A/N: Thanks to all who've found this story and who seem to be enjoying!

Chapter 2

"So, first Biology and now lunch, I'm impressed."

"Excuse me?"
Edward had no idea what to make of the random comment this boy, he believed his name was Mike, had greeted him with as he was exiting the locker room after gym class.

"Princess Swan. I always thought any form of male company or conversation was beneath Her Highness."

"Haha, right? I mean Bella is a cool chick and all, but she's got ice in her veins, yo. Won't even look at a dude."
This one he knew. His name was Eric. There wasn't anything too special about the guy; nothing that would make Edward really remember him, except of course for his ridiculous way of speaking.

"She was just hanging out with my sister." he shrugged.
He didn't appreciate the way these two were obviously making assumptions, and he was even more disturbed by the way they spoke about Bella, as if she was some sort of standoffish snob. He hadn't gotten any sort of negative vibe from her at all. Still, it wouldn't be wise to defend her, and he'd certainly never gloat over some sort of fabricated achievement.

"Whatever man, I saw her bring you that soda." Edward caught a friendly elbow in his ribs for the attempted denial.
He knew how this was supposed to work of course. If a guy, any guy, got the hot girl that everyone wanted but no one seemed capable of landing, then you were required to talk. It was like a professional courtesy or something. You had to spill the secret and let everyone else in on what they'd been doing wrong, what you did right—or at the very least you were expected to give up some graphic details concerning the poor girl's anatomy.
For Edward this was possibly the only thing that could be worse than having ninety percent of the school's female population trying to introduce themselves to you. The school playboy and his sidekick had deemed him worthy…kill me now.

"Look guys, I gotta get home." He didn't offer an explanation as to why, and he didn't hesitate to walk away. He might not want to deal with his growing horde of female admirers. He might even be looking for a convenient way to curb their misplaced eagerness, but he'd never want to associate himself with a guy like Mike in order to accomplish it. He was too much of a gentleman for that.

"Check it out; they're even parking next to one another already."
Edward was thankful that the sound of Mike's comment had come from at least twenty feet away, signaling that he and Eric had allowed him to escape, but he was still surprised to hear what had been said. He looked up as he approached his car and sure enough he was still parked between that ridiculous Honda and the red pickup truck he'd located this morning.
Seems Bella was full of even more surprises than he'd anticipated.

"Sure you don't want to come?" Alice invited, seeing his approach and more importantly the awed expression he wore.

He shook his head, more so because he was trying to get over the fact that Bella was busy climbing behind the wheel of an enormous truck, than to answer his sister's question, but it still got the point across.
Bella noticed the look and smiled for him. It wasn't the first time a guy was surprised by her choice of vehicle, but for some reason Edward's reaction didn't annoy her. It wasn't the usual, 'what the hell,' but more of a 'wow,' and that she could appreciate.

Edward found that he was still shaking his head as he drove home, and without Alice sitting beside him talking incessantly about everything imaginable he found himself actually enjoying a moment alone and some time to really think.
Today hadn't been as awful as he'd anticipated. Sure he'd had to deal with the girls and the unwanted conversations, but for some reason he was beginning to feel like things were going to be okay. He could deal with this and find a way to survive until graduation. As long as Bella continued to smile at him like that. And agreed to sit with him at lunch, and talk about books; and share his table in biology, making little comments under her breath about how inept their teacher was.

"I am so screwed." He sighed aloud, laughing a bit at the predicament he now found himself in.
Just this morning he was prepared to trudge through the remainder of the school year, ignoring people and keeping to himself until the torture was over. But what a difference a few hours and a handful of friendly smiles could make.

As freeing as this realization should have been, Edward knew that his outlook on relationships hadn't changed exactly. He still had concerns about the considerable differences between himself and someone like Bella. And he worried that showing some type of interest in one of Alice's friends might seem a bit strange. Still, for every argument he managed to come up with as to why this would never work out well, he had a dozen more waiting to tell him why he needed to stop being such a fool. It wasn't as if he was prepared to ask Bella out, or even indicate that he might find her appealing in some way, but what he could do was stop being so morose all of the time. And if he wanted to occasionally pursue a friendly conversation with a certain someone, so be it.
With that in mind he actually allowed himself a smile as he pulled into the driveway of his family's new home, something he'd stubbornly refused to do up until now.

