Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all of its beautiful characters. This story is loosely based off of plot lines from the original 90210 series. I have taken many liberties with them. The remainder is my original work.

Chapter 3
"Castles in the Sand"

"Ang, I need your help!" I whisper-yelled into my cell phone, concealed in my covert position behind a large shelf of books in the back of the library.

"Bella? Is that you? Aren't you supposed to be at work right now? And why are you whispering?"

"Yes, it's me, and of course I'm at work. When do I ever miss work? That's why I'm whispering."

"Oh no, is something wrong? Did you get hurt? Do you need me to pick you up?" I could hear the panic increasing in Angela's voice. Of course she would assume the worst; I'd never been the type to make personal phone calls at work, after all.

"Ang!" I interrupted, I realized a bit too loudly, when I heard an annoyed 'shhh' come from a couple aisles over. "It's nothing like that. I just need to talk to you about something…personal."

"Okay, what's up?"

"I think Edward Cullen just asked me out," I revealed in a rush of words. My mind and heart had both been racing since the moment he'd called after me in the parking lot. I'd tried to keep my cool while speaking to him, but my thoughts were torn between trying to grasp why he was even asking me and pure delight at the very idea of spending time with him outside of school.

"What do you mean you think he asked you out? He either did or he didn't," was Angela's very logical reply. This was why I needed her. I could picture her with her faced all scrunched up trying to decipher my pathetic ramblings.

"What I mean is he asked me to go to the beach bonfire this weekend, and then he offered to drive me. Is that a date? He never actually said the word so it's probably not, but I just keep getting this feeling when I'm around him. Oh, I don't know what to think," I whined.

"Oh, well I guess that could be considered a date. Listen, Bella, I can tell by the panicked tone in your voice that you're nervous, but you don't need to be. Edward seems like a nice guy, and anyway, there are going to be a ton of people at the bonfire, including Ben and me. Just take a deep breath and don't over think this. We'll figure it out together. I promise." Angela truly was the best friend a girl could ask for and I told her as much. We made plans for me to call her when I got off work to talk more. I knew she just wanted the opportunity to scrutinize, word for word, the exchange Edward and I had after school, and why I was so worked up about it.

To take my mind off Edward and this coming weekend, I busied myself with the monotonous task of shelving returned books. When I had completed all of the shelving—not that it was ever really done—I went back to the front desk to do some homework. I was fortunate that my boss, Carmen, didn't mind if I worked on homework as long as the library patrons had all been helped first. She said she would rather I use my time to further my education than mindlessly surf the web. I couldn't have agreed more. Overall, I enjoyed my job, and if I had to give up a few weeknights to work, at least this position afforded me some extra time to spend on my studies while earning a paycheck.

By the time nine o'clock rolled around and my shift was over, I had all but forgotten my nerves. Having calmed over the passing hours, I allowed myself to think through the afternoon's events with a rational mind for the duration of my drive home. I didn't date, and up until now I had never sought to. I had always told myself the reason was that I was far too busy with school and work to handle a relationship. To an extent that was true. The more I considered it, the more I realized that I had just never been interested in anyone before. Most high school boys fell into one of two categories for me: they were either good-looking with no real substance to draw me in, or they were smart and funny but didn't hold much physical attraction for me. I couldn't deny that my initial draw to Edward was purely physical, but I had since ascertained that he was also brilliant. He spoke fluent French in class, and his past articles that Mr. Banner had shared with me were impeccable. I had also discovered from Alice that he was enrolled in primarily advanced placement and honors courses, just like me. He was perfection and I was crushing on him—hard.

I'd had crushes before, but they were nothing like this. In the second grade there was a boy, James, who used to kiss me behind a giant oak tree during recess. I'd thought I was going to marry him until I saw him kissing Vicky behind that same tree one afternoon. I had pushed her off the swings later that day and was sent to the principal's office for the first time. More recently, I had found Jasper particularly eye-catching, and he was always fun to be around, but I had never wanted our friendship to advance beyond playful banter.

My feelings for Edward were different. I wasn't sure that a simple crush was even the right way to classify whatever this was. Not that I believed in love at first sight, per se, just that I had a strange feeling from the moment I'd locked eyes on Edward that he would become an intrinsic part of my life. It scared me a bit, how clearly I could imagine myself curled up next to him while we studied French together. Playful pecks stolen in The Blaze office. Holding hands, laughing, touching, gazing into each other's eyes with complete adoration; I could envision it all.

I was getting way ahead of myself. We had only met two days ago, and we'd barely even spoken. Perhaps this all was foolish infatuation. I didn't even know for sure that he was interested; although, he did chase me down after school just to make sure that I was going to attend the bonfire.

A loud honk startled me from my rumination, alerting me that I was stopped at a green light. Minutes later I parked my oversized truck in front of our modest home.

"Dad, I'm home," I called out as I dumped my backpack in the entryway.

