AN: Okay, a ton of notes today, for which I apologize for, but…they're all important, so if you don't mind—please read through them!

1. Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing – last week was my highest amount of reviews yet…91! Wowsa, right? You guys are so incredible, there are about 10 more of you who need to be considered Call Girls – and I swear next week you're all getting a massive shout out.

2. I was finally peer pressured into joining twitter, so … if your little hearts' desire to know what I do during the week (it's super fascinating, let me tell you), you can now find lexiecullen17 on there…

3. Details for the Twi-High Anonymous Challenge can now be found at http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2165753/Twi-High_Anonymous_Challenge and I would LOVE for as many people to enter as possible. It's all anonymous, so don't be scared to put yourself out there ;)

4. I will be participating in twilighted(dot)net's "Smut Mondays" by Ninapolitan this week…and since we haven't quite got around to the smut here, I figured you may want to check that out! December 7…it's going to be good, I promise.

4. MASSIVE HUGS for my beta, lisa89, who despite taking a beta hiatus, beta'd this chapter and my SM o/s to perfection. Did I mention you're the love of my life? Yeah…

Now that that's all taken care of…I think you guys are REALLY going to enjoy this chapter ;) ONWARDS!

~Bella~

I sighed loudly as I set up my easel and stared out the back window of the Fine Arts room again.

"Bella," Jasper whined, bringing my focus away from the window. "You're driving me crazy!"

"He's been acting weird," I huffed. "Right? It's been three days, and he's been acting weird!"

"Stop staring at the shack, Swan. You're making something out of nothing."

"It's your fault. If you hadn't told him I liked him—"

Jasper cut me off. "I didn't tell him you liked him. I told him you thought he was cute."

"Same thing!" I fumed, getting worked up all over again.

"It's not. Now shut up and get ready, please. Campers will be here any second now."

I rolled my eyes before sliding them covertly over to the shack once more, jumping as Jasper slapped his hand down onto the table.

"I'm not kidding, Bella! He hasn't been acting weird. Now chill the fuck out."

I had initially thought Jasper was the cool, calm and collected guy he appeared to be. It turned out that I was fully capable of turning him into a raving lunatic. Over the past three days, Jasper and I had turned into bickering siblings.

Our activity time together was great. Jasper was fantastic at keeping the kids calm, turning on some Garbage or REM as mood music. And I finally got the chance to work on my own artwork. It was only when the children weren't present that we lost all semblance of calm and turned into a squabbling pair.

He hounded me for avoiding Edward, and I hounded him right back for not making a move on Alice. She was practically begging him for it, and he still refused. He claimed that she was "too much of a free spirit to be tied down." I told him to stop giving me lame excuses…and he pretty much told me the same.

Our last class of the day piled in, dragging me out of my Jasper-induced agitation. I needed to focus on the kids. My campers were pretty spectacular.

"Everyone take a seat," Jasper called out as he turned around the easel I had just set up. He went on to explain to the class how they were going to be making flip books today. He divided the easel into ten squares, showing the progression of a boy holding a balloon and watching the balloon be let go and float through the air. He then ripped up the squares and stacked them in order, showing the class how the pictures moved when you flipped through them quickly. It was like Animation 101, and I missed Edward for the hundredth time that day.

The class went by quickly, with the soft strains of REM's Automatic For The People album keeping me focused. I created my own flip book of a boy who started off lying on his bed and then moved to play air guitar around his room before coming back to lie down again. I was pretty proud of it. I was snickering to myself at how similar the boy looked to Jasper when I heard a soft velvet chuckle over my shoulder.

I nearly jumped out of my seat at the laugh's proximity to my ear, the puffs of hot air caressing the back of my neck. "Shit!" I shrieked, causing four straggling campers to look up at me in shock. "Sorry," I mouthed to Jasper, who was trying his very hardest to contain his laughter as Edward slid onto the bench next to me.

I gulped, breathing in his heady scent. It felt like weeks since we'd spent time together, not mere days. "Long time no see," I began, trying to keep my voice steady. I felt so ridiculous. How could he make me this nervous? After all this time. I was really starting to psych myself out for no reason.

"Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it?" He scratched the back of his neck before slumping over the table, seemingly exhausted. Now that I was taking a better look at him, he looked a wreck. What had happened to my beautiful, secure Edward?

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly, nervously placing my hand on his forearm. He jolted upright, going rigid under my touch. I pulled my hand back, feeling slightly burned, and turned my attention back to my flip book. If Edward wanted to talk, he was going to have to do the work. I couldn't take his moodiness again today. I'd had enough of that the first time around, and I thought we'd sorted it out fairly well.

"I'm fine. I, uh, just wanted to remind you that you're auditioning for the counselor musical with me tonight."

I scoffed and shook my head. "No way, Edward." He stared at me, no longer looking unsure, peer pressuring me with a single look. "No!" I continued adamantly. "No." He cracked a smile, knowing that he was getting to me. I couldn't let him have the upper hand. "It's not going to happen. I don't want to."

"Bella, please? You know Alice is helping choreograph it, and Jake and Emmett and Rosalie already told me that they're auditioning tonight—and Jasper is, too. Right, Jasper?"

Jasper's head snapped up, and he look startled. Obviously he had been unaware of the covert peer pressuring genius that was Edward Cullen. "Uh…"

"See. Everyone's doing it, LB," he joked, slipping back into form. A small part of me died when he reverted back to my nickname. It was as if every step forward I thought we were making was actually hindered by two steps back.

"It's Bella," I bit back at him, standing abruptly. "And I'm not auditioning."

"Yes you are, Bella…"

I rolled my eyes and walked out of the room. It was my last class of the day, and I seriously needed to get away from him. I didn't know how to act around him anymore. And on top of it, I had barely seen Emmett, either. He always had Rosalie attached to his hip. I knew that she had been having serious problems with Royce recently—it seemed like every time I walked into the counselor lounge, she was screaming at him on the phone, and I still didn't really know why she stayed with him. It wasn't that I didn't love Rosalie, because I did, but I missed spending time alone with Emmett. He was usually my rock and my laughter when I needed it—and I needed it desperately. However, he hadn't been around.

"Bella, wait up!" I heard a voice call. I turned around to see Seth running at me.

"Hey, Seth." I smiled, happy to talk with someone who wouldn't completely infuriate me.

"Got a second to talk?" I nodded, and he grabbed my hand happily, his hand warm in mine. Warm, but no sparks. Apparently those were reserved only for Edward. He led me to the nearest stairs, which led up to the dance studio. I could hear Alice counting to the beat as she choreographed past her class time.

"What's up?" I asked, after getting comfortable on the steps.

"Not much, actually." He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned on his elbows, slumping over exaggeratedly. "I just wanted to see how you were. We haven't had much of a chance to talk recently. How's your bunk doing?"

"They're great, actually. Now that I know the names of all the Jonases, I've been inducted into the cool counselor club, according to them. They've been on their best behavior."

"That's great!" he said, enthusiastically, placing his hand on my knee. Knee touching. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Seth was such a sweetheart, but sometimes he reminded me of an untrained puppy with his unrestrained enthusiasm. "Are you auditioning for the musical tonight?"

I froze. "Did Edward put you up to this?" He couldn't have. He wouldn't do that…right?

"Edward? Uh…no. Why would you think that?"

I shook my head, ridding myself of those thoughts. Of course he wouldn't. Edward didn't care that much if I auditioned or not. "He was just asking me before, and I didn't really want to—"

"So are you?" he interrupted, his dark eyes boring holes into my own so intensely that I felt inclined to look away. My eyes grazed the open land in front of us, only to be met with Edward's angry scowl. He was standing across the field from us, staring adamantly at Seth's hand, which was still resting on my knee.

"Uh, yeah…I guess so," I replied distractedly. The only thing I could focus on was Edward.

"Bella?" Seth called as his hand slid further up my thigh. Well, that got my attention back. My eyes snapped back to Seth, surprised, before placing my hand atop his and sliding it back down to my knee. Seth wrapped his fingers around mine, squeezing gently before pulling his hand away to rest on his own lap.

"Yes," I stated definitively. "Yes, I'll be there." If not to audition, then to figure out what the hell that look from Edward was all about.

He smiled widely, flashing his perfectly white teeth at me. "Great! I'll see you there." He stood up and walked away, bumping into Edward, who was still gaping at the spot on my thigh where Seth's hand had been.

