*Disclaimer - Still don't own any of these characters. That's all SM's territory. No copyright infringement intended. Please, please review honestly. Feel free to message me with any questions or comments you may have as well. I'm really enjoying the response and as this is my first Twilight fanfic, I am more than welcoming any helpful tips or hints you guys might have. I do have a couple of beta readers helping on my end as well - I want to forwarn you all that this chapter is rather long. I have them pre-separated already so some may be very long while others are shortened as these edits go. I hope it is no inconvenience and you all enjoy the ride.

By the end of Christmas break, Bella landed her first "real" job. Mike Newton had been talking her up to his mom and she approached Bella at The Diner one evening. Charlie agreed to the offer before she had a chance to respond, and Mrs. Newton gave a date to come in for a first shift. Mike stood silently behind her until they finished talking. He lifted his hand for a high-five as he passed that Bella returned happily and sat down at a booth with Charlie.
"Looks like that Newton kid's got a big smile for ya," Charlie said.
"Yeah, he's a good buddy."
"What about any of these other clowns," Charlie asked. While his mother was talking to another set of customers, Mike had made his way outside. He was roughhousing in the parking lot with some other kids from school. The waitress came by with their usual cup of coffee and coke, their preferences predictable, especially for Charlie. Thursday nights meant steak and cobbler.
"Dad, you wanna talk about boys," she jokingly asked. Both of her cheeks flushed pink, and they laughed, turning to their unnecessary menus.
"No, no. Not really," Charlie said gruffly. They both ordered the usual items and gave the menus back. Charlie stared up at a wrestling match on the TV while waiting, and Bella silently contemplated some new financial goals. Charlie did not want her paying bills at the house, but she was determined to pitch in where she could. Bella had lived with empty cabinets for too long with Renee. While groceries were never an issue with Charlie, she wanted to help with that bill. With Jake and Billy often joining them for meals, she was more determined that there should be plenty of groceries at hand. Jacob's appetite seemed to be triple what it was just a month ago. He was rapidly growing in height and muscle. Their income was limited, something Bella knew Charlie worried about too. She planned to start making extra meals to send them regularly and was just about to suggest it to Charlie when their food arrived.
"So, tomorrow is Friday," Charlie said as she started on her salad. "You got any plans? A date or something?"
Bella eyed him curiously. "Thought you didn't want to talk about boys, Dad," she said and took another bite.
"So, there is a boy?" He asked, his fork frozen halfway to his mouth. "Do I know him? What's his name?"
Bella nearly choked with laughter and forced her father to wait until she swallowed a drink of her soda before she could speak. "No boys, Dad. I'm not dating anyone."
"Well... why?" He looked like he didn't want to know the answer, and she had to fight back another fit of laughter.
"For someone who doesn't want to talk about boys, you're awfully curious, Chief," Bella said. He grumbled and shoved in another bite of his steak.
"I just wonder why you never go to the movies or anything," He said. "I worry that I leave you alone too much."
"I don't mind being alone," she said. "I guess I'm like my dad that way." Bella nudged him with her elbow and took another bite of salad.
"Was that okay that I agreed to that job for you?" Charlie gave Bella a worried side glance. "I know you want a job, but I don't expect you to work while you're still in school, kiddo. It can wait."
"I'd really like to start saving some money back. College is expensive, you know?" she replied.
"So, I hear there is a school dance coming up next month," Charlie said flatly. Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head slowly, silently willing him to realize who he was talking to.
"I'm not going to any dances," She said, spearing a piece of tomato with a little more hostility than intended.
"I bet you could get Jake to go with ya if you're not comfortable with anyone else," Charlie said quietly.
Bella tried to envision a mental picture of herself tripping over Jake's big feet and laughed. "Dancing is not for the uncoordinated."
"You talking about you or Jake?" He said with a straight face and took a drink of his coffee.
"Yes," she said, and they both laughed.
"Kids feet get any longer, he's gonna have to fold' em in half to find a pair of shoes. Billy bought him six or seven pairs last year. It's like he's walking right through them, his big toes sticking out the ends and shit."
"I'm guessing that's why he got shoes for Christmas?" Bella chuckled.
"He'll get another pair for his birthday, too," Charlie chuckled conspiratorially. "They are hidden up in my closet already. 14 wides, just in case."
Bella grinned and told Charlie about her new food plan. He was thrilled with it.
"I'm proud of you, kiddo. You know, you and Jake are so much alike. You're both always putting everyone else first," Charlie said warmly and patted her shoulder.
"I wonder who we learned that from," she said with a wink. "Annnd," she emphasized, "that's why he's my best friend."
"There have been a few times I've run some groceries out to them when I noticed the kitchen looked pretty bare but making meals to send over would be really helpful for them both," Charlie said, thoughtfully.
"They are lucky to have you, Dad," Bella said.
"They are lucky to have you, too," he returned and squeezed her forearm on the table.
After that, they finished the rest of their food quietly. Charlie decided to skip the cobbler, teasing that all the boy talk made him lose his appetite.

