A/N: It's not my playground, just my slide.
My only beta is Grammarly premium.
I had most of this chapter completed, but my 14 yr old daughter had to be rushed to the e.r. Then her father was injured at work. RL has been giving me a beating.
There is no update schedule due to RL issues.
BPOV
I had a decent night's sleep last night and woke up feeling refreshed and ready for my day. Thanks to my dad's thoughtfulness, the brand new comforter and bedding set he bought me felt like I was lying on a cloud. The high per cal count made the cotton feel like pure silk. Ugh! I loved it.
I reluctantly climbed out of bed and grabbed my items to take a shower. I didn't want to take a long shower this morning. I was going in to take care of business and then get right out.
I was going to the Cullen house today, and I was excited. I loved Alice already. Admittedly, I was also looking forward to getting to know her brother better. There was something about Edward that just seemed to draw me to him.
I had never dated before, even though I was asked out by guys all the time back in Phoenix. None of them piqued my interest. They were too childish. Edward, however, did more than just pique my interest. I was insanely attracted to him. From his sex hair, chiseled jawline, gorgeous topaz eyes, and a body that could make a Greek god cry from jealousy, it was his intelligence and kindness that sealed the deal for me.
He was patient and gentle. He was very respectful and never pushy. Edward had manners that others would claim were outdated. However, I think there should be more guys out there that behave the way he does. He's old-fashioned but sexy as hell.
On my first day at school, I noticed how much the female population drooled over Edward. I think I even saw some of the female teachers and a few of the male teachers eyeing him up. I can't blame them. I get it. The guy is on fire.
Don't even get me started on how he dresses. Edward has this insane casual, sexy vibe going on that makes me weak in the knees. From his Gucci jeans, Tommy Hilfiger t-shirts, and Doc Marten boots, Edward's look was perfection.
Since I refuse to look like a scrub next to Edward, I decided to wear a nicer outfit than what I would typically wear to school. I chose my French Connection jean skirt and paired it with an ice blue mock neck long sleeve top. I then decided to wear my white Addidas low tops. The weather around Forks was unpredictable. Until I was used to it, I didn't want to wear heels or dress shoes.
I put my hair back in a French braid and put some small silver hoops in my ears. I applied my makeup lightly with just a touch of color on my cheeks and lips and a quick smear of mascara on my lashes. I always did prefer the no-makeup makeup look.
I grabbed my blue puffer jacket, purse, and backpack and headed downstairs. Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a massive mug of coffee, or morning elixir, as he calls it. I gave him a smile in greeting.
"Morning, dad, have you eaten yet?" I asked while pouring myself a mug of Columbia's finest and grabbing a box of Nutrigrain bars.
"Morning," he gruffed, "I don't have time this morning. I've got to finish this and head on out."
"I can make you some breakfast sandwiches that you can heat and go in the mornings. We already have the ingredients here," I offered as I took a bite out of my strawberry breakfast bar. "I'll make them tonight after dinner."
"That sounds great, Bells. I usually don't get to eat breakfast most mornings. If I don't have time to head to the diner, I just grab a coffee," he admitted as he finished off his mug.
"Yea, that's not going to be happening anymore. You will be eating healthier from now on," I reminded him. "I wanted to let you know," I said, quickly changing the subject, "that I have been invited to go over to the Cullen's house after school. I'll only be there for a couple of hours. I'll be home in time to make dinner."
"Okay, Bells, I'm glad you are making friends. The Cullen kids are very well-behaved. I've never had any issues with them, unlike that Newton kid," he told me with his voice laced in exasperation.
"There's a story there, and I want to know what it is. Newton asked me out three times yesterday and refused to acknowledge the fact that I said no," I told him with a laugh.
Charlie just rolled his eyes while shaking his head in disbelief. "That kid is unreal. If you don't watch him, he's going to be all over you like a dog is to a tree."
"He better not touch me. I don't have bail money," I sort of joked. If I hauled off and clocked Mike, I don't think my dad would have an issue with it, especially if Mike tried to touch me without my consent.
Charlie laughed, "That's my girl! You lay down the law. You make me so proud."
"Just don't yell at me if I get arrested for handing some guy his arse for touching me," I replied with a laugh.
