A/N: First, if you're a Heroes fan you should know that there is talk that the show may be canceled. This is an awesome show so please help do what you can to prevent this from happening. Write NBC, sign the petitions floating the internet. Save Heroes, Save my muse.

So I was looking at story stats (it shows how many hits and visits my stories get and sorts them into what countries the visits came from). Sometimes I forget subconsciously that what I post here on the internet can be read by people from all over the world. I know some of you may be thinking "well duh…."Anyways when I was looking I was blown away by the fact that people from all over the world, all continents (well not Antarctica) have visited my stories. People from all over can be united by common interests. Kind of cool when you think about it.

Some one from a place called Gibraltar visited. I had never heard of this place before now. I ended up googling it. For those of you who are interested it is an overseas British territory. You learn something new every day. Anyways just wanted to share that with you, moving on…

Anyways tomorrow is Valentines Day so I thought I'd work extra hard and get this chapter to you early as my gift to you. Tada! Oh and I had to include the quote below, too funny.

Also thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. It is very encouraging. I try to reply to all the reviews I get. I'd like to say thanks to: Kara, CosmoGirl2, T-race and Andie for their reviews now because I couldn't directly reply since they are anonymous.

For those who actually read my rambling here thanks. Now on to what I'm sure you're here for, the story!

Lyle Bennett: [about Claire's tape] I'm going to post this on YouTube and make like a million bucks!
Zach: YouTube's free, you idiot!
Claire Bennet: Zach you're not helping!

-Season 1, Episode 7: Nothing to Hide

Part Four:

I've been smiling all morning this Friday. I couldn't stop even if I wanted to. Today it is sunny. I'm not joking, it really is. I'm riding a natural high and can't come down. I get to school early and sit on the one of picnic tables, planning on getting some extra studying in before class. I stay out there until the last minute. I think in Forks they should close school for sun and not snow.

I walk into Biology and take my seat. I'm surprised Edward isn't here yet. He always gets here before me. I frown but flip open my text book anyways and take out my notebook.

Edward never shows. I find it hard to concentrate. I keep expecting him to walk through the door (not of course I could picture Edward showing up late for a class). I've grown used to his moody presence, what some might call companionable silence and the occasional conversation.

I even miss our unspoken competition (well at least to me there is one) in class on who can answer the most questions. Without Edward Mr. Banner starts feeding me some of the tougher questions. Most of them I answer correctly. I almost turn over to him and smirk after answering another question only to remember he isn't here.

During lunch all everyone can talk about is the weekend trip to La Push next week. They are all hoping the weather holds until then. I hope it holds too, but not just for the trip but indefinitely.

I keep wondering where he is. Is he sick? Out of town? I sneak a few glances over at the Cullen's table. They aren't there. They didn't come to school at all. I ask Jessica about it. She says the Cullen's never come to school when it is sunny. They start their weekend early. They are big nature freaks and are always taking off to go camping and hiking. The school doesn't complain. They always keep their grades up.

I find that rather odd. They didn't strike me as the outdoors type.

I sigh, shrug it off and force a smile, trying to participate in the excitement of going to La Push next week.

"Have fun camping?" I glance over at Edward beside me in Biology. It is Monday, the Cullens are back and its raining again.

"Hiking actually." He says rather distractedly.

"Really? Couldn't wait for Saturday?" I prod him for more information.

"No, in Forks you never know how long nice weather will hold." He replies tersely.

Well, that was true. It was one of the rainiest places in the U.S.A. I kind of noticed.

"Where'd you go?" I really don't know why I'm bugging him about this. It isn't any of my business.

He turns and looks me in the eye. "We went on Granite Creek trail by the Goat Hill Ravine." He obliges my rudeness.

I'm about to accept his answer and drop the whole thing when I pause, still staring at his face, his eyes. A little alarm is going off in the back of my head.

"Your eyes…" I say it quietly, almost to myself. "They've changed colors."

He looks away taking away the eyes I had pointed out. "No they haven't." He said with a steel glint in his voice. This is obviously a touchy subject. He was probably self conscious about his contacts perhaps? If of course, that is what it was. But I plowed on.

"No," I say shaking my hand and at the same time dismissing his answer. When I first came here they were the golden butterscotch. Over time they slowly became darker and darker. I never noticed, the change was subtle and I, and many others didn't frequently stare into his eyes for obvious reasons. But they were different. I knew it. Now they were back to the way they were when I first met him. And contacts didn't do that.

