A/N: Surprise? I didn't think that I would be able to get this chapter up as soon as I am. No, I haven't gotten a new computer yet. I'm using an old one of my mom's that we didn't even think worked anymore. It's made getting this chapter edited and uploaded an ordeal. I might be ready to rip my hair out. With that being said, it will probably be a few weeks until I can get the next chapter up. I don't think that I can handle using this computer again without it getting thrown out the window.

Anyway, I re-wrote parts of this chapter that felt too awkward or blunt in the original. I think that it's better for it.

Happy Reading!

16. Like a River Runs

That night I sent over the parkway
The summer's gone and I'm alone
And I get the feeling that you're somewhere close
And I wanna get up
To the rhythm of your wild, to the rhythm of your wild heart
It beats, been beating since you've gone

- Like a River Runs, Bleachers

Edward's back.

And in my driveway.

And he's wearing the Lakers sweatshirt.

I might also be freaking out a little… alright, a lot. It's weird knowing that he's within my reach. I don't know what to do with myself and I have to keep fighting the urge to look out the window at him like the obsessive stalker I am. I'm abuzz with a nervous energy and my heart feels like it's stuck in my throat. I'm also very confused.

What's he doing back? Why did he come back? How did he end up here playing basketball with my brother like no time has passed?

It's jarring to go from talking to Rose about the Jacob situation to having the guy that I'd been trying to get over stand in my driveway.

Crap! Jacob. I still have to deal with that. He's still texting me periodically, but right now all I can focus on is Edward and trying not to give myself a heart attack with all the fretting that I'm doing. I can deal with Jacob later, which will be yet another thing for me to fret over. I still need to figure out how to let him down.

"What are you doing?" Mom's voice startles me, and I bang my head on the window.

Yeah, the not looking out the window like an obsessive stalker was working out so well for me!

I rub my forehead, looking at her while ignoring the fact that I'm blushing ten thousand shades of red. "Nothing!" I say a little too quickly, pointing to the window that I not so subtly gave myself a concussion with. "Did you know that Edward's in our driveway?" I try to act nonchalant, even though I probably left drool all over the window. Did I mention that he looks good? Because he does. Really, really good.

She looks at me with an amused half smile, standing there in the doorway to the living room holding a basket of dirty clothes. The smile dissipates when she gets a good look at me. "What happened to you?"

I look down, finally remembering that I haven't changed out of my jeans that are damp from their crash landing in the grass, embarrassed all over again. "I fell," I don't divulge why I fell, saving some of my dignity.

She lifts her brow at me, "Mhmm," she hums. She may be my mother, but she still knows girl code. She knows exactly why I fell. She walks away, laughing to herself and shaking her head.

Before I embarrass myself further, I decide that its time to change. I need a breather and some perspective before I give myself anymore mental whiplash today.

When I come back down the stairs, Edward and Emmett are standing in the foyer talking to Dad. It must be an okay conversation because they're all laughing and Dad's not glaring.

"It's nice to have you back, son." Dad claps Edward on the back and I wonder where the 'son' comes from because he's never called any of Emmett's other guy friends that before. "You were missed around here."

Edward gets all bashful, rocking back on his heels at what Dad just said. He's never liked to be doted on. "Thank you, sir."

"Would you like to stay for dinner, we have plenty?" Dad offers, and my throat closes a little.

Please stay for dinner… please don't stay… please stay… no… yes… PLEASE STAY FOR DINNER!

"Thank you, but I can't. My dad's still in town and he wants to go to dinner." Edward's eyes find mine where I'm standing frozen on the stairs. His dad came to North Carolina with him, which just adds to the mystery of his sudden reappearance. The last that I'd checked, he'd been loving it out there. I wonder what changed.

"The invite is always open. Don't be a stranger." Dad gives Edward's back another slap before walking into the living room to watch whatever game is on tonight.

"See you later, man." Emmett gives him the standard guy handshake.

"See you later," Edward turns his attention to me, his crooked smile coming to his face. "'Bye, Nugget." He mouths to me, his smile widening when my face flames.

I can't find my voice, so instead I wave… at least I think I do. My body's numb, and I don't know if my decision actually makes it to my limb.