Beginning a new school semester after Christmas meant that some of the class schedules were changing. Bella had moved into an advanced biology class. She was pleasantly surprised to find Mike, Angela, Eric, and Jessica in the same classroom but already paired together. Only one seat was available - next to Edward Cullen.
You all know this part of the story and the awkwardness that ensued. What you do not know is how frightening it was. The air between the two was static. Bella glanced over, and Edward's black eyes met with her own. She had to look away quickly, allowing her hair to fall between them like a curtain. Bella had spent most of her adolescence surrounded by rowdy alcoholics. She knew what blind rage looked like all too well. Not only could she see the intensity of his discomfort - she could feel it. Her first thought was wondering if Edward was intoxicated. He was holding his breath and leaning away from her as if she stunk, and she silently prayed he wasn't going to be sick. He did not wait for the bell to ring before hurrying away from her. Edward got up in the middle of class, ignoring any reprimand. He walked right out the door without so much as a backward glance.
"What the hell did you do to piss Cullen off," Mike asked her after class. She was grateful he waited to ask quietly rather than belting it out to the whole room.
"I don't know," she said honestly.
Edward was physically one of the most beautiful people Bella believed she had ever seen, but what little she had witnessed of his personality reminded her of a feral cat. Rather than enduring the negative vibes, Bella decided to try to switch to a different period for the same class. Apparently, Edward had the same plan. Standing in the office and listening to him attempting to get out of Biology while dazzling the guidance counselor was uncomfortable. Bella turned around and left the office, heading directly to her truck and then home. She spent the better part of the evening fretting over having to sit next to him the next day and wondering what she could possibly have done for him to be so angry about having to share his space.
She had planned to confront him and ask what his problem was, but he wasn't at school the next day. Not in the cafeteria and not in class. He remained gone throughout the week. Jessica pointed out how many days the whole clan was gone, especially when the weather was at its best. The week had been dry, sunny, uncommonly warm for January in Washington, and Bella told herself repeatedly that his absence had nothing to do with her.

When Saturday came, Bella went to the grocery store early in the morning and then home to cook, putting together a few different dishes to freeze for the Blacks, along with a german chocolate cake. It was Jacob's sixteenth birthday, and Bella had every intention of making him blow out some candles before she headed to her first shift at Newton's.
Bella hopped out of the truck excitedly when she arrived at the faded red house. It took three trips to bring everything inside carefully. Afterward, Billy was shocked by the amount of food she delivered. Bella pulled the cake out to show Billy and asked where Jacob was.
"Sleeping the day away." Billy laughed, still eyeing the spread on the table. Bella asked which items he wanted to be frozen or left out for supper later and put everything away. She headed upstairs, listening quietly at the door. Jacobs snores greeted her as she quietly crept into the room.
Jacob was on his stomach in only a pair of basketball shorts, his feet hanging off the end of his bed. Sunlight was creeping in from behind haphazardly hanging sheets intended to suffice for curtains and poured across the muscles of his back. His hair hung off the side of the bed, nearly sweeping the floor. He seemed so at peace at that moment that she could not bear to wake him. Out of the corner of her eye, Bella spotted the filched t-shirt. She crept over carefully and snatched it, stuffing it into her coat pocket.
"Happy Birthday, Jake," Bella whispered and quietly retreated from the room. She headed back to the living room and out the door, calling goodbye to Billy as she passed.
"Hey, wait!" Billy called out. "Would he not get out of bed?"
"No, no," she answered quickly. "I didn't have the heart to wake him. He seemed to be sleeping so well. Please tell Jake I said Happy Birthday."
"I think he'd prefer to hear it from you himself," Billy said, smiling.
"I gotta get going anyway," she said, gesturing towards the door. "First shift at Newton's in an hour."
"Ah, I see," Billy nodded. "Well, good luck, then. Love ya, kiddo." He patted her on the shoulder in a very Charlie-like gesture.
"Love ya, too," Bella grinned at Billy and chuckled on her way out the door.