Overall the house wasn't much different than any other on the block aside from some disrepair and neglect, but the bigger issue was that it just wasn't what he was use to. Back in Forks they'd had an equally simple house but there was a personality about it that Edward couldn't see here. The color was all wrong, the texture too angular and harsh. There were no trees, or grass for that matter; just a few scrubby little bushes that back home would have probably been mistaken for dead.
And if the appearance alone wasn't enough, the fact that he'd needed a jacket this morning when he'd left for school but now he could feel himself starting to sweat from the relentless sunlight filtering in through the windshield was beginning to grate on his nerves.
But all of that didn't really matter; he could see that now. The house, the city, the climate, they were just details. Details that shouldn't really make any difference. What should matter is the look his mother had as she walked out of the front door, bag over her shoulder and a spring in her step, ready for work.

"Gotta run, darling. Dinner's all set and in the fridge. Just be sure everyone saves some for Alice, in case she doesn't have a chance to eat while she's out."

Edward realized that he was actually grinning as he got out of the car. He'd always understood the logic behind his parents' decision to move, but unfortunately, while he'd been busy moping around in his own little bubble of disappointment, he'd missed out on just how much everyone else was benefiting from the change. How much better things could really be.
He could hardly belive that he'd somehow forgotten how frustrated his mother had always seemed when he'd come home from school to find her looking over the classified ads or rewriting her resume for the hundredth time. He'd forgotten how sad she would look when they would all sit down to eat dinner and she'd have to present them with yet another round of leftovers. Now, seeing her so alive, it was heartbreaking to recall the memory.

"Have a great night, Mom." He wished sincerely as he held the door, waiting for her to settle into the seat he'd just vacated.
He could see his mother hesitate for a moment and he knew why. He could hear the same change in his voice that she had, but right now there was no time to explain. Instead he just shrugged a bit and found that he was still grinning as he closed the door and headed inside.

Edward looked around the space while he set his messenger bag down and walked towards the kitchen. He recalled the way he'd felt yesterday, when he'd had to pass his car off to his mom for the first time so that she could go to work just after he got home from school. He'd felt thoroughly trapped, surrounded by unfamiliar walls with no escape. He'd noticed within the space of an hour every nick in every wall, every bit of peeling paint, every blemish in the carpet or scuff on the linoleum. He'd determined within the space of that hour that this place was awful and he could no longer see any of the potential his parents had been going on about as they'd toured the home initially. Now he just felt terrible for being so selfish and closed-minded. There was nothing wrong with this place, it just needed a some...okay, a lot of work.

Glancing briefly at the four plates meticulously arranged and wrapped in the refrigerator, Edward felt a warmth take over somewhere inside. Seeing his mother excited about something again, seeing her take such pride in preparing something as simple as a chicken dinner before rushing out to greet him so that she could happily climb into his rusty old car and head off for the evening shift at a call center was incredible.
If he thought hard about it he could remember the way things use to be, and all that he'd taken for granted back when he was younger and his parents seemed to be doing just fine. Back when no one really believed that a secretary who'd held her position in the same office for twelve years could be laid off; or that a man who'd been a fixture in the same hospital since he'd begun volunteering there as a high school student would be told that his services were no longer needed. He remembered feeling content. He'd always known people with bigger, nicer houses, newer cars; he had friends whose parents had more prestigious careers than his, but he'd never cared about any of those things. And he never remembered looking around his childhood home and cringing at the lack of square footage or the condition of the roof. He never worried if the livingroom needed new paint or if the kitchen would be considered outdated. He recalled instead focusing on the fact that he had a happy family, filled with love and support. He remembered his mother smiling and laughing and his father having a sense of confidence and purpose. He could easily recall a happier more carefree time, but what he couldn't recall was when exactly that had all gone away.
He still remembered the date that his mother had lost her job of course, but that wasn't it. There had remained a sense of optimism about the family for a long time after. It was only now that Edward finally realized that he'd missed something along the way. He'd been so focused on his own situation and how he was personally affected by the changes that were forced upon his parents that he'd not seen just how much everyone else was suffering.

Disappointment was a feeling that he had become all too familiar with lately, but now Edward's disappointment made him realize that he needed to think about more than himself.

