I haven't replied to those who reviewed the past few chapters. I apologize for that. Hello to the new readers!

Chapters beginning the following are of Edward's narration.

Disclaimer: All characters, plots, and settings related to Twilight are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended by the author.

Chapter Eleven

Small Towns are Small

I actually do not work at the hospital. I just mainly wander shamelessly around and do what my dad needs me to. Apparently, I'm a reckless volatile grown-up male who strictly needs to be looked after all the time. Not that that has stopped me. I was still on the plan. I was just doing it the harder way. I didn't dare complain though. I value my dad's opinion too much, and my mom's heart.

My mother's heart.

Aside from insisting that I stay in this cold and dreary town of Forks for the whole duration of my summer vacation, I also had to have a girlfriend. It seemed like a big fat ridiculous joke, yes, but mom was serious. Dead serious. It took me seven fucking dates to get her satisfied, and with the Police Chief's only daughter at that.

Bella.

I was on my way to fetch her now. She insisted on driving again this morning, but I was adamant. That kid is impressively stubborn, but two could play the game. In some strange way, I enjoy the feeling of someone depending on me, even though it was as mundane as driving. It makes me feel less otiose and pathetic about myself.

I let myself inside the store she works in, and was bombarded with a sight of two faces eating each other off. Disgusting. Jacob Black and his girl have no shame. I turned to see Bella. She was on her usual place behind the counter, holding one of my books. She looked calm and indifferent, but I knew better. Her eyes were not moving at all, staring straight at a spot on a page.

I slowly moved towards a display shelf, and with my elbow, I nudged the rack of whatever that was until it fell on the floor with a loud bang. That stopped the revolting kissing fest. However, my little nudging caused quite a domino effect inside the store, as one by one camping goods rained down around me. Perfect. Three pairs of eyes instantly shifted in my direction. Despite the loud ruckus I just made, I saw Bella smile.

"Sorry," I said, holding my hands up. "It was an accident." Well, the domino effect was.

Bella's smile wobbled and I knew she was trying not to laugh out loud. I cheekily winked at her before I started picking up random things scattered on the floor. I really didn't mean to cause a mess, and although it was Jake's job to clean it up, I wasn't that evil. I was willing to help.

"Hey, it's cool," he said, taking the inflatable sleeping bag from my hands. "I can do it myself."

I looked at him, feeling the challenge he was egging me on. I didn't bite. "Sure." I smiled. "It's all yours." I ignored the other girl and went straight to Bella.

Poor kid. I didn't fully understand what she has been through with Jacob, but she seemed to be struggling still. She was tough, I knew, but there were more than a few times she showed me how vulnerable she was.

"You know you have to pay for any damage if there's any," she pointed out as I leaned against the counter.

"Do I get a discount, at least? I drive the cashier to and from work."

She rolled her eyes, but then she looked up at me and with a small voice she said, "Thank you, Edward."

It seemed ridiculous to feel like a damn hero at that moment, but it felt like I was, like putting a stop to her ex-boyfriend and his tart's kiss has saved Bella from the impending doom. And I told myself I would save her, every time.

I received a text message as I walked into the house. It was good news from a friend from the university. A patient has just recently consented to be one of our research subjects. I breathed a sigh of relief. We might be able to start gathering data before school starts.

I passed by the kitchen to see my mom, only to find both my parents in an embrace by the stove, my mother still holding a wooden spoon. I let myself watch them for a second; drinking in the love the two flamboyantly show all the time. Watching them was always better than seeing a romantic movie; it was real life.

I looked away after that spying second, giving them privacy. I shook my head as I climbed up the stairs, thinking I'd probably be a bachelor all my life, or worse, have a lame and divorce-worthy marriage.

Whatever.

I pulled my phone and called one of my professors.

"Where were you yesterday, Edward? The nurses said you left abruptly while I was in the emergency room."

We were having dinner, and I put my spoon and fork down and turned to my dad. "I was just… hanging out with a few friends," I said. I was actually out on the parking lot behind the hospital, in my car, having a video conference on my laptop with a construction engineer from California.

