Turning Eighteen

by cALLIEfornia BENches

He has gained a new life, the opportunity to be human, and a new chance to now turn 18. But will fate’s magnet pull him back to his true reality and finally push him toward his destiny to love? SEQUEL TO WHAT HE WOULD HAVE WANTED, SO READ THAT FIRST! EXB

6. Time of the Month

Disclaimer: As much as we'd like to claim these characters, nothing Twilight-related belongs to us.

A/N: Hey guys! Again, my apologies for the super late chapter. But here it is :) Not much else to say—just keep an eye out for the next chapter. There's a special treat in there for you… –obnoxious wink–. Haha. But really. It's great. It's going to be the turning point in the story, too, and you'll find out how it all ties into WHWHW. P.S. TWILIGHT WAS AMAZING. I've seen it three times already, and just made plans last night to see it a fourth time as soon as my friend isn't grounded anymore. Haha. The kiss scene? Best ever. Hands. Down. Nearly as good as when he came out of the car with the sunglasses. –Drool–. Also, IT'S BEN'S BIRTHDAY TODAY! So wish him a happy birthday. :) Anyway, here we go. :D

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Turning Eighteen
By cALLIEfornia BENches

Chapter 5: Time of the Month

I went to bed that night, tossing and turning for a good hour. The butterflies were still attacking my stomach from the mere thought of that amazing kiss. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep now. She simply just made me want to drive over to her house, climb up a tree and sneak in through her window. It probably wouldn't be a horrible idea…

No, Masen. That would be breaking and entering. I sighed audibly. Maybe I should just settle for a phone call. I reached over to the nightstand and picked it up, dialing her number. She answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's me," I said. I hoped she didn't think it was too late to call—or too soon after the date. I bit my lip nervously. Maybe I shouldn't have called. Maybe I—

She cut off my train of thought. "Hi." I could almost hear the smile in her voice, which effectively made me smile. My worries disappeared.

"I, uh, I couldn't sleep," I stuttered, not sure I wanted her to know how terribly she affected me.

She giggled. "Me either." Her voice was soft, almost like she was tired.

"Were you sleeping?" I asked her. I glanced at the clock: one in the morning. I slapped my forehead. Of course she would be sleeping. Any sane person would be sleeping right now.

"No, I wasn't. Don't worry. I told you I couldn't sleep." She sighed and I had the insane urge to hold her just then, merely upon hearing her voice. I wanted to badly to be there with her, curled up with her under the blankets. Not necessarily doing anything raunchy—though, after tonight, I definitely wouldn't mind it—but just the feeling of her there with me would be amazing.

"So what're you up to?" I asked, settling more comfortably in my bed.

"Nothing too exciting. Just attempting to sleep, is all," she said. "How about you? What's Masen Edwards up to on this lovely night?"

"I'm so sorry," I said, "I should be letting you try to sleep. I'll let you go."

"No, no, no. 'Attempting' was the key word there. I wasn't making any progress. I want to talk to you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have answered the phone," she told me. I grinned. "So answer my question. What're you doing?"

I debated in my head a moment whether I should tell her what I really wanted or not. It would be a bit forward, but I think she would understand. And I wanted to tell her. More than anything, I wanted to tell her. Well, almost anything. I wanted her to be my girlfriend more than anything in the entire world. But that would be a different conversation. I didn't want to do it now, over the phone. That was so corny.

Taking a breath, I decided to take the plunge and tell her. "Sitting here, wishing you were with me," I said.

She paused, and for a moment I thought I had gone too far. "Does it sound desperate that I miss you?" she asked, then scoffed at herself. "Of course it does," she said. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. God, that sounds so pathetic."

"No, it doesn't," I told her, nearly giddy that she was missing me like I was missing her, "I'll bet I miss you more. How's that for pathetic? You probably couldn't beat that if you wanted to. So let's not talk about who's more pathetic—I'd win," I said with a laugh.

She giggled as well and then sighed. "Is it bad that I wish you were here with me, also?"