"I taught you to defend yourself. If some moron wants to try anything, they are asking for a beat down. Instead of yelling at you for doing what I told you to do, I would probably reward you for a job well done," he told me, his eyes crinkling in laughter. "Well, I've got to head on out," he said as he stood up and brought his mug to the sink. "I won't be home until nine tonight. I am taking Steve's shift since his wife just had their first baby. So you can take your time at the Cullens. There's no need to rush home."
"Thanks, dad, have a good day, and no eating fried foods for lunch," I gently reminded him.
Charlie grumbled under his breath about "bossy daughters" and "freaking diets" as he made his way to the front door. I know he's just joking. We've always messed with one another. This is nothing new. This is how we work.
I quickly finished off my coffee and Nutri-Grain bar, grabbed my purse and backpack, and headed on out the door. I wanted to get to the school a few minutes early to spend some time with the Cullens before school started. I figured it would be a great way to start my school day.
I pulled in fifteen minutes before the bell rang, and I saw Edward's Volvo parked in its usual place. The space to the left of his car was open, so I decided to park there. The moment I turned my car off, Edward was at the door, opening it for me. He gestured for me to hand him my backpack and then gave me his hand to help me out. I smiled in thanks and greeted the Cullens.
"What up, B?" Emmett thundered.
"Hey, Emmett, wha…," I stopped when I saw what Emmett was wearing. He had on fluffy white joggers with an even fluffier white pullover. I cracked up. I laughed so hard my sides were hurting. Tears were streaming down my face, and I couldn't catch my breath. "Emmett," I gasped while trying to stop laughing long enough to get my words out. "Emmett, why do you look like a snowman on roids?" I asked while still laughing.
His siblings cracked up with me. It was the funniest thing I have seen in quite a while. Emmett just stood there with his arms crossed, muscles bulging, and his dimples on full display, which only made it funnier.
"Emmett lost a bet," Jasper said with a laugh.
I continued to crack up. I was bent in half, hugging my stomach and crying. Emmett was too hilarious. I took a few deep breaths, just trying to regain control. I straightened up and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "Emmett, you're too funny for my good. I love it," I told him with a giggle.
"Come on, Bella, you know I look hot," Emmett joked, which only made me laugh more. He just stood there with a proud look on his face as he pretended to kiss each of his biceps, making himself look even more like a hyped-up snowman.
"I want to know what the bet was," I giggled. "Who do I need to bow down to for this one?"
"Rosalie was working on her car last night, and Emmett was trying to tell her what she was doing was wrong," Edward began with a colossal grin adorning his face.
"And anyone who knows Rosalie knows that no one knows cars as much as she does," Alice interjected excitedly.
"Yea and Jasper here managed to get himself dragged into an argument on who could change all four tires faster. I'm not even sure if I know how they went from arguing over the transmission to changing tires," Edward supplied with a shake of his head. "That part is a blur."
"So you two," I said, gesturing between Jasper and Emmett, "Had a bet on who could change four tires the fastest?" I asked.
"Yes, they did," Edward replied before either of the other two guys could.
"Emmett has a way of drawing people into his insanity," Alice informed me while sticking her tongue out at her hulking brother.
"I find that easily believable," I told her. Emmett just came off like he was an overgrown kid.
"Oh, he does," Rosalie admitted as she patted Emmett's arm in support. "His childish nature makes for fun times."
I smiled at that. I thought very highly of the big oaf and could easily imagine all the fun they had when he was around. "So Jasper won, and the snowman look was his punishment."
"Yea, but I should have chosen a better punishment or at least one that he wouldn't enjoy so much," Jasper said with a shake of his head.
"You know full well that it's hard to get Emmett not fully to suffer from his losses. He always twists them to benefit himself," Edward reminded Jasper.
"Next time, I'm going to put more thought into it," Jasper promised.
"So you're planning to get sucked into Emmett's insanity again?" I asked.
Jasper shrugged, "It's inevitable." His blunt honesty made me laugh.
"OK, people, we need to get a move on, or we'll be late," Alice announced as she urged us to grab our things and head-on into the school.
I was able to get to my locker, grab my books for all my morning classes, and head on to the first period before the second bell rang. I don't know how Alice always has such perfect timing. If she's always on points like yesterday and this morning, then I'll never be late for any class.
