Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review! I appreciate each and every one. This is one last bit of fluff before I send in the angst brigade. I hope you enjoy!

Special thanks to Jensy for being the best beta ever!

Disclaimer: Twilight is all Stephenie Meyer. I just put her characters in prison.

BPOV

The first day of my senior year had finally arrived. I stood in the parking lot, leaning against my old red Chevy and cynically observing my excited classmates mingle and greet one another. There was a buzz in the air and everyone seemed eager and happy to be here. Well, everyone except me. I had been dreading this day for weeks.

I typically enjoy my classes since I love learning, but the social part of school has been less appealing as I've never felt like I belonged anywhere—not in Phoenix, and certainly not here in Forks (with the exception of Biology class with Edward). I formed a few acquaintances last year before the incident, but I didn't really consider myself "friends" with anyone. If Edward were here, things would be different. I smiled at the thought of us walking through the halls together, impervious to all the high-school bullshit; squeezing each other's hand for comfort.

I looked down at my watch and saw that I had just a few minutes before class started. I took a deep breath, knowing that I had put things off long enough. It was time to get it together.

I began walking through the parking lot towards the school entrance, and felt the heated stare of every pair of eyes following me to the front steps. I heard snatches of words like "rape", "Port Angles", and "Edward Masen" whispered several times before I angrily cranked up my ipod, inserting my ear buds to block everyone out.

I made my way to my first class, which was Calculus. I found an empty seat near the front of the class; figuring if I sat in the front, I would be less likely to notice people staring at me. As the other students shuffled to their seats, I opened my messenger bag and found a notebook, my pencil, and a stack of small envelopes that Edward had given me on my last visit to Meyer.

There were seven letters in all, and I had exhibited incredible self-control by not allowing myself to read them before today. There was one letter for each of my six class periods and then another labeled "Lunch" in his fancy scrawl. I located the letter for first period and tore into the envelope, pulling out a sheet of notebook paper.

Bella,

You're a senior! I know you aren't excited about starting school, but think of this as a new beginning. So I hope you will take the opportunity to have fun and make new friends. Just think—in less than a year you will be free from the mind-numbing boredom that is Forks. I wish I had been there to greet you in the parking lot and walk you to class. Just know that you are in my thoughts always.

Edward

Ps. Here's a little math humor to get you in the calculus frame of mind.

What do you get if you divide the circumference of a jack-o-lantern by its diameter?

Pumpkin Pi

I giggled at Edward's lame math joke, deeply appreciating his attempts to make today more bearable. I needed to stop wallowing in self-pity by remembering that his life was infinitely worse than mine.

I survived the first part of my day and before I knew it, I was already sitting in my third period class: Horticulture. We would be spending a fair amount of time in the greenhouse and I looked forward to watching the various plants progress from seedlings to beautiful flowers. Examining a white lily more closely, I wondered if Edward was allowed plants in his cell. I would love for him to have a tiny green seedling—a sign of growth and hope—with him in his dreary cell. If I had planted it myself, it would be almost like a piece of me remaining with him as he sat alone in his cell.

His letter for that class was funny and sweet, just like the others. He included a drawing of Toxicodendron radicans, better known as poison ivy.

Bella,

If you happen to see this plant while out on your horticultural adventures, please run away. Enjoy your class and keep working on that green thumb.

Maybe I shouldn't have told him about my accident proneness. I could totally see myself falling head first in a patch of poison ivy.

Now that it was lunch period, I headed to the cafeteria, feeling vulnerable as I walked the halls alone. There were always students staring and whispering in my direction as I passed by, but I hoped I would find their new-found fascination with me easier to deal with as the day progressed. Surely I would be old news in a few days and I could begin to fly under the radar again.

Once in the cafeteria, I placed my standard salad and lemonade combo on my tray and scanned the room for a place to sit down. Angela and Mike, my lunch mates from last year, were sitting at a table on the far side of the room, but they were both sitting with their significant others. The couples were acting a little too lovey-dovey for my tastes, and I didn't want to interrupt. So, I shuffled to a nearby empty table and plopped down.

