Unlucky.

That should have been printed next to Bella on my birth certificate. I drove into the parking lot outside of school, not expecting anything other than a normal day. Instead of letting me alone to stew over my forgotten English homework, God sent Mike Newton.

I groaned as I saw him spot me, his face alight with excitement.

I thought about booking it, stomping on the gas pedal and flying back out the way I came.

But Mike was already at my door, tapping on the glass with his knuckle. I felt like flicking him between the eyes. I hesitantly stepped out of my truck, slamming the door with more force than necessary. Mike put his hand against the cab, blocking my way.

"Hey, Mike," I mumbled the greeting and tried to weave around him.

"Hey, Bella!" he said cheerfully. I looked up into his eyes. He smiled even wider then seemed to hesitate, weighing his words. "I wanted to ask you, um...if you, uh, if you wanted to go to the prom with me?" he asked, his eyes bright with hope.

I cursed whatever god or gods wanted me to suffer like this. "Mike," I began "I don't know if I—I mean, I'm sorry, but—"

"Bella?" A strange voice called. Strange yet melodic and vaguely familiar. I turned to see Edward stalking toward the front end of my truck. He gave me a half hearted smile as he approached. Something about him always seemed reluctant. He came to a stop a few feet away from me.

"Hey, Edward." I said, surprised he was talking to me apart from the brief conversations we sometimes held in Art class or English. I asked him for a pen once, he asked me if I was done with the blue acrylic paint. I smiled up at him, surprised yet delighted at his change of heart. Maybe he decided I was more interesting than he thought. Although I guess I was still a little miffed about how he hardly talked to me. Well, he was now. I looked back at Mike who looked sullen yet still cocky.

"Bella, I've totally forgotten about our English homework. Do you think you could help me?" he asked hopefully but not forcefully. I could have said no, but I didn't. Plus, I hadn't done it either. Grateful for this turn of events, I smiled warmly at him. "Sure," I glanced back at Mike again.

"Mike, sorry. I have to go." He nodded, scowling at Edward's back. I grinned and waved goodbye.

I sighed a breath of relief. "Edward, I'm sorry—" "For what?" he asked suddenly, he looked shocked, confused. "I don't...have the homework. I forgot about—sorry.

You were just my scape goat from Newton." I screwed up my face. "Oh," he seemed relieved and shook his head. "No, thats fine. I'll get it from someone else. Don't worry." He flashed me a smile. I almost couldn't breathe; it was a real smile, as real as smiles could get from Edward. I would admit, it wasn't bright and full of happiness, but it wasn't a lopsided grimace either. I felt like a complete douche just standing there and gawking at him. He seemed to grow uncomfortable.

"So, uh, you going to prom?" he asked casually, kicking at a tuft of grass with his shoe. I snorted. "Ha. Yeah, sure. Me at prom. That's funny." I shook my head and laughed at myself. He stared at me, confused. "You don't like dances?" he asked. "No. Well, it's not just that.

I am pretty clumsy when it comes to dancing...and walking." I added, my cheeks burning slightly under his gaze. "I guess so. Might break an ankle.

Though, with your luck, you might leave in an ambulance after choking on some punch." He sighed, almost contently. I cocked my head. "Yeah," I agreed. "What about you?" I asked. He stared into my eyes. I couldn't help but feel lost. Wait—what was I asking again? Umm...

"—not the right setting for me." He was in the middle of a sentence and I had missed most of it, gazing into his shimmering green irises. Uhh, get your head out of the gutter. That voice said. I shot back with a Shutup! I was soo not thinking about stuff like that. He just—his eyes...

"—should get to class, Bella." "Huh?" I asked, snapping back into reality. "The bell rang." He said flatly, shrugging and turning slowly, waiting for me. I smiled bashfully. He shoved his hands in the pocket of his jeans. It was fairly cold this morning. I shivered in my down jacket, hoping the teacher had turned the heat on before class starts.

I rubbed my palms together. I frowned at my hands, wishing I'd brought gloves. The ones my mother had bought for me perhaps, she loved them. When I thought about her, I felt homesick. "Are you okay?" Edward asked, leaning down. His brow was creased in worry. "What? Yeah, sure. Just—Just thinking, thats all."

