Disclaimer: The great Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I'm just using her amazing characters to tell you a story.

Thanks as always to my pre-reader Loulabelle and my beta AgoodWITCH for all of the input, great comments and overall support on my stories. I love you girls so much.

I can't forget all my WC girls for all the encouragement. Ladies, you are the best. Love ya tons.

Chapter 21 – A Present Mirror of Past Events

EPOV

"Edward," my dad called my name, "your mother said to bring this to you." He handed me my coat. "She said you never came inside after school. She's worried you're going to freeze."

I hadn't paid much attention to the temperature. I just wanted to be alone so, after we pulled into the garage, I got out of the car, walked out to the park and found a tree that I thought hid me from the prying eyes in the house.

"Son, what are you doing out here?"

He was concerned and I didn't blame him. I was sure he noticed my change as much as my mom did only he wasn't one to come right out and demand the truth like she did. I didn't know how to tell him what was wrong without sounding like less than a man.

"Your mom told me something about a girl. Edward, you know you can talk to me about anything, right."

When he mentioned 'a girl', Bella's look of loathing crossed my mind and I felt like I was going to be sick. I felt his hand on my shoulder when my groan was the only answer to his question.

"Edward, I'm not going to lie, you know your mom told me about your conversation yesterday. I know what you're going through, son."

I looked at him like he was crazy. Mom told me all about how he swept her off her feet when they were teenagers. She told me how romantic he was and how she knew he was 'the one' the first time she saw him.

"Yeah right." I finally spoke to him. "I've heard the stories, remember? How could you possibly know?"

"You've heard the stories your mom wanted you to hear. She's obviously never told you what really happened when we first met."

"What are you talking about? You're calling mom a liar?"

"She didn't lie. She only told you the good things. Edward, the truth is, you're mother didn't want anything to do with me when we first met." He let out a short laugh as he took a seat in the grass next to me. "I know you see us now and it makes it easier to believe everything was perfect back then, but it wasn't."

Now I was curious. I knew they had their arguments here and there but those were more like tense discussions than anything else. There was never any name-calling or any angry words said between them so I never expected their relationship to have started out bad.

"You know your mom is older than I am, right? She was in tenth grade when I was moved up to high school. I remember seeing her and thinking she was the most beautiful girl in the world. I was incredibly shy and self conscious back then because the other kids always saw me as the freaky, genius kid who skipped three grades."

He leaned back, resting on his hands as he spoke and it was so casual, it just seemed off. I was used to seeing him sitting behind his desk when he wanted to talk to us about anything; even his talk with me about sex was done in his study. He always seemed more comfortable when he was in an office setting.

"No one wanted me there and they had no problem voicing their opinions. As luck would have it, I was put into a math class with your mom and I could swear that she could see me shaking when the teacher told me to sit next to her. She didn't, of course, because the only time she paid any attention to me that first day was when she told me to go back where I belonged. I was crushed."

"Okay, now I know you're lying. There is no way my mom, Esme Cullen, would have said anything like that." My mom was the nicest person on the planet and I would bet that she didn't have a single bone in her body that would make her act like that towards anyone. It had to be a lie.

"You may not think so now but you have to remember that this was twenty years ago and she was only a sixteen year old girl back then. Kids at that age will say and do things that they aren't proud of as adults but it's the reality of being a teenager."

"Fine but what does that have to do with me?"

"I'm getting to that." I watched as he leaned forward and nervously picked at the dead grass. "Anyway, all the kids hated me and were merciless in their teasing. They had more names for me than I even knew existed and for that first year they never let up and yes before you ask, even your mom joined in. I could hardly blame her for going with them. I was a thirteen year old boy who was thrust into their classes and in their eyes I was only there to make them feel stupid."

He took a breath and I could see his discomfort with the subject. This had to be something he never wanted to admit to his children.

"I tried talking to your mom a few times while we were in class because it was the only place I felt the confidence to do so and each time her exact words were, "Stop talking to me, freak." So I took her advice and stopped trying. It was hard because I was already so infatuated with her and I didn't have the ability to just put her out of my mind like that."

He laughed a bit and, as he picked at the grass, the self-conscious side of him that he said he had back then was on full display.

"I'm ashamed to admit that I followed her a lot. I knew where all her classes were and I knew which halls she would walk through to get to her locker or her next class and I was always running to catch a glimpse of her before I had to be in my own class. Looking back now, I guess I was kind of a stalker but back then I just saw myself as a boy in love."

