Disclaimer: I pity the fool that thinks I own anything!

Thanks being such patient readers! I have the biggest urge to start writing and releasing my newest Twilight fic, but I'm thinking of waiting until I'm finished this one to do that. Enjoy!

Learning To Fall
A Twilight fanfic by Starfire Star

Chapter Six: Saved

I noticed the pancake house wasn't as small as I thought it was, when Alice and I stepped in. It was still small enough to give a cozy but private vibe. The little bell jingled as the door opened, alerting everyone of our presence.

Alice was a regular at this place, judging from the amount of waves and friendly smiles she received. Quite a few people glanced at me curiously, but didn't seem to have enough interest to keep it up. As we slipped into one of the booths, it seemed as though we gained privacy.

Something caught my attention, though. A boy about our age seemed to be staring at us from across the diner, sitting on one of the counter stools. His face was friendly, and he looked like one of those typical jocks from high school. It felt awkward if he was going to be staring the whole time Alice and I ate, so I felt the need to say something.

"Alice," I poked her arm, snapping out of her dreamy expression as she stared at the various types of pancakes in the menu.

"What?" Alice asked. I gave a—what I hoped was a subtle—nod toward the boy's direction. Alice turned around, giving him a quick, slick glance and turned back to me. She snorted. "Don't worry about it Bella, that's just Mike Newton," she said, turning back to the menu. "He seems to be taking a great interest in you." Her words were teasing.

I frowned, hiding behind my own menu. "I'm not as appealing as he thinks," I murmured. Alice laughed. "Well, Edward seemed to think so, and he's a tough customer." Thank goodness I was still hidden behind the menu as I blushed. How could she think that? "I don't think so, Alice," I replied calmly. At that moment, the waitress appeared, taking our orders. Instead of a pot of coffee, she set down on our table a pot of tea, leaving us to serve ourselves, Asian-restaurant style.

"'I don't think so' to what, Bella? Edward being a tough customer, or thinking that you're quite appealing?" Alice asked after the waitress left.

"He doesn't take any more interest in me than anyone else," I insisted. "We just met."

"Well, why does your boyfriend like you?" she teased. It seemed like a harmless comment, but so far, in all the time I'd known her, Alice had succeeding in hitting right where it hurt. I was determined to keep my composure this time. I filled my mug with tea, stirring in cream and sugar.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I said, keeping my eyes down. "And as to why my ex liked me… I have no idea." It felt strange just talking about anything to do with Jacob so casually. Alice's face pulled together in a sour expression, as if she just smelled something bad. "Come on, Bella, you have exceptional looks! Of course, I have no doubt that you're smart," she added hastily. "What an idiot guy to do something that'd make you break up with him." I loved how Alice assumed the best-case scenario—it seemed her nature to do that. Nevertheless, the ache in my chest continued to throb.

I could feel a lump already forming in my throat. "I didn't," I said to her, my body stiffening. "He left me." Alice's expression froze, a hand reaching out to touch my own, which were grasping the mug in front of me so hard I swore it would break. "Oh no, Bella…" she gave me a pained look. "Listen, we don't need to talk about it, alright? If it makes you unhappy…"

Pure sadness struck my face as I looked up at her, tears in my eyes again. It seemed as if I'd done a lot of crying, even though I'd only been in Forks for a day. "I don't know, Alice. Maybe it's just better if I tell someone all in one go. I'm so sick of having to be reminded. And then there's another part of me that hopes that if I keep silent for long enough, those memories will somehow get lost. I've always been able to block things out so easily, but now it's so damn hard. I am constantly reminded of my own pain, and I'm sick of it!"

The outburst was a surprise to me, but it felt good. Alice succeeded in keeping her expression attentive and caring. "Want to talk about it right now? Here…" she gestured to the diner, where the majority of people were sitting at the counter, or booths further away from us. I didn't respond.

Alice looked at me cautiously. "I don't think you'd want to do it here," she said in a low voice, looking around quickly. "Not everyone here is from out of town. People talk. If Charlie finds out…" she gave me a grim look. I sighed and nodded my head. Alice was right. I'd be in huge trouble with Charlie if he ever found out. And I would hurt his feelings even more.

