Twilight does not belong to me, but to Stephenie Meyer.

WARNING: kidnapping, mentions of child abuse, and antagonistic Carlisle (to an extent)

Edward Masen Jr

By BriiDream

Chapter Four: To Date or Not to Date

Bella stared out her truck's windshield. She had arrived way too early to school and it was pouring down outside. She knew she was going to have the worst day of her life. She watched as cars, vans, and trucks pulled into the parking lot. The Cullens' Volvo stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the older vehicles.

Bella finally slid out her truck and raced to the safety of her English classroom. She quickly walked to the back of the room. She sat down breathlessly beside Eric. Mr. Mason talked about doing a Shakespearean play. The class's response was mixed. Eric eagerly supported it as something to add to their school newspaper which was barely two pages long. Bella doodled in her notebook; if there was going to be a play, she was definitely not going to participate.

The rest of the morning flew by. When lunch rolled around, she glanced at the Cullens' table. She stopped and counted the members of the table-four. Edward was not with his family, although Bella was certain that she had seen all of the Cullens get out the Volvo this morning. Was his class held back like hers?

"Hey, Bella," Jessica tugged impatiently on her arm. "What do you want?"

"Uh, nothing," Bella grabbed a bottle of lemonade and followed Jessica to their crowded table. Jessica huffed, but chose not to say anything on the matter. She sat down between Angela and Mike. They were discussing the play Mr. Mason was planning on. She ignored them.

"Edward Cullen is looking over here again." Bella's head shot up and she followed the general direction of Mike's scowl and everyone else's glances. Edward sat at another table a few yards away from his siblings (who, Bella now noticed, were throwing inconspicuous glances in his direction).

"He's looking at you, Bella," Jessica laughed halfheartedly and with a noticeable air of envy. Bella flushed and looked back over at Edward Cullen who gestured at her to come over. "Are you guys a thing or something?"

"No, Jess, it's probably homework or something," Bella stood up as she mumbled the lame excuse. She knew none of them, except neutral Angela, would be pleasant about Edward asking her out on a date.

Bella walked across the cafeteria, feeling her friends' eyes boring holes in her back. She was sweating by the time she reached Edward who smiled amusedly up at her. He raised an eyebrow when she just kept standing there.

"You can sit down; I don't bite," Edward grinned as she flushed and sat down. He glanced curiously at her lack of a tray, but didn't comment.

"W-Why aren't you sitting with your family," Bella stammered, wondering if she would have any dignity left after this encounter. She stared at her hands clutching the lemonade bottle.

"I'm starting to feel claustrophobic," Edward shrugged. "Being stuck with your four differing siblings practically 24/7 is no picnic. A little space is appreciated."

Bella nodded and took a sip from the bottle. She peered over it at Edward who stared just as curious back at her. She felt her cheeks burned, so she looked past his brilliant and beautiful green eyes to his siblings. She met Rosalie's blue eyes which flashed hostilely back.

"Your family doesn't like me very much," Bella gulped, looking back at Edward.

"Don't mind them," Edward said, a little too quickly. He leaned towards her and suggested, "Why don't we discuss our upcoming date instead?"

"Date. Right." Bella groaned inwardly. She had had a restless night with every possible outcome of her choice running through her mind. Something bad would definitely happen. She had been unable to make up a plausible excuse to get out of it now. He would be suspicious why she was refusing him, which would lead thoughts back to his suspicious family.

Edward picked up on her tone. "You've changed your mind?"

"No, of course not," Bella replied hastily. The only thing that stopped her from slapping herself in public was the disappointed look that crossed his face. Was he disappointed she hadn't said yes? "Are you having second thoughts?"

"Of course not," Edward smiled sweetly. "So when do you want to go?"

"Um," Bella bit her bottom lip. She was convinced he was lying, but she had no way of calling him out on it. She also needed to find time to make up a better excuse that wouldn't get the date simply pushed back. "I'll have to talk to Charlie about it first. He's a bit strict about dates."

"Haven't you gone on a date before?"

"No one ever asked me out before," Bella confessed. Edward looked surprised. She rolled her eyes even though she was flattered at his assumption. "I was a wallflower in Phoenix."

"You're far from a wallflower here," Edward gestured behind her, reminding her of the huge holes being burned into her back. "You didn't say yes to any of them?"

"No, I haven't," Bella hesitated before adding, "I really don't see either Mike or Eric as potential dates. They're great friends."

"Well, I hope you tell them that to their face," Edward smiled crookedly. "Some guys and girls have a hard time getting subtle rejections."

Bella groaned in despair at her predicament. Edward had the nerve to snicker. She gave him an annoyed glare.

"If I told you no, would you stop asking me out on dates," Bella asked, crossing her arms.

"It depends if you were clear with your message or not," Edward leaned back. "If you simply said no and added an excuse, I might ask again in a few weeks or months, simply because you didn't really say you didn't want to date me. You only gave a reason for why you couldn't go on that particular date."

"Well thought out," Bella complimented, hiding her surprise. She rarely met a guy who was a good debater. The ones in Phoenix had read off of the notes of the girls.

"Thank you," Edward smiled. "The same thing with if you had simply hinted that you were interested in someone else-they might think they still had a chance if you weren't dating your interest. Even then, they sometimes get it caught in their head that you could still be interested in them. You should be as firm and as clear as possible when handling deluded admirers."

"You could probably make a great dating advisor," Bella grinned back at him.

"I might have to if we don't make it to Biology on time."

Bella glanced around at the empty cafeteria in shock. She stood up and hastily left with Edward to Biology. She felt warm walking beside him. She stopped outside the class when she was hit by a strong realization that she might actually like Edward-more than a friend.

"Will you be joining us today, Miss Swan," Mr. Banner asked in a slightly exasperated tone. Bella blushed and sat down beside Edward.

Bella stared at her notebook in a daze. Her feelings for Edward were definitely going to complicate things. He was irresistible, and she needed to find a reason to not go on the date before she lost complete control of her emotions. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She glanced through her curtain of hair at Edward who was writing in that notebook from the day before. She wondered if it was a diary or journal.

Towards the end of class, Edward passed a note over to her. She opened it carefully (once she checked to make sure Mr. Banner wasn't looking). His handwriting was as elegant as before and she read the simple message: Looking forward to our date.

So very sorry for the hiatus. I'm trying to get back on track. I hope you forgive me.