Hey, everyone!

Big thanks to Tropical Sorbet for getting me to write. Also, a HUGE thanks to MzBionic for answering my plea for someone to beta this on facebook and getting it back to me so quickly.

"So, now are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked Edward, again.

He had been pretty quiet about what we were doing since we decided to ditch. I had assumed we would just go the park, but once we passed the exit on the US101, I knew that wasn't the case.

"You hungry?" Edward asked, ignoring my question. "I didn't eat that much at lunch."

"I guess I could eat. Hollow leg, remember?" I laughed. Edward had begun teasing me about the amount of food I could consume ever since our date at the Moonshine Lodge.

Edward pulled into Sully's Drive-In and turned to me. "So, cheeseburger with grilled onions, fries and a coke?"

I blushed. We, along with the rest of the group, had come here frequently and I had gotten the same thing each time .

"Umm... yeah. Maybe not the grilled onions, though," I added.

Wherever we were going, I hoped it involved kissing. Onion breath without mints sounded like a bad combination to get any kissing in.

Edward went inside, leaving the car stereo on. So, I absently flipped through his iPod before settling on the Postal Service. After a few minutes, Edward came back out, two paper bags and a cup caddy holding two drinks in hand.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" I pouted, trying to give him my best puppy dog eyes.

"Bella. No. I mean, it's really not a big deal. In the beginning, I would have told you, but since you started incessantly asking, I'm just going to keep it to myself." Edward said, leaning over the center console to kiss my cheek. "Sorry, sweetheart."

It didn't escape my notice that Edward called me sweetheart. That was definitely a first but I didn't want to bring it up in case it wasn't on purpose.

"Fine." I huffed, pouting.

I didn't have to wait a long time, ten minutes later we were pulling up into one the of entrances of the Olympic National Park. After being greeted by the ranger, Edward parked near a small patch of grass.

"We can eat in the car, or I have a blanket in the back."

After I decided sitting outside was the better choice, Edward got the blanket for us to sit on while I grabbed the bags and headed out.

It was nice out, the sun was shining and the air just had a hint of chill to it.

Edward and I sat close together on the blanket, talking and eating.

"Thank you, Edward. For this. Really." I sighed, lying back on the blanket. "Things haven't really been that easy lately, huh?"

"Yeah. It's okay though. As long as you're still okay with facing the scrutiny of being with me, I'm okay."

I sat back up, taking Edwards hand in mine. "Hey, don't make it sound like I'm doing you a favor by being with you, okay? I hate it when you talk like that."

"I'm sorry, Bella. Let's just...enjoy the rest of the day. It's so peaceful here."

I nodded my head, agreeing.

Once we finished eating and our garbage was all picked up, I lay back against the blanket, pulling Edward by the sleeve to get him to lie beside me.

"You signed up for the SATs for next Saturday, right?" Edward asked, brushing a stray hair out of his face.

I groaned. Edward had been trying to get me to sign up to take the SATs with him since he found out that I had yet to even sign up for them.

"Yes, Edward. Saturday at 8 in the morning. Room 8. I'll be there."

Edward smiled. "Good."

"I don't even want to think about college. We still have a year of school left."

"I know, Bella." Edward replied. "Let's talk about something fun, instead. How about we go out tomorrow night, celebrate the end of the SATs. I'm sick of studying for them."

I turned to him, a big smile on my face. "Sounds good. In the meantime, it's kind of cold out here; I could use some warming up."

Resting on my elbow, I leaned over to kiss Edward. It started innocently enough, but turned more intense when Edward scooted towards me, cupping my face with both his hands.

After a couple of minutes, one of Edwards hands left my face and began slowly trailing down my neck, arms, sides, briefly stopping at my hips, leaving a trail of goose bumps down my body.

I thought I would burst with surprise when Edwards hand continued down my thigh, right above the back of my knee and hitched it over his own leg, causing me to almost groan at the feeling of him being so close.

Edward and I had never been so forward with each other before and it was hard to remember that we were outside, in public, in broad daylight no less.