We were both silent for a moment. I quickly glanced around the diner, noting that Mike Newton looked desperate to catch my eye. Once he did, he gave me a huge another huge smile with a slight tilt of his head. I turned away, not wanting to give him the wrong impression.

Alice was still watching me like a hawk, probably wondering if I would suddenly burst into tears. I met her gaze, feeling the lump reappear. Goodness, if this was how it was going to be like for the whole summer, I wanted to book the next flight back to Phoenix.

Alice suddenly picked up the little basket of packets on the table and began arranging and re-arranging them. "Let's try to get your mind off things until we're safely in the car, alright?"

"Okay," I agreed feebly, wondering what else I could do. Alice flashed me one of her sunny smiles, smoothing a hand through her short hair. "What would you like to talk about?" she asked me. I thought about it for awhile, letting my hurt subside, and then figured out exactly what I would ask.

"Tell me how you met everyone," I told her. Mock horror appeared on Alice's face. "Everyone in Forks!? Why, Bella, that would take forever! Are you insane?" I laughed, throwing a sugar packet at her. "Of course not. I meant everyone at the house." I sensed that would become a regular term between us.

Alice laughed as well. "That would still take forever. I wouldn't get to learn anything about you! Let's make a deal. You can pick one person." I smiled. I knew who I was going to pick, right off the bat. Alice interrupted me before I could say anything.

"I bet it's Edward. After your late-night rendezvous last night, I wouldn't be surprised," I could tell Alice was teasing, but I blushed at the word rendezvous. "It wasn't like that," I replied. "And no, I wasn't going to say Edward."

"Then who?" Alice asked, frowning.

"Jasper."

"What?" A tint of pink appeared on Alice's cheeks. "Jasper? Out of all people…"

"Why not?" I asked, curious. "Call me crazy, but it seems like you two have something going on…" I hoped I wasn't crossing into dangerous territory. Alice sighed and turned a sugar packet in her hands.

"It's not like that," she murmured, and I could tell she was lost in deep thought. "Alright, I'll tell you," she said after a moment of thoughtful thinking. I smiled, eager for her to go on. It felt good learning about someone else for a change, rather than thinking of my own problems. With my inability to do well with people, I had a lot of time to think about those. I couldn't remember the last time I had a heartfelt conversation with anyone besides my parents and (painfully) Jacob.

At that moment, the waitress came with our orders. I gestured for Alice to continue before she could dive into her pancakes, making whatever excuse she could not to tell the story. She playfully rolled her eyes and began.

"As I set before, Jasper came to Forks high for the second semester, at the beginning of February…"

Alice and Edward walked side-by-side to the cafeteria, carrying on their own conversation, in the midst of all the buzz and chatter by fellow students. They had heard a new student was coming. It was big news in the small town, considering everyone knew everyone.

A new kid would make the townsfolk's lives more interesting. Of course, this theory was tested with Edward's arrival at the beginning of senior year, and was proven correct. Girls went out of their way to sit at his table, to volunteer to be his guide around the school and mentor. He politely refused every one of them, and was shown the ropes by Alice. He quickly adjusted to this new school, and was relieved that everyone else would stop looking at him like the most fascinating creature on earth.

Squeals from the girls and grumbling from the boys was all that could be heard as the crowd made its way to the cafeteria.

"I heard this new guy is gorgeous!"

"Puh-lease! Edward Cullen won that award and I doubt he's going to be getting competition anytime soon!"

"I heard he plays the guitar!"

Alice laughed at these remarks as Edward shook his head in disbelief. "I never knew that townsfolk were so easily amused. What poor, poor deprived people." Alice playfully smacked him in the arm. "If you keep saying stuff like that, girls will stop thinking of you as Prince Charming!"

"I hope so."

Alice rolled her eyes as they entered the cafeteria, immediately joining the lunch line. She tapped her foot impatiently as a few students at the front of the line took their time deciding between cardboard pizzas or dry hamburgers.

"Check him out!" A girl in front of Alice tapped her friend on the shoulder, turning around to point behind them.