The embarrassment from sitting alone was quickly tempered by knowing that I had Edward's lunch letter waiting for me. Scanning the letter quickly, I laughed when I read that he wanted me to eat a brownie in his honor. I would have to thank him profusely for the letters; his words had certainly taken the edge off of today. Maybe I would bring some brownies for the chocolate-lover on my next visit. I was lost in my thoughts of Edward and didn't notice that I was no longer sitting alone until I heard an unfamiliar voice say "Hi Bella, do you mind if we join you?"

I looked up and noticed a petite pixie of a girl with bright eyes and dark hair, cut short and sticking out at all angles. I thought maybe I recognized her, but I wasn't entirely sure. Next to her was the girl who had been visiting Jasper at the detention center—Rose, I think her name was.

They had already sat down and started eating,

The small one was looking at me smiling. "I'm Alice Cullen and this is Rosalie Hale. We are going to be the best of friends, I just know it!"

Her enthusiasm was startling, but I could feel the sincerity in her words.

Rosalie wasn't as excited as Alice, but she smiled and nodded in my direction. She was a far cry from the bitch I encountered at Meyer last week.

"Um, hi; I'm Bella Swan. Nice to meet you."

I glanced around and saw that almost everyone in the cafeteria was staring in my direction. Ugh. It was so annoying. I hated to think what people were saying about me.

Alice saw my frown and patted my shoulder consolingly.

"Don't let these idiots get to you Bella. You know how small towns like Forks can be; anything remotely exciting gets blown way out of proportion. You wouldn't believe the things people are saying."

I cringed. "Like what?"

I was morbidly curious. I would probably regret asking, but I just had to know.

"Well, there was talk that you were involved in a drug deal gone terribly wrong."

I laughed. "Oh yeah, that's me; dealing crack on the side."

"Everybody knows that's bullshit, but it sounds scandalous with your dad being the Chief of Police and all."

"What else?" I couldn't imagine what could be worse than a botched drug exchange.

"Hmm. Another was that you had met some guy online and were hooking up with him in Port Angeles, planning to run away together. But he turned out to be hideous and when you tried to leave, he stopped you."

"Wow" was all I could reply.

"Yeah, we knew that was crap too. You are way too pretty to be looking for guys online, and besides that everybody knew that you and Edward Masen had some kind of love connection going on."

My cheeks burned red hearing the words "Edward" and "love" in the same sentence. They could tell that about me and Edward? Last year?

Alice noticed my flushed cheeks and rolled her eyes. "Bella, please. He was constantly looking longingly in your direction everyday at lunch. Plus, he went out of his way to talk to you. In two years, I never saw him speak to anyone except you. That boy was crazy about you; I guess he still is."

She winked, and Rose was nodding in agreement.

"That leads me to the third version of what happened that night and it's my personal favorite. So, apparently Edward Masen is a vampire and heard those guys trying to hurt you with his super vampire hearing. Since he's in love with you, he flew to your rescue and killed the guys responsible, drinking their blood."

I had chosen the wrong moment to take a sip of lemonade and started choking, spewing it everywhere.

When I could finally breathe I choked out, "You have to be kidding me. People can't be saying that."

"It's crazy, huh? I'm telling you, people in small towns are nuts. They say he was going to turn you into his vampire lover, but the cops got there too quickly and he never had a chance to seal the deal."

"So Bella, is Edward a vampire?" Rosalie asked in a serious tone.

At this point the three of us were laughing hysterically and I didn't even notice the whole cafeteria looking in my direction. If this was the crap they were whispering about me, I was not going to let it bother me in the least. I would be totally dressing like a vampire for Halloween in a couple of months.

Now that the ice was broken between us, Rose began speaking. "Sorry if I was a bitch the other day at Meyer. I had plans with Alice but my mom made me cancel them to go visit my dope of a brother. I was really pissed off about having to be there. I guess it wasn't a good first impression of me."

"Thanks for saying that. I wondered what your problem was, and I'm glad it wasn't directed towards me. But I disagree about your brother—he seems like such a sweetie. He's made Edward's life bearable in that horrid place."

"Believe me, if you had to live with Jasper, your opinion would change. He's an idiot. I mean, who steals a patrol car from the Chief of Police's driveway and then returns it? If he had just left it somewhere, no one would have ever known it was him. Dumbass. And now Mom and Dad act as if they must atone for being such unobservant parents and are on my case constantly. I didn't even do anything!"

