Hey everyone! I want to thank IamSuperBatGirl for recommending this story on TwiFic Pimp's website. You can see it and other wonderful recs here: (www . twificpimps . com) Also, thanks to everyone else who recommended this story.

Some people channeled their inner nerds as well and knew what the last chapter title referred to. (Yes, it was Star Trek LOL) Someone also mentioned, Bill Nye the science guy and he is equally as great haha

Thanks to the wonderful Bronze620 for betaing this chapter. Also thanks to Linzk78 for helping me!

Chapter Thirteen: Isabella Swan: Rise Of The Scientists

"Jacob Black!"

I may have hollered a little too loudly. I was taken aback to see Jacob in the hall after my conversation with Leah. Leah had already left in the other direction, so she was unable to see me talk to her future partner in life.

Originally, my plan was to get home as soon as possible. If we were going to do this play, gosh darn it, we would do it right!

I would happily outline the many details needed to throw this plan into action. Plus, we would need to put all our ducks in a row when we approached the appropriate people who needed to approve this function.

However, after seeing Jacob, I figured it was good as time as any to talk to him about Leah's desire to procreate with him.

Jacob seemed startled at my presence. The talk with Leah did take a long time; he probably figured I left.

"Oh…hey, Bella," Jacob said as I approached him. He looked around awkwardly, gripping the back of his neck.

He must have a pulled muscle; he tended to perform that action a lot.

"Hello, Jacob. I didn't realize you would still be here."

"Oh, I had things to do and projects to look over." Jacob's tone indicated that his mood was glum.

I didn't see how that was the case, and even if it were so, I was about to make him feel a whole lot better with the news I obtained!

Clearing my throat to draw his attention, I smiled, in hope to convey my wonderful news.

"Jacob, I know we don't usually talk about this subject, but I would like to ask you about your current relationship status."

His head snapped to look at me directly. "What? Why?"

"Well…" I dragged on the suspense, hoping to build the anticipation. It seemed to work; Jacob's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he leaned closer. "…someone made have told me they liked you and I told them I would speak with you about it." I ended with a grin, excited to reveal who it was.

However, after hearing my statement, Jacob's whole body slumped. That was not the reaction I had expected to see.

"Well…" I prompted him, waiting for his excitement to spring forward…any moment now.

"So, it's not you," he muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

"What isn't me?" Was this going to me one of those things that Jacob said that made absolutely no sense? If the last week's pattern indicated anything, then yes, it probably was.

Jacob sighed and stood up straight; something in his expression changed - some things I couldn't decipher, but that one expression was obviously determination.

"Bella, I like you."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Thanks, Jacob, you know I like you as well."

Okay, that was great and all. It was always nice when you were liked by a friend, which kind of made sense…why would you be friends with someone if you didn't like them?

Seemed silly to me.

I glanced at my watch.

I hope we can get back to the topic at hand; I have to make it home soon. There is much to do!

"No, Bella." Jacob adamantly shook his head. "I have feelings for you."

I went to respond, but before I could, Jacob held up his hand and said, "And before you say anything, let me clarify. I have more than friendship feelings for you."

Even though we hadn't moved since the beginning of the conversation, I became more than aware of how close we were.

All of a sudden, I felt a pressure growing in the pit of my stomach. Almost like someone had knotted up a rope and forced me to ingest it. I didn't know where this was coming from, but now was not the time to become ill!

"Um, I don't…I don't know what to say, Jacob." For the first time in a long while, I was at a loss of what to say to Jacob, which made me very disgruntled.

Jacob kept giving me a weird look. Almost as if my answer of not knowing what to say wasn't good enough. It probably wasn't.

Curse Jacob Black for putting me in a position where I couldn't excel!

"I mean, this certainly came out of left field, as they say. If I even fathomed this was an issue, then I would have briefed myself for a better response."

Jacob hung his head and sort of chuckled to himself. It wasn't the sort of humorous laugh one enjoys after hearing a funny quip or clever jest. It was more like a disbelieving one, which didn't make sense.

