A/N: School is out all this week. They closed it down due to the swine flu. So that means I have more time on my hands! I'll try to get a few chapters out this week. You guys are so nice in your reviews. Thank you. I actually think this story is so cliché at times, but oh well. I write it as I go.

Alice called me the following morning.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Bella!" I heard Alice's tinkling voice on the other line.

"Hi, Alice. What's up?"

"Do you want to do something after church? Like go to the movies, go shopping, or maybe show you around town, if you haven't been already?"

"Sure. I just have to tell Sam and Emily."

"Great! Well, either me or Rose will call you later, so keep your phone near you!" I heard someone in the background yell 'Alice! We have to leave!' Alice's voice was farther away from the phone as she answered, "Okay, Mom, just a few more minutes—. ' Elizabeth shouted, 'NOW. Church starts in ten minutes!' Alice's voice was near the phone again as she hurriedly said goodbye, "I have to go. Talk to you later, Bella."

"I'll see you later, Alice."

At around noon my phone rang again, and it was Rosalie who called me this time.

"Hi Bella," she said when I answered. "Alice really wants to go see that movie Obsessed. She says she was telling you about it yesterday?"

"Yeah, she was. I remember."

"Okay, there's a showing at 1:20 and another at 2:20. Do you want to see the 1:20 showing?"

"Yes."

"Alice and I will pick you up around 12:45. Be ready!" And then the line was dead.

My new friends sure were very take charge people. But I liked them.

I took a shower. My shower was short; I still had half an hour before Rosalie and Alice arrived. I had already been eating lunch when Rosalie had called. I decided to blow dry my hair. When it was no longer damp and near impeccably straight, I glanced at my watch; it read 12:40. I hurried to put my shoes on, and just after I had slipped them on, the doorbell rang.

"Sam! Emily! Rosalie and Alice are here!" I called out as I raced towards the front door. The doorbell rang again. Impatient much?

"Bye, Bella," Sam said from where he was seated on the living room couch.

"I'll see you guys later," I said as I faced him, then turned away when I had the door open, and proceeded to run outside. But I met a brick wall. I rebounded against it and fell to the floor.

"Oof," I landed with a thud.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't expecting you to come barreling out the door like that," apologized a smooth and velvety voice.

Edward was here.

In confusion I looked up and asked him, "What are you doing here?"

"Am I not welcome on this little outing that you three have planned?" he asked, that crooked grin spreading across his face as he held out his hand to help me up.

"Well, no, but…won't you be the only guy?"

"No, I won't, actually. Alice asked Jasper if he wanted to come, and he agreed. Rosalie invited Emmett when she found out that Jasper was coming." I was still sitting on the floor, and I heard a car outside honk its horn. I peered around Edward's legs and saw a cherry red BMW convertible sitting at the Uleys' curb. Rosalie waved from the driver's seat, and I waved back. I then saw a silver Volvo in the Uleys' driveway. I finally realized Edward still had his hand out, waiting for me to take it to help myself up. I quickly grabbed it.

"Slow reaction time?" he teased.

"I was admiring that little Volvo outside, but you know what? I've decided that I don't like it." I marched past him and down the walkway, making my way toward Rosalie's BMW.

"Bella, you're not riding with Rose."

"And why not?" He nodded his head toward the back seat. Alice and Jasper were occupying the space. Oh. Damn it. "Is that supposed to mean that I'm going to have to ride with you?"

"Yes. That's why I came to the door to get you." Ah, I thought as realization dawned on me.

"It's 12:50. We should get going," I said, changing my course of direction. I waited by the passenger door while he walked quickly and gracefully around to the driver's side. It was indeed a nice car. The car had been running, and the air conditioner had kept it cool inside. The seats were upholstered in leather. We rode in silence.

Edward finally spoke up. "You don't take teasing very well, do you?"

"Most of the time, no."

"All the more reason for Emmett to do it—just a heads up. If you're going to be around a lot, I thought I should let you know."

My silly little heart jumped for joy at his words of 'you're going to be around a lot.' A nagging voice in the back of my head that sounded like an odd mix of Jacob, Charlie, and myself began to say something, but I pressed it back for now.

"Thanks for the warning. You know, I never finished asking you my questions yesterday."

"As I recall, you couldn't come up with anymore." I stuck my tongue out at him in response to his remark. He got this funny look in his eyes before looking back at the road in front of him.

"Tell me more about Alice and Emmett."

"That's not a question." I shot him a look.

"Alice's real name is actually Mary Alice, but we all call her Alice. It's always been like that. Sometimes you might hear me use the nickname Ali. She loves shopping—really loves shopping. She might rope you into going with her one day. Emmett is a big jokester. He loves making other people laugh. Sometimes, not often, it can go a little too far at other peoples' expense, but that's rare. He's really a nice guy. Remember that," he said, giving me an apologetic look with his last two words.

"I will. Or at least I'll try. What's your full name?"

"Edward Anthony Masen. May I ask what is yours?"

"Isabella Marie Swan."

"Isabella Marie Swan," he repeated. "That's a nice name."

