First I would like to thank my awesome beta, notdonebaking. She is quite brilliant, isn't she? Without here, lets just say i'd get a lot more flames about my grammer...and spelling :( Go read her stories. They are better than mine.

Ahh, the wonderfulness (yes, that is a word...and if it isn't, it is now) of exam break. You know, minus the exams. I'm pretty sure I failed my math one soOoOoOoo it might be a while until I update... :P Don't worry, i'll lock myself in my room if my parents try to take my baby (my computer) away from me. I'm not obsessed. I swear. Don't put me away in the padded room again :(

Twilight doesn't belong to me. It never had belonged to me and never will belong to me. Dialouge, Edward, the rest of the unimportant characters, and plot all belong to Stephanie Meyer. i only own my computer. Other than that...i live in a box. A very nice refrigerator box. Don't ask me what i plug my computer in to.

Errrrmmmm Oh yes, this is, again, only half of the chapter. I'm sorry for spreading it out, but i can only type so much. After 10 pages, it gets a bit ridiculous. And my computer complains from the lag. Sorry about this - the next chappy will be up very soon. Oh and listen to Ben Harper - Waiting on an Angel. It's amazing and reminds me a bit of Cats Stevens. I don't know why... anywho. Read and PLEASE review. I shall only post the next chapter if i get 140 reviews. bahahaha, i'm evil :3

- Hayley

The air was thick with a groggy fog. Even with my heightened vampire senses, I could barely see ten feet in front of my car. I moved along more sluggishly than normal – about fifty miles per hour in a thirty zone – as I made my way to Bella's house. I flipped on the heat, preparing the car for a human and sped up a little bit. I a bit was eager to see her again.

I made sure her father was gone before I parked my car in her driveway. I could hear her quiet footsteps around the kitchen and down her front hall as she rushed out the door. She didn't notice me at first. She hurried down the path and stopped dead in her tracks.

Her heart fluttered before stopping when she saw my silver Volvo. It picked up again in a surprisingly fast pace and an inviting blush rushed to her cheeks.

I got out of the car and was immediately hit by the strong aroma that surrounded her. Luckily we were outside and it was dulled somewhat by the other smells in the air. I ran around the car, not bothering to use a human speed, and pulled the passenger door open for her.

Don't push her…Carlisle's voice rung in my head.

"Do you want to ride with me today?" I asked. I was giving her the choice, as Carlisle had advised me to do. Half of me prayed she would say no…but it was the much smaller half of my mind. I smiled at her dumbfounded expression.

"Yes, thank you." She walked over to the car and got in. As she passed me, her fragrance assaulted my brain like a torpedo. Strangely enough, it wasn't as strong as the first day…perhaps I was being desensitized. Of course it was still enough for my jaw to tighten against the monster locked up inside me.

When she was safely in the car, I ran around to the other side and got in the drivers seat. My inhuman speed wasn't as disconcerting to her as I thought it should have been. I started the car and glanced at her jacket-less state.

"I brought the jacket for you. I didn't want you to get sick or something." I motioned to my tan leather jacket that was hanging on the headrest. If Bella got sick, God knows what could happen to her. With her luck, it would most likely end up being the Bubonic Plague.

"I'm not quite that delicate," she said. She pulled the jacket on to her lap anyway and pulled her arms into it backwards. I suppressed a laugh. If she only knew how delicate she was. She inconspicuously sniffed the collar that was resting near her neck and smiled contently. Unfortunately, me watching that action, made my eyes linger near her throat. The blood so close to the surface called to me with each throb of her heart. The scent in the car was nearly overwhelming with my eyes fixed on her throat. She didn't notice and I reluctantly pulled my eyes away and pushed the urges back in my mind.

"Aren't you?" I asked darkly. It was almost too low for her to hear and I was saying it more for my own benefit. If I lost control, one flick of my finger could kill her. I reminded myself of that and willed my hands to stay on the steering wheel.

The silence was awkward as I was waiting for the unbidden stream of questions to start. Surely she had something to ask me after what had transpired last night? She remained silent and looked expectant as if waiting for me to speak. Apparently, the awkwardness was tangible for her as well.

"What, no twenty questions today?" I smirked. She let out a small breath of air and smiled in response.

"Do my questions bother you?" she seemed relieved that the tension in the car was gone.

"Not as much as your reactions do." I hid my seriousness with a light tone. If only she knew how much her reactions perturbed me. A normal human wouldn't ever want to see me again after learning my secret. They probably would have called the FBI or CIA and have them arrest my family for government testing. But, alas, Bella was far from normal.

She frowned. "Do I react badly?"