Imagine my utter surprise when I walked into the classroom to see Edward sitting at the desk next to mine. I smiled at him and walked down the aisle, nearly tripping over Newton's backpack that he had carelessly flung on the floor in the middle of the aisle. I kicked it out of my way while throwing Newton a dirty look. I swear he's an imbecile.
"Hey, don't kick my backpack," he whined as he picked it up and brushed his hands over it several times as if I had somehow hurt it.
"You left it in the middle of the aisle, knowing full well that the teacher wants the aisles clear. Next time I'll just stomp on it," I said snidely. I turned away and made my way over to my desk. I sat down, opened my backpack, grabbed my textbook and notebook, and then hung my bag over the back of my chair.
"Are you alright?" Edward asked while shooting a dark look over at Mike.
I waved off his worry. "I'm fine. I just possess very little patience for people who lack manners. "So, let me guess. Did you transfer to this class?" I asked, changing the subject and not trying to sound too hopeful.
He ducked his head in embarrassment for a moment. "Yes, I did. I felt an intense need to switch classes," he admitted while staring directly into my eyes.
I blushed again at Edward's gentle flirting. "It's always a good thing to see your needs being met," I teased in return.
Mr. Jefferson walked in and signaled for the class to sit down and quiet down. Edward gave me a small smile and turned to the front of the class, where Mr. Jefferson was writing on the board. Edward and I both grabbed a pen and began to copy what was being written on the board, leaving our conversation for later.
I then watched as Edward scribbled a note and quietly slid it over to me. I glanced down and read, Are you still coming over today? I nodded my head slightly so I wouldn't attract any attention. Edward smiled brightly in response. We turned back to Mr. Jefferson and gave him our undivided attention once again.
The rest of the morning was okay. Edward was in all of my morning classes. His presence made my morning more bearable. I was just too bored with the classes. It was repetitive and annoying. I decided to talk with Charlie about taking my exams early. I was pretty sure he would be alright with it.
I sat with Edward and his siblings again at lunch. We joked around a lot and picked on Emmett. The poor guy looked like he was put through the wringer. Instead of resembling a hopped-up snowman, he now looked like a rabbit that was hit by lightning. His curly hair was everywhere. It was now poofier than his pullover.
It didn't escape my notice that almost every one of the students in the cafeteria was watching what was going on at our table. The dirty looks I was getting from the female population were funny. They were now blaming me for Edward turning them all down. Mind you; I wasn't here when all that happened.
The guys were no better. They were all leveling looks of hatred at Edward, Jasper, and Emmett. I can only imagine the moronic thoughts traveling through their heads. They'll talk smack about them, but none of the guys here had the guts to stand up to the Cullen boys, not that Edward, Jasper, and Emmett ever did anything to earn their hatred.
When lunch was over, Edward and I split up to go to our respective classes. Edward went to Spanish III, and I headed on over to gym class. Gym was the only class we didn't share. Edward didn't elaborate on the reason why, and I chose to respect his privacy. If he wants me to know, he'll tell me. That still doesn't stop me from wanting to find out, though.
Gym was great again. I could hardly believe that gym class was every day immediately following lunch. While I thought it was odd to have gym right after eating lunch, I found out that there was a scheduling snafu, and they would either have gym after lunch, or they would have to combine the juniors and seniors for class.
I didn't care either way. I have always loved gym class. It was both easy and fun. We only had it once a week in Phoenix, which was a bummer. So this was a welcome change for me.
After a rather rousing game of speedball, which my team won, I ran to the locker room to get a quick shower. I finished up rather quickly, got dressed, and made my way to my music theory class. Edward was already there waiting for me, sitting at the desk next to mine.
I walked over to my seat and plunked myself down. This was the one class that I was excited to take. It was only once a week, but it was worth the time. Music was my world.
I've been playing the piano, violin, and drums since I was young. I started taking piano lessons when I was five. My mom played a little and wanted me to be like her. I just happened to have fallen in love with it.
I started my violin lessons when I was eight. It was offered at my school, so I jumped at the chance to learn a second instrument. It didn't take too long for me to get hooked on it.
