Angela picks me up the next morning and greets me with a cup of coffee. "You look like shit."

"Why thank you, sunshine. You don't look so bad, yourself." I sip the beverage, not caring that it scalds my tongue.

"You know, you're starting to worry me." She looks at me through her Tina Fey lenses and I offer my best reassuring look. "Maybe you should see your doctor again. See if he can give you something that helps you sleep."

"It's not so much that I can't sleep. I think it's more that I don't want to." I stifle a yawn and sip more of my coffee. "I'm okay, Ang. I promise. Last night was just a particularly bad night."

"If you say so." She looks at me again, this time with a mischievous smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe seeing one of those Cullen boys will put some pep in your step."

My eyes roll so hard, I almost close them and fall asleep. Though, at the mention of them, I remember what I'd forgotten to tell her the day before. "You know, I'm fairly certain that there's something wrong with them. Like internally."

Angela gives me a confused look. "Why do you say that?"

"I can't hear them."

She's still looking at me, only her eyes are the size of saucers now.

"The road, genius!" I have to swerve the car back onto the road before she drives over the curb. "Do you need me to drive while you get your act together?"

"Oh, please." She swats my hand away after she's regained her composure. "You almost look half-dead over there. I wouldn't let you behind the wheel even if you did have a license."

"Fair." I chug more coffee.

"Okay, but tell me more. Have you tried touching him? Did you see anything then?"

"No, why on earth would I do that? If you'd seen his face, you would've shit your pants. No way in hell was I going to willingly put my hands on that weirdo."

Angela gives me a pointed look. "Stop that."

"What?"

"Think of what everyone else says about you behind your back. It's not fair to judge someone without context. I thought you'd know that better than anyone."

I slouch in my seat. "But I didn't do anything to him to make him hate me so much! The guy is just weird."

"Maybe he was just having a bad day."

"Ang, you really need to take off those rose-colored glasses."

She fiddles with the frames that sit on her face and smiles. "I think they look great."

We take our normal routine the rest of the day. Ben meets up with us at my locker and the two of them go off together to have time alone before classes start. We meet up later in first period and I spend the next two classes telling her how much I'm dreading seeing Pretty Boy in Biology later.

She tells me not to worry about it until it's time, but it doesn't help. My classes aren't challenging enough to keep my attention, so I have nothing to do but cower at the idea.

The first half of classes go by too fast. Soon enough, I'm walking into the cafeteria and I'm desperately looking around for Pretty Boy so I know where to hide.

"What are you looking for?"

I jump about almost entirely out of my skin and so do the three empty chairs next to me. They go sliding out into the middle of the floor without my control. "Jesus, Ang! Don't do that."

"Sorry, did I startle you?" She helps me put the chairs back in their spot. Luckily, no one has seemed to notice. "I didn't even know you could still get scared. You normally hear me coming."

"I must be distracted." We take the seats we've unofficially named ours.

"You're not still freaking out about Edward Cullen are you?" She apparently doesn't need me to answer because she's already cackling like a hyena.

"I'm glad you find this amusing."

"B, you gotta admit. No one has ever gotten under your skin the way he has."

"You'd be anxious too if you had to be lab partners with a lunatic for the rest of the school year."

"You're overthinking this. It's been a while since you've had to read somebody by their body language. I'm sure you're just blowing it out of proportion."

"Body language is a thing of the past now. All it consists of is people staring at a friggin cell phone. I mean, what do you think I'm feeling right now?" I hold my phone up to my face and stare blankly.

After a moment, I put the phone down to block my face with my hand, already expecting the piece of celery she's planning to throw at me. I catch it easily and take a bite.

"Normal people like me read body language every day!" she argues. "I mean, I didn't have to read your mind to know something was wrong. You had your head whipping around all over the place like a child who'd lost her parents in the supermarket."

"You knew something was wrong because I told you this morning," I countered.

With a groan, she throws her hands up. "You're impossible."

Angela is able to keep my attention somewhat diverted for the rest of the lunch hour. She tells me that Ben is already planning the perfect date where they get to "do it" and I try not to laugh at her choice of words.

She had once asked me if I'd ever thought about giving up my V-card to anybody. I still shudder at the idea of it. I barely have a tolerance for people touching me in general, never mind someone screwing me. But I nod my head and voice my excitement for her. She and Ben have been dating almost a year now and with Ben in the grade ahead of us, I know there's some anxiety about when he eventually goes off to college without her. They want to be connected in every way humanly possible. It's very sweet.

To my horror, the bell rings.

"You knew this was coming, B. Don't look like that." Ang walks with me as we stand to throw away our trash. "You'll be fine. Why don't you try talking to him?"