"Why don't you invite your friends over here?" my mom asked. "I haven't seen any one of them. You used to bring over your friends all the time in Chicago."

I shrugged. Friends here in Forks? A number of casual pals, yes, but real friends? After they fucking bet on me? I don't think so.

My parents then talked about the blessed people of Forks, and I listened with little interest. My mind drifted back to my meeting with the engineer. The reality of doing this was overwhelming, and truthfully, a little scary. I had no idea what to do once the house is done, and it suddenly felt like my plan wouldn't work at all.

I glanced at my mom, wondering how she would react. I wouldn't want to hurt her, but moving to California was a big part of the plan. There was nothing but goodbye for Forks. There wasn't anything worth staying, anyway.

The week passed by and a dreaded Saturday came. It was the day of the baseball game my father had organized for the hospital staff and the other men in town. I frowned at the sun and the mocking warmth it radiated. It would have been a big help if it was cold and raining, which was supposed to happen more than likely in this place.

I enjoy baseball, but playing the sport in a murky field doesn't sound that much fun. I wouldn't be playing though, and I was thankful for that.

Two knocks on the door and my mother came in my room. She held up a shirt. It was white, round-neck, with a large and bold "I (red heart) Forks" printed on the front. Whoever thought of the printing obviously has not been in New York City and is completely unoriginal with no creative sense whatsoever.

"Here," my mom said with a smile. "Wear this."

"Mom," I replied, shaking my head.

"Edward."

"No."

"Why not? It's a perfectly good shirt, Edward." She was smiling still. "Other people will be wearing it at the game."

"You're not wearing one," I pointed out.

"There was no size available for me," she reasoned. "I bought this especially for you, for today, and I'd love to see you wear it."

Crap. Still shirtless, I glanced at the shirt I was intending to wear, which was laid on my bed.

"Edward Anthony Cullen!" she exclaimed with horror on her face. Apparently, we were looking at the same thing. "Please tell me you are not wearing that shirt!"

I shrugged, although a grin crept up on my face. My mother obviously didn't like my "Virginity can be cured" shirt. What can I say? It was a riot in school. "Mom, it's just a shirt…"

She pushed the lame white shirt towards me. "Wear this today or I'll burn that foul shirt into a pile of ashes." She nodded once, satisfied with herself, before she walked out of my room. Oh, hell.

My mom tricked me! I was the only one wearing the damn shirt! I rolled my eyes as several people turned to me and beamed at the message printed across my apparel. I would burn this goddamn shirt into a pile of ashes right after the game.

Before we could climb up the bleachers, I heard Renee Swan calling my mom. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was when I turned around and saw Bella with the exact same shirt as mine. Other people will be wearing it at the game. Right.

Her head was down and her face was red. I snickered. Really, who ever thought this shirt was a good idea?

I watched as Bella slowly raised her head, her eyes growing as wide as saucers as she took in my clothing. I laughed. This damn thing was just horribly hilarious, or perhaps hilariously horrible was more appropriate. Bella, however, didn't find this funny at all. The appalled expression on her face made me laughed harder.

Ignoring our mothers jumping with satisfaction at the side, I took a step closer to Bella. Still horrified with our damn twin shirts, she took a step back. I took two steps closer, she took two steps back.

Holding back my laughter, I gave her an innocent questioning look. "What's wrong?"

She held her hands out, a gesture to stop me from coming closer. "Are you kidding me? It will only get worse if we are to stand beside each other," she hissed at me, her eyes narrowing.

"So you're going to avoid me all day?" I asked.

She frowned. "No…"

I grinned as I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "That's what I thought." She mumbled something incoherent. Ha. If I was going down with this shirt, I was taking someone with me.

We made our way to through the rows of steel seats, and passed by Tanya Denali, the daughter of one of my dad's colleague.

"Who's your new chick, Edward?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. Tanya usually sees me when I'm with a girl. Unfortunately for me, we meet whenever I'm with a new girl. "She's not new, and she's not a chick," I said.

