Author's Note: We're back at school! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 14

Bella's Point of View

The school was buzzing. It was the first day of second semester, and everyone was greeting friends after a long holiday. Boys were bumping their fists with one another, and girls were squealing and hugging each other.

Trying to avoid the madness, I walked as quickly as I could to my locker, taking care to keep my head down. Since it was snowing lightly outside, everyone was inside the hallways, chatting loudly.

I quickly got my materials for the first two periods. And since I was feeling claustrophobic, I escaped the buildings and sat on a bench outside under a canopy.

We were all early today. The teachers had threatened to start our semester grade with a zero if we weren't on time on the first day. We still had about thirty minutes till the bell dismissed us for first period. I glanced around the outside hallways briefly to make sure no one was around, then dug into my backpack for my book.

I quickly became immersed in the story. I could see it all playing in my head, like a movie…

"Hey."

I jumped slightly as I was brought out of Storyland unpleasantly. I knew that voice. I turned to him and scowled.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Edward said, smiling apologetically. "Did I interrupt a good part?" He flipped to the cover page of my book and frowned. "Pride and Prejudice?"

"So now you have a problem with classics?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

He looked innocent. "I never said that. And when did I ever have a problem with anything else about you?"

"My coordination," I pointed out flatly.

He snorted. "Everyone has a problem with your coordination. That doesn't count. And besides, I don't mind too much. Unlike you, I'm pretty light on my feet, even when you trip me, and I think you're pretty cute when you trip and blush."

I blushed slightly, though not as much as I normally would have due to the cold. I turned back to my book. "Can you leave?"

"No. I want to hear what you did over break."

"Nothing," I said. "Happy?"

He smiled as he reached over and seized the book. He confiscated it, though taking care to insert my bookmark on the correct page before closing it.

"Do you want to hear about mine?" he asked. "I've been thinking a lot over break…and I've had several epiphanies."

I sighed as I glanced longingly at the book that was now sitting next to him on the other side of the bench. "Why not?" I muttered glumly.

"I went to a New Year's party," Edward began. "There were tons of old women who were trying to introduce their daughters to me."

I glanced at him, now intrigued. "Why?"

Edward looked at me, surprised. "Oh, right. You don't know about it."

"About what?"

"The deal." His tone was disgusted, like it was the worst thing in the world.

"Care to clarify?"

Edward made a face. "There's this thing in my family. It's a…tradition. The heir marries at the age of eighteen-"

"Eighteen?" I interrupted, shocked. "That's too young, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "My great-times-a-dozen grandparents started this thing, and in their time, eighteen was quite normal. Usually, the parents would find a nice, rich girl of another big company to stick me with so that our companies can become business allies."

"Wait…" I said slowly. "So…an arranged marriage? Purely for business?"

He nodded. "I'm an exception. I'm already eighteen, and I'm supposed to be married already." He snorted. "If my ancestors were still alive, they would freak, and probably kick me out of the family." He laughed bitterly.

"So then…why are you an exception?"

"Because I'm a rebel." He laughed at his own joke.

"No, seriously," I insisted. "I want to know."

He looked at me, now wary. Why would he be wary all of a sudden?

"I want to marry for love," he said wistfully, staring into space now. "I didn't want to be a part of this. I didn't want to be the heir. Who cares if I don't inherit the stupid business?"

"You have a brother and a sister, don't you?"

"How did you know that?"

I ignored the question. It wasn't important. "Aren't they in college?"

He sighed wearily. "Yeah. Emmett's a junior at Columbia, and Alice is a NYU freshman. But the traditions say that the oldest male of the family must be named heir."

"Emmett's older than you," I pointed out.

He gave me a small smile. "Oldest male of the Cullen family."

When I looked confused, he said, "Em's adopted."

"Oh." I didn't know what to say. "I see. So…"

"So the company absolutely refused to accept Emmett as the heir. He probably would have taken the title of heir gladly and spare me from the trouble. And he would still do it, if they would let him. But since he can't, he watches me suffer from the pressure of the title every day." He shrugged nonchalantly, though he couldn't hide the frustration in his eyes.

I began to see Edward Cullen in a new light. I had only seen the surface, and I had been sucked into the single story I was led to believe. I realized now that he was so much more than he seemed to be.

"So what's the deal?" I asked.