He met my eyes then and my dropped jaw had him laughing. My dad was always the proper gentleman and it was so out of character to think of him as a stalker type but like he said, it was twenty years ago.

"Okay, but I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"Edward, you have no idea how much like me you really are, do you? I saw it in your eyes during our first trip here. As soon as you saw that girl…um, what's her name?"

"Bella." I dropped my eyes to the ground as I said her name.

"Right, Bella. As soon as you saw her, Edward, I saw my thirteen-year-old self in you. You had it harder than I did though, at least I was able to see your mom everyday but you only had a memory to keep her in your mind…oh and the shirt." He chuckled before speaking again, "Do you mind explaining that one to me?"

I felt the intense embarrassment come over me and, in this open area, there was nowhere to hide. I couldn't look at him so I focused my eyes on the open field away from him. I knew I shouldn't be embarrassed to explain my obsessive behavior to a man who just admitted to basically being a stalker, but I wanted my dad to look at me like a man and I just didn't feel like that right now.

"Dad, please don't…"

"Edward, you've heard my admission so you know I have no right to judge."

I knew he wasn't going to let it go, so I gave in. "I actually ran into her when we got to the school that day and just like you I guess, she was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. I wanted to talk to her but she ran away and then I saw her at the game when Emmett and I were talking to Jasper." I took deep breath. "When I left at halftime, I saw her crying and went to see if I could help. She didn't want to talk but I couldn't let her leave so I kind of forced myself on her."

"Edward, you didn't." The flash of anger in his tone made me turn and look at him while I finished.

"No! Not like that, I just hugged her and she hugged me back. She cried for a long time and it was weird but I felt like I just had to be there for her. When we got back to the hotel that night and I went to change for bed, I noticed that I could smell her perfume, or whatever it was, on my shirt and it still smelled like that when we got home. I couldn't stop thinking about her and the smell of that shirt always made me feel better so I kept it with me and, as stupid as it sounds, I even slept with it."

"It's not stupid, son. Let me ask you, have you ever felt like this for another girl?"

"No. I thought I really liked Jane a lot, but even that doesn't compare to what happens whenever I see Bella." He cocked his eyebrow, so I explained. "It's like, whenever I see her, I can't breathe and I can't talk and when she's anywhere near me, I freeze. Mom told me to write everything down in a letter, so that's what I did."

"Well that doesn't surprise me."

"What does that mean?" His comment confused me.

"That was what I did for her." He smiled as he remembered. "When we were in eleventh grade, your mom was dating this boy who really wasn't a good guy at all and he was always making her cry. I hated seeing her like that all the time but she hated me so there was nothing I could do about it. It wasn't until I heard her crying to one of her girlfriends about how she caught her boyfriend with another girl that I finally stopped caring about what she thought of me and I stepped in."

"What did you do?"

"I waited until school was over and when I saw them in the hall together, I was seeing red. I was ready to fight him but you have to remember, I was only fourteen years old at the time so I wasn't very big and that kid was eighteen and huge. I tried to hit him a couple of times but he laughed it off then, after one punch from him, I was on my back." He was back to picking the grass again. "He kicked me a few times and I heard your mom screaming at him to stop but he didn't listen. He sat down on my chest and punched me in the face and I think I passed out because I don't remember much after the first punch."

I felt bad for my dad for having to go through that and I actually got an image in my head of Collin trying to fight Emmett for Rose and how the whole thing could have happened just like this if we hadn't stopped Emmett from going after him. He really could have hurt the kid.

"I was in the nurse's office when I opened my eyes. I heard my dad mumbling in the other room and was sure he was talking to the nurse about what happened and then I felt a hand on my forehead. I didn't even know there was anyone else in the room with me but your mom was right there, pressing a cold washcloth to my swollen cheek. She was crying again and she felt horrible for what he did to me and asked why I would have ever tried to fight him. I knew she already hated me and I knew I would never get another chance like that again so I decided to just tell her how I felt about her."

He looked toward the house and got a huge grin on his face.

"I told her that I did it for her because she was too beautiful to be with someone who made her cry all the time. I told her that if she were with me she would never shed another tear again. I promised to give her the world, the moon and the stars while I was lying in that bed. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, told me how sweet I was and that she would see me on Monday. I felt like I was losing my chance so asked her to give me my math book."

