Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I just like to play with the characters.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! And of course Ms. Chylex28, thanks for everything. Lots of stuff is happening in this chapter, so I guess I should let you go read it. While you're doing that, I'll go start on Chapter 29.


Now I've had the time of my life
No I never felt like this before
Yes I swear it's the truth
and I owe it all to you
'Cause I've had the time of my life
and I owe it all to you

I've been waiting for so long
Now I've finally found someone
To stand by me
We saw the writing on the wall
As we felt this magical
Fantasy

"I Had The Time Of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes


Surviving High School

Sunday afternoon, I grabbed my camera and bag o' goodies, and headed off to Angela's to meet up with her and Ben. It had been a week since I'd seen them, and I felt bad about that. I truly was a horrible friend. I'd been so caught up in Edward and hanging with the Cullens, that I hadn't made time for my best friends. Angela pulled me into a tight hug, after answering the door, and I returned it.

"I've missed you!" she exclaimed, holding onto me for a minute.

"I've missed you, too!" I told her.

I stepped inside and was immediately wrapped up in a hug by Ben. After returning his hug, we sat down on the couch. I pulled the gifts I'd gotten them, out of my bag, and handed them over. I'd gotten Ben a leather bracelet, much like the one I'd gotten Seth. It was manly enough, and Ben seemed to like it. For Angela, I'd bought a beautiful throw blanket handmade by a Native American woman. It was beautiful, and Angela thanked me profusely upon seeing it.

"Alright, Miss Bella. Picture time," Ben said.

Angela had set her laptop up on the coffee table, and I inserted the memory card. The next two hours were spent looking at pictures, with me telling the story behind each one.

"Oh, Bella! What a cute picture!" Angela squealed upon seeing a picture of me and Edward that Esme had taken. We were standing on the dock at the cabin, the lake and the mountains behind us. Even I had to admit, it was a great picture. Edward was standing behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist, while I leaned against him. I'd printed off a copy of the picture and had put it in a frame that rested on my bedside table. There were still times, when I couldn't believe that Edward was mine.

After removing the memory card, I turned to Angela and Ben and asked them what they'd done over break.

"Well, I went and visited my mom," Ben told me quietly. I reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. I knew how hard that must have been for him. "It was surreal. Seeing her like that, well... there were more than a few tears," he said.

"Oh, Ben. I'm sorry you have to see her like that."

He nodded, then changed the subject, talking about the fact that he couldn't believe that I'd gone hiking and hadn't fallen off a cliff or hurt myself. We talked and hung out till quarter to nine, when both Ben and I had to head home. I gave them both a hug and told them I'd see them tomorrow.


March quickly turned into April, which in turn quickly became May. There had been a few James sightings, but nothing substantial. Unfortunately, Charlie ended up having to pull the few men he'd had working on the case due to some hikers who'd been found murdered in the woods near La Push. The town was in a dither about it. Murders were reserved for the likes of the big city, not small town life. A few days after the bodies had been found, the whole school was talking about it.

"I can't believe that two people got murdered! That's like crazy! This is Forks for crying out loud!"

"My mom won't let me go out after dark now. She's terrified that I'm going to be murdered walking down the street."

Charlie had gone into over-protective cop mode and refused to let me, Seth, or Sue go anywhere by ourselves. I knew that he was just looking out for us, but these murders had really put him on edge. From what I'd overheard him saying, the bodies had been found badly mutilated, ripped apart, and drained of blood. Maybe Mike's sparkly vampires had done it. I was sitting in English class, paired up with Mike for a writing exercise, when he brought up the murders.

"Does your dad know anything more about the couple that was found?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "No idea. He's being pretty tight lipped about the whole thing. I do know that he's really upset by it though. It's only the second murder case he's ever worked, so he's stressing a bit."

"What if it's a serial killer? That would be so fucking creepy!"

"You think?"

"Yeah, but how cool would it be if it was, and then your dad caught him! Dude, your dad would be famous!"

I rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm. "Yeah, I don't think it's a serial killer, Mike. Even if it was, I don't think catching him or her, would make Charlie famous."

Mike was upset at my lack of enthusiasm regarding serial killers. Even though we were on friendly terms again, I was still a bit weary around him. Jessica was still being a bitch, but I couldn't have cared less. Though I admit that it was nice to have Mike covering my back in gym class again.

