A/N: I'm not Stephenie Meyer, but I am back! Yay!!
Emmett came back downstairs just in time to break up me staring at Edward stupidly. "Do you want me to set the table?" He asked me, apparently taking no notice that I was completely gawking at his best friend.
"Yeah, but dinner won't be done for about an hour." I told him as I proceeded to chop up the onions. He just shrugged as he began setting the table anyway. I thanked him, and tried a little too hard not to focus on Edward.
"So, do you want any help or not? I mean, Emmett's setting the table, you look like you're about to explode concentrating on that onion, and I'm over here doing nothing." He gave me that grin that was becoming signature.
"You're a guest." I muttered against my own will. I wanted him to be in the kitchen with me. I hated being alone.
"I've been here more than you!" He joked, but it made me flinch. I didn't want to be reminded that my house wasn't really my home. My actual home was a crime scene. "I didn't mean it like that." He looked down, looking embarrassed by what he said.
"No, it's fine. You can grate the cheese, if you want." I said quickly, doing anything I could to get that smile back. It worked. He gave me a grin before getting the cheese grater and a block of cheese out. He walked over next to me so that we could share the small cutting board.
"Well. I'm going to go start the game, Dad should be home in a bit, he'll want me to fill him in." Emmett shrugged. He hated cooking. I already learned that.
Once Emmett was out of the room Edward looked deep in thought. I could tell he wanted to say something. I didn't know if I wanted to know what it was.
"So how was your first day of school?" He asked stupidly. He already knew it was awful. This was obviously just one of those feeder questions to get to the real question that was probably going to hurt my feelings, or else he wouldn't be so evasive.
"I just hope tomorrow is better." Is all I would say. I didn't want to dwell on how much my first day of school sucked. At least it did until I got to hang out with Alice.
"It would probably be better if you actually hung out with us at lunch. Where did you go today, anyway?" He pressed.
"I went to the library." I lied.
"No you didn't." He said nonchalantly.
"How would you know that?" I cocked an eyebrow to help distract from the fact that my face was going red. I had been caught.
"Because Emmett was worried, so we went looking for you after we ate. You weren't in the library." He explained. I hadn't expected him to have an actual answer.
"Does it really matter?" I asked, hopeful that it didn't. I knew that wouldn't suffice. He would bother me until I gave in. I had known Edward Cullen for 5 hours, and I could tell you that already.
"Yep." He answered shortly knowing full well that he had already won.
"I sat in the bathroom." I said quietly, completely humiliated by my confession. Hearing it out loud was a thousand times worse than thinking it in my head, which was already bad.
His bright green eyes went sad. "Promise that you'll eat with us tomorrow?" He questioned, and I couldn't say no.
"I will. I just needed to be alone today. I'm….adjusting." I searched for the right word.
He just nodded. We worked a little bit more on the enchiladas in silence.
"Can I ask you one more thing?" He looked nervous. That was it, the question he wanted to ask all along. He could have avoided me embarrassing myself by admitting to sulking in the bathroom.
"Sure." I said reluctantly. It's not like I could have said no.
"Whenever Emmett talks about you, and everyone else in school for that matter, they always talk about how you…can't be touched." He put it as delicately as he knew how, and I gulped. I didn't really know what he was getting at, but I didn't like my problems being stated so bluntly.
"Yeah." I said nervously, waiting for the rest.
"Well. Whenever I touch you, you don't really react." He explained. I wasn't expecting him to say that, nor did I even realize that it was true.
I don't freak out when Edward touches me, I don't get scared, I don't cry, nothing. I do nothing when he touches me. I acted normal, which was something I had longed for.
"I guess that's just because I knew you were Emmett's friend, and Alice said a lot of good things about you during Gym. I guess I just don't really feel threatened, kind of like with Emmett, or Charlie." I told him. The words flew out of my mouth.
"Do you normally feel threatened?" He asked with that same sadness still detectable in his voice.
"Most of the time." I whispered. I felt Edward stiffen beside me. "It's time to put these in the oven." I changed the subject back to the dinner we were making, it was much easier that way.
"Smells good Bella!" Charlie yelled as he walked in the front door. He hung up his belt in the front closet and made his way to the kitchen.
"Edward, I'm going to start charging your parents child support if I have to feed you my groceries one more time." He joked with him.
"Do as you wish, but your dinner that you're feeding me would have no cheese if it weren't for me. So I want you to think about that." Edward retorted.
It's was easy to see that Charlie was one of those cool dad's who didn't care much about things as long as Emmett's friends weren't into trouble.
Charlie let out a hardy laugh at Edward's wit. "Well are you going to watch the game with us?" He asked Edward.
