A/N: Yes, I realize my Edward isn't quite as mature as Vamp!Edward. I contribute this to the fact that mine is a Gen Y'er. So a little bit OOC, but you'll begi n to see him pop out once and awhile with some surprises.

Thanks to my personal Twilight heart-monitor, EKG. She's been patiently waiting for this update for awhile. And thanks to everyone else who reviewed and read so far. I'm slightly less busy now than I was when I started this story so I should be able to update more often.

Chapter 3 – Mama's Boy

I woke up to the sound of my mother knocking on my door. "Edward? Edward, are you in there?"

I groaned softly and pulled myself off the bed. "Yeah! I'm in here, mom." I trudged toward the door and opened it, forgetting about my swollen face. I realized it just as I pulled the door open and saw the look on Elizabeth's face.

"Oh my! Ms. Cope said it was a little bruised, but…" She trailed off and reached her hand up to stroke my face.

"It was an accident mom." I reminded her, and rested my hand on top of hers as she gave me a sad smile.

"I know it was… does it hurt?" She asked and I shrugged, walking out of the doorway and into the bathroom. I realized I hadn't inspected the bruise since it happened. It was a lot worse than I thought. Tyler must have really hurled that thing at me. I couldn't help but wonder if he had done it on purpose. But what would have been his motivation? Maybe Bella Cullen was looking at me more than him? Was he jealous? I chuckled softly as I touched my face and thought how absurd that sounded. Elizabeth stood behind me, watching me.

She finally broke the lull of silence by clearing her throat and patting me on the shoulder. "I'm going to get dinner started for us; I'll make you something special tonight, sound good?" I nodded in appreciation and I was alone again. My thoughts wandered back to the hallway and my first glimpse of Bella, then lunch and Bella, and finally- gym and Bella. Ugh, why did she have to be so utterly breathtaking? I flopped back onto my bed and flicked on the TV. Channel 30 was just about to start the six o'clock news and I decided to watch it for awhile. I had a bit of homework to do, but I needed to distract myself from thoughts of Bella Cullen.

There were the typical news stories; what the government was up to on the state and local levels, the attempted robbery at Safeway, and a debate over whether the Quileute Indians should build a casino on the reservation.

Just as they were about to sign off for the evening and Jeopardy would come on, they took me by surprise by featuring a story about my mother's arrival in Forks as the new President of Forks Federal. They briefly mentioned that we previously lived in Chicago and that she had one son attending Forks High.

If that wasn't bad enough, they also mentioned that a welcome dinner would be held by the Chamber of Commerce this weekend. There was a picture of my mother and I in the upper left hand corner and I had to applaud whoever got their hands on that picture; it was one of my favorites of the two of us, taken last summer when she took me to the Grand Canyon for my birthday. As the news ended, Elizabeth summoned me for dinner. I sprung from the bed and nearly tumbled down the stairs.

My mother had yet to change out of her 'presidential wear' and she wore an apron to prevent a stain. Always making everything from scratch, she had a tendency to get a little messy when she cooked.

"Mom, did you see the news?" I asked nonchalantly as I pulled the gallon of milk from the fridge, half-tempted to take a swig then and there, but know that Elizabeth would have my head if I do.

She nodded as she plated up the food. "Yep. I thought it was a nice piece." She smiled with a small shrug and paused for a moment before continuing. "Speaking of which- can you please clear your schedule for Saturday?" Ugh, I knew I was going to be roped into this somehow. I didn't really have a choice though; it wasn't like I could make an excuse that she'd be okay with.

"You want me to come with you?" I asked, my voice was curious, although, I already knew the answer to my question.

-X-

The rest of the week passed fairly quick and uneventful, and for that- I was grateful. Mr. Varner asked me if I was prepared to take a Calculus midterm with the rest of the class, and since I felt okay about the material that was covered, I took it. He didn't seem surprised when he handed our tests back the following day and I got a 98. I missed two points for not writing my equation in point-slope form. Ah, well.

Alice was her usual chatty self during Brit Lit and Emmett constantly had me in tears of laughter. Despite our quick friendships, there was still some distance between us. I felt myself yearning to know Bella better, but there was something about her demeanor that kept me away. Mike invited me over for dinner at the Newton's one night, and one fabulous meal later- I was the newest part-time employee at Newton's Sporting Goods. Elizabeth was proud of my new-found responsibility and let me work fifteen hours a week as long as my grades didn't suffer. At least for those fifteen hours a week I could try not to think about Bella Cullen.

-X-

Forks was a small town, and though the town was small, the dinner parties were not. The Mayor and the Board of Trustees had organized a welcome reception for my mother. Sometimes when I was younger, Elizabeth used to tell me stories about her life with my father. The dinner parties, the dancing, the dresses… I wasn't a girl, but nothing made her happier than reliving those moments. Being the wonderful son that I am, I sat through most of them without any interruption or complaint.

"All the who's who's are going to be there tonight, Edward. Just for a silly welcome reception." Silently I thought of Dr. Cullen and wondered if that included him and his family. I'd give anything to take a glimpse of Bella Cullen in a dress, with those curves…

"Then I will wear a tuxedo for you, mother." I smiled as I saw the grin spread across her face.

"Oh, Edward! You have no idea how much that pleases me." She cooed, and pulled a garment bag with a tuxedo in it from the closet that had to be older than me.

"Let me guess, dad's?" I asked, feigning innocence.

She nodded with pleading eyes and removed the garment from its bag and laid it on the bed. Despite its years of not being used, it was actually in pristine condition. I gave her a smile and agreed to wear it.

As I put the finishing touches on my outfit, I took a deep breath and desperately wished I had something to calm my nerves. I felt like a penguin, but my mother seemed to think that I was a young version of my father. She showed me a picture as evidence to further her case. Looking at myself in the mirror, I ran a hand through my untamed locks and took a deep breath, Well, here goes nothing.