Edward met me outside of the gym and we walked together to the cafeteria, my hand tucked securely in his. We were halfway to the cafeteria, when he stopped, tugging me around so I was facing him.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh... will you go to prom with me?"

I knew that prom was coming up in a few weeks, but I hadn't thought much of it. Edward looked a bit nervous, and kept running his hands through his hair. I couldn't figure out why he would be nervous though. It's not like we weren't dating.

"Of course I will."

"Oh, thank God," he said, with a hint of relief in his voice.

"Did you honestly think I'd say no?"

"Well, uh... I wasn't sure if you would say yes. I know that you aren't big on dances and prom is a pretty big deal."

I slid my arms around his neck and leaned up on my tip toes to press a kiss to his lips. "Before you, I had no desire to go to a dance. And while dances aren't my favorite thing, there's nothing I'd love more, than to attend prom with you."

His smile was radiant. His lips lowered against mine, his tongue licking the seam of my lips until they parted, and my tongue came out to play with his. The kiss was hot and passionate, and he let out a low moan. Reluctantly, our lips parted, our breathing heavy. I had no idea that agreeing to go to a dance with him would inspire that sort of reaction, but I was more than happy to receive it. We headed inside and found the occupants of our table discussing prom. Or more accurately, Alice discussing prom, not letting anyone else get a word in. Upon seeing us, Alice began bouncing in her seat.

"Uh oh. Who gave her sugar?" I asked, focusing my gaze on Jasper.

Jasper held up his hands and told me he was completely innocent. Alice stopped bouncing long enough to stick her tongue out at me and give me a glare.

"No one gave me any sugar. I'm just super excited! We have three weeks till prom! There's so much to do! We have to get dresses, tuxes, flowers, a limo, and coordinate everything! Plus, I've got to get the decorations for the dance."

"Oh, are you on the prom committee?" I asked her.

She gave me a look that implied that I was stupid. "Bella, I am the prom committee."

"So what's this years theme?"

"Midnight sun."

"What the fuck is that?" I asked.

Alice began a long, complicated explanation of what midnight sun was, without ever actually telling us what it was. Instead, she went on to tell us all about the decorations and color scheme, which was going to be ice like with colors of the sun. Knowing that I wasn't going to get an actual answer from her, I turned to Edward.

"Midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months near the Artic Circle, or north of the Antartic Circle, where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. If the weather is right, the sun is visible for a continuous twenty-four hours," Edward explained to the table.

"Cool. I'd love to see that," I told him.

"One day, love, one day."

I had pretty much tuned out the conversations around us, focusing on Edward, until I heard Emmett mention something about a hotel.

"Can't forget the hotel. We've gotta have somewhere to get our groove on," Emmett said with a wink and began gyrating.

"Or you could save yourself some cash and get your groove on in the limo," Ben suggested.

I reached over and smacked him upside the head, the same time as Angela, while Rose sent him a death glare. "Ben Chaney! Do not give him ideas!" Rose yelled.

But it was too late. Emmett had this look on his face, like he was imagining all the ways he could get his groove on in the limo.

"I'm so not riding in the same limo as Emmett," Edward said with a look of disgust on his face. I agreed with him. There were some things in this life that no person should ever have to see, and having already heard Emmett getting his groove on was enough for me.

"There will be no getting it on in the limo!" Alice told Emmett sternly. "Now, as I was saying, we have a lot to do. Bella, Angela, Rose. We need to find a time to head into Seattle to buy our dresses. Boys, you need to get your tuxes, but you have to wait until we get our dresses so you can have matching cummerbunds."

Emmett let out a snicker. "She said cum."

"Emmett!" we all roared at him, except Ben, who was laughing along with Emmett.

Eventually, we got back to the topic at hand and decided that us ladies would head to Seattle on Saturday to pick out dresses. I wasn't really looking forward to that part of prom, but I couldn't wait to see Edward in a tux. Just thinking about Edward in a tux, caused all sorts of funny things to happen to my insides.

All too soon, Saturday rolled around, and I found myself, along with Alice, Angela, and Rose, being driven to Seattle by Esme. She thought of us as her girls, and wanted to join us on our shopping endeavor. Upon arrival at the mall, we headed toward Macy's and started our dress shopping. I feared that we would be in there forever, and that I would never find a dress, but I was wrong. I found my dress almost immediately. It was gorgeous. I found my size, grabbed it off the rack, and headed toward the dressing room before anyone could stop me. I quickly put the dress on, and found myself in love with it.