I had several recitals for both the piano and violin. People always praised me for how well I played. Music was my first love, and I wanted to be good. I practiced religiously, and it paid off.
My drum lessons were an entirely different story. I was dared to take them. My best friend from Phoenix, Kristy, thought it would be funny for me to take a percussion instrument along with my string instruments. She wanted me to be my own orchestra. If left up to her, I would be taking lessons for every instrument.
However, music theory class was not about taking lessons or learning to play an instrument. It was about learning how to identify all types of compositional elements in music and how to communicate in the language of music. This class will greatly benefit my playing of any instrument.
I smiled at Edward, unable to keep my happiness contained. "I'm so happy to take this class," I admitted to him.
"I was relieved when I saw that it was offered as an elective this year," Edward said.
"This is the first year?" I asked him in shock.
He nodded, "Yes, it is. It's a welcome change from the usual boring classes."
"That is the truth," I nodded in agreement. It was nice to have something to break up the monotony. "So, tell me, which instrument do you take? I would guess the piano,"
His eyebrows lifted in amazement. "That's an excellent guess. I do play the piano. How did you figure it out?"
"Honestly, one of the first things I ever noticed about you were your hands. You have very long, elegant fingers. Your nails are neatly trimmed, and you don't have biased dexterity. Even the splay of your fingers is indicative of someone who has stroked piano keys quite often," I proudly told him with a smile and a quick wink. "You can't hide anything from me."
"I can see that," he responded. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he added, "Using your same strategy, I am going to say that you also play the piano. You have long fingers with neatly trimmed nails. You do not favor either arm but use both equally. The way you handle or touch things also shows that you play the piano."
"You are partially correct," I said with another wink.
His eyes widened at this. "How am I partially correct?" he asked.
"I do play the piano," I admitted with a giggle. "But I also play the violin and the drums."
"I'm impressed. I'd like to hear you play sometime, like later while you are at our house," he suggested with a wink.
I grinned, "Perhaps I will. We'll see."
Music Theory seemed to fly by somewhat, unfairly if you ask me. Why is it that the one class I did enjoy isn't longer? I forgot all about the time and became completely absorbed in our lesson.
Thankfully, that was our last class. I am unused to having a compressed schedule in school. Each class today was shortened to fit all of them in. That still didn't stop me from being bored, though.
I was now making my way out to the parking lot to meet up with the Cullens and head over to their house. I couldn't wait to get there. I just knew I was going to have a blast this afternoon.
When I made it out to my truck, all of the Cullen kids were standing around my car and Edward's Volvo. I smiled as I walked up to them. "Hey, I hope you weren't waiting too long for me."
"Not at all," Alice replied. "We all just got out here a few minutes ago."
"I was delayed a moment at my locker by Newton asking me out on a date this Saturday," I said, a little perturbed.
"Again?" Jasper asked with a shake of his head.
"How many times does that make now?" Emmett jumped in and asked.
"That makes five times now," I sneered. Mike Newton does not know the meaning of the word no. It was truly pathetic.
"Let's just forget about Newton's issues for now. We can always laugh about it later," Edward advised. "Bella, why don't you follow us to our house," he suggested.
"Sure, that works for me," I agreed.
"I call dibs on riding with Bella," Alice shouted as she ran over to the passenger side of my car and climbed in.
"I guess I'll be taking Alice with me," I told them as I climbed into the driver's seat. I looked over at Alice and saw her bouncing in her seat. It doesn't seem to take much to get that girl excited.
Edward pulled out almost immediately after his other siblings climbed in. I followed behind him. I noticed right away that Edward likes to speed. My Nissan had no trouble at all with keeping up with Edward's Volvo.
We pulled off the main road onto a very long driveway. The house was in a secluded area which must give them a lot of privacy. There were trees everywhere. It felt like being in a forest.
When we finally came to a stop, I stared at the vast, white, rectangular house. It was apparent just by looking at the house that the Cullens had money. Boy, was I glad that I chose to dress nicer today than I usually would on a school day. At least I didn't look like a refuge.
I shut my car off just as Alice decided to bounce out. She managed to bounce out of my car. That girl must be part bunny.
Edward opened my door and offered me his hand to help me get out. I smiled my thanks to him. Once I was out, I faced the house and took a deep breath. Well, here I go.