(JPOV)

Jacob stretched languidly before forcing himself out of bed. His body ached in ways that had grown familiar over the last few years. Billy referred to them as growing pains, but the joint aches and the muscle cramps were torture. Some nights, Jacob felt as if his body were trying to turn itself inside out. He hadn't had a decent night of sleep since they'd spent Christmas at Charlie's. Jacob made his way downstairs sleepily, breaking into a large grin when he saw the German Chocolate cake on the kitchen table. A candy Happy Birthday decoration sat in the center, sixteen yellow candles in a rainbow shape at the top. He opened the fridge to find a lasagna waiting for his supper. He quickly walked into the living room and received a wide grin from his father.
"Afternoon, Birthday Boy!" Billy pulled a noisemaker out and blew into it loudly. Jacob chuckled, shaking his head.
She had remembered my favorites.
"I see Bells was here," he said, sitting on the couch with a sigh. "Did she say why she didn't stick around?"
"First shift at her new job, son," Billy smirked at him. "She's growing up."
"Newton's," Jacob said, nodding. "I forgot. Some spread she brought by."
"Sure is," Billy agreed. Jacob sighed again. He had plans to spend the day with Quil and Embry, but all he could focus on now was wishing Bella could have spent the day with them too.
"Are you missing her, son?" Billy asked knowingly.
"A bit, yeah," he admitted and chuckled. No one knew him better than his father. Billy could read Jacob's thoughts as clearly as if he could hear them sometimes.
"Better get a move on before someone else does," Billy teased.
"Dad!" Jacob scoffed at his father crankily, shooting him a glare.
"I'm just saying, son. You've loved her since you were three. I doubt it's gonna change anytime soon." Billy said softly, all teasing gone.
"Love and being in love aren't the same thing, Dad," Jacob said, shaking his head.
Billy and Charlie had always made jokes about him and Bells, but the more time that passed, the more irritating they became. Especially when he wasn't ready to let anyone know how badly he was falling for her this way. He could feel himself being drawn to her just like he had been as a child.
Yet, it was different. Different in the way his body began to ache for her - not just romantically, but in general. It was as if being near her eased all of his aches and pains, allowing him to just be happy when she was near.
"You keep telling yourself that, Jacob," Billy chuckled. "How about we have you blow out these candles and eat some cake?"
"Sounds like your best idea today," Jacob chuckled and headed for the kitchen.

(BPOV)