"Bella!"

"What?" I hollered out to Alice.

"Are you going to let us see what you're trying on?"

"Give me a sec."

Twirling in front of the mirror once more, I opened the door, and was met with gasps.

"Oh, Bella dear. It's stunning!" Esme gushed.

The others agreed with her, and I admit that I felt a bit like a princess in it. The only thing that I was worried about, was that it was strapless. Other than that, it was perfect. There was no doubt in my mind. The dress was turquoise, tight at the top, being strapless, and the skirt was long and flowing. It was decorated with a cluster of silver flowers detailed across the entire bust line, tightly intertwined with an intricate web of silver vines and leaves. Just below the bust line, the flower detailing gently narrowed into a stream that trickled down the left of the bodice, just off center, toward the hips. At the hips, the flowers flowed loosely, as if lazily stretching, both across and down, toward the edge of the right hip. The flowers on the left side of the skirt cascaded even further, just passed mid calf. A few sequins were sprinkled here and there, on or around the flowers, vines and leaves, giving it just a touch more of whimsy. I was absolutely in love with it. I knew that it had to be super expensive, but I didn't care. For once, I was willing to spend money on a dress. Hours later, everyone had their dresses and accessories. Alice had sent texts to our boys, letting them know the color of our dresses. Apparently, Carlisle was going to be taking the boys to get their tuxes later in the week.

I spent the ride home trying to stay awake. Where as shopping seemed to wear me out, it only seemed to energize Alice even more. Angela, Rose, and I were going to be sleeping over at the Cullens, and I was more than anxious to get back and see my Edward. It was pathetic. Ever since we got back from Alaska, being away from him, if only for a few hours, was hard. I had made up my mind to tell him that I loved him by the time prom rolled around. I was fairly confident that he loved me as well, but it was still nerve wracking to be the one to say it first. But I was going to.

At the Cullen house, we grabbed our purchases and hung them in Alice's closet, before changing into pajamas and getting comfortable. We were sprawled out in Alice's room, where she deemed tonight a no boy zone. I was saddened by this. Alice noticed my pout and informed me that since the rest of the girls were without their boys for the night, I could suffer with them. Covertly, I sent Edward a text, telling him to meet me downstairs in the kitchen. I told Alice I was thirsty and excused myself to get something to drink. Entering the kitchen, I found my man resting against the counter. He had pajama pants on, that hung deliciously low on his hips. His t-shirt was thin and well worn, letting me catch a glimpse of the wonderful abs that I knew lay beneath. My, he was delicious. He held out his arms when he saw me, and I immediately went into them.

"Hello, gorgeous," he said softly in a velvet voice.

"Hello there yourself, handsome. I missed you today."

"I missed you, too."

And that was all that needed to be said. Grabbing my hand, he lead me outside onto the patio. Sitting down on one of the benches, he pulled me into his lap. I turned so I was straddling him, and brushed my lips against his. The kiss flamed and grew hotter. I felt like I was on fire. The taste of him infused my senses, and our kiss seemed to grow hungrier. He dragged his lips away from mine, and found purchase on the flesh of my neck. He licked and nipped, tasting me, causing me to groan and grind against the hardness I felt rising from him. He let out a low groan, pulling me closer to him, rocking up against me. One of his hands gripped my waist, while the other moved under my shirt. He was kissing my neck, using his tongue to lick my throat and nibble along my collarbone. He slid his hand over my breast, his thumb gliding over my nipple, and I couldn't hold back the moan of pleasure that escaped from my lips. My hands gripped his hair, pulling his mouth down toward my chest.

"Bella!" Alice called out, interrupting us. We both let out moans of disappointment. "I know you're out there with Edward. What part of no boys did you not get? Now get in here!" she yelled, before slamming the door shut.

Knowing that she was probably waiting right inside the door, I climbed off Edward's lap. He gave me a quick kiss, before leading me inside. Sure enough, Alice was standing inside, scowling and tapping her foot. Oh boy, I was in for it now. Giving Edward an evil glare, she grabbed my arm and yanked me up the stairs to her room.

"I found her," she told Angela and Rose, after we entered the room.

"How was that drink?" Angela asked me with a smirk.

"Absolutely delicious. I could've kept drinking all night."

"I'm sure you could have," she replied.

"I'm disappointed in you, Bella," Alice began.

