A/N: ...I got nothin'

I saw DoG on the list of nominations for the Indie Awards. To which I say "WOOOOOT!!" Thank you for getting it there. I really think I could rub your feet for that. Well, unless you have icky feet. Then I'm just gonna send you a nice fruit basket instead.

Oh, and Adrena. I love you. I'm hoping you won't stay sick much longer.

Now let's tune in to the regular scheduled program, shall we?

BPOV

The alarm on my phone jarred me awake from a deep and dreamless sleep. My muscles were stiff and sore, and as I sat up in bed, I realized my head felt like it was full of sand. I rose off the mattress and shuffled into the bathroom without opening my eyes all the way. I stood in front of the mirror and felt a small shock at the reflection staring back at me.

It wasn't like I'd forgotten the fact that my hair was now mainly in a pile in the bathroom trashcan, but the shock of seeing so little of it still on my head was enough to wake me up the rest of the way without my morning cup of orange juice. I rubbed my hand across the short strands and watched them fall tightly back against my scalp. The inky black color did seem to flatter my milky white skin, but I couldn't be bothered to really care in the wake of recalling the events that had led up to my impromptu homemade makeover last night.

I grit my teeth as I ran water in the sink to wash my face, determined to forget my selfish bitch of a mother. I didn't know how I'd get past it right now, but I was sure I could find some way to forget the way she'd managed to singlehandedly steal the joy out of most of my childhood memories in one short phone call.

Well, fuck her. I didn't need someone like her in my life. I had Emily and Leah, Jake and Sam...I had my friends who were more family than my own blood.

I didn't have to answer to Renee anymore.

As I splashed the hot water across my face flushed with anger, I chanted "fuck her, fuck her, fuck her" over and over in my head. I couldn't drown out her words, however, so I stomped back to the bedroom and flipped on my stereo to use my music to improve my mood. Every Time I Die blasted from my speakers and I bobbed my head as I headed back to the bathroom with every intention of making my new hairdo look better than I felt inside.

An hour later, I was dressed and ready to go. I wore my favorite Killswitch Engage t-shirt, along with my black Dickies capri pants and a pair of slip-on black canvas shoes. I snagged my hoodie from the coat tree by the door to wear in the air conditioned classroom. My car keys clinked against my white and black studded belt from their place on my belt loop as I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door.

I was all too eager to leave my empty house behind.

As I tore off down the road toward school, I looked forward to the speeches that would be taking place in class today. I didn't need a crystal ball to know Edward planned to address the issue of abortion. I felt a savage grin cross my face as I mentally prepared a couple of questions I hoped would get us into a lively debate.

My own subject was something I felt needed a lot of attention: animal rights laws. There were still so many states that had no laws regarding the treatment of farm animals, and I found that preposterous. There should be no difference between the protection of family pets and animals exploited for food.

I knew my topic would bore most of the class to tears, but maybe they'd actually learn something while I was up there with all my facts and stories.

I neared the turn off for the school and slowed my truck to make the turn. I saw Edward climbing out of his nifty little shiny Volvo and sneered to myself as I took in his appearance: shiny black dress shoes, black slacks, charcoal gray button-down dress shirt, and a tie. He looked like a young business executive, and I almost had a brain aneurysm when he pulled his black briefcase/laptop carrying case from the back seat of his car.

My eyes greedily devoured the lean lines of his body as he straightened up and began walking toward the school. He may look like a stuffy suit in that get up, but a large part of my subconscious (and a tiny bit of my conscious mind) couldn't help but imagine my hands ripping all that fabric off his body to reveal the toned and inked flesh that I knew could be found beneath those prim and proper layers.

Just as I was almost lost in a daydream consisting of Toneward wearing nothing but a microphone as I wore that stupid tie, I roared to a stop right as he crossed out into my path. Thankfully, it jerked me out of that ridiculous and highly unlikely scenario, for which I was eternally grateful. I honked my horn and he looked up at me with curiosity. His expression went from curiosity to confusion, and then on to shock as his eyes scanned my appearance through the windshield separating us. I honked again before making a sweeping motion with my hand so he would take the hint and move out of the way.

I was in no mood to put up with young upwardly-mobile Suitward today. He may make me think all sorts of dirty thoughts, but I needed my wits about me so I could get through this day...and all the days afterward, until my heart and head could forget my joke of a family life. This guy was nothing if not a major detriment to my sanity, and I couldn't let him wriggle his way through to undermine my self-control.

