Chapter 10

The drive to Port Angeles flew by quickly as Rosalie talked non-stop in the back seat and wouldn't let a single minute pass by in silence. She showed a great interest in me and my previous life in Phoenix, to the point where I pondered the thought of throwing Charlie a hint later that there might be some future deputy material at hand. She didn't refrain from asking any kind of questions and I got a bit uncomfortable when she started asking me questions about whether or not there were any cute guys to be had at my old high school. But thankfully I survived the drive to Port Angeles and the rest of the evening flew by in the same manner.

We started if off with dinner at an Italian place and it turned out me opting for the dress instead of the pants hadn't been in vain. Emmett and Rosalie were both very friendly towards me and I could tell they truly cared for their brother. Edward on the other hand seemed a bit nervous, as if he didn't quite know how to act most of the time nor what was expected of him. Maybe he just wasn't used to hanging out with girls? That did seem rather strange though as he had two sisters whom he seemed to be spending a fair amount of time with. After dinner we went to the movie theatre and picked up tickets for a comedy that had just been released. I was thankful for the fact that none of them seemed interested in watching the latest vampire flick, the one everyone at school had been talking about for the last week. Horror movies always made me queasy…

"I'm glad you came with us tonight", Rosalie said as we stood waiting for the guys to go get popcorn and sodas, "We don't have that many friends our own age in Forks and none of the kids at school have ever really showed an interest in getting to know us. I know it's probably because we might come off as a bit odd in a small town like Forks, but it's still kind of sad. I mean I love my siblings, but sometimes I'd just like to talk to someone outside my own little world." She smiled at me gloomily and I couldn't really buy the concept that she or her siblings would ever have any problems with surrounding themselves with people. She was beautiful, so were all the Cullens in their own way. Add a couple of dollars and fancy cars to that mix and you'd have a pretty good cure for loneliness.

"Well, the kids at school aren't really throwing themselves at me either", I said jokingly and smiled at her, "Edward has been really nice to me in school. I'm glad I got him as my lab partner so I got the opportunity to get to know the rest of you too." "Thanks, Bella. That means a lot to me", Rosalie said and smiled brightly at me," I hope we can all become good friends. I think Edward would like that too." Once again it was hinted towards the fact that this was something more than just a casual Friday evening with friends, but my thoughts on the matter were scattered by the return of the boys.

"Sweets for the sweet", Emmett said handed Rosalie a pack of Skittles. "A hundred years later and that phrase still works for you", Rosalie said with a mysterious smile and gave him a kiss. "I got you Twizzlers", Edward said and awkwardly handed them to me. "Thank you, I love Twizzlers", I said and smiled reassuringly at him. God, why did he have to be so awkward all the time? This was NOT a date. "Shall we go inside?" Emmett said and I suddenly feared having to sit next to Edward in a dark movie theatre for two hours. What if he tried to take my hand? Or even worse, kiss me? How would I dodge that bullet without hurting his feeling yet not being to open about my reasons for not being in the business of dating for a foreseeable future?

But my fears were unfounded luckily enough and even though I caught Edward looking my way a couple of times during the movie he kept his hands at a distance. After the movie we all headed for the car and we drove back to Forks quietly listening to the car stereo. The clock was just about to strike 11pm when we arrived at my house and Emmett and Rosalie had fallen asleep in the back seat by that time.

"So this is me", I said, removing my car belt and getting ready to get out of the car, "Thank you so much for this evening, I had a really good time." "Yeah, I did too", Edward said and smiled serenely at me, "Even though the movie was a bit stupid." "Yeah, it actually was. But I suppose that's the point?" I said and smiled at him. "You're probably right. Let me walk you to the door?" Oh boy… Here we go. Another one bites the dust.

"Okay, Edward, so I'm gonna stop you right there", I went ahead brusquely. "I'm not in the business of becoming Forks High's homecoming queen with you by my side nor settling down here in Forks at all. I really like spending time with you and your siblings but I have no wish to take it any further than that. I came here to do my mom a favor and I admit Forks is starting to grow on me, but I don't need to complicate my life any further than that. You catch my drift?" Whoa… Could I sound like more of a bitch?

Edward looked a bit thrown by my sudden rant but regained his composure quickly enough. "That's fine, Bella", he said in a calm voice, "I don't want anything from you except for your company. And I don't have any plans of complicating your life further. I promise. Okay?" He looked at my with a sincere gaze and the feeling that I'd totally overreacted came over me like a tsunami. "Okay then", I said and tried to restrain myself from getting out of the car and run for the hills, "I just wanted to make sure that we're on the same page in that matter." "We're clear, Captain", he said and shot me a faint smile, "I know I might come off as a bit nervous and even weird sometimes, but I like to think that's because I mostly hang out with these miscreants and don't really know how to act among "normal" people. But I like to think I'm pretty decent deep down." And now I was beyond embarrassed. I was a monster.

"You're the definition of decent, Edward. You've been really cool to me and I truly appreciate it. You took me on as your lab partner, no questions asked, even though you've done most of the work." "That's not true though", he interrupted "Except for you being a whole new shade of clumsy you've actually contributed a great deal to our project." "If you say so… Well, good night, Edward. I'll see you in school on Monday." I smiled at him and got out of the car and he waved and wished me a good night. As he drove the car out of the driveway I could see Rosalie and Emmett stirring from their sleep and sitting up straight in the back seat. I felt mortified at the prospect of them having heard my pathetic conversation with Edward. Had they really been asleep? It seemed a bit too convenient… And why did I get the sense that at least they'd thought of this as more than a casual Friday with friends?