Edward shook his head slightly before making eye contact with me. He ran his hand through his hair and kept his hand at the back of his neck, putting pressure on the tense muscles there. My body started to awaken just imagining all the ways those fingers could massage my body. Before I could get enraptured with yet another impossible Edward fantasy, I decided to head towards the music and catch up with my best friend.

I smiled at Edward, unable to truly ignore him, before standing and trudging up the stairs to the dance studio.

Alice was flitting around the studio to the electronic bass of Footloose, repeating a sequence of movements over and over, seemingly committing them to memory. As she was spinning around, she finally caught sight of me; I was still admiring happily from the corner, afraid for my life if I got in the way of her flailing limbs.

"LB!" she shouted over the loud music. "Perfect timing!"

Uh oh. I know that face. Abort, abort! Run away!

But it was too late. Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the center of the room, ready to teach me the combination she'd been working on.

"Alice," I groaned. "I don't want to do this…"

"Don't be silly, LB. You're auditioning tonight, right?" I nodded stiffly, and she broke into a huge grin. "Fabulous! This is the audition piece, so you'll be ahead of the game."

I rolled my eyes and sighed loudly. "Alice, I really don't care that much. Edward just harassed me into doing it."

That got her attention. Alice lowered the music and pulled me to sit against the mirror with her. This was one of her favorite gossip spots. She looked over at me expectantly while pinning her short black hair away from her flushed cheeks.

"Mmkay, LB. Let's chat. What's going on with you and Edward?"

"Um, nothing?"

Alice shook her head, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "That's not what I heard…"

"You heard something? From who?" I snapped.

"Jasper, of course," she giggled, her intensified flush suddenly having little to do with her dancing.

"Oh, yeah—what's going on with that?" I prodded.

"No, no, no, Bella Swan. We're not done discussing you. We'll get to Jasper later."

I slumped against the mirror in defeat. "Yeah? Well, nothing's going on, so I don't know what there is to discuss. Now, let's talk about Jasper."

"What about me?"

Alice's eyes went wide as she shuffled back into a standing position, smoothing out her tight dance clothes. She caught sight of herself in the large mirrored wall, trying to fix her outfit before refocusing on the awkward blonde boy standing in the doorway.

"I'm about to teach tonight's audition piece to Bella, but it's a partner piece. And I was just saying that we should go get you to be her partner!"

How Alice was able to lie so easily on the spot, I'd never know. But I had to give it to her; she was damn good at it.

"Oh, no." Jasper blushed as he held up a hand in protest, but Alice wasn't having any of that. Instead, she skipped over to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the center of the room.

"Bella!" she called out, not even bothering to look at me. Not like she needed to—Jasper and Alice only had eyes for one another. It was pretty precious. He blushed harder as she squeezed his hand, bringing it down between them before finally turning to me. "Okay, this is going to be part of the finale when they're all at the dance…"

As Alice continued to put us into position, I tuned her out, focusing solely on the dance. By the time we were finished, I knew I was going to need a long shower to clean up before auditions tonight. I was covered in sweat, dripping onto Jasper every time he grabbed my hand or spun me. I was exhausted; I could barely see straight. After performing it for Alice, I only knew we had done a good job due to the amounts of sheer joy written all over her face—that was how freaking exhausted I was.

Jasper looked at me and then just collapsed onto the floor, wiping out in a ridiculous sweaty mess of limbs. Laughing, I decided to collapse next to him, reveling in the feel of the cool wood beneath my back.

"Tired?" Alice chirped.

I was fairly certain I groaned something in response, but it was definitely unintelligible. Jasper concurred.

"Not too hard for an audition piece, though, right?" she asked, sounding sincerely worried.

I tried to shake my head, but my muscles wouldn't move. "No," I breathed out heavily. "S'really good, Al."

"Al?" Jasper breathed out, just as heavily. Alice just shook her head sternly. I was the only one allowed to call her Al, and she knew it. "Oh, Bella—" Jasper interrupted himself, seemingly having forgotten something incredibly important.

"Yeah?" I turned on my side to face the still-panting Jasper.

"Edward was acting weird. You were right."