I smiled apologetically. "I just get lost in it sometimes. Lost in the past, you know? Like things can't have possibly changed so drastically, so quick." I sighed and laughed. "Sorry, I sound like a walking cliché." I admitted, stopping at my locker. Edward stood behind me. "Thinking about the past? Like what?" he ventured curiously but cautiously.

"My mother. I miss her, she lives in Florida. I haven't seen her in four months." I looked up at him, he seemed lost in thought, calculating. "I don't feel like myself without her. She was so much a part of me for most of my life. Not having her here, I almost feel guilty. I don't know why, though. My mind works in strange ways."

Edward stopped then, in the middle of the hall way, my elbow nudged his arm. I gasped quietly, feeling the same current, the same static. "Do you, I don't know, want to maybe, come sit with me at lunch?" I blushed uncontrollably. I grinned, probably too much. "Yeah, that'd be great." I grinned impossibly wider. I turned on my heel, tripping slightly, but righting myself.

So much for a dignified exit.

***

I had the jitters all through the day till lunch.

Mike followed me around for the entire day, more so than usual. It was really bugging me. And he kept touching me. Grabbing my arm or draping his arm across my shoulders, anyone would think we were a couple. I didn't like it and it made me uncomfortable.

He tried linking our arms together on the way down the hall, toward the cafeteria. I stopped walking and out of desperation, caught Angela on her way too. I very subtly, shifted her in between Mike and me. She seemed a little uncomfortable too, right in the middle. But I chatted animatedly, making sure they were both distracted.

My eyes wandered as we stepped through the glass doors and into the bustling lunch room.

Mike grabbed my hand when I started to walk off in the other direction.

"Mike, I'll see you later, okay?" I said distantly, searching still, craning my neck. Bingo. He was in his same seat, alone like always.

"Where are you going?" he asked, somewhat hurt. I looked back at him, his hand still gripping my wrist.

I nodded to where Edward sat at the opposite end of the room. Mike followed my gaze and furrowed his brows.

"You're sitting with Cullen? Why?" he asked, confused and sullen. It was my turn to frown. "Edward," I emphasised. "Asked me to." Then I wanted to kick myself after having said that to Mike. He had asked me to prom that morning and I had derailed the conversation, claiming to be helping Edward with homework.

I saw his face fall, then it turned sulky. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Disentangling myself from him, I walked toward where Edward was. I tripped twice on the way, stumbling over nothing but flat lino. I sighed and pulled out a chair opposite Edward's. He glanced up at me the put his head back into his book.

"Hey," he murmured. I smiled. "Hey." He looked at me then, meeting my eyes. I looked away, afraid that if he started talking I would miss it all and look retarded.

"So," I began, searching for a considerably interesting topic of conversation.

"So..." he murmured, half smiling. "Where did you used to live?" I asked casually. Edward went rigid all over, his eyes falling to his hands that were now fisted on the table.

"Vermont." he answered flatly, obviously uncomfortable. Me and my stupid mouth. I sighed, he took my silence as an opportunity to turn the topic onto me. "Are you and Mike together?" he asked quietly. I stared up at him. He dropped his eyes, playing with his food, tearing it apart with his long, pale fingers.

I got distracted by that for a moment, his hands, and his arms, he wore a tight grey shirt and a hoodie over the top. Then I fully grasped what he was asking.

I trained my eyes to his face and glared. "No." I said a little too sharply. I bit my lip. "Sometimes the line blurs a bit with Mike." I shook my head and laughed once without humour. "He doesn't seem to know there was even a line in the first place." Edward perked his eyebrow. "Huh. I thought you two were a couple, seeing as you're always around eachother and he's always touching you..." he shrugged, letting his sentence hang in the air.

I gritted my teeth. "No, we are just friends. I don't see him that way. At all." I clarified. The hint of a smiled tugged his lips."My mistake." he mumbled. I rolled my eyes. "How about you? Why don't you talk to anyone?" I asked abrasively. He sighed and stared back at me, abandoning his food. "I just, dont like people." "With the exception of me, of course." I pointed to myself.

He nodded. "I'm not that social. People are better off without me anyway." "Why would you say that?" I asked, intrigued. "Doesn't matter."

"Did you find anyone who did the English homework?" He looked confused.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I did."