"Why?"

"To get some answers, for one. You'd be surprised by the rewards you get from face-to-face conversation."

I sigh and drag my feet, hoping that something trips me so I can spend the rest of the period in the nurse's office.

Angela catches onto me and gives me a push. "Just ask him why he's so upset. I'm sure it has nothing to do with you."

"You keep giving everyone the benefit of the doubt and it'll bite you in the ass sooner or later."

"Good luck!" she says, ignoring me and leaves me alone outside of my biology class.

Imagine my face, after spending all day with butterflies in my stomach, just to walk in and find that Pretty Boy isn't even there. All of that time I used working myself up was for absolutely nothing. What a complete waste of energy. Ultimately, I decide not to look a gift horse in the mouth and take my seat with relief.

The next two weeks of school go on just the same. Pretty Boy is absent every day, it seems now. I figure he has either switched classes or dropped out altogether. Nevertheless, I'm more than happy to continue on without a lab partner. I don't need to be bothered by anyone accidentally touching me or whispering under their breath about having to share a table with the likes of me. I'm perfectly content.

It's not until one fateful Monday afternoon, that I realize I may have jumped the gun. I walk into Mr. Banner's room and there he sits, calm as ever, right at my table. I stop so abruptly, Lauren Mallory crashes into my back. Her touch makes me so overwhelmed from the hangover she's sporting, I almost double over with the urge to retch.

"Move, freak." She shoves her way around me with a groan. "I'm so not in the mood today."

"Are you alright, Miss Swan?" Mr. Banner reaches his hand out to my shoulder, but I move away before he makes contact. "You're looking a little green."

"I'm fine," I say around the saliva that's pooled in my mouth. "Just need to sit down."

I all but fall into my seat and swallow down the bile I feel rising in the back of my throat. After a few moments of sitting still, my stomach settles and I feel like myself again.

Mr. Banner is droning on about a lab exercise he wants us to practice today. I only half pay attention, as I've already seen what the result of the experiment will bring in his head.

When he's finished handing out our worksheets, I almost jump when I hear a voice next to me.

"Hello."

Looking to my immediate left, I'm surprised to find the voice has come from Pretty Boy. He's speaking. To me.

"My name is Edward Cullen. You must be Isabella." His eyes are an intoxicating amber color that remind of topaz. Not that I'd gotten an especially good look at him before, but I could've sworn his eyes were a darker color.

I'm abruptly aware that he's waiting for me to respond, and I trip over my words as I try to catch up. "J-just Bella is fine."

A small pout of his lips turns into a lopsided smirk and I narrow my eyes, trying hard to get some kind of read from him. There's nothing but silence. "It's nice to meet you, Bella."

"You too, I guess," I say dumbly.

It's quiet for a moment and I almost think he's done talking when he says, "Are you feeling alright? I've heard about your condition—"

"Jesus Christ." My outburst interrupts him. "Word really travels fast around here, doesn't it?"

I'm annoyed that Edward has the audacity to look appalled. "I don't mean any disrespect."

"I don't need you to pretend that you actually care, okay? I already know you think I'm a spaz. I'm perfectly fine with just getting through this assignment and all future assignments without any awkward small talk."

"I don't think that about you."

I turn to look at him again and search his face for any indication that he's lying. When I come up with nothing, I wonder for a moment, if he's being sincere.

"My father's a doctor. I only intended to offer my help if you needed it."

Of course his father's a doctor. How respectable. "Well," I say, too embarrassed to admit I'm not angry anymore, "you don't have to worry about me. I feel fine. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I pretend to make notes on my worksheet, still feeling a bit guilty about my rude accusation. I'm not accustomed to people knowing anything about epilepsy, let alone to be sympathetic to it.

"Did you enjoy your weekend?"

I can't help but feel gladdened that he wants to keep speaking with me. "Um, it was fine. I don't really do much of anything anymore." My voice has a melancholic tone to it that makes Edward tilt his head in concern. I try again, before he asks any questions, "But, how was yours? I suppose it was more of a vacation for you. You've been out for a while."

"Yes, I had some family business I needed to attend to. Regardless, I'm happy to be back."

I stifle a laugh. "Sure. Happy to be back in school."

"Aren't you?"

I bite my lip nervously, wondering if I've got my emotions written on my forehead or something. "I am, but I'm a bit of a conundrum. It's not a very popular opinion, if you hadn't noticed."

Edward chuckles something deep and musical. I find it hard not to smile with him. "Yes, I have to agree with you."

Deciding to focus on the lab in front of us, I take the measuring cup and begin assembling the solution Mr. Banner is trying to instruct us to make.