On Monday, Bella was lost in her thoughts about an upcoming geometry quiz and nearly stumbled into someone on her way into the cafeteria. For the second time, a big pair of cold, solid, and very pale arms balanced her before falling onto her face. Bella laughed nervously, fully expecting those arms to belong to Emmett, who had gained some uncanny ability to witness her frequent clumsiness. Since that first day, however, he rarely interfered. His deep chuckle was a confirmation.
"Alright, little one. I thought we talked about this," he said. He laughed as he swung his heavy arm around Bella's shoulder and asked how her day was going as he walked into the cafeteria beside her.
Bella thanked him, blushing, and answered with something like, "It's 'kay."
Chuckling, he pulled away, and each headed for their respective tables. The surrounding sea of faces all held a mask of disbelief. Bella quickly gained a seat across from Angela and ducked her head. Angela leaned down and said Bella's name quietly.
"Hi," Bella squeaked out, her face hidden in her palms.
"Was that awesome? He's super hot. I would have swooned. Did you swoon?" Jessica exclaimed loudly from next to Angela.
"No, I was rather embarrassed," Bella said flatly.
"I think they're talking about you, Bella," Jessica said. "They all keep looking over here. Rosalie looks kind of pissed."
"They're probably making fun of her clumsy ass," Lauren mumbled at the opposite end of the table. "Emmett just walked her over so she wouldn't fall again."
"Fuck off, Lauren," Bella said quietly but clearly. Mike's face lit up into a big smile, and he slid down by Bella, leaning in for a one-armed hug. Lauren rolled her eyes and remained silent. Bella quietly asked Jessica to stop staring at Cullen's table.
"So what did he say to you over there," Angela asked.
"He saved my ass once before," Bella answered and laughed. "I almost walked into a door that time."
"Imagine that," Lauren mumbled. Bella ignored her.
Mike nodded at the memory, chuckling. "He calls her little-one like she's his kid sister or something."
"We say hi in the hall and stuff. He's just a nice guy." Bella said, surprised that Mike had paid enough attention to remember what Emmett called her. The three of them shared similar smirks.
"Well, we wouldn't know," Jessica said flatly. "The Cullens never talk to any of us."
"Never?" Bella asked in disbelief. "He's so friendly."
"The Cullen's don't spend time with anyone from school that I know of," Jessica said.
"Does anyone ever invite them to do things? To just hang out," Bella asked them.
"No, not really," Angela said. The others shook their heads in unison.
"Not even when they first moved here?" Bella asked them.
"Nope," Eric shot from the other end of the table, with a pronounced pop at the end.
"And they don't invite us, either." Tyler nodded in agreement.
"Well, maybe one of us should start," Bella said. Without checking for reactions, she swung her bag upon her shoulder and headed early to her next class.

That was the same fateful day of Edward's return to biology. The day her infatuation with his beautiful face became a full-on obsession.
She didn't have a damned clue what she was getting into.
Getting involved with Edward Cullen was frustrating, thrilling, and more dangerous than Bella ever wanted to admit. The fact that he was remotely attracted to her seemed like some cosmic joke. The day he saved her from being crushed by Tyler's van left Bella in awe of and angry at him. It was instant hero worship, despite the lies he told. He played with her emotions, like a cat with a string. He seemed unable to stay away from her while advising her to avoid him instead. While he wanted to know everything about her that he could learn, he was not nearly as revealing about himself. Primarily, what he was.
Edward skirted her insistence that he was surely some sort of supernatural being. How else could a seventeen-year-old boy stop a full-sized van with one hand?
Her suspicions were confirmed by Jake before she and Edward began dating. She had heard Quileute legends as a kid, but no one seemed to take them seriously. Bella had forgotten all about them long before the day Jacob told her of the stories and what the tribe believed the Cullens physically were.
Earlier in the week, Eric had invited Bella to go with the rest of their group to First Beach in La Push. It seemed like a foolish idea, seeing as how it would be too cold to enjoy it. Also, it meant putting up with Lauren all day.
The hope of seeing her best friend for the first time since his sixteenth birthday made Bella more eager to go. Jake spent a lot of time on the beach with his friends from the Rez. If he wasn't there, Bella had every intention of walking right to his familiar little house and dragging him to the beach. His friendliness would surely allow him to mesh well with her small group from school, she thought.
Fortunately, she had been right. Not long after they arrived and piled out of the van, Bella was standing with her back to the beach. She glanced up in time to see Jessica look surprised before Bella was scooped up from behind and tossed over a very high shoulder. As usual, her breath escaped in a whoosh, and Jacob ran around in dizzying patterns for a couple of minutes.
"Jay-ay-ay-cob!" Bella struggled to yell out as he ran. "If I throw u-up, it's your damn fault!". He finally stopped running and tumbled backward onto the sand, taking her with him.
They giggled for a long time, finally glancing up to see the others grinning and watching them act like idiots. Mike and Angela both looked pleasantly surprised. Neither of them had seen the active, playful Bella that only seemed to exist when Jacob was near. Bella felt her face turn crimson again as some of Jake's friends got introduced to some of hers. Jacob pulled Bella up with him, and they swept the sand and dirt off of their clothes. His hand found hers as it often did, and they walked back over to where everyone had congregated around a small fire pit. Mike and Eric were building a fire and chatting with some of the Rez kids that they already knew. Multiple questioning sets of eyes were wavering towards their entwined hands and away again from both of their friends. Jake lifted an eyebrow at Bella as she shook her hand from Jacob's and stepped slightly away. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun quickly, attempting to mask her awkwardness.
It was Lauren who spoke up, antagonizing as usual.