Alice chimed in, "Oh, Rose. Give Jasper a break. The only reason he took that car was to impress me. I insisted that he take it back, so technically it's my fault. If I had just let him give me a ride, he probably wouldn't have gotten caught. I think it's kind of romantic how he stole a car for me."

Rose cringed as Alice sighed. "God, Alice. It's so gross that you have a thing for my brother."

My eyes gleamed with excitement. "So, you have a crush on Jasper?"

Alice nodded.

"Since like the third grade", Rose interjected. "Thankfully, she's too chicken to actually tell him. I would totally vomit at the sight of them sucking face. Yuck."

"Rose, I'm not too chicken to tell him! I'm just playing hard to get. He must not be interested."

Rose was shaking her head. "Can we please change the subject away from my douche of a brother?"

"So," Rose said, looking at me, answering her own question. "You and Masen, huh? You two looked totally hot for each other at Meyer last week."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling. "I think so. We haven't really defined our relationship, so I don't really know what to call us."

"He's totally into you. I would give anything to have a guy look at me the way he was gazing at you."

Rose and Alice sighed in unison.

I was shocked. Ever since I came to Forks I heard tons of guys talk about Rose and how hot she was. Girls like her always seemed to have a boyfriend.

"So you don't have a boyfriend, Rosalie?"

"No, the boys at this God-forsaken school aren't worth my time. High school boys are far too immature. I just haven't found the right older man. I'm waiting for next year and all the college men that will be at my disposal."

The bell rang, pulling us out of our engrossing girl talk. I never expected to have a conversation with girls like Rose and Alice and actually enjoy myself. I would never have admitted it, but I hoped they would join me at lunch again tomorrow.

I quickly walked to my British Literature class. I knew this would be my favorite class this year since I loved the classics, and I couldn't wait to read Shakespeare, Chaucer, and of course the Bronte sisters. The required reading list had already been placed on our desks and I giggled when I saw that Bram Stoker's Dracula was going to be covered. What was it with the Vampires today?

I quickly pulled out Edward's next letter before the teacher began speaking.

Bella,

I'm sure this is the class you have patiently waited for all day. I can picture your smiling face while losing yourself in the classics. I wanted to write you something poetic, but the best I could come up with was a little haiku.

Beautiful Bella

Soft skin, warm eyes, pure of heart

I long to be yours

I sighed at Edward's heartfelt poem. Could he be more romantic? Could I survive the next five days without seeing him? I lost myself in visions of Edward as the teacher began lecturing.

Before I knew it my first week of school was over. Alice and Rose had invited me to the movies to celebrate the start of the weekend, but I declined, knowing that I had to get some sleep so I could visit Edward tomorrow. I hadn't visited him since the Wednesday before school started and I was dying to see him.

Edward and I had communicated via email every day and fortunately his spirits seemed pretty high. He was enjoying school; throwing himself into his studies. He had also received his work detail assignment and was really stoked about it. The Education Director had noticed his intelligence and work ethic, leading him to ask Edward to be a mentor to some kids at Meyer who were struggling academically.

He had been assigned two students to mentor: Marcus and Demetri, only fourteen years-old. Somehow they had slipped through the cracks of the Washington State Department of Education, and Edward said not only could they barely read but they also had trouble doing simple math. He spent a couple of hours with them each day, and so far he was really enjoying it.

The thought of him tutoring those boys just made me fall in love with Edward all over again. He was so selfless. He still hadn't opened up to me regarding his past, but I was trying to wait patiently for him to share that part of his life with me. Though I didn't know the specifics, I was sure that his childhood was not full of rainbows and butterflies. I was amazed that he had the ability to care so deeply about others when I was certain that no one had taken the opportunity to care for him. I knew he wanted to save those boys like he had saved me that night.

I had been fearful that once school started my visits to see Edward would have to decrease. Stuck in overprotective father mode, Charlie still wanted to spend his weekends with me, and I couldn't seem too eager to be rid of him or he would suspect that I was up to no good. Fortunately Charlie was scheduled to work the upcoming weekend shift.

Rose had said that I was welcome to ride with her whenever she went to see Jasper. Charlie wouldn't have to know where we were going; I would just say we were headed to Port Angeles or something. Sadly I knew that I wouldn't be able to use Rose as a chauffeur for long. Jasper was getting out in three weeks. I was happy for Jasper, but sorrowful for Edward. I hoped he wouldn't feel too alone in there without Jasper to make him laugh.

