magical spell.

I have to stop thinking about this, I reprimanded myself. We just became friends. I can't be fantasizing about him already. But, still, I felt like we were more than friends. Maybe not romantically—as if Edward could be attracted to me!—but as close as we used to be. I felt like I could still confide in him without worrying he would tell the world.

Confused, I started getting ready for school. When I walked downstairs, I heard a knock on the door, and I yelled, "Come in!"

"Hello, Bella," I heard Edward say, and I felt an automatic smile tug on my lips. He was giving me a ride today. Stop it, my rational mind commanded, don't get attached. You will only ever be a good friend—no more. Don't even bother. Still, I couldn't hold back my cheerfulness at his appearance. It just had to be my hormones. I had never been so close to a guy (Emmett and Jazz didn't count since they were taken and Emmett was my cousin), and now that I was, my hormones were kicking in.

"Hello, Edward. Looking for another delicious breakfast?" I teased. He shook his head smiling, and looked away before my heart would stutter. Ugh! Why did I have to develop feelings with Edward? We had only been friends for a few days, and I was starting to like him? Was this my body's sick idea of a joke? It wasn't funny. I needed therapy.

"No, actually, I was wondering if you wanted a ride?" his voice was inquiring as if I could reject his offer. Like I would regret spending time with him.

Where are these persistent thoughts coming from? We barely just knew each other! The tenderness towards him had only come to me last evening after the zoo. We just bonded very well, and I was getting ahead of myself. I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Sure. Just let me finish my bagel," I said, beginning to chew. He sat at the kitchen table and just watched me eat. I felt self conscious suddenly and stared at him in turn. "Do I have something on my face?" I asked reaching for my cheek. His gentle hand stopped mine, and he held it before placing it back on the table.

"No. You're just… interesting when you eat. Let me rephrase that; you're interesting when you do anything," he said. How could I refuse my attraction when he said words like that? Damn Edward Masen and his abilities to charm women everywhere with one little twitch of his lips.

"Thanks?" I said, but it sounded like a question. He chuckled and thankfully looked away. I finished quickly, and we set off with Anthony.

Classes went by quickly, and I could feel the confused glances from the students as Edward and I spoke amiably to each other. Their stares were burning the back of my head, and I was getting irritates. Earlier this week, Edward and I had talked, but not like this. Now, we were laughing and joking and touching. I leaned against him once on my way to Government, and I heard a group of collected gasps. I wanted to groan and hit my head against a wall. Did the student body have nothing better to talk about?

Even Jessica questioned me in Spanish. "So, what's going on with you and Edward?" she asked very bluntly. Jessica never failed to be forward, and I felt myself start in surprise. I thought she would respect my privacy this time, but apparently not. Her favorite subject was Edward, and I had just given her an opportunity to speak about him. "I thought you two, like, hated each other."

I shrugged and vaguely replied, "We're over it."

She didn't give up easily. "How did you get over it? Did you make up or did Nurse Hasting make you? Someone said you paid him to be nice to you." My head jerked in surprise. I paid him? This was ridiculous.

"For the record, Jess, I would never pay anyone to be nice to me. We have put or childish behavior aside and moved on," I said. I knew my statement would be spread throughout the school.

"Is it because you're together now?" she demanded, and I blushed stuttering. Way to be subtle.

"N-no! Why would you think that?" She searched my face for any sign to give away my lie, but she found none and sighed sadly.

"Well, Lauren said Tyler told her that he put his arm around you when you got out of his car this morning," she explained. "That sounds like a couple to me."

I remembered exactly what Jessica was speaking about. Edward was trying to console me since I felt bad about leaving Charlie on his own for dinner since he was staying at Billy's. "He was just being nice is all—a good friend. It's nothing, I swear," I promised, and she nodded dully. She believed me and was upset about the lack of drama in my situation.

I hurried to lunch to avoid the annoying whispers and rumors and to be safe with my group of friends. Alice giggled when she saw my stumbling sprint to our table. I was tripping over my feet and trying to keep all the food on my tray to stay still.

"Did you know that you and Edward are planning to get married in Jamaica where Emmett will be the minister and Tyler and Mike are going to try and break it up?" Alice trilled, repeating a rumor she had heard. I rolled my eyes.

"It's crazy! I wish I could just turn invisible," I mumbled into my hands. Jasper nodded sympathetically.

"Don't worry, Bella. Tomorrow is Homecoming and no one will even think about you and Edward," Jasper comforted me. I sent him a smile full of gratitude.