"Yeah, sure." Edward shrugged. He turned to me. "Do you think you can handle the rest of dinner without me?" He questioned. If only he'd known the 6 o'clock deadline Phil used to give me back in Phoenix.
I handled many dinners by myself, this one wouldn't even have consequence.
"I think I'll manage." I shooed him away toward the living room where Emmett was already captivated by Monday night Football.
I poured the sauce over the tortillas that we had rolled with chicken, and cheese. I put them in the oven, and went upstairs to work on some homework. I didn't have much, just some math.
I finished my homework before the fifteen-minute bake time was up. I walked down the stairs just in time to hear the oven beep.
I walked over to the oven and took out the enchiladas. They looked good enough to me, so I began scooping out everyone's helpings.
"Dinner's ready!!" I shouted. Emmett and Charlie were definitely rubbing off on me. I wouldn't dare shout across the house before.
Just like clockwork the three boys piled into the kitchen and took their seats.
I really wasn't involved much in the dinner conversation. It was basically about the game on the TV and the game on Friday.
"Alice invited me to go with her to the game this Friday." I said quietly, trying to gauge a response from both Emmett and Edward.
Emmett acted like he didn't mind me hanging out with his friends, but we'd never talked about it. I wouldn't go if Emmett didn't want me to. I would understand if he wanted me to make my own friends instead of taking his. But we were only six months apart in age.
I often wondered if Emmett's mom is what made Charlie never want to talk to me when I was little, I had never asked Charlie about it, though I knew the conversation was inevitable.
"Really? And…you want to go?" Emmett asked, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree. Edward looked excited, too. But nothing compared to Emmett.
"Yeah, I thought it might be fun." I shrugged, but I was internally grateful that Emmett wanted me to go.
"Hell yeah it'll be fun!" He practically shouted before the conversation went back to the game in the living room that I didn't understand.
After dinner; Edward left, Emmett cleaned up, and I went to my room. I told Emmett he could sleep in his own room.
I climbed into bed, feeling a little uneasy but sleep overtook me quicker than I thought.
I dreamed that I heard the same noise at the window, only this time. I went and opened it. I had a huge smile on my face as Edward climbed through. We stood and stared at each other for a while before he placed his hands on either side of my face. He had that crooked grin that made me melt. He leaned in as if he were about to kiss me.
"Do you trust me?" He asked.
I smiled and nodded at him.
Then I woke up with the same smile on my face.
It was 5:45. There was no point in going back to bed. I got up and took a shower. After I was out of the shower I got dressed, and headed down stairs to make breakfast. I had extra time, so I decided I would make French toast. It was my favorite.
I had just put the first piece on the griddle when Emmett made his way down the stairs.
"Is some of that for me?!" He asked excitedly as if I would actually down six pieces of French toast for myself.
"Most of it is, actually." I giggled. My dream about Edward had me in an exceptionally good mood. I was ready to march back into the high school and show everyone that I wasn't afraid.
I couldn't live like that.
I served up our breakfast, and sat down at the table.
"Hopefully today will be a better day for you. Would you tell me if anyone messes with you?" Emmett asked hesitantly. Him and Edward must have talked about me.
"I'm sure it will be, and I can take care of myself. Thank you, though." I answered. I didn't want to run to Emmett every time someone pointed their finger and laughed.
He nodded before thanking me for breakfast and putting his dish in the sink.
We both went upstairs and finished getting ready. Once we were downstairs again, we got in the jeep and headed off for my second day of school.
We pulled in to the parking lot, and once again Rose met us. She seemed just as happy and nice as yesterday. We were there a bit earlier, so we went to the cafeteria to stay warm where Alice and Edward were waiting for us.
"Hey Bella!" Alice practically sang.
"Good morning Alice." I smiled at her.
"Awww. Look Bella found some friends." Jessica cooed as she walked by.
"And where are yours?" Rosalie asked nonchalantly, making Jessica look like an idiot.
She just huffed and walked away. Rose could definitely be tough when she wanted to.
A tall blonde haired guy walked into the cafeteria, and Edward waved him over. Alice lit up and braced herself for the humongous hug her tiny self was about to give him.
"Good morning to you, too." He said.
"Bella, this is Jasper…Jasper, Bella." Alice introduced us.
I hadn't heard much about Jasper, other than he played football, was Rose's brother, and Alice's boyfriend.
He smiled at me, and I nodded back at him. Then I did something that no one, not even myself expected me to do.
I reached out my hand.
Jasper stared at it for a second, before cautiously taking it in his, and giving it a shake.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you." The words were out of my mouth before I had time to be afraid, or nervous.
I didn't know why, but I trusted these people. And I knew that if I was ever going to make it at this school, or in this world with all of the others that I don't trust, I would need to trust them at least.
