Here we are for another update! Thanks for much to all of you that have reviewed! We love them all, so keep them coming. Thanks to my girls for all the help!

I looked up at the building in front of me and sighed wearily. I glanced back at Esme to see her nodding encouragingly from the driver's side of the car, the passenger's window rolled down. I gave her what I hoped was a winning smile, but I'm sure I looked like I was going to be sick instead.

"You know where to go?" Esme asked as I stood by the car, not wanting her to leave.

I nodded and looked at her pleadingly. "Are you sure about this?" I asked.

Esme gave me her own watery smile and nodded. "Yes, Sweetie," she encouraged. "You're going to do great. I'll be back to pick you up this afternoon."

I swallowed again and thanked her quietly. "Love you."

"Love you, too," she smiled.

With one last parting glance, I turned back around and took a deep breath. I could do this. I had done this before, somewhere far away from here. Confused, but too nervous to dwell on that radical thought, I made my way up the steps, aware of the curious stares I was getting from the other students that were mingling around.

I held on tightly to the straps of my backpack that was settled on my shoulders, and pushed back the hood that was over my hair once I was inside. Students lingered around everywhere; some were whispering behind their hands, while others were pointing directly at me. I blushed and looked down to the floor and hurried to where I knew my locker was.

Once I reached my locker, I pulled out my schedule from my pocket, though I didn't really need to look at it. I had it memorized. Still, it couldn't hurt to be cautious.

A ringing bell caused me to jump and drop my bag to the floor. I shook my head and muttered under my breath.

"Stupid warning bell," I groused.

I bent down to retrieve my bag and cringed as the fabric from my jeans rubbed against my warm backside.

"You must be Isabella Cullen," a deep voice said joyfully from beside me.

Forcing my back straight, I looked in to the eyes of a boy a bit taller than me. He had almond shaped eyes and dark hair.

"My name is Eric," he said, offering his hand out to mine. "Can I walk you to your first class?"

I looked at his hand and then back up to his face, stuffing my bag in my locker as I did so. I didn't want to seem rude, but Edward told me specifically that I was not to talk to any male that wasn't an authority figure while I was at school. But how he expected me to do that was beyond me.

I shook my head and grabbed my needed book before shutting my locker and walking in the opposite direction of Eric. I truly didn't want to seem rude, but I had rules to obey. And no offense to Eric, I'm sure he was a nice guy, but he wasn't worth the wrath of Edward.

"I'm here if you need me!" he called out from behind me.

I paused for a split second before continuing on, not acknowledging his offer. The only person I needed was Edward. Maybe he would warn the other kids to stay away from me. Maybe he would tell them I was rude. I didn't really like the idea of negative things being said about me, but then again, like Edward and Esme said: I wasn't here to make friends. I was here to get my education.

I walked into my first class, AP English, and gave the teacher the slip she needed to sign before trying to covertly take a seat.

"Miss Cullen, why don't you tell the class a little bit about yourself," she said sweetly, gesturing for me to take a stand at the front of the class.

I blushed ten shades of red and silently cursed her in my mind. Was I the only new student in this whole building on the first day of school?

I looked up at the class to see most of the chairs had been filled.

"Um," I stammered. "My name is Bella Cullen..."

I looked back to the teacher for help, but she looked more confused than anything.

"Do you live with Dr. Cullen?" a girl asked from the front row, leaning forward in her seat.

I blushed again and looked back to the floor. Edward and I didn't really go over this kind of scenario. He said kids would ask questions, but to ignore them or just tell them the truth to get them off my back.

"There's nothing to hide or to fear," Edward whispered as I confessed my fears to him about starting at a new school. "Our relationship is just ours, and if someone can't accept that, then they're really not worth talking to, are they?" he asked, biting gently on my ear lobe.

"N-no," I stuttered coming back to reality. "Carlisle?" I asked as the girl nodded. "No."

To my surprise, whispers broke out amongst the class, and I looked to the teacher pleadingly, silently begging her to save me from any further embarrassment.