He clenched his jaw in irritation and swung back around to head toward the front of the school without a backward glance. I heaved a relieved sigh and swung my old trap of a truck into a parking spot across from Edward's car. I slammed the door and stalked into the school with a major chip on my shoulder; I hoped that would be enough to dissuade him from making any more small talk that would soften me up.

When I reached the classroom, I tossed my bag on the floor and slumped down into my chair. I had my hood over my head and a red beanie covering my mutilated hair, so I knew Edward couldn't have noticed my new lack of long hair. I could still feel his eyes on me, however, so I turned in my chair and glared over at him. He looked taken aback by the change in me from last night, but I shook off the sense of real regret that filled me. "What are you looking at?" I hissed under my breath so no one else would overhear.

His eyes narrowed and he returned my glare. "I was trying to figure out what your problem is," he replied in a harsh whisper. "You look like..."

Never one to delay the inevitable, I pushed my hood off my head and yanked the hat off. I rubbed a hand over my hair, messing it up to make it look deliberately choppy and carefree. I wanted to feel carefree, but all I felt was...choppy. I felt like I was full of sharp blades and bleeding edges, and I wanted it to end. My eyes met Edward's again and this time, he looked shocked. I glowered at him and dared him to say something.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Professor Allan walked in and class began before I could find out what he was about to say. I spent the beginning of class toying self-consciously with the uneven chunks of hair around my left ear as I continued to feel Edward's stare on me. The speeches began and I waited impatiently for my turn, because it was painfully obvious that the trend in class would be focusing on legalizing marijuana or criminalizing gay marriage. Psh.

I held my breath, only releasing it when my name was called and I could distance myself from his disturbing presence. I walked to the front of the class and mussed my hair once more, hoping it didn't look too horrible. I hunched my shoulders in as I noticed some people openly gawking at me, and a couple girls even snickering and whispering behind their hands to each other.

Call me paranoid, but I knew they were talking about me, and it didn't please me at all. I cleared my throat and held up my note cards to begin my speech. "Okay, so my topic was on animal cruelty laws. In most cases, the anti-cruelty laws deal with domestic animals kept as pets. In California..."

Most of the kids were tuned out before I even reached my first points, but my eyes locked on Edward's and I saw a glint of something in his eyes that kept me motivated throughout my speech. I wanted to know what his thoughts were concerning my topic, but I knew instinctively that he would not be showing any open support of my speech.

So it surprised me when he clapped after I finished speaking. The rest of the class gave the typical half-assed attempts at clapping, but not Edward; no, he sat up and gave a firm round of applause as I gaped at him with a furrowed brow.

This guy had some nerve, knocking me off-kilter with his unexpected actions. I grumbled as I made my way back to my seat and dropped down into it without looking at him. I felt him lean over to me and every tiny hair on my body stood as goosebumps broke out over my skin. His warm breath ghosted over my ear as he murmured, "Good speech."

I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed my reaction to him away before jerking my head around to look at him. "Is that Edward or Tony speaking?" I shot back. I pulled my hood up, slumped down into my chair, and crossed my arms over my chest.

He didn't say anything in response, and I was glad. I wasn't prepared for the guilt that seeped into my stomach at my rude behavior, but I also wasn't prepared for the draw I felt toward him. He stood for so many things I was against, and I just couldn't see how I could get past that.

The next speaker had me bored to tears as he talked about prison reform. I wanted to tear the rest of my hair out as he spoke about the flower gardens and stun guns replacing weight rooms and sharp-shooting rifles in prisons across the country. I knew it would matter to some people, but it just wasn't my fight.

When Edward's name was called, I was prepared to take it easy on him. I already felt horrible about earlier, and I didn't want to upset him further without provocation.

But then he began talking, and I found my ears glued to his every word. I found myself nodding as if I understood on certain points until I realized it and pulled myself back to think about my earlier arguments.

After the allotted amount of time for his speech, he began wrapping it up and I sat on my hands impatiently, waiting for the moment when Allan would open it up for discussion.

"I really don't think abortion should be regulated by the government; too many women use it as a form of birth control. Too many people forget that sex should be something meaningful and significant to both parties...not just something that happens one night after one too many drinks," Edward explained to the class as he finished his presentation.