As much as I enjoyed Edwards hand on my thigh and his lips on mine, I knew we had to stop. Not that I was worried about this continuing any further, but Charlie knew a lot of people, and the last thing I needed was someone recognizing us then telling Charlie.

"Edward," I said, pulling away from him. "We should stop."

Breathing hard, Edward pulled away from me, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Bella. I shouldn't have just... attacked you like that. How rude of me."

I laughed, loudly. "Believe me, I don't mind if you do that. We're just... in public. Next time, let's save it for indoors."

"Oh, right." Edward grinned and leaned forward, pecking my lips before standing and holding his hand out to help me up. "Come on, we should get going. School will be over soon and we need to get back to your truck.

0-0

Luckily, Charlie never seemed to find out that I skipped the rest of class that day. It might have helped that as soon as I got home, I disconnected the land line we had in the living room so that the automated call wouldn't come.

The following morning, Edward called me on my cell at 6:30 to make sure I was awake. Like I wasn't capable enough to wake up on my own.

I sleepily showered and dressed in comfy clothes then went downstairs, graciously accepting the toast and travel mug of coffee Charlie handed me.

I ate the toast while I waited for Edward to come pick me up, knowing he would hate for me to eat something so crumby in his car, although he wouldn't actually say otherwise.

Edward arrived at promptly 7:30, parked and actually came up to my door to get me. After being wished luck by my dad, we headed off to school.

"Nervous?" I asked, noticing how Edward's fingers were constantly drumming on the steering wheel.

Edward looked over to me and followed my eyes to where his hands were and abruptly stopped his fidgeting. "Yeah. Sorry. It's just, kind of a big deal to me. My parents want me to do well and to get into a good school. They had a tutor for me back in Chicago that I had been seeing once a week since Freshman year."

"Wow, so no pressure or anything, right?" I joked.

Edward scoffed, not looking amused at my attempt at humor. "No. Not really."

"You'll do fine, Edward." I couldn't really think of anything better to say than that. Edward was smart; I doubt he had anything to worry about. Besides, if he didn't do so great this time, he could do it again. I couldn't imagine having so much pressure on me. Charlie expected me to pass my classes with at least a C, which wasn't a problem. Renee had never put any emphasis on grades and school. She hadn't gone to college and never really brought up me going, so I was pretty sure that she didn't have any money saved up for me to go.

Edward just reached over and grabbed my hand from my lap, squeezing is lightly as he continued driving towards school.

Four stressful hours and a few hand cramps later, we were done with the SATs. Freaking finally. I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and catch a quick nap until I went over to Edward's house later in the evening.

0-0

After taking a much needed nap for a few hours, I woke up to the chiming of my phone.

How about take-out and some tv watching at my house?

I grinned at the message. As much as I enjoyed going out on a proper date with Edward, relaxing at his house seemed very appealing at the moment

I texted him back, letting him know I liked the change in plan and asked if Chinese was okay.

Once Edward agreed to Chinese, I let him know I would pick it up on the way there. Due to many nights of Chinese take-out with the group, I didn't need to ask what he wanted. It was always the same; vegetable chow mein and orange chicken.

I still had a couple hours to kill. So, after a quick shower, I decided to do what I had been putting off since Edward and I had started officially going out. Telling my mother.

"Hello?" Phil greeted me.

"Hey, Phil, it's Bella. Is my mom there?" I asked, briefly wondering why he was answering her cell phone.

"Yeah, let me get her for you. She's doing some pregnancy yoga dvd of hers."

"Renee!" Phil called out, his mouth too close to the receiver.

I cringed, mentally laughing as I heard Phil's foot steps and my mom come into hearing range.

"What is it, Phil? I'm trying to meditate here."

"Bella."

My mom let out a high pitched noise and then there was a rustling sound as she got on the phone.

Once on the phone, Renee talked. And talked. About the baby, Phil's job and her back pains. When she began to talk about how her neighbors were out of town and wanted her to water their house plants, I intervened.

"Hey, Mom? There was actually a reason I called today."

