A/N: Thank you all for reading my little story! More of their interaction here, and a deviation from the original story. I hope you like it.

Chapter 7: Unexpected

Bella

By the next day I was still unsure of what had happened with the boy in Biology. He had left in such a hurry, I wondered if he really was just sick and that's why he looked so angry. Maybe that's all it was? It was really a strange situation. When I got to school the next day, I immediately looked for him. I was going to walk up to him and ask what the hell was going on. I had gone back and forth on that decision, though, because I really didn't need any friends here. Why bother even talking to him about it?

Of course, if I walked up to him and demanded to know what his problem was, I probably was not making a friend anyway. So, I resolved myself, stood up straighter, and walked over to his car that had just pulled in. He and his siblings were all getting out of the car when I approached him.

"Hi, can I talk to you?" I asked him, not looking at the others though I could feel their eyes on me.

He glanced at me, a small smile on his face. Well, at least he didn't look angry any more. "Sure."

His siblings walked off and he turned his attention to me, eyes expectant. I shifted a little, losing some of my resolve as I stared into his beautiful caramel colored eyes that I could have sworn were black yesterday. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead, Bella." He crossed his arms and leaned against his car.

"Are you mad at me or something? Yesterday when I got to biology you seemed mad that I sat next to you. We don't have to be friends or anything like that, but I'd like to know if I offended you or something. I don't have anywhere else to sit in biology, so it's not like I can move or something. And if we are going to sit next to each other, I don't want to offend you or whatever." I took a deep breath. What the hell was all of that? I just word vomited all over him!

He smirked at me, shaking his head. "Ok, so that was a lot to get through. Let me piece it together. You saw me sick yesterday, and you assumed I was mad at you?"

I felt my face flush, as I watched his eyes darken, he pushed back into his car a little more. There was a flash of a weird look on his face that quickly vanished. "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if you were sick or if I had bothered you or something." I looked down at my feet, feeling embarrassed by approaching him. "I shouldn't have said anything."

He chuckled. "It's ok, Bella, really. It's good because now I can introduce myself. I'm Edward Mason. It's nice to meet you."

"Bella Swan, but I guess you already know that." I looked at him, cocking my head to the side. "How did you know I go by Bella? Everyone has been calling me Isabella."

He closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them back up. "I heard you tell someone to call you Bella, so I assumed that's what you liked to go by." He studied me for a moment, his face looking confused. "Sorry if that offends you, I just assumed."

"No, no it's fine. I prefer Bella, it's ok." What the hell is wrong with me? The beautiful boy – Edward – was staring at me again. And I wasn't sure what was going on, what I was saying, or where I was. His eyes cleared out every damn brain cell I had.

"Well, I better get going or I'm going to be late. It was nice meeting you, Bella." Edward took off toward the school before I could even say anything in response.

I walked into the school, silently chiding myself for acting like an absolute groupie. If he wasn't offended by me before, he may be now. I just ogled him the whole damn time. I ignored waves by other kids as I walked into my first class. I couldn't manage to be even polite right now to people, so I just avoided everyone.

Through the rest of the morning, nothing else of note happened. I managed to completely avoid everyone, which worked fine for me. Lunch was me sitting in a corner again by myself, decidedly not staring over toward their table. Though I was nervous about going to biology. I hadn't seen him since I word vomited and ogled at him, so this should be a fun hour. Maybe I could ditch? Nah, I'm not that kind of person, and I knew it.

I made my way to the room, dreading the possibilities ahead of me, but when I got to the room he wasn't sitting at the table. I had watched him and his siblings leave the cafeteria, so I assumed he would be there already. I sat down and semi-watched the door to see if he would come in. By the time the teacher came in and closed the door, I was thinking he must have ditched.

"Blood typing today, everyone. Now, I'll start by handing out..." I became sick immediately. The teacher kept talking, but I couldn't hear him. He had said the word blood and I couldn't think of anything past that. Edward had the right idea by skipping today. I wished that I had.

As the kids around me started to bend over the desks and the blood started to flow, I felt my head get lighter. Soon, the edges of my vision were sort of white, while sounds started to become mumbled. I rested my head against the desk in front of me trying to block out everyone around me.