I blushed at his comment. Thankfully, he didn't look my way. Again, I was drawing a blank as to what to ask him.

"I can't think of anything else…"

"That's okay. That just means that I get to know more about you. When you think of something else, though, you can always interrupt me. Do you like to read?"

"Yes, very much so. At the moment I'm in the middle of two different books. One is about a girl who gets raped the summer before her freshman year; I think it's called Speak. The other is about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire. Argh, I can't remember the name." I racked my brain for what the name could be, but I couldn't remember.

"They sound good. Have you ever read East of Eden? I finished it last week."

"No, but I heard it was really good. Do you recommend it?"

"I liked it. Yes, I recommend it very much."

"I'll keep that in mind. I've thought of another question. What would you do if you thought that someone might be after you?" He seemed confused at my question.

"Well…I—we're here. I promise I'll answer your question later, though."

Edward found a parking space and Rosalie parked in the empty one next to us.

"I've wanted to see this movie forever!" I heard Alice saying as she climbed out of the car. She ran up next to me and we started to talk as the group walked to the ticket stand.

"Six for Obsessed at 1:20, please," Emmett said to the employee behind the glass window. Poor girl, she looked so shocked at his size and beauty.

"Uh—th—that'll be fifty-one dollars." Emmett reached in his wallet and pulled out three twenties. I reached my hand out to stop him, clutching my eight dollars and fifty cents, but Edward leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"You're a guest. We all gave our money to Emmett, and then we all pitched in for your expense. Just put your money away, Bella."

"But—fine." I had a plan.

We had plenty of time to spare, so our group went to stand in the snack line. It wasn't long before we were up at the counter. I laughed as Emmett picked out Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers, medium popcorn, a Nerds rope, a box of Butterfinger bites, and a Diet Coke, of all things. Rosalie got a bottle of water as did Jasper, but Alice picked out a box of Whoppers. The girl didn't need any more sugar in her system. Edward got medium popcorn, telling me we would share. As the cashier was ringing all this up, I saw someone in my peripheral vision move to give money to the employee. But I was already ready. The person stopped moving as I shoved my cash at the cashier.

"Bella," I heard Edward mutter.

"Yes?" I said innocently.

"You. Are. A. Guest. I'm going to pay you back," he said, pulling out his wallet.

"No you aren't, because I'm not going to take it. Just put your money away, Edward." I smiled smugly at him.

Emmett chose then to say, "I'm not sharing."

***

"So Alice, did that movie live up to your expectations?" Jasper said as we walked out of the movie theater.

"Yup. It was great. Now what do you guys want to do?" She turned to face the rest of us as soon as we were finally out the doors.

"Bella's the guest. Let her choose," Edward said.

"Well there is this one park that I really want to go to. Grant Park?"

"Oh, that's just down the street. Let's go."

Edward didn't say much on the drive over there. Though I did hear him mutter something to himself, something that sounded oddly like, "I'll find a way."

I wasn't the one to open my own door when Edward parked this time. I saw a hand, and I followed it up an arm, to a shoulder, up a neck, and finally to a pair of sparkling green eyes.

"I try to be chivalrous," he said, grinning crookedly at me. I smiled back up at him as I took his hand and helped myself out of his car.

I saw my fountain. I thought about making a break for it, but I remembered what had happened when I was walking towards it. So I stayed put. Everybody else seemed to take geological ages to move. I began to move forward, but something held me back. I realized that I was still holding Edward's hand and released it quickly. I saw Alice run ahead holding Jasper's hand. Once they reached the edge of the fountain, she stuck her hands in the water and began to play. Alice was adorable; she looked so much like a little kid.

The rest of us caught up to them soon after.

"It's a beautiful fountain," Edward said as he came to stand next to me. It doesn't compare to you. I had decided to let the pathetic, romantic side of me rule over when it came to Edward.

A beautiful fountain and a beautiful boy…boy wasn't the right word. Man wasn't quite right either; it sounded too old for a seventeen year old. Angel. Oh, like that's really so much better than boy or man. But I found myself liking it. My angel…my fountain. My angel turned to smile at me. I smiled back. The voice in my head started to speak again; I didn't shut it out this time.

"Bella, this is wrong."

"Why?" I battled back inside my head.

"You know why."

"No, I don't know why. Please inform me."

"You shouldn't get attached to anyone here. At least, not now. What would you do if He came tomorrow and found out how much you really like Edward?"

I couldn't answer; I didn't have an answer.

"See? Don't do this. Trust me, it's better this way."

The voice was quiet after that. I could think clearly now.

Was I willing to resist? Was I willing to become standoffish, to shut Edward out? Even if I was, would I have the resolve to remain in that mindset for the rest of the summer? And what about my other new friends? Alice obviously really liked me. Rosalie not as much, but given time we could become good friends. I enjoyed Emmett's humor, even if it did stem from something I did. Jasper was a considerate guy; I could grow to like him just as much as Emmett. So it all boiled down to one question: could I shut myself out of their world?

No, I couldn't.

I was going to go against the advice of the voice in my head. I didn't care what happened in the future because of my choice.

I was so stupid.