"Hey, kiddo, in here," he hollered from his spot in front of the television.

"How was your day?"

"Same old, same old. How 'bout you? How was school and work?"

"Fine." I eyed him for a moment before I decided to jump right in to what was on my mind. "Actually, I need to ask you something."

"What's up, Bells?" he questioned as he angled his body to face me.

"Well, there are a couple of new students at school, twins actually, and everyone is getting together for a beach bonfire on Saturday evening. So…would it be okay I go?" I was nervous and I couldn't figure out why. It wasn't like he was going to say no, but then again, I hadn't mentioned that one of the twins was a guy who had extended me a personal invitation.

"You want to go to a party? You?" Dad inquired with a skeptical look on his face.

"Yeah. They seem really nice, different from most of the kids at school. Besides, Angela and Ben will be there too," I justified. It was an unusual request, I'd admit. Like my father, I had avoided parties and social engagements like the plague. I felt out of my element pleading with him to let me go.

"Well, if that's what you want, that sounds fine. Just make sure you keep your cell on you the entire time, and stick with Angela."

"Sure, Dad, and thanks."

I called Angela as soon as I made it up to my bedroom. She gushed for five solid minutes about how I had my first real flame for a boy. After she stopped dreaming up my soon to be whirlwind romance with Edward and joined me back on planet Earth, we got into the important stuff.

"You're probably nervous because you haven't spent any real time with him outside of classes. The first thing you need to do is get your ass out of that stuffy newspaper office and join all of us for lunch tomorrow. You can't make friends if you're never around people, Bella."

"Ang, most of these people don't even like me," I griped.

"That's not true. They don't even know you enough to have an opinion about you. When they do, they won't be able to help but like you."

She had a point, which was how I found myself standing at the edge of the courtyard searching the student body for Angela and Alice. Instead, I was greeted with a warm arm slung around my shoulders.

"Well look who they let out of newspaper jail long enough to visit us commoners," Jasper teased as he directed me to the table where Angela and Alice were seated.

"It's not jail, Jazz."

"Are you sure, Bells? Because it seems like you're locked up in there an awful lot."

"Shut it. I'm here now." I gave him a playful nudge in the ribs as I sat down between the girls.

"Bella! I was starting to think you never eat," Alice jibed.

"I do eat. I swear. I just usually eat my lunch in The Blaze office so I can work on edits."

"Well that's no way to enjoy your lunch break," a deep, smooth voice stated from the other side of the table. I looked up to see Edward smiling back at me. "Hi, Bella."

"Hi, Edward." I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth as I tried to control the grin that threatened to split my face. Edward took a seat next to Ben who had also joined us. I could feel the heat of his gaze still trained on me.

"So, Bells, Ang said you're going to join us at the bonfire after all," Jasper inquired.

Beside me, Alice gasped. "I thought you said you had plans already. Did you get out of them?"

"Oh, umm…I did, but…"

"I convinced her to come," Edward interrupted my sputtering with a smirk.

"No way! How come Edward always gets his way," Alice grumped.

"I'm sorry, Alice. He was just really hard to say no to." I kept my focus on Alice as I spoke to her, ignoring Edward's smug grin and Jasper's perceptive stare.

"Yeah, I know the feeling all too well. It's okay. I'm just so excited that you're coming," Alice voiced.

Angela glanced back and forth between Edward and me. She gave me a subtle calming smile, as Alice prattled on next to me, planning every aspect of the upcoming weekend.

"So there's beach access on the street next to Emmett's house. He said we can park there, and he'll have everything setup. I'll get you the address, unless you want to meet up at my house first and we can ride together. Edward can drive us," Alice rambled. I peered at Edward who seemed to be pleading to me with his eyes to take his sister up on her suggestion. He had offered to drive me yesterday as well. The offer still seemed to be standing, so I took that as a good sign.

"That sounds great, Alice."

"Do you want Edward to pick you up at your house, or—"

"No! I mean, I'll just meet you at your house if that's okay." I noticed Edward narrow his eyes at my refusal. This was the second time in as many conversations that I had vehemently declined having him pick me up. Could I be any more obvious? Looking for a distraction from my outburst, I asked the first thing that popped into my mind.

"So, what am I supposed to wear to a beach party anyway?"

Alice giggled, "A bikini of course." I felt my cheeks pink and my mouth drop open at her casual suggestion. There was no way I was showing up in a bikini to a coed party.

"Relax, Bella, you can just wear shorts and a cute top," Angela appeased.

"Ugh, I'm gonna have to go shopping. All my shorts are tattered from helping Charlie with odd jobs on the weekends," I groaned.

"Well, I would let you borrow something, but I'm much taller than you. Besides, I'm built like a stick, and you have an awesome rack," Angela reasoned matter-of-factly. Edward choked on his drink and went into a coughing fit at her statement. I just blinked at Angela for a moment before we both burst into a fit of laughter. I was stressing again, and she knew just how to bring me back.