The weekend finally arrived, allowing Rose and me to hightail it out of Forks. Traveling with a fun companion who talked non-stop about high-school gossip made the three-hour trip fly by quickly.

I sat in the visitation room and waited for Edward to arrive. This waiting was the part of the visit that seemed to last forever. In contrast, once we were together, the hour seemed to end in a flash. I had missed his crooked smile, his crazy hair, and the warmth of his soft hand. We hadn't progressed any farther than holding hands and Edward didn't strike me as the type of guy who would want to make out in the visitation room. I was hoping to take matters into my own hands today by kissing him on the cheek. I couldn't wait to plant my warm lips on his cool skin.

I jumped out of my seat as the door opened and he walked into the room. He had gotten a hair cut, making his hair look even more disheveled. I was just happy that his eyes would no longer be hidden behind his naughty bronze locks. He was smiling as he approached me and I thought he looked the best I had seen him since he had been sent here.

He walked swiftly to our table and he engulfed me with one of his award-winning hugs, holding me tight against him. I loved the feeling of his entire body pressed into mine. I ran my hands up and down his back, trying to show him just how much I cared for him in the few seconds we had to embrace. The guard coughed to get our attention, and I pulled back slowly before darting my lips toward his face to feather the softest of kisses on his right cheek. I then pulled away and he took my hands in his as we both sat down in our uncomfortable folding metal chairs.

"Bella, God I missed you. How was your first week at school?"

"I missed you too, Edward. As for school, actually, it was much better than expected. Jasper's sister and her best friend Alice kinda befriended me. They are actually pretty cool."

He caressed my hand and smiled at me. "That's great, Bella; I'm glad you've made some new friends. Jasper speaks very highly of Alice, and since Rose shares the same genetic makeup as Jasper, I'm sure she's cool."

We spent the remainder of the visit holding hands and playing footsie under the table. He told me about the paper he was writing in his English class. Apparently he was to defend the legalization of marijuana, which was ironic considering he had never smoked or even actually seen pot. Therefore, he was having to do a lot of surfing online to research his arguments.

"I had to explain to the librarian here that I was looking up marijuana and drug use for a class. I don't think he believed me, because the next day they did a random inspection of my cell, saying they were searching for contraband."

We both laughed. I could totally see Charlie doing the same thing to my room if I had asked him questions about drugs.

When our hour was up, Edward hugged me again and then pulled my hand up to sprinkle it with kisses. He let his lips linger on my knuckles for several seconds and I could feel the warm moisture from his mouth on my skin. My skin was immediately covered by goose bumps. I had never reacted physically to anyone the way I did with Edward, and I could only imagine what would happen if and when we ever got the chance to actually kiss. I might explode with pleasure!

I was already counting down the hours till I would see him again next week.

The next week at school was mostly the same. Alice and Rose sat with me at lunch and I even went over to Alice's house one day after school to do "homework". Truthfully, we just gossiped, and she insisted on giving me a makeover. Charlie couldn't be more thrilled by my budding friendship with Alice and Rosalie. I hoped his decreased concern for me would encourage him to go back to his weekend activities away from the house, allowing me to see Edward more often.

On Saturday I once again rode with Rose to Meyer. Edward was still in good spirits and I was giddy because this time when I went to kiss his cheek, he kissed mine as well. I knew it seemed pathetic, but a girl will take what she can get when her man is in prison. Sometimes I laugh, thinking my life is like a bad country/western song.

It was Tuesday afternoon and I had just gotten home from school. I was standing in the kitchen, debating what to fix for dinner, when the phone rang. I figured it was Charlie calling to say he would be home late.

"Hello?"

No one replied, but I could tell someone was on the line. I listened harder. It almost sounded like someone was crying.

"Hello?" I asked again.

I heard my name being whispered through the receiver, so low I could barely hear.

"Bella . . ." I heard again, this time a little louder. This time I recognized the voice and my heart broke into a million pieces.

"Edward, is that you? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

I could here him sniffling and sobbing through the phone.

"No Bella, I'm not okay. I'm never going to be okay."

So, grab your kleenex for the next chapter. It's gonna be a tough one.

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