well, thank you to all who reviewed, I really do appriciate it!

hope you enjoy the chapter~

Chapter 6

I isolated myself for the rest of the weekend.

I stayed at my house and replayed the moment Bella and I spent together over and over, trying to figure out what it was that I did to bring memories of Bella's past flooding back.

Rose had kept her mouth shut, not even giving anything away to Emmett.

I could barely sleep and eat.

But Monday finally came.

Today I would find Bella and see if I could talk to her about what had happened at the party.

Maybe I could apologize.

Maybe I could understand.

I got out of bed and stood in the shower, planning out what I would say when I got the chance to speak with her,

I skipped breakfast, even though it is the most important meal of the day, I had no appetite.

I drove to school and waited in the parking lot for her clunker of a truck.

I looked at the clock on the dashboard.

It read 7:45. I was a full half an hour early to school.

My car was alone in the student parking lot, except for Eric's, who is always early to school so he can do some sort of programming thing on the computers in the lab.

Cars started to slowly trickle into the parking lot.

No red truck.

I looked at the dashboard clock again. 8:00.

I started to get nervous. Was she coming to school today? Did something happen to her on her way to school?

As I was thinking about the worst that could happen, I heard it.

I looked in my rearview mirror and I felt my heart rate speed up.

I got out of my car and lounged against the hood, hoping to look handsome.

She walked down the sidewalk, but did not glance at me once.

I took it as an opportunity.

"Hey," I said, falling into step with her.

She gasped, "Oh, hi…"

I laughed uncomfortably, "Sorry I startled you," I smiled my warmest smile.

"It's fine."

Wow, that was cold…

"Is everything okay?" I decided to test the waters.

She said nothing, and kept walking.

I tried again, thinking that she might not have heard me, "Bella? Is everything okay?"

She stopped and turned to face me, eye glistening with tears, "No."

My heart stopped when I saw the pain in her eyes.

"Bella," I reached to touch her arm and she flinched away from me. I stood with my arm outstretched for a few moments but I put it down as I said, "Bella, what's wrong?"

Her lip quivered, she opened her mouth as if she was going to say something. She closed it and turned away from me.

I ran to stand in front of her, "Bella, tell me what is going on, I want to know what made you this way,"

She looked me in the eye and said, "How dare you?"

"Wh-what?" I stammered, shocked by her answer.

"I said, 'how dare you?'" She started shaking.

"Bella, I have no idea what you are talking about," I could feel my mask of Hot-Head-Edward start to crack.

"Don't pretend that you are innocent. Do you really want me to tell you what it was that pissed me off?"

"Yes! Because I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"I am talking about the party on Friday."
"The party? About me trying to kiss you, I am sorry, I didn't mean to pressure you in any way…"

I saw her face soften for a split second.

"I am not talking about the kiss. I am talking about what you did after that."

Oh. Shit.

She must have seen the look on my face because she said, "Exactly."

"I-I-I…" My mind went blank. And what could I say?

"I thought that maybe I could trust you, but really, I can't trust anyone. Anyone." With that, she turned around and walked into the building, leaving me standing shell-shocked in the parking lot.

The rest of the day went by in slow motion. I was replaying Friday night and the conversation with Bella over and over again. How could I think she would not find out about the two girls at the party?

"Edward." I heard Rose's voice from behind me.

I turned to face her.

"What happened this morning?"

"With Bella?"

She nodded.

"I was going to meet her this morning, maybe walk her to class, you know, be a gentleman. But then I saw she was upset. I asked her what was bothering me and she…" I couldn't finish the sentence.

"She…told you she found out about the two girls at the party?"

I nodded.

"Edward," She said my name incredulously, "do you want to know what I think?"

She didn't wait for my answer and continued, "I think you fooled around with those two girls to somehow get back at Bella for rejecting you."

I let this sink in.

She was dead on.

"Fuuuuck" I slid to the ground, leaning against my car.

"Ed," Rosalie knelt down next to me and put a hand on my shoulder, "I can see that you do feel horrible about what happened at my party, and I can also see how badly you want to get close to Bella." She paused, "So what I am about to tell you is extremely important."

I waited for her to continue.

She looked like she was having a war within herself.

Finally she looked me in the eye and said, "Bella will be at the Port Angeles House for Women tonight from 5 to 7 o'clock."