Newly motivated, Edward grabbed a glass of water and headed upstairs to change clothes and get started on one of the many projects he and his father had discussed the night before, while there was still enough daylight to work with.
The whole family had spent their first weekend here cleaning and moving their minimal possessions into the house. Now Edward was tasked with painting and repairing some of the more obvious defects, while everyone else was getting started with their new jobs this week. On the weekend he could expect his father and Emmett to take over, but he'd never begrudged the assignment.
Initially he'd been looking forward to whatever improvements he could contribute towards making the house look better. Now he was just excited to help his family out in any way he was able. And as an added bonus, Edward found that working alone was a great opportunity to think.

He'd had a lot on his mind lately, but today he'd come to the conclusion that he was focusing on the wrong things. His personal feelings had been clouding his ability to sympathize with the rest of his family. If he was honest with himself, he knew exactly why he felt the way he did-why he'd fallen into such a depressed state. Emmett had even alluded to it this morning, hadn't he. He'd been trying to tell him something important, but at the time Edward hadn't wanted to think about it. Now with the memory so close to the surface, Edward was finally able to see that his brother might actually be right.

A little over a year ago Edward hadn't been so focused on money or his family's lack of it. Back then he was just living the normal life of a teenager, same as all of his friends. Though he didn't necessary understand it, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that he had basically had his pick of any woman he could possibly want since the onset of puberty and the growth spurt that had left him only a few inches shorter than his older brother. Despite that, Edward had never met a girl that really appealed to him.
Until now, his conscience reminded him rather smugly.
Alice blamed his lack of interest on them living in such a small town for so long. It made sense that he would feel awkward if he were to suddenly develop feelings for a girl that he'd known his whole life and probably considered a friend. His mother on the other hand just chalked it up to him having higher standards than most boys his age; something that he could tell she was quite proud of, whether it was actually the truth or not. And of course his father didn't seem to think it mattered much. He was convinced that teenaged relationships weren't meant to be long-term under most circumstances anyway. There were too many variables these days that could complicate an individual's situation, making it nearly impossible for two young people to be expected to make it through high school together, much less beyond. And in truth, Edward never really cared that his family had their own opinions about why he preferred to be alone; he could understand why they each felt as they did.
But then there was Emmett. His theory about Edward's self-imposed bachelorhood was simpler than the others' and generally involved words his mother wouldn't be pleased to hear, but Edward wasn't disturbed by his brother's opinion either. What did bother him was the fact that his assessment of the situation was probably the most accurate. He wasn't turned off by women or completely immune to their charms, but he was afraid. And not of a relationship per se, but more so of what sort of criticism he'd be opening himself up to if he were to allow someone to get too close. He hadn't always felt that way, but experiences tend to change a person's opinion rather quickly.

It was when Edward had turned sixteen that he finally found the courage to ask a girl out for the first time. He'd had no shortage of opportunities over the two years prior, but the real reason he'd never wanted to date back then was that he'd never felt comfortable with the idea of going out with someone when he'd have to rely on other people to make it happen.
Forks was a tiny town with very little to do besides hang out at the diner or drive down to the nearby beach. Anyone who really wanted to go out had to travel over to Port Angeles, nearly an hour away; and if you didn't have a license you'd be stuck tagging along with a group of friends who could drive, or heaven forbid, you had to rely on your parents to chauffeur you and your date around.
Tanya had been after him from the moment he'd started to look more like a man than a boy, and now that he had a driver's license and Emmett's permission to borrow his car for the weekend, Edward was finally willing to agree that maybe they should go out sometime. Just like every other girl in Forks, he'd known her since they were in kindergarten, but unlike many of the others they'd never been close. He figured since they weren't exactly friends maybe it wouldn't be so weird. She was certainly pretty enough and more than willing, based on her flirtations over the six months prior, so he was prepared to finally give this dating thing a shot.