At that, I sat straight up, hitting the backs of Alice's knees with my head as I went. "What?"

"Ow, Jesus, LB!" she cried out as she sat down in between us. "Why?" she asked Jasper curiously. "What did he do?"

Jasper ran a hand through his sweaty hair, pushing it back with the wetness that had accumulated on his forehead. "I don't really know how to explain it, but I ran into him on my way here, and he was just staring off into space. I asked him what was going on, but he could barely string a sentence together. And then, just as I was heading over here, he asked me to 'convince Bella that she has to audition.' Direct quote, no joke."

I rolled my eyes again. That wasn't acting weird. That was just Edward wanting to get his way. What a punk. Oh, well. He was getting his way. I was auditioning after all.

"Whatever. I need a shower really badly now. I'll catch up with you two later?" I stood, ready to give those two some room to be alone. They didn't even nod back to me, already immersed in conversation by the time I turned to head out.

I walked straight to my bunk, where my girls were happily playing a game of gin rummy in the middle of the floor.

"Ew," Vicky called out as she saw me traipse in. "You're all sweaty."

"Yeah, I am," I laughed, pretending to shake my sweat onto her. The girls all screamed and giggled and jumped onto their beds to avoid my path. I was starting to warm up to them.

"Oh, Bella." Andie approached me nervously as the girls continued to giggle behind her.

"What's up?" I asked cheerfully.

"Your phone started beeping when I was in here before." Andie took my phone out from under her pillow and handed it to me. My stomach dropped. I wasn't technically allowed to have my phone inside my bunk. I was supposed to keep it in my locker in the counselor lounge, but I had forgotten to return it to its proper spot earlier this morning after talking to my mom. I really didn't want to get in trouble. "I didn't tell anyone, and I put it on silent," she added quickly. Relief flowed through my body.

"Thanks, Andie. Uh…that won't happen again."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around my waist. "It's okay, Bella. You've been really great. I didn't want to get you in trouble."

I rested my chin on top of her head and welcomed the small girl's embrace. And for the first time since arriving, I actually felt like a counselor. I remembered feeling a certain camaraderie with my bunk counselors—a weird sort of familial love that was completely inexplicable and unable to be broken—and I was glad that we'd already reached that point a mere four days into the summer.

I sat down on my bed to check my phone and was surprised to see that I had three new text messages. No wonder Andie had put the phone on silent; it must have been going crazy. The first text message was from my mom, commenting on how nice it was to hear from me. I had to keep reminding myself to call her occasionally, especially now that it was actually allowed. The second and third texts were from…Edward.

Color me shocked.

I covertly opened them, sinking the phone into my lap, away from prying eyes—as if anyone was actually reading the texts over my shoulder.

Just a reminder that auditions for the musical are tonight. See you there ;) – EC

I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue, even though he wasn't around to see me. I was even more surprised with the second text, though.

Sorry for pushing before. If u don't want to audition, u don't have to—I just wanted to spend more time w/ u. Why haven't u used the shack at night yet, insomniac? – EC

My breath caught, and I had to reread the text a second and then a third time. Edward wanted to spend more time with me? And I'd been avoiding him like a scared little girl. Now I felt like an asshole…and incredibly turned on. How many nights alone in the shack with Edward had I missed out on by simply being nervous? Sweat still dripping down my body, I changed out of my clothes quickly and wrapped my towel around me as I walked the short distance to the shower house.

In the shower, I decided to utilize my alone time. It had been a very long week, and with those texts from Edward, my sexual tension level was rising by the second. I shampooed my hair thoroughly, massaging my head, imagining they were Edward's long fingers scratching over my scalp. As the shampoo trailed down my body, I squirted a large dollop of soap into my hands and worked it over my skin gently. Washing the dirt and grime away, I let my hands linger longer over my aching breasts, making my breath hitch ever so slightly.

My hand ghosted small circles over my curves, applying gentle pressure to my sensitive nipples. Keeping one hand on my breast, I allowed the other one to follow the path of the water and trail down between my legs. I pushed two fingers into my wetness, trying hard not to gasp out loud with pleasure. The fingers curled inwards and rubbed against my walls. I could feel them pulse with each thrust, making me sigh with happiness. Feeling the tension build, I moved my finger to play with my clit, rubbing myself until the point of no return. I came in furious shudders, imagining Edward pulsing within me as we lay naked together on the cold floor of the video shack.

