AN: I really like the response I'm getting. Hope you enjoy!

Shameless by All Time Low

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I own Ariana, unfortunately...

Edward POV

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, and suddenly it was December. The weather got rainy, or at least for Arizona, and kids would come to school with money in their pockets to buy hot chocolate.

Eventually Bella and her friends let me sit at their table. Of course, I was still excluded, which I didn't mind so much. I would listen anyway, which I had done before.

"Are the rumors true?" Erin asked me suddenly. My head snapped up and Bella stared at her with wide eyes.

"Erin! You don't just ask people things like that!" she scolded, but then turned to me.

"Um, that's kind of private..." I replied. Honestly, I didn't want to explain how it all happened. I hated that anyone mentioned it. The least I could do was not think about it, that seemed to keep the guilt at bay.

"But, I mean, Ariana's brother...," Erin said, but then yelled, "Ouch! God, Lex!" Alexis smiled sweetly.

"If you wanna know, you go ask Ariana," Vanessa said. "Or I will." I had learned that Vanessa was the brave one, and she didn't take crap from anybody. Then again, she did have four younger siblings.

"Don't," Bella said.

"Come on, Bell."

"Look, I don't wanna piss her off. I'm not afraid of her."

"Then who are you afraid of?" Vanessa countered.

"Her big friends," she quickly answered. They all burst out laughing.

"Don't worry, Andrew will keep them away," Erin said, looking up adoringly at Andrew. Bella seemed to look Andrew up and down and laugh.

"No offense, but you're kinda skinny and not all that strong," she said, giggling. The table laughed. Andrew fake glared.

"Have you ever turned off a guy's power?" he asked. She laughed, remembering the other day when he told them the story of how he turned off an old guy's (apparently he was a real prick) power.

"Have you ever walked across a mall in high heels?" a high-pitched voice behind Bella asked. She squealed and jumped up.

"Alice! Oh my God, you're back!" she exclaimed.

"Touchè," Andrew muttered.

"Bella! Hm," Alice said, inspecting Bella. "The new style's different, but I like it. I see you're enjoying the new mall? Or at least the Hot Topic?" Bella smiled.

"I just like the band tee shirts..." she said quietly, and Alice laughed.

"And the skinny jeans, and the Converse, and..." Alice added.

"Okay, okay, I admit it. Hey, every time I go in there I hear a new band that I like!" Everyone laughed and Alice took a seat at the table.

"Oh, if it isn't Eddie," she glared at me, tapping her French manicured nails.

"Alice, be nice. He got kicked out of the popular group. Andrew was the only friend who wasn't a total jerk," Bella explained.

"What'd you do Eddie? Kiss too many cheerleaders?" she taunted.

"Shut up, Alice," Vanessa warned.

"Why? What did you do, Edward?" she asked. Bella sighed and whispered in her ear. Alice's eyes widened. "Well, for once, I did not see that one coming. I expected that something happened, but that could only be expected at Williamsfield. How'd Ariana take it?"

"We don't know, Alice. At the moment, they're just rumors. Edward hasn't confirmed anything. But at the moment, just watch what you say and who you say it to, okay?" Alexis said.

"'Kay," she said, just like a little kid.

The lunch bell rang and kids groaned and flocked to their classes. The screaming in the halls was louder than usual, probably because kids were excited for the pep rally coming up in fifth hour. Well, they were excited to get out of fifth hour.

The rest of the day went by quickly, including the pep rally. I was walking to my car when I saw Bella standing by the building, glaring up at a tall, Native American boy.

"What, Jacob?" she spat.

"I wanted to talk to you," he answered.

"About what? About how you were my best friend and you let some stupid girl make it so that you couldn't talk to me? She dumped you in the end, didn't she?" she said, anger dripping from her words.

"That wasn't how it was," he defended.

"Yes, it was. And once you broke up with that other girl- Ashley, right?- it was just fine to talk to me. You didn't have anything to lose," she said, before turning to go. He grabbed her arm. "Let me go," she said firmly, angrily.

"I still like you," he said softly. She turned back around.

"Yeah? Well, you know what, I got tired of you ignoring me. I got really freaking tired of yelling your name when I was standing two feet away from you, and you wouldn't even turn your head. I got tired of waiting for you change. I'm over you," she said before ripping her arm out of his now limp grasp.

"What happened to the Bella I knew?" he called after her.

"That Bella changed. She didn't like being walked all over!" she called back before jumping in her red truck and driving off.

Bella POV

I felt great. I had wanted to say that to Jake for so long. Really, I had trusted him a lot, and he ended up being like all the other people I had trusted then. The only friends I had were the ones that sat at my table at lunch.

The dance was tonight, and I figured I would go. It wasn't all that bad. Sure, I'd prefer less rap music and more rock, but it's okay to dance to. Besides, who else is going to make fun of my friends doing the pop, lock, and drop it?

I went home and exchanged my Converse for a pair of boots I'd gotten for my birthday, but that was all I did. I looked fine.

I checked the clock in the kitchen. It was 4:30 and the dance didn't start for three hours. I decided to call Alice. I really had missed her. She was my cousin, and we'd grown up together.

Her parents had died a couple years back. It was really hard on her, I remember getting late night calls with her crying on the phone. I'd always run down the street to her house to comfort her. I missed them too, I'd been pretty close with my aunt and uncle.

It had been stated in her parents' will that she would live with me. She rarely ever slept here though, she liked being in the house. We couldn't stop her, the house was left in her name.

For the last six months she's been in France visiting one of her father's relatives.

"Hey, Bella!" she answered cheerfully. I could've sworn I heard another voice in the background.

"Hey, Alice. Anyone else there?"

"Nope," she said evenly, but I didn't believe her.

"Well are you going to the dance tonight?" I asked her.

"Of course!" she exclaimed.

"I thought so. It's casual, 'kay? Don't dress up too much!" I warned her.

"What? Well, that's stupid. It's Winter Wonderland, for crying out loud! It should be a winter formal!"

"Well, Alice, it's not. They save those for the end of the year, what with, you know, all the shops closing. Really, they don't want us to feel all pressured to get perfect dresses when parents have to worry about Christmas presents," I answered. I was kind of relieved that Williamsfield had switched from all formal dances to mostly casual.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," she replied.

"So I'll see you there at 7:30?" I checked.

"Yup!" she answered cheerfully. Then she hung up.

"Bye," I whispered into the dead phone.

I still needed to know about that mysterious voice I had heard on the other line. If she wasn't alone, who was with her?

So I walked down the street to Alice's house. I got the key from its hiding place and unlocked the door before creeping inside.

"Mary Alice Brandon!"

AN: Do you like it? I'd like your thoughts. What do you think happened to Edward over the summer? How do you think it involves Ariana and her brother? The more reviews I get the more I want to update!