A/N:

Thank you for all your reviews and most importantly, thank you to my beta Lady Gywndenn.

Chapter 4

I know somewhere there is a party goin' down

Interestin' people, conversation to be found

I've lived in cities where there is no solitude

I've made some friends here that I hope I'll never lose

But for now, I want to stay in this quiet town

Come Sunday morning, there's a market on the square

Children are playin', bells are ringin' in the air

Old men are drinkin', it's a lazy afternoon

Content with thinkin' that there is nothin' to do

So for now, I'm goin' to stay in this quiet town

In this quiet town, in this quiet town

Josh Rouse – Quiet Town

Bella carefully made her way down the steep trail to river on her useless excuse for a bike. Even with the constant pressure of applying the brakes she gained more speed. The last thing she needed was hitting a large tree root to fly over and causing her to break her neck.

The river ran the length of Midland, and the hang out was just on the outskirts where no one usually ventured because of the difficulty to get there (more so the difficulty to get back). The path to the river was so steep that it forced everyone to walk with their bikes back up.

She could already hear her friends laughing and yelling to each other when she reached the bottom of the hill. She quickly followed the narrow path lined with tall grass to the trees that lined the river.

She spotted Alice and Rose on the bank sunning themselves, flipping through magazines. To the left of them were Jessica and Lauren gossiping. Bella never really liked Jessica and Lauren, but with Midland's population of just over 400, you never really had a choice who your friends were. The teen population was so small that they were bused forty minutes to the high school the next town over. Everyone was usually civil towards each other and if a small spat did occur it didn't last too long since it would cause too much awkwardness within the small group.

The boys, as usual, were half way down the river tubing, the only source of excitement that one can find during summer days.

"Miss me?" Bella called out as she emerged from behind the trees.

Alice jumped up and ran over to hug Bella, "Ya!"

Rose threw Bella a small smile and wave, she was always very quiet, while Jessica and Lauren acknowledged her presence with a nod, before they focused back onto their conversation.

"So fill me in. What's been going on?" Bella asked as she took the spot next to where Alice had been sitting.

She sat back down beside her, "All's the same in the sleepy town of Midland except…" Alice coyly trailed off.

Bella grinned. She loved the fact that no matter how long she spent apart from her best friend, she was able to come back and feel as though they had no time apart.

"Except?" Bella encouraged her to continue.

"You know how I was waited listed for NYU?"

Bella nodded.

"Well, I got an email from them this morning with an acceptance."

"Congrats! We are so getting an apartment together next year."

Bella knew that NYU was Alice's first choice so when she got waitlisted this past spring… Well, she never had seen her friend shed so many tears. She was still sharing Alice's excitement when the boys came back up the bank.

"Yo, Tiny!" Emmett called out.

Bella got up to greet him, but backed away when he started charging at her.

"Please. Don't." her pleas went unanswered and she yelped when he threw her over his shoulder and spun her around.

"Missed ya cuz!"

God siblings were as close as their relations stemmed, his father was her god father and vice versa, but they were raised together as brother and sister because their fathers worked together and it was easier to acknowledge that they were related then to explain.

"Please put me down," Bella couldn't hide the mild panic in her voice. Emmett was at the very least six foot two and the height he held her at was giving her vertigo.

He finally plopped her down on the ground, "You're no fun, but I still love you."

"Thanks," Bella grumbled. She turned around to say hello to Jasper, Rose's twin brother but he was caught up in an embrace with Alice.

Bella gave her a curious look as to when she started seeing Jasper. They did have a crush on each other for a while, but they never talked about how they felt, they were always shy towards each other—until now. Alice blushed and silently let Bella know that she would fill her in on it soon.

"It's disgusting how smitten they are with each other, but it's about time." Jacob whispered from behind her.

"I'll say." Bella turned around and gave Jacob a big hug. Out of all her guy friends, he's the one that understood her the most and never gave her a hard time like Emmett did. "Missed you."

"Missed you more, babes." He released her and studied her up and down. "Looking as gorgeous as ever."

"Same to you, when did you get that six pack," Bella giggled.