"No, that's the problem. You take everything so coolly – it's unnatural." Speaking of unnatural…. "It makes me wonder what you're really thinking" Wonder was a bit of an understatement. Obsess was a better word.

"I always tell you want I'm thinking," she defended herself.

"You edit."

"Not very much."

"Enough to drive me insane."

"You don't want to hear it," she mumbled. I had to strain my ears to catch every word. There was a thin coating of pain over every word and it nearly broke my dead heart to hear agony coming from an angel's mouth.

I didn't say anything in response, afraid to let my emotions take charge. Who knows what would happen if teenage hormones took control – particularly because they hadn't had free reign since I was human.

I turned into the school parking lot when Bella chose to speak.

"Where's the rest of your family?" she asked as realization dawned on her that I usually had a full car.

"They took Rosalie's car." I shrugged, suppressing a grin. I could imagine Alice pouting, her arms crossed, as Rosalie happily drove them all to school. At least it would maybe help me get back on Rosalie's good side.

I parked next to her shiny M3 convertible. Bella stared, her mouth open.

"Ostentatious, isn't it?" I asked, chuckling quietly at her stunned expression.

"Um, wow," she breathed. "If she has that, why does she ride with you?"

I decided against mentioning that we had many more expensive cars parked in our garage at home. "Like I said, it's ostentatious. We try to blend in."

"You don't succeed," she laughed as she got out of the car. I followed her example and shut the car door behind me. "So why did Rosalie drive today if it's more conspicuous?"

"Hadn't you noticed? I'm breaking all the rules now." I met up with her at the front of my car and walked with her onto the campus. It didn't escape my notice how close our bodies were – how closely I could feel the heat emanating from her skin. I basked in the feeling of warmth. I wanted to grab her hand and let the heat spread to my core, but I wasn't sure my control was perfected enough. Actually, I was positive that I didn't have anywhere near that much control. I would have to be content with the three inches that seperated us.

"Why do you have cars like that at all," she mused, "if you're looking for privacy?"

"An indulgence. We all like to drive fast." I let my eyes light up at the word fast. It was a liberating feeling and the faster we drove – or ran – the freer we felt. The cars were the best we could do in the human world. It wasn't as if we could run everywhere. That would have been like putting a flashing sign up reading "Supernatural" over all of our heads.

"Figures," she muttered under her breath.

They arrived at school together! Are they dating? Why wouldn't she tell me that?

I was aware of Jessica's consciousness as we approached the overhang of the cafeteria roof. She was waiting with Bella's jacket, staring at us incredulously as we approached together. If her eyes popped out any farther, they might have fallen out.

How does a pathetic, mousy new girl land the hottest guy in school! I had complete rights over him. I saw him first and she still expects us to be FRIENDS! Ugh, what a…

"Hey, Jessica." Bella greeted lightly. She was completely oblivious to the spiteful thoughts churning in her supposed friends head. "Thanks for remembering."

Oh my god! She's wearing his jacket! Wow. They must be dating. Does she like him? Like…like him, like him? This is the best gossip ever! Still unfair how she got him…but maybe some rumors could put him back on the market…

Jessica handed over her jacket without a word, her thoughts now centering on how she was going to extract information from Bella and how she would twist it into her own meanings.

"Good morning, Jessica." I said as politely as possible. I didn't like the thoughts she was having, but there was little I could do about it.

"Er…hi." Her mind went blank and I allowed a small smile. It was amusing, the effect I had on some teenage girls. I suppose that was what Bella meant by 'dazzling'. Her eyes shifted back to Bella and they exchanged a look.

How does he DO that?

"I guess I'll see you in Trig," she said cheerily before giving Bella one more meaningful glance. And you will tell me everything.

"Yeah, I'll see you then," Bella called off to Jessica's back.

"What are you going to tell her?" I asked quietly. This could make things a bit more complicated.

"Hey, I though you couldn't read my mind!" she hissed.

"I can't," I said, very confused. Why would she think I could…unless she was thinking the same thing as Jessica…? Realization made me smile. "However, I can read hers – " unfortunately "– she'll be waiting to ambush you in class."

She groaned and gave me back my jacket, which I took willingly into my arms. It still retained some of the warmth and her wonderful perfume.

"So what are you going to tell her?" I was immensely curious.

"A little help?" she begged, "What does she want to know?"

I grinned wickedly and shook my head. It would be more fun to hear the questions take her by surprise… I could get real answers out of her instead of giving her time to improvise lies. It would be the closest I could get to reading her mind. "That's not fair," I answered. I began to walk her to her first class.

"No, you not sharing what you know – now that's not fair," she complained

Would it really matter if I told her or not? Bella was a terrible liar and therefore it wouldn't be hard to separate truth from lies. Not only that, but she was a very honest person…I didn't think she would lie to Jessica. I stopped in front of her first class. If I hadn't, she would have walked right past it.