"Oh, there was? What exactly was the reason, sweetie?" I knew from the hopeful tone to her voice that she probably thought I had decided to move to Jacksonville.

"Well, you remember the guy I told you about, Edward?"

"Oh, yes, Bella. I do. First boy I've known about to get you all flustered. "

"Well, we worked things out and now we're together." I paused, waiting for her reaction, and I wasn't disappointed.

"Bella! That's wonderful. I knew you two would come around. You're such a good girl; he'd be an idiot if he didn't see that."

I wanted to argue with her, tell her that she had it backwards. Edward was a good guy. A really good guy. I still wasn't sure if I deserved him, much like he thought I felt burdened by him.

After that, I let Renee take charge of the conversation once more. She wanted to know all the details, about our first date, how Charlie took the news and if we had had our first kiss yet.

When she started to give me the talk, I cut her off.

"Mom! I am well aware of the consequences of teenage pregnancy and the risks of unprotected sex." I exclaimed, feeling my entire face and ears flush. I really had no desire to have my mother school me on diaphragms.

"You're still on the pill though, right?"

I sighed. "Yes, mom."

I had been on the pill since I was sixteen, not only did Renee feel 'safer' having me on it, I also liked that I didn't have killer cramps anymore.

"Okay, okay. I just want you to be safe."

The conversation dwindled down after that and Renee said she had to get off the phone, saying she needed a bathroom break.

I filled up the rest of the afternoon doing homework, eager to pass the time until I went to Edwards.

0-0

Not soon enough, I was pulling up to Edward's house, food in hand.

"Hey," Edward greeted me at the door, taking the bag of food from me.

I followed Edward through the living room, stopping to greet his parents who were sitting in there.

"Hello, dear." Esme said, looking at me over the Better Homes and Gardens she was reading.

"Hey," Carlisle smiled at me, thumbing through the book he was holding.

"Hi, Esme. Hey, Carlisle."

At first, I had referred to them as Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, feeling like I had to be formal around them. Both of them squashed the formalities, though it still felt slightly awkward, especially since my own father never corrected Edward when he called him Sir or Chief.

In the kitchen, I hopped up on one of the bar stools, watching as Edward headed towards the fridge.

"I thought we'd grab a soda or water and eat in the tv room." Edward held out a can of coke and bottled water in each hand.

"Sounds good." I took the can of coke from Edward, tapping gently on the top of the can.

"Carton or plate?" He asked, referring to what we would eat it from.

"Carton. No dishes afterwards."

Edward gave me one of his goofy smiles and picked everything up, taking it to the tv room.

When we walked past the living room again, his parents were gone. Noticing my surprised look, Edward explained.

"They wanted to give us some... private time. I told them it wasn't necessary, but they insisted."

"They didn't have to leave because of us." I sputtered; slightly mortified at the thought of his parents thinking we were doing something that would require such privacy.

Edward shrugged. "They didn't leave or anything, they're just upstairs in their room."

I nodded in understanding. Although I had never seen his parents' room, Edward told me that it was basically like a small studio apartment, just minus the kitchen. They had a sitting area and tv they could watch.

Settling down on the over sized couch in the tv room, Edward flipped through the channels until we agreed on a paranormal show about Bigfoot.

"That is so fake!" I exclaimed through bites of chicken.

Edward laughed. "Come on, Bella. These guys are just trying to get in their fifteen minutes. Of course it's fake."

"Yeah, but it still doesn't mean that Bigfoot doesn't exist."

Edward froze, turning around to face me. "You think Bigfoot is real?"

I could tell he was trying really hard not to burst out laughing.

"I'm not saying he is and I'm not saying he isn't." I crossed my arms over my chest; acting more annoyed at how humorous this was to him, than I actually was.

Edward's laughter erupted. I started to actually get pretty annoyed. I didn't say that I thought we should head down to California and started looking for the damned thing. I just meant that there could be a possibility.

I wanted to shut him up from his laughing, so instead of slapping a hand over his mouth, I leaned forward and kissed him.