Feeling spent and finally clean, I wrapped myself back into my towel and headed to my bunk to get ready for the audition process. Rosalie was already sitting on my bed when I arrived.

"You're just getting out of the shower, Bella? We have to be down at auditions in fifteen minutes! I was sent to—"

"Did Edward send you?"

Rosalie cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at me. "How did you—"

"Why does he want me to audition so badly?" I asked, my voice starting to gain volume. I didn't know why his insistence was annoying me, but I guessed after three days of no contact, it just seemed off for some reason.

"Just put some clothes on."

Grumbling, I picked out the first clothes I saw, a pair of grey yoga pants and a white wife beater, but not before Rosalie could hand me the scariest-looking underwear in my drawer.

I gaped at the bunch of hot pink and white lace in my hand and dropped it onto my bed as if it were on fire. "Rose! Are you serious? I can't wear that!" Rosalie scoffed and went back to my closet, leaving the heap of scary lace on the bed. She rummaged through my clothes before pulling out a navy tank top and throwing it onto the bed, too.

"You're auditioning tonight, and you're going to need to feel hot. This underwear—" she picked up the bra, displaying the pink padded satin and white lace for all to see "—is going to get you the lead, Bella. I'm positive. Now put it on, no complaining. Be grateful that I didn't put you in a thong." She laughed deviously and held out the matching bottoms for me to put on.

Once I was fully dressed, I could see that Rosalie was right. I felt fucking hot. The low cut neckline of the tank showed off my newly pushed up boobs, giving me ample cleavage. And the tight yoga pants revealed nothing of my underwear, but just knowing what was under there myself gave me the extra burst of confidence that Rosalie obviously knew I needed.

After throwing my hair into pigtail braids and slipping on my own pair of flip flops, I was ready to go.

"Whoa, Bella," Lauren called out as I passed by her bed, where she was reading Tiger Beat magazine, "you look really pretty. Are you going on a date?"

At the word "date," the entirety of the bunk looked up and gathered around Lauren's bed to admire me. "No." I shook my head, but my blush gave something away. "Musical auditions. Wouldn't you girls like to know what it is this summer?" I goaded, unable to resist teasing.

They all nodded their heads, smiling like maniacs. I may have been a cool counselor, but I wasn't a dumbass. "Well, I'm off now. Get to sleep and be good for night duty!" I called out, leaving the giggling girls behind and dragging Rosalie with me. I couldn't believe how a simple pair of underwear could change my mood so drastically, but I couldn't help but feel on top of the world.

Having spent so much time getting ready, Rosalie and I were the last ones to arrive for auditions. Maria, the creative director for the camp, was already standing on the stage, addressing all the counselors. She'd been one of my favorite counselors while attending Long Lake. Sort of a female Elton John, Maria was always dressed in bright colors and sequins, completely unafraid of being seen as ostentatious. Plus, she lived for the theater, making her enthusiasm nearly contagious by merely sitting in her presence.

"As some of you may have heard, this summer's counselor musical will be Footloose! I've asked Long Lake's very own Mary Allison to choreograph," She held out a hand and pulled Alice onto the stage, who was still frowning at Maria's use of her full name. "It's going to be quite the production! First, we'll do singing auditions. Boys first, then girls. Then we'll do a dance audition in pairs. Mary Allison has worked so hard on it. And last, I will call a few of you to read lines together. Sound good?" She clapped her hands together loudly before heading over to the piano, gathering the boys around to learn a verse and a chorus of "I Can't Stand Still."

"Where have you two been?" Alice whisper-yelled at us, sliding onto the bleachers next to Rosalie and me. "I thought you were going to stand me up, Bella, and I was about to die."

"Stop being such a drama queen, Mary Allison." I laughed as Alice huffed and crossed her arms, looking towards the boys and away from me.

After clunking through practice, it was time for the boys to sing individually, coming to stand around the piano in groups of five. Naturally, my favorite group all went together. Emmett went first, his baritone voice cracking over the difficult notes of the chorus, but that didn't matter to him. Still smiling, Emmett swayed with the beat, trying to keep up with the piano.