Sitting at a table alone was a boy their age, with blond hair, bending over a notebook pad. His tray of food in front of him was left untouched. He looked up, then quickly down as he furiously scribbled something with a pen. Alice and Edward both looked at him for a moment. Alice's face pulled together in curiosity.

Edward shrugged. "That's Jasper Whitlock," he said to Alice quietly. "He's in my Spanish class. He doesn't say much. Jessica Stanley did talk to him for a moment. You know how she is." Alice watched as Jessica, a girl with curly hair who was known for her flirtatious ways, flounce up to Jasper. She said something to him, and he replied with a shrug and a shake of his head.

Alice turned away now, picking up her lunch. She quickly hurried with Edward to their table. Alice, despite knowing many people, usually only sat with Edward and a few other friends. This sparked rumours of a relationship between the two, but they ignored them.

Edward immediately began eating his sandwich as Alice stared wistfully across the room from Jasper, who was still sitting alone. A few of Jessica Stanley's friends also went up to him, but again, he replied with a shrug and a shake of his head. He mumbled something, and the girls flounced away, flipping their hair over their shoulders.

"He's all alone," Alice said to Edward, who was now opening his bottle of Coke. Jasper was still scribbling furiously in his notebook.

"Huh?" Edward's mouth was full of sandwich.

"Jasper Whitlock. Just look at him. Remember when you were new…" Alice said, smoothing out her shoulder-length hair. Edward shrugged.

"I had you, so no, I didn't have quite the same experience he did," Edward laughed.

Alice smiled, but looked over her shoulder to glance at Jasper once more. "Exactly… he doesn't know anyone… I think I'll be friendly and go up and introduce myself." Edward stared at Alice, a look of warning on his face. "I know you're a people person, Alice, but sometimes not everyone receives this well. Just look at all the girls he's waving off."

"I'm not like other girls, Edward."

Before Edward could say anything, Alice had stood up and smoothly strode over to Jasper's table, plopping herself down in front of him before he could say anything. He took one look at her and raised his eyebrow. "Sorry, I'm—" he said, but Alice interrupted him.

"Yes, I know, you're Jasper Whitlock," she smiled, reaching her arm out to grab his hand and shake it. "I'm Mary Alice Brandon. I don't like being called Mary though, so call me Alice," like a Good Samaritan, she asked him how his first day was going.

Jasper hesitated, and then groaned. "I don't want to sound rude, but all these girls have been randomly coming up to me, wanting to sit asking to sit at this table. No offence, but I work better when I'm alone."

Alice raised her eyebrows at him, trying to take a peek at the notebook in front of him. She put a hand on it and slid it toward her, Jasper hastening to snatch it back. She looked at it for a brief moment. "What is this, poetry?"

"I can't decide whether it's a poem or a song," Jasper told her, trying to take the notebook back. Alice kept her eyes on it, reading each line silently to herself. A smile slowly appeared on her lips as she gave finally gave the notebook back to Jasper. He took it, relieved. Alice smiled at him. "Your work is really good."

"Thanks, ma'am…" Jasper said, revealing a hint of southern accent. Alice laughed. "Alice, remember?" Jasper nodded, shyly smiling back.

Alice felt the need to know everything about Jasper. From that day forward, she and Edward sat with Jasper, on the days when he wasn't busy writing his lyrics or poems. The threesome became close friends within a week. But the next week, something was different. Jasper hadn't sat with them a single day that week. Edward had no problem with this. Alice, however, felt differently.

"It's Thursday, and he hasn't even sat with us once! He hasn't spoken a word to me," Alice huffed as she took a bite of her pizza. "I understand his need to express himself creatively, but why at lunch? Geez." Edward shook his head. "Alice, honestly, just give the guy some space. He's still adjusting. Not everyone can get used to your closeness that quickly." Alice nodded and didn't say another word.

The next day was Friday. The following Monday would be Valentine's Day. "I'm won't be here that day, Alice," Edward said in a low voice at lunch. "I've gotten two awfully scary 'Secret Admirer" letters describing quite graphically what the person would do to me if they got their hands on me." Edward shuddered.