"What are we giggling about over here?" Emmett McCarty walked up and plopped down on the bench next to Edward. Emmett was the captain of the football, water polo, and baseball teams. He had muscles upon muscles and a panty melting smile with dimples to boot. Everyone at West Beverly knew who he was, but I doubted he even knew I existed.

"We were just discussing Bella's lovely boobs," Alice replied with a menacing grin.

"Now that is a topic I could definitely get into," Emmett chuckled, and I flushed in response.

"So, Bella, you're like the queen bee at the paper that Eddie here joined, right?" he asked while slapping Edward on the shoulder.

"Yep, that's me, queen bee of The Blaze." I was stunned that he even knew I was on the paper, let alone the editor.

"Yeah, she's a real drill sergeant when she takes charge," Edward teased as he and Ben had a good laugh at my expense.

"I bet she is," Emmett agreed. I playfully rolled my eyes at all their ribbing, and Edward shot me a suggestive wink. I smiled back at him, happy that it was so easy to be around him in a casual environment. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Angela and Ben whispering in hushed tones and grinning like fools.

Lunch passed quickly with light conversation and few more laughs. Angela hugged me as we parted ways, whispering that she was happy for me and thought there was no doubt that Edward returned my interest. I had to duck my head to hide my telling smile as I headed off to Journalism with Edward and Ben.

Edward walked very close to me, and I could almost feel the heat of his body permeating through my clothes. Every once in a while, the back of his hand would lightly brush against my own causing tingles to shoot through my entire being. Like a perfect gentleman, I heard him say a quiet 'ladies first' as he opened the classroom door, ushering me in with his hand pressed gently on the shoulder strap of my backpack. I cursed my bag for obstructing his touch and fought against my body's desire to lean back into him so that his arm would be wrapped around me. It was all so very innocent, but his thoughtfulness overwhelmed me in a new and wonderful way. He couldn't possibly know the effect his simple actions had on me.

"Sit with me, Bella?" he asked with just a hint of shyness in his voice. "We can…um…go over what I have so far for the article. I mean, only if you want to." His nervousness threw me for a moment, until I considered that he may be experiencing the exact same thing I was. I took a cleansing breath before nodding my reply and attempting what I hoped was a comforting smile. Behind Edward, I saw Ben raise an eyebrow at me before he headed over to a computer chuckling and shaking his head.

Fridays were always free work days in Journalism. It gave everyone an opportunity to collaborate on finalizing pieces. I usually spent a few minutes with each student, ensuring that they and had everything they required to meet the set deadlines. Mr. Banner had always said the key to being a good editor was guaranteeing the individual success of every contributor. I took my position seriously.

Today, time slipped away from me as I listened to Edward go over the various points of his article. He paused for a moment as I twisted my hair up with my trusty red pencil. He gave me such an odd look that I thought perhaps he was disgusted by the idea of me wrapping my hair around a chewed up piece of wood. If it did bother him, he recovered quickly, clearing his throat and continuing on reviewing his outline. His idea for the article was so much more than I had expected. I couldn't wait to read his first draft come Monday.

"It sounds really great, Edward. I can't wait to see it complete. We need to get you set up with a photographer so you can work out the visuals for the article. How about Ben, since you guys seem to get along so well?"

"Yeah, that would be cool. I'm glad you like my ideas. I'll admit I was little nervous about what you would think." I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Why? I think you've got real talent. We don't usually have students join the paper mid-year, but I'm pleased that you did." He blushed at my compliment, and it may have been the sweetest thing I had ever witnessed. I watched as he chewed his plump bottom lip for a moment before mumbling a charming 'thanks.' Before I knew it, class was over, and I hadn't spent time with any other students. I felt a twinge of guilt for allowing myself to get so wrapped up in a boy that I had abandoned my responsibilities as editor.

"What class do you have now?" Edward asked as we walked out of the room—together. I smiled to myself at that thought.

"I have Anatomy, you?" Edward's eyes widened for a moment at my answer, before they did a quick scan of my body. The thought should have ticked me off, but instead it made me feel triumphant.

He cleared his throat before replying, "I have Calculus with Alice."

"Oh, I have Calculus in the mornings. Today was just a review for the test next week. It's nice that you two have a class together."

"Yeah, it's great until she tries to cheat off of me," Edward laughed.

"Okay, well I'm this way," I said pointing over my shoulder, as we stood awkwardly in the hallway.

"I'll just see you in French then. Au revoir!" At that, my heart sputtered to a stop in my chest and then restarted at a furious speed. I didn't think I would ever get used to hearing him speak French. I just gave him a tentative wave and then turned quickly to hide my reaction. I heard a soft chuckle as he headed off in the opposite direction.

Our study of the reproductive system in Anatomy and Physiology did nothing to keep my lustful thoughts of Edward at bay. When the teacher dove into a lecture about how some male mammals dominate their female mates for hours at a time while mating, my mind immediately went to a perverted vision of Edward pinning me against a wall while his body did delicious things to mine. I broke into a cold sweat when the teacher called on me to answer a question, and for the first time ever, I hadn't a clue what he had asked.

In an attempt to redirect my thoughts, I even allowed Jasper to distract me with some note passing during History. It didn't work out so well when one of his notes was about the guys making plans to go surfing together the following weekend. Mental images of a wet Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were not so good for me at the moment. By the time I made it to French, I was already a hot mess.

"Bonjour la plus belle Bella." Of course, Edward had to go and make me swoon the moment I walked into class.

"Bonjour, uh…sorry, my French is really bad."

"Really? I figured you to be one of those people who was naturally brilliant at everything you tried."

"Oh, no. Not nearly."

"Hmm," he hummed in reply. I wasn't sure what to make of that.

I tried to focus my attention on Madame Wand as the class began. I was acutely aware of Edward's presence behind me. I was sure it was all in my head, but I thought I could feel the heat of his fixed stare on the back of my neck. After a while, I couldn't take it anymore. I tugged my pencil out of my hair and let it spill down my back to conceal my neck. I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me. I smiled covertly to myself, once again wondering if I had the same effect on him that he seemed to have on me.

After that, I managed to concentrate on the teacher and her lecture, until she asked Edward to read a line of a 19th century French poem. At the sound of his velvet voice uttering the first words, a small moan escaped my lips before I could contain it. It was so quiet that I didn't think anyone had actually heard me until I felt a gentle tug on the end of my hair.

"You okay up there?" Edward whispered. I could hear his amusement even in his hushed tone. I subtly nodded, not trusting myself to voice a reply.

After class was over, I turned in my seat to say a quick goodbye to Edward only to gasp at his close proximity. He had leaned all the way over his desk at the exact same moment that I turned, bringing our faces within two inches of each other. He glanced down at my lips at my gasp. The thought that he may be contemplating the same thing as me warmed me through and through. My entire body was buzzing with the desire to yank him closer to me, to feel his lips pressed against my own. When he looked back up into my eyes, he gave me his signature smirk as he slowly sat back in his seat.

"I was just going to say goodbye," he said, still smiling.

"Me too," I said, unable to hide my own grin.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow night then?"

"Yep, tomorrow."

"Good." At that we both gathered up our belongings and headed off. I couldn't wait for my date, non-date, whatever you call it, with Edward Cullen.

The next morning, I woke extra early to get a jump on my homework and some chores. After doing an inspection of my closet, I decided that I was going to have to go shopping in order to find something that I would feel comfortable and confident in tonight. I didn't like to dip into my personal account for anything beyond necessities, but there was no way I was going to ask my dad for money for clothes. He had much more important expenses to tend to.

In the early afternoon, I headed to the local thrift shop to see if I could score a lucky find and save myself a few bucks in the process. I was perusing a rack of shorts when I heard a squeal behind me. I whipped my head around to see Alice bouncing up and down with a huge grin on her face.

"Oh my god, Bella! Why didn't you tell me you were going shopping? I live and breathe shopping. Are you looking for vintage? I like to shop thrift stores for vintage ensembles that I can revamp and glam up." I was speechless. Part of me was mortified for being caught by a Beverly Hills elite in a thrift shop; the rest of me was just trying to process what she had said.

"Wait, did you just say that you make your own clothes?" I asked.

"Well, kind of. I don't make them, per se, but I like to find vintage pieces and rework them to fit my signature style. I add my own pizzazz, I guess."

"That's really cool, Alice," I praised. She had struck me as having a very unique fashion sense ever since our first meeting. I had never considered that it was because her clothing choices were like nothing I had ever seen in a store or on any of the other girls at school.

"Thanks. So what were you shopping for?" she inquired. I debated for a moment before I decided to just be honest.

"I need something to wear to the bonfire tonight. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd pretty much ruined all of my shorts, and most of my tops are for school and work, not really beach attire," I said, hoping she wouldn't laugh in my face. She was quiet for a moment before she grabbed my hand and smiled.

"Well, I'm sure we can find something amazing for you. Come on!"

Two hours later I had called my dad and let him know that I wouldn't be home until after the party. Alice had strong-armed me into going over to her house to get ready together. I had purchased a pair of shorts, but Alice had promised to assemble the rest of my outfit out of pieces that she already had. I felt a little guilty about borrowing clothes from her considering we had just met, but she seemed so delighted by the prospect that I couldn't find it in myself to say no.

We drove back to her house in my clunker of a truck. I found out that Alice didn't have her driver's license yet so she was dependent on her mom and Edward to cart her around. Her mom had dropped her off on her way to a hair appointment, and she had planned on calling Edward to pick her up when she was ready. Apparently, shopping for vintage treasures could be an all day event in the life of Alice.

The Cullen house was beautiful. It was a classic Spanish style Californian dream home. Before I had even entered, I vowed to never let Alice or Edward see my tiny house. It seemed like a cracker box in comparison to this mansion. The inside was even more gorgeous complete with wrought iron railings, Spanish tiles, impossibly high ceilings, and large wooden framed windows that let a tremendous amount of light in. There were still a few boxes scattered here and there, as well as artwork resting against walls waiting to be hung, indicating the recent arrival of the new residents.

"Alice, this place is spectacular," I gushed.

"Thanks. I like it. It's a lot different from our last house, feels so warm and open."

"I'll say."

"Come on. I'll show you my room." We lugged our bags—well, my one bag and Alice's many—up the stairs and down the hall to a room with a double door entrance.

"Whoa, is this your bedroom!" I crowed, sounding every bit as shocked as I was.

"No, silly, this is the study. I just wanted to see if Edward is home. He spends most of his free time in here." She opened the door to a huge room with floor to ceiling bookshelves, a cozy seating area, and a beautiful baby grand piano. Thankfully the room was empty. I wasn't quite ready to see Edward yet. I wanted Alice to have a chance to work her magic first, hoping beyond hope that the next time I saw Edward Cullen and swooned—as I was destined to do—perhaps he would swoon a bit too.

We entered Alice's room through a regular single door at the opposite end of the hallway. Her room was beautifully appointed in tints of baby pink and shades of chocolate brown. She had a queen size four-poster bed with a matching armoire, dresser, and desk. She dumped all of the bags out on her bed and began rifling through her purchases.

"Oh, I have the best idea for you, but first we should do manis and pedis," Alice exclaimed. I smiled at her excitement and willingly subjected myself to the female torture. I'd overheard the girls at school discuss their personal beauty regimens all the time. I tried to look presentable myself, but the fact of the matter was I didn't have a clue what I was doing when it came to this stuff. Without having to go into much detail, I told Alice that my mom wasn't really in the picture, and I hadn't had any real female influence in my life beyond Angela. Alice was only too happy to show me the ways of womanhood.

A while later, our nails were painted and my hair was up in curlers when a lovely woman with caramel colored hair and Edward's jade eyes entered the room.

"Hi, Mom, the new haircut looks great!" Alice greeted.

"Thanks, honey. Who do we have here?" she asked, gesturing to me.

"Oh, this is my friend, Bella. We're going to the bonfire together tonight."

"Oh, Bella! It's so nice to finally meet you. My kids have had nothing but wonderful things to say about you." I blushed when I caught the plural, kids, in her statement.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Cullen. You have a lovely home," I replied.

"It's just Esme, dear, and thank you. I still have a lot of work to do around here, but I do love it."

"Well, I'll let you girls get back to your pampering. I just wanted to let you know I was home and that dinner will be ready in about an hour if you're hungry."

"Your mom is really nice," I said after Esme had left the room.

"Yeah, she's the best," Alice said confidently.

We finished with our primping a while later and had joined Esme downstairs for a quick bite. Alice had pulled my hair back away from my face with a few pins, but let it spill down my back in a cascade of curls. She had kept my makeup simple since we were going to the beach, slicking my eyelashes with mascara and adding a fine line of eyeliner to make my eyes snap. She lightly dabbed my lips with a cherry colored lip gloss and called it good. I felt fresh and beautiful.

Alice, on the other hand, was a knockout. She had straightened her short, dark hair, flipping it up slightly at the ends. Her face practically glowed with her shimmering, ethereal makeup. Jasper was going to jizz in his shorts when he saw her.

"Alice, I don't know about this. I've never worn anything this revealing before," I worried as Alice thrust her chosen attire at me. She had selected a sapphire blue bikini top for me to wear under a sheer, white, short-sleeve blouse paired with the dark washed denim shorts that I had bought. I was very skeptical.

"It's a beach party, Bella. Most of the girls there will hardly be wearing any clothes at all. You're going to look very modest compared to them," Alice reasoned. She probably had a point, but it did little to ease my discomfort.

I changed in Alice's bathroom, and when I emerged, Edward was seated on the bed next to her. He didn't notice me at first, as he continued to chat along with his sister; however, when Alice saw me she let out a squeal that alerted everyone within a one mile radius of my presence.

"You look awesome!" She danced over to me, fiddling with my collar and undoing the top couple buttons of the blouse. I wanted to wrap my arms around myself in an attempt to conceal as much skin as possible, but Alice was having none of it. I knew I wouldn't win this battle, especially with Edward here to witness. When I looked over at him, he was staring at me slack jawed. Suddenly, Alice's selection of ensembles didn't seem like a bad idea after all.

"What do you think, Edward?" Alice asked. When she glanced at him, she did a double take before she narrowed her eyes at him. He straightened up in an instant as they had some silent communication. It must have been a twin thing.

"You look nice, Bella," he answered in a formal tone without looking at me. 'Nice' wasn't exactly the adjective I was hoping for. I felt like I was missing something key between Alice and Edward. Alice looked directly in my eyes, as if she was attempting to read my thoughts. I became very uncomfortable under her scrutiny. I wasn't sure if I was ready to reveal my interest in her brother to her just yet. I really liked Alice. I didn't want to risk our newfound friendship in case she thought I was just using her to get to her brother. Alice's face softened after a moment, and she quietly excused herself to go change.

When I looked back at Edward, he almost appeared sad, lost in his own thoughts. I wanted to ask him what was going on, but something inside me made me hold my tongue. Subconsciously, I think I knew I wouldn't like the answer. He stood and awkwardly approached me. He still wouldn't look me in the eye, indicating that something was indeed wrong. I didn't say anything as I waited for him to speak.

"Um, I should probably go get ready myself. Just tell Alice that I'll wait for you downstairs," he said quietly before he turned and exited the room without any further explanation for his suddenly cool behavior.

Alice returned dressed in a tiny denim skirt and the most unique halter top I had ever seen. It was lacy and feminine, in a dark amethyst purple. It was striking against her delicate, pale skin. Her friendly smile was back in full force, and I relaxed a bit. Perhaps I had misread the situation entirely. I relayed Edward's message and after we each slipped on a pair of flip flops—mine blue and hers purple—we headed downstairs to get the party started.

Edward was waiting in the living room wearing white and blue plaid board shorts and a light blue tee. He gave a small smile when he saw us and asked if we were ready to go. We piled into his car, and Alice filled what would have been an awkward silence with mindless jabbering during the short drive. I was beginning to second guess my decision to attend the party at all when Edward pulled into a parking spot on the side of a beautiful palm tree lined street.

Alice directed us toward the sound of music blaring from the beach. Sure enough, Emmett and a bunch of his friends were already drinking and dancing around in the white sand. I heard someone call out my name and looked around to find Angela running towards me.

"Bella, Edward, you two came!" I didn't miss that she addressed the two of us as if we were a couple. I gave her a fake smile that I knew she would pick up on, trying to convey that something was amiss. She looked puzzled for a moment before she continued, "Wow, Bella, you look smoking girl. Don't you think Edward?" I wanted to weep at her antics. I really didn't want to hear Edward say I looked nice again. I wanted him to tell me I was 'la plus belle' or even just pretty.

Instead of answering Angela, Edward just nodded as turned to me and said, "I think I'm going to go find Emmett. I'll catch up with you later." I tried to smile in response, but I knew it was a sad attempt. As soon as Edward was out of ear shot Angela started in.

"What happened, Bella? He seemed so into you yesterday, and now…" She gestured wildly after him and I just frowned, knowing what she was thinking; now he couldn't get away from me quick enough.

"I honestly don't know, Ang. I think I misread his intent in inviting me here though. He's hardly spoken to me at all. Maybe he just wanted me to be here for his sister."

"Well, you're already here, so let's just make a girls' night of it and ignore the boys. We can still have fun, Bella."

"Yeah, okay. I know you're not actually capable of ignoring Ben all night though," I teased and playfully bumped her with my shoulder.

"Sure I am. Besides, he thought Edward liked you too. He's a guy, he should know these things," she stated. I just laughed at her determination, knowing full well that she would be wrapped in his arms before the night was over. The two of them were like magnets.

We walked over to join the party. The two of us sat on a log in front of the small fire next to Alice who was making nice with some other party goers. She grinned in relief when she saw us. The three of us happily chatted about anything and everything. I debated asking Alice what was going on with her brother, but chose to just enjoy the time with my girlfriends instead. We talked the night away as we watched the golden sun slowly set over the Pacific. It was actually quite beautiful out. There was a cool breeze coming in off the water, but the air was still warm from the sunny day.

Thankfully, someone finally killed the Top 40 music that had been blaring all night. I smiled when I heard the soft strumming of a guitar start up instead, already knowing who was playing it. Beside me, Alice started vibrating. I smirked and decided then and there that even though romance may not be happening for me tonight, I could certainly help out a couple of my friends.

"Hey, Alice, do you have a thing for Jasper?" I asked point blank. Angela giggled next to me.

"Am I that obvious?" Alice worried. I laughed at her uncertainty.

"No more than he is." She looked at me with wide eyes as she processed what I had said.

"You mean, you think he might…"

"Yes, I do! Come on." I grabbed both her and Angela's hands and pulled them over to where Jasper was sitting in the warm sand, playing his guitar.

"Hey, Jazz," I greeted as I plopped down next to him.

"Holy hell, woman! Who are you, and what did you do to Bella?" he exclaimed as he took in my appearance. Why couldn't Edward have reacted more like that? I pushed that thought out of my head as quickly as it came.