"She wants to know if we're secretly dating. And she wants to know how you feel about me," I said after several seconds.

"Yikes." That made my heart sink. "What should I say?" My heart rose again when I saw her fake innocent expression. She was as pleased as I was at this turn of events.

Is that Bella and Cullen! What does he see in her?!

I've never even seen him even talk to anyone besides his own family!

Aww. they are so cute together!

People were starring and slowing down as they passed us. Apparently, in a small town, we were the only interesting thing that had happened since Bella had come to school…and that just made us all the more interesting.

"Hmmm…" I thought. Us secretly dating would be a much better explanation than anything else I could think of. And it would give me an excuse to be with Bella more. I absentmindedly caught a piece of her hair that was hanging outside of her bun. I twisted it back into place and let my hand linger around the warmth of the neck. Her heart skipped several beats.

"I suppose you could say yes to the first…" I began before remembering Carlisle's words again: Don't push her… "If you don't mind – it's easier than any other explanation," I added quickly.

"I don't mind," she breathed.

"And as for the other question…well, I'll be listening to hear the answer to that one myself." I smiled and I heard her breath catch. I turned and walked away before she could respond. I was about to be late for class.

"I'll see you at lunch." I called over my shoulder. Several people stopped dead in the halls and I could still smell Bella blush from ten feet away.

Bella has to be the luckiest girl in the world.

What I would give for a boy like that...

I laughed a bit and blocked out the rest of the thoughts before rushing to my first period class. I hated being late, but luckily my teacher wasn't there just yet. I took my seat in the middle of the room. I heard several conversations going on around me that captivated my interest.

"Did you hear? Bella and Edward are like, dating?" This conversation was coming from the back corner of the room between Samantha and Christine. I tilted my head in their conversation. Sometimes gossip could be very amusing.

"No way!" That was Christine. They were speaking in very hushed whispers, but I could hear them anyway thanks to my vampire hearing.

"Yeah, I know. I like, seriously thought he was like…you know…gay for the longest time. Especially after he turned down Jessica. Remember that?" Samantha giggled quietly.

"Oh my gosh yes! She was crying for like three hours in the bathroom. And now she's being all nice to Bella even though she totally had dibs. She is such a nice person."

I nearly laughed. Calling Jessica Stanley nice was like calling a grizzly bear tame. And believe me, they aren't.

"Bella is kind of being a…" Samantha started but before she could continue, the teacher walked in and made the class settle down. It was probably a good thing – I didn't appreciate people calling Bella names when they didn't know her at all and were clearly jealous.

The class droned on slowly as usual. The teacher's monotonous voice lulled me into a dream-like state between sleep and consciousness. My mind wandered and reached out to other consciousnesses.

Many of my classmates were thinking similar things to me. One was thinking about throwing a book at the back of our teacher's head. I smiled and moved on to the next person.

Once I was done with the minds of my class, I moved on to the next. I preoccupied myself with laughing over the mindless worries of the stupid girls and the hormonal, lusty thoughts of the idiotic boys.

I was pulled from my interrogation by the bell. I gathered up my things and headed to my next class where I resumed my search of the minds of the teenagers surrounding me. It was dull, but not as bad as whatever the teacher was talking about. I found out quite a bit of gossip, mostly from the pale blonde, Lauren.

I began tapping my fingers in time to the clock, waiting for the next period. The seconds ticked by slowly – more slowly than I thought possible. Each minute felt like a century but I kept my eyes fixated on the clock.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang. I smiled and gathered my things. I knew that Bella would be reluctant to go to Trigonometry, but she would have to go eventually.

I decided to blow off my next class. It wasn't as if I would never take English again. I was extremely interested to see what Bella's reaction and answers to Jessica's questions were. I didn't want to have to filter through Jessica's mind so I went to the math hall and stopped outside her classroom. I could hear everything in the class perfectly; I just needed to focus on Bella's conversation.

All the students had gone to class and the hallway was clear. I leaned casually against the lockers and got out my cell phone and pretending to text someone. I zeroed in on the girls conversation.

"What happened last night?" Jessica demanded.

"He bought me dinner and then he drove me home," Bella whispered back.

No one can eat dinner that fast! I was home for like five minutes before she called!

There was a moment of silence before Jessica spoke again. "How did you get home so fast?"

"He drives like a maniac. It was terrifying."

I laughed and then frowned. Of all the things to be scared about and she I worried about my driving skills. Someone ought to teach her a bit about self-preservation. I was about to listen some more but a teacher walked by and eyed me suspiciously.

"Mr. Ah…Cullen, is it? Why aren't you in class?" hasked me.