"Oh, please. If Jasper had been around, and I'd declared tonight a no boy zone, you would've found a way to be with him. Don't even try to deny it."

She let out a huff, but I noticed that she didn't refute what I'd said. She decided that since I'd broken the rules, that I wasn't allowed to see Edward tomorrow. I rolled my eyes at her statement. Sadly, when Sunday rolled around, I saw very little of him. Carlisle had decided to have a father-son outing, which I suspect that Alice had a hand in.


The next two weeks flew by, and before I knew it, it was the week of prom. It seemed the whole school was excited about it. Even I was a bit excited. Not so much about the dance itself, but more about dancing with Edward and seeing him in his tux. So far, I hadn't worked up the nerve to tell him I loved him. I'd said it silently a thousand times, but I really wanted him to know. Of course, there was the fear that he didn't feel the same way, and it was eating away at my brain. So here we were on Wednesday, suffering through a rather boring biology video about the mating cycle of the mayfly...or something like that. I wasn't paying much attention to it, but more to the boy beside me. His left hand was holding mine, while his right hand was doodling away in his notebook. He really did have nice hands. Strong, sexy hands, with nice long fingers. Oh, yeah. I liked his hands.

"Bella?" Edward asked.

"Hmmm?"

"Where did you go?"

"What?" I asked him confused.

"I was asking you if you wanted to come over after school, but you seemed to have spaced out."

"Of course I want to come over. Like you need to even ask."

He flashed me that panty-dropping smile. "Great!"

Finally, school was over, and I met Edward at his locker. We walked to the mom-mobile and headed off to his house. Thirty minutes later, we were laying on his bed, listening to music with the door open. We'd gotten busted by Dr. Hot two weeks ago, while we were going at it hot and heavy, and since then, an open door policy had been put into effect. Just thinking about it made me cringe.

I was laying on Edward's bed, he was next to me, propped up on his side. His lips were busy plying my neck with kisses, running his tongue along my collarbone. Shivers erupted over my body, and I loved the feelings that he was causing in me. The hand that had been resting on my stomach, began a slow ascent up, toward my breasts. His fingers traced the edge of my bra, before delving under. Gently, he tugged my bra up, freeing my breast for him to play with. I had just let out a long moan, when the door to his room opened.

"Edward, your mother wanted to know—" Dr. Hot stopped, mid-sentence. Edward quickly removed his hand from under my shirt, but the damage was done. I buried my face in his shoulder, because there was no way I could face Dr. Hot now. There was a long awkward pause before Dr. Hot spoke again.

"Uh...well, your mother wanted to know what you wanted for dinner. I'll just tell her you'll be down in a few minutes," he said, walking out the door. "Oh, and kids? This door is to remain open from now on."

Edward flopped onto his back on the bed, hands over his face, while my face was still buried in his shirt. I knew my face was bright red, and I had no idea how I was going to face Dr. Hot ever again. I don't think I'd ever been so embarrassed in my life.

"Wha'tcha thinking about, babe?" a velvet voice asked me, shaking me out of my reverie.

"Two weeks ago, when we got busted by your dad."

Edward let out a shudder. "Yeah, that totally sucked. Honestly, though, I was surprised we managed to get away with having the door shut for so long. Alice got busted with Jasper within a week of them dating, and Mom enforced the no closed door policy," he said with a snicker.

Despite the fact that the door was open, we still manged to get in some hot kisses and a few gropes. Edward's hands were running all over my body, caressing me, and I was delighting in the reactions that he was provoking. I had my hands in his hair, running my fingers through the thick tresses, tugging on them once in a while. He let out a moan, rubbing his head further into my hand.

"I love it when you play with my hair," he told me quietly.

"Hmmm. I love playing with your hair."

He pulled away from me slightly, and sat up, a serious expression on his face. He took my hand in his, and tugged me till I was sitting up next to him.

"Bella. There's something I need to tell you."

I felt a flutter of panic, and my breathing sped up. Oh, God. He was breaking up with me. I must have said the last part out loud, because he was quick to correct me.

"No! No! I'm not breaking up with you! Ever! I love you!" he exclaimed.

Holy shit. I was stunned. He loved me! Edward Anthony Cullen loved me. Little ole me. I couldn't breath.

"Bella! Please say something!" he begged me.

Words couldn't describe what I was feeling. I threw myself into his arms, pressing kisses everywhere my lips could reach.

"I love you, too."