"Thank you, Miss…Cullen," she said with a pause. "If you will just take your seat next to Miss Stanley, we'll get started. Miss Stanley, raise your hand."

I saw the girl that had asked the question raise her hand, and I moved slowly to sit in the empty desk that was to her right. Luckily, the class went by fairly quickly, and when the bell rang, I was the first one out the door in hopes to avoid any other invading questions. The next two periods came and went without further incident. It wasn't until my fourth class, Home-Ec, that the whispers really began.

I was directed to a seat beside a girl that I was sure was no older than a freshman. I carefully set my things beside her, not wanting her to ask me any questions. The tables were long, and easily fit two chairs. As I sat down, I kept myself facing forward like I had done in all my previous classes. Only this time, a couple of other girls in front of us turned around and began to eye me critically.

I wrung my hands on the top of the table, not making eye contact with them.

"Oh my God!" the girl I recognized as the Stanley girl from my first period exclaimed loudly. "Is that a wedding ring?"

I blushed fiercely but kept my hands where they were. I was not ashamed. I was a happily married woman.

I didn't bother answering her. Instead, I kept my eyes straight ahead. I saw the little pixie girl next to me turn my way and look at my hands as well.

"Fuck off, Jessica," she hissed. "It's none of your business."

My lips quirked as I tried to hide my smile.

"Shut up, Alice," Jessica said snidely. "It's not every day you meet a married student. Are you pregnant or something? Why would Officer Cullen adopt a pregnant teenager?"

Hearing my husband's work name come out of her vile mouth forced my attention to her. Pregnant? Adopted? It never even occurred to me that people would assume I was adopted.

"I'm not adopted," I said quietly before the girl beside me, Alice, could retort.

As grateful as I was to her for standing up for me, it wasn't her battle. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that this Jessica girl was far from done.

"But you don't live with Dr. Cullen," she said.

Obviously. I rolled my eyes inwardly.

"No," I agreed.

"And you call him by his first name," she mused. "Do you…"

She was cut off by Alice, who seemed to have had enough. "Are you going to speculate all day, or are you going to turn around and leave us alone?" she asked.

Jessica shot her a dirty glare before turning back to me, smiling wickedly. "You know, in this day and age, you don't have to wear a ring when you get pregnant. You can just get your mistake taken care of."

I'm sure my eyes were wide as my jaw dropped.

"I'm not pregnant," I hissed, my face flushed in anger. "I'm married."

At that moment, the teacher called the class to attention, and I had the slight satisfaction of seeing Jessica's face pale. She obviously wasn't expecting that. I knew the rumors would be circulating afterward, but I really couldn't find it in me to care. I wasn't ashamed of my marriage. Or of Edward.

As the teacher discussed what we would be doing this semester, I couldn't help but grow excited with everything she had planned. When the bell rang, Alice grabbed onto my hand and offered me a slight smile.

"Just ignore the jerks," she said, nodding her head in the direction of Jessica and the gaggle of girls she had around her. "I'm Alice, by the way; Alice Brandon. Would you like to sit together at lunch?"

I smiled in relief and nodded my head, grateful that there would be someone beside me to fend off the wolves. I know I wasn't supposed to make friends, but Alice just seemed like the kind of person I needed around.

"I would love to," I answered.

We both grabbed our bags and headed out the door, with Alice leading us to the cafeteria. As we stood in line, I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose at the food that was placed in front of us to choose from.

"Um, Alice?" I asked, using my fork to stab at a piece of brown goo. "What is this stuff?"

Alice looked over and wrinkled her own nose. "Brown mystery meat," she concluded.

I opted then to get a bowl of fruit and some milk before following her to a table off to the side of the room. Whispers and stares followed us, but I didn't pay them any mind. I was sure that Jessica was telling everyone what happened in Home Ec, but that was fine with me. The sooner people knew, the sooner it would all blow over. I hoped, anyway.

"I need to start packing my lunch," I muttered, opening up my milk.

Alice laughed as she popped a chip in her mouth. "Now you see why I eat from the vending machines."

I laughed with her. "I don't think I'll get away with that," I smiled. "But I will definitely pack tomorrow."