"It's nice to meet you, too." He said, still a little dumbfounded.
Just then, the bell rang, and I began walking to class. I felt someone next to me.
"Where's your first class?" Edward asked. I was relieved to see that it was him. Though a strange confidence surrounded me, I still didn't know if I was necessarily ready to face Mike, Jessica or any other main culprit alone.
"800 building." I told him while pointing in the general direction.
"That's on the way to mine. Do you mind if we walk together?" He asked.
"Not a bit." I shrugged, trying not to show how excited I was that Edward wanted to walk with me.
"You seem happy today." He said as we began our maybe three minute journey to English class.
"I just sort of woke up in a good mood." I told him without having to explain to him that it was entirely because I had a dream that he was about to kiss me. Not only that, but for me to have a dream that didn't involve murder, or pain at all was enough to put a smile on my face. A real one.
"That's good." He smiled as we stopped outside of my classroom.
"I'd like to think so." I smiled, too.
"Have fun in class. I'll beat Mike up for you if he does anything." I couldn't tell if he was serious as he nodded his head toward Mike.
"Noted." I said before walking in and taking my seat.
English class was boring. Mike, Jessica, and Lauren weren't as bad as yesterday, but they still whispered and laughed a lot. I just ignored them.
When class was finally over Edward was waiting outside.
"Finally." He said with a smile taking a dramatic sigh.
"Are you planning on walking me to every class?" I giggled to cover up my true, and desperate hope.
"I was thinking about it. Where to?" He asked. I think Edward would have walked me whether I wanted him to or not, good thing I did.
I pointed him to my next class and he swiped my books from my arms and walked me there.
"Here we are." He smiled and handed me my books. "See you in 53 minutes." He looked at his wrist that held no watch before walking away.
I walked in the room where Lauren was glaring at me. Yesterday I would have cowered, but today I glared back. She looked away in a few seconds. I had no idea what her problem was with me, but she definitely hated me more than anyone else did. Unfortunately, she was in most of my classes. Me being here was something we were both going to have to get used to.
The rest of my classes before lunch went the same way. Edward met me, dazzled me, walked me. Once I was inside, I was glared at, and talked about. Then I would leave to repeat the same process.
"So you're eating lunch with us like you promised, right?" He asked making his eyes sad, ensuring that I would.
"Of course. I don't break my promises." I replied hoping that I sounded at least a little bit clever.
We walked to the cafeteria, where Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were already seated.
"Just in time you guys. We were discussing what we're going to do Friday after the game." Alice said as I sat down next to her brother.
"I think we should eat." Emmett said.
"Of course you think we should eat, you always want to eat." Rose giggled before kissing his cheek.
"I think we should go bowling." Alice said.
"No way! Do you know how tired we're going to be after the game?" Edward protested, to which I was happy. I didn't think that clumsy me would do well trying to toss a ten pound ball. I think I would leave with a broken foot, or nine fingers.
"Fine, how about we all watch a movie at our house then. Mom and Dad will be away at a conference." She compromised with her brother.
Edward thought about it for a minute. "That would work. Since you'll be with Jasper, and Emmett will be with Rose, I can take Bella to the rental store and pick out some movies." He planned. "If that's okay with you." He looked at me.
"That's fine by me." I nodded as I realized how this situation might be awkward. I knew that everyone had a date except for me, and Edward. But I half expected Edward to have some super model show up.
Maybe I was his date. I didn't know.
"No chick flicks!" Emmett told me.
"You don't have to worry." I giggled. I hated chick flicks.
After we had everything for Friday all planned out, we ate our food, then the bell rang.
Edward and I got up, and made our way to biology, together. We took our seats and waited for the noise to die down.
"You know Bella." Edward started. "I'm a little jealous that when you met Jasper you shook his hand, but when you met me, you accused me of trying to gamble with your life." He teased.
"I'm sorry about that." I held out my hand, and he took it.
When Edward touched my hand I felt a surge of electricity. His hands were so soft, and his grip was firm, but gentle. It was indescribable.
"That's much better." He chuckled as we let go.
Biology went by much too fast. Edward walked me to gym, where I met Alice, and spent that class with her.
No one really bothered me, and I didn't even fall during basketball. After school was over, Alice offered to drive me home again, since Edward and Emmett had practice again.
I was starting to fall into a routine. I liked it. I found myself not being able to wait until Friday. It was definitely going to be….exciting.
A/N: YAY! Next chapter might be Edwards POV, I haven't decided yet. I do like writing from his perspective, though. I'm excited, and very glad to be back! So I'm going to go start reading Twilight…I want to read the first three books again before Breaking dawn comes out. Review?