He crushed me to him, holding me tight. His lips crashed down on mine. His lips and tongue caressed mine, causing my heart to race. Blood thundered through my veins as his lips rubbed against mine, his tongue pumping into my mouth, stroking against my tongue, sparring with it. It was pure pleasure. Slowly, he pulled his mouth away from mine. His forehead rested against mine, his green eyes sparkling.

"I was so worried that you wouldn't feel the same," he whispered.

"Silly boy. I've been in love with you forever. I'd actually decided that I was going to tell you before prom, but hadn't worked up the nerve to do it yet," I told him softly. "I was hoping you felt the same as me, especially after you gave me the heart charm."

He smiled and pressed a kiss to my lips again. "I was hoping you'd understand what I couldn't say out loud at the time. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that it seems like we're too young to think about those things, but it's the truth."

The intensity on his face kind of scared me, but at the same time, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him as well.

"Oh, Edward. I want to spend forever with you. So much so, that it scares me."

We spent the rest of the evening cuddling, and saying I love yous, before we were interrupted by Alice. She came in and jumped up on Edward's bed, hugging both of us.

"I'm so happy for both of you!" she squealed. "I just knew that today was the day!"

Sometimes, Alice mystified me. She then proceeded to tell me all about how she and Jasper had declared their love for one another. Hell, she even alluded to how they celebrated finding out they were in love with each other. Edward quickly put a stop to that, by attempting to smother her with his pillow.

Friday had to be the longest Friday in the history of the world. Angela, Rose, and I were gathering at the Cullen house to get ready for the big night. All of our parents were going to be there, so that they could get pictures of all of us. Finally, the day came to an end. I was super excited. By five, the four of us were dressed, with makeup and hair done. And I must say, we looked good. Esme hollered up to us that the boys were downstairs waiting for us, so we headed to the living room. I was wearing heels for the evening, so I clung to the hand railing going down the stairs. It wouldn't do to fall and spend prom night in the hospital. Although, if that did happen I could spend prom with Dr. Hot. I reached the bottom and followed the girls into the living room, where my breath was taken away from me. There, looking like Adonis, was my man. He looked scrumptious in a black tux, with his turquoise cummerbund. His face lit up upon seeing me.

"Bella, love, you are stunning."

I blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. You look awfully handsome tonight."

He then put a beautiful turquoise and silver corsage on my wrist that matched the one in his lapel. Once compliments and pleasantries were given out, the picture taking commenced. We easily spent forty minutes having our pictures taken by our parents. Charlie even teared up a bit. He pulled me into a tight hug, told me how beautiful I looked, and that he couldn't believe that his baby girl was growing up.

Our parents had all pitched in to get us a limo. I felt it was a bit silly to take a limo to prom, since prom was being held at the Moose Lodge, but who was I to argue. We climbed into the limo after saying goodbye to our parents, and headed to the lodge. Lots of students were hanging around outside when we pulled up. Edward got out before me, and held his hand out for me to take. I felt like a princess on her way to the ball. Holding hands, we walked inside and I was stunned. Alice had a done a wonderful job decorating the place. I could see midnight sun written all over it.

We got our pictures taken after we walked in, then we headed toward our table. There were glasses of sparkling cider on the table, and food was being served. Terrified that I was going to spill something on my dress, I took my napkin and tucked it around my bodice. Ben thought it was hilarious and took a few pictures of me. I didn't care how dumb I looked. There was no way I was ruining my dress.

The music started and the dancing began. There were fast songs, slow songs, and songs that I couldn't figure out how you were supposed to dance to. Edward and I had a great time. Words of love were exchanged multiple times throughout the night, and each time he said I love you, I found myself falling more and more in love with him. In a way, I wished that the night wouldn't end. I loved being in his arms, enjoying the romance of it all. Once the dance was done, Emmett and Rose were crowned Prom King and Queen, which was no surprise to anyone. We decided to head to the diner in all our finery and get burgers to eat, then we'd all head back to the Cullen house to have our very own after-party. We met up with some other students at the diner, where all anyone was talking about was the dance.

"Alice, you did a fantastic job!" someone yelled across the room.

"Awesome dance!" someone else yelled.

Alice was in her element. She'd invited a few people back to her house for the party, but for the most part, it was going to be the eight of us. After dinner, we headed to the Cullen house with some kids following our limo. Esme had decorated the living room and set out pop and punch for the kids to drink. Music was playing off the iHome, everyone kicked off their shoes, and the after-party began. At around one, people started to head home, and by two, everyone was gone except for the eight of us. Us girls went to Alice's room and changed into our pajamas, agreeing to meet the boys in the den.

