A/N: Still not Stephenie Meyer. Happy to be Hannah, though.
"Okay Boys! Hit the showers!" Coach yelled after another grueling practice. Don't get me wrong. I loved practice. I loved the game. I had been in football since I was six. That's when I met Emmett. He's always been quarterback, and I've always been running back. He's the strength, I'm the speed.
After we finished up in the locker room, I met up with Emmett and Jasper.
"Well, I have to go home. Good practice, guys." Jasper said, leaving Emmett and I alone. I needed to talk to him, and I didn't know how he would react.
"What the hell is on your mind, dude?" He asked as he took notice of the sheer anxiety painted on my face.
"Emmett, I have to tell you something because you're my best friend, and I respect you." I started, already sounding like an imbecile.
"Edward, cut the crap." He chuckled. "Are you gay or something? You know you'll be my best friend no matter what." He was full out laughing by that point as he put his arm around my shoulder.
I shrugged it off. "Emmett, I like Bella." I spit out in a way that was completely different than any of the hundreds of scenarios I had painted in my head since I met her in biology.
"Everyone in our group likes her Ed, she's cool." He gauged my response. Emmett wasn't as stupid as people would like to think. He had brawn, and brain. Hopefully I would only catch brain for this.
"No, I like her…like…Lauren likes me." I tried to think of a good comparison. Emmett's face went hard. "Only I'm not trying to seduce her!" I quickly fixed my prior statement. "I just mean that I like her, and I wanted to know if that was okay with you." I felt like I was asking my parents permission to go to a party where we knew there would be alcohol, but I would swear not to drink.
"Edward, you know she's been through a lot." He sighed.
She had. Two weeks before Bella arrived Emmett called Alice, Jasper, Rose, and me over to his house. He told us that he had something to tell us. We all went over thinking that we were just going to have a grand ol' time. Some sort of party, or something. But instead Emmett was the most serious I'd ever seen him. He told us that he had just found out he had a sister, and that she was going to move in with him. We all thought that it was strange enough. He explained to us that she had seen her mom be murdered, and he asked that we all take part in protecting her. He had seen how the students at our school treat all of the newcomers. He didn't want that for Bella, even if he were to find out that he hated her, he didn't want this to be any harder for her than it had to be.
"I know she has. I know what this is like for you, remember when Jasper asked me about Alice?" I reminded him that I was once in the same situation. Only Alice had never seen the things that Bella has seen.
"I'm not going to stop you from going out with her if she likes you, too. I want her to be happy. But Edward if you hurt her, I want you to understand that it will ruin our friendship forever." He explained harshly. I understood where he was coming from. I had given Jasper the same conditions.
"I wouldn't blame you. But I want you to know, I'm not going to hurt her." I said with a little too much passion. I didn't like thinking that I even could.
I needed Emmett to know I liked Bella, but I didn't want him to know how much. My heart skipped a beat whenever she smiled, but not a fake smile that she wore so often. Her real, beautiful smile. Her perfect lips encasing her magnificent teeth.
I remember the first time I saw her. She was the new girl, sprawled out with everyone laughing at her. I could have killed all the people pointing when I saw her tears.
I don't think I'm able to explain how excited I was to see that she was in my Biology class after that. Or explain how crushed I was when she thought that I was out to hurt her. Or how relieved I was to see that Alice had told her good things about me, without even knowing that she knew me.
"I know. I'm just worried." He took a deep breath. "Are you going to come over again today?" He asked, changing the subject back to something I was much more comfortable with.
"I think my mom wants me to be home tonight." I half lied. She did want me home, but I could have still gone over. I just didn't want to be there when he changed his mind.
"Okay. I'll drop you off at home then." He shrugged. I couldn't believe how easily he was taking it. Emmett was extremely protective of Bella.
I nodded before heading over to Emmett's huge Jeep.
We didn't have much conversation on the way to my house. Though, we never really talked in the car. We just listened to Emmett's collection of bad rock music.
He swiftly pulled up to my hidden house. "Alright Dude, see you tomorrow." He said, just like normal. This really didn't go bad at all. I thought. "Okay. Later." I said before shutting the door.
I walked up to my house, and opened the door. Undoubtedly Alice was in the front room with a huge grin on her face.