"Thanks. Are you going to Homecoming together?" It was an obvious question, and I already knew the answer, but I just wanted to get the subject off of me.

"Yes! And, that reminds me. We need to go shopping tonight. You and I still need shoes, and I have to help Rosalie find this necklace I saw that was perfect for her." I sunk in my seat. This day couldn't get worse!

Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett soon joined us. My heartbeat sped up as Edward sat next to me, and I focused on slowing it down. When it reached its normal pattern, I turned to Edward and said, "Did you know that we're going to Jamaica to get married and Emmett will be the minister? Better watch out for Mike and Tyler, because they're going to object." I paused while he chuckled. "It's not funny."

"Of course not," he said, trying to keep a straight face. I finally broke with a smile of my own. Why does he have this effect on me?

"Anyway, Rose, we're going shopping immediately after school. I already told Bella this," she said and began discussing what items we would acquire at the mall. Rosalie was excited and glowing as Alice spoke.

"Perfect! Oh, and Bella needs—" she paused to see me looking at her and whispered in Alice's ear childishly. I rolled my eyes at their "secret". If they wanted to keep something, that was fine. I would find out eventually. Alice nodded enthusiastically while watching me.

Edward and I left for Biology soon after. "It seems as though Alice has something exciting planned for you," he commented.

"Shopping and exciting are not synonymous in my dictionary," I replied, and he chuckled. "Any plans tonight for you?"

"Emmett begged me to assist him in finding a perfect gift for his anniversary with Rose. He's going insane trying to find something worthy of her," he muttered, and I smiled. Rosalie was extremely high maintenance.

"Poor guy."

"They can't be friends!" I heard Austin Marks whisper-shout dramatically to Lee Stephens from a few feet behind us. He didn't realize that we could hear every word he was saying. "It's not natural, and it conflicts against everything I've ever seen. They're destroying the unwritten laws of Forks!" Edward, obviously hearing Austin's rant, threw his arm around me and pulled me in close. The sudden closeness surprised me, and my body reacted before my brain. I scooted closer against his chest.

"Since I'm breaking all the rules now…," he trailed off, and I immediately understood what he was doing. He didn't actually want to be close to me. He was only putting on a show for the unsuspecting students. It was his way of teasing them. I really needed to get control over myself.

Biology was quick today (we just had to watch some boring video), and I wished for school to last longer. I was dreading shopping with Alice, but I knew it was too late to weasel out of it.

"You could feign a sprained ankle. It's not too far-fetched seeing as how you fall all the time," he suggested playfully, and I swatted at his arm teasingly.

"That wouldn't stop Alice. Remember that time I broke my leg falling out of Rose and Jasper's tree? Alice dragged me to the mall—in crutches—to find cute shirts that would draw the attention to my face and not my leg."

"She can't keep you hostage all night," he said in his last attempt to console.

We were parked in Edward's driveway now. "Thanks. So, are you going to Homecoming?" I questioned, noticing that he had never confirmed if he was or not.

"Yes. Alice would murder me if I refused to show up," he answered, making a face at the mention of Alice. I laughed knowing full well he was correct.

I waved goodbye and prepared myself for the onslaught of shopping torture I would be facing. I didn't bother to pull out my wallet, because it would just turn into a thirty minute argument I would lose. There was no point to it.

Rosalie picked me up in her flashy BMW, and Alice was already inside. She began to tell me the plans and goals for today's shopping extravaganza (her words, not mine). "First, we must obtain that beautiful diamond necklace for Rosalie. And, I saw the perfect shoes for Bella's dress online. They have a slight heel, but the heel is thick and sturdy, so you will stay upright all night," she promised. I wasn't completely sure, but Alice seemed absolutely certain. "Bella, do you by chance have a strapless bra?"

My cheeks involuntarily turned red. "Uh, no," I answered honestly. The best bra I had was the one Alice made me wear on the first day of school, and I hadn't touched it since. I stuck to my usual boring ones.

"That's too bad," she mumbled, pretending to be upset. "That means we have to make a quick run to Victoria's Secret." Uh-oh, not the dreaded V-word.

"Which works out wonderfully, because I have to get Emmett a surprise for our anniversary," Rosalie spoke up. I groaned and sunk into my seat. No chance of avoiding embarrassment today. Knowing Alice, she'll force me into every garment in the store.