"Isabella? Are you ok?" I heard someone ask me.

"I'm...I don't feel well."

"Mr. Molina, Isabella is sick, should she go to the nurse?" I still didn't know who was speaking. I also didn't care.

"One every year. Sure, Mike, go ahead and get her to the nurse."

I felt a warm arm come around me, lifting me up on my feet and half carrying me out of the room. As soon as I got out, though, I struggled to get out of his grasp. I laid down on the cold cement ground, laying my head down. The cold was actually helping.

"Is she ok?" I heard a familiar voice ask.

"Got sick during the blood typing."

"Bella, are you ok?" The familiar voice was closer. I opened my eyes and was immediately drowning in caramel again. Edward Mason was kneeling down beside me, concern etched on his face.

"I'm fine," I said to him, already feeling silly for laying on the ground.

"Let's get you up. Come on, I'll get you to the nurse." He lifted me up with way more ease than I expected, but unfortunately it made me sicker.

"No, please, just set me down. I was feeling better on the ground."

"Edward, Mr. Molina asked me to take her to the nurse," Mike whined. I flinched at the sound; I had forgotten he was there.

"I got it, Mike. You can head back to class. I'll take care of her." Edward fully lifted me up and started walking down the hallway.

"No, I don't want to go to the nurse. Please, just take me outside. I just need some fresh air," I begged him.

He paused for a moment, and then swiftly turned and walked toward the front door. Once we were outside, he set me down carefully on a bench in the front of the school. He sat down next to me, sliding to the other side of the bench, giving me a wide berth.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Sort of." I was just breathing, trying to get the thought of the blood out of my head. "Why weren't you in class?" I asked him, trying to distract myself.

"It's healthy to ditch once in a while."

"Ha! I should have ditched today." My head was feeling clearer, finally. I looked over at him, and his eyes were on me, a confused look on his face.

Edward

I stared at her wondering again why her mind was so silent. I had never experienced anyone who could avoid my power before. If she was as important as my mother and Alice seemed to think she was, then it was really aggravating that I couldn't hear her. The one person I wanted to hear the most, and she was silent to me.

The color was coming back in her face, so I wasn't going to have to rush her to Carlisle for evaluation. She must have just gotten faint when she saw the blood. I almost laughed at the irony.

"What class do you have next?"

She scrunched up her face. "Gym."

I smirked at her. "Maybe you should skip that class. I somehow doubt that Gym is a good idea for you right now, Bella."

"Yeah, I think I'll just go home. I am dangerous in the best of times in Gym. Feeling like this, I'd probably kill someone by mistake...and then I'd throw up or faint on them because of all the blood." She blushed and looked down, away from my eyes.

The fire in my throat surged as the blush crept through her face, but I fought it. I focused instead on how beautiful the color made her look. She was already strikingly beautiful, but when she blushed it enhanced her features.

The monster inside me was calming, as the man inside me was doing the exact opposite. But I knew I had to be careful. One wrong move and I would hurt her. I shook my head, that was far off anyway. She and I barely knew each other; right now, I needed to focus on befriending her. That's what Mother said to do, right?

I leaned a little closer to her, locking the monster down while I inhaled slowly. "Can I give you a ride home?" As soon as it came out of my mouth, I regretted it. I was putting myself in a questionable situation being with her. Enclosing her in my car would be horrific if I couldn't control myself.

She shook her head. "I have a car. Or, truck, I guess. I can drive."

"Will you? Can you drive?" I raised my eyebrow at her, and she frowned.

"I'm fine. I can drive. I appreciate the offer, Edward Mason, but I can get myself home." She stood up and started walking toward the parking lot, to the old beat-up truck she drove. I got up and followed behind her.

"I just don't want you passing out behind the wheel or anything. I don't want to be responsible for you getting injured because I didn't stop you." I followed close behind her, trying to insist. I knew it was a bad idea to be in my car alone with her, but Mother had said her smell was something I needed to get used to. Maybe that's how I started the process. "I'll drive your truck and get you home safely, then I won't worry about you."

She turned on her heel and looked at me. "How would you do that?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "I can drive it too, Bella."

She still looked at me with a blank face. "Let me rephrase, why do you care?"