Today's been a whirlwind and my mind and emotions can't keep up. My body's gone catatonic as self-defense.

I spend the next several hours group texting with the girls, telling them about how Edward's back and how I feel on my face the moment that I saw him. They're all as shocked and surprised as I am. I also continue to ignore the dozen or so texts that I have from Jacob. I'm too mentally drained to deal with that predicament today.

Most of the night I spend tossing and turning, my mind running a mile a minute. This is one of those times that I wish that I was more like Emmett. He isn't fazed by anything and I'm overly affected. To him, having his friend back isn't any newsworthy thing, except he hadn't previously dated said friend. A relationship that had been left open ended. It's been a year and a half, a lot of things have changed. I've changed. So, is that agreement still a thing?

Edward and I have a lot to talk about.

Monday's a teacher workday, so we don't have school. Green Hope has a block schedule, so Tuesday marks the beginning of the second semester.

Monday's also an Edward free day. He spends the day with his dad before he had to fly out the next day.

Tuesday morning, I put more effort into my school outfit than I ever have before. I settle on a black t-shirt dress with a jean jacket and flats. Something that makes me look nice without making it obvious that I'd spent thirty minutes trying to decide what to wear.

When I get downstairs, Emmett's sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal.

"Where's mom?" I ask getting my own bowl down and filling it Coco Puffs.

Emmett slurps the milk from his bowl, the sound making my skin crawl. "She and dad headed out already."

I turn to him surprised. Mom drives us to school every morning because Sophomores aren't allowed to drive to school yet. Our parent's older SUV sat mostly undriven since they'd given it to us for our sixteenth birthday because the only place that we really go is school and work. Or we end up fighting over whose turn it is to use it, which usually ends with Dad getting exasperated with us and taking away the keys.

Their other gift to us were jobs at the restaurant. Thoughtful, right?

"Edward texted me this morning asking if we needed a ride, so he's taking us instead." He says it like it's no big deal, which to him it isn't. "You didn't get it? It was a group message."

I pull my phone out of a pocket of my jacket, and sure enough, there's a message from Edward asking if we need and my brother's reply of 'yes'.

"Oh."

Edward's driving us! I mentally prepared myself to see him at school, not on the way to school! How am I going to handle it?

I choke my own cereal down, too nervous to eat. My nerves are already frazzled, and I haven't even laid eyes on him yet.

Emmett and I wait outside on the porch for him, and I'm seriously regretting my outfit choice. My legs have officially turned to ice cubes. In my defense I didn't think that I was going to be standing out in the cold.

When Edward pulls up in front of the house, I'm not surprised to see that he's driving a newer looking Mercedes. The Cullen's seem to have a thing for them. It's dark blue and still has the paper tags on it.

I don't even try to argue with my brother as he slides in the front seat. I don't think that I can handle being that close to Edward yet and gladly get in the back. The entire drive to school I'm pin straight in my seat, barely breathing because I'm sharing the same air as him. The guys are completely at ease in the front seat, talking about sports and video games and I envy how easy it is for them.

"Are you okay?" Edward asks once we get to school and are making our way across the student lot. "You've been quiet this morning."

"Yeah, I'm just tired." Oh, yeah, I might also be acting like a freak because you're standing next to me and you smell really good and all I can think about it kissing you. But, you know, totally fine.

When we walk inside, Emmett parts ways with us to go to the guidance office. Due to scheduling and classes being full, his first period's been left empty. I wonder what awful class he's going to get stuck in because of it.

"So," Edward looks at his schedule. "Where's your first period?"

"Room 203." I reply looking at my own schedule.

"Huh," he looks at me with a mischievous look. "Mine's 204. What a coincidence, we both have science first period."

I shake my head with a roll of my eyes. Knowing that he's going to be in the classroom next to mine, there's no way that I'm going to be able to concentrate.

"Oh. My. God. Edward!" a female voice calls before we can walk any further.

Bree Tanner. She's a junior and on the varsity squad with me. She's one of those people that I don't like or hate, but the way that she's looking at Edward like she's a hunger ravaged beast, makes me not like her at the moment. I also think that she's sticking her boobs out more and batting her eyes at him. I have a feeling that I'm going to witness a lot of this today.