"Not in the slightest. Do you want me to come over? I could be there in ten minutes," I said, trying as hard as I could not to beg. But I wanted to be with her so bad. And it wouldn't be breaking and entering if she wanted me to come over.

"Are you crazy? It's past one in the morning. Joey wouldn't let you in, no matter how hard you banged on the door." She sighed. "As horribly as I want you here, I just don't think it's possible." She hesitated a moment before continuing. "Unless…," she trailed off.

"Unless what?" Please say the tree, please say the tree…

"Well, how well do you climb trees?"

Yes!

"Brilliantly. I'm the National Tree Climbing Champion," I joked. It was a blatant lie, but it didn't matter. I was going to see Isa.

She laughed. "You know which window is mine, right?" she didn't wait for a response before she continued. She knew I knew which was hers—it wasn't hard; there was only one window on the front of the house on the second floor. She had mentioned before that it was hers. "Use the tree outside my window. I'll keep my window open so you can get in. Just knock twice beforehand so I know it's you and not some stranger. Okay? How's that sound?"

"Better than great. You're better than great." She laughed. "Is Joey asleep?" I asked.

"I don't think so, but don't worry about it. He doesn't ever come to check on me once he thinks I'm asleep."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

I was silent a moment, trying to hear whether my parents were still up. The house was silent. "I'll be there in ten," I said.

"See you soon." She hung up.

As quickly as I could, I changed from my sweatpants into some jeans and a tee-shirt. I tried to make my hair relatively neat, but it wasn't going to happen. I shrugged, and with a satisfied smile I quietly crept out of my room.

The house was dark, signifying that both my parents were asleep. This would be way too easy. I felt like there had to be a catch. But alas, I made it to the door with no problems. Isabella—my dog—didn't even raise her head from her pillow. She simply watched as I turned the knob and stepped out into the cold night. A slight breeze snapped at my cheeks, making me wish I had brought a sweatshirt. But I couldn't afford to go back now and raise the risk of getting caught.

I walked the short distance to Isa's house, my arms folded across my chest to retain whatever heat I could. I couldn't very well climb a tree if I was frozen.

When her house came into view, I smiled. Only a few more yards and I would be able to see her again. I couldn't wait. I started walking faster, jogging to the tree in the front of her house that she had told me about during one of our walks from one class to the next. She had told me she was afraid it was going to fall during one of Seattle's windstorms and crush her room. She had begged her dad more than once to get it removed, but he had always denied it. He said it was too pretty to get rid of, and that it was important to have at least a little bit of a garden in the front so people didn't suspect the house was run by a man.

Thank god for Joey, I thought now with a smile.

I grabbed a hold of the highest branch I could reach and hoisted myself up. To be honest, I hadn't climbed a tree since I was maybe six. And I had broken an arm, then. I said a silent prayer to the gods of gravity before I pulled myself up and onto a higher branch. Only two more to go.

I got there and gripped the branch with all my might, hoping that the gravity gods wouldn't take this away from me now. I scooted to the edge of the branch and it swayed slightly under my weight. Immediately, I froze. It would be horrible to fall now. Not only was I insanely close, but if I fell, Joey would come out and want to know why a stranger was trying to climb into his daughter's window. And I did not want that to be his first impression of me. Especially if I was going to be spending as much time with her as I wanted to.

When the branch steadied itself, I knocked twice on her window. The lights were off, and I could only see a desk and a closet from where I was standing. But before I knew it, the window was opening and my beautiful Isa was standing there with her hair pulled into a loose ponytail, wearing shorts and my sweatshirt; the one I had given to her a few days ago when she was cold. I smiled automatically upon seeing her wear it. I loved seeing her in it; it had "Edwards" printed on the back. It claimed her as mine.

"You wear that to bed?" I whispered.

I could see her blush, even in the dark. "Just get in," she said just as quietly as I had, avoiding the question.

I braced my hands on the bottom of the sill before heaving a leg over and stepping into her room as gracefully as possible so Joey didn't hear it downstairs. "Can I use the front door when I leave?" I asked with a short laugh.