Now would have been an excellent time to hear her thoughts. "Aren't we becoming friends? I don't want you to get into an accident, as I said."

She didn't say anything, but silently handed me her key and began walking to the ancient piece of metal she called a truck. I did a victory lap in my head, before it slammed into a wall. Now I knew for sure I was going to be alone with her. I walked behind her at a human pace, circling the truck and getting in on the driver's side. She hopped up into the seat and stared at me again.

"Seat belt, Bella," I instructed, ignoring my own. "I'm nervous already." I started the truck and almost flinched as the loud engine turned over. She put her belt on, and I backed out slowly. If I was doing this, I was going to extend the amount of time I had with her. If I felt the monster getting worse, I'd just drive faster. Problem solved.

"And you really aren't mad at me?"

I glanced at her, with what I hoped was an amused expression. "Yes, furious. That's why I wanted to help you today."

Bella looked down at her hands folded in her lap. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, so I was again trying to figure out what was going on in her head. I noted the difference in being with her alone verses anyone else in my life. There was a quiet peace that settled around me. I could hear only my own thoughts.

"I don't really want to make any friends," she said, surprising me.

"Really? Why?"

"I'm only here temporarily. Once I'm out of high school I'm moving back home. I don't need to complicate my life with friends I know I'm going to have to leave."

I pulled off the road next to her house. Chief Swan's car wasn't there, so I figured we had a few minutes. I turned off the engine and shifted so I could face her, relishing in the quiet now that the truck was off. "Does that mean you don't want to be friends with me?"

The blush crept along her face again as she glanced at me. "I hadn't planned on it. But, maybe that's ok."

The monster reared up again as soon as the blood started to color her skin. I swallowed several times and almost closed my eyes. I didn't want her to get the wrong idea, so I fought it. Instead I stared into her chocolate colored eyes. Of all the humans I had met in my long existence, she had the most beautiful eyes. They contrasted with her pale skin dramatically, making her the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.

"I'd like to be friends, Bella," I said finally, reaching my hand toward hers.

She took it, intending to shake it I think, but then something strange happened. I felt as if I had been electrocuted through her hand. It was like a soft buzzing that circled around us when our skin was connected. That hum set every nerve in my body alive in a way that hadn't happened in years. Suddenly, I was a seventeen-year-old boy waking up from a vivid dream, or catching myself daydreaming in class to a particularly lewd scenario.

If I could have blushed, I would have. Thanking whoever decided how vampire physiology worked, I enclosed my hand around hers. The hum became even more pronounced. Her eyes were wide and she looked down where we were connected.

I knew it then. Mother said she was important. That to get everything I'd ever wanted I just needed to get to know her. I had seen the choice strand in her head that had led to so much for myself; but what she hadn't said – or maybe hadn't known – was that this human was my mate. I had seen the reaction enough in other's heads. I had to acknowledge that's what went through Carlisle's when Mother and I woke up. I hadn't wanted to admit it then, of course, but I understood now.

Bella was still holding my hand, but she was staring at me. I dropped it, and smirked at her. "Friends."

She nodded, grabbing her backpack from the floor and exiting the truck. I got out slowly, still dazed from the encounter. She looked at me as I walked around toward her, depositing the keys in her hand.

"How will you get back to school?" she asked, her eyes on mine.

"I'll walk."

Bella looked at the darkened sky curiously. "Really? It's sorta cold out here."

I laughed, starting to walk away. "See you later, Bella."

I walked back to the school, continuing to inhale deeply. The more I smelled her, the easier it got; just as Mother said it would. I got to my car before school was out, so I slid in and listened to music until the bell rang. My siblings got in the car, once school was out, and they could all immediately smell her on me. I heard a barrage of questions in their heads, but Alice answered them.

"Good, Edward! This is the start you both needed." She clapped her hands. "I can't wait to meet her!"

Sometime later, once darkness had fallen, I found myself running through the woods. I told myself that I wasn't heading anywhere specific, but as soon as I saw the house I realized. I had unconsciously been heading toward Bella's house. I concealed myself in a tree, back a bit from the tree line so that she couldn't see me. It was late and Charlie was watching TV. Bella was moving around in her room; getting ready for bed maybe?