Jacob and Bella were always flirtatious towards each other and sometimes their behaviour was misunderstood, especially with Lauren. But it wasn't like that, whenever they flirted, it was more complimentary than romantic, and they ignored anyone who thought otherwise.

"You coming to my party tomorrow night?" Jacob asked.

"Of course she is," Emmett answered for her.

Jacob's house parties were well known to the area and usually were the events of the summer. His house was situated on the escarpment that looked over Midland, it was the only house there and it was huge. This allowed for massive parties and since there were no neighbors— there were no noise complaints. Sometimes the parties lasted a few days on the account that his parents were always away in the summer.

"Have I ever missed one?"

Jacob gave her a sideways hug and kissed the top of her head, "That's my girl!"

"So, Bella, have you met your new neighbor yet?" Jessica interrupted.

"Edward? Yeah, he seems nice." Bella refrained from blushing when she recounted what happened that morning.

"Stay away from him," Emmett warned.

"Why?"

"It will help you keep your virginity intact," Lauren replied snidely.

Everyone knew about her V card status from a drunken game of Never Have I Ever last year, but since then Lauren always teased her about it and it had become a sore point for Bella. 'They might flock to you, Bella,' she told her that same night when everyone else passed out, 'but no guy will ever touch you. You, my dear will always fall into the friend zone, no one will ever love you that way.'

Bella hated the fact that Lauren might have been right more than she hated her. So far her words rung true— here and in New York.

She looked over to Jacob to get a quick answer.

"You know he's an 'artiste'"

Bella nodded and rolled her eyes at him.

"Well he paints nude women. Actually it's more like, he screws them, then he paints them before displaying the post-coital moment for the world to see. I should've become a painter."

Bella ignored Jacob's last comment.

"He's a deviant. Stay away from him," Emmett warned again.

She looked over to Jasper, who simply shrugged at the information

"Have you even seen any of the paintings," Bella asked.

"As if," Jessica scoffed, "They're vulgar and pornographic."

"That never stopped you before," Jacob quipped.

Everyone chuckled at Jessica's expense. She stood up and went into a defense mode, but Bella continued.

"How would you know if you haven't seen them?"

"People talk," Lauren retorted.

"So?"

People talk— Gossip, of course, Bella thought to herself. It was always about that, especially if you were new in town. That was the one negative aspect of living in a small town. People talked and by the end of the day it became truth.

She looked over to Alice to get some back up, but she was furiously blushing.

"Have you seen them?"

"Mrs. Cope had one displayed in the gallery," Alice replied, "I caught a glimpse of it."

"And what did you think."

"It was very erotic."

"He screwed more than half the girls in town," Jessica accused.

"That's a little less than you," Bella shot back.

"You know that's just rumor!"

"My point exactly, Jessica!"

Bella hated gossips and Jessica and Lauren were big ones. Jessica should have known better than to contribute to rumors. A senior in high school last year got fed up with her leading him on and decided that spreading a nasty rumor about her was good pay back.

"Guys this is getting out of hand," Jasper finally talked, "why are you arguing about someone you barely know?"

"I have an idea as to why," Jacob whispered in Bella's ear. But his comment was ignored.

"This blows, I'm getting out of here," Jessica stood up and left, Lauren immediately followed.

Every one stood and stared at Bella, "Sorry," she sighed.

"I wouldn't worry about it Bella," Emmett said.

She knew defending Edward was the right thing to do, but she didn't like the little squabble she brought on in doing so.

Rose started to leave.

"Please, tell me you're not mad at me as well."

"I'm not mad at anyone," she replied and gave Bella a sympathetic smile. "You're right for defending him, but do you know him well enough to do so?"

Bella shook her head.

"Bella, I hate gossiping as much as you do, but to most rumors there is some sort of truth."

Was it possible that Rose was right? Bella thought.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Wait up," Jasper called after Rose. "We'll come with you."

Bella turned to Alice and Jasper. "You guys are leaving too?" she asked them sadly.

"Yeah, um, me and Jasper, well, we got plans. I'll come over later tonight and we'll catch up, Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay, I'll see you then, Alice."