Alice laughed. As always, her eyes trailed toward the familiar table that Jasper usually sat at. Today, he wasn't there. "Did Jasper come to Spanish?" she asked Edward.

"Yeah."

Alice didn't say another word.

On Monday, Alice came into the cafeteria alone. This Valentine's Day wasn't making her feel any better about this. Edward had kept his promise of ditching school. She could sit anywhere, but chose not to. She headed to her regular table, watching girls accept offerings of flowers with squeals and giggles.

Before she set her tray down, she noticed that there was a piece of paper on the table and a single red tulip on top of it. She eyed it suspiciously, wondering if it was a prank from Edward. Instead, she opened it, and inside was the most beautiful poem she had ever read.

She quickly looked around, knowing exactly who had written it. Suddenly he came through the cafeteria doors, an anxious expression on his face. He stopped in front of her as she stood, holding the paper.

Alice raised an eyebrow at him, a coy smile on her face.

"You've kept me waiting a long time," she said softly.

Jasper ducked his head. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

"Don't be."

Alice finished her story with a flourish, keeping her eyes lowered. My eyes filled with tears. I blinked them back, surprised. I was always one for a good romantic story. Alice stifled a giggle at my expression. I gave her a sly smile. "Jasper was your valentine?" Alice nodded. I raised an eyebrow.

"Don't get your hopes up, Bella. Things never went anywhere beyond that," Alice reminded me. "Strictly friendship entre nous." She laughed. I kept a doubtful face on.

"But Alice… the look you got on your face when you told me this entire story just now, I could tell there was a deeper connection than friendship," I sighed, stabbing a piece of scrambled egg and putting it into my mouth.

"Jasper and I are closer than we are to the others on some levels, yes," Alice admitted. "But I wouldn't date him. It would ruin our friendship." I tried to hide the doubt in my face before she could get anymore uncomfortable. I had a nagging feeling this wasn't the reason. I put my thoughts aside as she spoke.

"So… Bella… tell me more about yourself," Alice said, her smile inviting. Okay, Bella, this is your chance to show Alice that you're not the freak she thinks you are. You have no need to talk about Jacob. Jacob has nothing to do with who you are.

"Bella?" My head snapped up. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Mike Newton walking swiftly toward us. My eyes widened. "Oh, no," I muttered to Alice. Before she could glance back, Mike Newton was at our table, smiling widely.

"Hi there. I'm Mike Newton, pleased to meet you. Are you a friend of Alice? I could tell that you're from out of town," he stuck out a hand for me to shake it. I eyed him wearily before shaking. Of course, he wouldn't know that I was born in Forks and that I'd visited practically every year.

"Yes, she's a friend of mine, Mike," Alice rolled her eyes, taking one last bite of her pancakes, wiping her mouth with a napkin. I stared at her in a desperate attempt to get away from him. I swiftly removed my hand from his and stared at the table, waiting for Alice to speak. I didn't want to be rude to a perfect stranger, but he looked like he had unwelcome intentions. "This is Bella. Bella, this is Mike Newton."

I looked back at Alice, wondering why she hadn't blown my cover and given him my last name. To confirm my suspicions about Mike, he whipped out a card with his name. "I work with Newton's Gardening. We do everything from mowing lawns to trimming bushes to planting…" he winked at me. "Call me sometime. If you live far, don't worry. Maybe we could work something out."

My cheeks flushed at the thought of a guy actually asking me out. I felt even more embarassed at the thought that I had jumped to the conclusion that he was asking me out. Idiot, stupid idiot. Nevertheless, my thoughts trailed off. If Jacob were here… I winced. If Jacob were here… Mike Newton would be no more. I looked down at my hands. "Sorry, I don't think we're interested," I mumbled to the table.

Alice sighed. "Mike, do you have to advertise your services to everyone?"

Mike grinned. "Just the people I like." He smiled at me again, and I averted my eyes, staring out the window. To my astonishment, I saw a shiny silver Volvo parking into the space next to Alice's Porsche. I quickly looked away, back at Mike. His hand still offered me the card. Alice's face had changed now, and I could tell that she was already making plans out in her head. She gave me an encouraging smile.