I listened to her heartbeat and thought back to the feeling in the car. My mate. The feeling of rightness settled over me as soon as I said that in my head. And just as suddenly, I wanted to run into the house and put my arms around her. I wanted to whisk her away and learn everything about her. What did she do in her free time? Does she like living here? Does she miss her mother?

A thousand questions filled my head as I continued to listen to the beat of her heart. I closed my eyes, just listening. It was like the beating of my own soul. It represented something to me that no human heart ever had before.

The ringing of her cellphone broke through my concentration.

"Hello Mom," she said, answering.

"Oh, baby! I can't wait to tell you! This is so exciting!" her mother gushed on the other end. "The team settled with Phil today. You wouldn't believe the amount of money he's getting because of this accident!"

What a strange thing to be happy about...I moved to be a little closer; I wanted to see Bella's face.

"He got a settlement? What was it?" she asked. I got to a tree that had a semi-clear path to her bedroom window. I watched her sit down on her bed, concern etched on her face.

"Baby, it was so much! Phil and I have been talking, and since he won't be able to play ball again – and the settlement is so much that I won't have to work again – we decided to go on the road."

"Go on the road? What, like a band?"

"No, silly. We are buying an RV! Just like I always wanted, baby. We are going to just travel all over America. I want to see everything this country has to offer...then, maybe we will head down to South America or Canada!"

Bella's mother continued to ramble, but I could see worry settle over her face. The mother may be happy about this, but Bella most definitely was not. She let her talk, though, not interrupting. I had a feeling this was normal behavior for those two.

"I'm going to send Charlie some money for you, sweetie. I want you to use it to buy a decent car. And you can save the rest for college, ok?"

"Sure, Mom. Thanks." Bella didn't sound like she believed her. Maybe there was a history of broken promises?

Her mother talked on for another 30 minutes, but Bella's responses were short. She kept them to "hmm?" and "ok" or "that's cool." I was becoming worried about her, though. The more she listened to her mother, the more agitated she got.

"Are you going with Charlie to La Push tomorrow like you planned?" her mother asked, pulling my attention back to their conversation.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't really have anything else to do."

She was going to be surrounded by the wolves? No, I had to stop this somehow. What could I do? How could I get her to stay away from them? I was feeling panicked when I heard a familiar voice in my head.

Why don't you just take a breath? Let's figure it out together.

"Esme," I whispered, feeling better already.

She jumped to land on the tree next to me, smiling. "You finally find someone, and she's a human. Edward, I swear you seek out trouble wherever you go."

I huffed a laugh. "Believe me, if I could have chosen..." I looked at her, but didn't finish my sentence. She knew anyway.

She nodded. "I know. I've often thought that would have been so simple, right? We have always been close." She scrunched up her nose. "But the reality of it is, thinking about being with you in any other way than this makes me sicker than smelling human food."

I laughed silently at her. "Exactly." I leaned over and placed my arm around her. "Thank you for coming. How can I fix this? She is upset about her mother, doesn't want to go tomorrow, and I don't want her to either."

Esme looked at me. "Do you have her cell number? Maybe you could just ask her out?"

I shook my head. "It's way too soon for that. She'd be concerned, probably."

Esme rolled her eyes. "Edward, welcome to 2018. You are thinking of a time that is long gone. Now, women ask men. And sometimes it's after only knowing them for minutes."

"I know, Esme. But I don't want to ruin this. I can't rush into something she isn't ready for. She didn't even want to make friends here."

Esme leaned her head against my shoulder, covering my eyes with her hand as she saw Bella about to change for bed. "Maybe you just need to ride the wave of this relationship. You guys are going to be closer; Alice has seen it.

"In the meantime, Edward. Give the girl some damn privacy when she's changing!"

I laughed, turning away until Esme told me I could turn back. She left shortly after that. I stayed there all night just listening to Bella's heartbeat. By morning, I was completely and utterly in love with the sound.

A/N: Some changes here. No, he doesn't go in her room until she asks him to. Some manners were definitely established with my Edward. I hope that this helps you to understand the difference I'm building here. His mother's presence definitely helped him to grow and mature differently.

Thanks to my betas: my wonderful sister and my amazing beta, zombified419.