Did I not fully explain my answer to him?

"Bella, I've liked you as long as I've known you."

I scoffed. Now I knew he must be joking. "That's impossible. We've known each other since infancy. A child doesn't develop romantic feelings at such a young age."

Jacob shook his head, almost solemnly. I tried to ignore the bad feeling that was growing in my stomach. Though it was becoming hard to do so, since it seemed to become worse as the conversation went on.

"I've always been too…nervous or frightened to tell you before."

My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. I couldn't figure out my next move! It was sad to confess that I was not fully prepared for this occurrence. I wanted to curse myself!

Learning the proper responses for social interactions was on my to-do list. But now, more than ever, it seemed imperative that I learn it.

Maybe I can move it up on my list before learning Latin.

"Then why haven't you spoken of this prior to now, Jacob?"

Jacob slowly shook his head, almost like he wanted to hold back his next statement.

A little too late for that.

"It's like when someone has nothing left to lose, and they throw everything on the table and hope for the best." Jacob motioned his hands toward the floor of the hallway, as if he was depicting the table he was talking about. I looked around, trying to put together what he meant.

He isn't throwing anything down that I can see…

"Bella, you clearly like someone else, and I figured if any time was the best time to make my final declaration, it'd be now."

"What? Now I know you are talking crazy, Jacob Black!"

He shook his head again. "No, today, during that meeting, I-I finally accepted it. Before I could deny it and before I wasn't around enough to see it, but I couldn't any longer when it was right in front of me."

I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for whatever delusional that Jacob concocted in his over-imaginative head.

If he mentioned Leah, I couldn't be too hard on him. I made that mistake myself.

Jacob looked down at his feet, shuffling them nervously back and forth before bringing his head back up and continuing. His tone was final, with a twinge of defeat.

"You like Edward Cullen."

His tone was final. He said it with no falter, no stutter - just complete determination while staring me in the eyes.

First Charles, thinking I have two boys that are interested in me…actually, he happened to be right about one of them…then Leah telling me she thought Jacob had a crush on me. Well, I guess she was right about that as well. Now, Jacob staying that I, Isabella Swan, liked Edward Cullen!

I couldn't believe my ears. Maybe the nerves within my brain were somewhat altered and made me unable to process what Jacob was saying.

I shook my head at that ridiculous thought.

No, that was impossible. Obviously Jacob's brain was running at less than stellar.

"Jacob, I don't know what led you to this possible conclusion, but obviously you have misinterpreted a vast amount of information."

"No, Bella." He adamantly shook his head. I would not be fibbing if I stated that he looked like a mad man. He was doing it a little too hard and a little too fast. "Anyone can see that you have a crush on him."

Crush? Of all the ridiculous things…

"What is equally as obvious is that he likes you back."

I froze.

For some peculiar reason, it felt like my heart was going to explode with warmth. I really need to consult with a cardiologist pronto.

"What? Really? No, you're saying a bunch of baloney. I don't believe that."

Jacob crossed his arms. "Then why are you smiling?"

"Jacob, stop making up stuff."

I was not smiling, and even if I was, what does that indicate? Nothing.

Jacob sighed. "I am absolutely crazy for pointing this out to you, but honestly, I can't take any more heartache."

Indigestion? He can't be talking about a medical condition, can he?

"What do you mean, Jacob?"

Gripping the back of his neck harder than I had ever seen him, he seemed resolved.

"You like Edward Cullen." I went to speak, but before I could get the chance, Jacob held up his hand, which halted my actions. "Before you say anything, let me say a few things."

I shut my mouth and crossed my arms with a huff.

Fine, if he wanted to make his case, I am more than willing to counter his statements with the truth.

"The meeting we just had, what was the last thing you remember I said?"

I must have looked perplexed, because I surely felt it.

After sighing and shaking his head, Jacob stated, "Don't ask me why, just humor me."

Frustrated, I threw my hands up and stated, "I don't know, I think you asked if I really wanted to do the play."

Jacob then gestured to me as if I just answered a significant question. When I just shrugged my shoulders he continued, "See, that was at the beginning of the meeting. You never even noticed anything else I said."