Alice's laughter ended abruptly, which caused me to look her way. She was looking at something over my shoulder. I spun in my chair and came face-to-face with the boy from this morning, along with another boy beside him, with Jessica's arm draped across his shoulders.

"Hi, Isabella," Eric said, beaming at me like were lifelong friends. "Want to join us at our table? You don't have to sit here with Alweird," he offered.

Alweird? I looked to Alice and saw that she was turning red, her head bowed and looking at the table.

I bit my lip and turned back to the boys and Jessica. Did they really just insult Alice right in front of her? I didn't want to disobey Edward by talking to any males, but I couldn't just let them get away with insulting my new friend.

"No, thank you," I replied as kindly as I could. "I want to sit with Alice."

I turned back to face Alice, only to stop short as a large, beefy hand landed on my shoulder. I shuddered as I turned back around to find that the hand belonged to the blonde boy.

"Maybe next time," he said, winking.

I watched in disbelief as they turned around and walked back to their own table, where the rest of them were starting at us in rapt attention. Turning my attention back to Alice, I saw that she was still staring intently at her food.

"I'm sorry, Alice," I whispered, reaching out and placing my hand on top of hers.

Alice's head snapped up as her fingers squeezed mine in thanks.

"You did nothing wrong, Isabella," she whispered. "I'm not the most liked person here at Forks High," she chuckled humorlessly.

"I like you," I offered. "You stood up for me and you don't even know me," I shrugged. "That makes you likable in my book."

I popped a grape in my mouth and smiled at her, bringing out my phone so that I could check in with Edward.

I miss you, I typed. No homework to work on just yet, but I definitely think it would be smart to pack lunch from now on. Forks ISD is trying to kill us with mystery meat.

I looked up after hitting send, placing my phone in my lap before a faculty member could see.

A moment later my phone vibrated against my leg.

Well, I don't want you to make me a widow this early in life. I'll have Esme pick up some lunch food and drop it by the house tonight.

I smiled and sighed at the way he was taking care of me.

"Ah, young love," Alice sighed dreamily. "I hope to have that one day."

I laughed and put my phone away for the remainder of lunch.

"I told Edward that I would like to bring lunch from now on," I admitted.

"Edward is your...husband?" she clarified hesitantly, as if she didn't want to push.

I grinned and nodded. "Yes. We were just recently married, though."

Alice nodded. "Your parents let you marry him?" she asked. "Isn't he in his thirties?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but realized that I didn't know the answer. My father had given up his guardianship to Edward, so I guess that meant that all I truly needed was Edward's blessing. I rubbed at the front of my forehead where I could feel a headache coming on. Was there something I was missing?

"It's a long story," I mumbled, "but Edward is only thirty."

Alice laughed and stood as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. "A hot older man? I'm jealous," she teased.

Ignoring the whispers and stares was easier when walking beside Alice. I considered myself to be short at only five foot four, but Alice had me beat by at least a head. She couldn't be more than five feet. Alice also had bright blue eyes, where mine were just a dull brown. She had short, spiky black hair, where mine was long, wavy, and brown, with hints of red in it. We were polar opposites, yet I couldn't help but feel a kinship with her. I was also surprised to learn that she was not a freshman like I had thought, but that we were the same age.

Walking in to Biology, I managed to snag a seat in the back, away from prying eyes. Halfway through the lecture, Eric walked in with a note. The class was silent as he handed to note to the teacher before taking his leave.

"Miss Cullen, you are needed in the front office," Mr. Greene called from the front of the room.

I instantly blushed as every head turned towards me. After gathering my things, I made my way out into the hallway, only to stop short when I saw Eric leaning up against the lockers to my right. Knowing that I didn't have any other option, I walked past him to get to the front office.

"You don't have to be so antisocial," he said, falling in to step beside me.

I continued to walk as if I hadn't heard him.

"Most people find that rude," he continued when he realized I wasn't going to acknowledge him.

Suddenly he was in front of me, taking my left hand in his as he squeezed tightly to keep me from pulling away.