"Thinking about leaving already?" she teased, sitting down on her bed. "Besides, I thought you were the National Tree Climbing Champion?" I playfully glared at her before sitting down on the bed so our thighs were touching, but just barely. "Yeah, it should be fine" she said with a laugh. "As long as Joey's asleep."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I took a look around her room. "So this is your room, huh?" I kicked off my shoes and lay down on her bed with my hands behind my head, trying to make myself comfortable.

"Mhmm," she said as she lay down on the bed next to me. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to my chest, where she laid her head. I'm sure she could hear my heart pounding faster than normal.

"I like it," I said. She sighed contentedly and I watched as her eyes closed. "Sleepy?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No," she said, "but your heartbeat is oddly soothing, even with how fast it's going. Does it always beat this fast?"

I chuckled. "Only when you're around." Her face flushed and she buried her face further into my chest, embarrassed. "Don't be embarrassed," I told her. "It's a good thing." I kissed her hair, as if to prove my point.

Slowly, as if she weren't sure it would be okay, she lifted her face towards mine, silently asking for a kiss. And who was I to turn her down? I leaned my head down slightly and set my lips on hers gently. She adjusted herself so we were face to face and there was easier access. I pressed my lips against hers again with a little more pressure. She responded by parting her lips in the slightest.

It wasn't much, but it was invitation enough for me to lightly stroke my tongue against her lips. She sighed and pulled away so our lips were no longer touching. I opened my eyes, sure I had done something wrong. But she didn't look like I had done anything wrong. In fact, her eyes were closed and she had a dreamy smile plastered on her face.

"Was that okay?" I asked cautiously.

Her eyes opened and bored straight into mine. "That was more than okay," she said. "I was just afraid I was going to combust if you kept going."

I chuckled, slightly smug that she had been enjoying it; that I was the one that made her smile like that. "Are we still in danger of spontaneous combustion?" I asked with a little laugh.

She lightly slapped my arm and I pretended to clutch it as if it hurt. "No," she said. "We aren't. So get over here and kiss me."

"With pleasure," I said. I moved forward and closed the gap that was between us. In no time our kisses grew more heated. Our tongues were battling for dominance. And before I even knew what I was doing, I rolled us over so she was lying on top of me. Her hair had fallen to the side and she was gripping my shirt as if she wanted me closer than I already was.

My hands brushed slowly down her sides and up her back. I was desperate for more skin-to-skin contact, but I was too afraid it'd be moving too fast. So I kept my hands to the skin I was allowed: her legs. I rolled us over again so I was resting my weight on my forearms and she was beneath me. And with that, I let my hand drift down the back of her smooth leg and pulled it so it was hitched over my hip. I couldn't get enough of her.

And apparently, neither could Mini Masen. I tried to move my hips back a little so it wouldn't be awkwardly pressed against her, but she wasn't having any of that. She used the leg that I had put around me to pull my hips down and grind with hers. I groaned aloud at the contact and she sighed as my kisses traveled down to her neck.

But in that very moment, Joey decided he wanted to get to bed. And apparently that required walking right in front of Isa's room. As soon as I heard the footsteps coming up the stairs I froze and looked over my shoulder at her door. I dared not move a muscle in the off chance he had heard anything. Isa was just as frozen as I was, staring at the door as if it were going to come after us.

I should have been quieter. I should have remembered that he was just downstairs. I probably shouldn't have even come over here in the first place. I was so stupid. Now I was going to get caught in this awkward position with his daughter. I could imagine it now. Hi, Joey, I'm Masen, your daughter's not-yet-boyfriend. Sorry I came in through your window and took advantage of your daughter.

Yeah. That would go well.

But just as slowly as they came, the footsteps descended down the hall. I let out the breath I didn't know I had been holding and collapsed my head down into the crook of her neck, kissing it lightly.

"That was close," I breathed. She started giggling. She was laughing. Laughing at a time like this; a time when I nearly just shit my pants. "How could you be laughing right now?" I asked. "Could you imagine how crazed your father would be right now had he walked in? If that were the first time I met your father, I'd have—"

A knocking at the door cut me off mid-sentence.

