I don't own Twilight. I have two kittens, though, they are really cute. Although, one of them bites my legs when she gets hungry.

Chapter 5

Morning classes went by quickly for Bella. Lunch, however, took forever. She sat alone at her table and watched the never ending parade of people crowd around Tyler, welcoming him back.

Bella smiled wistfully at the crowd, happy that Tyler had his popularity back. She only hoped that it was permanent, that the other students would still be friendly with Tyler once the novelty had worn off.

As she was looking at the crowd she caught the eye of Mike Newton. He gave her a foul look that made her want to run and hide. So, nothing had changed there. When she turned her eyes to look away from him she found herself looking at Edward. The look her gave her was not as foul as Mike's, but it wasn't friendly either.

Bella sighed and lowered her head. This was going to be a long, difficult year. She had never felt as lonely as she did in that moment. It's one thing to be alone, and she was used to being alone, but to have so many people angry at her for reasons she really didn't understand, made it lonelier.

She couldn't write to Alice for sympathy. She had kept Alice in the dark about a lot of things, her brother especially. Plus, Alice was kind of self-centred, and fully, nauseatingly in love with Jasper. He was the main topic of conversation when Bella did talk to Alice. Bella was very happy for her friend, but that did not help the lonely feelings.

There was no way Bella could talk to Alice about Edward without revealing her former crush. Bella did her best to swallow down the emotions and picked up her lunch bag. Maybe if she walked slowly, it would seem to be time to meet with Tyler sooner than just sitting there waiting in the cafeteria.

Edward looked at his watch.

"Hey Ty, it's time to go." Edward stood and waited for Tyler.

Tyler was quick to get up, he was excited to read with Bella. He remembered that she had a really nice voice. Plus he got to spend an hour with a pretty girl.

Edward walked Tyler to the library and found a table hidden at the back where they wouldn't be disturbed by other students. Bella followed them in a few seconds later.

She glanced at Edward quickly but decided to pretend he wasn't there. She kept her focus on Tyler, giving him a big smile and asking about his day. They sat together at one end of the table and Edward sat at the other end. He pulled his lunch out of his satchel and reached in for his sandwich. He had received special permission from the librarian to eat in the library, just for this week. Later she would let him eat in her office for a while. She always had a soft spot for Edward. If she had been a few, maybe twenty years younger...

Bella opened the book and started to read.

"Chapter one, The Boy who Lived."

Bella read for almost the whole hour. Tyler interrupted a few times to ask questions about words he had forgotten the meanings of, and to make a few observations. Mostly he just closed his eyes and let her voice wash over him.

Bella answered each of his questions without fail. She was patient and kind, she didn't belittle him for asking for the definition of words that everyone else would know. She explained the definitions with words that were easy for him to follow but not condescending or impatient.

Edward found himself listening more closely than he thought he would. He had planned to do some paperwork and answer some emails while Bella read to Tyler. Bella made him uncomfortable, he didn't want to be reminded about her crush. But he had to admit that she had a nice voice and good cadence. The hour was more relaxing than Edward thought it would be.

Edward felt it would be easier to hate Bella for crushing on him. She was just a kid when she wrote him that letter, his little sister's buddy. They had been friendly, but not necessarily friends. Awkward and gangly, with those huge brown eyes that followed him everywhere, like some creepy-assed painting There was no reciprocation, at eighteen there was no way he was going to get involved with a fourteen year old. It was easy to just ignore her, pretend it never happened.

Bella was being so great with Tyler, treating him like an equal, not like some damaged person. It was simple to see that she had respect for him, something that hadn't been given to him much since his injury. The way she treated him made Edward see her in a different light.

His sister had been such an annoying teenager, giggly, squeaky and just plain noisy. He had assumed that Bella was the same way. He had done everything in his power to stay as far away from the pair of them as possible. He knew next to nothing about her, he never cared enough to learn. But seeing her with Tyler, the way she interacted with him, almost made Edward want to get to know her.

Bella was older now, legal, and if Edward had to come clean, she was kind of cute. Not drop dead gorgeous, but cute. Long brown hair, nice legs, great ass, tits; a nice handful. A good little package. But Edward was here to work and to learn not to pick up chicks or get his dick wet. Maybe it would be better to stay away from her as much as possible. Just see her a few minutes a day and that was it. He'd try to keep her out of his mind as best he could.

Bella finished reading chapter five, leaving Harry Potter feeling overwhelmed with too much information. She knew how he felt, she knew what it was like to feel like nobody special. However, she was never thrust into a situation where she was proved wrong. And she knew she never would be. Her life would be safe and boring and predictable. She'd graduate, get a job, date a few guys, grow old and die. Hopefully in that order. She didn't want fanfare and accolades, she just wanted to be liked. She wanted someone to see her, to be there for her and perhaps even to love her, if she was so lucky.

Bella closed her eyes and sighed, getting the depressing feelings out of her mind. She patted Tyler's arm and said that she'd see him same time tomorrow. As she left the library, she didn't even look at Edward. There was no point.

AN: Sad Bella. And Edward is still a jerk.