"So it's true!" he exclaimed as he let my hand drop. "You're actually married? You're a Cullen?"

Blinking back tears, I walked around him, accidentally brushing his shoulder with mine.

"What a pedophile," he said, catching back up to me. "I'm surprised Officer Cullen hasn't lost his job yet. Or maybe they'll throw him in his own cell."

I gasped and swung around, facing him. "Edward has done nothing wrong," I hissed.

Eric rolled his eyes, completely unabashed by my anger. "You mean to tell me that you're an eighteen year old junior?" he asked sarcastically.

What was with everyone and my age? It wasn't any of their business! Without answering him I continued to walk.

"I thought so," he muttered. "Did he get you pregnant or something?"

Lucky for Eric, we had reached the office door. I was about ready to unleash on him when the door swung open to reveal the Principal himself.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Yorkie," he said. "You can go back to class now."

I turned and glared at Eric as he walked away, his hands in his pockets like he didn't have a care in the world. What a jerk.

"This way, Mrs. Cullen," Mr. Banner said, leading me to his office.

I took my seat across from his desk as he sat in his own leather chair.

"I wanted to speak with you for a moment," Mr. Banner said. "I've arranged a meeting for you with our counselor in just a few minutes."

I blinked in confusion, not sure I was understanding what he was trying to get across.

"No disrespect meant, Mr. Banner," I said politely, "but why would I need to see the school counselor?"

Mr. Banner had the decency to look at his hands before he looked back at me, clearing his throat.

"The rumors have already spread throughout the school," he said. "I'm sure you've heard them. I just wanted you to meet our counselor in case you feel like you ever need someone to talk to."

Sighing in defeat, I nodded my head and leaned back against the chair.

"Isabella," he started, "are you happy at home?"

First Eric and now him? Really?

I jumped up from my seat and took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Yes, Mr. Banner," I grit out through my teeth. "I'm very happy at home. With my husband."

Mr. Banner nodded and stood as well, opening the door for me and guiding me to a chair in front of another office.

"Very well," he said. "If you'll just wait here, Mrs. Cope will be with you momentarily."

Seeing no teacher or authority figure once Mr. Banner was gone, I quickly brought out my phone to call Edward. As I pushed his number on speed dial, I bit my lip and hoped that this would qualify as an emergency.

"Bella?" he asked. His voice held a little frantic tone. "What are you doing? This better be an emergency, Little Girl."

I swallowed against the lump in my throat before speaking. "The Principal called me into his office," I whispered, sure that I would get in trouble if someone caught me on the phone. "He's making me see the school counselor. He asked if I was happy at home," I said, not pausing to breathe. "Why are they making me see the counselor?"

I heard Edward growl and then what sounded like a car door slamming.

"Where are you?" he barked.

"In a chair, waiting to be called in to see the counselor," I replied.

At that moment, I heard voices coming from behind the door and I knew my time was up. "I have to go," I said hastily, closing my phone and putting it back in my pocket just as the door swung open.

I hoped I wasn't going to pay for that later.

I tried to look like I wasn't doing anything wrong as a sullen looking boy came out of the office, followed by a large woman with dark red hair.

"I'll see you next week, Daniel," the woman said before turning to me.

"Isabella, come on in."

I stood reluctantly and followed her into her office, taking a seat in front of her desk, much like I had just done in Mr. Banner's office.

"So, Isabella," she greeted. "I'm sure you know that I'm Mrs. Cope, and that I'm the school counselor."

I nodded my head that I knew and waited for her to continue.

"My door is always open, so if you need me, feel free to just come on in," she said.

I nodded once more. Was that it?

"How do you like your first day?" she asked.

I shrugged and looked towards the door. "It's going alright."

"Are you making any friends?" she questioned.

I nodded my head, immediately thinking of Alice. Could I count her as a friend? I knew I would like to, but I also knew that it was something I would need to discuss with Edward.

"And what about your home life?" she pried. "Are you adjusting well?"

I snapped my head back to her. "What does my home life have to do with my school life?" I asked.