"I have a spare, sir." I lied.

"Hmm…. Very well, carry on."

He continued down the hall.

"So are you going out again?" Jessica asked. Please say no, please say no.

"He offered to drive me to Seattle Saturday because he thinks my truck isn't up to it – does that count?"

"Yes." I could tell she was trying very hard to cover up her disappointment.

"Well then, yes."

"W-o-w. Edward Cullen." This is so unfair! Who even likes brown eyes? I have blue eyes, they are sooo much more attractive. Oh well. At least this means Mike is free.

I wanted to tell her exactly what I thought of her skin-deep beauty and cold, unforgiving eyes but I bit back the urge to jump in and correct her delusions.

"I know. Wow." Bella sounded pleased and I could almost smell her blush from here. I smiled with pleasure.

"Wait. Has he kissed you?"

"No, it's not like that." Bella's disappointment mirrored mine, although hers was much more palpable.

Ha, I knew he couldn't like her like. He probably just feels sorry for her, being the new kid or something. He's so selfless for putting up with her. Just like me!

"Do you think Saturday…?"

"I really doubt it," dissatisfaction leaked with every word. I raised the corner of my mouth. The thought of my icy lips meeting her warm ones sent a shiver down my spine. Of course it would be much too dangerous with my razor-sharp, venom-coated teeth that close to her delicate skin.

"What did you talk about?" Jessica asked. I waited impatiently for Bella to answer. She was a terrible liar and there was only one thing we really talked about that entire night…

"I don't know, Jess, lots of stuff. We talked about the English essay a little." We did? I didn't seem to recall that part of our conversation.

"Please, Bella. Give me some details." Jessica begged. I was beginning to get impatient. I wanted to hear what Bella really thought of me, and it was taking Jessica a long time to get there. I thought it would be the first question out of her big mouth.

"Well…okay, I've got one. You should have seen the waitress flirting with him – it was over the top. But he didn't pay any attention to her at all." She sounded slightly smug. The waitress was flirting with me? I barely recalled the person who served us. I was a bit preoccupied. I would definitely have to read up on this whole flirting business.

"That's a good sign. Was she pretty?"

I nearly laughed. One thing I did remember was she had a very bad smell for a human. Maybe it was bad blood? Or perhaps that foul smelling perfume human girls insisted on wearing. Either way, it would have been good training for Jasper.

"Very – and probably nineteen or twenty." Bella agreed.

"Even better. He must like you." Did I detect a hint of jealousy in her voice?

"I think so, but it's hard to tell. He's always so cryptic." She sighed. I wasn't cryptic, I just didn't tell her the full on truth. I scowled at the comment and texted Alice on my cell.

Alice, I'm not cryptic, am I?

She would have her cell phone on in class – she always did. I only had to wait five seconds to get a text back from Alice. I felt the phone vibrate and begin the annoying ringtone.

E, u r 1 of the most cryptic ppl I no. Tho that isnt saying much. And I wuld watch out. Ur english teacher is coming around the corner on a bathrum break. U wuldnt want 2 b caught skipping…

I was instantly annoyed by the 'Chat speak' that Alice used in her text. It was pure laziness not to type out the entire word. I was about to respond, but I heard the footsteps coming around the corner. I hated when she was right.

I ducked into an empty classroom beside Bella's. I slid onto a desk near the wall and continued to listen. I really hoped I hadn't missed anything important.

"So do you like him then?"

Just in time.

"Yes." She said unemotionally. My heart sunk a bit in my chest. I guess it was necessary to say that if we were secretly dating, but the tone made me think she didn't really believe what she was saying. My heart dropped to my stomach.

"I mean do you really like him?" Jessica pushed. She must have caught the tone as well.

"Yes," she responded this time with more emotion. I smelt the blush raise to her face through the walls. I let myself hope a bit.

"How much do you like him?" she asked, obviously fed up with one-word answers. I leaned in a bit closer.

"Too much." My heart leapt. I could hear her heart pick up the pace as she continued. "More than he likes me. But I don't see how I can help that." The smell of her blood strengthened further as the blush became more pronounced. I felt a pang of annoyance because she couldn't see how deeply I cared for her.

"Jessica." Mr. Varner's voice was much louder than I had been expecting. "What is the Cosine law?"

I got off the desk and got my cell phone back out.

Thanks for that Alice.

But don't use chat speak.

It gives me a headache.

And I am not cryptic.

I sent the message and walked out the class.

Oh Alice, Oh Edward. I love thee both.
In your spare time, Read my other story - Neverland
Tis a bit messed up, but very enjoyable if you like fantasy.
Especially dark and twisty fantasy. it's a B and E of course.
Review!

- Hayley