Bella let out a large sigh once Rose, Jasper and Alice left. She was disappointed that the little reunion lasted no more than twenty minutes.

"Looks like someone has a little crush," Jacob teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut up," she laughed.

"You think he's better looking than me?"

Bella had enough of being flustered for one day so she gave back as good as she got, "Better looking, better sounding, better built, and better everything."

Jacob chuckled and slung an arm over her shoulder, "good to have you back, Bella. I promise you, this summer will be a memorable one. You coming back to my place?" he asked, wagging his eyebrows.

Bella gave Jacob a playful slap on the chest and shook her head, "I have some stuff to do in town."

"Your loss. I'll see you guys tomorrow night." Jacob pecked her cheek and took off running.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to town," Emmett said and pulled her along.

"It's okay, I brought my bike."

"Tell me you left it at the top of the hill. The brakes barely work on your bike."

She didn't answer Emmett.

"What am I going to do with you, Bella?"

"Just be nice."

Once they made it up the hill, Bella brought up the touchy subject of Edward.

"So why does he get such a bad rap? She asked, "Erotic paintings or not."

"He slept with Mayor Denali's daughter, Tanya."

Bella fought back the urge to laugh. "So? Who the hell hasn't?"

"True," Emmett chuckled, "but it became very known in town when Mrs. Cope displayed her nude portrait in the shop window for everyone to see."

She started laughing

"It was sold to someone in town before the Mayor could do anything about it."

"Let me guess Mr. Driscle probably bought it. He never could keep his eyes off her."

"No one knows. The sale was private."

Bella looked at Emmett surprised.

"Yes Bella, last month Midland was subjected to the biggest scandal and you missed out on it."

"Wow!" In a town this small with the same town mayor of fifteen years—that was big news. Bella thought back to the town's history and nothing like that came ever close.

"Jacob's probably right about the crush thing, and I know you never listen to me, but be careful. Tanya was really embarrassed and upset and Edward didn't bother to do anything about it. I don't think she even heard from him since he painted the portrait. You're too good for someone like that."

Bella knew what Emmett was insinuating and she wasn't on planning on throwing herself at Edward or being taken advantage by him. She was attracted to him, and she did want to attempt to have a relationship with Edward, but she didn't know where to start...

"Did you hear what I just said?" Emmett asked, breaking her train of thought.

"Yes, but you know I'm not like Tanya and I am a big girl. I know how to handle myself."

He nodded, but he seemed unconvinced.

Before they approached downtown, Emmett said his goodbyes and turned down his street.

Bella walked her bike along and watched the hustle and bustle of the town. It was the forth of July weekend and everyone was preparing for all the out of towners that came in. There was evidence already around from the out of state plates parked on the street, vacationers getting a head start.

Midland wasn't much of a town. The only thing it had to offer was the landscape. It was situated below a large escarpment to the east and a national and state trail crossed paths just north of Main St., where Jasper and Rose lived. Their parents owned a horse farm and they offered guided equestrian tours.

The town usually swam with hikers and cyclists well before the season started and once the season did start lots of cottagers came to visit since Midland was the closest thing to civilization before travelers hit cottage country fifteen miles north of Midland.

She walked passed the General Store and the Cycle Shop before stopping in front of the Midland Gallery. Now curious about the paintings, Bella leaned her bike against the brick wall and stepped inside.

"I'll be right with you," Mrs. Cope called out from the back of the shop.

Bella took her time took look around, hoping to find Edward's paintings so it wouldn't be too obvious as to why she was visiting Mrs. Cope.

She came across a painting that stuck her interest. It was of a little boy meekly approaching a little girl at a playground, but the girl was pushing him away with a scowl. The clarity and the use of light in the painting amazed her, but it was the facial expression and body language that left her speechless. They were so real, so honest, that Bella could relate to it. Mrs. Cope startled her before she had a chance to find out who the painter was.

"Bella, when did you get into town?"

"Last night."

She gave Mrs. Cope a quick hug.

"Well, it's very nice that you dropped by. Lately people are only stopping by to see a particular painting," she huffed.

Bella nodded, already knowing the situation, "Edward Cullen's paintings."

"New travels fast, and don't believe everything they say." Mrs. Cope grinned, "Sure, the mayors daughter's portrait was a bit scandalous, but the paintings themselves are extraordinary. Here let me show you. Unlike other people, I know you appreciate fine art.

She led Bella to the back wall and showed her the two nude portraits.

"These would make Renoir and Degas proud," Mrs. Cope sighed.

Bella studied them. Alice was right, the paintings were erotic, but they were not vulgar in the least like Jessica had suggested.

"It's the eyes and facial expression; you don't even need to look at the model's body to know what she experienced. I think that's what makes most people blush, not the actual nakedness. There expression is so serene… It's as if… how old are you again?"

"Eighteen in two weeks."

"I'll finish that sentence then."

Bella shook her head, her eyes refusing to break away from the portrait, "No need. I get it. It's as if they reached spiritual ecstasy through orgasms alone."

Bella couldn't believe that she said that comment out loud. Even Mrs. Cope was shocked, but she didn't refute what Bella had said, nor did Bella take it back. What she said was true. She remembered what Jacob told her about Edward and what he did in order to paint those portraits. Now the rumor didn't seem so far fetched.

"Does he have any other paintings?"

"Yes, two more at the front of the shop. I believe you were looking at the one with the little boy and girl."

Bella nodded as she followed Mrs. Cope back to the front of the shop.

"That's his too, and so is this one," She pointed to another portrait that Bella didn't see.

The portrait was Edward's rendition of a traditional Madonna painting, but instead of the iconic little man baby in the mother's arms, it was a bouncing, chubby, giggling, baby trying to grasp at her face as she looked down on him.

She smiled at the true image of a mother and child.

"So which one do you like the best?" Mrs. Cope asked.

"All of them are great, but I'd have to say that one." Bella pointed to the first portrait she saw when she came in. "How much is it anyway?"

"Twelve hundred."

Bella eyes bugged out of her head, she couldn't believe this little town was capable of selling art at that price range. Last year the most expensive painting in the gallery was only five hundred.

Mrs. Cope laughed. "I know, but I've sold four of his paintings already for more. You know Bella, you should consider selling your artwork."

"I'm not as good as him!"

"You have different styles, but you are as good as him. I should know. Just think about it. I know that you mostly paint stills and landscapes and those paintings get sold like hotcakes around here. Buyers usually want to take a piece of Midland and the surrounding area back home with them."

Bella shrugged, "Maybe. I should get back home now. I'll see you later Mrs. Cope."

"Next time I see you, you better be bringing me some inventory."

Bella took Mrs. Cope's words to heart as she left the gallery. Maybe it was time for her to start selling her work. If she ever wanted to make a living as an artist she would eventually need to part with her paintings. She just wasn't sure if she could do it so soon, but on the other hand if she sold a few of her paintings before the summer ended, the money would allow her to be a little more self reliant this fall.

Bella stood in front of her bike weighing out all the pro's and con's to having her artwork displayed for sale at the art gallery. She was completely oblivious of what was going around her until laughter from across the street brought her out of her mind.

She looked over and found that Edward was the source of the laughter. She thought that it was directed at her and involuntarily blushed before she realized he was joking around with Mr. Crowley, the owner of the hardware store. He was helping Edward load supplies onto the bed of his pick up.

It was too late for her to hide her face. He had spotted her in mid blush and she knew what was coming. She saw the mischief in his eyes even before he spoke.

"For a city girl, I didn't think my paintings would have you that flustered."

She knew Edward got the reaction he wanted from her when he chuckled at her crimson colored face.

Bella calmly got on her bike and tried to take control of the situation.

"I was there for business. You're not the only artist in town."

"Touché," he smiled sincerely and used a gentler voice that made her want to melt, "I'll see you, Bella."

She kept quiet as she peddled away.

A/N:

So, what did you think of Jacob? He will play a very important role, but I'm getting way ahead of myself.

I promise there is more Edward to come next chapter and maybe little drama for the gang at the house party. So stay tuned!

Please leave a review. I love to hear your comments, thoughts and opinions. For those who leave a review, I promise you a teaser.

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