"I find that they go hand-in-hand quite often," Mrs. Cope mused. "And being married and in high school...don't you feel like that is a lot of pressure on you?"

"No I don't," I said, looking her directly in the face. "Mrs. Cope, I understand that what Edward and I have isn't the norm, but I love him and I don't need anyone else."

"Everyone needs someone," she argued. "Do you tell Edward every time you are upset?"

"Yes, we talk all the time," I said as she smiled.

"Does he tell you what you can do, or where you can go?" she asked, digging deeper.

I narrowed my eyes at her and bit the inside of my cheek to keep from lashing out at her and raising even more suspicions.

"I don't think I like what you're insinuating," I said softly, mulling over my words. "And I don't think my husband would appreciate this line of questioning, either."

Edward warned me about the rumors. He warned me about the teasing and the mean things the kids would possibly say to me or about me. However, he did not warn me about this - that I would have to defend our relationship to other adults. If my family knew that marriage was a private matter, then why did I need to explain it?

"Officer, how can I help you?" I heard through the door.

I turned toward the door and didn't think twice before I quickly stood to open it.

"Edward," I said, seeing him from the door.

He quickly made his way to me and hugged me to him.

"I told you I didn't want to do this," I whispered. "I just want to go home."

"Everything is going to be okay," he said, kissing me on the top of my head while leading us back into the room. "Is there a problem here?" he asked roughly. "I don't like to hear my wife so upset."

"Mr. Cullen, why don't the four of us talk," Mr. Banner suggested from behind us.

I held on tightly to Edward as Mr. Banner came inside the office with us, closing the door behind him. He gestured for us to sit before taking his own seat. I wanted to curl up in Edward's lap, but I was sure that wasn't allowed.

"We only pulled Bella aside so we could make sure everything was going okay," Mrs. Cope said. "Other children can be vicious with their words, and the rumors are swirling like crazy already."

I cocked my head to the side, knowing that was only part of the reason they had called me in.

"That's only partly true. Your true motive was to play twenty questions with me. I don't care about what people say about me for the fact that my life is no one's business. I can speak for myself, and if I don't want to say anything, I won't. I've already made it clear to the nasty girls here that I am not pregnant, and that stupid boy who was sent to get me out of class was nothing but a jerk to me, and practically manhandled me on the way over," I retorted, remembering the way he had grabbed my hand in his. "I will let people have their theories about me, but I won't let anyone disrespect me or my husband," I said as I looked to Edward. "I'm not going to put up with this."

"I think you are going to be just fine," Edward said with a smirk that he was trying to hide.

"But what is this about being manhandled and why did you not know about it?" he growled, looking towards the principal.

Mr. Banner had a pink tinge to his cheeks as he cleared his throat. "Mrs. Cullen did not mention anything like that when she was brought to my office," he said defensively. "And how is it that you knew we were even meeting with Isabella?" he fired back.

"Because I am trying to not cause problems," I said exasperated. "But please refrain from sending that boy to get me out of class again. And Edward knew about this meeting because I called him," I answered before Edward could.

I looked over to see Edward pinching the bridge of his nose and I knew that he was getting very upset. He rubbed his lips with his finger before he turned to Mr. Banner and Mrs. Cope.

"Mrs. Cullen, the use of cell phones on school grounds is prohibited," Mr. Banner said sternly. "You can get detention for that."

Edward stood suddenly and stared at Mr. Banner in shock. "Gerard," he said slowly. "My wife felt threatened, not only by a fellow student, but by two prominent authority figures who represent this school. Surely you can understand why she would call her husband at that point in time? The one person that she trusts more than anything right now."

Mr. Banner nodded his head and looked to his feet for a moment before looking back up. And I couldn't blame him. Edward in his police uniform was very...intimidating.

"Isabella, we aren't trying to upset you. We just want to make sure you aren't being bullied in any way," Mrs. Cope said sweetly as she cut her eyes quickly to Edward and then back to me. "And I will personally call in Eric later today to find out from him what happened. Now, who is the friend you made?" she asked, changing the subject.

"You made a friend, already?" Edward asked as I turned to look at him.