Unfortunately their short-lived relationship had turned into one disaster after another. They'd gone to a moderately priced restaurant for dinner and Tanya made a point of ordering the most expensive thing on the menu. Edward being a gentleman was prepared to pay for everything and did so without saying a word, but after the meal, tickets to a movie, and having to fill up Emmett's car once they got back, he was completely broke. It was no small challenge having to explain his lack of finances over the next three weeks as Tanya wondered and complained about why they weren't going back to Port Angeles, and why they couldn't go see the new movie that was coming out.
To make matters worse he'd held her hand and walked her to her door after their first date. He said he'd had a nice time and kissed her on her cheek before saying goodnight, as he was under the impression one should. Tanya on the other hand had taken it to mean that she could touch and kiss him whenever she felt like it from then on.
The following Monday when he'd gotten out of Emmett's car at school he was all but attacked. Despite the shock of her sudden appearance and her forward approach Edward hadn't necessarily minded. There was something thrilling about a girl throwing their arms around your neck and pressing their mouth so firmly against your own after all. What bothered Edward however was the fact that by lunch he and Tanya were exclusive. By the end of the day he'd apparently said I love you, and by the end of the week they'd already had sex—according to the population of Forks High School that is.

Edward couldn't understand how or why things had gotten so blown out of proportion so quickly, but according to Tanya people talk, and gossip made the world go around. It was just because they were the new couple in town. But little did he know that Tanya was the one gossiping all along.

Edward could only tolerate the situation for about a month before he had to get rude about it and demand that she leave him alone. He'd finally discovered that she was the one spreading rumors, but not before he'd witnessed her giving Alice a hard time about a sweater she'd decided to wear to school for a second time in the same week. There was one pitiful attempt at an apology followed by another day where she tried to tempt him in every possible way. When Edward had thoroughly ignored her, Tanya resorted to what she did best. She started telling lies.

It was from that moment on that Edward had begun to shut down in a sense. He'd always had reservations about dating and relationships, and with such a terrible experience validating his fears in many ways it was suddenly more apparent than ever that he'd been right about a lot of things. Or so he thought.

Emmett had tried to cheer him up initially, encouraging him to take advantage of his new reputation, and had the rumors only been about his considerable talent and ability to please a girl he might have been able to. Unfortunately though, thanks to the way in which he'd had to end their supposed love affair, his reputation now included embarrassingly accurate information about his family and their hardships.

He hadn't really trusted Tanya, but thanks to her insistence she had been to his house and had seen that many of their basic belongings were secondhand in some cases, or missing altogether in others. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but in retrospect he could see how disturbed she was by his family's situation and his indifference to it all. Still, he never anticipated that she could be so cruel.
She was one of the few who knew that Emmett wasn't preparing for college as most of the town believed, but working in nearby Sequim instead. He had been awarded a partial football scholarship and additional assistance for his academics but in the end their parents didn't have enough to pay the balance of what it would cost to get him set up for his freshman year at a major university. That seemed so long ago now, but unfortunately Emmett was still waiting for his opportunity to go to school. He'd been working and saving up on his own, but he had a big heart and most of the time whenever it was needed his college fund became what kept the lights on for another month or even food on the table during recent times. Because of this Tanya had often made comments about how his father could do better, and falsely speculated why Emmett was really avoiding college. Edward didn't realized at the time that her words weren't just random thoughts. She really looked down on their situation. And worst of all, she never hesitated to talk about it when it was all over.
It was then that Edward had started to care-perhaps too much, and about all of the wrong things. Appearances became important. And though he'd never gone so far as to resent his parents or blame them for any of the problems they now faced, he did find it easier to avoid anything that might remind him of how bad things had gotten. And more often than not that boiled down to avoiding pretty much everything.

Things were starting to look up however, and as much as Edward would have preferred to stay in Forks to finish out his last year of high school without the added stress of moving and meeting new people, he now understood what a great opportunity this was for everyone else in his family. His parents had both found jobs they seemed excited about. Alice had a whole new group of people to socialize with, not to mention the wonderful advantages a big city could offer for someone so in love with all things trendy and modern. And of course Emmett had already met with the coaching staff and recruiters at the local college, who seemed eager to get him enrolled as soon as possible so that he'd be available to the football team next fall. Finally able to see the many benefits of his current situation and understanding that the reputation Tanya had saddled him with back in Forks wouldn't be able to plague him here, Edward was starting to think in terms of a bigger picture.