"Hi Alice." I said cautiously, bracing myself for what was to come. Alice was the one that convinced me that I should ask Emmett before taking Bella out. She said that it was only fair that I gave him the same respect that Jasper had given me, and that was something I couldn't deny.
"Hello Edward." She sang, drawing out each syllable as a whole note. "Do I have to actually ask you how it went, or are you going to just tell me. Please, have a seat." She pressed, patting the couch next to her.
I inhaled deeply before taking her advice by sitting on the couch. "He took it well. He just told me not to hurt her, like I did to Jasper." I explained, hoping it would be enough since it was all I had. She seemed appeased enough, I could tell she had something to tell me. "Go ahead Alice, I'm finished." I chuckled slightly. My sister could be so eccentric some times; I didn't understand how we were related.
"Well I drove Bella home again today, since you two had practice. She doesn't test for her license until next week. So I told her that I would just drive her home everyday until then." Alice said, starting to get off track. I knew her speech would be much longer than mine. I was going to tell her to get to the point, but I knew it was pointless. She would finish in her own time.
She took another necessary breath. "And while we were in the car she kept asking about you." Alice winked at me as she finished. I was suddenly interested in what Bella wanted to know.
"She asked about me? What did she say?" I asked trying not to show my excitement, but Alice knew I liked Bella anyway, so it wasn't like it would have mattered.
"Well…" Alice started. "She wanted to know a lot about who you've dated and why you didn't have a girlfriend now. She said that it was weird that you are single because you are so 'perfect'" She pulled off the hand quotations in a way only Alice could.
"She said I'm perfect?" I tried to wrap my mind around why the picture of perfection, Isabella Swan would think the same of me.
"Yes she did. She likes you, Edward. She's just afraid to admit it. I don't really think she knows how to handle it with everything else going on." Alice said looking down. I knew I would have to be patient for Bella.
"I understand that." I nodded once to my sister, who I knew was trying her hardest to help.
"She will come around though, I can sense it." Alice told me as she put a hand on my shoulder. Alice was always right, it was scary. Her words filled me with relief.
Just then my mother walked through the door.
"What are you two talking so intently about?" She asked us, in a way only a mother could.
"Bella." Alice blurted out.
"Oh." My mother said. I think my face showed my confusion before I even felt it.
"You told mom?!" I shouted at Alice.
"Oh Edward, calm down. She was just telling me that you two were going to have some people over to watch movies, and I asked if Bella was your date." My mother tried to reason with me. My parents were good friends with Charlie, and they knew all about Bella's situation.
I didn't say anything I just huffed, and glared at Alice.
"Will you help me with the groceries?" My mom asked, taking my attention away from Alice, who just stared at me innocently.
"Yeah." I said, never taking my eyes off of Alice as I rose from my seat on the couch.
I walked out to my mom's car, and took all of the groceries in one load. I carried them into the kitchen where she was waiting. I silently began helping her put them away.
"Honey, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to upset you." She started. "But of course, I am interested." My mother smiled at me as she finished.
"Interested in what?" I asked a little too sharply. I almost never crossed my parents.
"I want to know what she's like. It's obvious that you like her very much." My mom said sweetly. She knew I couldn't keep anything from her.
"She's just really nice. But sometimes she just….gets so scared." I tried to explain not only to my mom, but to myself as well.
"Of course she does. This must be really hard for her, and I'm very proud of you for doing what you can to make her feel welcome." My mom smiled at me again, and my bad mood melted. I couldn't be mad anymore. We had finished putting away the groceries and I was about to head upstairs.
"But Edward." My mom started, getting my attention. I turned to her. "I don't want you to be disappointed if Bella isn't exactly receptive to you in the way you want her to. She might need a little more time before heading into anything like a relationship." She finished hesitantly, hoping not to upset me again. Everyone was so skeptical of Bella and me, including myself.
"I know Mom. Thanks." I said quietly before heading up the stairs.
I went to my room with every intention of doing my homework, but I couldn't concentrate. All I could think about was Bella. The three day wait to Friday was going to be excruciating.
But I knew she was worth it.
A/N: Wow. I've never actually had writers block before, and now I do. Haha. This chapter was a little difficult, but the next one should be much, much easier. So no worries. It will also be a lot longer. Review?