"Well…" I glanced around the hall way for some inspiration. I wasn't use to 'drawing a blank.' The only thing on display was for the next school pep rally. It hardly helped me out of my predicament. I didn't think a lack of pep was causing my recent troubles.

"I guess I was…very focused, yes, very focused on the task at hand."

"The task at hand being Edward Cullen?"

"Jacob!"

"Bella, you kept looking at him almost every ten seconds."

Grr! Jacob was frustrating me like never before. Of course I was looking at Edward every ten seconds, I was obtaining data! If I didn't, how else would I know that Edward enjoys twisting a pencil through his fingers! That was valuable information.

I crossed my arms and glared in Jacob's direction, hoping that he would feel the weight of my displeasure with him through the intensity of my eyes.

Jacob sighed and, if possible, his shoulders slumped even more than before. If they were any lower someone could convince me that they dislocated from his sockets.

"And, of course, Edward was looking right back at you."

"What, really?"

My expression turned curious. Was it curiosity that caused Edward to glance my way? Hunger? Plotting my demise or just in awe of my ability to organize a significant event?

All options were as equally as likely.

All of a sudden, my endless theories and images of Edward Cullen stopped abruptly when I saw a giant hand flash before my eyes.

The action caused me to jump back, making me yelp.

"See?" Jacob said sadly. "Just the mention of his name and the idea that he may have been watching you caused you to go all love struck and staring off into the distance."

Love struck? Love struck? I have not been struck, and if I have, the culprit certainly would not be love! Maybe genius or achievement, but most definitely not love.

"I think not! How dare you make such outlandish claims?"

"Bella, I'm just…I'm just going to go." He sighed, turning to the side and taking two steps away from me.

My face fell. I was expecting more of a fight.

"What?"

This is exactly why Jacob is not number one on the debate team, he gives up far too easily.

I was about to demand Jacob to turn around and finish our conversation. I would make him stay so I could list all the reasons why I didn't like Edward Cullen. Jacob would understand if it was the last thing I did.

However, my plan never went into effect, when Jacob turned back to look at me, his expression seemed so…defeated.

"Bella, I'm going to leave now. I can't…I can't stand hear and try and convince you of your feelings toward someone else. I think it would be best if I just skip the next couple of meetings, I just need to clear my head."

I stood there, shocked. I didn't know what to do! For the love of photosynthesis, I was without a plan.

This was definitely one of the worst times to be without one.

Jacob waited a moment, probably seeing if I would speak; however, when I didn't, he gave a small smile and a quick nod and started to walk away.

"I-I'm sorry," I stated without thinking.

His footsteps faltered only for a second before he gave a quick nod and left.

~*~#~*~

I barely remembered the drive home, which was very alarming, due to my nearly impeccable memory. The knot in my stomach seemed to worsen during my entire conversation with Jacob and as I drove home, replaying the exchange in my head, the pain only became worse.

Maybe I became ill? It seemed only logical to think so, but why had it come on so fast? My peers are clearly the ones to be blamed. They are like a Petri dish of illness and infection.

I hastily exited the truck and power walked up the stairs into the house. For some peculiar reason I just felt the urge to go to my room and lay alone in the dark.

The thought made me want to laugh; it seemed as if I was developing some attributes of a vampire. However, I couldn't bring myself to chuckle, the knot in my abdomen feeling as if it were getting worse.

"Hey Bella."

The sound of Charles voice halted my retreat upstairs.

"Oh, hello, Charles."

He was sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand.

"How was school?"

"It was…adequate."

He chuckled. "Teacher teach something wrong again?"

If only that was it…

"No, I'm just not feeling very well."

Charles sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I think it may be best if I go and properly rested."

Charles eyed be with what seemed to be suspicion; however, he just nodded and sat back.

As I returned to my room, the most comfortable spot seemed to be my bed, without much debate I crawled on top of the covers.

What was I to do now? My stomach hurt a great deal and I couldn't get what Jacob Black said to me out of my mind.