She snorted at that, but nevertheless smiled to Bella. "Tanya Denali. I presume you're Edward's new chick?"

Bella smiled back. "Hi Tanya, I'm Bella; not new, not a chick."

I laughed out loud as I pulled Bella closer to me. Smart kid.

Tanya raised a brow. "Oh, please! Every girl of this guy here is a new chick, who expires just after a month of sneaky sampling."

I never liked Tanya.

"I'm not consumable, and I do not expire," Bella shot back.

I grinned. I was never this grateful for having Bella by my side. I turned to Tanya and saw her glaring at me. What the hell was wrong with her? I tugged at Bella's arm, wanting to walk away from Tanya right then. As we searched for vacant seats, Bella said, "I'm sorry I was a little rude to your friend. I just… I don't want to be…" She paused.

"What?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

I let it go. "Don't worry about it."

The game started, and I actually found myself having fun. Dad was very enthusiastic on the field, as well as the other grown men playing. It was refreshing to see them all playful rather than being their usual boring professional selves.

My father was very good at baseball, and as he hit the ball with impressive power, I stood up and cheered him on. "Go Dad! Home run!" I stole a glance at my mother. She was sitting near the players' bench, her eyes intent on my father. I smiled.

As I sat back down, I noticed Bella looking far away, towards the woods beyond the baseball field. I gently nudged her arm.

She turned to face me, giving me an obviously fake smile. "Pretty exciting game, huh?" she asked.

It was, but I couldn't say that to her, not when she looked like she was about to cry. Was she still miserable because of the shirts? "Hey, I could look for something else to wear. I'm pretty sure my dad has an extra shirt I could use…"

Her brows furrowed.

"Or you could use it, if you like…"

She smiled a bit, which was strange. "The shirts are fine, Edward."

They are?

She looked at both of our lame shirts. "A little embarrassing to wear, yes, but they're pretty cute."

They are?

She must have seen the incredulity on my face. She laughed. When she calmed down after a short moment, a sad smile appeared. "Your father is a good player. Are you, as well?"

I didn't know where she was heading with this, and why that sad smile was still on her face. "Um… no, not really." I really wanted to know. "Bella, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, giving another pretentious smile, before turning her head back to the game. I met Renee Swan's eyes from the crowd below the bleachers; the expression on her face was telling me something, pleading, but I had no clue what she wanted from me.

Bella interrupted my thoughts, her voice almost as quiet as the wind. "I have never experienced cheering for my father at games like this."

I turned my head to look at her as she continued to watch the game. Charlie Swan wasn't here. Where is he?

Bella answered my unspoken query. "He rather goes to La Push and fish. He loves fishing." I could hear the venerating undertone in her voice when she said that, but there was also resignation.

"You can cheer for him when he fishes then," I said smilingly, wanting to lighten up the mood.

She gently shook her head. "It's not as exciting as this."

"Well, you can cheer for any old man out there," I motioned towards the field. I made an example. "Go grandpas! Work those old muscles out!" A few heads turned to look at me. I laughed at myself. I saw Bella smiling, as well. "Go on, try," I encouraged her.

She hesitated, but she held her hands near her mouth before she shouted. "Whoo!"

I laughed. "What kind of a cheer was that?"

She gave me a pointed glare, but her lips were twitching into a smile.

"Try again."

She bit her lip before giving another shout. "Go, go, go!" She awkwardly fisted her right hand in the air.

I clutched my stomach in laughter. "Just who are you cheering for, anyway?"

She slapped my arm, although she was laughing with me. Her whole face was red, either from embarrassment or laughter, I wasn't sure. "Shut up! I'm not good at this." Was anyone?

We continued watching as the game came close to an exciting end. The crowd was getting louder, and the players were even more driven to win. For a second I let myself see the moment from the outside – a small cold town swamped together watching old men play baseball. There was something very comforting with the picture.