He looked at me now and let out a nervous laugh.

"You think your keeping that shirt was crazy, well I kept a letter for her tucked inside my math book for a year and I finally had the nerve to give it to her as long as she promised not to read it until she got home. She took it and left, but not before she gave me another kiss on my forehead." He looked back at me again. "You know the rest of the story because everything she's told you about us started from the day she read that letter."

I didn't even want to look at him anymore. His story was almost the same as mine, but there was one big difference. He was able to get my mom to talk to him; of course, he had to fight her boyfriend to do it. There was absolutely no way I was going to fight Jake. It wasn't that I couldn't hold my own against him; I had spent enough time in the gym to make me a match for just about anyone. No, I wouldn't fight him because that would surely cause Bella to hate me. Not that it would be a change from the way she hated me now but, if we were to fight, things would get so much worse and she would never be able to forgive me.

"All I'm trying to say, son, is that things may seem bad now, but that could all change at any given time. Just don't get so down on yourself that you give up on her. I did that and it took me a year to make things right." He put a hand on my shoulder again. "Try to tell her how you feel and if that doesn't work, find a way show her."

"She's got a swim meet tomorrow," I said absently while still looking at the open field. "It's a big one, so I'm sure she'll be nervous about it."

"That's perfect, Edward. If you were to go and just be there to support her on a big day like that, it could make all the difference in the world." He moved to get up. "Now come on before your mother gets more worried about us freezing out here."

When we were both on our feet, he actually pulled me into a hug, which wasn't normal for either of us. I felt more at peace after talking to him and I knew I shouldn't have put it off for so long.

"Thanks, dad. This really helped."

"That's what I'm here for, son."

~..~..~..~..~..~..~

One hot shower later and I was ready to face my family again. I knew I would see the questions in their eyes as they watched me but I hoped they wouldn't make it too obvious. I was having a hard enough time as it was dealing with the shit I was in; I didn't need them making it worse.

I was going to take my dad's advice and go to support Bella tomorrow. Maybe if she saw that I wanted to be there for her, it would make a difference and she wouldn't hate me…or she wouldn't hate me too much. Maybe she would even talk to me. I would even take a 'fuck off, Edward' at this point as long she spoke the words directly to me. I knew I was becoming desperate and I was going to have to work hard to keep my emotions under control. I couldn't let her see how much she got to me, but every time she was anywhere near me, my face betrayed me. If she were to ever really look at me, she would see right through me.

I dressed for dinner and left my room to find my family. Emmett was perched on the counter sneaking a piece of lettuce out of the salad bowl next to him. He had a grin on his face like he was getting away with something but I would put money on the fact that my mom could count how many pieces he had stolen so far, it didn't matter one bit that she had her back to him.

As soon as I smelled the fresh garlic bread, my mouth was watering. I loved my mom's pasta because she always took the time to make it from scratch. I still didn't know where the woman found all the time to do what she did but I wasn't going to complain.

"Mom, you're killing me here, even the smell is making me hungry." I was only partially teasing her.

I leaned in for a kiss on the cheek and her hand came up to hold me close to her for a minute. She looked into my eyes and I could see her worried expression.

"I'm fine, mom," I whispered.

"Are you?" She whispered her question. "Are you really?"

I kissed her forehead and spoke a little louder. "Really, thanks for sending dad out for me."

"I knew he could help." She inhaled and a small blush showed her embarrassment. "The truth was the only thing that could. I'm not proud of…"

"Mom, it's not important anymore. Your love can't be questioned now, so none of it matters."

"Hello…I'm sitting right here." Emmett's voice echoed through the kitchen. "I can hear you."

A smile broke across her face and she mouthed a 'thank you' to me before she turned back to the stove.

"And I can hear you sneaking food over there, Emmett Cullen. Now get down from there and help your brother set the table. Dinner is ready."

The conversation flowed easily during dinner and the looks and worried expressions I expected to see weren't anywhere to be found. Dad was talking about a medical conference he was going to have to attend soon, mom told us about her new design project for one of the new doctors at the hospital and Emmett, of course, couldn't stop talking about Rosalie. Mom asked him to invite her and her parents over for dinner one night and his face lost all color.

"Mom, please, it's only been a week. Give me some time to get to know her first before we start meeting the parents."