I scoffed in disgust and shot my hand into the air as Professor Allan finally invited the discussion. I saw Edward look at me with a tense expression while Mr. A practically rubbed his hands together in glee; obviously Eddie boy couldn't hang with a good debate. I grinned almost maniacally and kept my hand straight up until he gave in and pointed to me. "Go ahead," he said dismissively, barely making eye contact with me.

"Oh, I will. How can you just dismiss the large population of women who get abortions due to pregnancies that were a result of something that wasn't their choice?" I demanded.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and I sat back in my desk, ready to hear him tap dance his way around that.

He dropped his hand and looked right at me. "It is not my intention to say that women who have been the victim of rape or incest should suffer the consequences of another person's actions. However, there is an innocent life in the equation that cannot be easily dismissed; there are always options that do not require killing the fetus."

I was prepared with a comeback. "But you say 'innocent life' only in reference to the child; what about the mother? Is she not an 'innocent life?' Why should she be required to suffer the consequences of someone else's actions?"

Edward stepped toward me and I could see his eyes begin to burn. Good. My pulse began to race as I heard his reply: "A woman can choose whatever she wants to; my issue is with the government regulating these practices and thus condoning the murder of these innocent lives."

I sat forward in my desk as my eyes bored into his. "So you think it's better to send an innocent woman to the back alleys of Mexico to get a potentially fatal procedure?"

He took another step closer to me. "What I think is that these women could take it as a sign from God that they should perhaps give birth to the child and give it to a family who would love and care for the child."

I slapped my hands on the desk and half-stood. "You mean you think these women, or God forbid, girls should suffer in silence, to give their bodies over to a decision that was made for them so that some nameless, faceless family to whom they owe nothing should have the gift of a child borne from rape?"

Edward's eyes were locked on mine and I was waiting for his response when I heard Professor Allan clear his throat and announce that class was dismissed. I took a deep breath and looked around when I realized that I'd completely lost all sense of time and place while I'd been so fired up.

Edward looked like he'd just surfaced as well. I narrowed my eyes and shot him a glare, but he ignored me as he turned to gather his things. I decided I wasn't finished discussing this issue with him, so I grabbed my things and followed him out of the classroom. "Hey, Cullen!" I yelled after him.

Edward stopped and turned with a disdainful expression on his face. "What?" he demanded shortly.

I sneered. "I think we should continue this debate. Right now."

He looked at his watch and released a long-suffering sigh. "I don't really think..."

"Hey," I said, cutting him off, "if you can't handle a little friendly debate, then that's fine."

His face moved from impassive boredom to indignant disbelief in a split second. "Is this what you call a 'friendly debate?' I'm willing to bet there are vipers that aren't as vicious as you when you're like this."

I nearly choked. "Fucking finish this now, or I'm going to tell Northwest Hardcore boards Tony Masen's a fuckin' Planned Parenthood pipe bomber."

His eyes widened and I knew I'd gone too far. Fuck.

His hand shot out and gripped mine, not enough to cause pain, but enough to convey his fury and disgust as he dragged me down the hall to the vacant classroom on the left. We'd stopped in here the first time I confronted him about his split personality. He pushed me inside and I saw him look up and down the hallway before he slammed the door and locked it, effectively closing us in. I swallowed in an attempt to wet my suddenly parched throat. "Uhh..listen..."

He spun around and glared at me. I stepped back and shot my eyes to the door behind him, wondering if I could make a quick escape. "No, you listen to me." He advanced with his finger pointing at me. "You followed me after class to continue attacking me. This is not my issue, Bella. This is your issue. You have a freaking issue with everything I do or say, unless it fits into the little close-minded views you have of the world. Your problems are NOT my problems, and I really wish you'd stop trying to make them such."

I felt the anger and indignation churning in my stomach at his words. "Of course I have a fucking problem with you! How can you be such a fucking hypocrite? How can you just sit there and spout off a bunch of right-wing bullshit during the day and then turn around and rock out about the very things that conservatives fight against?" I demanded with a face mottled red with rage.

He was about a foot away from me now, and I could see the pulse pounding in his neck. I was almost hypnotized by the anger in him. "Do you have any idea what you're even talking about, Swan? You're the hypocrite if you can't see the parallels between my beliefs."

I met his eyes. "What the fuck are you even talking about?" I yelled.

He stepped closer and the spicy smell I'd noticed the day at the tattoo shop hit my senses immediately. His scent served to remind me that underneath his stupid fucking tie and button-down shirt laid a freaking heartbreakingly delectable body covered in ink. My mouth felt like a dried up sponge.

"Being vegan is all about protecting the life of the innocent, correct? It's about rallying against the exploitation of beings who cannot speak for themselves; it's about fighting for what you know is right. By being a vegan, I'm going against popular opinion, but I do it anyway because I believe that animals shouldn't be treated like they don't matter. It's the same thing as abortion. Think about it: aren't abortion clinics basically doing the same thing as a slaughterhouse?"

I gaped at him as my brain came to a screeching halt. "We're not 'slaughtering' babies for mass consumption...we're giving a woman the ability to choose what happens to her body!"

He rocked back on his heels and twisted his mouth into a smirk. "Sure, but at the very bottom of all of that, it's still the same mentality. We aren't thinking about the animals or the unborn babies as anything that should matter as much as our own lives. We're simply doing what we want without taking into consideration the way things could be done differently. It's destroying one life at a time."

"There's still an enormous difference between forcing a woman to suffer through an unwanted pregnancy and killing animals for food. We're not exploiting the aborted babies."

He shook his head and bent his face closer to mine, as if he were about to drive a point home. "Shit happens in this world, Bella. I'm not saying it's fair, and I'm not saying it's right...but what I am saying is that two wrongs don't make it right. Raping a woman is a disgustingly reprehensible thing, but so is murder. Killing the unborn child who had nothing to do with the action of the father does not undo the original wrongdoing. And don't forget about the stem cell research that is done on aborted fetuses," he added as he stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

I was at a loss for words, but then something bubbled up and I felt a wave of the now-familiar anger swell inside my chest. "Well, let's not forget women like my 'mother.' Maybe if she hadn't fucking fucked my father, he wouldn't have knocked her up and she wouldn't be such a selfish bitch of a mom. Women like her should have kids ripped from them."

He stood there in silence, looking completely shocked. I swallowed the bile in my throat and tried to pretend I hadn't just let all of that come spewing from me. My eyes dropped from his face to stare dejectedly at the toes of my canvas sneakers.

I stayed that way until I felt his hand grip my upper arm gently; he pulled me toward the door and I stumbled behind him, completely unaware of our surroundings as we walked down the hall and toward the side entrance of the small building that housed our community college.

Sunlight speared through the glass on the doors as he shoved one side open and pulled me out into the warm day. I looked up to see a small garden with a bench situated right outside of an arched structure painted white. It had roses and some other purple flowers climbing along it, and I kept my eyes glued to it while he sat us both down on the bench.

I refused to look at him, but that didn't stop him from speaking. He sighed heavily and released my arm before scrubbing a hand over his face. "Bella, what's going on with you?" he asked wearily.

His words released the hard knot of emotion inside me, and the tears began to fall. I couldn't speak, but I could cry. I felt the wetness slide down my cheeks as I sat next to Edward feeling like the world's biggest pile of shit.

He didn't speak again; instead, he merely sat next to me in the quiet garden without another word. I inwardly cringed when I feared he would try to physically comfort me in some way, but I needn't have worried, because he kept his hands firmly in his lap while I cried myself out.

Finally, I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes. He silently handed me a handkerchief and I wiped my eyes and nose with it. I shook my head at the fact that he carried around a monogrammed hanky while I considered my bandanna the closest thing I'd ever come to this fine square of soft fabric with his initials on it. I balled it up and stuck it in my pocket, completely unwilling to return it to him with my snot and eye make up all over it. "Thanks," I mumbled uncomfortably.

He nodded shortly and I hunched over again, my fisted hands shoved deep into my hoodie pockets. My eyes scanned the garden as I gathered my thoughts. I wasn't sure I could bring myself to tell Edward things that I had yet to even explain to my closest friends and family...and yet, something about confiding in him here and now just felt...right.

I sniffled and glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He was looking straight ahead at the roses and I was relieved. "So...?" he prodded helpfully.

Deciding to go for it, I opened my big mouth and began to spill all the shit that had happened in the past few months. I began by explaining the small signs I'd noticed in the beginning, such as the blankets on the couch and the tense relations between my parents.

"I don't think they even looked at each other the last time we ate together. Charlie, my dad, was so busy talking about a new fishing rod and my mother...I mean, Renee, just started to ignore him and I should have known then," I told him.

He turned his head slightly toward me and encouraged me to continue. "What else happened?" he asked.