"Kind of..." I said trailing off.

Edward was getting madder by the second, and I knew that this impromptu meeting with all of us was not going to end well. I knew I shouldn't have talked to Alice.

"It's a good thing," Mrs. Cope said. "Who is it?"

"Um...Alice Brandon. She defended me earlier," I said as Mrs. Cope's face lit up.

"That is just wonderful! I'm so happy to hear that," Mrs. Cope said, looking at Mr. Banner. They both looked happy that I had said her name.

"She is a very nice girl," Mr. Banner agreed.

"Now that the air seems to be cleared, Bella go back to class," Edward said as I quickly got up to take my leave.

"I'm sorry I bothered you," I whispered as I hugged him.

His arms wrapped around me and he placed a chaste kiss to my lips. "Esme will pick you up at the end of the day and we'll talk more then," he said.

I nodded my head, and with one last parting glance, I strode out the room and into the empty hallway. I blinked back my tears of frustration and looked at the clock. The bell was due to ring any second now, so instead of heading back to Biology, I went in the opposite direction towards my next class. There were only two more classes until the final bell of the day, and already I didn't know how I was going to survive it, knowing that Edward was still here.

I wanted to go curl up with him and feel his hands smoothing my hair. I wanted to feel his lips against my skin. I just wanted to feel him.

To my surprise, Alice was in my next period class and we managed to snag a table in the back for the two of us. Of course, with the school the size it is, we also had Jessica, Eric, and the blonde boy in class, as well. Other than a few snide words thrown in my direction throughout the class, it went by fairly quickly, and I was excited to get to the gym for my last class of the day.

While I was extremely uncoordinated and hated any kind of physical exertion - unless it involved being physical with Edward - I was looking forward to P.E. because this was another class I shared with Alice. Somehow, throughout the day, she had slowly wormed her way to my side and I was really hoping that we could be friends.

The worst part of gym was when Jessica threw a ball at my head. She also made snide comments in the locker room that put me in an extremely foul mood. If I heard the word pedophile fall from another person's mouth, I was going to break down. I didn't understand what everyone's problem was. I was ready to go home and just crawl into bed. I was over being at school already, and today was my first day.

I glared at her back as she exited the locker room before ripping my shirt over my head to change out of my P.E. clothes.

"It will all blow over soon, Bella," Alice said gently, walking over to one of the bathroom stalls to change.

"Not soon enough," I grumbled, pulling up my jeans.

I waited for Alice to finish changing, and we walked out of the locker room side-by-side.

"Do you have plans for this weekend?" she asked as we came to the student parking lot.

I looked around, seeing Esme parked right outside the gate. "Um...actually, I do," I replied, giving her a genuine smile. "My in-laws are coming over for my birthday dinner," I explained.

Alice clapped her hands and smiled brightly. "How wonderful! Can I have your number so that I can call you?"

My smile fell slightly, remembering that only three very important numbers were allowed in my new phone.

"Um, I'll have to ask Edward," I said hesitantly. "But I'll let you know tomorrow."

Alice nodded with a smile. "Great! See you tomorrow."

I chuckled and waved as I made my way to Esme's car. It was like Alice understood me on a different level than anyone else. With that thought, I all but ran to the car that was waiting for me. I thought that my mood would have gotten better after my talk with Alice, but all it did was get suppressed. I was still seething inside, and I knew Esme could tell.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked as she pulled out of the school parking lot.

"Not really," I said with an eye roll.

"If I were you, I would lose your attitude," Esme warned. I knew she was just trying to help me, but I really didn't want to talk about it. "You can talk to me whenever you need to."

"I told everyone I didn't want to do this, but I still had to," I finally said, holding off my tears.

"This is needed. You can't hide forever, Sweetie," she said as she pulled up to the house. "But you also can't let your bad day ruin your night."

"I'm already in trouble, so I don't think it really matters," I said, getting out of the car. Esme shook her head as she unlocked the door and let me in.

"Do you need help with anything? I have some time," she offered once she set the code to the alarm. The alarm not only kept people out, but me in, I thought bitterly.