"Isa?" a deep male voice asked. Instantly, I knew it was Joey. "Isa, are you okay? I thought I heard voices in there."

The doorknob started to turn and I darted from Isa and into her walk-in closet. I didn't have time to close the door—he would have heard—so I just hid behind some of her clothes against her wall. I stopped breathing. I stopped moving. There was no way I would move.

I heard the door open and Joey's voice more clearly now. "Isa?—Oh. Sorry," he said. "I didn't realize you were sleeping."

She feigned a yawn. "Its fine, Dad. What's up?"

"I thought I heard voices in here; I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said.

"I'm fine, Dad. I was probably just talking in my sleep again."

The two of them were silent a moment before he said anything more. I hoped he didn't realize her slightly swollen lips. I had only had a second to admire them, but I knew they were there. She probably had a hickey on her neck, too. I closed my eyes and resisted banging my head against her wall. I could only hope it was too dark for him to notice. "I could have sworn it was a guy's voice," he muttered as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

I waited in the closet until I was sure he was gone. Even then, I didn't move. I couldn't.

"Masen?" she whispered. "Are you still here?"

"Yeah," I said softly. "Yeah, I am." I ventured out of the closet and back onto the bed with her. "Just give me a minute to restart my heart." I groaned as softly as I could, burying my face in her pillow. "I can't believe we almost got caught," I said, my voice muffled through the pillow. I turned my face to the side and looked at her. "I think I should go."

Her lips twitched slightly. She knew I was right. "I don't want you to," she said as she curled herself into my arms. "Can you just stay until I fall asleep? I think I would sleep better if I knew you were here with me."

"I can't spend the night," I told her. "I don't want to have to worry about waking up to a screaming Joey."

"That's fine. You can leave as soon as I fall asleep."

I chuckled. "Oh I can, can I?"

"Mhmm." Her voice was already thick with sleep. I pulled the covers over her and I and she snuggled closer into my chest, burying her face into my neck. Her breath tickled slightly, but I wasn't planning on moving. "Thanks," she said, sleepily.

"Shh," I cooed. "Sleep, Isa."

It didn't even take her five minutes for her breathing to completely even out. As soon as I was sure she was in a deep slumber, I kissed her lightly on the forehead and untangled myself from her. Had she been awake, I would have used the door. But I didn't want to worry about the doors being locked—or, rather, unlocked—so I went over to her window and pulled myself out onto the tree.

I couldn't control the ridiculous grin that was smothered all over my face all the way home. It didn't even go away when my mom caught me sneaking back in and scolded me for leaving in the middle of the night. But her face softened when she saw the look on my face.

"I haven't seen you that happy since we were in California," she told me. "I'll make you a deal. As long as you tell me when you're going to sneak out next time, I won't tell your father about tonight. We can keep it a secret between you and me."

She winked at me and I—of course—smiled at her before I went up to my room for a good night's rest. I was going to need it. I had a lot of planning to do if I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend anytime soon.

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I spent the next two weeks with that same silly grin plastered all over my face. I got to walk Isa to class every day, kissing her each time I picked her up or dropped her off at her classrooms. There was no question that I had never been this happy before. My mom had to sit me down a few days before and give me a nice long talk.

"Masen," she had said to me, "I'm so happy you're happy. I can't thank Isa enough for the way she's made you smile lately. I was so worried you would be miserable forever here. I thought we were going to have to send you back to Cali," she joked.

"I'm not unhappy, Mom," I told her. "And I don't want to go back. I want to stay here. I've never been this happy before. I don't ever want it to go away. I feel so euphoric. I feel like something somewhere is telling me that I'm supposed to be here. Here with her. It sounds so completely corny, I know. And to be honest, I feel like my masculinity has just gone down a few points in saying that, but it's completely true. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have her."

"You love her, don't you?" she asked me, her voice full of sincerity.