"Thanks," I said to him, taking the card and stuffing it into my jacket. Alice tilted her head and smiled, as if to say See, no harm done! I gave her a wistful sigh as the door jingled and a familiar bronze-haired boy walked into the diner. He spotted us, smiled, and waved. I waved back, eager to get out of the current situation.

Mike and Alice both turned around as Edward approached the table. "Hey," he said in his velvety voice, nodding at us. "Jasper told me I'd find you here." I blinked at him. We hadn't told Jasper where we had gone. But from what I could tell, Jasper knew a lot about Alice. Possibly even more than Edward.

Mike Newton folded his arms across his chest and mumbled something that sounded like, "Hello, Edward."

Edward grinned crookedly at me. "Advertising your lawn care services again, Mike? Family having some business troubles?" Mike glared at him, but Edward's face was perfectly innocent.

"We're fine, thanks," Mike replied coolly. "I was just about to ask Bella if she'd like to go to dinner with me." My eyes widened in shock, and my peripheral vision showed that Alice had clapped a hand to her mouth and had erupted into a fit of laughter.

Edward raised an eyebrow, cocking his head. "Is that so?" His mouth twitched as if fighting a smile or laughter; I couldn't tell. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he looked at me. I stared at him intently, my eyes begging for him to save me from this embarrassing predicament. Why on earth would Mike Newton, baby-faced and blond-haired, blue-eyed Mike Newton want to ask me, Bella Swan, out on a date? I was never the prettiest girl on the block. Why didn't he ask Alice out, for crying out loud?

Mike nodded confidently; his face looking from Edward's to mine. "Well, I'm afraid she'll just have to answer you at another time," Edward said, and I saw him give a slight nod in Alice's direction. She raised her hand to the waitress, indicating she was ready to pay the bill. I was about to protest and demand that Alice let me pay for my fair share, when Mike interrupted.

"I don't see why not now," he persisted, throwing me a glance. I ignored Alice and picked up the little book the waitress left on the table for our pay. I opened my wallet to throw in some money when Alice snatched it from me. Her porcelain face pulled into frown, slowly nodding her head in Mike's direction. I sighed.

"Now isn't a good time," Edward said simply, reaching for my hand. I felt a shock run through me, as if I had been electrocuted. I was immediately aware of the heat rising to an even higher temperature in my face. Automatically, I stood up, Edward still holding my hand. "Right now, Bella and I have some urgent business to attend to."

He smoothly led the way toward the door, still holding my hand. I was aware of the attention we received from the other customers but I shook it off, concentrating on where I was going in fear that I would trip or hurt myself somewhere along the way.

I could hear the sound of Alice's ballet flats lightly but quickly tap the ground as she caught up with us. I could only imagine the look on Mike Newton's face. I wanted to apologize to him for being so rude, but I was a girl in a gaze. I heard the bells jingle as the door open and shut.

As we made our way through the parking lot, Edward threw a fleeting glance toward me, giving me that same crooked smile. I wondered if he realized he was still holding my hand. I looked back at him and blushed. He ran a hand through his tousled bronze hair, which I had the sudden urge to run my fingers through.

I forced myself to shake these thoughts away. It wasn't right. A wave of anxiety washed over me. Now I wanted him to drop my hand. No one had ever held my hand since Jacob. That was how I had referred to time now—Before Jacob, and After Jacob. I suddenly wanted Edward to take those things back—sitting on the roof, staring at the stars; hugging me and reassuring that everything would be okay. He had no right to do any of those things.

But I surprised myself. Instead of wriggling my hand out of his, I clutched it even tighter now. And as the cool breeze made my hair fly in all different directions, I leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Thanks."

He looked back and smiled. His green eyes pierced through mine, as if he could see straight into my soul. "Anytime."

-

Honestly, you guys, next chapter I will reveal what happened to Bella and Jacob, whether it be in a flashback or Bella just coming right out and say it. So fret not, folks! Thanks for reading. And as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! Hope you have a great day (: