A/N: Twilight is Meyer's. No copyright infringement intended.

Thanks for reading, and for reviewing.

BPOV

It was a good thing Edward was worth it.

When I made it downstairs after watching him leave, Jacob was waiting on the front porch. I let him in and handed him his plate of eggs and bacon. He immediately started to shovel it in, and I worked around him to rush through the last of my breakfast preparations, hoping I would finish before the stepmonsters showed up.

"You know," Jake commented around a mouthful of eggs, pointing his fork at me as I skirted him with Victoria's coffee, "you keep pushing it, you are going to get caught."

I shot him a glare. "You keep pushing it, you're going to get hungry."

He raised his fork defensively. "I'm just saying." He inhaled a piece of bacon before returning to his eggs. "Some people may have a problem with you keeping a guy in your room. Especially that one."

"Really? I had no idea."

Jacob snorted as I emerged from the kitchen again with two glasses of juice. "That one's just lucky he answers questions the right way."

That made me pause. "What questions?"

Jake shrugged. "Questions to determine if he got to keep the current arrangement of his face."

"Jacob—"

"Not a big deal, Bells." Jacob grinned at me as he scraped up the last of his breakfast. "He passed."

I grabbed the plate from him as I walked by. "No more questions, Jake."

"Sure, sure." He kept grinning as he trailed me into the kitchen. "I got what I needed, anyway."

"Good for you." I gave him a light shove and slipped the plate and fork into the dishwasher. As I straightened, I heard Victoria and the spawn making their way down the stairs. "Now keep your mouth shut."

His nose wrinkled when he heard them at the table, complaining about the food. As they settled, he grabbed a glass and poured himself some juice. I watched him for a moment before I drew in a deep breath and headed into the dining room.

"Bacon?" Lauren's accusatory voice slapped at me the second I appeared. "Prom is Saturday. I know you're not aware of that, Bella," she sneered, "but some of us need to eat a little better than this this week."

I swallowed an acidic retort and managed to give her a level stare. She curled her lip at my bland reaction and turned to her sister. "Speaking of which. We need to decide on nail polish for the manicure."

Well, this week was going to be fun.

Ignoring their chatter, I turned to Victoria. "I'm staying after school today to work on my project," I told her.

She didn't look at me. Instead, she flipped back the sleeve of her robe so she could examine her nails. "We need to try a new salon," she commented. "The girl we saw last time doesn't know the difference between red and red rose. This is not red rose."

I glared at the explosion of recently dyed red hair she'd barely attempted to tie into a bun on the top of her head and wondered what ridiculous name she'd given the color when she'd requested it. Whatever she'd called it, it looked about as natural as her blood red nails. "So I'll be home late," I forged on.

"I saw her using fuchsia on a girl who wanted hot pink," Jessica chimed in. "And this woman is a professional?"

I rolled my eyes and started for the stairs. Victoria stopped me. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Upstairs," I muttered.

"Clear this mess. We're done."

Done. They hadn't eaten anything. I clenched my jaw and moved back to the table to pick up the plates of "fattening" food they'd rejected. Lauren and Jessica smirked at me as they continued their nail polish analysis around me.

Jake's face was dark when I came back into the kitchen. His glass was shaking in his hand. "You need to just—"

"Two months, Jake," I reminded him quietly.

His anger slowly melted as I cleaned off their plates. "Yeah," he growled. "I don't want to lose the last two weeks with you, either."

I gave him a grateful look. He understood. And he wasn't going to push me to do anything to make Victoria cause more problems for our friendship when we already didn't have much time left.

When I'd finished clearing their breakfast, I raced upstairs. I quickly changed into jeans, a green T-shirt, and my brown hoodie, thankful that I could wear my normal clothes today – and that Edward actually seemed to like my normal clothes. I mean… I wasn't Alice. The last thing I needed was the stress of trying to figure out what part of my limited wardrobe to wear.

After a fast glance in the mirror to be sure everything was on straight, I tugged on my boots and picked up my backpack. My sketchbook was on the desk where Edward had left it, so I grabbed it and stuffed it into my bag. I'd finish his drawing today, probably when I was done with my English test. Then I'd be able to show him the completed image tonight.

Holding on to that thought, I rushed downstairs, grabbed Jasper's and Alice's quesadillas from the refrigerator, and all but shoved Jacob out the front door before Victoria or the spawn could catch us. He chuckled lowly and pulled my hood up over my hair as we walked through the light rain to my truck. "Just realize how late Romeo made you this morning?" he teased.

I tossed my backpack across the seat. "I have no idea why I even talk to you at all," I replied.

"You love me." Jake's grin turned mischievous. "Even if you never invite me to spend the night."

"Like I said. No idea why." I shook my head at him. "But I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"I do get the breakfast invites, though," he commented as he headed for his car.

"Pushing it!" I called after him. He shot me a grin and climbed into his car. I rolled my eyes and got into my truck, then pulled away from the curb behind him.

Alice and Jasper met me inside the front door of the school. I barely had time to smile at Jasper and cringe at the frothy material of Alice's blouse before she launched right into the middle of a conversation we hadn't started yet. "If we really want to get back at James, I think we should keep people away from his booth," she began. "He's money crazy, so that would be the perfect attack. And it would make his lie about not being able to pay you come true."

I tugged my damp hood back and shook out my hair. Alice skipped away as raindrops scattered, then she fell in beside me again, bouncing with entirely too much energy as we headed for my locker. I shook my head at her. "I don't recall saying I wanted to get back at James."

She huffed a little and watched me open my locker. "Of course you do."

"I actually was kind of relieved I wouldn't have to see him again." I shrugged as I pulled the two foil-wrapped quesadillas from my backpack and handed them to her. Her entire face lit up when she took them from me. Jasper gave me a wide grin as he accepted his, and I smiled back as I removed my sketchbook from my pack and selected my books and notebooks for my first few classes. Then I shoved my wet bag into my locker and slammed the door shut.

And froze.

Felix and Jane were standing a few feet away, watching me. Felix was grinning as he stared. Jane's face was blank. I shuddered and pulled my books to my chest.

I'd been hoping not to see them much anymore, either.

Alice followed my gaze. Her buoyancy stalled when she noticed the two royals. When she turned back to me, her face was dark. "Maybe we could overthrow the ruling class, too," she muttered.

"Or maybe we could just ignore them," I replied. I started to walk away from them. Jasper fell in behind me, keeping his glare leveled on Felix. Alice sighed and moved to walk beside me.

The farther we got, the more Alice began to perk up again. She was back to dancing along beside me by the time I reached my first class. "An infestation of rats to chew the bow strings," she mused. "Scare off any help he manages to hire between now and this weekend. Oh, and the arrows are what, metal or wood? We can break a few…."

"Alice," I interrupted her plotting. "We're not getting back at James."

"C'mon, Bella, we just—Mike alert," she broke off abruptly, giving me a rough shove into the classroom. "See you later."

Jasper quickly moved to block Mike's path. "Thanks," I called back to them as I hurried to my desk.

Half an hour later, I'd finished my English test and was adding the final touches to my sketch of Edward and his mom. As I shaded his hair on the page, I cocked my head and let my mind wander. It wandered directly to him. I wondered what he was doing right now.

And if he was as anxious for school to be over as I was.

EPOV

School always dragged. But today, knowing that I would see Bella as soon as it was over… It was endless.

I was putting my books in my locker before lunch when Emmett suddenly grabbed my arm. "Tanya alert," he muttered, slamming my locker closed and dragging me down the hall with him.

At the end of the hall, I looked back. Tanya hadn't followed us. I pulled my arm out of Emmett's grasp. "She's not moving, Em," I told him.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Huh. That's different," he commented.