I racked my brain and sighed. "Well, she used to cook the typical meals. I mean, I'm the only vegan in my family, and they used to eat the standard diet of meat, cheese, and carbs. Then one day, completely out of the blue, Renee comes home and declares herself a vegetarian. My dad was completely confused, but he thought it must have been my influence. I knew better, because she kept talking about it in this very Eastern religion-type way. She stopped cooking for him, but he tried to be supportive. He ate salad for dinner and never complained, but I could tell he wasn't happy."

Edward nodded and looked up at me. "Yeah, my dad would think life wasn't worth living without his steak and baked potatoes," he said with a shake of his head. A corner of my mouth twisted in sympathy before he urged me to go on.

"Well, anyway, things were just really shitty, but I was so lost in my own world that I didn't bother to notice or care. I should have been prepared for what happened, but I just wasn't," I went on.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

I let out a disgusted snort and stared at a small ant crawling over the toe of my shoe. "She left. Just like that. One day when I came home from class, she told me she'd never meant to have me and that she needed to leave. I was so angry at her, but what was I supposed to do? Beg her to stay? I don't think so."

Edward looked upset. "She told you she never meant to have you?" he asked, shocked.

I nodded miserably, glad he sounded just as shocked as I felt.

He was silent for a time. "When did this happen?" he asked finally.

I felt a knife twist in my gut. "The night of your last show," I replied quietly without looking at him.

I heard him curse savagely under his breath before he tried to speak. "Bella, listen, I..."

My hand shot up to stop him. "Forget it. I don't wanna fuckin' know. All I know is that my mom is a complete bitch, and I hope I never hear from her again after last night."

His eyes sought mine and I tried not to absorb the feelings I saw swirling in their depths. "What happened last night?" he asked.

I folded my hands together and tightened them until the knuckles were white. I turned them inside out and heard my knuckles pop before I dropped them back into my lap and turned to him. "She called." I replied shortly.

"...and?" he prompted.

I looked over my shoulder and swallowed the bile rising in my throat. "She's at some New Age-y place in Arizona, probably smoking pot and boning her 'guru.'" I said snidely.

Edward sighed and I bit my lip as the pain of my mother's words came pouring back to me. "She told me she'd never planned on getting pregnant with me. She never wanted to marry my father or be a mom, and she told me that she'd only stuck around so long because my dad made her. I have no idea how he could have possibly forced her into staying, but it doesn't matter because I hate him for it, just as much as I hate her for being such a selfish cunt who can't keep her mouth shut."

I heard his sharp intake of breath and assumed it was from my harsh language. "Sorry, but it's true. She's a fucking cunt."

Edward's dark eyes met mine and he looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he settled for: "You hate your father now, too?"

I nodded emphatically. "If what she said is true, then he kept her here all these years. I had a mother who was forced to mother me."

My heart throbbed painfully at my own words, and I wished that I could be alone again as I tried to ignore Edward's discomfiting presence.

"Have you talked to him about any of this?" he asked.

I shook my head. "He's always gone these days, and even if he wasn't, it's not exactly like I can go up to him and strike up a conversation on how he managed to keep my mother here all along."

We lapsed into silence after that, and I wondered again for the millionth time why he was here with me. I had just decided to ask when he began to speak.

"I know how you must feel. My mother died three years ago, and when she left us, it was like my father disappeared, too."

I gasped and turned to look at him, but it was now his turn to look away. I wanted to comfort him in some way, but I felt uneasy and awkward, so I kept my hands to myself. "What...happened?" I finally asked.

His words were quiet and I had to strain my ears to hear him. "She died of cancer. I'm not telling you this so you'll feel sorry for me; I'm telling you this so you can know that I know what it feels like to be left behind by someone you love."

Part of my heart twisted in agony over his loss, but another part of me pulled back and huffed in irritation. "Yeah, but it's different, really..." I said.

He looked at me and frowned. "How is it any different?"

I could tell he was feeling touchy now. The blood zinged in my veins as I sat up straighter and looked a him. "Because your mom didn't choose to leave you. Mine did."

His shoulders slumped and he turned away from me again. I watched as he ran a hand through his short coppery hair, messing it up a bit. "You don't know that," he mumbled without looking at me.

I jumped up from the bench and stood over him with my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "I do know that! She chose to leave me because she'd never wanted me in the first place! I was just some fucking mistake that ruined her life and made her miserable for twenty-one years. At least your mom didn't make a joke out of all your happy memories of her before she left you."