Edward had been mid-laugh when I kissed him, so his lips were slightly parted. Feeling bold and in the privacy of his own house, I used his opened mouth to my advantage and ran my tongue across his bottom lip before gently flicking it against the tip of his own tongue.

Edward seemed to really come alive then, alternating between sucking on my bottom lip and letting his tongue tease mine.

We were facing each other on the couch, his hands on my hips, but I needed to be closer.

In another uncharacteristically bold move, I pushed him back against the couch by his shoulders and hitched one of my legs over both of his, effectively straddling his lap.

Edward froze, clearly not expecting this turn of events.

Leaning forward to kiss him again, I banged my face into his glasses, causing us both to wince.

"Oops, sorry." I said, taking his glasses off and leaning back, putting them onto the coffee table.

This time, I was able to fully kiss Edward. Soon enough, he was enthusiastically responding, his hands gripping firmly on my hips, squeezing me.

In the background, I was vaguely aware of my phone ringing.

"Bella," Edward groaned in between kisses. "Phone."

"They'll go away. This is more fun." Truth be told, I really could give a damn about my phone ringing. Who would even be calling me?

I wasn't quite sure what Edward and I were doing. Obviously, we both weren't ready for sex. I think. Judging by how Edward's hands kept me firmly in place on his lap, right before his...crotch area, I figured he wasn't either.

"Bellaaa," Edward groaned, pulling his lips from mine. "This is the third time your phone has rang. I think you should answer it."

Leaning back further, I pouted. "Am I really that bad of a kisser that you'll use any old excuse?"

"Hush, you know that's not true." Edward handed me my ringing phone, kissing my nose.

Still situated on his lap, I answered, not bothering to see who it was.

"What?" I said, still frustrated at the interruption.

"Bella? It's me, Emmett."

"Oh, uh...hey, Emmett." I replied. Emmett and I had each others numbers, but we weren't exactly friends. It was probably the first time he had called me.

"Is Rosie with you?"

"Rose? No. She isn't. Why? Is something wrong?" I ask, starting to feel panic.

"No, well. I'm not sure. She's called me a few times, drunk and upset."

I racked my brain, trying to think of where she could be. "I think there's a party going on tonight. She's probably with Lauren and Jess."

"Can you do me a huge, huge favor, Bella? Rose is asking me to come pick her up, she wants to go home, but she drove there. I really don't want her to do anything stupid."

I sighed, really not wanting to get involved. "Emmett, I'm sure that someone else there is sober and will drive her, otherwise she'll probably end up just crashing there."

"Bella, please? She's been... sad, lately. I can't just drive over there. You're her best friend, Bella. Please?"

I could feel my resolve wavering. "Hang on, Emmett."

I pulled my phone away from me to talk to Edward.

"It's Emmett, Rose's boyfriend. He needs us to go pick up Rose from a party."

"Okay, let's go." Edward replied without hesitation.

"Are you sure? It's at Tyler's. I can go by myself; I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No. It's fine. Tell him we'll go get her."

"Emmett?"

"Yeah, Bella. Are you with a guy? Is it that Edwin guy?"

I blushed. "I'm with Edward."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cock block you guys," Emmett laughed.

"Shut up. And no, you didn't do... that." Not by much, at least.

"Sure, sure. Oh, hey. Shit. Rosie's calling me again. I better take it. Thanks, Bella. I owe you one."

After hanging up with Emmett, I extracted myself from Edwards lap and stood, straightening out my clothes.

"Last chance to back out, Edward." I gave him a pointed look, holding my hand out to him from where he sat on the couch.

Taking it in his, he stood, pulling himself to me.

"I'm going, Bella. Unless you don't want me to."

"Okay. Let's go."

We drove in Edward's Volvo to Tyler's, even though it was well within walking distance. Who knew what kind of state we would find Rose in when we got there.

Edward parked alongside the house and we got out, going up the front steps of the house.

At the same time I reached for the doorknob, Edwards hand reached out to ring the bell.

"Really, Edward? We can just walk in." I said, grabbing his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I've never been to a high school party. I'm not sure what to expect."