For a moment, we both watched the redhead as she talked on her cell phone at the other end of the hall. Emmett was right. It was different. Even if she was on the phone, she usually tried to get my attention. But whomever she was talking to now had her full – and irate – focus.

Thank God.

Emmett snickered suddenly. "She looks pissed. Good thing she didn't see you."

"It's always a good thing when she doesn't see me," I responded.

"I'd prefer not to see you, either, but I'm never that lucky," a new voice chimed in.

Emmett immediately perked up. "Hey, Rose." He moved to his girlfriend's side and slid his arm around her shoulders. Then he grinned at me. "Wonder what Tanya would say if she knew about your girl."

"Ugh. Tanya and Bella don't even belong in the same sentence." I made a face toward the annoyed redhead. When I turned back, Rosalie was rolling her eyes. I rolled mine back as we started for her locker. "But speaking of Bella… She got fired on Sunday."

Emmett froze in the middle of the hall. Since his arm was around her, Rosalie was pulled to a stop beside him. She looked over at him as he stared at me. "Fired? Was it… Not because of me?"

I was amazed that he had come up with that connection on his own. "No," I assured him. "It had nothing to do with your drunkenness. Her boss just decided he didn't want to pay her anymore."

"That sucks." Emmett started walking again. "No more turkey legs."

"Right. That's the worst part." I shook my head. "Anyway, I was thinking we could go this weekend." Saturday, I mused. While Bella was busy getting ready for prom with Alice. "Maybe take our time learning archery."

Emmett's face broke into a huge grin. He understood my implication immediately. "Break a little of the booth while we're at it?" he asked. "Sounds like fun."

Rosalie shook her head and shrugged out from under his arm. "I don't want to hear this." She pulled a little ahead of us. "Can't you two ever just be normal?"

"We have practice tonight," Emmett told her. "That's normal, right? You gonna meet me after?"

"Ness and I have plans. I'll meet you around seven."

"Oh, hey, Emmett," I began. "I'm heading for Forks right after school. I'll be back as soon as I can, but I'll be late for practice."

Emmett gave me a look as Rosalie stopped at her locker and spun in her combination. "Aren't you going to see her tonight?"

"Yes." I shrugged. "And I'm stopping by the school to see her, too. I won't miss much of practice, Em. Calm down."

He gave me a steady look. "Playoffs."

I stared right back. "Bella."

"Coach is gonna be pissed if you miss."

"Emmett, you're gonna be pissed if I miss. Coach won't care." I observed his stubborn expression and tried not to sigh. "She's working on her art project this afternoon. She'll be alone. It's one of my only chances to hang out with her. And I told her I'd be there."

"But you're supposed to be here. Don't get so wrapped up in her that you forget the team, man. This is an important practice."

"Em, it's Forks. I'm not going to Italy. I told her I'd probably be in a hurry, anyway. I'm just stopping by the school to say hi and maybe see her artwork." Definitely see her artwork, I corrected. If she was willing to show me.

Suddenly Emmett focused on one of my earlier comments. "Wait. You're going to be alone with her in the art room? Will there be any modeling involved?"

Rosalie made a rude noise from where she was fixing her eye makeup in her locker's mirror. "Who'd want to have Edward as a model?" she muttered.

"I bet Bella would." Emmett wagged his brows at me. "It would help her focus on all the details."

I glared. But Emmett wasn't done. His grin widened. "Or maybe," he continued with entirely too much enthusiasm, "she'd be willing to model for you. You know, to help you channel your own creativity. See what you can do with your hands—"

"Emmett!" My interruption was sharp. And maybe edged with a little desperation. Because the images he was conjuring in my head were not appropriate.

But to quote Bella, holy crow.

Emmett let out a loud guffaw. Rosalie was smirking at me in the mirror. She'd caught the frantic edge in my tone. Then her smile slowly faded. Her eyes were on something behind me.

When I followed her gaze, I saw Tanya just rounding the corner. I quickly turned back to Rose. "Did she hear any of that?"

