Here's the next chapter!! Sorry I took so long to update it. I had exams until Monday, so now I can update!! Isn't that awesome??? And I hope all of you get a chance to read my other story called "i know what love is". OK so read and review please!!!!

Chapter 13

BPOV

I had a searing pain in my head when I woke up. The blinding sunlight didn't make it any better. I slowly sat up, and squinted against the morning light. It took a minute for me to focus, and then I pushed off the covers and stood up.

"Are you finally awake?" A voice said from my door. I turned my head a little too fast, and felt light-headed.

"Edward?" I asked, confused. "What are you doing here?" Realization dawned on me, and I remembered what happened last. Until the part where I blanked out, of course.

"What happened?" I was really confused now. The last thing I remembered was having my drink at the club last night.

"Well," Edward started, a hard edge in his voice. "Last night we went to a club. There, a guy named James spiked your drink, tried to… misbehave with you, I drove you home, and I was too tired to drive myself back, so I fell asleep on the couch downstairs."

I blinked, trying to comprehend what he just said.

"Wait." I said. "I was drunk?" An amused expression crossed his face.

"I didn't know that you get affected by such small amounts of alcohol." He joked. Then his face became serious again. "Are you ok?"

"I think. Who's James?" I inquired. His face hardened.

"He's a guy who you never want to get involved with. Let's leave it at that." I shivered. I looked around my room, my eyes falling on the clock on the dresser.

"Holy crap!" I shrieked. The clock read 11:00am. "We missed school!"

Edward raised his eyebrows. "So what? One day isn't going to make a difference. Besides, I didn't go to school either." I looked down at me feet.

"Listen," Edward told me. "Why don't you take a shower and come downstairs? I'll get some breakfast ready."

"You can cook?" I asked skeptically. "I don't want to end up in the hospital or anything." Edward rolled his eyes, and turned to leave.

"Be quick." He said over his shoulder. As I stood under the shower, I thought about why Edward was being so nice to me.

"Bella!" he shouted up.

"Oops," I muttered. I had been in the shower longer than I realized. Quickly putting on a pair of sweats and a fitting t-shirt, I went downstairs.

"Cereal?" I snorted, looking at the breakfast which Edward had prepared. "I have to admit, for a minute, I thought you were actually going to cook something." Edward's eyes twinkled.

"And send you to the hospital. Nope, not my idea of a healthy breakfast. Cereal's good." I smiled.

"Thanks," I said.

"Ok, now let's eat." He commanded.

"Fine."

"So do you remember anything that happened last night?" He meant it casually. I guess he didn't think I would.

"Vaguely," I nodded. "What's the story behind Alice and James?"

Edward's fists clenched. I blinked, surprised by the sudden fury in his eyes.

"OK, another time, then." I said quickly.

"It's not that," Edward whispered. "I've been trying to put it behind me for so long. And then, seeing James last night and all, all the memories came flooding back."

"You don't have to tell me," I murmured.

"You have a right to know." He said with finality.

I waited for him to say something. Suddenly the phone rang. I jumped. I picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Bella, why didn't you come to school today?" Alice's disapproving voice rang in m ear. Cringing, I pulled the receiver a little away from my ear. Edward raised his eyebrows in confusion. 'Alice' I mouthed. A look of understanding crossed his face. He smirked.

"I'm sorry, Alice, I just woke up a little while ago." I replied.

"Hey listen," she said. "Do you know where Edward is? I've been trying to call him, but he hasn't been picking up his phone. He didn't come to school either." I made a face.

"One minute, Alice." I covered the receiver with my hand. "Alice doesn't know you're here?" I hissed at him.

He looked at me innocently.

"No, I don't know where he is. In fact I haven't seen him since yesterday." I told her, glaring at Edward. He laughed silently.

"Well, if you hear from him, can you tell him I'm going to kick his ass when he gets home?"

"Sure," I said brightly. Edward looked confused at my sudden mood swing. "Bye, Alice."

I hung up the phone, not taking my eyes off him.

"What did Alice say?" He asked.

"Oh nothing," I said casually. "She just told me if I talk to you to tell you that she's gonna kick your ass." He just chuckled.

"Well, I should go." He stood up. The phone rang again. I reached for it, but Edward picked it up faster.

"Hello?" He asked. His eyes narrowed infinitesimally. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been watching him so closely. "One minute," He said into the phone. He held it out for me to take. "It's Mike." I took the receiver, and watched Edward waved cheerfully and leave. I heard the front door close.