In the den, I noticed that Edward had commandeered the love sac. I climbed onto it, and snuggled up against him. His arm around my shoulder, my head on his chest. Emmett had thrown in one of the Resident Evil movies, which I hated. I was so over the zombie thing. Snuggled up with Edward, I told him quietly how I was glad that we were just hanging out here, and not at some sleazy motel somewhere. He laughed. I really hadn't wanted to be one of those girls who lost their virginity on prom night in a motel room shared with four other people. Edward and I had come to the agreement that we would have sex when it felt right for both of us.


Before we knew it, the end of the school year was fast approaching. Finals had just begun, and they had made everyone bitchy. Edward was stressing over his math final, while I was stressing over biology. Instead of letting Edward do all the work, or staring at him, I should have been paying attention. We were studying at his house in the living room, when we got into a argument.

"Edward?"

"What?"

"Could you please stop clicking your pen. It's driving me nuts."

"Yeah. Sorry."

And peace reigned for about five minutes, until I heard the clicking of his pen again. It was slowly driving me insane. I was stressed enough trying to understand all this biology crap, and the clicking of his pen was not helping me. I reached over and yanked the pen out of his hand.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, his head shooting up. "I need that."

"Use a pencil. I told you that the clicking was annoying me," I huffed at him.

Scowling, he reached over and took the pencil that was next to my notebook. I was ready to snap on his ass, but decided it wasn't worth it. I grabbed another pencil out of my pack and went back to studying. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him unwrap a piece of gum and put it in his mouth. A few seconds later, he began chewing away like a cow chewing on cud. What the fuck? I gritted my teeth, trying to keep quiet, but I couldn't take it anymore. Grabbing my stuff, I stomped upstairs and went to his room, shutting the door behind me. Turning his iHome on, I got myself settled at his desk, and got into study mode. No more than five minutes later, the door to his room slams open.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Edward scowled at me.

"Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that I'm trying to study, and you're down there being noisy as hell," I replied in anger.

"Well, excuse me," he said sarcastically.

"No. There's no excuse. You know I hate it when you click away on your pen and there was no need to be chewing so loudly."

"Give me a fucking break. I like to click my pen when I'm studying. You know this. And I wasn't chewing that loudly. You just want to pick a fight, don't you?"

"No. What I want to do is study without you annoying me!" I shouted at him.

"Fine. Why don't you just leave then?"

"Fine! I will," I shouted, cramming my stuff into my bag, and heading downstairs. Of course once I got down there, I realized that Edward had driven me and I had no way to get home. I found Dr. Hot in the kitchen and asked him if he would give me a ride home.

"Sure, Bella. Is everything okay?"

"Edward's being a jerk," was my reply.

The ride home was quiet, and I was starting to regret my behavior.

"Thanks for the ride, Carlisle."

"Anytime, Bella. I'm sorry Edward's being difficult."

I let out a sigh. "It's not entirely his fault. I'm sure I was being difficult too. I think we're stressed because of finals."

"I think you're right."

"I suppose I should call him and apologize, huh?"

Carlisle gave me a fatherly smile. "If not, I'm sure he'll call you and apologize."

I thanked him again for the ride, then headed inside. Sure enough, five minutes later, my phone rang.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," came Edward's warm voice through the phone.

"I'm sorry, too."

"I think the stress of finals is getting to us."

"I agree. Thankfully, they'll be over this week and then we've got all summer to have fun."

"Thank God. Did you need help studying for biology?"

"Yeah."

Edward spent the next hour explaining biology stuff to me. The next day, finals began. I was confident that I'd passed everything, but was worried that I wasn't going to maintain my 4.0 thanks to biology. I'd tried hard to remember everything that Edward had taught me, but when it came down to it, I think I made up half the answers. When finals ended on Friday, there was a collective sigh throughout the whole school. We cleaned out our lockers, threw away old papers, handed in books, and then we were free for two and a half months. Sweet, sweet freedom.

"We're free!" I hollered, as Edward scooped me up in his arms and swung me around in the parking lot. He planted a hot, passionate kiss on my lips, then pulled away.

"Just think, love. We've got all summer to do whatever we want."