Half a cup of water, two teaspoons of dish soap and half a teaspoon of salt.

"Have you done this before?" Edward asks suddenly.

It finally registers to me that I've been listening to the instructions in Banner's head instead of waiting for him to say them. "Um...yes." Very convincing, Bella.

Edward seems satisfied with my answer and begins his own task taking the strawberries that are passed down to us and mashing them in a plastic bag.

"So," I start uncomfortably, trying my hand at starting a conversation. "What school are you from?"

I think I see tension in his shoulders, but he turns and says in an even tone, "My family and I are from Alaska. We came from a private school there."

"Oh." I tap my fingers on the table, unable to shake my sudden social anxiety. "That's cool."

"And you? Have you grown up in Washington?"

I'm almost caught off guard with his question. "Um, not really. I guess it's complicated."

"I'm a fast learner."

With a shrug, I say, "I used to live with my mother in Arizona. But when I was twelve, we found out that I don't do very well in the heat. I had my first grand mal seizure. The doctors said it was most likely the heat that triggered it. Since then, she sent me to live with my father here, in Forks. But I used to see him every summer before that, so I'm familiar with the area."

"You must miss her."

I nod. "More than you could ever know."

Edward reaches for the solution I've made and I retract my hand quickly. It's more of a reflex than an intentional decision and I scold myself immediately. I wonder what images I'd see if I do touch him. The curiosity nearly swallows me whole as I watch him freeze and his eyes darken with guilt.

"It's nothing personal," I say in an effort to comfort him. "I just hate being touched."

"Why is that?"

I exhale slowly, not knowing how to answer. No one has ever really bothered to ask, besides Angela.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," he says.

"No, it's not that," I respond. "Just another story for another time, I think."

Edward nods his head once and takes the cup of solution and pours it into the bag of decimated strawberries.

After pouring our contents into a test tube, I begin adding the alcohol. Soon enough, we're finishing up our worksheets and Mr. Banner is making a scene to congratulate us.

"You see what happens when you follow directions, kids?" He holds up our test tube and points to the cloudy substance that has started to form inside. "You find yourself stumbling upon an astounding discovery. Excellent job, you two."

I expected nothing less than perfection from Isabella Swan.

I can't help but laugh as he hands us our test tube back and I take a look at the small piece of DNA we've successfully extracted from the strawberries. "Guess we make a good team."

Edward smiles at me in agreement.

The bell rings not too long after that and I can't help but feel disappointed that my time with him is over. But, with a promise to see me the next day, he wishes me farewell and I'm left asking myself how exactly he managed to redeem himself so smoothly is such a short amount of time.

As soon as the day is over, I rush to my locker. I'm nearly bursting at the seams with news when Angela finally emerges through the crowd. However, her train of thought keeps my words from spilling through my lips.

"Bella!" She grabs my finger and begins bouncing on the balls on her feet. "You'll never guess what just happened!"

Of course I can guess, but I know what she means and I let her tell me anyway even though I already know.

"Look at this!" She holds out her hand to show me a rose gold ring with rhinestones circling the band. "It's a promise ring. Ben just gave it to me a few minutes ago. He says it's meant to symbolize our long-distance commitment."

I smile at her, genuinely happy to see her so elated. "That's great, Ang. It's beautiful. Though, you still have the rest of the school year before he even graduates."

She's blushing as she plays with the band. "I know, he told me he was going to wait to give it to me, but he was too excited."

I'm seeing the interaction in my head and almost laugh aloud at how cliche the whole thing seems as it plays out. But Ben looks like he's ripped out his whole heart and presented it to her as an offering "Are you going to see him tonight?"

Angela nods enthusiastically. "He's taking me to dinner and a movie. Will you be alright on your own with Charlie tonight?"

I roll my eyes and nudge her playfully. "I'm not an invalid. I think I'll survive the night. You deserve a day out."

"B, you have no idea how in love with him I am. I think he's the one."

I let her go on as she leads me to the car and starts the drive home. I'm only a little bummed that I don't get to tell her about my day, but it's nice to take a seat back and listen to her ramble on for a change. She's always been my punching bag when I needed to vent. The least I can do is be there while she patters on about her relationship.

When she pulls up to my house, I hop out and tell her not to worry about walking me in and to call me after her night out with Ben to give me all the details. She's barely keeping it together as she thanks me and speeds off down the road.

I find myself chuckling as I hear her thinking to herself.

I am so jumping his bones tonight.

Pulling out my phone, I send a text.

Don't forget to use protection

I end up missing Angela's call that evening. It is the first time over a month that I'd actually gotten a decent night's sleep.