It was like he read my mind. "It is just the lighting. They have always been this color." He wants me to accept this answer and leave it alone.

"Okay, if you say so." I wouldn't press him about it, but I knew…

For the rest of class Edward is stiffer than usual. He doesn't stare out the window as often. It makes me very aware of his silent presence and close proximity. It is becoming hard concentrate. I can't believe I actually thought his absence strange. I was beginning to wish he'd leave and go camping again or whatever it was he did.

I grip my pencil tighter. I scribble down some more notes on something Mr. Banner said. I'm not really into it though. I had already read ahead on this section Friday.

I hum and rhythmically tap my pencil lightly against the table to the beat of the song I heard from the mysterious piano player. My mind drifts to inconsequential things.

I feel more than see his face turned toward me from the corner of my vision. I realized what I am doing and stop. Edward's face is unreadable as he looks away again and once more it is like I don't exist.

Jessica stops me and Angela from entering the cafeteria for lunch just yet. "You have to listen to this song. It's the sickest." Jessica insisted. She selected a song off her iPhone. Some hip hop/pop song plays. Jessica tells me the song name and artist.

Who puts a dollar sign in their name I wonder. And the lyrics are kind of the generic pop party tune variety. This isn't real music. I immediately think back to the mysterious piano player. I prefer that music but I don't want to think about that now. Forget weird Biology partners, homework, and all the actual seriousness of hiding and keeping my secret. I needed some space in my over crowded brain.

I sway my body a bit to the beat. Jessica bobs her head a bit, grinning at me as if to say I told you so. I make a mental eye roll. The song is okay. I really just want to take shake loose everything from my mind. That's what I do, I mean what the hell; it is just us.

I let my body take over, moving my hips and stretching my arms out in the empty hallway. Jessica taps her foot a bit but doesn't leave the side of the wall. I smile and close my eyes, losing myself to the beat. I give a few exaggerated dance steps. Angela laughs. "Oh Claire!" I smirk but don't open my eyes. I whip off the scarf I had been wearing, swirling it around in the air like a rhythmic gymnast, like how we used to do in cheerleading.

Abruptly the music stops mid chorus. I stop in mid step, surprised. I open my eyes. Angela and Jessica are crimson. I look to where their eyes are directed, to the end of the hall. I drop my scarf.

Walking down the hall is none other than Edward Cullen. He raises one brow at me, not even looking at Angela and Jessica. I'm mortified but I refuse to show it. I meet his gaze steadily. Our eyes continue to hold each other's until he has stopped right in front of me. He doesn't break eye contact with me, bends down to one knee and picks up my fallen scarf.

"I believe you dropped this." His face holds a smirk as he presents it to me.

Wordlessly I take it back. Feeling slightly snarky I want to snap a witty comeback but nothing jumps to my tongue.

Edward walks into the cafeteria without another word or glance. I let out the breath I had been holding. Jessica and Angela look down, still kind of embarrassed even though they weren't the ones letting loose in the hallway.

Jessica is quickly over it. She practically squeals. "Oh my God Claire!"

Angela covers her mouth, fruitlessly suppressing her laughter.

I shrug it off, thinking it is best to pretend it never happened. "Come on, we should get something to eat." I try to ward off my embarrassment.

They stare at me then burst out laughing at my expense. I turn heel and stomp into the cafeteria. I make point not to look over at the Cullen table, my head held high, flanked by my two giggling-like-freshmen-companions.

We go through the line. I don't grab much to eat. We make our way to our usual table. The guys are at one end, heavily involved in a discussion about some video game. Mike is the only one who notices our arrival.

"Where were you guys?" he asks us all but looks at me.

Jessica doesn't say anything, obviously put out with being called 'guys'. I myself don't care to answer that question. It isn't any of his business.

"No where." I say, shooting looks at Angela and Jessica.

"What were you doing?" He presses, looking at Angela and Jessica's giggly state thinking they may let him on.

"Nothing," I say pointedly. Jessica opens her mouth to answer then catches my eye. She hastily closes it again.

Mike shakes his head and turns back to his guy group.

Now that Mike is gone Jessica is back with us. "Anyways I was waiting to tell you this but guess what?"

I open my mouth to make a lame guess but don't get to finish.