While he was comfortable back home, understanding who he could and couldn't trust, he knew that he and his family would never be able to escape the negative opinions that so many had developed there; likewise he'd also never be freed from the guilt he felt, believing that he was ultimately responsible for placing them under such scrutiny by allowing Tanya access to their struggles.
It was a hard pill to swallow for sure, but with a new outlook and a plan to show his family that he was now onboard and prepared to help make this move a success Edward was feeling so much better about it all.

So thoroughly absorbed in his thoughts, it was hard to believe that he hadn't even noticed the time pass nor the extent of the work he'd been able to accomplish. It was getting late and he was almost out of daylight, but he could still see that the entire front of the house was wearing a new coat of paint, and it didn't look half bad. He was already making plans to paint the shutters and get them rehung the next day, and with any luck Emmett would be free on Friday to help out with the windows. If all went well, by the end of next week the exterior of the house would look as close to new as they could make it.

While admiring his work and looking forward to the next several days ahead of him, Edward noticed headlights sweep across the house making him turn slightly to see who was coming home. Behind the glare of the lights he quickly recognized that bright red truck of Bella's and became thoroughly self-conscious in an instant. For all of his positive thinking today he'd still not been looking forward to the idea of Bella seeing where they lived, and to make matters worse here he was standing out front covered in paint and sweat like a hired hand. So much for keeping a few secrets.

"Hey, the house looks awesome! Did you do all of this today?" His sister enthused before he could think of an excuse or means of escape.
He might have responded in some way, but he didn't have it in him to speak suddenly as Bella climbed out of the truck to join them there on the driveway.

Avoiding eye contact as much as possible he tried to assess her reaction, but all he could see was that now familiar smile of hers. He smiled timidly in return as a way to acknowledge her.

"You have been busy." She concluded having a good look at the house.

Her expression never faltered and Edward took a breath finally as Alice went on talking about all the planned improvements and what a great investment this house was turning out to be, as if this was all a part of some big money-making scheme his parents had come up with.

"This is a great part of town. I think you guys are going to love it here." She nodded in agreement.

"So, I've gotta get back for dinner, but I got you a little something while we were out." She said after a moment.
It took another minute before Edward realized that Bella was actually speaking to him and holding out a small shopping bag.
"Alice didn't think you'd mind." She added after a second, while Edward stood there trying to wrap his head around why she would think to buy him something.

He finally took the package and glanced inside, understanding immediately. Carefully wiping his hand on his jeans and using the bag to make sure he didn't get any paint or dirt on the cover, Edward smiled at the next book in the series he was reading.

"I guess I have to hurry up and finish for real now."

"If you catch up, I'll come help paint this weekend." She bargained cheerfully as she walked back to the truck with a wave for Alice.

He bobbled the book slightly while trying to get a hand free to wave back, and looked over indignantly at Alice who was trying very unsuccessfully not to laugh.

"I love you, Edward." Was all she said reaching over to take his gift and head inside so that he could clean up.

"What's that suppose to mean?" He called after her, looking back and forth between her and Bella's receding taillights.

She stopped at the door and turned to face her brother. He looked a mess. His shirt was streaked with paint and nearly soaked through with perspiration. His face, arms and even his hair had been just as thoroughly affected, but he was adorable anyway.

"Bella's cool, you know. She's not going to hold anything against us-not like some people..."

During her pause he understood. Just like Edward, Alice had been affected by the opinions of other people, and she hadn't forgotten how awful it had been putting up with Tanya and her lies back then. She knew that it had hurt Edward, but she also thought it was silly for him to be so hung up on the poor choices of one insignificant girl.

"Hey," Edward hesitated briefly looking for the right words. He owed it to his family to be more involved. To care more. And he had to start the only way he knew how. "I'm really sorry for being...I'm sorry for everything."

"It's gonna be good here, Edward. And don't apologize for being upset by all this. It sucks. But we're fine and this is as good a place as any to get back on our feet. All of us."

"I'm starting to get that." He chuckled confidently, his new outlook easily reaffirmed by her support.

Turning away to clean up the mess he'd made, Edward started looking forward to the next day. He wanted to go to school in the morning and see Bella climb out of that truck again and listen to her laugh and chat with Alice. He wanted to be present for a change and see what all this new school and these new people had to offer. But for now he had a few more things to take care of before then. He had a shower to take and a chicken dinner to enjoy. There were a few more apologies to give once the rest of his family got home; and then he had a bit of reading to do.