"I refused to marry this girl they introduced to me," Edward went on. "I told them that I won't follow the traditions. Of course, they were horrified at that, and they offered to hear what I wanted. Anything to talk me out of giving up the heir position. In the end, the company and my parents agreed to give me one year to find somebody I could love for the rest of my life.

"And six months has already passed." He paused. "I'd given up, actually. No matter how hard I look, no matter how hard I try to find a suitable girl, no one is…right for me. So I decided to spend the remaining six months enjoying my single life before they stuck some random girl by my side."

I heard a 'but' in his tone. I raised my eyebrows. "Did you change your mind or something?"

Edward turned to look at me intently. His gaze unnerved me, and I looked away, blushing again. I stared hard at the ground.

"Yeah," he said finally. "I changed my mind."

"Did you find someone?" I asked stiffly, still uncomfortable. He wasn't looking away.

"I did." He smiled playfully. He raised his hand and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "I decided that I wanted to be with her forever. But I don't think she likes me very much."

I looked at him, surprised. "There are people who don't like you?"

He started cracking up and wouldn't stop.

"I'm serious!"

"Apparently," Edward replied, still chuckling. "I think that's why I was so attracted to her in the first place. I wasn't used to a girl glaring at me the way she did. She's quite beautiful…and dense." His grin widened as though he'd just told an inside joke.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm still listening. What's your epiphany?"

"At first, I thought it was just infatuation. You know, just one of those crushes that you get over really quickly. But then, at the party, I realized that I was trying to look for a girl that resembled her. My sister suggested that I go after her instead and save myself the trouble."

Edward looked at me. "And then, I realized that it wasn't just an infatuation. I might have fallen in love with her."

"Perfect," I said sarcastically. "Why aren't you telling this to that girl? I hardly think you want me to listen to you."

Edward looked thoughtful. "Because…you're my friend."

I frowned. "Edward-"

"I know you don't want to be friends with me," he interrupted. "But in my life, you're already an important person, and you can't change that. So you might as well just accept it and get used to the fact that I'm going to be following you around like a little puppy." He smiled.

"What would people think?" I asked. "What would the girl you love think?"

"Oh, she won't mind."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. Because eventually, she'll be mine." He looked mischievously sly. "Do you want to bet?"

"No, thanks," I said swiftly. "I don't do bets."

He laughed. "That's another first. My brothers love gambling."

"Brothers? You have another brother?"

He made a face. "Almost. I think he might propose to her soon."

I looked away, not even bothering to ask. I was confused, but I was getting tired of his vague answers.

Edward laughed as he interpreted my expression correctly. "Sorry. I forget how little you know about me. I was talking about Jasper Whitlock. He's a friend of Emmett's and mine…and Alice's boyfriend. He goes to Columbia too. And he and my sister were high school sweethearts as well…and it looks like they aren't going to break off their relationship any time soon."

"That's…" I struggled for the right word. It was hard, because I didn't love boys like other girls did. What I needed was a strong brother figure in my life… "That's sweet."

Hearing Edward speak about his life made me change my first impressions on him. He was a modest, intelligent person who didn't like to be controlled. He liked to be in charge of his own life, and even if he did have to eventually take over his father's position for the company, he wanted to do it in his own way. He was an obedient son, but also rebellious.

It made me curious about him. I wanted to learn more, which was surprising to me.

Edward handed my book back to me. "I'm going to make your life very tiresome from now on. I'll follow you around, ask you questions, and tease you about your clumsiness. Is that okay?"

It was hard to ignore his innocent, beautiful eyes. They were so deep; I felt as though I was staring straight at his pure soul. I believed him now. I believed that he wanted to be friends with me, and I believed that he was a different boy than his friends. I wanted to give him a chance. Who knows? Maybe Edward might be the brother figure that I needed.

I sighed as I placed my book in my bag. "I guess so."

Edward perked up. A happy smile spread across his lips, and that made me feel happy as well. He could be quite contagious…

"Really?" he asked. "What made you change your mind?"

"It's interesting," I mused. "Your life. You made me curious about you. So I want to learn more about you now. Will you answer my questions as well?"

"Of course," Edward replied, pulling my hair gently while watching me affectionately.

AN: Heh. They won't be friends for long. You know Edward. He'll seize the opportunity and make her his. Reviews?