SHUFFLE

Chapter Three: Coincidences Kind Of Piss Me Off.

By the time my brain was functioning well enough to come up with a response to Edward's farewell, he was already long gone. I had no choice but to continue on through security and customs, but as the time to disembark drew closer, I slowly grew more and more confused. Why would he suddenly kiss me like that? He'd never shown any signs of affection for me. Or anyone, for that matter. I'd kind of grown accustomed to the idea that Edward would be one of those types that stayed single for life, and for him to just make a pass at me like that was completely out of character.

I was also surprised at myself. Had it been anyone else, I probably would have retaliated in such a way that it was clear I did not condone such actions. But I didn't. Did that mean that I was okay with this – this sudden affection? I realized I wasn't quite sure, and found myself gripping my luggage a little too tightly in frustration.

It didn't help that I had no way of talking to Edward now that I was leaving. He didn't have a cell phone, so if I wanted to call, I'd have to wait until I knew he was home. I didn't have a facebook, and he hardly checked his email. And snail mail? The idea was laughable in this technology-crazed society. I wasn't sure if I found his timing cowardly or romantic. Regardless, the first thing I would do when I got to Charlie's house was call him. There was no getting around it – we needed to talk.

"All passengers for Seattle, row B, please board the plane now. All passengers for Seattle, row B…"

I double-checked my ticket with a sigh and got in line. There was little point in trying to worry myself now – I'd likely only over-analyze things and end up making the situation worse. I'd just get on the plane, listen to my iPod, and try to fall asleep.

The shuffle onto the plane didn't take too long, and I was lucky enough to exchange seats with a woman who wanted to be next to her husband, so I was able to get a window seat. I wasn't necessarily the biggest fan of heights, but in a plane, you were so high up that it didn't even seem like you were off the ground – instead, you could just enjoy the passing scenery. The airline made some kind of rule about not having electronics on while the plane was taking off, so I had to wait until the plane was at cruising altitude to dig my iPod out of my carry-on bag.

I found myself fidgeting in my seat as the plane started down the runway. The chairs weren't very comfortable, and the flashbacks of the kiss were making me antsy. I didn't do well with confusion, and the smile he gave me before leaving – the one I knew very well he reserved for only when he knew something I didn't – was not making things any better. I tried to calm myself by thinking of more mundane things: what I was wearing, what my mother was wearing, what Edward was wearing. But remembering Edward's green shirt only reminded me of the kiss and then the antsy feeling just came back again.

There was a soft ding overhead, and the flight attendant made an announcement that we were at cruising altitude and we could use electronics freely. I quickly retrieved my iPod, plugging in my earphones without bothering to check which went in which ear. I just wanted to get my mind off of Edward for a while.

However, the song that was left on the playing screen – Kiss to Send Us Off – only reminded me of the scene in the airport. Scowling, I pressed the next button, but the next song was from one of the mix tapes Edward had given me (who else would have given me the Beatles?) and didn't show much promise of allowing me to clear my mind, either. I gave up quickly and simply resigned to staring out the window in silence instead.

Forks wasn't that far away.

I woke to the sound of a baby crying from a few seats behind me. Whatever dreams I might have had I couldn't remember – almost everything was drowned out by the wailing and a headache looming on the horizon. I sighed, leaning my head against the back of my seat. I hadn't even gotten off the plane yet and I already had jetlag. As little as I was looking forward to starting my summer vacation in Forks, I was eager to get back on the ground, mostly so that I could take a shower and get into a real bed. Of course, I wanted to talk to Edward, too, but the irritability that almost always followed after a long plane ride made me hesitant to plan to rush to a phone first chance available.

I couldn't help but get a major sense of déjà vu as the landing process began – it was almost exactly like boarding the plane, but in reverse order. Slight turbulence, turn off electronics, buckle seatbelts. Then, after landing, a long wait for the line to shuffle out, and passing through multiple security measures to reach the baggage claim. It was there that I was reunited with Charlie, to whom I met with one of those movie-esque flying leap hugs. I was a little embarrassed to have done something so cheesy, but I did miss Charlie, so I tried to put such feelings away and savor the moment. After all, regardless of how terrible this summer would be, it was going to be the only chance all year I'd have to see my father. It was some consolation that Charlie seemed flustered, too – he met my hug with an awkward pat on the head before helping me find my bags and leading me outside to the parking lot.

There, we arrived at a police car.

I threw my father a withering look, and he returned it sheepishly. "I've always wanted to be a police officer," he said.

"No, it's not that, I'm happy for you." I was. It was great that Charlie could live out his childhood dream. "It's just…" I trailed off, looking at the car again.

"You won't have to ride in it all the time."

I looked up at him hopefully.

"I've got a friend willing to sell his old truck, cheap. I was thinking you could keep it at least for the summer, and if we have to sell it during winter, it's not that big of a loss."

He looked at me with a nervous smile and I suddenly felt guilty for even thinking of complaining about the police car. I gave him another quick hug and then hopped into the passenger's seat, feeling a little more optimistic for the summer ahead of me.

If all of my previous concerns would be appeased this easily, perhaps this vacation wouldn't be so bad after all.

A/N: Again, I'll apologize for taking so long to update, and kind of say right now that it seems that taking forever to update is going to be a habitual thing. However, I have no intention of dropping the story, so please don't ever be concerned that I'll do so.

Bella takes an airplane, also known as a slightly-filler-ish chapter! (I have to admit it, or else people will growl at me for it.) However, it has things that will be important for later, so I'm not ashamed of it or anything. It's kind of short, yeah, but... whatever. xD; Sometimes things like this are necessary.

Also, if you have any questions or theories or anything, please feel free to share them! As we all know, feedback is what keeps an author excited about their work, so don't hesitate to contact me about anything. I might not know how to work fanfic very well but I'll definitely do my best. c:

Also, many thanks to my Beta, Stripe, for making sure this story isn't full of fail.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, the setting, nor the general idea of Twilight. The AU's plot and the actual writing, however, are all mine. Kiss to Send Us Off is a song by Incubus, and The Beatles are an awesome band that I wish I owned but don't. And that's about it.