"We're here!" Rose shouted, and Alice giggled enthusiastically. Let the torture ensue…

"I told you it wasn't going to be that bad," Alice humorously scolded as we headed towards the exit. I gave her a long exasperated look. We had to go to four different stores to find Rosalie's perfect necklace (Alice ended up buying once for herself at Tiffany's), and my shoes were ridiculously high priced for their simple design. I did honestly like the silver shoes, but they looked to strappy and dangerous. Alice assured me they weren't.

Alice and Rose made a sharp turn, and I nearly fell since Alice had grabbed my hand a pulled me along with her. "You didn't think you were getting away that easy," she taunted as we entered the tenth circle of hell—Victoria's Secret.

"Alice, is this necessary? You already know my size. I'll just go wait in the food court," I offered, starting to sneak away. She yanked my arm back and dragged me deeper into the realm. I felt completely out of my comfort zone surrounded by all the lace and ruffles. Rosalie was like a kid in a toy store, going from section to section, grinning the whole time. I buried my face in my hands, not wanting to be seen.

"Nice try. You have to try it on, and make sure it's Alice approved. The strapless area is that way," she said, nudging me in the way she was pointing. I glowered at her. "Bella, we're all girls here." I gave her one last unhappy stare before awkwardly looking at the selection. I found one in my size that was a close match to the color of my dress and headed back to Alice. She took a good long look at it before smiling.

"Good job! I'm starting to rub off on you. Go put it on!" she led me to the dressing rooms, and stayed in the room with me to my embarrassment.

She purchased it for me, and I began to leave the store, but she demanded I stay until they were done shopping. I sighed and stood close to the door by a rickety rack of lace. I tapped my foot impatiently wanting desperately to leave.

And then I saw it: a flash of bronze hair that belonged to no one except for Edward Masen. I jerked my head to the right to see him enter the store with Emmett. No, no, no! Where was a hole to fall in when I needed it the most? What was he doing here? So, this was Emmett's idea as an anniversary gift. Edward looked completely out of place, as he squinted his eyes and stared at everything but the underwear. Why me? Was fate deciding that I should just go and die from embarassment? Because it sure felt like it. I hid behind the rack, squatting down, not caring how ridiculous I looked. If Edward or even Emmett caught me in this store, I was sure to have a permanent blush.

Luck was not with me today, because Emmett seemed to be drawn to a rack very close to mine. I sunk deeper, and I felt myself swaying. I grabbed the ground to keep balance, and it helped slightly.

Edward was only glancing up when he had to, and I felt sorry for him. I could easily tell he did not want to be here as much as I did. Emmett held up some article, and he was close enough for me to hear him say something. This cannot be happening...

"What about this? She likes the color red, I think."

Edward took a look up then dropped his gaze quickly. "This is disgusting, Emmett. She's almost like a sister. When you spoke of gifts, I assumed you meant jewelry." Emmett snorted.

"Jewelry is too formal and boring. We've passed that phase in our relationship," he replied, and Edward briefly stared up at him to roll his eyes. Emmett just winked in response, waving the lingerie in front of Edward's face. He turned away, disgusted, and the tips of his ears turned pink.

They were nearing, and I began to plan my escape. If I could keep low, and hide behind the rack, I could sneak to the doorway and take a run for the exit. Edward and Emmett were directly in front of me now, and I could only see their legs from under the rack. I shrunk lower as Emmett began to walk to my side with Edward right behind him. I began to hobble to the other side.

My hobbling abilities were not as well as I expected, and I ended up flailing to the side, crashing into the rack, sending it to topple directly into Emmett and Edward. After tripping, I had sprawled and landed on the metal part of the rack, hitting my head solidly.

"Ow," I mumbled, reaching up to rub my head.

"Bella?" Edward gasped after recognizing me.

Damn it!

I lifted up my bag to cover my face, but it was too late—I had already been spotted, and I could feel the heat radiating to my face. I moaned inwardly in embarrassment. Emmett had stood, and gave me a hand. He hadn't got the worst of the lingerie, but Edward certainly had. He was covered in pinks, laces, and frills head-to-toe.

"What are you doing here?" Emmett thundered, and I pleaded for him to quiet down.

"Alice and Rosalie made me come," I mumbled, and Emmett's eyes widened.