"Lauren broke her arm when she fell trying to do the human pyramid the other day!"

Angela and I don't say anything. We both kind of figured since the way she had been cradling her arm. But obviously we miss the point of this fact and Jessica quickly clues us in. "I hear she is off the squad so there is a new vacancy waiting to be filled. I think I may try out."

I think Jessica probably has the lungs for it. "Don't you think that may be presumptuous?"

"She is going to out for the season. Anyways they're going to be holding try outs in a couple weeks I hear." Jessica rolls her eyes at us annoyed that we weren't getting very excited over this. I feel strangely sympathetic to Lauren. I sigh.

Angela has her chin propped up by one arm, a faraway look in her eyes at she stares at a certain boy across the cafeteria, the boy with brown hair and glasses.

"The dance is in a couple weeks." She says quietly.

"You should ask him." I tell her.

"You think so?" Angela asks. She plays with her hands agitatedly. "There is still a chance that Ben might ask me though; on his own."

"Well, yeah, could be. Give him a week or so. If not then ask him to the dance."

"Really?" She asks, relief seeping into her voice.

"Absolutely. I think he likes you. He's just shy probably." I give her a kindly smile. Ben is good guy and I think he'll do right by Angela. I almost don't understand her problem. So he is shorter than she but that isn't a good reason not to date a person. I wished I had her problems.

"Do you think you're going Claire?" Angela asks me. Jessica leans in closer to hear my answer.

I consider the question. A dance might be fun, but who would I go with? Not to mention the last dance I went to, the homecoming at my old high school definitely turned into a night I wouldn't forget, but not in a good way. I suppressed a shudder. It may be too soon.

"Nah, not this time I think." I say shrugging it off. Besides I think I've got enough dancing done right now to last me for a long time.

Jessica looks over her shoulder to where Mike sits goofing off with his friends. "No one asked you." Jessica concludes with a pitying voice that had almost a twinge of sympathy in it I thought I detected. But I know she is happy that Mike hasn't asked me yet. But he hasn't asked her yet either.

I don't want to go not because I wasn't asked. There was still a great opportunity for that what with there being still several weeks to go till the dance. I'm sure if I wanted one of guys here to ask me out I could get them to or they might on their own with no prompting on my part. Eric, Tyler, Mike… They were possibilities. But first, I didn't need the enemies this would cause with some girls at school. Second, I just wasn't interested in any of them and wouldn't want to give them the wrong impression.

"You can come with us anyways. Lots of girls do it. It could be fun." Angela offers.

I give her appreciative smile but shake my head. I do not want to be one of those girls who sit on the wall all night, not that I think this would happen considering some of the ways the guys here have been staring at me have been any indication.

I just didn't want to go really. I'd rather be home reading or something. I just didn't have the same interests I used to. And I didn't want to get too involved here. Who knows, I may have to move suddenly again. I don't want to get attached then leave it all behind.

"Well, Angela and I were thinking about going dress shopping next Sunday afternoon if some dates turn up. Want to come? It can be some fun girl time." Jessica offers.

I also consider this. I don't see why not. "We'll see." Is all I say for now on the matter.

I let Jessica's chatter wash over me as my gaze drifts unseeingly across the cafeteria, resting on a pillar plastered with flyers. I perk up.

"We should go."

Jessica cocks her head wondering what I could say that was more important than her discussing how she should wear her hair if she was asked to the dance.

"You mean you think you might go?" Angela asks in reference to the dance.

"No," I say and point to some different flyers on the pillar. "We should go to the school band concert they're holding." Also this would be a great opportunity to figure out who is my mysterious piano player. Surely they play for the band.

"Are you serious?" Jessica's upper lip curls. "Only the families of the band members and old people go to those. Besides, they kind of suck anyways."

Okay, so I obviously won't get any support from her. I notice Angela's face darkens slightly and she casts her eyes downward but doesn't say anything. Jessica notices too.

"Yeah, well, besides you Angie." She consoles. "You play a mean flute. Every one else…" Jessica rolls her eyes as she takes a sip from her diet soda. She looks over in Mike's direction. "That day is group bowling night anyways." She mutters.

I give Angela an encouraging smile ignoring Jessica's insensitive comment. "Really? Well then I'll have to go. I'd love to see you play."

Angela doesn't smile but her eyes say it all.