Seth was pretty terrible, too. I couldn't even pretend. Rosalie and I just giggled, trying to stifle our loud guffaws each time his voice would break over the higher notes in the phrase.

Next was Jake. He was pretty similar to Emmett, although the volume of his voice kind of compensated for the fact that he was a bit off key. He was so into it. Maria's face was animated, eating it all up. Jake would be called back to read lines for sure.

Jasper, though, was a complete surprise. He sounded…great. I was incredibly impressed. I'd been privy to his soft singing and humming during our class time together, but I was truly impressed with his vocal talents. Maria seemed to feel similarly because after he finished, she scribbled down something in her notebook before turning to the last person to audition in the group: Edward.

He sang extremely well, even for him. His exuberance and enthusiasm were true to the nature of the lead character, Ren, and I was positive that he was going to get the starring role.

Next, the girls went to audition. I was, of course, pushed to go first. I was nervous, but I felt good. As we walked up to the piano, Jake swatted at my ass, and I couldn't help but turn around and smack him right back. His eyes went wide as my hand collided with his behind, clearly not expecting it. After a brief pause, he broke out into loud bursts of laughter, clutching onto his stomach as he doubled over, gasping for air.

"Harassment goes both ways, you know."

"I've been waiting…for you…to…retaliate," he gasped between laughs. "It's about…fuck-fucking…time, LB!"

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the piano, feeling even more confident than before. Jake was such a goof. And I didn't mind that he treated me like a little sister, because he was definitely a big brother to me, too. As I settled at the piano, Maria's eyes and smile widened simultaneously.

"LB, is that you? Look at you, all grown up." She smiled warmly and placed her hand over mine. "Long Lake is excited to have you back."

I smiled at that and accepted the sheet music she had been handing out. We went over the first verse and chorus of the song a few times before she split us up into groups and asked us to sing individually. Rosalie went first, singing along quietly as Emmett whooped loudly from his seat, creating quite the ruckus. I shot him a glare over my shoulder. His enthusiasm was only making her more nervous. Luckily, he saw and quieted down appropriately.

Next, it was my turn. I cleared my throat, ready to begin, when I felt his eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up as a shiver went up my spine. I was instantly glad that Rosalie had put me into a padded bra, otherwise I would have been showing everyone how incredibly turned on I was at that moment. Unable to relish the feeling, I was forced to jump into the song as Maria pounded out the opening chords.

"Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the Gods?

Where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

Late at night I toss and I turn…and I dream of what I need.

I need a hero!"

My voice gained confidence with every line, using my untapped sexual energy to propel my performance further. Maria looked up in surprise before scribbling in her notebook. Rosalie's arm squeezed my side, and I couldn't help but smile. For the first time, I felt like being in the spotlight wasn't such a terrible thing. At least I knew I had Edward's undivided attention.

I sat back down quickly, waiting for the other girls to finish their auditions, but I felt as if I'd been sitting for merely seconds before the dancing part of the audition began. Alice grabbed Jasper and me from our seats and told us to show the routine to the rest of the counselors. Although I would have usually been mad and embarrassed by Alice's lack of concern with putting me front and center, tonight I was okay with it.

I kicked off my flip flops and went through the routine a few times, helping a bunch of the pairs as they learned the difficult steps. Alice was getting more and more frustrated as time went on.

"No, no, no," she mumbled. "Girls, it's pas de bourrée, pas de bourrée, turn, hip, hip!" she yelled, placing arms and legs into the proper position. "Bella, show everyone again, please," she begged, exasperated.

I did the moves in slow motion before doing it up-tempo with Jasper joining me. Laughing, Jasper and I finally sat down together as the dance auditions continued. At least Maria knew that we could do the dance well. We didn't need to audition.

As we sat mocking some of the other couples, Maria approached us. "Don't go anywhere, you two. I want you to read this scene for me after the dancing is finished."

My mouth dropped. Maria wanted me to stay. I was going to read scenes! I was astounded. Jasper's loud gasp brought me out of my success-induced haze, though. I turned my head towards him, but he was staring nervously at the stage.