The only logical choice seemed to be for me to go over everything he said and pick out the errors and faults.

I'm sure once I do that, then all will be copacetic once again.

The delusion that I could be infatuated with Edward Cullen…no, not infatuated, apparently I was "crushing" on him.

I didn't even understand the phrase. How was the implication of compressing another individual supposed to indicate romantic feelings for that person? Personally, if someone told me they wanted to squash me, I would take offense.

Sighing, I turned on my side and hugged a small throw pillow to my chest; for some reason, the act was comforting.

Was does having a "crush" entail, anyway? Sure, I thought about Edward Cullen a lot, but that was just because I was performing an experiment on him. How was I to solve the cryptic tale that was Edward Cullen if I didn't observe, think, and converse with the subject?

Could I have developed "feelings" for him? Possible, but not very likely. Well…I wouldn't be the first person to be infatuated with a person they were studying. Would that be so bad….yes! It would, what was I thinking?

Say I did like Edward Cullen; it was probably just due to the fact I was studying him and his vampire abilities. Could I be blamed? So what if I enjoyed his company, admired his…bone structure and appreciated his obvious superior intellect over our peers.

Did that really indicate that I "crushed" on him?

I supposed that meant I should ask the most important question…W. W. N. D.

What would Newton do, of course!

I jumped off my bed and ran towards the computer, leaving the comfort of the small pillow behind.

How obtuse could I be? I would just look up what it meant to be crushing on someone and compare my actions to those results.

I'm sure this will be cleared up in no time at all.

Approximately two hours and forty three minutes later, I shut off my computer, hitting the button a tad too hard.

My conclusion was not what I wanted, nor what I needed at this time. The data seemed to indicate that 95% of my actions, thoughts and conversations matched up with that of a crusher to a crushee.

Even after taking some Teen Hop or something magazine quiz, it indicated that "You are totally hot for him."

Hot for him? I checked my temperature on a regular basis for any signs of infection or oncoming illness and my core body temperature is one of perfection! After further researching I found that "being hot" for someone also implied that you "crush" on them.

Why can't everyone just say what they are thinking? If they like the individual, wouldn't it be easier just to approach them and state that they find their body physically appealing and wish to consummate their union?

How hard could it be?

I huffed and went back to bed, finding the small pillow and wrapping my body around it. For some reason the achey feeling at the pit of my stomach returned.

Fine, in light of recent data and research, it may indicate that I may have slight romantic thoughts towards one, Edward Cullen. However, could I really be blamed? Of course studying a unique individual would cause feelings that I haven't noticed.

It wasn't as if I liked Edward Cullen before the experiment…

I rolled onto my back, still clutching the pillow to my stomach and stared at the ceiling, contemplating my statement.

It wasn't as if I liked Edward Cullen before the experiment…

It wasn't as if…oh I didn't matter, if or when I liked what or who. What matters was that there was an experiment to conduct and personal feelings should not get in the way.

Enough of this dilly dallying around!

My experiment should have been completed by now; this obvious…distraction has impeded that from occurring.

I sat up again and stormed over to my locked filling cabinet, retrieving my red notebook in record timing.

No, ifs, ands, buts, howevers, maybes, neverthelesses, thoughs, or perhapses about it! This experiment was getting a deadline.

I flipped open the notebook in haste and stopped on the first blank page.

Writing things down feels much more official!

Today was Monday, and by the end of the week, win or lose, alive or undead, I was going to determine, once and for all, whether or not if Edward Cullen was maybe a vampire!

This has probably been the hardest chapter for me to write and I'm all kinds of nervous about it. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Some didn't know the two stories I referred to in the last chapter's AN. It was Let's Get Physical by Lalina and Said and Done by ICMezzo. Both wonderful stories and both are complete. Edward in SaD is so wonderfully naïve and funny, he's one of my favorites...actually, he's probably my favorite Edward of all time. : )

I accepted a new job, so in three weeks my work schedule will be more consistent and I will probably be able to update more regularly. With only a couple chapters left, hopefully I can finish this story soon.