BPOV

It was a mistake to let Edward get close.

I knew that.

It was borderline masochistic not letting him go while I still had the chance. I wasn't a masochist, not by a long shot. I hated pain, really any intense feeling that I couldn't control- I rebuked. Especially pain. Emotional, physical, all of it. I'd spent the better part of five years learning to separate myself from pain. It didn't make sense getting involved with a him knowing how it would end. Knowing everything would blow up in my face like it always did.

But he kept pulling me in, he kept making me want him. I had come back to school the day after Edward had called me out. I came back and sat in the same spot and waited for Edward to join me. And he did. I sipped on my Ginger Ale, and I let him ask me random questions. When he got too close to anything remotely dark, I just said 'next topic' or wouldn't answer and he understood. He didn't push me, didn't interrogate my lack of transparency. I liked that about him. He understood and respected my boundaries.

Day in and out we sat together on the curb. Sometimes with our legs criss-crossed, facing each other, like kids sharing secrets and candy on the schoolyard. Sometimes facing forward with our legs almost touching, like we'd get the chance to be something more than friends. Each day I brought something for the two of us to share while we talked. Most of the time it was what I was craving, though I still refused to acknowledge why I was craving anything at all. Most of the time it was candy, Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, or some other exorbitant amount of candy. We gorged on candy while sharing anecdotes about our lives, swapping jokes and punchlines, and laughing. It was the most fun I'd ever had without endangering myself or others around me.

"You know, you eat a lot of candy? I don't think I've ever seen you eat real food," Edward teased.

"Real food's overrated." That was my practiced, nonchalant answer. The real answer was that I was scared of eating here for fear it would just come up during the school day. There was nothing like a girl throwing up in the middle of the day to strike up pregnancy rumors.

He didn't have time to snark back because someone rounded the corner into our spot. She was small with short spiky hair, and despite her size, she was incredibly loud. "Edward, there you are!...And you're not alone?" The girl called out to, who I could only assume were a group of people trailing her, "He's not alone!"

"We've been had, Bella," Edward whispered. I laughed and nudged him with my shoulder. We both stayed seated while the rest of the group caught up to the tiny, but very loud person who had discovered Edward and I.

He sighed before looking at the group that was walking toward us. There were 4 of them. 2 blondes, boy and girl, they were definitely related. A pixie-looking girl who looked around the same age as Edward, and a big burly guy with dark curly hair who looked older than the rest of us. None of them had the same striking green eyes or copper hair that Edward had.

They all stopped before us and looked at Edward expectantly. He sighed one more time. "Right. Bella, meet everyone. Jasper and Rosalie Hale, yes they're twins. Also annoying as hell. Jasper and Rosalie are both dating my siblings. Remember the obnoxious ones I told you about?" He spoke almost comically fast with incredible amounts of sarcasm that almost put me to shame. It seemed like he was trying to get them out of here. I nodded and laughed again. "This is Alice and that's Emmett. And everyone this is Bella."

I did that stupid 2 finger wave at everyone,. Everyone looked very confused by Edward and I just sitting here, which was confusing to me. I know Edward was a self-proclaimed loner guy, but it couldn't be all that strange that he hadn't been alone all these weeks, could it?

And then I realized it wasn't him they were confused by, it was me.

Alice, without any hesitation, took several steps forward in my direction. I wasn't even sure what was happening until Edward stuck out his arm as if to barricade her from me. I looked to him for an explanation. "She's a hugger."

"Ahh," I nodded in understanding.

It was kind of sweet that Edward just understood my no touching rule. At least, for perfect strangers it was a rule. That and older men. Alice took it in stride, seemingly unaffected by Edward's protective move. "Well, Edward forgot to mention that I am not just his sibling, I am his twin."

"Please forgive my terrible mistake, Alice," Edward rolled his eyes. "But Bella knew that already."

"So this is where you've been this entire time?" Emmett smirked. Now he made me a little uneasy. I tried to think of ways around him in case he didn't understand my boundaries or got too aggressive. I could worm out of some pretty dangerous situations only because I was always paying attention. Way more attention than most people ever even realized.

"Yep," Edward sounded unamused by all of these people interrupting our time. I kind of was too. It was getting quiet now. I didn't like the quiet. I didn't like everyone watching me like they were trying to figure me out.

I was about to get up and leave when Alice spoke again. "You know, I knew you weren't as bad as everyone said. I mean, there's no way that you could be smoking and drinking in the parking lot this entire time."

"No, I'm not as bad as everyone thinks...I'm worse," I said, my tone dead serious. Edward laughed from beside me. I was glad I at least amused him with my dry sense of humor, it usually struck people the wrong way. Jasper and Rosalie both narrowed their eyes at me. I could tell that they were cynical people- the exact type of people who wouldn't find my genre of humor entertaining. I could practically see the distrust and trepidation in their eyes. They had every right not to trust me- they shouldn't trust me, but I wasn't about to back down now though.

"She's funny," Emmett laughed. His laugh was much more booming than Edward's. It also didn't match his intimidating exterior, it almost put me at ease. Almost.

Apparently interrogation was bred into this family because in spite of Edward's vehement objections, Alice went down the line of everything that she had heard about me in the past few weeks.

"Expelled from your last school?"

I shook my head.

"Juvie?"

I shook my head again.

"You smoke?"

I shook my head and scrunched my nose. I couldn't stand the smell of cigarette smoke.

"Tattoos?"

I shrugged. Edward's eyes went a little wide as I smirked, and Alice continued.

"Grand theft auto?"

"Have you seen my pickup? Definitely not."

"Alright, Alice that's enough," Edward groaned.

"Don't believe everything you hear, kids," I snickered.

"But you did threaten Mike Newton, right? Please tell me that was true," Emmett pleaded.

"That's actually true," I smiled at the memory of putting Mike Newton in his place. Then it got quiet again. I really hated the quiet, so much so that I was willing to break the silence myself. "So...anything fun to do in this town?"

"Uh, there a movie theater in Port Angeles, it's like an hour away?" I scrunched my nose and shook my head. That wasn't really what I considered fun.

"Un..." Alice audibly thought for a second. "Okay, I've got nothing."

"Come on, there's nothing crazy you guys do for the hell of it," I teased, only half-joking though. There was a very real part of me that was suffocating in this dull small town.

"What exactly is your definition of fun, New Girl?" Rosalie snarked. I knew she didn't like me and to be honest, I didn't really care. I thought about her question for a second, just because I needed that thrill to feel alive didn't mean I needed to impose my dangerous inclinations onto them. They were happy with their lives and that's how it was supposed to be. People weren't supposed to numb themselves to the point that only extreme danger and living wildly was the only way they could feel alive. It reminded me of all the reasons why I needed to stay away. These weren't my people, I had left my people back in Phoenix.

They still lived in an idyllic world, one I hadn't known in a very long time. I hadn't known that word since sordid events back in Phoenix. They hadn't seen the things I'd seen, done the things I'd done. Things that had been done to me. They didn't understand. They shouldn't understand. I lived in the real world, but they hadn't leaned just how my reality paled in comparison to theirs.

It was one of the reasons I was so out of place here. They didn't understand what it was to seek comfort in strangers, and what it meant to be unable to do so in your own family. What it was like to be unable to trust the adults in your life, the ones in your own home.

No, I was glad they still lived in that idyllic reality because this one sucked.

"Don't worry about it," I muttered. I got up without another word. "I'll see you around, Edward."

His eyes were apologetic and I was almost tempted to stay just to get that look off of his face.

But I didn't.

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