She laughed, "It was just a suggestion, Emmett. She sounds like a lovely girl and I can't wait to meet her."

"Fine, but not yet." He tried to sound freaked out about bringing Rose here to meet them but I could see the pride on his face. He loved showing her off as his girlfriend.

"So, Edward, what time do you want to leave?" She directed her attention to me.

"Oh shit!" I looked at my watch, not realizing it was so late already. I realized my slip a second before her hand hit the back of my head. "Sorry, mom. I completely forgot."

"Did you have plans?" My dad was curious since I hadn't mentioned anything.

"Yeah, I totally forgot. I'm going shopping with Lauren tonight."

"Lauren, huh?" Emmett got a big grin on his face.

"Lauren?" My dad sounded confused. "I thought her name was…"

"It's a long story, dad." I excused myself and got up from the table to call Lauren.

~..~..~..~..~..~..~

Two hours later, I was bored and tired and I just wanted to go home. I had no idea what possessed me to agree to this. Not true, I knew exactly what it was and I was going to have to stop letting people guilt trip me into things. Lauren had been talking non-stop from the time we picked her up and the sound of her voice was pressing on every nerve in my body. This night just had to end.

She had talked me into sitting down for a bit to get some ice cream. I agreed and bought her some ice cream with the hope that, while she was eating it, she would stop talking, even if it would have only been temporary. I wasn't that lucky though, there was no stopping her. Twenty minutes later, we got up from the table and I casually looked at my watch, breathing a sigh of relief that the mall would be closing soon.

Lauren dragged me into the hundredth store of the night and I moved to look on the opposite side of the store from her. It was a nice little shop with a wide variety of things; jewelry and jewelry boxes, stationary sets and whole bunch of other things for girls. I was sure I could find something for Jessica here. Scanning the shelves, I found a small, silver-plated keepsake box. My mom had a bunch of these so I figured they were something a girl would like.

I picked out a box that had a rose on the top of it, it was pretty and I would be okay giving her this. I started walking to the register to pay when a different item that caught my eye. I took a couple steps to the side where the necklaces hung. It had to be a sign. The necklace was simple, dainty and perfect; I had to buy it.

With my items safely tucked away in my pocket, we left the store, heading for the exit to wait for my mom. I had called her before we walked into the store so she would come and get us soon after. I saw the car pull into the parking lot a couple of minutes after we got to the door. I led Lauren to the car and opened her door so she could get in first.

"So, did you both find what you wanted?" mom asked.

"Yes, it's perfect." She smiled at me and I gave her a small smile back.

Ten minutes later, we were dropping her off her the house. I walked her to the door and thanked her for inviting me to come with her. I told her I would see her at school on Monday and turned to make my escape from the hell of this night.

I rushed straight to my room when we got home and unloaded my pockets before getting ready for bed. I grabbed the bag I got from the store and sat on my bed. I put the box I bought for Jessica aside and sat there with the necklace in my hands. I couldn't believe how perfect it was. After staring at it for a few minutes, I wrapped it back up and crossed the room to hide it away in the bottom of my drawer.

I shut off the lights and climbed into bed. It wasn't late but I had to force myself to try and fall asleep. The last thing I needed was to oversleep tomorrow, knowing I was going to see Bella. My mind was restless but once I started thinking about her, I calmed down. I drifted toward sleep with the vision of what I wanted to happen when I was able to give my gift away. The scene in my head was perfect; I just hoped real life could be the same.

~..~..~..~..~..~..~

Emmett brought the car to a stop and I jumped out since I was already late. The window rolled down just after I closed the door.

"I'll pick you up here when I'm done, and don't make me wait or I'll kick your ass," Emmett threatened. "I've got things to do before my date with Rose tonight, so you better not make me late."

"Fine, just text me."

Thanks to Alice, I knew I had only missed a couple of her races but she told me Bella's big race was coming up in about fifteen minutes. I rushed in, paid my money and found a seat near the top of the stands. I searched the crowd of girls until I found her, sitting alone against the wall with her head leaning back. Her eyes were closed and her foot was tapping to whatever music was playing in her ear.

Ten minutes later, her coach tapped her on the arm to get her attention. She jumped up and stretched her arms over her head. Holy shit, she looks good! She walked to the end of the pool where the rest of the girls were getting ready. I hadn't paid attention to a single race since I walked in but now she was walking up to the edge to start.

"You got this, Bells."