Man, I was in a horrible mood.

"No," I said with too much attitude while tossing my bag at the stairs.

"Isabella, I advise you to be in a better mood before Edward gets home," she said before leaving me alone in the house. I knew she was frustrated with me, and I knew I owed her an apology when she picked me up for school tomorrow morning.

I sat on the stairs and I let my tears fall. I was hoping to get a better night's sleep, and then maybe I wouldn't feel so moody. I let myself cry for a long while. When I finally calmed down, I walked room to room to make sure that everything looked perfect. I made my way to the kitchen and looked for something to make for dinner. I really didn't have a preference, so I threw some French fries and chicken fingers into the oven. Edward walked in the house ten minutes before dinner was done. I was sitting on a barstool, flipping through a business magazine that had been in the living room.

"Hi," he grumbled, throwing his keys on the counter.

"Hi," I sighed without looking up.

"Everything done around here?"

"Yeah."

"Homework done?"

"Yup," I said, still not looking up at him.

"Dinner?"

"Almost done," I said with a sigh.

"Did you talk with your friend more?"

"Yeah," I said as I scolded myself.

"Hmm, thought I said no friends?" he asked, leaning in to me.

"You weren't there. I was by myself! Alice made me feel less alone," I said, moving off my seat.

"You ignored my rules!" he said, raising his voice at me.

"I'm sorry for that, but I needed someone today. Alice took my side while everyone else talked about me," I said, pulling the food out of the oven.

"Is that dinner?" Edward asked.

"Yes, and I know it's not good enough, but I didn't feel like cooking," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I don't feel like doing a lot of things, but I still do them!" he yelled.

"I know and I'm sorry, but you don't know what today was like for me," I said as my eyes filled with tears.

"You don't know what it's like for me," he said through clenched teeth. "I was pulled into my Captain's office and questioned like a criminal. I took all of that bull shit for YOU! Everything I do is for YOU!" he yelled as I cried.

"I'm doing this for YOU!" I yelled right back. "Do you know what's it like to be the center of attention? To have everyone pointing at you and staring? They were so mean, but I didn't say anything because you said not to! Everyone had something to say about me, you, and our marriage. The things they were saying were horrible," I cried as I leaned in to his chest. "They called you a pedophile."

"I know, Baby," he said as I continued to cry. "I almost lost my job today. Parents complained about us. I had to get copies of all of your paperwork to prove that we were legally married. I knew this was going to happen..." he said, trailing off until I looked up at him. "But I also knew that you would be worth it."

"I'm sorry I brought all of this on you. I hate being in such a bad mood. I'm tired and PMSing, and I know you said I need to learn how to deal with it better, but I don't know how," I cried as he held me close to him.

"We'll get through this," he said, shushing me. "You do need a spanking though for the way you talked to me."

"I know," I nodded as I cried. "I'm sorry for everything today."

Edward sighed and brushed his fingers through my hair, offering me physical support.

"You may speak with Alice," he finally said gently, "But only at school. You will never talk or hang out with her outside of school," he said as I hugged him tightly. "No more crappy dinners, either."

"I promise," I said with a giggle.

Dinner was a silly affair as Edward fed me bits of chicken and fries doused in ketchup, just the way I liked them. His disgusted face was priceless, and I couldn't help but laugh at his theatrics. Once the kitchen was cleaned, I met Edward in our bedroom and stripped off my clothes, being sure to keep my panties on before laying myself across his lap willingly. I deserved this, and I was going to take it bravely and without complaint.

He delivered the blows in rapid succession, and when he was done, he lovingly kissed me on the lips.

"I forgive you for your attitude," he said, "but if you ever disrespect me again the way you did tonight, I will shut you in the closet. Do you understand?"

I nodded and wiped at my eyes. "I understand," I whispered.

"Let's go to bed," Edward said. "We both need to unwind after today."

I curled up on Edward's bare chest as he turned the television on softly. I closed my eyes, already beginning to drift off. Tomorrow was going to be better, I promised myself. It had to be.

Well, you have met Alice! What do you think? We will see you next week!