"Oh, this was all Alice. She has a hidden talent. Did you know she makes her own clothes out of vintage finds? She's a fashion genius." At the mention of her name, Jasper looked up to find Alice standing directly in front of the setting sun. In that moment, she looked like a goddess, and I could tell by the look in Jasper's eyes that he thought so too.

"Well, hello there, pretty girl."

"Hi," she said as she kneeled down in the sand in front of him like she was his personal groupie. I suppose she was.

"Any request ladies?" Jasper asked in general, although, it was clear his intent was to please Alice.

"Oh, you know what we want to hear, Jazz," Angela hinted as she sat down next to me. He smirked at her as he began to play the opening chords of "Wonderwall." I closed my eyes and soaked in the moment of just being with my closest friends while Jasper strummed and softly crooned a beautiful acoustic rendition of one of my favorite songs.

"Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you

By now you shoulda, somehow, realized what you gotta do

I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now…"

When I opened my eyes, Alice and Jasper were gazing at each other with equal looks of fascination. Angela and I were wearing our own matching grins at our friends' happiness. I also noticed that Jasper had drawn quite a crowd, which of course included none other than Lauren and Jessica who were standing right behind me. I heard them whispering back and forth to each other. I glanced back at them, but quickly turned to disguise my laughter. They were both clad in tiny bikinis and it looked like Lauren was actually wearing stilettos in the sand. She had a death grip on Jessica's arm to keep herself upright while chugging her beer with her other hand.

"At least Jasper's still single. I'm totally going home with him tonight," one of them claimed. Over my dead body, I thought.

"I can't believe Edward has a girlfriend. That blows! He's so fuckin' hot!" I swallowed hard as I listened to them. I looked at Angela to gauge whether she had heard them as well. The sad, sympathetic look in her eyes indicated yes. How could he have a girlfriend already? He'd been here all of a week. In retrospect, it made perfect sense and explained his sudden change in behavior. What was once harmless flirting could now be considered borderline cheating if he had a girlfriend. These were the high school games that I had always tried to avoid. I was becoming quickly angered at Edward for leading me on, but mostly at myself for falling into this immature trap.

I scanned the crowd in search of Edward and found him with Rosalie Hale draping herself on his arm. I cringed at my foolishness. Edward was so far out of my league it wasn't even funny. Rosalie Hale was Beverly Hills royalty and a model to boot. They were so perfect together; I couldn't even stomach to look at them.

I allowed myself a moment of self-pity as I gazed into the fire. Tongues of yellow, orange, and red tangled together in a sensual dance. Opening myself up to feel my emotions, a sense of hopelessness consumed me as I experienced the sting of unrequited love for the first time. I had never let myself become interested in a boy before so the sensation was new and raw. I didn't like it one bit.

Tamping the emotions down, I attempted to clear my head and permit 'rational Bella' a moment to think through the situation objectively. I was the editor of the paper, Edward's editor, and he had proved that he at least wanted to be my friend, even if I had run with the thought and deluded myself into thinking he was asking me here as a date. He had only invited me to get to know me, so surely a good friendship was possible. If Edward had a girlfriend it meant that he was off-limits to me on a romantic level. I really didn't have time for a full blown relationship anyway. My head could take this tidbit of information and use it to keep my heart in check. He sought to be my friend, and I could do 'friends.'

As Jasper transitioned to another song, Angela asked me if I was okay. I nodded mutely as Alice moved to sit closer to us picking up on my distress.

"Hey what's going on? You were so happy earlier and now you just look sad," she inquired with sincere concern. I looked to Angela for a moment, before I decide to just tell Alice what had transpired. I trusted her and didn't want to lie to her.

"I…I, uh…didn't realize that your brother had a girlfriend," I confessed, knowing she would get the full implication from my simple statement.

"Oh," she looked at me with the same sympathy that Angela had before searching out Edward with her eyes. She gasped when she found him. "Oh, Bella, it's not what you think. He does technically have a girlfriend, but she's back in Minnesota. He's not with Rosalie."

"Wait, what?" I looked back at Edward, and with this new information I could tell that he appeared quite uncomfortable trying to squirm out of Rosalie's grasp.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't realize that you liked him. I would have said something, I swear," Alice apologized.

"Stop, Alice. It's not your fault. It was all just a big misunderstanding."

"I'm not so sure it was. Did he say something to you? To make you think he may be interested, I mean. I only ask because the way he was looking at you earlier, I thought for a moment that maybe something was already going on."

"No, he didn't say anything," I said before I quickly amended, "well, except when he invited me to the bonfire. I was kind of under the impression that he wanted to spend the evening with me, like a date." She nodded, but didn't say anything further. I was resolved to drop the subject and try to forget my feelings for Edward. Alice and Angela both laid their heads on my shoulders while we listened to the melodious sounds of Jasper's guitar continue to strum each of our requests.