I heard the scream and looked down to where the voice was coming from. Sure enough, there was Jake. I knew he was here but I didn't expect to be sitting so close to him. Oh well, he wasn't my concern; I was here for Bella. I looked back to the pool and it looked like she was panicking and trying to get away from the pool. Her coach was doing her best to get her back to her spot since the race was about to start.

She finally got control of herself, shook her hands out, probably to clear the nerves, and her face smoothed out and she suddenly looked calm, but totally focused. I watched her take one last deep breath as she stood on top of the platform. They got ready to jump in and a second later the gun went off to start the race.

Damn she was fast. I barely had enough time to yell a few of my own encouragements towards her in the twenty seconds it took for her to glide through the pool and end the race. Her hand hit the wall, her head popped out of the water and she pulled the goggles from her eyes, turning to look directly at me.

How did she even know I was here?

Shit, I didn't care how she knew because, as soon as her eyes locked with mine, nothing else mattered anymore. Our connection had the same strength and intensity that it had the day we met and for the first time in month, I felt like I could really breathe again. Then, if the look wasn't enough to make me insanely happy, she smiled at me. She actually smiled at me and her hand came up for a small wave. I couldn't stop myself from returning it because it was the most she had given me since my first day here.

Our gaze was broken when her coach bent down to congratulate her. I took a breath to regain control of all my senses when my phone went off. It was Emmett and his timing couldn't have been more perfect. The race was over, she knew I was here for her and a small piece of our connection was there between us again. It was more than I could have asked for. I walked out the door to go meet Emmett but as I was walking through the hallway, I heard Jake's voice behind me and he sounded pissed.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here, Cullen?"

"Watching a swim meet." I shrugged but continued walking.

His hand landed hard on my shoulder, spinning me around to face him. He was in my face so I pushed him away from me.

"What's your problem?"

"You're my fucking problem. I've seen you, Cullen, watching my girl; I know you want her. It's written all over your face."

He stepped closer to me but there was no way I was backing down. He wasn't as intimidating as he thought he was.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? You and your brother think you can come here and take any girl that you fucking want."

He moved another step closer and was inches from my face now. My hands opened and closed into fists several times before I got control over myself. I wouldn't be doing myself any favors if I hit him now.

"Your brother may have taken Rose from Collin but you can bet your ass that you aren't even gonna get close to Bella."

"That's for Bella to decide, not you." My eyes narrowed as the anger took over. "Besides, Jake," my teeth clenched together as I said his name, "I know who you really want, and it isn't Bella."

His eyes gave him away and I knew I was right. When Jasper told me about the other girl, Leah, I began to watch. I saw the looks he would give her and the way she would look back. It was obvious that they still had a thing for each other but I couldn't prove that they were doing anything other than looking. It was time to find out.

"You're not as good at hiding shit as you think you are. I've seen you, motherfucker, thinking you can sneak off and do whatever you fucking please and not get caught."

His eyes widened and he took a step back. The look on face was enough to tell me he was cheating on Bella. Knowing the truth now, I wanted to kill him for the pain he was going to cause her. I was ready…just one fucking word and it would be on.

"Sorry, Jake, but once I burst that little bubble of yours, who do you think she'll run to?"

I took my own step closer this time…taunting him.

"And, you know she will. You've seen her looking at me." I knew it was a lie, but he didn't. "You just saw it again, that's why you're out here instead of in there with her." I gave him one last push. "I'd bet you she even dreams of me at night."

"Fuck you, Cullen!"

I felt the punch hit my ribs and staggered back a couple of steps. The pain was nothing and I was on him, tackling him to the ground. I landed a couple of punches of my own to his ribs before he flipped us over, one of his fists caught my left cheek and the other hit me in the mouth. I tasted the blood from the split lip he just gave me.

"Bring it on, fucker!"

I landed one punch in his stomach, causing him to curl in on himself. As I pushed him off me, I kicked him and he slid into the wall. I scrambled over to him and grabbed the collar of his shirt to give myself leverage. I slammed his back into the wall twice and connected with a punch to the cheek.

"You think you can do whatever you want to her and its okay!"

The second punch landed at the top of his nose.

"I'm telling her everything you sorry son of a bitch!"

The third punch got him in the mouth and he was bleeding right along with me.

"I will NOT let you hurt her again!"