"Hey Mike" I said.

"Bella," I could hear him smile. "So, how are you?"

"I'm fine," I answered. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be in school?" He laughed.

"I could ask you the same thing, but to answer your question, yes I am in school."

"Oh." I muttered, feeling stupid.

"So, what did you do yesterday?" He asked.

"Who answered the phone just now?" He asked casually, but I could hear some other emotion bubbling in his voice.

"That was… uh…" I stammered. "It was my dad…" I lied.

"Oh." He replied. I assumed that he bought my story. "So what did you do yesterday?"

"I went for a picnic with the Cullens and the Hales," I replied.

"Hmm," I could hear the scepticism in his voice.

"Really," I insisted. "Anyway, tell me, what else is happening?" I steered him away from the topic.

"Oh, umm, actually I wanted to know why you didn't come to school today, so I just called. I hope that's okay?" He sounded nervous. I laughed.

"It's fine, Mike. I'll see you in school tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye, Bella," He said softly. I hung up the phone and went and locked the front door. For the rest of the afternoon, I sat on the sofa and read Wuthering Height. Once, I happened to look out the window. A red, shiny sports car made my heart stop beating. I couldn't tell who was in the car, but if it was his car…

A loud knock on the door made me leap into the air.

"Who is it?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"It's me, Bells," Charlie replied. I sighed in relief and opened the door. My gaze shifted away from his face and to the place on the road where I had seen the car. There was nothing.

"How was the party at the Cullens' last night?" He asked. I spun around.

"What?" I gaped at him.

"Alice told me you were at her place. And Edward brought you home. Wow you looked real tired. You even skipped school?" Charlie looked suspiciously at me, as I stared blankly back at him. I could hear a click in my brain as it finally registered.

"Oh, I must have fallen asleep. Sorry, I missed school. It won't happen again," I reassured him. He relaxed.

"As long as it doesn't happen again," he warned me. I whiled away the rest of the afternoon and evening out on the lawn. It was a much too beautiful day to be stuck up inside. Lying on the grass gave me a lot of free time to reflect on the past week. So here I was, at crossroads. On one side I had Mike. It's not that he wasn't a nice guy or anything, but, he wasn't Edward. And of course, Edward stood on the other side, untouchable. He himself told me that we would be friends only. So I would honour his decision.

Soon enough, it became dark outside, and I went in and started cooking dinner. I decided to make lasagne tonight. Charlie and I finished eating, and I told him that I was going to bed.

"Jeez, Bell, didn't you sleep enough today?" he asked, teasingly. I gave him an appraising look.

"Sure, sure." I smiled at him. "I'll see you in the morning, dad. Good night."

That night I couldn't fall asleep for a long time, and when I did fall asleep, it felt like a very short time. And so passed the week like that. It was comparatively monotonous and I was waiting for the weekend. On Friday afternoon, as the last bell rang, Alice skipped up to me, grinning.

"So what plans for the weekend?" She asked. I shrugged. I didn't have any big plans as of yet.

"Hey, Bella," Mike waved and walked over. "Can I have a minute?" he requested Alice. I walked with him, towards my car.

"What's up, Mike?" I smiled at him.

"Would you like to spend the day with me tomorrow?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure," I replied. "What are we going to do?" He grinned.

"That's going to be a surprise," He told me. "I'll pick you up at 10."

"OK," I said cheerfully. He waved at me and walked to his car. Rosalie and Alice bounced up to me.

"What did he want?" Rosalie demanded.

"Oh, he asked me if I wanted to spend the day with him tomorrow." I shrugged. Alice clapped her hands excitedly.

"Oh my god, of course you have to go, Bella!" She squealed.

"Chill," I answered coolly, "I already told him yes." Alice cheered silently, and Rosalie looked happy. I searched the parking lot for Edward, but he was nowhere in sight. Instead, my eyes fell on a flashy red sports car. I felt cold at the sight of it. Was it him? How did he know that I was here?

"Bella," Edward's voice came from behind me. I turned around and looked up into his eyes. "I hope you have a great time with Mike tomorrow." His tone was saturated with sincerity.

"Thanks," I murmured and climbed into my truck. The engine roared to life, and I pulled out of the parking lot and drove home.

Hey! I'm sure all of you are dying to know the story behind James and the the flashy red car. Just to clear your confusion, I will elaborate on that in upcoming chapters, not just yet. Also, they aren't related in any way. Please review. You know you want to. JK, I don't want to sound desperate or anything, but - please review !!