"Not exactly. I told Charlie that I'd find a job this summer so I can start saving for college."

Mike overheard me and informed me that his parents were looking for a part-time cashier at their outdoor goods store. It wasn't exactly my ideal job, but it was better than nothing. I told Mike that I'd stop by and get an application the following week. Saturday and Sunday were spent going to graduation parties and celebrating school being over. Monday, I headed out to Newton's Sporting Goods and filled out the application. Within minutes, Mrs. Newton hired me. She told me that she needed someone to work in the mornings, Monday through Friday, from nine to one. That worked for me. Except for the whole getting up early thing. I wasn't looking forward to that, but at least I'd be done by one and could spent the rest of my afternoons with Edward.

I had just stepped outside of the store, when I heard a noise to my right. I looked over, but didn't see anything. Shrugging it off, I headed across the parking lot toward Chuck. I was in the midst of unlocking the car door, when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My hands began to shake as I struggled to unlock Chuck, but I couldn't get the key to turn in the lock. I felt a hand grip my shoulder. I whirled around, ready to attack.

"Everything okay, Bella?" Mr. Newton asked me.

I sagged in relief. It was just Mike's dad. I let out a sigh and told him that I was fine. Just having trouble with my key. I finally got the key to unlock Chuck and headed toward the Cullen house. I'd told Edward that I would stop by after filling out the application. I was on the logging road that headed toward his house, when Chuck started to make a weird noise. I watched as the speedometer started to slowly drop, until Chuck came to a stop. I had managed to pull over to the side of the road. Poor Chuck. He'd always been so reliable, so I couldn't imagine what was wrong with him. I reached for my phone that I'd put in my pocket, only to find it wasn't there. What the hell? Where the fuck was it? I searched the front seat and patted my pockets down, until I remembered that I'd set it down on the counter at Newton's when I was filling out my application. I thumped my head against the steering wheel. I didn't know what to do. The road I was on didn't have a lot of traffic, so I could be waiting for hours before someone drove by. But I also knew that it was better to stay with Chuck, than to walk down the road alone. So I sat. And waited.

Thirty minutes later, a car pulled up behind mine. It was a dark sedan with tinted windows, and I knew even before the hairs on my neck stood up, that it was James. I looked around the cab of the truck, trying to find a weapon of some sort. I had nothing. No hunting rifle, no baseball bat, just my pepper spray. Truth be told, I would be more likely to spray myself in the face with it, than my attacker. Realizing that I was a sitting duck, I grabbed the keys out of the ignition, got my pepper spray ready, and slid over to the passenger side of the car. I was hoping to quietly open the passenger door and jump out, then run as fast as I could for help. Not the best of plans, but it was the only one I had. It was that, or wait for James to do something.

Slowly, and praying to every god there was, I opened the passenger door, and crouched down next to Chuck. I heard James approach the driver's side, then heard him swear when he saw I wasn't there.

"I know you're out there, Isabella. Do you really think you can run and hide?"

Yes. Yes, I did. Clutching the pepper spray tightly in my hand, I cautiously began moving forward. I had two options, really. Head toward the woods that lined the road, or take the road and hope against all hope that someone would come by and rescue me. I had a split second to make a decision and opted for the woods. If I took the road, James would have the advantage with his car. I peeked around the end of the car, noticing that James was walking around the front. Seeing that as my chance, I ran toward one of the huge pine trees along the road. Hiding behind it, I took a deep breath to steady myself. Then, as quietly as possible, I made my way up the embankment. I knew it would only be a matter of time before James headed my way. I knew that I had to push on.

Peering around the tree, I saw a flash of dark clothing. Fuck! I took off, up the small hill, heading in the direction that I believed the Cullen house was. I wasn't the best of runners as it was, but add in sticks and logs, and it was a recipe for disaster. My heart was pounding, my breath coming in gasps, but I kept forging on. I could hear James behind me, his footsteps getting closer and closer.

"Now, Isabella, is all of this really necessary? I just wanted to have a nice little chat with you," I heard him say.

Oh yeah, right. He wanted to talk. I kept going, praying that I would miraculously end up in the Cullen's backyard. I made it to a clearing and saw what looked like a house, not too far away. I started running even faster, determined to get there. I made the mistake of looking behind me, and that's when everything went dark.


A/N: I, myself, am a pen clicker much like Edward and used to annoy the hell out of my husband while we were studying. So, what did you think of think of the chapter? Let me know!