"What?" I whispered, nudging him in the ribs. Instead of answering, he handed me the scene. I read through it and gasped as well. The scene ended with…a kiss? I had to kiss Jasper? That's just gross. "Seriously?" I whined. "If we get the leads, I'm dropping out."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Would it really be so bad to kiss me?" He batted his eyes, as he had the other day in the car, leaning in towards my face with puckered lips. I squealed and pushed him away, standing up quickly. I stumbled backwards into a hulking form, and the tingles running up my spine let me know exactly who I'd crashed into.

"Whoa, there." Edward moved his arms around my waist and leaned into my ear. "Careful, Bella." I shivered again and extracted myself from his arms. I couldn't deal with this tension. I was definitely going to spontaneously combust.

"Sorry." I could feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment as I went to sit by Jasper again.

"She's just flustered 'cause she has to kiss me." Jasper winked, sending a sly smile my way.

"Really?" Edward asked, his eyes looking incredibly concerned. I groaned as Jasper nodded enthusiastically, wrapping his arm around my shoulders to bring me closer to his side. "Oh, uh…I guess me, too," Edward added, causing me to flip around in my seat.

"Wh-what?" I stuttered.

"Maria sent me over here to tell you that I'm doing the same scene as you two."

Panic took over my body, paralyzing me where I sat. Why would Maria make us audition with a kissing scene? That was just cruel and unusual punishment. My first kiss with Edward would be clumped together with a kiss from Jasper, which I didn't particularly want…with an audience watching?

"Bella and Jasper, you'll be reading first!" Maria called out, gesturing for us to move up onto the stage.

I walked stiffly to my spot, gripping the piece of paper in my hand, attempting to mentally prepare for Jasper. I went through my lines mechanically, anticipating the end of the scene with each second it came closer. Before I knew it, we'd arrived at the end of the scene. I read over the words, "Ren kisses Ariel," on the script in my hand at least three times before I looked back up at Jasper.

He took a step forward, keeping his arms rigid against his sides. He was getting too close; I felt like he was invading my personal bubble. He smiled weakly before taking another step towards me, and I fought the urge to step backwards. His hands came to rest at my sides in uncomfortable fists, making me flinch with discomfort. I looked into his apologetic blue eyes, and we both took a deep breath. His lips forced themselves into a pucker as his head leaned towards mine slowly. They met mine in a tentative brush, feeling rough and chapped over mine. I tried to respond, but he was gone before I could. He leaned away and took a large step backwards, and I sighed a breath of relief. Thank God that's over.

Jasper smiled as applause broke out from the audience, making me realize just exactly how many people had stayed to watch us read. I hadn't even noticed them there, to be honest. He nudged my ribs before hopping off the stage and running into the audience.

"Lovely, you two," Maria called from her perch on the piano. "Let's run it again with Edward, now. Okay?"

"O-oh-okay," I stuttered uncomfortably. I waited with bated breath for Edward to appear on stage. My body started humming with nerves, and I felt close to hyperventilation.

Finally, Edward stepped out onto the stage from the dark recesses of the theater. We made eye contact, and for a second, I couldn't breathe. My brain ceased to remember how to inhale and force oxygen into my lungs and then exhale again.

"What are you doing here?" I began the scene, unable to wait any longer. Every cell in my body was alert, waiting for the inevitable closing kiss.

"Watching." His jade eyes never left mine as he spoke his first line, stepping out of the shadows.

"I thought I was alone." My hands crossed protectively in front of my chest, feeling exposed under the bright stage lights.

"Not in this town," he chuckled as he continued walking towards me. "There's eyes everywhere."

"How come you don't like me?" I asked, my eyes trained back on the crinkled piece of paper gripped between my fingers. I was too afraid to look at him or out towards Maria; my nerves were causing a massive case of stage fright.

I could hear the smile in his question as he continued. "What makes you think I don't?"

"You never talk to me at school. You never look at me." With those words, my eyes trailed towards his again. He was standing much closer now, and I could almost feel the heat of his exhale escaping into the air between us.

"Maybe because if I did, your boyfriend would remove my lungs." He ran a hand through his hair before shifting awkwardly and glancing back down at his page.