I let out a nervous laugh. "I don't know, Mom. I've only known her a few weeks. I mean is it even possible to fall in love with someone that fast? I mean for all I know it's just a fling. I don't know what she's thinking," I said.

"I've seen the way she looks at you," my mom had said. "She definitely loves you, whether she knows it or not. She looks at you the same way I look at your father."

I looked up at her and her happy eyes. "You think?"

She rested her hand upon mine and squeezed it reassuringly. "Sweetie, I know."

My mind was twisting with activity. Could I really love her? I didn't know. She wasn't even my girlfriend yet, though I knew the exact way I was going to ask her all planned out.

I was planning on asking her today, at school. She wouldn't see it coming, though. It was a clever way, I thought. And though it was a bit on the pricey side, I figured it would all be worth it. My stomach was filled to the brim with nervousness. I could do it. I was pretty confident that she would say yes, but there was still that little ounce of doubt. Like what if she didn't want a relationship? What if she just wanted what we had now: casual dating with some kissing on the side?

I would do it anyway, though, despite the anger in my mind. And it would go right, damn it. I knew exactly which locker was hers, after having visited it so many times to see her, there were no dirty men to take her away from me, there were no other Isa Swanson's to steal her thunder; this would go perfectly, if I had any say in it.

Anxiously, I sat next to her in History. My foot was tapping against the floor rhythmically, so much so that Isa had gently placed her hand on my knee go get me to stop. I grinned sheepishly at her.

"What're you so jumpy for?" she asked.

"Nothing," I answered too quickly. Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything. I couldn't even focus on the worksheet in front of me, I was so nervous.

With five minutes left in class, I raised my hand. "Can I go to the bathroom?" I asked.

Mr. Lucas nodded. "Just take your stuff. It's not worth coming back. Finish whatever you didn't of the worksheet for homework."

"Thanks." I turned to Isa. "I'll meet you at the car?" I asked her. She nodded once. Without looking up from her worksheet, she tilted her cheek up towards me subtly asking for a little kiss. I complied, kissing her cheek and grabbed my stuff, heading for the door.

I went over to her locker with the bag in my hand. I used the combination I had seen her enter hundreds of times into the locker that I knew was hers. It opened on my first try.

So far, so good. But I didn't want to jinx it.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the little plastic ball, setting it face down on the top of her books. It would be the first thing she saw. Quickly, I scribbled down a note, using the door of her locker for a hard edge.

Shake it. Questions aren't necessary—it'll ask them for you.

I didn't bother signing it. She would know exactly who it was. I taped the note to the ball and shut her locker, only to come face to face with none other than Mindy. I inwardly groaned. I was so done with her, it wasn't even funny. She did nothing but provide a major hassle.

She gave me what I think was supposed to look like a sexy grin, but she just looked angry. "You know," she said, "You don't have to keep trying to make me jealous."

My brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"

She shrugged. "It's okay; I forgive you. I understand that you feel the need to try and make me jealous in order to get my attention. Well, big boy, you've got my attention now. You can give it up."

Big boy? I shook my head. "Don't you have to be in class right now?"

She scoffed and put a hand on my shoulder, as if it were alluring. It made me want to take a shower. I didn't know where that hand had been. "Sweetie, I'm Mindy. I don't do class. Plus, I figured it was about time you gave this whole 'Isa' thing up. Really, it's getting a little annoying."

I stifled a laugh. "You think this is for you?"

"Well who else would it be for?"

As soon as I had opened my mouth to tell her no, it was definitely not for her, the bell rang.

"Oh, damn, I forgot my cell in my locker. I'll be right back," she said. She reached up to kiss me, but I managed to back away in time so her lips ended up hitting my shoulder. Though her face was a little confused, she simply smiled and raced off toward her locker. I wiped my shoulder with my hand and, as fast as I could, gathered my stuff together and hid behind the nearest wall. I probably looked like an idiot, peeking around the corner of a wall at nothing but lockers. But I was too nervous to care.

