Then

When Edward dropped Bella back off at home later that day, her grandmother had been waiting for her at their kitchen table.

"Tea, dear?" Helen asked, as Bella dropped her bag on the chair across from her. They stared at one another for a moment. Bella couldn't tell if her grandmother knew what she had been up to.

"Okay," she responded hesitantly, sinking into a chair. She watched as her grandmother stood and walked to the cupboard to pull out a mug. Helen was moving slower these days, but she still had the same grit that she'd had when she was young. She returned and set a cup of tea in front of Bella.

"I heard that you weren't feeling well today."

Bella froze wide-eyed. She had never been good at lying. It didn't help that her feelings were reflected so obviously. "Um…"

"And that you were supposed to go to the nurse's office but you didn't make it there."

Bella's heart was racing. She had never done anything wrong up until that point in her life. She was a very well-behaved girl.

"I can explain," she cried, even though she wasn't even sure how to explain it.

Helen waved her hand as to say go on.

"I..wasn't feeling well. And my friend -"

"Edward Cullen." So Helen likely already knew the whole story.

"Yes, Edward Cullen," Bella continued. "He was taking me to the nurse's office, but we decided that fresh air would be better for me." She thought back to their make out session in his backyard and felt her face heat. "And we ended up...leaving."

"Leaving…" Helen continued to stare at her granddaughter who was fidgeting uncontrollably at this point. There was likely evidence of her distress in Helen's front yard. She waited for Bella to continue.

"And," Bella swallowed. "We went to his house and just hung out in his backyard. We didn't do anything bad, I swear!"

At this point, Bella was ready to pass out. She was also incredibly aggravated with herself for telling the whole truth.

Helen nodded. "Do you like this Edward?"

Bella's blush deepened. "What? No- I..as a friend, yes. I barely...even...think about him."

Helen smirked. Bella smashed her lips together. This was why she never lied. Her grandmother always saw right through it.

"You barely even think about him."

"Stop repeating the things that I'm saying!" Bella threw her hands up. "Yes, okay. He's really nice to me, and he noticed that I wasn't feeling well. Everybody else just...ignores me or acts like I'm going to hurt them."

"He notices you."

Bella shook her head. "I mean, he has to. I'm his lab partner...but he… we talk about things that have nothing to do with school. I feel like he actually may like me."

Helen's smirk deepened into a warm smile. She had always wanted her granddaughter to find happiness. "Well, that's sweet." She stood. "You're still grounded."

"But…" Bella shut her mouth.

Helen raised her eyebrow. "But what, Isabella?"

Bella winced at the use of her full name. "Um...I kind of have a date tomorrow night."

Helen paused for a moment. The boy already had feelings for Bella. "You'll have that date here then. I'd love to meet the boy who is trying to turn my granddaughter into a delinquent."

She knew it wasn't true. The Cullen family was well respected, and her encounters with them had always been kind. The few times she interacted with the boy, he was well-mannered.

"Grandma!" Bella groaned. She had never brought a boy home. There were no other boys that she cared about.

"You're still grounded after that."

It turned out that Edward, too, was grounded for ditching school. Bella found out the next day in their biology class. When he walked in, she was doodling in her notebook. She tried not to look up when she pulled out the chair next to her.

She tried and failed, but when she looked at him, she saw him staring right back at her. He gave her a small smile, which sent her heart racing. She smiled back.

"Hello, Bella."

"Hello, Edward."

They watched each other for a moment with big grins on their faces before giggling at how formal they were trying to be with one another. If she had any worries that the night before hadn't meant as much to Edward, those were squashed when she looked at him. She had shared her first kiss with him, and despite her reputation as an evil witch, he still smiled at her.

"I brought you something." He set a clear container with a cupcake in front of her. It was chocolate cake with white frosting from a local bakery that had been known for its desserts. Somehow, Edward knew about Bella's sweet tooth. "I figure that it wouldn't make sense to get you flowers."

Her eyes met his. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I would probably have to buy them from you grandmother." He laughed, making his eyes twinkle.

"Right," she breathed in relief. That reminded her. "Speaking of my grandmother...she wants you to come over tonight...for our date."

He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Well, I would love to, but I'm grounded for the rest of the week for ditching. I mean, it's bad enough that we're getting detention. It's not like you and I have done anything wrong in the past."

Bella thought back to her parents. She shook her head. She had worked through that.

"Well, we probably shouldn't have ditched." She joked.

Edward narrowed his eyes at her. "You do know this means I can't take you out until I'm no longer grounded, right?"

She nodded. She definitely knew. She was very disappointed.

"So this weekend then? Saturday?"

"I'll still be grounded," Bella groaned. "But...you can still come by...if you wanted."

She didn't address the fact that nobody came by. Most people avoided passing the house if they could.

"That sounds great," Edward responded, unfazed. "I look forward to it."

Some fluff and Bella got some quality time with Grandma.

Your responses to this story mean so much to me! I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving!

Until next time!

Bravery