"Rose is here? I've gotta go find her," he said, starting to rush off, leaving me alone with Edward. I stared at him as he watched me. My whole face had to be on fire. I avoiding looking at his eyes, because I knew I would run away and hide in the bathroom if i did. I felt like the little girl who had to go buy pads with Charlie, because she had just started her period at his house. I shifted my feet and began to bite my lip. Why wasn't he saying anything? I was going to die, and I was getting a temperature from the heat radiating off my face.

I awkwardly asked, "Do you need any help?" He shook his head and stood, but there was a bra that managed to escape and stick to his body. I started to smile, but tried to hide it. He didn't notice my humor, though, and worried about me.

"Are you okay? You hit your head very hard," he observed. I bit back giggles, but I couldn't hold on any longer.

"Edward," I laughed, "there's a bra on your head." His hand jerked to his head, and sure enough he felt the offending lace, and threw it on the ground like it was something utterly repulsive than a woman's unmentionable.

"Thanks," he muttered, watching his hands with pure fascination. I could easily see he wanted to leave, and despite knowing Alice would most likely give me hell for this, an idea formed in my head.

"Do you want to leave with me and go home?" I said, hurrying through the words, not believing I was really saying them. His eyes locked with mine as a devilish grin appeared on his face. It struck me breathless.

"Sure," he agreed, and he grabbed my hand as we snuck off without looking back.

"I feel so… daring," I told Edward as we drove away from the mall. My cheeks were finally starting to fade from their old deep red. They were tinged pink which was much better. "I haven't been so reckless since I snuck into Alice's house to see her when she was sick."

He chuckled. "That was a very courageous display. It takes an extreme amount of bravery to leave Alice in the middle of a mall raid." I laughed breathlessly. Edward and I talked, both avoiding the subject of Victoria's Secret, and we stopped at a pizza place for dinner. He wanted to take me some place fancier, but I refused.

"I'm very well known here," I informed Edward as the hostess greeted me by name. "It's where I always turn to get dinner when I'm too busy to cook for Charlie."

"You must love him very much," Edward commented. I looked away from him and slightly grinned.

"I do. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him," I said. Edward's deep emerald eyes turned curious.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, and I looked at the table.

"You remember that my mother, Renée, left Charlie when I was about ten years old?" Edward nodded, so I continued on. "Well, Charlie and Renée left me with a choice. My mother was very strict on letting me make my own decisions. Renée knew I hated Forks, and she was certain I would leave for the sun in Arizona. She basically had my bags already packed when she asked me whether I wanted to leave or not.

I saw Charlie's face, though. It was devastated at the thought of losing his only daughter. How could Charlie possibly keep track of all the bills and housekeeping and cooking? I had seen him try and cook, and it was not pretty. Esme would help him, but she wouldn't be there for him all the time. And that brought up Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle, too. I couldn't just leave the best family I had ever known. I decided to stay. Besides, I visit her every summer. We've kept pretty close."

Edward had watched my whole explanation with utter fascination and absorption, and I couldn't help but feel self conscious. It wasn't that exciting, and he was starting to worry me. I took a bite of my pizza, and he finally recovered.

"That was very selfless of you," he complimented, but I shrugged. I could endure a little rain and gloom if it meant keeping Charlie sane.

He thankfully didn't ask about my mother or anything personal the rest of the drive home. He put in a blank CD, and we listened to the music. I was the first to speak.

"I love Clair de Lune," I commented. "It's one of my favorites." He gave me an approving look.

"Me too," he agreed. We were in his driveway (how did he get here so fast?), and I started to climb out almost ruefully. I wanted to stay and speak with him longer.

"Bella?" he said quietly, and I eagerly turned to face him. He was closer than I expected and our faces were six inches apart. My breath caught in my throat, and I tried to remember how to breathe. All I could think about though were his scorching emerald eyes burning into mine. "You forgot something."

My eyebrows furrowed, and I wondered what I could forget. He motioned with his hand down to the floorboard; I looked down and saw my pink bag from Victoria's Secret, and I blushed, snatching up the evidence that I visited a bra store quickly. I thanked him, and said goodbye. I couldn't stop the nagging in my chest that wished for me to kiss him again.

Stupid hormones.

How was that?? Hehe, this is my favorite chapter so far! I loved writing it! Bella was so embarassed, but Edward was too! I'm thinking about doing and EPOV, does anyone have any suggestions to what scene they want in his POV?? I love all my reviewers, so pretty please, keep it up!!(: REVIEW!! OH, and does anyone else think she's starting to like him too quickly? I'm not sure, but I really need some feedback on that.