Disclaimer: Ha! I wish.

Hello!

I want to apologize for this chapter because there is nothing new. I wrote this chapter in Edward's point of view for my own personal reasons. I'm working some things out in my head and trying to get rid of any confusion. I just want to say to writers out there who frequently write in EPOV… WOW GOOD JOB. It's really difficult (for me at least)!

Oh, anyways. Yes, I will move the plot soon enough. There will be Edward/Jacob rivalry and there will be actual EDWARD/BELLA stuff happening. It's summer and I can come up with some new ideas and write them more quickly, so please be patient with me.

Like I said, this chapter was just something for myself. I was trying to figure stuff out, and I may end up confusing you more… sorry. Hehehe, well feel free to continually give me great advice. I almost feel sorry that I'm not incorporating the criticism into my writing yet. I will. I am listening, and I am working on moving things along with more drama. I PROMISE. :)

Edward's POV

It was too dangerous to be around her. Just remembering the color of pink that rushed to her cheeks as she walked towards me was enough to drive me crazy. I could taste the venom in my mouth as I sat in my car, staring at the outdoor track field. I didn't understand how such a small human had become such a threat to me.

I repeated "Bella Swan is just an ordinary girl" in my head and searched my mind for clues as to how I turned into this pitiful creature, hiding in a car to avoid a girl.

I remembered the tragic day Isabella Swan entered my life.

The previous year, I was sitting in my Biology class a whole half hour before school began, because Alice had seen the weather clearing up right before school. Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and I found it best to avoid the sun.

The low buzzing noise of students' thoughts was usually painted with trivial gossip, but one name was repeated in many minds. There must have been a new student in school, and judging from the thoughts of the teenage boys, she was quite attractive. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at the silly desires of adolescent boys.

The name Bella Swan had not died down by the end of the period, and I was tired of this character and annoyed by the small student population that took the small news of a new student and blew it out of proportion.

I went to my next class and carried out my monotonous schedule. It wasn't difficult to maneuver through the hallways with my accelerated speed.

Third period. I found myself sitting in the literature classroom, waiting for a chance to talk to my brothers and sisters at lunch. I knew that Jasper was struggling, and I wanted to keep a close eye on him.

I was concentrating on listening for Jasper's thoughts when the aroma of freesias hit me. A girl with brown hair had walked into the room, weaving through the rows of desks. She had a pretty face, but she did not ever strike me as being a modelesque type, like Rosalie. Plain, even. She stumbled to her seat behind mine and I found it humorous.

This was the girl who was turning heads in the hallway? Most definitely, her floral scent was etched in my mind, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. It was appetizing, but that was why decades of training were useful. There was nothing extraordinary about her. She was actually quite clumsy, from what I could tell.

After months of observing Bella Swan in class and in the hallways, she continued to surprise me. For one thing, I found that I couldn't read her thoughts. This made me concerned at first, but it shouldn't be a huge problem. She was probably just thinking about the same things that her peers were worried with. It was actually quite nice to have one less voice to be bothered by.

But as I heard her taking part in discussions, I found the desire to hear her thoughts grow. She was… intelligent and was passionate about the arguments she presented. I wanted to know about her past and about what had made her the person she was now. Each passing day of class with her, I even found her scent to be more irresistible.

Not only was the desire to kill her present in me, but each time she would fall or trip in school, the urge to catch her showed up. I would grimace whenever another boy thought of her in a physical way, and the emotions I felt were foreign to me. I knew that as her blood was increasingly tempting to me, and I would have to keep my distance from her.

And so with that, I never spoke to Bella. I was afraid of the thirsty beast in me, but also the vulnerable person in me as well. I had gone so long without having any of my siblings realize anything was wrong.

But this year, without Jasper to entertain her, Alice has become even more perceptive than usual. We were in lunch when I was monitoring Bella's movements out of corner of my eye. I thought Alice had been so engrossed in talking about some fashion show in Milan, but she had apparently noticed my suspicious behavior.

"Edward- why are you so concentrated on Bella Swan?" she asked me in her thoughts.

"I wasn't," I grumbled. There was no way to get out of this discussion with Alice.

"Do you… like her?" Alice blurted out loud.

"Alice, don't' be foolish. You know I don't bother with things like that" I shushed. My eyes narrowed at her.

"This is so exciting. My dear brother is all grown up and has a crush!"

"I am already well past 100 years old, I've already "grown up"."

There was a big grin on Alice's face and excitement in her eyes.

"Does she like you? Did you check her thoughts? She has a boyfriend already, doesn't she? But I know all of the other girls are totally in love with you even without being able to read their minds. They talk about you in the locker rooms when I get ready for dance class. It gets to be a little annoying, if you do ask me. Maybe Bella is attracted to you also."

I gave in to her definition of my feelings for Bella as being a crush. Sure, I knew that I had little to base the pull she had on me on, but I would go along with Alice for now. It was easier to agree with Alice.

I whispered softly "The thing is… I can't read her thoughts."

Alice bit her lip in confusion and got quiet.

I searched her mind for any sign of what Alice was thinking about.

I could hear Alice thinking "No, this won't do at all. How will I ever get Edward and Bella together?"

I responded quickly. "Alice, Bella is already seeing Jacob Black. I've seen them together. Besides, did you forget that we are different? I can't even be with Bella because half of me wants to kill her."

I let out a loud groan because I knew that Alice had not been listening to a word I had said. The pixie was already coming up with plans to invite her to sit with us at lunch the next day.

And that was the reason I was sitting in my car, watching the gym classes head back into the school building. I could not handle being so close to Bella for fear that I would kill her, but also because I was… afraid to talk to her.

I still couldn't believe that Alice invited Bella to "eat" lunch with us. How ironic. I was surprised that I had run away like that when Bella approached Alice and me, but I was determined to deal with the problem.

I decided that I would go back to school and join Bella and Alice for lunch.