"Chuck Cranston doesn't own me," I said defiantly as I allowed my arms to fall to my sides. "He likes to act like he does, but he doesn't." I gulped, my throat inexplicably closing in on itself, knowing exactly what the next line was. "Do you want to kiss me?"

His eyes snapped back up towards mine. "Someday." He smiled my favorite half-smile, making me burn with anticipation. As I looked back at him intently, his green eyes smoldered under the stage lights, and for a second, I actually believed that he wanted me.

"What is this someday business?" I laughed, starting to feel more like Bella and less like the character I was supposedly playing.

"I get the feeling you've been kissed a lot." He took another step closer, and my heart rate picked up. It was so close I could almost taste it. "I'm afraid I'd suffer in comparison."

"You don't think much of me, do you?" I asked, my voice coming out shakier and breathier than I intended. It looked like nerves were going to get the best of me. "You think I'm small town?"

"I think Bomont's a small town." He took the final step towards me, and I tried not to shudder when I heard the loud crinkle of the paper in his hand and felt the heat of his palms seep through the thin fabric of my shirt. My breathing picked up as one of his hands trailed up my side and made its way under my chin, pulling it upwards to meet his gaze as the other lowered to the small sliver of exposed skin just beneath the hem of my shirt. "Wanna see something?" he whispered, his voice not wavering at all, and I bit my lip in anticipation.

How could he be so calm? My heart felt like a hummingbird was trapped inside, my blood pressure rising with each second his skin was on mine.

He cocked his head slightly to the side and moved his thumb over my bottom lip, freeing it from my front teeth. My breath hitched, trying to soak up every second his finger remained on my lip. His eyes darted down to my mouth, and I realized that I still had another line left. "Sure," I whispered in return.

The air became stagnant, and the audience hushed as Edward leaned in slowly. He pressed his lips against mine softly, and my eyes fluttered closed. I felt as if I'd been shocked—that static electricity sensation you got after shuffling your feet on plush carpet—starting with my lips. Warmth flowed through my body. I tried to stay as still as possible, committing every minute detail to my memory. The way he smelled, how soft his lips were, how his index finger twitched slightly under my chin, pulling me just a smidge closer to him. It was perfect.

I sighed as I felt him pull away, knowing that the stage kiss would be far too brief for my liking. But before I could open my eyes, Edward's lips were pressed against mine again. His grip on my chin and waist increased with the pressure of his mouth, pulling me against his hard body. I vaguely felt the piece of paper in my hand float to the floor as my hand released it and trailed up Edward's biceps to his shoulders. I used his able body for balance as I kissed him back, actively participating in our kiss for the first time.

As I drew his bottom lip into my mouth, I could taste faint traces of his mint Chap Stick. I sighed softly, knowing that I couldn't release the moans and whimpers that wanted to escape into the room so badly. I nearly died on the spot when I felt Edward's soft tongue swipe over my bottom lip and slip into my mouth.

I could feel everything down to my toes, the sparks repeating their short-circuited cycle through my body over and over again as my tongue responded, brushing against his gently. My fingers gripped his biceps, willing him to stay longer, as he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, biting gently before releasing it again, signaling the end of the best kiss in the history of the universe.

Finally, his grasp on me loosened, and he leaned back, stepping away from me. My eyes fluttered open and my jaw dropped, almost unhinged, as I tried not to pant and gasp for air.

Edward's eyes opened and met mine, looking darker than I'd ever seen them. He was breathing just as hard as I was, and a tiny sliver of hope came to life within me.

The raucous applause coming from the audience brought me back to the present, reminding me that people had just seen that.

"Well done!" Maria called from somewhere in the distance, finally allowing me to come to. Looking around, I saw that there were two pieces of paper in the spot where Edward and I had just been. When did Edward drop his script, too? Still feeling jittery, I reached down to pick them up. Suddenly, there was another hand there, helping me clean up.

Edward chuckled softly before handing me the papers and heading over to talk to Maria by the piano without saying a word.

What the hell just happened?

Chapter End Notes: Um, yay? Come on kids, you owe me a review for that one, haha. Let's try for 100 this week – and make my heart explode from joy!

Don't forget -- lexiecullen17 is now on twitter – and check out the rules for the "Twi-High Anonymous Challenge"!

BIG EDWARD KISSES TO EVERYONE!