Edward shot up off the bench and towered over me. His face was like an angry thunder cloud. "You don't think that I know what it feels like to be abandoned? To relive those happy memories in my mind, only to find that they aren't as happy as they once were? They'll never be happy again, because she's gone and it doesn't matter if she chose to leave me or not. She left!"

Something ugly twisted inside of me. "I wish she'd died. At least then I wouldn't ever know how unwanted I really am," I declared savagely.

"Don't say that!" Edward shouted over me. My head jerked up and my wet eyes met his. "Don't say that you wish your mom was dead. My mom is dead, and I would give anything to have her still here. Your mom may not love you, but that doesn't mean you don't still love her. Don't let her fucking ruin you."

I watched his chest heaving with emotion and I wondered why he even cared. "Your mother left loving you and your father, Edward. My mother left despising me and my father. She didn't give a shit about us. She just wanted to be a fuckin' hippy in the desert without any inconvenient family members holding her back."

"Is that why you did what you did to your hair?" he asked.

I brushed a hand over my shortened locks and turned away. "I needed the change."

"Oh, good! You're both still here. I wanted to talk to you two about something before the end of class, but things ran a little too long and I figured you'd already left," Professor Allan said as he approached us from the far entrance of the garden.

I turned my back on Edward and watched the professor approach us without any awareness for the tension in the air. I felt Edward straighten his tie and clear his throat before Allan reached us.

"Bella, your new haircut suits you; you remind me of a brunette Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby," he said with a smile on his face. I snorted and tried to hide my eye roll at his strange complement.

Edward shot me a warning glance and I shrugged. He turned back to the professor and shook his hand. "What did you want to speak to us about?" he asked politely.

Professor Allan grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and blotted his sweaty brow. He shoved it back into his pocket and set his briefcase down. "Well, as you may know, I only work for the college part-time. The rest of the time, I teach history and government over at the high school."

Edward nodded, obviously aware of this. I just stared at the teacher and silently urged him to get on with it. He must have sensed this, because he went on. "Well, the high school is hosting a short trip to Washington DC for kids who are interested, and we need some volunteer chaperones."

I straighted up and looked at him with interest.

"The school would pay for your airfare and hotel rooms, naturally. We usually encourage parents to come on these trips, but we had an unusually difficult time trying to meet our need this summer. I know it may not be an ideal way to spend your weekend, but I was hoping you'd come anyway. You are both very bright and passionate students, and your interest in politics is what caused me to ask you to accompany us on this trip," he finished.

Edward appeared to be deep in thought, but I smiled at Professor Allan and said, "I'd love to. When is it?"

He looked pleased, and I felt myself beginning to like him a little bit. He obviously wasn't playing favorites here, because if he was going to do that, he wouldn't have asked me; I'm not on his political team. "That would be wonderful, Isabella. We're going in three weeks, over Labor Day weekend."

Edward's eyes met mine and I remembered then that OCS had already announced that they would be playing Bumbershoot this year.

I relaxed my tense shoulders at the realization that I wouldn't have to deal with Edward and my unwilling attraction to him while on this trip. In my mind, that only further sealed the deal.

"I would love to help you, Professor, but unfortunately I have some commitments to see to that weekend," Edward told him regretfully.

The professor nodded his head in understanding, but he looked somewhat crestfallen. "It's a shame, really; I was depending on both of you coming so that you could hold up each end of the political debate. My high school kids just don't get into it the way you two do."

I bit my lip and avoided looking at Edward, because I was suddenly reminded of how we'd very nearly come to blows earlier when I'd cornered him after class.

I couldn't help it; Edward just made me feel so much more than I'd ever felt before. My passion and temper ran a thousand degrees hotter whenever I was near him, and it never failed to infuriate me.

"Well, Miss Swan, I will look forward to having you along on the trip. I'll bring you the information next week so you can get familiar with the itinerary and such," Allan told me as he swiped at his beaded brown once more.

I nodded and bent down to pick up my backpack, ready to make a hasty retreat. I didn't want any awkward goodbyes after what had just happened here before the professor showed up. "Um, well, I guess I'll be going. I'll see you next week," I said as I waved vaguely at the two men standing there.

Professor Allan waved back cheerfully before turning back to Edward. I heard him strike up a conversation about golfing with Edward's dad, but I stopped listening.

Until I reached the front of the school, I felt Edward's eyes on my back.

I wish I could say it was a bad feeling, but I would be lying to myself.