"I didn't know that you were back!" She pushes lightly on his chest all flirty, which makes me more jealous than I care to admit.

"I just got in a few days ago." He rocks back on his heels as he says this, his hands going into his pockets. He's uncomfortable. That makes two of us.

"Do you want some help finding your way around?" she's batting her eyes so hard that I think for sure her false lashes are going to pop off. Also, what's with that question? It's not like the guy's new. I'm more than sure that he knows his way around.

And I am soooooo jealous!

He looks from her to me and it actually has me wondering if he's going to take up her offer, but then he slings his arm around my shoulders, squeezing me to his side for the briefest of moments. "No. I got Bella here to help me out."

I look at him surprised, the weight of his arm around me heavy. He just shut down a hot junior girl. A girl in his class, for me. Well… at least for my navigational skills. My heart swells, and it gives me a twinge of hope, and I have to bite my lips to keep from grinning like an idiot.

Bree looks at me with a tight-lipped smile, "Oh. Well, I'm around if you need me." As she turns to walk away, she winks at him and it makes me want to hurl. Did he have to deal with this the last time that he was here, or is this something new? Did he have to deal with this in California?

"Wow," I comment as we walk through the double doors that lead into the first floor, two-hundred hallway, "Do you get that all the time?" Edward is an incredibly good-looking guy. I'm crazy to even think about me being the only girl in school to find him drool worthy.

A drool worthy guy who still has his arm around me.

Edward laughs, his cheeks turning a light pink. "A little." He meets my eyes and I can't read the emotion in them. "I'm not interested in any of those girls."

"Oh, okay." We come to a stop in front of my first period class, his arm finally sliding off me, and we dissolve into an awkward silence. "Well, see you later?"

"Later, Nugget," the backs of his fingers touch my chin briefly before he walks backwards toward his first period, giving me a wink before disappearing inside.

I walk into the classroom my body feeling like Jell-O and completely jittery. He said that he wasn't interest in any of 'those' girls. He was sending me a message there, right? That maybe, just maybe, he might be interested in me… again… still.

And what was with him keeping his arm around me and touching my chin with that soft look on his face?

I was officially even more confused than I was before.

None of my friends are in my first two periods and I'm dying to talk to Rose or Claire or Alice. I feel like I'm going to explode. So, when the bell for lunch rings, I fly out of English class on the third floor and run down the stairs faster than I ever have before. I'm the first person that makes it to our usual lunch table.

Alice and Jasper are the next to arrive. They have the same History class before lunch.

"Hey, Bella!" Alice chirps as she and Jasper take their seats across from me.

"Hey," I play with the edge of my lunch bag, nervous.

"So, Edward's back." Jasper states, pulling a sandwich out of his lunch bag. He gets right to the point.

"Yeah, he drove Emmett and me to school this morning."

"No way!" Alice squeals, jumping around in her seat like a jumping bean.

She makes me tell her all the details of the morning. From the ride to school to Bree Tanner fawning all over him. As I'm telling her this, the rest of the group arrives. Rose and Royce sit next to Alice and Jasper on the left, Claire and Quil sit next to them on the right.

Emmett's the last to show up, taking a seat on my right.

"So, where is he?" Claire asks, expectantly. Leaning toward me with her arms on top of the table.

I shrug, "I don't. He's a junior. He might be off campus."

"It's weird, right? Him being back?" Sutton adds.

"Yeah, knowing he's in my school feels strange."

"I can't believe that he just showed up in your driveway like that," Mia pushes her hair, that's now in a short bob and a light blue color, behind her ears.

Quil huffs, "Are you guys going to talk about anything other than this?"

Claire gives him a glare, "When was the last time that something noteworthy has happened? It's not like anyone else has anything exciting or different to add."

"I'm in a band," Jasper mentions so casually, taking a bite of his school bought pizza, like it's something equivalent to saying 'hey, I just got a root canal.' His words halt Quil and Claire's argument.

The rest of us freeze, the conversation about how weird it is to have Edward back stopping at this unexpected news. We're all openly gaping at him, while he continues to eat his pizza, completely unfazed.

"You're in a band?" Claire's the first one of us to find her voice, sounding so calm in only the way she can.

"Yeah," there he goes again with nonchalance.