"So, Bella? I knew you invited a date, but does he know you have one?"
Jacob looked at Bella, surprised. Lauren smiled sweetly up at Jake, "She's not the only single girl here, you know?"
Bella tried to keep a straight face as she fought off an urge to gag over the very idea of Jake with Lauren. Jake noticed and laughed.
"What date?" Mike and Eric asked simultaneously.
"She invited Edward." Jessica laughed.
"Ed-weird," Lauren snarked and rolled her eyes.
If looks could kill, Lauren would have been dead on the spot. "To be polite. No one ever does," Bella said.
"Yeah, because Cullen's a freak," Mike mumbled.
"You got that right," said one of the Rez kids named Sam. "The Cullens don't come here," he snapped, scowling.
Bella knew Sam had graduated the year before but could pass for much older. He was only just barely taller than Jacob. Few of Jacob's pals were much shorter than him, she realized.
What the hell were they feeding these guys?
Jake had instinctively reached for Bella's hand again and started swinging his arm uneasily. He'd mentioned some of the kids on the Rez disliking the Cullens to Bella before. Charlie had told her he thought it was just because they were newcomers in the area. Bella felt like she could feel the smoke about to escape from between Jake's ears while he silently hoped Sam wouldn't start in.
"This, Lauren," Bella gestured to Jake in an attempt to turn the conversation, "Is my best friend, Jacob." Jake and Bella each made a face at the other. "I've known Jake all my life."
"Aren't you the girl Sam saved from almost drowning last summer?" Jacob asked Lauren. He was asking her sincerely, but that didn't stop her from blushing when Mike and Eric burst out laughing.
"That's Lauren. Can't control her boogie board," Erica teased, nudging her.
The conversation returned to a lighter note. Lauren didn't try to push her luck, avoiding engaging with Bella for the remainder of the day.
Jake and Bella went for a walk down the beach later, both eager to just be alone for a few minutes. While she hated herself for doing it, Bella used every bit of her charm to question Jacob about the Cullens. He reiterated stories the tribe had told for many years, explaining the insanity behind the Tribal Council's (which Billy was the Chief of) insistence that the Cullen family were the SAME Cullens they had forged a treaty with at least 80 years ago. Jake scoffed at the legend, and Bella felt comforted by that. After all, wasn't Jacob safer not knowing any more than he had to?
Yes, Bella believed that she knew what Edward was, but it didn't make any difference. She was completely infatuated.
"So, this guy was supposed to be a date for you," Jake said as they made their way back towards the group.
"I invited him to come to hang out. Lauren's just pushing my buttons." Bella said softly.
"So you aren't interested in him?"
"I didn't say that either, Jake," she admitted. "We're... talking? Getting to know each other... Becoming friends," she said.
"Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself," Jake scoffed.
"Well, maybe I am, Jake. It's a new feeling for me. I have absolutely no experience in dating."
"So? Dating? There we go, there's the honesty coming out," Jake smirked and pulled Bella into a warm hug. She returned it greedily before he snatched her hand and began leading her playfully back in the other direction. When they reached the group, everyone was starting to pile back into the van. Bella looked at her watch, disappointed. Charlie wouldn't be home for another couple of hours, and she was in no hurry to head home.
"Want me to take you home in Billy's truck?" Jake asked. "You can come to hang at the house for a while. He'd love to see you." Bella readily agreed and ran to grab her belongings from the van. Goodbyes were said after she explained her new plans. Angela blew kisses at her, mockingly followed by Mike, Eric, and Jessica. Jacob had already started walking toward the trails. Bella ran at him and jumped on his back, wrapping her legs and arms around him from behind. He put his hands under her thighs and piggy-backed her to his house. Sam, Jared, and Embry chuckled as they walked alongside them, calling out their goodbyes as Jake turned towards his house. True to his word, they hung out with Billy for a while. Jake drove Bella home just before Charlie arrived, gave her a big hug, his now usual goodbye forehead peck, and headed back home. That night she slept in his worn-out t-shirt for the second night in a row. His familiar scent clung to the fabric and lulled her into a peaceful sleep where thoughts of Edward Cullen didn't even cross her mind.

*Please, please review :)