As soon as she arrived at her locker, I held my breath. I watched as she carefully steadied her books in one hand while she unlocked her locker with the other. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she reached in to grab the present I had left in there for her. She scanned the hallway curiously to see if I was hiding anywhere, but when she didn't find me, she looked down and read the note that was attached and followed its directions, shaking it.

It was now I decided to make my appearance. As quietly as I could, I made my way so I was right behind her. I watched her cheeks pull into a great smile as I wrapped my arms around her and whispered into her ear, "Hi."

The little face of the ball was pointed up and the words "Will you be my girlfriend?" were staring up at us.

"I thought I was supposed to ask the questions to a Magic 8 Ball," she said.

I shrugged and wrapped my arms tighter around her. "It's this new thing," I explained, jokingly, "I read about it online."

Her grin, if possible, widened. "Is that right?"

"Mhmm. The only thing is, you have to answer. It's like a reverse Magic 8 Ball. It asks you the questions, and you answer. If you don't answer, though...."

"What if I don't answer?" she teased.

I chuckled. "See that's the thing. No one has ever not answered. So no one really knows what would happen if you decided not to answer. And do you really want to be the one to find out the hard way? I think not. It's probably just better you answer as quickly as possible," I said.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but we were immediately interrupted. "Hey there," Mindy purred seductively at me. I don't think it came off how she wanted it, though. She just kind of sounded like she was in some sort of pain. I exchanged a glance with Isa.

"Hi...," I started.

Mindy's face contorted with confusion as she glanced from me to Isa. "I thought I told you that the charade was getting old. If you're trying for me, you're going to have to try harder. It may have worked at first, but not any more."

"What's she talking about?" Isa asked with a glance at me. She looked confused, and for that I was glad. I didn't want her getting the idea that I actually had any feelings for Mindy at all. I'd prefer confusion to anger.

Mindy smirked at Isa. I wanted to punch her. But my mom had always taught me never to hit a girl, so I settled for balling my hands into fists and wrapping an arm around Isa's waist in a protective stance. "He's just using you," Mindy said. "He's trying to make me jealous so I'll come after him."

"Uhm... not quite. I thought I already told you—" I started, but she cut me off with a short laugh.

"Wouldn't it be like hilarious if you actually liked her and not me?" Her laughter agreed with her nasally voice. It sounded like she had a cold—or maybe like she had a new retainer in her mouth and hadn't adjusted to talking with it yet. I cringed at the sound.

"Mindy, listen—"

But she cut me off again. "So what time do you want to pick me up tonight?" she asked me.

"What?" I was confused now. When did I say I was going to take her out?

"Well now that we've made up and are both on the same page, I figure I'll just make the game easier for you. I'll go out with you, Masen. But only because you tried so hard."

I tried to contain my burst of laughter, but failed. "Uhm, Mindy, I don't want to go out with you." I was trying to be nice, but this just wasn't working. She couldn't take a hint.

She put her hand on my chest and laughed again. "I was thinking 7:30? Oh, and I don't really like seafood."

"I don't want you, Mindy. Isa's the only one I want," I said, brushing her hand off my chest.

Mindy gave a pointed glare at Isa. "Can you give us a minute?" she asked in a snotty tone. For the second time, I wanted to punch her lights out. But I would have to restrain myself. I didn't want to get in a fight at school. That wouldn't be good for anyone.

Isa started to leave but I tightened my grip around her waist and leaned down to her ear. "You don't have to leave, you know," I whispered. "In fact, I want you to stay. Please don't leave me with this psychotic woman. I don't know how much longer I can go without physically harming her. And I'd rather not get suspended today."

But Isa merely smiled a fake smile. And kissed my cheek before whispering back, "You got yourself into this mess. Have fun getting out of it." She laughed and walked a ways down the hallway to talk to one of her friends, curiously shooting glances in our direction every so often.

"Mindy, please, just leave me alone. I told you before: I don't want to go out with you. Not even a little bit. I want to be with Isa," I said, my voice almost pleading for her to take a hint.

"She's not here, you know," Mindy said. "You don't have to pretend anymore."