"For how long?" Claire's the only one carrying this conversation because the rest of us are still having too hard of a time picturing quiet Jasper in a band. I mean, we're talking about the guy that threw up when he had to stand on stage to get a certificate for getting honor roll in seventh grade. He literally only had to stand there and take a piece of paper, and it had been too much.

"Since the beginning of summer."

"What?!" Alice shrieks, no one else's voice is able to go that shrill. "You've been in a band that long and didn't tell us?"

"Yeah," he shrugs, like he doesn't understand what the big deal is. In all the years that we had known each, none of us had ever kept anything this big from the group for this long.

"What do you do in this band of yours?" Quil asks, leaning against his elbows on the table. "And how are you able to get on stage without puking everywhere? Carry around one of those bags that they give you on planes?"

"First of all, bite me. And second of all, I play guitar, dipshit."

"You mean, you've been talented this whole time and none of us knew?" Emmett teases.

"Did I mention bite me?" Jasper gives him a menacing stare, but even I can see the hint of amusement in his expression.

Jasper proceeds to tell us how he and a few guys he'd met when he started working at Lowes Foods, got to talking one day about music and their favorite bands. He'd mentioned that he played guitar and one thing led to another.

"I still can't believe you're in a band," I comment, still in awe after a few moments. This probably tops the list of weirdest things that's happened today.

"Is this seat taken?" Edward's voice asks from behind me.

No, I stand corrected. This is the weirdest thing that's happened today. Him being in my school, much less at my lunch table, is going to take some getting used to.

I spin on my seat to find Edward standing behind me with a nervous look on his face. He rocks back on his heels, fingering his lunch bag as he waits for me to say something. He hadn't gone off campus after all.

"N… no." I move my things over on the table, making room for him at the only available seat left. Right next to me.

As he sits down next to me, Alice gives me a knowing smirk. I widen my eyes at her, telling her to stop. To keep it cool. Even though I'm neither of these things.

It's surreal to have him at my lunch table. Even when he lived here before, this was a part of my life that he didn't touch. And I don't seem to be the only one thinking it's strange, because all of our friends have stopped talking and are looking in our direction.

No, this isn't awkward at all.

He sits down next to me, setting his lunch bag on the table in front of him as he starts taking the contents out. It doesn't escape my notice that his knee is touching mine. Neither of us move, and I know it's not an accident.

"So, um, where were you?" I take a bite of my apple, trying to act cool. But he's at my lunch table and nothing about this is normal.

"Guidance office fixing my schedule. Did I miss anything?"

I know he's just talking about today, but it makes me think of all the things he missed. That we both did.

"Jasper was just telling us about the band he's in."

Even Edward looks surprised at this news, looking over at Jasper and asking: "You're in a bad?"

"That's what I was saying!" Claire exclaims, bringing her hand done on the table a little harder than she should have.

And just like that, the spell that had descended over the table is broken and all of our friends go back to giving Jasper shit over not telling us sooner, talking over each other.

After the lunch hour, we all parted for our respective third periods. I go out the door to the trailers where Latin is. I've heard many things about Mr. Moore from several students. Emmett had had him last semester and said that he was cool. I had seen him walking around school, high fiving students. He seems like a chill teacher, but his class is hard. I'm either going to fail miserably or do okay. I don't have high hopes for an A.

"We keep running into each other."

I startle, turning to see Edward coming up the stairs behind me, smiling.

"What are you doing?" I ask like an idiot. What else would he be doing, other than going to class?

"Going to Latin." He smirks at me, and that stupid, condescending look makes me incredibly irritated and incredibly turned on at the same time… just like it used to.

"You're in this class?" I squeak out, continuing to sound like an idiot. My hopes for a B just went down to a C. If I thought that it was hard to concentrate in Biology with him in the next room, it's going to be even harder when he's in the same room.

His chest shakes with laughter, "Are you going to let us in, or do you just want to be late? I'm cool either way." He jokes, stepping closer to me, completely invading my personal space. The way that he's looking at me makes my knees weak.

"You're so funny!"

Numbly, I open the door and walk in.

As if my life hasn't been rom-com enough today, the only two seats left are right next to each other in the front row, right inside the door. There went my C, because it just became a D.