The Port Angeles House for Women?

"What is that?" I asked, standing up.

"I am just telling you how to find her, not why she is there."

"Okay, okay, I can live with that. Thank you Rosalie, thank you."

I looked at my watch, it was 4 o'clock now, which meant if I left now I would arrive in Port Angeles at 5:30.

I got in my car and started driving.

When I arrived at the Port Angeles House for Women it was 5:36, and there was a chilly breeze.

I got out of my car and walked into a building that wasn't in great shape.

When I opened the door bells jingled over my head and a stressed out older woman met my eyes.

"Can I help you?" She asked me in a voice that implied I was not welcome here.

"Uh, yeah," I rubbed my arm nervously, "I was wondering if you know Bella Swan?"

"I might," The woman looked skeptically at me.

"I need to speak with her, if she is available please," I tried to smile.

She glared at me as she picked up a phone and whispered something into the mouth piece.

"Take a seat right there where I can see you." She pointed to a weird yellow armchair, but despite the color I took the seat.

I looked around the area that seemed to be the office.

The color of the walls reminded me of fourth grade when John Wilkins got sick in math class and threw up all over his desk.

The furniture made me think of the early 30's and the carpet was a faded red shag.

As I was analyzing the ceiling, I heard, "Yes Glenda?"

That voice.

Bella.

I looked up as the older woman, Glenda, pointed at me, and I saw Bella pale as she saw who I was.

This made me sick to my stomach.

The fact that the sight of me can make Bella go pale made me want to curl up in a hole and stay there forever.

"What do you want?" Bella asked me from where she was standing.

"I, I uh, want to talk," I stood up and mentioned to the door.

Bella looked to Glenda who nodded and gave me the evil eye as Bella followed me out the door.

The instant it shut Bella asked, "How did you find me?"

"Uh, Rosalie told me," Bella's face fell, and I decided to defend Rosalie, "but she only told me after I beat it out of her," I tried to smile, but Bella's look wiped away all humor.

"Bella," I reached for her like I had this morning.

"Don't. Touch. Me." She said, flinching away yet again.

"I…I am sorry."

This made her look at me.

I decided to take that recognition as my cue to say what I came here to say.

"Bella, I came here to tell you that I am sorry. Truly sorry. I am sorry about trying to kiss you. I…didn't want to pressure you into anything you didn't want to do, and I shouldn't have assumed what I did. I am also extremely sorry about what happened once you left." I saw her face harden but I continued, "My pride was hurt. I had just been rejected by the only girl I have every really wanted a relationship with, so I did what I thought might count as revenge towards you. I had a little too much to drink, and that is no excuse, believe me, and I needed an ego boost."

Her eyes started to glimmer, tears finding their way to the surface.

"What I did was unacceptable, but I do want you to know I did not sleep with those two girls. I did fool around with them, but I did not sleep with either one of them. I also want you to know that the moment I laid eyes on you I stopped sleeping with other girls, when they asked me to do something, I did not, because I want you."

She whispered, "But I can't trust you…" the tears were flowing freely.

"Bella. Oh Bella," My voice started to shake, "I am filled with guilt for losing your trust, but I promise you right now, I will make it up to you."

Again, she whispered, "That's what he said…"

Holy. Mother. Fucker.

I felt my knees start to go weak.

"Shit, Bella…" I was at a loss for words, "Oh my god…I…I…I had no idea..."

"You weren't supposed to," she laughed a humorless laugh.

I shook my head, trying to fight away the black that wanted to take over me.

"I guess you were bound to find out some time or another," She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

I collapsed onto the damp grass and put my head between my legs, trying not to vomit.

We sat in silence for what seemed like hours.

Finally I regained the ability to speak, "Bella, I would…I would never."

She put a hand on my forearm, "I know," she smiled, "I know."

ohhh I feel evil...sorry! I just had to end it there!

Can any of you guess what Edward has just realized?

I haven't really gotten that many votes on whether or not I should do a chapter in Bella's POV (thank you to the 10 of you who have voted) but what I think I will do is write this story ONLY in Edward's POV and then I might add a story containing Bella's POV. Ya?

Anywho, thanks again to all the reviewers, really, it is what inspires me to write ='[ --(that is me tearing up)

heh...

xoxo ~ greatterriblebeauty