"I was never pretending, Mindy. I don't know how you got this idea into your mind that I wanted you," I nearly spat, "but it's not true. I really like Isa."

She placed a finger to my lips and smiled in a way that reminded me of the Grinch. "Just pick me up tonight, okay?" She glanced over to where Isa was to make sure she was watching before she rose up on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear, "Now watch me walk away."

With that, she brushed past me towards where Isa was standing. She looked over her shoulder and winked at me, and that's when it happened: Isa pounced. Before I could even recognize what was happening, both girls were on the floor, tugging and pulling at each others' hair. I felt like I was watching Mean Girls, the way they were going at it. I didn't even know if you could call it fighting. At least, Mindy wasn't doing a very good job of fighting. She was simply slapping and tugging whatever she could. Isa, on the other hand, was full on punching Mindy wherever she could reach. I even saw her get Mindy's right eye and I did a silent victory dance.

But as I sat back and watched, I couldn't help but get turned on. It was so... hot to see Isa fight that way. She was so feisty—so rough. I couldn't help but imagine what she'd be like during angry sex. Or make-up sex.

I moved my bag in front of me so as not to alert the entire school—which it seemed had now formed a circle around the fighting girls—of my predicament.

I watched as Mindy grabbed a hold of Isa's hair and gave a particular hard yank. Isa screamed in a mix of anger and pain. "That's for second grade!" Mindy shouted.

Isa got in a good punch to her stomach before they rolled on the ground so Isa was on the top, with a better advantage. "What the fuck did I do in second grade?!" she yelled back.

"You know," Mindy said, pushing Isa so she fell onto the side of the floor. "This isn't the first time you've stolen a guy from me," she said with a slap across Isa's face.

"He doesn't even like you!" Isa shouted.

The fight had gone on long enough. Someone needed to stop it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an older man with glasses watching the show. I faintly recognized him as one of the sophomore history teachers. I watched him a little closer, now, waiting to see what he would do to break up this fight. But he looked as mesmerized as I did. Ew, I thought.

I coughed loudly, trying to get this teacher's attention. He shook his head as if ridding himself of a trance, glanced quickly at me, and took a step forward.

"Uhh... Isa, Mindy: principal's office. Now."

The two girls shot him a look before parting from each other and standing up. Isa glared at Mindy, who was now trying to primp herself up, despite the black eye. I rushed to Isa and wrapped an arm around her as I led her to the principal's office.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

She nodded, not taking her glaring eyes from Mindy. "Fine," she said abruptly. "I'll live. I wish I couldn't say the same for Mindy."

I blew a breath through my lips. I hadn't even gotten an answer from Isa yet as to whether she would be my girlfriend, thanks to Mindy. As badly as I wanted to ask again, I doubted Isa was in the right state of mind to answer. I had a feeling she would probably snap at me, and that wouldn't end well for either of us. I didn't want to push her right now. She was obviously a bit frazzled.

When we reached the office, I gave Isa a chaste kiss on the lips before releasing her into the clutches of the principal. Personally, I had never had a run-in with him, but I had heard stories. Apparently he was a bit of a hard ass. And that wasn't what Isa would need right now if she wanted to stay in school and not get expelled. Fighting was a serious offense in private schools. The administrators expected their kids to behave like role models, not like fiends.

I sat outside on one of the rickety chairs, waiting for their little conference to be done. I idly wondered if they made these chairs so rickety on purpose—as if to keep you on edge for whatever rule you broke. It was surely keeping me alert and focused, and I hadn't even done anything wrong. Granted, I was the reason Isa and Mindy were in there, but that was beside the point.

Dropping my head into my hands, I sighed. I didn't want Isa to be punished for something that was ultimately my fault. There was too much at stake for her to lose now. How would it look on her permanent record that she got into a fight at school? Not good. Not good at all.

After what felt like years, Mindy came out from the office. I don't think she noticed I was there at first. She simply reached into her bag and pulled out a miniature zip-up bag and a compact mirror. She opened the mirror up and gasped at her appearance.