A sense of overwhelming warmth filled me, and it wasn't coming from the bonfire. I glanced to my left and saw Edward, now seated on the other side of Jasper, staring at me with a dazed look in his eyes. The heat of his stare brought back all my wishful thinking of something more between us. His eyes widened as he came out of his stupor and realized that I was staring back at him. He smiled the first sincere smile I had seen from him all day. I could do nothing but return it. He glanced at Alice, whose face I couldn't see, but they seemed to be having another one of their silent twin conversations, because he nodded minutely to her before peering back at me.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom," I told the girls. They both offered to come with me, but I declined; I needed a minute alone to compose my thoughts. Edward watched as I stood and walked towards the public restrooms.

I ran into none other than a drunk Lauren and Jessica as I was leaving the restroom.

"Oh my god, Bella Swan, is that you? What are you even doing here?" Jessica spat.

"I asked her to come," Edward said from behind her. She spun around and practically fell into Lauren, who looked like she was seconds away from getting sick. Edward ignored both of them as he approached me.

"Take a walk with me?" he asked softly. I nodded and fell in step with him, leaving Jess and Lauren to their drunken debauchery.

We walked in silence for a few minutes before he stopped and turned to face the rolling waves. The party had quieted with the distance, and I welcomed the peace of the crashing tide.

"I apologize if I came across as rude today. I really want to be your friend. I feel drawn to you in a way that I don't entirely understand. It's just…I have some things that I still need to work out with the move. It all happened so sudden. I'm sorry if I took it out on you. It wasn't intentional."

I turned from ocean to look him in the eye as I said, "Apology accepted."

"Good. I'm pretty sure Alice is still going to kick my ass, but that's my problem."

"I'll tell her to go easy on you," I laughed.

"So, Bella, what do you like to do for fun at the beach?"

"Um, honestly, I don't get to come to the beach very often. But, when I was younger my dad and I used to build huge sand castles every summer." Edward grinned at me before plopping down in the sand, tugging me down with him.

"Okay, show me what to do."

"Well, first we need wet sand. This soft stuff won't stick together. Technically, we should have shovels and buckets too, but I think we can make do with our hands." I scooted forward on my butt to where I could reach the wet sand and Edward followed me in the same motion.

"You know both of our asses are going to be covered in sand now," he said. I just laughed and told him to get busy packing the sand. We worked together building a good sized sand castle complete with a moat to catch water from the waves with only the moonlight to guide us. When we were done we both sat back and admired our handy work. It wasn't too bad considering our limited resources.

Time got away from us once again was talked about school, the paper, and our tentative plans for college. We didn't discuss anything too serious, keeping the conversation light and friendly. We both got a good chuckle out of Lauren's choice to wear high heels on the beach. Apparently, she had knocked a beer out of Emmett's hand when she stumbled in her attempt to flirt with him. The beer spilled down the front of Jessica. That somewhat explained why they both smelled like a brewery.

His eyes sparkled in the moonlight as he retold the story, and his laugh was one of the most beautiful sounds in my world. I found myself falling under his spell once again. We both became quiet as the moment became tense with the energy that always seemed to be present between us. I looked at him, imploring with my eyes for him to say something to ease the tension. What he said instead, was not at all what I expected.

"Tu as de très beaux yeux," he said looking into my eyes, unleashing the power of his French on me yet again. He reached up and traced a finger down my cheek, holding my gaze as he translated, "You have very beautiful eyes." I felt my eyes, which he had so sweetly complimented, start to mist as the rollercoaster of emotions from the evening started to overtake me.

"You have a girlfriend," I choked out after a moment. His hand dropped as if I had struck him with my words.

"Yes." He swallowed hard before continuing, "Bella, I didn't mean…I wasn't trying to lead you on or anything."

"Oh, of course not. I'm sorry." The only thing worse than him leading me on while still with his girlfriend was that I had just made a fool of myself by misreading the situation yet again. "I should just go. I can get Ben and Angela to give me a ride back to my truck," I said as I stared down at my pretty, painted toes before moving to stand up.

"Don't go!" he blurted out as he grabbed onto my wrist. "Please, don't be embarrassed. I like you, Bella, and I want to be your friend. I'm sorry if I misled you, but that's my fault, not yours." That word, friend, felt like a stab to my heart, but his words were so gentle and sincere that I couldn't let him feel guilty about my delusions. He had been nothing but kind and sweet to me. If he wanted to be my friend, I would take what I could get.

French Translations:
Au revoir! – Goodbye!
Bonjour la plus belle Bella. – Hello most beautiful Bella.
Tu as de très beaux yeux – You've got very beautiful eyes.

A/N: So Bella's stuck in the 'friend' zone and it looks like Edward has some conflicting emotions going on. Choices will need to be made—soon. I thoroughly enjoyed writing about them getting their flirt on. Can't wait for more of that, and really Edward can't wait either! Let me know what you thought!

Hollister1980 is my fab prereader and Hibbleton78 is my wonderful beta extraordinare! She also corrects my French, although, she claims she only knows how to cuss me out in French.

Reviews get teased!