A/N: Thanks for my new review! It gave me peace of mind that people are enjoying this story. Carrying on straight from the last chapter... will she let him explain?

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all connected to it. I only own this story line and any characters not included in her original saga!

I'll Always Find Peace In The Meadow

Previously...

...during his rescue, he accidently kicks his bag over, sending it's contents flying.The reason for the amount of crinkling noise his bag made earlier becomes clear now. As his foot hits his bag, it topples over and a mountain of papers comes spilling out. Stick bodies topped with yellow heads on white paper covers the floor in front of me.

Edward tenses up beside me, his breathing audibly halting. With a shaking hand, I reach forward and pick up the top poster of the pile.

BELLA SWAN

FORKS'ES FRUITLOOP

My heart drops to my stomach as my eyes fill with more tears. I'm so sick of crying! Keeping the first poster in my hand, I reach down to pick up the rest, piling them in my hands.

I slowly stand up, trembling as I struggle to my feet. Edward doesn't even try and help me now, but he slowly rises, too. I can feel his gaze resting on me. My throat begins closing as a tear falls. I wipe it away angrily, before spinning on unbalanced feet to face him.

"It was you!" I seethe, pointing my finger at him. He holds his hands out in front of him, a sign of surrender.

"Bella..." he says slowly, cautiously. "Let me explain."

Chapter Eleven : 'It wouldn't hurt' (Bella POV)

Monday 24 April 2017

"Explain what? How you were the one that pulled this prank? That you were the one this whole time? I thought it was Rosalie and... and them. But it wasn't... it was you!" I laugh humorlessly at the end. I can't believe this! Actually, I can. I was right to give him the cold shoulder when he first arrived here. Asshole!

"Is that why you came here? Try to butter me up by offering me some food, make yourself out to be the good guy? And then what? Huh? Were you gonna come clean? Show me these and rub it in my face?" I hold up the posters in between us, waving them around in the air. I'm so angry right now I could kill him. I'm so stupid. How did I not see this before? No one makes this much effort to speak to me. No one tries so hard to get my attention. I should've known.

Edward doesn't try and defend himself. He just stands in front of me, taking the accusations with his mouth hanging open wide, his emerald green eyes even wider.

"Oh, and let me guess? After you told me, I'd run out of here to be greeted with the entire student body laughing at me? Am I right? I bet they're out there right now, just waiting for Batty Bella to run right into the trap!" I'm almost shouting. Who cares if I'm in a library! I'm pissed off, and rightly so!

"You know what? I've had enough of people around here thinking they are better than me. You are all the same. Prank the weak one to make yourselves feel better. Try and break her down to give yourselves more power. Well guess what? It hasn't worked. You can shove your lame, pathetic, petty jokes where the sun don't shine. I've had this shit thrown at me for years and if you think you joining in will break me... you've got another thing coming." I'm definitely shouting now, as I shove the pile of papers into Edward's chest. He stumbles back slightly with the force, but continues to stare at me silently. The posters fall to the floor, landing haphazardly at his feet.

"I'm warning you now," I lean in to whisper to him, my voice laced with anger, "you stay the hell away from me! You got it? Don't talk to me, don't come near me. Don't even look at me!"

I pull back, give him one final glare, before bending down to pick up my own bag. I don't offer him another moment of my time as I storm out of the library. To my surprise, no one is outside waiting to embarrass me further. That doesn't mean anything though. He still did it. And I made a fool of myself in the cafeteria when I blamed Rosalie. Gah! I'm so fucking stupid!

I put my bag onto my back and lower my head as I walk to my next class. My mind is reeling with this new revelation. Edward did it? A small, very miniscule part of me is doubtful. Is he really capable of something like that? Then I shake my head, clear it of the idiocy, and the small part vanishes. Of course he is! They all are.

I enter the classroom, and find that almost everyone is sat down already. I keep my head low and begin walking to the back. I half expect Lauren or Jessica to make a snide remark at me as I pass them, but neither do. They actually seem preoccupied and I doubt they've even noticed I've entered the room.

I soon realise why. Just as I step past them, Jessica says something that makes me stop in my tracks.

"Can you believe someone cleared them all up?" she asks Lauren, disgust clear in her voice.

"I know. Who the hell does this person think they are? Messing with our hard work like that? We should have put more of them up. It wouldn't have been as easy to take them all down then," Lauren answers.

"Totally. The bitch deserves it... I wonder if it was a teacher... Oh no, Lauren! What if we've been caught?" Jessica gasps.

"Don't worry. We haven't been caught. Besides, if we ever did, it wouldn't matter. Rose would get us out of it. After all, it was her idea. We did everything she asked... we only put them up in the hall with Bitch Face's locker. And the banner has already been taken down. Relax!" Lauren says, a note of finality to her words.

My breathing picks up as I realise what they are saying. They did do it! I was right the first time.

Wait! That means... Oh my God. I just said all of that to Edward, and he didn't even do anything wrong. He actually helped me. He helped me? No... he couldn't have... why would he? I was so awful to him. Not just today, but last week, too.

I need proof. I have to go and see for myself.

Feeling determined, I turn around and head out of the classroom. "Miss Swan... Miss Swan!" I can hear my teacher hollering my name from behind me. Mr. Phillips must have arrived just as I was leaving. I ignore him, and rush through the halls until I reach the one with my locker.

It's true! I gasp as I come to a sudden stop. The hall is empty, completely stripped of the posters. Edward actually spent time taking every one of them down. That's why he was absent in the cafeteria.

I walk over to my locker in a daze, my mind filled with a cluster of confusing thoughts. The fact is, I don't know what to think. I... I'm so confused. So lost. What have I done?