I was going for the fourth punch but I was pulled off of him. Emmett had his arms around me, dragging me away. Jake was groaning and I fought Emmett to get at him again; I wasn't done. The pent up frustration burst through the surface and I wanted to hurt him as much as…no, more than he ever hurt her. Jake started to get up and leaned against the wall, laughing.

"Let me go, Em! That piece of fucking shit is mine!"

"Good thing your brother's here to save you." He wiped his lip with his arm.

"Shut the fuck up, Jake, before I let him go." Emmett warned him.

He pushed away from the wall. "Let him go, then. He ain't shit."

Emmett twisted my body and carried me down the hall, fighting me the whole way. I struggled against him as hard as I could but he had an iron grip on me and he wasn't letting go. He dragged me all the way to the car and held me against it so he could open the door. He threw me into the seat.

"Don't fucking move."

Agitation mixed with anger wasn't a good combination for me and I was rocking back and forth, hitting the seat while beating my fists into my legs. Emmett slid into the car, slamming the door. His hand and arm hit hard on my chest, knocking me into the seat and he held me there.

"Calm the fuck down! What happened?"

Jake's words and the look in his eyes kept flashing through my head, feeding the anger. Emmett had me pinned to the seat and I knew he wasn't going to let me go no matter how hard I fought back. The pressure of his arm increased and his fist grabbed my shirt.

"Edward, fucking breathe damn it!"

He shook me and I realized that the pressure in my chest was my lungs fighting for air. Another jerk on my shirt and I finally took a deep breath. My breathing was heavy but I could feel the tension leaving my body and my muscles finally relaxed. Emmett must have felt the change because he let go of my shirt and backed away from me a little.

"Ed, you're not the fighting type, so what the hell happened in there?"

"Get me out of here, Emmett! Get me away from him."

My head was against the seat and my hands had a death grip on my hair. He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, putting distance between me and Jake.

"I'm done watching, Em. I can't sit back anymore and watch and just wait for it to happen."

"What does that even mean?"

Good question? What did it mean? How was I going to be able to tell her? She was going to be hurt either way but how was I, the guy she hates, going to be able to tell her that her boyfriend is a lying, cheating, son of a bitch.

"He basically admitted to cheating on her, Emmett."

"Shut the fuck up! He told you that?" He didn't believe me.

"He didn't come out and say it but by the look on his face, I knew it was true."

I spent the ride home explaining what happened to Emmett and going over all the possible ways I could tell Bella the truth. We decided that Jasper would have a little better insight because he was her friend so we called him up and told him what was going on. Unfortunately, he was with his parents now and hanging out with Alice tonight so our conversation was going to have to wait until the next day.

We pulled into the garage and walked into the house. I was heading to the stairs when I heard my mom yell.

"Oh God, Edward! What happened to you?" Her eyes were wide with fear. "Carlisle, get down here now!"

She rushed to me and held my face still to look at me. I almost forgot that my shirt had blood on it from my split lip. She ran her hands over my face, looking at all of the places that Jake hit me. My dad came running down the stairs in a panic.

"Mom, I'm fine. Please don't make a big deal about this?" I begged.

"Edward, you can't come home covered in blood and expect me not to be concerned." She led me to the couch and sat me down while she went to grab a washcloth to clean me up.

"Son, don't make your mom worry. What happened?" Dad, being a doctor, wasn't concerned with my condition.

"I got into a fight." I didn't want to have to explain this to them especially after what my dad told me yesterday.

"Edward, you know how I feel about fighting." My mom's disappointment hurt me.

"I know mom but it just sort of happened. It's not like I went there wanting to fight anyone." I looked at my dad and he looked embarrassed.

"Bella?" he questioned.

"Yeah but I really didn't mean to. He said some things and then I said some things back and then he hit me."

"He really held his own though." Emmett jumped in to break the tension. "You should have seen the other kid. If you ask me, I think we should get him into boxing and forget soccer."

His laugh made me laugh and then my dad joined in. My mom was happy that I wasn't hurt but she wasn't about to join in the laughter over the situation. She finished cleaning up my face, told me to go take a shower and then go sit in my room for a while and think about my actions. There was no way any of us were going to argue with her over this so I just did what she said and went to my room.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the brief look at Carlisle and Esme's relationship and the little meeting between Edward and Jacob. That part definitely took on a life of it's own. Don't forget, good or bad, I always love to hear what you think.