"That bitch," she muttered as she lightly traced the outline of her black eye, wincing slightly. She huffed angrily and set to work trying to cover it up. It wasn't working. She just looked even more like a clown with the amount of makeup she was putting on. Definitely not attractive. I glanced back at the principal's door, willing Isa to come out of it soon.

"Masen," I heard a voice say breathlessly from where I knew Mindy was standing. "I didn't see you here. Were you waiting for me?" She came over and tried sitting in my lap. I simply stood up so she plopped to the ground. Her eyes narrowed as she stood up. "I'm willing to overlook that, Masen Edwards. I'll see you at 7:30," she said.

Did she honestly not get the picture? What the hell was her problem?

"Alright," I said, trying not to let the frustration I was feeling leak into my voice. "Here's the thing. I kind of just asked Isa to be my—"

But at that moment, Isa walked out of the office and stared at Mindy and I.

"Well, I'm already suspended," she murmured to herself. "I might as well do it thoroughly." She didn't wait a beat before walking over to Mindy and punching her square in the face. My eyebrows rose. As badly as I wanted to watch another catfight, I didn't want Isa suffering the consequences. I went over and grabbed her hand, twining it with my own so she couldn't hit Mindy again.

"Stay away from my boyfriend," she spat at Mindy, who was now clutching her nose.

I couldn't help the smile that came across my face. "Wait, what?" I twined her other hand with mine so she was facing me. "Boyfriend?" I asked. "Is that a yes?"

She was still furious—that much was clear. Her face didn't even deter from the angry glare she had been shooting and Mindy when she looked over at me. "Is that a problem?" she snapped.

I flinched back slightly. I definitely did not want to get on her bad side. "Nope," I said, letting go of one of her hands. "No problem at all." Inside, I was dancing around the halls in victory. Nothing could possibly make me feel as happy as I felt right now. She was my girlfriend.

Isa Swanson was finally my girlfriend.

I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her senseless. I tried as best as I could to hide the skip that was now in my step as we walked towards my car. But a glance at Isa told me that I wasn't doing a very good job. She was glaring at me. I immediately calmed down.

But I still couldn't help but reach over and kiss her before she got into the car. Her lips twitched once before cracking into a small smile.

"There's that smile I know and love," I joked as I shut the passenger door. She immediately frowned again and folded her arms across her chest, staring straight ahead of her.

Geez. Girls and their times of the month.

I inwardly rolled my eyes at her mood swings, but I couldn't help the cheesy smile that covered my face on the outside. I couldn't get enough of her, mood swings and all.

Boy, was I in deep.

---

A/N: Woo! Told you, nothing exciting happened. They're finally boyfriend-girlfriend, though. This next chapter is the most important. (Kind of symbolic, huh? In WHWHW, Chapter 5 was the chapter that Bella bitched out Tanya. In TE, Chapter 5 is where Isa beat up Mindy. In WHWHW, Chapter 6 she thought she saw Edward die. In TE, Chapter 6 is also the turning point of the story. Weird, huh?) Haha.

Anyway, be extremely excited for this next chapter. It's going to be insanely long. I would say at least 10,000 words. Bare minimum. So much has to happen. Haha. :) You'll like it. There's going to be a surprise in there, too, that you probably won't be expecting. We've never done it before in the middle of a story (though, it's more for my own convenience. It'll make it easier for me to write). What is it? You'll just have to wait and see. :) But pretty much, Ben and I are going to start writing this next chapter like... now. Haha. It'll take an entire week to write.

Again, it's Ben's birthday! So don't forget to tell him you love him!

BEN's A/N: Give it up for the wonderful Allie, who wrote literally every word in this chapter this week (except this A/N) due to my birthday! I SAW TWILIGHT TWICE and I loved it even more the second time... tell us what you thought of the movie. But seriously: Next chapter is going to be soooooooooooooooooooooo good! I'm so excited. And you should be too.

REVIEWERS GET A COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS OF A PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 6!!!!!

Until next week,

cALLIEfornia BENches