I turn my back to my locker, gradually sliding down to the floor, and then bring my knees up to my chest. I really am stupid. I jumped to a conclusion that was so far from the truth, it couldn't stretch even a millimetre further.

I feel sick as I think about the last half an hour. I said some horrible things. I accused him of preposterous acts. Acts that he never made. Why do I always mess up? Well, it's certain now. Edward will never speak to me again. Ever.

I run my hands over my head, gripping my hair tightly. It hurts but it's what I deserve. Pain. It's what I should welcome. I think about everything I said and did. It plays out over and over in my mind. Time passes by and I know I need to move. I can't go back to lessons. I just can't. In the end, I decide to leave. I have never ditched school, but today seems like an exception. It'll only be this once.

Eventually I stand, turning to open my locker and switch out the things I need with the things I don't from my bag. But when I open my locker, a small, folded piece of paper flutters out, landing on my shoe. I bend to pick it up. Confused, and slightly wary after today's events, I slowly open it up.

Bella, I didn't do it. I did none of the things you accused me of. Please believe me! I can explain. Text or call if you're willing to listen. I'll be waiting.

Edward

I gasp, almost dropping the paper. Tears spring to my eyes as I read the note again, and then the phone number scrawled at the bottom. I definitely don't deserve this.

As I walk home, I mull over all that has happened today. And I repeatedly read Edward's note. It wouldn't hurt to have one friend, right?

~I*A*F*P*I*T*M~

Tuesday 25 April 2017

I spent most of my afternoon and evening, yesterday, mulling over whether I should use Edward's cell phone number or not. As I folded clothes and made the beds. As I washed dirty dishes and took out the trash. Through all of my daily tasks, I thought about what would be best.

Now that I knew the truth, I wanted to apologise. But at the same time, I felt too guilty and ashamed to even put the digits into my phone, let alone actually contact him. In the end, I chickened out.

Was that the wrong thing to do? Probably. Do I wish I'd used the opportunity, and texted him last night? Most definitely. Because now, I'm freaking out. As I draw closer to school, my heart beats wildly in my chest and my hands become clammy. I don't want to face him, but at the same time, I can't wait to tell him that I know how stupid I was.

When I finally reach the school, I rush inside - this is unusual behaviour on my behalf, and it doesn't go unnoticed. People stop and stare as I pass them. It's probably because I'm not walking around like a timid mouse with my head lowered. I'm actually looking ahead of me for once. I'm walking with my chin up and eyes forward, but there's only one reason for this. And it's not a sudden surge of confidence.

It's Edward.

I need to speak to him, before I chicken out again. If I don't get the guilt off my chest soon, I'll never do it. I'll most likely avoid him at all costs for the rest of high school. It doesn't even matter that we have over two years left, it's my natural instinct; to cower away from tricky situations.

I rush to my locker, heaving a sigh of relief when I see there is no repeat of yesterday. I rapidly get what I need, before I slam my locker door shut and speed walk through the halls. I spend the couple of minutes I spared in my haste searching the halls for Edward. I'm hoping to catch him at his locker, but I soon realise that I don't know where it is. Shit! I begin losing time and soon, I have to head to my first class before I'm late.

I'm distracted for most of my first two lessons. Both my teachers call on me several times to answer questions, but because I'm watching the clock instead of listening to what they are teaching us, I'm unable to answer. This gains me multiple sniggers, but I just roll my eyes in response.

As soon as the bell rings, signalling the end of my maths class, I scurry out of the room. My speed seems to shock several of the other students in the class, seeing as I'm always the last one out, never rushing to pack up my things. My mind is still focused on apologising to Edward, and I'm dead set on making it to Biology before the courage leaves me.

I'm all for admitting my mistakes the entire walk to Biology. However, when I enter the classroom and see Edward already sat at a table that's far from mine, my bravery diminishes. Oh. Disappointment weighs me down when I see his choice of seat. I was hoping his note meant that he was fine with my outburst. That he had maybe swept it aside, shrugged it off. What an idiot I am.

I stand frozen by the door, staring at him. It's like he senses my gaze, because after only a few seconds, he glances up at me. His dull, green eyes meet my gaze head on. The connection is only brief. Very brief. No more then a second after his eyes lock with mine, he drops his gaze back to his table.

With a sigh of defeat, I reluctantly walk to my desk. I throw my bag down with more force than intended, causing the small gathering of people in the room to look over to me. Including Edward. I try offering him a small twitch of my lips - an attempt at smiling - but he turns away from me before he's able to notice.

I sigh again. I've really fucked up. I wouldn't even care if he decided to never forgive me. As I've told myself more times then I can count, me being friendless is a good thing. But what I do care about is if I don't get the chance to say my piece and apologise to him. God knows he deserves it.

More people begin filling the room, slowly settling behind their desks. I glance around, and that's when an idea hits me. I watch as people tap away at their cell phone screens, barely paying any attention to the world around them. I look over to Edward, and see he has his cell phone on his desk, but he isn't on it.

I hurriedly pick up my bag and route for his note from yesterday. It's buried at the bottom, crumpled and torn at one corner. After torturing myself last night, trying to decide what to do, I shoved it into my bag and tried in vain to forget about it.

After typing his number into my phone, I rush to send him a text, not thinking too much of it in case I lose my remaining bit of courage.

I'm sorry. - B

A/N: Soooo... she's taken the plunge. Sorry to leave it here folks, but don't fret because in a mere 48 hours (ish), I'll be back with what happens next! I am so, and I mean SO excited to carry on posting. LET IT BE FRIDAY ALREADY!

As always, thanks for reading, leave a review if you wanna, and I'll be back on Friday! See you then ;)