"I'm not sure." Rosalie frowned. She didn't like Tanya, either. Then she raised a brow at her boyfriend. "You need to learn to keep your mouth shut, Emmett."

I sighed. "It's okay. People may be finding out soon, anyway."

Even Rosalie looked interested by that. "What do you mean?" Emmett asked.

"I, um… asked Bella to her prom."

Rosalie blinked at me. I'd managed to surprise her. I only had a second to enjoy that before Emmett exclaimed, "You're taking her to prom?"

"God, Emmett. Mouth." I glanced around the hall. Thankfully, no one seemed to be listening. "And yes. No. Maybe."

"And that means what, exactly?" Emmett demanded.

"It means she wants to go with me. But she has more at stake than I do. She needs to keep this… us… a secret. At least until graduation. But she is thinking about it. And if she says yes, I'm taking her."

Neither of them questioned Bella's need for secrecy. Out of respect for her or for me, I wasn't sure. But they let it go. Rosalie focused on something else. "When's their prom?"

"Saturday."

"Same as ours," she mused. "Tanya will be pissed if she finds out you're missing our prom to go to Forks."

That idea seemed to amuse her, either because of Tanya's ire being aimed at me or because of Tanya being irate in general. Or maybe because of both. I shrugged. "I wouldn't be going to our prom either way."

Emmett had grown bored with the prom talk. "I'm starving," he announced. "Are we going to lunch or what?"

I suddenly noticed that the hall had grown very empty. Everyone else had made it to the cafeteria. As Rosalie put away her makeup, I remembered what I had been getting out of my locker when Emmett had dragged me away. "Come with me," I said. "I forgot something."

"It better be edible."

I rolled my eyes at Emmett's gripe. He and Rosalie walked back to my locker with me. When I pulled out the foil-wrapped packet and offered it to him, he stared at it suspiciously. "What is this?"

"A thank you from Bella. For sort of getting her a day off on Saturday." I waved it at him impatiently.

Slowly, he accepted the packet and started to unwrap it. He was acting like he thought it would explode. Finally, Rosalie huffed and took it from him. She unwrapped it quickly and handed it back. And Emmett's face changed.

"Holy shit." He stared down at the quesadilla, then lifted it to inhale deeply. I could smell the peppers and onions from where I stood. It made my mouth water. But as Bella had requested, I had given Emmett his quesadilla intact.

He was lucky. I'd almost eaten it twelve different times yesterday.

As he gawked at the food, I noticed Rosalie's expression. Even she seemed interested. My girl made a mean quesadilla.

Emmett took an experimental bite. "You could ask the lunch lady to warm it up for you," I commented.

"I don't need to," he mumbled around the mouthful. "This is freaking awesome." He took another huge bite, then held it out to Rosalie. "Try it."

To my surprise, Rosalie took a small bite. "It's not bad," she allowed. But she was impressed. I could see it in her eyes even as she tried to hide it. I grinned widely at her reaction.

"Not bad," Emmett scoffed. He pulled the quesadilla back and bit into it again. "Hell, Edward. This is the best Mexican food I've ever had. Your girl can cook."

If Bella hadn't won Emmett over already, she would have right then. But since she'd already earned his approval, his next step was a marriage proposal after a meal like that. I could see it forming in his eyes. And sure enough…

"Dude. Marry her."

I laughed. He simply grunted at my reaction as he stuffed his face. "I think I'll take her to prom first," I replied.

"Hell with prom. Just marry her now." He looked down at what was left of the quesadilla. After a short inner battle, he broke off half and handed it to Rosalie. She rolled her eyes and took it.

Amazing. Rosalie actually wanted to eat it.

She noticed my expression and smirked at me. I smiled as she nibbled on a green pepper. It was unreal. Bella had managed to gain more of Rosalie's approval without even being in the same town. My girl was incredible.

And I couldn't wait to see her.