I laughed. "Really, you aren't missing anything. A bunch of drunken girls and horny guys."

Clutching Edward's hand, I opened the door and began looking for Rosalie. Luckily for us, no one was really paying attention, but we did get a few strange looks.

"Hey, have you seen Rose?" I asked a sophomore girl, who was leaning against a wall.

"She's out back." The girl responded, gesturing to the backyard.

We found Rose, alone, sitting in a patio chair, clutching a drink to her chest.

"I'll be right back," I said to Edward, kissing his cheek.

"Rose?" I called, going to stand by her.

"Bella!" Rose yelled, standing up quickly and throwing her arms open, causing the cup she was holding to slip from her hand and fall; the liquid splashing down the front of her clothes.

"Shit. Fuck." She yelled, looking down at her wet clothes.

"It's okay, Rose. I think we've had enough fun for the night. Come on, let's get you home."

"Bella!" Rose yelled again, stumbling forward to hug me. "I missed you. So, so much."

"Wow, Rose. How much have you had to drink?" I asked, buckling under her weight.

"You are so nice, Bella. Why were we fighting? You're my best friend. I miss you."

"Yeah. Let's get you home." I said to her, adjusting how we were standing so she was leaning against my side.

"Edward? Could you help her walk?"

"Edward's here? Your boyfriend?" Rose asked, looking surprised. "Edward!"

"Um, hey, Rose. How are you?" Edward asked, cringing.

"I'm gggreeeat!"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything is just peachy. Come on, let me get your car keys."

"They're in my pocket." Rose slurred. "But I want Edward here to get them. He's kinda hot, you know. In that geeky way."

I turned to Edward, giving him an exasperated look, only to see his ears turn bright red.

Rolling my eyes, I patted Rose's pockets, taking out the keys.

"Yeah, Edward. Blonde hair and big boobs. I get it. Let's just get to her car and I'll drive to her house. Could you follow us there?"

"Sure," Edward said, wrapping an arm around Rose's waist, helping me to support her as we walked her through the house and out to the street.

"Wait, Rose. Where's your car?" I asked, scanning the nearly empty street.

"It's down. That way." Rose pointed down the street, to where I could see the shine of the streetlight against her car.

"Let's drive to it. She's kind of heavy." Edward said, leading her towards her car.

"Are you calling me fat?" Rose shrieked. "I am not fat."

"No, Rose. You aren't fat," I quickly said. I knew that if she ran with that thought, we would never hear the end of it.

I climbed in to the back seat after Rose as Edward got the car started.

"Ugh. I don't feel so good, Bella." She groaned, holding her stomach.

"It's okay, Rose. We'll get you home soon." I comforted her, rubbing her back.

It took us all of two seconds to drive to her car. As I was getting out, she suddenly lurched forward, gagging as she threw up on the floor of his car.

"My car." Edward groaned, banging his head on the door.

"Whoa. Okay. Let's get you out."

I held Rose's hair back as she continued throwing up into a patch of grass.

When I deemed that Rose had emptied her stomach, at least for now, I unlocked her car and got her in the passenger seat.

"Edward, I am so, so sorry." I said, going over to him and wrapping my arms around his waist. "I'll clean it up for you."

"It's fine." Edward assured me, although I could tell it really wasn't fine. "I'll follow behind you, okay?"

"Okay."

When I got in the car, Rose was slumped to the side, her head resting against the window.

Edward followed us to Rose's house, helping me to get her up the front step while I rummaged through her keys to find the one for the front door.

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to get her to bed."

"Bye, Edward," Rose said, squeezing him. "It was really nice to meet you."
"You, too." Edward replied, then turned to me. "I'll be in the car.''

Rose stumbled her way to her room, kicking off her shoes and dropping her jacket along the way. I trailed behind her, picking up her discarded clothes so her parents didn't get suspicious of anything.

When we got to her bedroom, I got out pajamas for her from the dresser and headed towards the kitchen while Rose changed.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and a couple Motrin from the bathroom medicine cabinet to leave by her bed.