However, my mind has its own direction, bringing me back to those days when I watch professional baseball matches in huge overfilled stadiums. The comfort I felt was still there, but a nagging feeling of pity came tumbling in. This was the most it could get. Small towns are small, after all.

I turned my attention back to the field for the final inning. Shoving my previous thoughts aside, I let myself enjoy the rest of the game. And I did enjoy myself; cheering for my father and his friends, seeing my mother glow with pride, and listening to Bella's lame attempts at cheering by my side.

We had lunch after the game, the two Swan's adding up to our family of three. My parents were ecstatic; they loved playing the perfect suburban hosts. As it turned out, I didn't burn the damn shirt, after all. Bella seemed to have recovered from the horror it brought earlier.

Midway through lunch, my phone rang. Emmett. I couldn't answer the call in the middle of a meal, so I hurriedly ate the rest of the food that was on my plate. Surprisingly, Bella finished with me. She beamed at me from across the table.

"Excuse me," I said as I stood up from my seat.

I rushed through the stairs, the phone ready in my hands. Just as I landed on the second floor, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Bella smiling. I frowned. "What are you doing?" I asked.

Her brows furrowed. She looked confused for a second. I was confused myself. "Oh…" she muttered, hurt evident on her face. Now what? She looked down on the floor as she turned around and headed back down the stairs.

"Wait – where are you going?"

She looked back at me. "I'll just… I thought you…" Her face was red now, but she smiled sheepishly as she shook her head. "I just presumed things."

Presumed things? That was when I realized she was following me. I never had someone in my room before, aside from my parents. "Oh."

She shook her head again. "It's cool. I'll just go." She turned and walked away from me.

"Hey," I called out. I could let her in my room for a few minutes, couldn't I? "Come with me."

Hesitant to call Emmett with Bella in the same room, I turned to my computer to send him an email. Bella was roaming around my room, asking a few questions about my books and music. It wasn't as annoying as I thought it would be.

"What is this?" she asked from across the room.

I turned to look at what she was referring to. "A blueprint," I said.

"A blueprint? Of what? I thought you were going to medical school, not study architecture."

"I am," I said. "That's the blueprint of our house back in Chicago." I turned back to my computer, hoping my answer didn't give much.

"Why did you move here in Forks, anyway?"

My typing halted at her query. "My parents wanted to move."

"But you didn't?"

I stared at my monitor. "No, I didn't." I didn't want to say any more, and Bella didn't either. But when it got too quiet, I turned to see what she was up to. I found her on my bed, probably drifting into slumber. "Bella?" No answer. Yep, definitely asleep.

I chuckled as I went back to my task. I wondered how my Emmett would react to this. I had a girl in my room for the first time, and I bored her to sleep.

Minutes passed and I was getting sleepy myself. Emmett hasn't replied to my email. I shut down my computer and turned to my bed. Staring at the ceiling with my arms folded behind my head, I waited for sleep to evade me, but when it felt like an hour has passed, I was still awake. Strange.

I could see Bella from the corner of my eyes, still peacefully asleep. It didn't escape my notice that we were still wearing the same damn shirts. I smiled. It all seemed amusing to me now. For minutes, I watched her take slow deep breaths, her chest moving in a steady rhythm. It seemed very interesting, and I wondered if it was because it was a girl that was beside me on my bed. A girl beside me on my bed. I shook my head, laughing at myself. I sound like a fourteen-year-old idiot. My head was getting way ahead of me.

Just when I tried to turn away from her, Bella awoke, somewhat dazed as she blinked her eyes several times.

"Go back to sleep," I whispered. "I won't bother you."

She stared at me, as if I have just spoken a foreign language.

"It's okay, Bella."

This time she nodded.

I was once again staring up at the ceiling when I felt an arm slid around me. Shocked and suddenly frozen, I turned my head to see Bella glued to my side. I blinked in surprise. What was happening? "Bella?"

Her voice was soft and muted when she answered. "You should have moved here sooner. I needed you even then."

At that moment I realized there was one thing that would be difficult for me to leave behind after all.