Today is the typical go over the rules, have your parents sign and fill out way too many pieces of paper day. It's a good thing because I don't hear any of what Mr. Moore says. I'm too busy sneaking looks at Edward out of the corner of my eye.

At the end of the day, and my fourth period art class later. I find myself walking to where Edward's car is parked.

He's already there, leaning against the trunk of his car. He looks so cool standing there with a pair of Ray Bans on. I'm so sucked into my Edward drool fest, that I almost don't notice Jacob Black walking to the car right next to his.

Without thinking and panic stricken, because I still haven't handled that situation, I duck beside Edward's and the car on the left side of his, hiding.

"Bella?" Edward looks at where I'm sitting on the asphalt like I'm a loon that escaped a mental asylum, with an amused look on his face. "What are you doing?"

"Hiding," I bit my lip, feeling the humiliation wash over me.

"O… kay. Do you do this often?" He pushes his sunglasses on top of his head, leaning his hip against his back bumper, carrying on a conversation with me like this is the most natural thing in the world.

"No," I snap out, hating that he's seeing me act like this. "Is that guy gone?" I ask, my butt's starting to get cold from the pavement and my face is hot with embarrassment.

He looks over to his right, "Yeah."

I stand from my crouched position, not able to look Edward in the eye as I brush dirt off my ass.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" He looks highly amused, still leaning against his car, completely at ease.

I shut my eyes tightly, "That guy, Jacob Black, I went on a date with him the other night. It didn't go well."

"You went on a date with Jacob Black?" he asks, the shocked expression on his face giving me a grim sense of satisfaction. "He's so..." he trials off at a loss for the right word.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh, coming to stand next to him against the car. "Douche-y?"

He wrinkles his nose, "Yeah. Some of the guys that I used to hang out with were friends with him, so he'd sit at our lunch table sometimes. He used to talk about nothing but himself all the time. He probably has the biggest ego of anyone that I've ever met. Which says something because I've lived in LA."

"Did he ever give you all the details of his exercise regimen?"

"He didn't!" Edward looks aghast.

I laugh, nodding. "He did."

He shakes his head, "Jesus." he kicks at the pavement, silent for a moment before saying: "It's his loss, though." His eyes burn into mine, and I can't not ask.

"What about you? Leave any broken hearts behind?"

I know as soon as the words are out of my mouth, that I regret asking. His whole face falls and he averts his eyes.

Oh, God! Oh, God!

"Just one," his voice is so quiet, that I almost can't hear it. "Her name was Tanya. We went out for a couple of months."

With each word that comes out of his mouth, the more I feel like I can't breathe. They're the last words that I thought that he would say. I thought maybe, maybe he'd say that he'd gone out on a couple of dates, but not this.

He'd had a relationship. While I've been a virtual recluse, he'd dated someone.

"Cool." Cool? COOL!? That's all that you could think to say? You pined after this guy for how long only to find out he had a girlfriend and all you could come up with is cool?

Edward opens his mouth to say something, but Emmett joins us, immediately going into how awful the elective that he'd gotten thrown into due to the hole in his schedule, not noticing the tension between Edward and me.

I spend the ride home in silence, trying to process what he told me. I'm jealous and hurt, which is ridiculous because I'd gone on a date, too. I'd been trying to do the same thing. It was just an emotional gut punch to know that while I'd been at least subconsciously waiting for him, he'd had a girlfriend.

That night, after I escape up to my room, I can't help myself from opening my laptop and logging onto Facebook. I'm demented, bent on torturing myself as I scroll through Edward's friend list to find Tanya. I already know the kind of girl that she's going to be, gorgeous to the point of being model worthy, perfect teeth, and big boobs, but actually seeing her picture's another story. She has piercing blue eyes and stunning strawberry blonde hair. She's all legs in the tiny bikini that she's wearing in a picture on her Facebook wall. She's the type of girl that I imagine living in Los Angeles.

I come across a picture of the two of them together. They're obviously at a party. She's making a funny face, sticking her tongue out of her mouth, with her arm around Edward. He's blushing with a hint of a smile on his face, looking at the camera. They made a cute couple.

I slam my laptop closed. I shouldn't have allowed myself to do this. It was so much easier when it was an abstract idea.