She was already in bed and under the covers when I returned.
"Here. Drink some water," I said, handing her the bottle.

She sat up a bit to drink, then handed it back to me.

"Okay. You're all set. So, uh, I'm going. Goodnight."

"Bella, don't go. Stay and hang out."

"Rose, I'm not staying. Edward's waiting for me," I explained, hovering by the door.

"I'm sorry, Bella. Don't be mad at me. I promise I thought I was helping."

"What are you even talking about?" I sighed.

"Telling the girls. I thought if I told them, then everything would be okay and you wouldn't have to be embarrassed. I didn't think they would be such bitches about it."

"You thought you were helping me? You do realize that's ridiculous. You put me, Edward and our friends in a shitty situation.

"I didn't mean to!" She cried.

"Yeah. Well, besides that, you're still hanging out with them. You can't be that sorry. I really have to go. I'll see you at school."

Not waiting for her response, I left her room and quickly walked through the house, eager to be back with Edward.

0-0

Edward was sitting in his car with all the windows down, probably trying to air out the stench..

"Hey," he smiled.

I leaned over across the center console to kiss him.

"What was that for?"

"For being an amazing boyfriend. Thank you. I promise to clean up the puke when we get back to your house."

"Don't worry about it." Edward said. "I cleaned up some of it while I was waiting. I'll just pull out the floor mat and hose it off. Maybe buy some air fresheners too."

"Really, though. You have no reason to like Rosalie or want to help her."

"She's your friend. Even if you guys aren't speaking now. That's reason enough for me."

"Thanks. Oh! I should call Emmett and let him know she's okay."

0-0

Monday morning rolled around all too soon. The rest of Saturday night had basically been a failure. After we got back to Edwards, whatever semblance of a mood we had. before Emmett's call, was gone.

Emmett, on the other hand was extremely grateful that we had gone to get Rosalie and that she was perfectly safe and sleeping.

I, along with the rest of the group was in the library, like any other lunchtime. My back was to the aisle, so I couldn't see the comings and goings of people, but I knew it must have been someone exciting, judging by the reactions of Angela and Victoria.

"Hey, guys."

Edward and I turned around to see Rose standing there, fiddling with the strap of her book bag nervously. Her appearance was a complete one-eighty from the last time I saw her. Today, her make-up was perfectly done, her outfit pristine and her hair perfectly styled in waves framing her face.

"Hi." Angela replied, smiling. "Do you want to sit?" She asked, earning a scowl from Victoria.

"Oh. No thanks, I was just wondering if I could borrow Bella for a minute?"

"Sure. I guess." I turned back to the group. "I'll be right back."

I left my stuff behind, following Rose out of the library and into the hallway.

"I just wanted to say thank you. For coming to get me and taking care of me Saturday night."

I waved my hand. "It's fine, Rose. Emmett was freaked out and begged me to come get you. I just did him a favor."

"Still," Rose insisted, "I woke up Sunday morning, panicking, not remembering what happened the night before. I ran outside and saw my car there, I thought I had driven home. I called Emmett in tears and he explained to me what happened."

"Rose. Seriously. It's not a big deal. You needed help, I was there."

"I don't deserve your help. I've been a bitch. I just wanted to say thank you and I am so, so sorry for how I acted. And I just want us to be friends again." She tucked her hair behind her ear, looking down. I had rarely ever seen Rose look so calm and subdued. So unlike the confident girl everyone else saw.

"I really appreciate that, Rose. But I can't. Not yet. I'm being treated like some sort of social leper because you went and blabbed about my private business."

"Okay. I get it. Do you mind telling Edward I said thanks? Em told me he helped out as well."
"Yeah, Rose. I should get back to them. Lunch is almost over."

Rose looked over at the clock on the wall. "Okay. I'll see you around, then?"

"Yeah. You will." I shrugged, noncommittally. We did go to school together.

"Great." Rose smiled, her face lighting up.

I walked away from Rose, back to the library, feeling a little more lighter than I had in weeks.

Remember, I'm still looking for songs that remind you of high school, as well as both boy and girl baby names!